Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Sector Five	By : FlairForTheVeil Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2292 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor its characters. Rightful ownership belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I make no profit of this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Chapter 16: Broken Bonds: Part I

Naruto nodded and squeezed his pinky finger before sending Sasuke an intense look and releasing their hands. The blond fell back into a defensive position, knife held firmly in one hand and the other resting atop his Jericho.
“We’ve got each other’s backs, okay?” the blond said, maintaining their eye contact.
He nodded. Sasuke swallowed roughly and slowly loaded his rifle, casting a vulnerable glance towards the blond. It was always Naruto’s words that never ceased to amaze him. The only other person he’d ever made a promise to was Itachi, and that was because his brother was the person he trusted most. Sasuke would take a risk for once, putting his safety in his best friend’s hands and enforcing Naruto’s own safety.
This was the first step, right? This was the first step to truly liking someone, in a romantic way? Sasuke thought to himself and pursed his lips when he noticed his palms were sweaty and beginning to slip on the metal of his gun. He licked his lips and discreetly opened his palms one at a time, allowing them to air out.
Itachi had told him never to be afraid. His brother had told him that taking a step towards strength was admitting weakness instead of nursing it like a wimp. Maybe he had predicted this in Sasuke, because he had given him a whole speech about their brotherhood and about how it was unchangeable and relentless. Itachi told him that he would always love him, no matter what. So Sasuke believed him and reluctantly stood up from where he had fallen flat on his face in his mind and escaped the camp to read.
A couple of days ago, Sasuke had made the final step in finding himself. He had already acquired so much from his friends and family, the outdoors and training. It was ever since Naruto came into his life that he felt confused – all of the mental and physical attributes. It irked him that he found the blond so passionate and caring, understanding and energetic, empathetic and protective of the ones he loved. To top it all off, Naruto was irritatingly handsome. Sasuke was exhausted of feeling so confused – it was like running in circles, over and over again. Why did thoughts of Naruto plague his mind so often? Why was it so easy to hover around the boy and enjoy his presence, listen to him talk and watch his tanned face as Sasuke spoke?
If Sasuke couldn’t figure it out himself, there were things as concrete as research and advice. He had sought out books on friendships, more than friendships, and a bit more than that. Living out here and deceiving the Sectors was a crime, so would liking another man be any worse than this situation already was?
But he was still confused. He guessed there was no helping that, this being his first interest in someone. It was odd that he never picked up an interest in Karin or Suigetsu, but Naruto held his own unique qualities. He emitted some warm aura that set Sasuke’s guard at ease and his body more relaxed rather than tense. It was protective and comforting to everyone around him, and it was both a blessing and a curse when the blond opened his mouth.
Naruto had taught him meaningful, albeit very few, lessons about a positive view in life. The boy would pick up a can of rotten vegetables, immediately drop it and suggest they hunt. He would glance at a store with its shelves ripped scarce and keep searching the city to make sure that they were warm and healthy. Naruto would fall off a building, hit his head so hard he forgot his own name, shatter multiple bones and nearly destroy his eardrum all before safely securing his friends. Naruto would lug an injured Sasuke over his shoulder and demand Karin to use her medical knowledge before sprinting to the nearest clinic. He had mind so quick, acquired from the military, to prioritize and secure others before himself. The boy had a will of searing fire, a desire to live and love to the fullest even though he was no more than an orphaned puppy eating scraps off the road; no wonder it had burned Sasuke, whom had scooted a bit too close to the warmth Naruto offered. But it was all so optimistic, even with their world in ruins like this. Sasuke wanted that desire, his drive, that point of view in life that made everything seem so wonderful. Maybe, if the idiot would take his aiding hands away from everyone’s shoulders, he would glance at Sasuke and assist him in fulfilling his own selfish desires.
Sasuke was but an abandoned cub, without Itachi to hover over him. He wasn’t dependent, but he didn’t want to be alone in this world. Maybe his whole world would stop spinning, spun wildly by the Sectors and their robots and guards, if he looked at one person to rid himself of the dizziness. This person was certainly worth it. Naruto hadn’t and Sasuke knew that he wouldn’t let him down.
He breathed heavily but silently from his mouth, sucking in dry gasps of cold air that left his throat dry and burned his lungs. His eyes flickered from the woods to Naruto’s stern and focused face. Sasuke couldn’t concentrate, not in silence and subjected to his thoughts. He tried to glare into the woods, steadying his stance and attentively scoping the fine foliage. But that was the more aggravating part of this romance shit, Sasuke thought, as his thoughts kept directing to the blond’s physique and strong jaw, blue eyes and characteristically wild hair. The back of his neck and ears seared once his thoughts screeched around a corner and he remembered a time when Naruto had spilled soup on his shirt and tossed it to a corner in their tent, revealing ridiculously formed shoulders and subtle muscles on his abdomen.
There he fucking went again. The looks were irresistible, something Sasuke had noticed from the very start. He wished Naruto would put his damn hood up. Out of sheer annoyance, he finally glared once and for all into the woods, ready to paint the bark with officials’ brains once they entered.
In absolutely no way would these military men live on. Every single weapon and medallion adorning their uniforms they brought with them, Sasuke would destroy. No being that put his camp under such fear and alertness deserved to live any longer than the period of time the camp had been on high security. Sasuke would make sure to make his final strike vicious and efficient.
Suddenly, he could faintly hear a hum of voices within the woods. Just two of them. Sasuke tensed and Naruto’s ears seemed to perk up from the corner of his eye, the blond’s stance faltering in its firmness. Some loud rustling could be heard, obviously the movement of trees and a few thumps that Sasuke guessed were trips on hidden roots under the snow.
