Chapter 2 – The Boy and a Scroll
Author's Notes
Hey, what's up, everybody? Chapter 2 is here! Kind of fast, I know... Speaking of fast, this chapter is incredibly fast paced, I apologize for that, I'll try to slow it down in the future.
Also, if you see any wrong spellings or lines that just don't seem/sound right... Please send me a message! I don't mind being corrected, it helps me in the long run.
Naruto and Kurama stood silently for a few minutes, unsure of what to really expect, especially with a justsu that was sending them back in time... Naruto blinked and looked down, as did Kurama as something caught their eye. It was a dark speck at first, and was slowly growing larger and larger as time passed. Soon, it became obvious that it was a forest... A forest near to Konoha, one that...
"This better not be my birth..." Kurama grimaced and chuckled. "Kiddo... I think this is when you stole that scroll of yours." "The Scroll of Seals? Oh, goody... This will be entertaining." Naruto grumbled as the forest came closer and closer, then two glancing at each other before spotting a speck of yellow down below. It was Naruto, passed out from exhaustion, the Scroll of Seals sitting on the ground next to him, his right hand resting upon it, his left sitting on top of his stomach as he slept. Naruto and Kurama looked at each other before realizing that everything was phased through them. Trees, grass, hell, Naruto wondered why they weren't falling through the ground itself at this point. Shaking his head, however, Naruto looked to Kurama and patted his back as he knelt down next to his younger self.
"Right... See you inside." Kurama growled, bumping his fist against Naruto's back as his blonde partner reached out, touching his younger self on the forehead. For a few moments, nothing happened, causing Naruto to scowl. He was so sure that this would work, at least he had been hoping that. Another minute past and Naruto, getting desperate for something to happen, flared his chakra, as did Kurama in response. Finally, something happened. An orange light engulfed the two as they watched their own bodies begin to fade from sight.
"Well, looks like we go lucky, eh, Kurama?" "No kidding, brat, you'd best be lucky that worked and didn't cause damage." Naruto cringed as the two finally faded from sight, their consciousness melding with the younger Naruto and Kurama sealed within. The young Naruto winced and groaned as the seal upon his stomach shifted and morphed into the Torii Seal, it's appearance now taking on the shape of the Uzumaki Clan symbol, or rather the symbol of Uzushiogakure. As the younger body began to adjust to it's new settings, Naruto and Kurama situated themselves inside.
"It's all here." "Hm?" "Everything. Every memory, every moment... It's all the same." Kurama chuckled, shaking his massive head. "Don't you get it, kiddo? It is you. The same you, just... Younger. Right now we've created a new time line, one that, potentially, won't follow ours into oblivion." Naruto nodded as his narrowed narrowed. He could feel them, Mizuki and Iruka, both searching for him... Iruka was much closer and was nearing rather quickly.
"Time to start, I guess." Kurama chuckled and Naruto gave the fox a soft scowl before vanishing from the mindscape, allowing Kurama to get comfortable.
"Naruto!" Iruka practically bellowed as he landed in the small clearing where Naruto lay. "I finally found you, you damn brat!" Naruto's eyes slowly opened as he gave Iruka a soft smile. Iruka blinked, something feeling... Different about the boy. He wasn't scared, he wasn't nervous, no... He was, of all this, confident. Very confident. What the hell had happened in just a few short hours since he had stolen the Scroll of Seals?
"Yeah... Ya did find me... Nosebleed-sensei." Iruka deadpanned, the boy referring to the moment in class where Naruto had caught him flat footed with the Sexy no Jutsu... Revenge for the punishment henge test, Iruka had to admit, but that was besides the point.
"So, do I pass?" "Pass what? The genin test? Naruto, you stole a very forbidden scroll, that isn't a damn test." "Steal it? I meant for what I learned from it." Iruka froze, staring at Naruto as the boy struggled to his feet. He looked like he had been through hell and back multiple times, and that look.. That look in his eyes, Iruka had seen it before, in his father, of all people. War fatigue is what his mother called it, all of the shinobi who had taken part in the third war seemed to have that look in their eyes, but why did Naruto? He couldn't understand it, not at this moment.
"And what did you learn?" Iruka asked cautiously, his eyes widening as a lighter slid from Naruto's left sleeve and flicked to life as he held the flame near to the scroll. "All of it." Iruka stared at Naruto, searching every inch of him, trying to find something to indicate the boy was lying, there was almost something, some twitch, some smile... But it wasn't there. All there was was confidence and... Something else, Iruka couldn't put his finger on it.
"Duck." Iruka blinked. "DUCK!" Naruto roared, causing Iruka to crouch low as a windmill shuriken passed through where his head had been not a second before. Iruka sucked in breath as Naruto didn't dodge the object, but instead caught it with ease. Spinning the shuriken around his hand, Naruto brought it around, crossing in front from his right to his left, deflecting several kunai that had followed up. Iruka turned to look over his shoulder, his eyes widening when he saw Mizuki standing there. Realization quickly set in as he looked back to Naruto, who was glaring bloody murder at Mizuki. The bastard has tricked Naruto into this!
