Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered ❯ Trapped Brothers ( Chapter 20 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be a stripper.

 

Spoilers:

Warnings:

 

 

Chapter 20: Trapped Brothers

 

 

“She's sending you where!?”

 

“The Sand, and I don't know when I'll be back.”

 

Lee sighed and sat down on his couch. He knew it. Just when their relationship was getting stronger, just when he had finally made Sakura his, she was being taken away.

 

“The Sand is a two day trip. I can come and visit you when I have a chance. I can write to you too.”

 

Sakura moved to stand in front of Lee. “I know, but it won't be the same.”

 

Lee reached out and grabbed Sakura's hips. He pulled her forward between his knees and looked up at her. “When do you leave?”

 

“End of the week.”

 

Lee cursed under his breath and buried his face in Sakura's stomach. Sakura knew then that leaving Lee behind was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever have to do.

 

--

 

When Sasuke woke up he couldn't help but feel happy. It was the weekend and neither Naruto nor Sakura worked on the weekends. Even though Sakura didn't spend the night at home, he knew she would come back today. She always came back, almost like she was making up for lost time. He could eat some of her cooking. And Naruto, well he could train with him. Who knew maybe all three of them could train together. He missed training with them…..not that he would ever admit that to anyone.

 

After a quick shower Sasuke walked into the dining room and saw Naruto and Hinata at the table looking over some books.

 

“Hey Sasuke.”

 

“Morning Sasuke-kun.”

 

Sasuke grunted in return. He walked past them and was about to walk in the kitchen when Naruto spoke up.

 

“Sakura's going to be gone all day, something about explaining to Tsunade her duties. She wants to talk to us tonight, but I don't know what about. And I'm gonna be busy today.”

 

Sasuke stopped and took a closer look at what Naruto and Hinata were reading. Much to his dismay all the books were wedding related. Without a second glance Sasuke walked back to his room. His good mood was ruined. He was going to be alone today. Again. Sasuke quickly gathered some weapons and headed for the front door.

 

“Hey what are your plans for today?”

 

“Training.”

 

But before Naruto could say anything else Sasuke had already shut the front door. Hinata saw the troubled look on Naruto's face.

 

“Go talk to him.”

 

“I'll talk to him tonight. He needs some time to cool down, or nothing is going to be solved.”

 

Deciding not to push the issue Hinata turned back to the books. But after half an hour of looking at invitations, cakes, centerpieces, outfits, decorations, reservation dates, and trying to figure out how to plan a reception it quickly become obvious that planning the wedding by themselves was going to be too overwhelming. So instead they decided to hire a wedding planner. Hinata knew of one wedding planner who had a very good reputation. Naruto told her to go on ahead. He wanted to check on exactly how much money he had saved away. Jirayia and Iruka had given Naruto money to spend on the wedding since they both knew how little money he had to begin with.

 

--

 

Walking into the office of the wedding planner, Hinata was overwhelmed with table arrangements, and color combinations. She started walking around the room looking at all the different display tables.

 

“Hello.” Hinata turned to see a tall, thin older woman. She had snow white hair and smile wrinkles, which made her look very friendly. “My name is Arris, and you must be Hyuuga Hinata.”

 

“Yes I am.” Hinata instantly felt at easy. The woman had a very soothing voice. Immediately Arris went about showing Hinata all the centerpieces and color arrangements. Hinata knew why Arris was enthusiastic, it wasn't everyday the future head of a clan gets married, much less a Hyuuga. But nonetheless, Arris was very nice.

 

The door jingled open and Hinata heard Naruto call for her.

 

“Oh he's here. Naruto I'm in the back.” Hinata didn't fail to notice that the smile on Arris's face fell a bit. But she didn't have time to dwell on it as Naruto pecked her on the cheek and held her hand. Naruto immediately started commenting on the arrangements. Hinata told him she liked the one with the light purple flowers. But when Naruto turned to ask Arris a question about the arrangement, she wasn't there.

 

Thinking nothing of it Naruto walked toward another room, with Hinata behind him. But unlike Naruto, Hinata was worried. The couple found Arris sitting at a desk looking over some paperwork. Upon spotting them a smile instantly appeared on Arris's face.

 

“How can I help you?”

 

The couple sat in front of her desk and Hinata went about telling her how they plan to get married about two months after the chuunin exams. She also told Arris that they had some ideas about where they wanted to hold the wedding and the reception. Hinata placed a notebook on the desk, which Arris took and opened up. After a quick glance Arris placed the notebook back on the desk.

 

“I'm sorry, all those places are not available for reservation. I would know.”

 

Naruto and Hinata look at her stunned. Naruto was the first to recover. “Oh, well do you know of any places that are available?”

 

Arris opened a drawer to her desk and pulled out a huge book labeled “Locations”. “Yes, but they are awfully expensive.”

 

“Oh well that shouldn't be a problem.” Naruto quickly looked over at Hinata and smiled. “Dad and Ero-Sennin gave us a lot to work with.”

 

Arris looked from Naruto to Hinata and back. She remained silent for a long time before leaning forward, as if to tell them a secret. “Have you two been engaged long?”

