Author's note: Ok. I wanted to write this ages ago, but seeing as how I can only write late at night (as in 11 pm to 4 am, that's the only time my creative juices are flowing for some reason), I couldn't get the time to do it for the last few months. I was constantly busy with work, with trips, with moving... And as for my personal good news, the insane amount of effort I crammed in to get a fellowship to study in Japan seems to have paid off! Final word isn't until December/February, but for now, it looks like I've got a full scholarship to get my Master's degree at Keio University in Tokyo! Wootness!

*Ahem* At any rate, this chapter goes out to Jay. He taught me that I can, in fact, be bribed. He offered me a funfetti cake with funfetti icing if I finished the chapter by today.

How could I possibly say no to that??

Also, I have pimpages: The fantastic, wonderful, amazing-tastic phoenixdown7 (whom I hope you all know, she's an absolutely brilliant author) did a lovely fanart for me. It's at her devart here: http : / / phoenixdown . deviantart . com / art / Fox-Magic-gift-art-123861810

I've also been uploading the inspiration for the shrine on my own deviantart page: http : / / akaitsume . deviantart. com. Check them out when you finish!

Heavy fanservice ahead. You've been warned!

Enjoy.

“Naruto. Get into the tent,” Sasuke ordered grouchily. The storm above was rumbling threateningly, obscuring the moon and shrouding the entire forest in darkness. Sasuke kneeled upon his black sleeping bag, fingers tightening on the tent flap in his hands as he glared at the demon loitering in the clearing. His heat-relaxed muscles were tingling from all of the exertion he’d forced them through, and all he wanted was to rest.

The demon, however, seemed to have other plans. Sniffing at the air, Naruto threw his hands up over his head and flopped backwards onto the grass beside the extinguished fire. He sighed loudly.

“Sasuke, do we really have to sleep inside the tent?” the fox demon whined. “I’d rather be outside. It smells great out here.”

“And it’s going to rain on us in about thirty seconds,” Sasuke snapped. “Get in here.”

“But…!” Naruto rolled back and forth over the grass. “It feels so good!”

“Naruto…” Brows furrowed in frustration, Sasuke hesitated. The demon had been stuck indoors for centuries, hidden away from the world that he loved. Even the crystal was sending spikes of echoed relief and pleasure into Sasuke as the demon rolled around, teasing him to the point where he almost agreed. If watching him felt this good to Sasuke, the blond man was probably in heaven. Sasuke rubbed a weary hand over his eyes. “Don’t you still need to have contact with me overnight? I’d leave you out there if I could, but we both need the rest.”

“I don’t.” Grinning, Naruto stopped rolling and propped himself up onto his elbows. “I’m not the wuss in this travelling party. And besides, after jumping into that hot spring, I’ve got energy to spare!”

To prove his point, the campfire spontaneously sprung to life again, roaring as the flames leapt meters into the air. At Sasuke’s warning growl, the flames banked, simmered, and disappeared. Naruto pouted.

“And why can’t we keep the fire going, anyway? It’s not like I’ll let us catch on fire or anything,” he grumbled.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “I’m not explaining it again. Maybe you would like to be set upon by bandits and rogue ninjas, but I don’t. Now, for the last time, get inside this tent before the skies open up!”

As if in reply, the storm clouds groaned.

Naruto tipped his head back to sniff forlornly at the air. “It’s not supposed to rain…”

An instant later, thick sheets of water rushed down upon them. Cursing, Sasuke ducked his head further under cover and instinctively dropped the tent flap. The rain thundered against the thick, tough material above him, and the water threatened to seep through the unsealed side opening. Scowling, he quickly pulled the flap aside and prepared to shout angrily at the blond.

Instead, he found himself pausing at the sight before him. Naruto’s blond hair and clothing was plastered against himself, fabric already sagging in the torrential downpour. Water ran off his lowered chin in thick streams, splattering against his soaked chest.

And on his face rested the single most insulted, disappointed, petulant frown Sasuke had ever seen. Naruto looked like a child who’d been taken to a giant toy store, promised everything inside, and then presented nothing but empty shelves. And then some cute puppies were slaughtered just for fun.

Sasuke couldn’t help it; he snickered. “I told you it would rain. Will you come inside now?”

Silently, Naruto turned that miserable frown on Sasuke, then grudgingly rose to his bare feet. Sasuke backed away from the opening as the blond approached, sitting smugly on his sleeping bag with his arms and legs folded. Naruto lifted the flap, glared at him, and gingerly stepped inside the tent, crawling over onto the opposite sleeping bag. As Sasuke watched curiously, the blond began to steam vigorously, his hair and clothing fluffing up as they dried. With a huff, the blond sat down on his bag and glowered at the ground.

“Don’t. Say. Anything,” Naruto growled. Sasuke smirked, but he obligingly kept his comments to himself. With a satisfied air, the Uchiha leaned forward and zipped up the tent, effectively sealing out the elements. Naruto’s expression grew even more profoundly grumpy.

Lips pressed together to keep from smiling, Sasuke unzipped his sleeping bag and began to settle down. As a thought occurred to him, he glanced up at the glowering demon.

“Naruto. Will you magic a tarp over our packs?”

“Do it yourself.” The blond lay down irritably, turning his back on his master.

Sasuke rolled his eyes again. “Naruto. I wish the packs were dry and covered with tarps.”

He was met with a growl, a zap, and the muffled sound of canvas rearranging itself near Naruto’s side of the tent. Sasuke smirked, lying down completely. Silence filled the tent for several long, blissful minutes.

Then, Naruto began shifting restlessly. “The modern world sucks,” he grouched.

Pressing his lips together, Sasuke refrained from replying.

“I mean it. It does. No magic, no life, no excitement…”

After a moment, Naruto sighed heavily and rolled towards Sasuke, staring at him pensively.

“You know…” Naruto trailed off, eyes roaming Sasuke’s face. “I still wish I could show you what this world used to look like. It was so much more before… Well, before I left.”

Frowning, Sasuke rolled onto his back and stared at the shuddering tent roof. “More what, exactly?”

Naruto sighed again. “More everything. Livelier, for one. There used to be spirits and demons roaming everywhere. Hell, you couldn’t even lie in the grass without something trying to talk to you.” His voice grew soft, and his blue eyes became distant. “Everything just felt more…magical.”

Sasuke hummed in reply, glancing at the blond man. “So when you were trapped, the world emptied itself out.”

The blue eyes closed. “…Yeah.”

