Shrunk
Zabani-chan
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: After reading so many stories with someone turning into a child, I decided to write my own. So here it is! I'm also working on 5 new stories: Imadoki Nowadays, 2 Inuyasha, Gokusen, and Avatar: the Last Airbender (it's already done and posted).
Okay, you know the drill. I do not own Naruto or any of the aforementioned shows/books. Now here's the story!
Ch.1
"Aargh! Why is he late?!" Sakura demanded.
"…no idea…" Sasuke muttered, leaning against the rails and resting his chin on the palm of his hand, gazing at the river below.
"He's never late!" she continued.
"Calm down, Sakura." Kakashi said, reading his usual book, "He's coming."
They looked around and spotted him coming from the forest. He looked up and smiled, scratching the back of his head. They noticed his smile didn't reach is eyes.
"Sorry I'm late. But I had something else to do." he said.
"That's more important than training to become Hokage?" Sasuke asked. Naruto looked at him.
"Yeah. Way more important than training." He said. Kakashi closed his book and looked around at his students.
"Well…let's get going. We're going to do something different today." He said, walking in the same direction Naruto had just come from. They followed eagerly.
Five minutes into the forest, they passed the cemetery, and Sasuke and Sakura noticed flowers on the grave of the Yondaime. They also noticed that Naruto rushed ahead, head down, as if to avoid seeing it.
When they reached the training grounds, Naruto turned in mid-jump and faced the rest. His eyes locked with Kakashi's.
"So what are you teaching us today?' he asked. Kakashi smiled. They looked at him wearily.
"Actually…I'm not teaching you anything today." He said.
"WHAT?!" they yelled. He continued to smile.
"I invented a new jutsu and I'm going to use Naruto and Sakura as practice dummies." He said cheerfully.
The two mentioned glared hatefully at him, and Sasuke inched away from him.
"Why are you using only us?" Sakura asked, eyes flashing dangerously.
"I only need two people, and I've had a few teachers threaten to kill me if I harmed Sasuke." He said.
"Why?"
"They said they needed him for something else." He raised his hands to form the tiger sign.
"Get ready, you two."
They tensed and closed their eyes as Kakashi did a few hand signs. Sasuke leaned against a tree and watched as nothing happened. Kakashi dropped his hands to his sides and sighed in disappointment. Sakura and Naruto opened their eyes and relaxed.
"It didn't work, did it, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto sarcastically asked, seeing Kakashi's face. Kakashi glared. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly collapsed, Naruto following soon after. Sasuke shot forward and tried to wake Sakura as Kakashi did the same with Naruto.
"What the hell did you do?" Sasuke demanded. Kakashi merely shook his head.
"I don't know what happened. It could merely be a side effect of the jutsu." He said.
"What kind of jutsu was it supposed to be, anyway?" he asked.
"It was designed to turn them into a young child and still have their adult memories. But once the user leaves for a certain amount of time, they lose any memories they had from the age of six and up. It was designed to…" he cut off as Naruto's body disappeared, his clothes lying empty on the ground. Sakura's body soon disappeared as well, her clothes hanging on Sasuke arms. Kakashi and Sasuke stared blankly at the clothes and then at each other. Sasuke's blank look soon turned to anger as he glared at Kakashi, who smiled nervously back.
"What have you done with them?" he asked, voice low. A laugh and giggle saved Kakashi from answering. They looked to Sasuke's left and Kakashi's right. A naked little blonde boy and naked little pink haired girl were standing there laughing at them. Sasuke blushed at the sight of a naked little girl and quickly looked away. Kakashi looked at him.
"You know, there's no reason to blush at the sight of a naked little girl.." he trailed off as he watched Sasuke avoid looking at Sakura "…unless you've never seen a naked girl before."
Sasuke blush darkened, and Kakashi stood up. He looked at Naruto and Sakura.
"How old are you?" he asked. Naruto scrunched up hi face as though he had to really think about it. Sakura answered almost immediately.
"I'm five." She said. After a few minutes, Naruto answered.
"I'm five, too." He said. Kakashi nodded and turned to Sasuke.
"Toss me her dress so I can dress her or you can dress her yourself. Either way, you're going to have to change their clothes sooner or later." Kakashi said. Sasuke stared at him.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, they will be under your care until the jutsu – which seems to have worked - wears off." Kakashi said, wrestling a wiggling Naruto into the black T-shirt he always wore under his orange jacket. Sasuke grumbled and stalked towards Sakura. She screamed and ran away. Kakashi laughed.
"What's so funny?" Sasuke asked, walking after Sakura.
"She's playing."
"Hmph." He vanished and reappeared in front of her. She crashed into his legs and he quickly grabbed her arm. He knelt in front of her so they were eye to eye.
"Will you hold still?" he asked. She nodded, and he let go. She smiled.
"Raise your arms up high, okay?" he said, doing an example.
