Perfect World(about to be shattered)

by CHEEZY4DAYS

Summary:

Running had never felt so tiring.

Sasuke and Naruto have been separated from the rest of their team and are on the run from Orochimaru. In the midst of their escape, they fall through some kind of inter dimensional portal that takes them to some kind of a 'perfect world'.

There, the Fourth Hokage leads the village peacefully with his wife and son.

OR now stuck in a place where no Uchiha Massacre happened, and where both ostracised boys family's are still living and breathing, Sasuke and Naruto both respectively take turns in freaking out, learn unexpected truths, and survive the lone snake that followed.

Chapter 1: The Fall(somethings WRONG)

"Run, you Teme!"

Sasuke was running, and he didn't need someone like Naruto to remind him. Legs aching from exhaustion, breaths coming too fast, Sasuke tried to ignore the small panic starting to rise in his chest as he felt himself slowing down. 

No, he panted, denying his slowing speed even as Naruto became further and further in front of him without realising, the blondes countless energy coming in handy.

It was so not fair, he thought, that every time time they left the village for a mission something happened. Even more so that someone always got hurt. He felt a pang he wouldn't acknowledge as worry when he remembered the way Sakura had cried out and fell to the ground, effectively splitting them up. Damn Sannin.

The anger followed soon after--his helplessness getting in the way again. The thought made him put more effort in moving forward, Naruto's bright yellow hair getting closer.

Orochimaru was gaining on them--not that he couldn't keep up, no, Sasuke got the impression the man was simply playing with them. He fought off a shiver at the thought. How the the man had even found their team in the land of grass was a mystery, one that Sasuke didn't want to think about.

The giant mushrooms surrounding him also weren't helping with his mood. Damn it, they weren't going to out run the Sannin. They couldn't win against him if they fought, and the chances that he'd actually let them get way was slim.

The dread in his stomach was starting to hurt.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted--which would have been stupid in any other chase as it would alert their enemy to their location, but ultimately didn't matter in their current situation--and made a sudden detour to the side behind a rather sickly looking mushroom.

What is that idiot doing? 

Sasuke could keep going forward, but. . .

Taking deep breath, Sasuke didn't acknowledge the trust for Naruto taking root in his mind and followed Suit.

Sasuke turned to the same mushroom Naruto had run behind--a weird purple that seemed unnatural and on the verge of death--and almost very nearly threw up. The nausea that enraptured him dizzied him, made him blind to his surroundings, and he vaguely felt his legs give out.

Whats going on. . ?

With his last thought being that something was wrong, Sasuke used the last of his declining strength to turn his Sharingan on--and his red eyes pierced through the fog for a split second to reveal a crumpled Naruto next to him and a small white snake slithering towards him. 

No . . . 

He couldn't hold it though, his mind a mess and uncomprehending, so he dully let his eyes close.

 

***

The shinobi stared at the unconscious children of perhaps the two most important leaders in Konoha, and felt a headache arise. The two had wandered off into the mushroom forrest to compete in some way, as per usual, when Kakashi had felt a power source flow through the area.

Now, staring at his two students, the copy ninja was trying to discern what was wrong with them.

For all viewing, they simply looked asleep, sagged against the earthy and cracked ground in exhaustion after working hard. Training, probably. To Kakashi's professional perspective, they appeared knocked out. That was a problem.

Pushing down the unease in his stomach, he simply concluded they had gotten in a fight and knocked each other unconscious. That was the most likely scenario.

Sighing, Kakashi carefully picked the two up and over each shoulder, intent on heading back to the hotel they were staying at. They could explain themselves there, and that way Sakura wouldn't be alone for any longer than needed.

Making his way back through the mushroom crowded forest, Kakashi wondered over the power force he felt. It was unnatural, to say the least. Different to a strong ninja, different to killing intent.

Inelegantly and completely in control, Kakashi decided enough was enough and thoroughly pretended to drop the two boys on the ground in order to wake them. 

They didn't twitch. 

That. . . wasn't normal. Naruto not waking up wasn't abnormal—kid could sleep through anything. Sasuke, though a twelve-year-old Genin, was still skilled for his age, and for him to not wake up from such an abrupt force. . .

