Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Deception - COMPLETE	By : kizukatana Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 11939 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and make no money on anything I write

Chapter List
- 21
- 22
- 23
Author's note - OK so... this chapter... is about 15k words long. I know, right? But to be fair, I am overthrowing an entire government in it, so... I just... ok, it's long. Since people complain when my chapters get over 10k that it crashes their devices, I am splitting it into 2.
ALSO - I am making up an entire country in this fic. It is AU, so I am allowed. I am doing this so that I am not 'picking' on anyone's country. So the city is called Suna and it is in the country called Kazenokuni (land of wind = Kaze no Kuni). But much of what I describe will be based on things I've observed/experienced/heard about in my time spent working in the Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Morocco. So it's a hybrid and not totally pulled out of my ass. I have ridden that bus, worked in that shanty-town, taken a 1-gallon shower (and I have waist-length hair, so that was fun) and my toothbrush makes a special guest appearance in this chapter. (Are you excited yet? LOL. Seriously, though, I promise smut soon.) Special thanks to BriEva for helping me with this beast, figuring out what scenes go where and helping me channel Gaara's father.
-xXx-
Itachi walked into the hospital room, forcing his face into its typical impassive mask as he looked at the man resting on the bed.
Shisui looked up at him and smirked. "Careful, Itachi. Your Uchiha is slipping. If I didn't know better, I'd say you looked almost worried."
"You idiot. What kind of person chases after a deranged serial killer unarmed in a city that he has only passing familiarity with. Were you trying to get yourself killed, Shi?"
Shisui's smirk softened into a smile. "Come here, Itachi," he said, flexing his fingers slightly to motion his lover closer.
Itachi glared, then walked over to stand stiffly next to Shisui's bed.
Shisui reached out and slid his fingers through Itachi's cold ones. Itachi gripped the offered hand almost convulsively.
"I'm fine, Itach'. He surprised me, but I'm fine," Shisui's voice and gaze were steady.
Itachi slowly sat on the edge of the bed, then took his free hand and slid it softly down the side of Shisui's cheek. "You're not allowed to die, Shisui. As head of the family, it is my right to mandate this. Do not disobey me."
Shisui slid their joined hands up to his mouth, brushing his lips across Itachi's knuckles. "I always obey you, Itachi. Though sometimes you disagree with the way I do it."
It was as close as a direct conversation that they'd had about the events that had torn them apart years ago. Itachi realized, as he looked at his lover lying in the hospital bed, that it was time to move past that.
"I know," he said softly. "I understand the choice you made, even if I don't agree with it."
It wasn't a direct statement of forgiveness, but Shisui knew that Itachi was telling him it was ok. Shisui felt his throat close, but kept his eyes dry and focused on the man he loved. He may be injured, but he would not appear weak before this man.
Shisui slid his lips again across Itachi's hand, then tilted their wrists so he could capture the tip of Itachi's strong, elegant index finger and pull it slowly into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around the tip, letting it dip slightly under the fingernail to the sensitive flesh there.
Itachi closed his eyes, the let out a low chuckle. "Tease. You won't be up for anything like that for at least a week given your little adventure," Itachi's voice roughened slightly.
"Never underestimate an Uchiha," Shisui said, running the tip of his tongue along the sensitive flesh in the V of Itachi's hand between his thumb and forefinger.
Itachi jerked his hand back as a spike of lust rushed through his veins. Shisui smirked at the movement, knowing that Itachi had been afraid of losing control by his touch. Itachi narrowed his eyes, though they gleamed with humor. "You are going to be a difficult patient, aren't you?"
Shisui reached back out and grabbed Itachi's wrist, lowering it to where his erection was forming beneath the hospital sheet. "I think you mean… hard."
Itachi snorted out a laugh. "I can see the pain killers are working quite well," he leaned in, brushing a soft kiss against Shisui's ear when he whispered. "But I will take care of you."
-xXx-
Sasuke breathed out a sigh of relief when Itachi called to let him know that Shisui was alright. It was after visiting hours, and it was only through sheer intimidation that Itachi had convinced them to allow him to stay with Shisui.
Sasuke knew that his brother would look after his cousin. He had called Kakashi to make sure that there was a police officer outside of Shisui's room, and would continue to monitor them.
He had gotten Sakura's number from Kakashi. He wanted to know exactly what Naruto had said before he had left, if he had given any clue as to where he was going to be meeting Gaara or what their plans were. Suigetsu had already hacked into the CIA database and was downloading every scrap of information and communication regarding mission Naruto and Gaara had been assigned to.
