Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Opposite Sides of the Tracks	By : kizukatana Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1622 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing and make no money

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
-xXx-
"Look. I need to shower and go change into fresh clothes. Sasuke hasn't eaten yet and he's probably starving. Let's just get settled in and sort things out. Is there a clean phone we can call Shikamaru on? It would be good to get him here, since he has been thinking through what we have to work with and has probably solved the meaning of the universe by now."
But evidently Gaara was not quite done extracting his pound of flesh yet. Naruto walked toward the kitchen, and was on his way to the bathroom when he heard Gaara shout down the hall after him, "Have you told Sasuke about your kids yet?"
Followed almost immediately by a lethal sounding Sasuke, "His what?"
"Gaara! I'm going to fucking kill you!"
Sasuke walked into the bathroom, where Naruto, still shirtless, was digging into a bag of his clothes that Gaara had brought. He pulled out an orange tee shirt and a pair of cargo pants.
"Um... kids?"
"Yeah. Seventeen. With fourteen different mothers," Sasuke's face froze, and he was clearly trying to decide if Naruto was joking or not. Naruto rolled his eyes and continued. "And twelve different fathers, none of whom are me. Seriously, Sasuke, how big of a whore do you think I am?"
Sasuke just stood there, trying to make sense of this. Was Naruto joking? Was he a school teacher? What the fuck?
He had felt his heart clench when Gaara had said Naruto had children. This implied a mother, and a very long-term, permanent relationship for the sake of the children if nothing else. He had felt a mixture of jealousy about the relationship and hurt that Naruto hadn't even mentioned this to him. Not that there had been a lot of time for talking, but still. This wasn't just an 'oh, by the way' kind of thing.
Naruto sighed, and threw a pair of sweat pants and a black T-shirt to Sasuke. "I don't know if these will fit you, but it has to be better than wearing the same clothes three days in a row. We'll find a way to get some real clothes soon. Maybe Temari could be your personal shopper. She'd love to check your pant size."
Sasuke caught the clothes, still not knowing what kind of conversation they were having. Or needed to be having. "Shikamaru has a suitcase with my clothes ready for me. He told me to pack them and give them to him after our talk last time, in case something like this happened. He knew he wouldn't be able to just swing by my place and pick them up without it being too easy to trace him to me."
"Figures. He always thinks at least 10 moves ahead." Naruto glanced at the expression on Sasuke's face, and took a deep breath. "Look. I know things are really weird in terms of us. I have spent so much of the past 6 years thinking about you, and involved with this Danzo thing that relates to you, and then last night we... well last night was just unbelievable. And it feels like we know everything about each other on some level. But we don't. I mean... you know who I am, the core of me. And I know you. But there have been a million details and experiences that we have had separately over the years that we don't know about, and we haven't had time to just talk. Like normal people. And catch up on all the non-"holyshit we're gonna die" kind of topics. Like - I have no idea what music you like, or what books you've read, or what your favorite food is now - is it still tomatoes? - or any of that normal stuff. But at the same time, I know exactly where the spot on your neck is that makes you hard in like three seconds, and I know that you mourn your mother but not your father."
Sasuke just looked at him, "Ok, but seventeen kids is not a detail in the same way as what my favorite song is. You can't possibly be that clueless, right? Are you just jerking me around, or are you going to tell me what the hell Gaara was talking about."
"It just feels weird to just start randomly talking about shit like this out of the blue. But - ok - so these kids are my kids, but their not my kids. It's no big deal," Naruto was looking embarrassed, and Sasuke became impatient. "There are some kids from the neighborhood, or nearby areas. The youngest is five, and the oldest is about twelve. In the evenings when I don't have a match, we train at the dojo and hang out. When one of them gets into trouble, I let them stay the night. Sometimes I help them out with stuff. It's not like I can adopt them, or anything. I mean, look at me. But they matter to me. And I matter to them. But... Gaara just said it that way trying to cause drama because HE'S BEING A FUCKING PRICK," Naruto had leaned his head around Sasuke, who was standing in the bathroom doorway, to shout down the hall at Gaara.
