I'm not entirely sure why I thought it would be a good idea to 1) have a go at a multi-chaptered fic after failing horribly twice before and 2) write something so firmly rooted in plot. How people write multi-chaptered ficcage with chapters longer than my fic put together blows my mind. There are two things keeping me going: quiet determination and the rockin' people who are both putting up with me and / or encouraging me to reach the end.

LiK: Chapter 11

Convincing Konoha's Uzumaki to help, and Tsunade on the merits of the compound restoration, would be a piece of cake. The only hurdle, Naruto decided, was in fact Sasuke.

Sasuke had to be the one to ask.

Naruto was more than happy to do the hard work, but he knew when to step back when a fight wasn't his. He couldn't imagine the crazy bastard had asked for much, if anything, in his life and figured this was something like Sakura standing on the compound doorstep.

It was damn fragile and far too significant.

"I think it would be best to talk to Uzumaki first," Sasuke was the first to break the silence the next morning over, Naruto thought, a far too early breakfast.

Naruto agreed easily, interrupting himself with a wide yawn. "Definitely. Having him onside, even there when you pitch to Tsunade, would speak volumes."

Sasuke nodded slowly, stirring his tea absently. "Sakura's likely already told him of the Hokage's visit."

"Fo'sure," Naruto shrugged. "But that works for you."

"How so?"

Naruto didn't want to point out that there was no way in hell Sakura missed Sasuke's expression when Tsunade levelled his world with a few words. His devastation would've been visible from goddamn outer space. Sakura was without a doubt a valuable and renewed Sasuke Supporter, but Naruto figured Uchiha was far too emotionally retarded to realise. In any case, he knew Sakura's recount to Konoha's Uzumaki about what happened would've been tinged with feeling.

He'd be more than ready to help. All Sasuke had to do was ask.

"It means he already knows what's going down," Naruto said instead.

Sasuke frowned. "I see no reason why he'd help though."

"I see no reason why he wouldn't."

"Perhaps the couple of times I tried to kill him might influence him in some way?"

Oh yeah, Naruto thought, there was that. But based on everything he had learned about it, Sasuke was desperate, angry and under some creepo's influence at the time. And a little bit crazy in general but, Naruto figured, a fucked up childhood can do that to a person.

And hell, Konoha's Uzumaki was damn well capable of looking after himself if Sasuke couldn't kill him.

"Not relevant," Naruto waved away Sasuke's words airily. "Think about how much this makes sense for everyone, including the village. While the whole thing's happening, I'm outta the way and supervised as per my custodial conditions, and busy and paying you back and not going fucking stir crazy and-"

"Yes," Sasuke interrupted him as he'd expected, smile faint but very much visible. "The benefits for you are obvious."

Naruto grinned and continued. "It means your entire team is free to work on the whole Uzumaki Not Dying When Killer Demon Does issue, which is super fucking important. And of course when your compound is back up to scratch Tsunade won't have any reason to wear her bitch pants right, since all she was up in arms about was that it's run down and, uh, a tad unsafe."

Sasuke didn't say anything.

"Look man," he tried again. "The only reason either of them will tell ya to fuck off is if they're total assholes, and we both know they aren't. There's a crapton of reasons to give it the okay and pretty much zero to not. Only thing holding you back is you."

"Hm," Sasuke shot him a knowing glare before his gaze flicked away. "I know. I just…"

Sometimes, Naruto thought, Sasuke was so transparent it was ridiculously crazy no one really understood him.

"You've got absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by asking. YOLO, am I right?"

Sasuke cocked a brow. "Yolo?"

"Er, you only live once? Damn awful acronym that I now regret introducing you to let alone even saying?"

Sasuke stared at him. "You only die once too. Generally."

"Yeah," Naruto nodded thoughtfully, "but YODO just doesn't have the same ring to it, ya know? And most people don't understand when you say Carpe Diem. But shut up man, you know what I'm trying to say."

Sasuke pushed away his tea and stood, Naruto following suit. "You're coming?"

Naruto wasn't sure if it was a question or not, and in all honesty hadn't considered whether he should go with Sasuke for this.

"What, you need me to hold your hand all the way there, Sasuke?" he said without thinking.

He meant it as a jokey dig, but it didn't come out that way exactly. Sasuke noticed and smirked faintly.

"Maybe not all the way," he said, his tone so close to teasing that Naruto felt his cheeks heat. "Please come."

