Here's to the Fox
folder
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
15
Views:
1,481
Reviews:
207
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
15
Views:
1,481
Reviews:
207
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 8
A/N: welcome to "Nomme's Corner!" i have a few annoucements and review replies, so please bear with me. ahem:
i'm glad everyone liked the lastest updates, though Kashi!love has taken a serious beating, lol. heh heh, sorry Kashi. i promise he won't interrupt next time... also, i've decided against the love triangle, and will be going with just a slightly over-protective gaara!friend. and for individual replies (you know who you are):
1. I'm actually a History major, though I am thinking of minoring in English.
2. Naruto is the uke in this fic. If you'd like Naruto as seme, check out my "All That Really Matters."
3. The angst will show up in chapter 10, at the latest. Chapter 9 is kinda up in the air on content.
4. And, damn, "Chasing Naruto" is good!! Well, it's beyond good really. I stayed up waaaaaay too late reading it.
5. I don't quite think I'm God... but if the customer is always right, so is the reader!
annoucements: well, just one really. it's a shameless plug, i know, but for anyone who read my "Too Much" in the Gravitation subcategory, it is now *complete*! i finally got around to the final chapter. if you've read it, go finish it. ^___^
that's it. on with chapter 8. i hope you enjoy!
____________________________
Here's to the Fox: Chapter 8
____________________________
Sasuke and Naruto stood before Tsunade’s desk. Naruto was shifting from foot to foot nervously, while Sasuke was glaring at Kakashi standing by the window. The nerve of that idiot! Granted, Sasuke really hadn’t been in his right mind, but that didn’t give Kakashi the right to stop what was happening! May Icha Icha Paradise never release another copy! And as far as curses went, Sasuke thought that for the jounin, that one was especially potent.
“I take it you’re Uzumaki Naruto? Well, has Sasuke gotten around to asking you?”
“Asking me about what?” Tsunade sent a disapproving glance Sasuke’s way.
“Come now, Tsunade-sama. It is rather difficult to ask questions when your tongue is down someone’s throat.”
How many times can someone attack Kakashi before he dies? Sasuke’s eyebrow was twitching while his nails were digging into his palms. Tsunade’s eyebrows rose, and Naruto blushed an alarming shade of red. Kakashi just continued to grin behind his mask.
“Enough, Kakashi. You don’t need to be here. And might I remind you, the next time I tell you to bring me someone immediately, it does not mean the next morning!”
“Hai, Hokage-sama.” Kakashi stepped to Sasuke’s side, trying to escape the angry woman’s glare.
“Iruka-sensei will be hearing about this,” Sasuke whispered menacingly as the jounin passed him. There was just the slightest hitch in Kakashi’s gait before he continued out of the office. Sasuke considered him sufficiently threatened.
“Now, Naruto-kun, please listen to my whole story before you decide anything.” The blonde nodded. “The Akatsuki is an organization of missing and corrupt nin led by an unknown person. One of the most powerful of its ranks, and the one after you, is Uchiha Itachi.” Naruto’s eyes widened, and his head swung around to face Sasuke, but Sasuke continued to stare blankly at the wall in front of him.
“Itachi is after both you and Sasuke. The Akatsuki attacked Konoha to lure Sasuke back, and he brought you back here with him so that we could offer you protection. I don’t need to tell you how powerful…”
Tsunade trailed off, and Sasuke looked at her questioningly. She was gazing at Naruto in an odd manner, and Sasuke was becoming increasingly nervous.
“If the Akatsuki is after you, just how in the world have you avoided them all this time?”
Sasuke cursed silently. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Gods, what were they going to say?
“It was only recently that they found me again. Luckily by that time, I had a ninja of Konoha there to protect me.” Sasuke could kiss Naruto… again.
“‘Found you again’? Just how long have they been after you?”
“Including the recent attacks, I’d say ten years.”
“What?!”
“Regardless, I think I know what you’re getting at, Hokage-sama. Since the Akatsuki knows that I’m here, I’ll help in any way I can, on one condition.”
Tsunade eyed him warily. “Spill.”
“I’ve summoned some friends to Konoha from Suna, and I want you to allow them passage into the village. They’ll help any way they can as well.”
Sasuke stared at Naruto in disguised wonder. How in the world could the blonde cover like that, brush off very disturbing pieces of information as nothing, then dare ask the Hokage to allow his friends into Konohagakure? Sasuke was beginning to think Naruto was slightly insane.