In the silence that followed, the blue crystal on Sasuke’s chest gave a soft, mournful pulse of heat. The Uchiha heir shifted uncomfortably, wrestling with the awkward desire to comfort the blond man. In the end, he grunted and rolled onto his side, facing the tent wall.

“Well,” he replied gruffly, “maybe it’ll come back now that you’re back.”

An echo of surprise filtered through him, followed by a soft laugh. “Maybe you’re right.”

Neither man spoke for several minutes, the silence filled by the thundering rain. The cool temperature within the tent rose quickly, then hovered at a perfectly soothing level of warmth that forced Sasuke’s eyelids to droop. Aware that the change was deliberate, Sasuke scowled on principle.

“You don’t have to do that, Naruto,” he stated in a low tone. Naruto grunted in reply.

“I’m not doing it for you.” With a sigh, the demon shuffled around behind Sasuke, hesitated, and then reluctantly threw an arm over Sasuke’s side. When both men tensed, Naruto hurriedly continued, “I’d go into my fox form, but…”

“But?” Sasuke’s teeth ground audibly, despite the roar of the storm above.

“I…um. Can’t.”

Incredulous, Sasuke twisted his head to look into red eyes. “What do you mean, you can’t?”

“I… I wouldn’t be…small.” Naruto’s eyes shifted. “At all.”

Sasuke stared at him.

“I’ve just got a little extra energy from the hot spring, okay? And if I shifted back into my fox form right now, I probably wouldn’t…fit.” Visibly embarrassed, Naruto moved to press himself gingerly along Sasuke’s stiffened back. “So just put up with this, alright?”

“Naruto.”

The blond man winced. “I know.”

“You’re spooning with me.”

“I know.”

Silence. “One day, I’ll kill you for this.”

Exhaling wearily, Naruto settled in and relaxed.

“I know.”

The smell of sun-baked earth leisurely wafted into Sasuke’s nose, causing him to stretch luxuriously as he awoke. Soft blades of field grass whispered against his arms, bared from his bunched kimono sleeves as he moved. He sighed contently, relaxing against the gentle slope of the ground.

A quiet laugh sounded from his side, and a hand ran teasingly down his chest. “Have you finally awoken, then?”

Kyuubi’s voice. Sasuke felt his lips curl upwards into a smile, though he didn’t open his eyes. A voice he didn’t recognize floated from his lips.

“Hard to say, my lord. Can one truly be awake if one is living in a dream world?”

“And what dream world is this?” Kyuubi teased in reply. The hand upon his chest trailed over towards the side of his ribcage, and a pair of warm, dry lips brushed against his bare collarbone. Tendrils of demonic chakra spread from the point of contact, causing Sasuke to gasp. The lips smiled against his skin. “Is it one in which I am present?”

“Hmm.” As the lips continued to swipe across his skin, more wisps of chakra were released to swirl beneath his skin, teasing his nerves. Sasuke found himself shifting in the grass as arousal began to course through him, his heartbeat increasing in time with the swirling chakra. “An impossibly handsome demon, well-equipped with chakra and the knowledge of how best to use it to his advantage.” He paused. “I suppose you can be here, as well, my lord.”

“Minx!” Kyuubi laughed, rolling on top of his companion. Sasuke finally opened his eyes, gazing playfully up at the fox demon. His blond hair was long and wild with red streaks, tumbling freely over his ornate kimono. With a supplicating smile, Sasuke lifted an unfamiliar hand, marked with blue streaks on his wrists, and dragged an elongated nail down the muscular chest revealed by the sagging cloth. Kyuubi shivered, his pupils narrowing. “You shouldn’t tease me like this, Hirai-kun.”

“It is only teasing if I do not follow through, Kyuubi-sama,” Sasuke replied throatily. The demon above him narrowed his eyes, one clawed hand reaching forward to card through Sasuke’s long, brown hair.

Kyuubi leaned forward, his lips only a breath away from Sasuke’s. “And do you intend to follow through?” he questioned, his voice deep with desire.

A thrill raced up Sasuke’s spine, and he deliberately wrapped his arms around Kyuubi’s shoulders. “As always,” he replied breathily.

In a heartbeat, Kyuubi’s lips descended upon his, flooding him with fire chakra so intense that his senses began screaming. Moaning desperately, Sasuke moved to pull Kyuubi’s kimono off his shoulders, hands scrabbling at the hard, hot flesh beneath. One of the fox demon’s hands slid inside Sasuke’s clothing as well, claws scraping his skin as yet more demonic chakra was sent violently through him. Sasuke ripped his lips away with a gasp, arching his back in pleasure.

Growling, Kyuubi roughly bit him under his jaw, then worked his way down the younger man’s throat. Sasuke choked out a groan, his body hardening all over. As Kyuubi shifted more weight upon him, Sasuke parted his legs and bent his knees, framing the other man’s hips and digging his toes into the soft earth beneath him. Both men groaned.

“Hirai…” Kyuubi whispered raggedly in his ear, tearing at the other demon’s clothing. With each brush of his hands upon Sasuke’s skin, the fire chakra shot through him. Sasuke jerked his hips upwards, eagerly assisting as much as his foreign-chakra-muddled mind would allow. Before he knew it, his bare back was laid against the soft grass, with his equally naked lover pressing against him. Sasuke threw his head back and moaned at the contact, his erection nearly crying out under the sensory assault.

“K-Kyuubi-sama!!” Nearly mindless with pleasure, Sasuke scrabbled at his lover’s back, claws digging into the fox demon’s skin. He received another possessive bite for his trouble, sharp teeth sinking into the tender skin between his neck and shoulder. Sasuke cried out.

Kyuubi murmured his name repeatedly, sliding one hand down the younger demon’s side, ghosting it over his thigh, and then reaching beneath his balls. One finger, abruptly declawed, circled his entrance. The fire chakra caused the puckered muscles to tremble and relax, ripping another cry from Sasuke’s lips, followed shortly by babbling pleas.

“Kyuubi-sama…Kyuubi-sama, please…oh, please, oh…PLEASE!”

With a muffled groan, Kyuubi lined himself up and pressed inside his lover, his demonic chakra easing the way. Sasuke let out a low whine that rose steadily in pitch, body arching as he clung to the man atop him. His body was so overwhelmed by sensation that he couldn’t even be sure that he was breathing anymore, and as the other demon began to move, he was certain that he wouldn’t live through the encounter, but oh it was worth it and—

Gasping heavily, Sasuke’s eyes abruptly shot open, staring unseeingly at the sunlit roof of the tent. His whole body was aching with desire, and for a minute he didn’t understand where he was or what he was doing. Eyes wild, he turned his head towards the demon next to him, whose red eyes had just snapped open as well. They stared at each other for a heartbeat.

