Der Letzte Tag

Just a side note, the title of this story is german, and is a song by a band called Tokio Hotel, to hear or read what the song means in english, look up Final Day by Tokio Hotel, as the song was translated into english for the general population.I found it fitting for this story. So check out the lyrics to see why.

UPDATE: For anyone wanting to know any info on the progress of this story, add me on livejournal at:
http://fujinakaheero.livejournal.com/ I currently am only on this site with updates, I am also possibly posting the first half of chapter 3 on there, so if you would like to read it when it's posted, please add me.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, they belong to their respectful owners and creators.

Der Letzte Tag
Chapter 1

~~**~~**~~

A red clouded, black cape swayed in the wind as a figure stood silently on a gnarled tree branch. Black painted nails pulled a hat lower over shadow-encompassed eyes. The eyes gazed with flickering emotion down on the village he'd once called home. For a moment, a brief feeling of regret flooded his mind before it was shoved back again. What had happened there was now in the past. He'd left that place and planned to keep living this newly found life to the fullest.
Deep cerulean eyes glazed over once again before he jumped off the branch, cape whipping behind the taut body as it moved. This was his new life, one outside of Konoha, the village of leaves, home. How long had he been gone now? He'd lost track of time, the only thing he knew was that it had been enough to ease the loneliness and pain of his life there. He was now just edging on his twentieth year of life.
He wondered idly if anyone was still looking for him, even now, after so much time had passed. Well, if anyone was and decided to get in his way, he'd kill them without a second thought. This was his way of the ninja now. Now people had a very good reason to fear him, yet he planned not to make that known until after his mission was complete.

~~**~~**~~

Cool ebony eyes searched quickly, bordering on frantically around the room he was in. Either it was him or had he actually felt that strong chakra presence near by. He sat up quickly only to feel that presence disappear as quickly as it had come. He sighed and rubbed his temples with his index-fingers. Just the very thought of that presence had made his nerves tingle. He thought about what it could mean if that presence had been real. The one thing he had returned to Konoha for had just up and left one day. No one knew where he'd gone; he hadn't even left any clues as to his whereabouts. And it had stayed that way in the years that followed.
There had been many rumors in the years that had passed of a blond, blue-eyed shinobi traveling alone with the cape of the Akatsuki on, his eyes holding only the promise of pain. He had shaken his head at the rumors, the blond dobe would never betray his precious village. Sasuke would never believe that Naruto would do something so deceitful and hypocritical as to leave his home and life in Konoha to join such an organization as the Akatsuki; the very organization his own brother had been a part of.
He thought back on his brother; it had only been several months since he'd finally avenged his clan, yet he still felt some type of satisfaction in doing so. He couldn't share it with the one person who would understand, the person he wanted so desperately to be near. It was nearly comical when he thought about it because he had just started releasing his emotions, especially lately when he thought about the dobe.
He dropped back to the ground and returned to reading the scrolls for a mission he was going on the next day with his team. He sighed again, realizing that thinking about the dobe wouldn't do any good if he wanted to complete the mission as quickly and sufficiently as possible.

