Death is the only way to freedom

This fic has not been beta-ed, so try not to look to much at the spelling and grammar mistakes and enjoy the contents of this fic anyway.


Chapter 2: The last search?

As he returned to his teammates after his meeting with the Uchiha, he saw that they had already built up a camp for the night.

“Oi Sakura, what’s for dinner?” The blonde grinned to the oink haired-girl who was cooking something in a cauldron over the fireplace.

“Were the heck where you? It´s been two hours since you left… Baka!” She growled.

“Heh heh sorry, got a little lost on the way back Sakura-chan.”

“Did you find any leads on Uchiha-san?” Sai asked as he crawled out of his tent.

“He’s moving towards the mountains… or so it seams!” The fox-boy said in a calm tone. “He’s not alone! I sensed at least one other person. Where’s Kakashi-sensei?”

“He’s off caching something for dinner… or so he said… probably reading one of his perverted books some where.” The pink haired medic-nin grumbled as she added more spice to the vegetable stew.

“Yeah… that sounds just like him… want me to go look for him?” The blonde grinned.

“Naruto…..! We…. We been thinking! You should return to Konoha and rest.”

“Huh? Why Sakura-chan… I´m fine!”

“Yes, that’s what concerns us. We’ve been on the move for four days…. And you don´t even sweat!”

“So….I’ve been training a lot lately... Building up my stamina!” He grinned at his friends.

“I don´t now what’s going on with you…. But you’re changing… and it scares me Naruto!” Sakura hugged the blonde, burying her face at his strong chest.

He felt a stitch of pain in his chest. He really wanted to tell her… but it was already too late for that.

“I´m sorry, Sakura-chan…. Don´t worry about me!” He embraced her in a warm and caring hug. Her body felt warm and trembling against his. He could hear her heartbeat; feel that she was on the edge to cry.

“Hey…. Shouldn’t you be happy…? You’ll probably see Sasuke tonight!” He gave her a soft squeeze before letting go of her to look at Sai who stared at them.

~ # ~

A pair of red eyes with black swirling dots watched the blonde hug the pink haired girl in jalousie.
´Why is he so close to that annoying girl…. He’s mine and only mine!” The Uchiha growled in his head, carefully moving closer; keeping his slender frame in the shadows.

He had just arrived from his hideout in the mountains where he had been resting from his last mission. There was something wrong, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was.

´Naruto is different somehow´ He thought with worry. The Uchiha saw how Kakashi was approaching the three Konoha-nin, giving them one of his usual no-good explanation for not bringing something eatable along from his hunt as well for being late.

The blonde grinned at his sensei and teased him with his obsession with porn. The blonde’s happy expression and cheerful mood made the raven-haired male smirk.

“I really missed your smile, Dobe!” Uchiha Sasuke whispered before diapering back into the shadows of which he came.

~ # ~

They ate their dinner and talked about many different subjects. The food was tasty and recharged their energy.

They ended up discussing how they would approach the Uchiha; to ask him to return to Konoha. This was going to be their last attempt to force the Uchiha heir to come home, as a team. Tsunade had decided that further attempts would be too much of a loss of resources; both financial and personal as it almost always ended up with the death of a Konoha shinobi.

Tsunade had told Naruto before they left, and it was one of the things that helped him to decide what to do about the changes that was occurring inside of him; that and the fact that he had meet up with the older Uchiha on his last mission to fetch Sasuke.

#Flashback#
“They sent you to search for my little brother on your own this time kid?” Itachi was towering over the blondes wounded frame.

“So what… You don´t think I can do it on my own Baka?” The blonde barked defiantly, not willing to admit defeat even though his wounds were hurting like hell and the Kyuubi seamed to be having trouble to keep up healing him.

“No… he as stubborn as a donkey, you off all should know that by now.” The older Uchiha squatted down next to the blonde and petted his blonde hair.

“What are you doing Teme? If you want to kill me, then kill me and get it over with and quit the petting!” Naruto growled, struggling to get back on his feet but was instantly pushed back into the tall soft grass.

“I´m not here to kill you. I just wanted to see your pretty blue eyes, kid!” He smirked at the blonde and cupped his whiskered chin with a pale hand.

“Sure… why else. The Akatsuki just want me because I´m such a hunk eh?” He mocked the older man.

“Hah… The Akatsuki is done for… you and your friends have seen to that. Besides I seem to have some of the same weaknesses as my stupid ass brother.”

“Sure… Like Sasuke really thinks that I have pretty eyes….” He felt his cheeks redden and the heat in his ears rising as he suddenly realized that Itachi was coming on to him. “What the hell are you doing… let go off me you pervert.”

“Huh? Why pervert…. You want to sleep with Sasuke, don´t you? And I want to have sex with you… where’s the difference?” Itachi smirked. He pinned the blonde’s tanned arms over his head and leaned towards his trembling and wounded frame, licking a trail of blood of his whiskered cheek.

“…Stop that, Teme That with Sasuke is different…. I…” His lips were covered by Itachi´s, kissing the stunned teen’s soft pink lips.