 

“About a month.”

 

“Don't you two think you're rushing? I would hate to do any planning for the wedding not to happen.”

 

Hinata could feel her face getting hot from anger. “You don't need to worry about that. He's the only one for me.”

 

“I'm just saying you never know. You're both so young. Things happen, secrets could be revealed. And as a future clan leader, you should be careful.”

 

“Arris-san, I think we're both—“

 

“Thank you Arris. We'll be going now.”

 

Hinata quickly got up, grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him out of his chair. Naruto didn't know where Hinata was leading him, but he knew better than to question her. It was rare for her to be angry. But he knew what it was. It was the way Arris talked to them. The way she smiled as she tried to tear them down. The way she tried to plant the seed of doubt. It wasn't until they were in an empty training field that Naruto said anything.

 

“Hinata?”

 

Hinata didn't stop walking. She needed to hurt some trees. “The nerve of that woman. I don't want to go back there.”

 

“But she's the best wedding planner in the village. We can't do this alone.”

 

“We'll find someone else than. Anyone but her.”

 

Naruto sighed and stopped walking. Since Hinata was still holding his hand she was forced to stop as well. “I'm used to it by now.”

 

“I don't like it.” Hinata turned and faced Naruto. “How can you let them treat you that way?”

 

“Remember when you told me to accept people for their good and their bad. If I want to be Hokage I have to love and take care of everyone; good and bad.”

 

“But I don't like it. It hurts you.”

 

Naruto smiled and let go of Hinata's hand. He shifted his weight and rubbed his elbow. “Naw, I'm used to it by now.”

 

Hinata stepped closer to Naruto and gently cupped his cheek. “I know it hurts you. You're not made of stone Naruto. It's not good to keep it all inside.”

 

Naruto wasn't sure if it was the tone of her voice, the look in her eyes or the words she said but he could feel the door slowly open within him. He had long ago shut that door. Kept inside were all his feelings of hurt. Not since he was young did he cry over the way the villagers treated him. He knew crying would accomplish nothing. But with Hinata, he felt like she was looking right at his soul.

 

“How long have you kept it all inside?”

 

Slowly Naruto closed the gap between them and buried his face in her neck. His tears were silent, but she knew he was crying. Hinata wrapped her arms around his shoulders and ran a hand up and down his back.

 

Without warning Naruto suddenly became scared. He felt like he was twelve again. He felt alone, sad and scared. All the feelings and insecurities he'd kept inside were coming to the surface. But Hinata was still there, so he clutched her. Hinata noticed the change in his demeanor. Turning her head she whispered in his ear, “I'm here. I'll always be here.”

 

--

 

Laying down staring at the stars Naruto couldn't help but feel extreme joy over having Hinata in his life. He turned his head away from the sky and toward Hinata, who was lying next to him. He studied her face for a moment before she turned and looked at him. Smiling softly, Naruto leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. When he pulled back he noticed the strange look on her face.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

“I'm not used to this.”

 

“To what?”

 

“Being the one who comforts. You're the strong one.”

 

Getting curious, Naruto propped himself up on his elbow. “Why am I the strong one?”

 

“Your everything I want to be. Confident, brave, motivational, you make promises and you keep them. You're an excellent ninja and a wonderful person.”

 

“You're all those things too.”

 

“No, I have little confidence, I'm shy, a coward…”

 

Now Naruto sat up on his knees. “No, your not. You're going to be head of a clan. That takes certain skills as both a person and a ninja. You're brave too, or do I have to remind you of what you told that Sound nin. You open up and admit your flaws, which takes courage. Few people can do that. Besides if I'm strong it's because of you.”

 

“I don't understand.”

 

“Before I started seeing you I wanted to be Hokage to prove to everyone how great I really was. To shut them all up. That's partially why I don't talk back to the villagers, because I was gonna show them. But then I started dating you. I fell in love and suddenly being Hokage took on a totally new meaning. I want to be Hokage to protect, not to show everyone. Being in love has given me a new outlook.”

 

Hinata blushed and looked away. Naruto laughed and leaned down to nuzzle her neck. “Being Hokage will allow me to protect you better, as well as our family when we start one.”

 

Hinata remained quiet for a moment before quietly saying “I want to start a family with you too.” She could feel him smile against her neck. “They'll look like you, blonde and tanned.”

 

Naruto sat back and laughed. “No they'll be dark haired and pale eyed. Or maybe blonde and pale.” He laughed again at the face Hinata made at the image of such a pale child. “It's too soon to be talking about kids.”

 

Hinata nodded and looked back up at the sky. While watching her, Naruto was suddenly overcome with emotion. He spent the whole day with her, and yet it wasn't enough. He wanted more. He lay down next to her and kissed her behind her ear. “God do I want to make love to you.”

 

Blushing furiously, Hinata sat up. “Naruto, not until we're married.”

 

“I know. But a whole year.” Naruto groaned and threw himself onto his back. Hinata laughed at his antics and the fake look of hurt he shoot her. Hinata stood up and stretched her back. She turned and looked down at Naruto, who was watching her. She reached out with her foot and kicked his hip.