~~**~~**~~

2 YEARS EARLIER

"I'm sorry Naruto, but there is nothing more I can do. The elders have made up their minds. They refuse my decision, saying that I must choose another successor aside from you or they'll choose for me. If you want what is best for the village, you must respect their wish. I don't want anyone else to succeed me besides you, but my hands are tied." Tsunade's voice was the quietest he'd ever heard it; she was truly feeling the weight of her own words. The brightness in his sea blue eyes dimmed as they lowered to focus on fidgeting fingers attached to hands too fragile and devastated to keep still. He was trying so hard to hold back the angry tears fighting to escape from delicately shivering eyelashes as he listened silently to the soft, regretful words that left the older woman's mouth. Of course he wanted what was best for the village, but at the same time he felt that he could give the village everything they needed in a leader. It hurt to know that their prejudices still kept him from his dreams.
Was this his punishment for carrying the Kyuubi, a burden he'd never had the chance to refuse? He didn't understand how it could be his fault to begin with. Why was it he had to be punished for something that had happened eighteen years ago, when he'd been no older than an infant of only a few months. He had not even been born yet when the war had begun, yet he was still to blame for the destruction that had taken place. He looked back up, the bright smile that he always displayed back on his face, a lie, a mask to hide reality.
"Ne, I get it baa-chan. Well, whoever you choose, I'm sure they'll be a great leader in the future and I will serve them just like I always have as the ANBU captain I am." he spoke, hoping his voice didn't sound as hollow and weak as it sounded in his own ears.
"Naruto, that's not everything I wanted to talk about.." Tsuande's voiced trailed off as she saw the smile fade completely from Naruto's face. He knew something wasn't right when she'd called him by his first name and not 'brat' or 'squirt'. He sank into the chair he was sitting in and waited for her to go on. "Naruto, they're asking me to take you off of ANBU..." he nearly let himself interject, ready to hotly reject that idea, but stopped himself short realizing she hadn't finished yet. What more could she possibly have to say? Her eyes looked away from his as she continued, "...and take away your rank as a ninja completely. I tried to object, but I was overruled. I have only so much influence. They believe that the Kyuubi is going to take over your body completely if you keep fighting. I really tried to stop them. I explained that you had complete control over it, but they then accused you of betraying us. I'm sorry Naruto, but I must follow their orders. As of the end of this week you will be demoted to a normal civilian in this village. You will no longer be allowed to leave the village unless you are with a jounin escort. At the end of the week you will hand in your headband and in that time we will have found a new squad leader for your team." She paused, bracing herself against the window she stood in front of, unable to look at the boy that sat dejectedly in the chair before her. She knew what she would see if she turned around. The shell of the little boy she had once known and loved as if he were her own son.
"I-I'm sorry Naruto, but there is nothing more I can do now. Y-y-your dismissed." She felt herself trip over the words she was obligated to say as her voice betrayed her. She felt the regret and grief flood through her whole body. She heard the chair scrape the cold stone and felt his presence retreat as Naruto fled her office. Tears fell from her amber eyes as she realized just how much he`d went through and how little it had accounted for. To realize that everything he`d dreamed of would be forever just that, a dream and nothing more. She felt her hands ball into fists as she fought the urge to destroy everything within her reach. She felt completely helpless.
Dead peacock eyes stared at the ceiling of his tiny bedroom as he thought over everything that had happened that day. Starting next week, he wouldn't be a ninja anymore. He would never have a chance at becoming the next Hokage or to protect the village he called home. He would be forced into letting others protect him instead. He would be treated as a weak civilian, nothing more than a helpless child. He would become just like most of the town's people. How could this have happen? Just when he thought he was progressing, everything just might work out for him, he was now being held back because the elders thought feared him. As he lost himself in his thoughts thought, he became more detached from his body, as if caring was just too much effort anymore. He turned his now dim turquoise eyes towards the window where a figure wrapped in shadow stood. He already knew who it was before he looked. He stared at the other person in his room for a few moments before looking back at the ceiling once again.
"What do you want Sasuke?" The Uchiha stood there for a moment more before walking over to the bed to sit down and see what was wrong with the blond dobe this time. Usually he was greeted with a childish comment with the added teme at the end.
"Hn. Making sure you are still getting up tomorrow morning for training? We have a mission in two days so I figured it's better to be prepared, seeing as this is you we are speaking about." A smile crossed the blonde's face. Sasuke realized quite quickly that the smile did not reach the blonde's blank eyes.
"Why don't you just go train with your new captain teme. Or have you not heard yet? I'm sure the whole village will by tomorrow." He turned dull blue eyes to look at glaring black. He wondered what Sasuke was so mad about. "But you know, it's for the best. It is in the best interest of the village. Now I can just relax, maybe even get a good job, find a nice girl to marry, and have a family in peace, right teme? Hell with me out of the way now, maybe you'll get promoted to lead captain." Sasuke sat there, unsure exactly what the blond meant. Did he mean that Naruto was getting kicked off ANBU?
"Dobe, you're not making any sense." He heard a snort come from beside him.

