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By Inuzuka

Premise: Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto have been apart for four years. They haven't seen each other in four years. Sasuke's betrayed his country, alienating all who treasured him, and Naruto has won it over, befriending all who alienated him. Sasuke, who feels no self-worth, and feels he has no one is allowing his amnesty to give him one last chance to give his life meaning, all his goals fulfilled. Naruto is in turmoil...why is he worried for the one who left him? Why is he glad the one who wished to kill him is back?

Archived: Only on aff.net as of 1.29.06.

Rating: NC-17 for later graphic sexual content, plus mentions of suicide, violence, and overall things requiring maturity.

Pairings: This focuses on the relationship between one Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. But since they were very much made by their surroundings, I can't avoid other people, and how they view them. There are blatant references to other relationships, but they don't play that large a port in the story.

Feedback: Reviews, please!

Characters: The majority of the Naruto cast.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to anything to do with Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto, and claim no ownership over any of it's trademarks.

Author's Note: It was kind of quietly stated before, so let me just remind you that in this continuity, Sakura is ANBU captain. I know she's chuunin a year before...but...she has leadership skills? I don't know, more on this at the bottom.

Update: 5pm EST, just realized my author's notes got truncated. My mistake, odd bug tho'.

Chapter 4: Nocturnal Predators

"The both of you should meet Neji and the others at the gate as soon as you're ready." Umino Iruka rolled up the scroll in front of him, and kept his face straight. He loved Naruto, and liked to think of him as a sort of son, but he was a bit unnerved at hearing the boy's rambling explanation as to why he and Sasuke were wet. I was concerned! Iruka's face betrayed no conflict as his smile wished the boy luck. I didn't need to hear that he'd been watching the sunset in a river near ("...him, just near him is all!") one Uchiha Sasuke, because "it was hot outside." Iruka had gotten a bit white at that thought, Naruto's voice carrying causing some others to giggle, but he guessed it could wait. Kurenai didn't seem to mind the boy's rumored relationship—or really any of the females who had been partaking of the light gossip—but his fiancee finding his two students to be a "cute couple" was the most unnerving. "That's all. You're dismissed."

Uzumaki Naruto stood dripping in the middle of the wooden floor of the assignment room, absent-mindedly fiddling with the scroll in his hands. He had tried to convince himself that he had no claim to Sasuke, that he had been mistaken, that he wasn't really going to kiss me but the look on Sasuke's face, and his expression made that impossible. He tried, but vainly. We're just friends.

And despite all that trouble, he still felt his eyes lighten up a bit when he heard Iruka speak. "B-both...?" They're letting Sasuke on a mission so soon?

Iruka sighed. "We need the extra manpower, since the majority of our ninja are away on missions, and it's a better test than we could have for him." It had been peaceful for a while now, so the leaf readied to nip any problems in the bud. We don't need a repeat of oto.

Naruto grinned. "All right." Sasuke just looked Iruka in the eyes, snapping out of his dazed appreciation of the wall, and followed Naruto out the door, falling into step slightly behind him.

—~~~~—

The air was becoming more humid as the storm continued towards them, clouds before threatening were now promising a storm, and Sasuke and Naruto felt wetter now than they had leaving the stream. After getting towels and clothes, Naruto changed in his room, and Sasuke in the bathroom. "You realize it'd be much easier to just have him change in the same room as you..." You realize you suck at hiding your motives, fox?

The blond boy whimpered a bit when the fox began once again sharing an encounter he'd had in the past of a similair kind. WILL YOU STOP WITH THE IMAGERY?!

—~~~~—

Goddamnit. Sasuke was fully dressed, and staring at the mirror. He tried to will himself to stop picturing what would've ensued had it not been for that damn jonin!. What could have ensued...He didn't move away...he didn't flinch! Did he not mind...? Did he...want me to...? The growled a bit in frustration, all too tempted to smash the mirror in front of him, but that wouldn be unlike a "curteous guest." Especially unlike a poor, curteous guest. Sighing, he straightened up, and pushed his bangs back, trying in vain to force them to conform with the rest of his hair, and clutched the dark, thick strands. Damn dobe never makes anything simple.

