A Darker World

Authors note: I apologize for the long delay between updates for this story. I haven't been well and I already burned through my pre-written chapters. Hopefully it won't happen again for this long at least. Thank you and R&R

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Na-ru-to, Na-ru-to, it's time to wake up."

Naruto smiled and pressed his face into his bedding as Konohamaru's breath tickled his ear. "Ten more minutes."

"Oh come on, Jiraiya left to find that guy and we're all alone up here."

"I'm tired," Naruto complained though he knew now he was too awake to go back to sleep.

"Come on we traveled the same distance yesterday and I'm all rested."

"Yeah, but I kind of remember carrying you for the last hour yesterday."

"Hey," the other boy objected, "that was to help you with your training."

"All right," Naruto sighed dramatically, rolling onto his stomach and pulling his knees under him. He started to tug off his blanket. As he pulled it off, he tucked it under himself, raising his butt into the air. When he was done with that he pulled his boxers down and said, "Ravish me."

Konohamaru was quiet for a long time before he said, "Are you serious?"

For the first time that day, Naruto opened his eyes and looked over at Konohamaru with a smile. "Yeah, it's been a while."

The boy grinned back at him and went to work already having the lube nearby. The feeling of his little fingers back there as they applied a little was nice and in a way pleasurable. When Konohamaru pushed into him a moment later, Naruto was still smiling. Physically, Konohamaru was not doing much, if anything. Naruto had much bigger things back there before and maybe that was why he enjoyed his little friend. Either that or he just didn't want to make Konohamaru feel trapped like he had for so long. They were equals.

He remembered being in this position so many times before and sometimes it had been bad and other times it had been not so bad. Now, though, he enjoyed it because he was with Konohamaru and that made everything right. There were no obligations, no orders, no rules, just them. Oddly, at that moment, he realized he was happy, more happy than he could remember being.

His friend's hands landed on his back as Konohamaru started to thrust into him. The little thrusts, as awkward as they were, were starting to make him hard. When he slipped out, Naruto reached back and spread his cheeks which made it a little easier for his younger partner. He wasn't sure how long the other lasted, but when his thrusts became stronger he knew it was close to the end and then there was a little cry of pleasure.

Konohamaru collapsed to Naruto's side, lying on his back. Smiling, the older of the two leaned over and kissed him before moving over him, placing his arms and knees on either side of the other boy. Breaking the kiss, he allowed his erection to touch the other. "Can I try something?"

The other boy looked up at him confused, "Sure, what do you want to do?"

Naruto kissed him again as he positioned himself and said, "Just push your knees together."

His erection was between Konohamaru's thighs and when he brought his knees together his penis was surrounded by warm flesh. Naruto wrapped his own arms and legs around him, hugging his upper body and squeezing his legs even tighter together. He could feel the others penis still slippery with the lubricant against his belly as he started to kiss his neck.

Naruto started to pump in and out between his friend's thighs and it felt good. Back at the House they called this the nice position. They had given it that name because some clients who didn't want to actually penetrate them would do this instead. Naruto had never done it himself, but he had to admit it felt pretty good. Of course, the reason it had been given its name was because it simply didn't hurt to do. He didn't know why he had suddenly wanted to do it, but he felt like he was taking something back.

His orgasm approached quickly, and with one last thrust it washed over him. Not wanting to collapse on Konohamaru, he rolled over pulling the smaller boy on top of him. He rested his head on his chest and Naruto hugged him back.

"You like that?" Konohamaru asked.

Naruto thought for a second and said, "It was alright I guess. I used to do what you did with some of the clients and I guess I was just kind of curious."

"Well, if you like it we can do it again sometime."

He thought for a minute and shrugged, "Maybe. Still, I like doing just about everything with you."

"Yeah, I do too," Konohamaru said as he started to sit up on top of him. Then, he smiled and added, "I like when we have a room like this. It's a lot nicer than the woods." Then he looked down and said, "Up for more?"

Naruto followed his gaze and smiled as he saw Konohamaru's smaller member half hard. "Well, who knows when we will have a room to ourselves again?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Jiraiya sipped his cup of cold tea and considered how many things could go wrong with his current plan. First, Tazuna, the man he was hoping to meet up with could already be dead. Even if he was still alive it was possible he may not pass through this town on his way to the Wave Country. If Tazuna was sticking to the roads, he pretty much only had two options and Jiraiya had selected this town after considering how a civilian might behave if they were trying to avoid an assassin. Finally, even if he could meet up with the man, there was no guarantee he would want anything to do with him.

He could just imagine how that conversation would play out. "Excuse me sir, I know someone is trying to assassinate you and I would like to recruit that man. Do you mind if I follow you around until he tries to kill you?" Yeah, that would be a great icebreaker.

For the time being, he tried to push that future conversation out of his mind and instead turn to another problem. Well, actually it was two problems. Naruto and Konohamaru were both coming along surprisingly well in their training, but he found himself worrying about them. He wasn't sure if allowing them to continue as they were was the right decision. He kept wondering what Naruto's father or Konohamaru's grandfather would think of what they were doing.