 

“You're it.”

 

Before he had a chance to get up, she was gone. Smiling he stood in the clearing and tilted his head up a bit. A moment later he took off running to the right.

 

Five minutes later a genin team coming home from their mission heard the sound of a woman laughing hysterically and a man yelling, “You're it!”

 

--

 

Sasuke was stargazing on the roof. When he had gotten home the place was empty and there was note on the door. Sakura was going to be home late tonight, but she would bring dinner with her. So here he was, waiting for someone to get home. He knew Naruto was home when he heard someone making a lot of noise as they climbed up to the roof. Sasuke shook his head. `Some Anbu.'

 

After finally making it to the roof, Naruto simply sat down next to Sasuke and took in the view. “Ne, Sasuke do you think me getting married is a bad idea?”

 

“Are you backing out?”

 

“No. I'm going to marry her even if it kills me. I just want to know what you think.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Just answer the question. Gods are you a difficult bastard.”

 

“I see the way you look at each other, and the way you look when you talk about her. It leaves me no doubt that what you feel for her is real. I see the way she's changed you.”

 

“How has she changed me?”

 

“You're calmer.”

 

Naruto looked at Sasuke with the most innocent look he could muster. “Mature?”

 

Sasuke stood up and cracked his back before answering. “She's not a miracle worker.” He got a punch in the leg as a response.

 

--

 

Just like the note said, Sakura got home late that night with dinner. Naruto couldn't help but notice how tired she looked. Dinner was eaten in silence. The air was too heavy. It left both Sasuke and Naruto wondering what the problem could be. After dinner all three of them set about putting away the leftovers, washing dishes, and cleaning counters. As Sakura was rinsing a cup the words finally came to her.

 

“I'm leaving.” Silence fell upon the room as Naruto and Sasuke stopped what they were doing. “Tsunade is sending me to the Sand to help them. They don't have properly trained medical nins.”

 

“For how long?” Sasuke's voice was deep with emotion.

 

“I don't know.”

 

“And Lee?”

 

“He's not happy.” Once again there was silence, which was broken when Sakura dropped the cup she was holding. Naruto rushed to her as she broke down crying. He almost carried her to the living room. The whole time she was crying and talking incoherently about Lee.

 

“Naruto you understand don't you? I don't want to leave him. Not after we've just…” Again she broke down crying.

 

Naruto did the only thing he knew, he sat down next to her and hugged her. She turned her body and cried on his shoulder. When Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, he was shocked to see Sasuke was heading toward the door.

 

Unlike Naruto, Sasuke didn't know how to react. He didn't like seeing Sakura cry; he didn't seeing anyone cry. He knew Naruto wouldn't be able to stop her tears. But as Sasuke walked to Lee's apartment, he couldn't help but feel angry with him. Why did he let her come over in such an emotional state? Did he not know how she was feeling? Did he not understand that they were powerless to comfort her?

 

When Lee opened his front door, Sasuke punched him, picked him up off the ground and dragged him out of the apartment. Lee was initially shocked. He didn't really understand what was going on, but he could tell from Sasuke's reaction that he didn't intend to kill him. Still it had been a long time since the Sharingan had been directed at him.

 

When the pair reached the front door to the Uchiha house Sasuke shoved Lee toward the door. “Make her stop crying. Now.” Lee didn't say a word as he walked into the house. A few seconds later Naruto walked out and joined Sasuke.

 

“I want to train. Now.”

 

“I take it I don't have a choice?”

 

“No.” Sasuke turned and stalked toward the nearest training ground.

 

“Thought so……….bastard.”

 

--

 

Naruto looked in the mirror after brushing his teeth. He thought to himself that he should at least brush the bed hair look out, but decided not to. He could do that later. As he walked down the hall he stopped at Sakura's room to peek inside. She was running around packing things like a woman possessed. Since she was in her room, that meant Sasuke was the one in kitchen cooking breakfast.

 

When Sakura turned to grab something off her bed she spotted Naruto in the doorway. “Lee was summoned on a mission.” The words came out of her mouth a mile a minute.

 

“O….k….”

 

“Just wanted to make sure you weren't going to find him and punch him.”

 

“You know he didn't mean any harm. He just didn't know how to comfort you. He redirected his anger, wrongly, but still.”

 

“I know.” Sakura paused in her packing to look at Naruto. “Look I'm sorry. I wanted to be here and help Hinata with the wedding.”

 

“It's okay.” Naruto turned to look down the hall before walking up to Sakura. He had a devilish smile on his face as he approached her. He motioned for her to come closer, as he leaned in and cupped his hands around her ears. “Don't tell anyone but Hinata already decided on bride maids and you made the cut.”

 

Sakura jumped back and squealed. Naruto quickly waved his arms in the air as he tried shushing her.