“Ummm you have a taste of innocence mixed with the spice of danger and pain…. Does the rest of you taste just as good?” The raven-haired man licked the tanned skin, trailing down the teen’s neck to the thin skin on the collarbone, softly nibbling and tasting him.

“…. Ah…. Don´t!” The blonde begged.

“You want me to stop? But I want to play with you my lovely blonde fox” Itachi smirked seductively into the smaller males ear.

“No, But I love Sasuke…. And I want…” The blonde was confused. This felt so good and he really wanted to do this with Itachi, his body craved for the intimacy and longed to be loved. He also felt guilty, as if he was betraying the one he really wanted, even though Sasuke had never been his.

“I know…. And I know what you are trying to hide from your friends as well…. Why don´t we make a deal. You’ll be mine for the remaining time I live and I help you with you to get what you want?”
#End of flashback#


Sasuke was quietly watched the group and was angry that the blonde allowed the pink-haired medic-nin to rest her huge forehead on his shoulder.
´No one except me should be allowed so close to my Dobe´ he growled inwardly and continued to spy on the group’s conversation.

Naruto slid his arm around Sakura´s back to support her exhausted frame. He had pushed them to their limit, and he had done it on purpose to be certain that they couldn’t stop what was going to happen later tonight.

“Naruto… You’ve had a talk with the Hokage before we left… about Sasuke… right?” Kakashi asked in his usual lazy tone.

Sasuke could see that the blonde nodded with a sad look in his eyes. What was this about, the pale avenger wondered.

“This is the last chance we have to bring him home… after this… there will be no more missions because It´s just too risky right?” The blonde murmured.

“Yeah… and there will be no more running off alone either Naruto-kun.” Sakura said sadly. “You were damn lucky last time that Itachi didn’t kill you as you accidentally trailed his scent in stead of Sasuke´s!... Next time you might not be so fortunate too get away like that!”

Sasuke felt a rage of pain and anger well up inside of him. Itachi had dared to lay his filthy hands on his Dobe.

“Why did he want you anyway…? He’s practically the only Akatsuki left… he can’t extract the Kyuubi from you on his own… can he?” Sai asked.

“Who cares?” Naruto couldn’t tell them that Itachi had wanted him to become his lover, now could he!

“Well about Sasuke.” Sakura felt that the blonde didn’t want to talk about the issue with Itachi and changed the subject.

“Oh yeah, this is the last time we can search for him like he’s our allied. Next time we go after him he’ll be our enemy… Naruto! I don´t like this either… but the Hokage´s decision is final!” Kakashi said calmly.

“O-nii-chan is you listening?” The pink-haired girl elbowed the silent blonde. It was unnatural for the blonde just to accept words like this without making a scene and threatening to kill (or at least hurt anyone who suggested that he should give up on his former rival). He just stared at the grass, his fingers playing with a few straws.

“I know… that’s why this has to work!” He mumbled more to himself than to his friends.

´Is he really going to give up on me? ´ Sasuke thought, but the blonde was the only one who had never giving up on believing in the good in the younger Uchiha. He had searched for the stubborn raven-haired teen for more than six years now.

´Perhaps he’s growing tired of getting nowhere… perhaps I should talk to him once they spilt up, I don´t want him to forget about me… I need these little games of cat and mouse to stay alive.´

~ # ~

“Well I think we have rested long enough... we only have a few more hours of daylight and I want to search the area before the sun sets!” Naruto rose to his feet and extracted a helping hand to Sakura.

“What do you suggest we do, Naruto?” Kakashi dusted off his clothes.

“We spilt up… that way we can cover a much larger area.” Naruto felt that his teammates trusted his judgment and continued.

“Kakashi; you search the right area as it has a lake area and you with you sharingan eye you can easily detect anyone hiding in the lake.” Kakashi nodded lazily.

“Sakura and Sai will search the left part, as It´s a rater large area with many trees. Stay together and search from the treetops, you are both still a bit weary so be careful.” Both nodded in unison.

“I’ll use the Kagebushin and search the middle as well as the multiple caves’s and cracks of the mountain. We’ll meet up at sun set on the top of the mountain to report… that’ll be in about two hours. Be careful!” with that note they scattered and left the team leader standing alone at the former campsite.

“Hmm guess It´s all in motion now… better get to it then!” The blonde shinobi formed the seals with his hands, created twenty clones and ordered them to search the area before leaving towards his final destination… the mountains where he knew that someone was waiting for him to arrive.

~ # ~

´He has grown up, acting all mature and seams to be a wise and responsible leader, he has to be… Kakashi-sensei wouldn’t follow him if he wasn’t. ´ the younger Uchiha stared at the blonde as he rushed off. ´Guess I’ll follow him to see where he’s going… he seam to have a lead on something!

