Naruto opened one eye. Still groggy, he couldn’t react to where he was, who had taken him, or what was going on. He slowly started to sit up, very slowly. His head was pounding, ‘ah that’s right, some fucker hit me round the head. Again! Just as I walked out the van. GAH! I’m so gunna rip his head off!!’ he was finally sitting upright when he noticed that someone was in the room, other than himself.

“Stay calm and relax, otherwise your fluid levels will start to react unkindly to you.” Said a tall, lean raven-haired man. He came over to where Naruto was sat and was trying to arrange the pillows so that he was comfy. The man leaned over and pulled Naruto up further, reorganized the pillows behind the blond and lowered Naruto back on to them. “Better?” He questioned.

Naruto looked at the lean figure blankly, he had the slightest want for him to be close again because of his faint vanilla mucky smell that suggested that he was a hard person to find out about, but it was also a comforting, warm smell. He wore all black apart from his white doctors coat and white gloves. Suddenly Naruto remembered who took him, it was the whites coats and blue gloves. If those guys had taken him, then who was this person who wore a white coat and white gloves.

“Umm thanks.” Naruto said mystified

“What’s the matter?” the raven queried, lowering himself to sit on the crisp white bed.

“Who are you?”

“Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself,” he cleared his throat “I’m Doctor Uchiha, head of the recovery department. And you are Naruto Uzumaki.”

“Yes I am. Where are those fuckers who did me in?” He was starting to get angry now; his hands were curling into fists and going slightly red with the force.

“Those ‘fuckers’ were the retrieval unit. They change routs all the time so it would be imposable to know who your capturers were, unless you went to the top of this establishment and asked the Boss; which I think you would care to know, that she doesn’t see anyone unless it was a dire emergency.” And as an after thought he added, “She can get very angry very quickly.” There was defiantly a caring tone in the Uchiha’s mellow voice.

“Who is this woman that everyone is so scared of then?” Naruto retorted, vaguely annoyed, he was now slightly preoccupied with trying to remove all the tubes from his body.

“Tsunade.” The doctor said bitterly.

Naruto stopped trying to remove the tubes immediately and started to giggle uncontrollably. “What that old bat?” he managed to get out before doubling over again with laughter.

“What are you talking about?” The raven said somewhat confused at the reaction the blond had given him. What he thought would have happened was that Naruto would hear that name and be seriously frightened, or at least have asked who she was. He was thoroughly bewildered.

The blond sobered, “So this is were that hag ended up. I had wondered were she had disappeared off to.” Naruto was starting to babble. But it was interesting for the Uchiha, who knew practically nothing about his Boss. “Mind you she does come and go as she pleases, but she always finds the time to pop round and say hi. Although she should really spend more time visiting me.” Naruto continued, whilst pouting.

“What are you talking about?” the raven repeated.

“I guess you only know her as your Boss then. She’s no harm really.” Naruto giggled.

The doctor was utterly baffled. They couldn’t be the same Tsunade. “No harm??? We must be talking about different people. Only yesterday she whacked an employee to the other side of the compound.”

“Still has her charm I see.” Naruto contemplated.

“How do you know her?”

“First off, what’s your name?” the blond questioned.

“I’ve already told you, I’m Doctor Uchiha.”

“NO! I already know THAT name. What I meant was…” He was struggling to find a way to put it so he settled with, “I’m Naruto. You are???” Naruto said pointing at himself then at the raven.

“You only need to know me by the name that I’ve already told you.” He stated professionally.

“Come on now, if your going to be my doctor, which I still don’t know why I need a doctor by the way, I would at least like to know him by his first name.” Naruto stated in exactly the same manner. Business like.

“Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke.”

“Ok now we’re getting somewhere. Now please could you point me in the direction of Tsunade, Sasuke-kun?”

Sasuke was a bit shocked at the suffix being added onto the end of his name. “I-I can’t permit that, I’m sorry.”

“Awwww come on Sasuke-kun,” Naruto giggled inwardly, Sasuke wasn’t used to people calling him that, the blond then decided to add puppy-dog eyes to this plead. “Pleeeeaaaaaassssse.”

“Your still attached to an IV drip you have to stay in bed for another day.” Sasuke was trying to get out of going to see Tsunade. He knew if she found out it was him taking patients to see her he would be in for it.