“Hey…” Naruto picked up on the distinct voices more quickly than Sasuke did, failing to return to his defensive stance. He sent the blond an urgent look, hoping the idiot would return to the stance and wipe the vulnerability clean off his face.
The two voices were deep and unhurried and four series of footsteps could be distinguished from the heavy rustling of foliage. The closer they got, the more the low-hanging branches around them moved and the more recognizable their voices became.
Sasuke blinked and stepped back a bit, lowering his gun but wearily eyeing the woods. “Itachi…?” he called, furrowing his brows and hoping that he hadn’t made a mistake.
The voices lulled in their leisurely conversation and a single boot was unveiled from the forest, followed by a familiar black pant leg and hunting shirt.
“Sasuke,” Itachi breathed, rushing forward to his little brother and setting his hands on narrow shoulders.
Itachi gently set his hand into soft spikes of hair and pulled his little brother’s head under his chin, resting his head atop Sasuke’s and breathing a sigh of relief. He squeezed Sasuke’s back and nearly jumped when the hug was hesitantly returned, a light squeeze around his face and the warming of his chest from Sasuke’s heavy breaths. A few muscles jumped in Itachi’s jaw as he eyed the unkempt camp before him, ice coolers strewn over into sand and the shatters of reusable water bottles littering the floor. He closed his eyes and thanked Kami that she had kept his little brother safe while he was gone.
“I’m so glad that you’re safe,” Itachi murmured and pushed the teenager away from him, giving him a simple one-over to ensure that he was completely uninjured. He acknowledged that Kami wasn’t the only factor in keeping Sasuke safe.
Sasuke nodded, chest warming with the attention and appreciation of Itachi’s return. He opened his mouth to tell Itachi that, in fact, he had just gotten it off the other day, but quickly clamped his mouth shut once reality fell cruelly back onto him. His older brother released him from his embrace and turned to Naruto, exchanging a few calm greetings. Kabuto was revealed to be directly behind Itachi, his face detached and eyes bloodshot. There was a heavy-looking military grade duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Kabuto’s short ponytail was matted in slosh and his face grimy with sweat, a few small holes torn into random areas of his cotton tee.
“I see you got your cast off,” the silver-haired man said smartly, blinking heavily and glaring down at Sasuke.
“That’s not important right now,” Sasuke snapped, more fervishly than he had intended to. “There’s m-“
Kabuto raised his hand so quickly that Sasuke nearly blocked it, realizing it was a gesture only a few seconds later. Kabuto had silenced him.
“Sorry, it’s been a long day. About the officials, we already know,” the man said and lowered his hand back to his side. “Shino already filled us in back in the woods. What the hell is he doing in a tree?”
Sasuke nodded hesitantly and completely lowered his gun, just now noticing that only Naruto stood with them now. They exchanged a look that spoke degrees about Kabuto’s attitude and appearance, the automatic weariness that came along with him.
“Anyway,” Kabuto removed his glasses and used the end of his shirt to clean the lenses. “Why don’t we make our way to camp? I have a few announcements to make.”
“We’re on guard,” Sasuke repeated and furrowed his brows. “I’m sure it won’t be that hard to tell us right now.”
“Trust me,” Kabuto said and held his glasses into the sunlight, inspecting them and gingerly placing them on the bridge of his nose. “I’ve tracked five miles around this whole perimeter. There’s no one out there.”
“You can never be too safe,” Naruto deadpanned and set his hand on his Jericho.
“He’s right,” another voice interrupted and Shino exited the woods. “There’s no harm out there. I’ve been watching closely for a while now.”
Sasuke sent Shino a strange look, one stuck between bewilderment and annoyance. He was definitely an odd character. Kabuto snorted and made a short gesture for all of them to follow him.
Naruto and Sasuke shared yet another look, hesitantly returning their weapons to their resting places and slowly turning to follow Kabuto. They followed him to the center of the camp, where only a few members were lounging or sleeping. Ino had begun to explain the depth of their situation to Itachi, pointing towards a few directions and people in the camp.
“So where are Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi and Guy?” Itachi asked, glancing at the teammates flooding into the area.
Below him with his legs sprawled lazily and eyes glassed over, Konohamaru sighed explosively. “Didn’t we just fucking say that we don’t know where the hell they are?” the boy snapped, slitting his eyes up at Itachi.
“You absolutely won’t speak to me like that,” Itachi hissed.
“Stop it, both of you,” Ino interrupted and crossed her arms. “Kabuto. It’s nice to see you again, and I guess you’re wanting an explanation for all of…” she glanced around and held her arms up. “well, this.”
Kabuto raised his eyebrows. “Well, I was going to make a few announcements first,” he replied. “but I do guess I need an explanation for what the hell is going on here.”
Ino sighed and stepped closer to him. Sasuke glanced towards the mounds of sand on the ground, slightly spread like roots where someone had evidently played with it.
“We’ve already been invaded,” she explained and boldly pointed toward the sand on the ground. “Long story short, we let our guard down and the military replaced our food with training sand.”
Itachi grunted in surprise and furrowed his brows. “The one that they-“
“Yes,” Kabuto interrupted and bent over to smooth his hand over one of the piles. “This definitely looks like it. But you’re sure this wasn’t a prank within the camp?”
“I don’t know who would find that remotely funny,” Ino snapped.