 

--

 

Tsunade, Kakashi, Iruka, few medical nins and the original rookie nine, with the exception of Lee, turned out to wish Sakura a safe trip. Temari was gratuitous enough to stand off to side so as to allow Sakura to say her last farewells. Tsunade knew that she should probably rush Sakura, but she didn't have the heart. She watched as her apprentice went around giving hugs and making promises to write. When she was finally done, Tsunade signaled for the Anbu to come down and escort Sakura and Temari to the Sand.

 

When they landed Tsunade motioned for the female Anbu. Making sure no one was near, she told the Anbu to “take their time”. The Anbu simply nodded and stepped back. As they left Naruto couldn't help but notice that one of the Anbu had a bear mask and a really long black braid. As Tsunade walked past him he reached out and grabbed her forearm.

 

“Thank you for that.”

 

Tsunade looked at Naruto from the corner of her eye. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

 

--

 

After searching and visiting all the other wedding planners in the village, Naruto and Hinata finally decided on one. Her name was Mika. She was young and easily stressed out, but she got the job done. Most of the basics had already been decided on, all Mika had to do was put the whole thing together, which was easier said than done. Any major decisions were to be made by Hinata, since Naruto's squad was going to be gone on a mission.

 

But before Naruto left they announced who were going to be part of the wedding court. Hinata's maids were going to be Sakura, TenTen, Ino and Hanabi was going to be the Maid of Honor. Lee, Neji, and Shikamaru also made the cut, with Sasuke as the Man of Honor. Even though Kiba didn't make the cut, Naruto heard that he was already planning a bachelor party.

 

Back in Konoha, Hinata was extremely happy with Mika. She had begun piecing together the wedding outfits for those on the wedding court. She even took the time to visit Sakura in the Sand and get her measurements. Hinata knew she wouldn't have been able to do all that, since the chuunin exams were once again coming up. That could only mean one thing, jounin promotions were also coming up. She would have to train extra hard these next few months to show everyone she had what it took to be a jounin.

 

Sakura kept her promise and wrote to Lee, Naruto and Sasuke every week. She said that the people in the villagers were a bit distant, but after saving a few lives they warmed up to her. She also said that Gaara, Temari and Kankuro are being really nice to her. As a matter of fact, she said, when Gaara found out why Mika had come to visit he invited himself to the wedding. At least now Sakura knew she was going to have great security on her trip back to the Leaf for the wedding.

 

--

 

A few days later Naruto's squad finally left for their first long term mission. They were to go to the Hidden Rain and found out as much as possible about a dead nin that lived there. Naruto was very excited about the whole thing. Upon arriving, Raido split the squad into two teams. Team one would consist of Naruto and Raido, while team two consisted of everyone else. Team two would enter the village as commoners and try to establish themselves so they could extract information from the people. Team one would be gathering information covertly. Raido said that the reason for that was he and Naruto looked too suspicious to be common folk. Naruto didn't mind though, he actually liked this assignment better. There would be more excitement.

 

First thing was to figure out where to start. The mission report had little information on the ninja they were supposed to learn about. Some small information gathering finally directed them to a village not far from where the Hidden Rain was located. Posing as a small family looking for a new place to settle, team two went about looking for a house with gossipy neighbors. Raido and Naruto watched from the sidelines. As soon as the team found the right house, Raido and Naruto left. Raido knew of some mercenaries that he could milk for information. But finding them would take a while.

 

--

 

Just like everyone else Sasuke was also training. He wanted to make sure he made Anbu this time. Training with Shino was helping. Sakura was gone, and Naruto had a mission. He knew he wasn't exactly inviting, so no one would feel the urge to visit him. He wished someone would come over though.

 

He could stand being alone. Loneliness was not an emotion he wasn't used to. But it had been a long time since it was this strong. Loneliness he could deal with. What he couldn't deal with was the house. It was too quiet, too empty. After so many years the house was alive again with the sounds of laughter, cooking, and life in general. It was serving its purpose as a house. But now, all the ghosts that used to haunt the house when Sasuke lived there alone were coming back.

 

At night it was worse. Instead of the sounds of Naruto snoring, or Sakura humming as she brushed her hair, Sasuke would hear footsteps. He knew no one was in the house though. Sometimes he would hear a whisper of his mothers voice coming from the kitchen. Or he would catch a glimpse of his father's robes as he turned a corner.

 

Times like those he was tempted to leave the house and visit Kakashi. He knew the man had ghosts of his own to deal with. But then he would think against it. He didn't need Kakashi to look at him with a knowing look. A look that would tell Sasuke, “I know why you're here.” So Sasuke would simply ignore the sounds, he would ignore the glimpses. He would blame it on shadows, the weather, hunger, sleep, anything but his memories.

 

But then one morning as he was leaving the house he felt a sudden sharp sting on his forehead. The impact made him take a step back. That morning he decided he would visit Kakashi. Just as he predicted Kakashi opened the door and let him in like he was waiting for Sasuke to come over. The pair drank tea and talked about ninja topics; jutsu's and the Sharingan mostly. Kakashi even went as far as to offer to train with Sasuke. Sasuke couldn't help but think that maybe, like everything else Kakashi did, that he had an ulterior motive to inviting Sasuke to train with him. But that was fine; training with Kakashi could only help Sasuke. So he informed Shino, who was all right with the decision since it would allow him to help out Kiba and Hinata more.

