Rivals or Lovers?
Chapter 1 : Nightmare
Synopsis : Orochimaru wants Sasuke. Itachi wants Naruto. For both their safety, Tsunade makes a hard decision. They'll have to live together under the same roof. With time, perhaps they'll get to know each other better......... Unless they kill each other first.........
Pairings : Sasuke x Naruto (Soon to come I promise)
Other Pairings : Undetermined for now
WARNINGS : Will contain SHONEN-AI, in other words, boy loves boy. If you don't like then don't read.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION :
- Would be good for you reviewers to have read up to Manga Volume 20, since I start the story from there.
- Tsunade is now the 5th Hokage and already is in the village
- Takes place after Naruto, Sasuke and Jiraiya encountered Uchiha Itachi for the first time in Konoha Village. And when Naruto and Jiraiya brought back Shizume and Tsunade to become the 5th Hokage.
- And Naruto might be a bit OCC at sometimes, since he's kinda depressed so you've been warned
JAPANESE WORDS
- Baka = idiot -
- Arigatou = Thank You -
- naruhodo = I see -
- Iie = No -
- Chikushou – Damn it / Damn
============================================================================ ======================
After their encounter with Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke remained unconscious at the hospital, as a pink haired girl named Sakura, came to visit him every day to be there for when he would wake up.
As for Hatake Kakashi, he remained in his bed at home, while his comrades watched over him until he, himself regained conscious.
Jiraiya and Naruto headed out after the incident, as the boy had mixed emotions for the moment.
It's then that Jiraiya and Naruto set out to find a former teammate of the sennin named Tsunade, since they were both in the past, in the same team as Orochimaru, trained by the 3rd Hokage.
During their little side-quest, the group reencountered Orochimaru and Kabuto where a hard fight occurred. Orochimaru had only seek Tsunade out so that she could repair his now useless arms due to the 3rd's sacrifice.
Naruto showed his true strength and the value of life, as Tsunade finally snapped out of the pain and sorrow that had kept her in the darkness. The group finally won over Orochimaru, but only temporarily. Now, they return back to Konoha, as Tsunade will become the fifth Hokage until the sixth one is decided.
Upon arriving in Konoha, Tsunade had her hands full, as the return of the traitor made things even more difficult for being Hokage. Aside of having Itachi to worry about, there was still Orochimaru to deal with later on.
Jiraiya, Naruto, Tsunade and Shizune returned to Konoha late that evening, as tomorrow morning to visit Hatake Kakashi, along with the Uchiha boy, who was still unconscious at the hospital.
============================================================================ ======================
*Naruto's Apartment*
The moment the group had arrived in Konoha, Naruto set out to find his bed and finally get a good night sleep. As he entered his room, he noticed that he was so much in a hurry to leave, that he left all his dirty clothes on the floor.
"Never thought I had so much clothes" Naruto thought as he started to unzip his orange jumpsuit
He carefully made his way towards his bed, as he finally managed to get his jumpsuit off. Too tired, Naruto didn't even bother to take his t-shirt off to put on his cute little pajamas, as he finally jumped on his bed and went under the covers.
Naruto laid on his back, as he leaned his head towards the window that's above his bed. He had a clear view of the moon and stars in the dark blue sky.
"I wonder how Sasuke's doing.........?" Naruto asked himself before he turned himself on the other side and closed his eyes
The boy quickly fell asleep since he was quite tired from his journey, as from his window, a male figure could be seen on the roof of the building.
============================================================================ ======================
*Near Naruto's Apartment*
The roof of the house across Naruto's apartment, Jiraiya sat on the edge, as he kept a close eye on his only student.
"He seems to have grown since the last time I saw him Jiraiya-sama" A familiar voice came from behind Jiraiya
Jiraiya turned around to notice a dark haired man in a much revealing green suit. The ninja in question was Gai and as usual, he gave a thumb up and his usual weird smile as his teeth sparkled.
"Hai. His growth will be interesting to see" Jiraiya commented
"I take you found and brought back Tsunade-sama?" Gai asked as he regained his normal posture
"Hai, Naruto managed to convince her to become the fifth Hokage. Even though he can be annoying at times, he manages to bring the best out of the people around him" Jiraiya stated as he turned his head back towards the window to see the blond sound asleep
"Youth can be so wonderful" Gai let out with a smile
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow as he was a bit confused by Gai's way to talk each time they had a conversation.
"Has Kakashi awoken yet?" Jiraiya asked
"Asuma and Kurenai stay with him day and night, but we believe he should come around by tomorrow." Gai replied as he walked towards the edge to take a look at the blond himself
"How can you tell?" Jiraiya asked as he faced Gai once more
"He kept talking about that strange book he reads all the time." Gai replied with a small grin
"Coming from Kakashi, it wouldn't surprise me one bit" Jiraiya let out
"As for Uchiha Sasuke, whatever Itachi did to the poor boy, affected him at a more serious level. But that Haruno girl visits him every day. So I'm sure the moment he wakes up, we'll know." Gai informed Jiraiya
"I'm sure the little brat can't wait to see the little bastard" Jiraiya smirked
"Sometimes I wonder how you became a sennin." Gai let out as he exhaled
"That's my little secret" Jiraiya told Gai as he placed a finger over his own lips
"Right, well I'm off to meet the others, Want to join us?" Gai asked as he placed a foot on the edge and rested his hand on it
"I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather stay here for now." Jiraiya answered as he returned his attention towards Naruto's bedroom
"I understand, then I suppose I'll see you tomorrow." Gai replied, as he jumped off the roof and vanished
Jiraiya stood there as he shook his head and laughed a little.
"He can be so weird" Jiraiya thought as he sat down on the roof
Jraiya crossed his legs, as he reached behind his back to come out with a white book. He took out a pencil and smiled as he started to write down some perverted stuff.
============================================================================ ======================
*Naruto's Dream*
Kisame and Itachi stood before Naruto, as Sasuke was on the opposite side with his Sharingan already activated and hatred in his eyes. Jiraiya had restrained the blond to interfere in the fight since Sasuke. Plus he himself didn't know how to react since he didn't know this Kisame like he knew Itachi's potential.
"Foolish little brother. I'm not here for you" Itachi informed his little brother
"Itachi, weren't you suppose to have killed all of those damn Uchihas?" Kisame asked
"I did, I just never considered my little brother worth killing at the time. Even now, I have no time to waste on him, we are here for the fox after all" Itachi reminded his partner
"You die here and now Itachi!" Sasuke yelled out, as he charged forward with a Chidori attack
Itachi let out a small smile, as Naruto was frozen in place and couldn't find the strength to move. He had never seen Sasuke with so much hatred and especially throw himself in a battle without thinking it through. Among other things, to see that Itachi knew he was the container of the fearful Kyubi had shocked him.
As Sasuke was about to lay the Chidori attack on Itachi, the older Uchiha moved quickly out of sight to reappear behind his little brother. He grabbed Sasuke's wrist which held the initial attack, as the Chidori made quite a hole in the wall.
Sasuke prepared to kick his brother when Itachi pushed him violently against the wall at the end of the hall. The moment Sasuke's body hit the wall, Sasuke's eyes widened as he gasped for air.
Sasuke laid on the floor, coughing up blood, as he raised himself to his feet to face the traitor. But by the time Sasuke stood up, Itachi had already punched the poor boy in the stomach.
Itachi then grabbed Sasuke by the neck and raised him up against the wall until his feet no longer touched the ground. Sasuke's weak hands grabbed Itachi's wrist to tried to get out of his older brother's hold without any success.
"Foolish little brother, I told you that I have no interest in you." Itachi reminded Sasuke as he stared at the boy with cold eyes
Sasuke was vulnerable as he had trouble to breath with Itachi slowly tightening the grip around his pale neck. It's then that Itachi activated his own Sharingan and stared straight into the eyes of his little brother.
"For 24 hours, you will relive once more the death of our clan, watch me how I killed them all, especially our parents." Itachi said as he used once again his own technique
Sasuke let out a scream, as the images of his clan's murder filled his head. Then, Sasuke's eyes slowly turned dark, as his hands fell from the grip he had on Itachi's wrist and ceased any sounds.
Itachi released his little brother, as he gave one last look before walking back towards the blond and his partner. Sasuke's body slid down the wall and stopped once he reached the floor as his body leaned towards the right to final fall on his side.
"Sa.........Sasuke?" Naruto managed to let out as he took a step forward
"He's no longer a problem" Itachi informed the boy
Naruto took a few steps back, as he checked beside to notice Jiraiya never showed up.
"Where's that pervert!? He was here a minute ago!" Naruto yelled out as he started to get really nervous
"We are in control here little one" Itachi informed the blond as he carefully approached the boy
Kisame stood still as Itachi continued to close the distance between himself and the boy.
"Who would want to help the boy who had the Kyubi sealed within him?" Itachi stated as he reached out to touch the boy's cheek
Naruto immediately slapped the hand away as he ran towards Sasuke and evaded his enemy. Naruto kneeled next to Sasuke as he brought his rival into a sitting position and looked into his eyes.
"Sasuke......... Come on wake up you bastard!" Naruto yelled out as he shook the boy by the shoulders
Kisame smiled, as Itachi walked quickly towards Naruto and his little brother. Naruto was in shock and didn't know what to do anymore or how to react as Itachi placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Because of you, Sasuke was hurt." Itachi stated with a small smile
"No......... That's not true!" Naruto yelled out as his hands began to shake
"If it weren't for you, he wouldn't of come, and I wouldn't of had to brake a few ribs and send him back into a temporary coma to relive his clan's death over and over again." Itachi continued to taunt the boy
"If he didn't know you, he wouldn't be hurt like this. So this is your fault. It's your fault that Uchiha Sasuke is in darkness" Kisame commented with an evil laugh
Naruto's body began to shake, as Itachi kneeled next to the boy and brought his lips next to Naruto's ear and wrapped his arms around the blonde's neck to pull him closer.
"No matter what you do, we will obtain what is seal within your body. And if I need to kill my little brother and those close to you, we will." Itachi whispered to Naruto as he released his hold on the boy
Itachi moved towards his unconscious little brother as he pulled out a kunai and prepared to strike at him. Naruto immediately yelled out as he saw what Itachi was about to do as he tried to prevent the certain death of his rival and teammate, but was too late.........
Itachi had plunged the kunai deep within Sasuke's chest, as the blood sprayed across Itachi's face and hands. Sasuke body jerked a little but then fell on the ground, as his breathing and movement stopped.
"This can't be happening........." Naruto told himself as he tried to reach Sasuke's body
Itachi blocked his way as he kneeled before the boy once more, to see his eyes were in shock and wide.
"Remember, this could have been prevented if you had come with us peacefully" Itachi reminded Naruto, as he took his hand and gave him the bloody kunai that he used to kill Sasuke
Naruto stared at the kunai and then dropped it on the floor and began to scream. He held his head with both hands now tainted in Sasuke's blood, as he opened his mouth but no words came out.
"It's all my fault......... It's my fault Sasuke got killed!" Naruto yelled to himself
Around him, Itachi and Kisame laughed above the blond boy until Naruto's vision began to get blurry and started to fall towards the ground.
*End of Naruto's dream*
============================================================================ ======================
*Naruto's Bedroom*
Naruto quickly sat up as he woke up form his dream. Cold sweat covered his body as he breathed heavily. Naruto's eyes were wide open as he raised his hands to see if they had been stained by blood or something else.
