Ninjaverse with an alternate timeline. Some parts of this story are going to be dark for me...which is barely grey I guess. There's some dubcon-ish material in this chapter, if this disturbs you, please hit the back button.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I make any money from this fanfic.

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Naruto lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of his apartment. The once white paint was starting to peel, the striations giving a texture and history to the once blank slate. The 16 year-old's sapphire eyes were glazed as the fingers of his right hand absently stroked the light green Chuunin vest lying next to him that he had been given when he had barely been 14. Now, he would continue to wear it, but his rank had changed. He was just informed that afternoon by his Hokage, Tsunade, that he had been promoted to the rank of Jounin. This was the highest rank before ANBU and then Hokage; to have attained it while still a teenager was remarkable.

Only two others his age were Jounin, one was Hyuuga Neji and the other was Uchiha Sasuke. It was assumed by most that knew him that Nara Shikamaru would match them in rank if he would show some motivation, which he found entirely too troublesome despite the encouragement and taunts from his friends. The only one that seemed to even affect him was Temari of the Sand.

A smile made its way to his lips as he thought about his friends. From cloud watching to porn reading, dog loving to overcoming fate. These were his friends, the family Naruto had made within Konoha, and he cherished them all.

Thinking of his fellow Jounin, Neji, he furrowed his golden brows. Fate...

Was it fate that things worked out the way they did? What would have happened on that hospital roof nearly four years ago if Naruto hadn't been honest to Sasuke. After Sakura had run off to find Kakashi-sensei, when Sasuke yelled out, "Why you? Why is he after you?" What would have happened if Naruto had not told his rival about why Akatsuki was hunting him? Would Sasuke have chosen to leave with those Sound shinobi instead of them kidnapping him? Would he have fought to leave, instead of fighting Kimimaro by Naruto's side to stay? Would he have denied Gaara and Lee's assistance instead of "thanking" them with a well placed "Hn"?

Sasuke had once confessed to Naruto that he did not stay in the village out of any sense of loyalty. He stayed because he knew that as long as he kept the jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi within his sight then Itachi would come to him. Naruto had already determined that on his own. He had never believed that Sasuke had any altruistic motivation for choosing to stay close to Naruto when they were still genin; it was always about getting Itachi.

His fingers strayed from his vest to lightly caress his parted lips. Well, maybe not always.

What would have happened if Jiraiya hadn't strengthened Kakashi's seal binding Orochimaru's curse mark on Sasuke? With the modifications, it became easier for Sasuke to overcome the mind altering effects of the curse seal. He never openly admitted it, but Naruto came to understand how much Sasuke had resented being manipulated within his own mind. The young Uchiha saw it as the ultimate form of weakness for a Sharingan user to allow that to happen.

Due to the fact that Sasuke refused to allow Naruto away from him for an extended period of time, an agreement was made that Jiraiya would leave Naruto in the village for a few weeks at random intervals. The Toad Sage had still wanted to keep Naruto with him so that he could protect him from Akatsuki, but the young blond had been adamant that Sasuke be allowed to train with them.

There had been hours of debate which consisted of Tsunade threatening and Jiraiya screaming at the two genin. Naruto screamed back and Sasuke simply put down an ultimatum: he stays near the Itachi bait or he becomes a problem for the village. Besides, who better to train with than a Sannin? Finally, Jiraiya agreed to a compromise; he would need to leave on an "information gathering" expedition that was not to last more than two months and would take both boys with him. Depending on their performance, he'd choose whether or not to let Sasuke come with them.

It was Naruto who acknowledged to Sasuke that he really learned the best when it was a competition. "I bet I can make my Rasengan more powerful faster than you can improve your Chidori!" Neither could have imagined the effects that declaration would have had on them. To say that Jiraiya was shocked by the outcome would be an understatement. The sheer growth of the two within such a short time was astounding.

