Skeletons in the Closet

Chapter Eighteen

By: Lazuli

PG-13

Thanks especially goes to proud_snapist for her hard work in beta-ing this chapter. Without her comments and keen eye—you’d have chapters like the first mess. ^_^ I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Standard Disclaimer Applies

Chapter Eighteen 

Sasuke couldn't even form a reply at first, and continued to stare at Naruto. His mind and his eyes were telling him two different things. Part of him knew that Naruto had to be alive—he was just alive earlier today, wasn't he? But his eyes were clearly showing him how the sunlight was streaming through Naruto, outlining his features and creating an almost glow around him. It seemed whatever energy Naruto had been using earlier to hide his state wasn't being used anymore.

"What is this, Naruto?" He demanded. "If you think this is a good prank or a funny jutsu, it's not." His hands were shaking, he noted absently and he clenched his fists to hide the fact. "Drop it now and make yourself look normal again—"

"Why do you think I'd do something so stupid?" Naruto demanded. "I thought you had more trust in me than that—" He gave a disgusted snort and Sasuke noticed with faint unease that Naruto wasn't quite standing on the ground—but hovering slightly above it. He bit his lip. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt you." Naruto looked hurt that Sasuke would even think that way.

"Then how do you explain how transparent you are, Naruto?" Sasuke demanded, trying to keep the calm veneer he had worked so hard to maintain, even when he told himself it was okay to relax around Naruto. "I… you're not supposed to be see through, I shouldn't be able to put my hand through you. While I'm sure it's effective for enemies, I don’t appreciate it."

Naruto sighed, his expression more open than Sasuke ever remembered it being. "I thought I could hide it for longer.." He whispered, half to himself. "Sasuke…" His eyes were still that same intense shade of blue. "I'm a ghost."

Sasuke stared at him, brows furrowing as he took in the blunt statement. "But that would mean you died." He knew he sounded inane and wished he could take back his words. He forced himself to continue, trying to save himself from his last sentence, and kicked up the amount of arrogance his voice could display. "And since you can't be dead and ghosts don't exist, again I'll say it's not a very funny joke." Ghosts were for the impractical—and an Uchiha did not believe in impractical things.

"You stubborn idiot!" Naruto glared at him, shaking his head in disgust. "You know me better than that! Why the hell would I play a stupid prank like that, and on you?" He demanded. "I would rather be alive, thank you very much—but I'm not and this is what we have to deal with." He knew that Sasuke couldn't stand the thought of losing anyone—of seeing someone he cared about die in front of him. He learned that at the age of twelve—but still. To think that Sasuke thought so little of him as to taunt him with such obviously painful fears. "Can't you tell the difference between pure chakra and a body that contains it?"

Sasuke's mouth dropped open at the matter of fact attitude, and he almost felt slightly bad for the way he blindly attacked Naruto like that. But he couldn't help it, when the idiot was spouting off nonsense that he had died, that it wasn't Naruto, but his ghost. Naruto can't die--He swallowed thickly and took a deep breath—letting his senses tell him what his heart refused to accept. Even as he slowed his breathing to relax himself, he couldn't help but protest still. "A pure body of chakra could mean that you used a clone for this."

"Clones vanish if you punch them too hard." Naruto was just watching him now, more relaxed than before, almost as if he was relieved that they were having this conversation. "I could never do regular illusions that well—and they usually don't talk to people." He added dryly. "Stop being such a moron and just accept it." His voice only trembled faintly.

"You want me to accept the fact that you're dead?" Sasuke demanded, voice finally cracking. "I always knew you were insane, Naruto—but this proves it." He rested his hand on the table for a moment, trying to calm himself down. "I don't want to." He muttered rebelliously. "If I don't accept it, it's not real. This is just another dream." The dream he had before of Naruto dying stood out in his mind vividly. But he couldn't make himself reach out for Naruto—if he failed and his hand went through him again, he didn’t know what he'd do.

He felt some type of pressure on his head, and he looked up, startled and about to smirk at his point being proved right. But the satisfied look fell away from his face as he realized that Naruto had never touched him, and there was that same tingle of almost-electric energy hovering around him. "Naruto…" He whispered.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke nearly jumped at the feeling of pure energy wrapping around his hands—it was Naruto's touch, but so unlike what he was used to that it surprised him for a moment. That moment was apparently enough for Naruto, who withdrew his 'hands' and simply watched Sasuke, waiting for his next response.

