Oh, my first Naruto fanfic! Can't wait!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... I WISH I did...but I don't.

Also, this takes place during all those fillers. After Sasuke Retrieval Arc, obviously.

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Naruto's face paled with anger. Despite the freezing winter air that blew his hair over his eyes, his face was glowing hot. Any poor snowflake that touched his skin quickly melted away.

He had fallen asleep outside the practice area near the woods last night. This was beginning to become a routine for the young blonde, who, despite his sensei's orders, had trained himself into exhaustion every night for the past fortnight. Every night he'd fall asleep on the grass, unable to move from his intense training, and every morning half an inch of freezing snow would wake him with a start.

Today was different.

Today he had slept through agonizing dreams of Sasuke. It was the all too familiar dreams of two young ninjas battling, one's aim to kill...to other's aim to save.

Naruto loved Sasuke, and every day spent away from the raven-haired ninja was torture. His friends helped, of course, but even thinking about his ex-best friend brought him beyond tears

What angered him, though, enough to melt the never-ending fall of snow around him, was Sakura.

Ah, Sakura. Sweet, beautiful, smart, young Sakura.

Naruto had had a crush on her since the day he first learned her name. She had trusted Naruto to bring Sasuke back to the village. She fell to her knees and cried for him, begging Naruto to bring Sasuke back.

But he couldn't. And Sakura never forgave him. Thinking of her cruel words felt like a knife to the heart.

"I trusted you!" She cried in the hospital room when Naruto had come back empty-handed. "You...you promised me! Now...Sasuke-kun...he's... he'll..."

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto had whispered while on that hospital bed, bandaged like a mummy. "I will bring him back... he wont be consumed by evil... Orochimaru-"

"To hell with Orochimaru!" She screamed, tears leaking down her beautiful young face, "And with you!"

Naruto could remember the sickening silence. Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably. "Sakura, you know he--" he started to say, then sighed and turned his attention to the floor, probably deciding that getting involved would be too troublesome.

Then she left.

"Doesn't she know..." Naruto whispered to himself, bringing his knees to his chest as he watched the sun rise, "Doesn't she know how hard I tried to bring Sasuke back?" He pushed his hands between his legs for warmth. "Doesn't she know that I love him? Does she have any idea...?"

He allowed only one tear to fall. It slid down his cheek and the freezing drop of shame stuck to his chin. He quickly wiped it away and stood up. A chilly gust of winter air greeted him.

Shaking off this depressing feeling, he put on his trademark ear-to-ear grin and turned around, his stomach aching for a warm bowel of Ichiraku Ramen. Just as he was wondering if they would open early for him, a growling voice shocked him.

"Uzumaki Naruto..." The voice appeared in the distance, "I thought having the spirit of the demon fox would make you sensitive to this sort of weather."

Naruto instinctively reached for a kunai and wheeled around, ready. Who he saw, though, sent a wave of surprise and fear though him. It was the two men he hadn't expected to see for another year and a half, at least. But that didn't alter the fact that the two missing nins of the organization called Akatsuki were standing not twenty feet from him.

"Uchiha...Itachi!" Naruto whispered loudly, holding his kunai at the ready.

But he was already thinking of an escape plan. Stronger though he was, there was no way he could even think about fighting such strong ninja. Trying to would be suicide. There was nothing he could do but run.

"Stop. If you fly, we'll be forced to chase after you. Lets make this as easy as possible, ne?" Kisame, the other ninja, growled, glaring at Naruto.

"Don't screw around with me!" Naruto yelled, beginning to feel himself shake. He didn't know if it was due to the near-freezing weather or the fear of imminent death.

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A/N: Sorry this chapter is significantly short - I should really get to bed. Also, I know I changed some things. For instance, Sakura is worse than she really is, but this is how I see her. I really don't like her.

Naruto: Well, you sure rushed things didn't you!?

Me: You were equally surprised. I wanted that.

Naruto: Right. Your just lazy... you and Shikamaru should team up.

Me: Watch it, I can write your future!

Naruto: Pfft, how bad could it possibly be?

Me: "Then Naruto had the sudden urge to dye his hair pink and try his luck on Gai-sensei, who looked great in that tight jumpsuit, in his opinion."

Naruto: No!!! I hate that sort of yaoi!!!