Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Deception - COMPLETE	By : kizukatana Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 11937 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and make no money on anything I write

Chapter List
- 27
- 28
- 29
Warning: Hard yaoi (18+) in this chapter, DISTURBING CONTENT (this is where we get into Tobi's head, so… yeah. DISTURBING CONTENT)
Author's note: Thanks to BriEva for beta'ing and for helping me figure out what I wanted to do with the Tobi scenes to bring out how creepy that guy is. And thanks to WordWriter for reading it over and encouraging me to stop worrying about the fact that it is so long. Another 9k+ chapter. Apologies to your phones.
-xXx-
Naruto and the Uchihas were silent on the ride back to Sasuke's house, the potential implications of what just happened spinning through all of their minds. When they stepped off the elevator, Gaara was standing in the entryway waiting for them with Kakashi sitting in the living room.
Gaara tugged Naruto aside while Itachi and Shisui went to join the police officer. Sasuke paused.
"Sasuke… I'll be right there. You go ahead and see what Kakashi has to say about this," Naruto said, noticing Sasuke's eyes narrow at the obvious dismissal. Sasuke nodded curtly and followed his brother and cousin.
"Naruto," Gaara said. "You are not going to go after him alone. If whatever the police come up with sounds stupid, we'll do it our way. But you will not go alone if you decide not to play with the cops on this one."
Naruto blew out a sigh, but nodded. "If I have a choice, I'll take you with me. But Gaara, Tobi set this all in motion himself. Which means he has some kind of plan. I don't know that I'll be the one calling the shots on this."
Gaara nodded, looking grim. "I know. But worrying about one crazy person's plan is better than worry about two. I can't control Tobi. But I can try to at least talk some sense into you."
The two men turned and headed back to the living room, Naruto feeling the heavy gaze of his lover. Without a word, Naruto sat down on the armrest of the chair where Sasuke was seated.
Kakashi looked at Naruto. "We traced the call to Sasuke's cell. It was made from a disposable cell phone. The device was either completely shut off or destroyed after making the call, so we can't trace its current location. The call was routed through a cell tower that puts it in the middle of the city, but could be anywhere in a ten block radius."
"So we're nowhere," Gaara summarized.
"We're nowhere," Kakashi agreed. "What exactly did he say to you?"
Naruto shrugged, repressing the shiver that the memory of that voice always evoked in him. Flinched as he felt something brush against the small of his back, then relaxed slightly as he saw Sasuke's hand come to rest on his hip. "He said that… he was being helpful. And I… asked him what the fuck he'd done and he asked me if that were anyway to talk to a… friend."
Naruto shifted nervously, wanting to lean back against Sasuke, but not quite willing to give up his own pride enough to actually do it. He felt Sasuke's hand squeeze his hip slightly and shot his lover a grateful glance.
"He's going to expect something in return," Sasuke said, stating what they were all thinking.
"How much does he know about Kabuto?" Itachi asked Kakashi.
"We don't actually know. At minimum, he knows that Kabuto was trying to file an indictment against Sasuke, and that he assaulted Naruto in the police department. That could be sufficient grounds for Tobi to decide to kill him. He probably knows the two of you are lovers. He might know the truth about Orochimaru's death."
No one seemed surprised that the fact that Sasuke killed Orochimaru appeared to be common knowledge in the room.
Naruto shook his head slowly. "I don't think he knows about that. He had complimented me on that kill in particular as being more… creative. I think that was when he decided I was ready to be approached. He knew that I could have avoided killing Orochimaru. Maybe he viewed that kill as… done for pleasure." Naruto glanced over to see Sasuke's reaction. It was not a thought he had voiced before, but there was no point in withholding things now.
"So… it's my fault that he is coming after you," Sasuke stated, his voice reflecting no emotion, but his eyes were full of turmoil.
"No," Naruto said. "Actually… there is a chance that you prevented him from killing me outright."
Sasuke frowned in confusion, and it was Gaara who continued. "Tobi evidently saw Naruto kill Zetsu. That was probably where he first got the idea of Naruto being… like him."
"I had… kind of lost it," Naruto said, glancing at the others in the room. It was a moment in his past that he didn't like to think about or discuss. "It was pretty brutal."
"But after that, Naruto showed no particular pleasure in his kills. He only killed when attacked or under orders," Gaara continued. "Naruto's way of killing is quick, clean and efficient. Nothing like Tobi's. Orochimaru's death was showy," Gaara glanced at Sasuke, seeing the man frown. "Naruto isn't a swordsman, and he can kill quickly and with much less mess with other means. For you, killing with a sword made sense because it is the weapon you are most familiar with. For Naruto, it would only have been for fun. When Tobi heard about that killing, he might have thought that Naruto had finally grown to enjoy the act of killing enough to play a bit." Gaara shrugged as though the idea didn't disturb him.
"Tobi had clearly been following me ever since I killed Zetsu. Maybe before that? I dunno. But if he at some point decided that I was not like him and would never be a good partner, he would have had the opportunity to simply kill me."
"Like on the subway," Shisui said, nodding. "The only reason he didn't kill you then was because he thought he had a chance to make you his partner."
