A/N: A lot of people were wanting to put their two cents in about the paring, so I made a poll. That being said, the poll won't be the only factor in my decision it's just there so I can see what my readers are hoping for. Also, after the third scene break, there is a minor suggestion of a NaruIno paring by Sasuke while in his POV key point being it is his POV. Not the authors. I still don't know what the pairing will be, and they're only twelve. Not exactly mature in the ways of love yet.
Guest review #1: Probably won't be SasuIno. I don't really like that pairing much. The containers will make an appearance. Staying silent on the akatsuki thing, I want their involvement to be a surprise.
Guest review #2: NaruSaku will definitely not be the paring. Sakura is usually wasted in fanfics, and I plan to utilize her in an interesting and original way, one that has nothing to do with love interests. SasuSaku won't be happening either. When I do decide on the paring, I won't be telling anyone, you'll just have to read to find out.
Also, if any of you have an account, please review using it next time. It makes it far easier to respond to you all. Alright, on to the story. (If you don't have an account, I understand and still want you to review. I love the feedback!)
Haruno Sakura hated her teammates. They were lazy and weak, and they didn't show any love for the village. For their home. The home that took them after their clans betrayed it!
Shikamaru was the laziest person on the planet. He got tired from breathing. Breating! He complained constantly, called her and the village troublesome! Said he missed the simple times before he became a shinobi! He had no pride! No passion! No anything!
Then, there was Chouji, a fat useless shinobi. The best thing he could do would be to take a kunai for someone who was actually meant to be a shinobi. Okay…that was harsh, she was sure he was a good person, but he was a terrible shinobi. He should have never been put in the program!
They wouldn't be around long. She was sure of it. No way would Tsunade-sensei let them stay as the extra two for their missions. She was the chosen apprentice of one of the strongest shinobi in the village. Tsunade-sensei wouldn't let these two keep her from making chuunin in the upcoming exams. She had to be a chuunin so she could take missions without anyone slowing her and Tsunade down! Then maybe she wouldn't have to take such stupid escort missions either. She could work full time in the hospital, and be a medic for a frontal assault team on missions! Her parents would have been so proud of her.
"What's with you?" Shikamaru asked, in his annoying, slow, lazy voice.
She realized she had been smiling at the thoughts of becoming a chuunin. "None of y-"
"She was probably just amazed by my stories of the incredible bridge I'm building." The old drunk smiled brightly, as if he was pleased with himself.
'Had he even been talking?' She wondered. She certainly hadn't heard him say anything. God this mist was getting thick. She could barely see Tsunade-sensei in front of her now.
-Break-
Naruto was perched on a tree limb, a senbon hanging loosely from his mouth. He had changed a lot since they fled the village, his hair had grown long, tied in a spiky ponytail that hung down between his shoulders. He wore a black flak jacket, stolen off a dead Sound Shinobi, and a burnt orange and black, loose fitting, long sleeve shirt. He also wore a pair of black shinobi pants and sandals.
Ino crouched beside him, her hand resting on the tanto at her side. Her hair had also grown, hanging in a loose ponytail that went to the small of her back, with her hair hanging over one eye. She wore a sleeveless purple top, almost completely covered by a black flak jacket. She wore a purple skirt, cut from the side up to the top, held together by a button, showing black shorts underneath. Her legs were wrapped in bandages, and she also wore pair of black shinobi sandals.
Across the road, also crouched on a branch, was Sasuke. His hairstyle was virtually the same as it had been, but his bangs were slightly longer. He wore a shirt just like Naruto's, only in white with red pin stripes going up the sleeves. He, like Naruto and Ino, wore a black flak jacket, but his had the Uchiha clan emblem embroidered on the back. A chokuto dangled from his side.
They were planning an ambush, waiting patiently for the Land of Water daimyo and his envoy. The new Mizukage wanted him dead. He betrayed some of their shinobi, had his samurai kill them, and their heads were given to bounty hunters. Naruto didn't know if it was true, but he didn't really care. The money was good, and having a Kage like them was never a bad thing.