Sasuke stood up, a little shakily. "I think I need to be by myself for a little bit." He managed to get out, knowing that this was going to hurt Naruto worse, but at the moment he was unable to deal with the facts that he was presented with. The way that Naruto wasn't breathing—even the clones gave some semblance of that—the way he had no shadow and the strong pulse of energy that was literally Naruto now and not hidden by anything else. "Please."

Naruto nodded, watching him carefully. "You don't have to ask, Sasuke." His voice was soft as well, but there was no sign of hurt in his voice. "I guess it's a big shock and all—" His hands fumbled for something to hold onto, the only betraying sign of his unease. "I should have told you instead of trying to hide it, huh?" His attempt at laughter fell flat and Sasuke just gave him an impassive stare in return. He was much better at hiding his emotions than Naruto was, and didn't let a single shred of his feelings show. That would be for later, once he had everything under control.

He left Naruto by himself, trying to tell himself that it was what the idiot deserved for lying to him—even if it was something as ludicrous as Naruto being dead and that he was a ghost and … Sasuke slammed a fist into his bedroom wall, eyes closing as he processed that thought. He didn't want to believe, he couldn't believe it—but… it was there and something inside of him just hurt at the thought.

As he shut the door to his room, he wondered why Sakura didn’t say anything to him, or Neji. Why wasn't it written in his notebook? You would think that I would have written down something as significant as Naruto dying. With that thought in mind, his doubts resurfaced. As Naruto had oh-so-nicely pointed out, he did write down stuff of importance.

But… he couldn't deny what his senses told him—unless he wanted to entirely discount that as well. His mind went over the various things he had found in the trunk—Naruto's necklace from Tsunade, the picture—Hokage robes. Sasuke's eyes widened. Naruto had become Hokage before any of whatever happened occurred. How much time had passed, how much could he have missed?

Running into his bathroom, he stared at his reflection, reassured that not too much time passed by. He didn't look much older, and he was sure that any number of years—especially at this point in his life—would leave some type of mark. Sasuke was starting to feel helpless, a sensation that he never cared for. Naruto, apparently a ghost, his own memories lost—what has happened?

His journal didn't yield many answers, just forewarnings of his impending death because of the curse seal. He'd known that the curse seal was slowly eating away his resources-- Wait a minute…now that he thought about it, there was something strange about that as well. He felt the back of his neck where the curse seal was imprinted, and there was nothing there. His eyes widened in shock. Even with Naruto's contribution to the seal covering it, he should feel something—the mark should still be there—but it wasn't.

For the first time in eight years, he was free from it—but he wondered at the price. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to confront Naruto. He wasn't sure if he had everything under control yet—and this latest shock didn't help matters any, but he had to know how it happened—and if the curse seal being gone had anything to do with Naruto's death.

~

Naruto paced back and forth, his feet never touching the ground, but little sparks of chakra were left in his wake. This was not supposed to happen—he had been hoping to avoid this scenario all together. But every time he tried to save Sasuke from himself, something worse happened. At least Sasuke wasn't yelling at him yet for acting like an idiot, or dying when he wasn't supposed to die. Sasuke always had the weirdest, most anal reactions to things.. The fact that he lied to Sasuke didn't help matters, either. Give him time, Naruto. A little voice inside him whispered. He's a little stunned. Another hour or so and he'll be back to normal.

That was the problem, though. He didn’t want Sasuke to be his old self again—he needed him to be Sensu Sasuke instead of Uchiha Sasuke. Maybe if I told him…He thought uneasily. It would certainly be the right thing to do, and perhaps the shock of it would make the memories resurface. Naruto wasn't sure of the results and was afraid that any more surprises could seriously dent even Sasuke's psyche. It was one thing to accept that your friend was dead—when the evidence was staring you straight in the face, it was another to be told that you had died.

He felt Sasuke's presence a moment before he appeared in the kitchen, and he whirled around, ready to face any questions—or so he hoped. He wasn't expecting the intense look in Sasuke's eyes, the way they hid the any discomfort over Naruto's state or the position the both of them were in. Like he's on a mission and is just looking for all the facts and details, to examine every possibility. It was another sign that Uchiha Sasuke's personality was on the forefront. Sensu Sasuke never held that level of intensity in his gaze.

