Don't Find Me, Baka |A SasuNaru Tale|

Part 11

"We should be in Konoha in about ten minutes," Sakura said animatedly as she ran along side Daiki and Naruto. Zabuza was hanging in the back, so he could keep a watchful eye out for any Leaf shinobi that didn't know about the arrival. She continued speaking, "I really can't wait until we get back. I want to introduce you guys to everyone I know." Sasuke tried to tune her out but he was bombarded by questions by Sasumi.

Sasumi asked if they had pretty girls like Sakura, good food and entertainment. He tried to focus on finally getting the mission completed but his thoughts kept running back to the incident with his "capturee." Why had he just blurted that? What did Naruto think? Sasuke snorted. Obviously the other thought Sasuke was an idiot and hated it. He probably thought he was an idiot. With the memory refreshed in his mind, he couldn't help but bring a hand up to his face to smack himself.

"Whoa, man," Daiki said, a smile on his face, "No need ta' hurt ya self because Sasumi's borin' ya' so much. Just smack 'im on the noggin every once in a while." Sasuke turned his head to glare at the man until he saw Naruto glaring at him. What? What did he do now?

"Sasuke, we need to talk," Naruto said, his voice sounding serious. This made the raven curiously tilt his head and stop running. He signaled for Sakura to keep going and raised an eyebrow as if to say "what?" Naruto waited until he thought the others would be out of earshot to say, "I swear if you're are trying to lead us to our death, I will personally kill you when I find out. This better not be some trick... to get what I have."

Sasuke's face was colored with intrigue. He wanted to know just what exactly it was that Naruto possessed that Tsunade thought was important enough to get back to Konohagakure. He question curiously, "So, what is it that you have, Naruto? What's so important? Don't worry about anything, Sakura and I will be your body guards until you can trust the village... er, if you ever can, that is." He waited to see if Naruto was going to answer him.

"I mean it," Naruto said, tightening his grip on Sasuke's clothes. He was suprised to see the red tint fill Naruto's eyes again as Naruto spoke, "If you tell anyone, and I mean anyone, I will rip your throat out. I... I am the jiinchuriki of the nine tailed fox. That's what your brother wanted of me and that's what your village wants of me. Do you understand why I need you to keep it a secret?"

This made something click in the raven's brain. He had read many history reports on the nine tailed fox but never did they show the details of what happened to the jiinchuriki. They put it inside Naruto? Is that why everyone was so mean to him back then? Why they treated him like trash? He couldn't quite put his tongue on the emotions he was feeling right now, but he nodded to demon host and didn't lose the stunned look on his face. Frowning he asked, "You're really something, Naruto..." He wanted to say more but Naruto released him and his eyes returned to normal blue which shocked him even more.

They both started walking again, Sasuke taking the lead, and they were both grateful for the silence. Naruto was thinking of ways to get out of the many different ambush scenarios while Sasuke was thinking about what Naruto had inside him. He had met only two other jiinchuriki, Bee and Gaara. He hadn't really met Bee but had been Tsunade's guard while they went to meet with the other Kages and Bee had been his Kage's guards. Before the two truly knew, they had caught up with the others at the gate.

Though the gate watchers were eyeing Naruto and the others warily, once they saw Sasuke and Sakura they were let in immediately. Sasuke lead the way and jumped so that he was on top of a building so traveling would be much quicker. The group had been given odd stares and glares as they made their way to Tsunade's office. They made it within a few minutes and Sasuke led the group into the building. Instantly, Sasuke was swarmed by security shinobi along with the rest of the group. He looked at the wary Naruto and said, "standard procedure with these guys ever since Orochimaru."

He nodded and once they were finished being interrogated were lead straight to Tsunade. Sasuke dismissed their escorts and knocked on the door before saying, "I brought Naruto."

"Come in," was her immediate response.

He pushed open the door and allowed everyone to walk in before him. Naruto looked a little jumpy and Sasuke wondered why. He promised to protect the idiot. He knew that the blonde still thought that he would be hurt or attacked. No one would recognise this stringy looking blonde nomad that had a temper. He looking nothing like his child self aside from the whiskers, hair and nice blue eyes. He looked like a relative of Ino or maybe Tsunade herself.

"Who are these other people." the Hokage asked sitting with her fingers together, "Followers of Naruto's, I presume." Her eyea warily lingered on Zabuza who had most of his face covered, and his eyes on the walls. She moved her eyes to Naruto and recognition flooded her face. the whiskers must have given it away.

"I'm Naruto," Naruto began, "and my friends are Daiki, Zabuza, and Sasumi. We want to know why you are bothering me. I will return anything I took from here if you would like."

She eyed Naruto with knowing eyes and asked, "Everything?" Tsunade knew Naruto had the fox inside him. Naruto tensed and slowly shook his head. The hokage glared and Sasuke couldn't help stepping slightly in front of him. He did promise to protect the guy. "If you won't return what we want then you'll have to stay here for a little while." Her glare moved to the only known remaining Uchiha before she went on, "I expect you to do your duty and watch that he doesn't leave."

"I don't have to sta"--

Sasuke inturrupted the jiinchuriki, "I understand. I'll take our guests to stay at my home. Please don't worry, Lady Tsunade." He turned to a gaping Naruto and grabbed his wrist to pull him away. The others followed with wary looks holding their faces together. Sasuke wondered why no one was really fighting. What were they up to?

The Uchiha Manor was barely a two blocks away and they were there within five minutes just walking. Naruto yanked away from Sasuke when they went inside, and he asked, "What the fuck, Sasuke? You'll protect me?" Sakura dragged the others through to a different part of the house before their heated argument.

"And I wasn't lying," Sasuke said, "I just didn't want to stir Tsunade into thinking I went traitor... again. Look, I don't understand why she wants what you have, but she seems determined to get it or use you in the future. I wouldn't let her hurt you or the others." Sasuke looked out the window thinking of what everyone would think if he risked their trust for one guy and his friends. Was Naruto really worth it? He remembered the looks everyone gave him, the things people said to him, and what they did to him. It didn't really affect him, because he just killed his brother. Why would petty insults bother him when he found out he really killed his brother for no reason? He slammed his fist into the nearest wall and waited for Naruto to say something.

"Good," he said, "like I said, I would kill you if you betrayed me." Naruto looked ready to say more but his stomach did the talking for him. Naruto was hungry.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and asked, "You're hungry? Is that why you're so cranky all of a sudden, idiot?" He chuckled when blue eyes glared at him. "Go get the other's and we'll go to eat somewhere."

--

At the end of the chapter I got a strange sense of de ja vu. I'm trying to get to a good place where I care start the SasuNaru lovin' but I'm kind of stumped because I don't want to make it seem rushed.