Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from Naruto, nor do I own the song "Wind" by Akiboshi, the first ending song from the Naruto series. You should really listen to it if you can. Now, for the story.
Wind
By DigiScanner-Shonen
"MAN! This really SUCKS!"
Uzumaki Naruto and his teammates, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke, were supposed to do something for the upcoming Konoha Village Festival. Kakashi had left them to join the Jounin preparation. Everyone was doing their part to prepare for the big event. Restaurants were providing food, carpenters were building the floats, kids were contributing art. Everyone had to contribute something to the Festival, even ninjas!
The Jounins were going to march in a parade and the Chuunins were telling stories for the wee children. The Genins were to come up with something for the Festival. Naruto's team however...
...hadn't even started.
"You've said that a hundred times now, Naruto!" Sakura told the blond ninja- in-training, while they walked. She was straining to control herself but the inner her wanted to beat the crap out of Naruto for saying that over and over again.
"But it's true," Naruto said, "this sucks! We haven't got an idea for the festival!"
Naruto's stomach growled.
"And I'm hungry! I can't think on an empty stomach!"
"Quit your whining, dunce," Sasuke coolly told his teammate, "we don't care about your stupid hunger right now. We must think of something for the festival."
"That's right, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura smiled to her crush, "We've no time for Naruto's bellyaching now."
"Sakura-chan..." Naruto cried silently.
"So, what can we do? Ino's team is creating a collage, Shino's team is creating a games booth and Rock Lee's team is showing off their skills to young ones," Sakura said, counting on her fingers which teams were doing what. It seemed the three Genins were running out of ideas.
"I know, Sakura. We could've thought of something earlier if someone hadn't been lounging off at the ramen bar..." Sasuke said, darting his eyes to the "someone".
"Hey hey! I usually think best when I'm full!" Naruto told his classmates, "and I'd like to fill up now! I'm at my full thinking capacity when I'm full of food."
"Fine! We'll get you some food," Sakura said, rolling her eyes.
"Great! How about the ramen bar?"
"Do we go anyplace else?"
"So, mmph, what do we got?" Naruto asked while he swallowed some ramen.
"NOTHING! We've got nothing, Naruto!" Sakura screamed at her teammate.
"All right, no need to scream," Naruto told Sakura.
"Right, sorry," she apologised, "Sasuke-kun, did you think of anything with that great brain of yours?"
"No," he told truthfully, "I'm actually stumped on this one. I never thought I could be stumped by coming with something so simple! I hate that!"
"Don't worry, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said in a sing song voice, "we'll figure it out together."
"Don't do that, Sakura. It freaks me out."
"Sorry," Sakura said swiftly.
"Hey," Naruto said, as he finished his ramen, "I think I got what we can do for the festival!"
"Well?" Sakura and Sasuke asked.
"You guys are gonna love me for this. We can do..." Naruto started.
Sakura looked interested while Sasuke just glanced at him momentarily.
"...a song!" Naruto finished.
"That's your great idea?" Sakura questioned.
"Yep! Great isn't it?"
"Naruto, that is so..." Sakura struggled to find the right words for it.
"So?" Naruto asked.
"COOL!"
"I told you you'd love me for it!"
"Sasuke-kun, what do you think?" Sakura asked Sasuke.
"Sure, whatever. It's the only thing we got," Sasuke sighed, " but who would've thought that the dunce would come up with a good idea?"
"Yeah!" Naruto said, as they walked off.
Then it hit him.
"HEY! SASUKE!"
"No, no, NO!" Sasuke yelled as he tore up the paper with the song's lyrics and tossed it in the garbage can with the other torn up papers, "this doesn't work!"
"But we've written a hundred different lyrics!" Naruto complained, "This blows!"
"I have to agree with Naruto on this, Sasuke-kun," Sakura told Sasuke.
"Erg! Fine! Whatever," Sasuke said as he sat down on a chair in Naruto's house, "we're going to be the only people in the whole village without something to give for the festival!"
"Just because we can't think of something good to sing," Sakura added sadly as she slid down a nearby wall.
"Song writing's HARD! This really sucks!" Naruto finished.
There was silence between the trio for a time. Nothing they wrote would work for a song. They'd be the laughing stock of Konohagakure! Naruto would already be used to it, but Sakura and Sasuke being frowned upon and laughed at?
Things seemed hopeless. Then Naruto began to hum a nice little tune and sing quietly.
"What was that, Naruto?" Sakura asked.
"What was what?" Naruto said as he quickly stopped.
"What you just did, dunce," Sasuke said.
"Oh, just something I made up from some past experiences," Naruto answered.
"That sounded kinda good," Sakura told her friend.
"Really? You liked it Sakura-chan?"
"It was okay," Sasuke admitted.
"Then I'll write it down as a verse!" Naruto said, triumphantly as he scrambled to his desk to get some paper and a pen to write it down before he forgot.
"Now what to come after it?" Sakura said. She messed around with a few phrases and came out with a good verse.
"That's great, Sakura-chan!" said Naruto as he admired Sakura's hand.
"All right, my turn," Sasuke smirked as he wrote down many things before he decided on something.
