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Walking Corpse	By : suomynonakun Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 7268 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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 List
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The first thing he could feel when he woke was a soft hand resting on his arm. His eyes were heavy and it was a considerable struggle for him to open them, only to have to immediately squint in order to block out the bright light that invaded his senses.
When his eyes adjusted he looked towards the hand on his arm to see that it belonged to Sakura. The pink haired woman gave him a weak smile when she saw he was awake.
�How are you feeling?� she asked.
Sasuke glanced around the bland white room, realizing he was in the hospital.
�What happened?� he asked, pushing himself into a sitting position.
�Naruto lost control of Kyuubi,� a voice from behind Sakura said.
Kakashi was leaning against the wall by the door.
�That much I know,� Sasuke said, glancing at his sore shoulder to see the wounds. They were nothing now but pink scars. �Is Naruto okay?� he asked.
�Gaara managed to wake him up,� Kakashi said.
�He made sure you were alright then ran off,� Sakura told him.
Sasuke quickly looked at her. �He�s gone?�
�We haven�t seen him since last night,� Kakashi said.
Sasuke tossed the sheets from his lap and made to get out of bed.
�Sasuke!� Sakura admonished. �You need to rest.�
Sasuke ignored her.
�He�s still in Konoha,� a monotone voice spoke from the doorway. Kakashi looked next to him in surprise. He hadn�t even sensed Gaara approaching.
�Are you sure?� he asked the sand nin.
�Yes. I can feel him. He is still here.�
�Where is he?� Sasuke said, getting to his feet.
�Sasuke,� Sakura protested. �You really shouldn�t�� She stopped when Kakashi tossed Sasuke a pair of pants and a shirt and sighed.
�All your stuff was destroyed in the fire, Kakashi told him. �You can borrow this for a while.�
Sasuke nodded his thanks, pulling on one of Kakashi�s typical jounin uniforms without the vest. When he was dressed Sasuke looked to Gaara once more. �Where is he?� he asked again.
Gaara looked out the window and Sasuke followed his gaze, realizing exactly where Naruto had to be.
�Sasuke,� Kakashi said, tossing another shirt at him. �He might want this.�
~*~*~
It took a little while for Sasuke to reach the top of Mt. Hokage. In the twenty something years he had spent in the village he had never been on the monument. He actually wasn�t sure if anyone was even allowed to be up here; he�d never heard any rules forbidding it, but this was a monument and a place of respect.
Sasuke wasn�t surprised to see Naruto sitting comfortably between several rocky spikes that were a part of the Fourth�s hair.
If Naruto sensed his presence he didn�t turn, and Sasuke carefully made his way along the Fourth�s head until he finally stood next to him.
Naruto�s knees were pulled up to his bare chest and his arms were wrapped around his legs. His chin rested on his knees as he stared out over Konoha. The sun had risen several hours ago and the center of the village was slowly filling with people as shops began to open.
Sasuke took a seat next to Naruto. He looked more weary than usual, but his eyes remained their normal bright blue. His hair though�it had grown redder since last night. It now looked as if Naruto was a redhead with blonde highlights rather than the other way around.
�Are you okay?� Naruto said, still looking out over Konoha.
�I�m fine,� Sasuke answered.
They sat in silence for a while, admiring the view, until Naruto spoke, this time looking at Sasuke. �I�m sorry I burned down your house,� he said, looking extremely distressed.
Sasuke shrugged. �It was just a house.�
�You grew up there,� Naruto said incredulously.
�By myself,� Sasuke said. �It�s where Itachi killed my parents. There aren�t many good memories there.�
The wind picked up, ruffling both men�s hair. Sasuke saw Naruto shiver.
�Here,� he said, handing him the extra shirt Kakashi had given him.
�Thanks,� Naruto said, taking the shirt.
Sasuke felt his face beginning to grow warm as he watched Naruto�s muscles contract and expand as he pulled on this shirt. He turned his head and fought down the blush as he remembered running his hands over the smooth skin the night before. He found himself staring at the large face of the Third. He appeared much younger in the monument than Sasuke remembered him, having had his face carved in the rock long before the deep wrinkles had begun to appear on his face. Sasuke wasn�t able to fully see the faces of the Second and First around the Third.
Turning to the other side Sasuke examined the young face of the Fifth�Tsunade, the current Hokage.
�At your�funeral�Tsunade said she had picked you to be the Sixth,� Sasuke said.
