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Walking Corpse	By : suomynonakun Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 7267 -:- 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
- 13
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When Jiraiya walked into her office, Tsunade's hand instinctively flew to her necklace, squeezing it so tightly that it was digging painfully into her palm. He walked over to her desk, flopping tiredly into the seat in front of it.

"Sasuke stopped me," he finally said.

Tsunade sighed in both frustration and relief.

"But Naruto wanted me to," Jiraiya continued. "He understood."

"He shouldn't have to understand. This shouldn't be an issue. It isn't fair," Tsunade said, gazing out the window.

Three poofs sounded and Tsunade and Jiraiya found themselves looking at the former team seven.

Naruto had no shirt on and Jiraiya averted his eyes from the two thick scars that were visible on his stomach and torso. Sakura stood next to him, nervously looking at the two seated sannin. It was obvious that she had been informed of what had happened and was clearly troubled by it. Sasuke stood on Naruto's other side glaring darkly at them both. The 'if looks could kill' clich� instantly popped into Tsunade's mind as the vicious black eyes settled on her.

"Akatsuki is coming," Naruto said, breaking the tense silence that had overtaken the room.

"How do you know?" Tsunade asked, choosing to follow the young man's lead and ignore the fact that she had just ordered him killed earlier that night.

"Gamakichi."

Tsunade nodded in understanding. "How long before they are here?"

"Dawn," Naruto said.

Pushing aside the dread that threatened to well up inside her, Tsunade quickly flew into Hokage mode. "Alright, we need to ready the village. Sakura, gather chuunin and send them through the village. Get the villagers into the caves." Sakura nodded and disappeared; glad to have something to do.

"Jiraiya, send all jounin to the meeting room for debriefing, then warn the guards to be on the lookout for any suspicious movement." The sannin was gone in a poof.

"Sasuke, do the same with the Anbu." Sasuke didn't move, casting a glance at Naruto.

Tsunade saw this. "Naruto will join you in five minutes," she said, realizing her Anbu captain didn't want to leave Naruto alone with her.

Naruto met Sasuke's gaze, firmly telling him to go without words. Finally, Sasuke disappeared.
A thick silence settled over the room.

"Naruto," Tsunade began. "I'm sor-"

"Don't apologize. You made a decision to protect the village. I would have done the same."

Tsunade's rested her forehead against her left hand, her fingers momentarily blocking her eyes from view. She then stood, walking around her desk to stand in front of him. Reaching her hands up she pulled her necklace over her head.

"This is yours," she said, holding it out to him.

Naruto shook his head. "Save it for your successor."

"Why do you think I'm giving it to you?"

"You stupid old hag, I can't protect Konoha," Naruto said in exasperation, accompanying his statement with a roll of his eyes.

"Shut up you stubborn brat. According to Jiraiya, you were willing to give your life to protect Konoha. That certainly sounds like a Hokage to me," Tsunade said, the necklace still dangling from her outstretched hand. "And seeing as I am the Hokage and I have the final say in, well, everything, I'm telling you to put on the damn necklace before I kick your ass." She grabbed his hand, thrusting the necklace into it. "Anyone who succeeds me who isn't you, Rokudaime, will be the seventh, not the sixth."

Naruto gaped at her, the necklace hanging loosely in his fingers.

Tsunade reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Go ahead," she said quietly.

He looked down at the necklace and back at her before lifting it with now shaking hands and sliding it over his head until it rested around his neck.
"Now, I want you to go talk to Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou and see if they are willing to help us," Tsunade said with a smile. "But I would go find Sasuke first so he doesn't barge back in here, Chidori blazing."
~*~*~

Sasuke hated having to retrieve Neji for missions.

The Hyuuga community was surprisingly similar to the Uchiha's-the difference of course being that the Hyuuga community was teeming with life, even at ten at night, while the Uchiha compound had been silent and unmoving for over fifteen years.

It was a cruel reminder of things that could have been.

He stalked through the courtyard towards the main house, ignoring the inquisitive pupil-less stares that were directed his way. He knocked sharply on the door.

Light footfalls behind him caused him to turn to see Naruto approaching him, ignoring the fierce gazes of the Hyuuga's who recognized him.

"I figured I'd let you know I made it out of Tsunade-baba's office alive," he said when he had reached Sasuke.

"What's that?" Sasuke asked, his eyes immediately falling on the necklace that hung around his Naruto's neck.

Naruto gave a slight smile and a shrug. "Proof that the old hag's lost her mind," he said.

Before Sasuke could ask for clarification the door behind him opened.

"Uchiha-san?" a soft voice said. "Are you looking for Neji-niisan?"

Sasuke turned and looked down at Hinata, nodding at the petite woman.

When Sasuke moved, however, Hinata's face lit up into a brilliant blush as she saw Naruto standing behind him, wearing hip hugging pants and no shirt.