"What the hell was that!?" Naruto asked himself as his hands shook a little
Naruto then looked out the window for a moment to see the moon, before he wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. He then turned and approached the edge of the bed as his feet touched the cold floor.
Naruto walked through his room as he leaned towards the left and the right from time to time when he reached the bathroom. Naruto continued to breath fast as he poured cold water on his face to wake him up a bit more.
Once finished, Naruto went back to his room and grabbed a pair of jeans to put them on and then went towards his kitchen. In the kitchen, Naruto sat at his table as he took a deep breath before standing back up and boiled some water.
"Guess sleep for tonight is out of question." Naruto told himself as he waited for the water to boil
============================================================================ ======================
*On the Roof*
Jiraiya heard a strange sound and turned his attention back towards Naruto's bedroom, as he noticed the blond was no longer in bed.
"What the?" Jiraiya thought as he leaned over the edge to get a better look
Jiraiya then noticed that the lights in the kitchen were opened and saw the figure of Naruto near the kitchen counter.
"Why is he up at this hour?" Jiraiya asked himself
---Ground Level---
Jiraiya jumped down to get a better look, as he approached the kitchen window and looked inside. What he saw, surprised him.
Naruto was pouring himself some tea and then sat down at his table, but his eyes showed mixed emotions that Naruto never showed anyone before. His eyes showed fear, sorrow and confusion.
"Did something happen while I was looking away?" Jiraiya asked himself
Jiraiya continud to observe the boy carefully, as Naruto grabbed a piece of paper and started to write down stuff which Jiraiya couldn't read in his position.
"Damn that Itachi! Damn you Kyubi! Damn you all!" Naruto yelled out as he punched his table
Jiraiya quickly moved away from the window as he leaned against the wall.
"Perhaps he still needs time to get over it" Jiraiya thought as he jumped back on the roof to continue his observations at a more secure place
As the night passed, Naruto stayed awake as he tried to understand his dream more carefully, as Jiraiya kept a close eye on his student.
============================================================================ ======================
*The Next Morning*
Naruto had managed to stay awake, as he cleaned out most of his house since he did have some spare time in his hands. Also, he decided to wash his clothes, as he changed into a pair of black jeans and a black shirt.
"Can't believe it's already morning" Naruto thought as the rays of the sun illuminated his apartment
As Naruto turned around to go back to his kitchen, he bumped into something and fell on his ass.
"I don't remember having a wall behind me!" Naruto yelled out as he lifted his head to notice a person stood in front of him
"Come on brat, Tsunade wants us to join her this morning" Jiraiya informed the blond boy
"Pervert-sennin! How the hell did you get in my apartment!?" Naruto asked as he jumped back to his feet and pointed the man
Jiraiya's eyes twitched once more for the name Naruto kept calling him, as his fist met Naruto's head. He had given a punch on the top of Naruto's head and immediately the blond covered his head with his hands and stepped away.
"What the hell was that for!?" Naruto asked as he rubbed the bump on his head
"Don't call me that! Now, as for me entering your apartment, well use your brain brat, I used the front door. Now get dress and let's get going before she scolds me for being late." Jiraiya ordered his student with a serious look
"Fine, just let me get my holster and I'll be back" Naruto responded as he went into his bedroom
Jiraiya was a bit surprised by the way how Naruto actually listened to him right away and not argued at all, and this worried him even more.
Minutes later, Naruto came out still wearing his blank pants and shirt with his holster now installed on his right leg.
Naruto passed by Jiraiya and immediately opened the front door and looked back at the sennin.
"You coming or not pervert?" Naruto asked
"You little shit stop calling me that or else I'm going to kill you!" Jiraiya lashed out as he walked quickly pass Naruto and now was outside of the apartment
"One more after my life won't change anything." Naruto let out as he closed the door behind him and started to walk towards the meeting place
"Naruto........." Jiraiya mumbled as he watched the back of the blond
"Come on, unless you want the old hag to kick your ass again" Naruto commented as he continued on his way
Jiraiya was now convinced something was bothering the young one but did not press in the matter, for now it would be best to ignore it but when he'll have a chance, he'll talk to Tsunade about it and see what they should do.
============================================================================ ======================
*Hospital Entrance*
Tsunade and Shizune were waiting for Jiraiya and Naruto to arrive, when Tsunade heard a familiar name that irritated her.
"Hey old hag, we're finally here!" Naruto yelled out as he ran towards the two females
"You little bastard, stop calling me that!" Tsunade warned the boy as she hit him on the head
"Why is everyone hitting me today?" Naruto asked himself as he rubbed the new bump he had on the head
"Yo" Jiraiya spoke as he waved a hand towards the group
"You're late you idiot!" Tsunade yelled out as he gave a stronger punch to him
"What did you do that for!?" Jiraiya asked
"You're late by half an hour" Tsunade informed Jiraiya
"Is that so" Jiraiya said looking all innocent
Tsunade didn't buy Jiraiya's false act as she simply ignored it and walked inside the hospital. Naruto simply followed without any objection, as Jiraiya shook his head a little and followed.
============================================================================ ======================
*Sasuke's Hospital Room*
Sasuke still laid unconscious on the bed, as Sakura sat in a chair very close to his bed. The boy seemed paler than usual, as his face did show a bit of emotions due to what his older brother put him through again.
Sakura seemed sad and depressed, as she simply stared at the Uchiha, until she heard a knock on the door. Her head immediately turned to see who would come and see Sasuke except for maybe Ino, her long time rival.
Knock Knock
As she stood up and prepared to walk towards the door, a tuff of blond hair, clear blue eyes and a wide smile appear as the door opened.
"Naruto?" Sakura let out a bit surprised
"Ohayo Sakura-chan! I brought you the old hag here to take a look at Sasuke" Naruto pointed to Tsunade with a wide smile
Sakura smiled lightly, as she was glad Naruto had returned and even brought some help with him. As for Tsunade, she gave a deadly glare at the blond before her, and Naruto noticed this.
"Oops, well, why don't you just take a look" Naruto said to try and change the subject
Tsunade advanced towards the Uchiha, as she placed her hand on his forehead and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She then opened them and stepped away form the bed as she turned towards Sakura and smiled.
"Is Sasuke-kun going to be alright?" Sakura asked with a worried look
"He'll be fine. He should wake up within the hour at most." Tsunade reassured the girl
Sakura smiled as Naruto finally got a good look at Sasuke that laid there, so silent and almost dead. Naruto's smile quickly vanished, and Jiraiya noticed this.
"Are you alright Naruto?" Jiraiya asked as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder
Naruto turned around to face Jiraiya and came back with a false smile so that no one would notice his false mask had almost fell off.
"I'm good, I just can't wait for that bastard to wake up so I can be the one to kick his ass!" Naruto replied
Tsunade looked over at Naruto as she walked towards the door and made sign to Shizune and Jiraiya to follow her to the next place.
"Naruto, you can stay here. I still have two persons to see and then we'll discuss our little thing later" Tsunade informed the boy
"Hai" Naruto responded with a smile
"Arigatou for looking at Sasuke-kun" Sakura thanked the woman still not knowing who those people actually were
"You're welcome" Tsunade replied before she left the room with Shizune
"Well, you better behave brat, I don't want any more trouble" Jiraiya teased the blond
"Don't worry about it, besides I can be like an angel" Naruto replied
Jiraiya left the room and closed the door behind him, only leaving an unconscious Sasuke, a still sad Sakura and a Naruto that behaved strangely since their return.
"Who were they?" Sakura asked to brake the silence
"Oh, well the guy was the one who trained me before the Chuunin exam. As for the old hag, she's a friend of his and she's here to be the fifth Hokage. For the small girl, she's the old hag's assistance when she needs it." Naruto replied
"Oh......... Well I'm glad you're back Naruto. Things have been quiet since you left and with Sasuke here well, it's boring........." Sakura finished as she went back towards Sasuke's bed
"It will be your fault that they die........." Naruto hears inside his head
Naruto's eyes opened wide, as he looked around the room to see no one else was there except for team 7 itself. He then started to recall his dream. The fact that it was his fault that Sasuke was killed. All his fault for Itachi coming back to the Village because of the Kyubi sealed within him.
"Ne Sakura-chan? Could you......... Could you just give Sasuke a message from me?" Naruto asked a bit nervous
"Aren't you going to stay?" Sakura asked a bit confused as she walked towards Naruto
"It's best if I don't......... I still have some stuff to do, and Sasuke hates me anyway, so it's best if I'm not around........." Naruto trailed off as he avoided looking into her eyes
"Naruto is something wrong?" Sakura asked as she leaned forward to look at his face
"Iie, nothing's wrong. Just need to clear my head a little" Naruto replied
"Will I see you later then?" Sakura asked
"Maybe, depends if I can get my stuff done" Naruto replied
"Ok, so what am I suppose to tell Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked
"Just tell him that......... Tell him I'm sorry" Naruto finally let out as he turned his back to her and started to leave
"W.........What? Hey wait a minute!" Sakura raised her voice as she grabbed Naruto by the wrist
Naruto stood still, but did not turn around, even though he felt an amount of pressure on his wrist.
"What are you sorry for?" Sakura asked
"Because, I was there when it happened, and I didn't do anything to help him........." Naruto replied
Upon hearing those words, Sakura's hold on Naruto loosened as the boy took advantage of the situation and slipped out of the room. Sakura stared at the door for several minutes as she tried to understand what he meant by not helping Sasuke.
============================================================================ ======================
*Outside the Hospital*
Naruto was lost within his own thoughts, when he bumped into his former sensei, Iruka.
"Gomen Iruka-sensei" Naruto apologized
"Ohayo Naruto. I didn't know you were back in town" Iruka welcomed him with a smile
"Oh, came back last night" Naruto replied as his eyes looked elsewhere
Iruka noticed something wasn't right. Naruto was hyperactive and annoying, but this time, he seemed in a hurry, and somewhat confused.
"Naruto you look pale. Are you alright?" Iruka asked as he stared at his former student
"Yeah, I'll be fine, just didn't get enough sleep yet" Naruto replied
"Oh, well how about I treat you to some ramen as a welcome home present?" Iruka offered with a smile
"I'd like to Iruka-sensei but I'd rather be alone right now, to think out some things." Naruto rejected the offer
"But, you never refuse........." Iruka let out in surprise
"Just another time ok? So I'll see you around" Naruto replied as he ran pass Iruka
Before Iruka could react or do anything, Naruto was long gone and that left a very worried Iruka in front of the hospital.
============================================================================ ======================
*Somewhere in the Hospital*
Tsunade was inside the room of Rock Lee as she examined the extent of his injuries. Jiraiya and Shizune waited outside in the hall, as the sennin grew impatient.
"Tell her that I went to Kakashi's place." Jiraiya warned Shizune
"Wait, you can't just leave like that!" Shizune yelled as she tried to prevent him form leaving
"She'll understand, besides I told that green guy I'd come over today. Might as well be now" Jiraiya replied with a smile
"Still you can't just........." Shizune started to explain
By the time she had tried to explain, Jiraiya had already vanished from sight.
"Disappear" She finished
Shizune stomped the ground out of anger, as she then took a deep breath to calm herself down.
============================================================================ ======================
*Sasuke's Hospital room*
The warm rays of the sun that came through the window slowly warmed the room itself, as Sakura stared still depressed and confused at Sasuke, while she did worry a little about Naruto.