Sasuke's phone buzzed, and he scrolled through the first batch of information that Suigetsu had sent over. His finger abruptly ceased scrolling when he reached a section of information that had an overall mission assessment. It was categorized as a likely success rate of 17% and technically classified as a suicide mission. Sasuke viced his hand around the device to keep himself from hurling it across the room. He didn't know how the CIA had landed on such a specific number, but he hoped like hell that Gaara and Naruto knew something that the government didn't that would increase their odds.
Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he kept reading. His gaze fixed on the last set of communications that had been exchanged on the mission. The operative had confirmed that Naruto and Gaara would make contact with Mu's agent in Suna. The response had been that they would need to send someone over to ensure that Naruto and Gaara did not return from the mission on the off chance that they were not killed on site. The CIA didn't want any possible leaks of their involvement in yet another government overthrown by someone they were supporting. Sasuke called Jiraya and let him know about the situation. Given that the whole thing was set in motion by the Commissioner, Sasuke figured the man had damn well better play a part in fixing it. The extensive and highly creative stream of cursing that came from the older man's mouth made Sasuke feel only slightly better.
Jiraya agreed he would try to work things behind the scenes officially, but neither of them expected it to get resolved on the timescale that it needed to. Someone needed to get in touch with Naruto and Gaara and let them know they were being set up.
Sasuke dialed Sakura. That was where he needed to start.
"Dr. Haruno," a tired woman's voice picked up.
"Dr. Haruno, this is Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke said. "I understand that you spoke with a mutual friend of ours earlier this morning. I was hoping we could speak privately about this morning's events."
There was a slight pause. "Not on the phone. My shift ends in four hours. If you want to talk, I'll meet you at the rear entrance to the hospital then."
Sasuke agreed, then hung up.
-xXx-
Kakashi had told Sasuke to use a rental car that wouldn't draw too much attention, so Sasuke found himself pulling the tan Ford Taurus into the staff parking lot of the hospital later that evening. He opened the door and stood when he saw the pink-haired doctor emerging from the building. There was an officer escorting her.
The officer looked at Sasuke, "Captain Hatake said you would be coming. I understand you will be taking Dr. Haruno to one of the safe houses?"
Sasuke nodded. Sakura sighed resignedly, clearly not excited to have the police protection, but sensible enough not to argue about it. Sasuke understood, feeling largely the same.
Sakura got into the rental car and Sasuke began driving back to the safe house where Kakashi would be meeting them when he was discharged from the hospital, hopefully later that evening.
"Kakashi told me that you dropped Naruto off at the airport this morning," Sasuke began as his driver eased into the street.
He felt Sakura's assessing look, and wondered what Naruto had said about him to make her cool so much towards him since the last time he had seen her. "Since Kakashi already told you about it, I suppose there is no point in denying it." Sakura calmly stated. "Naruto called me to document his injuries."
"How…" Sasuke drew a breath. "How was he?"
Sasuke again felt the weight of her gaze. Finally she spoke. "He was fine, physically. All of his bruises were superficial and his previous wounds healed well." Sasuke wanted to ask about more than his physical condition, but something in the rigid body posture of the doctor sitting next to him warned him not to. He supposed she had seen the tabloid rumors about him and Karin. Possibly Naruto had as well. Sasuke suddenly very much wanted to know if Naruto had, and whether he had taken them seriously. Would Naruto assume their relationship was over and move on with someone else? With Gaara?
As much as it would kill him if that happened, it wasn't the most important thing right now. "Do you know what flight he took?"
She shrugged. It was only a matter of time before they would figure out which flight Naruto took based on the security footage from the airport. There was no point in withholding the information. "He used my phone to check which flights were leaving. The first one he could catch was to London."
Sasuke nodded. He had checked all the flights that would have been departing around the time Naruto had entered the airport, and he knew which flight Naruto had taken if it were the London one. "Did he tell you where he was going after London?"
Sakura bit her lip, unsure of if she should reveal all that Naruto had told her during the car ride. Naruto almost never disclosed specifics to her and this was one of the few times he had, but she wasn't sure if that trust extended to Sasuke anymore.
"Sakura, if you know something I need you to tell me," Sasuke said, trying not to lose patience. He couldn't afford to alienate her, but he also didn't have time to waste. "There is more going on than you might know."
"I know enough," she growled. "Why do you want to know so badly? I've seen the news. You've gone to great lengths to make everyone think you're dating your head of PR. Naruto trusted you… and that is something that he almost never does. But I don't know if he trusts you anymore, Councilman." She narrowed her eyes, "I asked him if he wanted to see you before he left yesterday."
Sasuke paused waiting for her to finish her statement. "And? What did he say?" he finally bit out.