 

Just when Sasuke was falling into some sort of a routine there was a knock on his door. Not only was he surprised that someone had actually come to see him, he was nearly floored to see it was Hinata. Turns out she had come to fetch him for a formal kimono fitting for the wedding. All the guys in the wedding court had to go. So there he was, half naked with three other half naked men with people pulling and measuring. To make matters worse women kept coming into the shop to have a peek at them. Some even had the courage to throw catcalls at them. A few times Sasuke felt his Sharingan flare. Shikamaru would sigh heavily, Lee would blush, Neji simply ignored them. But Sasuke noticed that Neji's ears were slightly pink. Needless to say, by the time the whole horrible ordeal was over Sasuke was beyond extremely irritated.

 

When he got home, he didn't want to go back outside. But he did need to channel his anger into something. If Naruto were home, a quick argument with him would have been enough. If Sakura were home he would have arm wrestled with her. But they weren't here to help him.

 

As he looked around, Sasuke realized the house hadn't been cleaned in a long time. That was how he would channel his anger, by killing germs and getting rid of dust. He started in his room first. But that didn't take very long. Next he moved to Naruto's room, which was a complete disaster. There were clothes, and weapons everywhere. Sasuke gathered all the clothes into a hamper to be washed later. As he started picking up the scattered weapons, Sasuke got down on the floor to look under the bed. Much to his surprise there was only one thing under the bed, a small box. Curious, Sasuke pulled the box out and opened it. What he saw inside made him drop the box as if it had burned his hands. There were two letters. Two letters he immediately recognized. Sasuke quickly covered the box and shoved it back under the bed.

 

He never finished cleaning that day. Instead he spent the rest of the day on the roof thinking that maybe not all the ghosts that haunted people were dead.

 

--

 

It took a lot of digging around, but the Anbu squad had learned a lot about the Rain nin. Turns out the nin possessed a strange power, yet he wasn't from any powerful clans or bloodlines. Well not any anyone knew about. He had no parents, only an older brother. But whenever the topic of the older brother came up, people would say that they didn't know anything about him. Thankfully after a very lucky break the squad had finally been able to uncover who had kidnapped the nin. Raido and Naruto had spent a few weeks tracking the bandit down before finding him in a very sleazy looking town.

 

After some short research it became apparent the bandit liked women and liquor. Raido had seen enough, he told Naruto that today they were to capture the bandit and interrogate him. But currently the man was inside a bar, and it didn't look like he was going to be leaving anytime soon. As Naruto got comfortable, he heard Raido curse. The bandit could be in there for hours, if not days depending on how much money he had. It was then Naruto got a brilliant idea. From their perch on a nearby roof top, Naruto moved back out of view and called Raido.

 

“Captain, I can get him to come with me.”

 

“What makes you think that?”

 

Naruto smiled and used a jutsu he hadn't used in years. He knew he had done a good job when Raido smiled and shook him head in disbelief.

 

“I won't ask why you know a jutsu that turns you into a woman. I'll give you ten minutes to get him out. Lead him to the abandoned cabin in the woods.”

 

Naruto nodded and jumped down from the roof. Inside the bar, Naruto spotted the bandit immediately. He was almost completely drunk and had a red headed girl sitting in his lap. Naruto approached the bandit and began to flirt outrageously with him. Within minutes the bandit kicked the red head out of his lap and told Naruto he wanted to go somewhere more private. Naruto said he knew just the place.

 

Arm in arm, Naruto led the bandit to the cabin. When the bandit entered he stop cold in his tracks at the sight of Raido inside. He turned to ask what was going on, but was once again shocked when the gorgeous blonde turned into a tall man.

 

Within seconds the pair had the bandit tied to a chair. Raido was to do the interrogating as Naruto stood by the door and watched. At first the bandit refused to talk. But Raido was unrelenting and within half an hour the bandit was telling Raido everything.

 

As it turns out the bandit wasn't the one who had kidnapped the Rain nin. He was only hired to find the nin for a group of ninja that wore all black and no identifying marks. When he asked where they were from, the ninjas refused to affiliate themselves with anyone. He said he was present though when the kidnapping occurred. He said the unaffiliated ninjas mentioned that they were to return the Rain nin unharmed for their master. After giving as much description as possible on the ninjas, Raido stepped behind the bandit and looked at Naruto. Naruto didn't break eye contact as Raido quickly snapped the bandits neck.

 

“He would have snitched on us.”

 

Naruto simply nodded as Raido picked up the body. After disposing of it, the pair went back to the village where the other half of the squad was located. Upon arriving they told Raido that they had been trying to find out who the nin's older brother was. But they had been unsuccessful. Raido told them it was alright, then he proceeded to update them on his findings. As he talked, he noticed Naruto was thinking intently.

 

“You know something?”

 

“It was something the bandit said. It sounded familiar, but I can't place it. Give me a second.”

