Chapter Soundtrack: Momma Sed – Puscifer, Common Ground – Andy McKee, This Is Not For You – Blood Red Shoes

Disarm
Chapter Thirteen

Naruto came to consciousness suddenly, opening his eyes as soon as he had closed them to see before him a winding dirt road, curving around a mountain. He was but an apparition, a whisper of a memory, so he could not feel dread or biting anxiety - but somewhere the thought floated by that he really, really should. He watched with dead curiousity as the familiar scene began, tinted in red over time and grief.

It was strange, seeing greenery and blue skies, albeit darkening ones, after so long, but this was not what he was focused on. What he followed were the two small figures emerging from the overhanging woods, breaking into the open-air patch of road with toothy grins. One figure was himself, younger, his eyes as blue as the noon sky and his hair a halo of sun, happily talking away about nothing at all. The other figure was – was –

She had brown hair, but it shone the most brilliant orange red in the sun, and Naruto had always gleefully pointed this out to her. He was doing so right this moment, clutching her hand excitedly and pointing to her head with the other. She brought her hand to her hair with a glowing smile, looking down at her radiating strands. The children were so drunk with the company of a friend and the beautiful freedom before them that neither paid much attention to the late hour or the eerie whispers sliding through the foliage. It had taken her a lot of convincing on Naruto's part to travel home through this mountain pass, because the school children always whispered it was haunted, and their parents always spoke in hushed tones about the disappearances -

But Naruto didn't know that. Naruto only knew that he had come this way before, and the forest sounds melted beautifully with the mountain soil. He didn't care for ghosts, and wanted to show this pretty place to his best friend, his only friend…

Even though the colours were fading with the night neither child paid attention to their surroundings. They were innocent and naïve, not at all suspicious of the new litter thrown about the rocky path or the strangely worn grass. They walked on by the large overhanging rock, completely unaware of those watching them until they moved to block their path, impossibly tall, dirty and grinning, reaching for them…

Then Naruto felt the first stirrings of an emotion. It was fear.

He fought to shut his eyes, but he had never been the type to control his dreams. He watched with a new sense of dread as the men circled in, catching the two children unaware, startled and clutching at each other with wide eyes. Naruto whispered something under his breath, over and over, wanting this - dream, memory, reminder? - to be over. He couldn't take what would come next, he couldn't watch what came next.

Naruto finally managed to wrench his eyes shut, blocking out everything. The reddish world was gone, replaced with a hazy black one.

He was whispering, I can't, I can't…

Naruto's breath washed over his face, and though Sasuke knew it was only in his head, it smelled putrid and burnt. Crazy red irises glinted strangely in the darkness, reflecting a burning internal light. Hunched over, predatory, staring down its prey.

He did not move. He did not blink. He did not make a sound. A dangerous silence filled the small room.

"Gahahaha," Naruto cackled hoarsely, straightening. The noise cut through the quiet like a warning. With the movement Sasuke sharply made to sit up and get the fuck away, irises spinning, but Naruto was faster – had suddenly become faster – and was instantly on top of Sasuke, holding him down with his hands and legs. Naruto – but was it? - leaned in again, until their noses were almost touching. The sick reeking breath hit Sasuke's face.

"No," Naruto hissed. "Bad boy. Learn your place, stupid boy."

The proximity of danger sent Sasuke's heart beating wildly, but his expression never changed – he stared straight into the red irises, into the pitch black pupil, searching for any trace of the boy he –

"Naruto is dreaming," he said, in his evil grating voice. "I am in control now."

Sasuke's fears were confirmed. It was Nine.

Apart from obvious physical features, no trace of Naruto remained in his own body. The realization was enough to make Sasuke's breath hitch. But he still did not move. He let his muscles go lax, breathing kept regular, heart slowly steadying. With accusing eyes, he said calmly, rebelliously, "Where's Naruto."

Nine's smile was razor-sharp and wholly disturbing, displaying fearsome canines that definitely weren't there before. His facial scars were stretched and darkened with the action. "I told you, stupid boy. Naruto is dreaming."

