((ANDDDD here is chapter 2! *throws confetti* SO I ought to be getting my tablet back soon, and hopefully soon after that I will FINALLY publish the next chapter of Envy of the Uchiha. I got stuck a few times writing this, so sorry if it took a while... I will be updating ASAP on this and will probably be publishing a new story soon. Thanks for reading! And please forgive me for any typos;-; Enjoy!))
"And here is the place where we normally train," Naruto says as we walk towards the center of a large field. He gestures to his surroundings by stretching out his arms on either side before spinning around and falling on his back. I tilt my head to the side, looking at Naruto with a half smile before dropping to my knees next to him. I watch him as he stares up at the sky, and I marvel at his facial features. He's really incredibly handsome, and those whiskers are simply adorable.
My contemplations stop when Naruto's eyes fall on mine, reminding me that I'm staring at him. I have the impulse to immediately look away, but for some reason I don't; instead, I continue to stare into his brilliant blue eyes as he looks into mine. His eyes are one of the most gorgeous features he has. I don't even stop myself from complimenting him.
"Your eyes are beautiful," Naruto and I say simultaneously, and we both begin laughing.
"Oh, my eyes?" I ask, then shake my head. "No. They're so... dull." Naruto then smiles that dazzling smile of his.
"No," he says, "they're unique. I've never seen eyes like that. You can't really count Neji's or Hinata's eyes."
"Who?" Naruto snorts a laugh, to which I smile.
"You'll meet them later," he replies, putting his hands behind his head and looking at the sky. A soft breeze begins to blow, shifting the trees around the open field and Naruto's spiky hair. After a few seconds I scoot closer to Naruto and begin pulling up the grass. His eyes close as I sprinkle the shredded bright green blades over his face, my mind picturing my icy gray-blue eyes.
"So," I say after a few seconds, "is this the end of my tour?"
"Hmm... Yeah," Naruto mumbles, keeping his eyes closed. I continue dropping grass on him until he sits up. "Actually, no," he says. "There's one more place."
"Oh," I reply. "Where?" Naruto then stands up and holds his hand out to me.
"Come on," he says as I take his hand. He pulls me up, then leads me away from the field, toward the village. As we run and eventually jump up into the trees, I feel Naruto's energy radiating off him. I can even see it in his playful smile. I feel my smile broadening as I struggle to keep up with him.
"Naruto," I laugh, "slow down!"
"Keep up!" Naruto replies with a chuckle. He turns his head slightly towards me after a second. "Let's race!"
"What?" I inquire, my smile not faltering. "I don't even know where we're going!" Naruto laughs, turning his attention ahead of him.
"On your mark," he says, and my eyes widen.
"Naruto! What are you doing?"
"Get set..."
"Wait! Where are we going?"
"Go!"
"Naruto! No, wait!" Then, he speeds off laughing. I feel my cheeks getting sore from my smile, and I'm absolutely fascinated by this boy. He's so... happy. I speed up, catching up to get on his tail before I lose sight of him. He rushes through the trees, then across the rooftops after reaching the urban parts of the village, and before long, he's led me to the top of the Hokage Summit. As soon as we land on top of one of the heads, I shove the awaiting Naruto playfully. He laughs and repels my attacks, and I find myself laughing with him.
"Naruto! That wasn't funny!" I complain as I try to get a hit in. Naruto dances away from me on light feet, obviously practiced and skilled in defensive combat.
"Heh, you know it was," he teases, his smile broad. "Look, you're even smiling!"
"No!" I lamely lie. "What if I'd gotten lost?"
"But you didn't."
"But what if?!" After asking the question, I drop my hands and bend over laughing, and Naruto joins me. We both sit down after a while, and I almost forget why I'm up here. I look down at the magnificent view of Konoha before turning my attention to Naruto.
"So, what is this place?" I ask.
"Top of the Hokage Summit," Naruto replies.
"Well, I know that much," I say, "but what is its significance?"
