Chapter Text
Sasuke’s hair blew wildly in the wind, blowing across his face as he paused on the wall of the looming tower to catch his breath. His fingers gripped the cold and rough stones as tightly as he could manage, and despite his best efforts to remain collected, his legs trembled unmistakably, and his arms felt alight with effort, a fire thrumming just under his skin. His heart pounded painfully inside his chest, loud and powerful in his ears, dulling the noises of the night around him.
Taking another deep breath, Sasuke carefully removed his left hand, finding a grip lower on the wall, and then reaching down with his left foot to find a foothold. Then his right hand. Then his right foot. Left hand. Left foot. It was an unending cycle, the tower seeming to stretch on for miles, the peak disappearing into the gathering clouds above.
Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at the ground. He had already made it about three-fourths of the way down the tower, but it was still a long way to the bottom. At the base of the tower, gnarled thornbushes curled and tangled, jutting out of the dirt, promising nothing but pain if he wasn’t careful enough to avoid them.
He continued down, falling into a steady rhythm of hand, foot, hand, foot, over and over again, doing his best to ignore the ringing in his ears. He glanced down again–only a little bit left. He grabbed onto a stone and began lowering his left foot, but his foot landed on a stone that was wet, and covered in old moss, and he slipped. His hands lost their grip, and his arms flailed outwards, searching for anything to grab onto as Sasuke plummeted down towards the ground.
A scream caught in his throat as the wind whipped loudly in his ears. It happened too fast for Sasuke to process. All he knew was the feeling of pure terror that gripped him like claws around his throat. His eyes squeezed shut from the stinging cold air, as he prepared himself for the impact, feeling his stomach drop inside of him like a heavy boulder.
Moments before Sasuke hit the ground, however, he felt something sharp and long reach up and wrap around his legs and arms, keeping him hovering a few feet off the grassy land. He took a shaky breath, feeling relief wash over him. This had to be one of Orochimaru’s failsafe spells. Of course. The slimy bastard would never make such a tall tower without a failsafe, and risk Sasuke jumping out of the tower and killing himself.
The momentary solace was replaced by the sharp pain of something digging into his arms and legs like tiny needles. He looked down to see the vines of the thornbush moving as though they had a life of their own, snaking their way up to Sasuke’s mouth, which hung open as he panted for air. Before Sasuke could even think to react, the green appendage forcefully opened Sasuke’s mouth, and he felt the thorns travel down his throat, leaving scratches and cuts all along the inside of his digestive system. He screamed, but the sound was muffled by the object rammed inside of him.
The pain culminated in his chest, and Sasuke didn’t need to be able to see it to know what was happening to him. The thorny vine found his heart, wrapping around the muscle and squeezing tight. Sasuke felt the corners of his vision go white as the vines holding him up receded, dropping him down to the grassy earth roughly, and the thorns that had entered his body nestled uncomfortably inside his chest, making their home inside his ribcage. As he landed, he felt a throbbing pain shoot up his right leg, and he rolled over on the ground, wincing in pain.
He stayed bent over on the ground, heaving as he felt something hot sliding up his throat. He coughed–or rather, it might be more accurate to say he wheezed, hacking and pounding at his chest to get the horrible, wet, scratchy feeling out. Deep crimson globules of blood stained the grass in front of him as he heaved shuddering breaths.
It wasn’t a failsafe. It was a curse.
Sasuke knew exactly what was happening to him. The thorny vines had taken hold of his heart, tightening and squeezing with every inch he crawled farther from the tower, every second he spent free of it.
Sasuke hadn’t expected Orochimaru to make it quite so easy for him to leave the tower, of course, but this was a plan so twisted that he couldn’t help but shudder in relief to be free of the witch’s custody.
After taking a moment to catch his breath and let the pain subside, Sasuke stepped out from the shadows of the tower, his legs stiff and unused to freedom. For years, he’d been trapped inside its cold, stone walls, his world limited to the thin slit of window that looked out over the land—lush green trees, the faint glimmer of a kingdom in the far distance–always watching. He had been a prisoner, not just of stone, but of time, his life swallowed whole by it, each year dragging on like the last. Twenty years he waited, biding his time for the moment he could escape. But he wasn’t truly free yet. There was still someone he needed to find.