"Banzai!" she yelled, putting her hand in the air.
"Yeah. Banzai." He said, sliding her old dress over her head. IT was huge. He sighed, and looked at Kakashi.
"You don't suppose we could tell their parents, do you?" he asked. Kakashi stared at him.
"Don't you know?" he asked.
"Know what?"
"Naruto doesn't have any parents, and Sakura's are M.I.A." he said. Sasuke's eyes widened. (A/N: Sasuke's not as emo-ish and stuck up in this story. This takes place a couple of years after they retrieve Sasuke, meaning that Team 7 are all 17[except Kakashi, he's 29, so Sasuke is a bit more open and talkative.)
"No. I didn't know. But now that I think about it, they've never mentioned their parents." Sasuke said thoughtfully.
"Right, he nodded, "Well, I've go to go. You might want to get them a few outfits." He stood and motioned fro Naruto to go stand beside Sasuke. Naruto did, staring at him as if studying him. Sasuke stared back until Naruto looked away. They all looked at Kakashi. He smiled.
"Sakura, Naruto, this man will be looking after you for awhile." He said. Naruto and Sakura immediately started asking questions.
"Where are my parents at now?" Sakura asked, twiddling her fingers, something Sasuke had never seen her do before.
"They had to go on a very important mission." Kakashi said.
"Why do I have to be watched, too?! My parents are gone, and I've done a good job of taking care of myself!?" Naruto yelled, crossing his arms over his chest. Kakashi sighed.
"Hokage's orders." Kakashi said, voice firm. Sasuke was surprised at how those two words shut Naruto up.
"I really have to go before I'm too late. Don't forget to get them clothes, Sasuke"
"Yes, sir." Sasuke mumbled.
"See ya tomorrow." Kakashi waved and disappeared. Sasuke sighed.
"Come on. We'll get clothes today, and when you run out, you can wear my old ones." He said, grabbing them and carrying them out of the forest.
As soon as they got into town, people started staring. And as luck would have it, the rest of the Konoha Twelve saw them and immediately came over to investigate.
"Hey, Sasuke, what happened to them?" Shikamaru asked.
"Kakashi's new jutsu." Sasuke said. That seemed to be explain everything.
"Where are you going?" Hinata asked. (A/N: she's till shy, but doesn't stutter.)
"Home. Kakashi put me in charge of them." He spoke slowly as he noticed Ino staring at Sakura, who was holding Sasuke's hand in her right hand and stood halfway behind him, her other hand holding the back of his shirt. Naruto stood on his other side, chest puffed, eyes narrowed in suspicion, right hand holding Sasuke's left and the other in his pocket.
"Ino." He said. She jerked slightly and blinked at him.
"Why are you staring at Sakura?"
The others looked at Ino, as well, waiting for an answer.
"Answer me this first. IS that really Sakura, and if so, how old is she?" Ino asked, crossing her arms. Sasuke was quiet for moment, looking at her as if trying to figure out if she had an alternate plan. He finally answered.
"Yes, this is really Sakura, and she's five."
Ino laughed, and he narrowed his eyes, glaring at her.
"What's so funny?"
Ino calmed enough to talk, but her shoulders still shook. The other's stared at her like she was crazy.
"Ino, quiet laughing at Sasuke's expense. I don't see the big deal." Chouji said. Rock Lee punched the air.
"I AGREE! IF YOU LAUGH AT SASUKE, THEN YOU ARE LAUGHING AT MY DARLING SAKURA!" he said, shaking his fist at her, "I WILL NOT HAVE IT!"
"Calm down, Lee!" Tenten said, slapping the back of his head. Neji grunted, and looked away.
"Well, Ino?" I though you were going to tell Sasuke why you were laughing at Sakura." Shikamaru said. They all looked at her again, san she sighed. She turned to face Sasuke, and her eyes turned serious.
"Look, I grew up with Sakura.." she paused and looked at Sakura, then back at Sasuke, " I highly recommend having someone take these two away. They don't need to hear the rest, especially her."
"I-I'll watch over them." Hinata said, stepping forward. Sasuke nodded and looked down at Naruto and Sakura, and knelt before them.
"I need you two to go with Hinata-chan, alright?" he said. They nodded, though Naruto still didn't look very happy. He nodded again and stood. Naruto and Sakura followed after Hinata, glancing over their shoulder until they were no longer in sight. Neji looked at Sasuke.
"They seem very…attached…to you." He said, raising an eyebrow. Sasuke glared in reply, then looked at Ino.
"Finish what you were saying." He said. She nodded.
"Okay, here's the deal. Sakura grew up not really knowing her parents. They were always going off on dangerous missions, and then, on one mission when Sakura was four, they went missing, and they've been missing since then. The Hokage hasn't officially made them K.I.A. yet. He's still sending out secret search missions. Anyway, after her parents went missing, she was raised by Genma and he paid for her to enter school. She still lives with him because, even thought not by blood, he's the closest thing she has to an older brother. Sakura's still in the dark about her parents. She thinks that they are serving under a different Hokage under different names. And another thing. Be careful not to mention anything related to foreheads or pink hair. She was teased horribly because of her pink hair and wide forehead. The teasing shot down her confidence, and it took me six years to build it back up." Ino finished her explanation and there was nothing but silence for a minute.
