Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

The Long Run	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 1939 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor make profit of it. Kishimoto owns it.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
Author's note: Exam down, one thesis defence left to go at the end of the month. I can do this (maybe if I tell myself this enough times I'll actually believe it *sweatdrops*)
Warnings: Hm, mainly discussion of the town's events
I hope you'll like it!
Chapter 18
Father's relieved look quickly changed to dawning realisation as they all piled out of the car and instead of the expected five, they were only with four. For a very brief moment he closed his eyes, murmured something soundlessly before he strode over to the car to meet them.
"Best let yourself be checked over by Tsunade-sama," he told Naruto, who sighed but nodded.
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, your son here is going to haunt my arse if I don't see her," he muttered. In spite of his exasperated words, however, he was leaning heavily into Sasuke's side, belying the amount of pain he must be in.
Father smiled for a couple of seconds. "He's right to be concerned. Go on now, we'll take care of the car."
"He's going to be asking me questions later, huh?" Naruto sighed resigned as he hobbled alongside Sasuke.
Sasuke didn't deny it. "I can tell him to hold off on that if you want," he offered instead. He was certain father would understand that Naruto wasn't in the mood yet to talk about what had happened to him and Tobi in that place.
"Don't bother," Naruto muttered, ignoring the couple of stares thrown at them.
It was getting quite late, but there were still some people outside. Their stares were assessing, trying to make out how bad the injuries were. Once they had ascertained themselves that it didn't appear as if Naruto was going to die any time soon, they looked away; interest lost once more.
"Whether I tell him today still or tomorrow, doesn't make a difference."
"You do need to rest, though," Sasuke murmured, not wanting to create a fight out of this, but also unwilling to let it go completely.
"Nothing that says I can't rest afterwards," was Naruto's laconic reply.
Light was still burning in the infirmary, but it was Deidara who greeted them first instead of Tsunade. Without any warning he threw his arm around Naruto's shoulders, dragging him in an awkward hug. Sasuke felt Naruto stiffen immediately in response and his spooked face would be funny if it wasn't so sad to think that Naruto didn't even know how to expect hugs from people anymore.
"Erm, what are you doing?" Naruto asked carefully.
His hand tightened around Sasuke's waist, but it was anyone's guess whether Naruto was even aware he was doing that.
Deidara chuckled sheepishly, loosening the awkward hug. "Sorry about that, un. I'm just relieved to see you back."
"You've stayed here the whole time?" Sasuke questioned surprised.
"Not the whole time," Deidara replied and jerked his thumb backwards, gesturing at Tsunade who came bustling out of one of the rooms. "She'd have kicked my arse if I stayed here the entire time, un."
"You bet I would have," Tsunade said calmly. "Now as you can see, he's still alive and in one piece, so get the hell out of the infirmary before I do decide that some arse-kicking is in order tonight."
Deidara raised his remaining hand quickly in a gesture of peace. "I'm going already, okay!"
"Now come on, let me take a look at you," she addressed Naruto, eyeing the way he leant on Sasuke critically. "You look like a mess."
"Thanks, you always know how to flatter me, baa-chan," Naruto chuckled mirthlessly.
"Don't want you to get an inflated ego," she quipped, but her brown eyes were filled with concern. "Have you been bleeding for long?"
"Mah, not that long I guess," Naruto muttered and started limping to the examination table, Tsunade easily taking over his weight. "It had stopped bleeding, but then that bitch decided she needed to show she still had manicure and tore it open again. Sasuke already fixed me up, though."
"I'm sure he did," she said easily and helped him onto the examination table. "But I still like to take a look at your injuries, just in case."
"Tobi?" Deidara murmured as he paused next to Sasuke.
Sasuke shook his head once. "Dead," he murmured.
Deidara sighed and nodded. He clasped Sasuke's shoulder before leaving the infirmary, closing the door quietly behind him.
Sasuke walked over to Naruto, watching him wiggle out of his jeans until the cloth ended up around his knees so the doctor could take a better look at his thigh. She hummed thoughtfully as she examined the cut after removing the bandage.
"You did a pretty good job of treating it," she murmured, as if talking to herself.