Naruto shrugged. �Once upon a time ago.�
�Are you going to do it now that everyone knows you aren�t dead?�
Naruto snorted. �I can�t protect Konoha like this,� he said. �People need to protect Konoha from me.�
Sasuke frowned. �You gave up on your dream that easily?�
�Dreams die hard and you hold them in your hand long after they turn to dust,� Naruto said quietly. �Becoming Hokage is a dream that�s now far out of my reach.�
�When did you become such a pessimist?�
Naruto laughed. �I�m not a pessimist, I�m a realist. You saw what happened last night. I destroyed your house and tried to kill you.� Naruto cut himself off, running a frustrated hand through his red hair.
�You fell asleep,� Sasuke said. �It�s not your fault.�
�I got careless. We shouldn�t have��
�Don�t,� Sasuke interrupted, a scowl on his face. �Don�t regret what we did because of Kyuubi.�
Naruto sighed and Sasuke was surprised when he leaned over, resting his head on Sasuke�s shoulder.
Naruto�s only regret about the night before was the unfairness to Sasuke.
There wasn�t enough time, Naruto knew. If his hair was any indication, Kyuubi�s influence was rapidly growing. He could almost hear the fox in his head now and the instinct to kill was stronger in him than ever before. Kyuubi was able to trap him in his memories�he was gaining too much control. Naruto understood that the seal had been progressively weakening as the years had gone by. The comforting presence that had kept Kyuubi somewhat separated from him was fading and soon it would be gone completely.
The five part seal was keeping the fox�s chakra at bay for now. He could feel that both chakras within him were now separated, but they were becoming unstable because they couldn�t mix. Soon he would need Gaara to remove the seal. After that Kyuubi would have free reign again and this time Naruto was sure the fox was planning to attempt breaking the seal for good.
He had spent the last several hours considering his options but, as usual, only one seemed apparent.
�Sasuke,� Naruto began tentatively. �I�m losing.�
�Losing what?� Sasuke asked, looking down into the red hair that was on his shoulder.
�Kyuubi�s going to take over soon,� Naruto told him, lifting his head and looking into Sasuke�s dark eyes.
�You�ll fight him off again,� Sasuke told him, his lips curled into a frown.
�No,� Naruto said. �He�s going to take over completely.� He needed Sasuke to understand. Once the seal was broken there was no way Naruto could fight the fox.
Sasuke was staring at him intently, apparently trying to judge if Naruto was serious.
�The seal is weakening,� Naruto said, standing. He lifted his shirt, using a bit of chakra in order to make the seal on his stomach appear.
Sasuke had only seen the seal a few times before, when they were younger. It looked the same, a spiral around Naruto�s navel with several markings that looked like flames around it. But now it was a faded light gray color rather than the solid black it had once been.
Sasuke stood as well.
�Sasuke,� Naruto said, serious. �Someone needs to stop me before Kyuubi takes over.�
Sasuke knew what Naruto was trying to say, but he shook his head. �We should go talk to Tsunade. I�m sure she�ll be able to strengthen the seal.�
�She�s been looking for ways to since I left. There�s nothing else that can be done.� Naruto reached his hand out, placing it gently on Sasuke�s cheek. �My death is his death.�
There was a long silence as Sasuke searched for something to say, someway to show Naruto that death was not the only option.
Naruto�s voice invaded his thoughts in a whisper. �I want it to be you.�
�Naruto don�t be stupid!� Sasuke snapped. �We�ll figure out something else.�
Naruto dropped his hand back to his side. �Sasuke, I�ve been trying to �figure out something� for the last ten years. There is nothing to figure out. He�s going to take over. I will not let him use my body as a medium to kill everyone who�s important to me!�
�So instead I have to kill the only person who is important to me?� Sasuke said, his voice rising. �No. I won�t do it.�
�Sasuke,� Naruto said quietly, looking towards Konoha. �I don�t want to ask anyone else.�
�Don�t want anyone else to have to deal with it?� Sasuke snapped. �You�ll spare them the pain. Just leave it to Sasuke, no need to stain anyone else�s hands.�
Naruto shook his head. �No. I don�t want it to be anyone but you. I want you to be the last thing I feel.�
Sasuke closed his eyes tightly, swallowing the lump in his throat.