Squatting now, Kakashi proceeded to gently shake both boys before harshly grabbing their shoulders one at a time to violently shake them. Worry was making itself known in his gut.

Neither of them moved. No eyes fluttering, no fingers twitching, nothing.

In a flash, they were back at the hotel. His large shunshine took an abrupt amount of Chakra, but he ignored it. The feeling of something not right sat with the seasoned shinobi. 

He briefly noticed Sakura look up at them in surprise, eyes questioning.

"We're leaving." He deadpanned. Mission be damned, something was wrong with his two students. No more excuses or denial.

"Why?" The girl asked, her teal eyes filling with worry from the abruptness of it.

"Somethings wrong with them. We need medical back at the village."

Her eyes widened comically before nodding in quick succession. 

They were gone within five minutes.

***

Sasuke woke up to a green ceiling. It was a familiar green ceiling, one that filled him with gracious relief. He was in Konoha, in the village, in the hospital. He was home. 

Waking up felt groggy, a blithering headache transferring into a migraine the longer his eyes were open. He felt sick. Weird.

Turning his head was an effort, but he managed. There was someone sitting in the seat next to him. Too big to be Sakura or Naruto. But for some reason, he didn't feel like Kakashi either.

That was weird. There was no one else who'd visit him in the hospital.

An odd feeling of apprehension churned in his stomach, the feeling of something not right filling him.. Turning his head just that tad more, the familiar face cleared. Black hair, black eyes.

Mind unfocused, uncentered and unrestrained, Sasuke screamed, scrambling backwards with his limited freedom within tubes stuck in him.

His older brother was staring across from him.

 

Chapter 2: Waking moment (we're still sleeping, right?)

Summary:

Two orphans wake up in a strange world. Sadly, the differences are all too apparent.

The sight of unparalleled fear in his younger brother's eyes was an image Itachi couldn't seem to get rid of no matter how hard he tried.

Lying so still on the white sheets, face slack and too pale, Itachi felt worry course through his veins in billowing amounts when he saw his brother. It was only two days ago that he had last seen him before he set out, and the differences were striking.

He frowned just thinking about it. (A slight smile escaping despite his best efforts with an almost non-existent wave that said so much more about his excitement then anything else—)

Kakashi-senpai had come back from a relatively easy c-rank mission with two unresponsive twelve-year-olds and a kunochi panicking at his heels. Her fearful eyes and clenched fists an obvious indicator to her anxiety and distress.

Sasuke and Naruto had both been slumped over each of Kakashi's shoulders, completely dead to the world.

Itachi had been waiting at the gates for their arrival when he saw them. His heart skipping a beat.

It wasn't completely unusual per-say, for gennin teams to venture out the safe bounds of the village and encounter some kind of difficulty. Maybe the two had fought and worn each other out? But no, the tense jaw of Kakashi's face viewable from beneath his mask said otherwise.

Itachi had rushed out and gripped his brother, partly to lighten the load for his senpai, but also to reassure himself of Sasuke's pulse and even breathing to make sure he was still alive—

Kakashi had said later that they hadn't even officially started the mission.

The boys had been taken straight to the hospitable without delay after that. Sasuke tucked to his chest and Naruto firmly held in Kakashi arms. A bob of pink hair had run with them before falling behind, meeting them at the reception after they had been admitted.

Both of them had been swarmed immediately, to which he was thankful, most likely due to their statuses—the Yondaime's student with his beloved blonde son and both black-haired heirs to the most prominent clan in the village. Medical had quickly taken them for examination.

For the most part, Itachi had spent his time by his brothers side, watching as he lay still with no signs of waking. Please wake up—

At one point, he had made an effort to return to the compound and inform their parents of the situation.

Both of them had gravely nodded, and his mother accompanied him back to the hospital. His father had clenched his jaw and returned to the police force headquarters. Itachi had had to refrain from scoffing.

That had been two days ago. Now, he watched with rapt attention at how Sasuke was sleeping—forcefully this time. His stomach turned when he remembered black lashes flickering in confusion before settling on him—onyx eyes widening in fear and a raw scream coming out of a pale throat in pure terror—

No, he thought to himself. He had just been confused, Sasuke wasn't afraid of him, if he had seen anyone he probably would have had the same reaction and needed to be sedated anyway.