Sasuke's face distorted into sheer hatred and for the first time he resisted, straining against the unbelievable weight. "Demon," he hissed, "Bring him back! Bring him back… NARUTO!" He nearly screamed the last bit. He bucked and writhed, trying to bring his legs free to kick off the possessed boy, but –

"Ah ah ah," Nine clucked disapprovingly, his expression twisting with such maliciousness Sasuke couldn't keep his heartbeat from pounding out of control. Sweat beaded on his brow and already his limbs felt sore. Nine gave no quarter and watched his struggles with clear sadistic amusement. "Stupid, stupid boy. Do you want to know why you'll die tonight?"

Sasuke struggled even harder, if possible. His Sharingan spun madly, but it did nothing. Nine merely watched, not stopping him. His eerie grin grew wider and it was like it wasn't Naruto's face at all, where was the sunshine, the laughter? It was just a reeking bleeding mark of evil.

Those eyes watched him closely. "Well I'll tell you," continued that horrible voice that couldn't possibly have originated from Naruto's throat. "Because your death would greatly shatter Naruto's control. His grief would open the gate and he would willingly break the seal." In the darkness Sasuke saw the teeth shine and wondered if he would really die this night. "And then…"

Nine paused, releasing a sigh that burned Sasuke's face. "And then the world is mine."

"Never," snarled Sasuke. "You've already made your first mistake." And with only a tightening of his brow as a warning, he pulled energy from himself, calling it to his hand, gathering the power of a thousand birds…

Nine's eyes narrowed, leaping off the boy because he knew he could not counter the magical attack fast enough at this proximity. He landed on the floor so softly, almost melting into the dark. No, Nine couldn't counter it… but he could absorb it. In that same instant Sasuke jumped from the bed to throw his attack straight at Naruto's heart, but during the second it took to reach Nine Sasuke faltered. That second was all Nine needed to create a void in between them, catching Sasuke's crackling lightning and swallowing it. In the same breath he reached for Sasuke, but Sasuke saw ahead and leaped back. Gritting his teeth he prepared another blast of lightning, concentrating it, but the room was small – Sasuke had nowhere to dodge when Nine dove forward with a speed incalculable even to the Sharingan. Reacting quickly Sasuke launched his last shot of lightning but Nine met it straight on, sweeping his arms out to negate the crackling light. With the same movement he grabbed Sasuke, pulling Sasuke even closer to himself with one hand and straightened the fingers of the other, intent on plunging his claws straight through the heart -

But he had not anticipated the door suddenly being thrown open wide. Sasuke sensed a massive flicker of energy, a strange collision of two separate entities facing off. In a split second Nine snarled and swiftly turned, throwing himself away from both threats, protecting his back from the familiar presence in the doorway.

Dim light spilled into the darkened room, illuminating the figure. "Kyuubi," it hissed.

Nine's eyes slimmed into slits, only a warning growl emitting from his throat as he moved to keep both Sasuke and the hated newcomer in sight.

"Stupid creature," said the new one, standing still. "Did you really think it wise to unveil yourself and attack another in a base inhabited by trained soldiers?"

Nine only growled in response, hunching forward threateningly. The growl kept growing louder in intensity.

"Stupid, stupid fox," said the figure in a mocking, deep voice, striding in slowly. As the darkness clothed him Sasuke finally saw who it was for certain. But Sasuke remained tense, crouching, unsure of who to attack or when. He was exhausted from the two lightning attacks in a row, and waited to see how this played out. The door slammed closed by itself, enclosing them in darkness once again.

"Carrier of Shukaku," Nine's growling rose in intensity. "Meddle in your own affairs."

Gaara sneered, stopping in the middle of the room with his arms crossed. "This is my affair. I am concerned as to the fate of your Carrier and the effect on the mountain." A small evil smile rested on his lips. "It makes you weak, doesn't it?"

"The mountain, and Naruto," spat Nine, pronouncing the word like a curse, "are DREAMING!"

Gaara dropped the smirk but not the intensity. "Yes. And the longer he does, the farther he is from sanity."

Nine's face broke into another horrible sneer. "Better for me."

Sasuke slowly straightened, still tense in a possible attack pose. Gaara raised a hand to halt him. Restrained power crackled within the room as Gaara continued. "No. Have you ever thought, stupid fox, about the opposite? That Naruto may be stronger than you think, and hold onto nothing but keeping you out, in vengeance? Have you ever thought that there are hundreds of Special Forces soldiers waiting outside this room?"