Naruto flashed a quick grin, squeezing Sasuke's forearm. "Of course he did, he's an amazing nurse," he teased.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Just tried to make do with what I had. I couldn't exactly stitch him up, but I needed to stop the bleeding."
"The cut was indeed re-opened, but you got lucky," she observed, turning around and aiming for one of the drawers behind her desk. "It isn't deep enough to require stitches. We do need to watch out for an infection and you shouldn't exert yourself too much in the upcoming week, but you're not in danger of dying any time soon at least."
"Told you there was no need to fuss," Naruto said, throwing a quick look at Sasuke.
He merely stared back at him unimpressed. "You stay out of trouble for once and I won't have to 'fuss'," he retorted.
She replaced the bandage with a fresh one. "Did you hit your head or did you lose consciousness at any point in time?" she asked, all business again. As she watched him lift his hips in order to pull his jeans back on, she pursed her lips when she caught sight of the tear in his shirt.
"Nope, wish I did," Naruto smiled humourlessly, wincing as the cloth dragged across his sensitive skin. "But unfortunately I was not that lucky. Fully conscious the entire time."
"Looks like they got you in the face," she remarked neutrally, turning his head from left to right as she examined the blooming bruises.
Naruto scowled; his fingers tightened around the edge of the table. "That arsehole got a few swings in, but I've had worse."
"That really isn't as reassuring as you think it is," she said dryly. She nodded at his stomach. "Got nicked here?"
"Hm, nothing but a scratch," he replied. "Sasuke already took care of it."
She raised an eyebrow when she looked at Sasuke. "So do I need to check it or is it indeed not serious?"
Ignoring Naruto's offended "Hey, who the fuck do you think is the patient here, huh? I can speak for myself just fine!", Sasuke answered, "It's a shallow cut. Didn't get deep enough to do actual serious damage. I disinfected it, but you're welcome to take a look if you want to be sure."
"Or you can just believe me when I say it's fine, but hey, what do I know?" Naruto said sarcastically. "Not like I'm actually the patient here or so."
She clucked her tongue in exasperation and surprised them both by pinching the tip of Naruto's nose, making him cross-eyed in response before he swatted her hand away. "What the hell was that for?" he whined, rubbing over his nose.
"I already know you have an annoying habit of downplaying your injuries, you infuriating brat, and I know I can trust Uchiha to speak the truth if only because he cares about your stupid arse," she snarked. "That's why I asked him, because you're the type of idiot who could have his bowels dripping out of his stomach and you'd still claim it's fine!"
"I wouldn't go that far," Naruto said after a pause.
"No, she's right," Sasuke said.
"Hey, whose side are you on even?"
"The side of common sense," Tsunade said mercilessly. "Are there any other injuries you're stupid enough to keep a secret?"
"If there were, don't you think Sasuke would have found them already?" Naruto rolled his eyes and huffed. "Guy's even more overbearing than you are, you old hag."
Her eye twitched and the smile she offered him was forced and dangerous. "You call me that again and I don't care that you're injured, I will wipe the floor with you, you damn brat."
"Yeah? I'd like to s-hmph!"
Ignoring Naruto's outraged look and the way his hands scrambled at Sasuke's wrist, Sasuke kept his hand clamped around Naruto's mouth, silencing the idiot before he could act on his death wish.
"Don't mind him, he's had a long day," Sasuke said, pinching Naruto's non-injured side in warning. "His mouth tends to run quicker than his brain then."
"Uhuh," she said, absolutely not believing him whatsoever, but willing to let it go all the same.
"Does he need regular check-ups with you for the cut in his thigh?" Sasuke questioned and then scowled, snatching his hand away quickly when a tongue swiped wetly across his palm. "What the fuck, Naruto? How old are you?"
"That's what you get for trying to silence me during non-sexy times," Naruto said cheerfully; his eyes slightly narrowed.
"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Sasuke demanded and made to check the back of Naruto's skull, because surely only a hit to his head would explain his childish streak now.
Naruto leant back abruptly, preventing Sasuke from checking his head. "Yep, a full hundred percent sure. Unfortunately they didn't give me that reprieve," he said lightly.