Currently, the daimyo was in a diplomatic meeting with some guy named Gato, apparently he ran this little island. Into the ground, based on the town where they stayed. It wasn't their problem, even if it did bother him a little. He always wanted to save a nation… oh well. That wasn't the mission. They needed money, and saving dirt poor nations doesn't bring any in.
The plan was simple, when the guards showed up, Naruto and Ino would quickly dispatch them, and Sasuke would kill the daimyo during the distraction.
"Halt! Konoha shinobi."
Naruto heard a shout form down the road, this wasn't part of the plan. Damn it.
Naruto made a quick handseal, a clone popping appearing behind him. "Find out what it is." He whispered, his eyes never left Sasuke though. Since they had first started training, he had never passed up an opportunity to kill someone from Konoha.
Thirty seconds later, the clone dispelled. "Konoha genin team. On unrelated mission." He signed to his teammates "Stick to plan." They both nodded. There was no leader, but he was the most qualified to scout, and they had to rely on his information.
Things proceeded as they should have from there. He had twelve samurai guards, just as the informant had said.
Sasuke held his hand up, counting down from three. The millisecond his hand closed, Naruto and Ino were off. The samurai didn't know what hit them.
Ino killed three in a second, her Tanto was soaked in blood. She flicked the blood off, and sprinted towards her next victim.
Naruto was more violent. He was weaving in and out, planting Kunai into openings on their armor. His method was slow, wounding instead of killing. He didn't like to kill them. They would be crippled, but they would live.
Sasuke landed in the middle, his sword removing the daimyo's head from his shoulders. The he moved to attack the left over samurai.
-Break-
Sakura had never encountered enemy shinobi before. Up until now, it had always been bandits, and Tsunade-sensei usually handled them. This was so much worse. The demon hidden in the mist, Tsunade-sensei called him. He was terrifying. His chakra was so…thick. It was like it was chocking her, it was a wonder her useless teammates hadn't already fled. Her sensei could definitely handle this so called 'demon' with ease. Sakura was sure of it. Tsuande would just have to find him first. That was all. It was going to be easy for her. Really easy. Sakura truly believed that. She really did. She just didn't understand why her sensei was constantly having to stop and heal herself.
-Break-
"Zabuza-sensei is close by." Ino sounded far too happy to recognize that psychotic shinobi's chakra, in Sasuke's opinion.
He was absolutely the craziest person Sasuke had ever met. Ino loved him though. That got along far too well for comfort. She would always laugh at his homicidal tendencies, saying that he was just like little puppy baring its teeth or something like that. She insisted that he only put on a tough exterior, that he was really soft. It was disturbing. So very disturbing. The Uchiha held back a shudder at the flashbacks of his kenjutsu teacher's 'lessons'.
Naruto was acting much the same way as Sasuke, though his thoughts were probably worse, with the special training that man had put him though.
"Well, let's go visit!" Ino said excitedly, ignoring the blank stare she was receiving from Naruto and Sasuke. She took to the trees, landing on a branch and looking back expectantly.
Naruto shook his head, reaching down and sealing the head of the daimyo into a scroll, and stuffing it into his jacket pocket. "Fine, Ino-chan." He followed the girl, a small smile on his face.
Ino could get Naruto to walk into the gates of hell, if only she asked him. Sasuke felt bad for him. He clearly loved the girl, even if he didn't realize it himself. He would in time. If only Ino felt the same way.
He watched the two for a moment, before following behind them. A sharp sensation hit him. One promising impending doom. His hand was instinctively flexing towards his blade, his fully matured sharingan activated. Something was about to happen. Something bad.
-Break-
What the hell was this guy? He was so fast, Sakura couldn't even see him. All she knew was that his water clones kept exploding on her. One of her teammates, Chouji, she took back what she said about him. He saved her life. Shikamaru was useless still though. He just crouched down, staring off into space.
"Tsunade-sensei!" Sakura shouted, rushing at the hunter-nin that suddenly appeared. She drew her fist back, ready to unleash her most powerful punch.
