Disclaimer: Naruto characters are not mine!

Akira: Hello my darling readers~ ^3^ Once again thanks so much for the reviews! It really helps to keep me motivated ^^ Yes I know I broke my daily update schedule. I'm trying to update once a week from now on because school just restarted for me and I am terrible at managing my time. So in order for me to not burn out and lose my drive and perseverance to finish this story, I have resolved to update once every week most probably on Friday evenings ^^ And another thing: I AM ADDICTED TO CLASH OF CLANS! Any of you play it too? You're welcome to join my clan if you don't have one and is looking to join one~ It's called Salmonbelly. I know but don't judge, I didn't name it. My friend who's the clan leader did. He loves salmon belly sushi apparently. So much he needs to name our clan after a sushi ^^' We're still a new clan so we don't have that many members. We're trying to recruit as many people as we can so we can FINALLY start our clan war.:smirks:. No pressure though! Up to you if you want to join or not ^^

If you are planning on joining our clan heed my warning please: None of my friends know I write fanfiction and I'd like to keep it that way so if they happen to ask how did you get to know of our clan just give an excuse like "I just typed in Salmon for fun and our clan name came out. It looked interesting so I joined." I'd really appreciate it if we could keep COC and fanfiction separate =) My name on COC is .:Akira:. In case you were wondering ^^ Thanks!

To Kigen Dawn: Hey~ You're becoming a regular huh ^^ Really love seeing a review from you. Great to know there's someone out there who really love my story. It gives me the added push to continue writing. I really don't want to be a let down ^^' NO! Kyuu is mine! Hahahah nah I'm just kiddin. We can share~ ^^
To YaoiNarutoGirl: Hi! Glad you love my story ^^ Heehee it makes me all fuzzy inside to know people love my story~ Thanks! Hope you'll continue to support me =)

ONWARD

Chapter 5

"Here goes nothing."

Naruto took a huge breath before expelling it to calm his raging heart. It was apparently trying to beat itself right out of his chest! He was so nervous! Naruto was currently standing right in front of his student's bedroom door. He had already greeted the younger teen's mother in the kitchen and like before, a maid had escorted him to the young teen's room. This time, before the maid could knock on the door to call for the dark-haired teen's attention, Naruto had stopped her, explaining that he needed a moment to himself. The maid had given him a look of understanding and left him alone. He had already been pacing in front of the door for several minutes now and he still hadn't mustered up the courage to knock!

"It's just a bloody door Naruto! Knock already!" Naruto steeled himself. He was ready. He raised his fist to knock on the door but before it could connect to the dark wooden door, it opened. Naruto stared wide-eyed at the taller teen standing before him in nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips. Naruto was embarrassed when he had involuntarily let out a squeak of mortification. He could feel his face becoming all red. He covered his face.

"What the hell are you doing dobe?" Sasuke looked down at his tutor with a blank face. The older teen was trying his hardest to cover his heavily flushed face with his hands. It wasn't working very well. He could still see the redness of his cheeks through the gaps between his thin fingers. He noted that the blond's ears were also red.

"That should be my line asshole! What the hell are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?" Naruto's voice was slightly muffled because he had spoken through his fingers.

"I was going to have a shower."

"Don't you know you have a lesson today? Why the hell are you going to shower now?" getting fed up, Naruto pushed through the open doorway into the blue painted room and quickly took his seat. At least he knew now that the pale teen did know he had a lesson because he had brought up a chair from the dining room.

"Hurry up so we can start already," Naruto ruffled his hair while digging through his bag pack, not daring to turn around until he heard the bedroom door close. He paused in his frantic search in his bag pack and let out an annoyed breath. "Why did I react that way?" Naruto was confused. Extremely confused. He had never reacted that strongly to a shirtless guy before. Not even towards his ex-boyfriend who he had dated for two years. This was becoming frustrating! It didn't help that last night Kyuubi was being stubborn about following him today.

He had told Kyuubi last night that he was going to drop him off at Tsunade baa-chan's daycare centre today because he had his tutoring job to go to. Kyuubi had surprisingly asked if he could accompany him. Usually the small red-head would be ecstatic to hear that he could see their 'grandmother' but last night he had been adamant about wanting to follow him. When Naruto had firmly said that no he could not follow him Kyuubi had pouted, another one of his habits that the red head had picked up from him, and proceeded to ask various probing questions about his student. He had asked normal questions like "how old is he?" and "what does he look like?" to really embarrassing questions like "does he have a boyfriend?" and "would you want him as your boyfriend if he doesn't?" Naruto had immediately put him to bed then. He was obviously sleepy if he was saying all these weird things.

