Foreword
This fiction begins on chapter 246 of the manga, the beginning of the Shippuden arc. This is the only essential part of the italic text. If you're not interested in any additional information, ignore the below.
"Towards the Sun" is the working title of this fiction and it may change at a later date. If you have a suggestion for a more appropriate title, I would appreciate it. This story is very much the spiritual successor of "Kitsune Revival." However, this fiction features an entirely new storyline intended to keep more solidly with the canon world of Naruto. Furthermore, each chapter will be fully edited and proofread. It is a genuine attempt to create a quality fan fiction.
Audience: This fiction is intended to appeal to anyone looking for realism in the Naruto series. The characters will adhere to their canon personalities as strictly as possible and only through character growth will new avenues open. Furthermore, the characters will not be presented as being as powerful as they are in the Shippuden arc and thus I hope to appeal to anyone not entirely pleased with the way combat now comes across in the series. Anyone interested in the characters Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, Neji, or Sasuke may enjoy reading this. Anyone especially interested in reading about the romantic relations between Naruto and Hinata or Sasuke and Sakura may be intested. It will not necessarily contain an upbeat mood, but humor will also have its place. This is not to say it cannot appeal to a general audience, of course.
Length: My intentions with my previous fan fiction were to write a sequel. Upon rereading it, I was displeased with the quality of my work. "Towards the Sun" is, as stated above, the spiritual successor to "Kitsune Revival." If at all possible I would like to make this fiction continue the relationship between Hinata and Naruto past the point where "Kitsune Revival" ended. This fiction will also focus on the character progression of Sasuke, Sakura, and Neji. In short, it is likely to surpass the 100,000 word count of its predecessor so long as I am capable of writing and editing it and will continue until as appropriate.
Update Schedule: One of the primary reasons I did not edit my previous fiction was because it takes me so long to be satisfied with any material I write when I try to edit it. There will likely be one chapter per week with (hopefully) a greater number of chapters around Christmas. Anyone interested in proof-reading the work would be genuinely appreciated and I would be willing to do the same in exchange, though I would need someone capable of in-depth critical commentary. I would offer the same services. All reviewers are, of course, encouraged to bring any foolish errors to my attention.
Chapter One
Return of a Comrade
Hinata gently shifted her weight onto her right leg as rain fell onto the awning of the Hyuugan estate's outer walls. The cold air was beginning to penetrate her heavy coat despite her attempts to seek refuge from the weather under the canopy the walls offered. She was waiting quietly outside the main gates of the estate for a visitor long overdue. Hinata passed the time by watching the droplets of water as they descended from the heavens. They struck the ground and turned the tightly packed soil of Konoha's roads into mud. It was a messy sort of rain, heavy enough to soak most clothing within seconds and sped about by the wind at speeds that caused it to sting. She had seen a merchant try an umbrella only to have had the instrument swept away. It did not take long for the man to realize that chasing after the device was pointless. Hinata blinked and returned to the present as a gust of wind swept through the awning. Despite the soothing sound of the rain, Hinata was admittedly impatient for her guest to arrive, though the only reason was the frigid cold slowly poisoning her body.
Her eyes peered down at the gray stones at her feet as water seeped along the grout, collecting in small puddles in seemingly random places. The sandals she wore exposed her pale toes and ankles, which were quickly losing colour as the cold infected her. She had contemplated returning to her room and taking solace in the warmth of her bed. Yet just as she had turned and looked past the gate longingly to the welcome heat of her home she heard tired footsteps on the muddied road. She peered off down the path to see the shadowy figure of her sensei walking towards her with limp arms and a heavy, long coat. As Kurenai's figure came into focus it became obvious that she had a hood drawn tightly over her head to protect from the rain. Hinata certainly didn't blame her for the extra clothing she wore in the weather; it was simply that bad.
Kurenai's slow steps eventually brought her under the awning with her student. Kurenai rested her back against the wall opposite of Hinata's own place of respite before undoing her hood and letting her hair fall back. Deep, heavy breaths came from the doubled over jounin who placed her hands on her knees to support her weight. Kurenai's gasps were visible as moisture in the air and her chest was strained to keep up with her breathing. Hinata smiled at her teacher and bowed forward, her meagre voice barely carrying over the pattering rain on the tiled awning, "I'm sorry I didn't meet you somewhere closer, Sensei."