Kabuto looked as surprised as everyone else had once they discovered over half of their food had been replaced by sand. “That’s odd… and here I thought I tracked thoroughly.”
“It’s been ten years since we’ve last seen the internal technology of the Sectors,” Ino sent him a sad look. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve already identified us.”
“I doubt that,” Itachi cut in. “Were there any other issues? It was a bad time for us to leave,” he sent Kabuto a light glare and crossed his arms.
“Only that. Like I told you, activity in the woods was scarce.”
A short, comfortable silence fell over the small group as they watched member by member enter the small area where Kabuto’s speech was to be made. Karin and Juugo situated themselves next to Sasuke, as most of the others stuck in their respective groups of three or four.
“Well,” Kabuto shook his head, a gentle smirk sliding across his features. “I guess I brought the right news at the right time.”
Kabuto looked around the congregation of the full camp, closing his eyes and smugly praising himself. Neji and Gaara had placed themselves on either side of Itachi, creating an inescapable barrier should the man try to flee from Kabuto’s reins. He almost snorted as Itachi sent his little brother a pathetically endearing look.
He guessed Itachi had not chosen to say goodbye. The man probably didn’t even understand what he was getting himself into. It was too easy for Kabuto to blackmail Itachi, too easy to tie Itachi to his imaginary strings and control him like a puppet. It was almost too easy, Kabuto sneered, but Sasuke played too important of a role in Itachi’s life for him to risk. The man was truly and sadly dedicated to his family. He should have known by now that it was every man for himself out here.
Sasuke watched Naruto’s eyebrows furrow as Kabuto pulled a strange, sleek white item out of the bag on his shoulder, no bigger than his palm. It was glossy and resembled a rounded square, dully pulsing an electric blue at irregular intervals.
“That looks like-“
“It’s not a Katon,” the man said calmly. “and it’s not an Identifier.”
Sasuke craned his neck to get a closer look while everyone seemed to cram into a circle. He and Naruto stumbled a few steps closer, the blond almost bumping into Kabuto’s shoulder. The item… it roused Sasuke’s suspicion more than what he was comfortable with.
“I’m sure within the past few years, you all have had campfire stories about the legendary military checkpoints,” Kabuto briskly said, an air of extreme and professional authority about him.
Naruto vaguely recalled Kakashi mentioning those things. They were like safe houses, he remembered, or like an evict’s haven. Abandoned and unpatrolled due to the government’s beliefs that their security was still working fine after ten years of idle activity.
Kabuto coughed gently into his hand. “I’ll be completely straightforward. This,” he bobbed his hand in the air to show off the sleek white object to his audience. “is something I tracked and unearthed from the government. It holds the information of all military checkpoints, including an automatic GPS to them.”
An air of disbelief more than surprise fell over the group. “The hell are you trying to say?” Suigetsu yelled from his lazy position on the ground, chewing on a piece of straw. Sasuke sent him no more than an irritated glance, truly engrossed in where Kabuto was heading with this.
Kabuto’s lips twitched in an annoyed grimace and he glared down at the boy. “I’ll show you all what I’m trying to say. Prepare yourselves.”
The man held his palm up once again and gently tapped the device. It immediately rang a number of notes and volumes, like hollow wind chimes against each other. He flipped it over to reveal a glossy black screen awakening, a small green dot blinking in the middle of a web of other straight and curved lines. Once the screen was finished loading, it quickly zoomed out and loaded the terrains around them, numbers flying by at the bottom of the screen. They were miles, statistics, longitude and latitude, coordinates, and for Kami’s sake there was today’s date - February twenty-ninth. Sasuke’s face went slack in awe. He hadn’t known the date for the past ten years of his life.
Ino gasped. “My… my birthday… it passed… I’m seventeen?”
“And I’m eighteen,” Shino murmured, his eyebrows softly knit together. “This is…”
“I can’t believe my youth is over…” Lee whispered from the back of the crowd.
A soft sniffle was heard at their feet. Naruto glanced down, almost regretting that he did – his heart squeezed in empathy at the sight of Konohamaru burying his face in his arms. “I’m fourteen?”
Ino gave the boy a watery smile and crouched to wrap an arm around his shoulder, kissing his forehead and petting his air. “We’re all older than we thought.”
“Well spoken,” Kabuto inclined his head. “Today is my birthday. Technology is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?”
It really was, Sasuke thought, almost tempted to reach out for it and touch it.
Itachi’s blood boiled in his veins, his head becoming hot and his heartbeat rising to his ears. Gaara and Neji had trapped him – trapped him from giving any sort of warning about the device and its uses. Kabuto was a truly sick man, he thought, willing enough to bring something as innocent as a birthday into the picture of his actual plan. The man worked with only his own mind and nothing else, which was a paradoxical cavern of orders and favors, a relentless one that didn’t forgive and blamed the nearest being by when something didn’t go his way. Itachi hated to admit it, but Kabuto was a mastermind – to travel with this group for over ten years and never rouse any questions about his loyalty towards it. He had discreetly recruited Neji and Gaara as he noticed their disinterest with the group, their slight rebelling with the group’s decisions, and their own harsh wills.
Kabuto had intricately and discreetly formed his plan, working behind the scenes as he travelled and stealing rather than gaining Sector information. He could so ruthlessly destroy someone from the inside out, finding their most precious reason to be alive and dangling it over their heads to follow Kabuto into the darkness. He was a puppeteer, who controlled everyone and everything but had nothing to lose but his own life. Kabuto had dangled the undoing of Sasuke over Itachi’s head, leading him into his plan and smirking all throughout his pain. He was a professional sadist, a madman with the right people to support his views.
