A/N: Sorry for the late update, but as you might be able to tell, this is a very long chapter and it took me a great deal of time to do it (probably more than necessary). Just want to thank those of you who have subscribed/reviewed my first ever fanfic. I just signed up a week ago and I hope I'll be able to bring my writing skills up to a professional level. For this reason, I encourage all of you to review my story and tell others about it so that they can read and review it as well. I need the constructive criticism of unbiased readers to improve my writing. Is the story taking too long to get going? Am I making characters believable? Please, any and all constructive criticism is welcome. Also, there will be absolutely no Team 7 or Kakashi bashing in this story. The only way an author can pull that off is to make the characters really, really OOC.
On another note, I plan to have a two year time-skip later in this chapter and a four year time-skip at the end of the third chapter. Also, I'm planning on having Anko be around a year older than Naruto, but I won't reveal all of her life until later. I want to stay as true to Anko as possible, but considering her age, I think I'll have to make a bit less sadistic and sensual than canon. Let me know what you think. Also some of you might notice Naruto is exhibiting sensory abilities slightly higher than an average human's. I don't really want to make Naruto have the senses of a demon and I am not going to make him a hanyou, but there might be room for something akin to that. By the later stages of the third chapter it will be irrelevant, but, again, I'd like to know what you think about it. I'd also like to clear something up that I felt I left unexplained: Naruto's thoughts are beginning to mature and I represent this by having his matured thoughts in italics and his "dobe" thoughts in single quotations. This will disappear eventually as Naruto matures more, but let me know if this is too confusing in case I use it for future stories/characters.
Another part of this story I want make clear to you is that Naruto will obtain a Kekkei Genkai. Before you exit out and give up on this story, I want to assure you that it will not be some all-powerful, Kekkei Genkai-mimicking ability. I spent a lot of time researching other Bloodline limits and I believe mine is quite original and, most importantly, realistic. While it does allow for some pretty cool things, the drawbacks even it out. This will not be a "Super Naruto" story. While Naruto will be significantly more powerful than he was in the canon Chuunin Exams, he will definitely not be at Kakashi's level by the Chuunin Exams. As the story progresses into Shippuden time, Naruto's growth will be realistic. Again, let me know what you think.
The story will start rolling in the fourth chapter where I'll introduce a lot of the plot and action that most of you probably feel is lacking after reading this chapter. So, without further ado, I present Chapter Two of Naze?, titled "Tears of a Clown".
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything that has to do with it in any way shape or form and I don't own "Tears of a Clown", sung by Smokey Robinson some forty-odd years ago (don't worry, there won't be any songs or lyrics in this fic; I'm only using the song's title for the chapter title).
'thoughts'
"talking"
Passionate feelings/memories
Naze?
Tears of a Clown
Tap…tap…tap…ta—CRUNCH!
Naruto glared down at his broken pencil in disgust, then quickly replaced it with another from his pocket. He was on edge. No, he was past the edge and hurtling towards his doom. So many questions, so many possible scenarios, all of which he ended negatively, raged across his mind. Normally he wouldn't have been so anxious or wasting his time pretending to listen to Iruka's droning. In fact, what he should have been doing (at least in his mind) was practicing that damnable Bunshin jutsu. Why the hell couldn't he do it but that idiot Sasuke could? But truthfully, his nervousness stemmed from that the fact that today was the Genin Exam…and he was positive he would fail it even if he went all out.
He, the brilliant and noble Naruto, had spent a year in this godforsaken place securing his position as the dead-last, the "dobe", of the class so as not to draw suspicion from the Council. The bright-orange jumpsuit, the loud and obnoxious voice, the pranks…all were testaments to his efforts. To Naruto's angst, this was a lot easier than he had first assumed. While the written tests and lessons were easy to complete and follow, putting what he learned into practice was far harder than he had ever hoped. Add in the accelerated jutsu curriculum for the war and Naruto was hard-pressed to just keep up, let alone become the most powerful ninja ever in secret so that one day he could blow all of his peers away, after which they would worship—
Stop day dreaming idiot, he thought, reprimanding himself for such childish thoughts. I have to concentrate on how to fix this. These jutsu…why are they so hard for me? The Bunshin and Henge are E-Class jutsu. E-Class jutsu! When I try to do them, I can feel the jutsu in my hands …and then I squash it into nothing. Wh—
"NARUTO!"
Awaken from his reverie, Naruto found himself staring at the massive vein in Iruka's forehead. Unsure of what to do, the boy chuckled desperately and asked in the politest way possible, "You need something Iruka-sensei?"
"I asked you a question Naruto…five minutes ago!"
That's a bit of an exaggeration I think, Naruto thought.
"So?"
Staring quizzically up at the teacher, Naruto replied in the most intelligent manner possible, "So what?"
This elicited several giggles…which were quickly quieted when Iruka sent a furious scowl at the entire class. When perfect silence was achieved, Iruka continued in a strained voice, "Naruto, I need an answer to my question."
Grinning, the six-year-old replied, all the while pointing at the large map pasted to the blackboard, "The Fourth and Fifth Shinobi Battalions should move into C position sensei."
Naruto's grin spread up to his ears upon seeing the dumbfounded expressions his classmates were giving him. Most especially priceless was the look on Iruka-sensei's face.
Laughing, Naruto thought, 'Kind of a hybrid between angry, shocked, awed, and…is that satisfaction? Ha! So he does care about his students. I'll never let him live this down!'
Naruto's snickering drew a murderous glare from his teacher, causing the boy to seriously consider rethinking his previous assessment. Fortunately, a loud ringing sound resounded throughout the classroom, signaling the conclusion of the session. The class, however, remained seated. Naruto distinctly remembered what had happened when the class started dismissing before Iruka had given them permission. Not pretty.
And so, the hopeful Genin-to-be sat quietly, if not patiently, in their seats. Naruto watched as Iruka-sensei swept hopeful eyes across the entire class. When he finally came to Naruto, a small, encouraging smile gently spread across his face. Surprised, Naruto blinked, only to find Iruka giving his full attention to the entirety of the class as if he had never looked at him at all. After another moment's pause, he announced, "All of you know that the Genin Exam is to be held today. It will determine whether or not you become one of the defenders of our people, our way of life, and our dreams as a village."
Naruto's eyes widened along with the rest of the class, It's not really that serious…is it? What the hell have I gotten into?
Glancing around him, Naruto noticed Sakura's normally observant face glowing with anticipation and resolve.
'Ah nuts. I can't let Sakura go into battle without me there to protect her; or at least a chance at me keeping her safe.' Not that I could really be much help…, he added dejectedly.
Naruto soon found himself back into the mental rut he built for himself in his attempts to think of a way to pass. It was only several minutes later that he heard Iruka's voice rise in volume, indicating an end to the speech.
"…and now that that's out of the way, all I need to tell you is that the Genin Exam will be held this afternoon at 5:00 PM. That means you have around two hours to prepare. So in conclusion, I want you to know that it has been an honor to teach you and I hope that you will be able to defend and aid Konoha to the best of your abilities as Shinobi. Class dismissed."
The students poured out of the classroom with the vivacity of raging river, save for a few of the more aloof members of the class. All of them, however, felt nothing but apprehension and terror at the thought of what the Genin Exam might hold. Naruto thought he recalled Iruka mentioning something about "expect the unexpected" or something along those lines. He had been too busy not paying to attention to notice. But Naruto was positive the Bunshin would be on it, damnable thing that it was.
As he walked through the ever-increasing crowd of children anxious to exit the Academy, Naruto frantically tried to think of way to pass the exam. What he could he do in two hours that he hadn't tried the whole year?
There'll be taijutsu, assassination, genjutsu testing…and ninjutsu. The Bunshin's just beyond me for some reason, so I can't worry about it. The Hokage forbid us to learn the other ninjutsu Iruka mentioned over the course of the year until our Jounin sensei was assigned to us. Something about how the young are corrupted by it or whatever.
'What was that guy's name? Oroma…Orochi'—ah, getting off track!
Naruto grabbed his head and shook it as hard as he could, moaning all the while. Suddenly, sunlight exploded into his vision. He squinted his eyes in pain…until a giant red dome erupted into his line of sight.
'Of course! If anyone can help me it'd be Ojisan.'
With that, the blond-haired child sprinted off towards the Hokage Tower, purpose driving his muscles to greater speeds.
The secretarial position of the Hokage Tower's front desk was a job few envied and even fewer applied for. Annyui Juujun couldn't have agreed more. The thirtyish secretary went through five days a week of sitting on her rump with only the Hokage's most menial work to entertain her. Naturally, this caused her disposition to appear cold and foreboding towards visitors. In truth, Annyui enjoyed the company and conversation of others as much as most other villagers…just not after sitting in the same spot for hours on end. Despite that, she felt her position held some importance. She was the barrier between the Hokage and the common folk, after all. Deep down, she recognized the audacity of such thoughts, but Annyui felt she needed some semblance of significance to endure the monotony of her job/
When Naruto Uzumaki burst through the entrance to the Hokage Tower demanding, in the most insufferably loud voice imaginable, to see the Hokage, this false feeling of importance, coupled with her boredom and hatred of the demon brat, caused her scowl viciously.
Unfortunately, the boy didn't take the hint and yelled, yelled, in the same voice he had held within his accursed lungs for his entire miserable existence, "I need to see the Hokage now old lady!"
Rage. Pure and unadulterated wrath. All of these were words unfit to describe the inferno roaring within her. Not only had this thing disregarded everything that kept her sane while performing her job, he had insulted her. Annyui snapped at the point, screaming with every ounce of fury she held with her, "YOU LITTLE…LITTLE…DEMON! Get out, get out, GET OUT!"
To her immense satisfaction, the small boy cowered beneath her as she stood to her full height. While not very tall in comparison to others her age, she easily dwarfed the undersized child.
Annyui was so caught up her victory over the usually obstinate Naruto that she only had time to swerve her head in shock when he sprinted around her desk towards the stairs leading to the Hokage's office. In her attempt to maneuver her body out of the desk semicircle, Annyui twisted her ankle and slammed her head into the desk's corner. She fell to her side immediately, a small trickle of blood signifying her fading consciousness. The last thing she saw was Naruto Uzumaki staring down at her with a look of concern, before a victorious smirk began inching its way across his face.
Naruto reviewed his handiwork with a critical eye. The secretary-obasan needed to look exactly like she was sleeping. This was difficult considering how much smaller Naruto was than the woman and even more so with the limited time he had to accomplish this task. This problem was soon fixed with a very conveniently located stool. Placing the stool next to the chair, he climbed on top of the average sized desk and pulled the woman onto the chair. As he was manipulating the poor soul's body into a relatively believable sitting position, Naruto encountered another problem in the form of a warm sensation creeping down his arm. Gazing upwards, Naruto found himself staring into a light, two-inch gash strewn across the woman's forehead.
