Sunlight in a Dark Room

Author's Note: Thank you, AmuseMe, for the fantastic beta. :D *hugs*

Review Responses:

FallenGoddessOfBattle: Go Four Tails! XDDD I'm actually still deciding whether or not to have the Akatsuki appear again. XD; So at the moment, I don't know. D: The updates will continue for sure. ;D

AnA La PaNa83: Itachi's got some very creative responses....which all seem to involve 'hn'. *gets hit* LOL. I don't think you'd need to change your teas. XDDD

Cat-san Uzumaki: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. :D And for your question...not for a while. They need to get...more acquainted. :P

hina88: It was a little, yeah. XD; I'm not used to writing gory things and action scenes. ^^;;; So I hope it was okay. :D Thanks. :D I'm not really sure how much longer the quick updates will last. I've slowed down on my writing a bit. Hit a few little blocks. Sadly. XD; I'm workin on it though. :D *frets*

sainaru_fangurl: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed. ^______^

DrakenD4: I'm happy you like the fic so far. :D

Kamikyo: Thank you. ^_____^

Nusko: LOL. Thinking would be a good thing. XDDD

Mey: Thank you. I'm so happy you like it. :D For sure I'll continue. ^_____^

Thanks for all the great reviews everyone. I really appreciate them. *hugs* I hope you all enjoy this chapter. :D

~*~*~*~

Chapter 5 - Searching


One week ago.

Sasuke groaned angrily and threw a pillow over his head. Someone was knocking on his door. They had been knocking on his door for the last few minutes. Whoever it was, it wasn’t Naruto. As much as he wished it was, the dobe would have already been jumping on his bed in an attempt to get the irate Uchiha up and out of the house. Naruto had stated, more than once and very publicly, that Uchiha Sasuke was indeed not a morning person especially since it wasn‘t even sunrise. After all, his blond friend had been on the receiving end of Sasuke’s infamous morning attitude countless times and even resulted in a black eye or two. Broadcasting his sleeping habits to the village was Naruto’s way of revenge for the aforementioned black eyes.

Sasuke cursed loudly when the knocking persisted. He hoped that whoever was outside had said their goodbyes because they were not going live very much longer. After a few more agonizing minutes, the knocking stopped. Sasuke relaxed again and was about to go to sleep when he heard a gentle, but firm tap on his window.

“I can‘t fucking believe this,” Sasuke growled as he turned to murder the person who had so eloquently decided to ruin his day, which hadn‘t even started. Sasuke looked at the clock, then looked outside. It was still dark out!

The younger Uchiha was infuriated to see Kakashi waving at him from the tree branch outside his window. It figures that Kakashi would be the only one brave enough to disturb him. Pushing himself out of bed, Sasuke strode over to the window and opened it to allow the older jounin in.

“It‘s twelve o‘clock in the damn morning. What do you want, Kakashi?” Sasuke asked as he put on a robe adorning his family crest, “No one should be anywhere near the Uchiha compound.”

Kakashi chuckled, “I knew you weren’t a morning person, but this is rather extreme, don’t you think?”

Sasuke threw his ex-sensei another glare, “The middle of the night is not what I call the morning. What do you want?”

“The Hokage wishes to see you. It’s about Naruto.” A dark look quickly passed over Kakashi’s face, but was gone just as fast as it appeared.

Sasuke noticed it anyways. Something was wrong.

“I’ll leave immediately.”

“I suggest you shower and change first. I don’t think you’d want to attend a meeting looking and smelling like that,” Kakashi said emphasizing his statement by wafting the air in front of his face, “Hokage-sama is busy with another matter at the moment. The meeting isn’t for another half hour.”

Sasuke heard the finality in Kakashi’s voice and nodded in understanding. He took the older jounin’s advice, grabbed some clothes and walked into the bathroom to shower. The Uchiha knew that Naruto could hold his own in any fight. The training regimen that they had put together for themselves was rigorous and strict. It was a combination of both parties’ experience in the field during the past seven years and by-the-book battle sequences. They had also taught each other the jutsus that were learned during their time apart as well as learning new ones. Sasuke had also practically drilled the concept of tactics and planning into Naruto’s brain. His goal was to quell the blond’s natural urge to ‘act on instinct.’ Naruto had proved countless times that acting on impulses worked, but when he had learned to stop and think ahead first, he had grown exponentially. To top everything off they had incorporated taijutsu training with Lee, endurance training and finally, sparring into their regimen. Each time they sparred, they would change a habit or utilize a new move or jutsu to make their spar more interesting and that much more difficult. It had been a tough three years so far, but the results were very commendable. Sasuke and Naruto were now ranked within the higher levels of jounin. They were elite.