"Mizuki, what are you doing here?" Iruka asked, rising to his feet and turning to face his fellow teacher. "Don't act like you don't know, Iruka. I'm here for the scroll. Now, Naruto, if you would.. Hand it over." Mizuki cooed, extending a hand towards the blonde boy.
"Naruto, don't gi-" Iruka froze as Naruto slowly sat the scroll on the ground at his feet... And walked towards Mizuki, an air of blood lust surrounding the boy as he passed. Across the forest, all of the chunin and jounin that had joined in the chase froze in place, all turning towards where the three were standing. None of them could understand what was going on, they could feel the blood lust, blood lust that reminded them so much of the Kyuubi when he attacked twelve years prior... But this was human. One hundred percent pure human blood lust. Was this Naruto? Was this the brat that they had heard was the complete dead last? Impossible. Nobody, not even Sarutobi could pull something like this. Looking at each other, they took off, hurrying towards the scene as quickly as they could.
"Do the demon brat has a death wish? Come, then, demon fox! I, Mizuki, will be hailed as a hero!" Mizuki's following laugh caught in his throat as Naruto vanished. The man could only stare at the spot where they boy had been standing, only to feel a blow to his back that sent him rocketing forward. Mizuki gasped and coughed as he struck and bounced off a tree like a rag doll. Mizuki was shaking, his body in shock from the blow as he raised his eyes, watching as Naruto began stalking towards him again. Though Mizuki and the stunned Iruka couldn't sense it, Naruto could feel the squad that had been hunting him appear in the trees all around them, and Sarutobi and several ANBU move in the distance. He put his little plan into action.
"You tried to kill me. You tried to kill Iruka-sensei. You tried to trick me into giving you the scroll, and you think you'd get away with it?" Naruto hissed, causing all around to freeze at the sheer amount of hostility in the boy's voice. "You want a demon? I'll show you a god damn demon." Naruto's right hand dug into his pocket, pulling out a small mirror he sometimes used in his pranks to blind people with sunlight.
"Look in the mirror, Mizuki-teme. Look in the mirror to see a real demon. A human that's tossed away everything for power and fame." Naruto then held up his left hand, a small blue orb of pure chakra began to form and grow larger; a Rasengan. Mizuki froze at the sight. What the hell was going on? The brat wasn't supposed to be this strong, he wasn't supposed to be this fast! Sucking in breath as Naruto vanished against, Mizuki felt a weight like ten thousand pounds crashing down onto his back, blood and bile flying from his mouth as he screamed out in pure agony as the Rasengan tore into his back. Sarutobi and his ANBU appeared just as the Rasengan began to dissipate, Naruto standing over the broken body of Mizuki. Sarutobi's pipe hit the ground, unable to believe what he had just seen. A Rasengan even more powerful that Minato's had just crushed one of his chunin instructors in the blink of an eye. The hunting squad dropped from their positions as a Hyuuga, being wary as to not touch Naruto, checked Mizuki's vitals, shaking his head after a few seconds. The Hyuuga, Naruto knew as Ko, Hinata's personal bodyguard when she was younger, looked up at the moment with... Wait, was that respect? Or was that fear? Naruto couldn't tell at this point.
"Naruto." Came Iruka's voice, causing the blonde to look towards his teacher, who was smiling broadly with a grinning Sarutobi next to him. Naruto walked towards the two as Sarutobi held up a small object as he approached. Naruto took the object, his eyes widening as he looked at the two in shock, causing Sarutobi to chuckle.
"Naruto, did you think I was blind? I saw Mizuki speaking with you before you stole the scroll... So I had my suspicions. But seeing you outright kill the man confirmed my suspicions... Are you alright?" Naruto nodded, tilting his head in confusion. "It is your first kill, Naruto... Many genin break under a mental strain such as that." "It helps to have a big fuzz ball inside your head." Everyone froze, all of them slowly turning to stare at the boy in shock.
"N-Naruto.. You.. You kow about the..?" "Since I was... Three? Oi, Kurama, help me out here." "Two, kiddo, get it right." Came Kurama's voice from the vicinity of Naruto's stomach. Sarutobi nearly fainted from shock at hearing the fox's voice again. Everyone else, excluding Iruka, began to take several steps backwards, away form the boy. "If I wanted to, yes, I'd release him, but that'd keep me from working up to being Hokage, wouldn't it? Idiots..." Naruto snapped at the group, causing some to relax their shoulders, but others to stare at him in shock.
"You can... release the seal?" "Whenever I want, Jiji." "Quit that... I take it you... Saw it in the scroll?" "That and more. You can have the scroll back, I memorized all of it." This time, Sarutobi did faint, the old man falling backwards, two ANBU guards catching him before he hit the ground. Naruto shrugged as Iruka placed a hand on Naruto's right shoulder and began guiding him out of the forest, the hunting squad scattered around them, most staying back to assist the Hokage. As the group neared the edge of the forest, Sarutobi had composed himself and was already waiting for them, his pipe back where it belonged between his lips.