The boy's thoughts upon seeing the wound were quite straight-forward, Eh, disgusting. Serves her right for calling me a demon. I should just leave her as is…, though this line of thinking quickly turned into guilt (and realization that a bleeding secretary would arouse suspicion), but I can't leave her like this. Besides, someone's bound to notice the pool of blood sooner or later. And if she happens to end up enduring a major migraine for the rest of her life…well, sacrifices have to be made sometimes.
It was with this small consolation that Naruto removed his shirt, tore a small strip out of the cloth, and wrapped it around the woman's slowly bleeding cut. With this done, Naruto leapt off of the desk and pushed the chair towards said desk until the edge touched the secretary's bosom. Leaping back onto the desk, Naruto stretched the woman's right arm across the desktop until the elbow was properly situated. Then, he bent her forearm up to her face and placed her hand over the dark bandage.
Throughout the entire process, Naruto would glance over his shoulder every few seconds, expecting an Anbu to burst through the doors and impale him with a ninja-to. This hampered his progress to the point that, by the time he was finished, only an hour remained until the Genin Exam started.
Climbing off of the desk, Naruto glanced one last time at the secretary before sprinting off up the stairs.
Unbeknownst to Naruto, a camouflaged Anbu hanging from the ceiling disappeared to an unknown location with a small smirk gracing his lips.
The layout of the Hokage Tower was rather simple: a small lobby at the base, stairs winding around the tower in a spiral with a floor for administrative offices at each spiral's curve, the Hokage's personal office at the very top; and all of it was built in the finest and sturdiest oak that the Shodai Hokage's Mokuton abilities could create, with sun-tanned stone covering the outside and the ever-present crimson dome marking it out amongst all the buildings of Konoha. Thought the Hokage Tower dwarfed most of these other buildings in size, it was a relatively small in comparison to the buildings of other villages, namely Suna. Naruto, however, felt the Tower was large enough.
To the six-year old, each step was a gigantic hurdle that could have been jumped as easily as walked over…meaning Naruto, although possessing stamina greater than an average adult's…found his young body sweating and panting midway through the third flight of stairs. Despite this, Naruto was still able to comprehend how amazingly coincidental it was for every guard in the Hokage Tower to mysteriously disappear on the day he decided to visited the Sandaime. Of course, dodging the bored employees of the Hokage presented an obstacle, but it was trivial for someone as accustomed to moving around undetected as Naruto. Even if he was found out, it wasn't as if he was committing a crime. For Naruto, however, his very presence within the Hokage Tower was a crime. Hence, the fear of capture and punishment.
Rounding another curve in the staircase, Naruto finally came to the floor where Ojisan's office was located. The Hokage's office was situated at the center of a circular path within a large cylinder. The cylinder was large enough to occupy most of the floor's space, leaving around six feet of emptiness for someone to walk through around said cylinder. From the short time he had spent with Ojisan and visited his workplace, Naruto remembered that the entrance to the office was on the opposite side of the entrance to the staircase.
Whisker marks twitching with anticipation, Naruto cautiously tiptoed over to the cylinder and flattened his tiny body against it. From there, Naruto began edging his way across ancient wood, his small feet padding softly against the worn bark of the floor. The rich scent wafting off of the bark sent slight waves of relaxation throughout his body. It vaguely reminded him of a large oak tree he had climbed during a moment of boredom. Both then and now, the aroma seemed to refresh and revitalize his tired appendages. In any case, it was far better than the stale odor that lingered throughout the lower levels of the Tower. Naruto had no idea what caused it, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the cleaning chemicals used to sanitize the building.
Even as Naruto amused himself with his own thoughts, his eyes, honed from an entire year of dodging angry prank victims, rapidly scanned every inch of the floor in front of it before walking across it. It was during one of these scans that Naruto noticed an indistinct distortion at the end of the next curve. Moving forward ever so slightly until he reached the edge of the curve, Naruto brought himself into position directly above the distortion and took another glance at it.
Wire. Ah dammit, how many are there?
Naruto stared long and hard at the wire, burning its image into his memory, before searching the floor for others. From what he could see, a carefully laid grid of trap wire covered the space between Naruto and the door.
Probably the same on the other side too. I could try actually hopping through the openings, but I'm guessing a mistake means death. Maybe I could use that jutsu…
While the Hokage forbid Genin of any age to perform jutsu higher than C-Rank, Genin were still allowed to be taught weaker versions of higher ranking jutsu. Naruto had had little success with these jutsu for much the same reason as the Bunshin. It always felt like he was putting too much or too little into the jutsu for it to be effective. There was one technique, however, that Naruto, for whatever reason, had a particular aptitude for. And if it failed now, Naruto feared he would have to give up. He didn't want to die after all.
Initially classified at D-Rank, Naruto had improved the jutsu to the point where he could cut through three inches of stone…though that particular feat required an astonishing number of hand signs that the boy felt took far too long to perform. Besides, wires were far easier to cut than stones.
Head buzzing with excitement, Naruto quickly scampered as far away from the wires as he could while still keeping them within sight.
Okay Naruto, deep breath. Just like you practiced…
Forming three hand seals in relatively quick succession, Naruto cried out, "Soyokaze no Jutsu!"
I can't shout out what I'm doing like some idiot. I gotta work on that.
Despite his momentary lapse in concentration, Naruto felt his chakra trickle into the surrounding air and push it swiftly towards the wires. All was still for several seconds. Just as Naruto was beginning to fear he had failed, the soft glow of sunlight streaming through the windows caught the gleam of dozens of small objects protruding from the ground and floor. Cautiously creeping towards the edge of the tripwire grid, Naruto bore witness to a countless number of kunai and shuriken covering the floor, the wires holding them in place laying limply beside them.
'It worked, it worked! The kunai and shuriken must have been released so quietly I couldn't hear them…and I barely felt Soyokaze take affect! Oh, I have no idea how I did it and I don't care. I disabled an Anbu trap…or something like that. Ojisan will be so proud of me! Maybe he'll promote to Genin right now—hey, couldn't I have just called out for Ojisan to help…me…ah dammit. But I didn't need his help…I did it on my own! Ha, I am Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage and protector of all that is good!'
All of Naruto's anxiety and depression about the Genin Exam evaporated at that moment. He strutted through the deadly field of blades with a smugness that would have made put Sasuke to shame…until he tripped over a stray shuriken. Naruto threw his hands out and slammed them into the ground, letting his body hover inches over the sharp edges of three kunai.
"Think like a dobe and you are a dobe you baka," he whispered venomously to himself as he carefully lifted his body into his standing position.
Naruto took several deep breaths before softly treading on through the deadly weapons, his eyes peeled for any possible fall-inducing obstacles. His heart pounded against his chest with painful force as he gently stepped his foot over a shuriken. Each step sent shivers of anxiety throughout his body until he finally stood in front of the door. He exhaled deeply. Here he was, an Academy student, asking the Hokage to…
What the hell am I going to ask him? To teach me how to do the Bunshin, he glanced outside at the quickly setting sun, in maybe thirty minutes? Whatever…I might as well ask him to help me now that I'm here.
Before the quickly-growing anxiety within his gut took hold over him, Naruto impulsively pounded his hand against the door. He waited and waited…and waited. Growing impatient, Naruto knocked again with a little more force. Again he waited and again there was no response.
Groaning, he thought, 'Where the hell is he? I don't have time for this! Ah forget it, I'm goin' in!'
Naruto wound up his right fist and crashed it into the door. All that greeted him was a loud thunk from the door…and a jolt of pain powerful enough to numb his entire arm.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! That hurt dammit!"
Naruto shook his arm frantically in an attempt to relieve the stress and then cradled it in his chest with an astonishing amount of tenderness. He stared at the door long and hard. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary and he could sense no chakra being emitted from it anywhere. Though, he had to admit that his chakra sensing abilities were probably not even in the same league with the chakra hiding skills of the Anbu.
Radiant blue orbs examined every inch of the inconspicuous portal; from the carefully molded wooden bark to the crimson lining decorating it to the richly ornate handle, it was without a doubt as magnificent as a common door could be.
Common door…, Naruto suddenly thought, realization dawning upon him.
Naruto scratched his cheek with his index finger, assumed an exasperated look, swiftly placed his left hand on the handle and easily turned it downwards, opening the door. Naruto, quickly looking past his failure to eliminate the obvious solutions to his former problem, deepened his scowl upon seeing the indiscernible darkness within.
"Ojisan," Naruto called out tentatively.
Not even an echo answered him.
Sighing dejectedly, Naruto stepped into the pitch black of the Hokage's empty office, his arms helplessly waving around him in search of something to hold onto. His memory of the office was blurry at best. The last time he'd been here was a year and half ago and he'd been too excited at the potential for free dinner to pay attention to his surroundings. As a result, all Naruto could do was flail himself about the room in hopes of finding some source of light.
Eventually, he stumbled into the wall, banging his head against the hard stone and subsequently catching hold of a smooth, wooden desk. Naruto explored the desk with his fingers, reaching around, across, and into objects with frenzied speed, until he came upon the cold chill of metal. Feeling his way around the metallic thing through the darkness, Naruto's hand eventually came upon a uniquely smooth surface.
Wax…candle!
Naruto quickly latched onto it and hugged it tightly to his bosom. However brave Naruto thought he was, the darkness that permeated everything around him like a thick goo created terrible fear within him. He was afraid to move, to breathe, to think…it wrapped around him and held him in place with demonic strength. The movement before had been mere adrenaline. A mere reaction to the darkness. Now that he could see the massive void around him, Naruto was deeply afraid.
Gotta…gotta find some way to light this. Reach baka. Reach into the desk, he did so, the fine wood caressing his hand with refined pleasure, now feel around for metal, matches, anything flammable. A match, yes!
Naruto struck the thin piece of wood against the desk so hard he feared he had snapped. Feeling that it was intact, it struck it again several more times before a small flame erupted from its end. Excitement racing through him, he eagerly placed the flame onto the wick of the candle and was delighted when it ignited with warmth an dvision.
The flame soon grew to a decent size, instilling Naruto with enough confidence to extinguish the match and hold the candle stick out in front of him with his left hand, while his right shielded it against any stray breezes. Immediately the shadows retreated back into their unknown sanctuary, allowing the light to illuminate the now considerably smaller and less intimidating office.
Though the reach of the light was small and dim, Naruto felt relieved to be able to have some semblance of vision and happily took in his surroundings. The Hokage's office was home to many trinkets and objects that Naruto assumed were valuable, though in truth he had no idea of their worth. There were daggers and swords, statues and paintings, wooden carvings and scrolls, carefully placed and organized in a manner that pleased some unknown form. And then, Naruto's eyes came upon the largest scroll he had ever seen. It stood out proudly amidst the other treasures of the office as it lay against the wall.