Naruto met Sasuke's gaze and held it for a moment before grinning. "Too bad he didn't know which one of us is actually the homicidal psychopath, eh, Uchiha?"
Sasuke snorted and looked over at Itachi, who was watching him expressionlessly.
"Either way, he is going to ask something of Naruto in return for his 'gesture of goodwill," Kakashi said.
"But depending on how much he knows about Kabuto, he might vary the price," Shisui added. "Either way, we have to be prepared."
"Given what just happened, the mayor has postponed her campaign event. We need to find another excuse to get Naruto out of here in a controlled situation and hope that Tobi takes the bait," Kakashi explained, looking more at Sasuke than Naruto.
Sasuke frowned, still clearly not liking the idea of dangling Naruto out there waiting to see what Tobi will try. But there didn't appear to be other options at this point. They just had to wait.
"Get some sleep tonight," Kakashi said as he walked to the elevator. "I have a feeling Tobi isn't going to wait very long. We've increased security. I'm going to be working with Jiraiya and the feds to finalize the plans, but I will be surprised if things don't happen pretty quickly."

The man on the roof adjusted the telescope he was using, zooming in further. It allowed him to see with great precision the measly distance of twelve blocks away into the bedroom of the penthouse apartment he was focused on. The military grade sniper rifle lay unopened in its case beside him. He had brought it only as a last resort. He never killed with guns. They spoiled the fun.
His grey clothing blended in completely with the concrete roof, making him basically invisible from casual observation. And above all else, he wanted to be undisturbed. The two men he had been watching for most of the day emerged from the bathroom, their hair still dripping from the shower they had clearly taken together.
The blond man turned, grabbing the pale man by his hair and pulling their mouths together fiercely. The dark-haired man slid his hands up over the tan back as the two men stumbled to the bed, their bodies entwined before they even hit the sheets.
He frowned as the black-haired man pulled back, tracing his fingers gently over the scars he knew were on the blond's cheeks. Scars Kyuubi had put there. A possessive anger surged inside him. The politician should know better than to touch what wasn't his.

"...Mommy…" the little blond boy cried as he crawled over her to cooling body, his face awash with tears. "M-mommy…" he sobbed louder as he brushed his hand over her chest and face. She wouldn't be answering him again.
A sound beside him drew the boy's attention to his father. The man's hand covered with blood trying to crawl over to his child. He collapsed, his body unmoving, before he could get to him.
It was then that the boy started to truly scream.
The happy, excited expression the child had worn while exiting the restaurant, his mother holding one had, his father holding the other, was gone. The child's face was now contorted in pain and anguish, terror-filled blue eyes locked on Kyuubi. He felt no pity towards the child nor the boy's parents. He only felt powerful. Seeing the results of his work laid out before him. Their blood soaked the concrete, looking black in the moonlight. So many variations on the color of death. He loved them all.
Kyuubi grinned, knowing the child could see his face. It was a novelty for him. The boy's father had actually managed to dislodge the mask he usually wore in their struggle. It was the first time that had happened, and Tobi relished the thought of his victims taking the sight of his face to their grave. Their fear feeding his ego, making him feel invincible. He casually bent down, picking up the fallen mask while the boy watched him, frozen in terror.
He had selected the family at random, seeing them come out of the expensive restaurant, the birthday cap on the blond boy's head. So happy. So confident in their place in the world. They fought more than his past victims, but the end was the same.
He snickered, and slid the mask back on before it could be seen by anyone else. Zetsu would warn him if there were witnesses and take care of them. Leaving Tobi time to truly enjoy his work. He had only stunned the child in his initial assault to keep him from running away, knowing that the boy was no threat. With the parents dealt with, he could now take his time with the child. Though not too much time. The alley was out of sight from most traffic, but he was sure the screams had been heard.
The boy surprised him by leaping up to attack him. It was somewhat amusing, as his tiny punches and kicks did nothing. But it was unexpected. Usually his victims cowered and begged, or merely stood there, frozen in fear awaiting their fate. But the end for the child would be the same. Calmly Tobi thrust his clawed hand into the boy's stomach, watching as realization of his impending death flashed across the child's face. Most children didn't consider their own death a possibility.
Foolish.
He watched the child's face as he gave a slight twist of his claws before sharply withdrawing. Relishing the familiar scream of pain. His final gift to the birthday boy.
He roughly spun the boy around, forcing him to look upon him family. He felt the child's body contort in anguish, and relished the feel of the emotion. The feel of control. He brushed the boy's cheek with the back of a bladed finger and leaned down, adjusting the mask to speak directly into the child's ear.
"Happy birthday," he whispered before shoving the dying body of the child to the ground to join his parents.
Stepping backwards, he observed the boy for a moment, shocked when the child turned over and tried to rise, as though still believing he could fight.
Amusing.
The killer leaned forward, slicing his razor-sharp claws effortlessly across the boy's face, leaving thin symmetrical whisker like marks first on one side then the other. Whisker marks befitting for one who had fought back against Kyuubi.
His little fox.

Tobi focused back on the present. The blond had grabbed the politician's wrists and twisted them behind the man's back, stopping the touch that had annoyed Tobi. He watched as the pale man was pinned to the bed. He could see from the blond's profile that he was saying something to the man, and he watched as the dark eyes narrowed and a challenging light flaring in their depths.