His breath came in short, sharp bursts as he forced his body to move, stumbling forward on legs that trembled with both fear and anticipation. The climb down his tower had been long and excruciating, and when he fell down the last few feet, he must have sprained his ankle. He could barely limp forward, right leg searing in pain every time it touched the ground, only compounding with the constant, throbbing pain nestled at the center of his chest.
The heat of the prison lingered on his skin, the suffocating air of confinement now replaced by the cold bite of the wind. He filled his lungs with the crisp air, savoring it. He hadn’t felt this alive in years, ironically, considering every step he took away from his tower was a step closer to his grave. He felt the thorns tightening around his heart, a sharp pain that was barely perceptible, but enough to keep him alert. But nothing mattered now except the single, burning thought that had kept him alive all these years: his brother.
The last time he had seen Itachi, Sasuke was a different person. Younger, happier, and so, so naive. His brother had taken everything from him—his freedom, his dignity, his very self. And now, the world would finally see him pay for it.
The sky above was a muted gray as the night sky was overcast with clouds, the land stretching out before him. Sasuke didn’t know where to start, didn’t know how long it would take to track Itachi down, but one thing was certain. He would not stop at anything. Not until his brother was nothing more than a memory, a shadow of the man who had ruined his life.
Without a look back at his tower, Sasuke limped out of the small clearing the tower was built in, and into the forest, feeling the soft grass cushion his footfalls. The pitch-black darkness of the forest was of no consequence to Sasuke—his red eyes could discern the world around him even if they were glued shut. He gripped onto a tree for support and scanned his surroundings, looking for anything that might point him in the direction of human life.
That’s when he saw it. The faint outline of the sleeping figure of a human deep in the forest–or rather, he could only see the outline of his life force, a soft orange glow like a beacon of light in the darkness. He was too far away to see the actual person, but Sasuke’s superior ocular powers were the only tool he needed to navigate the pitch blackness. Silently, Sasuke made his way closer.
The boy was well over a mile away from where Sasuke stood, and at a bit of a higher elevation as well. Sasuke made his way slowly in his direction, leaving the clearing of the tower through a curtain of vines and leaves. From there, he had to climb up a steep pathway of roots, and rocks, and dirt, feeling pain shooting through his leg every time he favored his injured ankle. It was excruciating, but eventually, he made it back onto flat land. From there, he walked, barely at the pace of a snail, through the forest towards the sleeping figure.
Finally, the orange glow grew brighter, and stronger, until it was right in front of Sasuke.
It was a boy, about Sasuke's age. The first other human being that Sasuke had seen in twenty years–aside from Orochimaru, but the witch felt more like a snake wearing human skin rather than anything else.
The boy’s face was illuminated by the moonlight as he lay asleep on the forest floor, head resting on the root of a tree, and an arm folded to support his neck. Sasuke's eyes lingered on his face, peaceful and deep in sleep. His eyelashes cast shadows on his face, which was sharp and boyish. His lips were pressed tightly together and his eyebrows were furrowed as though he were deep in thought. He had three faint lines on either cheek, and unruly blond hair that rustled gently with the nighttime breeze. Sasuke’s crimson eyes discerned an orange glow emanating from the boy’s core, giving him an otherworldly aura. The orange energy seemed strange, like it wasn’t truly meant to be there.
Sasuke hadn't seen very many people in the past twenty years, but he knew that this boy had to be among some of the most handsome in the realm.
He shook his head to rid himself of the thought. He didn't have time to worry about pretty boys sleeping in forests. He had a mission to accomplish, and a deadline to meet. But, while he was there, he could at least see if the boy carried any food in his sack. His journey was undoubtedly long, and he needed enough food to at least get him to a village or a city.
Tiptoeing carefully around the sleeping boy, he bent over to pick up his satchel and look inside. To Sasuke's delight, there were a couple pieces of bread wrapped in cloth and some of what looked like jerky. As he was about to reach in for the food, something else caught his eye. A piece of paper with a familiar face painted on it sat carefully tucked into the side of the sack.