On the one hand, they seemed to share genuine affection for each other. The first time Jiraiya had overheard one of them say that they love the other, he had thought, what do they know of love? However, after watching them for a while, he thought there might just be in a better relationship than he had ever had. It wasn't just the physical stuff they did together, which he knew they did a lot of, but the little things too. When Naruto became frustrated with something, Konohamaru knew how to comfort him and when Konohamaru had been terrified of the dark, it had been Naruto he turned too. They were comfortable around each other in the way old married couples were.

Of course, that was also part of the problem. They were young and he wasn't even sure if they were old enough to know what they like when it came to sex. Also, Naruto was way too protective of Konohamaru. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember ever being alone with Konohamaru without Naruto being nearby. In a way, Jiraiya could understand that, but it had been months and it was starting to worry him.

In a way he supposed it was understandable. Adults whom they should have been able to trust had betrayed both of them. He didn't know the details, and to an extent he didn't want to know. Perhaps that made him a coward where it counted, but he was concerned if he couldn't handle it correctly, he might mess them up even further. It was bad enough they weren't hanging around any other kids who might give them a sense of normality, but right now he wasn't sure how he could introduce that stabilizing factor into their lives. Briefly, he wondered if Kakashi was having a similar problem as he trained the two sisters.

There wasn't much traffic into the village at this time, so when a single person appeared on the horizon, it peaked his interest and pulled him out of his thoughts. He had a vague description of Tazuna and this man seemed to fit the description. Well, there was one way to be sure. He waited for the man to pass by him before calling out, "Tazuna."

The man paused before warily turning his head and saying, "Yes?"

It was hard not to smile at the man's unease as he stood and said in a much quieter tone, "Relax I'm not the guy hired to kill you. However, I believe we can be of mutual benefit to each other."

"Oh, and you are?" The man questioned, giving him a pensive look.

He smiled, in another time and place, he would give a flashy introduction of himself, but being on the run he had to settle for a simple bow as he said, "I am the great and infamous Jiraiya formally of the Leaf."

"And how do you suppose we can be of mutual benefit to each other?"

"Perhaps it would be best if we sat down to discuss our circumstances, my treat of course."

The other man hesitated for a minute before he nodded. He took a seat opposite of Jiraiya, and as business was slow a waitress quickly appeared outside to take his order of coffee, black nothing fancy. The man's eyes were red as if he hadn't slept well or if at all. Jiraiya could easily imagine that he jumped at every sound last night knowing he was being hunted.

"So, you know me obviously, but I don't know you," the other man said to get the conversation going.

Jiraiya was starting to take a liking to this man. He was blunt, he liked that. "As I said, I am formally from Konoha. I left the village after a coup d'état with others. Our goal is to overthrow our new leader. The man hired to kill you is likewise a missing-nin, but from a different village. I would like to recruit him to my cause, which is why I would like to be your bodyguard."

Tazuna laughed harshly. "You want to use me to talk to the person trying to kill me. I don't exactly see a benefit for myself in that."

He smiled noticing that the man didn't stand to leave. "Well, we can set this up like a mission. You give free room and board to me as well as my traveling companions and I'll protect you from the assassin. I want to recruit him, but if he's not willing to join my cause, then I'll take him out."

"Why do you think he would join your cause in the first place?"

He paused for a second, wondering how he should word this. "When a ninja abandon his village, he does it for one of three reasons." Jiraiya held up a finger as he recited each reason. "First is ambition. For whatever reason the ninja thinks he would be better off being a solo agent. These people tend to become criminals, although there are rare cases of individuals founding their own hidden villages or similar organizations."

"The second reason is political. This is my own. In theory were supposed to follow our superiors unquestioningly, but it never works out that way. We're trained to think independently and we only follow our leaders because we choose to and out of loyalty to our village. However, there will always be times when people have to step outside to protect their village."

"The third reason is the most simple. It is simply sometimes were offered something better by another village. Sometimes it's just a large bundle of Ryo or they may feel they have been snubbed by their home village, like being passed over for a promotion or stuff like that. We ninja really aren't that different than the average person."

Tazuna nodded in understanding and asked, "So the guy who is after me. What do you think his reason was for leaving his village?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "A combination of one and two I suspect. His name is Raiga Kurosuki and he was once part of a group called the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Basically that means he was one of the strongest ninjas in his village. However, one day he went out on a mission and simply never came back. The only other information I have obtained about him is about three months ago he took control of a gold mine from some local Yakuza. He ended up taking a lot less gold than he could have almost like he didn't care about it. Unfortunately, for him Konoha caught wind of his presence and sent some ninjas in after him. Both sides got chopped up pretty good and it looks like he was the only one to survive from his side."

"So, you think, he tried to do his own thing, failed and now might take your offer?"

He smiled. When it was said like that it sounded simplistic, but a ninja had to be practical after all. "It's a long shot, but that's pretty much the plan."

"The last time I hired some Konoha ninjas they abandoned me," Tazuna said quietly.

"What?" Jiraiya snapped shocked.

The man held up a hand to forestall any questions. "I didn't exactly tell them that a ninja was trying to kill me. I wanted to, but I couldn't afford that level of protection."

