The Sound of Dreams

AN: Hope you all enjoy!! /hides the lynchman’s noose away once again… Not the longest chapter I have ever done, but there is a lot going on now and I try to break it up where it makes the most sense to do so!

I will be posting more on "Blackmail and Betrayal." I have most of my major points mapped out in the story and I should have the second chapter ready by Saturday if everything works out well! /crosses fingers

Hina88: Thanks for your continued reviews! /hugs

Sadistickiss: Hehe, I think a few people have started to like the whole KyuuOro pairing, lol!! I’m glad you like my Kyuubi. It’s kinda hard to write him IC since there is so little action with him in it.

Blue_genjutsu: muhahaha, you will really hate me after this chapter!

RoseHime: No such thing as a pointless review in my book! Thanks for all your wonderful words!

Kimra: There is absolutely nothing wrong with that review, lol!!

Allys: At the moment, I think there will end up being around 65 chapters! :)

Nomme de plume: I’m glad you are enjoying my plot so much, hehehe.

Ana La Pana83: Woot, nice to see you again! Hehe, glad you like it!

Sama: *loves on you,too!*

Tia: Glad you like my convoluted mind!

DevilLived: tytytytyvm!!

Mary: There will be a big battle scene coming up in the near future!

Makkura Arashi: /hugs ! I sent you an email last night, hope you got it, hon!

Ms Trick: I’m glad I could make you respond to my evil villain in such a way! Thanks so much for all of your wonderful support!! /hugs

Snikiti: I miss my narusasu too!! Just hard to do with that slimy snake in charge!

Yummietummy: Hang in there!! *gives puppy dog eyes*

Luthien Wildglen: Woot, thanks for popping in again with your kind words! /hugs It has been interesting to say the least in tying up all my loose ends, lol!

Adi: What can I say? *loves, loves, loves, loves*


Chapter 57


Naruto slowly became aware of the ache in his body. It vaguely reminded him of the encounter in Water Country with Haku. That ghostly sensation of having been stabbed with what seemed to be hundreds of needles covered his entire body and then centered up on his seal.

He lifted his head and opened his eyes, seeing the prison from a perspective that confused him at first. He glanced down at the floor that appeared very far below him and then began to look around frantically.

“Calm down, brat,” a voice growled practically in his ear.

Naruto tried to jerk away but couldn’t do more than wriggle. “What the hell is going on? What happened?” he asked in a panicked voice.

“You’re tied up,” the demon informed him drolly. “And not in the fun way.”

Naruto tried to turn his head to see the fox, but could only peer out of the corner of one eye. All he could discern was a small pile of red fur surrounded by blue glowing ropes.

“What the…”

“The bitch slipped out when you pulled all my power out,” a rumbling explanation came. “He had that annoying old guy bind us together.”

“Annoying old guy?” Naruto questioned in confusion, trying to understand the situation in which he found himself.

“The one that showed up with your bitch’s help,” it clarified.

“Sasuke is not my bitch,” Naruto said sharply.

“Oh? Is he free then? You could drop him off in here next time you see him,” Kyuubi taunted.

“He’s my mate,” Naruto growled.

“You’re too young to be tied down by a mate,” the demon said dismissively. “Next you’ll be wanting kits.”

Naruto’s mind flashed to Hiroki and hoped that he was alright and somewhere safe. “I already have a kit…err, kid.”

“Damn, brat, you work fast,” the fox said with a chuckle.

Naruto decided to try to get back on track. “So the old man tied us together? Like he did himself and Sasuke?”

A snort of amusement was heard behind him. “A little more thoroughly, I would say.”

Naruto suddenly jerked against his bonds, bringing the Kyuubi’s attention to him. The teen let out a small sound in his throat and slammed his head back against the bars.

“What is it, brat?” the demon demanded.

“My eyes! They’re burning!” he gasped out.

Kyuubi frowned as the sensation didn’t transverse through the bonds. With how tightly they were tied, it should have felt something. That was when the creature noticed with some interest that their eyes had not been connected.

Something was obviously going on and it probably wasn’t good. The brat needed to work together with it to find some way to themselves out of this situation that the bitch had put them into. While normally it enjoyed Naruto’s misery in any form that it could, this involved the demon as well and, as such, was unacceptable.

*********************
Togimeishu stared down at the sleeping face framed by silky black hair. By all rights, the boy should be dead right now. He had been given orders to let him die after having extracted his eyes. However, he couldn’t bring himself to end the teen’s life.

Although after he woke to find both his lover and his bloodline limit gone, he might take the matter into his own hands. At least then that would be by his choice.

The medic-nin reached down and checked the tape holding the bandages over the boy’s eyelids. The incisions were still healing and his body and chakra would need time to adjust. It was time that they didn’t have according to what Orochimaru had said earlier.


