Falling Away From Me

Falling Away From Me

Naruto roused slowly, his skull throbbing to the beat of his heart. He tried to think what he was doing previously, but it was a blur. He seemed to remember there was a girl. Yeah, there was; she had red hair and glasses. Then...then... Kuso, he couldn't remember.

"'Bout time you woke up, sleepyhead. You were going to miss out on all the fun."

Cloudy blue eyes turned towards the unfamiliar voice. Standing a few feet away was a young man with pale, almost blue skin. He had pointed teeth like that guy that was Itachi's partner. Could they be related? Naruto shifted, trying to get more comfortable. He felt weak, and he was just noticing he was bound hand and foot. WTF!? Who was this freak, and what was he going to do with him? A bad feeling crept through the blond.

"So, he's awake. Bring him."

Naruto froze; he knew that voice. It was the one from his dreams; his nightmares. Sasuke. What was he doing here? What did he want with Naruto? He sat up, rubbing his wrists to get the circulation going, once he was freed. His headache had receded enough for him to think straight. He looked around; they were in a building of sorts. He didn't have time to take in the whole room as the first man grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet, dragging him from the room. Naruto blinked in the sunlight. There stood Sasuke, and that red-haired girl. There was also another young man with them.

"Teme, what's this about? What did you do to me? Who are these guys?" He really wasn't expecting an answer from the Uchiha, so he was surprised when he received one.

Sasuke glanced at the blond before gazing off into the distance. "You're bait. My brother wants you for his organization; I want my brother. I have you. As for these people, they're going to help me. You've met Suigetsu and Karin. The tall man is Juugo." Black eyes locked on blue. "I sealed your chakra so you can't escape."

The blond gaped. "Damnit, Teme! How am I supposed to defend myself from Akatsuki!?"

"You're not. Supposed to, that is. It will be easier for Itachi to capture you this way." A smirk graced the raven's lips; he was prepared for the explosion.

"TEME!!! You can't mean that! You WANT the Akatsuki to get me!? Are you insane!?" Naruto couldn't believe his ears. Sasuke had to know why they wanted him; had to know it would kill him. Why was he doing this? "Why?! Do you hate me that much!?" The blond couldn't hold back the tears. They had once been teammates, friends. Sure, Sasuke had tried to kill him at the Valley of the End, but hadn't. He instead had left him for dead, knowing someone would arrive soon from Konoha.

Sasuke felt his chest tighten at the blond's outburst, and at the look on the dobe's face. He tightened his resolve; he had to do this to get Itachi. It was the fastest way. He could no longer be burdened by feelings of guilt about what he was doing to his former friend. Sasuke turned away, unable to look Naruto in the eye any longer. Seeing those tears sent a sharp pain through his chest. He tossed a cloak to Suigetsu to have the blond put on. Without another word, he set off down the road.

After giving Naruto the cloak, Suigetsu shoved the younger nin after the Uchiha, falling in step beside him. Juugo took the rear, while Karin ran to catch up to Sasuke.

The cloak was warm, but Naruto felt cold. The one he had been looking for for three years, who he had gotten stronger for, trained for, was going to let him be killed. Just for his goddamned revenge! That made Sasuke no better than his brother. Naruto was angry, but also saddened, that things had turned out this way. He wiped the wetness from his face; tears weren't going to help. He wanted to yell, and fight with Sasuke like they use to do. Anything to have the old Sasuke back.

"So, why does Akatsuki want you?"

Naruto turned to the nin at his side. "Eh? You don't know!? Didn't Sasuke tell you about me?" He was slightly put out that the teme hadn't told them, yet was kind of glad, too. He didn't think he could stand to see the disgust and hatred on the faces of total strangers.

Suigetsu smiled, showing off those sharp-looking teeth. "He only said that you were once his best friend, and that you were the hated demon of your village. I take it, he didn't mean like Zabuza the Demon."

Hanging his head, Naruto sighed. "No. The night I was born, a nine-tailed demon fox attacked our village. It couldn't be killed. The Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself by sealing the demon in a newborn; me. The villagers hate me, thinking I am the fox in human form. Akatsuki wants to remove the demon from me. That's why Itachi is trying to catch me." The blond fell silent. He continued to stare at the ground as he walked, not wanting to see the look on the other's face.

Draping an arm around the smaller teen's shoulder, Suigetsu laughed. "What idiots! How can so many people be so stupid!? But tell me, why did the Yondaime choose you? Weren't there any other babies available?"

Stunned by the Mist nuke-nin's actions, Naruto blurted, "I-I d-don't know. I never really thought about it before." A thoughtful look crept into azure eyes.

"He was your father, Naruto. Orochimaru told me." Sasuke spoke softly into the silence.

Naruto stood stock still in shock. The Yondaime was his father? Why had no one ever told him? Why had everyone treated him like dirt, if his father really was the Fourth Hokage? The secrecy that surrounded his parentage suddenly made sense, but who was his mother? Had she died in childbirth? Had she refused to take care of him after the seal was placed on him? He didn't even realize he was crying, tears flooding over his whiskered cheeks. Strong arms enveloped him, pulling him against a firm chest.