Tsunade shook her head, choosing to answer Sasuke's question. "No, no need unless it starts to become infected," she replied and crossed her arms underneath her bosom, throwing a quick glance at Naruto's thigh. "Check the cut every day and change the bandages regularly. If he starts exhibiting signs of a fever or anything else that indicates an infection, you have to call me immediately."
"Not like I haven't spent the last couple of years on the road, taking care of myself just fine," Naruto muttered petulantly.
They both elected to ignore him.
"I'll give you an extra bottle of disinfectant and a stack of bandages," Tsunade continued, walking to her desk this time to riffle through one of the drawers. "What you don't use, you can just bring back afterwards."
"Sounds good, thanks," Sasuke said, looking down when fingers snaked between his own.
"Told you I'm fine," Naruto said, but his voice was soft this time, non-confrontational.
"Yeah well, it never hurts to let a professional check everything," Sasuke sighed.
The gleam in blue eyes had him raising his eyebrow. "I don't know, you seemed pretty professional to me back in the car," Naruto drawled and squeezed Sasuke's fingers. "You're going to be my private nurse?" He fluttered his eyelashes in a ridiculous fashion, making Sasuke snort.
"You're going to behave if I am?"
"Well, that all depends entirely on what you mean on behaving," Naruto grinned roguishly. He squawked when the pack of bandages was smacked into his chest.
"Please for the love of all that's holy, keep your bedroom talk away from my infirmary," Tsunade said pained.
Naruto grinned at her; his eyes glistening with devilish intent. "It's not because some of us here aren't getting any, that the rest of us are in the same boat."
"Your self-preservation skills are truly astonishing," she droned and flicked his ear.
"I know," he grinned even harder. "It's what's kept me alive so far."
The door opening had the three of them turning their heads. Sasuke tilted his head to the side when father entered the infirmary, sporting a grim look on his face. He was alone.
"You're here for me, I presume?" Naruto commented. He was still rather relaxed, but the humour abruptly drained from his face.
"If you're up to it," Father said, coming to a stop just a few feet away from them. "If you're not, that's understandable. We can talk at a later moment then."
That earnt him an eye-roll. "Give me a break, you don't need to start treating me with kiddie gloves all of a sudden," Naruto snorted harshly. "I've been through worse shit than this, trust me."
"That's not," Father started to say, but one look at Sasuke who shook his head had him sighing, aborting his remark in favour of saying, "Would you mind if I accompany you to your apartment? That way you can get settled and you won't have to cross half the compound with your leg for a second time."
"It's just a cut, I'm not an invalid," Naruto complained, but pushed himself off the examination table. "But fine, whatever. Let's go. The rest of the Council going to be there?"
Something flashed in father's eyes. "No, it's just going to be me. The Council usually doesn't gather for conversations like this one."
"No, not unless one of them has their knickers in a twist, huh?" Naruto snorted again. His eyes flitted towards Sasuke. "You coming with me?"
A bit surprised at the question, but very pleased about it at the same time, Sasuke smiled faintly and nodded. "Yeah, I'll come with you if you don't mind."
"Wouldn't have asked you if I did."
Their hands found each other again on their way to the door.
Naruto got settled on the couch, resting his legs across Sasuke's lap while Fugaku took a seat in a chair. For all his bravado it was clear Naruto was glad to be in a place he considered to be his. All the way to the apartment his face had been rather pinched and his entire body had been tense even with Sasuke carrying most of his weight. Every time they had crossed someone in the street – which given the late hour hadn't been that many times – Naruto's hand had dipped to his dagger or his machete, his fingers twitching as if meaning to grab his weapon and lash out.
He might claim that he had experienced worse, but it was clear to all that the events of today had left their impact.
At the present moment his dagger, machete and his crossbow were resting directly on the floor, right next to the couch nearest to him. No doubt one suspicious sound would have Naruto instantly reaching for any of them.
"All right, let's start," Father stated, clasping his hands together. "I don't want to take up too much of your time when you still need to eat and rest."
Sasuke hoped there was still some food left in the kitchen that he could prepare for Naruto. He hadn't thought to check it yet.
"Can you tell me who gave you the note with the instructions?"