Kurenai smiled and waved a hand dismissively. "Don't be silly, Hinata. There was nowhere else we could possibly meet. The only reason for my current state was that mission. The Godaime's policies on human resources haven't become any less brutal since her appointment," she said, fixing her wrinkled and drenched coat as best she could in order to look more presentable. Hinata watched her teacher's hands tremble, but it wasn't from the cold. Hinata wasn't certain why, but she was certain that Kurenai had just lied to her. Furthermore, Hinata's precise eyes spotted the dressings on Kurenai's hands. There was little doubt that she had been bandaged by a professional medical ninja, but as Hinata decided to ignore the gauze she saw a wave of relief pass over her sensei. Kurenai was hiding something.
Rather than dwell on the awkward situation, Hinata smiled and moved forward to aid her teacher. Once Kurenai had regained her footing and managed to stand up straight the creased collar of her coat was fixed by her student's hands. Hinata was not surprised by Kurenai's confused expression. Instead, Hinata found herself letting off a warm, gentle smile that washed over the situation and dispelled the negative context they were beginning their conversation in. Kurenai at first appeared stunned by the uncharacteristically adept social move by Hinata but soon turned receptive to the positive side of her student and returned the smile. Hinata spoke with her head bowed respectfully, "Take your time, sensei. We can leave when you're ready."
When the ninja had finally come to a mutual agreement on their meal plan they strode off in hopes of finding Kiba and Akamaru. Shino had been dispatched on a mission no more than an hour past and had thus been forced to abruptly withdraw his stake in the night's activities. When Hinata informed her sensei of Shino's absence she noticed that her teacher seemed greatly disappointed, but there was no discussion or clear reason as to why. Hinata would have been lying if she had said that she was not personally concerned that Shino was out in such weather on a potentially dangerous mission, but such woes were commonplace ever since Orochimaru's attack three years ago. The entire village grew accustom to the constant danger, Hinata included. It seemed unlikely Kurenai would fret about such a thing without a proper reason, yet surprisingly it wasn't concern for Shino's safety that Hinata detected. Kurenai seemed, in a sense, annoyed, though Hinata could not fully understand her sensei's reasons for feeling such emotions.
Thinking of the anxiety she experienced daily from the dangerous missions, Hinata realized that she was never quite sure if the change in her view of life after the attack was from having matured enough to perceive the true perils of the ninja world or if it was because peace had been shattered for all of Konoha by that eventful day. It seemed that it was a little of both that caused her such dire anxiety. Kiba managed to keep an upbeat attitude constantly, but Hinata never deciphered the trick to maintaining such bliss. She drew strength from her companions and their hope but Kurenai's recent lacklustre attitude concerned her and her own daily troubles brought her back to the bleak reality a ninja faced.
Finding Kiba walking about with Akamaru was not difficult. Whenever Team Eight joined together for meals Kiba always missed the meeting and simply tracked down his comrades, usually while they were heading towards the restaurant after giving up on him. Worse yet, he was always eager to place his two cents in as to where they were going to eat, even if the other three had agreed on a specific location before his interference. He maintained the habit by quickly protesting against the meal plan whilst the rain beat down. Neither Kurenai nor Hinata were impressed as they stood shivering in the cold whilst Kiba ranted in circles about the specific reasons he disapproved of where they were going.
Hinata wasn't surprised by the protest from Kiba and made little note of it, delegating the responsibility to her sensei. Kurenai gave a small, customary huff before accepting Kiba's complaint. "Where to, Kiba?" she asked.
Following Kurenai's question there was a long pause in which Kiba seemed to put a great deal of consideration into his choice before hopping off of Akamaru and pointing towards a nearby stall. "Ichiraku, or I'm out."
There was a strange silence and Kurenai raised a single brow high in a confused stare at the young man but shrugged and approved the concept with a nod of her head. "As you'd have it, Kiba. I thought you didn't like ramen because of Akamaru, though?"
