A/N: Well, the conclusion of Itachi's Dubious Plan is here. I hope it was worth the wait! It is still from Naruto's point of view, and there may be OOCness despite my efforts to write all characters IC. It is shorter than the other two instalments, but I didn't want to add anything just for the sake of increasing the word count. I hope it is enjoyable nevertheless!

-The same important points as in previous parts apply.

I'd like to thank all the people who reviewed the story; it was always very exciting to read your comments! Also thank you very much to all who favourited, alerted and read as well.

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Warnings: Some blood and gore. More cheesiness.

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. I'm only borrowing and torturing them a little.

Itachi's Dubious Plan

Part 3

By PandoraVII

Even with all the care Sasuke took not to jostle Naruto, it was still in a haze of pain that he arrived back at Konoha. Thankfully Sasuke's pace slowed, which merely caused Naruto's body to sway to the smooth rhythm of his walk instead of the unpreventable jarring bounce caused when he ran, which had sent near constant rending pain through his chest.

Something else was also wrong with Naruto, and had been worsening the more time passed. After a full day and a night of Sasuke running full speed to Konoha, Naruto felt tired. Absolutely, completely, dead tired, the way he usually felt when colours began blurring and resolving on and off in front of his eyes, and no amount of blinking would make the technicolour smear right itself.

He was sure that if his eyes were indeed open, the view would have been as unpleasant.

And he couldn't sleep.

His thoughts were sludgy and slow to arrange themselves enough to be understandable, if they did at all. Sometimes he would find himself in the middle of a hallucination, as if his brain was trying to make him dream while awake. So he settled for merely observing what went on beyond his closed eyelids with his remaining senses as best he could. It was hard, because his thoughts kept getting in the way, breaking his concentration and making him miss chunks of time, but he did his best.

He could hear noise. Sasuke's voice, flat and cutting. "—et me in, the Hokage should have given me clearance…you don't…there…"

A lot of movement ensued. Once or twice Sasuke's grip turned bruising on his shoulders. A door banged open.

Tsunade Baa-Chan. Gasping "…Uchiha…what…dead?"

That must mean I'm back home with Sasuke…is he here…where is the teme…always running away and hurting…hurting…Sakura Kakashi the team…where…what…

Words were exchanged, getting louder before tapering off. Naruto felt Sasuke's arms tighten around him several times as an image of Shukaku and Gaara arguing about the colour of his hair marched across his closed eyelids. Sakura came along and told him that she could use her hair for emergency rations as it was made out of bubblegum.

"—et him to the bed now! Shizune, go and see if you can find anything in the library…this…it…yesterday!"

Movement. Walking. He was lowered onto a soft surface.

So tired…sleep, just want to…no, no…Sasuke…where…no don't I don't want…where…is…

Warm hands, familiar after touching him almost constantly the last two days, lifted him into a sitting position. Feminine hands grasped at his ripped Jacket and tank top, pulling them all the way off. He was lowered back to the bed. His mind cleared for an instant as the pain worsened. A large hand closed over his on the opposite side from where he could feel the presence of the woman…Tsunade. He'd be okay. He'd be

fine she'll take care of it will she take care of him…Sasuke where…Tsunade don't

Pain coloured his vision with bright sparks as something was peeled off his chest. The sparks turned into animated globs that stretched and drifted around in hypnotising patterns as the pain faded.

Chakra, familiar, strong and soothing, rushed through him in a diagnostic scan. A door burst open again.

"Shizune, answers!" Tsunade ordered, voice containing an urgency he'd only heard once or twice.

"It was…blade…chakra channelled through…depending upon…be fatal or…" He couldn't catch everything Shizune said. Or anyone, really.

"How…hell…fix…damn it?" Tsunade sounded like her fuse would blow anytime now. "…been too long… this…now!"

"…on't know…bonds…" Shizune said, frantic as Tsunade.

