Sunlight in a Dark Room
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Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
16
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1,434
Reviews:
192
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Category:
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
16
Views:
1,434
Reviews:
192
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Rivalry, Friendship & Red
Author's Note: A HUGE thanks to my beta, AmuseMe!!! You're the best! *hugs* Well, here's chapter 1. :D There's a wee bit of SasuNaru in this one, so don't mind that. 8D Not that I do. ^^ Also, my Sasuke may be a bit OOC, but I like him. He's funny. *swoons* My excuse is that, they're 19, they've changed a bit...well Naruto hasn't anyways. Sasuke sure did though but that's all because of Naruto. XD He does that to people. 8D *gets hit*
The story is a little slow so I hope everyone can bear with me for a bit. ;D *hugs*
Review Responses:
I had to get these in before I forgot. XD;
karin: Yeah, there is A LOT of SasuNaru out there...but then I discovered ItaNaru. *heart* So addicting. 8D Thanks. I'm glad you like the story so far. :D
Devious Lil Devil: Thank you. ^_____^ I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. :D
AngelicHellion: YAY!!! Thanks so much. I'm still really nervous and I appreciate that. ^______^
kaa-san: Thank you. I"m glad you liked. ^_____^
TheDeviant: Wah! Thank you. :D ItaNaru fics are so scarce, there needs to be more. *waves fist* XDDD
kyu000: I'm happy you liked it so far. :D But there won't be any rape as far as I know. :P
Nusku: I'll try to. :D
Nurse Tenshi-Lee: Here it is. XDDD Hope you like it. :P
Anon: Thank you so much for the reassurance. :D *happy* ^______^
I'm not very good at responding to reviews without being repetitive. I'm sorry about that. *nervous laugh* I'm infamous for it. XD; My beta knows all too well. 8D
Enjoy!
~*~*~*~
Chapter 1 - Rivalry, Friendship & Red
The clash of metal echoed over the distance. From afar, one would think that a fierce battle ensued between two deadly adversaries. Up close, yes, it was a fierce battle. A match, a spar, to determine the who held the higher knowledge, who had the most stealth, who was stronger. A fight between rivals.
Nineteen year old Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha’s number one loudmouthed jounin, eyed his opponent before him. Uchiha Sasuke. He was tall and lithe. His pale skin against the darkness of his clothes and his ebony hair was akin moonlight reflecting off of a placid lake, untouched. The stoic, yet soft and handsome features of his face were framed by random lengths of his out of control hair. Despite that strong jaw and those high cheekbones, those full and most definitely kissable lips, his eyes are what captivate any who look upon him. Pools of black that rival the darkest of nights. He looked almost delicate. Almost.
If Naruto didn’t know any better, he’d tell his rival exactly what he thought of him at that moment. Considering all of the possible outcomes of sharing his current thoughts with the younger Uchiha, Naruto heavily decided against it. He’d rather not get pummelled into the ground for admitting Sasuke was kissable and delicate. Naruto chuckled.
Four years have passed since Sasuke’s return to Konoha. Or rather, when the blond dragged the bastard back by his hair kicking and screaming. Well, that’s not what really happened. This is just the story Naruto is more than happy to tell anyone who asks how he got the Uchiha heir to come back. However, Sasuke does make sure that his rival does not go overboard with the exaggerations. Much to Naruto’s chagrin.
Turning his attention back to his team mate, Naruto immediately noticed the smirk forming on the brunette’s face. He also noticed the sudden twitch of the pale, slender fingers. To an untrained eye, this was something that would be overlooked and the results would be fatal. To Naruto, however, Sasuke had removed two shuriken from his pouch and had thrown them with deadly accuracy towards the blond. Naruto quickly jumped and flipped forward, avoiding the first shuriken. He caught the second one and threw it back the way it came. Landing on all fours, Naruto took to the trees. He watched his rival through the leaves, waiting for him to make his next move. A slight smirk grew on each man’s face when their eyes finally met. As soon as the brunette disappeared from Naruto’s sight, the blond took off full speed through the trees.
The chase was on.
Channelling his chakra to the bottom of his feet and expelling it out of the chakra points, Naruto was able to travel faster through the dense canopy of the forest and away from a rapidly approaching Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto inwardly cursed. He had thought for a moment that he would have been able to outrun the brunette. Naruto was disappointed when he noticed said brunette currently running along side of him. It was then that Naruto realized that Sasuke’s ordinarily ebony eyes were now blood red, spinning with the Sharingan.
‘Figures I’d forget about his damn Sharingan,’ Naruto thought bitterly.
It was at that precise moment, while Naruto was distracted by his own thoughts, that Sasuke struck. He swiftly jumped ahead of the blond and twisted his body around. Sasuke’s leg came up and delivered a direct blow to Naruto’s midsection, sending the blond flying back the way he came. Sasuke smirked triumphantly when he saw the stunned expression on the Naruto’s face.