"We went directly to the airport. So what do you think?" Sakura noticed Sasuke's body tense at the words. She wondered why the man had tried to fake a relationship with someone else when he was so clearly in love with Naruto. She supposed it had to do with maintaining his image as a politician. She understood it, to a certain extent, but knew that Naruto would never want to be in a relationship where it had to be kept secret. He had told her as much.
Sasuke pulled over, parking in front of a modest townhouse. "He's being set up by the CIA and is likely to end up dead if we don't let him know. Evidently, the CIA has decided to wait until Naruto and Gaara do what they were assigned to do. If they don't get killed in the actual mission, then there will be a team sent to take them out before they leave Suna. But I have no idea how much time we have until that happens, and I have no idea how to contact Naruto before then."
Sakura's eyes widened and her heart dropped at the information. Whatever the issues might be between Naruto and Sasuke, right now the important thing was making sure that Naruto and Gaara made it back alive. She took a breath.
"Less than two weeks." Sakura stated calmly as she unbuckled her seat belt.
Sasuke glared at her. "Two weeks what?"
"Naruto told me he would be in Spain for 2 days with Gaara finalizing plans, and that they would be back in New York within two weeks if everything went well." She hadn't wanted to ask Naruto what would happen if it didn't go well. It had been clear from Naruto's expression that this was not a sure thing. Given what Sasuke had just told her, it seemed the odds were even worse than her friend knew. Her fist clenched.
He nodded curtly. "Fine. I will see if I can find him before then."
Sakura looked at him steadily. "If this is as dangerous as you and Naruto seem to think it is, then you have a better chance of helping them if a doctor goes with you."
Sasuke smirked. "And I suppose you just happen to know one that has enough vacation saved up to fit the bill?"
Sakura grinned back. "Maybe you're not as dumb as the tabloids make you out to be after all, Uchiha."
"Hn. Don't push your luck, Haruno. It's annoying."
-xXx-
Sasuke waited with Itachi for the guards to lead the prisoner in. Shisui had been annoyed that he was not accompanying him. He hadn't forgotten what Sasuke had said about Deidara apparently having an interest in Itachi. But the hospital had decided to keep him an extra day, and Itachi had insisted that Shisui not push it.
Out of all the operatives from Akatsuki, Deidara had done the most international work. If Naruto were meeting someone in Spain to get him into Suna, Deidara would be the one to know who it would be, and what route they were likely to take.
The blond felon entered the room in shackles, his eyes going immediately to Itachi.
"It's been a while, counselor. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me, yeah?" Deidara said before sprawling as much as the shackles would allow into the metal chair. He looked at Itachi a bit more closely. "You seem different from the last time. You're getting laid now, yeah? Pity. I would have been more than happy to unwind you. But you seem to be missing someone from your group. Where's our blond lover-boy for the little Uchiha here?"
Sasuke shifted slightly, and Deidara's eyes immediately narrowed. "Where is Naruto?" he repeated, this time much more softly, and much more threateningly.
Sasuke glanced at Itachi, who have him a slight nod. Itachi walked over and engaged the guards in a conversation about Deidara's behavior and how he had been integrating with the other prisoners since being released from solitary. He wasn't surprised to hear that basically everyone steered clear of the blond, valuing their continued ability to not have to piss through a tube.
Sasuke pulled out a pad of paper, knowing that their conversation was being recorded, and sat across from Deidara. "Naruto's visiting friends out of town," Sasuke said casually, while he wrote on the paper: N is with G headed to Suna.
Deidara's eyes widened as he read the pad. "Hn. Some of Naruto's friends are some crazy motherfuckers. I hope he's got his head on straight about it, yeah? I'd heard there were some old friends in town trying to look him up as well." Deidara grabbed the pen from Sasuke and wrote: Tobi is in town. He has been tracking down people who know N and Zetsu.
Sasuke grabbed the pad back, glancing up, a bit surprised to see that Deidara had already figured out that Naruto would have told Sasuke about Tobi. Deidara just gave a grin. "Yeah. We bumped into one of them," Sasuke said slowly. T attacked N in the subway. N is ok. T is trying to recruit him.
Deidara read the note, then started to laugh. "Man, crazy turns to stupid. Our boy will never play that game with that fucker."
Sasuke glanced at the guards, but they continued to talk with Itachi about the prisoner's behavior and were not trying to read the writing on the pad. "Yeah. That was Naruto's reaction as well. But with his out-of-town friends… I worry that he might not have enough money for his trip home. Any ideas?" The CIA is setting N and G up. N was going to use one of Nagato's contacts to get into Suna. I need to find them. They will leave from Madrid.