“I’m not liking the fact that you’re practically giving me orders, but I think I want to humor you for the moment. You… intrigue me. I feel as though I should know you…”
Sasuke and Naruto both tensed slightly, but Tsunade was too far gone in memory to notice.
“Anyway,” she continued, snapping out of her reverie, “I’d like to speak to Sasuke alone for a moment, if you don’t mind, Naruto-kun.” Naruto bowed politely and exited the office. Tsunade let her eyes rest on the closed door for a moment longer before swinging back to the Uchiha. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean, Tsunade-sama?”
“You know what I mean, Uchiha. Just who is that boy, and why was your tongue down his throat?” Sasuke had to keep himself from crumpling to the floor. Did she really have to fixate on that? He really had no idea himself, though how could he not when the blonde dobe looked like that and kissed him first and grabbed his-
“Sasuke! Kid, don’t space out on me like that, it’s kind of ho-CREEPY! Yeah, kind of creepy.” Sasuke slowly focused back on Tsunade, noting her nervous features, and wondered if she’d said something. He couldn’t recall.
“Naruto is just someone who needs protection.” Such a glib liar, this Uchiha. Kakashi had nothing on him.
“Of course, Sasuke. Though I find it odd that you would put your trust in a complete stranger, and though you may not believe it, I trust you. But I still want you on gate duty until Naruto-kun’s friends come. Heaven only knows who they may be.”
“Hai, Hokage-sama.” Sasuke turned to leave.
“Oh, and Sasuke? If your tongue happens to go somewhere other than down someone’s throat, please don’t let Kakashi know. For crying out loud, he thinks of you as a son; he doesn’t need you doing those kinds of things in front of him!”
Wanting nothing more than to hunt down a silver-haired jounin and strangle him to death, Sasuke merely bit back the urge to yell at the top of his lungs that the pervert ninja was more amused than scandalized at what he’d interrupted and would probably love nothing more than to give him a few pointers.
Maybe he should stop by Iruka-sensei’s for a nice cup of tea and a little… chat.
~*~
Sasuke couldn’t believe his eyes, but even from his perch atop the high gate of Konoha, there was no mistaking that brilliant shock of red hair. It glinted in the sun just so that Sasuke’s eye had been drawn to it even from afar. And next to the redhead were two more very familiar figures, all three dredging up memories that the Uchiha would rather have stayed buried. Jumpy lightly to the ground, Sasuke waited until he was face to face with the visiting party.
“Ohayo, Kazekage-sama. To what do we owe this visit?”
“Uchiha Sasuke on gate duty. How low the mighty have fallen.” Sasuke glared at the blonde woman next to the Kazekage. How dare she insinuate that this was his permanent post!
“For your information, Temari, I’m here on orders from Tsunade to await…” some visitors from Suna. Oh, fuck. “…you. Please follow me, the Hokage is awaiting your arrival.”
“I was unaware Tsunade-sama knew we were coming.”
“Oh, she knows, Kankuro.” Somewhat.
Sasuke was not thrilled to be leading the Kazekage through Konoha. The people gathered on the sidewalks gaped and moved hurriedly, thus gracelessly out of the way. Why hadn’t they just raced along the rooftops? But Heaven forbid Tsunade finding out Sasuke hadn’t properly escorted the Kazekage through the front of Hokage Tower.
Thankfully the damned building appeared before them much faster than it had when he’d first returned to the village a few days ago. And those few days up to that very moment had been wearying. Since Sasuke had “special” orders, it had been three days of non-stop gate duty. No shift changes for him, damn Tsunade. But now “wearying” was fast becoming “annoyingly frightening” as he pieced together that Naruto’s “friends” were the Kazekage of Sunagakure and his siblings.
Sasuke was only mildly amused as the guards on duty at the front of the Tower opened the doors with ill-concealed bewilderment. As he passed, one of them murmured that Tsunade was in conference and directed him to which room.
Sasuke highly doubted Tsunade would keep the Kazekage waiting even if she was in conference with the Fire Lord himself. So he proceeded to the correct room and gave Ino a look that was under no circumstances to be misinterpreted: open the damn door.
Ino paled a little, but swung the door open anyway. Sasuke stepped in, covering the Kazekage slightly, awaiting the explosion from Tsunade. When that happened, he’d calmly step to the side and smirk in victory. Gods, did he ever love ‘one-upping’ the Hokage.