Sasuke looked down at Naruto's naked back and the slight scent of him as he had leaned past already stirring a physical response. He couldn't believe that in the middle of all this, he could actually be seriously thinking about sex. Naruto brushed Sasuke's side as he stood back up, and Sasuke suddenly wished that they were alone in the apartment. His fingers twitched to slide along Naruto's skin.
Naruto stood facing Sasuke. Their eyes locked on each other, and the voices down the hall seemed to fade to nothing. Slowly Sasuke's hand reached up and brushed along his friend's cheek bone. He let out a shaky breath. Sasuke leaned back on the door, pushing it closed. They just looked at each other for a minute, feeling the tension between them ratchet up. Naruto closed the distance, bracing his hands on either side of Sasuke's head against the door.
"Do you think..." Naruto asked, his voice sounding somehow both husky and bewildered at the same time. "... do you think it will ever be normal between us?"
Sasuke tried to will his brain to focus on Naruto's words, when all he could do was feel the rush of heat spread through his body at his friend's proximity.
"After everything last night, I thought I could... I mean... it's not just lust for me, what I want from you. There are so many things I want to talk to you about. Little and big. And there are people waiting for us right outside this door that we really need to talk to," Naruto bit his lower lip and swallowed convulsively, the muscles in his arms and neck cording with the effort to restrain himself. "But I am fighting with every ounce of will right now, to not just lunge at you and swallow you whole. I don't..." he closed his eyes and drew a shuddering breath. "... I don't know how to handle what I feel for you Sasuke. What the hell is this?"
Beneath the desire that made the blue eyes slightly glazed, Sasuke could sense that Naruto was... afraid. He recognized it instantly, because it echoed his own emotions, how the pure simple love of friendship that he had felt for Naruto when he was young had somehow been transformed into something darker and more obsessive.
A pounding on the door snapped them apart.
"Call Shikamaru first, have sex later. We need to get things moving," Gaara said flatly.
Naruto drew a shuddering breath, and opened the door, shoving Sasuke out. I have to shower and change my clothes. Then I will call Shikamaru," Naruto slammed the door closed, but Sasuke was able to catch what Naruto mumbled at the end. "Right after I take a fucking cold shower and get some blood back into my brain."
. . . . .
When Sasuke had changed into fresh clothes and Naruto had finally emerged blue and shivering from the shower (which Temari, Itachi, and Gaara exchanged amused smirks over), they sat down at the kitchen table over some coffee.
"So... do you really have kids?" Itachi had asked. Naruto glared at Gaara, but sketched out basically the same thing he had told Sasuke, laying it out like some random kids just happened to show up every once in a while at the gym for a chat. Gaara rolled his eyes.
"Right, Naruto. That's exactly the way it is. Although Tsunade did spend almost 12 straight hours reattaching the tendons and ligaments in your left hand when you took on the gang that was trying to jump Konohamaru and his two friends when you heard what was happening to them. And you have spent all of your prize money on either feeding those kids or helping their families make rent, so literally all you have to your name is the clothes in that fucking duffle bag and the crap in your pack. And half the kids there either call you nii-san or tousan*."
Naruto looked flatly at Gaara. "And exactly what does this have to do with anything?"
"Well, I figure Sasuke should know that he's likely to find his mansion turned into an orphanage at some point if he's going to keep you around," Gaara said. Itachi and Sasuke exchanged amused glances at that thought. "And I wanted to remind you, Naruto, that there are people in this world that need you. You might not be the head of a multi-billion dollar enterprise. But you still matter to people. And you need to respect that."
There was a strong underlying message that Gaara was driving at. Naruto knew what it was, and it pissed him off. And he did not want to talk about it here. "I make my choices, Gaara, the same as you or anyone else. I need you to back off this now."
