By: Selim

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Summary: During a survival test, Naruto and Sasuke are teamed up. Everything was going fine until real enemy ninjas attack and the boys find themselves lands away from Konoha with just each other.

Rating: T

Pairing: Sasuke x Naruto, Suggested Kakashi x Iruka

With a quirk of his lips, the brunette flung his heavy night bag over his left shoulder and strutted towards his group. It wasn’t that he really wanted to go on this trip, oh no. If given the choice, Sasuke Uchiha would rather be at home training than on a school trip with these idiots. The biggest idiot was all the way up front, trying to weasel into conversations that he didn’t belong in.

Naruto Uzumaki. Sasuke could say that name in all ways. He could say it with utter loath, with grace and dignity, with understanding, and with passion. The last was a bit of surprise, but Sasuke wasn’t shocked, either. For an idiot, the blonde up in front was a beautiful idiot that hid behind ugly, worn clothes that made a person want to gouge their eyes out.

Stepping forward, Sasuke approached a less crowded area of students and glanced around for instructions. The teacher, a chuunin named Iruka Umino, was still busy trying to help a kid throw out useless necessities from his bag. It was survival training, not camping. They were instructed to only bring what they needed to survive on a long mission. Sasuke had brought with him a pair of clothes, kunai, and a box of matches just in case. Never knew when they’d come in handy. He also brought along with him a book, for when he was bored with the lunacy going around.

“Alright, class! All of you line up in alphabetical order. We’re putting you in groups of two and sending you on your way!” Iruka’s voice rang out over the loud voices of excited children. Jounin were surrounding the area with the orders to make sure that no missing ninja came out and attacked the little pre-genins during their survival test.

Pushing his way through the crowds, Sasuke put up his dignified front as he stood next to Naruto. Damn their names being so close in the alphabet. He could only pray that they wouldn’t be paired up. He didn’t think his sanity could survive so long, especially since feelings began arising in the almost twelve year old. A little early, perhaps, but not surprising since shinobi tended to develop faster than non-shinobi.

“This is so great!” Naruto’s hushed voice spoke excitedly. “I’ve never left the gates of Konoha before.” Blue eyes disappeared behind long lashes.

If he wasn’t an Uchiha, Sasuke just knew he would have retorted to that comment (rudely, of course). But, he held his tongue and kept his eyes on Iruka as the chuunin began explaining the situation.

“The objective of this test is simple. As Shinobi, you’ve been sent to a neighboring village to acquire a scroll that enemy ninjas want. You must refrain from returning to Konoha, a neutral zone, but keep the scroll out of the enemies’ hands. If you are caught, you will be sent home and fail this test. If you survive two nights out in the woods with your partner and survive the attacks from the enemy, you’ll pass.” Holding up the scroll, Iruka waved it lightly. “As the neutral side, you are not to read what is in this scroll, do I make myself clear?” Though he was talking to the group, Sasuke knew he was mostly talking to their more curious of classmates – Naruto and Kiba – who tended to act irrationally.

From the center of their line, a pink haired classmate raised her hand quickly. “Do we pick partners?” Sasuke winced, just feeling the wheels turning in her head.

Iruka’s face faulted, as though he were expecting a more reasonable question about the mission, rather than partner placement. “No,” He responded. His face broke with light, however, when a shy girl beside the pink haired girl raise her hand slowly. “Yes, Hinata-chan?”

“A-Are there r-really going to b-be enemy n-ninja?” She whispered, her cousin beside her repeated the question louder, earning a grateful smile from both Hinata and Iruka.

“There will be attacks,” Iruka nodded, “but it’s your choice to decide if it’s an enemy or a friend. Are there any more questions?” He raised his voice so people at the end of the lines could hear. When no hands were raised, he put the scroll back in a basket. “Alright! When I call your name come here and pick up a scroll with your partner, then one of the jounins that have graced us with their presence,” the remark was snide, meaning one hadn’t shown up like promised, “will bring you to your camp site. There are thirty six camp sites, none which are near each other – so don’t think you can just switch partners.” Reading down his clipboard, Sasuke sat back and waited until he heard his name. “…Tenten and Sakura…” nope “…Choji, Shikamaru…” nope “…Neji, Lee…” still not “…Sasuke, Naruto…” What? Sasuke jerked. “…Ino, Hinata…” You’ve got to fucking be kidding me! “…Kiba, Shino…”(1) While Iruka’s voice droned on, Sasuke’s wide obsidian eyes turned to face equally wide blue eyes before a screech took over the field.

“You’ve got to be kidding, Iruka-sensei! You can’t put me with that cold bastard! He’d kill me in my sleep!” Naruto stamped his feet as he approached said teacher. The two stood there in an argument before Naruto roughly yanked the scroll from their teacher and returned to Sasuke. “Let’s get this over with, Bastard.” He grabbed Sasuke’s hand and approached the jounin standing in a group. “Naruto the great and Sasuke the idiot!” The blonde put his hands on his hips.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke stepped forward. “We’re Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki.” He put in a more stern voice. The jounin looked over their clipboard.

“Kakashi’s suppose to lead them to their lookout zone, but he never showed.” The first one muttered before turning to another jounin. “You take them to their zone with this Haruno girl and the other. Try to take care of both from the distance. I’ll have Kakashi’s ass when he shows up.” Sasuke stepped to the side with the village idiot, crossing his arms over his chest. Not Sakura. He groaned as a squeal came from where the jounins stood, collecting the children.

“Sasuke-kun!” Sakura jumped towards the brunette. Just barely was Sasuke able to move his arm as she lunged for him. Instead of grasping his arm, however, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Batting her eyes up at him, she smiled. “I’m so sorry that you had to be partnered up with that thing! I wish we could be partners.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. They’d have never been partnered (which he was glad about). If things were going the way it were, they were partnered with one of the same sex since it would have been unethical for Iruka to leave two of opposite gender out in the woods alone. Naruto, on the other hand, smiled. “I would have been your partner, Sakura-chan!”