“Uchiha, what the hell’s the meaning of this? I’m in conference!” A very irate Hokage glared at him while the assembled jounin simply coughed or fidgeted, each greatly relieved that they weren’t the Uchiha at that moment.
Smirk still firmly in place—the one that practically shouted, “I know something you don’t, and boy are you going to love it when you do find out!”—Sasuke stepped out of the way so that all assembled could get a good look at the Kazekage. The suppressed gasps and Tsunade’s widened eyes made three days of non-stop gate duty almost worth it.
“Kazekage-sama, what brings you here? Is something wrong?” Tsunade’s voice was pure calm and diplomacy, but her eyes were indeed screaming something along the lines of, “Sasuke, you are so fucking dead!” Sasuke did enjoy this little love-hate relationship sometimes. The Kazekage opened his mouth to reply, but a slightly deafening wail shattered the moment of silence preceding it.
“GAARA!”
A shock of blonde was all that could really be seen as Naruto jumped into the room through the window and raced to the redhead’s side. Even Sasuke’s mouth hung open in shock when Naruto picked Gaara up off the ground in a giant hug. Sasuke looked to Kankuro and Temari, who were wearing mixed looks of exasperation and affectionate amusement. Out of the corner of his eye, the Uchiha saw a blur of red speed by and land on Naruto’s shoulder after he’d set Gaara down.
A fox was sitting atop Naruto’s broad shoulder, and Sasuke would swear that it glared at him in recognition. Was it the same fox he’d seen the dobe give a piece of parchment to on their way out of Reihi?
Sasuke strained to hear a mumbled reply from Gaara to a question from Naruto concerning the redhead’s state of being, when the blonde slapped the Kazekage on the back, and all hell broke loose.
It seemed to the Uchiha that everyone in the room, save him, Kakashi, and the quartet from Suna, hadn’t acknowledged the deafening wail from the window clearly clarifying that Naruto did indeed know and was a friend of Gaara, the Kazekage of Sunagakure, because there was suddenly a cacophony of enraged shouts that some outsider would physically attack the redhead. The jounin gathered in the hall instantly crouched into fighting stances, none even knowing who the blonde was, save Kakashi, intent on taking the dobe out.
Tsunade was screaming that Naruto needed to be apprehended immediately with force if necessary, largely ignoring the shouted chorus of, “Hai, Hokage-sama!” But above the many sounds uttered by the gathered shinobi as they collected their chakra was an alarming growling sound emanating from Naruto. Or more accurately, from the floor at Naruto’s feet.
Sasuke looked down with everyone else to see the fox from earlier, fur bristled and teeth bared, growling at the group of shinobi. Apparently the Fox had allies in all kinds of strange places. Once the animal was sure that nobody was going to make an attack, it sat back on its haunches and stared at the crowd. At least it was glaring at more than just the Uchiha now.
“Naruto-kun, please tell us why you’re molesting the Kazekage.” At least Tsunade had calmed down.
“Huh? Where’s the Kazekage? That old geezer here or something?”
Kankuro coughed behind his hand, and Temari looked on in growing amusement. Gaara was stone still, while everyone else looked at the blonde in astonishment. Sasuke wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard Kankuro humming slightly under his breath, the tune oddly familiar…
“Naruto, I’m the Kazekage.” Gaara’s deep, quiet voice sliced through the silence, and was quickly followed by Naruto’s child-like laughter.
“When the hell did that happen?”
“Sometime in the ten years you’ve been gone. Things have progressed since your departure from Suna, believe it or not.” Naruto kind of half-glared at Temari, but it was still rather affectionate. Sasuke felt the slight stirring of… something. Mayhap jealousy begin to consume the very heart? Oh shit, now he was waxing poetic. The things the dobe did to Sasuke boggled his mind sometimes.
“No shit? Wow, Gaara, I knew you had it in you to take over one day!”
“Enough!” Many pairs of eyes swung to an overly irate Hokage as she slammed her hands upon the table before her. “No offense, Kazekage-sama, but you’ve seem to have caught me at a bad time, and it doesn’t help that the gaki here didn’t tell me you were the ones that were coming. So if you could give me until tomorrow morning to let my brain catch up, I would be most grateful.”
Sasuke knew that Tsunade didn’t really relish being polite and diplomatic to a man young enough to be her great-grandson, but he had to admit she did it marvelously. But he also knew that in this state of irritation, it couldn’t be kept up long. So he maneuvered his way over to Naruto, gently grasping the blonde’s elbow.