"When do I ever make sense, right? What I'm saying is, I'm on lock down, I can't leave the village unless I have a jounin babysitter with me at all times. Oh, I'm also getting kicked off of ANBU and my rank as a shinobi will also be taken away. Basically I get to be a regular civilian of Konoha now. But look, now I'm out of the way so you can advance in ANBU now, so who cares right?" A hollow laugh escaped the blonde's mouth, a laugh that made the Uchiha cringe. "If you don't mind, I'd rather be alone right now. If you want to talk, please do it another time. I'm not in a mood to talk about it." Without a single word more spoken Naruto left his room to go out. Sasuke sat there on the blonde's bed wondering just what exactly happened and why it had happened in the first. There were many questions he had at that moment and he knew he wouldn't get an answer from the blonde anytime soon. He left Naruto's home to go find someone that may have the answers he was seeking, not realizing that may be he should have stayed behind and stayed with the blond to talk some sense into him before he made any rash decisions. He never realized that in the morning he wouldn't find the blond at all, nor the note that laid on the abonded bed that the blond once slept in.

~~**~~**~~
A YEAR EARLIER

It had been a year now since he had run away from his home. He still couldn't find a suitable place to live in and so he kept traveling. For about six months though he had stayed with Gaara and his siblings. He had explained everything and without a second thought Gaara had taken him in, promising not to let word of his coming there get around. He helped the blond change his identity slightly so he wouldn't stand out so easily while he was there. In those six months that he had stayed there, he had grown his hair out past his shoulders so he could tie it back if he wanted to. Black also could be seen underneath the top layer of his hair, he had wanted to dye all of his hair black but Gaara said he was against it, as he liked seeing the blond locks, so he settled for only dying underneath black. He also decided to invest in contacts, changing his bright blue eyes to a hazel colour. Gaara had said that he looked quite a bit different and no one should be able to tell that the person that stood in front of him was Uzumaki Naruto.
Eventually, Naruto had decided that he didn't want to burden Suna anymore or for that matter, endanger the treaty between Suna and Konoha. He had explained this to Gaara, telling him that he would visit when he was near by again one day. There had been many protests but eventually they had given up with it as Naruto held firm to his argument.
Once he had left Suna he set out on traveling again until he was able to find a suitable place to stay and settle down again. He found himself six months later and still hadn't found anywhere to go when he had encountered the thing he was looking for. He found himself looking into red eyes and the face that reminded him greatly of one Uchiha Sasuke. He smirked as they looked about ready to strike, realizing who it was standing in front of them. He held up his hand to them to show he had no intent on putting up a fight.
"Are you still looking for me? Do you still want me to join so badly? To gain my power to help you achieve your plans? Because if you are there is no need to fight. I am here right now, offering myself to serve your organization. I, Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyuubi holder, would like to join the Akatsuki, I am not longer part of Konoha, I left a year ago. I want nothing to do with that horrible place. So I am offering my services to you, if you still want it." The blond smirked as he saw the other give him a slight smirk.
"It's nice to see that my brother hasn't made you think like him." It had been instant when Naruto joined the organization. He felt comfortable with the people around him. They knew what it was like to be outsiders already and as long as he could still be a ninja and fight for some kind of purpose he was ok with that. He had traveled with Itach and Kisame for a while, learning new techniques as well as information he thought he'd never know. Itachi had taken him under his wing instantly. They had become brothers in arm. Naruto never wondered after that where Sasuke got his personality from. The only difference was that Itachi was calculating and put much thought into his actions before he actually acted out anything. Naruto learned to go to his level of thinking then, wanting to be on some kind of level of the black haired ninja. Being around him made Naruto realize that there was much more to being a ninja then he originally thought. He began to think more before heading straight into anything, learning that being too eager would just cause him to screw up the plan he had thought about for that brief moment before attacking. He felt like a new person, just the thing he needed to prove that he was a good shinobi and could control the beast inside him without a problem.