In the next, Naruto was on top of Sasuke, lips pressing furiously against his as his claws made short work of the sleeping bag. Teflon and cotton went flying in the small space, soon to be followed by the front of Sasuke’s shredded shirt. The Uchiha heir moaned desperately around the lips against his, head swimming with the feeling of demonic chakra swirling through him. He pawed frantically at Naruto’s clothing, sliding a hand up the other man’s shirt and gripping the skin beneath. Both men were breathing heavily, hands sliding everywhere as they rubbed together. They were both so close…

At the same moment, both men froze. Sasuke stared into huge, disbelieving blue eyes, horror working its way into his brain. He was… he was…with Naruto??

Sasuke let out a horrified cry, shoving upwards with abruptly chakra-laden hands. The blast enveloped the man above him, rocketing him up through the tent roof and ripping the entire tent out of the ground. Sasuke fell heavily on the still-sealed tent flaps as the contraption flipped on its side, slowly collapsing. Struggling for breath, he stared out the new hole in the roof.

Naruto landed only inches from the hot spring with a sickening thud. The fox demon groaned loudly, though he didn’t sit up. As Sasuke jerkily freed himself from the deformed tent, they each pointed a finger at the other.

“I/YOU KISSED YOU/ME!!!” they screamed together in absolute horror.

Sasuke stormed forward, grabbing the silver chain of the pendant necklace and holding the crystal as far away from his chest as it would go.

“Naruto, what the fuck was that about?? It’s one thing for me to get trapped in one of your dreams about being tortured, but to stick me in the body of your fucktoy—”

“Hirai was NOT a fucktoy!!” At that, Naruto finally sat up, his face red. “He was important to me, thank you very much, and if you think I’m happy that I was apparently doing all of that stuff to you, you’re insane!!”

“I didn’t sign up to be a part of your gay fantasies!” Sasuke screamed. “I’ve had enough of this bullshit! I don’t want any of this!”

Disgusted and fighting off waves of panic, Sasuke tore at the necklace and forced it over his head. He gripped the crystal in his hand and pulled his fist back, prepared to throw it at the demon.

Naruto’s expression changed.

Sasuke hesitated.

Naruto stared at Sasuke’s fist, a frown of deep consternation on his face. His earlier anger seemed forgotten. “You’re going to throw it away?”

Sasuke’s hand quivered, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the cool stone. “I…”

“…Are you?” Naruto insisted, his voice dropping to a ragged whisper. Sasuke dropped his gaze guiltily and stiffly shook his head, lowering his hand.

“No, I… No, I’m not. I just…” Frustrated, the Uchiha heir ran a hand through his mussed hair. “This whole nonsense is killing me, Naruto! I don’t know what your crazy powers are doing to me!”

When the demon sighed loudly, Sasuke lifted his eyes. Naruto had propped his elbows on his knees and was digging his palms into his eyes.

“I don’t understand it either, Sasuke,” he replied wearily. “I really don’t. This sort of thing hasn’t happened once in the thousand years I’ve been enslaved.”

Sasuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fingers, pressing the sharp edges of the crystal into his palm. “Sometimes, that answer isn’t really good enough, Naruto.”

The blond man shook his head, face still buried in his hands. “I don’t have another one for you.”

Humiliation and residual arousal still seething within him, Sasuke stalked over to his pack and threw off the tarp. He dug within the contents his pack, angrily pulling out his weapon pouches. Behind him, the demon exhaled noisily.

“Sasuke, it’s not like I meant to include you in my…reminiscing. Try to imagine how I feel. There I was, back with someone I cherished right before I lost everything…” He made a loud, disgruntled noise, waving a hand at Sasuke just as the younger man glanced over his shoulder. “And then the next thing I know, I’m on top of you!”

Sasuke turned away, his cheeks stained red. “I guess it was thoroughly unpleasant for both of us, then.”

Naruto grunted, but he didn’t reply. Battling down his turbulent emotions, Sasuke scowled at his ruined shirt front and strapped several weapon sheaths to his chest and legs. The chain from the necklace clinked softly as he maneuvered, the pendant still clutched tightly in his fist. The crystal grew faintly warm, bringing with it a hint of Naruto’s internal pain. Unbidden, Sasuke felt a miniscule wave a guilt slither through him.

Naruto had been in a war. His lover, as disturbing as the thought was, had probably been lost. His anger fading away, Sasuke ran his free hand over his brow and straightened.

“We should probably get going,” he stated gruffly. When the demon lowered his hands and stared at him, Sasuke awkwardly shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll just forget this whole morning happened, and move on. Deal?”

Shaking his head and placing a clawed hand against the nearby hot springs rocks, Naruto rose to his feet and moved towards Sasuke. His eyes were averted. “Sure. Whatever.”

Sasuke rubbed his face. “Alright. Fine.” The Uchiha steadfastly ignored the fact that he could feel the heat pouring off the demon beside him, invisible chakra teasing at his side. He schooled his expression. “I wish the tent…and my shirt, and our sleeping bags were fixed and packed away.”

Naruto snorted. “Lazy.” With a zap, Sasuke’s shirt was repaired, the hole in the tent was gone, and the material folded itself over in the air, sleeping bags trapped inside, and strapped itself to Sasuke’s backpack. The demon paused, staring up the mountain with a strange look on his face. The crystal gave an odd twinge in Sasuke’s hand. “Say, before we go, do you mind if we check out that shrine? I didn’t really get a good look at it.”

The brunet eyed him suspiciously, but he shrugged anyway. If the blond was looking for a distraction, he could oblige. “Alright. It can’t hurt, I’m sure. But only for a second.” Sasuke hesitated, then awkwardly unfurled his hand and pulled the necklace back over his head. Shoulders tense, he hefted his pack. “Let’s go.”

“Mm.” Smirking faintly, Naruto picked up his own pack and turned towards the trail to the abandoned shrine he’d spotted the night before. For some reason, this morning he felt a draw to it that hadn’t been there when he’d gone hunting. It was like the ancient wood was resonating with him.

When Sasuke began glaring at him, Naruto shrugged and started walking up the trail. Their campsite lay forgotten behind them as they disappeared into the forest.

Neither noticed that the hot spring’s waters were still, cool as a glacial stream.

Tsunade frowned at her thankfully clear desk, fingernails tapping against the dark wood. Ever since the boys had left on their trip, something had been niggling at the back of her mind. She just couldn’t place it.

Whatever it was, it was driving her nuts. At this rate, Tsunade wouldn’t be able to concentrate on her Hokage-related duties even if Shizune threatened to destroy her liquor supply!

