Naruto and Sasuke were riding on a tandem bicycle. That was enough to tell Naruto that he was dreaming, but he didn't particularly care. Sasuke was in front, and he was riding behind him, wrapping his arms around the teen's waist as they rode along. It was a bright, sunny day, and they were heading down a hill in the middle of the countryside, flowers in bloom along the path, with cute, Disney-esque birds fluttering around them. The wind blew through Naruto's hair as they sped along, and he hugged Sasuke tighter all the while, when suddenly they struck a rock. In an instant, they went tumbling over the handlebars, rolling down the hill until Naruto struck something hard.
That's when Naruto woke up. He was clutching his pillow to himself, lying on the floor with the sheets tangled around his naked body. The pillow was covered in his drool, but that wasn't what bothered Naruto as he sat up. No, the problem was that something was missing, something very important.
"Sasuke?" he asked, looking around in confusion. "Hmm... maybe he went to the bathroom?"
Standing up, Naruto headed over to his dresser, where he pulled out some clothes. Green shirt, blue shorts, and some red boxers. Good enough. Now that he was decent, he headed across the hall to the bathroom, where he could hear the shower running. He rapped on the door.
"Sasuke? You in there?"
"No! It's Kiba!"
"Kiba! Have you seen Sasuke anywhere?" the blond called back before pressing his ear up against the door.
"Can you give me five minutes to finish showering? Geez!" Kiba snapped before bursting into song. The mangled tune of 'I Will Survive' was enough to get Naruto to leave the Inuzuka alone.
Heading into the living room, Naruto scanned the area, hoping Sasuke had woken up early and decided to watch some television. Instead, he found only Akamaru, who came walking up to the blond with a whine.
"Now what's the matter with you, boy? Do you want breakfast?" Naruto asked, patting the puppy on the head. "Did that Kiba forget to fill your bowl?"
Shaking its head, Akamaru trotted over to the door, where he began to paw at the door. His whine grew louder.
"Oh, I see. You want to go for a walk, huh? Well, just let me put some shoes on and I'll be right there, okay?"
Barking in irritation, Akamaru shook its head again and darted past Naruto, disappearing down the hall. Watching the dog in bewilderment, the blond waited a moment until it reappeared, a piece of cloth clenched in its teeth. It dropped it on the floor and whined once more. Tentatively, Naruto bent down and retrieved the cloth, unfolding it in front of him. To his surprise, it was quite clearly a pair of underwear – Sasuke's boxerbriefs.
"Huh... well that's strange. I wonder if he decided to go commando today," Naruto said with a chuckle. "Well, thanks, Akamaru. I'll remember to give these to him when he comes back, all right?"
Suddenly, Akamaru nipped at Naruto's ankle, causing the blond to hop in shock. "Ow! What the hell was that for?" the blond asked, rubbing the bite-mark vigorously.
Again, Akamaru hurried to the door and began to bark, looking back and forth between the cloth and the door with a sense of urgency. Not quite following, Naruto did the same, studying the underwear in his hand and the door in an attempt to follow the puppy's logic. Finally, something clicked. "Wait... you mean Sasuke left?"
His eyes brightening with glee, Akamaru barked in confirmation.
"Hmm... that's strange. You'd think he would've told me if he was going to take off like that," Naruto said, placing a hand to his chin. "Well, I guess I'll just have to track him down, then."
Digging into his pocket, Naruto pulled forth a cell phone and dialed Sasuke's number. It instantly went to voicemail. Ending the call, Naruto pocketed the phone once more in frustration. "Figures... it would be too easy to just call the bastard."
After stepping into his shoes, Naruto swung open the door and gave Akamaru a final pat on the head. "Thanks for the help, Akamaru. I won't be gone long, all right?"
With an enthusiastic bark, Akamaru gave the blond his blessing and proceeded to chase after his tail. Chuckling, Naruto shut the door and started for the first place on his list: the Uchiha Mansion. If Sasuke was likely to be anywhere, it was his house.