“I want you to remove his eyes,” Orochimaru said, looking down at the Uchiha hungrily. “And I want you to use them to replace these.” He touched his fingertips to the dark blonde fringed lid that covered those normally expressive blue orbs.

Togimeishu merely nodded, having expected something like this. There had to have been a reason to keep the boy alive and under sedation after all.

“When you’re done, dispose of him. I’ll no longer have need of him.” Even as he said this, his hand traced those still, pink lips with a lingering touch.

The Sannin looked over at Kyoshiro who was standing quietly to the side. “Your men should all be in place once I am done healing. We’ll move against Konoha at that point and finish what I started three years ago. This time the stronger demon will be on our side.”


Perhaps…perhaps they could help each other out, Togimeishu mused. If he got the Uchiha to safety, told him about the imminent invasion in exchange for agreeing to fetch his son and take him to Konoha, perhaps they could both get away from Orochimaru. Perhaps he could even free Orochimaru’s daughter and spirit her away as well, if she survived the journey. His only regret was that there was nothing that could be done to help Naruto. Togimeishu had never heard of anyone escaping from that jutsu.

Of course, the biggest difficulty would be how to get him out of the base. It would be easier to do it now while Orochimaru was recovering from the operation. But how to slip the boy past Kyoshiro’s hawk-like gaze?

The doctor narrowed his eyes, trying to devise the safest plan with the best chance of success. Nodding to himself, he went and fetched a syringe into which he drew some of his rarer medicinal concoctions.

He deliberately waited until one of Kyoshiro’s flunkies entered the room before administering the drug to the inanimate Uchiha. The machine registered the slowing heartbeat and respiration. Both Togimeishu and the other ninja watched as the Uchiha slipped away.

Once Togimeishu unhooked the machines, the man approached and checked the younger shinobi’s vital signs for himself. The Sound-nin watched expressionlessly as Togimeishu started pulling out his autopsy gear.

“If you will excuse me,” he said quietly. “I was told to harvest what I could before destroying the body.”

He casually pulled the sheet down to reveal a pale, bare chest. He selected a scalpel and began to make an incision running down the Uchiha’s breastbone, blood welling in the wake of the razor-sharp knife.

The shinobi turned and left, no doubt heading to his superior to make a report. The doctor then used his medic-nin training to heal the shallow cut.

Togimeishu forced himself to wait a quarter of an hour after locking himself and the unmoving body in the lone operating room. He knew that the drugs would be wearing off soon and he wanted to have the boy out of there by then.

He splashed both his smock and the sheet covering the boy in some blood from the nearby refrigerating unit (making sure that it was the Uchiha’s blood type) before pulling the gurney back out. On the way by, he snagged the small pack that he had stuffed the teen’s clothes into.

As he passed by Orochimaru’s sleeping form, he paused indecisively. He wanted to move over and get a lock of hair for the Uchiha as a memento of his lover, but realized that he would see one every time he looked into a mirror.

He quickly pushed the gurney through the halls, looking suitably stoic and unapproachable. He entered an empty room that was used for various minor purposes. Mainly he chose it because it was close to an exit.

He quickly wrapped the sheet around the teen, being sure to tuck his belongings into the mess. He then made a shadow clone and had it henge into one of the numerous peons that seemed to infest this place. He would send the clone past the guards with the body which needed to be disposed of while he returned back to the infirmary to check on his other patients.

**************************
He was surrounded by darkness as he stumbled about. He couldn’t see anything, not even the hands in front of his face.

“Sasuke!” he heard Naruto’s voice call out to him in concern.

“Naruto!” he yelled back, trying to feel his way around the emptiness to his friend.

“Sasuke!” Naruto called again, as if he hadn’t heard his lover’s answering cry.

“Naruto!!” Sasuke shouted almost desperately. He didn’t know why, but he felt as if the other boy was moving away from him. “Naruto! Where are you?!”

“Sasuke!” the voice was faint now, but still had a note of anxiety.

“Naruto!”

Silence weighed down on him, crushing his hope, suffocating him with apprehension. Naruto was gone and he was lost in the abyssal darkness.

“Sasuke,” a voice said quietly. It wasn’t Naruto’s but belonged to someone older.

He slowly surfaced to consciousness, struggling his way towards that voice. However, when he became aware of his aching body and heard the forest surrounding him, he was still in the inky blackness.

His hands instinctively went to his eyes, but were caught by the wrists in an iron grip.

“Not yet, you need to let it heal a little while longer,” the voice admonished him.

“Who are you?” Sasuke demanded, his confusion turning quickly into anger.

“My name is Togimeishu. I’m not your enemy,” the masculine voice informed him.

“I will judge that myself,” he growled back with a frown as the name tickled his memory.

“You had helped my son, Ryou, while you were traveling. I am trying to repay the debt as well as help each other again,” the man continued.