"Well, I'd offer to give him a lift, but I'm a bit stuck here, yeah?" Deidara looked at the note a minute or two, clearly frustrated that he was out of the action on something like this. Sasuke started to get nervous that the man was not going to respond. Finally he grabbed the pen. Sasori Akasuna. They should not trust him now that Nagato is gone. Sasori and I go way back. At the slightest sign of trouble, he will leave them behind. He won't wait for anyone. "Naruto better have a fucking back-up plan, yeah? That piece of shit he's driving now isn't likely to make the return trip."
-xXx-
Naruto had long since lost feeling in all his limbs in the small metal box that was on the underside of the old truck where they were riding, jammed in with their packs so that there was barely any space to move. It was a good thing that neither he nor Gaara were claustrophobic, or they would probably have lost their minds hours ago. It was bad enough to fight down the headache and nausea of the strong smell of exhaust and unrelieved heat. The roar of the engine was so loud that Naruto wondered if he were going to suffer permanent hearing loss by the end of it, but there was no point in worrying about it now. They were stuck in the box until someone came and let them out.
Naruto decided to use the time to review what Gaara had told him about the details of his father's security that they would be facing once they reached Suna.
"When I was little, I used to design securing protocols for the guards. It started off as just a game, at first. But then I actually came up with some good suggestions, and the head of security started talking to me more about the actual plans and protocols. Given the geography of the stronghold, I doubt the basic ideas have changed that much, through the details will be altered periodically to prevent security breaches," Gaara said, taking out a sheet of paper and flattening it.
He sketched a rough oval of mountains, then a complicated-looking building in the middle.
"My father's compound is built in the remains of a dried lakebed about a mile and a half in diameter. It is surrounded by mountains. Given the unique geography, there are three layers of the security. One is the Mountain Guard. Before I left, my father had two men stationed at each of the eight compass points in the mountains surrounding our home. North, Northeast, East, etc. They work in pairs, one looking out, and one looking in. They are in radio contact with each other and each pair has sharp-shooter abilities. This means that all eight groups have to be taken out before anyone can advance on

the compound or they'll be picked off by sniper-fire. The Mountain Guard can easily pull off a clean headshot from two miles away, and they will be equipped with night-vision goggles and scopes."
Naruto nodded. That would make four pairs for him, and four for Gaara. He wasn't worried.
Gaara saw that Naruto understood, and proceeded. "The second ring of defense is at the perimeter of the compound. There are watchtowers and look-out windows, as well as exterior guards at all of the entrances. The guards at the windows are behind bullet-proof glass and are in radio contact with the Mountain Guard. The Mountain Guard has to check in every hour. Failure to report in triggers an automatic lock-down. We will have to time our initial strike on the Mountain Guard just after a check-in, we will have sixty minutes to take out both the Mountain Guard and the Perimeter Guard or we will be caught."
Naruto looked at Gaara flatly. "If half the Perimeter Guard is behind bullet-proof glass, then how are we supposed to do that? How hard is it to enter without being seen with the Perimeter Guard still active?"
Gaara smirked. "They have heat-sensing devices. Anything that approaches the compound that isn't the same temperature as the surrounding landscape sets off an alarm. Even if the guard isn't there, that system will remain active unless someone deactivates it from the central command room."
"Fuck," Naruto muttered. "Your dad is a paranoid asshole, did you know that?"
Gaara raised a hairless brow. "He'd have to be if he considered a seven-year-old a significant enough threat to his reign that he decided to have me killed."
Naruto blew out a breath. No wonder Gaara had never tried this on his own earlier.
"The final group is the Interior Guard. They will be by far the most difficult. They have all been hand-picked by my father and are specially trained in various styles of attack and defense. Watch their blades in particular, because they will almost all be poisoned. So will their bullets."
"Will it be possible to turn one of the guards? There must be at least some who would be glad to see him go. Maybe someone who would remember you from your childhood," Naruto said hopefully.
But Gaara was shaking his head. "No. My father goes through great pains to ensure absolute loyalty of his Interior Guards. They are all either completely brainwashed by him, or beholden in some way. He has threatened their family, or their lands, or has some other leverage over them. We will have no allies there. Besides, if my brother is going to take over without civil war, then it needs to seem as though Mu was behind this and he merely intervened to prevent a takeover from an outsider. It will bring all of my father's forces together under him without further strife. If they know that I was behind it, they will suspect Kankuro of simply staging another coup, and it will open the door for one of my father's other generals to step forward and try to take power."
