;- Brightest Star -;

Chapter 2: Reactions

-X-

A/N: Okay, I have decided that the new village will not happen. / I decided not to do it because… I didn't want to. XD If you don't read this, don't get pissed off at me for not making a village. D: It's my fucking story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Kyuubi would be good.

Summary: After failing the Sasuke Retrieval Mission, Naruto is set with the blame via the Council, but when a certain Chuunin fights back for Naruto, both end up banished.

-X-

"Hey Ino. Where's Shikamaru?"

The girl carrying the basket of fruits shrugged as she handed the delicacies to her fat teammate, who eagerly snatched the basket away. She sighed, "Dunno. Asuma-sensei saw Sakura's sensei in the lobby here at the hospital looking for Naruto, and they went to the hokage tower and I brought Sakura here with me. Come on in, Sakura!"

Said pinkette walked in slowly with a smile, "Glad to see you doing better, Akimichi-san."

"No need for formalities, Sakura." Chouji grit through a mouthful of apple, "No one hates you for asking us to save Sasuke, especially not Naruto. Speaking of which, what's happened to him?"

"I-I dunno. Kakashi-sensei and I came to see him and he wasn't here. Apparently Shikamaru had a broken finger, got that fixed and left. He hasn't been seen since."

Ino nodded, "Shikamaru's dad said that Asuma-sensei should ask Tsunade-sama."

Chouji blinked, "Oh."

-X-

"Excuse me, hokage-sama?"

Tsunade looked up from stamping her infamous paperwork, accidentally splattering sake across the unwanted worksheet. She scowled before swiping the work off her desk and glancing at the Jounins, much to Shizune's dismay, "Yes, Kakashi, Asuma?"

Asuma sighed, "Hokage-sama, we can't find Shikamaru and Naruto."

Tsunade sighed, "I knew this was coming. I hadn't had the chance to announce it yet."

"Announce what?"

'I can't believe I have to say this…' Tsunade sighed, "Naruto and Shikamaru have defected."

"E-Excuse me?"

Asuma couldn't believe his ears. His student, his ever loyal, lazy student had defected? With Naruto? Just like that Uchiha brat?

Kakashi was in just as much shock, "Where did they go?"

"I don't know. The council has forbid anyone from immediately going after them, but I assure you they aren't joining up with Orochimaru or any other major missing ninjas. He's an S-Class Missing Ninja, Naruto is and Shikamaru has been listed as a B-Rank Missing Ninja, until further notice. It will only be announced to the needed characters. I leave it to you two to tell the kids. Which means Sakura, Ino, Chouji, Gai's Team, and even Kurenai's Team. Make sure Gai and Kurenai are there, though. Inform Ino and Chouji that you, Asuma, will no longer be their captain, but instead it will be Kakashi. Inform Sakura she will be the new member of Team 10."

Kakashi and Asuma were visibly gapping. Asuma more so known than Kakashi.

Kakashi regained composure and muttered, "I understand. Come on Asuma." With that said, Asuma and Kakashi walked out of the office.

"Tell Neji I'm going to have a private meeting with him afterwards! About his injuries!"

"Yea, yea!"

When Tsunade was sure they were gone she sighed, "Damn council."

-X-

Kurenai blinked at Kakashi, "You and Asuma need to talk to my team, me, Gai's team, Gai, Sakura, and Asuma's team? What? Why?"

"I just do, okay? Tsunade just us some… things and the entire rookie nin and Team 5 is involved in a less.. forward manner. I just hope it doesn't break some of them. Bring them to Neji's room. Come tell me if they won't let Kiba out for a couple of minutes."

"Will do."

-X-

Gai's smile fell, "What do you need of my team?"

Asuma sighed, "Something's happened."

-X-

Shikamaru sighed, "I have no clue where we should go."

Naruto blinked, smiling, "Well, I do. But I'm kinda famous around there. We'd have to go buy some cloaks or something."

"Famous, huh? How about you wear that hoodie of yours and I wear that hoodie of mine?"

Naruto nodded, "Didn't know you had a hoodie though."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Now, fess up. Why are you famous over there and where?"

"Oh. Long story."

Sighing, Shikamaru said, "Go on and tell it."