Sasuke scowled as the memory clicked. Ah yes, Ryou. The one that had kept flirting with Naruto. “What happened with the fight? Where’s Naruto and Itachi?” he asked coldly.

The doctor sighed. “I don’t have much time so let me explain what I know.” He hesitated a moment, not wanting to be the one to deliver the bad news. “Your…Naruto was taken over by Orochimaru. He brought you to the base; both of you were heavily injured.”

Sasuke felt a cold wash of concern go through his body at the mention of Orochimaru’s name.

“I have to find Naruto!” he exclaimed, staggering slightly to his feet. He felt hands on him, trying to hold him still even as he struggled to shed them.

“Sasuke! I told you, Orochimaru has him. He’s gone! There’s nothing you can do to help him. Let him go,” the earnest voice said, sympathy pervading its tone.

“No! You don’t understand!” Sasuke protested. “We suppressed him before! He was locked away in Naruto’s mind.” He didn’t realize that the doctor had frozen in disbelief at his words. “I just have to find him so I can free his spirit again.”

“How? How did you free him last time?” Togimeishu demanded, a faint whispering of hope flowing through his words. He helped steady the disoriented shinobi on his feet before letting him go.

Sasuke hesitated just a brief moment, not sure if he should trust the man, before answering. “The Sharingan. It let me see into his mind where he was being held and free him.”

He could almost feel the sudden tension on the older man’s part. “What is it?” he demanded, feeling that sick sensation rising in the pit of his stomach again.

“You no longer have the Sharingan,” the man whispered. “Orochimaru had it removed and placed into his own body.”

Sasuke wanted to protest that it was Naruto’s body and not the snake’s, but he couldn’t talk around the rising lump of acid in his throat. He felt his knees weaken and just tried to breathe as the words repeated themselves in his mind. He began to hyperventilate as the air rushed in and out of his lungs while the bile tried to burn its way up his esophagus.

It was nothing compared to the burning thoughts in his mind, visions of his dreams, his vengeance, burning to ash. He would never be able to defeat his brother without the Sharingan. His brother, the prodigy. His brother, the genius among geniuses. His brother would break him without effort.

Togimeishu looked on in sympathy as the young teen’s knees went out from underneath him. His hands caught himself before he completely hit the ground, leaving him sprawled on all fours with his breath choking out of him, catching on the hoarse dry heaves of his stomach trying to expel the emptiness within him.

Angrily, the teen pushed himself up to his knees and began to tear at the bandages covering his eyes, not looking like he was going to stop once the coverings were gone.

“If you keep that up, you’ll lose what vision that you do have and you truly will be blind,” Togimeishu said sharply. He wanted to reach out and stop the frantic clawing but couldn’t take the chance of the young man dispersing his clone in his frenzied actions.

The white gauze was gone and dark-lashed lids slowly closed over sapphire blue eyes before opening again. The pupils were slightly dilated and he knew that the boy couldn’t see clearly yet.

“You said… you said they were gone,” came the confused murmur.

“Those aren’t yours,” he explained softly. Fingers suddenly hooked into claws and he spoke again quickly, but gently to deter the reaction. “They’re Naruto’s.”

The fingers immediately went limp before carefully drifting up to touch both the brows and cheekbones surrounding the precious blue orbs. He felt his heart constrict painfully, both in despair over the situation that his lover was in and guilt that he had been mourning his own losses. Had Naruto been in the same position he knew without a doubt that the blonde wouldn’t even have considered his own predicament. Naruto would have been too busy worrying about how to save his friend.

Without the Sharingan, he didn’t know how he could free Naruto from his imprisonment. The only other ones that had the Sharingan were Itachi, and he didn’t think his brother would be willing to help the demon vessel that he was supposed to capture, and… Kakashi…

He would have to swallow his pride, take the risk of losing his own freedom and go back to Konoha to get Kakashi’s help.

“The last thing I need to tell you,” Togimeishu said with some urgency. “Orochimaru is planning on attacking Konoha. If you promise to find my son in Lightning Country and keep him safe, I will tell you more.”

‘Leverage,’ Sasuke thought to himself. With this kind of leverage, he might be able to get the help he needed without getting himself locked up as soon as he stepped foot into Fire Country.

“Tell me,” he demanded, his voice turning cold as his emotions came under his shaky control once again.

“Promise me,” the doctor countered. “If they find out what I have done to help you, they will kill my son. Promise me you will find him and protect him.”

Sasuke struggled with his irritation and impatience for a brief moment before reluctantly nodding.

“We are in Grass Country about two days walk away from Kusa, the capital, a day away from the Fire Country border and about a week away from Konoha. It will take that long for Orochimaru and you both to recover fully. Once he does, he will make his move against Konoha.”

Sasuke was silent for a moment while he digested all of the information before nodding. “Point me in the right direction.”


TBC