Why…why are you upset, Baa-Chan? Ugh…so tiiireeed…Sasuke…now why was he thinking about the teme again? Sasuke…Sasuke, he

He became aware of the hum of Sasuke's baritone from right beside him. "…told Kakashi…no idea…do…work? I'm not…expert here…"

He's here Sasuke's here home Sasuke

"…Shizune will be backup…full range of supplies here?" Tsunade was using her Hokage Voice. Shizune fired of an affirmative.

"…no time to waste…" Fingers plied his eyelids open, and Naruto moaned at the effect of the light on his exhausted eyes.

Something blocked out the light. It looked familiar…and spots of red colour seemed to be appearing in the face area.

"—now, Uchiha."

Sasuke?

The noises were fading around him.

So…tired…Aaah…finally…get some sleep

Floating in the dark, Naruto slowly became aware of the cold, concrete surface beneath him, the cold metal around his wrists. He couldn't pull himself from sleep even if he wanted to.

That familiar baritone was nearby, and he relaxed further. Sasuke would take care of everything. Tsunade would as well.

Metal rattled. Chakra surged. The shackles jerked around his arms before disappearing, and then, then something was welling up inside him, something he hadn't realised was missing, but rather registered as an emptiness needing to be filled. It bubbled through him, effervescent tingling spreading through his body to his fingertips.

The atmosphere seemed to draw in towards him, before pulsing outwards. The world shook with a resounding double thud. A growl sow low in pitch that it only registered as a vibration in his very bones rumbled nearby, building into a full throated roar that was deafening as thunder. Strangely, the sear of corrosive chakra that usually crept outwards with the sound didn't accompany it.

Amongst the sound, the comforting drone of Sasuke's voice had been overwhelmed completely, but at the last moment, when even the roaring faded, Naruto once more felt hands grasping the sides of his face, thumbs stroking over his cheeks.

He almost seemed to slam back into his body in reality, though he knew he hadn't moved.

Then he breathed. A deep pull of air into his lungs; he could feel his chest rise along with a tide of agony at breathing so deeply, but he breathed nevertheless, before his consciousness finally faded into absolute blackness, oblivious to the commotion around him.

Sometimes he heard voices.

Naruto could never hear precisely what the speakers said, but they were there, at the edge of his perception. He could recognise some of them. Tsunade was the most common, and Shizune. Several times he thought he heard Jiraiya, but it couldn't be him, he sounded way too serious to be the perverted Sannin Naruto knew.

Kakashi's lazy drawl sometimes made itself known as well. Naruto was sure he was dreaming because of that and the fact that he'd even heard some of the other Genin from his group.

He had no way of telling time, only the voices, which came and went at irregular intervals with blank, peaceful spaces in between.

Two voices were conspicuously absent during these dreams.

The first was Sakura. Usually she was one of the constants in his life, but this time she wasn't there. He wasn't very concerned; somehow the knowledge that she was on a mission drifted in the back of his mind whenever her absence was registered.

Then there was another. A smooth, self assured if slightly arrogant baritone that reminded Naruto of trust and betrayal at the same time. The same voice the lack of which made his rest troubled and a sense of unease settle deep in his gut.

Every time he heard voices, he clung to them for as long as he was able, searching. But he never did hear it.

Eventually, the uneasiness was replaced by dread.

Dread was supplanted by depression.

Naruto couldn't really remember why he'd been so anxious to wake up in the first place. He was so tired. So he embraced the darkness he had battled before.

Sometimes Naruto dreamed.

He dreamt of Itachi, crouching over him as he lay on the ground, a knife in his chest. He would reach for the hilt, gently curling his fingers around it, to suddenly wrench it around, twisting it inside Naruto until the pain drove him insane; while he whispered in his ears about what he'd do to Sasuke as his vision faded.

Sasuke was there a few times. The first time, Naruto was lying in a forest, bleeding and unable to move. Sasuke came and stared at him for an interminable time, expression frightfully blank. Sometimes he'd turn around and walk away. Naruto would try to call for him, but nothing came out.