At that moment, Sasuke's hand started to move a little and this caught Sakura's immediate attention as she nearly jumped out of her chair and rushed to his side. She took his hand into hers to make sure she wasn't hallucinating when she felt his fingers twitch a little from time to time.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura softly said as she stared at the boy's face
Sasuke moved his head a little as he slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry on the moment, as he also felt the strong sun that illuminated the room and his bed.
"Where am I?" Sasuke managed to let out as he tried to sit up in his bed
Sakura immediately released his hand, as she placed her own against his shoulders to keep him laid on the bed.
"Don't move Sasuke-kun, you can sit up later" Sakura advised her all time crush
Sasuke didn't have the strength to argue as he let her place him back properly, and took a deep breath.
"You're in the hospital" Sakura answered his previous question
Sasuke's vision started to get clearer as he now saw Sakura a lot more and saw that her expression was of someone who was sad but relieved as well.
"I'll go get you some water" Sakura informed him with a smile
As she prepared to leave his side, Sasuke grabbed her by the wrist.
"How long?" Sasuke asked with a serious look
"Almost two weeks......... So don't worry I'll be right back" Sakura replied and reassured the boy
Sasuke's grip loosened, as Sakura opened the door and a strange man with long white hair happened to walk by.
"Wait!" Sakura nearly yelled out as she ran towards the man she met earlier
Sasuke heard her high pitch voice and found the strength to sit up in his bed. He then carefully watched Sakura and this man have a conversation and paid attention to it when the name Naruto came up.
---Just Outside Sasuke's Room---
"You're that girl form earlier aren't you?" Jiraiya sorta asked but knew the answer
"Hai, I wanted to ask you something about Naruto........." Sakura started with a worried voice
"Dammit! I told that brat to stay out of trouble! I swear when I find him ........." Jiraiya started but Sakura quickly interrupted him
"No! Naruto didn't do anything" Sakura said as she waved her hands defensively. "Who the HELL does he think he is!? To think that he could of taught Naruto something is a miracle!" Inner Sakura yelled out in her mind
"Strange, he actually listened to me" Jiraiya thought as he awaited for the girl's explanation
"It's just that, Naruto's acting all strange. Was he really there when Sasuke-kun got hurt?" Sakura asked
"Surely pretty boy can answer that" Jiraiya pointed to the pale boy in the room
"Don't talk about Sasuke-kun like that!" Sakura lashed out at him
"Hai hai" Jiraiya replied as he waved his hands to defend himself against her anger for disrespecting the great Sasuke. "Man, I'd rather face Orochimaru any time than her........." Jiraiya mentally told himself
As Sakura regained control over her mouth and fists, Jiraiya looked at the girl strangely and noticed also that Sasuke was seeing and hearing everything.
"Where's Naruto?" Jiraiya asked when he noticed the blond was no longer present
"Oh, well minutes after you people left, he left to." Sakura replied
"Naruhodo, well I'm off" Jiraiya let out and before Sakura could place a word, Jiraiya had vanished once again
"What is with the disappearing act!? He must be a relative of Kakashi- sensei" Sakura thought
Sakura took a deep breath as she headed out for a few minutes to get some water for Sasuke.
---Inside Sasuke's Bedroom---
Sasuke sat on his bed but still felt the pain near his stomach, although he was in a coma for two weeks, his ribs still hadn't healed as fast.
"Why did Itachi want Naruto? He's weaker than me" Sasuke thought when Sakura returned with a glass of water
"Sasuke-kun you weren't suppose to sit up" Sakura reminded the boy
"Sakura, I can't drink if I'm lying down" Sasuke informed the pink haired girl
Sakura cursed herself for being somewhat dumb at the moment as she gave the glass of water to Sasuke and sat down in the chair again.
"Naruto was here earlier?" Sasuke asked indirectly
"Oh that reminds me. That idiot came here like 15 minutes ago, wanted me to give you a message but I still don't get if he was serious about it. He was acting more weird than usual" Sakura commented
Sasuke placed the glass on the little table next to his bed and then looked at Sakura.
"What was his message?" Sasuke asked
"I'm sorry" Sakura replied
"Why are you sorry?" Sasuke asked a bit confused
"Not me! That's what Naruto said!" Sakura corrected the boy
"........." Sasuke stayed silent as he was surprised that Naruto would actually say that
"Anyway, I saw your doctor and he told me that you just have to sign a few papers and take it slow for the next 2 weeks and then you can go back on missions with us." Sakura informed the boy with a smile
"Us?" Sasuke asked
"Of course, you know, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, me and you" Sakura reminded the boy
Sasuke turned his head towards the window as he stared at the sky. Many thoughts of his older brother saying he was nothing, and the words and what he wanted from Naruto kept repeating themselves in his head.
============================================================================ ======================
*Training Grounds*
Naruto breathed heavily as he was covered in dirk. He looked around him to see the damages he caused so far with his intense training. He had used Rasengan many times against the ground, the trees, even the rocks.
His chakra was running low but to this point Naruto didn't care too much. His nightmare form last night kept replaying over and over again in his memory and the only way he had found a way to deal with it was to train despite the pain he felt in his right palm from using the Rasengan too much.
Naruto than sat on his butt as he grabbed his right wrist with his hand to notice the many scratches on his hand along with some blood slowly getting out.
"Guess I know how many times Rasengan can be used........." Naruto told himself as he fell flat on his back and stared up at the blue sky
Naruto let his hands fall besides him as he took a deep breath and looked around for the damages he caused. Some trees were no more than toothpicks now, as big rocks became dust. The ground itself had many deep holes in them. Other trees were broken and many leaves were scattered across the ground.
Slowly, Naruto drifted to sleep as he was exhausted from using his attack and the mental problems concerning his nightmare took a lot of energy out of him.
============================================================================ ======================
*Kakashi's House*
Kakashi had finally woken up as he sat up in his bed had one major pain of a headache. Asuma sat near a window where he smoked, as Kurenai couldn't help but give him a discouraged look.
Gai was near Kakashi with his usual radiant smile as he patted his rival's back and teased him. It's then that Jiraiya arrived to meet the group.
"Yo Kakashi. Read the latest release of Icha Icha Paradise?" Jiraiya asked with a grin
"He just woke up so don't fill his mind with that perverted book" Kurenai commented as she crossed her arms
"Give the guy a break. Don't forget he got hit hard by Itachi" Asuma defended his friend
"Keep it down" Kakashi demanded as he had a hand pressed against his forehead
"Anyway, I brought you the latest copy in case you didn't have it" Jiraiya informed Kakashi as he prepared to hand out to book to the Juunin
Kakashi didn't have the time to even touch the book, when a kunai pinned the book against the wall. All eyes focused at the front door to see Tsunade and Shizune who stood there.
"Do you know how much these cost!?" Jiraiya yelled out as he gently removed the kunai out of the poor book
"I missed, to think I was aiming at your head" Tsunade commented as she looked around the room
"You were what!?" Jiraiya yelled out as he now stood an inch away from her face
"That idiot........." Shizune thought
"Tsunade?" Kurenai let out
"Hai, I'm hear to replace my former teacher, the third Hokage, as now the fifth Hokage." Tsunade informed the Juunins in the room
"Kakashi. I expect you and the others present in this room to report back to me this evening. We have many things to talk about. Jiraiya, bring the brat with you. I need to have a word with him." Tsunade ordered before she turned around and prepared to leave the house
"Tsunade-sama. Do you have any news about Uchiha Sasuke?" Kakashi asked sicne Gai and the others had mentioned how Sasuke went after Itachi
"The boy should be awake by now. I also heard that he could leave the hospital today if he wanted. I'll see you all tonight" Tsunade replied with a smile
With that, Tsunade and Shizune left the house, as Kakashi still had his major headache, Jiraiya carefully looks through the book to see the damages but found not many.
"Here, that witch didn't damage the book too much" Jiraiya stated with a smile as he gave the book to the Juunin
"Arigatou" Kakashi tahnked him as he tried to stand up but failed
The moment Kakashi tried to stand up he lost balance but quickly decided to sit back down on his bed, as Kurenai was the only one who moved towards her comrade if he needed help.
"Kakashi, take it easy." Kurenai ordered him as she placed a hand on his shoulder
"Well as much as I would love to stay I have a certain hyperactive brat to get" Jiraiya informed as he turned to leave as well
"How is he?" Kakashi asked as Kurenai gave him a glass of water
"Well, he's not as annoying as usual and that's why I gotta go check up on him. He even didn't stay more than 5 minutes in Sasuke's room and that was while the boy was still unconscious." Jiraiya answered
"Perhaps I should........." Kakashi started but Jiraiya quickly turned around with a serious expression towards the Juunin
"Don't. I'll take care of him, after all he's my student right now" Jiraiya told the Juunin
Everyone in the room didn't say a word, as Kakashi leaned forward a little. Jiraiya soon left after to find his so called student.
Deep down, Kakashi knew that Naruto had many problems, but the fact he wasn't aware of what actually happened when Itachi showed up to get Naruto, worried him, as well as how this would affect Sasuke.
============================================================================ ======================
*Training Grounds*
Naruto was sound asleep on the floor of the forest, as a strange white haired male stared at the surroundings and then kneeled above the boy. Jiraiya had seen the damages Naruto had caused, as well as the wounds he had on his right hand.
"What were you trying to do Naruto?" Jiraiya asked himself, as he picked up the boy in his arms and stood back up
He looked around and saw that he must have been training since he left the hospital, which had been closely an hour now. Also came to notice Naruto's pants and shirt were a bit torn due to his over use of Rasengan and his excess training he did.
"What's going on in that little head of yours?" Jiraiya asked before he disappeared with Naruto
============================================================================ ======================
*Sasuke's Hospital Room*
Sasuke got off his bed, as he grabbed some new clothes and put them on while he had some time alone, since Sakura had gone to get the papers for him to sign and leave as fast as possible.
Sasuke looked at the window one last time as he prepared to leave his room when he bumped into Sakura.
"Gomen Sasuke-kun did I hurt you?" Sakura asked with worry
Sasuke had a hand slightly pressed against ribs as he felt a little pain but didn't show it at all. In front of Sakura it was always easy to hide his emotions, but with Naruto, with time the blond had a certain way to stir up some new emotions he thought locked away for a very long time.
"I'm fine Sakura, I just want to leave" Sasuke told her as he passed by her
"Wait, you have to sign these" Sakura pointed him the papers in her hands
Sasuke grabbed the papers and the pen Sakura held as he quickly wrote his name down on each paper and walked out of the room. Sakura followed him like a little dog, as Sasuke simple placed the papers on the front desk as he left.
"So do you want to go get some lunch Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked with a smile as she stood in front of him
"I just want to find Naruto, and I don't need a babysitter" Sasuke said coldly as he passed by her on his way towards the places where Naruto would most likely be
Sakura stood there a bit shocked at the words Sasuke had just spoken, as she finally gave up on following him and went home.
"What is with those boys!?" Sakura asked herself as she went home
Sasuke looked back one last time to see that Sakura had finally given up on as he made his way towards the ramen shop since Naruto constantly talked about ramen.
============================================================================ ======================
*Naruto's Apartment*
Jiraiya carefully placed the blond on his bed and pull the covers over him, while he made sure Naruto's arms were placed above the covers, since he needed to treat his wounded right hand.
Jiraiya grabbed some first aid kit which Naruto had in the bathroom, as he applied some gel to disinfect the wound and then wrapped the clean white bandages around Naruto's wrist and hand, until Kyubi's chakra would heal him.