Sidling up to it, Naruto let his hand brush against the wooden planks that made up the scrolls body, excitement racing through his fingers as he realized the potential for growth within. Unlike the wood of the Hokage Tower, the scroll smelled of ancient and musty knowledge, far removed from the posh richness that dominated the office of the Hokage. Without hesitation, Naruto grasped the scroll, with as much tenderness as he could, and unraveled it upon the carpeted floor beneath his feet.
Holy…
Within the tomes of the scroll were detailed descriptions of jutsu forbidden by the Hokages themselves. They were the infamous kinjutsu of Konoha. Elegant black kanji flowed across the scroll's innards in the most alluring manner imaginable. Any reservations Naruto had about using these jutsu—any confusion as to why such a valuable item would be laid out in clear view—were quickly erased when he gazed upon the boldly painted symbols. This was further exacerbated when Naruto realized the massive potential for growth and power that each jutsu held. This soon waned, however, when he saw how difficult most of the jutsu actually were. For a terrible moment, Naruto feared he was too weak to use the knowledge that lay before him…until his eyes rested upon a jutsu written in the same bold black kanji that awed him in the first place.
"Taju…Kage…Bunshin no Jutsu," he read aloud quietly. Continuing, he read, "Uses enormous amount of chakra, can kill user if not performed when at full chakra capacity. A-rank jutsu."
Absorbing this information, Naruto quickly set about discerning whether or not he could use it, It's a Bunshin jutsu, so I'll probably be able to use it during the Genin Exam; but the part about using a lot of chakra worries me.
At the end of this thought, another one was soon conceived, Large amounts of chakra…what if that's my problem? The amount of chakra I possess is disproportionate to my age and, therefore, my control. Because a Bunshin requires a tiny amount of chakra, I smother it with my large amount. This Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu might be a solution. But it says here that it makes hundreds of clones. Iruka-sensei would probably fail me for making too many…he'd want me to have enough control to make a few. I wonder if there's a modified version…
As he wondered about this, he came across a subset within the Taju Kage Bunshin's description, which he read aloud, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: requires far more chakra than a normal Bunshin, but much less than its advanced form (Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu). Clones are corporeal, possess equal amount of chakra and take on roughly the same physical characteristics as user. Memories and chakra of clones are sent back to user upon dispelling of clones."
Corporeal clones? Memory transfer? This could be huge!
His former enthusiasm quickly returning to him and empowering his limbs, Naruto searched for the instructions on how to perform the jutsu.
One hand sign? Guess the only reason it's forbidden is the chakra drainage. Well, I suppose the only way to find out is to do it.
Exhaling deeply, Naruto formed Tiger signs with both hands and crossed them together. Gathering chakra together, he shouted out, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Instantly, four puffs of smoke filled the room, blowing out the candle in Naruto's hand in When they did, four identical Naruto's stood happily around their creator, fox-like grins covering their faces.
Upon seeing the success of his jutsu, a similar grin spread across Naruto's own face…only there was an ambitious gleam in the original's eye that would have recalled painful memories from those who knew the traitorous Sannin Orochimaru. Naruto had no idea of this however and, after dispelling his clones, strapped the scroll to his back and sped out of the office.
In a hidden room adjacent to the office, the Sandaime Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi allowed a small smile to grace his weathered face as he watched the young boy through his crystal ball.
Do not disappoint me Naruto.
Umino Iruka tapped his finger impatiently against the top of the desk.
Dammit, where are you Naruto? I don't want to start without you…
An impatient sigh abruptly interrupted his thoughts. Glancing up sharply, Iruka found himself witness to the intense glares of his students. Even the normally polite Uchiha Sasuke had an angry look upon his face.
I've given you a half-hour Naruto. I can't wait any longer or I'll incur the wrath of the students' parents…I'm sorry.
Iruka stood up and sighed. Gathering up the papers on his desk into a neat pile, he made a small motion to the students to stand. For several moments, Iruka stared at the door, hoping against hope that Naruto would burst through the door, foxy grin and orange clothes blazing with life…but the door remained still.
Finally, Iruka accepted Naruto's absence as reality and addressed the class, "Alright, looks like everybody's here. We'll start off with a taijutsu spar, which will be comprised of one-on-one fights where the defeated will be eliminated from the graduation process. The next phase will be introduced—"
A loud crash in the hallway drew everyone's attention immediately. Hope grew with the joy of a bubble within Iruka's chest, Could it be?
Within moments, the formerly motionless door flew open, revealing a thick cloud of white smoke and out of the smoke leapt a golden-haired youth clad in the brightest orange conceivable, a grin as brilliant as the hair atop his head splashed across his face.
The very air was filled with repressed energy as the students stared in amazement at their classmate. A mischievous glint in his eye, Naruto's grin smoothed into a smirk. Sarcasm and confidence dripping from his voice, the boy asked Iruka, "Aw Iruka-sensei, you weren't gonna start without your star pupil were you?"
Excited. That was the only word Naruto could think of to describe the wonderful tingling that rushed throughout his body like a river. He was standing in the middle of the classroom with the students who had managed to pass the first three portions of the test.
The twenty-seven who passed the Taijutsu portion are all still here. And so am I.
He had to stop himself from laughing in delight. Taijutsu, assassination, and genjutsu had all come to him with the intent of failing him and separating him from his beloved Sakura forever…and by some divine will he had passed them all. Now he stood proudly amidst his classmates, waiting for the ninjutsu portion of the exam. It was here that Naruto knew he had to prove himself. That was how they determined who would become shinobi and who would become foot soldiers. Naruto distinctly recalled the day that Iruka had explained the process to the class, and he vividly remembered the horrible feeling in his gut that had followed:
"Settle down, settle—SETTLE DOWN! In a few weeks you'll all be taking the Genin Exam and only some of you will pass. This is known by all. But, due to the war raging at our borders, new measures have had to be drawn to ensure that we have the best of the best defending our homeland.
This year, the Genin Exam will consist of four portions. The first test will be one-on-one taijutsu spars. Those who lose will be eliminated from the Exam and be forced to try again next year. That means that at the most, only half of you will pass. Of those twenty-seven, nine will be made Genin. Those nine will be the nine highest scorers of the average of the last three tests. The remaining eighteen will be made Hannin, a new post created with the purpose of increasing our troop size. Those of you who are made Hannin will be put into squads ranging in size from ten to twenty under the command of one of our Chuunin. You will have the chance to become Genin during the war. For those of you that do become Genin, you will be grouped into three-man squads with a Jounin sensei—"
Naruto had tuned out the rest of Iruka's lecture…the anxiety that had twisted his stomach was too overwhelming. At this moment, however, Naruto felt anything but apprehension. He was sure he could wow Iruka with his Kage Bunshin. That was the only jutsu that was going to be on the test, right?
"Alright students," Iruka said, his voice directed towards the twenty-seven youth before him, "your last test for the Genin Exam is a test of you mastery over the ninjutsu taught to you during the school year. Scores will be also be affected by the creativity used in your performance of these ninjutsu."
Excellent. Can't get much more creative with the Bunshin than by using a Jounin-level version of it. But he's acting as if there's more than one jutsu to be tested. Ah, I was afraid of that. What'll it be? Henge, Kawarimi…?
"You'll be performing three jutsu: the Bunshin, Henge, and Kage Shuriken no Jutsu."
Naruto kept his face composed. He could reveal nothing, despite the surprising choice in jutsu. If he lost even a fraction of the confidence and focus the scroll had given, he had no doubt he would mess up the jutsu.
Iruka continued on, saying "To pass, you must perform all three jutsu correctly. Points will be based on the speed of the jutsu's completion, the quality of the jutsu, and any personal modification to the jutsu. Again, the top nine in the class will be made Genin. We'll begin with Aburame Shino."
And so, the final test of the Genin Exam began. Iruka-sensei motioned for the concealed boy to come to him and walked out of the room with some random teal-haired Chuunin. Shino followed silently behind.
Naruto tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his turn. When it came to Sakura, however, he stopped and gave her a beaming smile. This was a slight break from his usual mischievous behavior and the girl was obviously surprised. She narrowed her eyes warily in search of a prank but, finding none, returned Naruto's gesture with a small, polite nod.
Naruto regretted fooling Sakura, but he couldn't take any chances. As soon as he became a Genin (bravado bolstered his confidence greatly), he would stop the pranks and focus on becoming stronger for her.
Just gotta keep the villagers off my case for a little longer.
Despite Naruto's careful adherence to this plan and his dedication to protecting Sakura, however, he found himself slipping into irrational and dangerous spouts of anger whenever he was around a certain Uchiha Sasuke. The prodigy of the Uchiha Clan was not only the top student at the Academy, but also the object of affection for nearly every girl in the school. True, the girls did not think of Sasuke in a romantic sense. That would be disgusting. They simply admired and respected him for his skill and pedigree. Though he was tempted to call the girls (and boys who hung around him to increase their own standing) superficial, he had to admit that the raven-haired boy probably deserved the attention he got. Even worse, he didn't let it go to his head. Sasuke, while being polite and courteous towards those who desired his approval, expressed no desire or want for this attention…attention that Naruto had craved so desperately for his entire life.
'He gets everything for just being alive and he doesn't even want it! And all the while, I am forced to stoop myself to unimaginable indignity to just get acknowledged! Why? The irony, the cruelty of such a situation is unbearable! I hate him, I hate him—'
Calm yourself Naruto. Total concentration is necessary. Can't let Sasuke-teme distract me…not that he even cares.
Naruto was interrupted from his musings when Iruka-sensei walked into the room and called out, "Uchiha Sasuke."
'Speak of the devil,' Naruto thought angrily as his "enemy" walked determinedly behind Iruka towards the testing area.
Concentrate! The teme doesn't matter right now. What matters is passing this test…and returning the scroll you stole from the Hokage. Dammit, if he finds out I'll be gutted in an instant—no, worry about that later. You did manage to sneak in to the office by yourself. Ojisan seems like the kind of guy who would appreciate that. Which makes me wonder…how did I steal that scroll? It held forbidden jutsu and it was just laying against the wall like an old book. Ha, he probably let me steal it.
This brightened Naruto's mood considerably. If the Hokage had enough faith in him to allow him to steal one of Konoha's most valuable scrolls for a Genin Exam, then maybe he was worth something.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto's flared in the fading sunlight as his head jerked up in recognition. Seeing Iruka's hopeful face, Naruto grinned obnoxiously and strutted after his now exasperated-looking teacher. He wouldn't let the Hokage down. He wouldn't let Sasuke beat him. Most importantly, he wouldn't let Sakura fight alone.
Maybe there's hope for me after all.
2 years later
Lightning cascaded across the muddy earth, illuminating the rain that poured down from the heavens. Three figures huddled underneath a hill of muddy and torn dirt, adrenaline fueling their bodies and discipline harnessing their raw energy.
"Naruto…you're an idiot."