"MY POOR SAKURA!! JUST THINKING OF HOW MUCH SHE HAS SUFFERED BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES!" Lee wailed, crocodile tears falling from his eyes. Neji and Tenten groaned.
"If you'll excuse us..." Neji muttered, grabbing Lee's collar and dragging him away, Tenten following after bowing her head goodbye. Shikamaru sighed and scratched the back of his head, and Chouji threw his empty chip bag away. Shino looked in the direction Hinata had went and looked back at Sasuke.
"I sent a beetle after Hinata, telling her it was time to bring them back. She should be here soon." He said. Sasuke nodded.
"Thanks."
"So where's Kiba? I don't see him anywhere." Sasuke said.
"At home helping out his sister. Shino said, the smirk evident by his voice. Shino's eyes suddenly shifted to look behind Sasuke, and before Sasuke could look himself, a small hand had grabbed his right hand and the back of his shirt. Another hand grabbed his left hand. He looked down to see Naruto and Sakura in the same position they had been in before Hinata had taken them. Hinata walked around to stand beside Shino, smiling.
"HE's really going to be a handful. We ran into a couple of ANBU who knew Naruto when he was this age. I explained what happened, and all they said was, 'Good luck. You'll need it because even we had trouble catching him when he was this young.'"
Their eyes widened and they all looked at Naruto, who 'hmph'ed and looked away. Chouji spoke first.
"That's amazing. To be able to outrun ANBU that young." He said.
"Uh-huh." Ino agreed, still in shock. Shikamaru blinked, then shook his head, smiling.
"Unbelievable." He muttered. Shino smirked.
"I can believe it. After all, we're talking about the Konoha's number one, unpredictable, hyper-active, knuckleheaded ninja in history."
"…true…" Sasuke muttered. Hinata tugged on Shino's arm.
"Come on. We've got to meet Kiba and Kurenai-sensei soon." Hinata said.
"Right." He turned to Sasuke, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji and the two five year olds, "We'll see you later."
They watched them leave, and after a second's silence, Ino spoke.
"We've got to go, too. WE were supposed to meet Asuma-sensei fifteen minutes ago."
"Oh yeah." Chouji said. Shikamaru sighed and looked at the sky.
"Well then, we'll see you later as well." He said, sauntering off. Ino and Chouji followed after Ino warned Sasuke about 'wide' and 'pink' things.
Sasuke sighed.
"Finally." He said. Naruto looked up at him.
"Who are they? They were weird." He said.
"They were my friends, and…yes…they are weird." He agreed. He looked at the clothes they had on.
"Okay. First things first. New clothes." He knelt so his back was facing Naruto, "Get on."
Naruto obeyed, smiling as he realized he was getting to ride piggy back for the first time. Sasuke made sure that Naruto had a secure grip on his neck before looking at Sakura. He grabbed her waist and stood up, settling her on his hip with one arm while the other held Naruto's foot. (A/N: I didn't explain very well, but Naruto is sitting on Sasuke's shoulders.) He started walking towards the clothing store, ignoring the looks and whispers from the villagers.
"What's your last name?" Naruto demanded.
"Uchiha." Sasuke answered, shifting Sakura slightly.
"Then you're really rich, aren't you?" he asked, folding his hands together on Sasuke's head and resting his chin on them.
"I guess."
"How many clothes are we getting?"
"Four sets. Three sets of clothes and one pair of pj's."
"Why only one pair?"
"You sure like to ask questions, don't you?" Sasuke countered, trying not to get irritated.
"I can't stand the quiet. Makes me feel like I'm being suffocated." Naruto muttered, eyes downcast. Sasuke kept quiet, and glanced at Sakura. She had a tight hold on his shirt, and her head rested on his chest. She had been extremely quiet ever since they had left the forest, the complete opposite of her older self. Naruto seemed to realize that she had been too quiet, and immediately throwing questions at her.
"Hey." He poked the top of her head. She looked up at him under her bangs.
"What?" she asked. Her voice was so soft and quiet that they had to strain to hear it.
"Why are you always so quiet?"
"No reason." She said. Sasuke knew it was lie. She was afraid of being teased.
"Why are your clothes so big?"
No answer.
"Do you know what clothes you want?"
No answer.
He didn't give up.
"Do you have a favorite color?"
Again no answer. Sasuke had to admire Naruto's ability to get over this so quick. If someone had pulled the silent treatment on him, he would've already snapped. He finally started to get irritated from all the questions Naruto was asking.
"Naruto…please be quiet." He asked softly. Naruto obeyed.