“On to the more important matters,” Kabuto chided. “These dots here,” he pointed to three blue dots arranged in a triangle around them, scaled miles and miles away from where they currently were. “these are checkpoints. We are the green dot.”
The man cleared his throat slightly, the device’s light flickering in his palm. “What I’m saying is that… we don’t have to keep running from the military. We can outsmart them. We can live right under their noses, inside one of their old checkpoints, unbothered. We can survive there for the rest of our lives and never be bothered.”
Ino stood up from her crouch beside Konohamaru, tilting her head and inspecting Kabuto’s face carefully. “What will we do there?”
The edges of Kabuto’s lips turned up and he returned his hands to his sides, giving her an endearing look, one that might be passed between two lovers. He looked at her like a child who didn’t understand the simplest of things. “What we’ve always wanted to do,” he murmured. “Live.”
A brief veil of silence fell over the group, some turning to each other and furrowing their eyebrows. None of them were cold in their huddled positions. What Kabuto said – the way he had said it – it stroked Naruto the wrong way, rousing something in the back of his mind.
“But what are we doing?” the blond spoke up, throwing a hand up. “Aren’t we living out here?”
“You’re right, Naruto. We are living out here,” Kabuto replied and nodded to him. “But we’re living as products of fear and danger. None of you have properly experienced what safety feels like, how to relax for good without worrying about where you are. Some of you already have grey hairs, and by my means…” he sighed and shook his head. “for children, that is unacceptable. You all deserve to live out the rest of your teen years.”
Ino snorted and shook her head, crossing her arms with an incredulous look coming upon her face. “I’m sorry, Kabuto, but what you’re saying… it seems like we’re going to be doing exactly what we’re doing right now, just indoors.”
Kabuto’s head snapped back to her. “How many times does it take-“ he held his hand up, recovering from the break of his temper and closing his eyes. “We will live without fear and being targeted. There’s no chance of us dying behind closed doors.”
“I know I may look it, Kabuto, but I’m anything but a child,” Ino snapped. “I personally believe that we’re going to end up dead anyway. What if someone gets sick and it rounds the whole group? What if someone changes their mind and completely murders us all? There’s not enough canned and frozen food to feed us for the rest of our lives, Kabuto. I’m sorry, but…” she held up her hands and stepped back from the group. “This seems pointless and too risky. I feel like we’re living a good life out here.”
Neji scoffed and turned his body to her, curling his lips and shaking his head. “You call this the good life? Did we not just spend the past two days guarding for assholes that would never come because you’re too fucking paranoid, and are we not all on a maximum of four hours of sleep?”
“There’s a thing called naps, you ass,” Konohamaru stood up, his face slightly swollen and red from where tears had trailed down his hidden face. Neji was a full head or more taller than him, with muscles that could beat Konohamaru’s any day. “Maybe you should fuckin’ take one.”
“I don’t need advice from a fourteen-year-old,” Neji said, his face calm. “I don’t expect you to understand, anyway. You follow us around like we’re your parents and mooch off of our supplies, whining when you don’t get to sleep half of the day away. I don’t know where the hell you got this mindset from when we’re living in the middle of fucking nowhere with barely enough food to go around!”
“Why do you have to be such an asshole?” Naruto yelled and stepped into the circle, an arm’s length away from Neji and in front of the young boy. “Is it that hard to deal with other’s opinions if they’re not your own?”
“I wouldn’t expect a dumbass like you to understand, either,” Neji spat, scowling and baring his teeth. His pale irises swallowed his pupil, giving away no emotion or thoughts. “All you do is depend on others, especially Uchiha over there.”
The back of Naruto’s neck and ears scorched as he avoided glancing at Sasuke, who had made no interference whatsoever. However, his friend wouldn’t break up the fight, and he already knew that. Ino put both of her hands on either of their chests, opening her mouth to tell them to calm down-
“Why do you think you’re the best one around here, you fucking brat!” he retorted and clenched his fists. “At least I don’t let anyone down. You let Hinata down every fucking day, and she’s your damn c-“
“Neji!” a high pitched, female voice yelled.
A vicious bark was heard, Akamaru attempting to bound into the circle they all had formed. Kiba held the huge canine by the scruff of his neck, ordering him to back down and stay. He was digging his heels into the earth, using all of his weight to hold Akamaru back. The dog growled heartily, sending a shiver over the majority of the group.
Naruto blinked. He was on his back, a heavy weight constricting his chest and another on his throat, laboring his breaths. He glanced above him, the furious face of Neji parallel to his and pale eyes staring into his own. There were veins prominent in his forehead, though his skin remained unblemished. Naruto hadn’t noticed, but his wrists were chambered right above Neji’s face, his biceps straining with the force of the other’s strength.
The blond was struggling to hold Neji’s arm away from his head, his own hunting knife wavering less than an inch away from his forehead. Naruto grunted as his instincts set in, to defend himself and protect the others from this danger. He rolled Neji’s wrist into his dominant hand, using his left to fumble for one of Neji’s fingers. He used his thumb to roughly detach the other’s index finger from the rubber handle of his knife, quickly arranging his own fingers and turning his fist-
Neji yelled in pain, a heavy snap jarring Naruto’s hand and the knife away from his forehead. He twisted his head as the knife clattered against the ground, loosening his hand to let Neji’s broken index finger free. It had happened in a matter of seconds – to everyone else, Naruto had merely raised his hand. It seemed like minutes to him.