Sasuke Uchiha narrowed crimson eyes with two dark tomoe's in the irises at his blond-haired, orange jumpsuit-clothed teammate. For the normally precocious and polite young boy, such a statement was as good as a slap to the face. Naruto could even see the beginnings of a glare in his pale and elegant face. He wouldn't let the spoiled brat get away with it however. His plan had been flawless. If Sasuke hadn't pulled Sakura back from that position at the last minute, they'd be surrounding the enemy, not the other way around.
"Shut it Sasuke! It would have worked—"
Before Naruto could complete his planned diatribe, though, a fist smacked his face into the ground. The boy needed no other knowledge than the pulsing pain his head to realize who had committed the deed, "What the hell Sakura?"
He glared up angrily into the emerald orbs gazing sadly down at him. Sakura was quick with a response, "Sorry Naruto, but Sasuke was right. I could have been ambushed and then you and Sasuke would have been left wide open for a surprise attack. It was too risky. Besides we don't have time for any more of your angry ranting. Now let's find a way back to Kakashi-sensei before those Kumo shinobi take advantage of their superior positioning or their Iwa reinforcements arrive."
Naruto averted his eyes shamefully, a light blush beginning to color his cheeks. Sakura's words stung worse than the blow to his head, no matter how many times he was used to it; but he knew deep down that she was right. Why would he make such an obvious blunder?
Because I wanted to show up Sasuke. Plain and simple.
During the two years since Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had graduated as one of the nine Genin and become Team 7 with Kakashi as their sensei, they had been on many B-rank missions and several A-rank missions (with Kakashi aiding them, of course), all the while learning new techniques and honing their current skills to better serve Konoha. For Naruto, though, his progress had been severely hampered by his unrequited rage towards Sasuke.
It's like a cheap movie: everything I do, he does better…and he doesn't even seem to care. Hell, he doesn't even respond when I yell at him. I don't want to end up like that baka Gai Maito, always going on about being Kakashi-sensei's eternal rival and always being put down in the most humiliating manner possible: absolute rejection. Does Sasuke even care about me as I teammate, or do I just get in the way?
Naruto frowned beneath his headband as he sent several Kage Bunshin Henged as Sakura, Sasuke, and himself towards the forest. Was he just a supporting character in the play that was Sasuke's life? He wanted more. He wanted to be important and respected…but every time he prepared to enact one of his grand, heat of the moment strategies, this very same ambition caused him to be impulsive and make mistakes.
"Naruto, come on!"
He turned to see Sakura inside a hole, mud smeared across her face. A small, childish giggle escaped his throat at the sight of her. Her beautiful red ninja dress was torn and dirty from digging and her hands were bleeding and brown. Yet, despite all of these things, her face glowed with purpose and enthusiasm.
"What are you laughing about baka," she whispered furiously, her eyes narrowed in a glare.
Still sniggering, Naruto stealthily moved towards her, where he rested back in his heels and examined her with his piercing blue eyes. After a moment's silence he said, no trace of humor in his voice, "I'm laughing because you look terrible," he continued on, ignoring the murderous look that entered her eyes, "…and because you're going to be one of the best shinobi Konoha'll ever have."
'Wait, what did I just say? Oh hell she's gonna kill—'
"T-thank you…Naruto."
He stared at her in shock, only to find her face holding an unusual emotion within it: pure and unfettered gratitude.
Naruto, feeling awkward and uncomfortable in such an unfamiliar situation, blushed terribly and quickly climbed into the hole, all the while mumbling, "It's nothin' at all…no problem…better ge' goin'…"
Before he could crawl two feet, he felt Sakura gently pull him to face her and give him a soft kiss on his headband resting across his forehead. Naruto was frozen, his blood colder than the frigid earth eating away at his loose clothing. Staring into Sakura's face, he saw complete and joyful friendship, something he had never experienced before in his entire life. There in the rain, in the middle of war with people who probably didn't deserve to die in the first place, in the freezing mud miles away from home, Naruto felt love blossom within his small heart. It was not the love of romance or passion, but of friendship and camaraderie. This girl, for no other reason than that he had complimented her, had shown him gratitude. Him.
Naruto was too stunned to do anything other than gape. Sakura noticed, for a in an instant her face assumed an expression of humorous annoyance and she reprimanded, a giggle of her own within her throat, "Your supposed to say 'you're welcome' silly."
Scratching his hand behind his head sheepishly, he responded, "Sorry…and you're welcome."
"Much better. We might make a gentleman out of you after all."
"Aw, Sakura-chan! You're so cruel!"
Sasuke's voice suddenly rang out from deep within the tunnel, "I would appreciate some help digging…unless of course you two would like that giant Kumo nin with the halberd to slice you in half."
While Sakura blushed in embarrassment, Naruto merely laughed and retorted, "Is that humor from the great Sasuke-kun? Oh, Kakashi-sensei's gonna love this!"
Even from this great distance, Naruto could feel Sasuke's glare burning into him, "You're dead if you do, Naruto-baka."
"Ah settle down Sasuke-hime. I know how precious your little reputation is. I promise I won't tell anyone."
Naruto placed his right hand over his heart, making a mock salute with the other.
"Cut it out you two. We've got a lot of digging to do."
The boys reluctantly silenced their feud at Sakura's admonishment and set out to make it back to their main camp as quickly as possible. All the while, though, Naruto couldn't repress the pleasant warmth within his chest at the thought of Sakura's happy face.
Four hours. Four miserable hours they had been digging through the freezing mud of Kumo and they were still a couple miles away from their main camp.
Sakura spit mud out of her mouth, her pixyish face screwed up in disgust. Every time they tried to go above ground, Sasuke's Sharingan would pick up enemy ninja nearby. Back into the tunnel they would go and back into the muddy mess that Sakura hated with an unbelievable passion. She was so incensed at the labor that when Naruto stopped to see how she was faring, she had thrown a fist full of mud into his face for slowing down their progress. Memories of Naruto's earlier praise unexpectedly flooded into her mind. Sincerity and kindness had been the only feelings within his eyes. When he had said that she'd be one of Konoha's best shinobi, she had been stunned. In her two years as a shinobi, the only compliments she had ever received were Kakashi-sensei's half-hearted encouragements.
I can't be "Konoha's best shinobi". I'm not even sure I can make it to Chuunin. My role is to support the more powerful shinobi…like Sasuke, for instance. I'm too small to be any good at taijutsu and I don't have enough chakra to perform powerful ninjutsu. Kakashi-sensei did say my chakra control was really high after I climbed up those trees. Maybe I can be a genjutsu specialist like that red-eyed kunoichi; but even then, I'd still only be support. Stupid Naruto, he can't even understand what some people our meant…to…do…
She faltered upon seeing Naruto's bright eyes once again glance back at her to ascertain her well-being. Normally she wasn't so fatalistic, but there were some things that she just knew she wouldn't be able to achieve. Why couldn't the gaki understand that? But when she saw Naruto's optimistic face, child-like enthusiasm and drive beaming from every orifice, a small part of her took his words, spoken with a tenderness she had not thought possible of the loud boy, and held them close to her heart, embedding them forever within her as a shield against the doubt and dismissal of her superiors.
Sakura pushed ahead with renewed vigor. They had a lot of ground to cover and she couldn't waste time dawdling. Besides, when would she ever get the chance to play in the mud again?
"Why does Konoha have to be so far away," a voice whined, carrying itself annoyingly far.
For what felt like the hundredth time, Naruto heard his sensei, Hatake Kakashi reply in the most bored manner possible, "Because the gods want to annoy you…and everyone within a two-mile vicinity."
"What was that Kakashi-sensei?"
"Nothing, nothing," the Jounin replied, waving his right hand in the air dismissively, "Just answering your question."
"What was your answer, exactly?"
Naruto scowled as the silver-haired legend turned his head to face him, eye smiling politely, "My answer was an explanation on how the borders of the Five Shinobi Countries were formed. You want me to start again?"
"No, no that won't be necessary, hehe, just fine with the silence."
"Suit yourself."
With that, Kakashi turned back towards his mysterious orange book, sandals pattering softly against the dirt pathway leading back to Konoha. Sighing exasperatedly, Naruto glanced at his two other teammates. Sakura's nose was buried in a book thicker than her forearm and she seemed to be fascinated. Sasuke, on the other hand, seemed content to stare coolly into space, indifferent to his surroundings.
Naruto sighed again, enhancing its volume dramatically. When this received no response, he finally submitted and abandoned all attempts at entertainment. Eventually, his thoughts wandered to how Team 7 had come to start travelling back to Konoha. The war was still raging as hard as ever and Naruto had gotten the impression that every available shinobi was needed at the front lines.
It had been four months since that grueling dig back to their main camp, and Team 7 had already redeemed themselves several times over. Naruto in particular had shown the most improvement, though he was still the weakest member of the team in raw skill. This development was actually due, in part, to a very unexpected discussion he had had with Sasuke after they had finally made it back to their camp. It forever changed Naruto's opinion of Sasuke and himself:
Naruto trudged along one of the many paths that intersected and crawled across the massive array of barracks and tents of Konoha's Shutarubakuei. It was very similar to its sister base, the Uxesutanbakuei, near Iwa. He recalled hearing from Iruka how these legendary bases had been established by the Nidaime Hokage as a frontline against any attacks. While they wouldn't have stood up to the advance of the Kyuubi no Yokai had they been in its path, it could withstand the assault of a large army. They were one of the many reasons Iwa and Kumo were reluctant to go to war. Assault of the Shutarubakuei was a daunting task, both militarily and financially.
One of the main reasons for this was that the base was colossal, spanning nearly two miles along the Kumo border. Walls extending nearly a hundred feet in the air gave the Shutarubakuei the appearance of a fortress rather than an obscured ninja camp.
Naruto rounded a corner of a Chuunin barracks. He was tired, filthy, and grumpy as hell. All he wanted was to drown himself in a hot shower, with soap and frothy bubbles sand—
"Naruto, could I speak with you for a moment?"
He swiveled his head around in confusion, until his eyes rested upon the onyx orbs of Sasuke.
Groaning, he replied, "Don't yell at me about how terrible my plan was again, teme…I'm exhausted, I need a shower, and, to tell the truth, I have no energy to so if you don't mind—why are you staring at me like that? Wait a minute, that's why you don't pay attention to those girls! You're a f—dammit what he'd call it—a fag!"
Naruto remembered hearing a drunk yell the word at another man and judging from the furious look on the man's face, he figured it was a pretty bad insult, though he had no idea why.
Sasuke quirked and eyebrow in confusion, "Wha—I mean, I did come here to talk to you about your strategies…all of your strategies."
Snarling, Naruto replied, "I thought I just told yo—"
"I think they have the potential to be of great aid to us in battle," Sasuke cut in effortlessly, his voice as cold and graceful as the best of the Uchiha.
Naruto was stunned, but quickly regained his footing, "What do you mean?"