"Naruto…" He paused and seemed to collect himself for a moment. "Tell me the truth—did you die because of my curse seal?" It wasn't the question that Naruto was expecting, for which he was grateful for. It was something he could answer honestly and easily.

~

Sasuke was one of the few people that knew how to read Naruto's moods—his real moods and not the mask that he showed to the rest of the world. Perhaps it was because Sasuke himself was so careful about not showing his real emotions that he learned how to look for them in someone that was just like him. Different masks, different ways of acting—the feelings were still the same underneath.

Naruto didn't twitch, just gave him a careful look and arched one brow. "Your faith in me is overwhelming." He said dryly. "No—it wasn't because of your seal." There was honesty there—but something else lay just below the surface, an omission that could hold potential for so much more, but wasn't enough to really delve into. "I wouldn't die from anything so simple as removing that."

Sasuke frowned a little at how Naruto trivialized something that was supposed to kill Sasuke, but let it go without a remark—for now. "Then how did it happen, Naruto?" He asked, voice a little harsh. It was hard getting the words out, to keep his voice steady. "I saw Hokage robes in that trunk—you were at least Hokage before you died, right?" He demanded.

Naruto nodded, eyes still portraying that careful blankness of expression. "Yeah—I got to live my dream." His smile was almost wistful. "You know—I think becoming Hokage does something to you. I was never so proud to .. protect people, you know? I wanted to do everything to make sure they wouldn't get hurt unnecessarily." There was a sadness in his voice that echoed through Sasuke, making his heart clench painfully.

"So you died protecting the village." He said bluntly. "How….?" He whispered. "Naruto, you were too strong to die." Sasuke's world felt like it was tilting on its axis with his own words. Naruto dying wasn't even something he thought about—that’s why it was safe to be with him, to let himself relax and care again—to lean on him. But seeing Naruto like this—so animated and so much like himself, it was hard to believe he was dead. Ghosts can be comforting, I suppose—because at least one can talk to the person they lost as if they weren't dead at all. A sort of reminder that life did go on—on a sense—after death.

"Well… yeah---" Naruto gave him a nervous grin. "You remember how I told you how strongly kyuubi and I were connected?" He asked carefully. When Sasuke gave a quick nod, he continued. "Well—" It was obvious that it wasn't easy for him to speak about this, and Sasuke regretted his question.

"Naruto—you don't have to tell me." He said quickly. He wasn't so sure that he wanted to hear the details of Naruto's death either—he didn't even want to think about it. "I… I'd rather not know…" He said softly. If he didn't know, it made the whole thing less real, less painful. He forced a smile on his face. "Why don't we talk about the things I missed out on over the past few years?"

Naruto looked startled for a moment, then grinned widely at that. "Oh, I can think of a few things that you'd be upset you forgot about." He tilted his head and observed Sasuke, his gaze as intense as Sasuke's was before. "What have you already found out or remembered?"

Sasuke grimaced. "I found out that there is a lot that I don't remember." He took a seat near Naruto, and considered his next words. "How many years has it been, Naruto? There are obviously some things that I never wrote down in my journal that were pretty damn important. What other events occurred that I should have recalled?"

Naruto grimaced and waved it off. "A few—but nothing really important happened besides me dying." The fact that he was so cheerful and matter of fact about it disturbed Sasuke a little. Shouldn't he be a little more.. lonely or sad… than he was? "Konoha has been pretty quiet, no major battles or events or instances."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that. "Really now." He said dryly. Naruto nodded eagerly. "Really, Sasuke—it's been pretty dull and everything—well, from what I can see at least." The mask slipped momentarily. "I can't leave the estate, so I wouldn't really know what's going on in town. Only from what people tell me."

"Naruto…" Sasuke reached out for him and realized almost instantly how futile the gesture was. "I…when you died…." The sentence almost fit inside his mouth this time, made sense—didn't pinch with that same surprising pain—"I didn't leave you alone did I?" The thought of leaving Naruto again, of purposely hurting him like he did all those years ago—that hurt worse than that thought of Naruto dying.

Naruto's smile held a touch of pain as he reached out, energy moving over Sasuke's hands in what was meant to be a comforting gesture. "No—Sasuke never left me."

~

"What I don't get is why Sakura didn't tell me—or Neji for that matter." Now that the main shock had been overcome, Sasuke felt much more level now—more able to deal with whatever was going to come next. As Naruto had predicted-give Sasuke a few hours and he would adapt to anything. Even, apparently, talking to the ghost of his best friend. At least that was what he tried to portray on the surface.