Naruto's head hurt. This kind of strategy wasn't really something he was good at. But what Gaara said made sense, and if it avoided further killing then he was all for it. "So will we be making contact with Kankuro? Maybe he can help us from the inside?"
Again Gaara shook his head. "My father is a paranoid man. He has positioned Kankuro as his second in command in charge of the military. Every communication to him will be tightly monitored to ensure that he isn't plotting against him. The only reason he didn't kill my brother along with me was that he wanted to be sure his legacy continued after he died. To him, children are just a form of immortality, carrying his blood and ideals forward. Of the all his children, he viewed me as the greatest threat. So he had me killed." A small smile graced Gaara's lips. "Of course, he was wrong."
Naruto looked at him, raising a brow. "What do you mean?"
"He chose the wrong child to fear."
"What do you mean?"
"He over-looked my sister," Gaara said, a small smile gracing his lips.
A jolt as the truck hit a pothole rattled Naruto out of his thoughts. He wondered where they were.
Sasori had said he would meet them after they had crossed the border into Suna and arrived at a safe location. He wouldn't disclose in advance what that location was, and Gaara and Naruto had to simply take it on faith that he wasn't going to just drive them into the desert and leave them locked in the metal coffin under the baking sun. It didn't sit comfortably with them, but it was the chance they'd have to take. The first of many on this journey.
They had been travelling so long that when the vehicle finally stopped Naruto felt like his body was still moving. The sudden silence when the engine had cut off felt almost like a religious moment to Naruto. But the voices from outside the truck warned him that they were not in the clear yet. Naruto could feel Gaara tense next to him as the men outside spoke in a harsh language that Naruto didn't understand. It was clear that Gaara did, however, judging by the increasing tension that was creeping along his frame. He heard Gaara release the safety on the gun he was carrying. Naruto did the same, though with some difficulty since his entire arm had fallen asleep. He focused on tensing and releasing every muscle in his body, trying to get the blood flowing again so that - if they were discovered - he would at least be able to force his body into motion to fight.
Though if these were border guards, they likely would have machine guns, making the idea of fighting a bit optimistic even with the guns they had with them. There were sounds of heavy boots tramping through the main body of the truck as the vehicle was searched, a few more exchanged phrases, then the engine roared to life and they were in motion again. Naruto felt a combination of intense relief that they'd gotten past the guards combined with agony as the sound pounded against his ears and the truck bounced along the bumpy road.
At some point, he must have dozed off because he found himself waking as the truck rumbled at last to a stop. Naruto realized Gaara was also awake as he felt the man shift slightly beside him. The sound of the latch of the box was heard and then the door was opened. They stiffly climbed out into the humid evening air, dragging their packs out of the bin as well and stretching their limbs and looking around at the garage they found themselves parked in.
Sasori walked into the room and spoke quickly to the two men who had driven them across the border before dismissing them.
"Welcome to Suna," Sasori said, switching to English. "The city is about four miles from the Kazekage's compound. This is as close as I can bring you. The border security was tighter than expected," Sasori commented, looking at the two men in front of him with slightly more interest than he had shown in their first meeting. "It seems that Mu has been mobilizing troops along the border. There are rumors that he is going to try to take over the Kazekage's territory. You two wouldn't happen to know anything about that?"
Gaara looked at Sasori steadily. "We have no interest in helping that butcher. Our business lies with others."
Sasori shrugged. "I don't really care either way. I just try to stay out of political activities. However, if war breaks out, your escape route will be closed. Just keep that in mind with whatever 'business' you conduct over the next five days."
Gaara nodded.
Sasori pulled out a small laptop and logged on. "Now it's time for your part of the bargain."
Naruto took the laptop and quickly entered the codes transferring the entire balance of one of the Swiss accounts that he had opened on his way to meet Gaara to the routing number Sasori had given him. Regardless of whether Naruto and Sasori had both worked for Nagato, with his organization dismantled they were both free agents. Naruto would fully expect Sasori to just take their money and dump their bodies in the desert if they had carried the cash with them. So he and Gaara had set up a series of bank accounts that they could pay on demand.
He handed the laptop back so Sasori could see the transfer go through and verify the funds' arrival into his own account.
"And payment for the return trip?" Sasori asked, noticing the balance of the original account was now zero.
"Will be made from a different account, upon safe arrival of our return journey," Gaara said.
Sasori narrowed his eyes but nodded. "Then my men will return here in five days. They will wait twelve hours, then leave with you or without you," he looked at Gaara again, measuringly. "Assuming that the border is still open, that is."
Naruto and Gaara nodded, slinging their packs over their shoulders before heading towards the exit. Before they could open the door, Gaara placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, stopping him. "Wait."