Kiba shrugged slightly and replied, "I don't mind ramen, and I already treated Akamaru to a meal. He doesn't need to eat more, so he's set. I'm starving, though."
Kurenai glanced at Hinata and the two of them shared a shrug. Neither of them wasted time taking cover once Kiba's decision was made final. They all shuffled into the shop with haste and shed their drenched coats. Akamaru huddled underneath the awning of the shop and laid his massive body behind the three chairs that were taken up by his companions. Kurenai sat between Hinata and Kiba and they all enjoyed the warmth radiating from the kitchen of the stall. Hinata gave a small sigh of contentment. The air was filled with the delicious smell of freshly made ramen and even though the shop was open to the rainy night's chilling winds it was surprisingly warm on the inside.
The friendly young woman tending the stall leaned over the counter and grinned, "You all look pretty beaten up! I'm assuming you're very hungry and up for a hot meal, and that's good. I'm Ayame and I'll be serving you today. Why don't you take some time and pick out what you'd like?" With that she took three menus from under the counter and presented them out to the customers gracefully.
Hinata looked over the selection and was slightly embarrassed as Kurenai spoke her usual line, "Don't worry about what you're ordering, both of you. It's on me for today." Despite that, Hinata carefully scanned the menu based on the cost of the items. She always felt bad when Kurenai paid for the meal. Furthermore, Hinata knew that Kiba would intentionally select one of the most expensive items to take advantage of the offer. The least she could do was attempt to balance it out by selecting one of the cheapest items available. Everything seemed so expensive when someone else was paying. Hinata gave a resigned sigh and set her menu down before the others. She had already decided on her item based solely on the neatly printed price.
Hinata noticed Kurenai looking at her as Kiba ordered his ramen, yet despite the eye contact no words were exchanged. Hinata looked down and began fidgeting with her fingers. She found herself feeling nervous due to the constant glances her sensei kept shooting in her direction. Hinata tried to think of more pleasant things but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong with Kurenai. Kurenai simply wasn't acting like herself. Hinata was certain that a dire event had transpired during her sensei's mission, but she could only guess as to what. She began to ponder what could've possibly happened as their ramen was prepared.
Hinata was pulled from her meditation as a bowl of steaming ramen was set down in front of her by the smiling waitress of Ichiraku. The young kunoichi suddenly realized that she had been staring into nothingness for quite some time. She re-examined her surroundings once she had fully woken from her trance. As she had predicted, Kiba had chosen one of the most extravagant items on the menu. Ignoring that, Hinata tried to reflect on Kurenai's strange behaviour for a few more moments. Just as Hinata had started to think, her train of thought was brought to a halt as Kiba yelped in pain. He had foolishly tried to guzzle hot tea as soon as the waitress had placed it before him and had burned his mouth badly in the process. Hinata turned to look at him in confusion. There was an indignant silence from Kiba before he finally realized the stares he was receiving. Searching about for a conversation topic to throw the attention off of himself, Kiba chuckled and pointed at Kurenai's hands. "So, Kurenai-sensei, how'd you mangle your hands up, hmn? Bandits too tough for you?" he asked.
Kurenai stared at her hands for a great period of time before replying, "The mission was just harder than normal." Hinata knew her sensei was lying, but the deception seemed to pass by Kiba undetected.
There was an awkward silence that settled over the trio. Only Kiba began eating. Kurenai and Hinata met eyes a few times and, through subtle body language, it was made clear that Kurenai had something important to discuss with her student. At first Hinata wondered if Kurenai was remaining silent because they were in public, yet it soon dawned on her that her sensei was uncomfortable with Kiba present. Such feelings were not something that Hinata was expecting from her teacher. Kiba was not acting any different than he normally did and there was no apparent reason to be suspicious. Hinata furrowed her brow for a few seconds but could not bring herself to question her sensei.