The room was filled with a tension that only Gaara and Naruto seemed to really understand. Though Temari was suspiciously staring at the floor, as though hoping an escape hatch would magically open up and let her the fuck out of there.
Naruto and Gaara were locked in an intense exchange of glares. Finally, something like sadness flashed across Gaara's face, and he let his gaze drop.
"Hurry up and call Shikamaru. I have to get back and babysit your kids. Or did you forget that Konohamaru has been sleeping there most nights since his grandfather died?"
"Gaara -"
"Don't ask me to not be mad. You know where I stand. You can disregard it, or not."
Naruto looked helplessly at his friend, at a loss for what to say. "Thanks. For checking in on him. I'll send one of my T-shirts back in case he doesn't have pajamas with him." Both he and Gaara knew the boy would want some sort of proof that Naruto was still ok, still around. The T-shirt would have to suffice.
Sasuke digested what Gaara had said, at least the part that had been less cryptic. It actually didn't surprise him at all that Naruto was trying to make a safe haven for these kids, given Naruto's past. It was exactly something Naruto would do... trying to find a family for himself, trying to protect kids that were like him. Maybe even trying to erase some of the fear he had lived with as a child by showing he could now control or at least influence the same forces that had thrown him to the wind when he was young. "I'm glad," Sasuke said softly. "I'm glad that you have been able to find a purpose beyond just hunting Danzo. It makes me feel... less guilty about dragging you into all this."
"Sasuke," Naruto looked at him steadily. "Getting involved was completely my choice. You never asked. And it's not like I had a lot of significantly better options waiting for me behind door number two. So don't feel guilty about any of this shit."
The conversation lightened, and they shifted to talk about less controversial things. Naruto took the clean phone Gaara handed him and dialed Shikamaru.
"Hey, Shikamaru. Have you solved the grand unified theory of everything yet?"
"Hey, Naruto. I take it things are in motion?"
"Yeah. Sasuke had some cover story planned to keep it out of the press, so that's why you didn't hear about it."
"Yeah, I had told him to do that... no point worrying investors."
"Right," Naruto flicked a glance at the group around him, Sasuke was eating, and Gaara, Itachi, and Temari seemed to be discussing something about the security of government information sites. Naruto casually walked out of the room, and headed to one of the bedrooms. "And you should know we have another player in the mix here now. The one I sketched that day."
He heard Shikamaru draw in a quick breath.
"That is the best news I've heard in a long time."
"Great, so we'll send someone to pick you up tomorrow morning, around 9am?"
"Ok, I'll be ready."
When Naruto had reached the bedroom and softly pulled the door closed, he dropped his voice. "Hey. So you've been working on a plan, right?"
"Obviously."
"Look... you play chess. You know that some pieces are more important than others for winning the game. And I want you to know, that I am ok with that. Just make the best plan that protects the pieces that matter. Ok?"
"You have no faith in my abilities to plan, do you?"
"No, I do. That's why I went to you in the first place. But I just... want to be sure you are optimizing around the right things. And we don't need to make a big deal of highlighting that when you're here tomorrow, as long as you and I know what is important here. OK?"
"Naruto -"
"Look, I have to run, but just keep in mind what I told you. Some pieces can't get taken, ok?"
"See you tomorrow."
"Later," Naruto felt a presence at his back, and turned around, startled. Itachi stood there, the door closed behind him. How the fuck did he get in here and why didn't I even hear him? How long has he been there?
They two men looked at each other in silence for a minute. "You know, Sasuke will totally kill you if he knows you are putting his safety above yours," Itachi said, his voice holding no inflection. "This was what Gaara was so pissed about tonight, wasn't it. He knew you were going to do this."
"Sasuke doesn't need to know. Shikamaru is a fucking genius. It will probably work out fine. But just in case... you know I'm right."
"Do I?"
"You made the same choice. And I'll bet if you had to, you'd do the same thing again."
Itachi just looked at Naruto, then a small smile ghosted across his lips. "I guess we have at least two things in common, then."