Sasuke pulled it out to examine it. Printed front and center on the paper was the very face that had haunted Sasuke’s days, waking and asleep, for the past twenty years. A face he so desperately wanted to forget but simultaneously refused to let fade from his mind. Itachi Uchiha, the poster read. Wanted Dead or Alive. Sasuke’s eyes scanned the picture. Had Itachi broken his nose in the past twenty years? It looked entirely different in the picture.
In any case, Sasuke saw two likely scenarios before him. One, the sleeping boy was looking for Itachi, and might have some leads to help Sasuke find him. Two, the sleeping boy was working with, or for, Itachi and Sasuke could convince him to bring Sasuke to Itachi. Either way, this was a big—
Sasuke’s train of thought was cut off abruptly when he felt someone appear behind him, shove him forward, and flip him around so that his back was slammed into the rough bark of a tree. The air left his lungs in a sharp wheeze and his head knocked painfully into the hard bark. Pain shot up his right leg and he winced, grabbing onto the tree for support as his knee buckled.
Standing mere inches away from him was the formerly sleeping boy, who had a knife pressed harshly to his throat. Sasuke felt the point press into the soft skin at his throat, a pricking pain that demanded his cooperation. In the moonlight, the boy’s eyes shone a dark blue, scrutinizing Sasuke intently. They were close enough that Sasuke could see every curve and plane of his face, the sharpness of his nose and the softness of his cheeks. He could see his thick eyelashes, and the way wrinkles formed at the bridge of his nose as his eyes narrowed in on Sasuke. Up close, he was even more handsome than he had first seemed, but Sasuke put the thought out of his mind.
“Who are you, and how did you find me?” The boy asked, his voice gravelly from having just woken up. Sasuke felt a shiver run up his spine, half from fear, and half from a strange anticipation.
“What is your relation to Itachi Uchiha?” Sasuke countered, ignoring the boy’s question.
“I asked first. And I’m the one with a knife here. So answer me.” The boy pressed the knife harder to Sasuke's throat and leaned in closer. Sasuke felt a sharp pain blooming at the skin of his neck and he let out a strained noise.
The boy’s face was so close to Sasuke he could feel his hot breath hitting him in puffs, warming his cold face. He looked carefully at the boy through his bangs, trying to assess just how serious he was about hurting Sasuke. Just as Sasuke was attempting to formulate a response that didn’t give away too much information, but just enough to get him what he needed, a strong breeze flowed through the forest, pushing Sasuke's long bangs out of his face.
Undoubtedly, his most defining feature was now revealed to the world, without his hair to shield them. Sasuke only hoped it would propel this conversation in a more productive direction without his even needing to say a word. His eyes remained trained on the boy’s, almost like an unspoken challenge.
The boy's eyes widened as he finally saw Sasuke’s ruby red eyes shining clearly in the moonlight, and he stumbled backwards, still pointing the dagger at him. “You—those eyes. Who are you?”
“I suppose there's no use in hiding it,” Sasuke said, stepping forward, carefully balancing his weight on his non-wounded foot, and brushing off his clothes. “My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I'm looking for my brother.”
“An Uchiha? But I thought… that's not possible. It can’t be,” the boy blubbered, brows furrowed in deep thought.
Sasuke couldn’t say for certain what news had been spread to the rest of the world about the deaths of the Uchiha family, but he figured they weren’t too far off from the truth. The boy’s words only confirmed what Sasuke already suspected–that the world had been told that the entire Uchiha clan was massacred by his brother, Itachi. It would certainly explain the wanted poster, as well, and the astonishingly high cash prize listed under Itachi’s name.
“Oh it's quite possible, I assure you,” Sasuke said, stepping closer to the boy. “Now, who are you, and what is your relationship with Itachi Uchiha?”
The boy lowered the knife halfway so that it hovered by his hip tentatively, still regarding Sasuke with suspicious blue eyes. “Well, you've lucked out, Sasuke. I'm looking for your brother too, although I can't say for certain our motives are the same. My name is Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki.”