�Only you can do it,� Naruto said, moving towards him and closing the gap between them. He reached out and laced the fingers of his right hand through Sasuke�s left, gently lifting their hands to eyelevel. They both looked at the hands, and Sasuke immediately understood the significance.
�I�ve used Chidori on you three times and you haven�t died,� he argued, resolve cracking with his voice.
Pulling their intertwined hands towards his chest, Naruto smiled. �You never aimed for my heart.�
Sasuke grabbed Naruto, pulling him into a tight hug and burying his face in the soft once blonde locks. �Please don�t ask me to do this.�
Naruto didn�t respond, instead he wrapped his arms around Sasuke, both giving and taking comfort from the contact.
�Let�s go back to the village,� Naruto finally said. Taking hold of Sasuke�s hand, Naruto began to lead them off the Fourth�s head. Naruto�s free hand subconsciously settled on his stomach, clutching the fabric of the shirt directly above the seal. With the five part seal still in place Kyuubi would be unable to take over. But it had to be done soon.
~*~*~
All Shikamaru had to see was the firm set of her lips and the fiery glare in Ino�s eyes as she advanced on him to know that, somehow, once again, he was in trouble. Since the other night when he had almost died in the forest, Ino had treated him nicely. Actually, more than nice, the young woman was almost�sweet; however, judging from her expression, the terrifying blonde was back to her normal self.
He looked around for a means of escape but he had been standing in plain view with Chouji and the former Team Eight. They were on the outskirts of town, meeting up before going to lunch. Kiba had told them about the rumor that Sasuke�s house had caught on fire last night and Hinata, in her quiet voice, had been saying that they should go visit him and offer to help him if he needed it, when Chouji and Shikamaru had felt the intense aura that had for years caused them to try and flee.
With relief Chouji saw the look was directed at his best friend and took a step towards Kiba, Hinata, and Shino, giving Shikamaru plenty of room to dodge any blows sent his way.
�You knew, didn�t you Shikamaru?� Ino said when she reached him, ignoring the other four ninjas completely.
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Why was he always getting yelled at for knowing things?
�What?� Shikamaru asked.
�Kyuubi,� she hissed. Shikamaru�s eyes widened. Chouji and Team Eight looked between them curiously.
�How long have you known that Kyuubi was sealed in Naruto?� Ino said.
�What?� Kiba blurted, staring at her. They had all heard stories about the Fourth defeating the nine tails fox demon called Kyuubi.
�Why weren�t we ever told?� Ino said.
Shikamaru was angry. Ino was obviously upset but it wasn�t right for her to go around telling everyone. �You weren�t told because it�s none of your business,� he snapped, surprising everyone. �The Fourth sealed Kyuubi in him the day he was born. No one from our generation was allowed to know because the Third knew that we would hate him the way the older generation did. The way our parents did.�
�That�s why everyone was such assholes to him?� Kiba growled. Akamaru whined at his master�s anger.
�It explains why so few came to his funeral,� Shino said, thoughtfully.
�Poor Naruto-kun,� Hinata said sadly. �It�s not his fault.�
�He�s our friend,� Chouji said with a nod of his head. �If we had known why the villagers treated him the way they did, we could have defended him.�
Shikamaru blinked at them all. He hadn�t been sure how his friends would react, and part of him assumed they wouldn�t stop and think about the Naruto they knew as a person and look at him the way everyone else did. He was happy to be wrong for once.
He was pulled from his thoughts when Hinata stepped forward. �Naruto-kun!� she called with a wave. Her call of course was still very soft spoken.
The rest of the group looked to see two men walking side by side, heading from the direction of Mt. Hokage. The shorter of the two smiled timidly when he heard her call his name and saw the group. He raised his hand in greeting.
They were all looking at him strangely and Naruto felt his smile falter. His eyes fell on Ino, who was glaring at him, and he suddenly realized what the looks were for. Ino must have told them.
Sasuke caught the sudden tensing of Naruto�s body and he found himself glaring at everyone.
�Why?� Ino asked, looking between them. �Why are you with him? How can you trust him? He almost killed you!�
�That wasn�t his fault,� Sasuke growled dangerously, noticing Naruto�s wide blue eyes.
Ino whirled on him, surprising everyone. �That�s not what I�m talking about!� she said, eyes blazing.
It was Sasuke�s turn to be wide eyed as he backed away from the angry woman.
�You put a Chidori through his chest at the Valley of the End! You wanted to kill him!�
Everyone�s eyes were now on Sasuke, who had lost what little color his pale skin usually had and was now ghostly white.