Five months had gone by, he had almost encountered shinobi's from Konoha many times and narrowly escaped being seen by them many times. Even if he was part of the Akatsuki he still didn't want to confront anyone from the village if he could avoid it. He had been able to avoid seeing one person in particular that month, though Itachi stayed behind, saying that he wanted to see this person. That there was unfinished business between the two of them. Naruto had left, telling Itachi to get his ass back as soon as possible once he finished up the fight. He had waited two days for Itachi's return and still nothing. Finally Kisame and him headed back towards the village of Konoha to find out that Itachi had been defeated by Sasuke. Neither knew what to say upon hearing the news. Naruto knew that Sasuke would finally find peace in his life but now he felt as if his peace had been disrupted again by that damned village. He wanted to kill the Uchiha then when he really began to think about Itachi's death and how alone he truly was now. He had cried that night, missing the one he had come to trust most after he left Konoha. He stayed up many hours after, thinking of ways to really take his revenge on the village. If the elders hadn't tried stopping him from living his life as a shinobi, he wouldn't have been in the predicament he was currently in now. If only there was a way to take revenge on them, to get rid of the people who held back others. Slowly hazel eyes widened as he realized what he had to do. And it all started with going back to the place that caused his source of trouble.

~~**~~**~~

PRESENT DAY

Blond, black locks were pulled back into a low ponytail as blue eyes watched the guards who were currently on the night shift at the gates. He had changed earlier that day once he had arrived back at his hotel he had rented the night before in a nearby village. He packed away his cloak as well as anything that had belong to Itachi. Once he was set he had set off towards the village he had once called home. His plan had already been set in motion and there was no turning back now, the blond allowed himself to calm his screaming nerves before he stopped his movements. He sat in the tree, still watching the guards that stood outside the gates. He braced himself as he finally pulled up the mask he once wore when he was younger. He never thought he'd have to go back to being his old self again once he had left Konoha for good. Pulling his bag close to him, he jumped down from the tree he had just moments ago occupied. The guards were immediately on alert at the familiar yet unknown presence. A smirk graced the other's lips as he saw their reaction before pulling himself together and putting his goofy mask back on.

"Ah, ne ne? No need to be alarmed, I'm merely just returning home. You can't say you forgot Uzumaki Naruto? Heh." A hand rubbed the back of his head as he waited for the guards to realize that it was Naruto they were speaking to. He looked at the two guards and realized that one of them was an old friend, he smirked more as he saw green eyes widen at the realization.

"N-Naruto? Is that really you?"

"Would I lie to you, Sakura-chan?" He drew out the chan just a little and noticed the shiver that it sent to her. His sly voice never failed him when he used it. "Ne, I'm home. Anyway I can see Tsuande-baa-chan right now? Need to let her know I returned and all."

"Naruto, we can't just let you go by yourself, you've been classified as a missing-nin. No one could find you the two years that you were gone, we can't just let you do as you'd like without taking precaution. If we let you enter, we have to have one of the ANBU captains accompany you. Please Naruto, understand that we're not doing this because we're mean, I don't want to have to do that but Tsuande said a year ago that if you return we must take the necessary precautions."

"Ah, Sakura-chan I understand, don't worry, I'll wait here with you, why don't you get your partner to grab the right person then. This is my home after all, why would I want to cause trouble, right?" He grinned again, if anyone had been watching closely, they would've noticed that he grin didn't reach his eyes like it use to. The pink haired women nodded then gave the right orders to the other guard, who left with a curt nodd. "So, you're a full jounin now? And why are you here, doing watch duty?"

"Oh, actually this is just until one of our chuunin teams get back, we got a note saying that they ran into some trouble and would need some medical assistance once they return. So I offered to stay on watch until they returned, it's not so bad though. I'm still working under Tsuande but I'm much better then two years ago." A silence fell between the two again. For a moment the blond felt like he did when they were only fifteen, somewhere in the back of his mind he missed the feeling of belonging home. "So, what happened to you? You've been gone for so long, we almost gave up hope of seeing you ever again. No one understood why you left all of a sudden."