No. Sasuke had no worries about Naruto losing a fight. He didn’t know why, but something was off. Even if Naruto had gotten into a fight, the ANBU would have been there to assist him. He had been aware of the ANBU guards for quite some time. The Hokage had confirmed their orders and the reasoning why Naruto needed guards. Sasuke had been angry with her for not giving Naruto enough credit, but he supposed that it was necessary. This was why he agreed to be one of Naruto’s guards. If Akatsuki ever came for his friend, then Konoha would have fair warning and would be prepared to defend Naruto and their village.

Sasuke sighed as he shut the shower off. He had no idea what to expect at the meeting, but he assured himself that Naruto would be there. He quickly finished dressing and walked back to his room where Kakashi had been waiting.

“Ready to go?” the older man asked as he put away his book.

“Hn.”

“Let’s go then,” Kakashi said in his most cheerful voice. He knew what awaited Sasuke in that meeting and it was not going to be pleasant.

~*~

Tsunade sighed. Tired fingers rubbed at the throbbing headache she had for the last few hours. She had not had a moment’s rest since Naruto’s ANBU guards had told her of his disappearance. During their report, they had stated that they seen the Uchiha arrive at his home after sundown, alone. The team then split up and surveyed the town, the direction from which Sasuke had come from, then the area surrounding Konoha. There was no sign of Naruto except for his discarded hitaiate and an unknown chakra signature. Kakashi, whom she had sent to scan the area soon after, had identified the unknown signature as Uchiha Itachi’s.

Tsunade had not been pleased. She was angry that she hadn’t added more ANBU guards for Naruto around the clock, but that was why she had the Uchiha assigned to this special case. As per their agreement, Uchiha Sasuke was Naruto’s guard during the day and on missions. Naruto had never been on a mission alone and she was relieved that Naruto had never questioned this.

The two approaching chakra signatures and a gentle knock on her door signalled Kakashi and Sasuke’s arrival. Replacing her worried features with her mask of authority, Tsunade acknowledged their presence.

“Come in, both of you.”

She watched as Kakashi walked in, his nose in that damn pervert’s book again, with Sasuke. Tsunade assumed Sasuke was not aware of the situation considering his look of indifference. When both men had taken a seat in front of her she took a deep breath and began.

“Sasuke. Naruto is missing,” she paused and waited for the impending outburst.

“Excuse me?” Did he hear her correctly? Sasuke frowned, “I hope this isn’t a joke, Hokage-sama.”

“If it were only a joke, Uchiha,” she retorted, “I received a report a short while after sundown that Naruto was nowhere to be found. This,” Tsunade placed a familiar object on the table, “was all they found.”

He stared at Naruto’s hitaiate in disbelief. Then, he felt the guilt wash over him.

He looked up at Tsunade, “This is my fault.”

Tsunade was shocked to hear the admission, but both she and Kakashi knew that there was a lot more to this than just a simple mistake.

She continued, “You are not completely at fault here, Sasuke. Naruto is ultimately my responsibility. As Hokage, I have both failed our future Rokudaime and the village.”

Sasuke looked up in surprise at her statement. Naruto was really going to be the next Hokage?

Tsunade smiled softly, “I had chosen him for the position long ago, when we first met. That boy has amazing potential. Now, back to the present. There is also something else you should know. When Naruto’s ANBU guards found his hitaiate, they could sense Naruto’s chakra signature and an unknown one as well.”

Sasuke nodded, not liking where this was going.

“I summoned Kakashi to go investigate immediately and he identified the unknown signature as Uchiha Itachi’s.”

Sasuke froze. His fists clenched as red hot anger boiled in his veins at the mere mention of his older brother. The Uchiha’s whole body was tense and shook with rage. He looked back at Tsunade with Sharingan red eyes and spoke quietly yet with enough venom to startle the older woman.

“Where are they?”

Kakashi placed a gentle hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. It was for both comfort and a silent warning. He removed it when Sasuke relaxed.

“We don’t know, Sasuke,” Kakashi answered, “I sent my dogs after their scent, but we lost it at the river. None of us couldn’t even detect his chakra. Itachi is well aware of my tracking skills and this time, I’m afraid, he managed to outdo me.”

Sasuke nodded silently. Naruto was…gone.