Naruto raised a brow.
"We both love Sasuke more than ourselves. And we both are going to suffer his wrath for it."
-xXx-
Gaara pulled Naruto aside before he left. "We won't be back here until we come with Shikamaru. So anyone who comes through that door before 11:30 tomorrow morning is not a friend. That door opens, and you take them down permanently. No fucking around, Naruto."
"I know. I won't play," Naruto said. And he meant it. With Sai it had been just luck that he hadn't had to kill him. They were getting the hell out of there anyway, so there was no danger really in letting Sai report that Sasuke was gone. It would be different with someone finding them here. They couldn't be left to deliver any message. Naruto glanced over and saw Itachi watching them. He nodded slightly, clearly hearing and agreeing with the exchange.
Eventually Gaara and Temari had left. Itachi said he would be going to bed, making a big point that he had the iPod that Gaara had loaned him, and would be listening to music quite loudly all night long.
Naruto blushed, and stalked to the kitchen, grumbling about everyone in his business all of a sudden. Sasuke just rolled his eyes and headed to take a shower.
Naruto ate a second dinner, then went and lay down in the bed. His mind was racing on what options Shikamaru would have laid out for them and what could happen over the next few days. There would be no safe path. The question was going to be the sequence. Do they take out Danzo or Madara first? And if Madara needed to go down first, how do they do that when they don't know how to find him?
But he knew better than to underestimate Shikamaru. He had complete confidence that if a way existed to bring them down, Shikamaru would have figured it out. And he had sounded very confidant on the phone. Naruto would just bank on that. He looked up from his thoughts when he heard the door open. Sasuke was back from his shower, wearing one of Naruto's T-shirts and a clean pair of sweat pants. He couldn't explain the funny feeling in his stomach at seeing Sasuke in his clothing. Why was it he always had this instant reaction when he was close to Sasuke? Already his hands were sweating and he could feel his groin stirring. But what he felt went far beyond simple lust, or even typical love, and was somehow an amalgam of the light sweetness of friendship and the darker swirl of obsession. And he knew that this was dangerous. This feel of possessiveness, and utter focus on someone else. In a way, he knew it had always been there. Even when they were young, he had always been acutely aware of the dark-haired-boy's movements and actions. Even before they had ever spoken, he had watched him. Admired him. Longed for him, in a simple, childlike way. And then they had grown, and his thoughts had matured. And the longing had deepened, and darkened, and become a part of his being. But it had still been manageable, controllable, until last night.
Now that he had slept with Sasuke, it was like that part of him had simply taken over. He couldn't imagine being with anyone else now. So what would he do when this was over? When Danzo and Madara were dead and Sasuke was safe? He didn't pretend that they would be together forever. What would someone like Sasuke need with someone like him? They would be friends. He knew that Sasuke wasn't using him, that he had real affection and feelings for him at some level. But they weren't what Naruto felt. Couldn't be. This insanity. This intensity.
Sasuke walked over to him, blue eyes locked on black. Some of what Naruto was thinking must have shown on his face, because a flush was slowly staining across Sasuke's cheekbones, and his eyes had already darkened with arousal. Naruto reached up to him and pulled him down in the bed next to him.
Naruto softly brushed his lips across Sasuke's. Then again. Before pressing in more fully and sliding his tongue into Sasuske's mouth.
The state of emotional upheaval in Sasuke's life right now had almost incapacitated his brain. In the past 24 hours, he had been nearly assassinated, consummated a sexual relationship with the person he pretty much believed was his soul mate, and been reunited with his miraculously resurrected brother. This would be a bit of an overload for even an emotionally in-touch person to process, but Sasuke's brain had long since simply shifted into 'passive observer' mode and was letting everything wash through with no processing at all.
But sex was something that didn't require mental effort, only physical response. He might not be able to ask Naruto all the things he wanted to, he definitely could not say all the things he needed to, but he could respond at least to this part openly and without reservation.