Naruto shrugged. "Probably didn't want to freak you out or something." He said easily. "I mean—would you have believed her if she told you something like that?" His voice was reasonable and Sasuke had to agree with Naruto.

"It might have lessened the shock." He muttered. "So why are you sticking around here?" He asked. "And why do I still live here, if it's been enough years where my sentence would have been lifted?"

Naruto grew serious at that. "It's part of my payment for what I did to save the village." He looked ready to say one thing, then paused, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "Oh! You don't remember this—but this'll just floor you." He grinned widely, that smile back in his eyes as well. "Remember how you asked about things you've forgotten?" He asked, clearly enjoying dragging it out.

"You're always too dramatic, Naruto." Sasuke gave him an irritated look as he calmly bit into a rice ball. He couldn't help but smile at the normality of it all. If the lights were dim or Naruto stood out of the sunlight, it was easy to imagine that nothing had changed. Naruto was still an idiot and the only one that could invoke any reaction in Sasuke.

Naruto pouted for a moment, but the happy light in his eyes didn't go away. "Well…" He grinned. "Apparently I take after my father in more ways than one." Sasuke was sufficiently startled at the matter of fact statement.

"But.. Naruto…" His brows drew in. "Idiot, you don't know your father." He didn't worry about those words. Naruto had gotten over that a long time ago. He was never really bothered by it—or if he was, he was better at hiding that than anything else. He always had his own suspicions as to Naruto's parentage, but never voiced them. Orochimaru was the one that confirmed his suspicions unexpectedly.

But Naruto just smirked at him. "Shows you how much you know." He snickered. "C'mon—what other person can you think of that resembles me?" He teased. "I mean—my good features aren't common and only a few people can claim them." When Sasuke simply gave an incredulous snort at that, Naruto huffed in annoyance. "Okay, fine—what other Hokage was connected with kyuubi?"

"How long did it take you to figure it out?" Sasuke asked dryly, eating the rest of his meal calmly. "I know that you avoid mirrors for fear of cracking them, but even an accidental glimpse would give even someone as dense as you a hint."

Naruto glared at him and reached out, and Sasuke didn't expect the 'smack' and stared at Naruto in shock. "That's what you get." He muttered. "And yeah—I didn't find out for awhile. How did you know?" He asked in wonderment. "No one told me for a long time—it wasn't until just before I died that I found out." He glared at Sasuke. "Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded. "Don’t you think I would have liked to know?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I didn't want you acting more stupid than you already were. You were always bragging about Hokage this and that when we were younger—and that was when I was uncertain anyways. You didn't look that much like him when you were twelve." He looked at Naruto more carefully. In his version of the Yondaime's jacket, he looked even more like his father. "I'm surprised Jiraiya-san never told you when you were training with him. He was his teacher, after all."

"Maybe I disappointed him growing up, didn't remind him of his student. He was a lot younger when he trained with Ero-sennin after all." With his eyes half shut, Naruto rested his head on his arms. "But yeah—so back to how I'm like him—" he smiled faintly. "He died to seal the kyuubi in me, and I died to have it released and destroyed."

Sasuke started at that. "You… why the hell would you do something like that?" His heart clenched painfully. "If you did it for some stupid reason like the village not wanting a demon for their hokage or some inane, stupid shit like that, Naruto—" He took a deep breath. "It doesn't explain why you decided to keep me company here."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "That was a major jutsu, Sasuke. There was a heavy price to pay for it, and I made a deal. Rather than having my soul scattered to the winds like I did kyuubi's—I was bound to the spot where I died." He gave a faint smile. "I was allowed to protect Konoha from the outside—"

His voice broke off, as if he was stopping himself from saying much more. "But you don't want to hear the details of that. Suffice to stay I'm stuck here for a long time and…." He looked back up at Sasuke. "Would you rather that I leave?" He asked, his voice emotionless. "I'm sure there can be something worked out if you can't handle the fact that I'm a ghost anymore." He tilted his head to the side. "Or you're free to go. You're no longer under jurisdiction of the current Hokage."

Sasuke gave him a level stare, evaluating his words. "You're still an idiot, Uzumaki." He smirked. "Why would I want to leave my house—and why would I want you to leave? I've gotten used to having you around and rather like it." He knew he said the right thing with the way Naruto's expression relaxed. "But I will make sure that I am not under house arrest anymore. You wouldn't just send me out into town without an escort just to make me a ghost like you, now would you?"