An orange and black blur suddenly grabbed her wrist, redirecting it into a tree, destroying the tree.
-Break-
Naruto saw Tsunade first. He ran ahead of Ino when he realized why Zabuza's chakra kept on flaring. Tsuande of the Sannin. A Senju. One of the people directly responsible for the destruction of the Uchiha and Yamanaka clans. His companions were going to go off the deep end.
They might actually win though. If it was just them, they wouldn't stand a chance. If Zabuza was fighting, then Haku was close by, and Kisame, Mangetsu and Suigetsu were probably around here too. Maybe the demon brothers, but they were usually collecting funds for the other, stronger swordsman.
"Tsuade-sensei!" Shit. Haku was attacking Tsunade, and one of the genin saw. Naruto leapt in front of Haku, grabbing the pink haired girl's wrist and shoving her away. He and Haku leapt back, to converse while Tsuande and the pink haired one tried to find them in the mist.
"You're getting slow, Haku." He looked back at his old friend with a smirk.
"I was prepared for her." He said, monotonous.
"Yeah, yeah I saved your ass. Just like that time in-" He paused mid-sentence, deflecting another of Sakura's punches. She was slow, and she telegraphed her punches horribly. "Suna, from that sand kid. He was totally gonna crush you." Naruto said, still smirking. "So, where's the psychopathic shark and his apprentices?" He casually side stepped another of the girls punches as he spoke.
"He's in talks with Mei-sama." Haku sounded happy. "Perhaps you should end the fight with the genin?" He added, watching Naruto dodge yet another poorly disguised attack.
He was happy for them, they were getting to go home. That was a privilege he would never get. The next time he saw his home, it would be in ashes. "Yeah, maybe. I was hoping to challenge Suigetsu again." Naruto grabbed Sakura's wrist this time, holding it place. "And as for you, Pinkie, You're a few years too green of being able to kill me." He violently twisted her arm, landing a palm strike on her elbow, causing a horrible cracking sound.
"Fuck you!" She yelled through the obvious pain.
"Naruto-kun! When did you get a girlfriend? And she's already trying to get you in bed…But you're only twelve! You should wait before you have more hair down there." Ino landed, her tanto placed to Sakura's throat, even as she joked at his suspense.
"Ino-chan." Haku greeted. "Sasuke-kun is close by then?"
Naruto ignored him, focusing on what Ino had said instead. "First off, Very funny. Second, we're the same age. Third, why have you been looking at my crotch? If we're need to know that much about each other, then your next inspection is tonight." He finished the last part, smirking at the red faced girl.
Haku stifled a giggle at the two. Sakura was still fighting back tears. "Sasuke's fighting her teammates. I hear his lighting sparking." He answered Haku.
"Ah, I'll go help him." He disappeared into the mist, towards the other genin.
"Naruto-kun, what do we do with her?" Ino asked, her face still slightly red. She was going to ignore his jokes, apparently.
"Disable. Not kill. If Zabuza-sensei gets in trouble, when can use her to negotiate." His hand went to her throat, squeezing tightly. She passed out after about a thirty seconds. "Sorry, pinkie." He said, as he let her fall to the ground.
Ino sliced her tanto across the back of the girl's ankles, cutting her Achilles tendon. "There. Make sure she doesn't become a pest before the fight ends.
"Harsh, Ino-chan."
"I felt how much chakra was in those punches. She would have killed you if she landed a direct hit. I'm not gonna let that happen." Ino put a hand on her hip, the ultimate indicator to not argue anymore. "I'm going to protect you guys anyway I can."
"We all made that promise. Ino-chan. me, you, and Sasuke. We, live together, we die together." He smiled at her, remembering the oath they swore four years ago. "Hopefully we don't die for awhile." He added as an afterthought.
"Let's go make sure Sasuke-kun doesn't die then." She said, heading towards his chakra signature.
-Break-
Sasuke dodged the Nara's shadow once again, keeping an eye on the Akimichi as well. The two worked together well. It was fucking annoying. Two needles suddenly flew into the Akimichi's neck, causing him to crumple to the ground. "Haku." He greeted with a respectful nod.