"N-naruto-kun!" she said, her stutter resurfacing for the first time in years.

Sasuke scowled as he watched a bright smile stretch across Naruto's face. "Hey, Hinata-chan."

"Sasuke," a deep voice spoke. Neji appeared suddenly behind his cousin who quickly moved out of the doorframe. "Do we have a mission?"

"Emergency meeting," Sasuke said. His gaze flickered to Hinata, who was still blushing, then to Naruto, who was still grinning happily. "Do you have a shirt Naruto can borrow?" he asked, his voice icy. "He's embarrassing your cousin."

Neji looked down at Hinata. Her cheeks had reddened even more at Sasuke's comment and she now looked positively mortified. The stoic Hyuuga genius looked then to Naruto, who was now glaring sourly at Sasuke, and back to Sasuke who didn't seem to realize his fists were clenched angrily. Neji resisted the urge to grin. Instead he nodded and turned, disappearing into the house to procure Naruto a shirt.

~*~*~

"What the hell was that for, Sasuke?" Naruto asked as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop towards Sasuke's next destination. Naruto really had other places he needed to be but he was going to find out why Sasuke had acted like a jerk first.

Sasuke glanced at the man next to him. Naruto was now wearing a long sleeved black shirt and, combined with the black pants, he blended into the night quite well, except for his shockingly red hair. "What?"

"You didn't have to embarrass Hinata-chan in front of Neji."

"I'm sure Hinata-chan will be fine," Sasuke ground out.

Naruto stopped running, surprising Sasuke, who also skidded to a stop. He did not expect to see Naruto grinning wildly when he turned to face him.

"You're jealous!" Naruto said, beginning to laugh.

"I am not," Sasuke said, crossing his arms and looking away in a huff. The slight blush on his face made Naruto laugh harder.

"Sasuke, Hinata is an important friend to me. She believed in me when I didn't believe in myself."

'I may appear strong to you, but that's because I act all tough because I'm so frustrated from always failing.'

'That's not true. Even when you always fail�you have the strength to get back up. I believe that is what true strength is. I-I think you are an incredibly strong person, Naruto-kun.'

Sasuke looked at him in surprise. He couldn't picture Naruto ever not believing in himself. He was always self confident, obnoxiously so when they were young.

"But she's just a friend, like Sakura," Naruto said with a smirk.

Sasuke turned his head again, realizing how stupid he had been.

Naruto laughed once more. "Orochimaru's coming and we're having a lover's spat."

Sasuke now seemed determined not to look at him, his cheeks remarkably red.

"Listen, Tsunade-baba asked me to talk to Gaara and find out if they are willing to fight with us," Naruto said. "I'll see you at the meeting."

"Naruto, wait," Sasuke said, closing the distance between them with a few long strides. "I know you're upset with me for not letting Jiraiya-" he trailed off.

Naruto patiently waited for him to continue, knowing the dark haired man wasn't finished.

"I know what it feels like to lose you. I'm just not ready to go through that again." Sasuke's looked at the ground. "And I can't be the one to�it's selfish, I know, but-"

Naruto's hand pressed softly against his cheek, a calloused thumb gently stroking pale skin. Sasuke's eyes looked up to meet his. "I understand," Naruto said. "It was unfair of me to let you get so close and then to ask something like that of you. But you need to realize that my greatest fear is that I will destroy Konoha, that, with my own hands, I'll kill you. You are my most precious person and I will die to protect you and this village. There's no greater honor I could think of. I understand that you can't do it yourself, but please, when the time comes, respect me enough to not stop it from happening."

Sasuke closed his eyes; fighting back the tears he felt building. He never cried-not since he had come home to find his brother had slain his entire clan. Since then he'd never cried. He'd never showed weakness. And until Naruto had returned he'd never loved. He was terrified. Never had he been so afraid of losing anything in his life. Because he knew if Naruto was gone, he would be truly alone.

"Why are you allowed to protect me but I can't protect you?" he finally said.

Naruto sighed. "I don't suppose a simple, 'because I said so' would be an acceptable answer, would it?"

Sasuke would not be selfish anymore. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he opened his eyes, giving Naruto a weak smile. "I suppose it will have to be, Hokage-sama."

Naruto's blue eyes widened. "How-"

Sasuke's hands ran up Naruto's shirt before tugging gently on the necklace. He pulled Naruto closer until they were inches apart, soft breaths washing over one another's faces. Finally Sasuke captured Naruto's lips in a chaste kiss.

"I'll see you at the meeting," Sasuke said, before turning and leaping from the roof.

With a faint smile and a shake of his head Naruto tucked Tsunade's necklace into Neji's shirt before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

~*~*~

The meeting hall was full of jounin and Anbu. A few chuunin were scattered throughout the room, but many were still in the village seeing that all the villagers made it to the caves.