Their bodies were still fatigued from the previous night, but rather than dulling the desire, they found themselves sensitized to the smell and heat and slightest touches from each other. Naruto drew back to look at Sasuke, his gaze running over the beautiful face, and flawless form of his lover. "Sometimes I look at you... and I think you can't be real," he whispered. Sasuke fisted his hand in Naruto's hair and drew him back down slowly. They kissed almost reverently, savoring the taste and texture of each other's mouths. Naruto slid his hands under Sasuke's shirt, slowly lifting the hem up, following its slow path with his tongue and lips, tracing his way up Sasuke's abdomen, over his chest, up to his throat as he removed the shirt and tossed it on the floor. He then settled his hands to the waist of the sweatpants that Sasuke was wearing, burying his face for a moment in Sasuke's stomach, nuzzling and mumbling words of appreciation.
Sasuke got impatient, and pulled Naruto's shirt off in one smooth movement, then rolled him beneath him and began sucking on his neck, running his hands down Naruto's sides, being careful to avoid the cut there. He felt Naruto shiver, and didn't quite manage to suppress a soft laugh. God he had wanted this. All day, it had been skirting around the edges of Sasuke's thoughts. No matter what he had tried to focus on. He wanted this. And he could feel how much Naruto wanted it too. Thank god it wasn't just him feeling this desperation.
He kissed Naruto with a bruising force, pressing him into the mattress and feeling their erections slide against each other with a scalding friction. Naruto's arms closed around his waist, then his hands slid down Sasuke's back to his ass, pulling him closer and increasing the pressure. They both groaned at the pleasure of it. Sasuke was kissing his neck again, leaving a trail of hickies down Naruto's chest to the center of his tattoo. Naruto was shaking and sweating with desire when Sasuke slowly began to trace the pattern of the black swirl with his tongue. "Have I told you how insane this tattoo makes me?" he whispered against Naruto's flesh.
"Fucking god, Sasuke. I swear, I am going to come right now if you don't stop." Sasuke's soft laughter was his only response as he slowly unzipped Naruto's pants and pulled them off.
"Do you not even own underwear?" he asked. Naruto's could only make some strangled response and Sasuke's fist had closed around his erection and was sliding up and down Naruto's already over-stimulated shaft. Smirking, Sasuke swirled his tongue over the head, tasting the saltiness of the drips already forming, and pulled it into his mouth. He sucked slowly at first, the built up suction and tempo while Naruto slowly lost his mind arching into the bed with his head thrown back.
"Sa-suke, I'm gonna -" Sasuke hummed slightly, pulling Naruto down as deep as he could. "Ungh, god!" Naruto came, his whole body locking up as Sasuke continued his ministrations until every last tremor was done. He quickly pulled off his own pants, tossing them aside along with Naruto's. Naruto's pack was on the nightstand, and he stretched over and pulled out the oil while Naruto tried to reconnect his consciousness with his body.
Sasuke's hands were shaking with urgency as he flipped open the cap and poured oil onto his hands. Naruto palmed his hands over Sasuke's, making them both slick with oil, then curling his fingers over Sasuke's erection, feeling the oil dribble between his fingers.
"Naruto, I can't wait. Let me," Sasuke slid a slickened finger into Naruto. Naruto was still a bit sore from the prior night, but Sasuke had already learned where to focus his efforts and soon all discomfort was drown out by the intense pleasure of Sasuke stroking the right spot. Sasuke inserted a second finger, then a third. He knew he was rushing it a bit, but he could barely hold on as it was.
"Sasuke, stop playing around," Naruto said huskily. Sasuke swore, and quickly positioned himself between Naruto's legs and slowly entered him.
"God, Naruto," he groaned, amazed his words actually came out fully formed. "You are so fucking tight. I can't -"
"If you hold back, I swear I'll rip your arms off," Naruto whispered into Sasuke's ear.