The tan shoulders shook with laughter, and the dark-haired man used the opening to brace his forearm against the blond's collar bone and flip their positions before driving into him ruthlessly.
The way the blond arched to the touch, fisting into the black hair and dragging the other's mouth down to his own renewed Tobi's sense of annoyance. But at least the boy was back where he could keep track of him.
Tobi felt a fist clenching at the memory of the anger he had felt when he realized Naruto was no longer in the city. That he had escaped him again. Tobi had been so close. If only that fucking officer, Hatake, hadn't figured it out before he had expected. He had known that the blond was in the building, but he hadn't been able to get the details on why, other than it involved Kabuto. Tobi hated not knowing things that had to do with his blond.
He had even been willing to risk discovery of his charade as Obito, even though it had been so entertaining for him. He had loved the smug feeling he'd had each day he'd gone to 'work', walking around freely throughout the very department that was currently hunting him. Rubbing it in their faces.
But Hatake had ruined it. He was cleverer than the other cops. He never let Obito get close. Tobi had known he was going to have to eliminate him anyway. If only he had let him into the observation room. Tobi would have been able to kill the officer before he had a chance to tell anyone his suspicions. Not to mention getting rid of the Uchiha. A message to his protégé of what would happen if the boy tried to hide from him again. He would have had the perfect opportunity to take his time with them in the soundproof observation room where the walls were silent and no one would disturb them for hours… not to mention he would have been able to listen in to the conversation Naruto was having with the District Attorney and the Police Commissioner.
He closed his eyes briefly, imagining it. The reaction the police would have had at his proof that he had been able to take out the officer leading up the hunt for him in his own building. The awe they would have felt at his accomplishment. Combining that with the punishment for his protégé for disappearing on him again. It would have been so perfect. His eyes opened, his expression hardening. But it hadn't happened. Too many things had gone wrong. Kakashi had been suspicious. He hadn't simply accepted the image Obito had presented like he was supposed to. And then Naruto had vanished. Again. How was the boy able to elude him so many times? But none had been as bad as that first time.
His gaze stayed fix on the bedroom, but his mind drifted back to the past.

The screams and noise of the attack had attracted attention, and Tobi knew he wouldn't get to stay and watch the final moments of the family that he had chosen that night. Zetsu was already signaling that they needed to go. It was a small regret. He always liked to see his work finished, but it didn't matter. He knew what the end would be.
He had left the scene with complete confidence in the family's demise as yet another example of his control over other's deaths.
Sitting in his hotel room, he had eagerly turned on the local news. He preferred the local newscasters to the national ones. They liked to go into the details more, and were less professional about letting their horror and emotions show. He laid back on the bed with a glass of wine, excited to hear the news woman explain in horror how the serial killer Kyuubi had struck again, killing a picture-perfect family as they came out of the restaurant celebrating their son's birthday. It was going to be so perfect. The police would be in a frenzy. Everyone would be terrified by his power. It would be his best kill yet.
"Our main story tonight is the miraculous survival of a young boy when his family was attacked by the serial killer known only as Kyuubi. Namikaze Naruto, an eight-year-old boy, was taken to the city hospital hours ago. We have learned that - despite severe injuries to his abdomen - he was reported to have survived the attack. He is the first known survivor of an attack by Kyuubi. We turn to our reporter live at the scene to find out more about this amazing story."
Tobi's eyes had widened in fury. This was NOT the story they were supposed to be talking about. He could NOT be overshadowed by some ridiculous child. People needed to stay focused on him, not the boy. The wine glass shattered in his fingers, the need to close them around the anchorwoman's throat nearly uncontrollable.
Then abruptly, his face stilled, all traces of his anger vanishing. Eyes that had been full of rage were now calm and expressionless. He calmly stood, brushing the shards of glass to the floor and walking to get a towel from the bathroom to clean up the spilled wine.
This was simple. He knew how to fix it. They boy had just been lucky. There was nothing special about the boy. Tobi quickly finished cleaning, then hung the "do not disturb" sign on the door to his room and headed down to the hospital to rectify the situation.
. . . . . .
No one gave him a second glance as he calmly walked into the building, giving a friendly wink to the receptionist as he passed by as though he belonged there. People were so easy to fool. No one ever questioned him. He stepped into an unguarded supply room as one of the nurses exited. It was simple to pull on a mask and scrubs, making him blend in seamlessly as he walked with complete confidence down the hallway. The guards didn't even look twice at him as he nodded to them confidently and walked into the boy's room.
The child was gone.
He slammed the door open, startling the officer stationed outside the boy's room.
"Where is the boy?" he snarled to the wide-eyed officer.
"He… he's not in the room?" the policeman had stepped in, looking frantically around the room before cursing and racing out into the corridor, looking around wildly for any sign of the child.
Tobi didn't bother to follow. If the child had been in the hall, he would have seen him instantly. How the fuck could he be gone? What kind of incompetent police officer couldn't keep watch over an eight-year-old brat! Rage filled him again, and he grabbed the metal stand where the IV bag was hanging and hurled it against the wall. Idiots.
