All I could hear around me was the constant leaves rustling with the wind of our movements, along with the sound of us five cutting through the air, jumping from branch to branch as swiftly as we could muster. What Tsunade said didn't help much, she left everything to us, the planning, the strategy, everything. I was grateful for her when she said one certain thing.
"Orochimaru isn't stupid, he's going to be prepared. Along with Sasuke by his side. You can not go there head on without getting some help. I don't know how, but by your current state and power, you will NOT defeat them." Tsunade paused, ignoring Gaara's glare as to because she said there power, HIS POWER, wasn't enough. "You need to get help, alliances. Even if that means from your enemies. Naruto." Tsunade stared at Naruto's eyes with a grim expression. "You are the only one who can save him, along with one other." Tsunade paused again.
If in the past, Naruto would have hated her-temporarily- because of the suspense she was making. But now, Naruto just stared back, waiting for her to go on, patiently.
"Itachi." Tsunade murmured.
Now I didn't have to face Sasuke that early. Maybe on this mission, just maybe, I can prepare myself to see him. To see the face of my friend, and also the face of a shinobi who betrayed his own village for power. I saddened at the though, I kept on moving on the trees though. Gaara was the fastest, but he jumped about on the low trees, near the sandy-ground. Itachi was said to be spotted a little to the north of the sand-village.
He was the start of this. But... I know I shouldn't blame him. I didn't even know the whole story. I mean, he would have a reason for killing his whole family except for Sasuke, right? I don't know that much, my mind was hurting from thinking on this so much.
To tell the truth, I'm confused. So much has happen just today; I can't keep up with it. Right now I'm just following Shikamaru, the strategist of our group. We decided to split it up, Gaara was main offense. Temari on defense and offense. Kankuro was for spying or gathering information. And I'm just for ... I don't really know. They decided but didn't tell me. I could care less though, I didn't want to do this. But, I guess I should. Even Gaara was helping, so I should too.
I was thankful for Gaara being here. We where very much alike, we both had gone through so much sadness. But I had a dream. That dream was the thing that gave me strength, that dream was the one that kept me going on. That dream, was for everyone to acknowledge me by becoming Hokage of the village.
I knew Gaara had a dream. Everyone and anyone has their own dreams and wishes. Even if the person themselves doesn't consciously know it, deep in their heart- they know.
I drifted out of my pool of thoughts and went back to reality, finally noticing how sore and tired my legs where. We had moved from beginning to nightfall and I could tell the others where in the same condition.
I was more than thankful when we finally stopped, because Shikamaru had stopped. I looked up, staring at her. "What's wrong.." I thought to myself, breathing heavily from exhaustion. But you know, it felt good to be able to move my legs. The days and months of being confided inside my apartment, never going on missions anymore had not did anything to improve my body's health. The days that we, team 7, had went on missions—I missed them terribly.
"It's nightfall, let's make a fire and rest up. The ground is two dangerous, we need to rest on the trees, which are almost as dangerous. Therefore, we need to have some traps." I heard Shikamaru say to us, he didn't say it very loud—no, that would anger the dangerous creatures and animals residing in the forest.
This reminded me of the chuunin exam. Which only made me think of team 7 and Sasuke... I pushed the thought out of my head.
No one had said anything in acknowledgement but they just complied to what Shikamaru said. I wasn't allowed to make the traps, but I really didn't care, nor get near it. The fire I couldn't take care of either. It seemed they still looked upon me as the clumsy person I was—or am. I just pouted and narrowed my eyes arrogantly, but deep inside I could care less.
I picked a branch, it was pretty wide and flat, but not very high and not too low. Gaara and Shikamaru appeared to have chosen a place above me, and the other two underneath in other trees. They had their eyes closed, but I knew some of them wasn't asleep. Maybe Shikamaru was planning our strategy, I didn't know. I was probably the only one who had my eye's open. I couldn't see Gaara, nor did I try.
The light from the fire we made illuminated all of us, outlining our flesh. I stared upwards. After a while, I closed my eyes, trying to get to sleep. But I couldn't. I was also too lazy to get up and too ... awake to sleep. But after I officially confirmed to myself that I couldn't get to sleep, I jumped off the branch and next to the fire, avoiding all the traps the others had made. I sighed and sat down by the fire, but was surprised when I saw Gaara there- looking at me.
"Couldn't sleep?" He asked me, his face void of emotion.
I put on my sheepish grin, scratching the back of my head. After that, we sat in comfortable silence when I finally broke it.
"You know.. I wanted to thank you for coming." I smiled.
"I owed you a favor." Was all he said in reply.
"Do you think Sasuke will come back with us?" I asked, the question coming out of no where.
"Can he come back?"