"Well, it started off as a regular C-Rank mission, our first one to…"

-X-

After finishing his extremely boring story and changing into their respective hoodie, they skipped off merrily towards Wave. No, actually they sulked all the way there, in reality.

Naruto wore a black, short-sleeved hoodie with a blood red trim. Underneath that was a baggy, long-sleeved black shirt with knee-long black shorts and black ninja sandals. The pockets on said hoodie were pretty normal, except for the white eight-sided shuriken-shaped insignia on the left side's pocket.

Shikamaru, however, had removed Chuunin jacket and replaced it with a pale green hoodie with a grass green hem. The only other thing about it was the pockets were a nice shade of beige. How strange.

"Nice hoodie." Naruto rolled his eyes sarcastically, only to get whacked over the head by Shikamaru.

"Sarcastic buffoon."

"Lazy ass."

"I'm proud of that trait." Shikamaru growled, "Don't insult it with your empty-headedness."

Naruto blinked, "Is that a word?"

"Uhhhh….. Sure."

-X-

Sakura sighed as Ino strolled Chouji down the hall via a wheelchair.

"I wonder what all this is about."

-X-

Everyone was in the room looking confused at the two sad Jounins. Kakashi spoke first, "Team 10, Asuma will no longer be teaching you, that'll be my job after this meeting."

Sakura blinked, "Then-"

"You'll be on Ino and Chouji's team Sakura, Kakashi'll still be teaching you.

"What's going on?" Kiba asked, "And why did all of us have to be here for this?"

Kakashi sighed, "Because I'm sure you'd like to know that the reason this change has been made is because only those in this room." Everyone was looking at him, "Within the last week, we lost Sasuke, but just yesterday, two more of our shinobi defected."

Hinata gasped, as most took the time to look around the room, "Shikamaru-san and Naruto-kun."

"What?" Ino asked, "No way."

-X-

Neji sighed. It had been hours since the meeting and Tsunade had yet to come. It was already getting primarily late, being 9 o'clock at night.

"They couldn't have…" he muttered, only then noticing Tsunade walking in.

"Shocked, huh?"

"It's not true."

"You're right, brat. It's not. I was forced into telling that lie by the council. Naruto and Shikamaru were banished for the failure of the retrieval mission. Just don't tell anyone I told you this. I'll get in trouble. In fact, don't tell anybody at all."

Neji nodded, "Care to explain why you were so late?"

"I had to go the Third's brat's brat."

"You mean… Konohamaru…?"

"Yes. He knows as much as you do. He knows not to let any of it slip. He took pretty badly. I told him to go ahead and tell his two goofy friends the truth."

"Why tell me this?" Neji asked, "Is Kakashi-san and Sakura aware of this? What about Asuma-san, Ino, and Chouji?"

"Sakura would be unstable with the information, blame herself. Asuma would feel guilty, so would Chouji, and Ino would go into a deep depression about how she could have done something. And I… I don't trust Kakashi enough."

"Why not?"

Tsunade sighed, "Because he took on three students. He taught Sasuke the Chidori and personally trained him for the Chuunin Exams. He taught Sakura tree climbing and helped her straighten up her throw with her kunai. But the only thing he taught Naruto was tree climbing. And Sakura helped more then he did."

Neji's eyes widened, he let out a low growl, showing his hatred toward the remaining Hatake, "That bastard."

"You can't kill him till you're better, brat."

"Fine. Tsunade-sama."

"Call me 'obaa-chan', brat."

-X-

Tsunami sighed and finished washing the dishes that had once held their lunch and suddenly became aware of the rather loud voices whispering outside her house.

She looked out a nearby window, peeking around the blue curtains with white polka dots. She spotted to chatting hooded boys, not much shorter than herself. The one reached her shoulder and the other near her shoulders. The thing she noticed on the shorter figure was the blonde hair poking out of the black hoodie.

"…Naruto…?" She asked herself before shaking her head, "No. That's impossible. He's in the Leaf village, Tsunami."

The duo chatted away as they approached her home.

-X-

A/N: To Wave! BWAHAHAHAHA!

Okay, shorty chappie, so sorry, but it happens. It's still lengthy, so shut up.

TsukiPlunshder