Neji growled and raised his opposite hand again, preparing to bury his fist in Naruto’s face. The blond scooted away from him, towards the rushing of feet behind him as everyone expanded the circle. Another dainty hand cupped the other’s fist in midair, Neji’s face flickering between rage and confusion.
Hinata placed her other hand on her cousin’s shoulder, grimly observing his features. “That’s enough, Neji,” she said, her body leaning over his to capture his fist.
His face twitched and he tried to shake off her hand to no avail. The years of self-defense and physical training Hinata’s father had put them through easily matched Hinata’s strength to his – but he couldn’t hurt her.
“Let go of me,” Neji growled and attempted to shrug her hand off his shoulder. He glanced behind him, immediately snapping his head the other way once he saw her eyes. Those same eyes they shared were glassy, filled with sadness, and worst of all, disappointment.
Neji glanced around himself, to his right, where Sasuke was in the midst of helping Naruto up, Karin ready to check his throat. His left, where Shikamaru had hurriedly yanked Ino out of the way when he dove at Naruto. His hands were still gripped on either of Ino’s arms, the blonde staring at him with obvious shock written all over her face. Finally, over the faint sounds of Naruto’s wheezing and the baritone of Sasuke’s voice, he fixed his eyes in front of him.
Kabuto stood with his feet shoulder width apart and a hand on the gun in his belt. “I see,” he said, observing the faces around him. “You’re weak, Neji. Stand up.”
Sasuke watched this all with a face as straight as stone, standing slightly in front of Naruto. He watched as Neji seemed to obey Kabuto’s order, placing his fist on the ground to rise into a kneel and slowly into a stand. He could feel a final, unspoken division between the camp members, a certain and tense static running through the air as everyone stared at the brunet in disbelief.
Kabuto sighed heavily and shut his eyes. “This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen, but…” he said, annoyance dripping into his voice. “I guess this is where we finally split.”
“Split?” Sakura questioned and scowled.
“I see you all have victimized yourselves and chosen the weak way,” Kabuto laughed gently and shook his head again. “Placing the blame on Neji when his actions were due to Naruto’s provocation.”
“He was standing up for me,” Konohamaru interrupted, his voice merely a croak.
Sakura glared at the man. “At least we stand together.”
Kabuto laughed again, shoulders quivering and covering his face with his hand. “I won’t beat around the bush. Surround me, my members.”
A hushed awe fell over the camp as Neji lowered his head and stood to Kabuto’s left. Sasuke turned his head to make sure that Naruto stayed right where he was at. He glanced behind him, seeing nobody move.
Then he looked ahead again, watching Gaara stand beside Kabuto. His face went slack as Itachi was the last one to rise, slowly walking to the other man and evading all eye contact. They stood a team of four, Sasuke’s blood feeling ice cold in his veins.
“I’m sorry to see that you all would rather live in misery, under the commanding words of a woman,” Kabuto spat. “But we have chosen a different route of life, one that leads to true happiness and power,” he announced and removed his handgun from his holster.
A few sharp exclamations of alarm were heard across the congregation.
“You’re…” Ino shrugged Shikamaru’s hands away from her arms, stepping forward once again to face Kabuto. “you’re disbanding?”
“Abandoning,” Gaara deadpanned.
“Gaara,” Ino breathed, her face devastated. “Your fa-“
“Shut up!” he yelled, contrasting to his completely stony face. “There is no hope in this group. I’ve come to realize that true strength lies in the Sectors and only the Sectors. Join us or stay living in this pathetic state.”
Naruto’s head throbbed, scowling and raising a hand to his temple. He felt pain, emotional pain, like a cold hand squeezing his heart and a grey mist shrouding his mind. He knew that he had been inseparable from Gaara in his life before this, and he knew that this was the subconscious ramification of their friendship in his mind. It was like he was sad, but didn’t know why – like the sympathy pains of two twins.
“I don’t pity any of you,” Kabuto chuckled. “You’re all too deep into your false, secure fantasy to even think about leaving one another.” He dug into his bag, once again taking the white tracker out again. “I think we might be out of time,” the man curled his lips.
He tossed Ino the tracker. She caught it, slightly fumbling with it due to her lack of understanding of what it was.
“I’m sure Nara knows the way signals work,” Kabuto scratched his nose. “He’s the only once with an ounce of hope out of all of you. Maybe I’ll see you in the custody of a Sector, maybe not. This is the final goodbye.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Ino rasped. “not at all.”
“You’re right,” the man replied boredly. “I chose to.”
Sasuke stepped forward. “Itachi, how can you-“
His older brother didn’t do as much as bare him a glance. “Don’t make a scene.”
“But we already have,” Kabuto bantered. “Ah…” he snatched the device out of Ino’s grip, tossing it over their heads. They all turned when a heavy thump didn’t emit from the earth.
They all turned, straining to see who Kabuto had thrown the tracker to.
“Thank you,” a deep, monotone voice said. “Go ahead and return to the headquarters. My team will take care of them.”
Sasuke froze. His mind, which was going a hundred miles a minute at the sight of Itachi standing with Kabuto, came to a screeching stop as he stared at the figure in front of him.
He swallowed heavily and planted his eyes on another man with strange markings on his face.
"I'm sure there are other evicts out here," the man said slowly and turned his head to observe the city. His long white hair swished gently when he turned, some of its strands tangling in the wind and sticking to his navy uniform. "Other survivors."
"In here?" The read headed man held out his arms. "Do we track 'em or let 'em die?" he sleazed.