Both Nine and Sasuke stiffened at this. Yes, Sasuke thought. Of course. How could anyone have missed the blatant explosions of raw power happening in this room? Even though he could not sense any energies past his door. Apparently Nine was struck with the same idea, and scowled. But instead of hunching in defeat, Naruto's twisted possessor stood tall and bared his unearthly teeth in a predatory growl. Despite himself the hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck stood up. He had never once forgotten that this was a demon they were dealing with.

"Very well," said Nine, eyes narrowing. "I will let him resurface. But I will be victorious in the end…" He walked smoothly over to Sasuke, catching Gaara and Sasuke off guard. But Nine only leaned in and hissed, "Goodbye, Sasuke..."

Then he closed his evil eyes and collapsed.

Sasuke let him fall, listening to the dull thud of Naruto's – please let it really be Naruto again – body hitting the floor, his heart pounding as it became obvious that Naruto was not going to come around any time soon. Then he took his eyes off him and glanced at Gaara sharply.

The first of his concerns was voiced. "Why didn't Konoha interfere?" He asked darkly, looking to the still-closed door.

Gaara shot Sasuke an unimpressed glance, walking over to gather Naruto's prone body. "Because they're not awake."

"What?" Sasuke jolted and ran to the door, throwing it open. Out in the hall everything was still, cold and desolate. No soldiers with firearms aimed at his door, no soldiers flat against the side of the wall, waiting. "Wha—how…"

He turned to see Gaara carrying Naruto in his arms. Naruto looked sick even in the dim light, his head lolling to the side like a ragdoll. Sasuke scowled. "Drop him."

Gaara had ignored his previous question, but only shot Sasuke a bored stare, still holding Naruto like a bride. The idiocy of the statement did not require Gaara to comment on it, but Sasuke still seethed. He elaborated. "Put him down. Don't carry him like that."

Again, no outward response. Gaara only held Naruto more securely and marched past him out into the hall.

Insulted and angry, Sasuke held back any other comments but followed the two Carriers. He felt relieved, confused, angry, intrigued. He felt like he had stepped out from the tiger's cage mysteriously intact. Gaara did not speak to him, so Sasuke contined after him sullenly as they traversed the empty hall to an open door. Gaara stepped inside and did not bother with the lights. It was Naruto's room.

Sasuke was bewildered and even angrier that Gaara somehow knew where Naruto's room was – it was obviously Naruto's due to the clutter he had miraculously amassed and formed out of mere textbooks and uniforms scattered about, including the odd gadget. All personal rooms in Konoha were kept oddly impersonal, as soldiers owned little at the base, but Naruto's somehow brilliantly reflected his presence.

The angry tick in Sasuke's forehead only grew when Gaara stepped over the hard covers and placed Naruto neatly upon his bed, ignoring the rumpled bedding. There was no tenderness or grace in the action, but it still pissed Sasuke off somehow. Therefore it wasn't surprising all his questions were curt and accusatory.

"So why isn't Konoha aware of this? How could they miss what happened in there?" He resisted the urge to grit his teeth as Gaara again ignored him and moved to shove some clothes off a nearby chair. He stared at Gaara until he answered.

Gaara scowled as he did so. "I am capable of negating energy very easily, and sensing it as well. I woke the moment Kyuubi possessed Naruto, and shielded him until I was sure he had retreated."

"That's a stupid thing to do," Sasuke spat. "What if they would've been necessary?"

The Carrier smirked. It was not an expression that belonged on his face – he looked demented enough already. "Are you saying that you could not have handled yourself?"

Sasuke's fists clenched. But Gaara wasn't done. "Of course you couldn't have. Remember Naruto and I are not mortals like yourself. We carry things alike to gods inside us."

Sasuke was about to retort something, but just then Gaara smoothly sat down on the chair, moving it to face Naruto's immobile form. He knew he was asking a lot of questions, but god damn it - "What are you DOING."

Gaara started looking increasingly annoyed at the interrogations as well, and his look was just about murderous as he replied, "Keeping watch."