Tsking her tongue in annoyance, Tsunade rose from her chair and strode over to the open window, where an unseasonably cold wind was blowing in. In less than two days, the temperature in Konoha had dropped significantly. Granted, the weather was always unpredictable, but it still gave her the feeling that she was missing something. Scowling, she shut the window.

A short rap on the door was all the warning she had before it burst open. A towering stack of paperwork staggered in through the doorway. The horrible creature spoke in her protégé’s voice as it lurched towards her desk.

“Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san asked me to bring you these,” Sakura grunted. She set the paperwork down on the Hokage’s desk and without looking up, continued, “And she said that if you try to run away, she’ll chain you to the desk.”

That halted the buxom blonde’s sneaking progress towards the door. Tsunade tipped her head back and groaned.

“Why can’t the interns do it? I don’t have time to wade through all that!” she exclaimed, waving a hand at the now teetering pile of papers.

Sakura smiled sympathetically. “Most of them are from the Sand, and some are from the Council on that attack from Sound. Interns aren’t equipped to go through this mess.”

“And it’d all come back to me anyway,” Tsunade agreed in resignation, returning to her chair. She took a sheet off the top, glowering at it. “It figures that ever since that blond nuisance showed up, everything went to hell in a handbasket.”

Sakura blinked in surprise, snapping her fingers. “That’s right, I meant to ask you about that. Have you seen little Kyuubi-chan around anywhere? I was hoping to take care of him while Sasuke-kun was on his mission, but I can’t find him. None of the patrolling ninjas have seen him, either.”

That little something in the back of Tsunade’s head grew more and more persistent. Closing her eyes, she raised a hand to her temple.

“No, I haven’t seen him. As a matter of fact, I only saw the fox once in the entire time Sasuke’s had him.”

“Hmm. I still think it’s odd. I mean, I’ve never heard of a fox being born with nine tails, and it’d be incredibly unusual for that kind of genetic mutation to take place, wouldn’t it?” Sakura fingered a lock of her long, pink hair, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

“A kind of polydactyl genetic abnormality…” Tsunade murmured, a headache blooming behind her shut eyes. “It’s not…impossible.”

“And it isn’t really in Sasuke-kun’s character to bond with an animal, is it? Even though Kyuubi-chan was sweet, Sasuke-kun didn’t really seem to like him. Though I suppose he might have been a little unsettled after his brother showed up and attacked him—”

God, her head hurt. “Didn’t someone report damage to the Uchiha main house that night?” she forced out between gritted teeth.

Sakura hesitated. “Yes, they did, Hokage-sama, but they must have been mistaken. There wasn’t any damage the next morning when they did rounds. At least, not until some roof-hopping Genin threw a couple dozen shinai through Sasuke-kun’s window.” She sighed. “Maybe all the excitement led to Sasuke-kun bonding to Kyuubi-chan… Maybe the fox was hiding out in his backyard somewhere.”

“Or in his house—” With those words, Tsunade felt like her skull had cracked open. She clutched at her aching head, fingers digging in as she moaned in pain. Dimly, she felt Sakura’s hands clutching at her shoulders.

“Hokage-sama! Are you alright??”

It was in his house. It showed up right after Uchiha Itachi allegedly destroyed the place. The building was fixed by the following morning. Oh, dear god. Uchiha Sasuke, who has never bonded to anything or anyone, agreed to keep the thing, and even took it into battle. Then his so-called “cousin” showed up, who shared an odd link with Sasuke. It wasn’t possible. They both went on a mission that I shouldn’t have sent the cousin on, and yet I gave him permission. Now the fox is gone.

Face gone white, Tsunade slowly lifted her head and stared at her concerned protégé. “It’s not possible…” she muttered unthinkingly.

Sakura’s brow furrowed. “What’s not possible?”

The Hokage shook her head, rising unsteadily to her feet. “Tell Shizune that something important has come up. I’ll get to the paperwork later.” She moved to the still-open door to her office, deftly avoiding the hand that grasped at her arm.

“But, Hokage-sama, where are you going?”

Tsunade paused at the door, staring grimly into the empty hallway.

“To the archives.”

Naruto gracelessly shrugged off his pack when they reached the clearing in front of the dilapidated shrine, leaving it outside the stone torii. Two indistinguishably worn statues framed either side of the entrance to the shrine’s grounds. Curious, Naruto placed a hand upon one, feeling the rough, cool stone beneath his fingertips. As he’d felt earlier, something within the stone gave a faint pulse towards him, but he couldn’t place the feeling. Naruto frowned.

Sasuke stopped beside him, fingering the straps of his own pack impatiently. “What was it that you wanted to see? We don’t exactly have a lot of time to waste.”

“I know, I know,” Naruto murmured. He turned towards the few remaining pieces of the wood building that once stood at the center of the grounds, hesitant to cross the line represented by the stone torii. This place, overlooking the volcanic mountains and valleys of the Fire Country, seemed so oddly familiar to him. It was as if he’d misplaced something important…

“Naruto…”

The clear irritation in the Uchiha’s voice snapped Naruto out of his contemplation. He grinned over his shoulder at the other man, waving a hand dismissively.

“Alright, alright. I’ll just take a closer look, and then we can go.”

He stepped through the high stone gate, crossing into the shrine’s ancient grounds.

And dropped to his knees.

“Kyuubi-kami-sama…”

“Oh Great Kyuubi-kami-sama, that you might grace us with your presence—”

“Please bring us a bountiful harvest, Kyuubi-kami-sama!”

“I wish for warmth for my family throughout the terrible winter, and food for our tables.”

“The Great—”

“—the Powerful—”

“—the Magnificent Kyuubi-kami-sama!”

With a mighty roar, Kyuubi clenched his fists, bowed his back, and exploded with red chakra. A giant, swirling tornado of chakra swirled around him, painting him with the red demonic streaks in his hair and on his skin that had been present in the hot springs. The ground began to shake, small rocks lifting into the air as power began to accumulate around the roaring demon.

Startled, Sasuke stumbled backwards, but an invisible barrier stopped him before he’d moved more than a few steps away. The crystal on his chest began trembling violently, spewing red light like a volcano. As Sasuke watched in shock, the crystal rose up into the air as well, pointing straight at the fox demon.

Kyuubi slowly rose to his feet within the tornado, head bowed. “It’s all gone.”

Words caught in Sasuke’s throat, leaving him mute.

“Everything I had. The kingdom, the people, the respect. I was worshipped here. Worshipped as a GOD!”