Naruto blinked. His fingers, which up until now had been absently playing with Sasuke's, stilled, pausing on top of Sasuke's hand. "Tobi brought it to me," he answered and furrowed his eyebrows. "Told me he'd been instructed to team up with me."
"Nothing struck you as odd?" Father inquired, leaning forwards slightly; his forehead set in a severe frown.
Sasuke wondered where Danzo was and whether father had already moved against him. Or was he waiting for concrete proof that Danzo was behind this shit? For now they only had a suspicion after all. Danzo had the means and a reason to pull this stunt, but if they wanted to move against him, they would need actual proof.
"Odd? Well, I did think it was strange that I was suddenly asked for a run, because I know you scheduled me for one with Sasuke," Naruto said slowly and he resumed playing with Sasuke's fingers. "But I figured that I had been asked because you needed supplies soon or so."
"Did Tobi say who sent him?"
Naruto tilted his head to the left. He had taken just enough time to change into his pyjamas and the border of his shirt was a bit askew at the moment, showing a hint of his collarbone.
"Nope, never came up to be honest. Why?" he asked, somewhat befuddled.
Father smiled blandly. "Just curious. What happened next?"
"We went to borrow the bike and – fuck, the bike!" Naruto's eyes widened when he realised the fate of the bike. "Shit, it's still there!"
"I doubt there's much left of it by now," Sasuke said dryly.
"Well crap, if I had known - "
"It's fine, Naruto-san," Father said soothingly. "The bike doesn't matter. We can always find another one if we do need one more. So what happened?"
Naruto looked like he wanted to argue some more, before he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We got on the bike and went through the whole gate ritual in order to leave."
"Do you remember who were operating the gates?"
Sasuke frowned when he looked at father, but the older man kept his gaze firmly focused on Naruto. Why would he ask such a question when he should know who had been on guard duty today? Or … Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Did he have reason to believe that Danzo had messed with the guard schedule as well? There hadn't been any runs scheduled for today, so wouldn't at least one of the guards have become suspicious if two people went on a run suddenly? But there would be no need for suspicion if one of the guards had been switched by Danzo.
Did that make the guard in question just as guilty? Not necessarily, he reflected. As a member of the Council, Danzo had a lot of sway and most people were inclined to listen to him without questioning his motives. He could have easily persuaded them that a run had been scheduled after all and none of them would think to question him.
Itachi would have questioned him, no doubt, even Deidara might have been wary, and Kisame would have run it by father first as the older man had never been that fond of Danzo to begin with. But none of them had been scheduled to guard today.
"Man, I'm crap with names," Naruto sighed and rolled his head back to stare at the ceiling, squinting as if the names were written there. "Iruka was there, I know, that old guy who usually works with Iruka in the field, who else? Hm, a short brunette, but I've never spoken with her before."
"That's fine." Father nodded. "So you and Tobi went to that place. What happened there?"
Naruto smiled humourlessly. "Hell, that's what happened. I decided to drive further into that town, because there wasn't any way to approach that place quietly and I figured if there were zombies around, at least we would know immediately."
He shifted, his grip around Sasuke's fingers tightening almost imperceptibly. "We were maybe mid-way the main road when all of a sudden those dead bastards came pouring out of every goddamn nook and cranny it seemed like and we were getting swarmed." He shuddered, his eyes darkening. "I'm going to be honest with you: I've only been that deep into shit once before and it wasn't pleasant. Tobi was panicking and I tried to turn back, but there were just too many zombies trying to get to us. If I had tried to make the turn we would have been pulled down, no doubt about it."
So that woman and Shin had waited until Naruto and Tobi had progressed too far into the town to make a quick escape before they let the zombies loose. It could probably be called a miracle then, that Itachi and Kisame had managed to escape that same trap.
"With no way back, I figured we could only go forwards," Naruto continued; his lips thinning. "I thought that if we could just find a place to hole up in, we could wait them out and leave once the herd had thinned." He shrugged; another bleak smile. "Didn't happen like that obviously."
"What happened?" Father asked softly.
