Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and only borrow the characters.
One
It was a beautiful day in Konohagakure, the Hidden Village of the Leaves. The civilians were up and busy with their various activities. The thudding sound of feet stomping on the roofs of houses gave proof of the ninjas on their way to fulfill their various missions.
On the bridge where team seven used to meet during the time when they were genins, a boy of nineteen years of age was waiting for his team mates.
His name was Uzumaki Naruto. He was a beautiful boy with a lithe figure, strong arms and legs that looked delicate. He had silky blond hairs that would have fallen into his face without the hitaeate tied to his forehead. His eyes were a startling shade of blue which couldn't help but remind others of the endless sky. All these attributes made him into someone who people admired and sought after.
Yet, Naruto was unaware of his own beauty. This could be blamed on his past that consisted of ignorance and hatred. This was due to the presence of the nine tailed demon fox, Kyuubi. The fox was sealed into his stomach and jailed with seal just minutes after he was born. It was only after Naruto had become a genin that people started acknowledging him.
Naruto had a rather unnatural way of making friends with enemies and strangers. Of all the people that Naruto had befriended, the most precious person to him was his best friend, Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke was the only remaining Uchiha in Konoha, because of the massacre of his clan at the hands of his now dead older brother, Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke was a handsome boy with raven hair and deep black eyes. His features had gained him a fan club which annoyed him to no end. Sasuke was the heir to the Uchiha Bloodline Limit, the Sharingan.
The Sharingan had bought the S-class missing-nin Orochimaru to Konoha during the Chuunin exams. Their, he had tempted Sasuke with power to avenge his clan. This had led to Sasuke's defection from Konoha, and nothing Naruto said or did had made him reconsider his decision. It was three years later that Sasuke has been able to kill Orochimaru and his brother. He had been barely conscious enough to drag himself to the gates of Konoha where he had soon lost consciousness .Upon awakening he had been giving the punishment of D-class missions and other menial chores as retribution for betraying the village. What nobody but the Hokage and Sasuke knew was that Sasuke's punishment was a lot lenient only due to the heartfelt pleading done by Naruto. This punishment had continued on for three years after which the Hokage and her council had been satisfied and allowed Sasuke to climb up the ninja ranks. Thus it was only a short time before Sasuke had become a Jounin.
The relationship between Naruto and Sasuke was rather baffling to everybody. They declared to the world at large that they were best friends, but their actions towards each other shouted out to others a different relationship.
Naruto had been love with Sasuke for more than three years. At first he had dismissed his reason for chasing after Sasuke to be friendship, but only after a lot of thought on the matter had he realized that he was in love. He had kept his discovery to himself even after Sasuke had returned so that he would not loose his most precious person were he to reveal his feelings.
But what he did not know was that Sasuke was also in love with him. Sasuke had caught himself several times staring at Naruto. Dismissing his actions as friendship, it had snuck up on him quite suddenly that he loved Naruto when he had found himself glaring unconsciously at a girl who had been trying to flirt with the blond.
Although all their friends were sick of watching the two of them dance around their feelings, it was amusing to see them attempt to convey their thoughts to each other.
Anyway, on with the story………….
Leaning on the bridge, Naruto gazed unseeingly at the sky while thinking about Sasuke.
'When will I have the courage to tell you that I love you, Sasuke?'
So deep was he in his thoughts that he didn't see the figure approaching him till someone tapped his hand. Naruto was startled and turned around to find the object of his thoughts smirking at him.
"Daydreaming again, dobe?" Sasuke struggled to keep his eyes on Naruto's face and not
rake them up and down his body.
"Sasuke, don't scare me like that!", Naruto exclaimed . Looking out of the corner of his eyes, Naruto was struck again by how handsome and elegant the Uchiha was.
"You are a ninja, dobe, you should be aware of your surroundings."
Before Naruto could retort to that they were interrupted by the appearance of an eagle masked ANBU.
"Uchiha-san, Uzumaki-san, Hokage-sama has called for you."
With the disappearance of the ANBU, Naruto and Sasuke performed the signs for the shushin no jutsu and disappeared in two poofs of smoke…
… only to reappear in front of the Godaime of Konoha, Tsunade no Sannin.
She looked up as they appeared and regarded them over the pile of paperwork on her desk.
"What's up, baa-chan?", asked Naruto with a frown when she still hadn't spoken to them.
Tsunade stopped her introspection to glare at Naruto. "Don't call me that, brat."
Clearing her throat she regarded come papers in front of her and them spoke to them. "I have received some news that is very troubling. There seems to be some problem near the valley of the end. Any person who enters into a certain area is instantly, forcefully transported to another place. As far as we have concluded the transportation does not seem to harm the person, it only causes a slight disorientation. I sent the former Team Gai two days ago to check the area, but before they could look around they were transported to my office. Then I sent Anko with a team of ANBU and every one of them except for her were transported to the Forest of Death. But, Anko was able to enter the area and she found that there is a seal imprinted on the ground which encompasses an area of about five feet. You get this so far?"
Naruto and Sasuke nodded and Sasuke asked her with a slight frown on his face, "Hokage-sama, why is it that Anko was able to enter and not any of the others?"
Beside him Naruto was also regarding her intently.
Scowling slightly at their impatience Tsunade continued, "I am getting to that, Uchiha.
From the way she described the seal, Jiraiya helped in deciphering it we found that the seal allows only those who have tainted chakra. Anko was able to enter the area because of the seal Orochimaru gave her. Though the seal is inactive it has been on her for so long that her chakra will be forever tainted." Looking at them with consideration she said," I think you know what I am getting to." Seeing their nods she said, "Because of the Uchiha using the seal continuously for more than three years and Naruto having been merged wit the Kyuubi you two are the only ones in Konoha who have tainted chakra. So I want you to go to the Valley of the End and find out more of the seal. This is a B-rank mission. Do not use your chakra inside the perimeter of the seal. And be careful."
Saying so she dismissed them and threw the B-rank mission scroll to them.
Bowing farewell to the Hokage, Sasuke and Naruto caught the scroll she threw at them and left through the window.