Strolling down the street on that pleasant, Saturday morning, Naruto's heart was filled with confusion. Had he done something to upset Sasuke? Maybe he hadn't been ready for sex, and Naruto had pushed him into it somehow. It was stupid for him to have brought it up in the first place. Yes, he loved Sasuke and, yes, he was a horny teenager, but he should have had more reason than to pressure Sasuke into something like that. After all, sex was supposed to be about showing someone that you cared. It was personal, the most intimate sign of love. And if Sasuke wasn't ready for that, Naruto shouldn't have even considered it.
But... he does love me, right? He'd never say it, but he does. So... sex shouldn't be that big of a deal. It's just what two people do when they love each other... I think...
Of course, there was the other option, too: that Naruto had just been terrible. After all, he came early. As if that wasn't embarrassing enough, he'd made it perfectly clear that he had no idea what the hell he was doing. A gallon of lube and a full rainbow of condoms – he must've looked like such an idiot.
Wait – what if I hurt him? Was I too rough? I thought I was doing a good job. I did everything the book said, after all. I took it slow, let him stretch out first...
There were a lot of questions racing through Naruto's head, but one in particular kept popping back to the surface: did Sasuke even love him? Maybe this relationship was just one-sided. Maybe Sasuke never told Naruto that he loved him because he didn't love him. But why would he act like it, then? Could it be that he was so lonely he would pretend to love someone, just so he could feel accepted?
Naruto shook his head.
No. Sasuke's not that kind of person. He'd try to act strong and live without – he'd never fall for someone he didn't really care for out of a fear of dying alone. If anything, it would be the opposite. He'd avoid loving someone so he wouldn't have to risk losing him...
Naruto hoped beyond all hope that this was the case: that Sasuke was too afraid of losing someone he truly cared about to fully express his feelings. Maybe the sex was too much for him in that respect – too personal, too intimate. It made his fears seem so immediate that he had to get away.
The blond scratched his head. "Well, either that or he's just an ass. Both are pretty good explanations, I guess."
It was with that thought that Naruto stepped into Sasuke's neighborhood, which he found eerily silent. There were people walking around, going about their daily lives, but Naruto could tell there was something on their minds. It was almost as if no one wanted to be the one to vocalize what the rest were thinking – a taboo.
And, as Naruto hurried up the street, he soon discovered why. There, in front of the Uchiha Mansion, was a police barricade and a long line of 'caution' tape. A few squad cars were parked outside, and from the street Naruto could make out the shape of a few police officers inside, apparently doing a search of some kind.
Obviously, this all made Naruto freak out. Badly. He looked around in a panic to find a white-haired man sitting on the front porch, scribbling something in what appeared to be a notebook. As the blond darted over to the officer's side, the man clamped the notebook shut and tucked it into his back pocket.
"You! What the hell happened here?" Naruto asked curtly.
"It's a police investigation, kid," Jiraiya replied, ignoring the teen's disrespectful tone. "Are you looking for someone?"
"Yeah! Sasuke Uchiha – is he here?"
The man laughed loudly. "Don't I wish! He showed up last night – maybe he had a premonition or something – but then he ran off once we told him what'd happened."
"And what did happen, exactly?" the blond pressed urgently.
"What's it to you?"
"I'm his boyfriend!" Naruto snapped, having grown increasingly impatient with the officer's flippant personality.
Jiraiya smiled and rubbed his chin. "Huh... so you're his boy toy, eh? Well, I guess you're bound to find out anyway. As I'm sure you know, Sasuke's parents were murdered six years ago. We've been researching the case these past few years, but for the most part we couldn't find a single lead. Not too long ago, though, we found a witness willing to testify about a meeting he overheard between the murderer and a co-conspirator. Their testimony was enough to get us a search warrant to the mansion here – we found all the evidence we needed to make an arrest."
"What do you mean?"