The newfound roommates both exited at the same time, and bumped into each other, there faces found an inch apart once again, their hearts both skipping a beat with a sharp intake of breathe as they realized how close they were to remedying their troubles. Sasuke muttered something, and turned away, and Naruto scurried back into his room, opening the chest at the base of his bed, tossing Sasuke a spare weapons pack, and letting him fill it himself. He didn't pay for the equipment, anyways.

Naruto looked over at the other boy as he straightened. The Uchiha wasn't wearing the standard, black jonin suit, but neither was he. He'd never worn the vest—it always got in his way—and had replaced the black pants with his baggier orange ones. Really, his uniform he wore into missions was just like what he wore normally, and whatever sad statement that made on him was not lost on the kyuubi's vessel. Sasuke was just dressed in his high-collared shirt he'd been accustomed to, now black instead of navy blue, and black pants. His skin was pale as ever, and his hair still jet black, so it fit him...but the fact the proud Uchiha was accustomed to moving in the night so much kind of depressed him, always being a day person himself.

Sasuke accepted it with a mumbled thanks, apparantly embarrased now merely to be around the other boy, and they departed from his balcony a moment later. Naruto speedily, and efficiently jumped from building to building in his mad-dash way, Sasuke managed to somehow keep up with his graceful traversal, and they were at the gates in moments.

Neji eyed the Uchiha when he approached, but wasn't going to comprimise the mission for his own vendettas, and nodded to him, hoping he would understand. The Hyuuga prodigy, Kankuro, and Sai had been waiting for the other two to show up. They discussed how Neji would scout and provide backup, while Naruto and Kankuro would move in a pair, while Sasuke and Sai would move in another, sweeping the borders before the streets. Any backup and scouts would have to be disposed of before they could secure the city.

Sasuke and Sai met stares for a moment, but Sasuke wasn't about to object. Wasn't going to subject Naruto to Sai, anyhow. Wasn't going to let Sai near him, especially not now that he felt he had a chance. The two were friends...they were inseperable at that. But his companion had not been repulsed by their intimacy, and Sai might try something again...and anyways, since Sai has the most experience of anyone in the group, he can handle himself, and, thus, is the best to stick with the genin. Sasuke tried to force his thoughts back to what was practical. The idea's to have a long-distance fighter paired up with a shorter distance fighter.

Kankuro's puppets and traps would be partnered with Naruto's brutal taijutsu, clones, and vicious, quick kills. Sai's drawings; beasts that could lurk ahead while Sasuke went in and silently took out his targets. It wasn't a terribly long trip as everyone could teleport most of the way there, and then went by tree the rest of the way. By the time they arrived at the village, the entire trip in silence, night had fallen heavily.

Naruto began to tap into the kyuubi's chakra just so he could use the fox's senses to see, and Kankuro loosened his puppets wrappings. Sai of course had ink works ready, just needing to use his jutsu to activate them. Sasuke's sharingans shone cruelly in the moonlight, and nothing was heard, the four pausing only long enough to look at Naruto a bit strangely before crossing the bridge, and then departing. Fox and puppet to the east, raven and ink to the west.

—~~~~—

"TSUNADE-SAMA!" The muffled yell came from behind the hokage's office's walls. The doors crashed open, and a panting man lept in. "Oh, god, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Shizune looked at the man curiously, standing up from her spot at the hokage's desk after setting down the paperwork she'd been sifting through. "What's the matter? What happened?" She came around the desk to go to the man kneeling, bent over, and panting heavily.

"Where's the hokage? I need to speak with the hokage!" He was up in a flash, grabbing the woman by the collar.

"She—she's not here." She leaned away from the terrified man clutching her, an uneasy look on her face. "She must've gone home...I'm sorry, but, please, tell me, what happened?"

