To Those Who Would Achieve Greatness
Chapter 2- Returning to the Village
Team 7 was casually strolling towards the large gates of the Leaf Village. Sakura was walking down the road staring straight ahead while Sasuke debated with Naruto on the different uses of their Dragon Lance Jutsu. Kakashi just watched them all while reading his perverted novel.
"I wonder if it can melt through stone," Naruto mused. "That would be so cool. Not to mention, it could work well against a Stone shinobi."
"I doubt it," Sasuke told him. "But we'll have to try it out, though. I for one want to see the extent of your Fox Flame bombs."
"Yeah! Those are awesome!" Naruto shouted like he was prone to do from time to time.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Men," she groaned.
"Now, now, Sakura," Kakashi said not looking up from his book, "they're just expanding their knowledge of seals. No need to be so callous."
Sakura glared at her sensei. "I wouldn't mind if that's all they were doing. All they seem to care about is making stuff explode. Kind of like you and your porn."
"Now, Sakura, I've told you and told you, Make-Out Paradise is NOT porn. It's adult literature with an engaging storyline."
Naruto had heard the argument and decided to put in his input. "HA! Don't give us that crap! It's just cheap ass porn!" He went and examined the book. "Who wrote this? 'Jiraiya?' Man, what possessed him to write this crap?!"
"It's not crap!" Kakashi defended. "It's-"
"Wait…Jiraiya? As in 'The Sannin Jiraiya?' HE writes this porn?!"Sasuke exclaimed making the other two's eyes widen.
"The Sannin?! Why is such a great ninja be writing porn?!" Sakura shouted.
"THIS is the legacy of the Fourth Hokage's teacher?" Naruto asked incredulously. He snorted. "Wow, I guess the mighty can fall, after all."
The other two nodded in agreement while Kakashi's head slumped. "No one appreciates good literature these days," he mumbled, making his team laugh at him.
They entered the Leaf Village, and almost immediately, Sasuke and Sakura were stunned at all the glares their blonde haired teammate was receiving. They were walking down the main street of the village and all around, nine civilians out of ten would either glare at Naruto or just look at him and not actually 'see him.' Sasuke became even more pissed when one or two of them tried to push Naruto to the ground just to speak with the 'Last Loyal Uchiha.'
Sasuke looked over at Naruto at one point. The look on Naruto's face was neutral, but to an Uchiha, even one as untrained as Sasuke for obvious reasons, could see that the words hit him hard. Sasuke fumed internally at this. Sooner or later, if Naruto didn't do it, Sasuke was sure he would jack-slap the entire village for its arrogance and stupidity.
Sakura was horrified at the stares Naruto was getting. Most of them from shop keepers! That's when another thought hit her. Wait, if even the shop keepers seem to hate him…how does he get the necessities he needs? She thought about it before shrugging. I'll ask later.
Kakashi sighed. He figured this would happen. He sent some mild Killing Intent towards the villagers, making them pale and back off. These idiot villagers weren't about to ruin his team. It took three weeks to make them this way. And if the more...narrow minded shinobi tried…Kakashi chuckled darkly. Well, the ANBU were in need of improving their swords skills last he checked.
They walked into the Hokage's office a few minutes later. Sarutobi was surprised. Never had this particular team looked like a true shinobi team. Honestly, it kind of freaked out the wizened old Hokage slightly.
"Team 7 reporting in. Mission successful," Kakashi said, his book put away.
"Very good," the Third Hokage said nodding. "Now, let's begin with the report."
The report started out well enough. However, once they began to talk about the Demon Brothers, Sarutobi began frowning. Why did-Oh, never, mind. He should've known Naruto wouldn't turn around. As the report went on, Sarutobi became concerned. They had to fight Zabuza the Demon? He did, however, feel pride when Kakashi explained how Sasuke and Naruto worked together to save their sensei. It wasn't until Kakashi began to talk about the battle of the Bridge did Sarutobi interrupt.