"Ah, that's kind of personal right now. Once I talk to Tsuande maybe I'll tell you o-"

"This better be good Haruno, I have an important mission in the morning so I don't have time to just waste because you want me here."

"Quite you're bitching Sasuke-kun. This is important, we have someone returning, but we've been ordered to get one of the ANBU captains to take him see Hokage-sama with supervision."

"And who is this special person here that gets such special treatment tod-"

"Nice to see you again too Bastard." Black eyes turned slowly to the person in front of Sakura. Had he been correct when he felt the presence earlier today when he was reading the scrolls for his mission? Finally landing his eyes on the figure, he almost stepped back at seeing him. He squinted to try and make out the figure more clearly. From what he could see, he knew instantly that it was him, his dobe. Blond locks were longer and pulled into a low ponytail, a black sleeveless shirt fit tightly against the muscled stomach. Shoulders were broader and he had grown at least a few inches taller, making him almost as tall of Sasuke himself. "Got nothing smart to say for once teme?" Black eyes blinked, taking in what was just said.

"Hn. I'll take him to Hokage-sama right now. Let's go dobe."

"There's the Sasuke-teme that I know and love. Lead the way." He waved goodbye to Sakura before following behind Sasuke. Sasuke lead the way, though he wasn't sure if this was just another one of his twisted dreams or if this was truely real. Either way, seeing the blond all of a sudden put his emotions in a jumble and he wasn't sure if this Naruto was the Naruto that left him. They made it to the Hokage tower within a few minutes, the raven haired man hadn't really realized that they had made there already and was alerted suddenly when a loud voice reached his ears.

"Why the hell am I the last to know of his return? Get him in here right now! We've got a lot to talk about." Sasuke turned to see the blond laughing quietly to himself and shaking his head.
"Somethings never change I guess. Well guess that's my cue. See ya later Sasuke teme." Sasuke watched the blond walk away, noticing the black locks laying underneath the blond hair and the black nail polish that adored the blonde's nails. Was this really Naruto from back when they were younger? He was about to leave when he heard his name being screeched out from the Hokage's office. He sighed and went into the room where Tsuande was sitting at her desk with Naruto sitting across from her.

"Yes Hokage-sama?"

"You are to stay here while we have this conversation. You will be staying with Uzumaki for now until I can get with the elders to decide what they want to do with him. I cannot do much more then that at this time. Anyways, brat, what brings you back all of a sudden?" Naruto sat up straight before speaking. Sasuke watched him for a moment, noticing the flicker of a deadly intent cross them before they were back to normal. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the blond, no this wasn't the Naruto that he use to know.

"I decided it was time to stop running. I missed home and I missed my friends and family so I wanted to come back and confront everything head on. I don't expect it to be easy as I was classified as a missing nin for so long, but I want to try and plead myself to the council before they make their final decision on me. Leaving for a bit did me some good though, I got out and cleared my mind. I was able to train myself to withstand and control the kyuubi as well. I've become stronger and I've learned more self control as well. I want to come back and protect the village I call home, that is my way of the ninja, just as it was two years ago before I left."

"Even if I wanted to just let things go back to normal Naruto, which I do, I can't. All of the decisions will be made by the elders. There's something I must ask you though."

"Hai, I understand that Tsuande-baa-chan. What is the question you want to ask?"

"There has been rumors going around for the past year now that I need to clear up. I'm not sure if anyone else has heard about it but that is not the point. Naruto, there's been rumors that a blond, black haired man with hazel eyes had joined the Akatsuki and was traveling with one Itachi Uchiha and Kisame. Now, I don't want to believe such a thing and I don't believe that was you but non-the-less I must ask, was that you? I know it may sound crazy, as you have blue eyes but not everything is always as it appears." She leaned forward on her elbows to watch the man in front of her. He looked deeply into her eyes before grinning again.