After ten minutes of silently walking, they arrived at the store. Sasuke let Naruto down, but kept a hold of Sakura. She didn't seem to want to get down. They went to boys clothes, and Naruto picked out four outfits. A pair of frog pj's, 2 back t-shirts with different designs (one had the Konoha spiral, the other had the kanji for fire) and a blue t-shirt with a green leaf symbol, a pair of brown shorts with many pockets, and two pairs of orange pants (similar to the one's he wore when he was older.)
Next, they went to girl's section so Sakura could get new clothes. She picked our four outfits, as well: a red kimono with white flowers and a white sash, a pair of green pj's, a red sweater with aqua shorts, a white t-shirt with a red flower and tan shorts, and a light blue t-shirt with Konoha's symbol with black shorts. He got them each a pair of shoes (Naruto's – blue, Sakura's – aqua) and underwear, and then they walked to the register.
"Will that be all?" the cashier lady asked.
"Yeah." Sasuke said, fishing out his wallet. She rang up all the clothes and the pair of shoes.
"That will be 2725 yen." She said. He handed her the exact amount and grabbed the bags.
"Come on, you two." He said, walking towards the door. They followed and he put all three bags in one hand and held Sakura in the other while Naruto held his shirt. He led them to the other side of town, and halfway, Naruto started complaining.
"My feet hurt!" he whined. Sasuke sighed and knelt.
"Get on." He said. Naruto climbed on his shoulders and Sasuke stood. He grabbed the back of Sakura's too-large dress and hauled her up so she was back on his hip. She grabbed his shirt tightly as he started walking.
"Why don't you just run?" Naruto asked. Sakura squeaked at the suggestion, and Sasuke glanced at her, noticing that her grip tightened considerably.
"Because it would scare Sakura.""Who?"
Sasuke groaned in despair. Was Naruto really this bad w hen he was young? He decided to ignore the question and continue walking.
They just reached the Uchiha estate's when a voice stopped them.
"Is that really Sakura?"
He sat the bags and two kids down and turned to face the speaker. It was Ami, and her two friends.
"Yes."
Ami burst into laughter, the two goons behind her following suit.
"You mean she was turned back into the little girl with an abnormally large forehead and pink hair that made it even more noticeable?"! He laughed. A sniffle made Sasuke quickly look over his shoulder. Sakura was crying. Naruto noticed too, and he quickly glared hatefully at the girls, blue eyes flashing. The sight of Sakura's tears filled Sasuke with rage. He turned and glared at Ami and her friends, who stopped laughing almost immediately.
"W-what's wrong, Sasuke-kun? Why are looking at me like that?" Ami asked, her voice shaking. Her friend (A/N: I don't know their real names, so I'm going to call them Hotaru and Saki.) noticed Sakura, and pointed her out to Ami.
"I think it's because you made Sakura cry." Hotaru whispered. Ami looked at the crying Sakura and growled.
'That damn pest! Even as an ugly little girl, he stands up for her!' she thought angrily.
"You." Sasuke angry voice broke through her thoughts, "Get away from my land and never come near here again." He growled. Naruto and Sakura, as well as Ami and her friends, jolted slightly at the sound of his voice. But Ami didn't like anybody telling her what to do. She glared right back.
"What if I don't want to?! You're not my father! I don't have to listen to you!" she yelled. Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Then I will have to forcibly remove you from my sight." He said. Ami flinched, knowing full well he could do just that. She glanced to his right when she saw a slight movement. Her eyes widened as she spotted a little blonde boy glaring her bright blue eyes. She scrunched her face in disgust and hate, pointing at him. Naruto's glare darkened as he recognized the look in her eyes, his fists clenching.
"And who is that? Don't tell me it's the annoying demon fox!" she said hatefully. Sasuke's eyes widened considerably (A/N: I'm going to pretend that Sasuke still does not know about Naruto and the fox) but he recovered in time to grab the back of Naruto's shirt as he lunged for Ami, growling and baring his larger than normal canines. Ami backed away in fear as Naruto's eyes flashed a demonic red before returning to its normal azure blue.
"Let's get out of here." She said, turning and walking away, "You never know when he might snap." She glared at Naruto, whose growl deepened.
"Get back here and I'll do more than snap!" he yelled in return, struggling to get away. Sakura had stood in the same place, hiccupping and staring at the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks. Sasuke hauled Naruto up and held him up with an arm around his waist before pushing open the gates. He grabbed the bags and walked inside.
"Come one, Sakura. It's almost time for bed." He called over his shoulder. He unlocked the door to the biggest house and walked in, placing the bags ands Naruto down. Sakura closed the door behind her, and Sasuke took off his shoes. He dug through the bags and pulled out their pj's.