He drew a breath, his face returning instantly to the frozen mask he had worn on the way in. He calmly walked out, ignoring the shout from the officer for him to stop.
The boy was denying his authority over death. It could not be allowed. Normally, Tobi selected his victims by chance. On a whim. Something about them that caught his eye. But this time, he would stalk a very particular prey. And there would be no 'lucky escape' the second time.
He had never expected it would be over a decade before he saw the boy again.

Naruto was his. Tobi would not let him get away again. He was done waiting. It was time to act. His eyes narrowed as he focused his attention back to the two figures in the bedroom.
The councilman grabbed Naruto's wrist, pinning them behind his back and pressing the blond head face down into the pillows as he pounded into him. Tobi could see the force of the man's thrusts, the mahogany headboard slamming repeatedly against the wall.
Tobi never had much desire for sex himself. There wasn't enough challenge to it. Dispassionately, he watched the way the muscles and skin of the object of his fixation stretched and strained against his current lover. He could admit that there was a similarity between the agony of sex and the agony of death. Perhaps he could have the same pleasure of the kill with the blond over and over again, without actually killing him.
Of course, it wouldn't replace his hunts. Nothing could compare to that thrill. That feeling of complete power and control. Tobi's hand drifted to his pocket. He brushed his fingers against the outside of the pocket lightly, sensing the glove within, hearing the metallic sound of the blades sliding together.
But soon it would be a shared hunt.
His eyes remained locked on the two men as their sweat-soaked bodies strained together, admiring for a moment the raw power and stamina of the lovers. Of course, he would have to deal with the dark-haired one eventually. He was not going to share his apprentice with anyone else. The redhead might be an acceptable companion, but not the councilman.
The black-haired man threw his head back, his mouth opening in a scream of ecstasy as he came before collapsing on the bed beside Naruto. They lay there for several minutes, their chests rising and falling rapidly from their exertions.
Tobi's eyes narrowed when Sasuke wrapped his arms loosely around the blond. The dark head lowered to Naruto's ear, and Tobi could see the pale lips murmuring things as the blond lay with his eyes closed, a soft smile playing on Naruto's face.
This was new.
And Tobi didn't like it.
These two were no longer just fucking. It was different from how it had been before the blond had disappeared. Naruto was not supposed to have emotional attachments like this. The boy had taken several lovers in the time that Tobi had been observing him. But they meant nothing. They had all been just physical. Temporary. Even his partnership with Gaara could be forgiven. They killed together, and protected each other. It was a bond of necessity. Of survival.
This bond with the councilman was not necessary. It was an emotional entanglement that threatened to pull Naruto from his grasp.
This man, this Uchiha, was different. Naruto allowed him to hold him. They would talk, and the blond's face would soften, reminding Tobi of the way the boy had looked when he was a child.
Trust.
Hope.
Happiness.
All things that Tobi had killed in the boy more than a decade ago. Even Naruto's friendship with the redhead hadn't softened him like this. Tobi could not allow this to continue, to destroy what he had created. Sasuke did not belong in their world.
Tobi was the one who had shaped the boy's life… it was Tobi who had set him on this path from the child he had been when he had first met him. Sasuke was nothing compared to that. He would be quickly disposed of.
Soon.

Naruto woke slowly, but didn't open his eyes. He could tell by the low level of light in the room that it was early. Sasuke's arm was resting loosely over his waist, just as it had been when they'd fallen asleep the night before.
He brushed his fingers over the pale forearm, unable to resist touching him. He tried to get his head around how he felt about the fact that Tobi would likely make contact with him in the next day or two. So many years of waiting for an opportunity. And finally it was going to happen.
But he felt afraid in a way that he hadn't before. He had always been afraid of Tobi on certain levels. He had always known it wouldn't be a sure thing which one of them would survive. But now…
He sighed.
He wanted a life now, not just survival. He turned slightly in Sasuke's hold, letting his cheek rest in the hollow of his lover's collarbone, feeling the warmth and scent of his lover seep into him.
He would fight for this.

The next day, Naruto, Gaara, and Shisui were sitting around the kitchen table playing poker while Itachi and Sasuke were closed in Sasuke's office, working.
The three looked up as the elevator chimed and Kakashi stepped out. The three guns that were held under the table out of the police officer's sight were replaced into the waistbands of the men who wore them.
"I take it there has been no word from Tobi?" Kakashi asked, pretending he hadn't noticed the subtle motion of the arms of the three killers who had been there to greet him. The door to Sasuke's office opened, and Itachi and Sasuke joined them to find out what was happening.
"No," Naruto answered. "There's been no contact."
The last of the evening's sunlight came through the large window that looked out from Sasuke's living room over the City.
"I want you to wear this," Kakashi said, handing Naruto a small device that looked like a button with a thin wire hanging down from it. "It's a tracking device. We've got surveillance teams at every entry point to the building. Given the security, it's likely Tobi will try to lure you out rather than come in after you. If he does, we will follow. But in case we lose sight of you, I want you to have this on any time you leave the building."
Naruto had looked at the wire skeptically, but accepted it. "You know he is probably aware that you're in here giving me this. He's not an idiot. There's a reason you guys haven't been able to catch him for like twenty years."