"Why the hell would I want something like that? Just because I fucked up and became a ghost, doesn't mean you have to go and do the same stupid thing." He rolled his eyes and again Sasuke felt that energy waver towards him, solidifying into a hard jab in his chest. "It's not like I can escort you into town, so you'll just have to trust me."

"I'm going to find out, then." Sasuke muttered, standing up and stretching. "But tomorrow—it's too late now and I really don't feel like facing people in town at the moment." They must have known about Naruto and were giving me looks because of it. He thought in annoyance. "Say.. if I'm supposed to be free and all now—why don't I have any uniforms? I thought I was going to be able to go on missions or something."

Naruto flashed him a grin at that, propping his chin up in one hand. "You were so heartbroken over my death that you couldn't stand to go on any missions for awhile." He said, eyes almost-serious. Sasuke snorted at that and Naruto laughed. "Hey, it was worth a shot." He stood in front of Sasuke, close enough where Sasuke would have been able to feel Naruto's breath if he had any. The sudden realization of the loss hit him all over again and he almost stepped back.

"Just.. just wait a moment." Naruto's voice sounded funny and Sasuke stilled. "You may not be able to touch me, but I do have ways of making contact with you." Sasuke gathered something of that with the earlier smacks and jabs Naruto gave him—the energy ghosting over his hands and the pressure on his head. "I… I want to …" Naruto's hand trembled as it lifted up, almost touching Sasuke's face, the energy smoothed and perfectly controlled, with none of the bite of the shocks from earlier. It was warm and comforting and Sasuke's eyes closed involuntarily. When he opened them again, Naruto had stepped back once again. "Good night, Sasuke—I hope that everything goes well for you in the morning."

~

Sasuke woke up from pleasant dreams of a time he-could-have-spent with Naruto—of him actually holding Naruto, them holding each other and comforting each other. Kissing like he wanted but never felt he could do, allow himself to do…and the pleasantness of the dreams soured as he woke up and realized that things weren't the same, that the chances he could have had were forever gone. That he and Naruto could never…

Swearing under his breath, he hurried out of bed and dressed, wanting to get things cleared up as soon as possible. To tell this new Hokage—whom he didn't even know—that he would be ready for missions soon. That apparently the curse seal was gone and wouldn't cause him or anyone else around him any problems. To make sure that he really had been pardoned, that enough time had passed where he'd redeemed himself.

He waited for Naruto in the main room, nearly jumping out of his skin at the increase of energy that announced Naruto's arrival. He wasn't used to Naruto appearing out of nowhere, and he wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to something like that. When he envisioned the time after his arrest, it was of Naruto and him completing missions together—or him being Naruto's bodyguard and watching over him. Them sparring or insulting each other. Not to have Naruto as a ghost and looking at him with that un-Naruto-like expression.

"I'm going into Konoha." He was uncomfortable, unsure of what to say or how to act around Naruto. "Will you… you will still be here when I get back, right?" It was a stupid question, and it made him sound like he needed Naruto or something, like a child—and where would Naruto go, anyways? But the vague memory of that dream clung to him, taunting him with might-have-beens.

"Yeah, I'll still be here." Naruto's smile was warm. "Idiot." He added for good measure. Sasuke glared at him and waved at him absentmindedly as he walked out of the gates of the Uchiha estate.

He looked around warily, body tensed in readiness for attack, glad that he had some concealed weapons on him. He simply felt safer with them on, but as he walked down the twisty, familiar streets, he was surprised by the friendly smiles and waves. It was something that had rarely been directed at him—it had always been intense stares, expecting stares. Ones that held pity in them, and the weight of the hopes from everyone had been overwhelming at times.

There was nothing of that in these looks. There were a few of the older people who gave him wide-eyed looks, narrowed glances and one that (was) creeped him out—an old lady, skin pinched and wrinkled who stared at him with large eyes. Sasuke gave an internal shudder. The look reminded him too much of the girls that used to dog his footsteps everywhere he went in his younger days.

He met up with the one of the ANBU guards at the entrance to the Hokage's tower. He doubted that he would get in to see the Hokage today—after all, he knew how busy the position could be—he had to from all the lessons and training Naruto attended—and wasn't expecting any special treatment. Still, it didn't hurt to try to get an appointment as soon as possible. "Tell the Hokage that Uchiha Sasuke is here."