“Naruto… Uzumaki,” Sasuke repeated, feeling the words take shape on his tongue, testing out the flavor and feeling of it.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” the boy, Naruto, said, lowering the knife slowly and apprehensively, and sticking a hand out. Sasuke looked at the hand quizzically. What was he doing? Was this some sort of nonverbal threat? “Well jeez, if you didn't want to shake my hand you coulda just said so,” Naruto mumbled, pulling his hand back. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but chose to ignore it.
“You said you were looking for my brother. Is he here?” Sasuke asked.
“Here in this forest? No, probably not. Here in this kingdom? As far as I know, yes.” Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. “Why, do you have any information? Anything about his whereabouts?”
Sasuke hesitated. He didn’t know how much he could trust this boy and, either way, he had practically no information on Itachi’s location except that he was somewhere inside the kingdom, which Naruto clearly already knew.
“I don’t,” he replied truthfully. Naruto hummed thoughtfully like he didn’t fully believe Sasuke, but shrugged anyway.
“I need to know just one thing,” Naruto said. “Before I can decide what to do with you.”
Sasuke wasn’t a fan of the way Naruto assumed he could do with Sasuke whatever he deemed fit, but he was too tired, too sore, and in too much pain to argue the point
“And what might that be?”
Naruto gave him an appraising look, folding his arms over his chest and chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully, like he was deciding whether what he wanted to say was a good idea or not.
“I’ll be honest with you. I am not Itachi’s friend,” Naruto said, and Sasuke felt some relief wash over him. “I’ve been searching for him, but my goals are certainly not aligned with his–in fact, they’re probably as far from aligned as you can get.”
“Okay,” Sasuke said slowly. While, on the one hand, this meant that Naruto did not have immediate access to Itachi, and couldn’t bring Sasuke to him immediately, it at least meant that they were at least somewhat on the same side.
“So what I want to know from you is this. What is your relation to Itachi? Friend or foe?” Naruto finished, looking at Sasuke expectantly for a response.
Sasuke paused, going over everything he knew in his mind to make sure that there were no glaring dangers to telling Naruto where his loyalties lied.
“Foe,” he said finally. “Definitely foe.”
Naruto nodded, and then released the arms that were crossed in front of him. He seemed relieved at Sasuke’s response, and mulled over something in his head before finally letting the tension ease from his shoulder and huffing out a sigh.
“Alright. Good. Well I’m meeting up with my boss tomorrow, who probably has some more information on Itachi. I’m not too keen on letting you out of my sight, and I’m guessing you could probably use some more information too, so why don’t you come with?” Naruto turned and sat back down at the tree he was originally sleeping against. “You should try to get some sleep. We have a lot of walking to do tomorrow.”
Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. It felt too easy, and much unlike how Orochimaru had described the outside world to him. “Your eyes,” he would say in that thin, oily voice. “You have no idea how much people are willing to pay for eyes like those.” Sasuke shivered at the memory, half expecting Naruto to pounce on him and gouge his eyes out any second, but the blond boy simply leaned his head back against the bark of the tree and closed his eyes, arms crossed over his chest again.
“That’s… it?” Sasuke asked, still apprehensive. “You’re not going to tie me up or drug me or something?”
Naruto opened his eyes, tilting his head and looking up at Sasuke.
“You’re not my prisoner, Sasuke. You’re free to leave whenever you want–although I will admit I don’t particularly want you to. But our goals probably align and I doubt you’d want to kill me because it sounds like I have more information on Itachi than you do, so the decision is yours. I’m tired, and you look tired too. Let’s just sleep. We’ve got a long journey tomorrow,” Naruto said. His voice was low, and Sasuke could sense the lack of energy in his speech. If Sasuke wanted to run away, it would be all too easy.
But it didn’t matter because Sasuke couldn’t run away if he wanted to. His ankle was growing weaker by the moment, and it throbbed under him. Even if he did want to hold a weapon to Naruto and force him to give up some more information, Sasuke knew nearly nothing about where he was, where to go, or what to expect anywhere. After being confined for twenty years, the outside world was an enigma to Sasuke. A labyrinth that would spin him in endless circles before spitting him out in some unreachable corner of the land. At least he was with someone who seemed to share his goal instead of some human trafficker, thug, or ruffian, as Orochimaru had so often warned him would happen.