Smirking slightly, Sasuke replied, "The plans you come up with are done in reaction to the events you take in within a second's glance and they are strategically sound. Their only flaw is that the speed with which they are made. I have seen my father and, most especially, my brother strategize enough to recognize the importance of understanding every possible solution. I've had to combat many of Itachi-oniisan's strategies and all of them have one common factor: they never disadvantage my brother unless they are meant to. You, on the other hand, rush through your strategies and leave out small, yet vitally important details. The mission today is case in point: You were so concentrated on surrounding the enemy in front of us that you failed to anticipate any additional enemy forces."
"What are you trying to say," Naruto asked indignantly.
For the first time in the two years Naruto had worked with the reclusive Uchiha, he saw determination burn brightly within his eyes, "I'm trying to say that I want you to get better, baka, so you can help me become stronger as well. I heard you go on about wanting to be Hokage or some such nonsense—"
"IT'S NOT NONSENSE BECAUSE I WILL BE HOKAGE YOU TEME!"
Ignoring the outburst with the contempt of a lord, Sasuke coolly replied, "Not if you keep up like you are. You're the weakest member on our team and that's dangerous." He dismissed Naruto's glare and continued, "As a team, we depend upon each other for support. If one of us slips up, we could all die."
"I know that," he snapped back, his pride stung at how close Sasuke had gotten to him, "and if I were in charge of Team 7, I'd complete our missions just as quickly as you if not faster."
"Prove it."
That caught Naruto by surprise. Sasuke usually dismissed his boasting as if it never existed, but now he was actually acknowledging it? Naruto could not contain his shock, "Heh?"
"If you think you're a better shinobi than me, prove it. Defeat me in battle and I'll acknowledge your superiority…but I doubt a dobe like you could give me a good match."
"What was that teme?"
His smirk widening, the raven-haired boy reiterated, "I said, a dobe like you'll never give me a good match. Face it," his smirk widened into a sneer, "you'll never even come close to me. Hell, I'd be surprised if you ever made Chuunin, let alone Hok—"
Sasuke quickly dodged a volley of shuriken and leapt around the corner of the barracks.
"Alright Sasuke, you're DEAD!"
And so, Naruto engaged Sasuke in one of the most vicious one-on-one battles he had ever fought…and also one of the quickest. While his Kage Bunshin rushing as a horde was slightly intimidating, Sasuke destroyed most of them with a simple Katon jutsu and eliminated the rest with his Sharingan-enhanced taijutsu. The few ninjutsu that Naruto had his arsenal consisted of only three other offensive jutsu and he had shaky control at best. The result was Naruto taking a humiliating beating at the hands of his rival; but not before ambushing him in the alley way with Kage Bunshin atop the roofs of the two adjacent barracks. Sasuke's grimace as a clone cut his leg before being dispelled was almost worth the defeat.
As he lay against the side of one of the barracks with a bloody nose and bruised face, Sasuke uttered, "Like I said, you'll never be Hokage unless you can beat me…and you'll never beat me."
Fury raged like a burning fire within his heart as he watched Sasuke walk away, back straight with confidence and pride.
From that day on, Naruto dedicated himself to beating Sasuke and it showed. He added several jutsu to repertoire and increased the speed of hand seals to the point that he could make the Soyokaze sever a branch as thick as half his body width at an adequate speed. Hours of sparring with Sasuke, and helpful hints from Kakashi-sensei, drastically improved his taijutsu form to the point that Sasuke had to use his Sharingan to beat him. Kakashi also provided him with focusing exercises to help him in creating strategies during battle. Most importantly to Naruto, however, was the bond he had developed with Sakura and Sasuke and the significance they gave his life.
In the two years Naruto had been a part of Team 7, he had always been the weakest member. The only advantage he had had over Sakura was his gender and its advantage in strength when fighting against her in a taijutsu spar. Even with this, his form had been so sloppy that he had to give it everything he had to beat her. Had she been allowed to use jutsu, she could have trapped him within an illusion and drowned him with one of her Suton jutsu in a heartbeat. It was worse with Sasuke…far worse. The Uchiha had been able to defeat Naruto easily before he obtained his Sharingan. With it, Naruto had stood no chance at all. While his strategies had hindered Sasuke and caused him on occasion to leave openings in his defense, Naruto had lacked the attack power to take advantage of them. Any Kage Bunshin Naruto had sent at him were easily destroyed by a simple Katon and Sasuke handled him too easily in taijutsu to attack him head on, a fact Naruto learned the hard way many times. This weakness had caused Naruto to be more of a liability during missions than a help. He had even overhead Kakashi-sensei talking with some smoking Jounin about transferring him. Naruto still couldn't shake his sensei's words out of his head, "Asuma…I think I might have to move Naruto to Hannin. I have a feeling it would break him, but he's endangering Sakura and Sasuke. If any of the three of them died…"
Apparently, Kakashi didn't have the desire to finish the thought, and Naruto was glad he hadn't. Deep down, Naruto wouldn't have blamed Kakashi if he had demoted him. The only reason he had made it Genin was because of his Kage Bunshin clones…and that he faced off against a pretty weak opponent in the taijutsu test. He also did terribly in genjutsu and was only able to negate this with an above average assassination score, achieved using his knowledge of silently avoiding furious prank victims. That particular experience seemed to have a variety of uses.
But despite the possibility of enduring such a terrible humiliation as being demoted from a Genin, Naruto's performance had remained lackluster and he had no idea why…until he fought Sasuke in that random, insignificant alleyway. The cause for Naruto's incompetence was simple: he had never had a reason strong enough to drive him to succeed and grow. While protecting Sakura was powerfully motivating, it was not enough to begin chipping away at the lifetime of feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness that overwhelmed Naruto whenever he attempted anything. Sasuke's challenge to him, however, had struck a nerve deep within him; yet, it was not only the anger that he felt at being underestimated that drove him, but the joy at being acknowledged. Sasuke needed him to become stronger. Without him, without his existence, Sasuke would not be able to make Itachi and his father proud. That, coupled with his desire to protect Sakura, gave him a new meaning and purpose.
"I think we can take a break now," Kakashi announced, cutting in on Naruto's reminiscence of his progress.
The four ninja ambled off of the path and next to a massive boulder that cast a refreshing shadow large enough to cover the three Genin. Kakashi politely allowed them to rest in the shade. The three teammates gratefully fell against the rock as Kakashi easily sat down atop a log and resumed reading his book.
Two questions that had bugged Naruto ever since they left the Shutarubakuei suddenly burst out of him after a mere moment's silence, "Kakashi-sensei, why are we walking back to Konoha…and why are we walking in the first place?"
Kakashi's single exposed eye lazily turned its attention to Naruto, "To answer your," he paused to mockingly count, "second question, I thought you guys would want to relax a little bit. As for your first, we're going back to Konoha for a meeting with the Hokage. Your other classmates are going back to. Think of it as a temporary vacation from the horrors and bloodshed of war." His eye smiled cheerfully at this last statement and then hastily returned to the book in his hand.
Naruto, however, was busy digesting Kakashi's words, Meeting with the Hokage? Perhaps a psychological examination? Yeah, that's it. The Hokage wants to make sure we haven't gone insane from killing soldiers. Not like we've done any of that, though. I don't think any Genin's killed anybody. Hell, Sasuke was about to slit that Chuunin's throat last month before Kakashi-sensei sliced off his head.
This intrigued Naruto greatly and he quietly shared his thoughts with Sakura and Sasuke.
Sakura rubbed thoughtfully her chin before responding, "You have a point Naruto, but there's no law forbidding Genin from killing anybody. That would really hinder us in the field."
"I agree," Sasuke said, "but Naruto's right. Sakura and I have had many chances to end an enemy's life before and, in these last few months, you have as well Naruto."
Naruto was surprised to see Sasuke glance at him in approval, but quickly focused on what the raven-haired boy said next, "But at all of these moments, Kakashi-sensei has stepped in. If there is some secret law forbidding Genin from killing, then we need to confront the Hokage and convince him otherwise. Shinobi weapons of the village, its defenders in times of need and its avengers when embroiled in war. We cannot perform our duties if we are forbidden to engage in our basic nature."
Smirking cynically, Naruto commented, "Spoken from the shinobi handbook itself. I think your starting to rub off on him Sakura-chan."
While Sakura found Naruto's comment slightly humorous, if offensive, Sasuke scowled severely, "But it's the truth Naruto. That is what we are meant to do. We kill so others don't have to."
Naruto stared at Sasuke with as much gravity and seriousness he could muster before replying, "Say you are right and our main purpose is to kill. If that's true, are you ready to end a life?"
For the first time since Naruto had meant the raven-haired Uchiha, Sasuke was visibly stunned. Before he could reply, Sakura cut in, "Naruto, I don't think any of us are ready to kill. But…well, Sasuke's point is that it doesn't matter. We have to kill and risk our lives. That is our sacrifice so others can live happily."
Indignation burned within Naruto and he voiced it angrily, "Does that mean we can't have a happy life? We just become killers? I don't want that—"
"And that won't happen."
All three of them swerved their heads towards Kakashi, their eyes widened in astonishment. Their sensei stared at them lazily, but his eye held knowledge that Naruto genuinely feared. Finally, Kakashi spoke up, "Sasuke is correct when he says our main purpose, as shinobi, is to end life for the good of the village. We sacrifice our humanity so that the humanity of others is preserved…but that doesn't mean we have to enjoy it or become killing automatons devoid of emotion. When you have to kill, you kill. Nothing more, nothing less."
Kakashi's eye suddenly turned downwards as if lost in a painful memory. When he spoke again, his voice was eerily grave, "When you first take a life, the experience is unforgettable. You're haunted by nightmares and phantasms of that person, no matter how much you tell yourself they were 'evil' or 'threats to the village'. But, after doing it for a while, you learn how to shut off your mind to the sadness…zone out, if you will, while you're killing the enemy. The cost is that you become brutalized to the point that you 'zone out' at any instance of killing. But there's a reason Konoha's the envy of the ninja world. Our value on teamwork and friendship is meant to create a bond between the village and a shinobi. Other villages that focus on strength over cooperation are weaker and smaller because their more powerful shinobi have no ties, no friends, to bind them to the village. The result is that many of them go missing-nin. No matter how alone you feel, no matter how terrible you feel after killing, remember that your village, your Hokage, your sensei, and, most importantly, your teammates will always be there for you."
For a long time the clearing was shrouded in silence, until Sakura, her voice unusually timid and nervous, asked, "Sensei, why aren't letting us…kill and g-get it over with? Wouldn't it…wouldn't it be better to get used to it now?"
Kakashi's eye seemed to droop even more, weighed down by some unknown sadness. In an instant, he stood up, shouldered his pack, and set off down the road. The three Genin stared after him, bewildered by his sudden departure, before hastily grabbing their own packs and heading on after them. The trip was devoid of any sound the rest of the way.