 

Raido nodded and continued to update the squad. Naruto on the other hand kept running over one phrase the bandit had overheard the unaffiliated ninjas say. “Too bad, as an orphan he would have been welcomed in our village.” Naruto knew he had heard that somewhere; a village that welcomed orphans. Who had told him that? Lee, Kakashi, Jirayia, Tsunade, Iruka, Hinata, Sasuke…..sasuke….sa….sakura - SAKURA!

 

“I know.” Naruto startled his team with his small outburst. “Sakura told me that when she was treating the Sound nin after the last chuunin exam that he said the Sounds accepts orphans. No questions asked.”

 

Raido's face instantly went serious. “Okay. We're going home then. We need authorization when it comes to the Sound. We leave tonight, so pack quickly.”

 

--

 

Sasuke stared at the letter in his hands. Of all the assignments, and of all the titles available to him, he had to get this one. He had been assigned Anko's job in the chuunin exam. He would now be in charge of the second part of the exam; the Forest of Death.

 

Great.

 

To make matters worse, he had to attend some sort of meeting to discuss all the rules and regulations. The letter stated that all three positions in the exam had been changed. Even worse he was to study and know everything there was to know about the Forest of Death.

 

Double great.

 

How in the world was Sasuke supposed to become an Anbu member if he had this to deal with? This was going to seriously eat up his training time. The letter bluntly stated that denial of this title would result in a lifelong ninja level freeze.

 

Well shit.

 

Sasuke slammed the door shut, walked to his room and was about to slam his fist into the wall when he heard a noise from inside the house. For a moment he thought it was his ghosts, but his gut told him otherwise. Silently, Sasuke put the letter down and pulled out a kunai. He had no idea where the person was because they were doing a good job at hiding themselves. Activating his Sharingan, he slowly opened the door to Sakura's room. Nothing. The next room was Naruto's. Just as he was about to place his hand on the door to open it, he heard the person leave through the bedroom window. In an instant Sasuke threw the door open and leaped out the window.

 

Sasuke chased the person for a few moments before he spotted them jump from one tree to another. Not wanting to lose them, Sasuke threw the kunai he held. He heard metal hitting metal and then everything went silent. Sasuke stopped tree hoping and dropped down to a low dark tree branch. Even though he couldn't see the person, he knew they had stopped running. Sasuke listened for any sign of them, but all he heard were birds chirping. He had been still for so long, a small bird landed on the branch next to him. Taking a chance Sasuke leaned forward to try and peek around the tree trunk. That's when he felt it. The tree branch dipped a bit from the addition of weight and there was a kunai at his throat. The bird next to him flew away.

 

Two thoughts ran through his mind; one was “you idiot” and the other was “escape and fight”. But before he could do anything the person behind him pushed him off the branch. As he fell Sasuke twisted so he could land on his feet and jump back into a better position. Yet when he landed the person landed in front of him and pushed him back. Sasuke stumbled and tripped over a tree root.

 

“What the hell is your problem? Now I have to get new pants!”

 

Sasuke looked up just in time to see Naruto pull his mask off. He looked down at Naruto's legs and through the slash in the fabric he could see the glint of metal.

 

“Why can't you use the front door like normal people?”

 

“Because I was in a hurry. Now if you don't mind I'm going to be late.” Naruto pulled his mask back on and turned around. But before he jumped back into the trees he said, “I'll be home for dinner.”

 

--

 

Naruto watched Tsunade's reaction as Raido told her everything. He had to give it to her; she was good. Not once did she betray an emotion. Her face was etched with concentration and attention. When Raido was done, she leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling.

 

“Thank you for the hard work. You gathered more information than I had anticipated. Take some time off. As for the information you told me, tell no one. You are dismissed.”

 

Slightly peeved that she didn't hint at what she was planning to do, Naruto headed to the Anbu headquarters. Whenever they went on missions all their mail was to be forwarded to the headquarters. As always Naruto got the least amount of mail. One letter from Sakura, she said she would wait for his reply before sending more, one note from Hinata, “come see me no matter the time”, and lastly one unmarked letter. When Naruto opened it there was only one line inside.

 

“We can help you tame the demon within.”

 

Naruto scoffed at the letter, crumpled it up and threw it away. He didn't need any help.

 

--

 

It was dark by the time Tsunade made her way to the ninja prison. Two guards escorted her to the section that housed the dangerous ninjas. Near the end of the hall was the cell she was looking for. Inside sat a longhaired, dirty, one armed ninja.

 

“Roiyaru.”

 

“What do you want?”

 

“You have a younger brother don't you?”

 

Roiyaru stiffened and slowly turned toward Tsunade. “No.”

 

“He was very strong wasn't he.” Roiyaru remained silent. “He didn't want to go to the Sound did he? Did he disown you?”

 

In an instant Roiyaru was up and had his hand around Tsunade's throat. Tsunade didn't even flinch, but the two guards rushed forward anyway.

 

“Stop!” At Tsuande's command the guards stopped their advance and after a moment went back to their posts. “That's it isn't it? Why did you want to leave the Rain?”