Tsunade smiled when she saw the door at the back of the room open and Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou enter. Their presence meant that they had agreed to help and she couldn't be more thankful. Her smile faded slightly when she noticed that Naruto was not with the sand siblings. Glancing over to Sasuke, who stood in his position slightly to her left, she saw he was frowning. Obviously he was wondering about Naruto's location as well.

Shizune approached her, telling her it was time to start. Tsunade nodded, and began the meeting, still wondering why Naruto was late.

~*~*~

This far out it was silent. If he looked back towards the village he could see the lights blinking through the trees, but he couldn't hear the bustle of the villagers as Sakura and other chuunin ushered them to the safety of the caves.

Aside from the gentle glow of the stars it was dark. There was not even enough moonlight for shadows to be cast.

He was sitting close to the memorial, tracing his fingers across the names carved into the black stone. Many names had been added since he had last seen it. He'd almost laughed when he had run his fingers over his own name, recalling a time when he had sworn to Kakashi that he would have his name carved on the monument before Kakashi had explained what it was.

He knew several of the names on the monument, but one in particular surprised him and he jerked his hand back from the cool stone as if it had burnt him.

"You're going to be late for the meeting," a voice behind him said.

"You're the last person who should lecture on lateness, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said.

Kakashi moved closer, standing directly behind the sitting man. "Looking for anyone in particular?"

"Just paying homage to Konoha's heroes." There was a long pause before he continued. "How did Konohamaru die?" he asked quietly.

"A C-class mission that should have been A-class-kind of like your first real mission. He was escorting a woman to the Hidden Grass, but she didn't mention that her brother was trying to kill her for her inheritance. He was ambushed by three jounins. He was only a chuunin but he managed to protect her and kill them." Kaksashi paused. "The wounds he sustained were fatal, though."

Naruto numbly nodded. "I'm sure he was a good ninja."

"He gave his fair share of nosebleeds with your signature move," Kakashi said in a tone that made Naruto believe he was smiling under his mask. "But yes, he was a very good ninja."

Naruto finally stood and turned to look at his former teacher.

"Here," Kakashi said, holding his fist out. In the darkness Naruto could barely see the black cloth hanging from between the jounin's fingers. "I noticed you didn't have yours anymore. I guess you lost it in the fire."

He opened his hand and a leaf hitai-ate rested in his palm, the metal plate blinking in the starlight.

Naruto stared at it before reaching out and carefully taking it. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." He tied it around his forehead the way he had worn it when he was young, leaving his read hair loose.

"Guess we should get to the meeting," Naruto said, reaching down and picking up two objects that had been lying in the grass next to him. Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow, but made no comment at Naruto's possession of them.

~*~*~

Only those at the front of the meeting hall-Tsunade, her advisors, and Sasuke-saw Kakashi stroll in late. Tsunade's eyebrow twitched, but otherwise she made no acknowledgement of the troublesome jounin and continued explaining Orochimaru's approach and their defense plan without pause.

Sasuke saw Naruto enter behind their former teacher, a hitai-ate tied around his previously bare forehead. Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, taking in the weapons pouch around the red haired man's waist and the shuriken holster strapped to his right thigh. He hadn't had them when they had last parted.