“I’m sure you would.” She rolled her green eyes before turning back to Sasuke. “But if were being led together, that means camp isn’t too far from each other. How about I come visit you tonight? Or…” She cooed.

Her partner turned her head, as did Naruto. Putting his weight on his other leg, Sasuke waited impatiently for their jounin guide to start off as the high shinobi brought over yet another group of boys Sasuke couldn’t remember the names of. “All right! Shall we head off?” The person waved his hands towards the woods. “We have a two hour walk ahead of us if you don’t hurry.”

With glee, the group readjusted their bags and headed towards the woods. Naruto bounced from hill to hill as he walked just behind the jounin, talking amiably and provoking comments from their guide. Behind him, the girl Tenten seemed less overjoyed about even being there in the first place. Sasuke waddled (if one would call it that) somewhat behind, still unable to rid himself of the leech attached to his side that talked about a future between them that would never existed.

Their first stop was to get rid of the two boys that had been last to join them. With one instruction to watch their heads, they abandoned the two in a clearing, frightened of what was to come. By that time, Sakura had relented her hold in favor to walk beside Sasuke even though he ignored her presence. Instead, Sasuke used his time to contemplate the dimensions that were Naruto – an interest he’d picked up in the recent years. It was a very good hobby; Sasuke decided when it first occurred to him that Naruto had a very nice butt. It wasn’t too round and big that the blonde would knock things from the stands when turning around, nor was it bony (Sasuke had decided after having collided with the blonde before). It was perfect in all ways.

This was the only time Sasuke didn’t mind Naruto’s orange jump suit. Because of the bold color, it gave more emphasis on the boy, even though it made the child look bulky. Said bulky figure had turned around and started talking. Sasuke winced, trying to regain composure from the roundness that was glorified in its own way. “-You jerk! If you’re not going to listen, I’m not going to help you!”

“Bye, Sasuke-kun!” Sakura’s voice squealed a she finally left with both Tenten and the jounin. Turning back towards Naruto, Sasuke rolled his head and wished he’d brought something to deal with his oncoming headache. Naruto sat about, pulling out a fine cloth from his bag. A tent, Sasuke realized. Nothing big, just a single sheet that would need to be held up with just the right kind of stick.

Joining Naruto in the hunt to set up camp, the two remained as quiet as far as a loudmouth idiot and an antisocial person could be. In words, Naruto blabbered every thought that went across his narrow mind while Sasuke made a rough noise from the back of his throat, insisting the boy shut up. When a fire was set, some supplies set out, and the tent put up, they sat as far away from the other as they could possibly be. Naruto mumbling something about water while Sasuke insisted they wait a good hour for the test to start.

“No,” Naruto countered, “It started the minute we were abandoned. I’ve got the scroll, therefore you should get the water!” With that logic in play, he turned around and stared at their thrown together tent. In retaliation, Sasuke made no motion to get up. He wasn’t going to fetch water when he saw no need for it at the time being. Besides, Sakura might be there. Shuddering, the brunette turned away as well. If no speaking terms were going to happen for the next few days, Sasuke was perfectly fine with that.

The rule seemed to take until two hours later Naruto finally got up and left the ground with a bucket. Glancing over his shoulder, Sasuke shrugged as he brought a kunai out and entered the woods as well to hunt for food, only hoping Naruto had taken the scroll with him. It was probably blank anyway; they usually didn’t give them real scrolls when it was just a faux test. If they really wanted to give a true survival test, they’d have sent them to a neighboring village.

Spotting a brown rabbit rushing towards a hole, Sasuke released the kunai and struck it in the gut. There, now he wouldn’t be accused of not supplying dinner when Naruto had so generously fetched their survival water. Plucking the rabbit off his kunai, he quickly returned to the campsite. The blonde had returned and was sterilizing the water over their fire as they’d been taught in earlier classes. At least the idiot is doing something right. Sasuke thought as he began stripping the rabbit of fur. Naruto glanced up before turning red faced. “What?” Sasuke asked as he cut the reluctant bone connecting the head of the rabbit to its shoulders.

“I’m not eating that.” Naruto stated hotly.

“What, turn vegetarian idiot?” He doubted that, he’d seen the blonde with meat before. “It’s either this or nothing.” He wasn’t some restaurant, serving the blonde deer.

“Doesn’t matter, I brought ramen.” The blonde shuffled through his grocery sack he’d brought along and pulled out a cup of ramen. Opening the lid, he poured some water in it before shutting the lid again. With a huff, he put the water to a side to let it chill since most of the bacteria in it were probably destroyed. Clutching the lid shut, he sat quietly; ignoring the glare Sasuke was giving him. The idiot wasn’t going to waste their water on something stupid like ramen. Walking over, Sasuke purposely kicked the foam cup over.

“You bastard! What’d you do that for?” Naruto picked up the cup, happy to see at least half the water still there. It wouldn’t soften all the noodles, but he’d had worse. Closing the lid again, he glared at the obsidian haired bastard that sat smugly with his rabbit over the open fire.

“For wasting our water.”

“You just wasted it! I didn’t add that much water and we have plenty! If we run out, I’ll just get more!” Naruto yelled back. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke poked the left thigh of his dinner. A sudden slurping sound made him turn once to see what the idiot was doing before returning to his own meal that was browning perfectly. Turning the rabbit on its backside, Sasuke waited patiently. He wasn’t going to let the blonde fail him.

“Where’s the scroll?” He asked after some time. Taking the rabbit away from the fire, he waited for it to cool of before he began to nibble gracefully at it.

Plucking the folded object from his pants, Naruto tapped it twice against the ground before returning it to its prior location. “This sucks.” He finally said. “Spending days with you when I could be at home.”

