Miscalculations

Naruto Uzumaki had been standing at his parents graves for hours now, seeking answers that would never come. The only person who held the answer was in the Hokage Tower, giving out orders to Kakashi Hatake, his former sensei. The transition from student and teacher to colleagues had been odd and Naruto still tacked on the honorific every now and again when he got particularly excited. He respected Kakashi for the way he had handled him as a child. Naruto knew it took a certain level of patience to deal with a hyperactive child and from the way Kakashi had spoke with Obito before he died, he had learned the first time the hard way.

Fingers grazing the cold stone, Naruto looked to the dark skies. The clouds were a dark, angry grey and threatened to spill a cold autumn rain soon. Even without the Kyuubi in him, Naruto could still smell storms on the winds. He missed his tenant, Kurama had filled the silence when he was home alone, giving him someone to speak with. The first six years of his life had been oddly silent, his connection with Kurama wasn’t strong yet and he couldn’t hear the fox. He had been so alone those years, fending for himself and trying to survive on what little money he had managed to hide away. If Naruto hadn’t hid it, the money would go missing at odd intervals, he knew ninja were responsible, he hadn’t been stupid despite what people had thought of him. 

Naruto had never once blamed his parents or Old Man Hokage for his lot in his life. He kept a bright smile on his face and faced his problems head on with a positive attitude. Naruto wouldn’t allow those around to drag him down, he didn’t have friends back then, parents wouldn’t allow their children to play with the ‘demon.’

It was a childhood that shaped Naruto into who he was now and if given the chance, he would never change a thing. He couldn’t ignore the things that had molded him into who he was and Naruto would hate to lose himself if he had. He cherished who he was even if no one else did. All of his friends had found their own precious people and he was still left with a hollow heart. Sasuke was back in the village on probation for helping bring down Madara and Obito.

The thing that stung was that Sasuke was put under Kakashi’s care. Naruto had been so sure that he would be chosen, he was Tsunade’s favorite afterall. But his emotional attachment to Sasuke had given her second thoughts and she had ruled otherwise, leaving Naruto feeling bereft and angry at the situation. He had dreamed of this for a long time and now it was shattered. Sasuke hadn’t even looked at him during his sentencing, his dark eyes just stayed forward as Tsunade delivered his punishment. After that, Naruto was escorted out of the tower since he had nothing to do with Sasuke’s sentence. It had hurt, but there was nothing that could be done about it now.

Having lost the only chance he had to coax the real Sasuke out, Naruto didn’t know what to do now. His friend was under their former sensei’s care and Naruto couldn’t just visit out of the blue, Kakashi hated visitors and he didn’t know where the jounin lived anyway. Sure they would run into each other when he was out in the village, but that didn’t exactly didn’t give Naruto the privacy he wanted to speak with Sasuke. And he certainly say what was on his mind when Kakashi was around, what Naruto had to say to Sasuke was only for his ears. Naruto didn’t want his former sensei butting in with perverted jokes.

Taking one last glance at the sky, Naruto decided it was time to head back to his home. He had relocated to a new part of town, the new apartment was spacious and he had his own room this time. It was nice to have to have the room to decorate as he wished and to store his belongings, even if he didn’t have that many. Naruto shook his head and took his hand from the memorial stone slowly, his fingers brushing over the cold stone. A small breeze ruffled his hair and Naruto smiled, imagining it to be his mother encouraging him. He would allow himself these small illusions, they eased the pain in his heart.

Heading through the village with his hands stuffed in his pockets, Naruto watched the people around him. He had always liked doing this, it helped him relax and reminded him that he was part of the reason that these people were still alive. He had fended Pein off when he attacked Konoha and then later, with Sasuke’s help, defeated Madara and Obito. They had worked well as a team and Naruto hoped that in the future they would be partners on missions. The thought of working with Sasuke with him again had Naruto excited, it would be some time and until then he would busy.

