Finding A Way

AN: I do not own Naruto!

Chapter 1 – Mission Approval

It was another brilliant morning in the village of Kohana. The people busing themselves in the streets. While others training in the forests. Who would have known that this would be a day that the shinobi of Kohana would embark on the mission they were waiting for, for the past two and a half years……………

RRRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG! Rays of sunlight escaped through the curtains of a small one-person apartment and onto the face of a 15 year old hyperactive ninja. He was sleeping soundly in bed with a small trail of drool on the side of his mouth.

"Wha-what?" A blond-headed teen yawned as he shut off the alarm, while wiping of the drool with the back of his hand. He stretched his arms and legs out before getting out of bed. While gathering his usual orange and black jacket, he tripped on a stack of empty ramen cups, and fell on his face.

"AH! Argh! Godamn it, Sakura-chan was right… I guess I should clean up soon…" Naruto thought, while rubbing the small bump now forming on his head, and getting up. Then remembering that hokage baa-chan wanted him and his friends to come to a mission briefing at 10:00 sharp early that morning, he quickly rushed toward the restroom. Just then he heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Naruto yelled while heading toward the restroom.

"NARUTO! You baka! You're late!" The person yelled.

Recognizing that the voice belonged to Sakura, Naruto quickly retorted back, "What the heck are you talking about! It's only 9:30!"

"What the heck are YOU talking about? It's 10:30!"

Naruto then realized that it was past daylight savings and forgot to change the time.

"HOLY SHIT!" He yelled as he rush to the restroom. He came out two minutes later. He tripped on the ramen cups again and fell on his face. "Kuso!" He yelled. When opening the door, there he saw a very angry Sakura. Sakura had her regular red top, a skirt with slits on the sides and black shorts underneath. Along with that, long black boots. (Just like in the manga!)

"Hurry up baka, even Kakashi-sensei came on time!" Sakura yelled as both shinobi dashed toward the hokage's tower.

"Gomen Sakura-chan…..I forgot it was daylight savings and-"

"Now you're sounding like the pervert!" Sakura interrupted.

" Wha! How can you compare, the future hokage, with that guy!" Naruto protested. They continued their bickering while jumping on the rooftops toward the hokage's tower.

-In the hokage's office-

"How come you're early and the baka is late this time?" Shikamaru asked Kakashi.

"Well, for once I had an excusers-block. Besides Tsunade's asleep." The one eyed nin replied pointing to the sleeping figure on the large desk behind him, not even taking his gaze off of his beloved Icha-Icha Paradise book.

"Troublesome teacher" Shikamaru muttered.

"Well, it seems that the dickless wonder and the banchi aren't going to show up for a while." Sai said while taking out his kunai to sharpen it.

"Why you unfeeling jackass, how dare you talk about Sakura-chan lik-"

" Sai, for once, shut the hell up." Said Neji cutting off Lee. Both him and Sai glared at each other for a moment, then looked away. He too was offended about the last comment about his comrades. "Uzumaki should know better than to be late on an urgent briefing. Especially since it involves all of us." Shino, Kiba, Akamaru, and Choji, who was eating a bag of chips, could only nod in agreement.

"He is only enjoying his years of youth!" Lee stated, while doing his nice-guy pose. Tenten let out a sigh.

"Lee, give it a rest, Sakura-chan isn't even here to see you. She went to fetch Naruto, remember?" Tenten said. Lee sweat dropped.

"Mm-maybe Naruto-kun, accidentally overslept o-or something…." Hinata muttered.

"Why do you always protect that moron Hinata?" Ino asked.

Hinata turned completely red, before she could reply, everyone turned there attention to a noise that was barely audible, looking through the window they saw a blond hyperactive teen yelling and waving while heading toward the tower with a pink haired kunoichi right behind him shaking her right fist in the air. Everyone sweat dropped.

A minute later the doors were busted open by none other than Naruto himself. (With an enraged Sakura behind him.)

"Uzumaki Naruto here to kick ass!" Naruto exclaimed while pointing his thumb to his chest. The noise created woke up Tsunade.

"Huh? What? O-oh!" Tsunade looked around the room only to notice all attention was now on her. Wiping the drool off her face and straightening her posture, she yelled, "Uzumaki Naruto, what freaken part of 10:00 sharp don't you understand!"

"Who shoved a hidden scroll up her ass?" Naruto thought. "Ahh, don't worry Baa-chan! Heh..heh…heh" He said while rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Baka."

"Dobe."

"How troublesome."

"Idiot."

"Baa-chan! Why you litt-"

"Umm Hokage-sama…..don't you think that you should start the briefing?" Kakashi suggested while putting away his book. Naruto silently thanked his former sensei. "I'll buy him ramen after this." Naruto thought to himself.

"Oh, yes, now that EVERYONE is finally here, the mission I'll be giving will be much more hazardous than any other I've sent out…." Tsunade began, while placing her chin on top of her lased fingers, her elbows leaning on the desk. There was an intense silence. "As you know, the sound village is growing stronger, and Orochimaru is planning something big since…..It has now been three years. It seems that he is trying to form an alliance with the Tea and Bird countries. The confirmation of this alliance is not yet confirmed though." At these words everyone tensed up. Especially Naruto and Sakura. Orochimaru….both Naruto and Sakura thought.

"So what exactly do you want us to do?" Neji asked, sensing the tension in the room.

"Since there was a similar missions previously attempted before, I expect those few to know what's coming." Tsunade stated. Looking at the ninjas that were in front of her.

Naruto, Neji, Choji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Akamaru, Sakura, and Sai all gulped at this statement, remembering those particular missions. Naruto looked down and clenched his fist tight to his sides, turning his knuckles white. He remembered how he tried to knock some damn sense into the bastard twice. Once three years ago, and again only six months back. He remembered how everyone risked their lives, and how he couldn't careless. Even after that, when the temporary team 7 found out about Orochimaru's hideout from the mission of extracting information from Sasori's spy Kabuto. Sakura looked down as well, trying to suppress the memories that she tried to ignore for the last couple of years. The memories of the one that left her and everyone that cared about him in Kohana, to seek power. Then seeing him again only a few months ago and seeing all the changes that took place. He was no longer the Sasuke that they had come to know as more than a friend. The pain of not being able to bring him back then was almost unbearable. Kakashi, Hinata, Neji, and Shikamaru noticed the distressing auras that were being given off by the two, but didn't know what to do to ease their anxiety.

"Our main objective is to stop Orochimaru from gaining any advantages in the upcoming war, and one way to do that is to take away any source of the powerthat he can get his hands on. So your mission is…To retrieve Uchiha Sasuke!"

Next time: "Do they truly believe they can bring me back?" A dark figure in the shadow whispered silently to himself……"Sakura-chan, I made a promise, and I'll bring that bastard back because that's my way of the ninja!"

AN: Sry it's a little short. I'll try and make the next couple of chapters a lot better.