Disclaimer: I don't own NARUTO or any of the characters, just the OCs and this story.
This revamped chapter has been brought to you by Taijitu-no-Yang (author), Taijitu-no-Yin (beta, no account), and Godwolf Fenrir (gamma).
- - -
After a day-and-a-half of walking east, Team Seven found themselves in a town on the coast of Fire Country. The cries of seagulls faintly reached them, the smell of salt almost overwhelming.
There was a relatively small island a few kilometers off the coast, barren of civilization -- just a jungle. It was used as hunting grounds during the summer, but hunting season ended a month ago.
Northeast of this island was a slightly larger island, this one was a midpoint between Water, Fire, and Lightning Countries -- a mix of the three cultures, as well as a trading post. This was their first destination -- they'd see if they could buy snow clothes there.
"I can't wait to get out on the water!" Naruto exclaimed, pumping his arms as they headed for the docks. "What kinda boat are we gonna go on?"
"Just a small ferry," Sasuke replied, having asked for advice from a villager. "They should still be selling tickets, and it leaves in a few minutes, so we don't have time to looked around."
"Lame," Naruto mumbled, kicking at a rock.
"What were you expecting?" Sakura asked with a smirk. "Some big cruise ship?"
"Woulda been nice," Naruto nodded.
They reached the docks, the wooden planks creaking under their. The large, white ferry was visible the moment they reached the docks. A few people were already on, several sailors wandering the deck.
"All aboard!" came a deep voice from the sailor.
"Damn!" Sasuke growled, sprinting down the docks.
One of the sailors was on the docks, next to the ramp that led up to ferry. However, he hurried up the ramp and onto the boat, and kicked at the ramp, so it disconnected from the ferry.
"No, no!" Sakura yelled, hurrying.
The ferry was fast, surprisingly so considering how old it looked. The ferry was already off the docks, churning the water behind it.
"Good thing we're ninja, huh?!" Naruto yelled as he ran.
The three of them gathered Chakra into their legs, and the rotten planks literally crumbled beneath them. Sakura's foot sank into the dock, and she fell down to her knee.
"Damn!" Sakura exclaimed, trying to push at the planks to pull out her leg, only to have more wood break away, getting her hands stuck
"Guess we'll just have to wait for the next one," Sasuke said, slowing to a stop and watching the ferry slowly disappear into the distance. He jogged back and helped Sakura pry herself from the wrecked dock, and glanced at Naruto to see the blonde was running off the dock.
"What are you doing?" Sakura called after him.
"Why wait?" Naruto called back, laughing. He made a single Shadow Clone, and then sprinted for the two of them.
"What's he doing?" Sakura asked, brushing off her legs.
"Oh, damn," Sasuke sighed. "That idiot..."
"What?" Sakura asked, oblivious.
The dock shattered as Naruto and his Shadow Clone suddenly picked up speed, heading straight for Sasuke and Sakura. The planks kept breaking, but they were moving too fast to fall.
"He's not gonna-..." Sakura said desperately, looking at Sasuke.
"Yeah, he is," Sasuke sighed, nodding with his eyes closed.
Sakura sweat-dropped, squeezed her eyes shut, and braced herself.
Naruto and his Shadow Clone grabbed Sasuke and Sakura, and launched themselves for the ferry in an explosion of yellow Chakra.
"Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura screamed. "The water's freezing! Besides, it doesn't matter how close you'll get, we can't swim fast enough to catch up!"
"We don't gotta swim!" Naruto laughed, enjoying the salty air whipping at his face.
The jump was massive, they nearly caught up with the ferry despite the fact it was moving so quickly. Naruto and his Shadow Clone's feet hit the water, the water rippling and a circlet of a splash surrounding them.
"Hee-hee," Naruto grinned. "I can walk on water!"
"Wow..." Sakura said simply.
Sasuke immediately activated his Sharingan, so he might be able to use this later.
They took off after the ferry, quickly catching up. They jumped up, landing on the upper deck. Naruto gently set Sakura down, and the Shadow Clone simply dispersed, dropping Sasuke on his butt.
"Oops," Naruto said sarcastically, grinning at the Uchiha. Sakura didn't even seem to mind.
"Oi!" came the raspy voice of a sailor. He hurried up -- he looked more like a pirate than a sailor, dressed in dirt-colored rags. "What the hell are you three doin'?!"
"We have money!" Sakura exclaimed, flipping her hip pouch open. "We were just... a little late."
"Hn..." The sailor took the ryou from her and counted it. He stared at the money, and then at the three of them for a while. "Alright, whatever."
"Whew," Sakura sighed, wiping some sweat from her forehead. "I have to admit, that was pretty good, Naruto."
"Heh-heh, thanks, Sakura-chan," Naruto grinned, blushing slightly as he rubbed the back of his head. "So... how long till we reach that trade-post-island place?"
"..." Both Sakura and Sasuke shrugged.
"So... do we just relax till we get there?" Naruto asked, cocking his head. "There's gotta be something to do on this ship..."
Sasuke just wandered off, not saying a word. Sakura watched him go, wondering if he had seen something or just felt like looking around. Naruto walked over to the rail, grasped the upper rail and leaned forward, taking a long whiff at the salted air.
