NOTE: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei, not me.
Closure
It had been quite sometime since the showdown with the Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu. Team 10 was doing fine, though the loss of their sensei, wasn't easy to cope with. Shikamaru, in particular, had taken it rather hard, since he looked up to Asuma, but in time, he managed to adjust as best he could. Out of all the ninja that had been close to Asuma Sarutobi, there was one who had taken it the hardest…Kurenai Yuhi.
They had planned for so much together, only to have that monster Hidan smash those plans to pieces. When she heard, it was as if the world had crashed down upon her. Not even failing Yakumo had felt this bad. But that wasn't what the genjutsu mistress was upset about today. No, this was something that, although related, was quite different.
"Naruto, it's Kurenai," she said as she knocked on the apartment door. "Open up." No response. Kurenai wasn't fooled, though. "Come on, Naruto. I know perfectly well you're home. Lady Hokage told me you're not to be training for a while. Open this door." Still nothing. "Damn it, Uzumaki, I am NOT in the mood for this!" After yet another minute of silence, Kurenai's patience was at an end and she broke the door down.
As she walked in, she wasn't surprised to see the place in a messy state. Naruto wasn't really known to be tidy. 'Hinata, you've got your work cut out for you.' Looking around, she noticed the stove had been left on, meaning he was about to have lunch (ramen, of course) when she arrived. 'Damn it. He must've bolted. Well, you're not getting away today, kid. This has to end.' Turning the stove off so the place wouldn't burn down (and quickly fixing the door), Kurenai headed off to the most likely place she figured Naruto would be.
Sure enough, she spotted him at the Hero's Memorial Stone, nearby the training area where, according to Kakashi, he became a Genin. Normally, she could just walk up and confront him, but then he'd just take off, and the pregnant kunoichi was in no mood or condition to do anymore chasing. Tsunade would have a fit and blame it on Naruto, which would just make things worse in the long run. So, she opted for a more effective alternative. 'Genjutsu: Sylvan Fetters!'
Naruto just stood there, as still as the trees surrounding the area, staring at the stone. The names engraved on it seemed to be endless, but he was looking at one name in particular: Asuma Sarutobi. As he read the name over and over, Naruto clutched at his stomach in anguish. 'It's my fault…all my fault. If it weren't for this damn fox, Asuma-sensei wouldn't have-' His rare moment of self-loathing was cut short, however, as he was suddenly wrapped up in branches and bound to a tree. Naruto racked his brain trying to figure out where he'd seen this technique before, when the user saved him the trouble. "As usual, you're a sitting duck when it comes to genjutsu." With that, a figure rose from the ground. Naruto silently cursed he saw the one person he had been trying to avoid: Kurenai. "Don't bother struggling, Naruto," she said coolly. "You're trapped." She then tossed a kunai at his neck…which caused him to disappear with a poof.
"Figures," she muttered, and stood there waiting. Within moments, the real Naruto was brought to her via seedpod. "Well then, now that I have your attention..." she began as the pissed off Genin hung in front of her, "let's talk".
That's it for now, I suppose. This is the first Naruto fanfic I've done. Ever. So, review, if you don't mind. I'm willing to hear anything y'all might dish out.
