In claws of evil

Chapter 10: True love:

“We should at least hear them out Dobe! You said it yourself that we had to consider what we do from here! What if the Hokage decided that we are too great a risk and locks us up for the rest of our lives… or the elders decided that it would be safer if we were dead?” He whispered to the blonde as they followed the female Sound ninja to meet with the Oto-Gakure elders.

“I´m aware of that Sasuke… but I still wanna go home, even if it would be only to say goodbye. I don´t wanna be separated from you again. We are finally back together… and I wanna show Sakura-chan that I´m a man that will always keep my promises, Teme!” The blonde whispered back with a smile.

“Hnnn…Okay. I guess it would do me good to say a few goodbyes to a few people. But I still wanna hear what the elders have to offer. This has sort of been my home for the last couple of years and the people here are strong and loyal to their leaders… we could do great things here… together, Naruto!”

“Together?” The blonde gasped in wonder of the warm and welcoming tone of the Uchiha. “Did you just accept me as your equal, Sasuke?”

“Hnnn Dobe, don´t ask so stupid questions.” The raven-haired male smirked at the grinning blonde and slid his hand into the other males tanned hand and softly gave it an accepting squeeze.

The female shinobi in front of them turned around as she reached the far end of the long tunnel they where in.
“Please follow me!” She bowed and entered the room before bidding them to come in, to show her guests that this wasn’t a trap.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sai entered the room and stepped in front of the elders of Oto-Gakure to hear their offer!

~ # ~

Three hours later:

Sai was unable to do anything except stare at the scenery in front of him.

Naruto and Sasuke were seriously thinking about the words of the Sound elders… and who wouldn’t, especially in their current situation.

The elders wanted the two young shinobi to rule the Sound together in unison. They were considered to be the strongest and best suited for the job, the elders told them.

They would be given the ultimate power that both Sasuke and Naruto wanted; the power to mold and change a nation together – to make it stronger and better.

“The best of both worlds,” one of the elders had stated and both the Uchiha and the blonde had to agree with that.

“We will need some time to consider this!” Sasuke told the five elders calmly and Naruto agreed with him by nodding.

“Of course,” the oldest member of the elders, called Hanso-san, stated.

“When will you give us your answer; Uchiha-sama, Uzumaki-sama?” Umio-san, who was the oldest female of the elders, asked.

“We have some… unfinished business to take care of… so in about a fortnight!” Naruto answered. He had to get out into the fresh air. The fox in him felt claustrophobic underground. ´We have to change this as one of the first things if we decide to do this, so I don´t have to live in these damn tunnels.´ He told himself, allowing Sasuke to lead the front, they walked towards the door with Sai on their heels; he seemed eager to leave as well.

~ # ~

Finally outside the blonde dropped to his haunches and drew in the scent of the fresh smooth air; it smelled so much better with his new improved senses. The grass, dirt, trees and air mixed with the scent of Sasuke who was standing right beside him with a smirk on his pale lips.

Their wounds had been treated, the poison neutralized and they had eaten a good solid meal; they were finally ready to go back to Konoha.

The blonde rose to his feet and stretched his properly clothed body; they had all been provided with neutral traveling clothes, as their own had been shredded in the battle and left Naruto almost naked.

Naruto and Sasuke were dressed in a pair of baggy black pants, a tan t-shirt (Sasuke´s blue of course) and a dark grey cloak, to shield their bodies from the weather and a pair of brown sandals. They had also been given backpacks with food and sleeping bags as well as new weapons.

The Uchiha stepped closer to the blonde and looked into the depths of his azure blue eyes.
“Naruto… Take me back to Konoha!” He grabbed the younger blonde’s shoulders with his slender hands and kissed his surprised lips.

“Oi Teme… What do you think you are doing?” The blonde grinned as he softly pulled away from the attack on his lips.

“Just marking you as mine!” The Uchiha teased.

“TEME! Who says I want to?” Naruto teased, still grinning.

”As I recall it; it was you who came looking for me in the first place!” He’s smirk grew bigger as he grabbed the blonde’s behind with one hand and slid his arm around his waist from behind with the other.

Sai made a wry face and turned away while making a coughing noise. “Shouldn’t we get going?” He felt a bit left out and it hurt him to see them feel so free and emotional with each other in front of him.

“Heh heh, are you feeling jealous?” The Uchiha gave the ink shinobi a satisfied glare as he was still holding on to the struggling blonde.

“Teme… Sai is right… we have to get moving.” Sasuke sighed and released his prey.

“Let’s get it over with then!”

~ # ~

Konoha-Gakure:

“What’s wrong, Dolphin?” Iruka turned his head as he heard his nickname from the older shinobi.