"Kakashi! You didn-"
"Kakashi sensei didn't tell them about the damn Fox, Old Man," Naruto spoke up. "It happened a couple of days after the fight and they overheard Kakashi and me talking. They told me they don't see me as the Fox."
Sarutobi looked at Naruto in shock for a moment. He turned to the other two members of Team 7. They both shrugged. "Naruto's a lot of things, but he's not a demon," Sasuke said. Sakura nodded.
Sarutobi smiled. "It's good to hear that, you two," he told them. He motioned for Kakashi to continue.
Sarutobi listened intently to the rest of the fight. After that, they explained the confrontation in the woods and the hell that was Kakashi's training. Sarutobi chuckled. He remembered Minato was a slave driver when it came to training. He guessed the blonde must've really rubbed off on Kakashi.
"Well, I can see you four have had quite the adventure," Sarutobi said, sitting back in his chair. "I'll see to it you all receive pay for C-classed turned A-classed mission tomorrow. Right now, you guys take the rest of the week off." The three gennin went wide-eyed at that. "With that, you're free to go."
They nodded and walked out of the office. Sarutobi's smile vanished as he looked towards Kakashi. "Are you sure the seal is fine?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage," the masked jonin said. "I checked it right after the fight. It was fine. It seems Minato sensei made the seal with a release valve that would release some of the Fox's chakra if Naruto was in a life or death situation."
Sarutobi sighed. "Of course Minato would do such a thing," the old man mumbled.
"With all due respect, sir, this is Minato we're talking about. Plus, he was sealing the beast into his own son," Kakashi said.
Sarutobi sighed again. "I know, I know. Minato was always one who took big risks and somehow always landed on top." He gave a small smile and said, "I wonder what we can expect from Naruto's team now…"
Sakura had decided to stop by her home before meeting up with Naruto and Sasuke at Ichiraku's. It really appalled the pink haired youth that the Ramen shop was the only place that Naruto wasn't disrespected or overcharged. She shook her head of the thoughts and continued on to her house. She opened her door and announced, "I'm home!"
Sakura heard her mother call out, "Sakura! Welcome home! You're father and I are in the kitchen."
Sakura smiled slightly. She walked into the kitchen to see her father sitting at the table while her mother was washing dishes. Her mother looked at her and smiled. "Hello, sweetie. How was your first C-class mission?" she asked nicely.
Sakura tensed slightly but otherwise shrugged. "Oh, it was alright. Touch and go at one point, but otherwise boring," she said evenly. She really didn't want to get into a long discussion with her parents about her first real mission. She wanted to get on to what's been eating at her for three weeks now.
"However," she said slowly, causing her parents to pay more attention to her, "I did find out…about…something."
"What was it?" her mother asked.
"I know about Naruto and the Kyuubi," she said quickly, deciding to just get it over with.
The response she received was immediate. Her parents' expressions darkened. She was shocked. Why would they have such a reaction to that?
Her mother turned her back to Sakura. "I see," she said neutrally. "I'll see to it that you are moved to a different team the next Council meeting."
"W-WHAT?" Sakura asked incredulously. That wasn't what she was expecting!
"Now that you know about that awful freak, I can only assume you want nothing to do with him. Don't worry dear; I'll make sure you never see him again."
Sakura was horrified. Her own parents thought of Naruto as the Fox?! Sakura's fists shook as she tried to rein in her anger. However, it seemed someone had other plans for her.
"This time, I'll make sure the damn Fox doesn't escape justice," her mother said finally.
Sakura snapped. "NARUTO IS NOT THE NINE-TAILED FOX!" she yelled, glaring daggers at her mother's back.
Her mother turned around, shocked at her daughter's outburst. Sakura's father wasn't any better. Her mother shook her head and chuckled loudly. "Oh, Sakura! You've become such a kidder in your absence! Of COURSE that boy is the Fox! He can't be anything more!"
"Naruto…is…not…the…Fox!" Sakura growled. "Naruto is my teammate. And I don't appreciate you comparing Naruto to the Fox."
Her father's eyes narrowed. "Sakura, I don't think you understand the situation. That demon is nothing more than that: a demon," he said.