Several boulders broke free from the ground and shattered, flinging shrapnel into the air. Sasuke brought an arm up to shield his face, his heart thundering in his chest. The power leaking from the demon was pounding at him, at the earth, at everything.

“And because I went missing for so long, because my magic was contained, it faded from the shrine. It faded from the land. I faded from EXISTENCE!” In his rage, Kyuubi stormed into the center of the shrine’s grounds and lifted his head. “I will be forgotten no longer! This is MY land! MINE AND MINE ALONE!!”

Kyuubi slowly lifted his hands. As his hands rose, the entire mountain began to tremble, as did the next, and the next. A thunderous gurgling noise sounded from all of the hot springs in the area, deafening until several stone faces on the nearby mountains cracked open. Heat and steam rushed towards the chakra tornado from all sides, and the ground beneath the fox demon’s feet ruptured. Lava came spitting fitfully out of the crack beneath Kyuubi’s feet, its red energy immediately absorbed by the powerful demon. As the lava’s heat was absorbed, it formed a smooth black surface that rose steadily, creating a large black pedestal beneath Kyuubi’s feet and lifting him into the air. The wind howled as it was forced to bend around the monstrous red chakra.

As he rose, Kyuubi finally, slowly, lowered his hands. The tower of chakra began to dip inwards, funneling into the demon from the top down. As Kyuubi stood, all of the power held by the surrounding mountains streamed into him as if the demon were a vacuum. The trees surrounding the shrine bent inwards from the force of the winds. Gradually, the tower diminished until it was a thick red mass swirling around his feet, and then it, too, was absorbed.

For a tense moment, everything was still.

Kyuubi stiffened his shoulders.

And a shock wave exploded from him, knocking down the nearby trees and nearly throwing Sasuke off the flattened area atop the mountain. The shock wave echoed throughout the mountains, startling thousands of birds into the air, and continued in a visible ripple out into the horizon. There was a pause, in which Sasuke dazedly contemplated getting up.

A second shock wave followed, this one full of an unfathomable amount of power and magic. The trees stood back up, the worn statues reshaped themselves, and the ancient wood of the shrine reassembled itself, quickly and noisily growing into a tremendous building, complete with ornate carvings of Kyuubi in both his humanoid and fox forms. The shattered boulders became thousands of tiny fox statues that littered the ground in front of the newly rebuilt shrine. Sasuke watched from his position on the ground, unable to breathe or speak. The demon before him was even more powerful than he could have ever imagined, more than he could have dreamed possible.

As the shrine finished rebuilding itself, Kyuubi finally turned towards his companion. Violet eyes locked onto midnight black.

And for a moment, Sasuke was lost.

Beyond the shrine, the pulse of magic crashed into the dormant trees, rocks, streams, and air, startling awake the ancient spirits that lived there. The pulse carried on, through the mountains, over hills and deep into valleys, dipping into every nook and cranny in the Fire Country. As it reached the edges of the Fire Country on all sides, it began to taper out, spreading like a thin liquid over water, over plains, and through the surrounding countries.

Far, far in the distance, Shukaku had stepped outside for a brief respite from his deathly irritating masters. The pulse of familiar chakra washed over him, energizing him, and brought an unprecedented hint of a smile to his face. He lifted his own hands, and wind rushed into him from across the sands.

“It’s good to have you back, Kyuubi-sama,” he murmured. Gathering his energy, he sent his own pulse back to the Fire Country, rocking the Kazekage’s palace on its foundations. He smirked as screams began to issue from within. “Our time will come again.”

In his dimly lit study, Orochimaru shifted eagerly through a series of attack plans for Konoha. Although the village had grown stronger, his minions were more than capable of sneaking in and tearing the Leaf down from the inside out. All he needed was to choose a select few to begin planting the seeds.

That fool, Temae, had already been disposed of, but at least the young man had imparted some curious information before he passed. This blond ninja that he spoke of… Orochimaru restrained a malicious grin. They had been terrified throughout the entire report, visibly shaking whenever the young man was mentioned. This “Naruto,” for whatever reason, was responsible for the first break in torment that Orochimaru had experienced in decades.

He had to have him. Whatever it took, the boy would be his.

As he moved to set down the documents, a wave of chakra slammed into him, forcing him to cry out. The chakra raced along his skin like a series of knives, scraping against him painfully. Orochimaru lurched to his feet, hands scrabbling at his clothes in a desperate attempt to relieve the sensation.

Known, yet unknown. Familiar, yet unfamiliar. A voice was whispering soundlessly, thunderously, in the back of his head. We know this.

Orochimaru screamed, digging his fingers into his temples. The voices in his head grew louder, speaking in words he both understood and couldn’t comprehend, battling each other for dominance as that strange chakra continued to crawl unpleasantly over his skin. He twisted violently back and forth, fighting the pain that pounded between his temples.

A new sound broke him momentarily out of his anguish, and he forced his eyes open. The dark creatures in his study had all frozen, staring at him with fathomless eyes. As one, they opened their mouths.

And shrieked.

The high-pitched noise drove the tall man to his knees, fingers drawing blood as they dug reflexively into his skin. In a flash, the creatures were upon him, tearing violently at his clothes, at his flesh. Crying out in pain, he struggled to pull away from their sharp claws and ended up curling into a tight ball. The creatures tore at his arms and hair, shouting at him in a horrific tongue that made his ears ring. All the while, the voices in his head were shouting senselessly, nearly blocking out his thoughts.

There was no one to help him. No one to stand beside him to battle these things away from him. There never was, not even when he had those so-called “friends.” He was going to be torn apart, forgotten, and no one would even mourn his passing!

When Orochimaru forced a damaged eye open, he saw that the blood he was shedding had formed a large, perfect circle around him. The creatures began laughing, fisting their small hands in his torn flesh and pulling down. His eye opened even wider as he felt his hand press hard against the blood-stained floor…and pass through it.

Suddenly, as if he’d always held the knowledge somewhere within him, Orochimaru understood perfectly. He knew what they were.

They were demons from the underworld.

And they were dragging him back to hell.

The voices in his head went quiet at the realization, and Orochimaru watched in numb shock as his wrist disappeared. The demons were laughing gaily, tightening their grip upon him. They were laughing.

Unbidden, something surged within Orochimaru’s center, a pulse of dark power that snapped out of him like a whip. Stung, the demons relinquished their hold upon him. Breathing heavily, Orochimaru dragged himself unsteadily to his feet. The demons hissed at him and moved to take hold of him again.

Orochimaru’s mouth opened, and several unfamiliar voices stated, “No.”

The demons froze.