Uzumaki couldn't find any real reason to refuse when Sasuke asked for anything, especially so fucking nicely. No way he planned on letting the kooky Uchiha become privy to that info.

They didn't hold hands at all the entire walk to Uzumaki's, a fact that Naruto was so ridiculously conscious of it was embarrassing. They didn't speak either, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. Naruto figured the crazy bastard was mentally working out how to ask Konoha's Uzumaki for a favour. Naruto wasn't worried. If Sasuke asked, Uzumaki would help. It was a no-brainer.

Sakura answered their knock, not quite able to stifle her surprise or concern considering.

"Morning Sakura," Sasuke didn't mince words. "Is Uzumaki around?"

Sakura waved Sasuke in, vaguely gesturing inside somewhere but blocked Naruto's entry with the door and a questioning stare.

"Is he okay?" she darted a glance over her shoulder, softening her voice. "I was worried."

"A shrink would make a goddamn living off of Sasuke and would probably never stamp the word 'okay' on that guy's forehead, but-" Naruto grinned, as excited as he was when the thought first struck "-we have a freaking awesome idea."

As Naruto expected his lookalike was on board without hesitation and, with his influential support behind Sasuke, convincing the Hokage was in the bag.

Hours later the four of them were crammed together around Uchiha's low dining table, a slightly yellowed and aged blueprint of the Uchiha Compound rolled out across the surface.

Sasuke pointed to a handful of houses across the map. "I've been considering this carefully after talking with Tsunade about what to do and how the village could best use the compound, and think these abodes are too far gone to rebuild."

"We'll use the salvaged materials to repair the other houses and prepare the cleared space for agricultural and community land," he continued.

Sakura and Konoha's Uzumaki agreed, nodding easily and listening intently as Uchiha traced the outline of the compound, talking about knocking down the walls but Naruto was struggling to listen. Something special had happened to Sasuke and it made it fucking difficult for Naruto to look away or focus particularly well. He was goddamn radiant.

What the fuck, Naruto wondered, did that even mean. And yet it fit because he had no other way of explaining the small tweaks to Sasuke. The way he sat a little straighter, his dark eyes brighter, his voice a touch more animated, his hands moving as he spoke, the ghost of a smile as he looked to Naruto.

"Well?" Uchiha said again, brow furrowing when Naruto didn't say anything when clearly he was supposed to have. "What do you think?"

Naruto had nothing to say on the matter, in all honesty. Sasuke was in control of something that meant something to him, was important, had a purpose, and he was all glowy about it. Naruto cared about the compound in so much as it impacted on Sasuke, and if whatever Uchiha had planned had been responsible for making him so freaking shiny, then Naruto didn't give a flying fuck about the details. He'd watered the cactus and it was looking freaking vibrant.

Naruto grinned. "When do we start?"

Turned out almost immediately. That evening they worked out the logistics of making sure Naruto's custodial conditions were covered to Sasuke's satisfaction and the next morning it was thrown into practice.

"Oi, Naruto."

Naruto paused in the process of pulling up a rotted tile and poked his head over the edge of the roof to see Sasuke.

"It's a little weird that in this sea of Uzumaki, you have no problem finding me," he wiped the sweat from his brow as he grinned.

Uchiha shook his head, glancing briefly at the dozen or so clones working on the same house. "I've told you already. Even ignoring your chakra signature, you're nothing alike."

Naruto suspected he wasn't going to get tired of hearing that from Sasuke, but poked his tongue out anyway.

"Oh yeah," he said loudly, trying hard to hide his grin. "Forgot I was fucking heavier."

Sasuke's smile was wide but brief. "We'll be at the Hokage Tower. A clone will dispel itself every hour to keep us informed. Send a message to me with a clone if you need to, right?"

"Sure thing. Have a nice day at work, honey!" he singsonged with a cheeky salute, and felt most gratified by a loud chorus of Uzumakis chuckling around him and Sasuke flipping him the bird before disappearing.

It was a strange feeling being one of literally dozens of Narutos spread across the Uchiha Compound. It was an odd sensation of being alone in a crowd. The clones didn't talk aside from giving and taking instructions, a few whistling. What would they have to chat about anyway, Uzumaki figured as he turned his attention back to ripping up roof tiles. It'd be like his lookalike was talking to himself, and that was pretty damn crazy.

It wasn't long before he struck upon the great idea of quizzing the closest clones, asking the questions that Sasuke and Shikamaru had brushed off. Konoha's Uzumaki was full of interesting info and was enthusiastic about giving it. It sure as shit beat heading to the library and made the labour-intensive work pass by pleasantly.