Kiba ate with haste, acting as if there was something of great importance to accomplish after his meal. His pace was probably appropriate; Kiba meal dwarfed those of his kunoichi companions and he'd be lucky to even be capable of finishing it, let alone finishing it in a reasonable period of time. Beside him, Kurenai took her time with her ramen. Hinata, on the other hand, took her time scraping her chopsticks together to remove any splinters. She wasn't even hungry anymore, the stress of the night having taken over. When she finally did begin eating she heard familiar voices outside and began listening in on their conversation inadvertently.
"I don't get it, Kakashi-sensei. Why's he getting like this?" a female asked. Hinata realized shortly afterwards that it was Sakura.
"Well... Naruto's got a lot of things going on in his mind for once," a man, Kakashi, replied.
"Do you really think Naruto's changed, though?" the female asked, evidently Sakura.
"Apparently the minute Naruto heard that he would be returning to Konoha he went back to chasing after... well, you know who I'm talking about," Kakashi said. "It all happened instantaneously. It's because of his impatience that I don't think Naruto's changed that much. You just forgot what he could get like."
Kakashi and Sakura walked into Ichiraku and surveyed the other ninja. Akamaru stirred for a moment to sniff Sakura's foot, though once he had done so he seemed satisfied and drifted back to sleep. Meanwhile, Hinata's expression was slack, but if anyone noticed they didn't mention it. Hinata had not been prepared for such a revelation. On the other hand, it was obvious neither Kakashi nor Sakura had been prepared to deal with the storm just outside the shop. Kakashi seemed relatively comfortable with his heavy flak jacket keeping him warm, but Sakura shivered violently. As soon as they sat down the waitress provided them with two hot cups of tea.
"So, Kurenai, I heard the... news," Kakashi said, pushing his tea aside as soon as the waitress had walked off.
Hinata's attention shifted from nervous thoughts of Naruto to the more immediate conversation between Kurenai and Kakashi. The young kunoichi observed her sensei staring at the white haired jounin for a brief span of time. There was a shared understanding between the two jounin at that instant, some sort of mutual knowledge that caused both of them great disappointment. Nothing further was uttered between the two once they broke eye contact. Kurenai simply stared into her bowl of ramen for a long while before eating the few noodles that remained.
"Hey, Sakura!" a familiar voice called out through the rain, running up to the stall. "Where's Kakashi-sensei! I found him earlier in the day but he ran off whe- Kakashi-sensei! Why won't you train with me?!"
Hinata froze, though everyone else on Team Eight did as well. Hinata was the only one who didn't give Naruto a stare of disbelief. Hinata was too stunned to move. Kakashi looked over at Naruto and raised a brow. Naruto pouted and squinted at him as if trying to understand what the jounin's facial expression was trying to convey. Meanwhile, Hinata fidgeted with her chopsticks furiously. "Wait, Naruto. Let me understand this," Kakashi said calmly. "You want me to get up out of the comfort and warmth of this nice ramen shop to come out with you and train in the rain and lightning?" Kakashi pointed to the heavy rain outside with his free hand to emphasize his point.
Naruto followed Kakashi's finger. Then Naruto looked back at him and nodded, "Yeah, pretty much."
"Naruto, why don't you just compromise and join us for some ramen?" Kakashi countered.
Naruto squinted again and was suddenly forced into a dilemma. He glanced at the steaming bowl of ramen Hinata had, then the slightly larger bowl Kurenai was enjoying, then the massive bowl Kiba was eating from. Naruto placed a hand on his chin and weighed his options, then came to a conclusion, "Only if you're paying, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi's eye followed Naruto's train of thought the entire way and he peered at Kiba's bowl for a long time. Kakashi carefully weighed his choices as well. "Well, Naruto," he began, "I assume that you're just going to keep bothering me until I agree to train you?"
"Pretty much," Naruto replied.
Kakashi sighed heavily, "Fine, but you can't bother me for training today. Or tomorrow."
Sakura, who had remained surprisingly silent the entire time, finally pitched in her share, "Going out to train in conditions like this would just make you sick, Naruto. It's too cold."