Other times he'd unsheathe the katana on his belt with otherworldly patience, inspecting the blade for tiny flaws, before slowly drawing a line of fiery pain across Naruto's neck. Naruto would die gagging on his own blood, watching Sasuke take out a cloth and clean his blade. Every time, he'd sink back into the abyss, only to be drawn back into a dream.

The voices were no more.

Or so Naruto thought.

He was drifting between one dream and another, feeling weightless but at the same time heavy and lax, when he became aware of a sound. A low hum, which was slowly but steadily resolving itself into the low timbre of a voice. Naruto shied way from the disturbance, but it didn't leave him alone.

Consciousness was starting to creep up on him, niggling at his mind with irritating insistence. If that annoying voice could just leave him—

Wait.

That voice.

No, it couldn't be.

What would he be doing here? He'd left, long ago, and he wasn't coming back.

His ears must be damaged.

Right?

The darkness became an enemy again. Where it had been forcefully pushing him away before, it suddenly felt like it wasn't pushing enough, like it was, in fact, clinging to him. A fragile bubble of hope grew in his chest no matter how much he tried to convince himself he would be disappointed.

Emerging from unconsciousness was uncharacteristically hard for someone like Naruto, who was up and running days after getting a hole blasted through his shoulder. It was like swimming through quicksand. It tried to suck him under with all its might, and by the time he could more or less feel his body and the soft surface under him, his strength was drained.

Then a hand covered his where it lay on a blanket; fingers curling slightly around his own, grounding him. The quicksand disappeared as if it had never been; the only sign of it the fatigue making Naruto's limbs feel like lead weights.

Something hard and awkward lay over his upper lip, sticking partially into his nose. A soft, constant beep made itself know to his left. And to his right, he could hear the soft, steady breathing of the owner of the hand that covered his. The grip felt familiar somehow, and Naruto got the feeling it had been a lot warmer the last time he felt it. Naruto himself was comfortable, neither warm nor cold. The only discomfort he felt came from a muted pain in his chest and the pinch of a needle in his arm.

Why wasn't he speaking? What if it wasn't him? It might have been Kakashi…he had thought he'd heard him too, through his sleepy haze.

The fingers around his squeezed a little. Someone sighed.

Naruto spent a moment trying to gather his strength and his failing hope. The longer the silence lasted, the feebler it became.

His train of thoughts was broken when a door opened with a click and a whoosh. The hand disappeared from his. Someone walked into the room, approaching the person beside Naruto.

"So, I'm back. This should have everything you need." It was Kakashi.

Which meant whoever was beside him wasn't Kakashi and the person he heard…could it be?

Whatever the Copy Nin had brought thudded as he put it on the floor. "Here are the papers." Something was transferred from Kakashi to the other person. A folder was opened and papers rustled. It was put down on the surface beside Naruto, presumably a bedside table.

"Thanks. For everything." Sasuke said.

Sasuke.

Naruto's mind was blank from shock. For a moment, he couldn't think or comprehend anything. Even though he had hoped for it, he'd never really believed it.

"No problem. It was no small feat to get you out in under two weeks, if I say so myself. How is he?"

"I wouldn't know. I only just got here." Friendly as ever.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He had to see for himself.

"Ah…I was told he hadn't woken up yet, but—" Kakashi stopped speaking. A tense silence descended on the room and Naruto felt the weight of two experienced ninja's stares on him.

"Did he just—"

Kakashi already knew what he was asking. "Yes. I saw it too."

Naruto groaned. It was taking more effort than he thought to open his eyes. But he wouldn't give up, he had to see—

The light was blinding, after having his eyes closed for so long. His vision was blurred, and he blinked owlishly in an attempt to clear it. Naruto's thoughts were muddled, and he knew Tsunade must have given him the good stuff for the Kyuubi Jinchuriki to be this out of it. That and the knife wound—which had somehow still not healed—in his chest, of course.

Two people were standing next to the bed. He rolled his head to the side, staring through still-blurry eyes.