"I'd been taking down those bastards as much as I could, but well, trying to steer a bike, killing some fuckers and having someone panicking behind you …" Naruto winced. "Not exactly an easy combination. We reached a square and I spotted some chains on the ground. Got the idea to tie one end to a tree and the other to the bike and mow those sons of bitches down like that."
He shrugged. "Worked surprisingly well actually until Miss Cougar and her boytoy showed up."
"Miss Cougar and her boytoy," Father echoed dubiously; his eyebrows pinched together.
In spite of the bleak conversation, Sasuke couldn't help but snort.
"Hm, some old lady masquerading as some kind of fucked up priestess, I don't know," Naruto huffed. "She wore robes and all that shit. The guy was following her around like a puppy, calling her 'my lady'. She ordered him to take care of us."
Now Naruto fell silent, his head dipping down as he no doubt relived what had led to Tobi's death. Sasuke shared a look with his father, who nodded and reclined in his chair.
"If you don't want to continue," Sasuke started softly, but Naruto shook his head and took a deep breath.
"No, no, I'll go on," he said resolutely. "The guy rushed to us. I knew he wasn't bluffing and that guy looked like a motherfucking tank, so I told Tobi to take the bike and make a run for it. I'd hold him off. Tobi refused of course," he snorted bitterly. "Guy only had his first few zombie kills underneath his belt and he thought he could take on a monster like him. I told him that if he really wanted to help, he would get the fuck out of there and go straight here to call for help."
He quietened for a moment. This time both his hands were holding Sasuke's hand, clenching it tightly between his own. "I got into a fight with that guy. He was aiming to kill so I tried to finish the fight as soon as I could. I don't know what made Miss Cougar change her mind, but suddenly she called out to the guy and made him stop. I thought it must have been some kind of trick, so I turned around and she – she sliced Tobi's throat."
Naruto shut his eyes tightly. When he opened them again, the look in them was so dark it sent a chill down Sasuke's spine. "She left him there like he was just garbage, couldn't even offer him the decency of a quick death. The guy took advantage by knocking me down to the ground after I managed to stab him in his gut. Lost my dagger and they dragged me to an old municipal hall. There, she tried to convince me of joining her precious cult. Apparently they consider zombies their followers and my little trick with the chains had impressed her." He smiled coldly. "I wasn't exactly interested in that bullshit or in her."
His shoulders slumped and exhaustion seemed to hit him at once as his form crumpled, falling back against the couch. "After that, well, seems like Itachi had some latent pyromaniac tendencies and lit the town on fire. Sasuke and Sasori got me out of there. She tried to kill me, Sasuke shot her dead, then I saw the guy aiming for Sasuke so I shot him dead."
He sighed; the corners of his mouth twitching weakly. "And then we all got our happy ending, except for those two nutjobs and – Tobi."
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," Father said, grimacing.
"Shit life, what can I say?" Naruto sighed and rubbed his cheek. "Sasuke said you'd crossed the town from the list. How come Tobi told me we had to go on a run there then? Sasuke didn't explain that to me." He looked pointedly at Sasuke, who cleared his throat and glanced away.
Right, he sort of had promised to tell Naruto of their suspicions, but his worry about his brother had pushed that to the back of his mind even after Itachi had shown up.
"You two should never have been sent to that town," Father said; his face darkening. "I had indeed crossed that town from the list after my son and Kisame returned from that disastrous run. As it turns out, someone went against my decision and sent you two there."
"Why?" Naruto frowned perplexed. "To get us killed?"
"Most likely," Father said solemnly. "The only one with the power to send people on runs is the Council. I apologise for the terror you've been put through; you should never have been sent on that run."
"So who's behind it then?" Naruto's eyes sharpened. "Who's the one who wanted me and Tobi dead?"
Father offered him a thin smile as he rose up. "I have my suspicions. I just need to verify with the guards one more thing before I can act. Rest assured, the person responsible for this will be punished." He left then, after offering the both of them a nod.
"You know who's behind this, don't you?" Naruto instantly turned to Sasuke the second the door closed.
Sasuke pressed his lips together; the remnants of fury flickering back to life. "I can't think of anybody else who would dare to do this."
"Then who is it?" Naruto demanded.