However, the Uchiha heir’s victory was short lived when Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sasuke cursed. Naruto was getting faster. Landing on a nearby branch, Sasuke calmed his racing heart and waited within the shadows of the leaves. He was well aware of his rival’s lack of patience and decided to use it against the blond. It’s what usually prevented Naruto from winning any of their spars. Much to Sasuke’s amusement.
An almost inaudible rustle of leaves to his left indicated Naruto’s location and that the blond knew where Sasuke was hiding. A rustle of leaves to his right and from behind verified that Naruto had created two clones. The dobe was going to attack him using a triangle formation. It would have been an effective strategy if Naruto had not used it several times before.
Wary of Naruto and his two clone’s locations, the brunette positioned himself in a defensive stance. It was then that the Kitsune made his move. Three kunai were thrown directly at Sasuke from Naruto and each of his bunshin. Easily deflected, Sasuke leapt forward towards the first clone. He found him immediately and wasted no time in disengaging the Naruto copy.
With one down, the Uchiha heir turned his attention to the last clone and Naruto himself. Both of which were almost upon him, attacking directly. Pulling out two kunai, Sasuke blocked both attacks and countered one, slicing his kunai with deadly accuracy across the chest of the last bunshin. It disappeared with a popping noise and Sasuke turned to focus his attention on Naruto.
He smirked, “I almost thought you were improving, Dobe.”
Naruto only glared at him.
‘Odd,’ Sasuke thought.
“Stop calling me Dobe, you bastard!” was all that Sasuke heard before he realized a second too late that the Naruto standing in front of him was merely a clone. He had absolutely no time to react when the real Naruto tackled him from above, sending both men to the ground.
Naruto landed on top of Sasuke, straddling his waist and gripping each of the brunette’s wrists above his head.
The blond leaned down and whispered, “Gotcha, bastard.”
An almost maniacal grin was plastered over Naruto’s face.
“Dobe,” Sasuke said smugly before he pushed up and rolled them both over, reversing their positions. Grinning like, as Naruto so eloquently puts it, the bastard he is, Sasuke leaned down and whispered in the surprised blond’s ear, “No, I win, Usuratonkachi.”
Suppressing an indignant pout, Naruto glared up at his friend, “Bastard. That doesn’t count.”
“Whatever, Dobe. Despite the fact that you pinned me first,” noticing Naruto’s shock, Sasuke added, “Yes, I’ll admit that you got me first. As I was saying, despite the fact that you pinned me first, I still came out on top in the end.”
The dark haired shinobi relinquished his hold on the blond and stood up. He leaned down and offered his hand to his friend. Naruto ignored the urge to swat it away and allowed Sasuke to help him to his feet.
“Hn. Dobe.”
“Shutup, Teme!”
“Let’s get back to the village, I’m hungry,” Sasuke suggested strategically avoiding the impending argument.
“YOSH! RAMEN!” Naruto yelled enthusiastically.
“No,” was Sasuke’s immediate response to the blond’s outburst.
“Awww, but Sasukeeee,” the Naruto whined, “You know I love ramen and I know you do too. Us and ramen are…like…two pods in a pea. Like whiter rice. Right?”
Sasuke couldn’t help but chuckle audibly at his rival’s stupidity.
“So what you’re trying to say, Dobe, is that you, me, and ramen are like ‘two peas in a pod’ and also like ‘white on rice’?” Sasuke asked, his amusement clearly evident in his voice.
“Yeah, yeah! Exactly,” Naruto spoke excitedly, completely missing the insinuated teasing or just ignoring it.
Sasuke was not sure. The latter being unlikely and very un-Naruto. The brunette chanced a look at his team mate and sighed.
“Ramen it is, then.”
“Yes! Sasuke-teme, you’re too awesome!” Naruto cheered happily and broke into a run towards the village.
“Hn. Dobe,” Sasuke took a moment to observe his hyperactive companion. He smiled and took off after the orange blur in the distance.
Neither of the two jounins noticed the black clad shinobi step out of the shadows of the trees after their departure. Neither of them noticed that this man had uncharacteristic grin softening his features. And neither of them noticed his red eyes spinning wildly.
~*~
It had been well over a month since Itachi first arrived at Konohagakure for his mission. During that time, the elder Uchiha had skilfully managed to evade detection from any of the Konoha shinobi. His anonymity provided him with the opportunity to study Naruto’s daily routines. As of yet, Itachi had not been able to ascertain a moment of weakness wherein he could actually abduct the blond; he was never usually alone during the day. Itachi concluded that Naruto being so alone all his life resulted in a natural urge to seek out company wherever he could find it. This trait of the Naruto is what made the task of acquiring the Jinchuuriki so troublesome. Itachi also noted that even at night Naruto was guarded by several well positioned ANBU members. Judging from all of this high security, the Hokage must be wary of Akatsuki’s movements.
Itachi probably had that toad hermit to thank for all this. The Akatsuki leader had been correct in assuming that this mission would take longer than necessary.