 

“He could have been great. He had the potential. But the Rain didn't have what we needed, what he needed.”

 

“He had a demon didn't he?”

 

“With the proper training, the right teachers and in the correct environment he could have learned to harness it to its full potential.”

 

“Orochimaru knew?”

 

“Orochimaru knew more about everything than you could imagine. I knew he could help us.”

 

“Kabuto did the research?”

 

“Kabuto-sensei is also very knowledgeable. He told me he could help my brother. That all he needed to do was a small study so he could help my brother.”

 

Tsunade remained silent. She knew Orochimaru knew a lot about demon vessels from his time with Akatsuki. More than likely he passed on this information to Kabuto. This was why Kabuto made the comment to her once that he knew more about Naruto than anyone. But was Kabuto working with the Akatsuki, or against them? Would they still go after Sakura or try to get Naruto?

 

“Why do you ask about my brother?”

 

Tsunade looked at Roiyaru, and for a brief moment she felt pity towards him. He had been manipulated and used. It wasn't his fault he turned out the way he did, nor was it his brothers. “You brother was killed.”

 

Roiyaru released his hold on Tsunade's neck and took a step back. “What?”

 

“He was found with the demon taken out of him.” Roiyaru paled and looked away. “Was anyone after him Roiyaru?”

 

Instead of answering, Roiyaru began destroying his cell. Tsunade sighed ad walked away. As she walked down the hall she could hear him yelling, “No”, “Why”, and “I'm so stupid”. Tsunade knew that Roiyaru knew the killers. But he probably wouldn't tell her now. Not that she needed him too since she had a fairly good idea as well. Upon reaching her office she sent for two jounins. It was time to find and talk to Jirayia.

 

--

 

Sasuke spent dinner bitching about the wedding outfits. Naruto, of course, laughed the whole time. It was just to easy to tease Sasuke about the whole thing. Even though Naruto was only making him even more annoyed, Sasuke didn't complain. It was good to have someone back in the house with him.

 

“Where's Hinata?”

 

“Oh she got assigned a mission while I was with her. Nothing major.”

 

“Just her?”

 

“No, Kiba went with her.”

 

Sasuke watched Naruto take a sip of his drink. “Do you know if the Anbu are going to be looking for new members?”

 

“Don't worry I'll put in a good word for you.”

 

“I don't need you put in anything for me.” Sasuke reached into his pocket and fisted the letter inside and pulled it out. “I ask because of this.”

 

Naruto took the letter from Sasuke, opened it up and read it. A huge smile broke out half way through the letter. When he was done he handed the letter back. “That's great. Take it.”

 

“How can I be Anbu and do this at the same time?”

 

“I thought you were supposed to be a genius?” Naruto could tell by the look Sasuke shot him that he was seriously resisting the urge to throw something at him. “People with in the Anbu have freedom. This in only one day, you can still be Anbu and do this. Then if you decide to stop Anbu, you'll still have this to do.”

 

Sasuke leaned forward on the table and arched an eyebrow. “When you say freedom, what do you mean?”

 

“Well you can join squads, or go solo. Squads are encouraged for new comers to learn and gain experience. To go solo you have to talk with your captain.” Naruto studied Sasuke for a moment. They hadn't really touched on this subject yet, and Naruto was extremely curious. “What do you want to do when you join?”

 

Unsure of how to answer, Sasuke looked at Naruto then at his food. “What do you mean?”

 

“Well I don't think you'll be placed in my squad, and if I go solo I might not get missions with you. Then again, I could talk to someone about letting the two of us form our own squad together, “ Naruto watched Sasuke lift his head to look at him, “or we can form our own two man team.”

 

“What's required?”

 

“I'll ask Raido, my captain.”

 

Sasuke simply nodded and returned to his food. When they had finished their food, the pair cleaned the table and started cleaning the kitchen, which was a complete disaster. Sasuke was in the middle of making dinner when Naruto had gotten back. Between the two of them they managed to dirty almost every single pan in the house. So, once again between the two of them they went about cleaning the kitchen. Sasuke was washing dishes and Naruto was wiping down the counter, the cabinets, the floor and parts of the ceiling.

 

“Have you heard from Sakura?”

 

Naruto paused in his ceiling-cleaning mission to answer. “Yeah. I got a letter from her. She says they've been real nice to her over in the Sand. The wedding planner even went to see her.”

 

“Are you nervous?”

 

Even though Sasuke hadn't specified what it was that could make Naruto nervous, they both knew what he was talking about. The wedding, which was quickly approaching.

 

“Not yet.”`

 

--

 

About a week later Jirayia appeared in Tsunade's office with Hinata and Kiba in toe. Kiba had a huge toothy grin and Hinata an almost permit blush. By the looks of them, Tsunade didn't really need to ask where they had found Jirayia. Not that she wanted to know anyway. What the old hermit did during his research was for him to know and no one else to find out.

 

When Tsunade was alone with Jirayia she updated him on everything Naruto's team had discovered. Jirayia got up from his seat and went toward the window. As Tsunade finished up, he pulled out his pipe and started smoking it. Tsunade remained silent as she waited for Jirayia's opinion.