"Go change, and then come to my room. It's the last room down the hall to your right on the second floor." He said, pointing to the stairs. Naruto ran towards the bathroom that Sasuke had pointed out, shutting the door behind him. Sasuke looked at Sakura, who stood in the entry way staring at the ground. He knelt in front of her and rested a hand gently on her shoulder.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly. She looked at him with watery eyes.
"Why doesn't anyone like me?" she sobbed. He blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone I love always leaves me! My mom and dad, Ino, Genma…no one…wants to be my friend, either!" she said, wiping her eyes.
"That's not true! Your parents and Genma all have an important mission to do." He paused, not knowing what to say about Ino.
"What about Ino?"
"Oh...I don't know."
She nodded and sniffled again, before smiling. He couldn't help smiling slight in return.
"Now, go get changed. Naruto should be done by now." He said.
"I am." Naruto said. The sound of his voice startled them. They looked behind Sasuke, and there stood Naruto in blue pj's with green frogs. Sasuke gave Sakura nudge on her back and she walked to the bathroom to change.
"Wait for her and then come to my room," he said, before adding, "and be nice to her."
"I will!" Naruto said indignantly. Sasuke nodded and went upstairs to his room. He closed the door behind him, leaned against it, and sighed heavily. He sagged to the floor and closed his eyes.
'I don't think I've ever been this tired.' He thought, opening his eyes slowly. He stood up and shrugged off his shirt, tossing it over his desk chair. He pulled a white t-shirt off a hanger and put it on before pulling off his shorts and changing his boxers. He sat on his bed just as a loud knock was heard.
"Come in." he said, standing again. The door opened and Naruto walked in, followed by Sakura, who was wearing green pj's with pink Sakura Blossoms.
"Are we going to bed now?" Naruto asked, jumping onto the bed. Sasuke pulled the covers back and nodded.
"That's right. You two will be sleeping with me until I get new beds because I don't have any other beds. I will be sleeping in the between you." he said. Naruto immediately claimed the left side, lying down on his stomach and snuggling his face into the pillow. Sasuke picked Sakura up and sat on the bed, sitting her next to him before lying down beside Naruto. Once Sakura laid down, Sasuke pulled the covers up over them and wished them a 'good night'. Naruto curled up next to him, and the two were sleep within seconds. Sasuke stayed up a little longer, thinking back to earlier that day. The way Naruto and Sakura was so different from the older versions he knew, and he was forced to admit that his teammates had a hard childhood. Worse than his own. They were only five, and people hated Naruto and abandoned and teased Sakura. He had been happy at that age, helping out his parents and bugging Itachi. He closed his eyes and his thoughts drifted away as he finally fell asleep.
The sensation of suffocating woke Sasuke. He opened his eyes to see Naruto sitting on his chest, and smiling widely. Sakura was still asleep, head nestled into the crook of his arm. He looked back at Naruto, and raised a questioning eyebrow. Naruto's smile widened as he spoke.
"Your bed is comfy! I think I'll like living here for a while!"
"And why is that?" Sasuke asked.
"Because my bed is hard and lumpy!" Naruto scoffed. Naruto's loud voice roused Sakura from her sleep and she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Why is everyone yelling?" she asked softly, voice laced with sleep. The two boys looked at her.
"We're not yelling. We are discussing beds." Naruto said, crossing his arms. Sasuke sat up and leaned against the backboard, so Naruto was forced to sit in his lap.
'Huh. He's never used such a big word when he was older. I wonder why…' Sasuke thought about this while Naruto pouted and Sakura woke up.
What's for breakfast?" Sakura asked. Sasuke's eyes widened and Naruto perked up.
"Yeah! What are we having?" he asked, bouncing. Sasuke sighed.
"I don't know. Go get dressed and I'll see what I've got." He said.
"Okay!" they chorused, scrambling off the bed and out of the room. Sasuke grunted as he got out of bed.
'Man..I'm stiff and sore and I didn't even do anything yesterday!'
He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and changed into his regular attire before heading downstairs to the kitchen. He paused to look around and decided that they were having eggs, toast, and bacon for breakfast. He grabbed the egg carton and bacon from the fridge, and the bread from the cabinet.
While he cooked breakfast, Naruto and Sakura were changing. Naruto had gotten dressed first, so waited fro Sakura. The smell of food was making him impatient, but the way she acted and the fact that she thought everyone hasted her made him wait and keep his temper in check. The click of the door opening made him turn and smile.
"Doesn't that smell good?!" he asked. She smiled and nodded. He grabbed her hand and started dragging her down the hall.
"Man, I'm starving! I can't wait to eat!" he exclaimed. "Yeah!" Sakura agreed.
Sasuke turned to put the plates of food on the table and almost ran into the two. He stopped short and looked down at them. Naruto was wearing the black t-shirt with the Konoha symbol and brown shorts, and Sakura was wearing the red sweater with sleeved that ended at her palms and the aqua shorts. He had to wonder what she would look like if she wore that outfit once she was older again. He smiled and put the food on the table before turning back to them.