"It was Itachi – Sasuke's brother. He confessed to it right in his diary. He came willingly," Jiraiya concluded, shaking his head sadly. "A shame, really – that kid had so much potential. I'm telling you, that greed gets you every time."
Naruto ran a hand through his hair, trying to understand everything he'd been told. Sasuke's parents were murdered by Itachi, and Sasuke knew this now. Naruto wasn't sure how Sasuke would react to that news, but he did know how he would feel if he found out, hypothetically, that Iruka had caused his parents' deaths: he'd freak the hell out.
There were so many emotions that Naruto could imagine speeding through Sasuke's mind, knowing what he now knew. Betrayal was the biggest one. Everything Sasuke had thought he knew about Itachi was apparently a lie. His big brother – the man who was supposed to comfort Sasuke and lead him through the ordeal of being an orphan – didn't actually care for him at all. There wasn't a single thing that could make you feel more isolated than to realize the person closest to you is not who he seemed.
But the big one, as far as Naruto could tell, would have to be guilt. After the initial shock wore off, it would have to cross the Uchiha's mind eventually. How could Sasuke not have noticed that his brother was a murderer? Why didn't he notice it before? Maybe then he could have prevented his parents' deaths. He'd still have a family. He wouldn't be in this mess.
And that was the thing that scared Naruto the most, as the gravity of the situation sank in: that Sasuke would blame himself for all of this. He didn't think Sasuke would take it to the extent that Gaara did – suicide wasn't really Sasuke's style – but he felt certain that Sasuke would internalize whatever torment he was experiencing. Just like how, after his parents died, Sasuke made it a point never to love anyone again, Naruto's gut told him that the Uchiha would try never to trust another human being, either, lest he get stabbed in the back.
As if we didn't have enough problems with our relationship...
"And you're saying you don't know where he went?" Naruto asked finally, his voice filled with concern.
"Like I said, I wish I did. We still have to ask him some questions down at the station, you know? But he's a slippery kid, I guess – he managed to elude three of my men who were chasing after him. Probably didn't hurt that they were the middle of a storm, but still, he must've been determined," Jiraiya said, taking the notebook out of his back pocket. "If you hear anything, be sure to call us, all right?"
"Sure. Thanks for the help," Naruto said before starting back down the street, his hands tucked into his pockets.
Where could he have gone? What could he possibly have been thinking when he left here? Itachi killed his parents... would he have wanted something resembling a family? I mean, yeah, he felt betrayed, but it doesn't seem like he'd just reject all of his ties altogether. He probably wanted to feel like there was at least some stability in his life. Someone who never let him down before...
There was only one solution. Pulling out his cell phone once more, Naruto dialed a number and waited. After five or six rings, it went to voicemail. Frowning, he dialed the number again. One ring. Two rings. Three rings...
"What is it?"
"Shikamaru! Have you seen Sasuke anywhere?" Naruto asked as he crossed the street. His breathing was gradually increasing with his growing panic.
"Sasuke? No. I haven't seen him since school yesterday," the Nara said with a groan. Naruto guessed he'd been sleeping – it was only noon, after all.
"Who is it, Shika?"
"It's Naruto – he's looking for Sasuke," Shikamaru said, his voice faint as he spoke away from the phone.
"Sasuke? Why? Is he missing or something?"
"I don't know – let me check," the lazy genius responded before his voice came in more clearly once again. "What's going on, Naruto?"
"Umm... well..."
Crap... I didn't think this through. I don't want to worry him if he's with Temari. I mean, I can always tell him later, once I know what exactly's going on. I'd rather not tell him we were having sex, either...
"It's just... he wasn't there this morning," Naruto finally confessed with a blush.
"Ah..." Shikamaru said, acknowledging instantly what had gone unsaid. "Doesn't sound like the Sasuke I know. Did he seem all right and everything? When you were together, that is?"
Curse him... why does he have to know everything?
"Well... I mean... I think so. He didn't say anything was wrong."