Walking to his new home, Naruto opened the door and stepped inside. It was still lonely and despite that, he felt okay. He had photos lining the walls now of his friends and family. Tsunade had been great enough to provide him with some pictures of Kushina and Minato. He still had the picture of Team Seven, it was hung in his living room so he wouldn’t forget what things had been like back then. His fingers trailed over Sasuke’s face as a sigh left his lips. He would have done anything to have kept Sasuke in the village, to keep away from Orochimaru. But even he could see what an enticing deal the Sannin held for Sasuke.

They had both grown over the years that Sasuke was gone, both ninja striving for a power for their own desires. Naruto’s wasn’t any more noble than his old teammate’s, it had been selfish of him to fight just bring Sasuke back to the village. But he was so adamant because Sasuke had been his first friend, not even Sakura had given him the time of day back then. Whether the Uchiha liked it or not, they had a bond. Sasuke hadn’t been able to kill him at the Valley of the End, it was the proof Naruto needed to keep going, pushing himself to impossible limits so that he could bring Sasuke back to Konoha. Now that his dream was fulfilled, Naruto wasn’t sure what he would do now.

Sure there would be always be missions, but for now Konoha was safe from any evil plots. It seemed almost anti-climatic in a way, things had gone almost like Naruto wanted. Neji was gone and it hurt Naruto deeply that his friend had sacrificed himself. He missed the nights they sought one another out just for comfort, it wasn’t about feelings for them, just physical need and the understanding that they were both lonely.

Neji’s death had left Naruto sad and he honored his friend the only way he knew how, by defeating Madara and Obito. He knew Neji hadn’t regretted protecting Naruto, he had known that the jinchuuriki possessed the power and skill to defeat Madara. Neji’s faith in Naruto was astounding and it had been carried in his heart ever since. Moving from the old picture of Team Seven, Naruto pulled a photo album. It was a gift from his friends when they realized he had nothing of the sort in his home. He sat down on his couch and began to flip through pictures, each one bringing a smile to his face. Naruto stopped at one of Neji and himself sleeping in Neji’s room. Hinata had taken this one when he had accidentally stayed the night in her cousin’s room.

This was how Naruto fell asleep on the rainy day, the photo album spread across his lap. He was exhausted and hadn’t noticed just how tired he was. Sasuke’s trial had been long, taking up most of the day, since the sun rose over the horizon. Naruto allowed himself to dream, without Kurama in his mind to manipulate things, they were different. The book fell from his lap when his body adjusted itself to lie down on the cushions. Dreaming was the only way he wouldn’t hurt, there he could protect his heart from being damaged.

~*~

A few weeks later had Naruto returning from a bad mission. He had retrieved the scroll that Tsunade needed for whatever reason. Naruto wasn’t privy to such details, but there wasn’t much he could do. He didn’t even so much as peek at it like he would have done when he was younger. The years had matured him and Naruto was no longer the loud mouth he used to be. Sure there were times he still acted like an idiot, that was something that would never change about him. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, wanting to reach Hokage Tower and drop this cargo off so he could relax. When Tsunade had said the scroll had been well protected, he hadn’t imagined that she had meant that literally. He had thought only a few booby traps were involved, not the extra bodies and seals that had thwarted him many times.

Using the window that Kakashi was fond of, Naruto swung his body into Tsunade’s office. It was empty for once and he scratched the back of his head. It was odd for her not to be here trying to dodge paperwork with Shizune standing over her. Naruto knew better than to leave the scroll on her desk, she would kill him and string his body up outside of the tower for the whole village to see. Sighing, Naruto made a seal and placed the scroll in a box. Even if Tsunade wasn’t a seal expert, she would be able to figure this one out. He placed the box in her sake drawer, knowing that she would find it there.

The scroll was safe and so Naruto took off, leaving the tower the way he came. The day was warm and the hot springs were calling Naruto’s name. He would have gone to the bath house, but the day was too beautiful  He made his way quickly to his apartment, not even noticing the village pass by him as he used his chakra to speed the process up. Naruto wouldn’t allow his mind to wander, not when he was still wound up from the mission.