Sasuke looked back to Naruto. He was lying casually, but his body was clearly tense. His face tightened in a faint grimace and his mouth was moving imperceptibly. Nine might had vanished outwardly, but there was still a battle to fight within. Sasuke clenched his teeth and kicked some clothes away to make a clean spot on the floor. Without any further talk he sat with his back against the wall and, along with Gaara, kept guard throughout the night. Neither spoke, but both kept their eyes trained on Naruto's grimaces and the sweat sliding down his forehead. In the dead silence and the light from the hallway, they listened as he murmured something over and over.

Naruto opened his eyes slowly, immediately aware of how exhausted he was. He stared at the dark ceiling for a little, glad to be rid of those horrible nightmare and that… that…

Naruto sat up so fast he got light-headed and his vision faded out, forcing him to cradle his head in his hands until the blood came back. He had been fighting off Kyuubi, hadn't he? And he'd… lost. Then what -

"Idiot," came a derisive snort to his left.

He lifted his head to stare at the speaker incredulously. There was some movement to his right as well, and he turned to look. A moment passed.

"Guys, what the fuck?" He frowned at them in turn. What the hell were Sasuke and Gaara doing in his room? And why were they staring at him like that? And god, why did they look more exhausted than he felt?

Sasuke rolled his eyes and got up with a wince, obviously stretching out his stiff joints. He must've been sitting there for quite a while. "Idiot," he repeated. "I was making sure you don't kill anyone."

Naruto twitched backwards a bit. He looked at the clock – five a.m. Looking at Gaara imploringly, he asked, "What… what happened? Did Kyuubi…"

"Took control, yes." Gaara said flatly. "And he attacked Sasuke, but then he willingly retreated inside you. We kept watch in case he decided to resurface."

Naruto moaned, feeling shaky and cold. "Oh, god. Sasuke, I'm –"

Sasuke snorted again and turned away to stare at anything but Naruto or Gaara, looking very irritated with them both. "Whatever. He didn't even hurt me."

Naruto's eyes clenched shut as relief flooded through him. "Thank god. No, thank you guys. You don't know how…" a new thought came to him and he groaned. "Oh, I am in such deep shit."

The following silence prompted Naruto to look up again. Neither Gaara nor Sasuke looked at him. "I am in trouble right? Konoha does know?" he tested.

Sasuke didn't look too pleased when he said, "We have not… informed them yet."

Naruto gaped. Not telling Tsunade and her cronies that he had let Kyuubi slip through and even attacked a Konoha soldier? That was… stupid. Dangerous. Thoughtless. Reckless.

He sighed in relief. "Phew!"

This made Sasuke look at him sharply, but Gaara only crossed his arms, still sitting. "What do you mean, 'phew'?' Sasuke asked harshly. "You're going to tell them today."

"Hell no! Are you kidding?" Naruto bit off angrily. "Do you have any idea of what'll happen then? Konoha keeps me on a leash, Sasuke. They have cameras recording my almost-every-fucking-move. They lie to me consistently! I don't even know what to believe when Kakashi opens his mouth!" He paused to gather his breath, holding a dark stare with Sasuke. "No. They're just waiting for an excuse to cage me up, or, or… I don't know, but they're up to something with Gaara and I."

Sasuke's eyes flashed to Gaara's, then back to Naruto's. He did not seem to approve, but said nothing, so Naruto turned to Gaara.

"You won't say anything either?" He implored.

Gaara looked at him steadily, then finally shrugged a shoulder. "I will not. I am interested as to the motives of Konoha as well."

Naruto slumped forward with relief and cast Gaara a grateful smile. He turned it on Sasuke as well and asked brightly, "Well then. Anyone hungry?"

Activity at the base always ended late and started early, so there was already a steady number of people in the cafeteria. It was a much smaller, relaxing number than the recent crowding, however. Naruto smiled to himself – he didn't even know why – as he loaded his plate with breakfast. His eyes were stinging, his head was throbbing dully, every part of him felt abused and tired, and there was so much stress hanging over his head he was surprised he could think straight… but he was smiling.

"What," snarled Sasuke, looking cross.

