Title: Together Always.
Pairings: None; Team Seven friendship.
Summary: Out of all the outcomes Naruto expected on the day he became Hokage, this one hadn't even crossed his mind. OneshotTeam Seven Friendship Fic
Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto.
Together Always
Out of all the outcomes Naruto expected on the day he became Hokage, this one hadn't even crossed his mind. It really had never occurred to him that someone might try to assassinate him on what was supposed to be the happiest day of his life.
It didn't…Hurt exactly. The shock had prevented the twenty-five year old from actually feeling anything more than a sharp pain before his body started to experience the unsettlingly numb sensation that seemed to spread outwards from where the kunai rested, imbedded hilt deep in his chest.
The blonde glanced down at the offending object, frowning slightly at the inconvenience of it all- He'd been waiting a bloody long time for this moment, and now that he'd made it this far, he'd been killed off, seconds before the Hokage title had even been given to him.
His mouth opened a tad, to release a lungful of blood, the liquid a deep crimson on the cream cobblestones beneath his sandals.
"N-Naruto…?"
Who was that? Hinata? Why did her voice sound so far away? Perhaps it was to do with him dying; didn't it always happen in the movies like that? First the hero would begin to choke on his own blood, then his hearing would start to go…
Naruto lifted his head, albeit slowly and with a lot of effort, and gazed at the Hyuuga heiress silently for a moment, before the weight of his body, coupled with gravity, dragged him backwards. Oh it was too hard to stay upright, and there really was no point in forcing himself to stand when it was eating up the last of his strength.
Yup, just like in the movies. His body fell back in what seemed like slow motion…Well to him it was, and the funny thing was that he didn't feel anything when his body hit the floor, and his head sort of rebounded off of the cobblestones.
"N-Naruto-kun?!"
"Somebody get a medic! Hokage-sama has been hit!"
"Shit! Find out where that kunai came from, I want the guy strung up!"
What a fuss they were making. Wasn't he still the nine-tailed monster that they all hated and feared? Sure, his generation hadn't really cared too much about it, but as his head shifted to the side, he could see the anguish that painted the adults he'd grown up beneath.
A hand passed over his face, and he realised that his head was now resting in Hinata's lap, moisture dripping onto his unusually pale skin. Was she crying? He guessed she had every right to…They had only gotten married the week before, right? He released a barely audible sigh, still saying nothing. His vision had already started to weaken, and the darkness was quickly beginning to engulf him.
Closing his eyes, he forced his stiff body to relax, and thought of happier times. Moments when he'd felt the best…
-Flashback-
He didn't know what was more uncomfortable. The fact that he was tied to a wooden post, or the fact that he was starving and his team-mates were enjoying their packed lunches in front of him.
"It's alright! I'm not hungry at all!"
The two glanced at him briefly, chopsticks poised and ready to enter their mouths at any moment. What? He wasn't! Of course his stomach had totally nullified his claim by releasing a noisy and hungry sounding growl. Sakura and Sasuke frowned slightly, quickly shooting a glance back and forth between their lunches and the noisy ninja. The blonde blushed with mild embarrassment, and looked away.
Damn this was annoying. Kakashi-sensei had confiscated his lunch, all because he'd tried to eat it without first grabbing one of those stupid bells! C'mon, the guy was a Jounin for crying out loud! How was he, a mere Genin, supposed to outmanoeuvre one of the elite ninja? So he'd given up after he'd received the most humiliating 'jutsu' he'd ever come across, and had stalked over to his boxed lunch while the others kept Kakashi-sensei distracted. In the end, he'd been caught and was instantly tied to a post. His teacher had then told the other two that they were allowed to eat, but under no circumstances were they allowed to give any to Naruto. He'd almost combusted on the spot. How cruel.
His thoughts of the morning's events were cut short however, when a pair of chopsticks bearing scented rice appeared just beneath his nose. Food! But where had it come fro-…
"Sasuke?"
The Uchiha snorted, glaring dispassionately at the blonde; "Just eat it."
A low gasp from his right, had him glancing in that direction. Oh, Sakura didn't seem all that pleased. Why did she always seem annoyed with him?
"Sasuke! Kakashi-sensei said we're not allowed to feed him!" she whispered furiously, eyes darting around to make sure he wasn't anywhere in the vicinity. She didn't want her beloved to get into trouble now, did she?
The chopsticks were pressed forcefully against the boy's mouth, and his lips parted automatically to receive the delicious food. Oh God…This was heaven. He hadn't had anything to eat the night before, as per Kakashi-sensei's 'orders' and even that small offering was enough to appease his rabid appetite.
"We're supposed to be a team. How can we expect Naruto to do his best on an empty stomach?"
Sakura sighed softly, but nodded her agreement, loading up her own chopsticks with more rice which she trusted impatiently at her comrade. This too was taken, almost immediately, and the closet pervert in him couldn't help but relish the fact that those same eating utensils had been inside Sakura's mouth as well. Well, the same was true for Sasuke too…But he didn't want to ruin this beautiful thought.
Just as Sasuke's chopsticks raised for the second time, their sensei showed up in a blast of lightening and darkened clouds. To say he seemed pissed, was an understatement. His only eye, well the one they were fortunate enough to see, glowered at them, and the aura he was giving off was terrifying to say the least.
"You just broke the rule!" he snarled, "I have every right to fail you now!"