It was an odd situation, but over the past three years they had been able to balance time spent in the village and traveling with the perverted hermit. After the first year, they started taking in instructions from other jounin. Naruto would practice wind based techniques and learn strategy with Asuma and his team. Sasuke, with his ability to copy a wide range of jutsu, spent time with several of the special jounin. They both spent time with Gai and improved their taijutsu.

Their growth was unprecedented in the minds of many and jealousy was an issue with some - though the original Rookie 9 were mostly supportive and even seemed to be motivated to push themselves as well. Sasuke was not surprised by the reactions. After all, he was a genius. Naruto was a different matter. He felt guilty because despite all his hard work and effort he couldn't hold his team together.

They were leaving Sakura behind.

Sakura was not allowed to join them with Jiraiya and found herself bounced around from team to team because Kakashi could not devote his time as an instructor to just one member of the team. She quickly began to feel unwanted and became bitter as a result. Finally, she approached Tsunade and asked to be taken on as her apprentice. Tsunade was unsure of her potential but decided to give the displaced girl a chance and found herself pleasantly surprised. Sakura had the talent to follow in her footsteps and her training kept her busy most of the time.

Team 7 would meet occasionally as they were still officially a team, but it became obvious that though Sakura was improving quickly, she was not as crucial to their missions as her teammates. Sasuke was strong enough to avoid most injuries and rarely needed her abilities as a medic. Naruto's skills were increasing rapidly and when he did get hurt he healed too quickly for her to be of any use. When she asked about it, her question was evaded and that only increased her bitterness. She wasn't trusted.

Sakura's crush on Sasuke didn't diminish. In fact, along with her training it was what she held onto the most. She was determined to become a strong kunoichi and to finally get his attention as something more than his teammate. She had finally realized that the young Uchiha valued strength and abilities over long hair and pretty clothes.

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed. It was unfortunate for her that she was not what had gotten Sasuke's attention.

All that time alone together, traveling with Ero-Sennin and left mostly to themselves, Sasuke and Naruto got closer than anyone would have suspected. Nobody knew that by the time Team 7 all became Chuunin, shortly after Naruto's fourteenth birthday, the boys spent time together not just training and bickering. They went through the latter part of puberty while training with Jiraiya. Curiosity led them to read his books and grow more curious as a result.

Blushing - and heartily denying that they would do anything so embarrassing - they explored each other. They kissed and cuddled, talked and learned. It wasn't long before they realized how much they cared for each other. Naruto was scared that this precious feeling was too good to be true, that it would disappear at any moment. Sasuke knew that being so close to Naruto was dangerous, that it could be used against him, but he decided he didn't care. He would protect this bond with every fiber of his being.

Curiosity brought them together, infatuation kept them there.

It wasn't long after Sasuke's fifteenth birthday that he brought Naruto to his bed. The young blond had been surprised with how prepared Sasuke had been. He had been gentle, but knew when to use a taunt to keep Naruto from being scared. Naruto later found a book of gay porn in Sasuke's room and realized why the raven had been so confident; he had studied. He was secretly thankful that one of them had had some knowledge of how sex between men worked. He had purposefully never thought about it because he had not believed that they would ever go so far.

It had been uncomfortable at first, but by the time the boys were tangled in a sweaty mass of sheets and semen they knew that they would be doing it again and quite often. Sasuke had unleashed a monster; Naruto loved having sex with him and would take almost any opportunity to be with him. It was a wonder to them that they had never been caught.

It took several months after they started sleeping together for them to consider themselves as more than teammates and best friends. They didn't think much beyond that until one day on a mission that just needed the two of them. They were asked by their client if they were boyfriends. The young woman had an immediate attraction to both boys and was annoyed that they were ignoring her advances. She was amused by the blushing and stuttering blond, but knew when they didn't deny it and the raven actually looked like he was considering her question that she did not have a chance with either young man.