Arms, covered in orange fabric, stretched luxuriously behind an equally-clothed back. Groaning with pleasure, Naruto returned his arms to their normal position, ignoring the glare of a passing villager as he did so. He had been back in Konoha for moments and already the populace was expressing their seemingly undying hatred for him. It did not go unnoticed by either Sakura or Sasuke. As they were heading to the Hokage Tower, they could easily perceive the glares being directed at their group. Since no villager in their right mind would openly display any feelings of animosity towards Kakashi or Sasuke, and considering that Sakura's family was well-respected among Konoha's non-shinobi families, only one member of their group was left who could have warranted such hostility.
"Naruto, why are those people glaring at you," Sakura whispered in his ear, her voice rife with confusion and…protectiveness? For reasons Naruto understood very well, that pleased him greatly. It didn't help in answering her question however, for in truth, he had no idea why he was so thoroughly despised in Konoha.
The only response he could think of was, "Probably peeved about my pranks."
"Huh," was all he got as a reply, though Naruto could tell she was unconvinced.
As they walked through the streets of Konoha, Naruto could feel the strain of war everywhere. Villagers, presumably the parents of children in the war, trudged sadly towards some unknown destination, their backs slightly hunched over as if under some terrible weight. The once busy and golden city that had teemed with life and happiness, now seemed gray and cold to Naruto. Whereas before, hundreds of villagers and vendors lined the curb, the roads were now home to hordes of ninja and couriers, snaking their way through the along the paths of Konoha like a massive millipede in endless motion.
The Engine of War, Naruto thought ruefully, referencing a book he had seen Kakashi reading several weeks earlier. Though Naruto felt little love for the place (indeed, he thoroughly enjoyed living with their unprejudiced and uncaring comrades in the Shutarubakuei), a twang of sadness pierced his heart at the thought of how such a heavy air of sorrow had fallen on the once joyous citizens of Konoha. Of course, he had never been a part of that joy, a fact which prevented him from feeling anything further for his fellow Konoha villagers. Sakura and Sasuke, on the other hand, seemed greatly disturbed by the changes brought on by the war and wore strained expressions of grief and worry.
They reached the Tower within minutes and quickly entered the air-conditioned building to escape the rising heat of the humid summer air, a stark contrast to the brisk and chilling climates near the Kumo and Iwa border. Needless to say, Naruto was grateful for the artificial breeze that cooled the sweat saturating his skin…until the scathing eyes of Annyui Juujun met his own crystal blue orbs.
"Hell…" he muttered under his breath. This drew a curious glance from Sakura, which he pointedly ignored.
Annyui had aged every bit of the two years that had passed since Naruto had last seen her. Her face, formerly smooth, was now slightly drawn with weariness and small dark circles made her exhaustion apparent to the world. Indeed, the war had taken its toll on everyone, especially the administrative workers of the Hokage. Yet, despite her fatigue, the hateful secretary, a small scar, vainly covered with strands of hair, stretching two inches down from her hair line as a reminder of their encounter, looked ready to scream many a foul obscenity at Naruto; but Kakashi, as if aware of the past struggles between the two, hurriedly stepped up to the desk and, eye smiling cheerfully, said, "Team 7 reporting for a scheduled meeting with the Hokage."
Annyui's eyes widened for a moment at the abruptness of Kakashi's appearance, but she quickly responded, "O-of course Kakashi-san. You're listed for," she nervously rifled through several stacks of paper, "oh! You're a half hour late. Hurry on in…now!"
The three Genin were horrified to learn they were late for a meeting with one of the most powerful figures in all the Five Nations, but Kakashi seemed perfectly fine. He casually sauntered up the steps, must to the consternation of his students. By the time they reached the office, Naruto was positive they had missed their appointment.
However, when they entered the room, Naruto was struck dumb in awe. The dark, poorly lit shadows that Naruto had witnessed during his escapade into the office two years ago were now bathed in the golden light of the sun shining over the Hokage Mountain. Golden scrolls, emerald and ruby statues, and several diamond swords were but a few of the incredible treasures displayed within the office. All reflected the sunlight with a radiance that truly represented the might and majesty that was Konoha. Yet above them all, the first thing Naruto noticed was the Forbidden Scroll of Seals resting as casually against the back wall as it had the day he had first laid eyes upon it. Naruto still couldn't forget the day the Hokage went to his house purposefully to recollect the scroll. To his amazement, all he had received was a stern reprimand and an oddly proud grin from Ojisan.
"So Kakashi," the Hokage's aged voice rang out with the clarity and dignity of one used to being listened to, "how's Team 7 been doing?"
Kakashi, from what Naruto could see under the Jounin's mask, looked ready to say something, but glanced at them all instead. He rapidly scanned their faces and, apparently satisfied, answered, "Hokage-sama, my team has successfully completed around ninety percent of their missions. In some cases, they've gone beyond the parameters of the mission to the benefit of our armies. Individually, they have improved dramatically, particularly Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto beamed at this and eagerly waited for the Hokage's positive compliments.
Instead, the Hokage replied, "Do you have documentation of this?"
"Of course Hokage-sama." Kakashi casually withdrew a large folder and placed it on the dark ebony wood of the Hokage's desk.
The Hokage gently took the folder and began rifling through its contents, making indistinguishable grunts as he did so. Finally, he set the folder aside and addressed Kakashi, "You say Uzumaki has improved…that's quite understandable considering how poorly he performed for over a year and a half under your command." Naruto's eyes widened as a deep, humiliated blush burned his face. He averted his eyes away from Ojisan—no, the Hokage's face.
Kakashi seemed to stiffen slightly as he responded, "You're right Hokage-sama. Naruto started off slow…so slow that I considered demoting him to Hannin in order to avoid the death of my Team. However, the growth he's shown in the past four months can only be described as meteoric." Naruto swerved his head up hopefully. "Naruto played a vital role in the discovery of the Rinkan camp six weeks ago and was able to keep an Iwa squad of Genin from alerting the Kawazoi reinforcements until our own forces had already surrounded and eliminated them. It is for this reason that I recommend my entire team for promotion to Teii Chuunin."
Naruto could barely keep his joy contained within himself, A promotion? I…I did it! Ha ha, take that Konoha! Yeah, Teii—wait, what's a Teii Chuunin?
Glancing over at his other teammates, he found similar expressions of excitement and confusion written upon their faces. This was replaced with rapt attention when the Hokage responded, "Hmm, you think their ready for that Kakashi?"
The Jounin gave a short nod in the affirmative, "Yes, Hokage-sama."
A thin smile, merely another wrinkle on the old leader's face, spread across the Hokage's visage, "Yet you desire them to remain in a squad. Do you not think they will be able to handle the responsibilities of a full-fledged Chuunin? The lowest rank mission they've completed was one C-rank. The rest were all B- and A-rank missions, the vast majority of which, as you yourself said, they've completed. Though you were there to aid them, they were still able to make a significant contribution during all these missions. During the Takedakeshii incident, you even allowed them to take the lead on the mission. By all rights they should be made Chuunin, if not Jou—"
"Hokage-sama," Kakashi cut in unexpectedly and, in Naruto's estimation (considering he had just been recommended by the Hokage to be a Chuunin), rather rudely, "may I speak frankly?"
Upon seeing the Hokage nod, Kakashi said, "You know as well as I that they are not even close to Jounin level. I was twelve when I was made Jounin and…we know what happened. They are four years younger than I was and all the less experienced for it. In terms of power, I agree with you in that I believe they might be able take on one of the enemy's Chuunin and claim victory…but you know what else comes with that rank." Naruto was shocked to see Kakashi so emotional and passionate. He was acting the way he had back in the clearing.
What's with him? And what does being a Chuunin bring upon someone that's so horrible?
The Hokage nodded once more, a sigh sadly escaping from his old mouth, "I know all too well Kakashi. So be it. In seven days," he turned his head towards the Genin behind Kakashi. The Jounin, sensing his students' rapidly rising excitement, politely stepped out of the way as the Hokage continued, "You three will be declared official Teii Chuunin. The rank of Teii Chuunin is a secondary wartime rank created for very young, but talented Genin such as yourselves. Should the war end quickly, before you had the opportunity to prove yourselves, your rank will revert to Genin. However, should you prove to be a valuable member of our shinobi force, you will be granted the rank of Chuunin and maintain that rank upon the war's ending."
Any curiosity Naruto felt about Kakashi's attitude was a washed away in a torrent of joy and exhilaration. Forgetting where he was, Naruto leapt high into the air while letting out cries of joy…only to be smacked down by Sakura's cruel fist, "BAKA! WE'RE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE HOKAGE!"
Despite Sakura's rebuttal of his enthusiasm, Naruto could tell from under the cracked splinters of the floor that Sakura was elated, if the light flush of happiness on her face was anything to go by.
She extended a hand to him and helped him up, all the while checking for any signs of hurt upon his body. It was a usual custom: Naruto would get over-excited about something, Sakura would calm him down (often physically), and then she would help him up and make sure he was okay. In some ways, Naruto realized, Sakura was much like a mother hen, watching out for him and Sasuke. Though, Naruto was positive the raven-haired boy would never agree to such an estimation, despite being tended to by Sakura's graceful hands countless times after a battle.
At this thought, Naruto looked over to Sasuke and was surprised to see frustration on his face mixed in with the joy of promotion. Before he could follow this, however, the Hokage said, "Team 7, you are dismissed. Go and enjoy yourself for a little while. Kakashi…"
Kakashi nodded, "Right. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura," he looked at each of them in turn, "The Hokage's right. You should get some rest. We'll have a meeting in a week, get your forms signed and head back to the Shutarubakuei. Sound good?"
"Hai, sensei," they responded in unison before swiftly exiting the room.
Outside the Hokage Tower, Naruto released the energy that had been refilling inside of him after his first outburst into one great shout, "YEAHHHHHHH! UZUMAKI NARUTO IS ON HIS WAY!"
Sasuke shook his head in disapproval, frustration still apparent on his face, "Don't get so excited dobe. Becoming a Teii Chuunin is nothing. You're still as long away from being Hokage as before."
Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but was beat to the chase by a very annoyed Sakura, "What's wrong with you Sasuke? We just got promoted and your acting like we did something wrong! Grrr, you're such a killjoy sometimes!"
If Sasuke was surprised at Sakura's outburst he didn't show it. His voice, however, gave off a cold fury, "At my age, Itachi had already mastered the Sharingan…now he's an Anbu Captain and I can't even call myself a Chuunin!" Sakura winced at Sasuke's venomous tone, but Naruto felt a curious calm descend upon him.
Sasuke's rage, though unfamiliar on the normally calm boy's face, was something well known to Naruto. Sasuke wanted approval…acknowledgement…power…everything Naruto himself wanted and it was all in those onyx orbs that glared so intently at some unknown image. Yet within that torrent of ambition, Naruto saw something else that drove Sasuke. Love for his brother and family tempered his desire and, in Naruto's opinion, made it stronger.