He could almost sense the smirk behind the mask—it was all in the way the ANBU member held himself. "Oh, we know who you are." The voice was thick with sarcasm, and Sasuke frowned at the tone. It was hardly polite to be so blatant about his knowledge of Sasuke's lapse of memory, and to just be so rude about it—"I'm sure he's expecting you, after the news you must have received yesterday."

Sasuke's frown grew deeper. "That's none of your business." He said sharply. "If he is available and has the time to see me, I assure you that I will not take up a great deal of his time." He strode past the ANBU, making a mental note to talk about him to the current Hokage. When he arrived in the office, however, he was a little startled at the person there—it wasn't someone he knew at all. He expected that Naruto would have either chosen someone from in the village itself, or Tsunade would have taken over the job again until someone else came along. Having a stranger come to lead us again?

"Ah.. you must be here because you learned the truth about Naruto." The man was sharp and didn't waste any words.(") Sasuke gave a cautious nod as he stood at attention in front of the desk. Out of habit, his eyes went to the pictures that hung at the back of the Hokage's desk, and the man's next words were lost in his shock at what he saw.

There was Tsunade's picture—testimony to her role as Hokage and then Naruto's following hers. He had seen the blond that serious before, but it was still a mild shock to see him unsmiling. He was glad to see proof that Naruto had ascended to the Hokage position after all—but there were at least two pictures after Naruto's. Something was very off here. They don't just go through Hokage(')s like someone would drink a glass of milk. Sasuke thought in slight panic. Why are there so many pictures?

"Sasuke? Sasuke!" Sasuke snapped out of it, eyes moving back to the Hokage. "I said, how do you feel about the whole matter? I am sure that Naruto hasn't been completely truthful with you for awhile, but what do you think of this latest news?"

Sasuke gave him a blank stare. "I was told that I didn't remember him dying." He said evenly. "And I don't. What else is there that he hasn't told me about?" He swallowed. "And Naruto is never completely truthful with anyone. It saves him a lot of pain to do so. I don't go prying into things that he doesn’t want known." His eyes flicked back to the pictures again. "Why are there so many pictures after Naruto's?"

The Hokage started. "I see.." He shook his head and considered Sasuke's question. "Well—Naruto chose his successor before he died, and so many years after that another person was chosen—" He looked confused. "You know as well as I do how it works…"

Sasuke stared. "It hasn't been that many years." He said bluntly. "I can see with my own eyes that not that many years have passed." He gestured to himself. "I look the same as I did yesterday, Haruno Sakura looks the same…" His eyes were narrowed on the pictures, the evidence of the previous leaders warring with the previous evidence his eyes had shown him.

"That's something that you're going to have to ask Naruto." As Sasuke gave him an incredulous stare, he continued hurriedly. "I'm not joking—he's the one that would be the best to tell you and it's really not my place." Assuming an expressionless look, he stared back at Sasuke. "That's my final word on the matter. Once Naruto finally tells you everything, then come back here." He rubbed his forehead, obviously agitated or frustrated. "I heard that he was stubborn when it came to you, but this is ridiculous."

Sasuke's frown deepened, especially when the Hokage blatantly ignored him, turning his attention to paperwork. Sensing that questioning him more really would be a waste of time and a lost cause, he almost stomped out the door, reminding himself that attacking the Hokage just after his sentence was lifted wouldn't be the smartest move either.

The words echoed through his head—about how much time could have passed—had to have passed. His gaze moved more carefully over the streets, noting the differences and the age of some of them—how none of the people really looked familiar—and when his gaze moved towards the Hokage monument, the shock again threw him as he was faced with more evidence about the passage of time.

The facts were conflicting with each other almost violently, throwing his mind off with little shocks that reminded him almost of the electric chakra sparks that Naruto now consisted of. He hurried past the now-sympathetic looks, ignoring the calls and needing to get back to some type of stability. Nothing was the same, nothing was right-it has to be a genjutsu—He thought, mind twisting at the logic.

But Uchihas are normally immune to jutsu like that—that those privileged to have the bloodline limit bloodline prevents it. As he stepped on the grounds again, a cold shiver worked its way down his spine. Just as he didn't feel the effects of the curse seal anymore—didn't see the dark tattoo marring his skin—he realized that he couldn't feel his chakra either.