Naruto rolled onto his stomach and looked out the window towards the setting sun wondering if he'd be visited that night. It was less than a year now that they acknowledged themselves as boyfriends. They spent so much time together training and enjoying each others company that there was no point in denying just how much they meant to each other. Naruto was no longer the 'Itachi bait.' He was Sasuke's lover and he treasured their relationship more than anything.

He smiled when he felt the chakra of his lover approaching. Rolling off the bed, he took his Chuunin vest to hang in his closet leaving him in a black shirt with an orange swirl on the back and black pants. Sasuke had encouraged him to drop the amount of orange in his clothing after proving that Naruto had better success during stealth exercises when he wasn't so garishly garbed.

Naruto was exiting his bedroom with a welcoming smile on his face just as Sasuke was entering his apartment with the key he was given over a year ago. Naruto frowned when he saw the disgruntled expression the young Uchiha was sporting and that he had not bothered reactivating the traps when he entered. Quickly forming the seals with his hands, the blond reactivated the barrier to keep intruders out of his residence and ignorant of what goes on inside.

"What's going on, Sasuke?" He decided to keep his distance until he found out what was bothering his boyfriend. He knew Sasuke had been training with Anko and wondered if his curse seal was acting up around another carrier. It was rumored that Orochimaru was getting ready to switch bodies again and it was likely that he'd be looking to get his hands on the Sharingan user. Naruto had been worried that the snake sannin was using his curse seal to reach out to his preferred container.

With jerky movements, Sasuke unzipped and removed his olive green vest and kicked off his boots, the uchiwa on the back of his dark blue shirt sat proudly between his shoulder blades. Ignoring Naruto, he walked to the stove where water had been warmed and poured some into a waiting teacup after measuring out some tea leaves. Sipping his tea, he finally turned to his lover and watched him over the rim of his cup.

By this time, Naruto was growing annoyed with the treatment; he never handled being ignored well. Swallowing his anger, he tried again. "Did something happen with Anko-sensei?"

Sasuke snorted and tossed his cup in the sink disregarding the shattered porcelain. He approached the infuriated blond as though he was stalking prey. Naruto didn't move away at Sasuke's approach. He was more confused by his boyfriend's behavior than pissed but he was sure a fistfight would be happening soon. He didn't flinch away when Sasuke slammed both his hands to the side of Naruto's head. With a nasty smirk, Sasuke claimed Naruto's lips in a harsh kiss.

Naruto didn't accept the kiss, it was angry and brutal. Pushing his lover away he wiped the blood from his bottom lip with the back of his hand. "What the fuck, teme?"

Onyx eyes glittering darkly, Sasuke kept himself in Naruto's personal space. "Why'd you push me away? That's not like you at all." Leaning in, he licked up a golden neck before smirking at Naruto's disgusted expression. "You're usually such a good slut."

Naruto snarled and threw a punch to Sasuke's head which was dodged but he followed up with a knee to his boyfriend's gut. Sasuke coughed from the blow but caught the next punch aimed at his face. Twisting Naruto's wrist, he forced the blond to turn with the movement or have his wrist broken. Wrapping his other arm around Naruto's neck, Sasuke held him firmly. He was counting on the knowledge that Naruto wouldn't escalate a fight enough to draw attention from any shinobi that might be in the area or disturb the neighbors. He force walked his captive to the bedroom.

"Why are you fighting this? You're not being very welcoming." Naruto growled making his displeasure clear. Sasuke bit his ear harshly causing the blond to jerk his head away. "Maybe you're tired out. Is that it? You're fucking someone else?"

At that, Naruto was too shocked to respond. He had no idea where Sasuke was coming from with this. He knew Sasuke was a possessive bastard, but he had never accused him of cheating. He was so surprised that he didn't register being thrown to the bed till he felt his lover pushing up his shirt and reaching underneath Naruto to work at the zipper of his pants. "Oh hell no! Get the fuck off me, bastard!" He was yelling and pulling his leg up enough to back kick his boyfriend. A sharp punch to his lower back threatened his kidney and stopped his motions.