�Ino, stop,� Naruto�s calm voice said.
�How can you stand there pretending it didn�t happen?� she asked. �You told me yourself that that was your worst memory.�
Naruto saw the stricken look that momentarily crossed Sasuke�s face.
�Ino,� Naruto said. �When I said it was my worst memory I wasn�t referring to what Sasuke did.�
Both Ino and Sasuke looked at him in surprise.
�It�s the worst because I failed that day. By losing, I let my best friend go off to what could have been his death. I couldn�t protect him.�
Everyone was now staring at him. Naruto had grown up, they realized.
�Besides,� Naruto said with a shrug. �Losing to this bastard is embarrassing.�
Sasuke snorted and the tension that had settled over the small group dissipated.
�Naruto,� Kiba said seriously, moving to stand in front of the whiskered man. Both Naruto and Sasuke tensed, waiting for the inevitable question: �Why did you leave?�
He looked at the scruffy man in confusion when Kiba asked his actual question. �What the hell did you do to your hair?�
He had completely forgotten that he wasn�t wearing his hitai-ate.
Kiba grinned. �I know you�re friends with Gaara but really, I wouldn�t take fashion advice from him. Red is not your color,� he said, tossing an arm around Naruto�s shoulder and dragging the poor confused man towards town. �Come on, we were on our way to get lunch.�
Sasuke almost smiled when he heard Naruto ask, �Ramen?� with that same hopeful tone he had always used as a child.
Shino and Hinata followed their former teammate and the old Team Ten began was right behind them. Naruto looked over his shoulder, sending Sasuke a smile and, seeing this, Kiba called back, �You coming, Uchiha?�
Sasuke shrugged and looked away, hiding his smile as he followed them.
~*~*~
Tsunade thanked Kakashi before dismissing him, having been debriefed on exactly what had happened at the Uchiha residence the night before. When the silver haired jounin was gone, Tsunade turned to Jiraiya, who was leaning against her wall. His thick arms were crossed and his head was down with his chin resting on his chest. His comfortable positioning and closed eyes made him look asleep, but Tsunade knew better.
With a sigh, Jiraiya looked up.
�This is the second time in less than a week,� Tsunade said.
Jiraiya didn�t look at her. �He�s losing control.�
Tsunade tiredly rubbed the bridge of her nose, suddenly thankful for the jutsu that kept her always appearing young. Without it, the stress of the job she held would have made her look even older than she actually was. �God, I need a drink,� she said. �I�ve looked through all the books and scrolls I have access to. I can�t find any way to strengthen the seal.�
Jiraiya didn�t answer her.
�I�m the Hokage,� Tsunade continued. �I have to think about the protection of Konoha. If he can�t keep control anymore�� she trailed off, burying her face in her palms. �Everyone is in danger.� Her voice was muffled behind her hands. �Not just Konoha, but everyone. Letting him leave Konoha would be the same as sicking Kyuubi on other villages.�
Jiraiya finally spoke. �Are you honestly thinking what I think you are?�
Tsunade didn�t look up, but the tensing of her shoulders was all the answer Jiraiya needed. �I don�t know what else to do,� she said, and he could tell she was crying. �Give me another option, Jiraiya. Please.�
But Jiraiya had no other options. As much as admitting it made him feel sick, Tsunade�s solution appeared to be the only one.
Tsunade finally looked at him, tears sliding down her face, and Jiraiya realized that, despite her jutsu, she looked old and tired. �I�ll send a team of Anbu,� she said.
�No,� Jiraiya said, pushing himself from the wall and striding to the center of the room. �I�ll do it. He was my student and I will not have him killed by a team of Anbu like he�s some missing nin.�
Tsunade nodded weakly, looking out the window. �I�ll leave it to you then,� she said quietly.
Jiraiya said nothing else as he exited the office.
Tsunade sat at her desk, clutching the necklace hanging from her neck. Naruto had handed it to her before he left.
�This should stay with you, Tsunade-baba. You�ll take better care of it than I would.�
Her grip tightened as she stared at Mt. Hokage.
~*~*~
A/N: Not a lot of action in this one, but sometimes things just need to be talked over. It�ll pick up next chapter, I promise.
The phrase Naruto says, �Dreams die hard and you hold them in your hand long after they turn to dust� is a quote from the movie Dragonheart and not mine.
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Walking Corpse