There was something in Naruto's hand as well, but he could not see it as Naruto moved closer to the crowd.
Tsunade finished addressing her shinobi and moved over to Sasuke as the ninja began talking amongst themselves. "Sasuke, assign Anbu to begin patrolling the borders of the village. I want to be informed at any sign of the Akatsuki."
He nodded, stepping into the crowd.
Naruto moved to the back of the room and leaned against the wall. There was nothing to do now but wait for the attack, until then he'd make himself comfortable. He watched Sasuke weave his way through the crowd, pausing now and then to speak to an Anbu, who would nod then disappear.
He closed his eyes after a while, opening them again when he felt Sasuke's familiar presence approaching him.
Sasuke looked him over once, his gaze straying to the sheathed katana in his hand. Naruto held it out to him. "I thought you might want this," he said.
Sasuke took it, looking at Naruto in confusion.
"I had to go get my weapons," Naruto said, by way of explanation. "It took some digging, but I found it by my stuff, all of it unharmed. They were in the living room, so I guess the fire didn't get to them."
Sasuke nodded. "Thanks," he said, strapping the katana to his back.
"I don't know if you still want it, but I also found this," Naruto said. "It's a little charred, but mostly okay."
Sasuke stared momentarily at the fox mask in Naruto's hand. Of all the things he had thought he'd lost in the fire, the mask had upset him the most. The white mask was now slightly blackened on one side where it had come into contact with some flames, making it look as if the fox had two separate personalities.
He slowly took the mask from Naruto, hands clutching each side tightly.
"Funny choice of an animal," Naruto commented when he gave the mask to Sasuke. It was something he'd been wondering about for a while.
"It reminded me of someone," Sasuke said.
~*~*~
Neji was silently gazing into the thick forest near the northern wall of the village. Without looking he knew that beside him Tenten was doing the same. They were patrolling on the outside of Konoha in the hopes that if they caught sight of the Akatsuki early enough they may be able to keep the battle outside of the village.
Sasuke had dispatched the Anbu in groups of two in case of an ambush. As long as at least one was able to warn the Hokage, a surprise attack could be prevented.
He and Tenten were often paired together in situations that required two Anbu. They had worked together since they were genin and each knew the other's style as well as their own.
Neji was a natural loner and preferred working by himself but, although he would never say it out loud, Tenten was the only partner he liked. She was a strong fighter and skilled shinobi, plus, she was the only woman he could stand to be around (except perhaps for his cousin). All the other women he knew were so loud. Compared to Sakura and Ino, Tenten was absolutely soft spoken. She was also not one for idle chitchat-something most women seemed to find not only entertaining but necessary. It was pleasant for Neji to be able to sit in a comfortable silence with Tenten without worrying about her trying to start up a pointless conversation just for the sake of talking.
Movement in the shadows of the trees near them caught his attention and he instantly summoned the Byakugan.
"How many?" Tenten asked, looking in the direction he had first seen the movement from behind her rabbit mask.
"One, maybe two hundred," Neji said, reaching to the sheath on his right hip and pulling out his long dagger. There was the distant sound of cracking branches as if something large was moving quickly through the forest, ignoring the trees in its way. "And what sounds like one of Orochimaru's trademark giant snakes."
Tenten reached her arms behind her, gripping the hilts of the twin blades strapped to her back.
"No," Neji said, easily catching her movement with the Byakugan. "Warn the Hokage. I'll hold them off."
"Two hundred of them?" Tenten said, her hands remaining wrapped around her weapons. Yes, Neji was the genius of the Hyuuga clan, but even geniuses could be outnumbered. Not that Tenten thought that two hundred to two was any better odds than two hundred to one.
Neji turned to look at her and even though his face was hidden behind his falcon mask she could picture the firm set of his lips and otherwise impassive look that he always wore.
With a sigh she released her grip on her swords, pulling her hands in front of her in a seal. "I'll be right back," she said, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"Hokage-sama!" Tenten said the moment she appeared in the meeting hall. All talk stopped at her outburst and the eyes of everyone in the room were on her as she said, "One hundred to two hundred men and at least one snake out side the northern wall!"
Tsunade nodded grimly and Tenten immediately disappeared. Tsunade was about to dispatch shinobi to the northern wall when another Anbu appeared.
"Hokage-sama, at least one hundred men are attacking the eastern wall," he said before disappearing as quickly as Tenten. Neither Anbu was going to allow their partner to fight alone until reinforcements arrived.
Tsunade didn't waste any time. She started with shinobi that could handle numbers first. "Lee, Chouji, Temari, Kankurou-go to the northern wall."
"Hai!" Lee and Chouji said. Kankurou and Temari nodded and all four were gone in the next instant.
"Naruto, Gaara, Kakashi, Gai-to the eastern wall."
Sasuke watched as the other three disappeared in puffs of smoke without a word. Naruto sent him a small smile before exiting quickly out the door.
Shino, Ino, and seventy-five other's were sent to help those at the north, while Kiba and at least fifty more went to where Naruto was headed at the eastern border.
Sasuke frowned. Why hadn't Naruto teleported?
Sudden realization hit him and he nearly went after the redhead right then. Naruto still had the five point seal on; his chakra was useless to him.
"Sasuke," Tsunade said. Sasuke looked up to see the woman standing right in front of him.
"Naruto still has the seal on," he said.
She looked at him in surprise. "I know," she told him.
"He can't use chakra that way, how is he supposed to fight in a battle?"
"I sent Gaara with him," she said.
Of course, Sasuke realized. Gaara could remove the seal, and he was protective of Naruto. He would be okay. He nodded.
Tsunade continued with her reason for addressing him in the first place. "I don't want to send out anymore shinobi until we are sure there is no attack from the west or south. Go to your Anbu patrolling there and make sure there is no threat."
Sasuke nodded and was about to leave when she continued. "Take Hinata. With the Sharingan and the Byakugan both looking you won't miss anything."
It was then he noticed the small woman standing behind the Hokage.
"Let's go," he said to her, not waiting for an answer as he disappeared.
~*~*~
A/N: Forgive me for the long wait. I actually had to do some work last week, midterm papers and the like. Unfortunately college students do occasionally have to write things other than fanfiction.
As I was flying home for spring break the flight attendants were explaining how the seat cushions could be used as a floatation device, and the first thing that came to my mind was that if we crashed in the water I would have lost this entire chapter. Priorities, eh?
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Walking Corpse