"Naruto, you may not know Sasuke as well as I do, but you know that's not a good enough answer. Tell me – did anything seem off about him?" Shikamaru continued, growing less groggy and more serious.
"Hmm..." Naruto said, scratching his cheek as he walked past various shops and restaurants. "I guess he seemed a bit distracted when he came over. Like he had something on his mind. But after a few minutes he got over that."
"Anything else?"
The blond blushed deeper. "He was nervous, I suppose."
"Nervous?"
"It was... our first time. I would've been more concerned if he wasn't nervous."
There was a pause, along with some murmurs on the other end. "That's a good point, but it doesn't really help us. If he was acting strangely before, then it's possible that nervousness wasn't just because of the sex."
Just tell the whole world, why don't you?!
"I'm sure that was at least part of it, but there might've been something else on his mind. You know Sasuke – he's never focused on one thing in his entire life. His brain is always working."
"So you're saying I was no good?" Naruto asked defensively.
Shikamaru sighed. "No. I'm just saying that, while he might've been nervous about the sex, he might've also been nervous about what the sex meant. Something more than performance anxiety, you know? Remember – love is one of the scariest things in the world to Sasuke. In away, the fact that he wasn't there this morning could mean that he really does care about you, Naruto."
"You mean it?"
"I do – but there's only one way to find out for sure. If I had to guess, I'd say that Sasuke went over to Kakashi's place. I'll text you his address real quick. I know if I tell you over the phone you'll forget."
With that, Shikamaru hung up, cutting off Naruto's expletive-laden rant in defense of his intelligence. Moments later, his phone buzzed, with a single line – 6969 Icha Lane, Apt. 27. Naruto stopped and glanced up at the nearest street sign. To his surprise, he had been walking along Icha Lane throughout his conversation with Shikamaru.
Ha! I must be psychic or something.
Hurrying down the road, Naruto soon arrived at 6969, where he discovered an apartment complex not unlike his own – just a bit classier. Due to the similar design, it did not take the blond long to reach apartment 27, where he proceeded to knock on the door. After a few anxious moments of waiting, the door swung open to reveal Kakashi, his mask on, clad in a cozy, green robe. Clearly, Naruto was not who he was expecting to see that morning.
"Naruto? How... how do you know where I live?" he asked, looking around outside to see if he was being pranked somehow.
"Shikamaru told me," Naruto replied hurriedly. "Tell me, have you seen Sasuke anywhere?"
Kakashi stamped his foot. "Damn... and I was hoping you'd know."
"Wait – you've been looking for him too?"
"Come inside – I'll explain everything," Kakashi said, stepping aside to let the blond in. As they walked over to the couch, he tried his best to be a good host. "Can I get you something to drink? I have... hmm... milk? Lemonade?"
"No, I'm fine," Naruto said, taking a seat on the red sofa. "So, what happened, exactly? Did he come by here, too?"
"Too? You mean he was somewhere else last night?" Kakashi asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
"Wait, you mean you don't know?"
"What don't I know?"
Naruto considered this for a moment before rising off the couch in a dramatic fashion. He hurried out the door, only to return seconds later with a newspaper, which he tossed into the teacher's lap. "Look at that – front page."
Sitting down on the couch, Kakashi unfolded the paper, spending only three seconds skimming the front page before seeing exactly what Naruto meant. "'Merchants of Death – Akatsuki Corporation CEOs Arrested for Murder.' So Jiraiya finally made his move, huh?"
"You knew about this?" Naruto asked indignantly.
"I'm friends with the officer in charge of the investigation. He told me that they were building a case against Itachi – they'd suspected him, but they could never prove it. I guess they finally found all the evidence they needed, though," Kakashi said, setting the paper to the side. It was then that the significance dawned on him. "Do you mean to tell me that Sasuke knows about this?"
"I talked to a police officer over at the Uchiha mansion – apparently he showed up last night and took off running once he learned what had happened. I was hoping he'd come over here," Naruto said, before making a quick scan of the apartment. "But I'm guessing that's not the case."