"Dobe. He did what he had to. He meant for you to be seen as a hero. Like Suigetsu said, those villagers are all idiots. Forget them." The Uchiha pulled away slightly to look Naruto in the face. The innocence, the vulnerability was evident. Sasuke silently vowed that no harm would come to his dobe; he would protect him with his life. He pulled the younger teen close again and let him cry.

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They were nearing the borders of the Village Hidden in the Leaf when Sasuke called a halt. The nuke-nin melted into the trees lining the road, and huddled near the Uchiha, awaiting orders. Well, three of them were; Naruto just wanted to know what they were planning. With his chakra blocked, he was useless in a fight with Akatsuki. He stopped his musing and concentrated on what was being said.

Sasuke was explaining that Akatsuki would be looking for the jinchuuriki close to Konoha. If they were to turn the blond lose in the forest, the odds were good that one from the organization would attempt to capture him. He knew from past experience that Itachi and his partner were the primary seekers. If it were anyone else, they could capture them and get them to give the location of the elder Uchiha. It was decided that Naruto was to practice his weapons' throwing and taijutsu. Hebi would be nearby, with chakra masked, keeping their eyes on the blond. Once everyone was sure of their part, they settled in for a short rest.

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The Godaime had sent Sakura to fetch Naruto due to some information she had received. The pink-haired kunoichi was slightly put-out; first Tsunade-shishou wouldn't tell her what the message said, then told her to get the blond baka and escort him to the tower. Why escort him? He was perfectly capable of arriving on his own. Reaching his apartment, Sakura banged on the door.

"Naruto! Get up, you lazy baka! Open this door!" When she received no response, she kicked in the door. 'Serves him right,' she thought smugly as she entered. "Naruto! The Hokage wants to see you!" She walked to the opened bedroom door. The room was neat, and the bed was made. There was no sign of the blond. 'Where is he!? Wait, he's probably at Ichiraku's, eating his stupid ramen. I swear, he has noodles for brains. How can anyone live off that stuff?' Sakura took another look around the apartment, surprised it was so clean. It didn't seem to fit in with the blond's personality, somehow. She had expected clothes to be strewn on the furniture and empty ramen cups all over the floor. 'Hn, he's neater than I thought. Well, I better hurry and get him. Otherwise, I'll have to put up with the Hokage's temper.'

Setting the door back in place, she headed for the ramen shop. Sakura ducked under the flap, entering Ichiraku's. Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji turned to look at her. No one else was there. "Hey, guys. Have you seen Naruto today? The Godaime wants him, and he's not at home." Receiving negative replies from the three, as well as from the shop owner, Sakura huffed and turned on her heel. Where should she look now? He couldn't be with Iruka; the chuunin was in class. Maybe he was training! She headed for their old training grounds.

The training grounds were empty, except for Rock Lee, practicing his taijutsu.

"Hey, Lee! Have you seen Naruto today?" Sakura called.

The green-clad shinobi paused in his workout to smile at her. "Ohayo, Sakura-chan! No, Naruto-kun hasn't come by here! Have you checked Ichiraku's?"

It seemed they all knew the blond too well. "He wasn't there. If you see him, tell him Tsunade-sama wants to see him ASAP. Thanks!" With a quick wave, Sakura hurried off. Lee was a nice guy, but a little strange. She didn't want to stick around and listen to a lecture on the 'spirit of youth', or whatever else he may come up with. She still had to find her teammate.

Several hours later, Sakura finally gave up. Naruto wasn't in the village, and no one could recall seeing him since yesterday afternoon. She shuffled her feet; she dreaded going back to Tsunade with the news. Sighing in defeat, she trudged to the Hokage tower. This wasn't going to be pretty.

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Even Naruto's excessive stamina had its limits. He had been practicing since early morning, and now the sun was setting. He was tired and hungry. How long was the teme going to have him stay here? He sighed in defeat; knowing the Uchiha, he'd have to keep this up until Akatsuki arrived. He pulled out a kunai and prepared to throw it.

Sasuke had been watching Naruto all day, his senses alert for intruders. Something was wrong with the dobe. The usually loudmouthed blond was being abnormally quiet. Maybe he was just thinking about his father. Yes, that was probably it. Knowing now who his father was, was kind of hard for him to wrap his mind around. Sasuke knew if it were him, he'd be both happy and pissed; happy to know it was such a great man, but pissed no one had ever told him. Or maybe the silence was due to Sasuke having caught him. After all this time of the dobe trying to get him to come back to Konoha, the blond had to be unnerved to be taken away so easily by the raven. He couldn't hide his smirk; Naruto was still a dobe, believing in everyone's basic goodness. That's what he'd counted on when he arranged the ambush using Karin as bait. He gazed at the blond as Naruto pulled out another weapon. No one would ever guess the proud feeling he got, knowing his dobe was so strong.