"Nope, I've been out, traveling with a girl I had met when I first set out. She had decided to return home about a month ago because she missed her home and it made me realize that maybe it was time I went home as well. Ya know, the whole time we traveled together, I never really asked her what village she was from." The blond looked pass the Hokage's head to look out the window were dawn was now approaching. If only they knew how good an actor he was, they would never believe such a story from him. He grinned inwardly as the two people in his room seemed to buy his story. "So really, how could I join such a horrible group when I was traveling with a cutie who actually had some interest in me. Hell if she hadn't left, I probably wouldn't be here today, we probably would've gotten married, at least I thought about it anyways. We had our fun though, I was sad to see her go but that's ok, as long as she's happy then I will be happy as well." He put a big grin on his face to show that he was truly happy. Tsuande gave him a sad smile. "Ne, don't look like that baa-chan, it's not becoming of you." He wasn't ready for the smack over the head that he received once those words left his lips. He rubbed his bump as he glared at the older woman. "No need to be so violent."

"I see somethings don't change even with you. Well it's nice to have to back, but don't get too comfortable yet, I must go talk to the elders as soon as possible to see what they think of everything. I will try to do everything in my power to make them reconsider their first judgment, so don't go running off again brat. Alright, Uchiha you will be taking watch of him until I get back with answers. So Hyuuga Neji will be taking over your role as captain for your team for your mission to date. Naruto will be staying with you until everything is sorted out and you will be on watch for him until further notice. Any objections?" She looked from one man to the other, waiting to see if either would object her. Both looked at her before looking at each other before shaking their heads. She smiled at their response before dismissing them. She watched the two men leave the room before sitting back in her chair and smirking to herself. "God it's good to have the power over people some times."

Black eyes glanced over to the person walking next to him before looking ahead again. Every few minutes he would glance over to the person next time, observing the other's every move as they walked towards his home. As he looked ahead to see his home coming into view, he began to think about the changes the blond had went through. Even if it had been two years since they last saw each other, something was different, not even right about the blond now and he had to wonder if the reason Naruto was acting different had something to do with him returning home.

"Ne Sasuke? Can we get something to eat before we go back to your place. I haven't eaten since dinner last night." He looked back over to the blond who was grinning. Blue met black and for a moment something flickered in those blue eyes, if Sasuke hadn't been looking he probably would've missed it. He glared slightly before shrugging it off. If it came down to it, he'd find out what was really going on with the blond dobe.

"Hn, the usual?" Blue eyes lit up before nodding happily.

~~**~~**~~

They had eaten in silence. Sasuke hadn't bothered trying to pry into Naruto's past, he figured if Naruto wanted him to know anything he would tell the raven haired man himself. Besides, Sasuke had a feeling that if he were to uncover the blonde's past he'd be uncovering a lot more then a women he may have fallen in love with. As they made their way over to his home he began to think about where he would let the blond stay for the night, since he didn't have to go on his mission today he planned on going back to bed for a bit for getting up again to train.
As Sasuke opened his door to his home, he went in, gesturing Naruto to follow him. The blond looked around, almost shocked at first, at the sight that met his eyes as he entered the living room. Scrolls, ink bottles and brushes all littered the ground and table. Sasuke went over to clean it up, not allowing the blond to see what was on the scrolls as some of them were about the research he had on the blond and some on the missions he had gone on. He gathered everything into his arms before heading to his room to put them in there. The blond watched him leave for a moment, taking in where the other's room was located. The raven haired man stepped out a moment later and looked at the blond again.

"I'll show you your room, it's just down the hall." Sasuke began to lead the way down the hall he had pointed to, turning to his left at the door just a little down the hall. It was close enough to his room that he'd be able to hear anything the dobe did, allowing him to keep a watch on him. "if you need anything, I'll be in my room, the kitchen is just off to the right down the hall and you already know where the living room is. I'll be out in a few hours, so until then you're to stay here. If anyone comes here, let them in and notify me of their arrival." Without a word more, the Uchiha left, face blank as a door as he had spoken and left. He still had to finish up one of the scrolls he had received from an old friend who had details about the Akatsuki and had sent him information he had been seeking. He wanted to know more about the newest member that had joined about a year ago. He stepped into his room and shut the door behind him. He searched through his scrolls, ones labeled as 'dobe' were put away, ones labeled 'mission' were set in a box he had beside his bed, and ones that had no label were left on his bed. He searched through the scrolls he had before finding the one he had stopped reading before he went to bed. Finding where he left off he began to read again.