Kakashi shrugged. "Yeah, but this way if you get killed, I can at least say I tried."
Naruto and Gaara snickered, but Sasuke was not amused.
Kakashi's phone rang. He glanced at the number, but it wasn't one he recognized.
"Kakashi," he said into the phone.
"Officer Hatake. It's been a while. How's your arm?"
Kakashi's eyes widened, and Shisui and Gaara were instantly on their feet.
Naruto simply stood there, somehow already knowing what was about to happen.
"Where are you, Tobi?"
Laughter came through the phone as Kakashi put him on speaker. "Now, what fun would it be if I just told you? People like us enjoy the hunt. I don't want to spoil it for you."
Sasuke moved to stand by Naruto.
"Oh, isn't that cute? The little Uchiha is trying to protect his boyfriend. How cliché."
Instantly, six sets of eyes snapped to the nearest window.
"Peek-a-boo, I see you!" the mocking voice came over the phone.
Itachi pulled his cell out, immediately dialing 911 while Gaara basically tackled Naruto to the floor.
"Oh, Red. It wouldn't be any fun if I simply shot him. I could have done that months ago. Of course then I wouldn't have had the chance to watch him and the councilman get reacquainted."
Everyone had stepped back from the windows, not willing to take a psychopath on his word that he wasn't going to shoot.
Itachi was barking out information to whoever he had been put in touch with in 911 dispatch. Shisui and Kakashi began closing the curtains of all the windows while Gaara pulled out his sniper rifle. Gaara flipped the coffee table on its side and set up his rifle, flipping open the scope to search through a small gap in the curtain for the man who was hunting them.
"A good idea, Red, but you have no clue where I am. There are a lot of buildings that are in line of sight. And you don't even know if I am inside or outside."
Naruto stood and walked calmly over to one of the windows and opened the curtain, just enough that he could be seen, but not the rest of the room.
"What the fuck are you doing!" Gaara hissed.
"He's right. If he had a sniper rifle and wanted to take me out that way, I'd have been dead a long time ago," Naruto turned towards Kakashi's phone to be sure his voice would carry. "But like you said, Tobi. Where's the fun in that? Tell me what you want."
Laughter came from the phone again. "Such a good apprentice. I knew you'd understand. I want you to meet me in one of your favorite places. The church closest to your old apartment. You have twenty minutes to get there. Come alone. I might not want to shoot you, but I have no such reluctance about any of your little friends. Oh, and Kakashi, the men you stationed outside the building probably require your assistance."
With that, the phone cut off.
There was complete silence in the room as the men looked at each other.
"You'd better call an ambulance," Naruto said to Kakashi who was standing there, looking numb.
"Or a hearse," Gaara said more realistically.
"Fuck!" Kakashi said, dialing the head of the surveillance team and listening as the phone continued to ring.
Itachi was relaying the information to the police, his face grim.
Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand as he was tying the laces of his shoes. "You are not going out there."
Naruto sighed. "Sasuke. Yes, I am. He knows where I am. He could kill me right now if he wanted. Or kill you. And we'd be sitting ducks with no way to fight back. If there's a chance of actually meeting him face to face and equaling the odds a bit, I'm going to take it. Just because I've never heard of him using a gun doesn't mean he won't. Or hasn't hired someone with the skills to do it for him."
Kakashi looked up grimly from his phone. "Back-up is on the way. I haven't been able to make contact with any of the surveillance teams. Go outside and take a taxi. I've called in for all units in the area to set up two blocks from the church and cover all possible access points to the area. They'll see you coming and back you up. Once you're in, they'll cordon off the area and lock it down. If he shows, we'll get him."
Naruto's eyes locked on the mismatched eyes of the police man. They both knew that it was a shitty plan. Back-up wouldn't get there in time to do anything if Tobi decided he just wanted to kill Naruto face-to-face rather than with a sniper shot. Naruto was going to be on his own.
Gaara walked over and reached down to pick up his own shoes. Before his hand could touch them, Naruto grabbed his wrist. "No."
Gaara's eyes narrowed.
"No," Naruto repeated more firmly. "If you walk out with me now, he'll just pick you off with a gun. We don't know where he is. You can follow me in ten minutes. Take the tunnels and stay out of sight."
Naruto stood, meeting Sasuke's angry gaze. "You knew this was coming. I never lied to you about it. I can't just run from him anymore. Let me end this. Have some faith in me."
"Don't give me a stupid line like that. This isn't about fucking faith. This is about reality. You're doing exactly what he wants."
Naruto looked over to where Itachi, Shisui and Kakashi were silently observing.
"Either we play by his rules, or he ends the game right now. That's why he called Kakashi's phone. He was letting us know that he had us. There isn't a choice. But he could have killed me in the subway, and he probably could kill me right now, but he didn't. There has to be a reason. If he's going to let me get close enough to maybe be able to get him first, I'm going to try. This is as good as it's going to get."
"He's right," Kakashi said, laying a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, which was immediately glared off. "There isn't going to be some perfect, master plan for this guy. We don't have enough information on him. And we aren't likely to get it."