"It's all my fault........." Naruto mumbled in his sleep
Even though Jiraiya couldn't make out most of the phrase, he managed to understand that Naruto blamed himself for something, and the only possible thing that could be of the incident that happened before they left to find Tsunade.
"Guess it got to him more than he told me........." Jiraiya whispered as he placed a hand on Naruto's forehead
Naruto stirred a little but the moment he felt Jiraiya's hand on his forehead, that seemed to have relaxed him. Jiraiya took a few steps back as he prepared to leave to go and meet Tsunade.
============================================================================ ======================
*In the Street near Naruto's Home*
Sasuke had just return form the Ramen Restaurant and didn't find Naruto, so the next place to search was at Naruto's house, or else it would be the training grounds. After all, Sasuke knew the blond had a tendency to train a lot to try and surpass him.
As Sasuke prepared to walk up to Naruto's front door, the white haired man he met earlier at the hospital came out and closed the door behind him.
"Uchiha Sasuke right?" Jiraiya asked
"Hai, and mind telling me why you're in dobe's house?" Sasuke asked with a serious tone
"Dobe? Well your so called dobe, is in there finally getting some rest, so leave the brat alone" Jiraiya replied with a defensive tone
"He never sleeps in the afternoon he'd be out training right now" Sasuke stated a bit surprised by the response the man had given him
"Take it form me boy, you don't know your teammate as well as you think you do. As for some information, while you were having your beauty sleep, Naruto was almost killed, so you'll understand if I insist you stay away from this apartment. You can see him tomorrow" Jiraiya warned the boy before him
Sasuke didn't like the way this man treated him but he decided not to press in the manner, for now. So Sasuke simply turned his back to the sennin, put his hands in his pockets and walked away.
"Whatever" Sasuke replied as he walked off
"Little bastard" Jiraiya thought as this reminded him sometimes of his former teammate Orochimaru
Jiraiya then set out to meet Tsunade in advance to talk about Naruto's recent behavior since their return to Konoha Village.
============================================================================ ======================
*Tsunade's Office*
Tsunade and Shizune had been cleaning out the office for a few hours now, as Tsunade also needed to prepare for the meeting tonight. All the papers that were scattered on the desk, Shizune carefully placed them by order of importance and now were all organized nicely.
As Tsunade was about to sit down, someone knocked on her door. The door slightly opened, as Iruka stepped inside the room.
"You can't just come in here and........." Shizune started to object to the sudden appearance of the Chuunin when Tsunade raised her hand to silence her friend
"Iruka was it?" Tsunade asked as she walked towards him
"Hai, I heard from Gai, that you were with Naruto for 2 weeks correct?" Iruka asked
"Hai, what happened there?" Iruka asked
Tsunade's eyes fixated Iruka, as she offered Iruka to sit down while Shizune made sure the door was locked and closed. The way Tsunade reacted, this worried Iruka even more, that something did happen to Naruto and he wasn't aware of it.
"The brat almost died" A familiar voice spoke as Shizune stepped away from the door
Jiraiya stepped through the door, as Shizune had a hand over her chest and was prepared to lecture Jiraiya.
"Knock dammit! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Shizune lectured him as she calmed down
Jiraiya simply smiled as he joined the small group into the discussion and now Shizune made sure the door was closed and locked to no more surprises.
Iruka almost jumped in the air when he heard the comment Jiraiya had made concerning Naruto.
"When were you going to tell me this!? And how did it happen? Who was it?" Iruka started to bombard Jiraiya and Tsunade with questions
"Shut up and listen for a moment" Jiraiya ordered the Chuunin
Tsunade, Shizune and Iruka were a bit shocked by Jiraiya's sudden order and being serious about it.
"Look, I had two reasons to bring Naruto with me. The first was to get old girl here to come back here as the new Hokage to replace our mentor." Jiraiya started to explain
"What was the second?" Iruka asked
"With Itachi's sudden appearance in the Village to abduct Naruto, things for the boy got complicated. Add Sasuke's vengeance in the situation, it's enough to damage anyone." Jiraiya continued
"I didn't know Naruto was there when Sasuke and Itachi fought" Iruka informed them
"He was, Naruto wanted to help out but Sasuke refused his help, blinded by his own hatred for Itachi. Even after the incident, Naruto showed a strange emotion I hadn't seen the boy have since I met him." Jiraiya mentioned
"What emotion?" Tsunade and Iruka asked
"He showed concern for Sasuke, hell he wanted to go after Itachi right away" Jiraiya started
"Of course he'd show concern for his teammate!" Iruka yelled out
"You still don't get it do you? Before he lashed out, for only a moment, his eyes showed fear and sadness. After that he simply covered it, probably hoped no one saw it." Jiraiya explained
As Iruka was about to speak, a strong swirling wind came inside the room as leaves seemed to dance in the air. Four adult figures then appeared in the middle of the room. The four figures were Kakashi, Asuma, Gai and Kurenai, as Shizune was ready to lash out for the entrance.
"Yo" Kakashi said with a smile and waved his hand
Kurenai couldn't help but slap her forehead, as Asuma simply continued to smoke, as Gai simply gave his shiny smile and a thumb up.
"Don't any of you people know how to knock!?" Shizune lashed out in fury
"I heard of your record for being always late Kakashi so explain why you're all early" Tsunade asked as she crossed her arms
"Well you see, I've heard several things concerning my blond subordinate and would like an explanation" Kakashi answered
"Well you came at the right time, we were just explaining to Iruka what happened during the two weeks Naruto was away from Konoha." Tsunade informed the four Juunins
"Then please continue Jiraiya-sama" Gai asked with another bright smile
Jiraiya and Tsunade then explained how they encountered Orochimaru and Kabuto during those two weeks. How Naruto fought Kabuto almost to the death, while after a long battle Orochimaru almost finished the job if Tsunade had not interfered.
"If Tsunade didn't have her skills to help heal and if Naruto hadn't had Kyubi's chakra to help him, we would be visiting him at his grave." Jiraiya finished
Silence consumed the room since all this new information definitely surprised and shocked everyone. Iruka was the one mostly affected by this new information given to them.
"Iruka, you're welcome to watch over Naruto for the night if it makes you feel better" Tsunade offered the Chuunin
"Actually, it would, I appreciate the offer and will gladly take it." Iruka replied
"When you get there, he'll most likely be asleep." Jiraiya mentioned to him
"Asleep at this hour of the day?" Iruka let out
"The boy was out training all morning, needed some rest I suppose, can't blame the brat after what he's been through" Jiraiya replied
Iruka nodded, as he excused himself form the room and left to head towards his former student's apartment.
"Kurenai, Gai, Asuma and Kakashi, you should get some rest, after all, tomorrow some of you have missions. As for you Kakashi, please come by again tomorrow, and be on time or I'll make sure you'll never read another Come Come Paradise book for the rest of your life" Tsunade warned the Juunin
Kurenai giggled a little as Asuma smiled. Gai was mostly satisfied at how Tsunade had commented on Kakashi's bad habit of reading such perverted books. All four vanished from the room, now leaving only Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune there.
"We have to talk" Jiraiya said seriously
Tsunade lifted an eyebrow as she wondered what he meant. She crossed her arms, as she sat on the edge of the desk.
"I thought we were finished?" Tsunade pointed out as she stared at Jiraiya
"With them yes, but I wanted to talk to you about Naruto" Jiraiya warned her
"Naruto? Did he do something again?" Tsunade asked
"Not really. I'm worried about him though" Jiraiya told her with a serious tone
"Why?" Tsunade asked
"I thought that if I brought him to get you back here, he'd get better, but it seems that I was wrong" Jiraiya started to explain
"How bad is it?" Tsunade asked again
"It's hard to tell. Ever since his encounter with Itachi, he's been questioning himself as well as hiding his real emotions to everyone" Jiraiya replied
"He's putting on a false smile and a happy attitude to hide his deeper feelings isn't he?" Tsunade wanted to confirm
"Most likely. His mask is breaking, so it isn't wise to leave him alone, or it could get worse than it already is" Jiraiya stated as he took a look outside
"Get worse?" Tsunade asked with concern
"Hai, after we left him in that Uchiha's room, Naruto didn't even stay, he went out on the training grounds. I found him laying there all bruised up and unconscious and it seems he used his Rasengan so many times that his right hand is burned pretty badly. He's back home now all bandaged up but the why he did it, I don't know" Jiraiya answered
"I never imagined Naruto would do something so careless........." Tsunade let out
"Can you blame him? After all, most people ignore him and hate him because of what's inside of him. I'm still impressed how he managed to make it this far and still smile to everyone despite his hard life." Jiraiya commented
"I know Jiraiya. But Naruto's problems just got worse. With the organization that Itachi's part of being after the poor boy complicates things. And that now Orochimaru still wants that Uchiha Sasuke adds more to it." Tsunade mentioned
"That's just great! Itachi wants Naruto, more like Kyubi, and our insane former teammate wants that Uchiha boy for unknown reasons. So how are you planning deal with this one?" Jiraiya asked
"Me? Like I know what I should do!" Tusnade yelled out
"Well, Tsunade-sama you are the fifth Hokage now........." Shizune reminded her friend
"Why did I take this job?" Tsunade asked herself as she looked up at the ceiling
"Because of the brat" Jiraiya laughed a little
"Normally I'd have an Anbu team follow their every movement. But because of what that asshole of a snake did, well I can't spare any Anbu right now." Tsunade commented as she slapped her forehead to get some ideas
"Well, leaving the boys to live alone isn't really safe." Jiraiya commented
"I know that! But it's not like I can just put them under the same roof" Tsunade let out as she closed her eyes
"Wouldn't be a bad idea. After all, you're Hokage now, you can do what you want" Jiraiya reminded her
"But it would be suicidal to get those two boys to live under the same roof, from what I've read in the reports by Kakashi and Iruka, those two are like cat and dog, rivals, they can't stand each other. They'll kill each other before Orochimaru or Itachi do anything" Tsunade stated as she glared at the sennin
"I heard and know about their rivalry and how they try to be better than the other one. But if you don't do something soon, Naruto will have a mental breakdown if not worse and for Sasuke, seeing his older brother back in the picture who was more interested in your long time rival and not you can piss anyone off to do something stupid." Jiraiya told the way he thought to her
"Jiraiya-sama has a good point" Shizune commented
"If I do this Jiraiya, I want you to check up on the boys to make sure they don't do anything stupid. And help me out to manage this whole thing as well." Tsunade requested from the sennin
Jiraiya nodded as he agreed to the terms Tsunade spoke of.
"Before you go back to Naruto's apartment, I'd appreciate it if you went to check up on the Uchiha kid while you're out. As for tomorrow, you'll show up here, as Kakashi brings his team into the office." Tsunade ordered him
"So I guess that means ........." Jiraiya started with a small smile as Tsunade cut in
"Hai, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke will start to live under the same roof for their own safety and the Village." Tsunade finished as she looked into Jiraiya's eyes
TBC
============================================================================ ======================
Wow! I can't believe I wrote such a long chapter!!! 8300 + words!!! My longest chapter ever made and Is till had fun writing it, bit of humor here and there, bit of depression here and there, hopefully you liked!
Hopefully people will like this although there wasn't much action. In truth, I've had this idea for so long in my head that it prevented me from writing my other fics and updated them. So now with this out, I can focus back on my other 5 stories.
I have many crazy ideas for Naruto fics and hope you people will enjoy this one even though it's a hell of a long chapter but still entertaining.
Let me know what you think because I want to know if I should actually continue this fic or just erase it.
