The Sound of Dreams

AN: Sorry this was a little later out than usual. I ended up make some last minute revisions.

Just to clear up any confusion that anyone might have. Fuuma Hanzaki and Sesame are not OC's. They are from the anime, episode #139. This episode took place right after Sasuke left. It is a filler episode, so they did not appear in the manga. (Yes, I am making use out of those evil fillers!!) I will be covering their history a bit more so that you will know their background as well as a little of what has been happening in Rice Field Country for the past few years.

Another bit of drool-worthy, smexy fanart for you from Allys: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/49546806/
For color: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/49707677/?&q=by%3Aallys777&qh=sort%3Atime+-in%3Ascraps
Thanks so much!!

Adi: You were hitting just under the wire there!! I saw you post just as I was looking over the reviews to see if I needed to answer any questions before posting this!! NO, I'm not 40. Thankfully, not for a while yet! As for the Sasuke plushie, I would love to kidnap him but I am afraid my hubby would use it for a voodoo doll. What is it with guys not liking Sasuke?

Well, back to fighting with chapters 39 & 40. I changed a bit of the plot on myself and have to go back and rewrite everything... /sigh....

Hope you enjoy and thanks every so much for reading and the reviews!! They keep me going when I get this occassional urge to burn my floppy disk. (Not gonna mention I almost did when I realized I copied the wrong chapter over when I was transferring stuff from home computer to take to work!! I lost 1/5 of a chapter and I have no fooking clue what it was about!! Oh well, must not have been that good then! *grins*)

See you Saturday!!

Chapter 34


The four figures huddled around the glowing ball of chakra, but tried to leave a clear space open in which to use the jutsu. Three worked the ball, coaxing it to swirl and develop the spiral arms that denoted the wind element being added. The fourth looked on, fascinated despite himself and waited his turn.

“Naruto,” the fourth figure suddenly spoke. “One of your damn clones just grabbed my ass.”

“Hey! That’s my ass, hands off!” the disgruntled blonde growled.

“But technically speaking,” one of his copies said with a smirk. “I am you.” It then proceeded to give him a big shit-eating, eye-squinting grin.

“Baka,” the raven-haired man muttered.

“You,” the blonde addressed himself, “pay attention and keep your hands to yourself. You,” he addressed his red-eyed lover, “stop tempting him with your ass.”

The red eyes lifted to him and the three black marks within twitched into a lazy spin.

Naruto ignored the implied threat as the jutsu demanded his full concentration.

Sasuke had modified the barrier by putting the seals on the floor so that the clones could activate them while remaining on the outside of the purple tinted force field. That way he didn’t have to remake the kanji decorating one wall or another every time they destroyed one, which had been practically every time they practiced combining their techniques.

It had the added benefit that if something disastrous did happen, that one of them would be left to go get help. Not that there was anyplace nearby to get help from, but that was beside the point. Apparently, Sasuke had been thinking more along the lines of Naruto doing something stupid on his own and one of the clones fetching him to right the situation.

The two clones backed off but still maintained concentration. Naruto then took the modified Rasengan and hurled it much like the shuriken it resembled. At that point, Sasuke quickly made the seals for the powerful fire jutsu that had been amongst the scrolls that he had looted and blew the flames at the projectile.

The Hell Fire jutsu was closer to S-class than his previously learned fire techniques. It burned hotter and the path of the flames were controlled by his chakra. While he hadn’t spent as much time as he’d like practicing the jutsu, the thought that their location could be discovered pushed him to abandon his perfectionist approach to training and adopt Naruto’s hands-on philosophy. This was his first time using the technique for the combination and he was unsure of what the results would be, but he figured the stronger that the two techniques were separately, the more powerful they would be together.

He watched as, under his direction, the hot blue fire raced to catch up to the other jutsu on the far side of the room only to get sucked into the swirling vortex. They tried to time it so that the two met at the furthest point away from them to lessen the chances of getting hurt.

The two clones stepped protectively in front of the two living beings as they activated the seals on the floor before them. The final force wall erected as the wind ignited. Flames exploded outwards, the preceding shockwave causing the barrier to flicker and shake. Then the fiery wave crashed against the barrier which, for a moment, looked like it would hold until a plethora of web-like cracks started to form. The hellishly searing heat melted the chakra ladened walls that surrounded the two boys in a blue haze. The clones immediately threw themselves in the path of the oncoming flames, trying to keep the two from harm. The heat was suffocating; stealing breath and blistering reddened skin, but they remained relatively safe from the slowly dying fire.