"Cool!" Naruto said.
"But we still need a chorus," Sasuke said.
"Let me think of something," Sakura said as she scribbled a few words on the paper.
"Oh! Me next," Naruto said as he added some words of his own.
"I guess I can do something with that," Sasuke quietly said as he finished it.
"AWESOME!" Naruto yelled, "we wrote a song!"
"But what order does it come in?" Sakura asked.
"I'll figure it out," Sasuke said as he took the paper and told Naruto and Sakura to give him some room to think.
The two ninjas backed away. They had wrote a song! But one thing was still on Sakura's mind...
"Naruto? Can you sing?" She asked.
"Me? A little," Naruto told her, "but I bet Sasuke can't sing a bit!"
"Wanna bet, idiot?" Sasuke challenged, "I can sing just fine! I bet you sound like a strangled cat!"
"Wanna go? Here and now?" Naruto asked.
"Fine!"
"BOYS!" Sakura interrupted, "we have to practice the song."
The two boys huffed and faced their backs to each other.
Sakura knew it wouldn't be easy with these two fighting. But she'd find a way to make them co-operate. "Now let's practice..."
The days passed quickly and the festival was soon here. Konohagakure was decorated with festive awnings, drawings and costumes. People were in the streets, wondering at the works everyone had done so hard to make.
Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were all pretty nervous that day. Suppose they sung a key too high? Or someone forgot the words? Or stuttered? But they had all remembered something they told each other: Go from your heart and it will come together.
Team 7 had asked that everyone be in the auditorium in the afternoon at 4. As you can imagine, the place was packed full of people. Backstage, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke went through everything one last time. When they thought they were ready, Naruto stepped out onto the stage.
The crowd booed and hissed at Naruto. They threw food, shoes and other items at him. Naruto dodged them all with his ninja skills and asked everyone to be quiet for a minute. The sooner he was over with this, the sooner they could leave. The music started playing, Naruto cleared his throat and began to sing:
Cultivate your hunger before you idealise
Motivate your anger to make them all realise
Climbing the mountain, never coming down
Break into the contents, never falling down
The crowd was surprised to hear Naruto singing. But they wouldn't hear it. They wanted out. But Sakura came out and began to sing:
My knee is still shaking, like I was twelve
Naruto took over:
Sneaking out the classroom by the back door
A man railed at me twice though, but I didn't care
Sasuke then came out and finished the verse while girls cheered for him:
Waiting is wasteful, for people like me
And the three began to sing the chorus:
Don't try to live so wise
Don't cry 'cause you're so right
Don't dry with fakes or fears
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end
Naruto sang:
Don't try to live so wise
Sakura then came in:
Don't cry 'cause you're so right
Sasuke joined with:
Don't dry with fakes or fears
And they sang together:
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end
The crowd was now interested. These kids could sing? Team 7 continued the song:
You say, "Dreams are dreams
I ain't gonna play the fool anymore."
You say, "'Cause I still got my soul."
Naruto then sang solo:
Take your time, baby
Your blood needs slowing down
Sakura began her part:
Breach your soul to reach yourself before you gloom
Sasuke came with:
Reflection of fear makes shadows of nothing
The group then echoed:
Shadows of nothing
The crowd was really interested now. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were quite good at singing. Sasuke then sang:
You still are blind, if you see a winding road
The other two came in as Sasuke continued to sing:
'Cause there's always a straight way to the point you see
Don't try to live so wise
Don't cry 'cause you're so right
Don't dry with fakes or fears
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end
Everyone in the crowd was captivated in the song. They were loving every minute of it. As the instrumental played, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke all smiled at each other. They never knew the others had such great voices. For all of them, the song seemed to speak a part of their feelings. They felt closer than ever as they continued the song:
Don't try to live so wise
Don't cry 'cause you're so right
Don't dry with fakes or fears
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end
Don't try to live so wise
Don't cry 'cause you're so right
Don't dry with fakes or fears
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end
The Genins all then took a last line for themselves. Sasuke first with:
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end
Sakura then went:
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end
Naruto added his own:
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end
And they all finished together:
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end
The song was finished. And the crowd cheered. Some people rushed up onto the stage and showered compliments on the ninjas-in-training. Sasuke was leapt upon with comments from many girls, Sakura attracted some nice words from a number of guys and Naruto got some great input on his singing.
Kakashi came up and congratulated Team 7 on a song well done. Ino tried to ask for Sasuke for a date, but Sasuke refused, like always. Rock Lee complimented Sakura on her voice and, like Ino, asked her on a date. He fared better than Ino because Sakura said she'd think about it. Naruto was just happy when Iruka promised to treat him to a bowl or two of ramen later for getting up to sing in front of all those people.
There would be something different between Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke from now on. And it was because of this song. It would seal their friendship for eternity.
But everyone asked what the song they sung was titled. The 3 Genins hadn't thought of a name yet. But they came up with one right then and there for the song they made together as a team. The song that would from now on be their very own and would tie them together until the end of their days.
They called it "Wind".
THE END
How'd you like the story? Please R&R. I really hope people are reading this. Reviewing lets me know you are. And it spurs me to write more fiction.