However, Kyuubi's questions had triggered something. He will admit that from the moment he saw Sasuke, that day they had their first lesson last Monday, he knew he was really good looking. His pale skin was flawless and looked smooth to the touch. He obviously worked out quite a bit in order to maintain his perfect abs and pectorals. His deep eyes were captivating, drawing you in to discover what secrets lay beneath their dark depths. Even though Naruto thought it was the most ridiculous hair style on the planet, the duck butt surprisingly didn't look weird on him. Yes, ok he will admit he was somewhat attracted to his student but that's just it! Sasuke was his student! It'll be awkward! Naruto ruffled his hair furiously trying to banish all these nonsensical and unwelcome thoughts.

~oOo~

Sasuke came into his room wearing only his towel around his hips because he had forgotten to bring a change of clothes with him. He didn't mind so much because this way he got to see the dobe's reaction of seeing him almost naked again. He was therefore somewhat annoyed that the blond idiot didn't react the way he imagined he would with flushed cheeks and exaggerated hand waving. Instead the tanned teen seem to be deep in thoughts, his right hand furiously ruffling his blond spikes, making them even messier. He left him alone with his thoughts, ignoring the disappointment he felt.

After changing, Sasuke re-entered his room to find his tutor still ruffling his hair and muttering under his breath. As he walked closer, he picked out the words "arrogant" and "duck butt" so he surmised that the blond was referring to him.

"Who are you calling a duck butt usuratonkachi?"

Naruto let out an embarrassing "eep" of shock and jolted in his seat as the deep, husky voice of his student penetrated his deep thoughts. He placed his palm on his chest where he could feel the rapid beating of his heart and slowly turned accusing blue eyes at the smirking pale teen.

"Can you not do that? You already caused enough damage to my heart," Naruto tried not to wince at how that could have been taken out of context. Sasuke simply sat down in his seat, giving off a smug aura which the blond glared at, "arrogant duck butt, probably trying to kill me so he doesn't have to attend lessons anymore."

Sasuke turned to his tutor, ignoring the jab to his hair and asked a question he had been very curious to know the answer to, "Why were you working at that restaurant that day?"

Naruto sighed. He knew that the pale teen would want to ask him that. He looked down at the study table, trying to avoid eye-contact. Maybe if the other saw how uncomfortable he was to discuss this, he'll back off.

"For the money, duh. Why else would you work?"

"You already have a job of being my tutor, why do you need another job?"

"…It's not enough."

Sasuke frowned at this. He knew that his mother paid him three hundred dollars for his three hour lessons. He had lessons every Monday which makes up to four lessons a month. Three hundred dollars times four should make it twelve hundred dollars. One thousand, two hundred dollars is not enough for an eighteen going on nineteen young adult? What did he do with all that money?

"How can one thousand dollars be not enough? It's not like you actually need to pay for your bills and everything like your parents."

Sasuke didn't receive an answer and he was getting impatient, thinking that the blond was avoiding his question. He was about to ask the blond again but then thought back to his question. He looked at the older teen to his left, judging his hunched over posture and rapid shifting of his eyes. These were signs of the blond feeling guilty about trying to hide something. It couldn't be.

"You do pay for your bills and everything. Why?" Sasuke didn't know why he was so interested in the bond all of a sudden. He just knew that he needed the blond to answer them.

Naruto sighed and tried to relax. His body wasn't cooperating very well though. He looked up at the taller teen, his blue eyes expressing dejection. Sasuke was confused when his heart gave a sharp twinge of pain. "Why does seeing the blond down make me feel hurt?" He ignored it.

"I don't have parents Sasuke. They didn't want the responsibility of taking care of me anymore. Just before they abandoned me, they left a pile of huge debts. So now I am saddled with the burden of clearing them." Naruto scratched the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at the pale teen in front of him. The tension in the room was so thick; one could cut it with a knife.

Sasuke stared at emotionlessly at the other, not knowing what to do. It was his fault the atmosphere was so awkward because he had asked that question. Curse his mind for being too curious. Instead of verbalizing anything, Sasuke took out his books and started getting ready for the lesson. He could feel Naruto's gaze on him but he didn't turn to face him.

Naruto watched the Uchiha start getting ready for his lesson. He saw it as the other laying this matter to rest and putting it all behind them. He smiled tentatively. For someone so arrogant and cocky, he sure was sensitive to others feelings. Naruto was grateful for the young Uchiha's tact.