. . . but the way he had stared at Itachi—

He didn't get to finish the thought, Kakashi slipping in through the door in a quiet and subdued fashion. The man had taken turns rotating to which bedside he stayed at. Glancing up at the silver-haired shinobi, he noted his palpable exhaustion. He most likely hadn't slept since he got back.

Neither have you, his mind whispered back to him.

"How's Naruto-kun?" He asked politely, a smaller worry for the boy churning in his gut.

Kakashi sighed, his shoulders slumping as he sat on the seat opposite him. "He's sleeping. Hasn't woken up yet, but seems to have returned to a normal state, at least."

Itachi nodded in tandem. Whatever caused them to be in their unnatural sleep condition seemed to have worn off. Sasuke waking up was a testament to that.

Both of them sat in silence for a while, not comfortable, but with a shared sense of companionship. They both stared at the still silhouette on the bed, eyes heavy.

Later—minutes, hours, he didn't know—Kakashi stood, walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. His single eye peered down at him.

"Go home, Itachi. I'm sure your parents are worried. I'll stay here with Sasuke." His voice was gentle, but still held a stern note. It wasn't just a suggestion.

It was Itachi's turn to sigh. Kakashi was right—he was useless here anyway. Besides, Kakashi was a seasoned fighter who could handle almost everything(—yet still let something happen to two of his students, a nasty voice whispered in the back of his head—)so Sasuke's safety was guaranteed.

With one last look at his younger brother, Itachi reluctantly made his way to the door.

***

Naruto woke up choking on his own spit. Sitting up and spluttering, this wasn't an unusual occurrence. What was, however, was finding himself in the hospital.

Huh, he thought to himself as he looked around. This was a pretty nice room. Minus the antiseptic smell that burned his nostrils, the room was large, neat and had a nice green ceiling. It needed decoration on the walls, but it was overall nice.

That . . . was weird. He never got the nice rooms. It was then that a stout brunette medic walked in from a sliding door, walking towards him. She paused when she noticed him awake, her grey eyes widening slightly, before a smile graced her features.

That's weirder.

The medic made her way to him, subtly pressing a button on his bed. "Naruto-kun, it's good to see you awake." Okay, that was the weirdest thing about this situation. Nobody talks and looks at him like that. Nobody.

"How are you feeling?" She politely inquired, reading a sheet beside his bed. Maybe that was the reason, he thought, she was being pro-fess-ion-al. If only everyone else could be that too.

"Um...Fine? I'm kind of hungry. . ." He trailed off, not knowing what to say. But he was hungry, and his stomach let out a growl that made the medic laugh. She nodded her head. "Well, why don't I go get you some food then?"

She was walking away the next second, clipboard to her chest. "Uh—thanks!" He called out after her, right as the door shut. It wasn't a minute later that the door re-opened, and a red-haired woman practically barrelled her way through the air and grasped him in her arms.

The woman was sniffing, arms tight around him in affection. For a moment, everything in Naruto's mind went blank, the hug throwing him off guard(when was the last time someone hugged him voluntarily?).

Then his instincts came back to him and he shoved the pretty lady off of him, failing to pry her arms from around him. "Hey! Get off hag!"

A small silence and a red-hot aura of anger surrounded him, the woman's arms rising to grip his shoulders in a restrictive manoeuvre. To his shock, even the hags hair raised to the air, surrounding her scrunched up face. He could feel sweat start to form on his forehead.

"What did you just call me, brat?! I'm barely thirty!" She raged at him. How was Naruto supposed to know that?!

"Go away you psycho hag!" He shouted at her face, determined not to be scared away no matter the imminent danger.

The woman growled, mouth opening before the door opened yet again—seriously, was it magic or something? Did it make all the people who enter through it treat him like he wasn't a waste of space?—and a blonde man with spiky hair walked through, relief in his blue eyes.

This guy kind of looked familiar somehow, like he'd seen his face somewhere . . .