Sasuke wasn't sure exactly what sound he made when Naruto said that, but whatever it was had Naruto grinning. But only briefly, as Sasuke took him at his word and proceeded to fuck him into the mattress with an intensity that was above super-nova.
They climaxed together, and collapsed, panting. It took a few minutes for Naruto to remember he had hands. When he did, he began to slowly stroke Sasuke's back. They lay together in the darkness, listening to each other's heartbeats, neither wanting to break the moment.
As Naruto drifted off to sleep, there was one thought that focused itself in his mind. He was going to make absolutely certain that Sasuke was still whole and alive at the end of this. No matter what.
. . . . . . . . .
Sasuke was on his way back from the shower when Itachi opened the door to his room.
"For future reference, I don't think the volume on an iPod goes up loud enough to drown you guys out. If we all end up living together when this is over, you need to soundproof the walls of your bedroom."
Sasuke just blinked at him, not really sure what to say. Itachi turned and went back into his room. Sasuke swore he could hear the sounds of Itachi laughing. Was that even possible?
-xXx-
Temari and Gaara arrived at noon the next day with Shikamaru. It was hard to say which Sasuke was more excited about. The fact that the 'man with the plan' had arrived, or the fact that he came bearing some of Sasuke's own clothes. With no sweatpants or cargo pants in sight.
On his part, Shikamaru was glad to see both Sasuke and Naruto unharmed, and was intensely glad to see Itachi. The two men gripped arms, and Naruto guessed that Shikamaru had some of the same hero worship for Itachi that Sasuke did.
But they decided it was time to get down to business. To bring Itachi up to speed on what Naruto had laid out, Shikamaru quickly went through the file and laid out the basics of the players and what was known about the sequence of events up to this point and the players involved. Naruto couldn't help but note that it took Shikamaru about a third the time it had taken him to explain it the first time, and seemed to be a hell of a lot more coherent. He grinned at Shikamaru. It was awesome to have friends with talents.
Itachi was a bit taken aback at the level of detail that Naruto had been able to gather without raising anyone's suspicions.
"It helps to be an idiot," Sasuke offered helpfully. Naruto narrowed his eyes at him.
"Ok, so now that the landscape has been established, we have to set down what to do about it," Shikamaru continued.
"There are three separate phases that need to be carried out to have this work. We'll talk sequencing and timing of these in a minute, but first we need to walk through the scenarios and contingencies for each one," Shikamaru looked around the table; no one was fooled by the lazy expression on his face. This guy was a fucking badass. "The first is taking out Madara, the second is taking out Danzo, and the third is avoiding jail."
"Taking out Madara needs to be done with finesse. He is not viewed as a criminal. The police will want to put someone in jail if he gets murdered. He is a wealthy businessman from a powerful family. We also need to deal with the issue that no one seems to know where he is," with this, Shikamaru slanted a questioning look at Itachi, who shook his head.
"I didn't even know he was back in the country. Rumor had it that the reason Danzo had killed my family was personal," Itachi stated. Sasuke felt a strange feeling pass through him, that somehow Naruto was able to find something out that Itachi didn't know. Like somehow the universe was slightly out of balance.
"Temari helped me with that one. She was able to sift through all the legal records to figure it out. Then hack into the department of state to find out passport and visa information on Madara."
Shikamaru looked consideringly at Temari. Who blushed.
"So," Shikamaru continued, "For Madara, we need to draw him out, and kill him without it looking like it was a murder. Let's start with the first barrier. What would draw him out?"
"Sasuke's and my dead bodies," Itachi said coolly.
"Exactly. So you and Sasuke are going to die in a fiery explosion. Again. And then when Madara shows up to claim his place as head of the family business, you can flip a coin to decide who takes him out."
There was a moment of silence. Finally Itachi said, "I am assuming that your plan has more details than that."
Shikamaru smiled slightly. "Of course. Let's talk details - and the pros, cons, and contingencies of each option." And he proceeded to lay out a plan that - if there had been any doubts before - proved that you don't EVER want to go against a Nara in a game of wits.