“We’re not going back there. Not now.” Orochimaru’s wounded body began trembling violently as his mind spun in fear. Who the hell are these voices?? Where are they coming from? he questioned desperately. “We have work to do.”

The demons made some sort of angry protest, tugging at his shredded clothing. Orochimaru’s lips turned down into a fierce scowl, and he flung a hand at the dark creatures. Black chakra raced from his fingertips, scorching them. Screaming, they pulled away from him and backed away, fathomless eyes wide with surprise and hate. Orochimaru kept his hand towards them.

“Be gone!!”

Hissing and scowling, the underworld’s demons sank into the ground and vanished. A tacit promise to return hung threateningly in the air. After a moment, the dark energy fled Orochimaru’s body, leaving him hurt, shaking, and empty. He dropped immediately to his knees and wrapped his arms around his chest, then bowed his head forward.

Alone in his study, with no more strange voices or chakra within him, Orochimaru resorted to an emotional display he hadn’t succumbed to since he was an infant.

He trembled, and shook, and even allowed a single sob of fear to escape.

Sasuke stared at Kyuubi from his kneeling position on the ground, his mind racing. The level of power he’d just witnessed was beyond anything he could fathom. Kyuubi shouldn’t even exist, his power was so incredible. Even knowing what he did about the demon, he was still underestimating him. Sasuke noted idly that his hands were shaking, and he placed them gingerly upon the ground.

Wordlessly, Kyuubi stepped off the volcanic pedestal he’d created, chakra buffering his feet as he landed. He walked cautiously over to Sasuke, violet eyes filled with an indiscernible emotion. After a few minutes of gazing at each other, Kyuubi lifted a hand. Sasuke flinched involuntarily.

“Don’t worry,” Kyuubi remarked dryly. His violet eyes dropped ruefully to the gold ring on his left hand. The metal was glowing fiercely, stripping off red chakra in waves. “My little power boost won’t last for much longer. I should be back to normal in a few minutes.”

“…Normal,” Sasuke managed. His mind was still reeling. “How the hell did you ever manage to get enslaved?” he blurted.

Kyuubi blinked at him, then laughed. “A good question. Still, this is what happens when you go against someone more powerful than yourself.”

“More powerful than you.”

“Indeed.”

The Uchiha heir stared at him. “How on earth did you manage to find someone more powerful than you are?? How powerful are you?”

“Mm. Once upon a time, I could’ve brought this whole mountain to the ground.” Wincing, Kyuubi began to shake his hand lightly. His eyes faded to red. “I certainly thought I was unbeatable.”

Carefully, Sasuke rose to his feet. “I can imagine why,” he replied, a note of dumbstruck awe lurking within his tone. “I’m having trouble fathoming whom you must have gone up against.”

“Well, the rambunctious can always find trouble, wherever it may be.” Kyuubi sighed, folding his arms over his chest. He paused as a faint pulse of chakra hit him in reply, and he closed his eyes in regret. “I just wish that I alone had been punished.”

To stop the faint trembling of his hands, Sasuke brushed himself off and mulled that comment over. “Are you saying that there are other genies?”

Kyuubi nodded. “Seven of them.”

“Eight of you total, then.” Sasuke shook his head. “Were the others as powerful as you are?”

The fox demon chuckled. “Not as strong as me, no, but very powerful in their own right.” He tipped his head back, mostly blond hair waving in the breeze. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, obviously. I wonder if they had any better luck with their masters than I’ve had with mine.”

Sasuke frowned as he tucked the cooling crystal necklace under his shirt. “At least I haven’t been that bad.”

Naruto grinned. “No, no, you haven’t. You’ve been surprisingly good to me, actually. It makes me glad that I’ve stopped trying to put you out of commission.”

“Put me out of commission?” the brunet repeated, eyes narrowing.

“Well, yeah.” Naruto waved a hand dismissively. “With the whole tree toppling thing at first, and that episode where you were dumb enough to wander into my mind—”

“The tree.” Sasuke glared at his companion, suspicion and anger building. “Are you referring to the giant tree that nearly crushed me when we first met?”

“Yup. I figured if I put you into a coma, I’d be free to do whatever I wanted until you…” Naruto’s cheerful voice trailed off at the venomous look in Sasuke’s eyes. He smiled weakly, rubbing a hand behind his head. “Hey, at least I wasn’t trying to kill you, right? And you escaped without a scratch.”

“Naruto…” Sasuke growled.

The blond demon coughed. “Anyway, I like you now, so…you know. No harm done, and all that.” Flashing Sasuke an overly bright smile, he snatched up his pack and swung it onto his back. “Shall we go?”

When the blond passed him and started descending the stone stairs leading to the shrine, Sasuke fell into step behind him. Now that the shock over the demon’s stunning display of power was fading, awkwardness from the morning’s catastrophe began settling in. Frowning disconcertedly, Sasuke ran his fingers over the straps of his pack.

“…You like me,” he repeated dubiously. Before him, Naruto shrugged his broad shoulders.

“Well, yeah. You’re tolerable, at least.”

Sasuke shifted his gaze to the side. “Then you really do like…men.”

At that, Naruto glanced over his shoulder. “What do you mean?”

God, are we really having this conversation? “You’re actually…gay.” When Sasuke received a blank stare, he cleared his throat and tried again. “You enjoy sleeping with men.”

“Oh. That.” Naruto shrugged dismissively. “Who doesn’t? I like a good, soft and curvy lady as much as the next guy, but it doesn’t compare when you’re in the mood for—why are you looking at me like that?”

Sasuke was staring incredulously at the blond demon. “You admit it?? You actually like doing that sort of thing with other men??”

Obviously confused, Naruto laughed. “What, like that isn’t done anymore?”

“No! It’s not!”

The demon stopped dead in his tracks. Eyes wide, he gaped at the younger man in something akin to horror. “Are you telling me that men don’t sleep with other men anymore??”

To his dismay, a faint flush crept up Sasuke’s cheeks. He gritted his teeth and stomped ahead. “No, they don’t!”

“But… But this is Japan! Men have always… I mean, it wasn’t like it got in the way of procreation or anything! Why…” He spluttered noisily, then shook his head. “I can’t believe it. The modern era sucks!”

Sasuke steadfastly refrained from replying, his cheeks still red. Then all of that flirting before… Good god, he may have been serious.

As if he’d read his mind, Naruto quickened his step so that he could look Sasuke in the eye. “That explains why you got so freaked out whenever I made those comments! Look, Sasuke, I can tell you with complete honesty that I never had my eye on you, alright?”

The Uchiha heir glared at the trail ahead of them. “And I’m supposed to believe you? You kissed me!”