“Spending time with you is a trip,” Sasuke muttered sarcastically. Looking up, he noticed the sky was turning a purple hue as the sun went down. It wouldn’t be long before they would have to douse the fire and rely on instinct to survive. “Keep that scroll with you or give it to me.” Finishing his dinner, Sasuke went in the woods to bury the carcass and tend to his own needs. When he returned, Naruto was fumbling with the scroll. “Don’t open that,” Sasuke hissed, reaching for the scroll. “It’s probably blank anyway. Do you really think they’d leave something important with an idiot like you?”

“Stop that…” Naruto hissed back. “You have no right to call me an idiot.”

“Than act smarter.” Sasuke huffed, tore the scroll from Naruto’s fingers before stuffing it in a pouch on his white shorts. With a snort and flare of the nostrils, Naruto grabbed his belongings and disappeared to the other side of the campsite. Not that Sasuke cared. Nope. He glanced up at the angry blonde. It did the boy good, to see his face scrunched up in thought and blue eyes dancing with mischief. With a grunt, the preteen pulled his legs up to his chest when everything began to get tighter.

Sex education was one of the talks a shinobi was given at the age of eleven. Sasuke knew just what was happening and hated every second of it. Probably what made it worse was that Naruto had caused it to start. Every day. For the last five months. Pulling his legs tightly together, the pre-genin laid his chin on his kneecaps. The blonde across the field had calmed down apparently and was spending his time summoning squirrels towards him. How had he done that? Sasuke raised a brow. Squirrels were usually so timid, but here were five freely running towards Naruto at beck and call.

After awhile, Naruto waved his fingers as the little mammals took off in all directions. With them gone, the blonde stood up, dusted his pant legs, and returned to camp. “Ready to douse the fire?” Naruto asked. Glancing up, Sasuke assumed that it had been the first eight hours outside. Not knowing where time had gone by, Sasuke nodded and the two tossed dirt over the flame until it was gone.

With no more light, the field fell to darkness and the sound of crickets finished the outside field. “This is the first time I’ve ever slept outside in the woods.” Naruto whispered before approaching their tent to make certain it wouldn’t collapse throughout the night. “Who gets first post?” He finally asked.

“I’ll take it.” Sasuke stood up and popped his back, wondering just how long he sat in that hunched position. “Take a kunai in there with you, incase there’s an attack.” Sitting at his post (a stump near an ant hill of all things), Sasuke watched the open field as the blonde crawled into the tent and lay out on his stomach. It was a little too early to go to bed, but Sasuke didn’t see what would make the time go by since they weren’t on speaking terms beyond a few pleasantries, and certainly they didn’t have anything in common.

“So,” Naruto kicked his feet out, “Sakura-chan really likes you.”

“Hn.” He hadn’t noticed. With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke brushed a disruptive ant off his knees before deciding to change locations. On the other side of the tent, facing the blonde’s bright blue eyes that sparkled with moonlight. “You can have her if you want.” He finally said after some time.

“She’ll never want me.” Naruto shifted as silence fell between them again. “How about…”

“Just. Stop. Talking.” Sasuke growled.

Naruto did.

Around five the next morning, Sasuke was awoken by Naruto stepping on a branch. “Come quick.” The blonde whispered, and Sasuke jerked out of bed to join the boy in the middle of their post. They were both staring up at an array of branches, the blonde more attentive than Sasuke, who was confused at what was going on. “For about an hour now, there’s been a movement up there. Look!” He pointed just as a branch fell towards the ground and a shady figure moved away.

“…I’ll be damned.” Sasuke murmured. Of all times for those stupid jounins (who were suppose to be protecting them!) to play with their heads, it had to be five in the bloody morning! On reflex, he reached down to his thigh and touched the scroll; just to make sure it hadn’t been robbed from its hiding place during his sleep. “They haven’t attacked in the hour they’ve been there?” He asked.

“No, that’s what’s putting me on the edge. They’re not hiding well enough not to attack. Could this be the friend that Iruka-sensei was talking about before?” Naruto didn’t raise his voice until Sasuke didn’t respond. “Hey, you up there!” He yelled loudly. Sasuke felt the pit of his stomach drop further when Naruto brought attention to them. He even hoped that it was Sakura up there in the threes, but he knew the avid fan girl wouldn’t attack him like this. She would have rushed through the woods and jumped him. No, this person wanted to be seen.

“Get out of the way, Naruto!” Sasuke pushed himself and the blonde to the ground, just as a kunai fell from the trees. The two barely jumped back in time as another wave of weapons fell towards the earth and the assailants jumped down to grace the children with their presence. Part of him wanted to be a child and run, but he knew not to. The blank scroll seemed to burn against his thigh, and he knew this was the real deal. “These aren’t mock enemies, Naruto!”

The blonde hesitantly nodded, fumbling to pull a kunai from its pouch as another batch of weapons fell from what could be described as heaven just as four other guys jumped down onto the campsite. Surrounded, Sasuke’s and Naruto’s backs touched as they prepared to fight a battle they knew they would lose. “Protect the scroll…” Naruto whispered hesitantly.

“…No matter what.” Rational thought screamed through the obsidian haired child’s mind to throw the scroll at them, take Naruto’s hand and run to find a jounin to help, but Iruka’s instructions echoed back that they would fail if this were to happen. Where was the line to pass and fail if you truly would die? “Right side is the weakest, take them out and we’ll get to the next camp.”

Looking at Sasuke’s right, Naruto winced when the men surrounding them enclosed. “We heard there’s a scroll here…” a rough voice sneered. “Konoha really is stupid if they’re trusting kids with the goods.” He reached a long, bulky hand towards Naruto only to flinch back when the blonde sliced at it with the kunai. “Frisky little one, ain’t you?” With a swift movement, his knee came up and Naruto collapsed against the ground, clutching his stomach. Like a warrior, he put his heavy foot against the shell of Naruto’s back, applying weight as Sasuke stared around quickly, rethinking his plan. “Give the scroll to me kid, and we’ll leave peacefully.”