'I tried getting close to where they were currently residing but if I had gotten too close they would've noticed me instantly and I know I would've been killed instantly. I had saw your brother along with two other people, one was named Kisame, who seemed to be very close to Itachi. The other member seemed fairly new at the time as he didn't seem very close to the two yet. You did hear right about the member having blond hair, though when i looked a little closer, there was black in it as well, hope that helps a little. I tried getting a look at his face but I couldn't get any closer as I said. Anyways, the blond member was probably the loudest out of the three, always asking questions about what they had planned next and where they were going next. That was the first time I had ever seen them, the next time I saw them was about two months later, this time they seemed to have come back from some kind of fight as they came to my hotel asking for rooms. There was blood stains on their capes and some blood covered their hands. I tried to get a peak at the other member but was blocked by the other two, so I had no choice but to give them their keys when they paid. But as they were heading up the stairs the blond one turned around slightly, almost as if he was paranoid or something about someone seeing someone, that's when I was able to see-' Sasuke looked up from where he was reading to see the blonde dobe standing in his doorway. There seemed to be a somewhat serious expression on the tanned, whiskered face.

"Hn?" He waited for the dobe to start speaking, he was close to seeing if his suspicions were correct and he really didn't feel like being interrupted.

"Just wanted to, ya know, talk?" Sasuke glared slightly.

"If you wanted to talk you could've when we were eating. I'm busy right now dobe." Naruto looked down at the ground before putting a grin back on his face and looking up into black eyes.

"Ah, but Sasuke we haven't seen each other in two years now, surely you don't mind talking a little right now. You can go back to whatever it is you're doing later." Sasuke sighed but rolled up the scroll he was reading and put it away. The grin grew on the blonde's face, which annoyed the Uchiha, he knew it was fake, he knew that the way Naruto was acting was fake. He pinched the bridge of his nose, willing himself not to say anything. He waited for the blond to start speaking but nothing came.

"What do you want to talk about Uzumaki?"

"Just want to talk about things. Sheesh, what got up in your ass? Oh wait, you just never took the stick that shoved up there out, did you? Anyways, how long have you been ANBU captain now?"

"About two years." The answer was short and clip.

"Oh yeah, you got my team didn't you? How's Ino, Kiba, and Hinata?"

"Fine, they're working hard as usual to complete the missions we receive." The blond nodded before looking out the window for a moment.

"Did Hokage tell you what was going on when you were to be promoted to ANBU captain? Probably not, nothing surprising though. Gotta keep that kinda stuff hush hush, right?"

"Actually I did find out what was going on. I was the only one who was told though and for that I was to keep it quiet so that no one else knew. To this day they still don't know anything about why you would've left all of a sudden."

"Ah. Well it's probably for the best that they don't know, they would just feel sorry for me and I don't really need their pity. Anyways, off such a boring topic, I heard you killed your brother, is it true?" Azure eyes dulled slightly at the mention of the other's brother, he missed Itachi and wanted nothing more then to have the other back and traveling with him and Kisame like they had been before encountering Sasuke and his team. He wanted to go back to living his free life without the restraints that Konoha had on him. Sasuke quirked his head slightly at the look on the blonde's face, was that sadness showing on the blonde's face? And if so, why?

"Yes you heard right. That was about seven months ago though, when did you find out?"