Landing on the balcony to his home, Naruto sighed in relief. The glass doors were familiar as he slid them open, leaving his shoes outside. He shed his uniform, placing it in the hamper that was by his very own laundry room. Lazily he washed the dirt and blood off his body just so he could go to the springs. The water was nice but it wasn’t what Naruto wanted, this was a necessary evil as he let the shower spray the stream over his head and washing only a fraction of the stress from his body. Turning the faucet off, Naruto stepped out of the shower stall and grabbed a towel. Drying his body quickly, he stepped out into his room to grab a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt. Throwing them on, Naruto didn’t waste any time exiting his apartment and make his way across the village again. This time he was headed in the opposite direction of the springs, a smile on his face as he thought of the relaxation that was awaiting him.

Stepping into the locker room, Naruto grinned widely. He could see the hot springs through the door, the steam rising and floating around the air. As he stepped out into the open space, he immediately heard moans. Curious, Naruto went into what he called ‘stalk mode’, something he had learned from Jiraiya when they were researching his novels. No matter how others saw it, those exercises taught Naruto stealth since he didn’t want to be beaten by death by women with tempers.  Naruto slipped behind some rocks, the steam cloaking his body as he peeked from the side and saw something that made him tremble.

He couldn’t discern the emotion that tore through him, spreading like wild fire as he watched Kakashi devoured Sasuke’s lips. Their former sensei’s hands were roaming Sasuke’s pale skin, making it shiver under the feather light touches. Before Naruto knew it, his hand was diving under his pants, pumping his half hard cock as he watched Kakashi tease Sasuke. The moans that slipped from Sasuke’s kiss bitten lips were driving Naruto further into lust. Blue eyes were lidded as he watched Kakashi’s hand slip under the water, no doubt pumping the erection that was hidden under the water with the way Sasuke’s body jumped.

Naruto couldn’t tear his gaze away as he pumped his heavy cock, his hand slowly stroking the organ. The velvet touch of his shaft had Naruto’s thighs trembling as he imagined it was Kakashi he was touching, his back pressed to the older’s man as he whispered what to do to Sasuke to make him moan for them. Naruto couldn’t help it as his hand went faster, fueled by the fantasy in his head as he traded places with Kakashi and shoved his cock into Sasuke. His hand tightened to stimulate what it would feel to be so deep in his friend. Distantly, he heard Sasuke shout his own release and Naruto couldn’t help his own as his balls drew up and he orgasmed in his pants, his hand moving for a few more moments.

Pulling his hand from his pants, Naruto looked at it in disgust. He wiped it angrily on his pants, not even sparing Kakashi and Sasuke a second glance. Naruto had to run, missing a set of Sharingan following his body until he couldn’t be seen. He didn’t stop, his feet pushing him faster and faster until he was safely in his home. Naruto pressed his back against the glass door and slid down, not caring if people could see him. His shoulders shook as he cried, tears flowing down his face at what he had witnessed. He hadn’t thought that those two would hook up, it seemed almost impossible. But Naruto had lost his one chance at happiness, he had let his friend slip through his fingers all because he was afraid of speaking to him in front of Kakashi.

Naruto eventually left the spot in front of his door, his body tired and still aching from the strenuous mission. His bathtub wasn’t the hot springs but it would have to do. He wouldn’t be going back anytime soon just so that moment could replay in his mind as though they were actually there. Naruto knew he wouldn’t be able to take seeing that again and again. Sliding his body down into the hot water of his tub, Naruto sighed. He closed his eyes and wondered what he would do now. Neji was gone, regrettably, or he would have tried to have pursued a relationship with him in light of this new change. Naruto was convinced he would have grown to love Neji.

He had to push such thoughts out of his mind or he would never heal. Naruto was not one to wallow in his own self pity, he always bounced. Now he would rely on that ability to forget what he had seen and to protect his breaking heart. Naruto would go on as if nothing was wrong, he had been adept at hiding what he truly felt at a young age and it was a gift that stayed with him into adulthood.