Naruto was satisfied with the new routine over the next few days. He felt useful and less of a hindrance. And it was more fun than he cared to admit to try to fool Sasuke each morning. It didn't matter what he did, that kooky bastard knew which Uzumaki was him without hesitation. He'd tried getting all of the clones to muffle their chakra, dress the same, drew the telltale whisker marks across his cheeks like war paint.

But the guy always fucking knew.

It was most pleasing.

This morning Naruto tried a different approach and asked the clones to henge (he was ridiculously proud of his growing nin knowledge and busted it out any chance he got) to hide their whisker scars.

He was squatted down with a huddle of other Narutos, measuring cuts of timber, when Sasuke tapped him on the shoulder.

"Wrong one," he said, just to see if it would work, brushing himself off as he stood.

Sasuke cocked a brow. "Hm, nice try."

"I seriously don't get it! How do you know?"

The kooky bastard just smirked.

Naruto puffed out a mouthful of air in false exasperation, then leaned in slyly. "It's my great arse isn't it."

Sasuke blinked, flushed faintly, then leaned in slightly with a ghost of his smirk. "It does rather give you away."

They shared the same breath for the barest moment, until a clone interrupted them with an awkward clearing of his throat as he stepped around them to carry on with his own set tasks, looking back at them with slowly dawning understanding.

Sasuke had leapt backward a step almost comically, his arms crossed tightly and his gaze not quite meeting Naruto's. Uzumaki felt his own cheeks flaming at being caught having a grand flirt. He knew how the jutsu worked and was acutely aware the next time a clone dispelled, his lookalike would be fully informed of what had just transpired. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that, but figured it high fucking time he did something about how much he was digging the kooky bastard anyway.

"Hey, listen, Sasuke," Naruto eventually managed, but that was as far as he got because several things happened in quick succession.

Without warning there was the repeated echoing sound of every single clone popping out of existence. Naruto stared at the clearing swirls of cloud where dozens of Uzumakis had been, unsure.

"Why…?" Uchiha murmured, eyes wide.

"So," Naruto began, highly fucking alarmed, 'that wasn't supposed to happen?"

His eyes immediately darted to the Hokage Tower but nothing looked untoward. Then, what Uzumaki could only assume was some sort of explosion, shook the ground briefly.

"Sasuke," Naruto swallowed, feeling fear he hadn't yet truly felt in Konoha until now begin to bubble, "I'm a little concerned right now. When I say a little, I mean I'm close to losing my shit."

Uchiha grabbed Naruto's wrist and pulled him closer without seeming to realise and shaded his eyes against the morning sun, looking to where the explosion clearly took place as smoke spiralled into the otherwise clear sky.

"It's the south wall," he locked his gaze on Naruto then, calm but alert, other hand flicking open a weapons container at his thigh automatically as he prepared a kunai. "It looks like the village is under attack."

A muddle of thoughts hit Naruto then, prefaced by 'oh shit'. Were ninja perpetually prepared for fights with the way they carried a crapton of weapons around on their person? Who the hell would attack a village so blatantly? Were attacks common for Sasuke to be so freaking collected about it? Was Konoha's Uzumaki okay because Naruto sure as shit knew all of the clones shouldn't have fucked off like that.

"I have to find Uzumaki," Sasuke started, eyes flicking between the rising smoke and Naruto's wide-eyed stare. "For his clones to dispel like that, and all at once-" he shook his head "-he's either fighting hard or the seal's cracking. Either way, that's where I need to be."

"Yeah," Naruto murmured, at a loss and way out of his depth. "Of course, yeah."

"I have to go. Right now."

Naruto nodded.

But Sasuke hesitated, his hand still tight around Naruto's wrist. He stowed his kunai for a moment to form a hand sign, and with a pop there was a second Sasuke watching Naruto seriously.

"I don't have the chakra reserves like Uzumaki to keep this clone going for long," he said quietly, "but you should be able to reach the Tower before it expires. It's safest for you there."

Naruto was inclined to disagree… he felt a fuckload safer wherever the kooky Uchiha was, but he didn't want to get in the way. Or die. He felt far more uneasy than he was willing to admit, but since explosions, attacks and demons weren't in his usual daily experiences he figured it was perfectly acceptable to feel a mite scared in his current situation.

Rather like passing the baton in a relay, the clone grabbed his other wrist and Sasuke let go slowly.