"Now now, Naruto, that's no way to speak to your mother." Naruto continued struggling, eyes on the guy in a white coat with an air of authority. Naruto was almost about to get away from the hag when the words set in. Mother.

Your mother.

That—no, that wasn't right, they were messing with him. He didn't have a mother—his parents were dead. Jiji said they were—

"What the hell are you talking about! I don't have a mother." His voice came out scratchy, something mean in it that made the woman in front of him flinch slightly.

Even the man paused, something conflicted within his eyes as he seemed to take in the situation. The one where Naruto was being attacked by some random hag who was claimed to be his very much dead mother.

"Naruto," the man started carefully, slowly walking towards the bed as if approaching a wild animal. That was more normal. "Do you know who I am?"

Naruto was feeling frustrated, but he still shook his head. Even if the guy looked somewhat familiar, he couldn't put a name to the face. The mans face went blank before—

"Do you know who she is?" He asked with slight nod to the woman now staring at him in something akin to horror. Again, he shook his head. This lady was a complete stranger.

The chics face was moulded in a frown, no traces of any previous anger. The lady leaned back a tad, to which Naruto was slightly grateful.

"Do you know who you are?" The lady finished, something fragile in her stormy eyes. He blinked. That was a stupid question, of course he knew who he was. "Uh duh, I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Believe it!"

A small hint of relief—and then something like anger entered her eyes. "You better not be messing with me kid." He gaped at her, mouth open. "Who the hell are you anyway, you hag!"

Something gutted in her eyes, despite her eye twitch. Then, in a fluid motion she stood and turned to the guy. "Minato." The guy seemed to get what she wasn't saying, nodding slightly before vanishing.

It was just him and the hag now, but—

"Woah! Did you see that. He's gone! Who is he, some kind of jounin? Does Kakashi-sensei know him?!" He couldn't not let out his excited squeal at the thought. Another thought dawned on him. "Hey, where is Kakashi-sensei anyway?"

The woman eyes widened slightly, muttering a small "you remember Kakashi but not me?" and turned back to face him. She was sitting on the end of his bed now, far enough away that she would have to reach to touch him. He told himself it was for the best.

"We have a lot to talk about."

***

The second time Sasuke woke up, he was sure it was the first. Because there was no way he'd wake up with Itachi there. No, he decided, that was just a nightmare. Looking around this time, he saw a familiar silver-haired shinobi staring at him intently.

That was more likely.

"Sasuke? Are you awake?" His voice was filled with an undertone of worry, but Sasuke focused on nodding slightly. His throat hurt too much to talk right now. Almost as if he'd been screa—no, it was simply a figment of his imagination.

"What happened?" He managed to croak out, his throat the embodiment of agony. He saw Kakashi wince slightly at the broken sound of it. Kakashi was staring intently down at him, shoulders tense before he shrugged in a fake nonchalant way. "I was hoping you could tell me."

Sasuke's brows furrowed. What did he mean by that? They were out on a mission—the Land of Grass, his mind procured him. If his memory served, they hadn't actually started the mission, the only thing they had done was split up to create base. Kakashi was setting up camp, while he was stuck with Naruto and Sakura searching the parameter.

Naruto.

"Where's Naruto?!" He all but brokenly shouted, worry making itself known in his chest.

They were running and then Orochimaru had turned up and—and...

There were hands on his shoulders the next thing he knew, Kakashi a firm presence pushing him down onto the bed. "He's fine. In the same condition as you—he just woke up."

Sasuke visibly let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Naruto was okay. His relief startled him a bit, but he decided to come back to it later. Or ignore it forever.

"Sakura?"

"Completely fine."

Sasuke fought the consolement that that reassurance filled him with. His teammates were okay.

"We were in the Land of Grass," he started, treating this as a mission report, "in the mushrooms. We were doing the mandatory parameter check, while you set up camp." Kakashi nodded along, staying silent as he got his thoughts together.

"Then something didn't feel right, so we got into position—and Orochimaru turned up, so we ran and—"

"Wai—Orochimaru?!"

Sasuke blinked at the astounded reaction. Suddenly Kakashi's hands were shaking his shoulders, something like disbelief and panic making itself known in his bare eye.

"Are you sure? The Orochimaru appeared?!"