Time passed slowly for Naruto over the next week when he wasn’t filling it with meaningless fucks. He had been to the redlight district enough in the past few days to put Jiraiya to shame. But no matter how much the men looked like Sasuke, they weren’t him and it wasn’t enough. It always felt like something important was missing from the sex as he took those men. Naruto’s mind was still messed up over seeing Kakashi and Sasuke at the hot springs. There was also the fact that they kept cropping up when Naruto was out shopping, making the blond get uncomfortable and flee.

Naruto was sure his nerves couldn’t handle this sort of thing anymore, not when he all he wanted to do was forget about Kakashi and Sasuke. The fantasies in his head were becoming more decadent as the days wore on and causing him even more stress. Naruto made his way to Tsunade, hoping that she would be able to provide him with a suitable distraction. Missions were a great way for him to forget about his lonely life and the fact that Sasuke had fallen for another man. The fact that it was Kakashi, the man who was charged with watching over him made Naruto’s heart crack more.

The tower was busy, ninja were going in and out as they either turned in their mission report or picked up a new mission. This Naruto could deal with, the black and white of a mission when it first started. It didn’t matter if the lines blurred gray later on, he just needed this welcomed distraction from the disaster that was his life.

He was greeted by his fellow ninja on his way into the tower. Naruto threw a hand up in answer, the action lazy and expected of him. Everyone knew how he was and if he could get out of a conversation about the weather, he would use any excuse. It was easier for Naruto to just acknowledge others this way and still be able to go about his business. When he stopped at the mission table and inquired about any assignments, he was met with a no. Surprised, Naruto turned away from the room and went in search of Tsunade. He was sure that she could give him something that would take him out of the village, even if it was just visiting Gaara on official business.

The Hokage’s Office door was closed and a guard posted outside meaning that Tsunade was in for once. Not even bothering to say a greeting to the guard, Naruto burst in like the old days when he was just a kid. Tsunade was asleep on her desk, a bottle of sake held in one hand while the other laid limp over a picture of her old team when they were teenagers. The sight broke Naruto’s heart but when he caught sight of a file with his name on it, he couldn’t help himself.

Slowly Naruto slid the file off Tsunade’s desk and opened it, the woman barely moving in her sleep. He was surprised that Shizune wasn’t by her side barking orders at her to finish the paperwork that was stacked to the side of the desk. Naruto glanced about the room and noticed that no one was there telling him to release the file in his hand.

With no one other than a slumbering Tsunade in the room, Naruto opened the file to find a two-month long espionage mission waiting for him. It was located in Rock Country and Naruto realized that it  was dangerous from the information he had read. Normally, he wouldn’t accept such as this because he hated the espionage aspect of being a ninja. But this mission would get him away from Konoha for a solid two months, something Naruto desperately needed and the distraction it would cause from his personal life was an added bonus. He left the Hokage’s office with the file in tow, knowing that he would need to read over all the information before making preparations, even though the field would be different than what was on the paper.

~*~

 

Kotetsu and Izumo hadn’t expected this particular sight when they were on desk duty today. The way Naruto laid unmoving on the stretcher was eerie and had both ninja concerned. The jounin hadn’t even twitched, his body still as though he were dead. The steady rising of Naruto’s chest was the only indication that he was still alive. Blood and grime covered him from the top of his blond head to his shoe clad feet. There wasn’t much left of his clothing, it was torn to reveal bruised, pale flesh. They allowed the medic team to bring Naruto into the village, both sending a prayer to Kami that Naruto would pull through whatever had happened to him.

Tsunade had been pacing her office when she had gotten the hawk that Naruto had been retrieved. When he hadn’t returned from his mission four days after he was due home, she had immediately sent a search team for him. Tsunade had hoped that he had been caught up in some minor trouble in a small town. Naruto couldn’t resist the pleas for help when someone needed it desperately. The message she had read earlier blasted those hopes out of the water and had her relaying orders to the medical team on standby in the hospital. She would join them after she was done with Uchiha and Hatake.