“You’re only saying that because your scared of her aren’t you?” Naruto teased.

“You still haven’t told me how you know her.” Sasuke said trying to change the subject.

“You never asked.” The blond chuckled.

“Well, I’m asking you now. How do you know her?” He asked irritated.

“We go way back.” Naruto was enjoying tormenting this poor doctor. Not very often someone like him came along that interested Naruto. “Oh, come on, I’ll protect you from her wrath.” He teased again. “But for starters you can unhook all this stuff from me, I was only knocked out, I’ll be fine.” He added on reassuringly.

Sasuke moved and started to un-attach the equipment form the blond. “If i…”

“Don’t worry I’ll protect you.” Naruto cut in, seductively.

“I don’t want protection, I can take care of myself. I just don’t want to lose my job.” The raven said blushing a little.

“Sounds like you want protection to me.” Naruto mocked.

Sasuke stopped what he was doing, turned his back and started to walk away.

“Sasuke-kun, don’t be like that.” Naruto said taking Sasuke’s wrist in his hand whilst presenting the raven with another set of puppy-dog eyes, they never failed. “I would like to see my Aunt, I haven’t seen her for ages.”

Sasuke lost his cool. “She’s your what?” He shouted, lucky the walls were sound proof otherwise there would have been an invasion of white coats seeing what was wrong.

“My aunt,” The blond stated simply. “And I’d like to have a fat big go at her for bringing me to a mental compound.” Sasuke looked at him, thinking that a mental asylum wouldn’t be a bad place to put him. “What you gawking at?” Naruto had a sly smile protruding form his lips.

Sasuke kept quiet. He released Naruto from his tubes and wires, walked to the door and held it open for the blond. Naruto walked through and watched the raven close the door quietly. He then followed the pale doctor. As they were walking to Tsunade’s office, which was right at the top of the building, Sasuke started to talk.

“This isn’t a mental asylum.”

“Huh?” Naruto wasn’t really paying attention. He was ogling how everything could be kept so white, or why anyone would want to work in a place that felt so bare of life.

“Naruto? Were you listening to anything that I was just saying?”

“Say what? Sorry but how can anyone work in such a place. I mean ok it’s nice and clean, but it looks dead, there’s no colour, what about orange. Brilliant colour that. Brings the sun right back in.”

“I was saying that this place isn’t a mental asylum. It’s test centre.” The raven said.

“A test centre for what?” Naruto was paying attention now.

“Oh we’re here.” They were standing in front of a large red door that had the words ‘Boss’ etched into the wood.

Doctor Uchiha knocked on the door once. A great booming voice told them to enter. Sasuke opened the door, walked in slightly and held it open for Naruto. As the door shut behind him, Naruto looked sternly at the back of a high back chair.

“Tsunade, you sit there lazily on your ass, but you can’t be bothered to pay your nephew a visit in town.” Naruto said cheekily.

“I should have guessed it would be you to interrupt my afternoon, Naruto.” Tsunade said turning her chair to face the teenager. “ God you’ve grown.” She said getting up form the chair.

“That’s probably because you haven’t come to see me in what it must be a year.” She gave him hug.

As she pulled away she looked at the Uchiha. “Why are you here? And why is Naruto in that silly nighty?”

Sasuke went paler, if that was possible. “Umm…”

Naruto cut in. “Well it seems that you think that I should be here as it was in your orders to knock me out twice to bring me here. I woke up in a hospital bed, which you damn well know that I hate hospitals let alone being a subject in one. Doctor Uchiha. Sasuke-kun,” As he corrected himself he looked over at the handsome man, “was the only one that bothered to tell me anything about this place. Then i insisted that I was brought to you as soon as I found out that it was you who ran this place.” Naruto gave Sasuke a gentle, genuine smile, which awarded him with a very light blush from the Uchiha. Naruto already felt that he had known the raven his whole life; it was a weird sensation.

“I told them to not use force I only wanted to talk to him, then they go and put him in an hospital bed, what were they thinking.” Tsunade was muttering to herself. “Shizune!” she shouted at the top of her voice.

A woman entered holding a little pig. “Yes?”

“I want to see those who were assigned the task to collect my nephew, but not till I’ve finished speaking with these two.”