“It’s just a blank scroll!” Sasuke yelled. “This is a stupid exam that our teacher thought up and the Hokage agreed to!” He hazardously swung his kunai around when he was picked up by the scruff of his neck. Damning his short, boyish legs as he twisted and turned to get at the man behind him. “Leave us alone!” He finally kicked the man in front of him as he brought his leg back to slam into the other’s crotch. He knew he’d struck when he was released.

The minute his feet touched the ground, Sasuke took off towards the clearing of trees, but found himself a second too late when one of the shady characters jumped him. With a mouth full of dirt, the Uchiha could only glare back as his attacker patted down his sides, looking for the object of interest. “Got it!” The man held out the scroll and opened it. “Fucking kid’s right; it’s a blank! What type of shit is this?”

Six men that surrounded the area grumbled with disdain. “Take the kids with us. we’ll use them as hostages to get them to give us the real scrolls.” One man said and the others wholeheartedly agreed. The man that had taken the scroll tossed it over his shoulder and pulled Sasuke by the hairs on his head. Yelling, Sasuke kicked and hissed as he was thrown over the man’s shoulder. “Knock him unconscious, Kuro!” The first man yelled as he lifted the unconscious Naruto over his shoulder.

When a hand came close enough to his face, Sasuke lunged out and clamped his teeth around flesh hard enough until he drew blood. The shocked seemed to work because he was thrown back and against a tree where he finally lost consciousness.

When Sasuke woke up, he knew he wasn’t anywhere near Konoha or the campsite. Instead, he was chained under a tree with Naruto, both of them backed up against the rough bark and their hands tied behind them so that they were hugging it. Seeing that there was no escape, Sasuke made no tries to pull himself away as he looked for their attackers. There. Far ahead, surrounding a fire was the group of assailants that merrily talked.

After some time of staring, his look was finally noticed by one of the men who waved towards him. “Our little guest is up.” Four more pairs of eyes turned to him, making Sasuke feel self conscious and little. Behind him, Naruto’s prone body tugged at their arms. Groaning, the boy pulled again, and Sasuke pulled back after his muscle was turned the wrong way. “You’re not getting loose.” The man smirked.

Biting his lip, Sasuke glared back at them. He’d show them. Tugging again on the bindings attaching him to Naruto, Sasuke tried pulling his skinny hands through the binds. “Naruto…” He hissed, pushing back against Naruto’s arms. “Get up, idiot.”

“Mm?” Naruto responded, sleepily. Tugging the rope again, Sasuke tensed as all the men approached him. The more buff one that had grabbed him earlier, Kuro, reached out and grasped Sasuke by the collar and pulled him (and Naruto) to his feet. “Sasuke…” The blonde whined when his knees gave out on him. Looking over his shoulder, the blonde doubled the look of pain on his face until they were dropped again on the ground.

“We’ll have to change their clothes before we sell them.” Another guy said roughly. “The blonde looks too bulky to be good for anything and someone will tell Konoha our real intentions if they see a Uchiha just being sold into slavery.” Someone near the Uchiha took a knife out and ran it down the navy blue shirt that Sasuke wore, tempted to just cut it in half.

“Just cut off the blonde’s jacket and burn it. We need to start moving again or we’ll get caught. If we make it towards the Hidden Village of Tides, we’ll be able to sell them off and continue on our life without issue.” The assumed leader brought a kunai over to the man closest to Naruto. “Remove the Uchiha crest and burn that too. If you need to, just take off the shirt.” He returned to their fire and doused it.

Throwing punches, Sasuke fought to keep his shirt before it was torn from his body. The sudden cold made him shudder and fall to protect himself, glaring daggers at the men surrounding him as the bindings tying him to Naruto were cut loose. “Keep at least one tying them together, so they don’t run away.” Kuro instructed. The others nodded before pushing Naruto to Sasuke’s side. Taking one glance at the blonde, Sasuke could see the brunt of their attack on the blonde. The boy’s face seemed almost ripped for having been slammed into dirt. Tan skin contrasted with mud, making him look dirtier than usual. Sasuke was certain he didn’t look any better.

“Get moving!” One of the men pushed at Sasuke’s back. Stepping forward, Sasuke approached near their leader with Naruto.

“What are you going to do with us?” Naruto yelled.

Smiling, the leader touched Naruto’s plump cheeks. Rage flooded Sasuke’s face as he pushed the hand away with his body. Unsure why he’d do such, he sat on the ground, Naruto somewhat bent over. The leader chuckled deeply at the Uchiha’s antics. “We sent notice of your capture to Konoha. Said we’d return you if they gave us at least five valuable scrolls to be delivered by a pre-genin. Thing is, we’re selling you when we reach Yarinu Village near the coast. We’ll come for the scrolls, kill off the pre-genin, and leave before ANBU approaches.”

With a snort, Sasuke sat up. “They’d probably mask an ANBU as a pre-genin.” He wasn’t sure why he’d said that. Maybe he was hoping to buy time so the group of assailants knew they were not making good progress that day.

“We’re prepared.” The leader raised his hand, ordering the other two guards to help either carry the children or push them along. The group decided that pushing these pre-genins was much more fun, Sasuke realized as enough pressure on his back brought him to his knees before the leader. At impact, he knew he’d chipped his tooth on a rock before swallowing both the rock and part of his tooth from pure shock. Tears reluctantly filled his eyes when he became dead weight, refusing to move even as Naruto tried to regain composure.

Spitting muck from his mouth, the Uchiha glared up, giving his resistance full attention as his arms were yanked back with a noisy pop. Naruto winced, having heard the noise too, and jumped to his feet. Bringing his little fist back, he slammed it into the smug face of the leader, unintentionally dragging Sasuke forward and out of the arms of the man who’d roughly yanked on him.