Sasuke blinked for a second time, slower this time. It wasn't that hard to believe, right? Not with all the interest at the chunnin exams and the curse mark. Hesitantly, he nodded. Kakashi's visible eye widened dramatically, shock in every line of his usually unreadable body.

His sensei took a sharp intake of breath before he sighed heavily, taking a seat once more, and waving his hand at Sasuke to continue.

Normally, he would have scowled at the familiarity, but for some reason he felt exhausted and left it. He ignored the churning in his stomach.

"Then we ran, and he started picking us off one by one. We lost Sakura, but we couldn't stop, and then Naruto ran to some weird mushroom, I followed, then nothing."

Silence.

The uncomfortable feeling reverberated through his system, twisting its way through his stomach to his chest—twirling and swirling, spreading like toxin to his brain. Something was wrong. Kakashi was reacting too strongly. His sensei knew the possibility of Orochimaru coming for him—especially outside of the village.

Carefully, Sasuke blanked out his face. Something was wrong. He knew better than to ignore his gut feeling. Paranoia—he knew he could be overreacting. But on the off change he wasn't...

"Can I see Naruto?"

Kakashi's head jolted up, startledly facing him. Resigned contemplation met him.

"I think, for now, it would be best to wait until you both have made more of a recovery."

Sasuke fought the need to say bullshit to his superior. He couldn't fight the growl that made its way to his face though. Using faux energy he didn't have, Sasuke pulled the covers off his body, moving to get up.

Kakashi stood immediately, blocking his exit efficiently with only his imposing figure.

Sasuke promptly responded by crashing through the window.

***

Naruto was shocked out of his stupor by the sound of shattering glass, his sensei swearing, and the running of nurses down the hall. Deep down, in his tingling friend sense, he thought Sasuke.

Naruto felt the slightest bit of shame of having forgotten his rival until now, but it was overcome by the knowledge that the pretty lady is apparently his mother, who's married to the fourth Hokage—who's apparently his father.

Yeah, Sasuke could wait. But from the serious—and a tad confused at the noise face—the lady was making, Naruto decided that it was time to skedaddle. It was too much at once—these people were unfamiliar, and as much as he wanted the comfort of a mother... He needed Sasuke.

It must have shown on his face, because suddenly the lady was reaching out for him. Naruto didn't hesitate to bolt away from her arms, racing to the door and throwing it open, slamming it against the door stopper.

The reverberating bang caused an onslaught of attention from the racing medical team, all turning to look at him, deeming him not as important, and continuing on. He would never get to Sasuke in time with all these people flooding the hallways.

Sucking in a large breath, filling his lungs with the necessary air, he leaned forward, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted "TEME!!"

There was a surrounding silence as everybody stopped what they were doing to look at him incredulously, and then—

Another crash, heavy breathing, and the view of Sasuke sprinting towards him in a hospital dress, bare feet and covered in bloodied lines.

Naruto didn't hesitate to meet him halfway, a weird feeling of relief in his chest as he viewed his frenemy relatively unhurt minus the small glass sticking out from him.

When they finally reached each other, the whole world seemed to slow around them, as if they were the only things right in a world of wrong.

It was this understanding that fooled Naruto into letting his guard down. The next thing he knew, there was a fist in his face and a snared "what did you do?" In his ear.

Looking around from where his head hit the ground, his own hospital gown clenched in pale fingers, Naruto made eye contact with the red haired lady who followed him. His mother.

"I don't know." He whispered, albeit despairingly.

 

Notes:

Sorry for posting so late!

I was rather busy with school exams and then work and then a whole bunch of stuff (Ugh)

Hope you enjoyed this conundrum of different perspectives (I sure did)
Anyone else laugh at Naruto's spider sense around Sasuke?

Later lovely's, your cheesy author. (Thank you so so much for reading)

Chapter 3: Wrongness prevails(nowhere is safe)

Kakashi was on them before he could get a second punch in.

Naruto himself was hefted up by some red-headed lady in a green dress, her knuckles white at the force she was using to grip him. Weirdly enough, she looked like she was trying to be gentle. Sasuke didn't care. He was right. Something was wrong.