“Come on, Naruto, the Hokage will more than likely want to talk to you later, and I’m sure you’ll want to have a full stomach.”
“Does this mean Sasuke-teme is buying me ramen?”
“Damn it, dobe, just get out the damn door!” But Sasuke knew, as did Naruto from the grin on his face, that the Uchiha was about to be paying for at least four bowls of ramen. Making sure the Kazekage and his siblings followed, Sasuke led Naruto out of the room and waited for the wooden door to close completely before saying anything. “You could have fucking told us your guests were the Kazekage and crew!”
“Tch, Sasuke-teme, I didn’t know Gaara was Kazekage! So you wouldn’t have known him anyway!”
“Um, hello, dobe! Gaara and the other two did come here years ago and participate in the Chuunin Exam!”
“Like I was supposed to know that, asshole! I haven’t exactly been in on the Suna loop for a while now! And last time I checked, the affairs of Konoha haven’t been my business for twenty-two years, so there’s no possible way I could have known that this is where the Chuunin Exam took place!”
Sasuke really couldn't argue with that logic, but as an Uchiha, he couldn’t let the dobe have the last word. However, before he could come up with a snappy comeback, Kankuro cleared his throat to get their attention, twin glares swinging his way in response.
“Naruto, you think we can get something to eat now? We have been traveling at your command…” Temari elbowed him in the ribs, “… for several days now with nothing but trail rations.”
“Oh, of course!” The blonde’s glare turned into a grin. “Sasuke-teme and I can take you to Ichiraku’s! He’s buying my lunch anyway!” Naruto let out a hearty laugh, much to Sasuke’s chagrin.
“That’s fine, Naruto.” The blonde stopped laughing to smile at Gaara. “But I’d like to talk to Uchiha for a moment. If you could please take Kankuro and Temari, Sasuke and I will be right behind you.”
“Sure thing, Gaara. Oi, Sasuke-teme, you better hurry up! I’m hungry!”
“Dobe, I am not paying for more than five bowls, you got that?”
“Yeah, yeah, what a pain!” Naruto gave Sasuke a wide smile then began to skip down the hallway to the stairs. Temari and Kankuro followed him with a small glance back to the Uchiha and Kazekage. Sasuke turned to face Gaara, his face impassive, matching Gaara’s own.
“How is it that, aside from the one jounin that hadn’t taken an attack stance, you were the only one who didn’t seem angry at Naruto?”
“I, unlike many of the aforementioned jounin, have a brain and clearly heard Naruto’s unmistakable announcement that he does, in fact, know you on a personal level.”
“But he is still a stranger in your village.”
“A stranger that I brought here.”
“You brought Naruto to Konoha?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. And just why did he invite you to Konoha?”
“I was here for your little argument. You know that Naruto was born here. But don’t begin to think you know the whole story, Uchiha. What I’m doing here does not concern you.”
“Don’t underestimate what I do know, Gaara. And maybe what you’re doing here isn’t so much about you as about… well, something else. Something that perhaps you have in common with the dobe?” Sasuke smirked at the slightly surprised look on Gaara’s face. It was quite a feat to make the young man show anything other than anger or mild indifference.
“I won’t let you hurt him, Uchiha. I’d stay away and out of our business if I was you.” Sasuke’s smirk fell, his icy glare returning full force to face an enemy he hadn’t gone against in years.
“Naruto’s business is my business, in more ways than one. Keep that in mind, and don’t try to threaten me again. Kazekage or not, this world will be less one ninja if you dare to take me on.”
Sasuke knew his Sharingan was active, but didn’t care. As long as he got his point across to the redhead, that was all that really mattered. “Now I suggest we don’t keep Naruto waiting. My wallet is dangerously close to empty as it is.”
Gaara was silent, and Sasuke wasn’t sure if the redhead was following him. Then he caught movement and a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. Gaara’s eyes were pools of liquid anger, but Sasuke was quite immune to it after seeing actual death in the eyes of his brother. Nothing could really faze him now, save a tender look in oceans of blue…
“He’s not as strong as he seems, Uchiha. Keep that in mind.”
Wondering what Gaara could possibly mean, Sasuke continued out of Hokage Tower in silence. The sun beat down on them as they made their way to Ichiraku's, but the breeze was slightly chilling, and Sasuke thought that it was odd considering the season. Perhaps it was an omen...