"What do you want to drink? Milk or orange juice?"
"Orange juice!"
"…milk…"
"Okay." He pulled down three cups and poured Sakura some milk, and orange juice for him and Naruto. He gestured for them to sit down, and they did so quickly. He handed them their drinks and sat down, then clapped his hands together and said:
"Itadakimasu."
Naruto and Sakura did the same before piling their plates with food and shoveling it into their mouths. Sasuke sweatdropped and paused in his own eating.
"Come on. I can't be that good." Naruto froze, fork halfway to his mouth, and looked at him. His stare made him squirm slightly.
"Are you kidding? This is the best food I've ever had. Having no parents, I don't get food like this very often!" he said before shoveling more into his mouth. Sasuke looked at Sakura.
"What about you?" he asked her. She looked at him, and finished chewing.
"Genma-kun can't cook. We always go out to eat." She said.
"Ah."
Everything was quiet as they finished breakfast. Sasuke put all the dirty dishes in the sink to clean later.
"Alright. I've got to go meet my sensei, and you two are coming with me." He said, walking towards the door to put his shoes on. They followed suit and Sasuke locked the door behind them. He held their hands in his and led them to the bridge where Kakashi was waiting.
Sasuke was surprised to see Kakashi there before him.
"Who's he?" Naruto asked wearily, not liking the mask covering ¾ of the jonin's face. He walked so that he was half behind Sasuke. Sakura, thought, recognized the green vest and smiled shyly.
"He's my sensei. His name is Kakashi Hatake." Sasuke answered. Kakashi smiled at them.
"Hi there." He raised a hand in greeting, and straightened.
"Why are you here so early?" Sasuke asked. If possible, Kakashi's smile widened.
"Because I've brought a guest. I thought he ought to know right away."
Sasuke looked at him confusion.
"Who?'
"Genma." He looked up, "You can come out now. There's something you need to see."
"Genma appeared out of the tree, rubbing his eyes and yawning, the senbon almost falling out of his mouth.
"What is it?" he asked, staring as Kakashi, who merely pointed towards Kakashi. Genma barely had the time to turn his head when he was hugged around the leg by a pink and red blur. He blinked and looked down only to see a miniature Sakura smiling up at him. His eyes widened and he started stuttering. He shook his head as if to clear it and glared at Sasuke, who flinched and jabbed a finger in Kakashi's direction. Genma turned to Kakashi and his glare darkened considerably. Kakashi waved his hands in front of him as if warding off an attack.
"Now, now! It was purely accidental!" Kakashi protested.
"What did you do?" Genma slowly demanded. Sasuke and Naruto stood off safely to the side, watching in fascination as Kakashi cowered before Genma. Sakura remained blissfully unaware of the situation as she happily hugged Genma's leg.
"It wasn't my fault…all that much! I didn't think the jutsu would work! I mean..She wasn't supposed to lose her memory or stay this way this long! She was supposed to change back within 2 hours!" Kakashi explained. This didn't seem to calm Genma as it only made him angrier. His eyes flashed with raging flames.
"You tried a jutsu on her?!" he demanded. Kakashi flinched.
"But..!"
"No 'buts'! This is all your fault! Change her back right now!"
"I don't know how! I only invented the jutsu yesterday!"
Genma ground his teeth angrily.
"You didn't even perfect the jutsu and you used it on her?" he asked, voice low. Sasuke spoke up.
"He used it on Naruto, too."
Genma looked over at Sasuke and noticed Naruto sitting on the railing watching them. Genma noticed that Naruto's expression went from amusement to guarded and his body tensed the longer he studied him. He looked at Sasuke, who shrugged.
"How old is he?" Genma asked.
"5."
"And her?" he asked, placing a hand on top of her head,
"Same."
Genma nodded, calming slightly.
"I can understand the way Naruto is acting now. I knew him then, and it wasn't too long before Sakura turned 5 that came into my care." He turned to Kakashi, "And before you try and more new jutsu's on Sakura, you talk to me beforehand. Understand?"
Kakashi nodded.
"Yes. Now if I understand it, we are being summoned." He pointed to the sky, and they all looked up. A hawk was flying in circles above them. Genma sighed.
"I take it your taking care of them until it wears off?" he asked Sasuke.
"Yeah."
Genma told Sakura to stay there with Naruto and motioned for Sasuke to follow him. Once they out of earshot, they stopped.
"Here's a few pieces of advice, Sasuke. Don't ever joke around with Naruto about death or demons. He'll snap, and that won't be pleasant. And with Sakura, don't have anything pink in your house or she'll start crying. And…you have to show her that you care, and always tell her she's pretty or adorable or she'll think you hate her and that she's ugly. She loves to go to festivals, and Naruto's never been to one, so take them to the one going on tomorrow." Genma explained. Sasuke nodded,
"What does she like to eat?"
"Dango and pocky." Genma answered almost immediately.