Read and review please
Comments are more than welcome
Thank You
Ookima
Chapter 1 : Nightmare
Synopsis : Orochimaru wants Sasuke. Itachi wants Naruto. For both their safety, Tsunade makes a hard decision. They'll have to live together under the same roof. With time, perhaps they'll get to know each other better......... Unless they kill each other first.........
Pairings : Sasuke x Naruto (Soon to come I promise)
Other Pairings : Undetermined for now
WARNINGS : Will contain SHONEN-AI, in other words, boy loves boy. If you don't like then don't read.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION :
- Would be good for you reviewers to have read up to Manga Volume 20, since I start the story from there.
- Tsunade is now the 5th Hokage and already is in the village
- Takes place after Naruto, Sasuke and Jiraiya encountered Uchiha Itachi for the first time in Konoha Village. And when Naruto and Jiraiya brought back Shizume and Tsunade to become the 5th Hokage.
- And Naruto might be a bit OCC at sometimes, since he's kinda depressed so you've been warned
JAPANESE WORDS
- Baka = idiot -
- Arigatou = Thank You -
- naruhodo = I see -
- Iie = No -
- Chikushou – Damn it / Damn
============================================================================ ======================
After their encounter with Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke remained unconscious at the hospital, as a pink haired girl named Sakura, came to visit him every day to be there for when he would wake up.
As for Hatake Kakashi, he remained in his bed at home, while his comrades watched over him until he, himself regained conscious.
Jiraiya and Naruto headed out after the incident, as the boy had mixed emotions for the moment.
It's then that Jiraiya and Naruto set out to find a former teammate of the sennin named Tsunade, since they were both in the past, in the same team as Orochimaru, trained by the 3rd Hokage.
During their little side-quest, the group reencountered Orochimaru and Kabuto where a hard fight occurred. Orochimaru had only seek Tsunade out so that she could repair his now useless arms due to the 3rd's sacrifice.
Naruto showed his true strength and the value of life, as Tsunade finally snapped out of the pain and sorrow that had kept her in the darkness. The group finally won over Orochimaru, but only temporarily. Now, they return back to Konoha, as Tsunade will become the fifth Hokage until the sixth one is decided.
Upon arriving in Konoha, Tsunade had her hands full, as the return of the traitor made things even more difficult for being Hokage. Aside of having Itachi to worry about, there was still Orochimaru to deal with later on.
Jiraiya, Naruto, Tsunade and Shizune returned to Konoha late that evening, as tomorrow morning to visit Hatake Kakashi, along with the Uchiha boy, who was still unconscious at the hospital.
============================================================================ ======================
*Naruto's Apartment*
The moment the group had arrived in Konoha, Naruto set out to find his bed and finally get a good night sleep. As he entered his room, he noticed that he was so much in a hurry to leave, that he left all his dirty clothes on the floor.
"Never thought I had so much clothes" Naruto thought as he started to unzip his orange jumpsuit
He carefully made his way towards his bed, as he finally managed to get his jumpsuit off. Too tired, Naruto didn't even bother to take his t-shirt off to put on his cute little pajamas, as he finally jumped on his bed and went under the covers.
Naruto laid on his back, as he leaned his head towards the window that's above his bed. He had a clear view of the moon and stars in the dark blue sky.
"I wonder how Sasuke's doing.........?" Naruto asked himself before he turned himself on the other side and closed his eyes
The boy quickly fell asleep since he was quite tired from his journey, as from his window, a male figure could be seen on the roof of the building.
============================================================================ ======================
*Near Naruto's Apartment*
The roof of the house across Naruto's apartment, Jiraiya sat on the edge, as he kept a close eye on his only student.
"He seems to have grown since the last time I saw him Jiraiya-sama" A familiar voice came from behind Jiraiya
Jiraiya turned around to notice a dark haired man in a much revealing green suit. The ninja in question was Gai and as usual, he gave a thumb up and his usual weird smile as his teeth sparkled.
"Hai. His growth will be interesting to see" Jiraiya commented
"I take you found and brought back Tsunade-sama?" Gai asked as he regained his normal posture
"Hai, Naruto managed to convince her to become the fifth Hokage. Even though he can be annoying at times, he manages to bring the best out of the people around him" Jiraiya stated as he turned his head back towards the window to see the blond sound asleep
"Youth can be so wonderful" Gai let out with a smile
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow as he was a bit confused by Gai's way to talk each time they had a conversation.
"Has Kakashi awoken yet?" Jiraiya asked
"Asuma and Kurenai stay with him day and night, but we believe he should come around by tomorrow." Gai replied as he walked towards the edge to take a look at the blond himself
"How can you tell?" Jiraiya asked as he faced Gai once more
"He kept talking about that strange book he reads all the time." Gai replied with a small grin
"Coming from Kakashi, it wouldn't surprise me one bit" Jiraiya let out
"As for Uchiha Sasuke, whatever Itachi did to the poor boy, affected him at a more serious level. But that Haruno girl visits him every day. So I'm sure the moment he wakes up, we'll know." Gai informed Jiraiya
"I'm sure the little brat can't wait to see the little bastard" Jiraiya smirked
"Sometimes I wonder how you became a sennin." Gai let out as he exhaled
"That's my little secret" Jiraiya told Gai as he placed a finger over his own lips
"Right, well I'm off to meet the others, Want to join us?" Gai asked as he placed a foot on the edge and rested his hand on it
"I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather stay here for now." Jiraiya answered as he returned his attention towards Naruto's bedroom
"I understand, then I suppose I'll see you tomorrow." Gai replied, as he jumped off the roof and vanished
Jiraiya stood there as he shook his head and laughed a little.
"He can be so weird" Jiraiya thought as he sat down on the roof
Jraiya crossed his legs, as he reached behind his back to come out with a white book. He took out a pencil and smiled as he started to write down some perverted stuff.
============================================================================ ======================
*Naruto's Dream*
Kisame and Itachi stood before Naruto, as Sasuke was on the opposite side with his Sharingan already activated and hatred in his eyes. Jiraiya had restrained the blond to interfere in the fight since Sasuke. Plus he himself didn't know how to react since he didn't know this Kisame like he knew Itachi's potential.
"Foolish little brother. I'm not here for you" Itachi informed his little brother
"Itachi, weren't you suppose to have killed all of those damn Uchihas?" Kisame asked
"I did, I just never considered my little brother worth killing at the time. Even now, I have no time to waste on him, we are here for the fox after all" Itachi reminded his partner
"You die here and now Itachi!" Sasuke yelled out, as he charged forward with a Chidori attack
Itachi let out a small smile, as Naruto was frozen in place and couldn't find the strength to move. He had never seen Sasuke with so much hatred and especially throw himself in a battle without thinking it through. Among other things, to see that Itachi knew he was the container of the fearful Kyubi had shocked him.
As Sasuke was about to lay the Chidori attack on Itachi, the older Uchiha moved quickly out of sight to reappear behind his little brother. He grabbed Sasuke's wrist which held the initial attack, as the Chidori made quite a hole in the wall.
Sasuke prepared to kick his brother when Itachi pushed him violently against the wall at the end of the hall. The moment Sasuke's body hit the wall, Sasuke's eyes widened as he gasped for air.
Sasuke laid on the floor, coughing up blood, as he raised himself to his feet to face the traitor. But by the time Sasuke stood up, Itachi had already punched the poor boy in the stomach.
Itachi then grabbed Sasuke by the neck and raised him up against the wall until his feet no longer touched the ground. Sasuke's weak hands grabbed Itachi's wrist to tried to get out of his older brother's hold without any success.
"Foolish little brother, I told you that I have no interest in you." Itachi reminded Sasuke as he stared at the boy with cold eyes
Sasuke was vulnerable as he had trouble to breath with Itachi slowly tightening the grip around his pale neck. It's then that Itachi activated his own Sharingan and stared straight into the eyes of his little brother.
"For 24 hours, you will relive once more the death of our clan, watch me how I killed them all, especially our parents." Itachi said as he used once again his own technique
Sasuke let out a scream, as the images of his clan's murder filled his head. Then, Sasuke's eyes slowly turned dark, as his hands fell from the grip he had on Itachi's wrist and ceased any sounds.
Itachi released his little brother, as he gave one last look before walking back towards the blond and his partner. Sasuke's body slid down the wall and stopped once he reached the floor as his body leaned towards the right to final fall on his side.
"Sa.........Sasuke?" Naruto managed to let out as he took a step forward
"He's no longer a problem" Itachi informed the boy
Naruto took a few steps back, as he checked beside to notice Jiraiya never showed up.
"Where's that pervert!? He was here a minute ago!" Naruto yelled out as he started to get really nervous
"We are in control here little one" Itachi informed the blond as he carefully approached the boy
Kisame stood still as Itachi continued to close the distance between himself and the boy.
"Who would want to help the boy who had the Kyubi sealed within him?" Itachi stated as he reached out to touch the boy's cheek
Naruto immediately slapped the hand away as he ran towards Sasuke and evaded his enemy. Naruto kneeled next to Sasuke as he brought his rival into a sitting position and looked into his eyes.
"Sasuke......... Come on wake up you bastard!" Naruto yelled out as he shook the boy by the shoulders
Kisame smiled, as Itachi walked quickly towards Naruto and his little brother. Naruto was in shock and didn't know what to do anymore or how to react as Itachi placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Because of you, Sasuke was hurt." Itachi stated with a small smile
"No......... That's not true!" Naruto yelled out as his hands began to shake
"If it weren't for you, he wouldn't of come, and I wouldn't of had to brake a few ribs and send him back into a temporary coma to relive his clan's death over and over again." Itachi continued to taunt the boy
"If he didn't know you, he wouldn't be hurt like this. So this is your fault. It's your fault that Uchiha Sasuke is in darkness" Kisame commented with an evil laugh
Naruto's body began to shake, as Itachi kneeled next to the boy and brought his lips next to Naruto's ear and wrapped his arms around the blonde's neck to pull him closer.
"No matter what you do, we will obtain what is seal within your body. And if I need to kill my little brother and those close to you, we will." Itachi whispered to Naruto as he released his hold on the boy
Itachi moved towards his unconscious little brother as he pulled out a kunai and prepared to strike at him. Naruto immediately yelled out as he saw what Itachi was about to do as he tried to prevent the certain death of his rival and teammate, but was too late.........
Itachi had plunged the kunai deep within Sasuke's chest, as the blood sprayed across Itachi's face and hands. Sasuke body jerked a little but then fell on the ground, as his breathing and movement stopped.
"This can't be happening........." Naruto told himself as he tried to reach Sasuke's body
Itachi blocked his way as he kneeled before the boy once more, to see his eyes were in shock and wide.
"Remember, this could have been prevented if you had come with us peacefully" Itachi reminded Naruto, as he took his hand and gave him the bloody kunai that he used to kill Sasuke
Naruto stared at the kunai and then dropped it on the floor and began to scream. He held his head with both hands now tainted in Sasuke's blood, as he opened his mouth but no words came out.
"It's all my fault......... It's my fault Sasuke got killed!" Naruto yelled to himself
Around him, Itachi and Kisame laughed above the blond boy until Naruto's vision began to get blurry and started to fall towards the ground.
*End of Naruto's dream*
============================================================================ ======================
*Naruto's Bedroom*
Naruto quickly sat up as he woke up form his dream. Cold sweat covered his body as he breathed heavily. Naruto's eyes were wide open as he raised his hands to see if they had been stained by blood or something else.