"Ne, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, looking over his shoulder. She looked over at him, taking her attention off Sasuke. "Sasuke seems... cheerful, if you could call it that, doesn't he?"
"..." Naruto's more observant than I give him credit for, Sakura thought.
Sakura nodded, "Yeah... I thought he'd be annoyed when I fell into the dock, or when you just dropped him. But he didn't, and it honestly surprised me."
"I like this new Sasuke," Naruto said brightly, jumping up and sitting on the railing, his legs dangling. "But, really, I'm just glad he's settled down after that whole fight in the hospital."
Naruto's feet hooked onto the lower railing, enabling him to sit without having to balance himself with his hands. He looked over at Sakura.
"Watta you think of him?" Naruto asked, rocking back and forth slightly.
"He's still the same Sasuke," Sakura shrugged. "He's just more patient, I suppose."
"Yeah, I guess," Naruto said, staring out at the crashing waves.
Sakura walked closer to him, resting her elbows on the upper railing, leaning forward with her left foot rested on her right ankle. She looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, and smiled.
"You've matured, huh?" Sakura asked, almost fondly.
"Huh?" Naruto shrugged. "I guess, maybe. Iruka-sensei keeps saying that, too." Naruto laughed loudly. "I keep replying you all have just grown more patient, though! Ha-ha!"
"No, you really have matured," Sakura assured, smiling. "A lot stronger, too. You've come a long way from being the dobe in the Academy."
Naruto's eye twitched somewhat when he heard dobe, but he still grinned at her, blushing. He looked out at the ocean some more before glancing at her.
"So, like... we're friends now, right?" Naruto asked awkwardly.
"Yeah," she said softly, staring out at the ocean now. "We're friends. Good friends -- the best of, even."
Naruto smiled, his eyes crinkling. It wasn't his usual idiotic grin, it was just a slight, serene smile. It carried much more happiness than his grin ever did, and Sakura could tell.
"That means a lot to me, Sakura-chan," Naruto said softly.
They were both silent for a few minutes, just staring out at the ocean. Sakura smiled to herself when she saw Naruto's legs shake -- he was itching to say or do something. He may have matured, but he hadn't gained much patience.
"So..." Naruto said slowly. "Uh... You... talked to Sasuke, huh?"
"About what?" Sakura asked innocently.
Naruto just stared at her knowingly. Sakura wasn't entirely sure what he meant, but she could surely guess.
"Sakura-chan, please don't play dumb," Naruto sighed. "It doesn't suit you."
Sakura blushed, looking up at him -- he had effectively just complimented her, calling her smart. He had a rare serious expression on his face, looking down at her patiently.
"Yeah, I talked to him," Sakura sighed. "I'm... so happy I could... somehow convince him to stay..."
"Sakura-chan," Naruto said softly, resting his hand on hers. "He stayed, so don't dwell on it -- there's no need to cry."
Oddly enough, Sakura didn't fully mind Naruto's hand on hers. Didn't fully -- she still minded somewhat. She jerked her hand out from under his, wiping at her wet eyes.
He frowned, looking as if he was hating himself for spoiling their time together. Sakura glanced at him, a mix of embarrassment and anger reddening her cheeks. Naruto stared at her for a moment before looking away, upset.
"Naruto," Sakura said after a moment. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "...Thanks."
"For what?" he asked, confused, though his expression softened.
"Nothing in particular," she said, looking away, blushing even more. "And... I'm sorry about being mean to you so often."
"Heh-heh. Don't worry about it. I probably deserve it most of the time, anyway."
"You kinda do," she said, winking. He grinned in response, and she felt they were on good terms again. "I'm gonna go see how Sasuke-kun is."
"Alright," Naruto nodded, looking out at the ocean some more. "...I think I'm gonna stay out here for a little while longer. You figure they serve food on this thing?"
"I'll come get you when I figure it out," Sakura replied, noticing that Naruto had turned his attention to the moon, which was high in the sky by now. "You listening?"
"Dinner, you'll come get me," Naruto said, still staring upward. "Sakura-chan, if you don't mind me asking, what'd you tell Sasuke? On the night he tried to leave for the Sound?"
"..." Sakura stared at her feet as she slowly walked away, her left hand running along the metal wall of one of the cabins. "I don't want to talk about it right now."
Naruto just nodded, but he wasn't sure if she knew he did, as they weren't even looking at each other anymore. He heard her footsteps recede, and he didn't bother looking to make sure she hadn't simply stopped walking.
Naruto felt like an idiot. Everything was going fine until he brought up Sasuke trying to leave. But at least he knew now, that Sakura had convinced Sasuke somehow.
He also knew Sakura liked him. Not as much as he would have liked, but she said they were friends. The "best of' friends," as she had put it.
That, added to his brother-like bond with Sasuke, put Naruto's mind at ease -- allowing him to enjoy the ocean's smells and sounds, and the night's sights. And later, hopefully, the taste of whatever the ferry had to offer for dinner.
Miso ramen with barbequed pork, hopefully.