TBC
_________________________________________
ah, aren't we the cryptic one, gaara? there was supposed to be one more scene to this chapter, but due to some plot revamping on my part, it has been moved to a later chapter. see y'all next time!
i'm glad everyone liked the lastest updates, though Kashi!love has taken a serious beating, lol. heh heh, sorry Kashi. i promise he won't interrupt next time... also, i've decided against the love triangle, and will be going with just a slightly over-protective gaara!friend. and for individual replies (you know who you are):
1. I'm actually a History major, though I am thinking of minoring in English.
2. Naruto is the uke in this fic. If you'd like Naruto as seme, check out my "All That Really Matters."
3. The angst will show up in chapter 10, at the latest. Chapter 9 is kinda up in the air on content.
4. And, damn, "Chasing Naruto" is good!! Well, it's beyond good really. I stayed up waaaaaay too late reading it.
5. I don't quite think I'm God... but if the customer is always right, so is the reader!
annoucements: well, just one really. it's a shameless plug, i know, but for anyone who read my "Too Much" in the Gravitation subcategory, it is now *complete*! i finally got around to the final chapter. if you've read it, go finish it. ^___^
that's it. on with chapter 8. i hope you enjoy!
____________________________
Here's to the Fox: Chapter 8
____________________________
Sasuke and Naruto stood before Tsunade’s desk. Naruto was shifting from foot to foot nervously, while Sasuke was glaring at Kakashi standing by the window. The nerve of that idiot! Granted, Sasuke really hadn’t been in his right mind, but that didn’t give Kakashi the right to stop what was happening! May Icha Icha Paradise never release another copy! And as far as curses went, Sasuke thought that for the jounin, that one was especially potent.
“I take it you’re Uzumaki Naruto? Well, has Sasuke gotten around to asking you?”
“Asking me about what?” Tsunade sent a disapproving glance Sasuke’s way.
“Come now, Tsunade-sama. It is rather difficult to ask questions when your tongue is down someone’s throat.”
How many times can someone attack Kakashi before he dies? Sasuke’s eyebrow was twitching while his nails were digging into his palms. Tsunade’s eyebrows rose, and Naruto blushed an alarming shade of red. Kakashi just continued to grin behind his mask.
“Enough, Kakashi. You don’t need to be here. And might I remind you, the next time I tell you to bring me someone immediately, it does not mean the next morning!”
“Hai, Hokage-sama.” Kakashi stepped to Sasuke’s side, trying to escape the angry woman’s glare.
“Iruka-sensei will be hearing about this,” Sasuke whispered menacingly as the jounin passed him. There was just the slightest hitch in Kakashi’s gait before he continued out of the office. Sasuke considered him sufficiently threatened.
“Now, Naruto-kun, please listen to my whole story before you decide anything.” The blonde nodded. “The Akatsuki is an organization of missing and corrupt nin led by an unknown person. One of the most powerful of its ranks, and the one after you, is Uchiha Itachi.” Naruto’s eyes widened, and his head swung around to face Sasuke, but Sasuke continued to stare blankly at the wall in front of him.
“Itachi is after both you and Sasuke. The Akatsuki attacked Konoha to lure Sasuke back, and he brought you back here with him so that we could offer you protection. I don’t need to tell you how powerful…”
Tsunade trailed off, and Sasuke looked at her questioningly. She was gazing at Naruto in an odd manner, and Sasuke was becoming increasingly nervous.
“If the Akatsuki is after you, just how in the world have you avoided them all this time?”
Sasuke cursed silently. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Gods, what were they going to say?
“It was only recently that they found me again. Luckily by that time, I had a ninja of Konoha there to protect me.” Sasuke could kiss Naruto… again.
“‘Found you again’? Just how long have they been after you?”
“Including the recent attacks, I’d say ten years.”
“What?!”
“Regardless, I think I know what you’re getting at, Hokage-sama. Since the Akatsuki knows that I’m here, I’ll help in any way I can, on one condition.”
Tsunade eyed him warily. “Spill.”
“I’ve summoned some friends to Konoha from Suna, and I want you to allow them passage into the village. They’ll help any way they can as well.”
Sasuke stared at Naruto in disguised wonder. How in the world could the blonde cover like that, brush off very disturbing pieces of information as nothing, then dare ask the Hokage to allow his friends into Konohagakure? Sasuke was beginning to think Naruto was slightly insane.
“I’m not liking the fact that you’re practically giving me orders, but I think I want to humor you for the moment. You… intrigue me. I feel as though I should know you…”
Sasuke and Naruto both tensed slightly, but Tsunade was too far gone in memory to notice.