“Hey, that was an accident, and you know it!” Naruto scowled. “And just because I enjoyed it doesn’t mean I’m going to jump you or anything!”

Sasuke nearly tripped down the stairs, his head snapping to the side. “You enjoyed it??”

The blond huffed in annoyance. “Yes, I did. You happen to taste very good. And besides, you liked it, too!”

“I DID NOT!”

“Oh come on, Sasuke, I was there. Not only did you enjoy yourself,” he began, leaning forward to sniff pointedly at the brunet, “but I can smell your attraction to me right this very minute. You’re pumping out pheromones like you think you’re going to die if you don’t get lai—”

“Shut UP!” Embarrassed, Sasuke threw a punch at Naruto’s face, then scowled when the blond managed to dodge. “I am NOT attracted to you!”

“Oh, no?” Quick as lightning, Naruto’s hand darted out and gripped Sasuke’s bare forearm. Red chakra raced into him from the point of contact, bringing Sasuke’s recently tortured body right back to the edge. With a gasp, he wrenched himself away and instinctively cradled his arm against his chest.

“Naruto, what the fuck?”

The blond demon smirked triumphantly. “My chakra wouldn’t be spilling into you like that if you weren’t interested. You used to block me, you know.” Grinning with too many teeth, he stepped closer. “Now that you know what it’s like, you want more.”

Sasuke clenched his jaw tightly. Although it was faintly, faintly possible that power had always been a bit of a turn-on for him, it didn’t mean that he actually wanted to sleep with Naruto! The very thought made him ill!

Eyes narrowed, Sasuke hissed, “Just because my body responds to your ludicrous amounts of chakra, it doesn’t mean that my standards have dropped any. I have more sense than to be attracted to an idiotic, crude, happy-go-lucky faerie wanna-be who, despite his insane amounts of power, managed to get turned into a human’s plaything!”

Silence greeted Sasuke’s declaration. Naruto’s normally open expression hardened, his eyes gone cold and flinty.

“That’s good to know,” he replied icily. “Because fucking a cold-blooded Uchiha bastard is very far down on my to-do list.”

With that, he leapt into the woods beside the trail and vanished, leaving a seething Sasuke behind.

After two hours of leaping fruitlessly through the trees, Sasuke was ready to kill Naruto. The blond hadn’t even left a chakra trail behind him this time because all of the trees in the area now had the faint imprint of his energy from that shock wave. The demon could be anywhere, and Sasuke had no way of knowing. His hands methodically clenched and unclenched in a fruitless attempt to release his rapidly mounting frustration.

When an arrow shot by, narrowing missing his head, Sasuke decided that he might as well write the whole damn day off.

The Uchiha heir slid his hand stealthily into a pouch on his leg, hooking his fingers into several kunai. He landed quietly, peering through the trees.

“Oi! Ninja-person! We know you’re in there!” a rough, deep voice yelled into the forest. Several men in ratty clothing advanced into the forest, some with drawn arrows and others plainly fingering their knives. Bandits. Behind them, on an overgrown dirt road, several more bandits on bounty-laden horses held guns openly. Sasuke mentally groaned.

Bandits weren’t just annoying, they were a political nightmare. Killing men from another country, regardless of the reason, was often all the excuse said countries needed to go to war. If Sasuke were to fight, he would win, but he would most likely sustain some injuries, and he’d have to find a way of disposing of their bodies. He tucked a shinai into his shirt, closed the pouch, and quickly cast an illusion over himself to look, he hoped, like an average traveler.

Of course, that would probably lead them to try and rob him, but it was better than being attacked outright.

Warily, Sasuke made his way out of the forest and onto the road, his hands up. “Were you speaking to me?”

Immediately, all of the guns and arrows were pointed at him. The bandit who’d spoken before, a large, hulking man with the distinctive red hair of the River Country, stepped towards him. He brandished a sword at Sasuke.

“You might not look it, but you’re a ninja-man, aren’t you!” he growled out. “I can smell your type a mile away. Thinking of stealing our goods, I’ll bet!”

Sasuke did his best to look puzzled, though he doubted he looked anything but faintly murderous. “Sir, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he answered truthfully. “I’m a simple traveler, that’s all.”

One of the arrow-wielding bandits spat on the ground. “Sure. And that’s why you were avoiding the road like all decent folk do!”

“Just trying to avoid trouble,” Sasuke replied. It was true enough, even if it hadn’t worked. He certainly couldn’t say that he was trying to avoid bandits while attempting to catch up with his runaway genie.

The large, red-haired bandit snorted. “Sure. And you just so happened to find it anyway.” His blue eyes narrowed. “We don’t much like you ninja-folk. I think we’ll all feel a mite safer if we just put you out of our misery.”

Gun barrels were cocked, bows whined as they were drawn, and knives flashed in the morning sun. Sasuke’s fingers twitched.

“I’m not a ninja.” He fought desperately to keep from scowling, though he knew that his expression was hardening rapidly. “I don’t want to fight.”

“This sure ain’t your day, then.”

As they slowly advanced, Sasuke began to inch his hands closer together, readying his chakra for a quick teleportation jutsu.

“Sasuke-kun! Saaasukeee-kuuuuuun!”

A sudden, bubbly voice distracted the entire group, heads turning seconds before a blonde girl came crashing through the forest. She ran unsteadily on a pair of heeled sandals to Sasuke’s side, her light blue sundress flaring up around her thin, shapely legs. Winding her slender arms around one of Sasuke’s, she pressed her disproportionately large bosom against him and peered up at Sasuke with pouting lips.

“Sasuke-kun, you meanie! How could you leave me back there all alone!” she cried, blue eyes filled with distress. Her twin ponytails bobbed as she buried her face in a frozen Sasuke’s chest. “I was so scared!”

Sasuke stared down at the girl, words failing him. In his peripheral vision, he saw the arrows and guns pointed at him hesitantly lower themselves. The girl lifted her face again, her whiskered cheeks flushed prettily.

“I know I’m just a silly girl,” she sniffled daintily, “and I know that I can’t keep up with you, but couldn’t you have slowed down just a little?”

When Sasuke failed to reply, the redheaded bandit awkwardly cleared his throat. “Ah, Miss? Do you know this man?”

The girl turned, noticing the crowd of avidly staring men with clear apprehension. She tightened her grip on Sasuke’s arm and moved to stand slightly behind him. With a short nod, she shyly ducked her head.

“Yes,” the girl replied quietly. “He’s my cousin. He’s taking me to our relative’s house.”