"He was here last night, but it must've been before he learned about Itachi. He didn't say anything about it," Kakashi said, lifting his mask to take a sip of coffee. He sighed. "Then again, he didn't say much of anything."
"But... if he hadn't learned about Itachi yet, then what could he have been so upset about that he'd leave so suddenly?" Naruto asked, feeling certain he already knew the answer.
So it was me...
"I... might know the answer to that," Kakashi replied cryptically, shooting a furtive glance down the hallway. It was there that he saw a familiar brunet stumbling out of his bedroom in his underwear. The teacher nearly choked on his coffee. "Excuse me for a moment."
Completely oblivious, Naruto mulled over what he knew in his head while Kakashi darted down the hall, preventing the hung-over Iruka from entering the living room and seeing his son. Though he could hear snippets of dialogue in the background, particularly Kakashi's harsh whispers, the blond barely acknowledged them. Instead, he tried to understand why Sasuke would leave his apartment in the first place.
It made sense that Sasuke would feel overwhelmed after learning about Itachi – anyone would. But in order for him to have known about that, he had to have left Naruto's apartment first. Though he tried to find some other explanation (maybe he got a phone call during the night? Maybe he had a premonition?), the truth seemed obvious – it was because of Naruto. Even if it was for a positive reason, like Sasuke was afraid of being too close to Naruto, the fact of the matter was that Sasuke had wanted to get away from the blond – to run away, to escape.
And that hurt.
He doesn't want to be around me... I'm just a burden to him...
Naruto only wished he could feel the same way. Even though Sasuke had ran away, even though he was trying to distance himself from the blond as much as possible, Naruto couldn't stop loving him. He was heartbroken, betrayed, and humiliated, but most of all he was worried sick. He was going to find Sasuke, and he was going to love him like never before.
"You're not making sense, Kakashi? Now get out of my way – I need to get some coffee for this headache..."
Naruto froze. He knew that voice.
"No! Just wait a second!"
Glancing over his shoulder, Naruto found, much to his surprise, a nearly-naked Iruka stepping into the living room, leaning against the wall for support. Following a few steps behind was Kakashi, whose face was evidently burning red beneath his mask. After a quick second of silence, Iruka's eyes met his sons, and they both yelped in surprise.
"Naruto?"
"Dad?"
"What are you doing here?" they asked in unison.
"Umm... well... you see... it was raining last night, so..." Iruka began, his faced flushed with awkward embarrassment. He scratched his head and looked to Kakashi for help. The silver-haired man simply shook his head, however, before explaining.
"We're dating."
"But... he's my... and you're Sasuke's..." Naruto blurted out, looking back and forth between the two men in mild horror.
Iruka ran a hand through his hair in irritation. "Look, I'm sorry if this is awkward for you, but I'm dating your teacher. We like each other, and we're happy. I meant to tell you, but we never really found a good time..."
"Iruka... there's something else going on here. Maybe we should all just sit down and have a talk, okay?" Kakashi said, placing a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder while giving Naruto a knowing look.
Naruto did not like that look one bit. He knew exactly what it meant – Kakashi knew about him and Sasuke (not that Naruto hadn't suspected that already), and he did not intend to keep that a secret any longer. For a moment, Naruto's head filled with panic – how would Iruka react? Would he hate him? Would he be ashamed? When he glanced into his dad's eyes, however, he knew better. Of course Iruka wouldn't hate him for being gay – especially since he was apparently gay himself. More importantly, though, he was Naruto's dad, and Naruto was his son. They were family. Nothing could change that.
"All right," the blond concluded with a nod.
Guiding Iruka by the hand, Kakashi walked over to the couch, taking a seat on the edge of the couch, while allowing his boyfriend to sit beside Naruto in the middle. Father and son eyed each other awkwardly for a moment before Iruka cleared his throat.
"So... what exactly is going on here?"