Sasuke's expression clearly showed how much he hated this. Despite himself, he turned toward Itachi, hoping somehow his older brother would have a better idea, some master plan that could win this with finesse and brilliance that would avoid the horrendous risk that Naruto appeared to be ready to take without so much as a discussion.
Itachi's eyes met his. Sasuke felt his heart grow sick as he saw only resignation in his brother's black eyes.
"Without more time or more information, he doesn't have a choice, Sasuke," Itachi said gently, wishing he could still solve every problem for his little brother.
"So we just let him walk out there, when we know his backup is probably laying out there waiting for their body bags to show up?" Sasuke said bitterly, ignoring the way that Kakashi flinched at his callous words. The cop probably knew the guys that had been stationed outside. Some could have been friends. But it was the truth, and he wasn't going to sugar coat it.
"No," Gaara said calmly, checking the clip in his gun to make sure he had enough bullets. "We'll follow him. There's a manhole inside the parking garage that leads to the storm sewers. All we need to do is follow the sewers for two blocks and we can come back up grab a cab and follow. Tobi is watching the entrances to this building, not every random building in New York."
"Yeah, but he's lived here a while, and likely knows the routes like we do," Naruto said.
Gaara smirked. "No one knows them like we do, Naruto."
Naruto gave a little smile back. "Give me a ten minute head start. If you get yourself sniped, I'm gonna be really pissed."
As the doors to the elevator closed behind him, he wondered how long they'd wait before following. He'd bet it would be less than five minutes.
He was four minutes off.

Tobi watched from the rooftop as Naruto came out and hailed a cab. He waited a few minutes to be sure the blond wasn't followed. Not that he expected it. They assumed that they knew where the blond was going. He had seen the tracking device that Kakashi had helpfully given the blond.
So predictable. Though it always made his life easier when people did what he expected.
Tobi smirked as he saw the cab driver look up towards his location with a slight nod. He had never had allies in the past, but observing Nagato and Konan had made him realize that they could be temporarily useful. Usually his goals were more around instant gratification. He had never felt the need to stalk a specific prey before. They were all interchangeable.
But Naruto was different. Tobi had hunted him for years before finally finding him. That alone marked him as worthy. But of course, there was more to him than just that.
He packed his telescope, feeling a euphoric excitement surge through him. It was finally happening. Naruto would be so surprised. Tobi had spent a lot of time considering the best way to test his theory about the boy. He had spent the past six weeks picking out the perfect target. Just the kind of people Tobi loved to kill. And the similarity would surely not be lost on the boy.
A decade ago, all he had wanted was the Naruto's death. The severing of an untidy loose end that had annoyingly evaded him for far too long. Until Zetsu had unknowingly shown him what truly had made that boy special. Why he had survived.
The man closed his eyes, lost briefly in the memory of the blond, bathed in blood, laughing as he looked down at the body of the man he had just killed. With such violence. Such pleasure. Such beauty. He shivered at the exquisiteness of the moment. No one could understand how he had felt in that moment. When he had known he had found a kindred spirit. One that he had created. Moulded in his own image.
He had known that day that he had found his true apprentice. Zetsu had never been a very active participant. He had been loyal out of fear and awe of Tobi, but he didn't lose himself in the kill the way Tobi did.
But the boy… the boy had been a demon when he had ripped Zetsu apart. He didn't mind the loss of his long-term companion for this discovery.
Tobi was no fool, however. He had been cautious. He had watched and waited, wanting to be sure the boy was ready, assessing his skills. When Naruto had joined the Akatsuki, Tobi had wanted to see the boy lash out and kill with impunity, sheltered by Nagato's powerful reach. He had been disappointed as the years passed and instead, Naruto had instead shown restraint, killing only when necessary, when ordered, and with minimal pain and mess. Tobi had found out recently about the Jinchuuriki program that the boy had been recruited into. It annoyed him that they had placed such constraints on the child. Naruto had subsequently begun to kill like a soldier, rather than for the pleasure.
So disappointing. Tobi had begun to revisit his decision to spare the boy. Perhaps he had been wrong.
But that latest kill… Tobi laughed as he opened the door from the roof to the stairway that led back into the building.
That last kill had convinced him that he hadn't been wrong after all. It hadn't been ordered. It hadn't even been necessary. He had seen in the police report on Orochimaru's death. The cut had been deep. Forceful, with no hesitation. Nearly enough to decapitate the victim. The strike to the wrist would have eliminated the threat, but Naruto had continued through to the throat, his intent to kill obvious. Tobi was intrigued once again.
Then of course, there was the choice of weapon. Naruto had finally branched out to something that showed desire to experience the kill more personally. Any idiot could kill with a gun.
Swords took skill. They made the kill more personal. More intimate. More pleasurable. Not as good as his own personalized weapon, of course.
The man closed his eyes briefly, visualizing how the blood would have spurted. Yes. Naruto was ready. That kill was done by someone who was ruthless. Someone who had no hesitation or remorse on taking a life even when it was not necessary to do so.
Tobi was excited. Tonight would be the final test, one to ensure Naruto was worthy of being his partner. He was done waiting. He had taken great care to select the perfect opportunity to show the boy how fun it would be.