Besides needing constant companionship, Itachi also noticed that Naruto was not as ignorant and idiotic as he let on. Firstly, Naruto knew about the stationed ANBU members. The elder Uchiha had witnessed him find every single ANBU member while looking out his living room window one night. That truly impressed the missing nin. Itachi theorized that Naruto had constructed a mask of sorts. Discovering this interesting little fact, it became clear to Itachi that Naruto was a whole lot emotionally weaker than he let on. This was something Itachi could definitely use to his advantage.
It was only after watching Naruto and Sasuke together that Itachi also became aware of what his little brother felt for the blond. It was painfully obvious and the elder Uchiha could not determine if Naruto knew about Sasuke’s feelings or not. Judging from the way Naruto responded to Sasuke’s subtle flirting, or, rather, didn’t respond to Sasuke’s flirting, Itachi concluded that when it came to receiving other people’s feelings, Naruto was very inexperienced. Or, being the more likely of reasons, Sasuke’s flirting was absolutely ridiculous. Even the most skilled of shinobi would just barely pick up on the hesitant, deliberate touches or the frequent sideways glances that spoke volumes, but were left unnoticed.
Itachi merely shook his head at his brother’s failed attempts to gain the blond’s affection. He had been more than accurate when he had encountered his younger brother at that inn all those years ago. The boy still lacked it. Hate. It was something that Itachi was very familiar with. He did not understand the feelings his brother felt for Naruto. It was…foreign to him. Love. He had never loved. He had hated. Hate was all he knew. Itachi realized that watching his brother only made him hate more. Seeing Sasuke feel emotions other than hate, despite the younger Uchiha’s general cold demeanour, somewhat irked Itachi. And, for some reason, the elder Uchiha could not understand why.
Suppressing his confusing thoughts, Itachi turned back to the task at hand. The pair had gone to Ichiraku’s for ramen. It was blatantly obvious that the blond had an affinity for the food. This irked Itachi in a different way. He never really liked ramen. Well, he had never had the chance to try it. After all, his father had never allowed him to eat food that was ‘unfit for an Uchiha.’ Ignoring that thought, the elder Uchiha sent a tiny spark of chakra to his ears and focused in on Naruto and Sasuke’s conversation.
“Hahahaha. I totally kicked your ass today, Uchiha,” Naruto bragged, then continued while rudely pointing his chopsticks in Sasuke’s face, “And, I’ll get you again.”
“Hn. Dobe. Don’t be so cocky,” Sasuke grunted.
“I’m not being cocky,” Naruto frowned, “I’m stating a fact. A fact that’ll have you on your back and begging me to stop.”
Sasuke ungraciously spit out the food he currently had in his mouth upon hearing that statement. This, only earning another bout of laughs from Naruto at the younger Uchiha’s expense. Apparently, Naruto did not catch on to the innuendo of what he had just said. Using that to his advantage, Sasuke countered.
“No, Dobe. I’ll have you on your back, begging me to keep going.”
A moment of silence followed.
“Eh? What do you mean, Sasuke? Why would I be…” Naruto’s eyes widened when he finally understood the brunette’s insinuation.
“Hn. Slow as ever, Usuratonkachi.”
“You bastard!” Naruto yelled, a slight pink tinting his cheeks, “You’re getting even more perverted than Kakashi-sensei. And that’s bad. I bet you even read those books that ero-sennin wrote.”
Sasuke smirked, “I know you’ve read those books, so you shouldn’t be lecturing me about perversion,” then he added for good measure, “Pervert.”
Sasuke almost laughed when Naruto turned a very attractive shade of red before he threw some money on the counter and took off, away from the chaos that is Uzumaki Naruto.
“Get back here you bastard!” Naruto roared giving chase.
Itachi watched the pair head out of the city. Sasuke must have known that Naruto would freak out at the brunette’s final statement and most definitely try to kick his ass for it. To prevent any damage to the town, the younger Uchiha kept a safe distance from the blond as he outran him until he stopped in a clearing, deep in the forest surrounding Konoha. He waited for Naruto to catch up.
~*~
Naruto was pissed. That bastard Uchiha seriously pissed him off. The blond continued to fume as he chased after said bastard. He noticed that the sun was about to set, inwardly cursing, he sped up so he could end this little fight before the sun disappeared over the mountains. Naruto had learned on his own that the ANBU who guarded him started their shifts after sunset. He really didn’t want Sasuke to know about them. It was kind of embarrassing that he was so heavily guarded. He really didn’t need them either, Naruto was certain that he could defeat those ANBU quite easily. They’d be of little use if the blond was ever abducted or attacked. He chuckled slightly at that thought. Even with a whole squad of ANBU, he was still alone.
Sensing Sasuke finally stopping just ahead, the blond burst out of the trees and into the clearing. He landed a few feet in front of the younger Uchiha and glared at the triumphant smirk plastered over the bastard’s face.
“Dobe, you still let your emotions overrule your actions. No wonder why you still get into trouble.”