One of the figures, toward the foot of the bed, was definitely Kakashi. His silver hair was pretty unique, and along with the Jounin vest, the mask, and the headband tilted at a rakish angle over his left eye, there was no mistaking him.

The other blurred figure was also definitely Sasuke. He had the same duck-butt hair, only a little longer. Same strange outfit (it always boggled Naruto's mind that Sasuke would wear something like that), same pitch black, unreadable eyes and stoic face. Same mouth, so well suited to arrogant smirking.

What—What—Sasuke's back? Wha—how—

Then the memories came flooding back. Itachi. The knife. Lying helpless in the forest. Sasuke, crying and turning into a total wreck. Kakashi coming along. Sasuke carrying him around like a baby.

"Naruto…Naruto! You alright?" Naruto's vacant eyes turned to regard his sensei. "I know it's a bit of a shock, right? You must be wondering what Sasuke's doing here," Kakashi said.

Huh. His expression must've been a lot worse than he thought. But it wasn't because he was wondering. Oh, no, he remembered everything, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let them know he had been awake through the whole excruciating experience. He was actually surprised that Sasuke had deigned to stay in Konoha.

For the time being.

Kakashi was still speaking, and Sasuke was engrossed with the bed sheet draped over Naruto's chest. "…in the forest. He thought you were dead. Eventually I came looking because you were gone too long, and found the both of you. Sasuke brought you home for treatment a little over a week ago."

Neither of them said anything. Naruto merely kept his gaze fixed on Kakashi, afraid to look at Sasuke and maybe read in his eyes that he'd leave. Kakashi spoke up again.

"Naruto?" He tried, after a few seconds.

Naruto closed his eyes before he asked; unwilling to see the regret that might soon be crossing Kakashi's face, and the anger—or worse, the blankness—that would cloud Sasuke's. His voice was hoarse from disuse and his throat was dry; he had to try twice before anything came out, and settled for just one word.

"…Staying?"

The silence stretched. Naruto's heart plummeted.

It was Kakashi that broke it.

"Well, since Sasuke here seems to have something stuck in his throat, I'll tell you. Sasuke has found that arrangements in Sound weren't what he thought; Orochimaru planned on using him for his replacement body. And when he found you and brought you back, he decided he'd rather be a part of the team again, and help to keep Akatsuki off your back. It's also his best bet on finding Itachi. He's staying, Naruto."

Naruto could only lay in silence, his throat tight. If his eyes were open they'd be misting over. Relief bloomed in his chest, making it ache.

Finally, my promise has been kept, even if not entirely by me. And he's back…

Sasuke's voice was flat when he finally spoke, and he startled Naruto a little. "Who was it?"

For a moment Naruto's drug muddled brain didn't know what Sasuke was asking, but then he realised. His brow furrowed. Naruto could imagine how Sasuke would react when he heard who it was, and he needed to make a point that Itachi hadn't wanted to kill him in the first place. That the Itachi he'd met didn't match up with the one everyone made him out to be.

He cleared his throat, hoping he wasn't just making things worse. He wondered if it would be better to just say he didn't remember, but the name had already left his mouth.

"…Itachi."

When nothing happened for a few seconds, Naruto tentatively opened his eyes. They widened when he saw Sasuke's face.

His eyes had turned red as his Sharingan activated, and his face was like a mask. Lips pressed together, jaw muscles jumping, and eyes still staring unseeingly at the sheets with such black hatred that Naruto was surprised he hadn't burned a hole through them. The straps of his armguards creaked from the pressure of his clenched fists, and every muscle was as taut as a bow string. Naruto's heart lurched into his throat at the sight, and nausea curled in his stomach when the killing intent leaking out from Sasuke hit him.

This was exactly what he'd dreaded.

Abruptly Sasuke spun around and took a step towards the window. Kakashi appeared in front of him, grasping his shoulder in a white knuckled grip.

"You know you can't leave Konoha now, Sasuke. Where would you go? How will you find him?" Kakashi reasoned.

Sasuke looked like he was considering killing Kakashi; whether because his arguments were true or because he was in his way was uncertain.