Naruto blinked, surprised that they were delaying their departure at all. Sasori might have been convinced that they had no money on them, but he was clearly trying to figure out what their agenda might be. Gaara resembled his father to a certain extent, and if Sasori was able to piece together who he was, it would lead to trouble. The longer they stayed in his presence, the higher that risk became. He exchanged a glance with Gaara, realizing he had come to the same conclusion. They would need to find their own way out of Suna. Sasori was too likely to sell them out.
Gaara reached in his pack and pulled out a large garment of black cloth. "You will draw too much attention in the city. You don't speak the language and you are obviously not from here. We don't get many tourists. This will cover you entirely, and will cover-up the fact that you don't speak."
Gaara unfolded the black cloth, handing it to Naruto. "How the hell am I supposed to even put this thing on?" Naruto asked, turning it first one way then another trying to figure out what it even was.
"It's called a burka. It's worn by women that belong to one of the more traditional sects of the community here. It will completely cover your entire body, including your hair and face. Your identity and even your gender will be impossible to discern."
Naruto eyed the garment and smirked. "This is just your way of finally getting me to be your bitch."
Gaara snorted. "You're always my bitch."
Naruto gave a short jab to Gaara's stomach, briefly knocking the wind out of him, then busied himself pulling the fabric over his head and positioning it so he could see out. After a minute or two, Gaara nodded in approval.
"Let's go."
. . . . . . . . . .
The stepped out into the street, and Naruto's eyes widened as he got his first real look at Suna, a large city in western Kazenokuni. He had been in Japan, the US, and Europe, but he'd never seen a place like this. The city was both vibrant and dirty at the same time. Brightly colored clothes hung from balconies of the apartments that lined the streets, strung out on strings across the narrow alleyways. One entire street seemed to be blocked with what looked like a pile of trash. Vendors walked the streets with baskets of fruits, vegetables and other wares in baskets balanced on top their heads.
The streets were teeming with cars of all different makes, from a brand-new Cadillac to something that looked like a forty-year-old Chevy, to some that Naruto couldn't even recognize. The only thing that they all had in common was the large, steel pipe bumpers that were welded onto the front and rear of each vehicle.
The reason for the strange appendages was immediately obvious, as Naruto observed one of the few operating traffic lights turn from green to yellow to red with no discernable effect on the traffic flow. The cross-traffic began moving when a few brave drivers just began advancing into the intersection, playing a game of chicken with oncoming cars, horns blaring in all directions, until the cross-street traffic was now flowing through the intersection.
Naruto watched in fascination, coughing slightly as a brightly painted bus that looked like it was probably retired from some US school district in the sixties drove by spewing black smoke.
Gaara had paused, assuming that Naruto would need to take a minute to get his bearings. "Let's go. You can gawk from the bus."
Not seeming to notice the risk of imminent death, Gaara stepped into the busy street as a bus bore down on him. A man hanging off the back of the bus banged the side loudly three times, and the bus stopped. Gaara said something briefly to the man hanging from the side, and before Naruto knew what was happening, they were climbing onto the roof of the overly full bus with their heavy packs and holding on. With three more bangs from the man that Naruto assumed was effectively the conductor of the bus, the unstable looking vehicle lurched forward through the busy streets.
On Naruto's left was some sort of bamboo cage that was full of chickens. The two men carrying it sat cross-legged on the hot bus roof, seemingly unconcerned at what seemed to be a very real possibility that the bus would crash into something and send them all flying into the road to be crushed.
He looked over to see Gaara's eyes shining with amusement as he took in Naruto's obvious unease. Naruto bit back the 'fuck you' that came to the tip of his tongue, knowing that it was critical that no one heard them speaking English.
They rode the bus for about forty minutes to a shanty-town on the outskirts of town. Gaara signaled the conductor, who banged the side of the bus causing it to come to a stop. Naruto and Gaara jumped down, and the bus was careening off down the road again before their feet had barely touched the ground.
The street was quiet compared to downtown. The houses that seemed to stretch off in an endless sea were made of corrugated aluminum. But there were many families camped out on the sidewalk, with small cook fires going and plastic tarps set up to protect them from the sun and rain and not much else. Naruto looked over to see a woman stirring a pot of what looked like rice and beans while a baby suckled at her breast and another small child slept in her lap. The small tent where apparently the whole family lived tied between a tree trunk and a fence-post on the sidewalk.
The woman looked up at Naruto and smiled, saying something he couldn't understand. Naruto simply nodded, while Gaara murmured something to the woman that made her look at Naruto with a blend of sympathy and curiosity before going back to her cooking.