Well, all things considered, this was certainly a start. Sasuke found no use in attempting to leave or attack Naruto, and he figured that if the boy wanted him dead or captured he would’ve tried already–and likely succeeded too, considering how weak Sasuke felt. The toll of his strenuous journey down the tower was beginning to get to him, along with all the aches and sores from his various injuries, and he slumped down against the tree he had his back against.
He took one last look at Naruto, who seemed to be already fast asleep. The forest was filled with nothing but the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves of the tall trees around them, and Naruto’s slow, soft breathing. Even if just for a moment, Sasuke allowed himself to relish in the thrill of being next to another living, breathing, human being, closing his eyes and matching the rise and fall of his chest to Naruto’s steady breaths.
Sleep found him before he could even think to look for it himself.
Naruto awoke to the sounds of birds chirping in the trees above, and sunlight shining down on him through the cover of the tall trees of the forest. He sat up slowly, rolling out the tightness in his neck with a groan and a content sigh. His eyes searched the clearing until they landed on the strange boy who had interrupted his sleep last night. Naruto almost thought he had dreamed it, but there he was. Sasuke Uchiha.
He looked over at the sleeping figure of the boy. He had seemed almost ethereal, with his milky pale skin and bright red eyes that seemed to glow underneath the pale moonlight. Naruto had awoken to the sound of someone rustling through his bag–having grown up on the streets and working a job that required travelling alone, he’d trained himself to be a light sleeper. This came particularly in handy when people tried sniffing around his things or snagging a coin or two from his pocket.
It was strange, however, how the previous night he’d almost missed the Uchiha. If Itachi’s poster hadn’t made a rumpling noise in Sasuke’s hands, it's entirely possible Naruto wouldn’t have woken up at all. The thought was a little terrifying, and strangely, a little exhilarating.
Sasuke looked so normal now, in contrast to his wild-eyed, exhausted face from the previous night, chest rising and dipping slowly, dark hair splayed over the roots of the tree he rested against. Naruto’s eyes trailed down Sasuke’s face, his sharp facial structure contrasted by long eyelashes, a delicate nose, and soft, pink lips. He seemed like an otherworldly creature that had emerged from the deep woods, like a character from a fairytale.
I wouldn’t trust him if I were you, brat.
The familiar gravelly voice in his head broke through Naruto’s train of thought. His face grew hot and he tore his gaze away from the sleeping boy. He bent over to reorganize his pouch and pulled out a piece of bread to munch on. It was hard and cold, but Naruto couldn’t complain. Food was food.
Good morning to you too, Kurama. And I don’t trust him, but he could be useful in leading us to Itachi, or baiting him out of hiding.
The fox grunted in his head. And thereby lead you to me.
Yes, and to you. Although, I really wish you could just tell me where your body is. It would make this so much easier on the both of us. Naruto sighed as he brushed the crumbs of bread off his hands, standing up and stretching out his tired muscles.
Inside of you right now is maybe about a thousandth of my power, Kurama said. I can barely sense that the rest of me is alive somewhere, much less pinpoint my exact location. I’m sorry, but as much as I want to be reunited with my body, I can’t help you much from in here.
Naruto frowned. Even after twenty-three years of hearing Kurama’s voice in his head, he still didn't fully understand the cryptic creature.
Across from him, Sasuke stirred, releasing a soft huff, before groaning, a low rumbling sound in his throat. Sasuke groggily brought his hands up to drag down his face and then up and through his hair, rolling over onto his side as he opened his eyes, and pushed himself into a seated position. He stretched out his muscles, and released a contented sigh as he dropped his shoulders and relaxed.
Then, as if remembering where he was, and that he wasn’t alone, Sasuke’s eyes searched the forest frantically, before finally landing on Naruto. He reminded Naruto of the stray cats he used to walk by in alleyways as a child. Part of him wanted to bend down and pet his head, but he figured that probably wasn’t the best way to make an impression.
“Finally awake, huh?” Naruto asked, standing and walking closer to the other boy. “Hungry? I have some bread and jerky—not a great combination to be honest but I was low on money and these were the cheapest things at the market.” He pulled out a piece of bread and some jerky from his bag and offered it to Sasuke.