"I don't know if this is the right - "
"Don't bullshit me, Sasuke," Naruto said seriously. "I didn't go through all that fuckery only for you to try to treat me like glass now. Who the fuck tried to kill me? Who the fuck killed Tobi?"
Sasuke breathed out slowly, watching fire lit up those beautiful blue eyes. "It was Danzo."
Two candles were the only source of light in the bedroom. Sasuke watched from his position in the doorway how Naruto dragged himself underneath the sheets, throwing a contemptuous glare at his thigh as if the mere fact of being injured offended him.
It probably did, knowing him.
After Sasuke's revelation, there had been a moment where he had genuinely thought Naruto would jump up and storm off, tracking down Danzo himself. Naruto had indeed jumped up, but instead of storming off, he'd gone straight to the wall and had managed to punch it twice before Sasuke had regained his senses and had stopped him before he could break his knuckles. They had stood there, Sasuke holding him in his arms, back braced against his chest, while Naruto had panted wildly, trembling with rage. Silence had reigned for quite a while before Naruto had turned around and had buried his face in Sasuke's shoulder.
Afterwards Sasuke had prepared a simple dinner for the two of them and no more words had been wasted on Danzo. Naruto seemed unwilling to discuss it further and that was fine with Sasuke. Danzo would get what was coming to him, there was no doubt in his mind. His condescending manner had been tolerated because nobody had seen much harm in that, but he had gone too far by actively trying to kill someone – and getting another person killed in the progress.
The fact that Danzo had been more than willing to send Tobi to his death if that meant Naruto would get himself killed as well … It was a thought that sent shivers down Sasuke's spine, made him wonder just who was worse: Danzo or the woman with Shin. At least the woman and Shin had been upfront about their intentions. And all that for what? Because Danzo had felt humiliated by Naruto? Because Naruto had refused to back down when Danzo had given him a verbal lashing? How had he ever justified murder as 'punishment' for 'disobedience'?
"Are you going to keep standing there or are you going to come in?" Naruto's voice broke through his musing.
Sasuke blinked, watching Naruto lean forwards; an oddly intent look on his face. "Wasn't sure if you wanted me to spend the night with you," Sasuke said and walked over to the bed.
He would have understood it if Naruto had wanted some space after what had happened today. He wouldn't have been happy about it, but would have understood it regardless, because shit like this wasn't easily swept underneath the rug. He should have known Naruto wouldn't want that, though. Naruto always did the opposite of what he expected.
"Why the hell wouldn't I want that?" Naruto asked bemused and threw back the blanket. "Come on, get in."
Sasuke quirked a quick smile at the bossy tone, but obeyed nonetheless, kicking off his trousers and removing his shirt, leaving him in just his boxers. The blanket felt cool against his skin when he slid underneath it, but the bed was already quickly warming up, courtesy of Naruto. Give it another month, maybe two, and they wouldn't even need blankets anymore if the weather turned as warm as it had been last year.
Naruto shuffled closer to him, pushing insistingly against Sasuke's shoulder until the latter complied and laid down on his back. Mission seemingly accomplished, Naruto crawled half on top of him, crossing his arms underneath his chin and on Sasuke's chest before resting his head on them, staring frankly into Sasuke's eyes. Their hips were barely touching, Naruto keeping his legs to the side.
The candlelight made Naruto's eyes dance and there was a peculiar tilt to his mouth. Playing with some soft tufts of blond hair, Sasuke stared back.
"What's on your mind?" he questioned, because it was clear that Naruto was far from ready to go to sleep yet.
Not that Naruto wasn't a cuddler; he impersonated an octopus every time Sasuke shared a bed with him, but he usually imitated an octopus long after he'd fallen asleep.
"I was thinking," Naruto started casually, digging his chin deeper into his arm, thereby adding just the slightest hint of more weight onto Sasuke's chest.
"Hm? About what?" He really should douse those candles before they fell asleep. After today, the last thing they needed was another damn fire wrecking the place. They had already escaped the flames once before, he wasn't eager to do it again.
Naruto smiled, enticing Sasuke with the way it made his eyes glimmer. "I want you to fuck me."
AN2: Yeah, we're going there again ...
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
Cuddles
Melissa
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The Long Run