"It's going to burn." He let her go and looked down at the ground, sweating profusely. "It's going to burn!" He fell to his knees once again, clutching his head, and retched violently, vomiting on the floor. "The long-haired man...I trusted him. He seemed odd. Why did I trust him...?" His eyes were closing slowly, and his voice was merely curious. It was now that Shizune recognized him as the man who had spoken of the attack on the country of the wave.

Her breath caught a bit, as she looked down on the prone man. "Who was odd? What's going to burn?"

"Angry man...snakes...blackened leaves shatter..." He started to fall asleep. "I cut my finger...and I recalled..." His eyes were still open, and a bit of drool came from his slack mouth, his breathing raspy and shallow.

Uneasily, the black haired woman glanced around the room, the last rays of sunlight long gone, the flourescent lighting showing the man's pale, sickly features all too clearly. Was he...being...controlled? Tsunade... She dashed out of the room, not sparing a thought for the other man.

—~~~~—

Naruto mentally cursed himself, finding himself alone to his thoughts for the first time since he'd found Sasuke. He'd been so wanting to just see him again, thinking the fading memory that was the boy would be gone. Though he regretted not placing his faith in the other boy...it's hard to trust him. I want to, and I have...but I can't help but think...Kankuro glanced over, seeing the familiar look on the boy's face. I can't help but think he'll leave again. Maybe he won't. Maybe he did come back for me? He grimaced, smiling awkwardly to himself, knowing this to be a lie.

"Naruto...I doesn't seem there's any scouts ahead." Kankuro was withdrawing the chakra strings that had silently swept and snaked over the field. "Let's go."

"Hai..." With that, the two circled around the large, moonlit wheat field, their shadows short and deadly from their crouched positions, easily climbing the sides of the gates. They felt a large number of dormant, insignificant chakras in the homes. They're sleeping. If there was an attack, why are they sleeping? He and Kankuro traded glances, and dispelled, hoping to remove any genjutsu, but to no effect. Nothing's wrong. "Did they leave?"

The two continued through the square, finding nothing. No sign of a struggle, no weapons, gore...no soldiers. It was just a country town, asleep. There had been no ships, either, to take any of the metals mined from under the seabed. There was a crackle in his ear, and Neji's voice came through to him. A moment later, the 5 jonin converged at a small church in the north of the island.

"False information?" Kankuro raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps your intel was wrong?"

"It seems so..." Neji stated, still scanning the area. Something's wrong here...

"Ptsch." Kankuro glanced over his shoulder, tightening the bindings of his puppet. "That was a waste of time." I blew off Kiba for this?

"Maybe our intel was wrong, Kankuro-kun." Sai stated, smiling at him. "But I guess we tend to be a bit more cautious of our own allies than Suna."

"What was that?" Kankuro glared at him. "Just because you screwed up...what are you smiling at?"

Sai's eyes slowly opened, resting on the boy in front of him. No action here, why rush back? "Your ineptitude, Kankuro-kun. You see, it really all roots from a base problem. You could always ask dog boy what he thinks of—"

"Oi, Sai, shut up!" Naruto hung upside down from the tree he'd been in "We've gotta go. Now."

Sasuke looked at Naruto from his newly found place behind Kankuro. He didn't even know the boy, but for some reason he felt a whole lot more kinship with him right now. Neji just calmly looked at the blond, and nodded, the two of them taking off immediately towards the bridge, leaving the 3 other ninja no time to bicker as they dashed to catch up.

—~~~~—

Tsunade opened her eyes, and saw only black. I feel...nothing... Footsteps could be heard, and the light hit her eyes hard. Her eyes tried to wildly dart around the room, but a bleary haze surrounded her. She densely recognized a raven haired woman with a harsh bruise on her cheek sitting up against the wall near her, unconscious. I...was at the bar...that familiar woman with the odd eyes came by...we were talking about Sarutobi. About how I became hokage...then she bought me a drink...