Naruto scoffed and sat down, crossing his arms defiantly. Hinata turned her head to look at him. He was sitting in the seat right beside her and she noticed that he had grown considerably taller since he had left the village. Hinata fiddled with her chopsticks more furiously as she began turning red. Meanwhile, Naruto began protesting, "I would not! What if we had to fight someone in this kind of weather, huh? What then? Are we going to complain it's rainy? I'm not going to complain it's rainy." Naruto turned to face Sakura, who was in the seat to his left, just beside him him.
Sakura rolled her eyes, "Naruto, you should work on what's up in your head instead of all this physical conditioning you keep doing."
"Huh? Why's that?" Naruto asked, continuing to squint. He leaned back and bumped up against Hinata. Hinata's eyes shot open and various thoughts crossed her mind. Already on edge from the stress of Shino's absence and Kurenai's strange behaviour she couldn't help the panic that ensued. It had been so long since Naruto had been near her and so long since she had felt the rush just before she lost consciousness. Something deep inside her was disappointed with her reaction, but it was too late. The only thing she could think of was that their two bodies were in contact.
Naruto turned about as Hinata went face-first into her ramen, splashing it everywhere. He blinked repeatedly and turned his head to the side, "Hinata, I don't think that's a very good way to eat ra- wait a minute! She passed out again, didn't she? Hinata, you're such a weirdo."
Naruto cried out in disbelief when he finally realized Kakashi had disappeared, leaving the bill for the ramen in his wake. Naruto had ordered multiple bowls, and worse yet his purse was empty. It had been flat ever since Jiraiya had put it to use "doing research" at the hot springs when they were en route back to Konoha. He suddenly regretted both treating the lecherous old man to his savings and that Team Eight hadn't left with Hinata, as he could've borrowed money from Kiba or maybe even Kurenai. Sakura wasn't going to show mercy, however. Meanwhile, Teuchi tapped his foot against the floor impatiently, his arms crossed. Sakura gave an exasperated sigh as Naruto extended his hands defensively towards the cook, trying to justify his situation. "I... uh... I swear I'll pay later! Kakashi said he'd pay the bills and now he isn't here! I'll probably be getting a mission tomorrow and then the first thing I'll do is pay you!" Naruto blurted out.
"Naruto," Teuchi responded, "I know you used to be a regular here, but I can't serve this much ramen without getting paid for it. I'm sorry, business just isn't good enough."
Naruto looked down at the empty bowls of ramen, then over at Sakura. He sighed sadly as he owned up to the bill. "I can do the dishes tonight, then I'll clean up the shop, and I'll pay you as soon as I can after that," he sulked.
Sakura placed down the money for the bill before Teuchi could accept. Before either man could address her actions she got up, dusting off her clothing. Naruto squinted at her in a confused fashion, his eyes asking her why she had done such a generous thing. She smiled at him and Teuchi, then explained herself, "Naruto has a point. Kakashi-sensei did promise to pay the bill before he ran off. Anyway, I don't think I've ever treated you to anything, Naruto, so it's the least I can do. Though, before you go yelling at Kakashi-sensei, you have spent the entire day bothering him. It's the only day he's had without missions in a long time, Naruto."
Naruto grunted at Sakura's words, taking a few seconds to process them before brightening up. "I guess. I still think it stinks of Kakashi-sensei... though, thanks, Sakura!"
Teuchi waved as they left his shop. He hadn't had the intention of badgering the boy, but Ichiraku wasn't been doing well enough financially to let itself get burdened by unpaid bills. Once the two ninja had disappeared down the road, Teuchi began closing up the shop with his daughter. The weather was so horrible that he was certain the flow of customers had been snuffed out. They had only kept the stall open in the weather because of the number of travellers passing through Konoha earlier, all of whom were flocking to places where they could get a warm cup of tea.
With the shop closed, Teuchi and his daughter Ayame enjoyed an early dismissal from their daily chores. However, Teuchi couldn't help but wonder why the one Hyuugan girl had fainted into the bowl of ramen he had worked on. The female jounin had dragged her off once it was apparent she wasn't waking up, leaving a hefty tip in her wake and assuring the others that there was nothing to be alarmed about. Just before he left the shop for the apartment upstairs he checked his ingredients over, yet nothing was wrong with them.