"Sasuke," Naruto said quietly, continuing when his teammate looked up at him curiously, "your brother's a hard act to follow, you know? Maybe you just aren't at his level…"
Horror and fury contorted Sasuke's face into something demonic, but Naruto remained still and continued, "Or maybe, he's so good because he's pushing himself for you."
The terrible monstrosity that had been Sasuke's face disappeared in an instant, "…What?"
"Itachi might be strong because he's that good, but I think he's so powerful because he has individuals to, I don't know, get stronger for. It's like he's trying to set an example for you, you know, like he's saying, 'Here Sasuke, watch what I do and make it better.' He wants you to surpass him. It doesn't matter how long it takes to master your eye-thingy or what rank you are at whatever age…so long as you take his lessons and become strong with them, he'll be proud of you."
For a long time, nobody spoke. Both Sasuke and Sakura stared at Naruto as if he had grown wings. Sasuke in particular was gazing upon him with a look of absolute bewilderment. Finally, Naruto sheepishly asked, his hands waving frantically in front of him, "Or maybe I was wrong, who knows? Hehe…yeah. Could you just um…eh…stop staring at me?"
A giggle escaped from Sakura's mouth…and then another…and another, until she was nearly doubled over with laughter. Even Sasuke started to laugh, his once brooding features lightened considerably by his merriment. The joy of his teammates rolled off of them in waves, infecting Naruto. He couldn't help but join in, reveling in the echoes their happiness made against the once grim, but now suddenly beautiful structures of Konoha.
By the time they were done, they all lay panting next to each other on the ground, snickers occasionally sending them into fits of elation. Naruto had no idea why they had done that. He hadn't said or done anything particularly funny, nor had he wanted to elicit this reaction from them in the first place. But as he lay on the ground, the soft grains of soil tickling the nerves in his skin, he realized he didn't care. For two years, they had been soldiers of their village, fighting and risking their lives to protect those that they loved. Most children their age would be enjoying the company of their families and friends. For Team 7, they barely had time to snicker before an enemy prepared to end their lives. This laugh, this one raucous eruption of emotion, was a release for all of their worries and fears, nightmares and anxiety…and it bound them together forever. Only they could understand what they had experienced during war and only they could understand the pressures each of them faced when fighting with one another against enemies who were far older and more experienced.
"Naruto, Sakura," Sasuke called out their names with a voice full of lightheartedness, "my family's probably having a welcome home dinner for me. I think Itachi might be coming home as well, since I saw him leaving walking past us earlier today, so there'll definitely be a celebration. You guys," he hesitated bashfully, "want to come over?"
Turning his head over to look at his teammate, Naruto saw worry flit across his face. For all of his calmness and confidence, Sasuke was still subject to the fears of rejection by his friends.
What a familiar feeling…
"I don't think your family would like me to be at your little celebration," Naruto replied, his heart clenching upon seeing Sasuke's face fall. He quickly replied, his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed in a mockingly angry manner, "But, I may grace your arrogant little home tomorrow."
He peeped his eye open and a saw a smirk flit across Sasuke's before hearing, "Whatever dobe. Just make sure not to make a fool out of yourself in front of my family. I'd never hear the end of it from my dad…and my mom might kill you to prevent me from having a liability as a teammate."
"Hey!"
Sakura suddenly replied, her voice meek with guilt, "I think I'll have to agree with Naruto, Sasuke. My family's not very prominent and it's your celebration. It'd be kind of awkward. I'll definitely come over with Naruto tomorrow, though, believe—how do you say it Naruto?"
Exasperatedly, Naruto replied, "It's 'Believe it!' as if you're really passionate about something," but he added quietly, "though now it sounds stupid…"
"Right, we'll be there Sasuke. Believe it! Did I do it right?"
"Perfectly. Well," Naruto leapt up and, dusting off his pants, said, "we'll see you tomorrow Sasuke. Until then Sakura, you wanna get a bite to eat?"
Warily watching Naruto's face, Sakura replied, "Is this a date?"
Naruto assumed a horrified look, "Ugh, Sakura how could you even say such a horrible thing! Eck, all you girls are perverts."
An angry tick appeared on Sakura's forehead, "And why is a date with me so bad?"
"Well for one thing—", it was at that moment that Naruto noticed the tick mark, "um, f-f-for one thing, er, I'm…I'm," his eyes suddenly sparkled with inspiration, "I'm not good enough for you! Yeah, that's it! I would tarnish you're angel—angeli—you get the idea!"
Sakura rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I'll go somewhere with you, but I decide where we eat, got it?"
Winking slyly at Sasuke, Naruto replied, "The choice is all yours Sakura, as befits one of your—"
Sakura got up, cutting his poetic exercise off, "Yeah, yeah, let's just go alright?"
"Aw, Sakura! It took me forever to sneak into Kakashi's tent to figure out those lines from his book…though there were really weird words in there. Hmm…"
And so, Sasuke watched the pair set off towards down the street, Naruto talking and moving animatedly, while Sakura listened patiently, laughing every now and then at Naruto's antics.
The Uchiha pulled himself off the ground, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and set off towards the Uchiha Compound. Deep down, he was incredibly excited to see his family again, especially his mother, which was a dire blow to his masculinity. He quickly recovered by thinking about his father. He didn't know Sasuke had activated his Sharingan…he'd be so proud! And so would Itachi.
As his thoughts drifted to Itachi, he couldn't help but remember seeing the terribly conflicted expression on his face as he had passed through the crowd. Oh well, he'd work that out when he got home. Right now, he was just happy to be back and in all honesty, Naruto had everything to do with that. Perhaps the Uchiha Clan's disdain of teamwork was misplaced…perhaps Naruto and Sakura really could make him stronger through their friendship. Despite his cold exterior, Sasuke genuinely hoped that was true.
Naruto sprinted through the hospital doors, his heart hammering against his chest.
Dammit Sasuke, you'd better be all right.
After he and Sakura had returned from their "date", they had headed towards the small Genin barracks located near the Hokage Tower. As they had been walking, a frantic villager had run past them, screaming, "The Uchiha Clan has been massacred! The Uchiha Clan has been massacred!"
Concerned for Sasuke's safety, they had headed towards the Uchiha Compound, which they found to be completely blocked off by shinobi. Naruto saw a gruff-looking Jounin directing a group of Chuunin and headed for him. When he reached him, he demanded, "What happened? Where's Sasuke? Where's Uchiha Sasuke?"
The Jounin, initially unaware of Naruto's presence in the flurry of the moment, glanced down at Naruto in surprise, "That's none of you—"
"We're his teammates gaki!"
The Jounin's eyes narrowed warily, "Names?"
Sakura, her small form quivering with anxiety, screeched in the loudest voice Naruto and the Jounin had ever had the displeasure to hear, "HARUNO SAKURA AND UZUMAKI NARUTO BAKA! NOW TAKE US TO SASUKE!"
The Jounin, a knowing frown on his face, nodded, "They've taken Uchiha Sasuke to the hospital. There's been a…a massacre."
Horror, equally powerful within both Naruto and Sakura, swelled within them as the Jounin continued, "The Uchiha Clan…we couldn't all of the details out of the boy. He was hysterical, but he kept screaming about Itachi. Referring to Uchiha Itachi I believe. Coincidentally, he's disappeared that must mean—"
Naruto had already taken off, Sakura right beside them. Naruto looked back and saw the Jounin quickly motion four of the Chuunin to follow them. It was just as well. They didn't want to look like conspirators—
Conspirators in the massacre of the Uchiha Clan…of Sasuke's family. And Itachi…
And now, both he and Sakura raced through the hospital in search of their teammate, racing past frantic medical staff vainly trying to revive fallen Uchiha. Naruto even thought he saw a Sharingan spinning in the eye of one.
Neither of them had any idea what room Sasuke was in, but they had been in such a rush to reach their friend that they had forgot to ask the secretary at the front desk.
"Naruto," Sakura said, her voice surprisingly still for one who had run for such a long time, "we don't know where Sasuke—"
"It doesn't matter. No doubt there'll be a huge crowd of people around his room. Sasuke's the last of the Uchiha Clan…or one of the last."
Naruto's predictions turned out to be correct as they soon encountered a throng of nearly all of the important members of Konoha. They halted behind an elderly gentleman in a luxurious gray cloak, lined with silky white linen at the sides. Like everyone within the crowd, he was chattering excitedly with someone beside him. In his case, he was attempting to talk to a regal looking woman, obviously a shinobi, with red marks on both of her cheeks and unnaturally sharp canines, much like a dog or a wolf. The woman was pointedly ignoring the man and seemed more intent on discovering the contents within the room. It was a harder task than might be first perceived, for in front of her was every clan head and elder of Konoha, as well as any foreign dignitaries that were residing within the city. The destruction of one of Konoha's most powerful clans, during a war, no less, was no small matter.
For Naruto and Sakura, however, the politics and power play of the people in front of them were as trivial as willow reeds in a typhoon. They cared only to determine Sasuke's well-being and attempted to push through the shouting crowd with little success. Naruto tried yelling to get their attention, but even his loud voice withered before the volume of the crowd. It was Sakura who, noticing the distinct distaste on the canine woman's face at the sight of the crowd, attempted to tug on her shinobi battle armor. The woman instantly grabbed Sakura's hand before she could do anything and glared down at her with a contempt that rivaled that of the Hyuuga…until she saw how young they were.
"You two," she demanded in a barking, commanding tone, "what are you doing here?"
Her desire to see her friend overwhelming her fear, Sakura declared confidently, "We're to our teammate. We've fought with him for too long not to be with hi—"
The woman held up a slender, yet clawed hand, a canine smile on her face, and replied, "No need for a speech girl, I recognize you from my Kiba's description. Now let's see if we can't disperse these idiots."
With a snarl fit to frighten a demon, the canine woman, hands wrapped around Naruto and Sakura's wrists, barged her way through the crowd with the power of a person several times her size. Naruto felt his head banging against legs and calves as he was dragged through the crowd. To his great relief, they reached the door quickly. He glanced up from his dazed position to see the woman talking heatedly with a guard at the door. Several moments later, the guard meekly stepped aside and the grabbed the two Genin once again. Their time spent latched on to the woman was far shorter this time as she quickly threw them through the doorway and into the hospital room.
Dazed and confused, Naruto gazed back at the woman to see her smile reassuringly before disappearing back into the crowd.
He shook his head to regain his focus and then began to analyze his surroundings. There wasn't much to analyze, actually, as the room consisted of only a few chairs, a table, a window, a dresser and closet, and a bed which was currently occupied by Sasuke. Suddenly, Naruto recognized the presence of the Hokage and Kakashi-sensei, with the older man sitting sadly beside Sasuke's bed in one of the chairs and the Jounin gazing upon the now orphaned boy with an unreadable expression. None of them so much as past a glance at the two Genin who had fell into the room.