Sasuke straightened his back, looking up at Naruto through long, dark lashes, ruby eyes piercing straight through him. Naruto felt his face grow hot under Sasuke’s discerning gaze, and he averted his eyes to instead study the rumpled fabric of Sasuke’s shirt. Sasuke reached up and grabbed the food out of Naruto’s hand, and when Naruto looked back the other boy was scarfing it down hungrily.
“Geez, when's the last time you've eaten?” Naruto asked.
“Been a couple days,” came the quiet response in between big bites.
Naruto let out a slow breath, trying to imagine what kind of life Sasuke might’ve led up until that point. He was supposed to be dead. Everyone in the kingdom knew the story of how the Uchiha family was murdered by their eldest son, sparing no one–not even his three-year-old younger brother. Where had Sasuke been all these years? It couldn’t have been very pleasant, considering the way he was looking at Naruto’s bread like it was the nectar of the gods.
“Yeah, I can tell,” Naruto said, his voice soft. “Anyways, I'm heading to meet up with my boss. You're coming with me, and I'll figure out what to do with you then.”
“Do we have a choice?” Sasuke asked, dragging a thumb over his plush lips to get rid of the crumbs. Naruto swallowed thickly. “Can’t we just go find Itachi now?”
“Unfortunately, no. I need more information on Itachi’s whereabouts, and, well. I need to figure out what to do with you. So are you coming or not?” Naruto held out a hand to help the other boy up.
Sasuke huffed with indignance and pushed himself to his feet, ignoring Naruto’s outstretched hand. Immediately, his right leg buckled and he fell back down with a grunt.
“Hey, what's wrong?” Naruto dropped down to his knees, lifting Sasuke's right leg with gentle fingers wrapped around his calf and examining it.
He looked up at Sasuke, asking for permission silently as his fingers pulled at the laces of his boots. Sasuke grunted in assent, like he really didn’t want to let Naruto help him, but didn’t have much of a choice. Naruto pulled the shoe off carefully, and rolled up Sasuke’s pants.
He held Sasuke's ankle, feeling the coolness of his skin against the warmth of Naruto’s fingers, and bending Sasuke’s foot just barely. Immediately Sasuke groaned in pain. The sound was breathy and strained, and distractingly beautiful. Heat rushed to Naruto's cheeks and his eyes shot up to meet Sasuke's. Sasuke looked up at him, face almost as red as his eyes. Naruto felt the tips of his ears go hot and goosebumps crawling along the back of his neck. Clearing his throat, he looked away, turning his focus to Sasuke’s foot.
“My ankle,” Sasuke said, so quietly Naruto almost missed it. “I sprained it.”
“Right. Okay. I can work with that,” Naruto mumbled. Kurama, are you there?
Right here, brat. If you want my help you better ask nicely.
Naruto huffed with frustration internally. Ugh. Please?
Alright, alright. But don't come crying to me when he beats you up using the ankle you so generously fixed for him.
Just shut up and help me out here, Naruto grumbled.
He felt the familiar rush of Kurama’s power, starting as a warmth in his core but quickly setting his body ablaze with heat. He closed his eyes and focused his attention on Sasuke's ankle in his hands, gathering the warmth to pool underneath his palms. Slowly, but surely, he could feel the sprain mending itself under his touch.
When he opened his eyes, his hands were glowing with a familiar pale orange aura, and Sasuke was looking at Naruto like he was going to eat Sasuke alive.
“What the fuck?” Sasuke breathed. “What are you?”
Naruto dropped Sasuke’s foot like it had burned him, hiding his hands behind his back as he jumped to his feet.
“Yeah, says the guy with bright red eyes,” Naruto said with a scoff. “It’s nothing, really, just some easy spells I picked up on my travels. Don’t worry about it. You ready to go?”
Still looking at him suspiciously, Sasuke flexed his ankle a few times before pulling his boot back on, standing up, and shifting his weight back and forth a couple times. He looked up at Naruto and nodded silently.
“We're about a half day's walk away. Do you think you can handle that?” Naruto asked.