"Good. I really didn't know what she liked, and I figured Naruto would eat anything." Sasuke said.
"Yeah." Genma nodded, "Well, I've got to go. If you have any questions, come find me."
"I will. Thanks."
They walked back to the bridge to see Naruto giving Sakura a piggy back ride. They smiled and chuckled softly. Genma walked over to Kakashi, bid goodbye to Sakura and nodded to Sasuke and Naruto before disappearing. Sasuke turned to Naruto and Sakura, and motioned for them to follow. They did, and Sasuke noticed that Naruto was still carrying Sakura piggy back.
"Don't you want to put her down?" he asked. Naruto shook his head.
"No. I want to be her friend." He said, staring ahead. Sakura smiled brightly, her cheeks red. Sasuke felt his heart give a painful twist. He touched the left side of his chest with his fingertips in confusion.
'What's wrong with me? Why does my heart hurt just by seeing Sakura smile at Naruto? They're only five years old!' he yelled at himself. He took a few deep, calming breaths and let them out slowly. He looked down at the two 5 year olds, and stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Okay. Who wants dango?" he asked. Sakura's eyes lit up and she waved one of hands in the air, causing Naruto to almost lose his balance.
"Hey! Hold still!" her yelled, stumbling forward a few steps. Sakura held on tighter and leaned back, as if trying to help balance out the weight. All that did was cause them to start falling backwards. Naruto yelped and Sakura let out a small 'eek!' before they landed with a thud and a cloud of dust. Sasuke winced and the people around them stopped to watch. As the dust cleared, it showed Sakura lying under Naruto, who had his head on her chest and arms eagle spread. They groaned and Naruto got up slowly, one hand rubbing his rear and the other pulling Sakura up.
Sasuke chuckled and picked them up, walking towards the dango shop. The door bells jingled as it opened, and the smell of dango's filled the air. A waitress came over and bowed.
"Welcome. How many?" she asked, reaching for menus.
"Three." He replied. She led them to a table (A/N: the tables are Japanese style. You sit on pillows and everything.) and handed each of them a small, one page menu once they were seated. She bowed again before leaving, and while they were looking at the menus, another waitress came up to them.
"Hello! My name is Ria and I'll be your server today. Would you like anything to drink?" she asked.
"I want green tea." Sakura said. Ria jotted it down.
"Milk!" Naruto said. Ria nodded.
"Chocolate, strawberry, banana, or vanilla?"
"Um…chocolate."
"Okay." She wrote that down as well, and looked at Sasuke.
"Oh…um..I'll have tea."
"Are you ready to order now or later?"
Sasuke looked at the kids. They shook their heads.
"Later." He said. Ria nodded and walked away to get drinks.
"Any idea what you guys want?" Sasuke asked. Sakura smiled and nodded.
"Yes! I want strawberry dango!" she said cheerfully. Sasuke was glad she wasn't being shy anymore. Apparently seeing Genma and having a new friend has made her extremely happy.
"How about you, Naruto?" he asked, turning to him. Naruto looked away.
"Not ready." He muttered.
"Why not? Don't you like dango?" Sakura asked, looking a little uncomfortable. Naruto noticed.
"No! It's not that. I've just never had dango before." He said softly. Sakura relaxed, then reached over and pointed to an item.
"This is the best one for someone who's never had dango before." She said. Naruto nodded.
"Fine, then. I'll get that!" he said. Sasuke looked at the menu to see what he was getting. Something called Cherry Blossom dango. He raised an eyebrow in surprise.
'Huh. That's pretty neat. She's named after a tree blossom and a snack.' He thought, amused. He let a small smirk show.
Ria came back, ready to take orders.
"Ready yet?" she asked. They all nodded.
"Okay, we'll start with the little lady." Ria said, smiling at Sakura.
"I want strawberry."
"Okay. Your turn, cutie." She said, giving Naruto a playful smirk. He 'hmph'ed in return, and she giggled.
"The cherry blossom dango." He mumbled. Ria smiled and glanced at Sasuke as she wrote their orders down.
"And you, handsome?" she asked. He ignored the flirtatious comment.
"I'll have the cinnamon dango." He said. She nodded, wrote it down, and left. Naruto immediately smirked and looked at Sasuke, who looked at him suspiciously.
"What?" he asked wearily.
"She likes you."
"Does not."
"Does too."
"How do you know?"
"She called you handsome."
"So what's your point?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms behind his head and leaning back slightly. (A/N: there is no wall separating the tables, only one of those dressing walls that fold an unfold.)
"So…do you think she's cute?" Naruto asked.
"No."
"Why not?" Naruto demanded. Sakura watched them, eyes darting back and forth as they argued over the waitress. She was also curious as to why she thought Sasuke didn't think the waitress was cute.
"Because I already like someone."
This caught their attention and they looked at him wide eyes.
"Who?" they asked.
"A girl."