"Oh," Naruto says with a chuckle. "I just like to come up here sometimes to be alone. To think. Just to get away." I nod slowly, watching as the shadows of the village buildings begin to loom. The sky is still bright blue, but it will be getting on dusk soon. The view is impressive, and I'm sure this would be the best place to get some solitude, some peace and quiet. Naruto... Isn't he hailed as a hero or something? That would make his life chaotic at times, and I'm sure he would need his own personal getaway.
"So," I say, breaking the silence, "aren't you like... hailed as a hero or something?" I turn my head to Naruto, and he also turns his attention to me.
"Sort of," he answers, turning his head down as the corner of his lips pulls up in a smirk. I can see it's more of a bittersweet smirk than a smug or cocky smirk.
"Oh," I say, nodding. I pause before continuing. "Why?" There's a brief silence before he answers.
"I saved the village a couple of times," Naruto finally says. I nod, looking back over the village. I'd have expected him to be egocentric, to be honest, if I had knowledge of this before meeting Naruto. I mean, it's hard not to be cocky when tons of people glorify you as their hero. It must not have always been this way.
"But it wasn't always like this," I say, and Naruto looks back over the village. There's another silence as a cool wind kisses my warm skin, and the distant horizon begins to graduate to shades of yellow and orange, the sky directly above still bright blue. "Do you have any special powers or something?" I inquire, and it seems to irk Naruto, this question. When he doesn't answer, I press on. "I mean, what enabled you to save this entire village?"
"I'm just a shinobi," Naruto says immediately. "A powerful shinobi. That's it."
"Oh," I reply, a bit startled by how he answered. We again remain in silence for a few seconds.
"What about you?" Naruto suddenly asks, turning his head towards me.
"Huh?" I ask, looking at him.
"I mean, what special powers do you have?" He elaborates. "Orochimaru must have taken you in for a reason."
"Oh," I say, looking down in my lap as I play with my thumbs. I know I'm not telling Naruto about my curse mark just yet, but what do I answer for now? After a few seconds of contemplation, I find my resolve. "Well, there's this special ninjutsu I can do," I say.
"What is it?" Naruto inquires.
"I like to call it replication jutsu," I explain. "I'm able to steal a person's memory- say, their memory of a jutsu- and through that I can replicate that jutsu. Well, if my body is physically capable and my chakra enough, of course. The name can be a little misleading, though, as it can be used for more than just replicating a jutsu."
"Oh," Naruto says. "How does it work?"
"Well..." I think over how I should explain before I perform a few hand seals, then focus my chakra in my fingertips. Naruto watches closely as the signature blue glow of the chakra slowly turns purple. "It's my kekkei genkai. After I perform those hand seals, it changes the composition of my chakra, turning it purple. Then when I make direct contact with a person, I can pour some of this chakra into them and navigate it through their body. If I don't change my chakra beforehand, the person simply absorbs my chakra; I can't get it back or navigate through the person's memory. When it's like this, though, I can in a way see their memories, kind of like a movie, and select the ones I want. Their memory is linked with their chakra, so as I extract their memories, I'm also taking some of their chakra, replenishing my supply. After that I can replicate a jutsu, and I usually have the chakra to carry it out."
"Wow," Naruto says. "You said it's your kekkei genkai?"
"Yeah," I reply. "Apparently, according to Orochimaru, I have an enzyme or something in my blood or chakra... I don't even know. It's unique to me, though. Sasuke tried it, but when he performed the hand seals, his chakra remained the same. It was like watching a dud."
"Well he has sharingan," Naruto chuckles.
"Hm. I think this would be kind of like his sharingan. I mean, I do use it mainly for copying techniques, although it does have kind if a high risk."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it can be dangerous for the user. It's not anything like immediate destruction or it backfires, but if not performed correctly, you could lose a significant amount of chakra and leave yourself wide open to attack. The thing is, this jutsu relies heavily upon direct contact to establish a connection. You need to be able to stay on your enemy. Once I lose contact, the connection is broken whether or not I have what I want. If my chakra is still in the person's body when I lose contact, I can't get it back; I'm depleted of my chakra, and mine converts back to normal so that the other person can use it."