“I can handle it. Can you?”
Naruto said nothing, scoffing indignantly and walking off into the forest. He heard silence for a few moments, but it was quickly replaced with the crunch of twigs and leaves as the other boy walked to catch up to him.
They walked in silence for a while, an awkward tension settling over them. There were about a thousand questions swimming through Naruto’s mind, but he didn’t want to overwhelm Sasuke and scare him away. He decided to take the backseat, and let Sasuke decide when–and if–he wanted to speak.
It was much easier said than done, the words bubbling up in Naruto’s throat and fighting to break out with each second of silence that dragged on in the thick forest.
After a couple of excruciating hours had passed, Sasuke finally spoke up.
“Why are you looking for Itachi?” He asked. His voice was low and didn't betray any emotion.
“I'm a bounty hunter. It's kinda my job,” Naruto replied, almost tripping over a root on the ground. He coughed into his fist, attempting to play it off as casually as he could. The last thing he needed was to embarrass himself in front of the pretty boy he found in the forest. “I mean, I thought it was kind of obvious,” Naruto said, gesturing to the Wanted posted in his bag.
“A bounty… what?” Sasuke asked, walking closer to Naruto. Their shoulders bumped, and Naruto stiffened, speeding up to put a little distance between them.
“Y’know… a bounty hunter? I hunt people for bounties? I get hired to find people that are hard to find and get paid a whole lotta money for turning them in? How the hell do you not know what a bounty hunter is?”
“I didn't get out much,” Sasuke said, his tone clipped and an edge of frustration in his voice, though Naruto couldn’t tell whether that frustration was directed towards Naruto or himself.
“Yeah clearly. You didn't even know how to shake my hand,” Naruto replied, remembering the odd look Sasuke had given him when he’d offered his hand.
“Shake your hand?” Sasuke asked, clearly confused.
“Yeah, you shake people's hands when you meet them. Seriously, did you ever leave your house?” Naruto asked, more shock than annoyance.
“How do you do it?” Sasuke asked. Naruto could hear the tinge of embarrassment in his voice, even though he was so clearly trying his best to hide it. Sasuke reminded him too much of a small, beaten cat, and Naruto couldn’t help but feel a little bad. He stopped walking and turned to face Sasuke, who did the same.
“Here. Like this.” He stuck his hand out, then with his other hand grabbed Sasuke’s and brought it to his own. “Flatten your palm so it's facing mine. Now grab my hand like this,” Naruto said, demonstrating. “And shake.”
Sasuke followed the instructions faithfully, his cold, slender fingers wrapping around Naruto's firmly, and shaking his hand with a surprising tenderness.
Naruto's eyes travelled up to look at Sasuke's face, only to find that the other boy was already looking at him. Sasuke's eyes widened just barely, and he let go of Naruto's hand. He turned away, flexing his hands by his sides.
“That's a stupid way to greet people.”
Naruto scoffed under his breath and turned to continue walking, ducking under some low branches, and holding them up for Sasuke to pass through.
“Thanks, by the way,” Sasuke said.
He turned to look at the bounty hunter as he walked past Naruto, the space between them reduced to near nothing. He could see every detail of Sasuke’s red eyes, and a strange feeling settled over Naruto, like he was being stripped naked. Panicking, he dropped the branches and trekked forward, ignoring Sasuke’s indignant noise as he pushed past the branches that had fallen on his head.
“What for?” Naruto asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
“My ankle. You fixed it with that strange orange magic.”
“I didn’t do that for you. I did it so you wouldn’t get in my way.” Naruto hoped he sounded more convincing to Sasuke than he did to himself. Which is to say, his words were completely devoid of any trace of conviction.
It was easy in retrospect to reason out why helped Sasuke. Obviously he did it because he needed Sasuke to be able to walk through the forest with him, and because he needed to deliver him to Tsunade, and because he could be a useful lead in finding Itachi. Definitely not because of the way his beautiful face twisted in pain, or the way he looked up at Naruto so pleadingly through his long, dark eyelashes. Definitely not that. Definitely.
Naruto stalked farther ahead to hide the reddening of his face. This was not good.