Sakura felt her insides burn. "Naruto is a person. NOT a demon. Why are you guys so set on calling him that?"
"That monster is not a person, young lady! It's a demon! One you will stay away from! It's obvious that thing is corrupting your mind! I will not lose another daughter to that…thing," her mother spat out.
Sakura finally lost it. "THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! YOU'RE BLAMING NARUTO FOR MY SISTER'S DEATH?! NARUTO WAS JUST BARELY TWO MINUTES OLD WHEN THAT HAPPENED! HOW SHALLOW CAN YOU TWO BE?!"
"DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE WITH US, YOUNG LADY! WE ARE YOUR PARENTS! WE KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU!" Her mother shouted.
"I'LL RAISE MY VOICE ALL I WANT!" Sakura retorted angrily. "I WILL NOT STAND HERE AND LET YOU…YOU…YOU PEOPLE INSULT MY FRIEND FOR SOMETHING HE HAD NO CONTROL OVER!" With that, Sakura turned on her heel and ran to her room.
"SAKURA HARUNO, GET BACK DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" her mother yelled, but Sakura paid it no mind. She bolted into her room and grabbed several articles of clothing. She stuffed the clothes into her backpack, opened her window, and jumped out onto the road below.
She bolted down the street, angry tears streaking down her cheeks. How could her parents be so heartless? To condemn Naruto like that? She shook her head fiercely. She needed to find a place to stay now. No way in Hell was she going back there. But where could she…
She stopped suddenly and changed course. She knew someone who might help her (besides Naruto and Sasuke, of course. But, those guys might lash out at her parents). Someone who, hopefully, wouldn't turn her down.
Ino.
Sasuke and Naruto entered the Uchiha compound without a word. They had just finished dealing with a dumb drunk who thought it would be funny to try and hit the 'demon' with a bottle to appease 'Lord Uchiha.' Needless to say, the bastard was sent packing by a pissed off Uchiha. Sasuke wondered what possessed nearly an entire village to completely hate one kid. It just made no sense. Where they all just blind sheep that followed one asshole? Sasuke shrugged. No use contemplating on it now.
"So, you ready to test out the Dragon Lance Jutsu?" Naruto asked. He couldn't wait to see if their new jutsu would melt stone!
"Hn. Might as well," Sasuke said.
"Man, we really need to get rid of that annoying verbal tic," Naruto commented.
Sasuke smirked. "I will," he said nonchalantly, "when you get rid of yours."
Naruto was about to retort, but he quickly silenced himself. "Point."
Unbeknownst to the duo, they had a shadow. Hinata Hyuga had been tailing Naruto since she saw him and his team heading to the Hokage's office, just like every other day for the shy heiress. However, she became curious when she saw Sasuke and Naruto head off towards the Uchiha compound. Upon closer inspection, she heard them talk about some jutsu they had developed together and were arguing the theoretical uses for it.
She began to notice they were acting somewhat like siblings (or at least, how she and Hanabi acted towards each other every now and again). She wondered what happened during Naruto's last mission to make those two, whom she gathered hated each other's guts, act like brothers. She didn't know, but she was determined to find out.
She did smile slightly when Sasuke put that drunken villager in his place (still didn't stop her from hating said Uchiha for stealing her Naruto's first kiss during team placement). It also made her wonder if Naruto had told him about the Kyuubi.
Yes, she knew about the Kyuubi. She caught someone on the streets talking about it one day when she was stalking- I mean, 'observing' Naruto. She was shocked at first before she felt anger at the village. Naruto wasn't a demon! If he was, he would make the Uchiha massacre look tame compared to what he would do to the Leaf Village.
However, until she worked up enough nerve, she wouldn't be finding out anytime soon. She sighed in frustration. Well, no use crying over it. She turned around and headed home.
Ino was watching over her family's flower shop, bored out of her mind. Today was a very slow day. Ino sighed. She wished something interesting would happen to alleviate her boredom.
The door of the shop opened to reveal a winded Sakura. Her hair and clothes were disheveled and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she gasped for breath and walked towards the counter.