He hoped Naruto realized how special he was. How much time he had put into setting things up just right.
Launching their new partnership together. By commemorating their past.

Naruto stepped out of the cab. The driver looked back, smirking at Naruto as he held out his hand for payment.
"Fuck off," Naruto said shortly. "The gun you took from me is worth a lot more than cab fare. If I don't get it back when this 'meeting' is over, I'll come find it myself."
The man's smirk faded not so much at the blond's words, but with the calm certainty with which they were delivered. He didn't know much about the mystery man who was calling the shots with this operation, but he knew the guy scared the hell out of him. Even his boss treaded carefully around the guy. And given who the cab driver's boss was, that was saying something.
"Did he give you any other instructions, aside from bringing me here and taking my weapons?" Naruto asked, his voice clearly showing his annoyance at the insistence that he leave them behind. He could easily have overpowered the guy, but that would have defeated the purpose of him bothering to come at all. It put him at a disadvantage, but Tobi had already proven that he could get to him even in Sasuke's apartment. He had to just trust in his own skills and hope Kakashi found him in time to catch Tobi before the guy disappeared again.
The driver shrugged. "Just that you are supposed to wait here until he comes."
With that, the driver closed the door and drove off, glad to be away from the threatening blond and the man who was waiting for him.
Naruto fought the urge to look wildly around. He knew that he was not in the part of town where the police were expecting him. The driver had quickly found and removed the tracking device, which was not surprising given that Tobi had probably seen Kakashi give it to him in the first place.
The sun had set, and Naruto seemingly casually leaned up against the dirty brick wall of the building behind him. It wasn't in a bad part of town, but it wasn't busy either. His eyes scanned the street, trying to guess what Tobi had planned.
By now he was pretty sure that Kakashi would have found out that the tracking device had been removed. Hopefully he had been watching when Naruto got in the cab and at least gotten the medallion number of the vehicle. There were enough cameras along the city streets that they would be able to find the cab, or at least tell the direction it was going.
Naruto bent down as though tying his shoe, though in reality he was removing his shoe lace. The driver had found Naruto's knife and gun. A shoelace didn't make a perfect garrote, but it was better than nothing.
It wouldn't be the first time he'd killed with one, if it came down to that.
He slowly stood, keeping the lace loosely in his hand but out of sight. He tried to keep himself focused in the moment. Tobi would come soon, if he wasn't there already. Naruto had to keep himself grounded if he were going to have any chance of defending himself if this turned out to be some sort of trap. He couldn't afford to fall into a flashback again.
He felt a surge of panic and frustration at the thought, knowing that he could tell himself not to flash all day long, but in reality he had zero control over it. It just didn't work that way.
He hated the weakness. Hated the loss of control and exposed vulnerability.
Most of the buildings on the narrow street seemed to be businesses of some sort. Given that it was evening on a Sunday, most were closed, some with the metal grates covering their openings. One establishment caught his eye.
It appeared to be a small restaurant. Not particularly busy. He had only seen one group enter in the several minutes he'd been waiting. Given that it was the only place open on the street, he wondered if he was supposed to go inside. Would Tobi really have gone through all this trouble just to have dinner and talk? Naruto doubted it. He wondered what one would chat about with the serial killer that killed one's parents anyway.
Nothing really came to mind.
He shifted the shoelace in his fingers, pressing his fingers against its softness one by one like playing a keyboard. The waiting was starting to get to him. He had never been very good at it.
He had the sudden, overwhelming feeling that someone was watching him, but just as he was about to move to cover, the door to the restaurant opened, catching his attention.
A family came out. A young blond boy was grinning from ear-to-ear, a birthday crown on his head. His father held one hand, and his mother the other.
"Again, again!" the boy called out happily. "Swing me again!"
The father laughed, sharing a warm look with the mother as they counted to three before lifting the boy and swinging him forward.
Naruto felt his stomach turn to ice, comprehension slowly dawning on him. No. No. Not this.
Something from the narrow alleyway caught the father's attention. He turned as though speaking to someone, but Naruto could not see anything deep in the shadows of the alley.
No. Don't go in. Please…
The sound of a car horn blaring jerked Naruto back to reality as he looked to see that he was already halfway across the street and a car had almost hit him.
He looked back up frantically, but the family had disappeared into the alley.
"Stop!" Naruto screamed, running to catch up to them. The shoe he had removed the lace from fell from his foot and he left it in the middle of the road, barely noticing.
He got to the entrance of the alley, still shouting. The father turned to look back at Naruto, surprise and concern on his face.
"So perfect, aren't they?" a voice said just behind Naruto's shoulder. Naruto jumped, turning to see Tobi stepping out from behind a dumpster.
"Do you remember?" the killer whispered, his finger brushing along the back of Naruto's shoulders. "I wanted our first time together to be special."
Naruto felt his hands start to shake.
"Who do you want? Do you have a preference?" Tobi asked, his eyes going calmly between Naruto's face and the three people in the alley with them.
The parents seemed to finally sense that something was wrong as they realized that they had followed a cry for help into a dead end alley that now had two strange men blocking them from the exit, and no one else in sight.
"I might prefer the woman myself, but really, it's all the same to me," Tobi said, as though they were selecting entrees off a menu.