“Teme!” Naruto shouted before lunging at the smug brunette standing before him. Sasuke easily dodged his fist, but was too slow for the foot that followed. He grunted when Naruto’s foot impacted with his midsection and sent both men landing in tangle of limbs about five feet from where the Uchiha was standing. Naruto landed a few punches before Sasuke was finally able to restrain the irate blond.
“Calm down yet?” Sasuke asked seriously, “I didn’t think it’d bother you that much, Dobe, considering how true it is.” He grinned.
“Damn Teme,” Naruto muttered, “Can you get off of me now?”
“Are you finished with your tantrum?”
Naruto pouted, “I wouldn’t have freaked out if you hadn’t been such a jerk.”
“Ah, but, I am a jerk. It can’t be helped,” Sasuke lamented.
Naruto stared incredulously at the raven haired man until he burst into fits of laughter. Sasuke even chuckled at himself.
“You...haha…That…hahaha…” Naruto couldn’t even form a coherent sentence. He rolled over onto his side and held his stomach when Sasuke finally released his hold on the blond, “Didn’t know…haha…bastards could be… so damn funny!”
It took about five minutes of laughing before Naruto was able to calm down. Sasuke didn’t mind at all. He really enjoyed watching Naruto have a good time without that ridiculous mask of his on. It was…refreshing. He continued to study his blond companion as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
“You have no idea how funny I can be, Dobe” Sasuke murmured as he helped the blond to his feet.
“Eh?” Naruto asked dumbly, “And stop calling me that, Bastard.” The blond turned away and pouted. Crossing his arms for emphasis.
‘He’s still acting like a brat,’ Sasuke thought to himself as he eyed the epitome of childishness before him illuminated by the light of the setting sun. In that moment, it occurred to Sasuke that after all of this time, after everything they’d been through together, Naruto was still the same boy he met seven years ago. And yet he wasn’t. Then, they had been rivals forced to work together. They became friends. Now, they were still friends, they were rivals and inseparable. Sasuke had no idea when his feelings for Naruto had reached new levels beyond the boundaries of friendship. He had grown to love him in more ways than he could comprehend. Sasuke turned from his thoughts and stared at his companion. He made his decision.
“What I mean, Dobe,” Sasuke whispered as he leaned forward and grasped Naruto’s chin, turning the blond to face him, “is that I’m full of surprises.”
Their lips met briefly.
Sasuke felt a surge of electricity throughout his body from that simple meeting of lips. He looked at Naruto who was staring at him. Sasuke saw shock and confusion swimming though those blue depths. This somewhat broke his confidence and Sasuke began to pull away. He was stopped, however, when a cool hand caressed his cheek. The Uchiha turned his questioning gaze back to the blond. A look of determination had replaced the shock and confusion in those eyes. Naruto smiled and closed the distance between their lips as his hands slid up and threaded through Sasuke’s hair.
Sasuke took no time in wrapping his arms around the blond’s waist and deepening their increasingly passionate kissing. Lips moved together and bodies were pressed flush against the other as a battle for dominance ensued between both men. However, Naruto lost this battle when Sasuke’s tongue found its way through his lips and teeth and acquainted itself with his own. Naruto moaned softly when Sasuke’s hand slipped down to his hips and whimpered when the Uchiha started to pull away and broke the contact.
Breathless, both men stared at one another in a sort of daze. A light blush adorned their faces as they attempted to breathe in much needed oxygen.
Sasuke finally broke the silence when he chuckled softly and stole another chaste kiss from Naruto.
“We better head back,” Sasuke whispered against Naruto’s lips, “It’s getting late.”
At a complete loss for words, the dumbfounded blond was only able to manage a small nod.
“Let’s go, then,” Sasuke said as he reached for Naruto’s hand.
It was when the brunette grasped his hand that Naruto was finally able to find words.
“Um…I’ll catch up. Just…can you give me a minute?” the blond uncharacteristically stuttered.
Sasuke studied the blond with a questioning gaze and glimpsed the silent plea in his blue eyes. Nodding, the younger Uchiha squeezed Naruto’s hand gently before leaving the clearing to allow the blond to gather his thoughts.
Naruto watched Sasuke disappear into the trees before he allowed himself to fall onto the soft grass and stare up into the blackening abyss above him. The stars were starting to become visible against the dark hues of blue and black of the sky. The blond really didn’t know what to make of what had just transpired between himself and Sasuke. To say the least, it was…unexpected. Naruto had no idea that Sasuke felt that way about him. Their friendship just got a whole lot complicated and it was way too much for Naruto’s mind to handle at the moment.
He knew for a fact that he cared a hell of a lot more for Sasuke than any of his other friends. Sasuke had been his first real friend and would always have a special place in Naruto’s heart. But was it love? The blond couldn’t really relate of his experiences with the term, love. He loved ramen, but that’s a food, so it doesn’t really count. He loved Iruka-sensei, but he was like a father to the blond. He’s had crushes, the biggest being on Sakura, but that had dissipated long ago. She had become one of Naruto’s best of friends.