They walked quietly down a row of aluminum houses, one leaning against the other. Gaara paused in front of one that - to Naruto - looked like all the others. Gaara pushed the blanket aside that covered the entryway, and they found themselves in a small ten foot by ten foot room with a dirt floor, some blankets folded in a corner, and not much else.
"This is…?" Naruto began.
"Where we're staying tonight. We'll leave for the compound in the morning. No one will find us here."
Naruto thought about the hundreds of identical houses in the area, not sure he would be able to find his way back without Gaara guiding him. "How did we find our way here?"
Gaara's lips twitched. "I used to come here sometimes when I was young. I made a few friends back in the day. One of them worked his way out of the slums and works in the capital now. He told me which house we could use while we're here."
Naruto nodded slowly. "So... this city is under your father's rule, right?"
Gaara nodded. "His word is law here. National laws and courts can't touch him. He has his own military and his own revenue sources from the gold and oil."
"So... he's like the king of this place? Would that make you like… a psycho prince or something?" Naruto snickered.
Gaara smirked. "Don't go thinking fairytales. He's more like warlord. He isn't recognized as autonomous by the international community. Technically, his territory belongs to the Kazenokuni government. But the government doesn't have the power to really enforce that, so my father acts on his own."
Naruto looked around at the tiny home, knowing that there were likely thousands of people living like this or worse on the outskirts of the city. "So… when your brother takes over…"
Gaara's face grew serious. "Then he will start putting money back into building up the infrastructure of the country rather than just siphoning it off into his own personal bank accounts the way my father has."
Naruto nodded. He'd never really felt the pull of a 'greater cause' before, but the image of the mother with her small children cooking out on the streets haunted him. He knew the feeling of living on the streets. He couldn't imagine the stress of trying to raise a family on them.
"Will you be coming back to help him, once things are settled?" Naruto asked his friend.
Gaara looked at Naruto a bit, then nodded. "After Tobi is dead."
Naruto stared at the corrugated walls thoughtfully. There was nothing tying him to New York anymore. "Maybe I'll join you."
. . . . . . . . . .
Gaara told Naruto to stay inside while he went and got some food and supplies. Naruto pulled off the burka, relieved to be out of its smothering folds. He checked and cleaned their guns to be sure none of the sand and dust from their journey interfered with the firing mechanisms, then he lay back on one of the blankets to rest. He wished he could take a shower. He decided he'd ask Gaara where they could manage that when the man got back.
It was about an hour later when Gaara arrived carrying four gallons of water in a pack strapped to his back along with a couple of bags of food and a large pack of what appeared to be climbing gear. He opened the water bottles and dropped a small tablet in.
"Chlorine pills," he said when Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Works the same way it does in city water back in New York, but it's portable. You can't drink the water here from the taps, and we don't have time to boil it and let it cool. There's a pipe about half a block away that you can get water from, but don't even brush your teeth with it or you'll be useless the rest of the journey."
Naruto eyed the small pill warily as it dissolved in the jug. "And then… this is safe to drink?"
Gaara's lips twitched at his friend's obvious nervousness. Naruto was evidently more afraid of diarrhea than bullet wounds. Gaara thought about it briefly and decided he didn't blame him.
"Yes. Give it 15 minutes. This one is for drinking. We'll fill several water bottles to take with us tomorrow." He nods towards another gallon. "That one is for your shower."
"My what?"
"No indoor plumbing. Given that you need to remain covered at all times when we're outside, you'll have to just stand in the corner and dig a little trench for the water to go in. Just make sure you don't use up your water before you've rinsed off the soap."
Naruto realized that Gaara wasn't joking and shrugged. He dug a small depression into the sand, figuring the water would quickly soak into the dry soil as long as it was trapped there for a few seconds. Gaara left to go take his shower presumably wherever the other men in the shanty-town did.
Naruto pulled out his soap and stripped off his clothes. He slowly poured just enough water to wet his hair and body, then scrubbed himself with the soap. He slowly rinsed himself off, starting with the top of his head and working down, and was surprised to find he had a quarter of a gallon left at the end of it all. The luke-warm water felt good against his skin after the heat of the day and the dust of his journey, and he found he really didn't miss the hot shower he had been craving earlier.
He pulled on a pair of boxers and lay down on one of the two blankets that were in the small hut. Taking Gaara at his word, he brushed his teeth with a small amount of the chlorinated water, setting his toothbrush to rest on his pack while it dried.
Gaara returned a few minutes later, stripped down to his boxers and lay down on the other blanket. The night was warm, so they didn't bother with a sheet to cover themselves.