~oOo~

Naruto sighed in relief as he left the Uchiha compound. The whole time the two had avoided looking at each other which made the whole situation awkward. He ruffled his hair, uncaring of the mess it was already. He pulled out his phone after walking several steps in the direction of the train station. He speed dialed his best friend.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Gaara. I was wondering if you could help me pick up Kyuubi from the daycare? I don't think I can make it there by five." Naruto looked down at his wrist watch. It read 4:30. Usually he would be able to make it to pick up his little brother since it was just a half an hour train ride from this station but this evening he needed to be somewhere else. Other than refusing to let Kyuubi meet his student, this was actually the main reason he didn't let the small red head accompany him today. He was quite surprised he was able to push all thoughts of this out of his mind all day. "It helped that the bastard was steadily becoming a permanent resident in my mind. The bastard was taking up too much space in there that other thoughts got pushed aside."

Gaara was silent on the other line and Naruto knew from being friends with the red head for so long that he was in deep thought. A sigh sounded on the other side.

"You're going to Sound aren't you?"

Naruto kept quiet, knowing that the other already knew the answer. This wasn't the first time the blond had asked for a favour and given his trip to Sound as an excuse. After getting an affirmative from the other that he would help look after Kyuubi, Naruto hung up and tapped into the train station, riding the escalator that will take him to the platform with the train that goes in the opposite direction from the daycare centre.

When his train arrived he sat down, trying as hard as he can to compose himself to prepare for what was to come.

~oOo~

Naruto stood in front of a seemingly normal looking office building. The office was twenty stories high and mostly made of glass and concrete. Naruto breathed in deep before walking in.

He ignored the heavily muscled bodyguards stationed just inside the office entrance and walked past the reception desk, the lady seated there giving him the evil eye as he walked past. As he walked further into the lobby of the office he turned right, not needing to follow the signs overhead to know the way to the elevators.

He pressed the up button and the elevator doors on his left opened immediately. He stepped in and pressed the button that says twenty. He tried not to hyperventilate when the doors closed. Naruto wasn't claustrophobic. It's just this whole building got his arm and neck hairs standing on end. This whole place made him feel nauseous and it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to keep his composure.

When the elevator doors opened at his floor, he was met with a red carpeted hallway. There was nothing else on this floor except for the door at the end. He walked the empty hallway, his footsteps muffled by the carpet. As he walked, he tried not to think about the rapid beating of his heart in his ribcage. He counted slowly till thirty to try to get himself in control again.

It took exactly thirty seconds to reach the black door, adorned with a golden doorknob, from the elevator. He steeled himself before bringing his fist to knock on the door. He couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. Hadn't he done this that afternoon at the Uchiha's door? He wondered why even though the actions were the same, the feelings involved were so very different. That afternoon, even though he was filled with nervousness, there was a layer of excitement underneath it. Now, he was still nervous, but deep down he felt like puking.

He knocked thrice and waited.

"Enter."

Even though the voice was muffled by the door, Naruto could still make out the serpentine quality to it.

He opened the door.

Naruto was met with a deep purple painted room that was sickeningly familiar only because he had been coming here for the last four years. The floor was covered with the same red carpet as the hall way outside. The wall the door was built into was bare. The one to his right had another door that Naruto suspected led to a washroom. The wall to his left held a huge black wooden shelf that was divided into cubicles, filled with jars filled with strange looking liquids and objects that he did not want to know the identity of. As for the one directly opposite him, it sported floor to ceiling windows which overlooked the city below. In the middle of the room sat a black wooden desk, covered with stacks of papers. Behind the desk, a pale skinned man with long, straight, black hair and disgusting yellow eyes lined with purple eyeliner, sat with his fingers steeple in front of his face. His black suit allowed him to blend perfectly with his black high back chair, giving the illusion that the man looked big, intimidating.

Naruto walked closer to the desk and waited to be addressed, tucking his arms tightly by his sides.

"I trust you have the money, Naruto-kun," Naruto felt disgusting shivers run up and down his spine. He will never get used to the way the man seemingly hisses his words like a snake.

"Yes, Sir," Naruto still did not move from his spot.

"Bring it here."

Naruto walked cautiously to the desk, pulling out a thick brown envelope from his bag and placing it on the desk. Before he could remove his hand from the envelope, the man's pale hand reached for it and their hands brushed against each other. Naruto snatched his hand away. The man's fingers had been icy cold. Quickly covering his mistake, he tucked his hands by his sides again and looked contritely at the floor.

Paying no mind to the blond in front of his desk, the pale man picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside it laid many thick rolls of money. He pulled them out one by one and counted each of the rolls individually. Once he was done, he rolled them up again and replaced them in the brown envelope.

He looked up at the blond again, his eyes bright and shining, "Well done. The amount is correct."