"Heh, I'm sure Grandma Tsunade wouldn't approve of it. What family do you branch from?"
"I'm not sure..." I pause as Naruto seems surprised by this. "All I've ever had was Orochimaru... Well, him and Sasuke I suppose. I've always focused on mastering my abilities as Orochimaru wanted me to. That's why... That's why I'm so strong now. The only thing I ever focused on was getting stronger. Besides, there are other reasons he chose me, or at least I think so."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," I reply with a chuckle. I lean in and lower my voice to a whisper, and Naruto leans in as well. "I posses the rinnegan." I back away and look at Naruto, and he seems to be unable to comprehend my words.
"You posses... rinnegan?" Naruto repeats in a hushed tone, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. I nod in reply.
"Yeah... Just, don't tell anyone."
"You mean Grandma Tsunade doesn't know?!"
"Shhh!... No. I was afraid to tell her. She might not have accepted me."
"Wow..." There's a long silence as Naruto and I stare at each other, and suddenly, I can't hold it in. I burst out laughing.
"You should have seen your face!" I manage to get out between laughter. "Priceless!" Naruto furrows his eyebrows in confusion.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"I don't actually have rinnegan," I confess after I manage to stop my laughter. Naruto's eyes narrow at me, and I smile sweetly at him. "Actually, I'm a user of fire, lightening, and wind nature transformations, and I have scorch release among my arsenal as one of my kekkei genkai. I've also been practicing manipulating light and sound waves. A long time ago, I found that when I combine the hand seals I use for my replication jutsu and wind style, I could manipulate light and sound waves, creating illusions at will. Also, since it's not genjutsu, but rather ninjutsu, it can't be released unless I either stop it by will or am physically taken down. Other than that, I suppose I just have good agility and stamina, which help me to be able to pin my enemy down when I want to use replication on them. I suppose my eyesight is good. I don't know." At this point, I start rambling, and I suddenly stop when I hear Naruto chuckle. I turn my head to him, then smile in innocence and oblivion. "What?"
"You seem like a remarkable kunoichi, is all," Naruto says, laughing. My eyes narrow at him.
"Is that sarcasm I smell?" I challenge, but my smile ruins the seriousness of my tone.
"Maybe. What if it is sarcasm?"
"Then I'll have to teach you some manners. The hard way." I then crack my knuckles in the imposing bully manner. Naruto begins laughing, and my bully persona is broken as I join his laughter.
"Okay then," Naruto says. "So, why don't you show me how this replication jutsu is done?"
"Okay," I agree.
"Alright. How about... I'll think of a few questions, and when I have them all thought out, you can... what would I call it? Search my mind?" I laugh as Naruto confuses himself.
"Sure," I say. "Go on and think of them, and tell me when you're ready." Naruto nods before turning his head up towards the sky, getting into contemplation. After a few minutes, just as my mind begins wandering off, Naruto speaks up.
"Okay," he says, smiling. "I'm ready."
"Alright," I reply, then performing my hand seals and focusing my cakra in my fingertips. I look back at Naruto when the chakra glows purple, hestitating. "Ready?"
"Yeah," Naruto nods enthusiastically.
"Okay," I mumble to myself, slowly extending my hand towards Naruto's head. Just as my hand is about to touch his head, a voice abruptly stops me.
"Done with your tour?" Kakashi suddenly inquires from behind us. Naruto and I both skriek and jump, turning our bodies to face our sensei.
"Kakashi sensei! You're such a creep!" Naruto exclaims, and by the way Kakashi's right eye crinkles, I can see he smiles.
"Whatever do you mean?" Kakashi asks, and Naruto seems to simmer in anger.