“Anyway,” she continued, snapping out of her reverie, “I’d like to speak to Sasuke alone for a moment, if you don’t mind, Naruto-kun.” Naruto bowed politely and exited the office. Tsunade let her eyes rest on the closed door for a moment longer before swinging back to the Uchiha. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean, Tsunade-sama?”
“You know what I mean, Uchiha. Just who is that boy, and why was your tongue down his throat?” Sasuke had to keep himself from crumpling to the floor. Did she really have to fixate on that? He really had no idea himself, though how could he not when the blonde dobe looked like that and kissed him first and grabbed his-
“Sasuke! Kid, don’t space out on me like that, it’s kind of ho-CREEPY! Yeah, kind of creepy.” Sasuke slowly focused back on Tsunade, noting her nervous features, and wondered if she’d said something. He couldn’t recall.
“Naruto is just someone who needs protection.” Such a glib liar, this Uchiha. Kakashi had nothing on him.
“Of course, Sasuke. Though I find it odd that you would put your trust in a complete stranger, and though you may not believe it, I trust you. But I still want you on gate duty until Naruto-kun’s friends come. Heaven only knows who they may be.”
“Hai, Hokage-sama.” Sasuke turned to leave.
“Oh, and Sasuke? If your tongue happens to go somewhere other than down someone’s throat, please don’t let Kakashi know. For crying out loud, he thinks of you as a son; he doesn’t need you doing those kinds of things in front of him!”
Wanting nothing more than to hunt down a silver-haired jounin and strangle him to death, Sasuke merely bit back the urge to yell at the top of his lungs that the pervert ninja was more amused than scandalized at what he’d interrupted and would probably love nothing more than to give him a few pointers.
Maybe he should stop by Iruka-sensei’s for a nice cup of tea and a little… chat.
~*~
Sasuke couldn’t believe his eyes, but even from his perch atop the high gate of Konoha, there was no mistaking that brilliant shock of red hair. It glinted in the sun just so that Sasuke’s eye had been drawn to it even from afar. And next to the redhead were two more very familiar figures, all three dredging up memories that the Uchiha would rather have stayed buried. Jumpy lightly to the ground, Sasuke waited until he was face to face with the visiting party.
“Ohayo, Kazekage-sama. To what do we owe this visit?”
“Uchiha Sasuke on gate duty. How low the mighty have fallen.” Sasuke glared at the blonde woman next to the Kazekage. How dare she insinuate that this was his permanent post!
“For your information, Temari, I’m here on orders from Tsunade to await…” some visitors from Suna. Oh, fuck. “…you. Please follow me, the Hokage is awaiting your arrival.”
“I was unaware Tsunade-sama knew we were coming.”
“Oh, she knows, Kankuro.” Somewhat.
Sasuke was not thrilled to be leading the Kazekage through Konoha. The people gathered on the sidewalks gaped and moved hurriedly, thus gracelessly out of the way. Why hadn’t they just raced along the rooftops? But Heaven forbid Tsunade finding out Sasuke hadn’t properly escorted the Kazekage through the front of Hokage Tower.
Thankfully the damned building appeared before them much faster than it had when he’d first returned to the village a few days ago. And those few days up to that very moment had been wearying. Since Sasuke had “special” orders, it had been three days of non-stop gate duty. No shift changes for him, damn Tsunade. But now “wearying” was fast becoming “annoyingly frightening” as he pieced together that Naruto’s “friends” were the Kazekage of Sunagakure and his siblings.
Sasuke was only mildly amused as the guards on duty at the front of the Tower opened the doors with ill-concealed bewilderment. As he passed, one of them murmured that Tsunade was in conference and directed him to which room.
Sasuke highly doubted Tsunade would keep the Kazekage waiting even if she was in conference with the Fire Lord himself. So he proceeded to the correct room and gave Ino a look that was under no circumstances to be misinterpreted: open the damn door.
Ino paled a little, but swung the door open anyway. Sasuke stepped in, covering the Kazekage slightly, awaiting the explosion from Tsunade. When that happened, he’d calmly step to the side and smirk in victory. Gods, did he ever love ‘one-upping’ the Hokage.
“Uchiha, what the hell’s the meaning of this? I’m in conference!” A very irate Hokage glared at him while the assembled jounin simply coughed or fidgeted, each greatly relieved that they weren’t the Uchiha at that moment.