"He didn't want to kill me," Naruto said. His voice was still hoarse and for a moment he thought they wouldn't hear him.

Their heads snapped towards Naruto as if they'd forgotten he was there, and both of them headed back towards the bed.

"Well, of course not until he had the Kyuu—" Kakashi started.

"He didn't want that either."

"Then what did he want? To torture you?" Sasuke asked flatly. His eyes turned distant and cold, no doubt as he remembered what Itachi had done to him.

"No."

"If he didn't want to kill you, take the Kyuubi, or torture you, why else would he attack you?" Sasuke looked completely confused and angry, and Kakashi's gaze was sharp and considering.

Naruto struggled to get his thoughts together. Should he tell Sasuke what his brother had intended? No. If he did, Sasuke would most likely leave Konoha in an attempt to do the exact opposite of what Itachi wanted him to do.

"I—I'm not sure," Naruto started uncertainly, "he isn't what he seems. He actually told me he was sorry. I think there's something going on with him that we don't know about. He seemed to want to keep the Kyuubi away from Akatsuki as well. Sasuke…he…he seemed to care about you." It was becoming harder to talk, tiredness taking over. The pain in his chest was also becoming less muted.

"It changes nothing—" Sasuke started, the hate returning to his eyes, but Kakashi interrupted.

"You can continue this later, Sasuke. Speculating about that can wait until Naruto feels better."

Surprisingly, Sasuke took a deep breath and unclenched his hands slowly. He finally looked at Naruto's face, his expression calmer, though sombre. His eyes raked over Naruto and his brow furrowed slightly.

This time Naruto was the one staring at the sheets, avoiding his intense stare and trying to gather his strength.

"Well," Naruto heard Kakashi move to the door. "I'd better get going. Things to do, people to see. Someone will probably be by tomorrow for your full report." the door shut with a muted click.

Silence, a little tense, filled the room.

He carefully lifted his eyes and looked up to catch Sasuke's gaze still on him. Naruto glanced away, pretending to be studying the room. He vaguely registered flowers, no doubt from the Yamanaka shop, and cards, and the usual hospital paraphernalia. But he wasn't really seeing anything until his eyes landed on a pitcher of water, and a glass with a bendy straw.

The ache of Naruto's dry throat seemed to amplify. He stared at the pitcher, mentally willing it to float towards him; he knew that if he still had trouble even keeping his eyes open he would never be able to get up and reach for it.

As he watched, Sasuke reached out a pale hand, long fingers closing around the neck of the pitcher and pouring water in the glass.

"Here," He lifted Naruto's head with his other hand, supporting the back of his head and neck as he took long pulls from the straw. It was embarrassing not to be able to drink by himself, but the taste of the water and the ease of the ache in his throat overruled it.

When he finished drinking, he sighed as Sasuke lowered his head back to the pillow, spent. The only thing keeping him from passing out like a light was the nervousness coiling in his stomach.

"Thanks," he murmured, a little awkwardly, eyes closing by themselves.

"Anytime." Sasuke's voice was as steady as ever, but the tension remained. The chair beside the bed creaked as he lowered himself into it.

"You think…you can get me some ramen?"

"When you can walk there."

"If—"

"On your own legs."

Damn.

"…You gonna lose the outfit now? Looks like…you're wearing…a…purple…diaper."

The arms of the chair creaked ominously.

"At least I don't look like an inmate."

"…bright and noticeable. Practically…screams…Hokage."

"Dobe."

"…Teme…"

The tension melted away.

As he relaxed, drifting deeper into sleep, he heard the chair creak again, and felt a presence nearby as Sasuke leaned over him.

"You know," Sasuke whispered, breath tickling Naruto's ear, "If Orochimaru didn't want me only for my Sharingan, and Itachi wasn't after you?"

Naruto mentally tensed, but a tiny, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his lips as Sasuke finished what he was saying.

"Even then, I would have stayed."

The End

Thank you very much for reading! Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome. :)