~

Naruto knew something was very wrong when Sasuke swept into the house, eyes blazing with anger and confusion. "Ah, hell…" He muttered.

"Ah, hell is right." Sasuke mimicked, the venom in his voice clear. "Why the hell has my chakra dropped down to civilian levels, Naruto?" He demanded. Naruto looked astounded at that, and then gave him an uneasy look.

"I can explain!" He started out. Sasuke stalked him, uncaring or not really thinking about how Naruto was insubstantial and backing him into a corner wouldn't do him much good.

"You better, Naruto." He hissed out. "And I don't want any half-assed explanations. I don't want you to protect me or think that you know better. I'm not fragile, I won't break—I didn’t breakdown when you said you were dead, what makes you think that I'll breakdown from anything else you tell me? It can't be any worse than that."

He continued, fists clenched. "I can't feel my chakra levels anymore—the curse seal is gone and I can't even activate the lowest level of Sharingan. If I tried to do a jutsu, I'd burn out because I couldn't handle it! Does this have anything to do with my curse seal being gone?" He demanded. Sasuke knew that there had to be something about the curse seal connected with all this mess, and was determined to get to the bottom of it. Maybe Naruto never told him because he was embarrassed that he screwed up. Maybe removing Sasuke's chakra was the only way to save him.

And maybe he told you already and you're being rude and hurtful and overreacting because you just can't remember. He reminded himself sharply. "Just tell me the truth, Naruto." He finally sighed. "Even if it was the only way to save my life or whatever—I want to know."

Naruto made a choked sound and turned away. "It does have to do with the curse seal, Sasuke—but not in the way that you think." Steadying his chakra, which had flared in reaction to his own frustration—he faced Sasuke fully. "But… even if I told you—you wouldn't believe me."

:Screw being nice about it. "Try me." He said flatly. Naruto was being just as stupid as ever—but he never held back with telling Sasuke what he thought about anything. He owned up to his mistakes—even if they were combined with a great dealing of moaning and grumbling—and to have him holding back like this was so unlike Naruto that he was almost convinced that it wasn't Naruto he was speaking to, but someone trying to pose as him. "There was some rather odd things in Konoha that didn't quite add up with your earlier story, Naruto. Tell me—how much time has really passed? And no playing around this time."

Naruto winced. "That's part of the 'what you won't believe' stuff I was talking about." He was still 'wearing' the yondaime's jacket and the chakra that made up the jacket sparked and almost made the flames seem alive. "I mean.. it's rather hard to believe and it's really not fair to you and I'd rather that we just let life go on as usual, you know?" He asked, a note of hope in his voice. "No news is good news, right?"

"No." Sasuke wasn't going to let this one go. He wanted, no…needed to know and make sense of all the inconsistencies in the facts around him. His eyes told him one thing, then shoved another in his face. "I don't give a damn about what you think is better or how 'life is nicer' with all this evasive nonsense."

Naruto growled and real anger sparked in his eyes. "Fine, you want to know, bastard?" He demanded. "It's been eighty years since I died. I hung out here because I made a promise to you. I looked after this place like I looked after Konoha. You died before I did and my chakra went so fucking blippy after that kyuubi was a bitch to control." Sasuke stared at him with wide eyes. "The seal had already weakened by that time—but you kept me balanced so that the seal wouldn’t break. Something weird happened right before I died and then you died to save me from it and now…" He growled and a dent appeared in the wall from the force of Naruto's energy.

"And… and that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard." Sasuke was amazed at the way his voice cracked. "I'm alive, aren't I?" He demanded. "I can talk with people and I have to open doors to go through them. I look the same as I remember the day before all this stupidity started—now stop making up stupid stories and tell me the truth, Naruto."

"I knew you wouldn't believe me." Naruto shrugged as if to say 'Well, I tried' but he gave Sasuke a challenging look. "What do your eyes tell you, Sasuke?" He asked softly. "What did you see outside, what did you see in the Hokage's office? Don't you think things looked a little strange to you?"

Sasuke swallowed. "It's a genjutsu." He insisted. "Or I'm dreaming or something—" He shook his head. "You're probably not even dead but this is all just some messed up nightmare from an enemy."