"Hey! You know what I'm talking about! You're just as bad as Pervy Sage, if not worse..." Naruto begins to mumble, and I can't repress my smile. Those two certainly do have a funny relationship.
"Oh," I say after a second, "Kakashi sensei, how is Sakura?"
"She's just fine," he replies, "and I even get her to agree to dinner with us tonight since lunch didn't work out."
"Oh! That's good," I say with a smile. "But... is she upset with me?" At hearing this, Naruto turns and faces Kakashi and I.
"No," Kakashi says. "You have nothing to worry about. It's just difficult for her to manage talking about Sasuke. She isn't upset with you though, I assure you."
"Alright..." I answer slowly. I surely hope she isn't upset with me in such a short amount of time.
"Okay then," Kakashi says after a few seconds, "let's get going. Sakura is waiting for us." As Kakashi leads Naruto and I down the streets of Konoha, I continue meditating on the incident at lunch. For some reason, Naruto's words continue to ring vaguely in my head: "I made a promise..." He was so quick to change the subject afterwards...
"Naruto," I say as we walk a bit of a distance behind Kakashi. He turns his head to me suddenly, as if he'd forgotten that he wasn't alone in public.
"Yes?"
"Earlier, at lunch, you said you made a promise after Sakura had left, but you changed the subject directly afterwards." I pause as Naruto seems to recall the situation. "What was the promise?"
"Oh," he says as a small smile graces his face. "A long time ago, I promised Sakura that I would bring back Sasuke no matter what it took." I nod slowly as I process this. I want to ask if he and Sakura have or had something, but I feel I might be intruding a bit too much in his business if I do. We spend the rest of the walk in silence, and I have a strong feeling that Kakashi was listening to Naruto and I. We meet Sakura at some sushi place, and she smiles as she greets us. We sit and order our food, conversing and laughing as we eat. In our moments of silence, I peer out at the beauty of the city in the hours of dark, lanterns giving a soft yet lively glow and illuminating the streets.
After we've eaten our fill, giggling and cracking jokes as tiredness begins to befall us all, we take our leave from the restaurant. Sakura and Kakashi head their separate ways, but Naruto decides to walk me home. Nearly the entire time we laugh from silly jokes and exchanging stupid pick-up lines, and we begin to wind down as we reach my flat. For a few minutes, we talk and laugh over how we were trying to sneak a peek at Kakashi's unmasked face. A silents befalls us after I yawn heavily, causing Naruto to yawn as well.
"Alright," I say tiredly, "goodnight, Naruto."
"Goodnight, Asami," he replies, and we both smile as I open my door and enter my flat. I close and lock my door, and after brushing my teeth and undressing, I lie in my bed, peering out the window at the village as I had done the night before. A smile tugs at my lips as I remember today's events, and I close my eyes to get to rest, although my mind still scrambles about aimlessly.
I had such a great time with Team 7, and I'm looking forwards to being part of this team everyday. I can't possibly imagine why Sasuke would want to leave all this behind, even for the sake of power...
As I foresaw, my mind will be keeping me up, but most likely for no more than as hour. Well, no sense in keeping my eyes closed, I suppose. My eyes pop open, and I rest on my side, staring out the window.
As I did the night before, I begin counting the lights that are going out when a silhouette catches my attention. I narrow my eyes a bit as the silhouette is rather far away, and as I try to make out the figure, my heart skips a beat. I roll out of my bed and approach my window, resting my arms on the windowsill as I try to get a closer look.
The figure is most definitely a male. He has... a sword sheath in his belt upon which his hand rests. Everything about the male is all too familiar; the way he stands, the way his hands rests on his sheath, and even what I can make out of the clothing. It couldn't be... Sasuke?
The silhouette suddenly turns in my direction, starling me. I turn away from the window immediately and crawl in my bed. There's no way that's Sasuke. He can't be here... I turn and look out once again through the window, but the silhouette is gone. I sigh heavily as I roll onto my back and stare at my ceiling. Tonight is going to be a long night...