Shizune looked over at the two that Tsunade were talking of. Fist was the well-known doctor, who looked slightly nervous to be around the Boss. Next was the tanned blond boy, no, she correct herself the tanned blond man. She immediately dropped Ton-Ton, the pig, and rushed over to Naruto. She held him away from her taking in what he was now like and then gave him a delicate hug.

“I haven’t seen you in almost a year. How have you been?”

“Shizune, please.” Tsunade gestured to the door.

As she was leaving Shizune added, “We’ll have to catch up sometime.” And with that she left the room scooping up Ton-Ton on the way.

Naruto instantly sat down in one of the leather chairs at the desk. “Sasuke don’t be such a stiff. Come and sit down. I’m sure you would like to know as well as I, why such a handsome guy such as myself was injected into your care.” Sasuke coloured at that again, however the Boss wasn’t the one to offer him the seat so he stayed standing.

Naruto glared at Tsunade. “Please sit down.” Tsunade gestured at the leather chair next to Naruto. He obliged.

“Could you please tell me now, why I’m here in this place wearing these stupid clothes?” Naruto emphasized the clothes part by tugging on the pale blue night robe he was wearing.

“I’m sorry Naruto.” Tsunade was generally annoyed that her specific instructions to get her nephew, had been disobeyed. “I just wanted for you to come here and talk to you.”

“You could have come to see me in my flat. I’ve cleaned it this month.” He said proudly. Tsunade had only ever come round when it was a pigsty. And she had always said that he should tidy up. But the one time he does, she has him kidnapped. He just couldn’t win could he?

“What you can actually see the floor then?” She replied sarcastically.

“Great now we’re getting side-tracked by whether or not you could see my floor.” He sobered up again. “Tsunade, really just tell, be plain and simple. Why am I here?”

Tsunade looked at him blankly. “We need you to go out to present day, 2008 in a place called Tokyo. This is so that you can report back to us why these people can’t or don’t use their Chakra.”

Naruto looked bewildered, absolutely flabbergasted at what his Aunt was telling him. “Are you saying there’s another kind‘a dimension thing that you want me to go into, to see and talk to people who don’t even use their Chakra.”

“Well, actually most of them don’t even know what it is, we think.”

Naruto looked over to Sasuke, who seemed to be taking this information easily. He looked back at Tsunade mouth open.

“Shut your mouth, you look like a fish. Obviously you’ll be briefed on their culture and all the things your age group like to do ect ect. We chose Tokyo because it seems to speak the same language. You have a month to get to know everything. Tomorrow you can go back down to Konoha and sort out your affairs, but don’t make any date of when you’ll be back. You’ll come back to us once a week and present your report then you’ll go back. You’ll do this until we have sufficient information.” She didn’t hesitate once through out her whole speech.

“Sufficient information? But that means that I could be going back there for years, I wont get to see my friends. What happens if I refuse?” Naruto asked bluntly.

“I will persuade you until you do go.”

“Why can’t anyone else do this?”

“Because you’re the only one I can completely trust, apart from Shizune, but I need her here.”

Naruto was stuck. He didn’t want to leave his friends or his life. He had no real reason to refuse. “What would I tell my friends? They’d start to get worried if I didn’t turn up to college.”

“College can be taken care of, as for your friends tell them you’re going away for a while.”

Naruto was still trying to look for excuses. “Well… who’s gunna teach me about society and all that stuff?” He leaned back in his chair relaxing a little. Seeing Tsunades’ face assured him that she hadn’t thought about that.

“I hadn’t thought of that, well I had, but it was a passing thought,” She slammed her fist on the table, obviously not with her full power otherwise they would all be sitting disgruntled on the bottom floor. “Well, how about? Nope, what about? … Nope he’s busy.”

Sasuke up to this moment been silent, and brooding as per usual to his nature but he felt the need to speak up at this instant. “I could.”

Tsunade looked up as if seeing the doctor for the first time. “You could what?”

“Teach him about the society there, what else?” He replied slightly annoyed.

“But you of all people don’t seem to have the experience. I mean you’re a very good doctor but you’ve hardly been here.”

“I have the right qualifications, and necessities, regardless of my age.” He replied again but this time with some spite echoing in his voice.

Tsunade could hardly argue, she turned and faced her nephew “Naruto, would this arrangement be alright with you?”

All faces were turned to Naruto.