Naruto would have been ecstatic to receive a compliment, strangely when it came from this man, he felt repulsed. He didn't say anything, continuing to stare at the floor.

He flinched though when the man started chuckling.

"I see you still remember your punishment," Naruto shivered in fear as the memories of his punishment came unbidden into his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying as hard as he can to dispel the horrible thoughts.

"At least the punishment is a good reminder of what happens when you don't deliver Naruto-kun. You may go," Naruto turned and felt like running out of there but the man's voice stopped him again.

"Are you forgetting something Naruto-kun," there was a layer of threat under the seemingly calmly spoken words. Naruto heeded the warning. He gritted his teeth.

"Until next time, Orochimaru-sama."

~oOo~

"Haaa," Naruto heaved a huge sigh of relief as he sat down in a seat in the empty train. He was mentally and emotionally exhausted.

He was still trembling slightly. Orochimaru always gave him the creeps. It got worse after that incident. He clenched his fist tightly on his lap, trying to dispel the sudden shivers. He would probably remember that for the rest of his life. He still had nightmares about it sometimes.

Naruto bit his lip in bitterness as he thought about his life. His mother had borrowed money from loan sharks without him knowing to pay for his school fees when he was in primary school. Her borrowing became too frequent and the interest piled up, making it impossible to pay back her debts. She ran away when he was twelve, most likely trying to escape an early death. Her debts were then transferred over to him.

At age twelve he led a better sheltered life under the care of his foster grandmother, Tsunade. He hadn't known the consequences of his mother leaving meant that whatever she owed to the loan sharks, he had to pay in her stead that time. It was only when he turned fifteen that his life took a turn for the worst.

His mother's debtors found out about her having a son and they had tracked him down, wanting to force him to pay up her debts. They succeeded in cornering him after school when he was on his way to Tsunade's daycare centre. He had been so terrified then, not understanding who they were and what they wanted from him. He had always been a rather skinny and small kid and was more often than not, a target for bullies. Fortunately, his smarts often saved him from various dire situations and he was always thankful he was gifted with such intelligence. He had thought then that they were just normal bullies demanding for his money. He was wrong.

He remembered being dragged roughly to a nearby alleyway between buildings and then mercilessly slammed into a hard brick wall. He had earned a nice bump to his head then. They had pressed him up hard, back first into the wall, making sure he didn't get away easily. His blue eyes that were filled with fear had widened upon seeing the picture they had flashed him then. It was a picture of his mother. He understood then who they were.

He was naïve to think that his money problems would simply disappear with his mother. He was stupid to think that Tsunade would always be there for him from then on, protecting him and caring for him where his parents had failed. He was ignorant to believe that no harm would befall him anymore because his past was in the past. He had never been more disappointed in himself.

He should have known that his problems would not go away so easily. Even though he was better off with Tsunade's help he should have known not to rely totally on Tsunade because she had her own things to deal with; her daycare, raising Kyuubi for him and her own life. He should have realized he would regret when his past came back to bite him in the ass because he hadn't dealt with it properly. He should have taken protection from the police when they offered back when he was twelve because these people hadn't been caught yet and apparently were never caught if they were standing right in front of him.

The debtors had demanded he start paying off his mother's debts. Luckily for him he had already been working at Icha Icha for a year by then and had saved up quite a bit. He had agreed to pay them by installments and he was quite surprised they had agreed on his terms.

A few months passed and he had paid his debts in installments as promised. After a while, he became too carried away and he had taken their leniency for granted. That was a grave mistake he vowed to never commit again. The new iphone 5s had came out then, the gold simply too captivating. He had given into temptation and had bought the phone impulsively using the excuse that his contract was ending anyway. He should have thought ahead and realized that splurging on a phone he would only be under consuming would bring about dire consequences. The time of the month came when he had to pay his installments. He found out too late that he had not enough to pay them. All he remembered when he stood in an alleyway a few blocks outside his school, holding a few dollars in hand, were the disappointed looks in their faces and seeing black.

When he came to he was lying in plush red carpet in a purple painted room. When his debtors realised he had regain consciousness, they pulled him up by his arms and forced his weakened body to stand. They had held his arms by his sides firmly, preventing his escape. He had struggled but it was futile. Their grip never gave. It was only when he heard the snake like voice that sent shivers of repulsion up and down his spine that he stopped. That's when he had met the boss of the criminal organisation.

Orochimaru had been disgusting then too. He had looked at him with a look full of disdain Naruto had felt he needed to glare back to prove himself. The debtors had given a hard punch each, one to the face and another to the stomach. "For being rude to their boss", they said. Naruto was tempted to roll his eyes but refrained. He didn't want another bruise on his body. It would be impossible to cover up later.