By Naruto's wide eyes, pale and despair ridden face, he could tell it wasn't just him. It didn't matter that there was a stark streak of blood stemming from his nose. Naruto had come to the same conclusion, and if an oblivious idiot like him figured something was off then it most definitely was.

Kakashi was holding his shoulders in a way that was almost impossible to break free from—fingers subtly digging into his joints and ready to immobile him if need be. He ignored the need to flinch as beads of glass were dug into his skin through the hospital gown he was wearing.

Sasuke stopped struggling, letting his sharingan fade from his eyes(he hadn't even realised they had been activated, his panic prevailing over any sense of control. He ignored the shame that stirred in his gut.) He watched his sensei—if he even is Kakashi—exchange a meaningful glance with the woman holding a stiffened Naruto.

That was another thing that was wrong. Naruto was quiet. And still. The worry that surged almost engulfed him. What did they do to you—I'll kill them—

"Sasuke, Naruto, I think both of you need more rest." Kakashi's voice was a faux calm, made to be forcefully smooth and sound logical. The command of it seeped into his bones. He felt Kakashi's fingers dig into his shoulders again, attempting to move him away. They were going to seperate them.

Naruto must have realised it too because suddenly he was struggling, violently shrugging the lady's hands off him and making his way towards him.
"Hey! Kakashi-sensei—"

Sasuke felt his own desperation start to stir. They couldn't be separated. They couldn't.

Naruto was the only other one who knew something was wrong, the only one Sasuke could actually trust when his sensei was somehow not his sensei, even if they looked and sounded and moved the same way—they were different somehow.

Sasuke's own struggles renewed, attempting to drop down in an unexpected manner to take this not-sensei by surprise. He hid his own shock at actually getting out of it—Kakashi had been the one to teach him that. Another point proving this silver haired man wasn't right.

Naruto reached him the same time Sasuke managed to steal one of Kakashi's kunai. Seriously, whatever happened to his sensei's brain was gravely impacting his skills.

He brandished the weapon to all those surrounding them while reaching for Naruto—who still looked out of it—to put him behind him. Just as their fingers were about to touch, Sasuke was suddenly on the other side of the corridor, a pale calloused hand holding his collar and lifting him adjacent to Naruto in the same position. The kunai in his hand was gone.

Huh?

What. . . had just happened?

The blonde holding him had spiked hair protruding every which way—wearing the modernised red and white robes of a Hokage. Briefly, in his stupor, he noticed the written forth on the back of his drapes.

Did. . . did a man whose features looked more and more like the yondaime's carved stone face seriously just appear in front of him?

Oh god, what was happening?

"Boys," the man who Sasuke was starting to believe was Minato Namikaze, the very much dead Forth Hokage they had learned about in class, had a smooth voice that left no room for argument.

From the corner of his vision, Sasuke saw Naruto go impossibly paler, eyes wide in a horrified expression of inner turmoil. What was up with that reaction? 

It definitely wasn't recognition or hero worship. He ignored as his stomach did another flip.

"I believe there's an issue we need to address together, but first," the man he suspected to be a living legend eyed then both, something intense in his gaze, "Kakashi's right, some rest sounds very beneficial to you both." His voice was calm, gentle even—so smooth and clear but so absolutely authoritative that even the thought of disobeying took time to fester in his mind.

Both him and Naruto were dropped to their feet, and Sasuke made no waste in time to press up to Naruto's side. They were not being separated.

"We're staying together." Amaterasu, his voice was still so scrappy. Naruto blinked some of his blankness away—pressing back into Sasuke's side and glaring at the zombie. "Yeah! Theres no way you're gonna split us apart again, dattebayo!"

The zombie was watching them with something conflicted in his familiar blue eyes, a small smile on his face that screamed practiced and fake to Sasuke.

That was a bad sign. Practised meant hiding emotions. That meant unpredictability.

"Oh, is that so? Well I guess we can't stop you, but the need for rest remains. Stay together if you want."

Sasuke nearly flinched at the amicable tone. They . . . they weren't getting out of this. There was no way they could escape if this truely was the undead Yondaime. But, he had granted them permission to stay with each other. The idea grated, the need of permission, but it was a chance—to plan, to figure everything out. They needed to take it.