~*~

He sat and stared at the abandoned cave entrance, ignoring the slight pain of his right cheek. He knew it would have been empty, but they had no leads or any clue whatsoever as to Naruto’s possible whereabouts. Kakashi had said that this was where Gaara’s bijuu had been extracted and it could have been possible that it was where Itachi had taken Naruto.

A letter had been sent to Gaara to notify him of the situation and he had met Sasuke’s team at the aforementioned cave. The Kazekage had been seething with anger and their greeting had not gone well. The result, a large bruise forming on Sasuke’s face. He had not even bothered to fight back, he knew how much Naruto meant to Gaara. If he was honest with himself, Sasuke would acknowledge the fact that he was slightly jealous of Naruto’s friendship with Gaara. They shared a bond far different from the one that he had with Naruto.

Sasuke and Gaara, even after all the time that’s passed, had never gotten along. The Uchiha had attempted a stilted conversation with the sand nin, but it resulted in an unrestrained battle that Naruto had to break up forcefully. It was by chance that they were not in a public area. If they had been, the outcome would have certainly cost lives.

Sasuke let his thoughts disperse when he felt Gaara’s approaching chakra signature. He didn’t turn to acknowledge the Kazekage’s presence even when the redhead sat down beside him. They were silent for a long time, sharing the view of the vacant mountain.

“I apologize,” Gaara finally spoke.

“For what?”

“For taking my anger out on you.”

“Hn.”

They remained quiet after that. Each lost in his own thoughts. Sasuke and his team had to head back to Konoha. There were no other leads here and hopefully someone had found something back home.

“It’s been a week,” Gaara said in a quiet voice.

The statement caught Sasuke by surprise, but he let the redhead continue.

“When they took me, Shukaku was extracted from me in less that time.”

Sasuke nodded but didn’t respond to the fact. He did not dare acknowledge the possibility that Naruto was already dead. The mere idea of it seemed wrong in every way. Itachi would pay for this. A thousand times over.

“I can help you until I am called back to Suna,” Gaara moved to stand up, “I’ll have Temari and Kankurou replace me while I am gone.”

“Thank you,” Sasuke said sincerely.

The sudden whoosh of sand indicated that Gaara had left his spot beside the Uchiha.

“Sasuke-kun?” Sasuke turned to see Sakura behind him, “We’ll be leaving for Konoha in a few minutes.”

“Hn,” he grunted and turned away.

Sakura stared at his back. Sasuke was taking this harder than anyone else. She was afraid for Naruto, but she also feared what would happen to Sasuke if they did not find the missing blond. He had been so distant this past week and angry. Very angry. She was well aware of the circumstances of Naruto’s abduction and who it was that had taken him. With one last look at her leader and friend, she turned and walked back to the group.

~*~

The earth trembled as the entire mountain appeared to collapse and break apart. Newly formed boulders crashed through what was left of the forest, and down to the valley floor. What was once a mountain now appeared to be a giant pile of rubble. When everything seemed to calm down, there was another rumbling within the debris. A loud explosion echoed within the valley and a blue globe emerged from amidst the rocks. As the dust faded, two figures could be seen climbing down what was left of the mountain.

When they reached the ground, Naruto took a look at the chaos behind him. His eyes widened at the sight. There were several large landslides along the base that had most obviously torn apart the forest in their wake. The waterfall was gone; buried beneath mud and rock. They had just gotten out of that?

“What the hell happened down there?” Naruto breathed out wincing slightly from his wounds.

“Hn. They failed,” was all Itachi said as he walked away. He had wounds to deal with and so did Naruto. And it would be best if they did not linger here in case Rock nin came to investigate the area.

Naruto followed without question. It seemed kind of heartless that Itachi would just leave like that. They were his team mates after all. There was no way Naruto would ever abandon his team mates. Then again, Naruto wouldn’t kill his own family either. So why?

Itachi sensed Naruto’s calculating stare and spoke quietly, “There were no emotional ties, Naruto. They only serve to weaken oneself.”

Naruto was surprised at the unexpected response. And it only fuelled more questions about the Uchiha.

“Oh,” Naruto said and left it at that.

Itachi led them through the thick forest until they came upon a small stream. The older man stopped and removed his ruined cloak exposing the wound he received from the wolf. His black, sleeveless shirt was torn where the teeth had sliced through his skin. Naruto saw that it was still bleeding, but could be easily mended. He looked at his own wounds and grimaced. Where Itachi’s cloak had shielded his injuries from the rocks and dirt, Naruto’s torn jacket did quite the opposite. There was a lot of grit and dirt to remove and he was very certain that it was going to hurt. A lot.