Down the street, Naruto strode alongside Sakura, asking, "So, uhm... how about I walk you home?"
Sakura rolled her eyes and walked along quietly. Naruto grumbled audibly, but continued following her like a stray dog. For once, Sakura did not brush him off. Instead, she took a wrong turn on the way to her house, doing so intentionally. Naruto squinted, having turned in the opposite direction and walked a few paces before noticing Sakura walking off behind him. "Where are you going, Sakura?" he shouted, turning about and running to catching up with her.
She glanced over at him, lowered her head as if ashamed, and then gestured down the road to the bridge. He raised a brow. He remembered the bridge; Team Seven received their invitations to the chuunin examination for the first time there. He still remembered hugging Kakashi, the excitement and aspirations that welled up inside of him, and his imagination running wild as he dreamed of the old man Hokage giving up his seat to him after he took home the trophy for first place. Naruto scratched behind his head and reflected on the days before Sasuke had run away. When he began to slip towards thoughts of his failure to retrieve Sasuke, Sakura finally answered him, "I think we need to talk, Naruto. We need to talk without anyone here to cut in."
Naruto blinked, then peered at Sakura. "Don't you think that the weather's sort of bad for this, Sakura? We could at least go inside," he said.
Sakura stared up into the sky and felt the rain hitting her face. She looked down to the ground and felt the mud sticking to her sandals. She glanced to her companion and shook her head, responding, "No, it won't take long." Despite her resolve she shivered, but was determined to say her share. She was stunned for a few moments as Naruto nodded, unzipped his coat and held it out to her, grinning. The white T-shirt Naruto wore underneath was already getting soaked, yet he seemed unfazed. At first she was going to protest. Instead, she smiled thankfully at him and put the coat on with his aid.
As they both stood on the bridge, leaning on the stone fence and peering into the rushing water of the canal, silence reigned for a long time. The canal was brimming with water in the heavy rains and small eddies formed on the sides where the aluminum siding had caught debris. Neither of them were entirely sure of what to say, yet Sakura started at the first relevant thought she grasped, "I know you want to get Sasuke back and I know it's frustrating that Tsunade won't let you go on missions to find him, but you can't get angry at her, she has her reasons as the Hokage, Naruto."
He didn't reply immediately, frowning. Collecting his thoughts, Naruto didn't find any way to express them. He tried to form his opinions into sentences, but it didn't work. Soon he found himself tapping his fingers on the railing of the bridge and looking about impatiently as he grew tired of trying to decipher his own thinking. When he did reply it wasn't the full message he wanted to convey, but he said it anyway, "I just don't like how the Pervy Sage made me wait so long, and now Sasuke's in real danger because of it... and we don't even have permission to do anything about it. I don't get it. How can everyone else stand by and hope for the best?"
"Naruto, that's not what people are doing," Sakura said, frowning as well. "I remembered something Kakashi-sensei said when we went to the training field and faced off against him again. It sort of applies here."
Naruto raised a brow, guessing, "'Underneath the underneath?'"
"No," she responded, "not that. I know you made a promise to bring Sasuke back, and I've always cared for that promise. I still do. But now that promise isn't as important as helping the Leaf, Naruto. Tsunade-sensei needs her ninja back, and ninja who are willing to take on important missions, not just what they want to do. A lot happened when you were gone, but one thing hasn't changed. The Leaf is still in trouble. In fact, when I'm training with Tsunade-sensei she sometimes talks with Shizune while watching me. Apparently the other countries are beginning to catch on that the Leaf is starting to limp, and they're taking advantage. The only thing keeping us afloat is the Sand's help."
Naruto looked over at her and huffed, "What do you think I should do, then?"
"Remember, Naruto," Sakura said, "that, 'those who don't take care of their comrades are lower than trash.'"
Sakura looked over, but knew that Naruto didn't understand at first. He looked into the water and poured genuine consideration into what she had said, but soon squinted at her and shrugged, "I don't understand. Sasuke's a comrade, so how am I helping him by abandoning him?"