"You… you're crazy!" Naruto said, stepping back between Tobi and the family who were standing there, frozen. "RUN, you idiots! Get the hell out of here!"
Tobi's eyes narrowed, and the gloved hand he had kept concealed by his side came forward as the mother grabbed her child by the hand and began running towards them.
Tobi lifted his hand, articulating each blade in the dim glow of the streetlight, and the sight caused her to stop in her tracks, frozen with fear. "Now, Naruto. Don't be a spoilsport. It took me over a month to find them. Aren't they perfect? Don't reject my gift. We are the same. I want you to experience what I did, that night."
Naruto looked from the blades on Tobi's hand, and considered the shoelace still held in his fingers. A blunted garrote like a shoelace would not kill quickly enough to go up against blades. He needed to find something else. His eyes flicked deeper in the alley, hoping for some old pipes or anything he could use as a projectile, but there was nothing.
He then considered the child's parents. They were frozen in fear, not even screaming yet, much less fighting. They would be no help. They were sheep to the slaughter. Tobi had chosen his victims well.
Tobi's face flashed with impatience.
"Fine," he said finally, disappointment lacing his voice. "If you won't choose first, then I will. I'll take her."
With practiced speed, Tobi lunged forward, driving the blades of his hand toward the woman's belly. The blades had just begun to pierce her skin when his hand was knocked to the side by Naruto's wrist coming down forcefully against his.
The woman had finally begun to scream, blood staining her blouse. The blades hadn't been driven through, however, so the wounds at this point were not life threatening.
Naruto spun, before Tobi could recover his balance to strike again and threw himself against the older man, knocking him to the ground. He looked up to see the child's eyes wide with terror and fixated on him.
"Run," Naruto whispered, knowing the parents would follow if the child fled. The sight of the blood on the blades of Tobi's glove sent a shudder through him.
"Mommy!" Naruto heard his own voice screaming from the past, mixing with the voice of the child in front of him as the boy reached to touch his mother's stomach, which was now covered with blood.
"Such a disappointment, Naruto," the familiar voice was saying. "You've made me waste my time."
Naruto heard the threat in that voice. He knew what it meant. "Run," he said again, watching as a drop of blood hit the ground in front of him. Tobi was on top of him now, he could hear screaming. A man's. A woman's. A child's.
The concreted, black with blood.
"You're going to have to pay for that. Along with the people who ruined you."
"Run!" Naruto screamed, but he didn't know if the scream was in the present or in the past.

Gaara waited until the elevator closed behind Naruto before he stalked to his bedroom, pulling out the small bag he kept under his bed, ignoring the presence of Shisui and Sasuke behind him.
He left the sniper rifle where it lay, knowing it wasn't exactly something he could run through the city streets with, and grabbed something more conveniently sized, throwing it to Sasuke. He checked the clip of his own piece one more time before stuffing the Glock into the waistband of his jeans.
"The tracking device has gone dead," Kakashi said, his cell phone to his ear.
"Shit!" Sasuke swore, looking at the gun in his hand, but knowing it would be useless if they didn't know where Naruto was..
"The first back-up unit has already arrived to the meet point. They were only a few blocks away when they got the call," Kakashi said, his voice tense. "If Naruto show's up there, they'll notify us." His voice didn't sound hopeful. He hadn't heard yet what had happened to the original team, but he knew the news would not be good.
"Naruto isn't going to be at the address Tobi gave," Itachi said, standing up and going to put on his shoes, accepting the gun that Shisui had wordlessly handed him.
Kakashi looked at him but didn't disagree.
"There would have been no point of disabling the tracking device if he were going to that location," Gaara said, opening up a what looked like a tablet and turning it on, looking pleased when he heard a small, pinging beep.
"What's that?" Sasuke asked as he pushed the elevator button for the third time with probably a bit more force than necessary.
"A monitor for a tracking device," Gaara said tersely.
"But I just told you that the tracking device was disabled," Kakashi said impatiently.
Gaara looked at him, then rolled his eyes. "That's because you used a fucking antique one that would have been worthless after four blocks anyway. You cops always have shit equipment. Even a blind three-year-old could have found it."
"So what are you looking at, then?" Sasuke persisted impatiently, hoping if Gaara was implying what he thought he was.
"Tobi's man found your tracking device. He didn't find mine," Gaara said tersely, matching Sasuke's impatience.
"Where did you put your tracking device? And when?" Kakashi asked, not exactly liking the fact that he hadn't been informed about it, but willing to overlook it if the fucking thing was working.
"I embedded it in his scalp while he was sleeping before we left for Suna," Gaara said patiently, as though it were a perfectly natural thing for one friend to embed a tracking device without permission into another. "It's state of the art, military grade, smaller than the head of a pin and with a range of four miles."
The four other men exchanged a glance, not quite sure what to say to that.
The elevator doors opened. Sasuke was the first to recover. "Then let's go," Sasuke said, following Gaara's example and concealing the gun in the waistband of his pants.
Kakashi was already calling the replacement surveillance squad with the new information.
-xXx-
To be continued…
- 27
- 28
- 29
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Deception - COMPLETE