"Sakura?!" Ino asked incredulously. She rushed over to her best friend (well, former best friend). She grabbed the pinkette's shoulders and asked, "What's wrong? Are you okay? Are you hurt or what?"
Sakura took a deep breath and shook her head slowly. "I-I don't know anymore, Ino," she softly. "A lot's happened, and I'm hard pressed to understand it all." She looked at the blonde. "Listen, do you think I can stay with you for a while? I had a fight with my parents over…something, and I really can't stand the sight of them right now."
Ino was shocked. Sakura almost never fought with her parents, and when she did, it was never this bad. Ino looked behind her and shouted, "Hey, Mom! Sakura wants to know if she can stay over for a few days."
Ino's mother came out from the back of the store. "Well, you haven't asked that in a while. What's chan-" She saw the state Sakura was in and became concerned. "Oh, dear! What happened to you?!"
Sakura looked at the older blonde and smiled sadly. "Me and my parents had a disagreement regarding a certain orange clad blonde," she said hoping Ino's mother got the hint.
She did, apparently. Her eyes widened as she stared at Sakura. Sakura knew of Naruto and the Kyuubi? And by what was said, Sakura didn't see Naruto any differently. Well, not really. It seemed the young Haruno was sticking up for said blonde. Whatever the case, it made her smile. It was nice to see someone standing up the poor child.
Ino was confused as to why Sakura and her parents were arguing about Naruto of all people! And why was her mother acting like this?
"Ah, I see," Ino's mother said. She looked at her daughter and said, "Ino, dear, could you take Sakura up to the guest bedroom and help her settle in? I'll watch the store for the rest of the day."
Ino was still confused as hell, but she nodded nonetheless. Silently, she led Sakura up the stairs to where she and her parents lived. She led Sakura to the guest bedroom, and she and Sakura sat down on the bed.
"Um, Sakura," Ino said uncertainly, "what's going on? Why are you and your parents fighting about Naruto? I know he's an idiot, but he's not a murderer. And what's up with it being a big deal?"
Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry Ino…but I can't tell you." Ino's eyes widened. "The big deal about Naruto happens to be an S-class secret punishable by death. I only found out about it because Sasuke and I overheard Naruto talking about it with Kakashi sensei during our mission."
Ino's eyes widened. Naruto…the subject of an S-class secret? Whoa.
"The only people who can tell you about it are the Hokage and Naruto, as it's his secret," Sakura went on. She hung her head and said, "Ino, do you think I'm a horrible person? I did nothing more than belittle and hurt Naruto simply because I didn't know his situation. Ino, he didn't even know what love was. Did you know the only reason he kept asking me out was because some idiot told him when he was younger that if a woman hits you continually, they liked you?"
Ino was in shock. "W-what would possess someone to tell a child that?" she asked incredulously.
"I don't know, Ino. I don't know." Sakura shook her head and said, "All I know is that this village is full of idiots."
Ino sighed. She looked at her old friend and said, "I think I can believe you on that one. But Sakura…I don't think you're a bad person." Sakura looked up at Ino. "I mean, I don't know the specifics, but I don't think you can hate yourself for not knowing something. I think you should just roll with it. You know what I mean?"
Sakura looked at Ino for a moment before smiling slightly. "Yeah, thanks, Ino."
"Now! About this mission…I hear it was your first C-ranked mission. I want details," Ino all but demanded.
Team 7 was the first to receive a C-ranked mission among the graduating class, after all!
An: There's the second chapter! Just note: about Sakura having a sister who died during the Kyuubi attack- I wanted Sakura's parents to have a legitimate reason for hating Naruto. I've read too many fanfictions where they simply hated him for the sake of hating him, and I wanted Sakura's break from her parents to be original.
Plus, I still need ideas on who to pair Sasuke and Sakura with. Leave a review and tell me what you think.
Also, if you notice in later chapters that I start using Japanese honorifics and the like, pay no mind to them. I'm going to try and write certain parts in Japanese for reference on other Naruto projects I plan on writing. 'Till next time!