Shit. Her vision clearing, she looked around the room a bit more. This isn't in Konoha...

"I've never had anything against you, Tsunade. You were always kind to me." A deep, malicious voice was heard behind her, and her vision shifted as her numbed body was lifted to sit against the wall, her age showing quite a bit, the moderate henge she used gone. Slitted eyes peered at her honestly. "How do you think I felt to be banished?"

"But...you're here..." Tsunade heard her voice come out weakly, her age showing. She felt like a weak old woman, now, and her body wouldn't listen to her at all. What am I saying? She coughed. "Mere...banished..."

"Be calm. You've merely been drugged, it will wear off." The eyes became slitted as a hiss of steam slowly came off the body. "I am here. I found quite the following of outcasts and nukenin when I left." He paused. "Do you know what we had in common, the outcasts, and I?"

"Naruto...the Uchiha..." She coughed again, wanting desperately to fall back asleep. She saw a window, and realized how narrow the "room" was. We're...moving...?

"No, no." The snake-like man chuckled softly. "Sasuke wouldn't join me. Guess, Tsunade."

She looked at him, trying to think. How much...what did he...give me?

"Hate." He peered down at her. "I'll bide my time, I'm a patient man. I have forever. But I can't stand that your people who have wronged so many would take us all so lightly. That they would take me so lightly."

"What did Sarutobi teach us?" He continued. "One lesson the old shit taught us that was good. Always protect your base. If your base falls, everything falls apart. I can't ruin you yet...I don't have the resources. But know what I can do." Orichimaru knocked on a glass pane, and left. An array of masked men with scarred metal panes with them came in, and pulled the two bound women out, cutting their bindings.

Tsunade passed out on the soft grass, darkness around her, dimly noticing a carriage pulling away. Bugs closed in around her, no chakra to repel them.

—~~~~—

Neji could see the blaze before long before he saw the gates, and found it no wonder that Naruto had spotted it from so far away. Who the hell made this big a blaze? There was no doubt that they were headed towards Konoha. There's noone there, except for a few chuunins and genins. The town had wanted to expand itself, and had thus been taking in as many missions as it could.

He hadn't sensed anyone ahead of him

Naruto looked through the dark, red eyes shining. He could only see through the dark with the kyuubi's powers, but it also held the advantage of not having to endure his one-sided conversations with the fox while he was using his chakra. They were travelling as fast as they could move, and the others were still behind, about 20m. His lean, whiskered face narrowed it's eyes against the near-slicing wind, a bit of dazzling sapphire through soft lids, and tree branches cracked under the sheer force of his propulsion, everything but light blown away by the wind.

Why now? The blond queried himself. It was all so peaceful...serene. He didn't lie to himself that he thought the serenity mundane, but he knew he didn't want the town destroyed. He just had to get there as quickly as—

He noticed the kick too late and stars danced in front of his eyes before he knocked his head on a trunk, everything going dark.

By the time Neji noticed the absence of Naruto's presence, he had already gone 20m, and backtracked immediately, scanning the woods wildly. His feet landed softly on the branches as he peered around the darkness, seeing only Naruto, the faint chakra of the trees, and some fish in the river. He saw Naruto lightly breathing, crumpled at the bottom of a tree, a slight hissing at his forehead as a trauma there was healed. He's out. Even without his rush, he still couldn't see anyone in this dark, and had no time to react as the wood underneath him shifted, and two hands wrapped around his ankles. Two senbon shot from nowhere an instant later, and he fell asleep.

Sasuke, Kankuro, and Sai stood not far from there. Naruto and Neji got taken out? He knew that Neji hadn't been using byakugan in his haste to get to the village, but...the kyuubi's senses didn't pick anything up? The boy was still breathing lightly, and his ribs felt bruised, but he pushed that aside. His sharingan activated, he saw a man inside of a tree, but even that was faint. The other signature he could pick up was a young woman inside of the trees barely had any chakra. There was another group in the trees. Mercenaries...? No...I saw that man in oto...that woman on wanted posters in that village...what's going on?