Itachi removed a pouch from his belt and examined its contents. He grabbed a small bottle of antiseptic and walked over to Naruto.

“Sit down. Those need to be cleaned before I try to heal them,” Itachi nodded towards Naruto’s injuries, “Remove your jacket.”

The blond complied and took off his ruined jacket before he sat down. Itachi knelt beside him and looked over each of the bites. He deduced that the wound on Naruto’s upper arm was worse than the one on his forearm. Taking out a clean cloth from his medical pouch, Itachi poured antiseptic on it and then some over each of the teeth marks on Naruto’s upper arm.

Naruto clenched his teeth as his whole body tensed up. Shit, did it ever sting. He watched silently as Itachi gently wiped away all the foreign debris with the cloth. Naruto took a moment to notice how graceful the older man’s actions were; precise and fluid. When Itachi had finished cleaning, he placed a hand over the injury that began to release a soft green glow. However, the healing chakra was immediately absorbed into Naruto’s body, faster than the Uchiha was releasing it. Itachi pulled away and looked at the blond.

Naruto was in a daze. As soon as the chakra hit his skin, his stomach started to warm up and it left him feeling light headed and tingly.

“Lay down,” Itachi ordered.

Naruto looked at the older man dumbly, “Huh?”

Itachi pushed the blond to the ground and lifted up his shirt.

“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Naruto shouted, snapping back to reality as he tried to pull his shirt back down.

“Quiet and stay still,” the Uchiha’s said with a low and commanding tone.

Naruto stopped squirming and turned away to hide his pink tinged cheeks as Itachi studied his stomach. As the older man suspected, the seal was visible and glowing green with the healing chakra it absorbed. Before he reached down to touch it, he took note of the intense heat it radiated. That same heat pulsed through his fingertips on contact and seemed to pull and tug at every bit of chakra he had. Itachi jerked his hand away from Naruto and saw that the blond had passed out.

He had no idea what was going on, but it was becoming more and more apparent that the seal may be starting to backfire. If that happened, they needed to be at a more secluded area where there would be no chance of other nin interfering. They were going to need supplies and with no where to stay, they’ll have to camp. Itachi was a little unnerved at the fact that he had no idea what was wrong with the seal to make it backfire in such a way. Naruto may or may not end up like the four tails, but either way, it was going to be an intense fight. A fight that may be very worth while.

Itachi took out some gauze from his pouch and finished cleaning and dressing Naruto’s wounds before he went about mending his own. Naruto’s wounds would have to heal the old fashioned way. Itachi was slightly amused at the fact that Naruto would probably be getting his first scars from battle. He assumed the fox had healed any other wounds the blond received during his short life, leaving no scars.

Naruto mumbled something in his sleep, distracting Itachi from his thoughts. He reached over and lifted the blond’s shirt to check the seal. It was still radiating a lot of heat, but the glow was gone. A seal that was able to contain chakra and even absorb chakra from a foreign source. Very interesting and potentially dangerous. He would have to keep his own chakra use to a minimum around the blond until he knew more about how the seal worked.

For now, they needed to find a safer place to rest. They were still too close to the base. Itachi checked Naruto’s seal one last time. The heat would be bearable but he would not be able to use any chakra in case the seal reactivates and absorbs it. With that, Itachi hoisted Naruto onto his back and took off into the forest.

~*~

Naruto found himself walking a familiar path through a cave he knew all too well. Realizing this, he started running. When he reached his destination he stopped dead. The cage stood in front of him and that was normal enough, but it was the purple orb of fire spinning where Yondaime’s seal had been that surprised him.

He slowly moved closer to the globe to examine it. Amidst all of the flames, Naruto could just make out the fourth’s seal. But, every time the orb made a complete rotation he could see a second seal.

“Is that…Itachi’s?” he asked out loud and to no one in particular.

“Brat?” a familiar voice called out.

Naruto shook himself out of his stupor, looked past the fire and into the cage. He could see red eyes glowing within the darkness.

“I couldn’t even sense you were here. Damn seal,” the fox cursed.

“Are you okay?” Naruto asked.

“Not once in my entire existence have I ever felt this weak.” She was angry. “I am unable to heal myself or you because I have no chakra, Brat. I am far from ‘okay’.”

“Is this,” he pointed at the flames, “Itachi’s seal?”

“Itachi? Is this Itachi the one who did this to us?” She was absolutely livid.