As Naruto contemplated all of this, he failed to notice the looming presence of another person above him. The blond was too preoccupied with his conflicting emotions regarding a certain raven haired jounin to notice the looming presence perform several hand seals. It was when the jutsu hit him dead on that Naruto finally opened his eyes only for them to go blurry as he lost consciousness.
Naruto saw red.
The story is a little slow so I hope everyone can bear with me for a bit. ;D *hugs*
Review Responses:
I had to get these in before I forgot. XD;
karin: Yeah, there is A LOT of SasuNaru out there...but then I discovered ItaNaru. *heart* So addicting. 8D Thanks. I'm glad you like the story so far. :D
Devious Lil Devil: Thank you. ^_____^ I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. :D
AngelicHellion: YAY!!! Thanks so much. I'm still really nervous and I appreciate that. ^______^
kaa-san: Thank you. I"m glad you liked. ^_____^
TheDeviant: Wah! Thank you. :D ItaNaru fics are so scarce, there needs to be more. *waves fist* XDDD
kyu000: I'm happy you liked it so far. :D But there won't be any rape as far as I know. :P
Nusku: I'll try to. :D
Nurse Tenshi-Lee: Here it is. XDDD Hope you like it. :P
Anon: Thank you so much for the reassurance. :D *happy* ^______^
I'm not very good at responding to reviews without being repetitive. I'm sorry about that. *nervous laugh* I'm infamous for it. XD; My beta knows all too well. 8D
Enjoy!
~*~*~*~
Chapter 1 - Rivalry, Friendship & Red
The clash of metal echoed over the distance. From afar, one would think that a fierce battle ensued between two deadly adversaries. Up close, yes, it was a fierce battle. A match, a spar, to determine the who held the higher knowledge, who had the most stealth, who was stronger. A fight between rivals.
Nineteen year old Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha’s number one loudmouthed jounin, eyed his opponent before him. Uchiha Sasuke. He was tall and lithe. His pale skin against the darkness of his clothes and his ebony hair was akin moonlight reflecting off of a placid lake, untouched. The stoic, yet soft and handsome features of his face were framed by random lengths of his out of control hair. Despite that strong jaw and those high cheekbones, those full and most definitely kissable lips, his eyes are what captivate any who look upon him. Pools of black that rival the darkest of nights. He looked almost delicate. Almost.
If Naruto didn’t know any better, he’d tell his rival exactly what he thought of him at that moment. Considering all of the possible outcomes of sharing his current thoughts with the younger Uchiha, Naruto heavily decided against it. He’d rather not get pummelled into the ground for admitting Sasuke was kissable and delicate. Naruto chuckled.
Four years have passed since Sasuke’s return to Konoha. Or rather, when the blond dragged the bastard back by his hair kicking and screaming. Well, that’s not what really happened. This is just the story Naruto is more than happy to tell anyone who asks how he got the Uchiha heir to come back. However, Sasuke does make sure that his rival does not go overboard with the exaggerations. Much to Naruto’s chagrin.
Turning his attention back to his team mate, Naruto immediately noticed the smirk forming on the brunette’s face. He also noticed the sudden twitch of the pale, slender fingers. To an untrained eye, this was something that would be overlooked and the results would be fatal. To Naruto, however, Sasuke had removed two shuriken from his pouch and had thrown them with deadly accuracy towards the blond. Naruto quickly jumped and flipped forward, avoiding the first shuriken. He caught the second one and threw it back the way it came. Landing on all fours, Naruto took to the trees. He watched his rival through the leaves, waiting for him to make his next move. A slight smirk grew on each man’s face when their eyes finally met. As soon as the brunette disappeared from Naruto’s sight, the blond took off full speed through the trees.
The chase was on.
Channelling his chakra to the bottom of his feet and expelling it out of the chakra points, Naruto was able to travel faster through the dense canopy of the forest and away from a rapidly approaching Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto inwardly cursed. He had thought for a moment that he would have been able to outrun the brunette. Naruto was disappointed when he noticed said brunette currently running along side of him. It was then that Naruto realized that Sasuke’s ordinarily ebony eyes were now blood red, spinning with the Sharingan.
‘Figures I’d forget about his damn Sharingan,’ Naruto thought bitterly.
It was at that precise moment, while Naruto was distracted by his own thoughts, that Sasuke struck. He swiftly jumped ahead of the blond and twisted his body around. Sasuke’s leg came up and delivered a direct blow to Naruto’s midsection, sending the blond flying back the way he came. Sasuke smirked triumphantly when he saw the stunned expression on the Naruto’s face.
However, the Uchiha heir’s victory was short lived when Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sasuke cursed. Naruto was getting faster. Landing on a nearby branch, Sasuke calmed his racing heart and waited within the shadows of the leaves. He was well aware of his rival’s lack of patience and decided to use it against the blond. It’s what usually prevented Naruto from winning any of their spars. Much to Sasuke’s amusement.