Sasuke had been adamant about Naruto using the clones to form another wall rather than pulling up the red chakra to protect them again. Especially after his friend had finally told him how easily the demon had been rising in him before they were reunited. Now he wondered if they shouldn’t have used it after all. If it hadn’t been for that extra barrier, they wouldn’t have faired much better than the door had previously.

When he had asked his whiskered friend why the demon had been quiet lately, Naruto had merely replied with the corny quip, “Why, Sasuke, don’t you know you sooth the savage beast within me?”

Onyx eyes had merely rolled, not realizing the truth of the statement.

While there were certainly times when Naruto had felt the urge to beat the hell out of his friend, it was nothing like that hopeless, frustrated rage that had triggered the demon so many times during his training to get Sasuke back.

Naruto let out a jubilant yell, grabbed his friend and, ignoring the wince of pain from abused tender skin, laid one on him. The dobe then went back to jumping up and down. “Let’s do that again!”

Sasuke could feel the corners of his still-tingling lips tug upwards even as he shook his head at the teen’s antics. His lips immediately pulled down into a frown as he felt something brush against his senses. “There’s someone out there,” he said.

Naruto turned his senses outwards and easily detected the calm aura just outside of the entrance to the hideout. The person was making no move to mask their presence.

Two clones were formed since all of the ones previously in the room had been eradicated and came up to Naruto without hesitation. They used henge to transform into shuriken which Naruto kept in his hand. Sasuke sometimes wondered if that was something that was standard procedure for them or if they had some kind of silent communication. He had noticed on several occasions that they moved without verbal command. Perhaps it was just because they all thought the same. But if that were true, then the dobe's training wouldn’t have progressed so fast if they were all doing the exact same thing.

Not having the time to ponder the question, Sasuke tossed it into his mental “All Things Dobe" box to examine later. Right now they had an intruder.

“You know what to do,” he murmured to his friend.

This was something that they had worked out ahead of time together. Naruto would confront the intruder head on (because that is what he did best) while Sasuke would slip outside through another concealed exit that was little more than a crack in the wall. He would then come up behind their opponent while Naruto distracted them (because anyone that was a loud-mouthed, bright yellow-haired, vividly blue-eyed shinobi with an affinity for orange was inherently distracting.)

Naruto quickly wove through the traps with the ease of familiarity as he made his way to the front entrance. He didn’t bother to try to disguise himself. Sasuke had stated quite firmly that anyone who found them had to be dealt with in some manner. If it was merely a civilian, they would be sent on their way with a warning. If it was a ninja, then they had better hope they weren’t an enemy.

He hoped the ninja at the doorway wasn’t an enemy so that he didn’t have to do anything drastic. Yet at the same time he almost hoped that it was, so that he wouldn’t feel guilty if Sasuke decided to cut them down to preserve their secrecy.

He stopped just at the bottom of the stairs as he caught sight of a figure in shrouding but warm robes. The orange-red topknot that poked out of a concealing mask stirred a memory but he wasn’t sure of what. Brown eyes looked down at him, scrutinizing him closely. He held the clone-turned-shuriken in his hand between his knuckles, ready to throw.

“Who are you and what do you want?” he demanded, hoping to give Sasuke time to work himself behind the person.

The figure seemed to shake itself and cleared a throat. “I’ve come to speak to you, Uzumaki Naruto,” it said in a pleasantly light, feminine voice. “As for who I am…” The figure reached up to start pulling the hood-like mask back. It had only cleared her nose when a blade tip was rested on her shoulder, edge against her neck.

“Don’t move,” came Sasuke’s cold voice. Once he was assured that she had indeed frozen her movements, he reached up and yanked the mask the rest of the way off.

Red-orange hair spilled down her back, framing a delicate, pretty face. While it was apparent that she had grown up and matured, Naruto recognized her after wracking his brain for a moment.

“Who sent you? Why are you here?” Sasuke was demanding.

“Sasame!?” Naruto burst out.

“Hai, Naruto. It’s me,” she said with a smile, pleased that he remembered her.

“Bastard, let her go. I know her.” He tossed the shuriken aside, letting them “poof” out of existence. He quickly ran up the steps to embrace her in a warm, friendly hug, unmindful of his slightly smoldering, smoke-scented clothes.

‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,’ Sasuke thought with a scowl as he noticed the flushed, pink cheeks of the girl.

He practically slammed his weapon back into its sheath and stomped past the two, heading back down into the lair.