He relaxed a little, his fears that Konoha was producing cowards abated for the moment. "Yeah, that's never a good thing to do. Still, I know your situation and I'm offering you a straight up trade room and board for myself and my traveling companions and in exchange I'll protect you."

"All right, I guess it's better than nothing. Who are these traveling companions of yours anyway?"

For a second, Jiraiya wasn't sure how he should answer. The whole story behind Naruto and Konohamaru was too long and complicated to tell now. Besides, he didn't really need to know the truth anyways. "There are my apprentices. I'll go get them."

"I'll come with you," Tazuna said about to stand.

"No, it's okay," Jiraiya responded quickly. "I'll just be a minute enjoy your coffee." In truth, he didn't want the man coming with him because he was pretty sure he knew what Naruto and Konohamaru were doing. Rabbits didn't go at it as much as those two he thought as he went to collect them.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Konohamaru let his fingers skim over the water surface as the boat quietly slipped through the early mist filled morning. He was tired. Jiraiya had them walk all of yesterday to reach the coast and he really wished that he had just summoned a toad. Maybe then he could've seen the ocean before falling asleep. Come to think of it, he still had not seen the ocean. The fog was so thick he couldn't see anything that wasn't ten feet away.

"Wow, this bridge's really is big," Naruto said out loud as he looked up at it through the mist.

"You want to say that a little louder? I don't think the people on the other shore heard you," the boat man hissed. "Traveling without using the motor is pointless if you're just going to shout like that."

Konohamaru twisted around and asked Jiraiya who was actually walking on the water next to the boat, "Are we really going to see you fight?" He tried to sound like he didn't care about the answer, but in truth he wanted to see what all of his training was going to lead up to. Besides, it sounded cool.

"Most likely," Jiraiya answered peering through the mist. "Unless the assassination on Tazuna has been canceled, he will strike. Personally, I would have done it a few miles after his first set of guards abandoned him, but he probably has orders to kill Tazuna in country. From what I've heard that would serve their purposes better. Still, whatever happens, you stick close to Tazuna and the same goes for you Naruto."

"Are you sure you should be talking like that in front of these kids?" Tazuna said looking over at him.

"They've seen worse," Jiraiya commented.

Konohamaru grinned at the other older man, enjoying that he seemed uncomfortable. Personally, he wasn't sure if he liked the man or not, but Naruto didn't like him so he was taking his cue from him.

"All right there is the dock," the boatman said quietly. A ghostly outline of a building appeared in the mist, and a few seconds later they bumped against the wooden platform. The little group quickly disembarked having finally arrived in the Wave country. The boatman said, "Good luck," as he pushed back into the mist and disappeared from Konohamaru's sight.

"All right, Tazuna lead the way," Jiraiya said.

The quartet set off and after climbing a set of stairs Konohamaru realized that they were in a town, but it was so quiet he thought it might be abandoned at first. The mist added a creepy feeling to the atmosphere, it was kind of exciting and scary at the same time. He found himself slipping his hand into Naruto's and the gentle squeeze he received in return was reassuring.

As they started to walk through the town, though, they saw signs of life. People were walking the streets and a few store signs were illuminated. The mist was starting to lift and he tried to pay more attention to his surroundings. Jiraiya often quizzed them on what they passed as they walked. He said a ninja had to be aware of his surroundings, whether it was an unusual rock or another traveler. Konohamaru knew he was better at this than Naruto, except for when it came to signs. He was not really good at reading having never really learned how. Jiraiya was sort of teaching him, but those lessons were irregular.

"There it is," Tazuna said pointing to a two-story house that hung over the water.

"Your house is on the outskirts of the village and suspended over the water," Jiraiya said stating the obvious.

Their guide paused and looked at the ninja. "Is that a problem?"

"No, it's just if you're so close to the woods why didn't you just build on the land?" Konohamaru noticed that Jiraiya had paused before he answered and he thought something might be up, but when he looked over to Naruto he didn't seem to have noticed anything.

"It's cheaper tax wise since you're not using land. You know, it's not much to look at, but I'm happy to see it again." Tazuna's eyes suddenly fell on him, "You know my grandson's about your age. Maybe you two could play together if you have some free time from your training."

Konohamaru wriggled his nose at the idea, like he had just smelled something bad. "I like playing with Naruto."

"The three of you could find something you could play together," Jiraiya suggested. "In fact, I want you to take the day off from training. It's good to give your body a rest sometimes."

Konohamaru didn't know what to say or do as the two men seemed to stare at him. He almost started to feel a sense of panic and tightened his grip on Naruto's hand who took it as a sign to come to his rescue. "Cool a day off. That'll be nice, right Konohamaru?"

Naruto's words broke the spell that had somehow been cast over him and he was able to say, "Yeah."

They started walking again after that, but now Konohamaru really didn't want to go to Tazuna's house. He didn't want to meet Tazuna's grandson. Back at the House, he hadn't gotten along with the other kids too well. Most just kind of ignored him, but one, Kouji, a boy about the same age as him, had been mean to him by taking his stuff or pushing him around. He had never told Naruto about this because he felt it had been his problem to deal with, but he really didn't want to meet another Kouji.