"In the morning, we will go back into town. If all goes well, we'll leave for my father's compound before nightfall."
Naruto nodded in the darkness. He assumed that whoever Gaara's contact was would be meeting them in town tomorrow.
Naruto wondered briefly what Sasuke was doing at that moment. Looking at his watch, he estimated that it would be mid-morning back in New York. He imagined Sasuke at some press conference, or maybe at some political meeting trying to negotiate some minor city issue while he waited his turn to rise through the political ranks. Karin was probably by his side, helping him succeed. Naruto tried to not let his mind drift to images of him and Sasuke in bed together. Or Sasuke fucking Karin in his giant bed. There was no point in dwelling on the past.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep, his mind swirling with the images of Suna that had bombarded him throughout the day. He felt somehow that the rawness and simplicity of life in this place suited him.
Until he woke up to find a cockroach sitting on the bristles of his toothbrush, evidently sucking the remnants of the toothpaste he hadn't quite rinsed away from the night before. He would need to ask Gaara if there was a place to buy another toothbrush when they went to town, because there was no way in hell that thing was ever going back into his mouth again.
-xXx-
They sat in chairs in the small coffee shop in the bazaar, just across from a tiny curio shop. Despite Gaara appearing to look at Naruto, the blond could tell that all of Gaara's attention was fixed on the entrance of the shop, monitoring it from the corner of his eye. The store appeared to sell a number of decorative items, but the thing that caught Naruto's attention was the row of delicate, decorative fans displayed off to one side in the window. Gaara had a head scarf tied loosely about him, to both keep out the heat and dust, but also to disguise his face. Naruto was once again back in his burka, all that showed of his body was his eyes.
Gaara suddenly tensed as a blonde woman approached the shop. He threw down some money on the table and made his way over to the shop. Naruto waited for several minutes, watching the street and surrounding rooftops to see if the blonde woman was being followed or had brought anyone with her. When it was clear that she had come alone, Naruto stood and followed Gaara into the shop.
. . . . . . . . . .
Gaara stepped into the shop. The chimes on the door were exactly the same as when he was little, their whimsical, musical tone making one feel like they were entering almost a magical place. He thought about how little had changed since he used to drag Kankuro here to help him buy a fan for their sister.
The shop was almost empty, except for the shopkeeper and the blonde woman. The woman turned at the sound of the chimes, her beautiful teal eyes almost desperate.
Gaara softly closed the door, standing still as he looked upon his sister for the first time in well over a decade. He could see the tremor that visibly shook her as he slowly pulled the scarf off from around his face.
A single tear slid down her cheek before she brought herself under control. They were in public. Anyone could be watching. Gaara casually pulled the scarf back in place, acting as though the gesture had merely been to readjust the fabric.
Temari turned and walked deeper into the store through the narrow shelves filled to overflowing with small pewter cups, wooden carvings, and sand paintings. Gaara waited several minutes, then headed down an adjacent aisle.
When they reached the back of the store, Gaara walked casually around the corner. Temari looked at him, then pretended to examine a tiny coffee set.
"It's good… to see you," she murmured in their native tongue, her voice raw with emotion.
Gaara's lips turned into a small smile. "I knew you wouldn't forget."
"Never," she said, her voice breaking. "Never."
They stood in silence for a moment, each wrestling with their emotions and knowing this was neither the time nor the place. Too much was at risk. "I have implemented protocol T. Starting at sunset. It will be in effect for forty-eight hours before we need to rotate to another protocol."
Gaara's lips twitched. It had been one of the first security protocol's he had designed with his father's top advisor after several successful raids had breached the compound when he was a child. After spending a few days exploring in the mountains with his sister and brother, he had been able to figure out the flaw in the current deployment that was allowing the breaches. It was a brilliant plan, one more suited to have been born from an adult mind. But only Temari and Gaara knew what the T stood for. Gaara had called it protocol teddy bear, since it would keep his best friend from being stolen by the bad men outside.
Unknowingly, his childish attempt to keep his family and prized belonging safe had signed his own death warrant as his father had begun to view him as a threat.
"And Kankuro?" Gaara asked.
"In the capital, surrounded by scores of witnesses who will assure anyone that he was not involved."
"Then I will see you tomorrow evening," Gaara said, his voice low.
"Please be careful. I can't lose you a second time," Temari said softly as she placed a small bag on the shelf. She bent down, pretending to look at something, then turned and walked away from where Gaara stood.
Gaara casually picked up the small package, then turned and walked out of the shop.
-xXx-
to be continued in part 2 of this never ending chapter...
- 21
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- 23
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Deception - COMPLETE