The white-haired man tilted his head. "We'll kindly move out of their way," he stated. "For a bit."
"And then we'll take what we need," the man finished and smirked at Sasuke. The man set a hand on the classic revolver at his hip and pressed a button on his uniform, holding it up to his mouth. "Portion J, scouted. Clear, vague signs of life." He cast his eyes back to his group. "Let's move. We've stopped too long."
“’Sas, that’s-“Naruto was cut off.
“Yes, Lord Kimimaro,” Kabuto said and saluted the white-haired man. He turned, waiting for his lackeys to follow him into the opposite side of the woods. He raised his hand to his face, placing his nimble fingers on the frames of his glasses before tossing them to the side, one of the lenses popping out and gliding across the dewy grass.
Much to everyone’s disbelief, Neji reached forward and snatched his cousin right off her feet. Hinata shrieked and attempted to push him away, but he immediately pressing one of her pressure points to render her unconscious. He carried Hinata in his arms, a fresh scowl on his face and his lip between his teeth.
At that moment, the members of the group reached a mutual agreement without him, for Sasuke’s mind was somewhere else. Pure, unfiltered panic set into the camp and everything went into motion all at once. It was like his vision had turned into a vignette pinhole, zeroing in on Itachi. His quickened steps appeared to Sasuke like he was moving through gelatin, in slow motion. His short hair bobbed as he tucked a strand of it behind his ear, barely making eye contact with Sasuke – would he ever know if it meant something? To Sasuke, it spoke volumes – Itachi sent him a message that he didn’t think he was able to decipher.
“Itachi!” he yelled, his field of vision seeming to turn red. His fisted hand rose to his stomach, his face forming into a pained grimace as he watched his big brother walk away from him. Suddenly, Sasuke was thrown into a momentary memory that sent his mind reeling.
Sasuke was no older than six. It was early in the morning, right before they were both due to leave for school – sitting at their dining table and munching on the eggs their mother had cooked for them. Itachi checked his small superhero watch, stood up, and placed his dishes by the sink.
“Don’t leave, Itachi!” Sasuke said, not wanting to face his mean commander of his division without some comforting from his brother.
“I’m gonna be late,” the brunet said sadly and shouldered his school bag. “I’ll be back before you know it, Sasuke.”
“-achi!” Sasuke caught himself yelling again. His vision returned to normal and his brother quickly snapped his head around, running away from the camp circle with Kabuto, Gaara, and Neji. He almost expected Itachi’s long ponytail to gently bounce on his back or flow in the wind. But it wasn’t there anymore.
“Run as much as you all like.”
His neck snapped in the opposite direction, noticing that he was quickly moving away from the center of the camp, away from the triangular formation of military officials. They all carried a single classic revolver, all of their arms raised as the rest of the members released an onslaught of sloppy bullets. Sasuke’s eyes came into contact with the single woman there, with fiery red hair and a bandana over her head. She reminded him of Karin. She spat a strange substance onto the ground and used her teeth to change her magazine of bullets. His chest constricted under the warmth around it. His neck burned as he dragged in cold breaths of freezing air and his chest ached again.
He noticed that the thing constricting his chest was a shoulder, his own feet stumbling along with the familiar pair next to his. A further panic seemed to break out once it appeared one of their own had been shot in the leg, arm, chest – Sasuke didn’t know any more.
Naruto, like he always did, was yelling into his ear. In the back of his mind, he noted that Naruto was telling him something along the sides of “Snap out of it!” and “We need to fight, you ass!”
Naruto was tugging him, but where, Sasuke couldn’t see – his eyes had long since shut once a searing headache bloomed in his mind. His thoughts only focused on Itachi, confusion, anger, pain, and a deep-seated sadness that overcame his limbs. He had been betrayed, fooled, played.
They tripped and tumbled, obviously some opening in the woods on a side of camp Sasuke hadn’t been on. He painfully hit his shoulder on the butt of his gun, nearly dropping Kusanagi out of her sheath by the sheer force of his back skidding against the ground. Naruto had fallen on his front beside him, wiping his face of dirt and slosh.
His mind momentarily unclouded. Sasuke crawled on his hands and knees, struggling to reach for his gun. The Uchiha family crest shone iridescently on the butt of his gun beside him. Reality hit him, panging in his chest and mind. That family crest was the only physical reminder he had of Itachi.
His heart caught up with his mind and he choked on one of his breaths, burying his face in his arms. Itachi was gone. He knew that there was no changing his mind and that no begging for his brother to return was going to bring him back. He had a one track mind.
From the day Sasuke had been born, from the framed pictures of Itachi holding Sasuke as a newborn lost in One that day they left, in the stories of his mother and the vivid memories of his dad, never had it crossed his mind that Itachi would betray him. He had always told them that their brotherhood bond was the strongest, one that couldn’t be snared by anything.
“Are you okay? Sa-“
Sasuke’s whole body felt ice cold, but not because he was lying in snow. Each breath he took was labored, painful and loud, and he kept choking on them. He couldn’t breathe. The back of his eyes burned and he forced out another rough breath as another roll of Itachi’s words hit him, like pouring salt on a wound. He unconsciously tucked his legs into his chest, blocking himself out from the world as the ghost of Itachi’s memories robbed him of oxygen. He was wheezing and tears had begun to cling to his eyelashes, burning his eyes.
He felt so utterly powerless. There was absolutely nothing he could do to bring Itachi by his side again. He would probably never see the man again. All the words Itachi told him, the ones about the future Itachi had planned to keep him safe in, the memories of fighting side by side and Itachi protecting him to no end were lies.