They faulted. Naruto threw his arms in the air and screamed his frustration. Sakura giggled.
"That's not what I meant!" Naruto yelled.
"Quiet down. You'll disturb the other customers." Sasuke muttered in slight annoyance. Naruto glared at the older boy.
"What I meant was who is this girl?! What's her name? What does she look like?" Naruto asked, leaning in. Sakura did the same. They waited for an answer as the waitress came back carrying a tray of food and drinks. As she placed their drinks in front of them, he answered.
"Well, she's extremely beautiful." He said thoughtfully.
"And?" Naruto begged. Ria had paused, her eyes shining with curiosity. Sasuke stared at the ceiling, wondering how to answer.
"She has a unique hair color and gorgeous green eyes. She's lively, like to talk, determined, smart, and so many other things." Sasuke said softly. The silence around him told him immediately that something was off.
"Um...Uchiha-san…" Ria said. He looked at her, and blinked at the shocked look of her face.
"What?" he asked. Sakura looked a little surprised, and Naruto had his mouth slightly open and wide eyes.
"You're blushing…"Sakura whispered.
"And you look dazed..."Naruto said. Sasuke's blush darkened as he realized that he had been daydreaming about Sakura as he had talked. He glared at Naruto, as if blaming him. He seemed to notice, too.
"Hey! Don't blame me!" Naruto yelled. Ria quickly left, and Sakura popped a strawberry dango in her mouth.
"I am blaming you! If you hadn't asked me all those questions…!"
"I was curious! I'm 5! I'm supposed to ask questions!"
"A 5 year old is not supposed to ask a 17 year old who he likes! It's wrong and embarrassing!"
"Who cares?! I thought…!"
"Excuse me…" a timid voice stopped them both short. They looked over at Sakura and started panicking at the sight of her tears.
"W-why are you crying?!" Sasuke cried.
"W…why do you two...always argue?" she asked. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other.
"I don't know. It's just..." Sasuke started, but paused.
"Fun!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura's tears stopped and she looked a little confused.
"Fun?" she asked, voice cracking.
"Yeah! I like starting up little arguments with him!" Naruto said, pointing at Sasuke and smiling brightly. Sakura sniffled.
"Really?" she asked. Sasuke nodded, and put a hand on Naruto's head and ruffling his hair. Naruto grumbled.
"Yeah. I love arguing with Naruto. He reminds me of a very good friend of mine, and we used to argue like this almost every day. We didn't mean anything by it. It was just how we showed how much we cared about each other." Sasuke said, smiling sadly.
'I think I understand why I'm sad. It's because I don't know if this jutsu will ever wear off. And if it doesn't, then I lose my two best friends. Sure, they'll grow up, but I'll probably end up raising them…which probably wouldn't be so bad. At least then they'd have somewhat of a family…' his thoughts trailed off as he felt a tugging at shirt. He looked down and saw two sad faces. He stood up quickly.
"Alright. Save that for when we get home!" he exclaimed. They nodded and left after paying.
The walk home was extremely quiet, and Sasuke was feeling guilty for making them feel sad. He was glad when they got home, but depressed once he realized that they most likely had questions.
"Get ready for bed first, then questions." He said when they opened their mouths. They snapped their jaws shut and went to change, and he did the same.
Once they were sitting in bed, blankets up to their waist, the questions began.
"Who were you talking about?" Sakura began.
"Where is he?" Naruto asked.
"Why did you use past-tense words?"
'They always said she was really smart…' Sasuke sweatdropped.
"What happened to him?" Naruto asked. Sasuke clamped a hand over their mouths to quiet them.
"One at a time. Okay, I was talking about my best friend. I don't know where he is, he went on a missing a year ago. That's also why I was using past-tense words. I don't really know what happened to him. All I know is that a jutsu went wrong on a mission and he disappeared." He answered all their questions. Afterward, they merely stared at him with wide, sad eyes. He sighed and removed his hands.
"Look, I don't like pity and I don't need it. So stop with the looks." He said. They immediately looked down at their laps. He patted their heads gently.
"Let's get some sleep." He said softly. They nodded and they all laid down. Naruto and Sakura fell asleep quickly, and Sasuke crossed his arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.
'I hate lying to them. But I can't exactly tell the truth. They'd never believe…at least I added some truth to it, though. The Naruto and Sakura that I know did disappear after Kakashi used that stupid jutsu on them…' he cut himself off as he yawned.
'Guess I'd better get some sleep, too. Tomorrow's going to be a long day.' He settled in and quickly fell asleep as exhaustion took over.
8
End
(of chapter 1)
Hope you enjoyed it! Please R&R!
Oh, and as to why Naruto and Sakura don't recognize Kakashi the second time they meet him is because of the jutsu. It took full effect on their memory once Kakashi left and chakra signature disappeared. The jutsu, once activated, only fully works once the user is gone, and even if the user returns, the jutsu remains the same until it wears off.