“Anything else to report?” She asked, her gaze steely and impatient as she looked at Kakashi. So far he had nothing to report about Sasuke, just that he was an law abiding citizen. It certainly didn’t fit who Sasuke was, but if the brat was behaving himself, then she had no say. Tsunade would have executed him if it hadn’t been for Naruto and would have upset him. She doubted that the last Uchiha had even given thanks for saving his miserable life and defending in front of the elders when he was on trial. When the sentence was delivered, Naruto had been asked to leave the room, hearing Sasuke’s punishment like that would have wounded him and had him burst out in anger.

“No, Hokage-sama.” Kakashi answered, rising from his seat to be on his merry little way. When Sasuke rose but didn’t move, he paused and watched his lover.

“Where has Naruto been? “ Sasuke asked, his dark eyes narrowing in on Tsunade as though she held some big secret back from them. Kakashi had to admit he was curious as well. They hadn’t seen Naruto for at least two and a half month’s and even before then, he had been making himself scarce. Kakashi and Sasuke were unsure of what they had done to drive Naruto away, other than their display in the hot springs.

They hadn’t meant to drive Naruto away, in fact they were hoping that they would lure him into their bed. But when the blond ninja fled, they knew that they had hurt him in some way. Kakashi and Sasuke tried every trick they knew of to get Naruto alone, but somehow he had managed to escape and avoid them for another few hours and retreat again.

It was an endless game of cat and mouse until Kakashi had seen Naruto sneaking out of the Red Light District. He had been curious and tugged Sasuke along the next night to see just what exactly Naruto had been up to. It was nothing more than meaningless sex and it hurt both of them to see him so lost, taking men who looked like Sasuke. Naruto didn’t like the taste of alcohol and so he took his frustration the only other way he knew how besides training himself to death.

After that, they had left Naruto alone, hoping that he would come to them on his own time. It confused them as to why he would take such men when he could have had the real Sasuke. All Naruto had to do was ask and Kakashi would share his lover. He hoped that eventually Naruto would develop feelings for him as well, given the proper stimulations.

“He’s been on a mission. You’re free to leave now.” Tsunade’s voice held no room for argument and Kakashi knew that they would only get on her bad side if they were to linger and hound her for answers. For the past few weeks they had been setting up alarms to alert them when Naruto arrived home. Kakashi had even gone so far as to put Pakkun on apartment watch just to be sure that they didn’t miss him.

Leaving the Hokage Tower, Sasuke and Kakashi wandered about when Sakura rushed by them. Determined to know what had his student running so recklessly, Kakashi grabbed her arm and spun her around. Her green eyes were wide with panic, as though something had gone wrong and she had to fix it.

“Sakura?” Kakashi asked, knowing just the inquiry of her name would have her spilling everything.

“It’s Naruto, he’s in critical condition. His mission went sour and he was captured. I have to go. I’m needed to help stabilize Naruto, Tsunade and Shizune can’t do it alone.” She said, panic lacing her voice as she jerked her arm out of Kakashi’s grip easily and rushed off to the hospital.

Both Kakashi and Sasuke stood in their spots in shock for a few moments as the news sunk in. There was no doubt what they were doing next as their bodies moved, heading for the hospital. They wouldn’t be of no use to Naruto, but they could wait out the man’s treatment and be there when he woke up. Tsunade could threaten Kakashi all she wanted, but he would be at Naruto’s side. There were several factors leading up to exactly why he wanted to be there. The most important one was that Naruto was as precious to him as Sasuke was.

The waiting room was bare, not a soul was present. The clerk at the window was absent as well and that suited Kakashi and Sasuke just fine. The younger man was irritated and upset, it wasn’t easily visible, only Naruto or Kakashi would have seen the tightening around his eyes and how stiffly his body moved.