“Come on in from the cold,” Naruto invited the young woman. He couldn’t help but notice how shapely she had gotten as he had wrapped his arms around her. Puberty had treated her very well.

She nodded her acceptance and followed the seemingly sunburnt young man down into the lair. Sasuke was waiting for him inside the door and his eyebrow shot up at the sight of the girl trailing just behind. The look he gave Naruto plainly asked if they could trust her to know their secrets.

“Sasuke, this is Sasame. She’s a ninja from these parts. Sasame, this is..”

“I know who he is,” she said, a slight chill edging her words.

Sasuke stiffened at her tone, ready to attack or defend at the slightest provocation.

Naruto turned to the angry young woman beside him. “Sasame, don’t judge him until you know him. He was in the same situation as your cousin. But he voluntarily betrayed Orochimaru and helped free me when I became the snake’s prisoner.” It was all true from a certain perspective. She just didn’t need to know what kind of prisoner and in what prison.

She slowly relaxed, accepting Naruto’s judgment for the moment. “I guess he misled a lot of people,” she allowed, referring to the Sannin.

Sasuke made sure he fell in behind her as Naruto led her deeper into the hideout. He didn’t appreciate her (probably well-founded) aspersive view of his character. He let his looming presence behind her to convey his irritation; smirking to himself as she shifted uneasily.

Naruto quickly led everyone into the sitting room, wanting to get to a place where they could talk and get rid of the thick tension in the air. He was really curious as to why Sasame was here and what had led her to their hideout.

He gestured her towards one of the cushions set around the low-built table and waited while she made herself comfortable or at least as comfortable as she could get with Sasuke emitting what was for him a mild fighting aura. He tried to catch those still-crimson eyes which looked kind of strange in the reddened face, but all of Sasuke’s focus was on the girl before him. Sighing, he gave up and turned toward his guest.

“Would you like some tea?” he asked politely. Iruka-sensei had tried to drill at least the basic manners into his head. Oftentimes through physical force when he deemed it necessary.

“She won’t be staying that long,” Sasuke interrupted whatever she had been about to say.

“Sasuke,” he growled a warning.

“He’s the one you were so determined to rescue from Orochimaru?" she asked tightly. "I don’t see why. I haven’t seen a redeeming quality about him yet.”

Naruto restrained the pervert inside that wanted to respond to that statement. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Sasuke chose that time to tense up again as if he was about to strike.

Naruto smoothly stepped in front of him and quickly made a clone. The replica headed toward the kitchen but not before he caught the edges of a muttered "freakin' maid," under its breath. He pinned Sasuke with a warning glance before moving over to sit at the end of the table where he could watch the both of them at once.

Sasuke merely leaned back against the wall where he stood, watching their guest with a predatory gaze.

"So, what brings you here, Sasame?" Naruto asked, opening the conversation.

"Well you know after the incident here several years ago, I started helping out the members of the clan that didn't follow behind Orochimaru." Her eyes darkened slightly and Naruto was sure that she was remembering her cousin Arashi, who had been experimented upon by the snake bastard.

She shook the memory off and looked back up at her host. "There was an accident a few days ago and someone jumped in to rescue a little girl. Most reports say it was a woman but no one recognized her and we try to keep track of who is coming and going in the village.

"I arrived the same day and was informed of all this and the fact that someone thought they had seen a figure at the edge of the woods, heading toward this direction. My first thought was perhaps some of Orochimaru's men were in the area and immediately went out scouting for them. I didn't think anyone would be out this way since it had been abandoned for so long, but I wanted to be sure."

Sasuke gave a derisive snort from his place by the wall. Naruto casually reached back and scratched the side of his head closest to his friend, his middle finger extended further than the others.

Just then the clone re-entered the room, bearing a tray with a few steaming cups on it. He offered one to Sasuke who shook his head negatively. However before the bushin could move away, the raven-haired nin leaned close and whispered something in his ear. It gave a slight nod and moved to serve both Naruto and Sasame.

Naruto frowned as the clone took its leave. Deciding to humor his companion for the moment, he left it active.

"Well anyway, here I am," she finished with a little shrug.

"If you left to search the same day, then why are you just now presenting yourself?" Sasuke asked in a chilled tone.

She cleared her throat as she surprising turned an interesting shade of red. "Uh, well I actually...you see I found out you were here before...but," she coughed slightly. "You were busy," she finished in a rush.

Naruto looked at her strangely as Sasuke smirked in comprehension.

"If I can ask," she said, trying to change the subject, "what exactly are you doing out here? This would be the last place I would expect to find you."