"Nothing," Naruto replied and stuck his tongue out. Sasuke made a disgusted face but ignored him then, walking off to a front table quickly, like he was trying to convince the other soldiers he was alone and not being trailed by a grinning blond. It didn't really work.

They sat at a table alone together, with Gaara having stoically declined and made himself needed elsewhere. Naruto didn't know what Gaara did with his days, but he felt the first stirrings of curiousity. Gaara now seemed - not friendlier, please, but perhaps slightly more open. Or at least willing to regard others besides himself, which was a dramatic step forward. Naruto wondered if the mission inside Olympus had anything to do with it. Yeah, probably. Gaara was just repaying Naruto's actions by showing some concern. …So why was Sasuke such a dick to him? Like, an even bigger one than he'd been to Naruto. Sasuke just radiated irritation and hate around Gaara.

Naruto frowned at Sasuke, chewing thoughtfully. The two did not converse as they ate, but the silence felt companionable somehow – much different then yesterday, where a simple word could've made either boy snap. Today, Sasuke had even agreed to eat with him after Gaara had declined, as if Naruto's slip-up (or whatever it was) the night before was completely forgotten. The change was so radical, the boy deserved a medal or something.

Sasuke seemed lost in this thoughts as well. Until he noticed Naruto staring, that is. "What," he said again harshly.

Naruto just grinned. This guy was fun to tease. He flipped at certain things and didn't even blink at others. Gaara was probably just one of those things that set him off. It didn't take much – all you had to do was be a living, breathing organism and Sasuke would probably hate you.

He was chuckling to himself from a mental image of Sasuke glaring at a sea sponge when Sasuke said, quietly, "You should tell them."

Naruto immediately sobered up and the image disappeared. He looked back up, glaring. "Absolutely not."

The other boy looked like he was going to argue, but his face relaxed at the last second and he looked away. "Whatever," he said coolly. "You're just putting everyone here at Konoha in danger, that's all. And don't think no one noticed your leak of energy." Then he took a casual sip of tea.

That struck Naruto rather hard. It was true – he had proven he could not hold Kyuubi back if he was considerably weak. What if it happened again? What if next time, Gaara and Sasuke won't be around to save his ass? Would Naruto really risk the lives of the countless thousands of soldiers here in Konoha simply to give himself some breathing room, some peace of mind?

The answer was obvious because Naruto was still unsure. If he had been a smart, decent person, he would've gotten up and told right away. Instead, he sat there with his answer and his guilt: yes. He would. He would put lives in danger for his pride and his own happiness.

This made Naruto feel even more ill than before, but before he could continue to dwell on it further, a new figure appeared at their table. It was Sakura. She yawned as she settled beside Naruto, cradling only a cup of coffee and a plate of toast. "G'mornin', she said past her long yawn.

"Sakura!" Naruto chirped brightly, just out of habit. He was glad for an interruption.

"Ugh," she replied, her eyes dropping and her expression very crabby. "I hate you. Why do you look so awake?"

"I secrete one hundred percent sheer energy," Naruto informed her seriously.

"There's a bad joke in there somewhere, but I'm too tired to dig it up," Sakura muttered, taking a bite of her breakfast. Sasuke snorted and resumed to pay no attention to them, but Sakura managed a smile for him as always. Naruto sulked. The following silence was comfortable as the cafeteria slowly filled up and their plates were pushed away. Naruto cheerfully thought of anything but the past night, and Sasuke… well, he never knew what Sasuke was thinking. He just sat there, scowling at the table for having the gall to even exist.

Naruto didn't think much of the sound of footsteps he heard approaching the table until they stopped directly behind his chair. He saw Sasuke's eyes look up then narrow right before turning around himself and seeing who it was.

"Oh, Sai. What's up?" Naruto said quickly. He had instantly remembered that Sai was the original third member of Cell Seven, and it hadn't been pleasant. He watched Sakura out of the corner of his eye. She had a fake pleasant smile on her face and nodded to him politely. "Hello, Sai," she said, her hands tightening on her lap.

"Hello, friend. Hello, former teammate." Sai greeted them formally. He said nothing to Sasuke.

Wow. This was going to be awkward.