“Damn it! Knock them unconscious; we don’t have time for this!” Someone, Sasuke wasn’t able to tell through all the sudden yelling as he joined in with Naruto’s attacks to random assailants, yelled. Kuro, his muscled arm drawn back in a fist, gave a sudden yelp as Naruto gave up on coordinated attacks and bit at the area on him closest to the blonde’s face -- the man’s upper thigh, near his crotch. “Get him off!”

Someone grabbed at Sasuke’s hands, pinning the boy down to the ground. This brought Naruto down, who tore off a strip of the man’s pants and some flesh. Screaming, Kuro fell down while grabbing his thigh. Shallowly breathing, he glared at Naruto. “I’m going to kill that kid!” He jumped, grabbing the blond around the neck, slamming the boy’s head back against the hard ground as he tried to keep hold on the fighting child.

“Kuro! Stop that!” Several of the guys surrounded him, trying to peel the man’s locked hands from the lithe neck. With ragged coughs, Naruto scratched and begged as his face paled sharply. From the flock, Sasuke watched in morbid fascination as the blonde’s hue changed drastically as the first gasp and gags turned even deeper when Naruto began clawing to get away. His screaming were falling silent as his legs shock hard and fast, and Sasuke knew it wouldn’t be long before the blonde would lay prone.

“Stop!” Sasuke ran past, ramming his body into Kuro’s with enough force to push the man to the side. In shock, Sasuke leaned over Naruto’s body, watching it just fall in a heap against the ground with deep gasping. Black marks ringed the boy’s neck, in the shape of large hands that had stopped his air passage. “…Naruto, say something…” Sasuke whispered, bringing his ear near the boy’s chest to confirm the air being taken in was making it to the lungs. The boy didn’t say anything but gasped like a fish. If this had been any other day, the Uchiha knew he’d be thankful, yet now he prayed for the boy to talk so he’d know that everything would be all right.

“Knock them unconscious. We’ll carry them!” The leader yelled. Sasuke thanked the darkness the came with the pressure to the back of his head. Falling limp over Naruto’s body, all hope that it’d be okay vanished.

At Konoha, things were becoming hectic. News that two pre-genins had been attacked during their survival test seemed to flood the town quickly and when the Uchiha’s name came up the people had demanded to know what would be done. The Hokage sighed, refilling his pipe before looking up at the jounin who had been on duty at the time of the attack. “Are you sure you sensed nothing, Kakashi?” How had a group of infiltrators made it past the elite jounin? This he couldn’t understand.

“I was dealing with group five on the east side. They were having a spat and were about to set the woods ablaze. I apologize for not paying attention to that area, but the two had been calm and things didn’t seem out of it until I decided it was time to set the first attack wave for the scroll, only to find the camp empty.”

“How can we be certain that the two didn’t just get up and walk away?” The old man reasoned, trying to find a good enough answer than what everyone had suggested about attackers.

Iruka stood far off, listening carefully. “The scroll was found unrolled,” Kakashi started, “the area was also surrounded with weapons, meaning someone had attacked. There was no sign of blood, but the state of the camp shows the boys did fight about leaving.”

“S-Sasuke takes instructions very seriously,” Iruka interjected, “I had instructed the children not to open the scroll. I’m sure that he’d have made sure that even Naruto wouldn’t open it. And to leave it in an open space when they’re to protect it from enemies says something as well. I’m so sorry, Hokage-sama! I never anticipated that something like this would happen when I suggested this exam.”

Shaking his old head, Sandaime leaned back against his seat. “No. The test was an excellent idea. We never anticipated that a real enemy would come out and attack. I had assumed the high level ninjas I’d put out would be enough. ANBU were out patrolling outer fields while the Elite were the next leveled followed by regular Jounins at every sector. The group that entered might have appeared random travelers that were instructed to follow an outer route into town that strayed onto the course.”

Those in the office fell silent as the doors were thrown open and a chuunin guard ran in. “Sir, a note was just delivered!” He handed a slip of paper towards the Hokage and stood near the doors.

Sandaime read over the note before clearing his throat. “These assailants do have Uchiha-san and Uzumaki-san. They’ve agreed to return the boys if they receive profitable scrolls as promised for the exam. It seems the exam was such big news, gossip started about the scrolls and they hoped for something good. Kakashi, lead a group with you and scout the area for any signs where this note came from and bring back our boys.”

“And the assailants?”

“We’ll work that out. Our biggest goal is return Sasuke-san and Naruto-san.” The guard that had delivered the note whispered something under his breath that didn’t go unnoticed. “Repeat that, Kinohara-san?”

The man jerked to attention. “I apologize sir. It’s just… we know that if anything the Kyuubi Brat is the cause of this. Wouldn’t it be easier to leave the child with these assailants and make him their problem rather than ours?”

“Bring. Both. Boys. Back. Dismissed, Kinohara.” The Hokage puffed. With a squeak, the guard was gone, leaving the original group in the room. “Is this clear, Kakashi? Naruto needs to be returned as well. I’ll accept no sloppiness or blotches on this. You’ve already caused enough troubles. Bring the group that’s joining you in the search here in an hour, along with ANBU Captain. Dismissed.” With a poof, Kakashi disappeared, and Iruka took a deep breath.

“Thank you for making sure they brought Naruto home.” He whispered. “I know this wasn’t his fault. If he had something to do with it, he didn’t mean harm. I could understand if he opened the fake scroll, but he would never put a classmate in danger.”

“I’m aware of this, Iruka. Go home and rest. All of the pre-genins have been returned to their homes and this wasn’t that big a failure. In the end, I’m certain if anything would happen to either boy, Kyuubi will do something about it. He might be a demon, but Naruto’s his host, he can’t let damage come to the boy.” With a nod, the Hokage dismissed the chuunin.

Walking into the long hall of the Hokage tower, Iruka was greeted with Kakashi wrapping his arms around the teacher’s body. “You didn’t cause any of this to happen, Iruka.” The jounin soothed. “I know for a fact they’re okay, and I’ll prove it. Give me a week, and both boys will be back in your classroom bickering.”