Naruto stood up cautiously, trying his best not to disturb the silence of the room, strangely stronger than the cacophony of sound outside the door. He extended a hand to Sakura, which she gratefully accepted, and hoisted her up. When the two were standing, they made their way towards Sasuke's eerily still form.
Arms laying limply at his side, Sasuke's head was propped up on a pillow against the headrest of the bed. His skin was far paler than normal, making his dark hair seem as black as the night outside. At the moment, his eyes were closed, but Naruto could distinctly see the tear marks forming cracks along his face.
"Naruto, Sakura," The Hokage's voice softly called out their names, startling them enough to cause them to jump, "Sasuke has…been through an ordeal none should have to. He is angry, confused…vengeful, most of all. You must help him through this time. You two are the only family he has left."
"What about Itachi," Naruto whispered venomously. In an instant, Sasuke's eyelids shot open and he turned to stare at Naruto with the most chilling gaze he had ever seen.
"Itachi's whereabouts are unknown and it is doubtful we will be able to find him. Do not think about killing Itachi for Sasuke's sake. Such thoughts are deadly and will only bring harm to you and your loved ones. There will come a time when Uchiha Itachi faces the maws of death…", the Hokage fixed Naruto with a stare rivaling Sasuke's, "…but it is neither your place, nor Sakura's, nor Sasuke's to attempt such a foolhardy quest as the assassination of a traitorous Anbu captain. That is our work. Konoha avenges the injustices and horrors committed upon its own. We will avenge the Uchiha Clan. Is that understood?"
Though the Hokage's message was heard by the entire room, it was clearly directed at Sasuke, who displayed no sign he had heard the old leader's question at all.
Sighing, the Hokage stood up and left the room, his cane tapping softly against the ground. The sound outside increased and subsequently decreased as the door opened and closed. Kakashi too began to leave, but turned at the last minute and said, "Sasuke, the Hokage means what he said. We take care of our own. Itachi will burn for what he did, have no doubt; but you must not let yourself be consumed by vengeance. Itachi will win if you do."
With that, Kakashi left, quietly opening and closing the door and disappearing into the mob outside.
When they were alone, Naruto and Sakura moved closer to Sasuke's bed. It was only then that Sasuke moved. He closed his eyes. For a moment, Naruto thought he had fallen asleep, but in an instant they snapped open, revealing Sasuke's halfway developed Sharingan spinning madly within his sockets.
The horror Naruto felt upon seeing this was mirrored by a sharp pain in his left arm. Looking over his left shoulder, he saw Sakura clutching his arm in an iron grip, her eye wide with fear and worry.
"Naruto…Sakura," Sasuke's voice carried a drained air, as if having been screaming beforehand, "if you are truly my friends, you will help me in my vengeance…," Sasuke's voice suddenly rose to terrible heights, "you will help me kill Itachi!"
Team 7 raced through the forests of Konoha at breakneck speed. At their lead was Sasuke, his body taut with endless energy and rage. Several meters behind him were Sakura and Naruto, desperately trying to keep up with their friend.
It had been a week since the Uchiha incident. Sasuke had been released from the hospital by then and, confronted by an endless row of politicians and shinobi elders, taken refuge within Naruto's forlorn apartment. From there, he laid out his plan to find Itachi and kill him. Naruto knew that the plan would never work. It wasn't a plan that needed a miracle to work or would be ensured by one crucial detail…it was absolutely and utterly futile, an idea Naruto had never allowed himself to feel about anything. Despite his best efforts to convince Sasuke otherwise, Naruto found himself, and eventually Sakura, aiding in the planning process. While Naruto was sure Sasuke stood no chance against Itachi, he had a great deal more doubt that Sasuke wouldn't be able to sneak out of Konoha. If anything, he would not let him attempt to kill Itachi alone.
And so, the three Genin had snuck out of Konoha three nights before and were heading off in search of clues to Itachi's whereabouts. The "plan" had been to basically sneak out of Konoha. After that, they would search for tracks using Sasuke's Sharingan and interrogate whoever they came across.
Utterly and completely hopeless, Naruto thought once again, gloomily leaping over a tree branch.
From what Naruto saw of the map, they were nearing the Ame-Kusa border. There were so many flaws in the plan that Naruto found himself wandering if Sasuke had not gone completely insane. For one thing, they were still wearing their Konoha forehead protectors, a dead giveaway to any enem—
Suddenly, Sakura called out, "NARUTO!"
He barely had time to leap to the side as a lightning bolt obliterated the tree he had been ready to jump off of.
Kumo nin!
Naruto searched the surrounding area for his teammates, whom he found within a tree, worriedly searching the landscape for his presence. Before they could do anything, several more lightning bolts crashed all around them forcing them to scatter. Instincts honed by battle guided the Konoha nin towards each other and they soon gathered beside a tree as lightning bolts continued to rain down upon the forest.
"Dammit Sasuke, we've been ambushed! We have to get outta here now!"
"NO! We stay and fight our way out of this."
"Wha—"
"Don't argue with me Naruto! Move into formation Kappa…NOW!"
Sakura attempted to dissuade Sasuke from his foolhardiness, "Sasuke, we have no idea how strong the enemy is or—"
"I DON'T CARE! Now move!"
Naruto stared into Sasuke's feverish eyes sadly, "Fine! Once we're done with this I'm goin' back to Konoha!"
"Naruto, wait!"
He ignored Sakura's pleas and sped off through the trees, frantically searching for the enemy nin. Lightning bolts cascaded all around him, filling the very air he breathed with energy. Finally, he spotted the gray tunic of a Kumo nin.
Naruto rapidly began performing hand seals and whispered "Soyokaze no Jutsu!" A slice of wind quietly tore through the trunk of the tree the Kumo nin rested upon, causing it to fall to its side. The shinobi instantly leapt away towards another tree. It was at that moment that Naruto's waiting Kage Bunshin, henged as a tree branch, deactivated its henge and fired several kunai at the nin. One lodged itself the shinobi's calf while the other pierced his thigh. Naruto winced as the man crumpled to the floor of the forest.
In an instant, the man's comrade launched a Raiton at the clone. To Naruto's great dismay, the lightning bolt ricocheted off of the clone upon dispelling it and headed straight towards Naruto.
Shit!
Naruto had no time to dodge such a large projectile and luckily he didn't have to. A Suiton, in the form of a stream of water, redirecting the lightning bolt into tree off to Naruto's left.
Sakura…I love you, Naruto thought, sighing in relief as he did so.
His nerves tingled with the pent-up fear left over from her near death experience as he jumped to another tree. Sakura was around eighty meters behind him. Naruto had no idea where Sasuke was, until he soared over top his head. He quickly sped past the Uchiha and towards a small clearing in the middle of the forest.
"Sasuke, I'll bait them out, then you take them out with a Katon."
Sasuke nodded in the affirmative and took position in a tree near the clearing. Naruto then leapt off of the tree and, as soon his feet touched the ground, propelled himself into the clearing.
Alright, now to do some acting.
Naruto started sprinting towards the other end of the clearing as if frantically retreating. Though the enemy nin might have found his retreat strange considering his victory over their comrade, Naruto had had plenty of experience with shinobi underestimating his abilities and resolve because of his age.
Sure enough, a gray-clad ninja appeared in the clearly and began cautiously pursuing Naruto. Slowing down a bit, Naruto made it look like he was running out of breath, missing every other step and flailing his arms wildly.
In an instant, a flash of white light erupted next to his foot, sending him hurtling through the air. He threw his arms in front him seconds before he collided with the earth. Strange sounds rang through his head, as he tried to stand up. This was rather unsuccessful as he was saying everything in multiple afterimages. Despite this, he noticed the second, and hopefully final, Kumo nin, in the form of a dizzying gray blur, land beside the first Kumo nin.
Oh…wow. I think I might die.
This assumption, so frivolously declared, was confirmed when a bolt of lightning hit him square in the chest, sending him flying through the air once again.
He opened his eyes. He must have gone unconscious because one of the Kumo nin was standing directly over him, while the other was engaging Sasuke and Sakura in a heated battle. The second Kumo nin retreated back to the first, keeping Naruto's teammates at bay with another Raiton jutsu.
Though Naruto's world was still a blur and the sounds in his head sang in his head, he could still make out the desperate wail of his beloved Sakura, crying out his name frantically. There was nothing he could do…except for one final, glorious thing.
He let his chakra flood into his jutsu, something done without thought as it always was since he had done it over and over.
As the first Kumo nin raised a kunai to deliver the finishing blow, as the second Kumo nin warded off Sasuke and Sakura's frantic attempts at rescue, a clone, as battered and bruised as the original, pathetically leapt out of the ground and latched on to the Kumo with the blade.
Naruto, a smile as thin as glass on his face, whispered, "Bunshin…Daibakuha…"
The clone exploded magnificently, engulfing Naruto and the two helpless Kumo nin in fiery might.
Pain…pain…pain…
His world was pain in that moment that lasted his lifetime; yet despite that, he could hear the two cries of agony.
Those poor Kumo. I'm so sorry.
Naruto suddenly realized that the cries were not from the Kumo nin, but from Sakura and Sasuke.
He opened his eyes, hurt shooting throughout his scorched nerves. Even through his tattered orbs, he could see his beloved teammates racing to retrieve him…and then they stopped. There was an explosion of light and sound near them, obviously lightning, but there was no reason for them to stop…why did they stop? Why didn't they save him? Why? He could vaguely hear more Kumo nin behind him, but…
Please, help me…HELP ME!
But they didn't. They could only dodge the jutsu of the Kumo and retreat further away. He saw Sakura's form collapse, he heard her heart wrenching cry, he saw Sasuke lift her up over his shoulder, his face wet with tears…and he saw them leave. They were gone, and in their place were innumerable gray blurs.
His vision gradually faded to a mixture of black and gray as the blurs surrounded him. A faint pulse was all that was left of his life…a mere trickle, slowly fading into oblivion.
He heard a soft rustle of some light, feathery object and then the quick gurgles of slit throats. But Naruto didn't care…not even when two graceful arms, gentler than the breeze that surrounded him, cradled him close to their owner's soft bosom. He had stopped caring the moment they left him, the moment they disappeared into the forest. He was ready to die, to leave this world that hated him so; but the care, the warmth, the tenderness of the arms that wrapped around him so gently would not let him and he resigned himself to life…
A/N: Don't worry, future chapters won't be nearly as long, or delayed. Because of its length, I considered splitting it into two chapters, but I felt having one chapter about Naruto stealing the Forbidden Scroll and another about his time two years later would be kind of ridiculous. Whatever is right, so long as you the readers are happy, I'm fine. As for pairings, this will definitely be a Naruto/Younger Anko fic, but I'm open to any other pairing ideas for different characters. Let me know what you think. Finally, I would greatly appreciate it if you would all review my work. I want to make my fic the best it can be and I need your constructive criticism to do that. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2 of Naze?,
Oramo