"What's up?" Naruto repeated, turning his chair slightly to see Sai better. He'd never liked to make others feel uncomfortable or insecure on purpose. Sai's mouth twitched like he had decided against trying a smile at the last moment, and just stared at Naruto instead. "I would like to speak with you," he said, acting as if Sakura and Sasuke were not watching.

"Yeah," Naruto said, a little uneasy, looking around the lively cafeteria. "But, um, later, yeah?"

Sai's mouth opened, but he closed it again. "I understand."

"Catch you later," Naruto clapped Sai on the arm and grinned as Sai turned and walked away indifferently.

As soon as Naruto turned back to his table, two pairs of eyes were on him. "So you met Sai," Sakura said tightly.

"He came to visit me after the mission," Naruto defended. "The guy's not all that bad."

Sasuke snorted. "He is. Watch out for him. He's not what he seems to be."

Naruto frowned.

They dispersed to follow the usual morning schedule, so Naruto went off to the smaller training room to meet with Iruka. Once he pushed through the doors, however, he knew something was up. Iruka's face was slightly pale and his arms were crossed. Before he could say anything, Iruka spoke. "No morning training today, Naruto. Follow me."

Confused, Naruto did. They left again and walked down the long hall toward the centre of Konoha, where Iruka led him to another meeting room. He tried to keep from asking questions, seeing how disturbed Iruka was. The faces of those passing by held no answers, they only nodded politely at either of them and went on their way. They entered the room and Naruto saw the usual faces – Jiraiya and Tsunade – but also some unexpected ones. Neji and Hinata Hyuuga were keeping to themselves at one end of the long table, along with five adults obviously from the same clan. They all sported black or dark brown hair and those eerie translucent eyes. Hinata ducked her head when he looked at her but that Neji kid just stared flatly back at him. Naruto walked past them to approach Jiraiya and Tsunade. They wore worried expressions too.

"What's this about?" Naruto asked, starting to get anxious. "Did something happen to Cell Ten? They've left already, haven't they?" Or… did they know what had happened to him?

Tsunade motioned for him to sit down. "No, Cell Ten is not in trouble. That is not what this is about."

Naruto swallowed. Shit. They knew. Panic rose like bile in his throat.

Iruka and Naruto sat between the Hyuugas and the commanding officers, the chairs scraping noisily in the tense silence. They were apparently what everyone else had been waiting for, so the meeting started. "Hiashi," Tsunade demanded. "Tell us again what you have seen."

Hiashi Hyuuga inclined his head politely and said in a serious tone, "I was on watch for the assignment you have left to us, to use our eyes to watch for the strange occurrence on the radar. At 0540 a shape came into view at approximately 34 kilometers an hour. Further investigation proved that this was a G-35 armoured varied-terrain tank." Hiashi clipped himself off, but it was clear there was more.

Something wasn't right here. Naruto leaned forward with apprehension. This wasn't about Kyuubi. This was about something else, and he had a really, really bad feeling about it.

Tsunade had her hands clasped before her, but they were squeezing until her knuckles were white. "Continue."

Hiashi resumed solidly. "We alerted Defense and kept watch as before. At 0610 the tank had approached sufficiently enough for us to see the symbol painted on all its sides." He paused, and took a breath. "It was the Circling Snake."

Naruto jolted back as if shocked. The Circling Snake. He knew that mark… he'd seen it nearly everyday of his life - engraved in the marble columns, set in the iron gates…

He asked, confused and torn, "What the hell is Orochimaru doing here?"

*
To Be Continued

Well it's the end of summer, and I promised, so here we are. I've just started college this week and I'm already stressed out. Hopefully I'll still be able to squeeze in this darling fic of mine in between my other projects though (I'm a retard and decided to join an animation studio and get a ps2. Goodbye, free time!). And yeah, what else is there to say… oh, next chapter will be hard for me to write so don't expect any miracles or smooth sailing. This chapter wasn't gold either but the last chapter I felt truly proud of was the first one, lol, so it's nothing new. And again, if you're wondering about chapter progress check my profile, it's listed there. Thanks everyone for waiting, for the patient & supportive reviews, or even for just reading, it means a lot to me. You guys are cool. If you have any comments/criticisms, let me know, otherwise – until next time.

PS please do not kill me for all these cliffhangers!