“Erm. Yeah, he did,” Naruto was a little unnerved. It had been a long time since he had witnessed the fox’s anger. A small part of him was glad that she didn’t have any chakra at the moment.

“Who is Itachi?” she asked, walking out of the darkness.

“Well,” Naruto began, “I got abducted and then Itachi put this seal on us and brought me to the Earth Country.”

“What else?”

Naruto expression hardened, “You were going to be extracted from me. Itachi is with the Akatsuki.”

“Ah, I remember now. He is the Uchiha brat’s older brother. Am I correct?”

“Yeah,” Naruto’s hands tightened around the cage when thoughts of his friend and Konoha flashed through his mind.

“What else happened,” she softened her voice when she saw the sadness cross Naruto’s features.

“I’m not entirely sure what happened, but something went wrong with the four tails. Itachi said the seal they placed on her backfired and they lost control of it. She attacked them and then she came after me. I really thought I was going to die. Itachi was able to hold her off until the others arrived. Then he was told to get me out of there, but the mountain collapsed before we reached the entrance.”

“But you’re still alive,” she commented.

He chuckled, “Yeah. Itachi had created a barrier around us and blasted our way out.”

“He saved you?” she inquired.

Naruto had to think about that for a moment before he responded, “Yeah, he did. Twice actually.”

“And the Akatsuki?”

“I think they’re dead, they were still farther inside when the mountain collapsed.”

“I see. Do not underestimate them, Brat. For all we know, they could still be alive. It would explain why the Uchiha has not let you go yet,” she said in a more serious tone.

Naruto nodded and considered Kyuubi‘s words. They made a lot of sense but he wouldn’t know for sure until he woke up. Naruto decided to keep that possibility in mind in case Itachi didn’t let him go. He looked up at the seals and another thought occurred to him.

“Why exactly am I here? I tried to contact you before, but I couldn’t,” he asked, turning to look at the fox.

“Well, what happened before you found yourself here?” Kyuubi retorted, irritated at Naruto’s sudden stupidity, “It’s not like I can see or hear anything going on outside.”

Naruto blushed and scratched the back of his head, “Oh. Sorry about that. Itachi started to heal my wounds with his chakra and I started to feel weird. My stomach felt really warm and my whole body tingled. I got a little hazy after that and then, before I knew what happened, Itachi pushed me down and pulled up my shirt. He touched the seals and then I passed out.”

“Hmmm. I think the Uchiha may have some idea as to what is happening to you and I.”

“I could ask him,” Naruto suggested.

“Would he tell you?”

He chuckled, “Maybe not right away.”

Kyuubi snorted, “Now he’s got leverage over you. What is it with you and Uchiha’s anyways?”

Naruto frowned, “Shut up. It’s not like it’s my fault.”

“You better get back now, Brat. And Naruto?”

“Yeah?”

“Be careful. I don’t trust this Uchiha either.”

Naruto smiled at her, “I will.”

He watched as Kyuubi and the seals vanished and in their place was a star filled sky. Naruto sat up slowly and took in his surroundings. He was still in the forest, but not at the stream he and Itachi had stopped at. The older man must have moved him while he was out. There was a small fire to his left that happened to be cooking - hopefully - his dinner. It was only one fish so he hoped that he didn’t have to share with Itachi. Naruto was happy when he saw the remains of what must have been the Uchiha’s dinner. This other fish was all his for the taking. The blond was practically drooling.

Any thought of where exactly Itachi was flew out the window when Naruto got a hold of the fish. He hadn’t realized just how hungry he was until now. Itachi had only given him travel rations before. Naruto chuckled at the fact that no one at home could witness this once in a lifetime moment. Uzumaki Naruto had not realized he was hungry. Speaking of Itachi. Where was he?

Naruto threw the fish bones beside the fire and looked around the small camp for the Uchiha. He found him leaning against a tree. Asleep? The older man wasn’t wearing his cloak either. Naruto stood up and realized exactly where the missing cloak was. Itachi must have covered him with the black garment.

Naruto allowed a small smile to grace his lips as he walked over to the older man. Kneeling beside him, he covered Itachi with his cloak but before he could move away, a strong hand grabbed his wrist and kept him in place. Naruto didn’t struggle as Itachi studied him with blazing eyes. The blond returned Itachi’s gaze, showing the older man he had no ulterior intentions.

Naruto sat down when the grip on his wrist loosened, “You need to relax a bit more.”

He almost laughed at the older man’s expected response, “Hn.”