Itachi and Sasuke were already discussing how to set this in motion when Shikamaru continued.
"So that takes care of the first phase. The second is much more straight-forward, except for the timing. Danzo is a known criminal. There will be minimal investigation into his death. The risk here is not so much jail as it is just making it out alive. There is a small chance that killing Madara would stop him, given that his primary reason for going after Sasuke would be eliminated."
Naruto stirred. "No. He would lose too much face at this point. There are rumors already that he is going for Sasuke, but not as clear on the rationale. Removing Madara would eliminate the primary driver for this, but Danzo would still have to follow through or people will view it as weakness. He can't afford to be viewed as weak."
"Agreed. There is no way to take Danzo out first, because Madara will become suspicious and might go further underground for a while until he finds a new partner to help. But as soon as we take out Madara, Danzo will know that we are onto him. And he will become almost impossible to reach."
"So we have to hit them at the same time," Itachi stated calmly.
"Right. And we already know that Sasuke and Itachi will need to be directly involved with getting Madara. So that leaves Danzo to you," Shikamaru looked at Naruto. There was a message exchanged there that both Gaara and Itachi caught, and didn't like. Sasuke frowned, knowing that he had missed something important in the sub-text.
"I figured that. And I already told you that I can reach him. He trusts me, even though he is holed up in his fortress right now."
"Are you sure? You let Sai go," Gaara reminded him. "By now, either he has found Danzo, or Danzo has found him. He disappeared from the emergency room before he was fully admitted to the hospital. They never got an ID on him, and no one saw him leave. All the video feeds were erased. Someone from Danzo's organization was there besides Sai."
"Danzo will see me," Naruto said, calmly.
"He will see you because he will want to interrogate you before he kills you. You might be able to walk in, but you won't walk out, Naruto," Shikamaru glared at him. "Seriously, you really don't have any faith in my ability to plan things, do you?"
"OK, so what do you suggest then? I am definitely open to other options."
"There are three options. But before we talk through which is the most viable, I have a question for Itachi."
The man in question simply raised an eyebrow.
"How high up are you in Nagato's organization at this point?"
A second eyebrow joined the first, and then he slowly smiled. "I had forgotten, Shikamaru, how absolutely fierce your intellect is. And your assumption is right, of course. Nagato is dying. He has about two months left. And he has asked me to take over his organization. Everyone has agreed."
Sasuke looked at his brother in shock. "But... I thought... you would come back and-"
"And run the family business with you? Sasuke," Itachi sighed slightly. "It is too late now. You already know that I have killed several people. Not all of them in self defense. If I tried to assume a role as a public figure at this point, someone would start digging into it. Naruto was able to figure it out. Others could, too. And Nagato's organization is not as ruthless as many other of the Yakuza. He has morals. There are lines that he doesn't cross, and I have found that I can live with that same code. That is why it is absolutely imperative that you stay clean of the worst of it. You need to be beyond reproach so that you can maintain your influence and keep us all out of jail."
Sasuke understood, but he didn't like it. He especially didn't like the pace at which all of this was happening, with no time for him to process or influence the trajectory of things.
"So that brings us to the three options for taking Danzo down. The first is utter destruction," Shikamaru pulled out one of Naruto's sketches and laid it out. "Itachi - would he follow your orders to do this?" Itachi looked at the sketch.
"It is usually more of an issue trying to get Deidara NOT to blow things up. If we have a blueprint of the compound, Dei could get this done."
Shikamaru pulled out the sketch of the compound that Naruto had done. Itachi again looked at Naruto with respect.
"There are over thirty people living in that compound. Not all of them deserve to get blown to shit," Naruto said, his eyes narrowing dangerously at Shikamaru.
"Ok, so let's explore option 2. Naruto, what do you want to do with your life when this is all over?" Naruto blinked at the question, clearly not understanding how they could be connected. Itachi was quicker on the uptake.