"What the hell was that!?" Naruto asked himself as his hands shook a little
Naruto then looked out the window for a moment to see the moon, before he wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. He then turned and approached the edge of the bed as his feet touched the cold floor.
Naruto walked through his room as he leaned towards the left and the right from time to time when he reached the bathroom. Naruto continued to breath fast as he poured cold water on his face to wake him up a bit more.
Once finished, Naruto went back to his room and grabbed a pair of jeans to put them on and then went towards his kitchen. In the kitchen, Naruto sat at his table as he took a deep breath before standing back up and boiled some water.
"Guess sleep for tonight is out of question." Naruto told himself as he waited for the water to boil
============================================================================ ======================
*On the Roof*
Jiraiya heard a strange sound and turned his attention back towards Naruto's bedroom, as he noticed the blond was no longer in bed.
"What the?" Jiraiya thought as he leaned over the edge to get a better look
Jiraiya then noticed that the lights in the kitchen were opened and saw the figure of Naruto near the kitchen counter.
"Why is he up at this hour?" Jiraiya asked himself
---Ground Level---
Jiraiya jumped down to get a better look, as he approached the kitchen window and looked inside. What he saw, surprised him.
Naruto was pouring himself some tea and then sat down at his table, but his eyes showed mixed emotions that Naruto never showed anyone before. His eyes showed fear, sorrow and confusion.
"Did something happen while I was looking away?" Jiraiya asked himself
Jiraiya continud to observe the boy carefully, as Naruto grabbed a piece of paper and started to write down stuff which Jiraiya couldn't read in his position.
"Damn that Itachi! Damn you Kyubi! Damn you all!" Naruto yelled out as he punched his table
Jiraiya quickly moved away from the window as he leaned against the wall.
"Perhaps he still needs time to get over it" Jiraiya thought as he jumped back on the roof to continue his observations at a more secure place
As the night passed, Naruto stayed awake as he tried to understand his dream more carefully, as Jiraiya kept a close eye on his student.
============================================================================ ======================
*The Next Morning*
Naruto had managed to stay awake, as he cleaned out most of his house since he did have some spare time in his hands. Also, he decided to wash his clothes, as he changed into a pair of black jeans and a black shirt.
"Can't believe it's already morning" Naruto thought as the rays of the sun illuminated his apartment
As Naruto turned around to go back to his kitchen, he bumped into something and fell on his ass.
"I don't remember having a wall behind me!" Naruto yelled out as he lifted his head to notice a person stood in front of him
"Come on brat, Tsunade wants us to join her this morning" Jiraiya informed the blond boy
"Pervert-sennin! How the hell did you get in my apartment!?" Naruto asked as he jumped back to his feet and pointed the man
Jiraiya's eyes twitched once more for the name Naruto kept calling him, as his fist met Naruto's head. He had given a punch on the top of Naruto's head and immediately the blond covered his head with his hands and stepped away.
"What the hell was that for!?" Naruto asked as he rubbed the bump on his head
"Don't call me that! Now, as for me entering your apartment, well use your brain brat, I used the front door. Now get dress and let's get going before she scolds me for being late." Jiraiya ordered his student with a serious look
"Fine, just let me get my holster and I'll be back" Naruto responded as he went into his bedroom
Jiraiya was a bit surprised by the way how Naruto actually listened to him right away and not argued at all, and this worried him even more.
Minutes later, Naruto came out still wearing his blank pants and shirt with his holster now installed on his right leg.
Naruto passed by Jiraiya and immediately opened the front door and looked back at the sennin.
"You coming or not pervert?" Naruto asked
"You little shit stop calling me that or else I'm going to kill you!" Jiraiya lashed out as he walked quickly pass Naruto and now was outside of the apartment
"One more after my life won't change anything." Naruto let out as he closed the door behind him and started to walk towards the meeting place
"Naruto........." Jiraiya mumbled as he watched the back of the blond
"Come on, unless you want the old hag to kick your ass again" Naruto commented as he continued on his way
Jiraiya was now convinced something was bothering the young one but did not press in the matter, for now it would be best to ignore it but when he'll have a chance, he'll talk to Tsunade about it and see what they should do.
============================================================================ ======================
*Hospital Entrance*
Tsunade and Shizune were waiting for Jiraiya and Naruto to arrive, when Tsunade heard a familiar name that irritated her.
"Hey old hag, we're finally here!" Naruto yelled out as he ran towards the two females
"You little bastard, stop calling me that!" Tsunade warned the boy as she hit him on the head
"Why is everyone hitting me today?" Naruto asked himself as he rubbed the new bump he had on the head
"Yo" Jiraiya spoke as he waved a hand towards the group
"You're late you idiot!" Tsunade yelled out as he gave a stronger punch to him
"What did you do that for!?" Jiraiya asked
"You're late by half an hour" Tsunade informed Jiraiya
"Is that so" Jiraiya said looking all innocent
Tsunade didn't buy Jiraiya's false act as she simply ignored it and walked inside the hospital. Naruto simply followed without any objection, as Jiraiya shook his head a little and followed.
============================================================================ ======================
*Sasuke's Hospital Room*
Sasuke still laid unconscious on the bed, as Sakura sat in a chair very close to his bed. The boy seemed paler than usual, as his face did show a bit of emotions due to what his older brother put him through again.
Sakura seemed sad and depressed, as she simply stared at the Uchiha, until she heard a knock on the door. Her head immediately turned to see who would come and see Sasuke except for maybe Ino, her long time rival.
Knock Knock
As she stood up and prepared to walk towards the door, a tuff of blond hair, clear blue eyes and a wide smile appear as the door opened.
"Naruto?" Sakura let out a bit surprised
"Ohayo Sakura-chan! I brought you the old hag here to take a look at Sasuke" Naruto pointed to Tsunade with a wide smile
Sakura smiled lightly, as she was glad Naruto had returned and even brought some help with him. As for Tsunade, she gave a deadly glare at the blond before her, and Naruto noticed this.
"Oops, well, why don't you just take a look" Naruto said to try and change the subject
Tsunade advanced towards the Uchiha, as she placed her hand on his forehead and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She then opened them and stepped away form the bed as she turned towards Sakura and smiled.
"Is Sasuke-kun going to be alright?" Sakura asked with a worried look
"He'll be fine. He should wake up within the hour at most." Tsunade reassured the girl
Sakura smiled as Naruto finally got a good look at Sasuke that laid there, so silent and almost dead. Naruto's smile quickly vanished, and Jiraiya noticed this.
"Are you alright Naruto?" Jiraiya asked as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder
Naruto turned around to face Jiraiya and came back with a false smile so that no one would notice his false mask had almost fell off.
"I'm good, I just can't wait for that bastard to wake up so I can be the one to kick his ass!" Naruto replied
Tsunade looked over at Naruto as she walked towards the door and made sign to Shizune and Jiraiya to follow her to the next place.
"Naruto, you can stay here. I still have two persons to see and then we'll discuss our little thing later" Tsunade informed the boy
"Hai" Naruto responded with a smile
"Arigatou for looking at Sasuke-kun" Sakura thanked the woman still not knowing who those people actually were
"You're welcome" Tsunade replied before she left the room with Shizune
"Well, you better behave brat, I don't want any more trouble" Jiraiya teased the blond
"Don't worry about it, besides I can be like an angel" Naruto replied
Jiraiya left the room and closed the door behind him, only leaving an unconscious Sasuke, a still sad Sakura and a Naruto that behaved strangely since their return.
"Who were they?" Sakura asked to brake the silence
"Oh, well the guy was the one who trained me before the Chuunin exam. As for the old hag, she's a friend of his and she's here to be the fifth Hokage. For the small girl, she's the old hag's assistance when she needs it." Naruto replied
"Oh......... Well I'm glad you're back Naruto. Things have been quiet since you left and with Sasuke here well, it's boring........." Sakura finished as she went back towards Sasuke's bed
"It will be your fault that they die........." Naruto hears inside his head
Naruto's eyes opened wide, as he looked around the room to see no one else was there except for team 7 itself. He then started to recall his dream. The fact that it was his fault that Sasuke was killed. All his fault for Itachi coming back to the Village because of the Kyubi sealed within him.
"Ne Sakura-chan? Could you......... Could you just give Sasuke a message from me?" Naruto asked a bit nervous
"Aren't you going to stay?" Sakura asked a bit confused as she walked towards Naruto
"It's best if I don't......... I still have some stuff to do, and Sasuke hates me anyway, so it's best if I'm not around........." Naruto trailed off as he avoided looking into her eyes
"Naruto is something wrong?" Sakura asked as she leaned forward to look at his face
"Iie, nothing's wrong. Just need to clear my head a little" Naruto replied
"Will I see you later then?" Sakura asked
"Maybe, depends if I can get my stuff done" Naruto replied
"Ok, so what am I suppose to tell Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked
"Just tell him that......... Tell him I'm sorry" Naruto finally let out as he turned his back to her and started to leave
"W.........What? Hey wait a minute!" Sakura raised her voice as she grabbed Naruto by the wrist
Naruto stood still, but did not turn around, even though he felt an amount of pressure on his wrist.
"What are you sorry for?" Sakura asked
"Because, I was there when it happened, and I didn't do anything to help him........." Naruto replied
Upon hearing those words, Sakura's hold on Naruto loosened as the boy took advantage of the situation and slipped out of the room. Sakura stared at the door for several minutes as she tried to understand what he meant by not helping Sasuke.
============================================================================ ======================
*Outside the Hospital*
Naruto was lost within his own thoughts, when he bumped into his former sensei, Iruka.
"Gomen Iruka-sensei" Naruto apologized
"Ohayo Naruto. I didn't know you were back in town" Iruka welcomed him with a smile
"Oh, came back last night" Naruto replied as his eyes looked elsewhere
Iruka noticed something wasn't right. Naruto was hyperactive and annoying, but this time, he seemed in a hurry, and somewhat confused.
"Naruto you look pale. Are you alright?" Iruka asked as he stared at his former student
"Yeah, I'll be fine, just didn't get enough sleep yet" Naruto replied
"Oh, well how about I treat you to some ramen as a welcome home present?" Iruka offered with a smile
"I'd like to Iruka-sensei but I'd rather be alone right now, to think out some things." Naruto rejected the offer
"But, you never refuse........." Iruka let out in surprise
"Just another time ok? So I'll see you around" Naruto replied as he ran pass Iruka
Before Iruka could react or do anything, Naruto was long gone and that left a very worried Iruka in front of the hospital.
============================================================================ ======================
*Somewhere in the Hospital*
Tsunade was inside the room of Rock Lee as she examined the extent of his injuries. Jiraiya and Shizune waited outside in the hall, as the sennin grew impatient.
"Tell her that I went to Kakashi's place." Jiraiya warned Shizune
"Wait, you can't just leave like that!" Shizune yelled as she tried to prevent him form leaving
"She'll understand, besides I told that green guy I'd come over today. Might as well be now" Jiraiya replied with a smile
"Still you can't just........." Shizune started to explain
By the time she had tried to explain, Jiraiya had already vanished from sight.
"Disappear" She finished
Shizune stomped the ground out of anger, as she then took a deep breath to calm herself down.
============================================================================ ======================
*Sasuke's Hospital room*
The warm rays of the sun that came through the window slowly warmed the room itself, as Sakura stared still depressed and confused at Sasuke, while she did worry a little about Naruto.
