A Walk in His Shoes

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not make any money off this fanfiction. This is just something fun for me to do.

 

 

“It’s getting late dobe…let’s go.”

Sasuke turned to go, and it wasn’t long before he felt Naruto like a shadow behind him. Sasuke headed to the Uchiha compound. Once inside, Sasuke immediately led Naruto to the hot springs bath house. This was where Sasuke spent his time after a mission or intense training session. The hot mineral water, flowing into the bath from a local spring, worked to relax the tension in his muscles and relieved him of any aches and pains. Any stiffness he felt in his joints and limbs would be soothed away from the long soak he would permit himself to enjoy. Though this would be the first time he had ever brought someone with him to share it. Sasuke refused to acknowledge the inner voice questioning him on his actions and possible motives that had him acting in such a un-Uchiha manner.

Once inside Sasuke showed Naruto where the towels were and grabbed a set for himself.

Not a word was said between the two young men as they washed away the dirt and grime from the training field. Sasuke was pleasantly surprised at how quiet Naruto was and chanced a quick glance at his team mate. Naruto was presently washing his hair and had his eyes tightly closed as he scrubbed roughly over his hair. Sasuke watched as a stream of bubbles cascaded down a tan neck front and back. Dark eyes traveled slowly over a tan body that glistened from the clear water flowing over it, lightly mixed with soap bubbles as they gently washed away.

Naruto was deep in thought. He knew something was going on between him and Sasuke but couldn’t, for the life of him figure out what it was. He felt he knew Sasuke better then anyone yet also had to admit that he sometimes found it difficult to read the Uchiha. Contrary to his best friends knowledge in thinking he was unreadable, Naruto had always been able to read him for the most part. Even with the limited amount of vocalization in his use of hn, dobe, moron, or idiot, Naruto could read through all that to decipher Sasuke by way of his body language, tone, or what he saw in his large dark expressive eyes.



Naruto grew up knowing how to read people. He’d had to, it was this skill that helped him to survive and get through the day, each and every day. His senses and awareness were more tuned to those around him. Growing up being ignored for the most part had allowed him to observe those around him in great detail. He had learned to read the truth or lies people told by the signals in their tone of voice, body language but most importantly their eyes. Eyes could speak more words then a person’s lips could ever confess. The soul of a person was evident in their eyes. Most people were not even aware of the information they displayed to the world at any given moment. The extra benefit Naruto gained from his skill was the knowledge in creating his own mask to wear in front of everyone.

Naruto had over time perfected a blinding smile that hid a frown. He excelled at laughing loudly over barbed comments and insults launched his way. By displaying a carefree attitude, Naruto seemed oblivious of the taunts, teasing, and threats of the villagers around him. His shell had hidden him so well, no one knew the pain buried deep inside of his heart and soul. Sometimes he could pull the charade off so well he almost fooled himself along with everyone else…….almost.

There was another dark voice inside of him that whispered right along with Kyuubi, his hate, anger and rage over the treatment he received from those around him. The darkness inside was hidden so deep, Naruto was no longer aware of it himself. Naruto had stopped listening to the other voice a long time ago. The things the voice said hurt and only cut the wounds deeper into his heart and soul that the people around him inflicted on him every day. The darkness would never let him forget what was said or done to him and would repeat the offenses and crimes over and over thus fueling the flames of hate. The dark words engraving into his heart’s walls of stone, his unworthiness and uselessness. The walls were covered with these facts, that he was unwanted, unneeded, unappreciated and that he was treated like a parasite of wasted flesh and denied the status of even being treated as a human being.

The voice was like an echo to Kyuubi that demanded retribution ever moment of the day and waited in longing for such a time when Naruto would finally give in and listen once again and fulfill his deepest desire and take action against those who had hurt him. The darkness cried out how long it would be till he tired of putting up with it all.  How long would he keep fighting to protect the very ones who hated him? Why did he care so much and love the village so completely that he would force himself to live within its very walls? Knowing how painful a place it was to live in?

If only he gave over his heart and soul to Kyuubi and allowed his true self to handle his pain, then finally the destruction he so longed for could be carried out.  Konoha would be then be consumed by fire until nothing was left standing. With Kyuubi’s power fully realized Konoha could be wiped off the face of the earth and nothing left or any remains to remember it by.  It would become a forgotten place, a waste land, never a place to sustain a living soul again.

Naruto’s silence was beginning to make Sasuke nervous. The loud blond appeared to be lost in thought.  What shocked Sasuke the most was not the silence, as much as the emptiness he could see in sapphire blue eyes. Naruto’s movements as he cleaned himself were automatic and without thought. He was repeating his movements over and over again, so lost in thought that Sasuke was beginning to worry if he would have any skin left once he was done.

Sasuke thought about how to go about snapping the idiot out of his funk without appearing to be concerned for the dobe. That would just ruin his dobe’s image of him and that just would not do.

Sasuke very carefully reached over and turned Naruto’s hot water off, then quickly ducked out the door and into the main hot steam bath area.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

“SMIRK”

“WHAT THE……??”

