Hello, everyone. New story here, came up with the idea a few days ago. I know this is slightly well used, but had to write my own.
Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 1
Sakura screeched to a halt as she entered the open dome. Naruto was standing in the middle of it, staring up at something on the cliff. Running over to her teammate, Sakura looked up at what the blonde was, and gasped, shocked at what she was seeing.
Sasuke stood there, gazing down at them emotionlessly. He was wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt, opened at the chest, and dark blue ninja pants, with a blue cloth hanging to his knees. He also had the signature rope of Orochimaru's subordinates around his waist.
Sakura could see, that although his gaze flickered over to her her when she first came in, that the Uchiha's Sharingan eyes stayed on Naruto, cataloguing everything about the blond shinobi.
Because she was a medic-nin, trained to be observant, Sakura could see when Sasuke first realized that Naruto was hurting. Could see him clench his jaw once he realized Naruto's eyes weren't shining. Could see him tense his body and get ready for an attack when Sai ran in and up to Naruto.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, watching the pale, dark-haired boy jump in front to Naruto. Unclenching his jaw, he unsheathed his katana and got ready for what he planned to originally do.
Sai watched as the dark-haired Uchiha landed in front of Naruto, one hand on the blond's shoulder and the other holding the handle of his katana. And although Sai knew Sasuke was ready to attack, he also knew the Uchiha wouldn't harm Naruto.
Naruto stared into the red eyes he had missed since the day their owner had gone missing nearly three years ago. Sasuke was looking at him, something he couldn't identify in the famed Sharingan eyes. Feeling the cool metal of Sasuke's katana press into his neck, he couldn't help but wonder if Sasuke was going to kill him.
The next time they saw Sasuke, it was only briefly, and a few weeks after the first meeting. Actually, it was more like the next time Sasuke saw them.
The Uchiha stood in the tree's surrounding a clearing a few miles away from the Fire country border. Sakura and Kakashi were sparring, whilst Naruto sat against a tree, dozing underneath the shade the leaves provided.
It was pure chance that he stumbled across his old team, so Sasuke took the time to study the blond. Even when Naruto was sitting down, Sasuke could tell that the blond was shorter than was healthy for a 15-year-old. The blond had taken of his jacket, so Sasuke could also see that he was rather thin. His tanned face was pale - which looked rather weird -, his whisker marks had faded slightly and his bright blond hair had faded to a light blond, and now hung down the younger boys back in a low pony tail. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt with sleeves to his elbows, with a black, sleeveless top over it. He also wore black ninja pants, which ended just blow his knees. There were bandages wrapped from the bottom of the pants to his ankle, where blue ninja sandles were strapped to small feet.
Sasuke frowned - for even though he had noticed all this a few weeks ago, now that he could observe the blond without threat of attack, Sasuke could take it all in. Now that he could though, he could tell that the blond was not healthy.
Naruto sat down heavily on one of his two kitchen chairs, looking down a the letter sitting innocently on his kitchen table. The envelope it came in sat beside it, his name written on it in neat writing. Naruto could tell that it was hand-delievered, if only because it didn't have his address on it. He didn't recognise the handwriting, an elegant script that flowed over the page.
Dear Naruto-Kun,
We have been watching you. We know what has been happening to you. And we know how to stop it. Do you really want to stay with the village that hurts you, that shuns you, that hates you? Naruto-Kun, you don't belong there.
I, Pein, formally invite you, Uzumaki Naruto, to join the group Akatsuki, under the order of myself and Madara.
You deserve better then you have Naruto-Kun, and we can offer you that. We expect your reply within a month, otherwise we will send someone to seek you out.
I hope you consider my offer,
Pein.
Oh, and happy birthday.
Tsunade stared at the blond boy in front of her, then down at the piece of paper he had handed her two minutes ago. She stared, flabbergasted, at the resignation letter for one Uzumaki Naruto.
Tsunade had known the boy was having a hard time, was having second thoughts about the shinobi life, but she never thought he would resign. Looking back up at the grinning boy, she sighed.
"I'll have to take this up with the council. Until then, I have a mission for you Naruto."
Naruto scowled, but he knew that although he had handed in his resignation, it hadn't been granted yet. Naruto nodded, and waited for the Godaime Hokage to tell him what he was doing.
"It's a A-ranked mission. It's only ranked that because its an assassination, though. You need to find and kill a man named Daisuke Hitori, the leader of a gang currently terrorising the Land of Stone. They are paying for the man to be assassinated, believing that if the head is cut of, the body will stop."
Naruto nodded, understanding what she was saying, and took the offered scroll.
Grinning at the woman he loved like a grandmother, despite what her village had done to him, he hugged her before running out the door to go pack for his most probably last mission.
Tsunade smiled as the boy she considered her grandson hugged her before running out of the door, staring after the blond for a few moments before spinning around in her chair to face the window. Sighing, the hokage rubbed her temples, knowing that her blond gaki's request would be granted.
"Shizune!" She called. "Call the elders!" She paused for half a moment. "And get me some sake!"
Naruto crossed the Fire country border in record time, jumping from tree to tree slowly - he had no rush, and even at the rate he was going, he would reach the Land of Stones by morning.