At that moment, Sasuke's hand started to move a little and this caught Sakura's immediate attention as she nearly jumped out of her chair and rushed to his side. She took his hand into hers to make sure she wasn't hallucinating when she felt his fingers twitch a little from time to time.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura softly said as she stared at the boy's face
Sasuke moved his head a little as he slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry on the moment, as he also felt the strong sun that illuminated the room and his bed.
"Where am I?" Sasuke managed to let out as he tried to sit up in his bed
Sakura immediately released his hand, as she placed her own against his shoulders to keep him laid on the bed.
"Don't move Sasuke-kun, you can sit up later" Sakura advised her all time crush
Sasuke didn't have the strength to argue as he let her place him back properly, and took a deep breath.
"You're in the hospital" Sakura answered his previous question
Sasuke's vision started to get clearer as he now saw Sakura a lot more and saw that her expression was of someone who was sad but relieved as well.
"I'll go get you some water" Sakura informed him with a smile
As she prepared to leave his side, Sasuke grabbed her by the wrist.
"How long?" Sasuke asked with a serious look
"Almost two weeks......... So don't worry I'll be right back" Sakura replied and reassured the boy
Sasuke's grip loosened, as Sakura opened the door and a strange man with long white hair happened to walk by.
"Wait!" Sakura nearly yelled out as she ran towards the man she met earlier
Sasuke heard her high pitch voice and found the strength to sit up in his bed. He then carefully watched Sakura and this man have a conversation and paid attention to it when the name Naruto came up.
---Just Outside Sasuke's Room---
"You're that girl form earlier aren't you?" Jiraiya sorta asked but knew the answer
"Hai, I wanted to ask you something about Naruto........." Sakura started with a worried voice
"Dammit! I told that brat to stay out of trouble! I swear when I find him ........." Jiraiya started but Sakura quickly interrupted him
"No! Naruto didn't do anything" Sakura said as she waved her hands defensively. "Who the HELL does he think he is!? To think that he could of taught Naruto something is a miracle!" Inner Sakura yelled out in her mind
"Strange, he actually listened to me" Jiraiya thought as he awaited for the girl's explanation
"It's just that, Naruto's acting all strange. Was he really there when Sasuke-kun got hurt?" Sakura asked
"Surely pretty boy can answer that" Jiraiya pointed to the pale boy in the room
"Don't talk about Sasuke-kun like that!" Sakura lashed out at him
"Hai hai" Jiraiya replied as he waved his hands to defend himself against her anger for disrespecting the great Sasuke. "Man, I'd rather face Orochimaru any time than her........." Jiraiya mentally told himself
As Sakura regained control over her mouth and fists, Jiraiya looked at the girl strangely and noticed also that Sasuke was seeing and hearing everything.
"Where's Naruto?" Jiraiya asked when he noticed the blond was no longer present
"Oh, well minutes after you people left, he left to." Sakura replied
"Naruhodo, well I'm off" Jiraiya let out and before Sakura could place a word, Jiraiya had vanished once again
"What is with the disappearing act!? He must be a relative of Kakashi- sensei" Sakura thought
Sakura took a deep breath as she headed out for a few minutes to get some water for Sasuke.
---Inside Sasuke's Bedroom---
Sasuke sat on his bed but still felt the pain near his stomach, although he was in a coma for two weeks, his ribs still hadn't healed as fast.
"Why did Itachi want Naruto? He's weaker than me" Sasuke thought when Sakura returned with a glass of water
"Sasuke-kun you weren't suppose to sit up" Sakura reminded the boy
"Sakura, I can't drink if I'm lying down" Sasuke informed the pink haired girl
Sakura cursed herself for being somewhat dumb at the moment as she gave the glass of water to Sasuke and sat down in the chair again.
"Naruto was here earlier?" Sasuke asked indirectly
"Oh that reminds me. That idiot came here like 15 minutes ago, wanted me to give you a message but I still don't get if he was serious about it. He was acting more weird than usual" Sakura commented
Sasuke placed the glass on the little table next to his bed and then looked at Sakura.
"What was his message?" Sasuke asked
"I'm sorry" Sakura replied
"Why are you sorry?" Sasuke asked a bit confused
"Not me! That's what Naruto said!" Sakura corrected the boy
"........." Sasuke stayed silent as he was surprised that Naruto would actually say that
"Anyway, I saw your doctor and he told me that you just have to sign a few papers and take it slow for the next 2 weeks and then you can go back on missions with us." Sakura informed the boy with a smile
"Us?" Sasuke asked
"Of course, you know, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, me and you" Sakura reminded the boy
Sasuke turned his head towards the window as he stared at the sky. Many thoughts of his older brother saying he was nothing, and the words and what he wanted from Naruto kept repeating themselves in his head.
============================================================================ ======================
*Training Grounds*
Naruto breathed heavily as he was covered in dirk. He looked around him to see the damages he caused so far with his intense training. He had used Rasengan many times against the ground, the trees, even the rocks.
His chakra was running low but to this point Naruto didn't care too much. His nightmare form last night kept replaying over and over again in his memory and the only way he had found a way to deal with it was to train despite the pain he felt in his right palm from using the Rasengan too much.
Naruto than sat on his butt as he grabbed his right wrist with his hand to notice the many scratches on his hand along with some blood slowly getting out.
"Guess I know how many times Rasengan can be used........." Naruto told himself as he fell flat on his back and stared up at the blue sky
Naruto let his hands fall besides him as he took a deep breath and looked around for the damages he caused. Some trees were no more than toothpicks now, as big rocks became dust. The ground itself had many deep holes in them. Other trees were broken and many leaves were scattered across the ground.
Slowly, Naruto drifted to sleep as he was exhausted from using his attack and the mental problems concerning his nightmare took a lot of energy out of him.
============================================================================ ======================
*Kakashi's House*
Kakashi had finally woken up as he sat up in his bed had one major pain of a headache. Asuma sat near a window where he smoked, as Kurenai couldn't help but give him a discouraged look.
Gai was near Kakashi with his usual radiant smile as he patted his rival's back and teased him. It's then that Jiraiya arrived to meet the group.
"Yo Kakashi. Read the latest release of Icha Icha Paradise?" Jiraiya asked with a grin
"He just woke up so don't fill his mind with that perverted book" Kurenai commented as she crossed her arms
"Give the guy a break. Don't forget he got hit hard by Itachi" Asuma defended his friend
"Keep it down" Kakashi demanded as he had a hand pressed against his forehead
"Anyway, I brought you the latest copy in case you didn't have it" Jiraiya informed Kakashi as he prepared to hand out to book to the Juunin
Kakashi didn't have the time to even touch the book, when a kunai pinned the book against the wall. All eyes focused at the front door to see Tsunade and Shizune who stood there.
"Do you know how much these cost!?" Jiraiya yelled out as he gently removed the kunai out of the poor book
"I missed, to think I was aiming at your head" Tsunade commented as she looked around the room
"You were what!?" Jiraiya yelled out as he now stood an inch away from her face
"That idiot........." Shizune thought
"Tsunade?" Kurenai let out
"Hai, I'm hear to replace my former teacher, the third Hokage, as now the fifth Hokage." Tsunade informed the Juunins in the room
"Kakashi. I expect you and the others present in this room to report back to me this evening. We have many things to talk about. Jiraiya, bring the brat with you. I need to have a word with him." Tsunade ordered before she turned around and prepared to leave the house
"Tsunade-sama. Do you have any news about Uchiha Sasuke?" Kakashi asked sicne Gai and the others had mentioned how Sasuke went after Itachi
"The boy should be awake by now. I also heard that he could leave the hospital today if he wanted. I'll see you all tonight" Tsunade replied with a smile
With that, Tsunade and Shizune left the house, as Kakashi still had his major headache, Jiraiya carefully looks through the book to see the damages but found not many.
"Here, that witch didn't damage the book too much" Jiraiya stated with a smile as he gave the book to the Juunin
"Arigatou" Kakashi tahnked him as he tried to stand up but failed
The moment Kakashi tried to stand up he lost balance but quickly decided to sit back down on his bed, as Kurenai was the only one who moved towards her comrade if he needed help.
"Kakashi, take it easy." Kurenai ordered him as she placed a hand on his shoulder
"Well as much as I would love to stay I have a certain hyperactive brat to get" Jiraiya informed as he turned to leave as well
"How is he?" Kakashi asked as Kurenai gave him a glass of water
"Well, he's not as annoying as usual and that's why I gotta go check up on him. He even didn't stay more than 5 minutes in Sasuke's room and that was while the boy was still unconscious." Jiraiya answered
"Perhaps I should........." Kakashi started but Jiraiya quickly turned around with a serious expression towards the Juunin
"Don't. I'll take care of him, after all he's my student right now" Jiraiya told the Juunin
Everyone in the room didn't say a word, as Kakashi leaned forward a little. Jiraiya soon left after to find his so called student.
Deep down, Kakashi knew that Naruto had many problems, but the fact he wasn't aware of what actually happened when Itachi showed up to get Naruto, worried him, as well as how this would affect Sasuke.
============================================================================ ======================
*Training Grounds*
Naruto was sound asleep on the floor of the forest, as a strange white haired male stared at the surroundings and then kneeled above the boy. Jiraiya had seen the damages Naruto had caused, as well as the wounds he had on his right hand.
"What were you trying to do Naruto?" Jiraiya asked himself, as he picked up the boy in his arms and stood back up
He looked around and saw that he must have been training since he left the hospital, which had been closely an hour now. Also came to notice Naruto's pants and shirt were a bit torn due to his over use of Rasengan and his excess training he did.
"What's going on in that little head of yours?" Jiraiya asked before he disappeared with Naruto
============================================================================ ======================
*Sasuke's Hospital Room*
Sasuke got off his bed, as he grabbed some new clothes and put them on while he had some time alone, since Sakura had gone to get the papers for him to sign and leave as fast as possible.
Sasuke looked at the window one last time as he prepared to leave his room when he bumped into Sakura.
"Gomen Sasuke-kun did I hurt you?" Sakura asked with worry
Sasuke had a hand slightly pressed against ribs as he felt a little pain but didn't show it at all. In front of Sakura it was always easy to hide his emotions, but with Naruto, with time the blond had a certain way to stir up some new emotions he thought locked away for a very long time.
"I'm fine Sakura, I just want to leave" Sasuke told her as he passed by her
"Wait, you have to sign these" Sakura pointed him the papers in her hands
Sasuke grabbed the papers and the pen Sakura held as he quickly wrote his name down on each paper and walked out of the room. Sakura followed him like a little dog, as Sasuke simple placed the papers on the front desk as he left.
"So do you want to go get some lunch Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked with a smile as she stood in front of him
"I just want to find Naruto, and I don't need a babysitter" Sasuke said coldly as he passed by her on his way towards the places where Naruto would most likely be
Sakura stood there a bit shocked at the words Sasuke had just spoken, as she finally gave up on following him and went home.
"What is with those boys!?" Sakura asked herself as she went home
Sasuke looked back one last time to see that Sakura had finally given up on as he made his way towards the ramen shop since Naruto constantly talked about ramen.
============================================================================ ======================
*Naruto's Apartment*
Jiraiya carefully placed the blond on his bed and pull the covers over him, while he made sure Naruto's arms were placed above the covers, since he needed to treat his wounded right hand.
Jiraiya grabbed some first aid kit which Naruto had in the bathroom, as he applied some gel to disinfect the wound and then wrapped the clean white bandages around Naruto's wrist and hand, until Kyubi's chakra would heal him.
"It's all my fault........." Naruto mumbled in his sleep
Even though Jiraiya couldn't make out most of the phrase, he managed to understand that Naruto blamed himself for something, and the only possible thing that could be of the incident that happened before they left to find Tsunade.