An almost inaudible rustle of leaves to his left indicated Naruto’s location and that the blond knew where Sasuke was hiding. A rustle of leaves to his right and from behind verified that Naruto had created two clones. The dobe was going to attack him using a triangle formation. It would have been an effective strategy if Naruto had not used it several times before.
Wary of Naruto and his two clone’s locations, the brunette positioned himself in a defensive stance. It was then that the Kitsune made his move. Three kunai were thrown directly at Sasuke from Naruto and each of his bunshin. Easily deflected, Sasuke leapt forward towards the first clone. He found him immediately and wasted no time in disengaging the Naruto copy.
With one down, the Uchiha heir turned his attention to the last clone and Naruto himself. Both of which were almost upon him, attacking directly. Pulling out two kunai, Sasuke blocked both attacks and countered one, slicing his kunai with deadly accuracy across the chest of the last bunshin. It disappeared with a popping noise and Sasuke turned to focus his attention on Naruto.
He smirked, “I almost thought you were improving, Dobe.”
Naruto only glared at him.
‘Odd,’ Sasuke thought.
“Stop calling me Dobe, you bastard!” was all that Sasuke heard before he realized a second too late that the Naruto standing in front of him was merely a clone. He had absolutely no time to react when the real Naruto tackled him from above, sending both men to the ground.
Naruto landed on top of Sasuke, straddling his waist and gripping each of the brunette’s wrists above his head.
The blond leaned down and whispered, “Gotcha, bastard.”
An almost maniacal grin was plastered over Naruto’s face.
“Dobe,” Sasuke said smugly before he pushed up and rolled them both over, reversing their positions. Grinning like, as Naruto so eloquently puts it, the bastard he is, Sasuke leaned down and whispered in the surprised blond’s ear, “No, I win, Usuratonkachi.”
Suppressing an indignant pout, Naruto glared up at his friend, “Bastard. That doesn’t count.”
“Whatever, Dobe. Despite the fact that you pinned me first,” noticing Naruto’s shock, Sasuke added, “Yes, I’ll admit that you got me first. As I was saying, despite the fact that you pinned me first, I still came out on top in the end.”
The dark haired shinobi relinquished his hold on the blond and stood up. He leaned down and offered his hand to his friend. Naruto ignored the urge to swat it away and allowed Sasuke to help him to his feet.
“Hn. Dobe.”
“Shutup, Teme!”
“Let’s get back to the village, I’m hungry,” Sasuke suggested strategically avoiding the impending argument.
“YOSH! RAMEN!” Naruto yelled enthusiastically.
“No,” was Sasuke’s immediate response to the blond’s outburst.
“Awww, but Sasukeeee,” the Naruto whined, “You know I love ramen and I know you do too. Us and ramen are…like…two pods in a pea. Like whiter rice. Right?”
Sasuke couldn’t help but chuckle audibly at his rival’s stupidity.
“So what you’re trying to say, Dobe, is that you, me, and ramen are like ‘two peas in a pod’ and also like ‘white on rice’?” Sasuke asked, his amusement clearly evident in his voice.
“Yeah, yeah! Exactly,” Naruto spoke excitedly, completely missing the insinuated teasing or just ignoring it.
Sasuke was not sure. The latter being unlikely and very un-Naruto. The brunette chanced a look at his team mate and sighed.
“Ramen it is, then.”
“Yes! Sasuke-teme, you’re too awesome!” Naruto cheered happily and broke into a run towards the village.
“Hn. Dobe,” Sasuke took a moment to observe his hyperactive companion. He smiled and took off after the orange blur in the distance.
Neither of the two jounins noticed the black clad shinobi step out of the shadows of the trees after their departure. Neither of them noticed that this man had uncharacteristic grin softening his features. And neither of them noticed his red eyes spinning wildly.
~*~
It had been well over a month since Itachi first arrived at Konohagakure for his mission. During that time, the elder Uchiha had skilfully managed to evade detection from any of the Konoha shinobi. His anonymity provided him with the opportunity to study Naruto’s daily routines. As of yet, Itachi had not been able to ascertain a moment of weakness wherein he could actually abduct the blond; he was never usually alone during the day. Itachi concluded that Naruto being so alone all his life resulted in a natural urge to seek out company wherever he could find it. This trait of the Naruto is what made the task of acquiring the Jinchuuriki so troublesome. Itachi also noted that even at night Naruto was guarded by several well positioned ANBU members. Judging from all of this high security, the Hokage must be wary of Akatsuki’s movements.
Itachi probably had that toad hermit to thank for all this. The Akatsuki leader had been correct in assuming that this mission would take longer than necessary.
Besides needing constant companionship, Itachi also noticed that Naruto was not as ignorant and idiotic as he let on. Firstly, Naruto knew about the stationed ANBU members. The elder Uchiha had witnessed him find every single ANBU member while looking out his living room window one night. That truly impressed the missing nin. Itachi theorized that Naruto had constructed a mask of sorts. Discovering this interesting little fact, it became clear to Itachi that Naruto was a whole lot emotionally weaker than he let on. This was something Itachi could definitely use to his advantage.