Smirk still firmly in place—the one that practically shouted, “I know something you don’t, and boy are you going to love it when you do find out!”—Sasuke stepped out of the way so that all assembled could get a good look at the Kazekage. The suppressed gasps and Tsunade’s widened eyes made three days of non-stop gate duty almost worth it.
“Kazekage-sama, what brings you here? Is something wrong?” Tsunade’s voice was pure calm and diplomacy, but her eyes were indeed screaming something along the lines of, “Sasuke, you are so fucking dead!” Sasuke did enjoy this little love-hate relationship sometimes. The Kazekage opened his mouth to reply, but a slightly deafening wail shattered the moment of silence preceding it.
“GAARA!”
A shock of blonde was all that could really be seen as Naruto jumped into the room through the window and raced to the redhead’s side. Even Sasuke’s mouth hung open in shock when Naruto picked Gaara up off the ground in a giant hug. Sasuke looked to Kankuro and Temari, who were wearing mixed looks of exasperation and affectionate amusement. Out of the corner of his eye, the Uchiha saw a blur of red speed by and land on Naruto’s shoulder after he’d set Gaara down.
A fox was sitting atop Naruto’s broad shoulder, and Sasuke would swear that it glared at him in recognition. Was it the same fox he’d seen the dobe give a piece of parchment to on their way out of Reihi?
Sasuke strained to hear a mumbled reply from Gaara to a question from Naruto concerning the redhead’s state of being, when the blonde slapped the Kazekage on the back, and all hell broke loose.
It seemed to the Uchiha that everyone in the room, save him, Kakashi, and the quartet from Suna, hadn’t acknowledged the deafening wail from the window clearly clarifying that Naruto did indeed know and was a friend of Gaara, the Kazekage of Sunagakure, because there was suddenly a cacophony of enraged shouts that some outsider would physically attack the redhead. The jounin gathered in the hall instantly crouched into fighting stances, none even knowing who the blonde was, save Kakashi, intent on taking the dobe out.
Tsunade was screaming that Naruto needed to be apprehended immediately with force if necessary, largely ignoring the shouted chorus of, “Hai, Hokage-sama!” But above the many sounds uttered by the gathered shinobi as they collected their chakra was an alarming growling sound emanating from Naruto. Or more accurately, from the floor at Naruto’s feet.
Sasuke looked down with everyone else to see the fox from earlier, fur bristled and teeth bared, growling at the group of shinobi. Apparently the Fox had allies in all kinds of strange places. Once the animal was sure that nobody was going to make an attack, it sat back on its haunches and stared at the crowd. At least it was glaring at more than just the Uchiha now.
“Naruto-kun, please tell us why you’re molesting the Kazekage.” At least Tsunade had calmed down.
“Huh? Where’s the Kazekage? That old geezer here or something?”
Kankuro coughed behind his hand, and Temari looked on in growing amusement. Gaara was stone still, while everyone else looked at the blonde in astonishment. Sasuke wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard Kankuro humming slightly under his breath, the tune oddly familiar…
“Naruto, I’m the Kazekage.” Gaara’s deep, quiet voice sliced through the silence, and was quickly followed by Naruto’s child-like laughter.
“When the hell did that happen?”
“Sometime in the ten years you’ve been gone. Things have progressed since your departure from Suna, believe it or not.” Naruto kind of half-glared at Temari, but it was still rather affectionate. Sasuke felt the slight stirring of… something. Mayhap jealousy begin to consume the very heart? Oh shit, now he was waxing poetic. The things the dobe did to Sasuke boggled his mind sometimes.
“No shit? Wow, Gaara, I knew you had it in you to take over one day!”
“Enough!” Many pairs of eyes swung to an overly irate Hokage as she slammed her hands upon the table before her. “No offense, Kazekage-sama, but you’ve seem to have caught me at a bad time, and it doesn’t help that the gaki here didn’t tell me you were the ones that were coming. So if you could give me until tomorrow morning to let my brain catch up, I would be most grateful.”
Sasuke knew that Tsunade didn’t really relish being polite and diplomatic to a man young enough to be her great-grandson, but he had to admit she did it marvelously. But he also knew that in this state of irritation, it couldn’t be kept up long. So he maneuvered his way over to Naruto, gently grasping the blonde’s elbow.
“Come on, Naruto, the Hokage will more than likely want to talk to you later, and I’m sure you’ll want to have a full stomach.”