A slight rustle in the trees at the edge of the clearing brought all their senses on the alert. A small white rabbit hopped into the clearing, and headed towards the blond. While the others relaxed their guard, Sasuke and Naruto became more wary; white rabbits were uncommon in these parts. Naruto threw his kunai at it, intending to scare it off. The rabbit continued on its' path. The next throw hit the creature, resulting in a large explosion.

Sasuke was instantly on the move, heading for the center of the clearing where he had last seen the blond. A cloud of smoke and debris littered the air, obscuring his vision, but he didn't hesitate. Somewhere in there was his dobe, maybe injured or worse. Sasuke shoved aside that thought and continued to search.

Recovering from the explosion, Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo scrambled back to their feet in time to see Sasuke disappear into the cloud. At the edge of the clearing, they noticed movement. Two people clad in dark cloaks were also heading towards that cloud that now contained both the Uchiha and Naruto.

Suigetsu and Karin attacked the long-haired blond. The former Mist nin swung Zabuza's great zanbato while Karin's hands flashed as she threw two kunai. The nuke-nin jumped out of the way with a laugh.

Juugo's flesh was changing, mottling, dark shapes swiftly covering him. He slowly approached the other Akatsuki member.

Tobi saw the changes occurring in the other, and with an "Eep!", raced back into the uncertain safety of the trees.

Juugo followed.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had come upon the crumpled form of the loudmouthed blond. He wasn't so loud right now; he lay twisted like a ragdoll, blood trickling from a gash across his forehead. As the Uchiha watched, the wound slowly knit back together. Naruto didn't wake, however. As he picked up the young blond, he heard screams echoing through the forest. 'Hn, Juugo must have caught one of them.' Sasuke just hoped the tall nin would be able to get himself under control once the fight was over. He didn't relish having to deal with a psychotic killer when there were more important things to worry about, like Naruto. He briefly wondered how his other teammates were faring against the second Akatsuki member, but brushed the thought away. They were strong, else he wouldn't have picked them for this mission. The cloud was dissipating, and Sasuke moved his dobe to the dubious safety of the trees.

Karin and Suigetsu were holding their own, but weren't making much impact on the blond Akatsuki member. More explosions ripped through the clearing before Suigetsu finally got a hit on the blond. Catching the laughing blond by surprise, the zanbato cleaved the nin from shoulder to waist like a hot knife through butter. Looking stunned, the blond man crumpled into the dirt as a river of blood flowed from his body. He did not so much as twitch.

Juugo entered the clearing, traces of the level 2 curse fading, but he was still radiating a strong killing intent. The two in the clearing backed away, warily eying the tall nin.

Sasuke was about to descend from the trees when he caught movement from the corner of his eye. Naruto had regained consciousness, and was now heading towards danger. Sasuke felt a pain in his chest at the thought of losing the blond as the boy walked towards Juugo.

Naruto knew he would likely die, but he couldn't stand to see the curse taking over a companion. He recalled the fight at the Valley of the End too clearly. True, Juugo wasn't a friend, but that had never mattered to the blond. The man needed his help. Walking slowly forward, he smiled and held his hands out to his side, letting the other know he was unarmed.

Juugo paused, confused. Who was this blond? He didn't seem to be afraid of him. He stood still and let the other come closer. Should he kill this idiot or see what the boy was going to do? In his indecisive state, he failed to see Naruto take that last step.

Wrapping his arms around the tall man's waist, Naruto hugged him, murmuring, "It's all right now. We're safe. You did it. Thank you."

Juugo was beyond confused. No one ever touched him; they were too scared of him. Why was this boy doing this? Did he not realize Juugo could kill him without a second thought?

Sasuke watched in amazement as the curse markings faded completely from the tall nin. Naruto had worked his magic again, letting his heart rule his head. The raven smirked, remembering what he had been told about the confrontation with Zabuza, and what he'd seen during the fight with Gaara. It was pretty much the same thing. His dobe used compassion as a very effective weapon; he would have to keep that in mind in his future dealings with the blond.

Naruto released Juugo and smiled up at him. The other blinked back. Taking hold of the tall man's hand, the blond led him across the clearing to where the others were standing in awe.

Karin stood with her mouth hanging open, unable to believe her eyes. Never, during her time with the Sannin, was anyone able to control Juugo so easily, not even Kimimaro. She wondered, not for the first time nor the last, what was so special about this boy.

Suigetsu smirked; who knew that Juugo could be tamed so quickly? The blond was definitely someone he'd have to keep his eye on, for entirely different reasons now. The boy was an enigma; he was strong as evidenced by how he had trained earlier, but his chakra was currently sealed. How much stronger was he with it? The blond was also very emotional, something a good ninja should never be. Whatever he felt showed clearly on his face. Right now, that face was radiating in a smile that lit up his eyes. Suigetsu found himself getting lost in that deep azure gaze that reminded him of the ocean on a calm day. Shaking his head, he freed himself from his thoughts, and smiled back. He was starting to like this kid.

Sasuke called their attention back to their mission. Letting Karin take the lead, they headed off in the direction the two nuke-nin had come from. Somewhere along the way, they should come across Itachi's trail. Then the fun would begin.

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A/N: Let me know what you think, plz. Read and review, ppl.