"Tch. So you do have someone else? Well, you're mine. Mine!" Sasuke's words were frantic, his movements harsh as he pinned Naruto's neck with one hand and started ripping the pants down his boyfriend's hips.

Naruto craned his head around and was startled by what he saw. Sharingan blazed and tomoe spun wildly. Sasuke looked completely crazed. 'He's out of his mind.' Naruto thought. He didn't fight as his ass was revealed. He wasn't afraid of getting raped. He was a jounin in his home village. He wasn't drugged and his chakra was available to him. If he needed to, he could remove himself from this situation. He was more concerned with why it was happening. What was causing Sasuke to act like this?

With sudden insight, he understood. He went completely limp. "Sasuke?" He spoke softly.

Sasuke didn't respond. He didn't look at Naruto's face. He lifted golden hips up, still using one hand to pin Naruto's upper body down. With his other hand, he began to undo his own pants.

Naruto kept talking as though his boyfriend wasn't intent on violating him. "I love sleeping with you."

Sasuke grunted. "Good." He had pulled down his zipper and was pulling down his boxers.

"You're my only. Nobody else has ever touched me."

Sasuke's movements slowed but didn't stop. He still wouldn't meet Naruto's eyes.

"I don't want anyone but you."

Sasuke used his hand on Naruto's rear to expose his unprepared lover.

"Look at me, 'Suke." As Sasuke positioned himself, he met Naruto's gaze. Hard azure seemed to look right into his soul.

"Orochimaru has no place in our bed."

Confusion flew through Sasuke's mind followed immediately by pain at his shoulder where the curse seal sat. At the mention of the sannin's name, the seal's throbbing increased jarring Sasuke out of his rage. He squeezed his eyes shut at the pain, his mind rapidly processing his situation. He had been working with Anko, his seal causing him discomfort in her vicinity. While practicing a high level jutsu, he was overcome with powerful negative emotions. He told her that he was done with practice and left to find a way to relieve his torment.

Sasuke opened his eyes and took in their positions. Naruto was pressed into the bed, his pants and boxers were around his thighs. Scratch marks at hips, waist, and butt were already healing, but they showed what kind of treatment he had subjected his boyfriend to. He looked down at his wilting erection knowing that he had been about to rape his best friend.

With a cry he backed up. He was about to bolt when a tanned hand caught his forearm. His stricken eyes no longer pulsed with the Sharingan and they met Naruto's understanding stare. "Don't go."

Sasuke shook his head and pulled his arm away. Sitting at the edge of the bed he dropped his head into his hands clutching his hair as his mind kept replaying what he had done. What he would have done. He felt like he was going to throw up. "I almost raped you."

Relieved, Naruto watched his lover struggle with the darkness he had nearly let overcome him. He was grateful that he had been able to get through to Sasuke because he had been a moment away from responding to the Uchiha's behavior in a most violent fashion. He had been out of time.

Rolling onto his back, he pulled his pants back up. He then moved over so that he was sitting next to the distraught young man. He turned Sasuke so that they were facing each other. "But you didn't."

"I wanted to."

"Did you?" Before Sasuke could answer, Naruto kept going. "Did you really want to hurt me like that?"

Looking introspective, he answered slowly. "I was angry. I don't even know why. I don't know why I came here. You're so unpredictable and I just wanted..." He trailed off, not sure how to continue.

Naruto hazarded a guess. "Control?" They both knew from their childhoods what it felt like to be completely out of control. A demon, a curse seal, ignorance, disrespect. They had been ridiculed or admired for what they were and not who they were. It was another reason why they had come together. They saw each other. They didn't see a jinchuuriki and the last Uchiha.

Sasuke didn't disagree and lowered his eyes ashamed of himself.