“Does this mean Sasuke-teme is buying me ramen?”
“Damn it, dobe, just get out the damn door!” But Sasuke knew, as did Naruto from the grin on his face, that the Uchiha was about to be paying for at least four bowls of ramen. Making sure the Kazekage and his siblings followed, Sasuke led Naruto out of the room and waited for the wooden door to close completely before saying anything. “You could have fucking told us your guests were the Kazekage and crew!”
“Tch, Sasuke-teme, I didn’t know Gaara was Kazekage! So you wouldn’t have known him anyway!”
“Um, hello, dobe! Gaara and the other two did come here years ago and participate in the Chuunin Exam!”
“Like I was supposed to know that, asshole! I haven’t exactly been in on the Suna loop for a while now! And last time I checked, the affairs of Konoha haven’t been my business for twenty-two years, so there’s no possible way I could have known that this is where the Chuunin Exam took place!”
Sasuke really couldn't argue with that logic, but as an Uchiha, he couldn’t let the dobe have the last word. However, before he could come up with a snappy comeback, Kankuro cleared his throat to get their attention, twin glares swinging his way in response.
“Naruto, you think we can get something to eat now? We have been traveling at your command…” Temari elbowed him in the ribs, “… for several days now with nothing but trail rations.”
“Oh, of course!” The blonde’s glare turned into a grin. “Sasuke-teme and I can take you to Ichiraku’s! He’s buying my lunch anyway!” Naruto let out a hearty laugh, much to Sasuke’s chagrin.
“That’s fine, Naruto.” The blonde stopped laughing to smile at Gaara. “But I’d like to talk to Uchiha for a moment. If you could please take Kankuro and Temari, Sasuke and I will be right behind you.”
“Sure thing, Gaara. Oi, Sasuke-teme, you better hurry up! I’m hungry!”
“Dobe, I am not paying for more than five bowls, you got that?”
“Yeah, yeah, what a pain!” Naruto gave Sasuke a wide smile then began to skip down the hallway to the stairs. Temari and Kankuro followed him with a small glance back to the Uchiha and Kazekage. Sasuke turned to face Gaara, his face impassive, matching Gaara’s own.
“How is it that, aside from the one jounin that hadn’t taken an attack stance, you were the only one who didn’t seem angry at Naruto?”
“I, unlike many of the aforementioned jounin, have a brain and clearly heard Naruto’s unmistakable announcement that he does, in fact, know you on a personal level.”
“But he is still a stranger in your village.”
“A stranger that I brought here.”
“You brought Naruto to Konoha?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. And just why did he invite you to Konoha?”
“I was here for your little argument. You know that Naruto was born here. But don’t begin to think you know the whole story, Uchiha. What I’m doing here does not concern you.”
“Don’t underestimate what I do know, Gaara. And maybe what you’re doing here isn’t so much about you as about… well, something else. Something that perhaps you have in common with the dobe?” Sasuke smirked at the slightly surprised look on Gaara’s face. It was quite a feat to make the young man show anything other than anger or mild indifference.
“I won’t let you hurt him, Uchiha. I’d stay away and out of our business if I was you.” Sasuke’s smirk fell, his icy glare returning full force to face an enemy he hadn’t gone against in years.
“Naruto’s business is my business, in more ways than one. Keep that in mind, and don’t try to threaten me again. Kazekage or not, this world will be less one ninja if you dare to take me on.”
Sasuke knew his Sharingan was active, but didn’t care. As long as he got his point across to the redhead, that was all that really mattered. “Now I suggest we don’t keep Naruto waiting. My wallet is dangerously close to empty as it is.”
Gaara was silent, and Sasuke wasn’t sure if the redhead was following him. Then he caught movement and a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. Gaara’s eyes were pools of liquid anger, but Sasuke was quite immune to it after seeing actual death in the eyes of his brother. Nothing could really faze him now, save a tender look in oceans of blue…
“He’s not as strong as he seems, Uchiha. Keep that in mind.”
Wondering what Gaara could possibly mean, Sasuke continued out of Hokage Tower in silence. The sun beat down on them as they made their way to Ichiraku's, but the breeze was slightly chilling, and Sasuke thought that it was odd considering the season. Perhaps it was an omen...
TBC
_________________________________________
ah, aren't we the cryptic one, gaara? there was supposed to be one more scene to this chapter, but due to some plot revamping on my part, it has been moved to a later chapter. see y'all next time!