Unable to hold back a giggle, Iruka thanked Kakashi for his support and turned to go home.

“-And I tried the flower thing, but Sakura really doesn’t care for them. I even made sure they weren’t weeds this time! The last flower batch I gave her was weeds, but they looked like flowers! Iruka had to pull me aside and explain what I did wrong. He might act like he doesn’t like me, but I think he tries so hard to fight that nice guy blood in him! Well, anyway, she handed me the flowers back and said – ‘I don’t want flowers from you, Naruto.’ But, at least she knows my name, right? When I gave her the weeds, she called me idiot. Well a lot of people call…” Naruto’s louder than normal voice ranted, something he’d been doing for the last hour. Sasuke had taken the liberty to tune the boy out, but as the minutes passed, it was like the blonde was trying to be loud and obnoxious all in one. Wait. That was just his personality.

Hiding a yawn that threatened to leave his lips, Sasuke tugged twice on his large shirt to make sure it was completely down over his knees before moving a little faster. The trout they had for breakfast was rearing its ugly head in the pit of his stomach, probably not as fresh as he’d hoped. If he didn’t spew his guts by the end of the day, Sasuke knew he’d have something to be thankful for. Also, sleeping outside was doing nothing for him. Naruto didn’t wake him in the morning, instead it was a very curious squirrel that had climbed into his shirt and went burrowing. Never being one to speak loudly, the brunet was surprised he could shriek in shock so loudly.

And the way the sun was covered with dark clouds, the Uchiha knew there’d be no sleeping that night. A rumble of thunder echoed across the terrain, and Naruto froze for a second before turning towards his companion. “We should find shelter.”

“Where, moron? With the rabbits?” Being in the middle of the woods, surrounded by trees, certainly didn’t comfort Sasuke either. If anything, he’d rather be at his house, surrounded by warm blankets and a tray of onigiri at his feet, just waiting to be eaten. Above them, lightning lit up the sky before a clap of thunder vibrated around their ears. Naruto screamed. “This is the outside of the storm.” He finally said before continuing his trek. “Standing still like statues won’t save us, we have to continue.”

Running behind him, Naruto grabbed the back of Sasuke’s tunic, allowing the blonde to drag him further across the landscape. Sprinkles landed against his nose suggested that they were walking into the storm. “Let’s go back to the farm house.” The blonde whined.

“No.” They had made it too far to just turn back now! He wasn’t sure how long they walked in the rain when the sun finally founds its way through all the clouds, leaving the two boys shivering and soaked to the bone. The white shirt on Sasuke was like a second skin, attached to a Naruto whose teeth clattered from the sudden cold. Judging by the approaching clouds, the storms weren’t over yet, drying up in the time the boys could seemed useless. Grabbing Naruto, he tugged the boy close so they could share some warmth between them as they forced their way on.

As a very observant young man, Sasuke knew for a fact being a ninja had nothing to do with the shit he’d been though for the last two days. That and there was nothing in the brochures about having a blonde heavily breathing down your neck as the both of you walked back towards Konoha. He was starting to sweat there as Naruto’s arms tightened around his torso. What ever happened to the good old days where a shinobi only had to worry about known enemy ninjas from another village? He didn’t want to handle slave traders, blondes, farm animals, and the rain. All in two days.

“I’m tired.”

And then there was his whiny companion. Sasuke twitched when the voice whispered against his ear as the heavy rain turned into sprinkles. Shivering, the two boys went in search for shelter. Naruto found it. A small cave, probably at one time inhabited by a bear, was vacant and looked as deserted as could be. Setting up a fire, the two boys hung their clothes out to dry, lying naked before the fire. For the first time since the series of storms, Naruto was talking amiably about what he was going to do when he was hokage. Or something similar to that. Sasuke just nodded his head at given intervals and looked like he was listening.

If Naruto paid more attention to the usually stoic boy, he’d have noticed the raven-like boy’s eyes were glassed over. Ever since firm, tan butt cheeks were released from blue shorts (his shorts no less!), Sasuke had been perplexed at the globes that would also be attention grabbers. And grabbing was just what the Uchiha wanted to do. No! Stop! You need a woman to continue on the Uchiha clan, not some brain dead blonde with…beautiful blue eyes. Fucking hormones. The Uchiha’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he worked through his thoughts, trying to find the right ones to fit the mood.

“Free ramen before missions!” Naruto finally screeched out. “That would make our shinobi come back alive! To return to that delicious ramen!”

When Sasuke was a little kid, he remembered running to his big brother’s room during a storm and hiding under thick blankets. Though not amused, Itachi never said he couldn’t do that. They use to lie around, just talking about the future. Itachi wanted to do so much, nothing that had to do with the clan. The youngest had learned the hard way not to ask why Itachi wasn’t going to follow through with their father’s wishes and make the clan stronger with strong babies and a beautiful wife. Reason, a small voice that hid past all his vengeance seeking, suggested that perhaps Itachi killed the clan because of their father’s expectations.

Snorting, Sasuke moved the wood around so the source of the flame could receive more oxygen. If that was so, why didn’t Itachi just kill their father? Not kill their loving mother, boisterous aunt, hundreds of cousins…

A rising hatred filled the Uchiha’s heart, and through his rage he threw the stick in some distance outside. Naruto blinked twice, before standing up to fetch the stick, staying out longer to catch raindrops in his mouth. “Get back in here before someone sees you idiot.”

“Don’t we want people to see us,” Naruto reasoned, “that way we can be returned to Konoha safely?”

“Idiot! I meant people like our kidnappers.”

“Aw! I didn’t know you cared so much about my well being!” Naruto ran back into the cave. Bouncing. Sasuke darted his gaze in another direction. That idiot. He probably should have left the blonde with that slave owner, the pervert. He could be home now if it weren’t for the extra weight that Naruto tended to be. Speaking of which. “Hey! Are you hungry? I am! I’ll go see if there’re any berries or maybe the fish are flowing somewhere! It’s been raining so much, I wouldn’t be too shocked.”