The room didn’t stay empty before long, their presence was noticed and Shizune came storming out. Her lips were set into a fine line when her dark eyes laid on Kakashi’s lazy form. He had made himself comfortable, knowing that stabilizing would take hours. After that, he would be worked on, but he wouldn’t be one hundred percent. That didn’t particularly matter to Kakashi, he was only interested in Naruto making a full recovery. He and Sasuke had a lot of convincing to do and he’d rather do it when the young man would be able to understand.

“You two, come with me,” Shizune ordered, her heels clicking loudly on the tiled floor. She led them back to the back, not even looking if Kakashi and Sasuke were following. Briskly they followed, not even struggling to keep up with her harsh pace. It was obvious that something was bothering her with the way her shoulders were set. The thing was, Kakashi wouldn’t even ask her if everything was okay. He knew she would deliver the news soon enough.

Sasuke was silent, his mind trying to wrap around the fact that Naruto was seriously injured. It hurt more than he would ever admit to have received the news, especially from Sakura. The kunoichi would hardly engage him like many of her friends and his old peers. Sasuke had counted too much on Naruto pretending as though his defection had never happened and treated him as though nothing had happened.

He couldn’t deny being confused when Naruto started to avoid him and only address him in public. It was almost like he had been denying the bond they had shared from when they were genin. It hurt deeply, piercing his chest like a katana and twisting in his flesh. It had been Kakashi who caught him as he was drowning in his anxiety of not speaking to Naruto.  Sasuke had been aware that Naruto had been busy with missions,  but the amount of missions he took on was quite alarming.

The incident in the hot spring wasn’t supposed to happen as it did. They hadn’t expected Naruto to run off after getting himself off, instead Kakashi had calculated that the blond would approach them. The calculation was wrong, Sasuke had held his breath as he waited for Naruto to step out from the behind the rock. When it didn’t happen, Sasuke had demanded to be taken back home. He would never admit to sulking, instead he had plotted different plans to corner Naruto, but none of them worked. This more mature Naruto was more cunning and aware of his surroundings than his past self.

The mission Naruto took two and a half months ago was definitely a slap in the face. Sasuke wasn’t an idiot and he knew why the time away from Konoha was taken. When Naruto left, Sasuke had distanced himself away from Kakashi, blaming the man for his miscalculation and driving Naruto away from them. The questioning of Tsunade had given them little information and frustrated Sasuke all that more. It was putting a strain on their relationship and Sasuke was sure it would end soon.

Shizune stopped quickly, making both Kakashi and Sasuke almost bump into her. The air around them was charged with many emotions between the three of them. Anger, irritability and worry all tangled together to create an ominous cloud around them. It wouldn’t be something they could drag into Naruto’s room, it would hinder his healing.

“He’s in there. Naruto’s barely conscious and you’re not to stress him. I don’t have to tell you what Tsunade will do to you if you happen to hurt him.” Shizune’s gaze was sharp as she opened the door that led to Naruto’s room.

Sasuke’s breath hitched when he saw Naruto laying still on the bed. If it weren’t for his blue eyes being opened, he would have thought him dead. Nothing could keep Sasuke from approaching the bed and taking the bandaged in his own. His dark eyes held an emotion that very few had seen after he left Konoha years ago.

“Hey, bastard.” Naruto croaked, his hand tightening a little in the firm grip of Sasuke’s hand. He hurt from head to toe, Tsunade hadn’t even bothered to explain what had happened to him since it would have taken her ages.

“Moron, what the hell did you do to yourself?” Sasuke’s voice almost cracked when he heard the words from Naruto, confirming that the blond was in his right mind.

“Now, now, Sasuke, don’t antagonize Naruto. He’s had a rough time.” Kakashi’s voice was light and teasing, trying to keep the tension from the room.

Naruto was recovering and had just finished with extensive care. There were eyes peering into the room to check and make sure that Naruto wouldn’t be stressed. Kakashi clucked his tongue and walked over to the window to close the blinds. What happened now was only between Sasuke, Kakashi, and Naruto.