 

“Orochimaru must have known something and passed it on to Kabuto, who probably studied and experimented. But for what purpose I don't know?”

 

Tsunade already knew all that, what she wanted to know was what the heck was going on outside her walls. She wanted to know what Jirayia knew. “Do you think Kabuto is working with them?”

 

“I doubt it. The Akatsuki likes to work within their ranks. If anything they're probably still licking their wounds after their failed Sand attack.”

 

Tsunade got up from her seat and went over to her small liquor cabinet. She pulled out a sake bottle and two cups. Even though Jirayia was still smoking his pipe, she knew he would join her. As she poured herself a drink it suddenly hit her. “It all makes sense now. Kabuto planned it all out. He made the peace treaty so he could mobilize and continue his research.”

 

“But you knew he would mobilize.” Tsunade threw Jirayia a knowing look. “Look, this is what I think. The victim Shikamaru found, the Mist nin who was near death, he was killed by the Sound. The nin I found, from the Rain, was done by the Akatsuki. I think they're competing against each other, and the Sound is losing.”

 

“That all depends on what they were trying to learn.” Tsunade took a sip of her sake and groaned. She knew that all that was going on could only mean one thing; keep an eye on Sakura and Naruto.

 

 

Well there it is. Sorry it took so long to get this out, life sorta caught up with me. Also my beta has started school again, so she hasn't been able to give this a look over. But I didn't want to keep all of you waiting. So I apologize for the mistakes. Also I had responded to half the reviews when my computer decided to eat them, so they aren't as good as I would have liked.

 

And just because I don't think I have enough on my plate I've created a fanfic community similar to 30 kisses, which by the way is awesome. The link is in my profile and it's called 20 loves. I know cheesy, go figure.

 

FF Reviews

 

JohnnyG - Thanks, I'll try.

 

Aznpuffyhair - Love the SN by the way. Don't really know which names you want to know though, so I can't help you there. Oh and don't worry Sasuke will have a love life of some sort, soon……er maybe, yeah don't worry I'm getting there.

 

Dragon Man 180 - Poor Sakura indeed. As for Naruto, when the Akatsuki is involved its hard to keep him under control anyway.

 

Nonengel - Thanks for the comment on the chapter and I'm glad you liked the lemon.

 

Pale Rider - I talked to my beta, and she told me the same thing I was thinking, I don't think I'll ever be able to make you happy. The idea of that makes me upset. I've tried to write the fic the way I've imagined it, the way I want it to go, while still keeping you in mind. So far all the reviews you've given me I've taken in stride and thought over. This last one though did bother me. It left me feeling like a painter being told what to paint, which I didn't like. It's one thing to critique and it's another to tell me what to focus on. I know you meant well, but it made me a bit mad. Please don't take this the wrong way. I want you to continue to read and review. But if you honestly don't like my fic, I'm sorry about that. I never claimed to be a master. This fic is my first, so bare with me.

 

Dexo23 - Forgot, me….NEVER! But I'm glad you're paying attention, enough to point out something like that.

 

Da Squeakz - Well you've just given me everything. I think you should update yours. Hopefully by now you have.

 

Jakkun - Thanks for pointing that out. I was never very good at spelling, and with my horrible typing skills that was bound to happen. Out of curiosity where exactly did you find me?

 

Shinobi36 - Ahhh my dear friend. How I miss Naruto-nin. I'm glad I was the one to damage your mind. I didn't write about Neji, cause well honestly it didn't matter. Yeah the Shino, Sasuke thing, I put them together momentary cause I had no where else to stick them.

 

FallingStAr - I'LL TRY!

 

AnnieThePipster - Cute name. I'm glad you're a Lee/Saku fan.

 

Thestoneox - I'm glad you are enjoying the story, and I hope this chapter was what you were waiting for.

 

AFF Reviews

 

Jbrock - You review so many times it's hard for me to keep track here. Let's see…Shino and Sasuke a couple - NO! No yaoi in this fic, sorry. Temari and Shikamaru, ummm, don't know. I'm not gonna get involved there. You read it again, wow. And shishou means teacher.

 

Zendura - Naruto and Sasuke against the Akatsuki, yeah that would be good. Gotta work it all out in my head first. Most of my battle plans come to me as I'm trying to sleep. Sasuke will get some loving, it's gonna take me a while to get there though. I don't know how many are allowed. And no you are not.

 

Church - Wow, I'm glad you wasted your time and enjoyed it in the end. Thanks, but I'm not exactly a dude. Then again most fic authors aren't either, at least from my experience.

 

Meilin - Strange how there aren't that many nonSasuNaru fics out there. Then again it's kinda like DUH! I did write a SasuNaru one shot if you're interested. It's posted on the website too.

 

Media Miner Reviews

 

Didi kat - I'm glad you're enjoying my plot twists. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

 

Makokam - It's because there are better fics out there. I kinda agree with you on the house, I should have thought that point out more. But oh well. Lol again with the Sasuke needs love. I'm getting there. Don't worry. He gets laid too.