"Guess it got to him more than he told me........." Jiraiya whispered as he placed a hand on Naruto's forehead
Naruto stirred a little but the moment he felt Jiraiya's hand on his forehead, that seemed to have relaxed him. Jiraiya took a few steps back as he prepared to leave to go and meet Tsunade.
============================================================================ ======================
*In the Street near Naruto's Home*
Sasuke had just return form the Ramen Restaurant and didn't find Naruto, so the next place to search was at Naruto's house, or else it would be the training grounds. After all, Sasuke knew the blond had a tendency to train a lot to try and surpass him.
As Sasuke prepared to walk up to Naruto's front door, the white haired man he met earlier at the hospital came out and closed the door behind him.
"Uchiha Sasuke right?" Jiraiya asked
"Hai, and mind telling me why you're in dobe's house?" Sasuke asked with a serious tone
"Dobe? Well your so called dobe, is in there finally getting some rest, so leave the brat alone" Jiraiya replied with a defensive tone
"He never sleeps in the afternoon he'd be out training right now" Sasuke stated a bit surprised by the response the man had given him
"Take it form me boy, you don't know your teammate as well as you think you do. As for some information, while you were having your beauty sleep, Naruto was almost killed, so you'll understand if I insist you stay away from this apartment. You can see him tomorrow" Jiraiya warned the boy before him
Sasuke didn't like the way this man treated him but he decided not to press in the manner, for now. So Sasuke simply turned his back to the sennin, put his hands in his pockets and walked away.
"Whatever" Sasuke replied as he walked off
"Little bastard" Jiraiya thought as this reminded him sometimes of his former teammate Orochimaru
Jiraiya then set out to meet Tsunade in advance to talk about Naruto's recent behavior since their return to Konoha Village.
============================================================================ ======================
*Tsunade's Office*
Tsunade and Shizune had been cleaning out the office for a few hours now, as Tsunade also needed to prepare for the meeting tonight. All the papers that were scattered on the desk, Shizune carefully placed them by order of importance and now were all organized nicely.
As Tsunade was about to sit down, someone knocked on her door. The door slightly opened, as Iruka stepped inside the room.
"You can't just come in here and........." Shizune started to object to the sudden appearance of the Chuunin when Tsunade raised her hand to silence her friend
"Iruka was it?" Tsunade asked as she walked towards him
"Hai, I heard from Gai, that you were with Naruto for 2 weeks correct?" Iruka asked
"Hai, what happened there?" Iruka asked
Tsunade's eyes fixated Iruka, as she offered Iruka to sit down while Shizune made sure the door was locked and closed. The way Tsunade reacted, this worried Iruka even more, that something did happen to Naruto and he wasn't aware of it.
"The brat almost died" A familiar voice spoke as Shizune stepped away from the door
Jiraiya stepped through the door, as Shizune had a hand over her chest and was prepared to lecture Jiraiya.
"Knock dammit! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Shizune lectured him as she calmed down
Jiraiya simply smiled as he joined the small group into the discussion and now Shizune made sure the door was closed and locked to no more surprises.
Iruka almost jumped in the air when he heard the comment Jiraiya had made concerning Naruto.
"When were you going to tell me this!? And how did it happen? Who was it?" Iruka started to bombard Jiraiya and Tsunade with questions
"Shut up and listen for a moment" Jiraiya ordered the Chuunin
Tsunade, Shizune and Iruka were a bit shocked by Jiraiya's sudden order and being serious about it.
"Look, I had two reasons to bring Naruto with me. The first was to get old girl here to come back here as the new Hokage to replace our mentor." Jiraiya started to explain
"What was the second?" Iruka asked
"With Itachi's sudden appearance in the Village to abduct Naruto, things for the boy got complicated. Add Sasuke's vengeance in the situation, it's enough to damage anyone." Jiraiya continued
"I didn't know Naruto was there when Sasuke and Itachi fought" Iruka informed them
"He was, Naruto wanted to help out but Sasuke refused his help, blinded by his own hatred for Itachi. Even after the incident, Naruto showed a strange emotion I hadn't seen the boy have since I met him." Jiraiya mentioned
"What emotion?" Tsunade and Iruka asked
"He showed concern for Sasuke, hell he wanted to go after Itachi right away" Jiraiya started
"Of course he'd show concern for his teammate!" Iruka yelled out
"You still don't get it do you? Before he lashed out, for only a moment, his eyes showed fear and sadness. After that he simply covered it, probably hoped no one saw it." Jiraiya explained
As Iruka was about to speak, a strong swirling wind came inside the room as leaves seemed to dance in the air. Four adult figures then appeared in the middle of the room. The four figures were Kakashi, Asuma, Gai and Kurenai, as Shizune was ready to lash out for the entrance.
"Yo" Kakashi said with a smile and waved his hand
Kurenai couldn't help but slap her forehead, as Asuma simply continued to smoke, as Gai simply gave his shiny smile and a thumb up.
"Don't any of you people know how to knock!?" Shizune lashed out in fury
"I heard of your record for being always late Kakashi so explain why you're all early" Tsunade asked as she crossed her arms
"Well you see, I've heard several things concerning my blond subordinate and would like an explanation" Kakashi answered
"Well you came at the right time, we were just explaining to Iruka what happened during the two weeks Naruto was away from Konoha." Tsunade informed the four Juunins
"Then please continue Jiraiya-sama" Gai asked with another bright smile
Jiraiya and Tsunade then explained how they encountered Orochimaru and Kabuto during those two weeks. How Naruto fought Kabuto almost to the death, while after a long battle Orochimaru almost finished the job if Tsunade had not interfered.
"If Tsunade didn't have her skills to help heal and if Naruto hadn't had Kyubi's chakra to help him, we would be visiting him at his grave." Jiraiya finished
Silence consumed the room since all this new information definitely surprised and shocked everyone. Iruka was the one mostly affected by this new information given to them.
"Iruka, you're welcome to watch over Naruto for the night if it makes you feel better" Tsunade offered the Chuunin
"Actually, it would, I appreciate the offer and will gladly take it." Iruka replied
"When you get there, he'll most likely be asleep." Jiraiya mentioned to him
"Asleep at this hour of the day?" Iruka let out
"The boy was out training all morning, needed some rest I suppose, can't blame the brat after what he's been through" Jiraiya replied
Iruka nodded, as he excused himself form the room and left to head towards his former student's apartment.
"Kurenai, Gai, Asuma and Kakashi, you should get some rest, after all, tomorrow some of you have missions. As for you Kakashi, please come by again tomorrow, and be on time or I'll make sure you'll never read another Come Come Paradise book for the rest of your life" Tsunade warned the Juunin
Kurenai giggled a little as Asuma smiled. Gai was mostly satisfied at how Tsunade had commented on Kakashi's bad habit of reading such perverted books. All four vanished from the room, now leaving only Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune there.
"We have to talk" Jiraiya said seriously
Tsunade lifted an eyebrow as she wondered what he meant. She crossed her arms, as she sat on the edge of the desk.
"I thought we were finished?" Tsunade pointed out as she stared at Jiraiya
"With them yes, but I wanted to talk to you about Naruto" Jiraiya warned her
"Naruto? Did he do something again?" Tsunade asked
"Not really. I'm worried about him though" Jiraiya told her with a serious tone
"Why?" Tsunade asked
"I thought that if I brought him to get you back here, he'd get better, but it seems that I was wrong" Jiraiya started to explain
"How bad is it?" Tsunade asked again
"It's hard to tell. Ever since his encounter with Itachi, he's been questioning himself as well as hiding his real emotions to everyone" Jiraiya replied
"He's putting on a false smile and a happy attitude to hide his deeper feelings isn't he?" Tsunade wanted to confirm
"Most likely. His mask is breaking, so it isn't wise to leave him alone, or it could get worse than it already is" Jiraiya stated as he took a look outside
"Get worse?" Tsunade asked with concern
"Hai, after we left him in that Uchiha's room, Naruto didn't even stay, he went out on the training grounds. I found him laying there all bruised up and unconscious and it seems he used his Rasengan so many times that his right hand is burned pretty badly. He's back home now all bandaged up but the why he did it, I don't know" Jiraiya answered
"I never imagined Naruto would do something so careless........." Tsunade let out
"Can you blame him? After all, most people ignore him and hate him because of what's inside of him. I'm still impressed how he managed to make it this far and still smile to everyone despite his hard life." Jiraiya commented
"I know Jiraiya. But Naruto's problems just got worse. With the organization that Itachi's part of being after the poor boy complicates things. And that now Orochimaru still wants that Uchiha Sasuke adds more to it." Tsunade mentioned
"That's just great! Itachi wants Naruto, more like Kyubi, and our insane former teammate wants that Uchiha boy for unknown reasons. So how are you planning deal with this one?" Jiraiya asked
"Me? Like I know what I should do!" Tusnade yelled out
"Well, Tsunade-sama you are the fifth Hokage now........." Shizune reminded her friend
"Why did I take this job?" Tsunade asked herself as she looked up at the ceiling
"Because of the brat" Jiraiya laughed a little
"Normally I'd have an Anbu team follow their every movement. But because of what that asshole of a snake did, well I can't spare any Anbu right now." Tsunade commented as she slapped her forehead to get some ideas
"Well, leaving the boys to live alone isn't really safe." Jiraiya commented
"I know that! But it's not like I can just put them under the same roof" Tsunade let out as she closed her eyes
"Wouldn't be a bad idea. After all, you're Hokage now, you can do what you want" Jiraiya reminded her
"But it would be suicidal to get those two boys to live under the same roof, from what I've read in the reports by Kakashi and Iruka, those two are like cat and dog, rivals, they can't stand each other. They'll kill each other before Orochimaru or Itachi do anything" Tsunade stated as she glared at the sennin
"I heard and know about their rivalry and how they try to be better than the other one. But if you don't do something soon, Naruto will have a mental breakdown if not worse and for Sasuke, seeing his older brother back in the picture who was more interested in your long time rival and not you can piss anyone off to do something stupid." Jiraiya told the way he thought to her
"Jiraiya-sama has a good point" Shizune commented
"If I do this Jiraiya, I want you to check up on the boys to make sure they don't do anything stupid. And help me out to manage this whole thing as well." Tsunade requested from the sennin
Jiraiya nodded as he agreed to the terms Tsunade spoke of.
"Before you go back to Naruto's apartment, I'd appreciate it if you went to check up on the Uchiha kid while you're out. As for tomorrow, you'll show up here, as Kakashi brings his team into the office." Tsunade ordered him
"So I guess that means ........." Jiraiya started with a small smile as Tsunade cut in
"Hai, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke will start to live under the same roof for their own safety and the Village." Tsunade finished as she looked into Jiraiya's eyes
TBC
============================================================================ ======================
Wow! I can't believe I wrote such a long chapter!!! 8300 + words!!! My longest chapter ever made and Is till had fun writing it, bit of humor here and there, bit of depression here and there, hopefully you liked!
Hopefully people will like this although there wasn't much action. In truth, I've had this idea for so long in my head that it prevented me from writing my other fics and updated them. So now with this out, I can focus back on my other 5 stories.
I have many crazy ideas for Naruto fics and hope you people will enjoy this one even though it's a hell of a long chapter but still entertaining.
Let me know what you think because I want to know if I should actually continue this fic or just erase it.
Read and review please
Comments are more than welcome
Thank You
Ookima