Taking a deep breath, Naruto stared up at his dad with a look of sincerity and said, "The truth is, Dad, I lied to you a few weeks ago about Sasuke. He's not just a friend – he's my boyfriend."
Iruka gazed at the blond in bewilderment. "Boyfriend? You mean... you're gay?"
"Bi, actually," Naruto responded, blushing sheepishly. "I... I would've told you earlier, but I wasn't sure how you'd respond. I was afraid, I guess."
"Afraid? Oh, Naruto," Iruka said, instantly pulling his son into an embrace. He rested his head against Naruto's while continuing consolingly. "You have no reason to be afraid of telling me something. You're my son – you can tell me anything. How many times have I told you that?"
"I know," the blond replied with soft smile. "It's not always so easy in practice, though. That's why you didn't tell me that you'd found someone, right?"
Chuckling, Iruka glanced up at Kakashi while keeping one arm wrapped around his teen. "I suppose you're right. We both needed to open up a bit, huh?"
That wasn't so bad. He hasn't freaked out or anything. Why did I ever worry about this to begin with? It all seems so stupid now...
Suddenly, Iruka seemed to be struck with realization. He turned back to Naruto, his eyes wide with horror. "Wait a second... that day when I met Sasuke. In your bed. Naked..."
Naruto cringed. Kakashi shook his head. Iruka fumed.
I spoke too soon...
"Umm... it's not what you're thinking..." Naruto said, backing away from his indignant dad.
"YOU WERE HAVING SEX?!"
"No! Not sex! We were just, umm," the blond began, trying to find a good euphemism for what he and Sasuke had been doing, "'exploring.'"
"Just how long have the two of you been sexually active? What if he has a disease or something? Did you even think of that? Now you're going to have to get a blood test to see if you have AIDS or something..."
Iruka's rant was cut off abruptly by a hand planted firmly on his shoulder. Freezing mid-sentence, the brunet turned to find a stern Kakashi staring back at him. "Iruka – Sasuke's a good kid. You have no reason to worry. Besides, it's not like you've been particularly safe yourself."
"Yes, but... he shouldn't be... he's just..." Iruka stammered, color slowly rising in his cheeks before he finally crossed his arms with a 'hump.' "Fine. But still, I wish you'd at least talked with me about this beforehand. At least you haven't had sex, I suppose."
Naruto scratched his head. "Well, you see... the thing is... that's kinda why I'm looking for Sasuke. He ran off last night after we... you know... did it."
It was Kakashi's turn to be outraged. "You what?! Naruto, I'm sure Shikamaru talked to you about Sasuke's fear of personal connections – what could possibly make you think that sex would be a good idea when the two of you have only been together for a little over a month!"
"It was stupid, I know!" the blond said, biting his lip in frustration. "I thought he was ready... or, if he wasn't, he would just say so! I guess I was wrong, though..."
Sighing, Kakashi rested his face in his hands in thought. When he finally glanced back up, his anger had subsided to a sort of resignation. "It's okay – I can't really blame you for Sasuke's problems. This certainly complicates things, though. I was wondering why he showed up so late at night – now we know, at least."
"So, what are we going to do now?" Iruka chimed in, looking to his boyfriend expectantly. "We can't just wait for Sasuke to come back on his own, right?"
"You saw him, too?" Naruto asked in surprise.
"I vaguely remember him stopping by, yes. I was a little tipsy at the time, though."
"Tipsy? You were plastered, Iruka," Kakashi added with a laugh.
Shooting the man a glare, Iruka muttered, "Thank you for that, Kakashi. Anyway, from what I understand, Sasuke left last night and came by here, and now we don't know quite where he's gone. Am I right so far?"
"More or less," Naruto confirmed with a groan. "He also stopped by his house at some point, but he left after learning that his brother had killed his parents."
Before Iruka could express his astonishment, Kakashi shoved the newspaper into his face. A few seconds later, he nodded as the new information was processed. "I see... that's a lot for one kid to take in all at once, isn't it?"
