Half of the Sun||Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 10

Naruto woke in the comfort of his own bed, his sheets tucked nicely around him. He sat up, massaging his temples as his head throbbed with pain. The window was shuttered tightly, and strangely, his floor was swept clean of all his litter.
Naruto climbed out of bed and peered through the window shutters. It was night time, the yellow streetlights briefly illuminating his face. How long had he slept? Memories ached in his heart and hot tears threatened. "I'm useless," he muttered.
"It's really no use crying," A voice said behind him. Naruto turned around and much to his surprise, found Sasuke, leaning against the wall. "Your room was a mess, too."
"Why are you here?"
"I don't support what the Hokage said. I'm honestly surprised that Kakashi went along with it, too." Sasuke looked at his friend, something other than hate glittering in his eyes. Sympathy. "I know the amount of importance a family is. After all, my family is dead. And you can really never know how much something matters to you unless you lose it." His eyes locked with Naruto's. "Am I right?"
"Y-yeah, but then what's your point?"
"I'm willing to help you find Chiharu again. My Sharingan hasn't yet awakened yet, but if you lose control of the Kyuubi..." His dark eyes glinted. "I will be the one to kill you, then."
     Naruto shivered, a terrifying aura emanating from Sasuke. He tensed and clenched his fists, wondering if Sasuke was serious. He wouldn't bluff, and he was also his only chance. "Then, it's settled. What will we do?" Naruto stood and stretched, his limbs stiff and his mind whirling.
     "I've though it over." Sasuke said. "We must speak outside of Konoha. It is too dangerous here, we could be listened to or bugged." He swept open the windows and leapt out, jumping atop a roof and waited for Naruto to catch up. Silently, they crept through their village, which suddenly no longer felt like a home. It felt like a cage, that confined them from acting and fighting.
     But did Naruto even have the right to endanger a whole village? They had hated him and rejected him, but they were still people. He was doing nothing good to them by being stubborn and finding Chiharu.
     He pushed those thoughts away as they neared the large gate. Glancing around twice, Sasuke lightly landed and examined his surroundings meticulously. "That's strange," He commented. "I was sure that the Hokage would send some guards... Oh, nevermind." Sasuke smiled to himself. "That old hag."
     "What?" Naruto stepped beside Sasuke and watched the pressing darkness. "Why are we stopping? We have to go quickly."
     "No, nothing." They continued to run, following a path. At one point, Sasuke decided to leap into the woods, where he stopped and looked back at Naruto. "So, we can talk now."
     "What's your plan, then?"
     "Undo your seal. That's the only way you can find Chiharu, right?" Sasuke's forehead protector glinted. "I trust you not to go berserk. Force the information out of that damned fox."
     A rustle of leaves came from above. Instantly, Sasuke's head snapped upward. A great ball of fire exploded into the trees, instantly setting the wood afire. "We have to run. Now!" He gripped Naruto's hand, ready to escape. His ankles resisted, pulled to the ground by blocks of thick wood.
     "Calm down, we won't harm you." A man leapt down from the branches. He had spiky brown hair, confined by a strange Konoha forehead protector that covered the side of his face. Another figure leapt to join him, Kakashi.
     "Don't attack him." Kakashi laughed. He shot water into the trees, extinguishing the flames. "I introduce Yamato, a very skilled ninja. He specializes in mostly wood-style, but is also knowledgeable in seals."
     "I thought you tried to stop me." Naruto said breathlessly, slightly angered that if he was in a real situation of being attacked, he would be helpless. Thank God for Sasuke. "Why are you helping me now?"
     "Nobody was against you from the start," Yamato said. "Except maybe all the villagers. But that's not the point. The Third Hokage wasn't against you, anybody who didn't discriminate against you basically supported you."
     "You're going to help us?" Sasuke said, his eyes narrowed.
     "Yes, of course." Kakashi patted Sasuke to ease the tension. "People who don't risk themselves for a comrade are trash."
     "That doesn't apply here," Sasuke snapped. "a whole village is at risk.
     "Then why did you team up with Naruto?" He waited a second. "Because you saw your brotherhood with Itachi in Chiharu and Naruto?"
     A heavy silence blanketed the area. Even the trees stopped rustling, as if they were holding their breath.
     "Yes," Sasuke answered once, then turned from the group.