But Sasuke had accepted it already. It was immensely confusing, but he knew Itachi well enough to know that the man had reasons. All the lessons and advice Itachi had ever taught and told him would stick with him for the rest of his life. Even though he had cruelly left his only family alone after a decade of strengthening their bond, he had a reason to. Sasuke didn’t know it, and he would probably never know it. Maybe he didn’t want to know it, but the pain of immediate acceptance was like a cold knife scraping at his heart.
“Sasuke!” Naruto whispered, shaking his shoulder and jarring him from his thoughts. His hand was warm. “Are you okay? Breathe!” The blond struggled to pick up his friend, Sasuke fighting against his prying hands and struggling to stay on the ground. He wanted to sort out his thoughts immediately.
Sasuke ignored Naruto’s pleas, though they momentarily interrupted the panic rising in his gut. His hands were gentle around his wrists with just a hint of characteristic sweat that they carried in situations like this.
“I’m here!” Naruto murmured harshly, sadly grabbing at Sasuke’s wrists each time he yanked them away to cradle his head in again. Naruto’s eyes burned, his heart clenching empathetically for his best friend. “Please listen to me,” he whispered.
Sasuke continued to have what the blond guessed was a panic attack in front of him, strangling himself with his arms and struggling to breathe. Naruto didn’t know whether to interfere or not, whether it would stop if he offered comfort or not. It was in his nature to automatically comfort his friends, and he thought that was what Sasuke most needed right now.
He noticed that the other’s struggles were beginning to weaken as he took in less and less oxygen. Was Sasuke really going to knock himself out? Naruto hurriedly turned him on his back, loosening his sweater collar around his neck. With no qualms, he wrapped his arms around Sasuke’s torso and buried his face in his heaving chest, humming in hopes that it would bring him back to the present. He remembered that his mother hummed into his chest as a child when he came home crying from school, freshly bullied and too nice to stand up for himself.
Above him, Sasuke coughed and dragged in more breaths, his arms still covering his eyes and a cold sweat on his neck. His interest was roused in the gentle shaking of his chest, almost tickling him. He lifted an arm enough to glance down at the mop of golden blond hair on his chest, some flecks of “dandruff” in his hair. He fondly remembered Naruto mistaking the snow for the stuff.
He distantly noticed the blond’s shoulders shaking against his abdomen, being dragged away from his mind. Sasuke removed his arms from his eyes, slowly and hesitantly placing them back at his sides and gazing down at Naruto. His heart was still racing and he was breathing in soft gasps. He vaguely remembered the other’s clumsy foot getting caught in a hidden tree root and then they were tumbling into the woods. He glanced to the side, where Kusanagi lay, and avoided looking to the other.
“Get off of me,” Sasuke said, pushing against Naruto’s head. His hair was thick and soft, responsible for claiming the wild locks and mind-boggling volume it held. The blond was heavy, most of his weight pressing against Sasuke’s stomach. For all the fuss he put up about Sasuke being heavy, he sure was one to talk.
In the distance, he heard the yells of their camp mates and the ongoing stutter of bullet after bullet. The shots rang out into the atmosphere, breaking the points of miles and miles within seconds and nearly sounding like fireworks.
Some snow melted on Sasuke’s stomach and he flinched at the coldness. He now knew that the blond just wanted to calm him down – but his simple touch had done that. Naruto had hugged him, bringing him back to the present and ripping himself from his mindful of memories. The churning in his stomach was still there, though, as well as the quickened beat of his heart – but those were things that came along with his mere presence. His touch was pleasant, warm and comforting. It covered Sasuke like a blanket and made him feel safe, almost drowsy.
“Are you okay?” Naruto pulled his face away from Sasuke’s stomach, looking up into his face and politely demanding an answer.
He didn’t have the energy or heart to glare at the blond. He sighed and nodded gently, sitting up when Naruto leant back on his haunches to let him. Sasuke scooted back, gingerly sheathing Kusanagi and slugging her on his back. He turned to his rifle, the Uchiha crest facing him and glinting almost like a sadistic wink. He scowled and grabbed the rifle, moodily shouldering it. The pale boy leant forward, digging into his boot to toss out some snow and a few stray sticks.
Sasuke accepted the hug that he sensed was coming. He could practically hear Naruto debating whether or not to give him one. It wasn’t exactly what Sasuke needed, but he knew that the blond felt more rather than he thought.
“I’m so sorry,” Naruto whispered into his shoulder, squeezing him roughly. Sasuke nodded and sighed, placing his hands on the back of his back, choosing not to rub or pat. His broad shoulders shook slightly and the bottoms of his boots were well worn and matted with dirt and grass.
Sasuke frowned. “Are you crying?” he asked, a bit bewildered that Naruto would be that affected.
“Maybe a little,” Naruto said, his voice muffled by Sasuke’s shirt. “and there’s nothing wrong with it.”
He snorted lightly at the blond contradicting himself. He had enough emotions for the both of them, maybe even three people. Sasuke felt truly calm, Naruto’s back warming his cold cheeks and his hair slightly tickling his neck.
“Why?” he murmured.
“Because,” the blond grumbled angrily. “you’re brothers.”
Sasuke sighed. He wasn’t surprised in the least bit that Naruto would go this far for him.
“And he was always watching over you. He was your only family, and now he’s…” Naruto trailed off, taking a few shuddering breaths between his words.
“But you don’t have any family, either, right?” he asked, hoping that he didn’t sound too critical or that it came out as an insult. He would leave it to Naruto to understand.