"I think it would be a lot for anyone – I mean, he's already confused by his feelings towards Naruto. Then he finds out that I'm dating you, which probably didn't help matters. And then this thing with Itachi was just the icing on the cake," Kakashi concluded, placing a hand to his forehead in contemplation. "Maybe he went to Shikamaru's?"
"No – I called him just a few minutes ago. He hasn't seen him," Naruto replied wearily. "I was hoping you might have some idea where he'd go."
"Well, Kakashi? Any thoughts?" Iruka asked in support of his son.
Kakashi considered this for a moment. A long moment. There were many things to consider, after all – Sasuke's state of mind, his muddled emotions, his panic – which would all affect his actions. No matter what he focused on, whether the desire to distance himself from those he loved or the need to flee from that haunting memory of his parents' death, Kakashi could only reach one conclusion.
"Orochimaru," the man said solemnly before looking to Iruka and his son.
"Is that a city or something?" Iruka asked in befuddlement.
"Up until a month ago, he was one of the three people Sasuke trusted in the world, along with Shikamaru and myself. When he met Naruto, that all changed – and I think that's exactly what Sasuke would try to undo. He'd want to get away from his new friends and go back as far as possible – almost like pressing an emotional reset button. Of the three of us, Orochimaru's the one who's changed the least. Shikamaru has a girlfriend now and, as Sasuke discovered last night, I've met someone as well. Orochimaru's been living in a Neverland for the past ten years though – sitting in the park, playing with his band, perpetually unemployed. Sasuke would be drawn to that kind of stasis," Kakashi concluded, standing up with a sort of determination.
"Where are you going?" Naruto piped up as the teacher started down the hallway.
"I'm going to get dressed. Then, I'm going to go and find Sasuke. Iruka, you're free to go home – I don't want you to have to get dragged into this."
"But we don't even know where he is!" the blond protested as he leaped off the couch. "Are you really going to search all of Konoha for him? It'll take you days!"
Just as these words left Naruto's lips, his cell phone began to ring, filling the silence. For a moment, he considered ignoring it, but then he realized that it might be Sasuke calling to tell them all where he was. His hands shaking with anticipation, the blond pulled out his phone and flipped it open, saying, "Sasuke?! Where are you? Are you okay?"
"Naruto? It's me, Sakura."
Naruto's heart sank in disappointment. "Hi, Sakura... what is it?"
"Umm... I couldn't help but notice you're worried about Sasuke. I take it you haven't seen him since yesterday?" she asked, her voice wavering as she tried to keep a casual tone.
"No, I haven't – not that it's any of your business."
Sakura paused. "Look, I know I haven't been a great person these past few weeks, but I want to make it up to you. I... I know you'll do what's best for Sasuke, since... well... you love him, too."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. What was she talking about? "Okay..."
"Sasuke's going to Suna. He told me yesterday – I saw him just before he left. He said he was going to leave with a friend... that he needed to get away for a bit."
"Are you serious?" Naruto exclaimed, his heart racing with excitement. "Oh, Sakura! Thank you so much! I had no idea... this is just great! How can I ever repay you?"
"Just make him happy, Naruto."
With that, Sakura hung up, leaving Naruto with a dial tone. He stared at the phone for a moment before pocketing it once more and turning to Kakashi and Iruka. "That was Sakura – she knows where Sasuke is! Apparently he left with a friend to go to Suna."
"Orochimaru's band must have a gig out there – I think I saw a flyer saying something like that the other day," Kakashi added, with a thoughtful nod. "It's decided then – we're leaving for Suna. Are you coming too, Iruka?"
"I'm not just going to let you take my son away – of course I'm coming!" the brunet confirmed with a smirk.
"Great – go get dressed then. We leave in ten minutes," Kakashi concluded as the group dispersed, racing to prepare for the trip.
Of course, little did the trio know that Sasuke had never made it to Suna at all.