Sai was breathing a bit harshly as he knelt next to Sasuke. It was hard enough to stop yourself travelling at that speed, but to have to grab the Uchiha, too...? He glared at the other boy, knowing full well it was hurting him to not go into the clearing. Sasuke's muscles were tensed, seeming to want to spring forward into the clearing. Sai would be going on by himself, but if the looks in his companion's eyes told him anything, it was that there was something ahead of him, something he couldn't sense.

"They must already know we're here..." Kankuro startled them, the freakish quiet of the dark woods disturbed by his whisper, the only other sound aside from the. "So why are they waiting?"

They heard a rustling, and Sasuke replied. "There's so many of them...but I don't think any of them want to take out jonins. "What do we do?"

Sai glanced around, a serious look on his face. "I can't do anything in this light." He glanced over at the other dark-haired boy. "And the woods are far too dense for your fire."

"I can't control my puppets in this...damnit...do we withdraw?" Kankuro was sweating, scared.

"We can't let Konoha burn..." Sai stated, but quieted when they heard a mumble ahead of them. Sasuke's reddened eyes shot open when he saw one trace of chakra bend and lift the kyuubi vessel, and throw him into the churning rapids of the river, carrying him far downstream almost immediately. Panic shone on his features, and he stood. Screw Konoha... He ran with astonishing speed as he went along the river walls, trying to catch up with the unconscious boy face down in the rushing water. Naruto...! He felt dozens of eyes on him but before long he was out of the range of sight.

Naruto...be all right...

Author's Notes: First of all, ranks. This is a problem that I noticed as I was writing this chapter.

I'll say that a high reccomendation would be enough to make someone a jonin. This applies for Naruto, who has been seen in many extenuating circumstances where his strength as a jinchuriki, and his overall ability to overcome really make him effective. Also, with Jiraiya being able to propose his promotion (a jinchuriki is a special enough case that his being able to use the demon would be enough to make him a chuunin), it would happen (I would assume kage accept promotion). I think, for a while, I was undervaluing the skills of jonin. Sorry for that. I also think that Sakura will do something in the current mission (ch. 291) that will result in her proving herself. Also, lately in the manga, they've been going through A-Rank/S-Rank missions, so...

I'm very disappointed with myself at that, despite my lame excuses. Please try not to take that all too seriously. Just accept it, so I don't have to go rambling on with shoddy excuses. Please? Pretty please?

Secondly, why is Kankuro on this mission and not Kiba? Have you seen Akamaru? This is a stealth mission. Massive dogs do not equal stealth. Unless they're massive NINJA DOGS! <— Blame that on Mishimoto.

Third, Iruka x Kurenai. Come on, people, Iruka rocks! He deserves Kurenai. I'm not a big fan of KakaIru (or IruKaka...*shudder, puke*). I just don't think the man's gay! Or Kakashi for that matter...but we haven't seen much, if any, of "playful" Kakashi lately, only serious Kakashi, two very different people. Sasuke and Naruto obviously are (as pointed out to me by SplitPersona, which helped ease some of my worries about them being together so easily at all), and the idea of Kankuro and Kiba amuses me since Kankuro is kind of spoiled, but a good person, and he's Gaara's big brother for chrissake, and Kiba's...

Well, Kiba's awesome (I think Kiba's straight...and Kankuro...I don't know). But there will be references to heterosexual relationships, they just won't be seen sexing or explored too fully. In this fic. Also, since this is semi-based on ancient Japan, where males, especially warriors, had intimate relations with one another commonly...blah. Of course, I'm an American, so I'm still a little bit stuck on that mindset.