Naruto tossed a smug look in Sasuke's direction. The other teen merely lifted a finely arched black eyebrow in response.

The blonde turned back toward the kunoichi and gave a slight shrug. "We're training. For a mission."

"Ah," she nodded when he didn't elaborate. "Why here?"

"Privacy," he answered.

"Or as much as we're going to get now," Sasuke muttered.

"I have been out on a lot of missions as well," she said after taking a drink of her tea. "We have been trying very hard to shut down the different labs across our country, trying to save as many people as we can in them. The daimyo has turned a blind eye to the trouble that the snake has caused our people. He refuses to make any move against Sound. Naruto, you know how much he has hurt our clan, how he betrayed us." She looked up at him with imploring deep brown eyes. "If you know anything that can help us, it would mean so much to me."

Naruto squirmed, his defenses crumbling in the face of that hopeful gaze.

She then turned her eyes to Sasuke. "If you've betrayed him to help free your friend, then surely you can help us as well. You were in a position to have learned much."

"Hn. You overestimate the trust he placed in me. I was never involved in his politics. I was only with him to learn." Sasuke's tone remained apathetic, immune to her pleading eyes.

Naruto stopped turning his cup in circles on the tabletop and looked up at her, a resolution in his eyes.

"Naruto," Sasuke said in a warning tone.

"Dammit, teme, she has a right to know. They can take steps to prepare themselves before others find out. They can minimize the damage when others do find out. And it won't hurt us to tell them," he growled out.

Sasuke merely shook his head but voiced no further protests.

Sasame looked between the two men, wondering what secret was so important to her clan and country.

"Sasame," Naruto started hesitantly, "you know about the fight that occurred near here awhile back?"

The redhead nodded. "Konoha ninjas were in the area. Our village is far enough away that by the time we knew something was going on, they had already burned the bodies and swept the area. They wouldn't tell us what had happened other than there was a fight with a missing-nin."

He nodded, trying to find the best way to tell her what was important without revealing all his secrets and potentially putting himself in danger from her kinsmen. "Well, the missing-nin was Orochimaru." He ignored her sharp intake of breath and continued. "It was during that fight that I was taken prisoner."

Sasuke noticed the way the blue eyes wouldn't look up into the girl's and decided he better step in. Naruto was just too damn honest for his own good. While she might accept that he was troubled by his captivity, if he continued to refuse to meet her gaze, it could lead to doubts on her part.

"The long and short of it," he interrupted in his deep voice. "is that I killed Kabuto and Naruto defeated Orochimaru. The Sannin is alive but imprisoned behind a seal now and has been for many months."

The brown eyes were wide with both disbelief and a desperate sort of hope. "You mean... he's... gone?"

Sasuke lifted his shoulder in a negligent shrug. "There is always a chance he could escape but it's a pretty slim one. Nearly impossible if his prison isn't tampered with." He shot a look toward the other male ninja as he said the last.

Tears started to trail down the girl's cheeks and Sasuke felt a strange twisting in his chest. He sighed in exasperation at himself and tried to quell the momentary weakness. Being around the dobe wasn't good for his "non-involvement with others" policy.

She set her cup down and unsteady climbed to her feet. "I have to tell the others. This will be such a relief for everyone!" She wiped at her eyes and glanced down at the unmoving figure at the table. "They will want to ask questions. Can you meet with them?"

Naruto went to speak, but once again Sasuke cut him off. "Don't go shouting the news to the rooftops. Steps will have to be taken to protect yourselves when others find that Orochimaru is no longer a threat or a deterrent."

Sasame swallowed and nodded her understanding. "Of course!" She gave each of them a bow. "I will tell only my superior and I am sure he will want to talk with the both of you. I must go! I will be in touch!"

"Naruto's bushin is just down the hall. He will lead you out," Sasuke informed her. Originally he had sent the clone to make sure there were no other people about. Of course he had made sure to term it as "no other people that had followed the girl" so that the clone wouldn't start arguing with him.

She gave another happy nod and impulsively threw her arms around Naruto's neck, missing the twinge of discomfort from the blonde. "I knew I would find a hero one day to rid us of that snake," she murmured in his ear. She stood and looked ready to extend the gesture towards the other ninja but a bland look from him stopped her actions. She gave a blush and a nod to each before heading out the door.

After a long moment, Naruto looked up from the table. His eyes were shadowed and uncertain. "If they ever find out where he is, it will just be like Konoha. Only they will have no law against killing me."

TBC