The Nara was frozen, he was staring at his fallen friend, fear, rage, and sadness flashed in his eyes. Sasuke smirked. "That feeling, those emotions, I've felt them every day for the last four years. Because of your family."
The Nara started to charge him, only to be caught in the grasp of Naruto and Ino, each holding of his arms behind his back. He was desperately trying break free, wildly throwing kicks. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
"He was precious to you." Haku spoke, sounding sad.
Ino lifted her blade to The Nara's throat "You look just like Shikaku. Is he your dad?" She asked, sounding far sweeter than her intentions.
The Nara suddenly smirked, his shadow had connected to hers, which meant he didn't need a handseal. Sasuke tried to move fast enough, but he wasn't going to make it.
He saw Ino turn her tanto on herself, she was about to stab herself in the heart, and there was nothing he could do. FUCK!
"STOP! Your friend's alive!" Haku yelled, realizing what was happening as soon as Shikamaru started moving. He had moved to the fallen Akimichi, a fist full of senbon held at his face. "Move and I kill him."
The Nara hesitated, which was the opening Sasuke needed, disarming Ino, and throwing her kunai pouch off her side. They had studied the Nara techniques in depth, moving her wouldn't disconnect the shadow at this point.
He looked at Naruto, he had frozen. That wasn't like him at all. Not with Ino in danger. He was always faster and stronger when defending one of them. Especially Ino. His hand was shaking violently. That was when Sasuke saw the seal array. That explained. It demanded tribute. He was fighting it down.
"Naruto. Ino's safe. Control it." He turned his gaze to the Nara, "Relase her, and take your friend and leave. You'll get to live. You will die if you don't. Just like the pink haired one" He didn't activate his sharingan, hopefully he wouldn't realize who they were.
The Nara nodded, slowly, releasing the shadow's hold on her. He took a step towards the Akimichi, then another, carefully watching them all.
Haku lifted the fat kid with surprising ease, handing him to the Nara. "Always protect your precious people."
Naruto was still shaking, the seals starting to spread up his arm. "Ino, help him." She was the only one who could calm him at this point.
The blonde girl didn't hesitate. She put a hand on his shoulder "Naruto-kun, you're stronger than it. I believe in-" Ino didn't finish, a fist hit her in the stomach, slamming through several trees.
Time seemed to slow to a stop, Naruto stared in shock, her blood was on his face. Sasuke felt only rage. "No…No…No…NO NOT ANOTHER ONE!" Sasuke charged the blonde woman his chokuto ready to cut her in half.
-Break-
Zabuza was keeping her busy, waiting for Haku and his three favorite former students to finish with her team. This Senju wasn't so tough. She only had her taijutsu, best as he could tell. She couldn't find him to hit him.
He heard her heartbeat slow, then she took a step. All he needed. Zabuza was in front of her, his sword cleaving her in half, only for her to turn into pile of destroyed wood. He heard her running, running towards Haku, and his former students. He ran, his chakra flaring.
He was too slow, he saw her hitting Ino, but more importantly, he saw the looks in Naruto and Sasuke's eyes. He saw Tsunade's impending doom at that moment.
A/N: Short chapter I know, but it fit. I will be putting excerpts of the four year timeskip as Omakes at the end of each chapter for now. The first one is below. And remember kids, the devil put dinosaurs here, Jesus don't like a queer. (Alice in Chains song. Don't take offense to my gay and Christian readers. I'm also a Christian.) God bless ya'll in everything you do.
Three weeks after they fled:
"I hate camping." Ino huffed, blowing her matted hair out of her face.
"Stop complaining Yamanaka. We're alive." Sasuke responded, giving her a small glare. He had become so freaking annoying.
"I don't see why we can't stop and get a room though!" Ino yelled at him, she needed a shower. Now.
"Do you have any money laying around? Because I don't." Sasuke never raised his voice, he just spoke in smug, somewhat downtrodden tone when they argued.