"I'll find you after, right?" Sasuke said roughly, suddenly, his eyes intense. "I've just got to do my duty."

Naruto couldn't help but grin, and then laugh, feeling giddy for a moment. "Man, you're being really cool right now. You're putting me way to shame."

Sasuke smiled, teeth and all, gave his clone a nod and then leapt away with the ninja ease Naruto would never not be in awe of. If that was the last time Uzumaki saw that crazy bastard, he would be pissed off for life.

Sasuke's clone tugged on his wrist. "Let's go."

They stuck to the back streets to avoid as much of the panicked crowds as possible, pausing when another explosion shook the village ("East wall," Sasuke's clone had muttered) making it to the Hokage Tower in good time. Naruto was beyond pleased to meet Shikamaru at the entrance.

I met Sasuke a while ago," Nara explained, nodding at the clone as it dispelled and pulling Naruto inside. "He said you were on your way."

"What the fuck's going on?" Naruto asked by way of greeting, his calm well and truly shattered by Shikamaru's guarded and quick movement.

Nara stopped them in an empty office as more ninja hurried past. Clearly, Uzumaki thought with trepidation, the village was on high alert.

"It's not good," his friend replied after a long moment of deliberation. "I suspect the explosions aren't the real threat. I… I think it might be a last ditch Akatsuki effort."

Naruto blinked, confused. His questioning of Uzumaki's clones had led to some brief mention of Akatsuki, but he knew little. A group that started good, went bad, was mostly wiped out. He couldn't remember much else, fancy black coats with red clouds, something about the tailed demons? It wasn't a topic he had pursued with all the other cool things he wanted to know about. Of course, now that it seemed rather important, he sorta wished he had.

"What, like… a diversion, or something?"

Shikamaru nodded. He shifted and glanced at the stairs behind them that led up the Tower, toward the Hokage's office.

"We aren't in a good position. Our forces are scattered, dealing with the aftermath of the attacks, and some of our best shinobi are somewhat indisposed."

The way Nara stressed his last comment sent Naruto's hair prickling up against his skin. Kakashi had said his team was probably the village's best, and Konoha's Uzumaki was the next big deal after Tsunade…

He wasn't a fucking idiot. Team Kakashi was, if he read between the lines, indisposed. He could think of only one reason that might be.

And Sasuke himself had said if Uzumaki wasn't fighting then the seal was busted.

"The shit," Naruto said, "has hit the proverbial fan."

"Quite," Shikamaru mustered a hollow shadow of a chuckle. "You stay here, I need to-"

The Tower shuddered with a third rattling explosion that hit the building directly.

"Jeezuz fuck," Naruto whispered, the gravity of the situation beginning to truly hit home.

"That was upstairs. Team Kakashi's going to need some back up," Shikamaru stepped toward the stairs, looking back at Naruto with a wry half grin. "Feel free to go ahead and open your invisible gateway. I sure wouldn't blame you."

Naruto shrugged helplessly. He was shitting himself so wasn't entirely sure why a door hadn't appeared in front of his nose offering blessed sanctuary.

"It's kinda troublesome but I need to do my job. Please, stay safe, Naruto," Shikamaru held his gaze for a moment longer before saluting and bolting upstairs, blurring with augmented speed.

Uzumaki stared at the spot his friend had been standing seconds ago, deliberating. Self-preservation suggested he hide under a desk and hope like hell he didn't die. A healthy dose of fear was telling him the exact same thing.

But he was slightly concerned this crazy and amazing world was done for anyway as he had it on rather good authority that there was no contingency plan if Plan A of Demon Extraction was ballsed up. Current events suggested it was highly likely it was well on its way to getting majorly ballsed up further by this Akatsuki.

Ballsed up meant Konoha's Uzumaki died and stayed dead. Maybe that had already happened, Naruto considered, stomach swooping horribly.

That Sasuke would keep the Fox in check for, well, ever.

And he didn't even know how Akatsuki fitted into the situation but figured it wouldn't be Ctrl+Z or magical fixes.

Naruto stared up the stairs.

"Everyone I sort of like and care about is up there," he said out loud. "Shikamaru, you fucker."

Sasuke's up there, he added to himself.

And he'd be pissed off for life if he didn't see that crazy bastard one more time.

Now that the stupid cactus was doing so well with a bit of TLC, Naruto was loath to stop watering it.

He bolted up the stairs after Shikamaru.