It was this chance that allowed himself and Naruto to be parroted back into one of the hospital rooms, still stuck together while spectators from all around watched them with wariness.

Sasuke tried to blank his own face in response, glaring at all of them. The hospital staff, the Forth Hokage, his not-sensei, and the weird red-head that was looking at him and Naruto in worry.

They needed to figure out what was going on. Now.

***

"What the hell is going on, Kakashi!?" Kushina practically screamed as soon the boys were sealed into a hospital suite, worry and franticness etched into her slightly trembling hands. Minato-sensei was by her side in an instant, arm around her shoulders in a comforting and protective manner.

Kakashi sighed, letting his own calm facade break as he remembered the moves Sasuke had pulled on him. There was no way that his Genin had been able to do that the other day—and it was clearly a practiced technique. He didn't even do anything in response—just stood there in shock. 

What the hell was going on indeed.

His eye met that of his sensei. "I don't know. Sasuke woke up perfectly normal and started saying something about running into mushrooms and Orochimaru chasing him and Naruto—"

"Orichimaru—"

"But then he was asking about Naruto and broke the window when I blocked the door."

Kushina's face had twisted into something fiercely disturbed at the mention of the snake Sannin. His presence had been all but gone, disappeared into thin air as soon as his betrayal to the leaf village.

That had been a decade and a half ago.

Minato-sensei's face was deep into contemplation, brows furrowed as he tried to put missing pieces together. "What about Naruto—how did he wake up?" He dared to question.

Minato sighed, looking downtrodden all of a sudden. "He didn't know who we were—was calling Kushina a hag and everything." Kakashi's single eye widened. "You're sure he wasn't acting?" he couldn't help but ask, even though he knew it was a stretch. Naruto acting? Puh-lease. 

Kushina nodded, jaw clenched. She was just about to open her mouth when there was a knock on the door—a familiar presence induced with slight panic.

Kushina was opening the door before anyone could even blink, pulling in Mikoto Uchiha to embrace her in a bear hug before slamming the door behind them and re-sealing it. "Kushina! I - I went to go visit Sasuke but he wasn't in his room and the window was shattered so I—"

"It's okay, Mikoto-san. We moved him and Naruto to a different room after an . . . altercation." Minato-sensei gracefully explained.

Kushina was hitting Minato in the shoulder a second later, pulling Mikoto into their little circle. The worry in Sasuke's mothers eyes had increased at the display of such secrecy, eyeing the concealment seals of the room. He fought back a sigh. She was most definitely one of the only people to ever be able to join such a meeting while not being an active shinobi.

"There was some. . . problems that we have encountered since the boys woke up. Upon seeing us, Naruto didn't know who either Kushina or I were, and Sasuke seems to have told Kakashi a rather unpleasant story involving Orochimaru."

Mikoto's eyes widened, fear now entering their dark depths.

"Do you believe Naruto's the only amnesiac? Or do you think it possible Sasuke could have forgotten myself and Fugaku as well?"

"We're not sure," Kushina injected, "but Naruto remembered Kakashi—was even asking for you." She finished with a nod in his direction. Kakashi continued on with his own input. "Sasuke knew who I was as well, and asked about both Naruto and Sakura. They still have some of their memories." He concluded.

"Then why are we just gone? An attempt to disrupt the unity of the hokage's family?"

Kushina sent a troubled frown towards Minato-sensei, the crease lines against her forehead furrowing in a deep worry.

"And Orochimaru's involvement? Do we think that's connected?" Kakashi interjected. He hated seeing Kushina and his sensei so upset—couldn't help himself at changing the topic to give them even a momentary release.

Mikoto looked deep in thought, carefully analysing every cryptic thing they had said. She looked up and met Minato-sensei's eyes, her black eyes intense but within boundary. A shinobi reporting to their hokage.

"Minato," she started, ignoring his title despite her respectful body language. Kakashi felt his stomach clench.

"Before his crimes were found out and he defected from the village, Orochimaru had many test subjects."

A pause. He saw Minato-sensei's eyes narrow.