Sakura greeted his reply with a smile and explained, "I know Sasuke's a comrade, but Sasuke left on his own will. In the Leaf, we're all comrades. Right? If the Leaf shows weakness during the exams it'll be us and the Sand against the rest of the ninja nations. Worse yet, it might be like the first one we took; Konoha might suffer an attack during the course of the exam. But if a powerful Leaf genin were to appear out of the blue, the other nations might rethink an attack."
"I get it!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning. Yet the smirk didn't last long, and he quickly found himself looking at her in a concerned fashion, "But... that doesn't change the fact that Sasuke's in danger. If we don't get to him in time, Orochimaru might get him permanently."
"Naruto, please," she said. "Let me worry about Sasuke. You should worry about the Leaf. After all, how will you become Hokage if you're constantly chasing after him? I'm Tsunade's student, and as such I can try to sway her opinion or at least find out why she won't let us pursue Sasuke."
The young man looked over at her, then down into the water. Sakura smiled at him, but it didn't seem to break him from his frown. She patted him on his shoulder and went to take off his coat, but he interrupted her, "You can head home with it. It's no problem, Sakura. You'll catch a cold at this rate, anyway."
She thought of saying no, but she couldn't bring herself to. Instead her eyes set on the long arms of the coat she was wearing and the warm, waterproof fabric. She hadn't seen Naruto in a long time, and Naruto hadn't seen her for just as long. But for once she felt like she shared an understanding with him. She unzipped the coat and put it over his shoulders carefully. He didn't react, but she wasn't surprised. She took his advice and began heading back the way she had came, intent on returning home. Yet just before she had gone out of Naruto's range of hearing she turned back and said, "Naruto, I'm glad you're back. I know you'll make the right choice."
Naruto watched her walk off into the rain, then put his arms though the sleeves of his coat and sighed heavily. The dilemma he was faced with had haunted him for longer than Sakura realized, and while it was tempting to make a brash choice his mind always reminded him of the consequences before he could settle on it. He had gotten angry with Tsunade earlier in the day, so much so that she had ordered him to leave her office. Kakashi and Sakura had stood aside watching him the entire time, trying to calm him down, yet Naruto couldn't get a grip on his emotions. He wondered if Tsunade was angry with him. He wondered what would happen to Sasuke if he didn't go after him. He wondered what would happen if he left Konoha to save Sasuke.
As in the past he came to no decision, and after ten minutes of watching the eddies in the water he was beginning to experience the desire to return home. The rain was too much and he was going nowhere in his mind. He gave in and made haste back to his apartment. All the while he found himself looking at his feet, trying to find the right answer to everything he was asking himself. When he finally was at the front door of his apartment, he spoke his thoughts aloud in a forlorn conclusion, "There really isn't a right answer, I think." Thunder echoed in the distance. Moments later a strong wind howled through the open-air corridor of his apartment building and he shivered. He didn't waste any longer hiding in his home and locking the door.
The apartment he was in wasn't as luxurious as the one he had known most of his life. He had given the larger one up when he left for his training. Needless to say it was a mess. Ramen boxes riddled the ground and the smell of sour milk poured out of the apartment. Nartuo was immune to the smell, though his neighbours commonly complained. The only neat area was around his bed and the shelf nearby wherein he enshrined all of the memorabilia of his time in Team Seven. The photos in the picture frames all had crease marks from being kept in a small pouch on his belt where they were safest, but they were still in one piece.
He stepped over discarded cups of noodles and eventually made it to his bed. He fell into the cushions and sighed heavily, the rain pounding against the window he had put his bed beside. He opened the blinds and looked outside into the stormy night. The rain was washing down his window rapidly. Grumbling, Naruto took off one shoe, then another. He threw them onto the floor, then took his headband and placed it under his pillow.
Before he went to sleep he got up and out of his drenched coat, shirt and pants and put them up to dry. Then he plopped into the bed again with a heavy sigh and shivered. Staring into the ceiling didn't help him find a solution to the problem that haunted him, instead he found his eyes drooping shut. It wasn't late at all, perhaps seven or eight. Much too early to sleep, it seemed. Naruto didn't have the energy to check his clock, though. He closed his eyes and stopped opposing sleep's gentle touch.