“I miss him Kakashi. Do you think he’ll come home this time?”

“Why shouldn’t he? Naruto is a strong kid and Sai is with him… he’ll be fine Iruka!”

“Sakura told me that she made him promise that he would bring him back. Do you think he could be able to persuade Sasuke to come back with him?” Iruka stared up at the stone portraits of the past Hokage.

“Naruto inherited the looks, strength, sense of fairness and justice, leadership and the ability to learn fast from Minato, and got his heated emotions, wits and strong will from Kushina. He inherited his good heart and the ability to love and forgive from both of them… I´m sure that they would be very proud of him if they were still alive.” Kakashi caressed the teacher’s back to comfort him.

“If he decides that he’s going to bring Sasuke home… I´m confident that he’ll do anything possible to do so Dolphin!” The copy-nin removed his mask to smile at the brown-haired teacher.

Iruka returned the smile as he hugged the taller shinobi, drawing him close to his aching heart.
“He’s like a son to me Kakashi… and I´m afraid that I’ll lose him!”

“I know… But both Naruto and Sasuke know what they are doing. They are experienced shinobi and almost adults. They have to decide what to do with their lives… and we have to let them go! But you’ll always have me, dolphin!” He leaned down to meet the smaller teachers soft quivering lips with his own.

“Why does it have to be so hard to let someone go Kakashi?” He whispered as their lips parted.

“It´s because we love them Dolphin… because we love…”

~ # ~

They traveled till they reached the Valley of End and decided it would be best to spend the night and rest up.

They ate their food in silence, each one too deep in their own thoughts to do anything else.
Suddenly Sai rose to his feet with a yawn.

“Sorry guys, but I need some sleep… Goodnight!” He gave them one last look as both mumbled ´night´ before he withdrew to his tent to rest.

Naruto looked up at Sasuke as he moved over to sit next to the blonde and leaned against him.
“So…?” The Uchiha whispered.

“So… Are you worried about returning to Konoha?”

“Nah… We can always show Tsunade-sama the letter we got from the Sound elders that says that we are to become the future leaders. She wouldn’t dare to do anything to us then and had to let us leave to avoid the risk of war.”

“Guess so! Would you like to lead the Sound?”

“Yeah… especially with you be my side Dobe!” He looked into curious blue orbs.

“Why? Is it because of me changing?”

“Che… Usuratonkachi! I want you to be near me, not because you changed… even though you look hotter this way! But because you are important to me!”

“Huh? You think I´m… what Teme?

“You are hot and delicious… I love you!” The raven-haired male licked the younger blonde’s lips.

“I kinda knew that I was important to you as you caught me back there!

Naruto remembered how the Uchiha-heir reacted as Naruto had killed Orochimaru:
`Sasuke was beside the blonde before he hit the floor. Catching the blonde and dragging him free of the dead Snake-sanin before he got on his knees to embrace a softly smiling Naruto in his quivering arms; his head resting on the raven-haired male’s thighs.

“Naruto?” He whispered on the verge of tears, scared of losing the blonde male. `

“I thought that I lost you… Please don’t leave me alone… please stay with me forever!”

Naruto smiled at the memory and felt a warm tingling sensation in his stomach.
“But love… Sasuke… I´m a male and so are you… I know that we kissed and stuff… but love… It´s more serious and binding, you know!”

“… You don’t want me Dobe? Why is it wrong to want to spend the rest of my life with the person I love and long for with every fiber of my being?”

“Oh… I didn’t say that Teme.” He let his tanned fingers play with a strand of Sasuke´s black hair. It was so soft and had the delightful scent of an almost undetectable perfume.

He felt a warm hand caress his whiskered cheeks as Sasuke touched him gently.
“I really love you Dobe!” He was on his knees, leaning close to the blonde. “Say you want me and I will do anything to make you the happiest blonde in the world!”

“Sasuke… I…” Naruto kissed the Uchiha male and nibbled at the bottom lip with his sharp fangs, careful not to hurt him and wrapped his arms around his neck as Sasuke´s wrapped around his waist.

Naruto sent a shiver down the Uchiha´s neck as his long sharp nails teasingly caressed the pale and sensitive spot on the slightly older male’s curse marked skin.

“Mmmmm… What about Sai? He’ll hear!” The blonde whispered into raven-colored locks, his voice filled with desire as he felt Sasuke´s craving and demanding hands under his shirt; teasing his erected nipples with his slender fingers.

“Hnnn… follow me.” Sasuke smirked and offered his hand to help his lover to his feet as he was already standing. Leading the younger male into the surrounding forest with a huge smirk on his lips.

“Come with me and I will show you just how much I love you, sunshine!” Sasuke promised the now heated and purring blonde as he dragged him deeper into the night.