Naruto fell to his knees on the floor in between Sasuke's legs. Reaching up, he cradled his boyfriend's face in his hands. His heart ached at the tear coursing down a pale cheek. Sasuke was truly upset over what he had done. Naruto didn't doubt that it would never happen again. He could forgive Sasuke for this and felt his faith in the young Uchiha grow because he had stopped. If he hadn't, Naruto knew he would never have truly trusted him again.

Leaning up, he brought them into a kiss putting all his affection and forgiveness into it.

Sasuke melted into the kiss, his fingers covering the warm hands supporting his head. Before he knew it, the kiss was growing heated. He took over it and began to plunder his lover's mouth and Naruto submitted. He didn't fight as Sasuke sucked on his tongue and then nibbled on his lower lip. Sasuke's hands started to grip Naruto's own when he suddenly pushed him away. "Stop!"

Flushed, Naruto licked kissed swollen lips. If anything, he seemed annoyed by the interruption.

"We can't do this. I still..." It was clear from his expression how close he was to tossing Naruto back onto the bed and he wasn't going to risk losing command of himself again.

Nodding his head, the blond accepted his reasoning. However, he had more faith in Sasuke than Sasuke had in himself and Naruto wanted to prove to him just how strong he is. He trusted that Sasuke wouldn't succumb to the darkness. They both needed the proof. Rising slightly on his knees, he lifted the navy colored shirt and began kissing the toned chest in front of him. As he licked a pert nipple, he felt hands tightening on his shoulders.

"Naru." There was warning and arousal clashing in his lover's voice.

He rolled his tongue one more time around the bud before pulling away to look up into the hazy eyes of his best friend. "Do you remember when we were on that mission and you pinned me to a tree and fucked my mouth?" His own voice grew husky as he remembered that day. He loved seeing the lust gleam on Sasuke's face as the young Uchiha was clearly recalling that encounter. It had been incredibly hot. "You were so sexy. I loved every second of it." Naruto enjoyed the quickening breath his words inspired. Leaning back on his heels, he pulled off his own shirt and basked in the attraction he felt from his lover.

Smiling confidently he stood up and reached into the bedside table for the bottle of lubricant he kept there.

Sasuke stared as the blond held out the lube for him to take. Naruto's message was clear; he trusted that Sasuke would take him in pleasure, not in anger. Sasuke was overwhelmed by the faith given to him. 'I don't deserve him,' he thought to himself as he looked up into beautiful blue eyes. As he took the bottle, his heartbeat increased at the smile he received. Grabbing the golden hand, he placed a kiss on the palm then trailed his lips up to kiss the pulse at Naruto's wrist. Releasing the hand, he pulled off his own shirt as Naruto removed the rest of his clothes. While he took off his pants and underwear, Naruto got on the bed and laid himself out like an offering to be taken and treasured.

As he moved over his lover, Sasuke felt his intentions change from lovemaking to fucking. He was going to pound Naruto into the bed and make the blond scream for more. Before the night was over Naruto was going to be covered in his marks and fucked to the point of exhaustion. And as Sasuke poured lube onto his fingers and Naruto spread his legs he realized what Naruto already knew. Though there might be some pain, it was going to be with pleasure not with anger. They were both going to love this.

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Later that night, Naruto was sleeping soundly, sated and happy, in the bedroom while Sasuke was in the shower unable to find his own rest. Washing the sex from his body he felt his mind travel unbidden to Orochimaru and Itachi.

The seal on his shoulder began to subtly glow as thoughts of revenge and power snaked their way into his brain.

He has spent too long lounging around Konoha. It was time he got serious about his vengeance. The last time they encountered Itachi was when they had been sent to rescue Gaara from the Akatsuki and though they had defeated him, it had only been a substitution.

Sinister chakra flowed through him.

He needed to get stronger and there was only one person who could help him.

The seal placed around the curse mark had been degrading for months. So slowly, nobody had noticed.

Sasuke shut off the water and grabbed a towel. Drying off, he exited the bathroom as his genius mind formulated data.

He knew what he had to do. He just needed a plan.

TBC