"You clearly have the trust of Danzo's men. More than he does, if I understand how he runs his operation. If there are two or three that you trust who are high enough up, you could simple walk in and stage a coup. You'd have to take Danzo out, but I think Shikamaru probably already has some ideas around that." Itachi seemed perfectly serious. Naruto could not for the life of him imagine himself as a heavy Yakuza crime boss. He said as much.
Gaara agreed. "My father was a Yakuza boss. Naruto would be killed within a year. He isn't ruthless enough to keep his lieutenants from overthrowing him. It would be a death sentence for him."
Sasuke felt panic and anger rising in him. Why was this even on the table? Naruto was going to come and live with him. They were finally going to be together. What kind of bullshit were these guys even considering?
Before he could even voice that, Shikamaru was continuing. "Ok, so that leaves us option three. It was my final option because it is the most dangerous. Naruto, for this to work, you will either have to go alone or bring at most one person with you."
Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but Naruto cut him off. "I'm going alone. If you think it is possible for one person to do this, why put another person at risk?"
"You haven't even heard the plan yet, you dumbass," Sasuke said, his temper snapping. Both Naruto and Itachi seemed like they were slipping away from him again. To this fucking underworld that never let you go. He could not let that happen. Not when he finally had them both back in his life. "Look, if two people can do this, and it is risky, then let me go with him. We'll do it together. Once Madara thinks Itachi and I are dead, it's not like he will magically be able to appear in that instant to claim the family assets. It will take at least a day, maybe more. And that would give me enough time to go with Naruto on whatever plan we're working with here."
"No, Sasuke," Naruto said flatly, raising his hand when Sasuke opened his mouth again. "Just to be perfectly clear, of everyone in this room you would be absolutely the last person I would take with me. You would be recognized on sight, you have not been trained in the type of fighting that is likely going to come into play, and you are the lynchpin in getting us all out of this in the end. You are absolutely not coming with me. We are NOT going to argue about it."
"Fuck you, Naruto. You can't make all the decis-"
"He's right," Itachi said, giving Naruto an unreadable look. "Sasuke, this is not the part of the plan that you should be involved with. You have other roles to play."
"Right, while Naruto goes off and gets himself killed? Because you all think I am too white collar to be useful? Fuck you guys," Sasuke walked out of the room.
They sat in silence for a bit, Naruto in particular looking bleak. He had seen the fear and anguish on Sasuke's face before he had covered it with anger. But he knew he was making the right choice. The only choice he could live with. He sighed. "So what's the plan, Shika?"
When Shikamaru had finished explaining, Naruto was a little pale, but he nodded. "It's a good plan. Not a lot of room for error, but a good plan."
Gaara looked at him. "I'm coming with you. You need two people."
"No, Gaara. There is no way I am letting anyone else come with me. This doesn't even involve you, and if something happened to you I would never forgive myself-"
Before Naruto had finished, before he could even blink, Gaara had stood up, his chair tipping over, and he had literally plucked Naruto out of his chair and was slamming him up against the wall over his head with his hand around Naruto's throat. Everyone looked in complete shock as the smaller, red-haired man seemed to effortlessly overpower the larger blond.
In a deceptively quiet voice, he simply said, "We're not optimizing around your ability to emerge out of this guilt-free. We are optimizing to have everyone make it out alive. And I will fucking break both of your legs right now, if you don't agree that I am going with you. Incidentally, your odds of success are quite low with two broken legs."
He finally released Naruto when no further objections were forthcoming. Naruto looked at the shocked faces of Itachi and Shikamaru and just shrugged. "I told you he could kick my ass. This is why he is banned even from the underground fighting. The dude's fucking insane."
Shikamaru looked thoughtful. "Actually, Gaara, if you are going with Naruto, I think we can modify the plan a bit." He explained. And both Gaara and Itachi grinned.
-xXx-
to be continued... if you enjoyed this, please comment
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