“No, but…” he pulled his face away from Sasuke’s shoulder slightly. “It’s just that he was here with you all this time. He… are you okay?”
“I already told you I’m fine,” he replied. “You always get riled up too easily.”
“So do you,” the blond retorted. “Sorry… he’s your brother, not mine…”
“How come I always have to tell you that it’s not your fault?” Sasuke sighed, slightly clenching his hands into Naruto’s shirt. “I don’t get why you’re the one doing all the crying.”
“’Cause I’m manly enough to,” Naruto said. He felt him shift his arm around Sasuke’s back to wipe his face. “and you’re just gonna go everywhere sulking.”
Why were they joking around mere minutes after his brother’s departure? Why did it seem both rational and irrational to completely ignore reality around one another, for their conversation to heighten to banter? It confused Sasuke. Naruto was literally all over him and asking him if he was okay not even ten minutes after Neji had held him at knifepoint.
He weakened their hug and gradually broke it off. Naruto’s eyes were slightly red, burning and feeling like they were dry. There was still so much more that he wanted to say, but kept to himself for the fear of upsetting Sasuke. He wanted to voice his feelings, emphasize the fact that Itachi had left his brother so that Sasuke would understand the pain a bit more. Sasuke’s panic attack was just the immediate ramification of the abandoning. Naruto truly didn’t want to see his friend suffer yet again from the stages of grief and loss.
“It sounds like they’re fighting,” Sasuke pointed out, seeming to amplify the gunshots and yells.
The blond gasped and glanced around them. They were barely inside the woods, shaded and covered by some thick palm trees. He wondered why an official hadn’t followed them. It was true that they were greater in population than the officials, as there had only been eight sent for them. They were different than the ones he and Sasuke had encountered in the city, only Kimimaro being in the same group.
“You know we have to fight,” Sasuke said, snapping him out of his thoughts. Naruto looked at him, black hair contrasting nicely against the ivory pallor of his skin and the soft white of the snow. His thin eyebrows were slightly brought together, a look of concentration rather than irritation.
“Aren’t I supposed to be saying that?” Naruto questioned, offering his friend a weak smile. “We can’t let everyone down.”
The way Naruto said “down” reminded Sasuke of an event back in the camp. “Holy shit… none of us helped Hinata.”
“What?” Naruto frowned. “Did she get hurt?”
He sighed. “You must have been watching the officials,” he said grimly. “Neji took Hinata with them.”
“What!” the blond yelled, jumping on his feet. “He… abducted her?”
Sasuke nodded in confirmation and bent over to sit with one of his legs tucked into his chest, the other spread in front of him. “They all ran away.”
“See,” he ran a hand through his blond hair. “I don’t see why any of us didn’t chase them. We had a-“
“No, we didn’t,” Sasuke disagreed. “They were with the military. And the way Itachi thinks… he’s very devoted. Once he makes a decision, it sticks.” His chest hurt with each word.
The other shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe we let that happen.”
“There was probably no hope in saving her,” Sasuke offered, feeling a bit odd. They were talking about her as if she were dead or as if she ran away herself.
Naruto sighed out of his nose, glaring at a spot on the snow-covered ground. He bobbed his leg impatiently. “Stay here,” he ordered. “I’m going out there to fight.”
Sasuke scoffed and looked up at Naruto from the ground. “So am I, dickwad. What the hell makes you think you’re the only one that can fight?”
The assertiveness in Naruto’s eyes melted with the worry that he had been rude and inconsiderate. “It’s just that… they’ll recognize you and take you, too…”
“They won’t if I move fast enough,” Sasuke deadpanned. He peeked into the camp. It seemed like the fight had been focused in the center of the whole camp. Nobody had led the officials away from each other and into advantage points. He shook his head. Along with panic came their disorder.
Naruto took a few steps away. Fear blossomed in Sasuke’s chest and abdomen as he watched tan hands swing under Itachi’s jacket. It was almost as if…
Suddenly, Sasuke was on his feet and his hand was barely clutching Naruto’s upper arm. His head was tilted down and his lips were pulled taught into a straight line, his other hand fisted by his side.
“Don’t… leave,” he breathed, barely audible. He felt pathetic, but the only figure he trusted most in his life right now was Naruto. He couldn’t let him walk out of his life or escape his field of vision. His mind…it was fragile right now.
Naruto was pulled to a stop. He glanced to his friend, seeing only the top of his head as he stared at his feet. His fingers clutched a small portion of his jacket so hard that his knuckles had turned white. Then, Naruto came across a realization; one that made him understand Sasuke to an even fuller extent. Under the stony face and stoic attitude, he was extremely vulnerable; he had to be there for him.
“Hey…” Naruto whispered and bent down to pick up his Jericho that had fallen in the midst of their tumble. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Sasuke raised his head, his jaw visibly clenching as he released the sleeve of Naruto’s jacket.
“You’ll stay, right?”
Naruto scowled. “Here? We’re no way in hell staying here. We have friends to fight with, ‘Sas.”
Sasuke’s head perked up, his eyes slightly clearer and his eyes holding the smallest traces of surprise and delight. He cleared his throat and loaded his rifle, the loud click announcing his new determination.
“You have my right.”
“I have your left,” Naruto nodded. “What kind of ambush?”
The corner of Sasuke’s lip turned up into his trademark smirk, mischief glimmering in his eyes. “An attack from behind. I call Kimimaro’s head.”
“I got it,” Naruto said. “Let’s go.”
- 16
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- 18
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Sector Five