"A genjutsu can be broken easily." Naruto returned. "A dream would be over by now and you would know the difference." His voice held a note of resignation. "I never liked hiding things from you, Sasuke—and this has gone on long enough. I should've told you at the beginning when Neji warned me—but…" He sighed again, a gesture totally unnecessary with his ghost body. "I guess I wanted to hold on to the hope that you were given a second chance."

"A second… chance?" Sasuke was starting to calm down and he put one hand to his heart, which was starting to beat erratically. Another sign that he was alive—his heart was pounding almost painfully now, short little jabs that made his breath come short as he looked at Naruto. "Second chances…I had my second chance already."

Naruto gave a short laugh. "That wasn't enough of one." He murmured. "You were given a clean slate—a chance to start over—and I screwed it up. Maybe if I show you one last thing, things will go back to normal." He gave Sasuke a considering look. "You never believed in reincarnation, did you?" He asked. "I mean—if you never believed in ghosts…"

"No, when you die—you're supposed to die." Sasuke's lips compressed in a thin line. "You defied the rules when alive, so I'm not surprised that even after you die you go against logical reasoning." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Really, Naruto—you're saying that I'm reborn or something?"

Naruto growled at him. "You want proof, dumbass?" He asked. "I'll show you proof. Proof that I died—that you died and that this isn't some sick prank that I wanted to play on you. I assume you remember where the graveyard on your property is?"

Sasuke snarled at him for that little dig. "I think I can recall something like that, Naruto." He said acidly. He pushed through Naruto to get past him, leaving the ghost fuming for a second before he stayed by Sasuke, as if he was either watching him or trying to prove a point.

The graveyard was as still and silent as always, and Sasuke found himself relaxing as he moved around the familiar markers, eyes sad. Only the immediate, main branch of the Uchiha family rested here—which meant his parents were here as well.

Naruto had moved ahead of him, and was waiting by twin markers—both old and a little worn looking, but the area around them was well maintained. "You said that I was a part of the family." He said softly. "And you wrote down and had it legalized and whatnot—that when I died, I could be buried here." He gave a short laugh, but there was nothing of humor in it. "I don't think you expected your offer would be taken up so soon."

Sasuke bit his lip, moving forward slowly. No matter how stupid Naruto's story sounded—he still didn't want to see what Naruto was presenting to him. He felt a strange tugging though, and moved closer almost involuntarily, drawn by a force he couldn't see. His eyes went first to the marker that Naruto stood behind, and read Naruto's name inscribed there—along with the date of his death and his title as the Rokudaime.

It was one thing to know that Naruto was dead, to see his ghost, but—"Doesn’t it creep you out to see your own grave?" He asked with a faint grimace.

Naruto gave him a strange, half smile. "Does it?" He asked and Sasuke's eyes moved over to the other grave and it took his brain a moment to process the name there. His name—with his family status, the date of his death—friend and companion of Uzumaki Naruto—Sasuke stepped back, as if the distance from the grave would make the words vanish, make sense flood back into his world.

His head suddenly throbbed and bile rose in his throat. He could see something else that wasn't the graveyard in front of him, phantom pain raced up his arms and made his whole body hurt. He fell to his knees, his eyes level now with the words inscribed on the gravestone. He died bravely, protecting whom he cared about. He shook his head, trying to push down the sob that rose in his throat.

Fire—the chakra patterns he could see from the enemies—voices shouting, his own rising above the rest and giving everything he had to protect Naruto. Naruto who got injured because of him, who let the kyuubi out because of the Sound nins that wanted Sasuke back. His fault.. his fault that Naruto got targeted..

The shock and pain and remembrance of his death suddenly hit him, realization at the truth in Naruto's words hitting him all at once. All the color drained from his face and his eyes rolled back in his head, only vaguely aware of the dim smack of his head hitting the ground.

~

Naruto winced when Sasuke hit the ground, and even though he knew that it wasn't a good sign and that he should find some way to get help here—he couldn't help the amused smile that twitched at the corners of his mouth. If he had known being reborn would make Sasuke pass out all the time like a weakling, he would have told him the truth and teased him about it much earlier.

Until he got the chance to tease him again—he had to take care of Sasuke now He poked at him, letting his chakra flow over Sasuke and hoping to jolt him awake. But as he continued his prodding, he realized that this wasn't an ordinary fit—Sasuke's breathing was turning shallow and the pasty color of his skin paled even more. The smile fell away from Naruto's face as he realized that this turned out much worse than he ever wanted or expected the results to be. He only hoped that this time he could rectify matters.

~