The redheaded man shared a look with the other bandits, then cleared his throat again. “He’s, ah. Isn’t he a ninja?”

“A ninja?” Her head tilted to the side, ponytails tilting as her cherubic face took on an adorably puzzled expression. “Are they really real?”

The bandits nodded slowly. Lips pursing attractively, the girl looked up at Sasuke’s face. Deep within her eyes, a spark of mischief lingered.

“Sasuke-kun, you’re not a ninja, are you?” she asked innocently.

The stoic brunet forced himself to shake his head. Naruto. Was female. A very cute, very well-shaped female. His mental processes ground to a halt.

Naruto was currently female.

The world as Sasuke knew it had finally come to an end.

Giggling, Naruto clutched at him and pressed the length of his—her—body against Sasuke’s, lifting one sandaled foot off the ground.

“Silly me, I know you’re not a ninja. You’d have told me by now!” Smiling brightly, she turned towards the bandits. “See?”

With a flurry of guiltily shifting eyes, the bandits put their weapons away. A blue-haired bandit, as he quickly sheathed his knife, blurted, “But then why was he traveling in the woods instead of on the trail?”

Sasuke’s tongue finally came unglued and he glowered, gesturing vaguely at the demon at his side.

“With her along? Do you see why I didn’t want any trouble?” After a moment, he forced himself to extract his arm and place it protectively around her shoulders. “And I still don’t.”

Naruto blinked innocently, bringing a manicured hand to her lips with a quiet gasp. “Oh, these nice men wouldn’t try to hurt us. Right?”

All of the men visibly melted. Sasuke’s eyes burned from the need for him to roll them. Well, now they sure as hell won’t.

“No, no, of course not,” the redheaded bandit assured them. “We’re just, uh, making sure the roads are safe for pretty young ladies like you.”

Naruto blushed becomingly and ducked her head. “Oh no, I’m not pretty at all. All of my sisters are beautiful. I’m just…me.”

All of the bandits vehemently shook their heads. A chorus of “No, you’re very pretty!” filled the air. Naruto’s blush deepened, and she gingerly bit her lip.

“You’re all so kind…” she murmured sweetly.

Sasuke wanted to gag.

“As a matter of fact,” the redheaded bandit—the leader, Sasuke presumed—continued, “maybe we should escort you to your relative’s house. You know, just in case you run into some unsavory types in the forest.”

The other bandits eagerly voiced their assent. Naruto brought her hands together and stared at her twiddling thumbs.

“Oh, but I’m sure it’d be so far out of your way…” The blonde shook her head sadly. “That’s far too kind. We couldn’t possibly…”

Sasuke couldn’t credit the degree of hopefulness in the blue-eyed gaze that was turned upon him. He grimaced.

“No. I’m sorry.”

The bandits were glaring at him now.

“Surely there’s something we can do for you,” the leader insisted.

Naruto’s twiddling thumbs increased their pace. “Well…”

“Yes?” Several bandits leaned forward eagerly.

Angelic blue eyes glanced up at them through thick, blonde lashes. “I don’t suppose…you can share any food? We’re really low on rations because…I’m afraid I eat too much…” Naruto requested in a tiny voice.

The bandits began to smile. One of them replied, “A tiny thing like you? I doubt it.”

Another waved his arm in the air. “I have chocolate!”

Naruto hesitated, eyebrows furrowing cutely. “…Chocolate?”

Sasuke stiffened beside the demon. Chocolate hadn’t been introduced to Japan until World War II, and with Naruto being trapped away in his mini-shrine in the Uchiha household…

Naruto looked around in confusion. “What’s chocolate?”

One or two bandits laughed. “You don’t know what chocolate is?” one asked disbelievingly.

Naruto pouted. “I’ve never had it. Please don’t make fun of me.”

The bandits stopped laughing. Even the leader cleared his throat. “Miss, you really haven’t ever had chocolate before?”

When Naruto shook her head, the leader immediately gestured for the chocolate-bearing bandit to come forward. He swiped the proffered candy bar out of the younger man’s hand and held it out with an obsequious smile.

“Go ahead, young miss. Try it!”

Naruto hesitated, glancing at Sasuke, whose face was set in stone. Gingerly, she took the candy bar, sniffed it delicately, and carefully unwrapped it. After a second hesitation, she took a tiny bite.

A pause.

Moments later, a sinful moan worked its way out of her throat, blue eyes closing rapturously. The blonde tipped her head back.

“It’s…it’s…” she stated huskily. The men leaned forward, gazing intently at her.

“It’s what?” one of them choked out.

“…Amazing…” Naruto moaned. She took another bite, and another, making blissful noises and enraptured faces. “Oh my god…”

Sasuke briefly closed his eyes.

Now the bandits would never leave.

Naruto fought to keep from laughing, delight shining in his eyes as he gratefully accepted food and sweets from the eager bandits. The men practically fell all over themselves to help the disguised demon. In return, he flashed a sweet, girlish smile at them. They melted.

Stars, I’d forgotten how much fun it was to enchant human men. With a small giggle, he clutched the food packets to his exaggeratedly ample chest. His breasts, predictably, were pushed up against the neckline of his sundress. Every male eye—except Sasuke’s, the cold-blooded bastard—was riveted.

“Boys, boys!” he exclaimed, laughing. His breasts bounced. “I can’t carry any more!”

When the bandits all began protesting, Naruto fluttered his eyelashes. They quieted.

“Really, boys, you’ve all been so kind, but we have to go,” he murmured. He glanced over at Sasuke, whose arms were also reluctantly laden with foodstuffs. The brunet glared at him. “Sasuke-kun, why didn’t you tell me there would be so many wonderful people on the road?”

Sasuke simply scowled in reply. The bandit leader chuckled, moving closer to Naruto’s side and bending in conspiratorially.

“That’s because some of the men out here aren’t as nice as we are,” he whispered. Naruto let out a naïve-sounding gasp. The leader laughed again and straightened. “And we’re sorry about being suspicious of your cousin, here. Ain’t our fault, though.”

One of the other bandits piped up. “We wouldn’t’a been so certain if we hadn’t met a feller just like ‘im only yesterday!”

Shifting the food in his arms, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “A man just like me?”

“Yeah! Looked like you and ever’thing!”

Naruto’s blood ran cold, and he shot a glance at his companion. Sasuke’s face had gone white. The demon cleared his throat.

“Ah… A man who looked like Sasuke-kun?”

The bandit nodded. “Bit older than ‘im, but the spittin’ image!”

Naruto’s fingers clenched involuntarily on his hard-won food. A low growl emanated from the man at his side.

“Itachi.”