I hadn't thought of that. Could Sasuke come back? Surely we would welcome him back but would others? And most of all, would he welcome himself back? He himself that betrayed the village for a promise of power.
I stayed silent, then smiled sadly. "I guess you're right."
"Go to sleep." I happily did so. Sleep would probably get my mind off things.
But it only made it worse.
"SASUKE!" A voice called out into the distance. Was that.. my voice? "Why won't you come back!? Even if you deny it, you too are a leaf-nin of Konoha village!" The voice shouted again.
Then I saw Sasuke, his hair fallen. It was cold and raining. "You think I can come back?!" He shouted. "I'll tell you one last time, leave me alone! Friends are weaknesses to my power!" He added.
"You idiot! Friends are your support to power!" I saw a figure shout out, It looked like me. It probably was, but I couldn't tell, there was too much rain.
Both shinobis where shouting, trying to talk over the rain. The pounding rain.
"That's why you are weak." Sasuke narrowed his eyes into a menacing glare.
Why was this happening? Why was I seeing this? This can't be happening.. no...
((another scene))
What happened? I'm over there... holding Sasuke. He's red... blood?!
"Sasuke.." I heard myself mutter, tears streaming down my eyes. I couldn't tell if it was tears, the rain acted as it's mask. "We went through so much together.. You once gave your life for me.. you think you're the only one who suffers!? Gaara... MYSELF... we've been through the same kind of pain that is ten times worse than yours!" I felt guilty for saying that.
Sasuke looked away. "I'm sorry Naruto, I'm not as strong as you. I'm sorry that you had to get dragged into this.
"SASUKE!" I screamed loudly.
----
I woke up immediately, screaming 'Sasuke'. Sweat was all over my body, and all the other people woke up when I screamed, jumping over to the branch I was on.
"He..he... he didn't die..." I muttered, my eyes wide. I grabbed Shikamaru's collar. "TELL ME HE DIDN'T DIE!"
----
Magical fox: Okay, it's not as good. I did this in a hurry. Sankies for the wonderful reviews!! Izumi? thinks of Full Moon wo Sawashite
Other fox: We got the Time fox back! (see, Awakened Power for more info.)
Time fox: We do not own Naruto, but we do own this plot, however little.
Magical Fox: That sounded oddly familiar.. oh and, I was lazy, I didn't TRIPLE check on my chapter for this one, I usually add in some adjectives and extra sentences, paragraphs, etc.
Other and Time fox together: Idiot.
Magical Fox: Sniff..
"Orochimaru isn't stupid, he's going to be prepared. Along with Sasuke by his side. You can not go there head on without getting some help. I don't know how, but by your current state and power, you will NOT defeat them." Tsunade paused, ignoring Gaara's glare as to because she said there power, HIS POWER, wasn't enough. "You need to get help, alliances. Even if that means from your enemies. Naruto." Tsunade stared at Naruto's eyes with a grim expression. "You are the only one who can save him, along with one other." Tsunade paused again.
If in the past, Naruto would have hated her-temporarily- because of the suspense she was making. But now, Naruto just stared back, waiting for her to go on, patiently.
"Itachi." Tsunade murmured.
Now I didn't have to face Sasuke that early. Maybe on this mission, just maybe, I can prepare myself to see him. To see the face of my friend, and also the face of a shinobi who betrayed his own village for power. I saddened at the though, I kept on moving on the trees though. Gaara was the fastest, but he jumped about on the low trees, near the sandy-ground. Itachi was said to be spotted a little to the north of the sand-village.
He was the start of this. But... I know I shouldn't blame him. I didn't even know the whole story. I mean, he would have a reason for killing his whole family except for Sasuke, right? I don't know that much, my mind was hurting from thinking on this so much.
To tell the truth, I'm confused. So much has happen just today; I can't keep up with it. Right now I'm just following Shikamaru, the strategist of our group. We decided to split it up, Gaara was main offense. Temari on defense and offense. Kankuro was for spying or gathering information. And I'm just for ... I don't really know. They decided but didn't tell me. I could care less though, I didn't want to do this. But, I guess I should. Even Gaara was helping, so I should too.
I was thankful for Gaara being here. We where very much alike, we both had gone through so much sadness. But I had a dream. That dream was the thing that gave me strength, that dream was the one that kept me going on. That dream, was for everyone to acknowledge me by becoming Hokage of the village.
I knew Gaara had a dream. Everyone and anyone has their own dreams and wishes. Even if the person themselves doesn't consciously know it, deep in their heart- they know.
I drifted out of my pool of thoughts and went back to reality, finally noticing how sore and tired my legs where. We had moved from beginning to nightfall and I could tell the others where in the same condition.