It was only after watching Naruto and Sasuke together that Itachi also became aware of what his little brother felt for the blond. It was painfully obvious and the elder Uchiha could not determine if Naruto knew about Sasuke’s feelings or not. Judging from the way Naruto responded to Sasuke’s subtle flirting, or, rather, didn’t respond to Sasuke’s flirting, Itachi concluded that when it came to receiving other people’s feelings, Naruto was very inexperienced. Or, being the more likely of reasons, Sasuke’s flirting was absolutely ridiculous. Even the most skilled of shinobi would just barely pick up on the hesitant, deliberate touches or the frequent sideways glances that spoke volumes, but were left unnoticed.
Itachi merely shook his head at his brother’s failed attempts to gain the blond’s affection. He had been more than accurate when he had encountered his younger brother at that inn all those years ago. The boy still lacked it. Hate. It was something that Itachi was very familiar with. He did not understand the feelings his brother felt for Naruto. It was…foreign to him. Love. He had never loved. He had hated. Hate was all he knew. Itachi realized that watching his brother only made him hate more. Seeing Sasuke feel emotions other than hate, despite the younger Uchiha’s general cold demeanour, somewhat irked Itachi. And, for some reason, the elder Uchiha could not understand why.
Suppressing his confusing thoughts, Itachi turned back to the task at hand. The pair had gone to Ichiraku’s for ramen. It was blatantly obvious that the blond had an affinity for the food. This irked Itachi in a different way. He never really liked ramen. Well, he had never had the chance to try it. After all, his father had never allowed him to eat food that was ‘unfit for an Uchiha.’ Ignoring that thought, the elder Uchiha sent a tiny spark of chakra to his ears and focused in on Naruto and Sasuke’s conversation.
“Hahahaha. I totally kicked your ass today, Uchiha,” Naruto bragged, then continued while rudely pointing his chopsticks in Sasuke’s face, “And, I’ll get you again.”
“Hn. Dobe. Don’t be so cocky,” Sasuke grunted.
“I’m not being cocky,” Naruto frowned, “I’m stating a fact. A fact that’ll have you on your back and begging me to stop.”
Sasuke ungraciously spit out the food he currently had in his mouth upon hearing that statement. This, only earning another bout of laughs from Naruto at the younger Uchiha’s expense. Apparently, Naruto did not catch on to the innuendo of what he had just said. Using that to his advantage, Sasuke countered.
“No, Dobe. I’ll have you on your back, begging me to keep going.”
A moment of silence followed.
“Eh? What do you mean, Sasuke? Why would I be…” Naruto’s eyes widened when he finally understood the brunette’s insinuation.
“Hn. Slow as ever, Usuratonkachi.”
“You bastard!” Naruto yelled, a slight pink tinting his cheeks, “You’re getting even more perverted than Kakashi-sensei. And that’s bad. I bet you even read those books that ero-sennin wrote.”
Sasuke smirked, “I know you’ve read those books, so you shouldn’t be lecturing me about perversion,” then he added for good measure, “Pervert.”
Sasuke almost laughed when Naruto turned a very attractive shade of red before he threw some money on the counter and took off, away from the chaos that is Uzumaki Naruto.
“Get back here you bastard!” Naruto roared giving chase.
Itachi watched the pair head out of the city. Sasuke must have known that Naruto would freak out at the brunette’s final statement and most definitely try to kick his ass for it. To prevent any damage to the town, the younger Uchiha kept a safe distance from the blond as he outran him until he stopped in a clearing, deep in the forest surrounding Konoha. He waited for Naruto to catch up.
~*~
Naruto was pissed. That bastard Uchiha seriously pissed him off. The blond continued to fume as he chased after said bastard. He noticed that the sun was about to set, inwardly cursing, he sped up so he could end this little fight before the sun disappeared over the mountains. Naruto had learned on his own that the ANBU who guarded him started their shifts after sunset. He really didn’t want Sasuke to know about them. It was kind of embarrassing that he was so heavily guarded. He really didn’t need them either, Naruto was certain that he could defeat those ANBU quite easily. They’d be of little use if the blond was ever abducted or attacked. He chuckled slightly at that thought. Even with a whole squad of ANBU, he was still alone.
Sensing Sasuke finally stopping just ahead, the blond burst out of the trees and into the clearing. He landed a few feet in front of the younger Uchiha and glared at the triumphant smirk plastered over the bastard’s face.
“Dobe, you still let your emotions overrule your actions. No wonder why you still get into trouble.”
“Teme!” Naruto shouted before lunging at the smug brunette standing before him. Sasuke easily dodged his fist, but was too slow for the foot that followed. He grunted when Naruto’s foot impacted with his midsection and sent both men landing in tangle of limbs about five feet from where the Uchiha was standing. Naruto landed a few punches before Sasuke was finally able to restrain the irate blond.