The three sat there in dumbfounded silence for a moment or two…
"W-wait! Didn't you mention that we all have to work as a team if we wanted to pass?!"
Sakura's voice was higher than usual, and she was still cowering next to Naruto. God this guy was scary.
Kakashi shot the girl a look out the corner of his eye.
"And that's why you pass!" he replied cheerfully.
-End Flashback-
Naruto's lips curled into a slight smile at the memory. That was the first time those two had shown any loyalty to him- He would've expected it from Sakura, but not from Sasuke.
"Naruto-kun! Hold on, Tsunade-sama is on her way!"
'Quit shaking me, woman…' he grumbled mentally, 'I'm trying to die peacefully here.'
-Flashback-
It was cold, it was wet…And the floor was covered in a strange, thick substance. Naruto slowly regained consciousness after temporarily passing out, shaking his head slowly to remove the dizziness. What had happened? Oh, yeah…That kid Haku had him and Sasuke surrounded, and he'd almost killed him with those needle-things of his.
Pushing himself into a seated position, the blonde lifted a hand to his face and frowned. Blood? Was it his? Looking around the area, he realised with some relief, that it didn't belong to him? Did it belong to Haku? No, he was slumped on the far side of the clearing, and he didn't seem to be bleeding. The last person could only be…His heart froze momentarily.
"S-Sasuke?"
The dark haired boy shot Naruto a glare over his shoulder.
"What is it, dobe?"
His voice sounded weak, and the blood pooling around his sandals was beginning to freak the young ninja out. Had Sasuke saved him? Would he have been the one dripping with blood, if the other hadn't been around?
"Why? Why'd ya do it? Why Sasuke?" his words were bordering on hysteria.
A low chuckle escaped the Uchiha's exhausted body, and he slumped forward slightly.
"Y-you're always in the way." He paused. "My body did it on it's own."
And that was it. The last of the Uchiha clan fell, and Naruto screamed.
Everything was slightly hazy after that. Kakashi had killed Haku, by accident of course; Zabuza was dying next to his young partner, and Sakura…Her anguished scream had finally ceased.
"Naruto!"
The blonde turned around, his gaze firmly fixed on the floor. No way in hell was he going to cry again!
"Naruto! Sasuke's alive!"
What? He finally looked up, and there he was. Alive…Barely. His hand raised in a silent salute, and he looked away. Naruto's mouth broke out into the biggest grin, and he swiped impatiently at the moisture gathering at his eyes. Sasuke was alive.
-End Flashback-
"Oi…Dobe."
Ahh…Who was bothering his thoughts this time?
"Can a guy just not die without a fuss?" came his irritated reply. "I'm trying to think only happy thoughts and you're disturbing them."
"Dobe, open your eyes."
'Like hell I will…The scenery isn't going to be any different from what I'm seeing now. It'll be dark, with a few hazy outlines.'
"Baka! Quit ignoring us!"
A sharp pain flashed across his side, and he winced. He was supposed to be dead, or at least dying, so why could he now experience pain?!
"Damn it! Who the hell kicked me?!" he finally roared, sitting up quickly, his eyes now open and red with rage.
That's when he saw them. Two small…No, very small children standing side by side in front of him. Naruto blinked. A boy and a girl; and they looked unsettlingly familiar.
"Ne, Naruto! We thought you'd never wake up!" the pink-haired girl murmured with a relieved smile.
"Yeah, we've been waiting ages for you, dobe."
Naruto sweatdropped. Oh yeah, that was Sasuke alright, and the kid next to him was obviously Sakura. But why were they so young? They'd died when they were sixteen, not six! Was this some kind of cosmic joke? If it wasn't…There was at least one thing he could lord over him now. A smirk quirked the corners of his mouth, an evil glint entering his eyes.
"At least I'm taller than you in this life, teme."
Oh yes, revenge was sweet!
"Uh, Naruto?"
"Yeah, Sakura?" He was totally gone…In his own little world where he could torture Sasuke without receiving a retaliation.
"Sasuke's still taller than you."
"No he isn't! I'm twenty-five and he's six, how can he be taller than me?!"
"If you hadn't noticed, dobe…You're the same age as us, and that means you'll always be shorter than me."
Naruto glanced down at himself, and cursed. He was shorter than Sasuke…And Sakura…Great. Oh well, it didn't really matter all that much now anyway. Pushing himself to his feet, he realised that the two had disappeared.
"Hey! Where'd they go?!"
"Naruto, we're over here!"
The blonde whirled around, the panic immediately removing itself from his face, for there standing a few feet away were his real family.
"Ohayo, mina-chan!"
A puff of smoke blinded everyone for a moment, before the outline of Kakashi appeared. There was a startled pause, then…
"You're late!" this from both Sakura and Sasuke.
"Aa; I got lost on the road of life…"
The three children sweatdropped.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're dead! How can you get lost on the road of life?!"
The silver-haired Jounin paused thoughtfully, his one eye crinkled in a semblance of a smile. His kids…They'd never change, would they?
"Death doesn't mean the end of life. Death is only the beginning of a new one."
That silenced them. They'd never heard their teacher utter such profound quotes…
"Now, lets go home, shall we?"
Kakashi bent at the waist, and scooped Naruto up placing the blonde on his shoulders, one hand holding him in place whilst the other grasped Sakura's hand. Sasuke latched on to the Jounin's trousers, and followed obediently as they started to move off towards the light.
Owari