I was more than thankful when we finally stopped, because Shikamaru had stopped. I looked up, staring at her. "What's wrong.." I thought to myself, breathing heavily from exhaustion. But you know, it felt good to be able to move my legs. The days and months of being confided inside my apartment, never going on missions anymore had not did anything to improve my body's health. The days that we, team 7, had went on missions—I missed them terribly.
"It's nightfall, let's make a fire and rest up. The ground is two dangerous, we need to rest on the trees, which are almost as dangerous. Therefore, we need to have some traps." I heard Shikamaru say to us, he didn't say it very loud—no, that would anger the dangerous creatures and animals residing in the forest.
This reminded me of the chuunin exam. Which only made me think of team 7 and Sasuke... I pushed the thought out of my head.
No one had said anything in acknowledgement but they just complied to what Shikamaru said. I wasn't allowed to make the traps, but I really didn't care, nor get near it. The fire I couldn't take care of either. It seemed they still looked upon me as the clumsy person I was—or am. I just pouted and narrowed my eyes arrogantly, but deep inside I could care less.
I picked a branch, it was pretty wide and flat, but not very high and not too low. Gaara and Shikamaru appeared to have chosen a place above me, and the other two underneath in other trees. They had their eyes closed, but I knew some of them wasn't asleep. Maybe Shikamaru was planning our strategy, I didn't know. I was probably the only one who had my eye's open. I couldn't see Gaara, nor did I try.
The light from the fire we made illuminated all of us, outlining our flesh. I stared upwards. After a while, I closed my eyes, trying to get to sleep. But I couldn't. I was also too lazy to get up and too ... awake to sleep. But after I officially confirmed to myself that I couldn't get to sleep, I jumped off the branch and next to the fire, avoiding all the traps the others had made. I sighed and sat down by the fire, but was surprised when I saw Gaara there- looking at me.
"Couldn't sleep?" He asked me, his face void of emotion.
I put on my sheepish grin, scratching the back of my head. After that, we sat in comfortable silence when I finally broke it.
"You know.. I wanted to thank you for coming." I smiled.
"I owed you a favor." Was all he said in reply.
"Do you think Sasuke will come back with us?" I asked, the question coming out of no where.
"Can he come back?"
I hadn't thought of that. Could Sasuke come back? Surely we would welcome him back but would others? And most of all, would he welcome himself back? He himself that betrayed the village for a promise of power.
I stayed silent, then smiled sadly. "I guess you're right."
"Go to sleep." I happily did so. Sleep would probably get my mind off things.
But it only made it worse.
"SASUKE!" A voice called out into the distance. Was that.. my voice? "Why won't you come back!? Even if you deny it, you too are a leaf-nin of Konoha village!" The voice shouted again.
Then I saw Sasuke, his hair fallen. It was cold and raining. "You think I can come back?!" He shouted. "I'll tell you one last time, leave me alone! Friends are weaknesses to my power!" He added.
"You idiot! Friends are your support to power!" I saw a figure shout out, It looked like me. It probably was, but I couldn't tell, there was too much rain.
Both shinobis where shouting, trying to talk over the rain. The pounding rain.
"That's why you are weak." Sasuke narrowed his eyes into a menacing glare.
Why was this happening? Why was I seeing this? This can't be happening.. no...
((another scene))
What happened? I'm over there... holding Sasuke. He's red... blood?!
"Sasuke.." I heard myself mutter, tears streaming down my eyes. I couldn't tell if it was tears, the rain acted as it's mask. "We went through so much together.. You once gave your life for me.. you think you're the only one who suffers!? Gaara... MYSELF... we've been through the same kind of pain that is ten times worse than yours!" I felt guilty for saying that.
Sasuke looked away. "I'm sorry Naruto, I'm not as strong as you. I'm sorry that you had to get dragged into this.
"SASUKE!" I screamed loudly.
----
I woke up immediately, screaming 'Sasuke'. Sweat was all over my body, and all the other people woke up when I screamed, jumping over to the branch I was on.
"He..he... he didn't die..." I muttered, my eyes wide. I grabbed Shikamaru's collar. "TELL ME HE DIDN'T DIE!"
----
Magical fox: Okay, it's not as good. I did this in a hurry. Sankies for the wonderful reviews!! Izumi? thinks of Full Moon wo Sawashite
Other fox: We got the Time fox back! (see, Awakened Power for more info.)
Time fox: We do not own Naruto, but we do own this plot, however little.
Magical Fox: That sounded oddly familiar.. oh and, I was lazy, I didn't TRIPLE check on my chapter for this one, I usually add in some adjectives and extra sentences, paragraphs, etc.
Other and Time fox together: Idiot.
Magical Fox: Sniff..