Ino huffed, turning her back to the annoying little prick. "We could get some somewhere." It was little more than a mumble, but Sasuke heard her apparently.
"We could whore you out." Sasuke offered, she couldn't see him, but she could feel his smirk.
Ino fought the urge to smack him. It hadn't taken long for them to realize that a horrifying number of grown men were attracted to eight year old girls.
"Shut up Sasuke. You too, Ino-chan" Naruto spoke up, ending their arguments before things went too far. "We need to get farther away from the village. Then I'll pick pocket some people and we can rent the best room available." Somehow, Naruto had become the mediator between the three of them. Unless he had a dog in the fight, then he was meaner and louder than both of them combined. In her opinion anyway.
"Fine." Ino huffed again, laying down.
"How do you know how to pickpocket?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the blond boy suspiciously.
Ino had pretty much figured out that her friend and savior was a thief not long after meeting him. He snuck in out of clan compounds, and he had his own treasure trove of merchandise no orphan could ever afford. "How do you think he had so much stuff?" Ino asked, rolling over to face the two boys.
"I didn't really think about it." Sasuke admitted, frowning slightly. "So…you were a criminal?"
"I did what I had too." Naruto grumbled, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. He had gotten so withdrawn since they ran out of ramen. It was weird.
"My dad ran the police force." Sasuke spoke, his mouth twitched slightly and tears could be seen in his eyes at the mention of his family. Ino's heart ached, not only for Sasuke, but for her own father.
"I never got caught, if that's what you were asking. I think some ANBU saw me one time, but they didn't care enough to do anything about it."
"My dad was in ANBU." Ino said suddenly. "He was the leader of the Torture and Interrogation division." It was the first time she had talked about her dad since he was killed.
"What about your mom? Mine was a jonin before…" Sasuke trailed off.
"I never knew my mom, she died giving birth to me. Daddy never talked about her." The mention of her mom wasn't nearly as painful as her dad.
"…Sorry…" Sasuke was looking through her now. He was lost in his own thoughts.
"Don't be. Daddy was both my parents for me. He was more than enough." She smiled sadly, he really had been the greatest dad a girl could ask for.
She looked over at Naruto, he was pretending to be asleep. He never had anyone. But he never once complained. He gave up his home, his life, and his dream to save them. To go on the run with them. But he never once complained. Here they were, talking about how wonderful their families used to be, and he never had one. He was so selfless. Ino slowly drifted to sleep with the thoughts of her fellow blond.
Five weeks after they fled:
"This is the most comfortable bed ever! I love you Naruto!" Ino wrapped her blond companion in a tight hug.
"Gah…I…can't…breathe" Naruto was turning blue, desperately trying to pry the girl off of him.
"So…" Sasuke said awkwardly, staring at the two blondes seemingly cuddling in bed. "Ino…I think he passed out."
He hadn't. But playing dead seems to be the best plan at this point.
"Really?" She released her hold, and Naruto quickly rolled off the bed and backed himself against a wall, breathing deeply.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, before moving to his own room. He had insisted he got a room to himself, much to Ino's chagrin.
Naruto didn't really care, he told Ino he would sleep on the couch, since she was so intent on having her own room. Which descended into an argument about who deserved the room more, with Ino saying Naruto should have it, and Naruto saying Ino should have it. The end result was them both laying in the bed, secretly waiting for the other to fall asleep so they could sneak away.
The plan ended when she decided to kill him though. "What the hell Ino Chan?" He was still trying to catch his breath. He unintentionally glared at the girl.
"It wasn't that hard. Crybaby." She huffed, something he noticed she did when she was angry at one of them.
"Sorry. I wasn't trying to be mean." Naruto rubbed the back of his head bashfully. He hated making her angry. He always felt so…empty? He wasn't sure what it was, but it was worse than guilt.
"Whatever. Get back in the bed. I won't assassinate you in your sleep. Don't worry." She stuck her tongue out at him.
Naruto found a content smile on his face, he was happy. He wondered if this was how it would have felt had he had siblings, or anyone really. Still he smiled. Because they were his friends, his family.