“Calm down yet?” Sasuke asked seriously, “I didn’t think it’d bother you that much, Dobe, considering how true it is.” He grinned.
“Damn Teme,” Naruto muttered, “Can you get off of me now?”
“Are you finished with your tantrum?”
Naruto pouted, “I wouldn’t have freaked out if you hadn’t been such a jerk.”
“Ah, but, I am a jerk. It can’t be helped,” Sasuke lamented.
Naruto stared incredulously at the raven haired man until he burst into fits of laughter. Sasuke even chuckled at himself.
“You...haha…That…hahaha…” Naruto couldn’t even form a coherent sentence. He rolled over onto his side and held his stomach when Sasuke finally released his hold on the blond, “Didn’t know…haha…bastards could be… so damn funny!”
It took about five minutes of laughing before Naruto was able to calm down. Sasuke didn’t mind at all. He really enjoyed watching Naruto have a good time without that ridiculous mask of his on. It was…refreshing. He continued to study his blond companion as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
“You have no idea how funny I can be, Dobe” Sasuke murmured as he helped the blond to his feet.
“Eh?” Naruto asked dumbly, “And stop calling me that, Bastard.” The blond turned away and pouted. Crossing his arms for emphasis.
‘He’s still acting like a brat,’ Sasuke thought to himself as he eyed the epitome of childishness before him illuminated by the light of the setting sun. In that moment, it occurred to Sasuke that after all of this time, after everything they’d been through together, Naruto was still the same boy he met seven years ago. And yet he wasn’t. Then, they had been rivals forced to work together. They became friends. Now, they were still friends, they were rivals and inseparable. Sasuke had no idea when his feelings for Naruto had reached new levels beyond the boundaries of friendship. He had grown to love him in more ways than he could comprehend. Sasuke turned from his thoughts and stared at his companion. He made his decision.
“What I mean, Dobe,” Sasuke whispered as he leaned forward and grasped Naruto’s chin, turning the blond to face him, “is that I’m full of surprises.”
Their lips met briefly.
Sasuke felt a surge of electricity throughout his body from that simple meeting of lips. He looked at Naruto who was staring at him. Sasuke saw shock and confusion swimming though those blue depths. This somewhat broke his confidence and Sasuke began to pull away. He was stopped, however, when a cool hand caressed his cheek. The Uchiha turned his questioning gaze back to the blond. A look of determination had replaced the shock and confusion in those eyes. Naruto smiled and closed the distance between their lips as his hands slid up and threaded through Sasuke’s hair.
Sasuke took no time in wrapping his arms around the blond’s waist and deepening their increasingly passionate kissing. Lips moved together and bodies were pressed flush against the other as a battle for dominance ensued between both men. However, Naruto lost this battle when Sasuke’s tongue found its way through his lips and teeth and acquainted itself with his own. Naruto moaned softly when Sasuke’s hand slipped down to his hips and whimpered when the Uchiha started to pull away and broke the contact.
Breathless, both men stared at one another in a sort of daze. A light blush adorned their faces as they attempted to breathe in much needed oxygen.
Sasuke finally broke the silence when he chuckled softly and stole another chaste kiss from Naruto.
“We better head back,” Sasuke whispered against Naruto’s lips, “It’s getting late.”
At a complete loss for words, the dumbfounded blond was only able to manage a small nod.
“Let’s go, then,” Sasuke said as he reached for Naruto’s hand.
It was when the brunette grasped his hand that Naruto was finally able to find words.
“Um…I’ll catch up. Just…can you give me a minute?” the blond uncharacteristically stuttered.
Sasuke studied the blond with a questioning gaze and glimpsed the silent plea in his blue eyes. Nodding, the younger Uchiha squeezed Naruto’s hand gently before leaving the clearing to allow the blond to gather his thoughts.
Naruto watched Sasuke disappear into the trees before he allowed himself to fall onto the soft grass and stare up into the blackening abyss above him. The stars were starting to become visible against the dark hues of blue and black of the sky. The blond really didn’t know what to make of what had just transpired between himself and Sasuke. To say the least, it was…unexpected. Naruto had no idea that Sasuke felt that way about him. Their friendship just got a whole lot complicated and it was way too much for Naruto’s mind to handle at the moment.
He knew for a fact that he cared a hell of a lot more for Sasuke than any of his other friends. Sasuke had been his first real friend and would always have a special place in Naruto’s heart. But was it love? The blond couldn’t really relate of his experiences with the term, love. He loved ramen, but that’s a food, so it doesn’t really count. He loved Iruka-sensei, but he was like a father to the blond. He’s had crushes, the biggest being on Sakura, but that had dissipated long ago. She had become one of Naruto’s best of friends.
As Naruto contemplated all of this, he failed to notice the looming presence of another person above him. The blond was too preoccupied with his conflicting emotions regarding a certain raven haired jounin to notice the looming presence perform several hand seals. It was when the jutsu hit him dead on that Naruto finally opened his eyes only for them to go blurry as he lost consciousness.
Naruto saw red.