He skillfully jumped from shadow to shadow to avoid detection from the fox-boy. ´What has happen to your cheerful and childlike behavior? You might have grinned like a fool towards that annoying girl but I know you better… something is off. I can see that you are in turmoil even without using the sharingan… something is changing… but what? ´

~ # ~

Naruto smiled sadly to himself, picking up his speed as is nose caught a familiar scent. Sasuke was following him… just as planned. He felt like an ass for what he was about to put his friends together… but he didn’t know what else he could do.

´ I´m so sorry; Kakashi, Sakura, Sai… Sasuke… Itachi… Please forgive me.´

The Kitsune climbed the mountain without any trouble and found the cave he was looking for. He bent down, grabbing a handful dirt and drew in the scent of it.

He was here… of that he was certain.
Naruto sensed that Sasuke was still on his way here… he would arrive here in a few minutes... leaving not much time to say goodbye for the blonde.

Naruto sighed and walked in to the cave… his heart aching, everything would change. It´s just a phase of my life that is going to end, he repentantly told himself.

~ # ~

Uchiha Sasuke searched the area, carefully making sure that he was alone before climbing the mountain, where the shadows couldn’t hide his presence anymore.

It almost seamed as if the blonde had followed a straight trail right to the cave right over his position… but why… did he follow someone’s scent… but wasn’t the Dobe and the others here to find him? Sasuke had in fact been hiding in these mountains; using it as a base between his frequent and secret travels to Konoha… to spy on the blonde whom the Uchiha missed so much.

´I’ve never been to these caves… but if the Dobe isn’t following me… then who? ´

His thoughts was distracted as the sharingan and his keen shinobi senses suddenly detected movement in different parts of the forest beneath him. The sound of battle reached his ears; his former teammates and the ink-shinobi was fighting.

~ # ~

Kakashi dodged the rogue Nins water jutsus and used his now uncovered eye and the sharingan to copy the three enemies’ moves.

´Where the hell did they come from all of the sudden´; the silver-haired jounin asked himself as he launched a counter attack against the enemy closest to his position.

~ # ~

Sakura and Sai was forced to spilt up as they where attacked from three fronts. Sai took on two slender framed rouge-nins. Who to his regret were using water jutsu´s which made his ink attacks useless!

Sakura used her brute strength against an opponent that was twice her seize. He turned out to be a skilled sword user and a worthy adversary.

~ # ~

“Are you sure about this… Once he’s here there will be no turning back… don´t throw your life away, my lovely angel.” The Uchiha took another step, closing in on the hidden figure in the shadows.

“There is no other way… not one I can think of and you didn’t come up with anything. If I don´t try this I’ll definitely turn into a raging demon within less than a month. The Kyuubi is devouring my soul, gaining more and more control over my body. I can’t let that happen… this is my responsibility as the container of the ninetailes… even if it means that I’ll become a half demon or even if I lose my life… I have to protect my home and my friends from this monster… what else is there for me to do?” Naruto sighed.

“Kyuubi would destroy Konoha, Kakashi, Iruka, Sakura, Baa-sama … Sasuke… and the rest of the world… and would look like me in doing so!”

“Guess you are right… I just don´t like the thought of losing you in any way!” He slid his cloaked arms around the blonde’s slim waist, drawing his trembling frame closer to his.

“Itachi…. Why did you insist on having him follow me here? Our battle will be tearing at both our strengths… and most likely we’ll both be badly wounded and probably dying as you have to fight me with all your strength to be able to activate and kill the demon inside of me… He’ll kill you… He’ll try to get his revenge even though he still doesn’t know why you did it!” Naruto wrapped his arms around Itachi, looking into his crimson eyes.

´ They look so similar… so alike.´ The blonde thought as he felt lips pressing against his own.

“Don´t worry about me Brat… I´m the bad guy remember!” The older Uchiha pressed the blonde backwards, pinning him to the wall and once more he claimed his pink lips as his.

“My life is destined to end by his hand… it has been my destiny since the day I killed our clan… leaving my innocent little brother as the only survivor, my blonde angel.”

“Don´t call me that!” The blonde spiced their kisses up by trailing his tongue along the Uchiha´s lips.

“I´m a monster with a conscious and a soul… and soon I’ll be nothing more that a vicious growling beast if our little plan doesn’t work out!” Naruto rested his head on Itachi´s strong broad shoulders, feeling overwhelmed with despair.

“I´m so sorry for dragging you into this…. It´s true… I hated you once… but it was because I didn’t know… didn’t understand why… just like him!” Tears ran down his whiskered cheeks, pressing himself against the taller male’s strong warm body.

“No one has ever cried for me before… I wish that we had more time… For once… I was happy… you changed something inside of me, helping me to forget what they; my family did to me… Thank you!” Itachi smiled at the younger blonde and softly wiped away his tears.

“If things had turned out differently… “Itachi hugged the trembling blonde and gave him a last passionate kiss.

“Forgive me, Naruto!” He whispered into the kiss.

“Always… I’ll miss you Itachi.”

“I’ll miss you too… Please become happy with him!” Naruto´s blue eyes widened at the softly spoken words.

He just stared as Itachi´s warm smile disappeared and his usual cold expression was forced back as he drew his katakana and attacked the blonde.