His rebellious attitude had apparently amused the boss to a certain extent. He should have been grateful then because Orochimaru said that because he was amusing, he would give him another chance to finish paying off his debts. He wasn't the least bit thankful. He was merely let off with a warning; a warning he wished he could live without.

Orochimaru explained that Naruto wasn't the only one that owed him money. In fact, some people owed more than the blond did. It was too huge a sum to pay, some people had attempted to flee just like his mother. Of course they didn't get very far. They never do.

A screen had been pulled down behind Orochimaru and a video was played. A man was flashed on screen. Naruto was confused. What had this man got to do with him? nonetheless he continued watching. The man was pacing the room frantically, obviously in a pinch. He then kept glancing briefly at the door he was pacing in front of, as though expecting it to open if he looked away from it. After awhile of watching the man stew in his worries, Orochimaru pressed the intercom button on his table and spoke in calmly, his voice seeming to give a hiss at the end.

"Get rid of him, Kimimaro."

The door to the man's holding room opened then and Naruto tensed up as he saw a light grey haired man wearing a purple tunic like shirt and jeans walk into the room with a gun trained on the other. Naruto could see the man trembling on screen then. He had a bad feeling about this.

Naruto could hear the man talking then. He seemed to be pleading to the other to give him more time, that he was sure to have the money next time. He kept stepping back as the grey haired man advanced, the gun still in his hands. He was soon backed into the wall, his hands shielding himself in reflex. Still the man kept pleading fervently, trying to draw mercy from the depths of the grey haired man's soul. Apparently he had none because the man didn't even blink when the man started crying, his voice chocking in between his pleas. He kept his gun steady, his light green eyes emotionless.

Naruto understood then. This man was one of the people who had owed Orochimaru a huge debt that was bigger than his own and had tried to flee. Naruto began struggling again, demanding the snake-like man to stop. He was ignored. Naruto had tried struggling harder but all that earned him was another punch to his gut and a coughing fit because of that. He almost missed what happened on screen then.

Naruto controlled his cough as he saw movement on screen. The light grey haired man had miraculously dropped the hand that held the gun. It now pressed to his right thigh. Naruto saw relief wash over the man's face as his pleas stopped.

He should have known it was too good to be true. Criminals never showed mercy.

Naruto screamed in terror as a gunshot sounded, the bullet hitting the man dead centre on his forehead. He looked away and began sobbing as the man's body slid to the ground lifeless, leaving a messy splatter of blood on the wall behind him. The screen blacked out then.

Orochimaru had stood up and walked to him slowly. When he was at arm length, he stopped and Naruto had felt his disgusting yellow eyes trained on him, analysing his every move. Naruto let him, unable to do anything with his body still weak and his arms restrained. Under the guise of wiping away his tears, Orochimaru had caressed his cheek, making him feel nauseous. A murderer dared to touch him. Naruto couldn't even move his head to avoid the sickening hand as his hair was suddenly caught in a painful grip. He cried out but gritted his teeth in the end. He would not let this guy continue to play him. He refused.

He still remembered the threat hissed into his ear, "Remember this day Naruto. You don't want to end up like that man. You don't want to end up like your mother."

Naruto cried in earnest then, understanding the meaning behind his words. Deep down inside he had hoped that his parents would come back for him. If not his father then at least his mother for she had carried him for nine months, had taken care of him to a certain extent for the next twelve years.

She won't return ever again. She couldn't.

The blond was startled out of his self torture when his ring tone echoed loudly in the empty train cart. He dug it out from his pocket with still slightly trembling fingers and ceared his throat before sliding the accept tab.

"Hey Gaara."

Silence greeted him back from the other line. Gaara knew the blond was troubled. Being friends with the blond for years, he knew when Naruto's voice grew soft it never meant anything good.

The red head sighed gently before saying, "come over. Kyuubi's with me." The call ended after that. The blond could talk to him when he got to his house.

Naruto slid his phone, the iphone 5s that started that whole nightmare inducing incident, into his pocket before leaning his head against the train window behind him and trying his damndest to calm down. He needed to make sure he was almost back to normal before reaching Gaara's.

It wouldn't do for his mask to crack now.

~oOo~

Akira: Anddd another chapter done! Yayyy! They're getting longer now. My fingers ache. But it's all for the readers I always tell myself when I feel like stopping. It's all for you my lovelies ^^

Naruto: For me too! .:waves hand frantically in the air:.

Akira: Mmhmmm whatever makes you happy Naru.