Sasuke could hear Naruto complaining and cursing explicitly from his position in the large bath. He currently leaned against the far wall, sitting on the ledge built into the wall half way down in the water.

It wasn’t long before Naruto came out. The blond was obviously nervous which was evident by the quick glances he shot at Sasuke from the corner of his eyes. He seemed hesitant to remove his towel but finally let it drop at the edge of the water. His next step had him in the water and he went completely under before popping back up again.



Tan hands wiped water from his eyes and then traveled up to run through his hair and down the back of his neck. During all this, not once did he say a word, nor did he risk a glance in Sasuke’s direction.

Sasuke had been quietly sitting across the bath on the under water seat with his dark eyes slitted open watching  an unnaturally quiet Naruto  shuffle into the room in nothing but a short white towel hanging low around his tan hips. It had been awhile since he had seen Naruto this naked. Dark onyx took in the perfect even tan that graced Naruto from head to toe.

It was hard to believe he was born with such a perfect skin tone. Most people envied such perfection that graced Naruto’s body naturally and worked to make their own skin as tempting.

Sasuke was surprised to see how much muscle Naruto had developed across his shoulders, neck, chest, down his abdomen, and including his well developed legs. Naruto used to be so scrawny and short.

“Mental Smirk”

Naruto had grown taller then Sakura, yet he was still shorter then Sasuke. A fact the raven found he rather enjoyed.

Naruto finally opened his eyes and risked a glance over at his best friend. Sasuke was treated to dazzling sapphires that sparkled as they studied him. Sasuke continued to keep his eyes slitted, just waiting to see what Naruto would do next. Seems he was deep in thought and what ever it was that had captured his thought it was enough to render him speechless. Sasuke wasn’t used to a quiet dobe. Though the peace and quiet was kind of nice.

Naruto finally came to a decision and with a mischievous grin stealthy moved to lean his arms against the wall next to Sasuke with his head tilted to the side and resting on his folded arms.

Sasuke refused to acknowledge the dobe invading his personal space. A random thought flits through Sasuke’s mind.

“Here we are in a huge bath all to ourselves and he just has to be right there next to me.”

“Would he really have gone any where else?”

“Honestly?”

“No” Mentally Sasuke shakes his head.

Masculine chuckles spill from the blond beside him. Sasuke watches as water moves away from Naruto in ripples due to his body shaking in not quite suppressed mirth at some hidden joke only he knows about.

“Dobe” Sasuke is only slightly interested in what the idiot finds so amusing. One can only guess as to what Naruto could find so much enjoyment in. Sasuke refuses to give in to temptation at the continued snickers turned giggles, to ask Naruto what he finds so funny.

He knows ultimately Naruto himself will spill it anyways. All he has to do it wait patiently. Especially since Naruto lacks such patience himself and always gives away what he’s trying to suppress or delay.

“Deep breathe…….So…”

Sasuke can hear the grin as Naruto speaks.

“Smirk” Here it comes.

“You just couldn’t wait to see me naked now could you teme?”

“Cough….Gasp….Sputter…..Wheeze….”

Sasuke proceeds to choke on his own air! A death glare is immediately directed at the blond idiot and his full wattage grin that lights up the place full of mischief and immense glee.

With much laughter Naruto pushes back off of the wall and moves out of reach of a very furious Uchiha. Grin firmly in place as eyes sparkle in enjoyment.

“DOBE……I’M ……..GOINGGGG……TO……KILLLL…….YOU!”

Sasuke makes some rapid hand signs which Naruto recognizes as his great fire ball jutsu. Naruto quickly ducks under the water just in time as an enormous fire ball comes rushing at him. Naruto looks up through the clear water and watches the continuously rolling volley of fire roll across the waters surface. The beauty of the fire has him entranced with its different shimmering shades of orange, red, yellow with streaks of intense blue and white throughout, continuously rolling and twisting. The intense heat quickly consumes the top layers of the water and instantly turns it into waves of extremely dangerous hot steam.

Naruto turns around in the water and swims directly at Sasuke’s legs intending to pull him under with him.

Sasuke’s heart about jumps out of his chest when he feels warm hands firmly grasping onto his pale naked hips. He ends the jutsu and quickly takes in a full breath just as he’s pulled under the water.

The two teens grapple at each other under the water, churning up billions of tiny bubbles that reduce the visibility under the water around them. They alternately grab or push off of each other. Their slick bodies making it difficult for either young man to get a tight grip on the other.

The desperate need for oxygen becomes and issue and forces both boys to the waters surface. Sasuke and Naruto both gasp in precious breaths of air to relieve the burning sensation in their lungs.

Naruto takes longer to recover so he’s totally unprepared when Sasuke comes up behind him and proceeds to dunk his ass head first back under the water.

Tan hands fly out to grab onto pale wrists, pulling on them in an attempt to remove them from his head as a leg sweeps out in a move designed to unbalance the determined raven. Very quickly pale hands release blond locks only to reposition themselves around a slim tan waist. Once there they tighten like steal coils and draw the struggling, sun kissed body, flush against a muscular pale one.

Time freezes in an instant!