"Quite a few of whom were children. Like Anko-san for example. But...we have reason to believe that he has a special interest with kekkei genkei bloodline abilities." Kushina sucked in a breath at that, her eyes widening in semi horror.

"I remember at the time the Uchiha being extremely wary and taking precautions." She finished, the purpose and real worry left implied.

"You think Orochimaru may be targeting Sasuke for the Sharingan." Minato-sensei finished, his words soft but brisk.

He looked contemplative. Mikoto nodded. "It's a possibility."

Kakashi thought this was a good moment to come clean about something that'd been on his mind for the last half hour.

"When Sasuke woke up and started going through the mission report, when he mentioned Orochimaru, it was with a kind of....familiarity."

All three heads looked at him dead on. "What do you mean?" Mikoto asked stiffly.

"I mean, he talked about Orochimaru chasing him like it was a regular occurrence—and looked more shocked at my own shock then anything else. He wasn't surprised about him at all."

Saying it out loud like this—it really did sound concerning. It would have to mean Sasuke had to have run in to the snake sannin before.

But that...that couldn't have happened, right?

Mikoto looked deep in thought. "Maybe...we should keep Itachi away from Sasuke for now."

Kakashi blinked in surprise. So did Kushina. "Why?" she asked in genuine confusion. Sasuke and Itachi were close, and cared for each other deeply. Why not see if Sasuke remembered him? It would be a huge advantage.

Mikoto frowned, her brows furrowed. Her eyes went concerningly blank for a second. "I just have a feeling."

***

Sasuke looked pissed. But more then that, he looked spooked—and because of that Naruto was terrified.  On the inside of course, because like he would ever show it(especially with Sasuke around).

Sasuke was still wearing his slightly shredded hospital gown, red lines stark against his pale skin. If Naruto didn't know who he was or what he could do, he might even call him petite. Heh, as if.

Sasuke's face, usually so blank and impassive, if not angry, was a shade paler, his eyes widened and surrounded by deep black circles. "Was that...the yondamie..?"

Naruto felt his stomach clench. "Yeah." His shoulders felt tense at the reminder, climbing to his ears.

Sasuke eyes narrowed in condemnation at the gesture. His jaw was clenched as he let out a harsh "tell me everything."

Naruto opened his mouth only to close it again. He felt wrong-footed. Everything was so overwhelming. His parents—his parents— were outside and alive and—and... 

Against everything he stood for, against all his self-control, he felt his eyes begin to sting.

"...Naruto?" He looked up to see Sasuke looking at him in something similar to concern—actual, worried concern. He looked just as freaked out, but he was still undeniably Sasuke.

And Sasuke was his friend.

His tears let loose and a sob escaped his throat. The words started spilling from his lips before he could stop them, practically pushing all his feelings into a single sentence—

"He's my d-dad and she's apparently my mom even though she's a hag and they're not dead but Jiji said they were dead and if they're not dead why was I alone and why didn't anyone tell my that the forth hokage was my father and—and everything feels wrong and I don't know what's going on because that nurse was really nice to me and they're never nice—"

"Naruto!" Sasuke suddenly interrupted. His eyes were wide. His face paler then normal. Naruto let out another sob. He couldn't help it.

Hesitantly, so slowly that Naruto thought he was second guessing it, Sasuke moved toward him and put a hand on his shoulder. It was so completely unlike him that Naruto was shocked out of his tears.

Their eyes met. Dread met dread.

Sasuke looked to be visibly trying to fight down whatever it was he wanted to say.

"You're definitely right about one thing. Something's wrong."

He could say that again.

He took a shuddering breath.

"Whatever anything else, we need to get out of here." Sasuke eyes flashed to the Sharingan, flickering across the room in dissatisfaction.

"The room's sealed. We're trapped." Sasuke said with a snarl. His shoulders were tense too—so was his whole body. Cagey, even.

Naruto felt like sinking to his knees. He just wanted things to go back to normal—but more than that, he wanted answers. The truth.

His eyes met the blazing scarlet red of Sasuke's without hesitation. "Then how do we break those seals?"

 

Notes:

About time, right? :)

Notes:

Just trying something different :)

It's been in my head for a while now, and I finally decided to put pen to paper(-or fingers to keyboard).