“Do whatever you want.” Sasuke reached towards their clothes that were hanging, feeling them for dampness. His large shirt and blue shorts seemed most dry. Tossing them towards Naruto, he grieved the hours it’d take for them to dry again. Running out of the cave, Naruto disappeared in the rain, leaving Sasuke alone. Finally. Sasuke released the grip he’d had on his legs, trying to hide himself from Naruto’s eyes.

On the corner of his eye, he could see Naruto running around after an animal – definitely not looking for their dinner. “Damn it Naruto! I thought you were hungry?”

Stopping, Naruto laughed slightly. “Sorry. I’ve always loved animals, so when I saw the coyote, I was hoping he’d lead me to some kind of food source.”

Raising a fine brow, the brunet rubbed his temple. “By chasing it?”

“Hey! I’m doing more than you do. Sure, you fought our attackers and that man, but how can you just sit there and not care that all we’ve been eating is fish and drinking our own saliva! I’m trying to find us food! All you’re doing is being your moody self!” Putting his hands on his hips, Naruto turned back towards the woods. “And it’s not cool! Bastard!” He huffed into the woods.

Little brat. Sasuke stood up quickly reaching for the last pair of clothes. Sliding them on, Sasuke marched towards the wood area in the direction Naruto had run. Rain pelted on him in mild droplets as the rain began letting up. Up in front was Naruto soaked to the bone as he stared at a small cottage that Sasuke hadn’t noticed when they first encountered the wooded area. “We’re saved!” Naruto screamed, running ahead.

“Idiot!” Sasuke grabbed the boy and tossed the child to the ground, covering the smaller with his own body as the doors opened and a woman stepped out. Of all things, the Uchiha groaned as he noticed her attire, we had to wander onto prostitutes.

“Mimi-chan, I don’t see anything. Are you sure you heard someone?” The whore turned towards the door, pushing her long black hair back in a bun. Another woman, a blonde haired teen, stepped out the door and stood behind the other.

“I’m certain! Like a child speaking in a high pitch voice! Do you think any of the girls lost a kid, Junko?” Mimi lowered her head in confusion as Sasuke pushed Naruto’s head further under a bush so they weren’t caught. “I hope it’s not that small criminal group. What was their name Akapika? Akacharu?” She hummed, touching her chin.

“Does it matter what they’re called?” Junko shuddered. “The last one that was here from that group did a number to Hontaru. I don’t want to think what could happen if that man returns.” Neither woman stepped inside as one tightened the others obi. Sasuke shuddered as he felt warm eyes drift to their somewhat hidden form. Naruto grunted when Junko purred out, “please come out. We don’t bite.”

“Unless you want us to…” Mimi added in a seductive voice.

Pushing his weight back, Naruto threw the Uchiha off. “Excuse me! My name’s Naruto, and this is Sasuke! We got lost from our class a few days ago and are really cold and wet. Also, this man is after us, I think. Can we hide here, if just for the night?” The blonde begged.

Behind him Sasuke scoffed. The woman cooed out, “Children!” Junko stepped forward, bringing her long thin hands to Naruto’s face. “Look how cute she is! Ooh! When I have a baby, I hope she looks as pretty as you!” Naruto huffed at the girl comment, opening his mouth to dispute the accusation. Sasuke stopped him from making a mess of things. “Look at those rags though! Come in, come in! We’ll fit you in something more suitable!”

“Junko-chan! We can’t! The governess doesn’t like it if children are brought into the workplace. Remember Aiya and her baby girl? Both were thrown out in the cold! How are we going to hide this?”

Contemplating the thought, the dark haired woman dragged Naruto towards the house. “Governess-sama will be out tonight, as it is a celebration. Since we’ll be so busy with the adoring men, no one will notice two children wandering about if we make them part of our structure.” Naruto blinked at Sasuke, but neither said anything during the entire conversation on where they would be put as both were brought into the worn down hut in the middle of the forest.

“Why do I have to wear this?” Naruto’s voice shook the foundation of the home. A tight fighting kimono was wrapped around his body, a pink array of colors associated with white (definitely not his color!) made him feel naked. The girls around him cooed as they brushed down his hair, gelling the reluctant hairs flat. His face was later covered with make up and no matter how much Naruto screamed the women wouldn’t relent their hold.

Sasuke, Naruto claimed loudly, was lucky. In the corner, Sasuke watched Naruto’s ordeal. He, himself, was dressed in a dark blue men’s kimono with a satin stash. Articles of clothing left by prior costumers, Mimi had explained as they dressed him in the colors. “Calm down, idiot.” Sasuke raised his voice, earning silence. “You heard them. If we don’t act like expected, their governess may throw us out in the rain. Your choice, fish for dinner, or elaborate foods at the cost of keeping me company.” Not a bad idea either. While Sasuke sat in the conditioned luxury expected of an Uchiha, Naruto would serve him foods and rub his shoulders. Not bad at all. He could get use to the treatment if he wasn’t careful and took this in small dosages.

Sneering, the blonde turned the other cheek. “So?” He put his hands above his flat chest. The girls stopped for a second before the kimono was opened and they worked to develop fake breasts. Screaming, Naruto began fighting against as they altered his physical shape. “This is for the food.” He told himself as the girls stepped back to stare at their masterpiece.

“You look so cute, Naru-chan!” Mimi squealed. Several of the girls followed suit. Brushing off imaginary dirt, Naruto faced Sasuke with a look of loathing. Just daring the Uchiha to say something. Smirking, the brunet stood up and approached a full-length mirror. Anything not to look at Naruto right now.