Fourth, this chapter just didn't come. At all. I had to force it, and it was still short, and somewhat lame. The idea was that Orochimaru gathers together a band, burns, and occupies Konoha. He won't stay, because his organization is no match for the jonins, but he did his damage. We won't be meeting up with the rest of the cast for a while, though. (Sai and Kankuro will be all right.)

Finally, is it just me, or was the latest anime kind of awesome? They're finally going somewhere really good with the filler arc. The art is so much better, they're exploring Mishimoto-developed, but unchecked background (which is what filler is good for), introduce an interesting new character, have a decent action scene...and Anko's in it! Always good. Plus, I watched it at 1:30am, and seeing Naruto flip out over Anko's tongue is just hilarious, awesome, and...*ahem* at the same time. Gives me ideas.

Bad ideas.

Anyhow.

losthimagain - Heh...and here I am trying to ease the plot into place...

ShinigamiTaishou - There is a lot of people who don't like Sai, eh? I think he's probably actually a good person...whatever's up with his brother and roots, I don't know, but it's interesting. And generally, people like being assholes to Naruto. He's cute when he's angry...unless he's kyuubified...*cough* *crickets*

Emmy - Thanks. :) Yesh. I hate that, when the relationship goes way too fast. They were trouble little killer children! They see a lot in each other, but they wouldn't be so intimate so quickly. I'm somewhat surprised there's been such a response to giving Sai a scene as a normal character...but I can't think of him giving Sasuke a run for his money...in this continuity. And, for the record, as his kekkai genkai (sic) is my favourite, he'd win in a fight with Sasuke that I wrote. ;)

DragonDame57 - Incredible, eh? I'm flattered, but his managing to act "cute," piss Sasuke off, and grope the kyuubi is more of Mishimoto's awesomeness than mine. ;) I didn't really go into his motives. I'd like to think he just did it for fun. As for jealous Sasuke...I'll just have to be quiet on that.

Claire - Actually, it's spelt jonin, with an accented "o." I just don't use the special character because it's bothersome to repeatedly paste in the character's entity. Another Sai-fic fan? Do we really hate him so much we'd put him between a territorial jinchuriki and the Uchiha genius? C'mon, now. I like Sai...but until I know more about him, hard to write him in.

Zane - Hey, random ANBU people are people, too! And, see, now they have time to sort through their feelings, and approach the relationship at a more appropriate time. Oh, wait, nevermind, you're right. I'm just evil. :D

SplitPersona - They do have a bit in common, I'll admit that much. But you at least see the troubled, hurt-child wanting to be close side of Sasuke...especially with when he leaves, how he's just so confused. Sai is rather confident, and...interesting...I like him as a character, I don't know. We need more Sai...in the manga. Did I have you going there? No? Damn.

I love the way you phrased that, btw. "Well, they're just so gay." But I definitely agree that they've feelings for each other. It's a twisted sort of "true love," you know? Also, how many times have they fought and they both stopped when Naruto ended up straddling Sasuke, the latter making no effort to kick him off? Horny, twisted true love. No one wonders why there's so many fics.

I read that manga chapter today, too (I've decided to reply to reviews as I see them, now, rather than just copying the new ones once I finish the chapter and replying to them like that, so this is a Wednesday). You're lucky. If you had given me the spoiler...bad things would happen. Bad, bad things. :p The skin being burnt off thing is kind of odd, though...the rule of nines would have him dead despite the kyuubi...but I guess nine is his lucky number. (I think it's the rule of nines...) I'm tempted to respond to those last comments, but what wasn't answered this chapter will result in some spoiling, ne? :D

spikemyangel - It bothers you so much? I consider it a valid word...I don't know. I mean, I guess I should refrain from my abuse of the English language, but...it works for me. I use "a lot," but I don't think "no one" really has the same meaning to it as "noone." Is it that you've never seen it? What region do you live in? I hear it, see it, and use it all the time with no complaints. But, I'll make the great sacrifice of trying to stick to, y'know, actual words. How I suffer for you people.