Chapter Text
He's so cold.
The usual streams running through the forests and cities at the borders between Konoha and the Snow country have frozen days ago. He's left wondering wether he would be able to run if he decided to have a few minute’s break. The exercise would warm him up at least.
He might, maybe, but he doesn’t really consider it as he keeps fleeing as fast as he can on wobbly legs.
The blood on his hands is frozen too, in an unpleasant way that makes Naruto wonder if it will stick to him forever.
It might.
The wound on his leg has reopened a few hours ago, but he won't slow down to stop the bleeding. He's too scared that if he rests, he will just lie down in the snow and let himself die right here and there, with this scene replaying again and again in his head.
The silence is stunning, and makes his own footsteps sound like screams to his ears. He can't manage to walk in a ninja-way, with his leg still pounding with pain. He can't imagine what the damages truly are though, with the harsh cold mostly numbing his sensations
He had never realized how much he had grew accustomed to Kurama's presence. Before even knowing he was there. His breathing, his chakra that was making his skin itchy when healing him, the weight of his power in his belly. The loss was unbearable, like not being able to hear your own beating heart or not feeling your lungs getting full of air. Like having your blood frozen into your veins and having your body like a death weight on your soul.
Suddenly, a scream echoes in the forest.
It's close, very close, and Naruto curses himself for not having noticed the presence of other individuals.
He knows he is in no state to fight, or even to run away without being heard, so he hides behind a large tree, hoping that the smell of blood is not too strong on him.
For a while, there isn't any new noises, though Naruto can still feel the others near him.
The absence of movements makes the cold even more unbearable, and the blond clenches his teeth to restrain his shivering, which make his presence even more obvious than it already is.
The pain in his leg becomes hard to handle as the blood flowing out of the wound start to freeze right in his flesh, and he kneels to diminish the pressure. Then, he works on using his jacket to stop the blood for flowing free. The wound wasn't mortal, but it could get infected if not treated quickly, and he doesn't have Kurama to deal with those stuffs anymore. As he quietly tries to press some sensations back in his leg, another scream startles him. The loud sound soon becomes little noises of agony as an odor of burned flesh spreads through the air.
Naruto thinks, that with his luck, it's probably some hired hitman who was asked not to leave any traces behind him. And here he his, a weak little witness to eliminate.
As to agree with him, steps noises makes it clear that the murderer is coming near his hiding spot. This person does not even try to mask their presence.
Naruto tries to stand up and attempt to run for his life, but as soon as he puts weight onto his wounded leg, he falls back on the ground as a wave of pain make his whole body convulse.
He joins his two hands to gather what little chakra he has left, because he won't die without a fight, even now.
Gathering his vital energy in his state of weakness is messing with his senses, and his vision is too shady to allow him to see the stranger when he puts a blade against his throat.
At this moment, Naruto knows he will pass out before he even dies. He's just grateful he won't spend his last minutes feeling his skin and bones melt under the fire.
The murderer talks to him, but he can only hear his blood pulsing in his veins, not wanting to be spilled on the floor, his body fighting for survival even when his mind has given up.
The man kneels in front of him as he speaks, louder this time :
"Hey, are you listening ?! What are you doing here, you total moron ?"
Even in his state, he can't mistake the owner of this voice.
".... Sasuke ? He answers, his own voice tired and shaky."
Naruto puts his hands against his skull, trying to silence his brain which feels like it has been reduced to shreds. He feels the wetness, everywhere on the lower part of his body, where his blood keeps streaming. He drops his head to have a good look at his leg, and the blade disappears before he stupidly cuts his own throat with it.
As soon as moves, he feels himself falling, and he passes out when his head hits the ground.
He can't stop screaming.
Kurama's chakra is taken from him, cell by cell, atom by atom, and it feels like being dissected. Like being crunched to a molecular level.
The demon fox tries to hang on to him, and Naruto can feel the suffering of the beast as Madara takes his essence and places it in himself, compressing him into his own power.
He wonders why he isn't dead, why he isn't already no more than a billion of particles floating in the air. But soothing hands are keeping him in this reality, forcing him to stay right there with an unshakable determination. Those hands keep him alive, in this unbearable, overwhelming pain.
So he screams.
The first thing Naruto does when he regains consciousness, is trying to locate his wounds. His ninja's surviving skills tells him what to do before he's fully awake, and he opens his eyes the moment he realize that the pain on his cheek means that he's just been slapped.
Sasuke is looking at him, with this expression which manages to be annoyed and arrogant, while still being completely neutral.
"You wouldn't shut it", he explains when the blond puts a hand against his bruised cheek.
The rogue ninja is different than when Naruto has last seen him, wearing a dark blue t-shirt and black pants just like Kakashi's. Being in such sober clothes makes him look even more dangerous. Naruto remembers the smell of burned flesh when Sasuke killed his opponent.
Mostly to think about something else, the blond starts to analyze his surroundings. They are in some kind of survival shelter, which must have been inhabited recently since everything is clean and tidy. A few futons are dispatched on the floor, there are a few shelves in a corner of the room, and there is a door that must lead to the bathroom.
"What's this place ?" Naruto asks to the ninja sitting on the floor right next to the futon on which he slept.
"A meeting point, for me and my team, they'll join me when they are done."
"Done with what ?"
Giving no answer, the Uchiha stands and leaves the room.
"Hey, teme !" He screams, but gets no answer.
At least, some things never changes, Naruto thinks.
The pain is a lot more bearable now, and as he sits to check his leg, he finds a thick bandage around it. His blood-soaked pants are nowhere to be seen.
He then realizes that he should be glad, being with Sasuke, after he practically saved his life. That means he cared, that means he was right and there is still hope for him.
But he is not happy.
He can not even convince himself to try and bring Sasuke back to Konoha. He sure doesnt want to go back there himself, not after what happened. He is tired, so fucking tired.
Beside, his comrade clearly still does not care about him, although Naruto can't imagine why he would bring him here.
After a while, Sasuke comes near him and sits on a futon to read some weird book. They stay there in silence for a few minutes, and then the black-haired asks :
"Are you dying or something ?"
Naruto looks at him and then frowns.
"No, I don't think so."
"I would have never believed that you could shut up more than three minutes without being about to die. Or dead."
Naruto wants to say ''And you would know, right ?'' but the sarcasm dies in his mouth.
"You won't talk to me anyway."
"It never stopped you before."
"Well I'm fucking tired to speak for nothing. We both know my little speeches are useless anyway."
A few minutes pass in silence then..
"So you're giving up then uh ? What about your ''nindo'' ?"
"Leave me alone, Sas’ke."
That makes the Uchiha look up, but Naruto does not care.
He turns towards the wall and quickly falls into a deep slumber.