“Sasuke-kun, would you please follow me and we’ll join you with the other customers. Remember, you’re just a short adult. Naruto is your bought girl for the night. Try to behave and don’t draw attention from the governess. When you retire for the evening – for other activities as far as the governess is concern – you will go to the back room. Lock the door. Naru-chan, just feed Sasuke-kun grapes, climb in his lap, and give him all your attention.” Junk straightened the wide obi around her waist one last time before turning towards the doors.

“Yuck.” The blonde whined.

Smugly, Sasuke followed the whore out of the room. If his pride would let him, he’d be whistling.

It wasn’t too long later that he sat in a room with almost fifteen wealthy merchants, dressed in the proper attire for the evening, waiting for his entertainment. A strum of a lute brought his attentions towards the door as a flock of girls danced in baring fans and silk scarves. The first of the evening was an entertaining dance that would show their submissiveness to the men.

Naruto was at the end of the line, following the dance gracefully. A pink, silk scarf waved in the air after his small body as he danced after Mimi, trying to remain close and away from the prying eyes of the many costumers. Leaning over, a girl whispered in his ear before all the girls fell to their knees before the men; Naruto bent his head just before Sasuke, asking to be the Uchiha’s lover for the evening. Nodding, Sasuke moved himself on the plush seating, letting Naruto crawl towards his lap. “You’re enjoying this too much, bastard.”

“I haven’t said anything, idiot.” Sasuke said past a fake smile as Naruto slid a cherry against his lips. Testing his boundaries, Sasuke licked the blonde’s fingers, before pulling away as Naruto pulled away in shock. “Calm down, idiot. I think that’s the governess over there, we need to appear much older and part of the entertainment.” The understanding of what would happen to them if they were caught went unsaid. Gracing his face near Sasuke’s, the blonde plopped a cherry between his lips, chewing on one end.

“This sucks.”

Eating the cherry out of the blonde’s mouth, Sasuke couldn’t keep the arrogance from his voice. “You suck.”

Naruto glared at Sasuke, ignoring the fact as the room emptied of women. “Naru-chan, take Sasuke to the back room before the governess begins questioning what is going on. Don’t worry, there are several trays of food in there!” Mimi giggled. Both boys nodded before approaching the back rooms, holding each other in false love.

As the rain finally let up, Kakashi brushed his long hair back out of his face. Behind him was his retrieval team, several Jounin and ANBU members that had the time to spare in search for the Uchiha Heir and the Kyuubi kid. Kakashi could still hear Iruka's faint comment when they first embarked on their journey – “if this was volunteer work, I doubt as many would have shown up.” Kakashi had to agree. He’d seen Naruto on the streets, tricking individuals like a master. He’d also seen Iruka and Naruto’s relationship. It wasn’t on the most friendly of terms, but the instructor was too nice to let Naruto die by being eaten by wolves. The teacher was the only one who listened to Naruto’s two cents, no matter how outrageous the boy may be.

“Kakashi-san! We found a fire in the middle of a cave, recently lit! There were no bodies, but judging by the position of the sticks and the chakra illumination of the area, it was Uchiha-san and the Kyuubi brat. They must have used chakra to start a fire before abandoning the area.”

Grimacing, Kakashi raised his hand. “Let’s continue!” He started up the trail, thinking about the information they had put together of both boys location.

They encountered three of the kidnappers the other day when meeting up at the appointed place of trade. After a few hours of torture, Konoha shinobi traveled to the beaches of the Land of Wind where the slave trades were most flourished. According to one slave, a little boy with the darkest hair he’d ever seen had taken off after a blonde haired, scarred faced child – narrowly escaping slavery. From there, the Konoha Shinobi encountered the charred remains of a dishonored shinobi slave owner. It seemed like the trail was cold until they encountered a small farming community that pointed them towards Konoha again.

Beside him, an ANBU member hummed lightly. “There’s a brothel up ahead.”

“And I’d care why?” Kakashi scowled, hinting his anger that the men dare insist they take a break for their own pleasure. Besides, Kakashi had his own little honey at home. He doubted a bunch of used up girls could ever replace the plait haired man back in Konoha.

“Uh well,” another man spoke up, “maybe the ladies have seen the children?”

Doubting, but agreeing that there was a chance the boys could have gone through the area if they’d obviously set a fire, Kakashi agreed to take the path towards the whorehouse. “We’re not staying.” He insisted. “We’re going to ask, then leave. What you do on your own time is none of my business.”

Nobody commented as they approached a small lot in the middle of the woods. A middle-aged woman stood outside, watering the flowers that gave some light to the little, depressing building. “May I help you?” She asked, standing up, her hands clasped behind her back, against the hem of her kimono. “If it is about our Love Fest, you missed it. The girls put on a splendid performance last night. The next will be in a week, some of our guest were rather rough.”

“No thank you ma’am.” Kakashi smiled. This woman was probably the governess then. “We’re looking for two children – a dark haired man who looks rather demonic and a blonde with three scars across his face, like whiskers. Have you seen anyone in the last few days that meet this description?”

Narrowing her aged eyes, the woman turned towards her flowers. “This is a business for adults. I will not let children anywhere near the business.” Putting the pail down, she started towards the front door. “I hope you find these kids though. The forest is not safe for anyone. I worry about my girls daily with such evils in the world like the ones that came several weeks ago. Now that I think of it,” she turned towards Kakashi, “he was wearing a ninja plate, like your own. He was rather aged, much older than I, with red tattoos or something on both cheeks. He kept insisting my girls perform detailed displays from his books and ravished them afterwards. This would all be fine, had he not left without paying. Please deliver this check to your lord. I insist he pay for the damages.”

Taking the paper, Kakashi bowed politely. “Yes ma’am. And thank you for your help.”

The shinobi left as silently as they came, both them and the governess unaware of the two well-feed children asleep in the back rooms, dreaming of Konoha. And each other.

(1) Though Gai’s team wasn’t part of the rookie 9, I needed an even number of boys and girls when I listed them. Most of these characters probably won’t show up again in this story.