"Well news travels fast around villages, I heard about it about six months ago, so about a month after it happened. Do you plan on starting a family any time soon now? I thought that was part of your original plans once you got your revenge?" Naruto was back to his usual self before the ebony haired man could say anything about the emotion he had seen play on Naruto's face only moments before. Sasuke huffed before going on explaining his life plans to Naruto.
"I haven't really had time to think about that and if I did I don't think I'd find a fit female wife to bare my children here in Konoha. I am not interested in it anymore anyways, there's been other things occupying my mind." Dark eyes turned away from the piercing gaze of the other's eyes as he mentioned this. Even if he didn't want to admit it aloud, he had been too busy trying to get Naruto back to worry about reviving the Uchiha clan. It seemed fate had turned for him as he had looked for Naruto for those two years that the blond had been absent. The tables had turned, making him the weak one for following his emotions to get the one person he cared for most.
The lithe body next to him shifted to stand. He watched muscles flex on broad shoulders as Naruto stood up. Arms reached to the ceiling as Naruto stretched.
"Sounds interesting. At least you have work keeping you busy so that you're not dwelling on your lovely life and your many female fans that you currently have. You still getting pursued by the female population of Konoha? Or did they finally realize the bastard that you are and give up?" Sasuke shook his head at the comment but didn't reply. Naruto continued on after a brief moment of silence. "I'm sure you've had at least some time to yourself. Tsuande-baa-chan wouldn't keep your team that busy all the time, so what's been keeping you busy on your free time? I'm sure it must be something important if you don't have much time to yourself for training or looking to revive your clan." Naruto cocked his head to the side slightly at his question/statement.
There was a long, pregnant pause between the two as Sasuke looked to find the right words to say that would allow him to keep his pride intact and not give away the fact that he had been looking for the dobe.
"I've been doing some research on some things lately. It's nothing to worry over, just something I am doing on the side when I am not busy with missions." Naruto peered at Sasuke through the mess of blond bangs, arching an elegant blond eyebrow up in question. Sasuke crossed his arms and gave Naruto the famous Uchiha glare. The blond raised eyebrow twitched in slight annoyance at the received glare.
“That's it? All this time I figured you would've been doing something more productive. I'm sure research isn't going to get you very far and besides you're brother is dead so what kind of research could you have been doing now? Oh wait! I know! How to create a baby!” The glare that was on the pale face faltered at such a statement. Was Naruto really this stupid?
“How do you figure?”
“Well I mean come on, all this time you've been so set on avenging your clan that you've missed out on life, so it's only matter of fact that you don't know anything about where babies come from or how they are made.” Sasuke wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose at the tanned boy's statement. He wanted to avenge his clan, not become a complete robot who knew nothing but what it was programmed to know. Of course he knew where babies came from and how they were made. Still he said nothing, not wanting to give away what he had really been doing. If anything he wanted to know more about what the dobe had been up to. Instinct told him that there was more behind those endless blue orbs.
“Well whatever, if you don't feel like talking about it then that's fine. I think I'm going to head to the kitchen and grab something to eat. Do you have any ramen?” Sasuke wanted to shake his head at that.
“I may have a cup in one of my cupboards. You should be able to find it.” Naruto smiled at that and was gone before Sasuke looked up again. 'Dobe.' The scroll he had put away from earlier fell onto the ground, unraveling half way to reveal another part of the note. Sasuke did not notice as he went to the kitchen to make sure Naruto didn't burn the place down.
'I was able to see a boy around your age with hazel eyes, golden blond hair with black through it, and very distinct whisker markings on his face. He turned away just as quickly and put his hood back on. He seemed fairly new to the organization since he all but just followed Itachi. But Uchiha-san, isn't that the friend of yours that was looking for you before? What is he doing with Akatsuki?'

TBC

Side Note: When Naruto goes back to the village he takes out his contacts, can't have all of his changes be seen by everyone, or they'll know. Sorry for not stating that sooner. (i did some small edits as well, still waiting for my beta. Until then, expect chapter two up soon)

A/N: Alrighty, and so this chapter is done and I have the 2nd one started, though I don't know when I'll update next. Hopefully with my week off pretty much with it being exam week, I'll have time to finish chapter two. I'm not sure how long this will be but I am hoping to at least make the chapters lengthy. :D
Anyways, too much? Too little? Let me know by leaving a comment.
(I will be getting this beta'd too once my beta reader is not completely busy writing her own fics.)
Ja ne!