Chapter Text
The cloudless sky was pitch dark. Almost no light shone through the canopy of trees above, save for the full moon, which was almost too bright to stare directly at. The humid air and the smell of petrichor emanating from the earth pushed and pulled at his senses. The grass was damp and seeped through his clothes, making him painfully aware of how waterproof his jacket wasn’t.
He began to shiver, suddenly tired once more, unsure of where he was or why he had awoken in the middle of a forest. Before his confusion could catch up with him, he heard voices shouting in the distance. His senses latched on to the noise, picking apart four distinct sets of footsteps.
“Guys! I think I found something!”
More footsteps. Definitely four people. A young woman with red hair cautiously peered down at him before quickly stepping back. She spoke in a low voice to her companions behind her. Slipping in and out of consciousness, he could barely make out the conversation.
“…barely even noticed his chakra…”
“…doing out here?”
“…after the rainstorm…”
He was shivering harder now. He tried to move one of his arms; it stayed flat on the ground. He could no longer see the red-haired woman; instead, a different shade of red swam in front of his vision. Two piercing eyes, like the full moon had been drenched in blood. His vision filled with red, and his mind went blank once more.
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The wind whipped at Sasuke’s cheeks as he surged through the damp canopy, the full moon illuminating his path through the forest. Taka had heard the rumours; not far from here, someone had attacked a group of political leaders and evaded capture. Something about that piqued his interest—if this was a lead, they had to move quickly. He could sense the rest of his team nearby, though he kept his focus on Karin and her sensor abilities.
Soon enough, her voice rang clear through the trees.
“Guys! I think I found something!”
Sasuke followed, quickening his pace—Suigetsu and Juugo weren’t far behind. As he approached, he saw Karin lean over a figure lying prone on the forest floor. She jumped back—in fear? Recognition? As Sasuke turned to look, the moonlight illuminated the face of the person lying there, and Sasuke felt his chest turn to ice.
There, barely breathing, eyes unfocused, and entire body shivering like he was fighting off death, was Naruto.
“I barely even noticed his chakra,” Karin murmured. “Do you think…? From the rumours…?”
It was like Sasuke was listening from the other side of a thick glass wall.
“Sasuke, isn’t that—” Suigetsu cut himself off. “What the hell is he doing out here?”
The ice in Sasuke’s chest was pricking him like pins and needles. He knew his teammates were talking to him. He couldn’t respond. He tried to take a breath, but it shuddered out of him.
“He likely hasn’t been out here very long,” Juugo offered calmly. “Judging from his clothes, he found his way here after the rainstorm last night.”
Sasuke forced himself to take another shuddering breath, forced all of the questions out of his head. He knew, instinctively, what he needed to do this moment. He strode forward and kneeled beside Naruto, who was clearly fighting to remain conscious—and losing.
Sasuke activated the Sharingan, except no he didn’t—they were already active. When did…? Dismissing the thought, he turned his gaze on the blond beside him. Naruto’s unfocused eyes met his, and Sasuke felt his own eyes widen at the uncertainty and confusion reflected in them.
Then, in the next moment, Naruto was asleep.