"Naruto... I must emplore you..." "Don't speak of the scroll. Mizuki, I won't bother, half the village will know by tomorrow morning and the rest shortly after that... You know how it goes." Sarutobi chuckled, not questioning Naruto's logic, especially since it was all too true. For a ninja village they were fairly bad at keeping secrets. Sarutobi paused as Naruto looked up at the Hokage monument carved into the side of the mountain. Naruto clenched his fist and pointed it at the head of Minato Namikaze.
"I'm coming, dad, just you wait. I'll put your yellow flash legend to shame." Sarutobi, for the second time that night, dropped his pipe. "Speak of this to nobody." He directed this order to those around, who gulped as nodded at Sarutobi's expression.
"Nartuo. I won't ask how." "Fox." "... I didn't need to know that, but... I can't do anything about it... Naruto, you must, and I mean must keep this secret. If everyone were to learn who your father was... You would be public enemy number one for many, many people." Naruto nodded, although he knew that, in the future, both A and Onoki, the Raikage and Tsuchikage respectively, didn't give a rat's ass that he was the son of the Yellow Flash, all they cared about is what he could do for the good of the shinobi world. Naruto wondered now... Could he prevent Sarutobi's death? Kurama rumbled the same thought in his head, but Naruto kept himself from openly smiling.
"Naruto... Congratulations... And thank you... Though I wonder why Mizuki wanted to take the scroll once you had stolen it..." "I'm not sure, Jiji... I guess there's a snake in the village." Naruto looked up to Iruka as his teacher pushed him along towards Naruto's apartment. Sarutobi, however, had frozen as he knelt down to retrieve his pipe. A snake? Orochimaru. Naruto's comment was making Sarutobi's mind race, but Naruto hoped that it would spur actions, not just thoughts. He could only hope.
Iruka dropped Naruto off at his apartment, several chunin nodding to Naruto as they had made their way, many already hearing that Naruto had killed the traitor, Mizuki. A certain silver haired jounin was watching as Iruka gave one last wave and Naruto enter his apartment. Kakashi Hatake's eyes narrowed, having seen Naruto use the Rasengan and, while nobody else had noticed, an altered, seal-less version of the Flying Thunder God. Kakashi's right rose rose up in a 'smile' as he began humming to himself, opening his worn copy of Icha Icha Paradise. Tomorrow was going to be a fun day, especially if he was given Naruto as a student. He already knew what he'd be doing to the boy, especially after proving that he was far from being the dead last.
The next morning Naruto was up early, almost five in the morning, to be exact. Four hours of sleep was plenty after summoning four clones. He felt refreshed and ready to go, but right now... He was fighting against twenty of his clones, two ANBU were off to the sides, watching his progress as, one by one, he destroyed his clones, though they weren't the only ones. Each of the jounin instructors, from Asuma to Guy, and even Kurenai and Shibi Aburame, the only one missing was, of course, Kakashi, he was actually at Sarutobi's office, dragged there by Yugao Uzuki. After hearing about his dealing with Mizuki, each of the potential jounin instructors wanted a crack at teaching the boy, each wondering how far the boy could go, despite being the host of the Kyuubi. Without warning, Naruto crossed his arms and then swung them out to either side, 'needles' of orange chakra shot out, piercing each of the clones, dispelling them. Asuma's cigarette dropped from his mouth, Kurenai catching it before it passed his waist. She lifted it up to him, the Sarutobi heir gently taking it back in his lips, rubbing his forehead a moment later.
"Whoever get him will have one hell of a time..." Kurenai silently nodded as Naruto left the training grounds, leaving all of them silently contemplating how to train the boy if he was placed on their squad. Luckily, only Kakashi had to worry about that, the annoyed silver haired man left the Hokage's tower, slightly annoyed about his team; Sasuke Uchiha and a fan-girl, Sakura Haruno. And then there was Naruto... Kakashi paled. He had a brooding, emotion driven 'avenger', a squealing fan-girl... And his sensei's flesh and blood who had, without a doubt, rocketed himself to the secret number one of his class. Naruto was really the only one he was looking forward to teaching. With a sigh, Kakashi returned home... And went back to bed. He'd deal with it later. His alarm clock lay nearby... Unset and showing the wrong time and date.
Naruto had returned home and cleaned himself up, a quick shower and a quick, well, several bowls of ramen and he was back out on the street. Naruto wasn't heading towards the academy, but the shopping district. Kurama had mentioned changing his clothes, and, for once, Naruto agreed. He still loved his orange, but he had to admit, his younger self went completely overboard. Entering the clothing store, he slipped along the edge of the building, keeping out of sight of the owner, who was sure to throw him out, the fat bastard. It took Naruto a little while, but he finally found what he was looking for; a rack of black shirts, each of them long sleeved, but cuffed at the wrist. Each cuff was around three to four inches, a single button holding it it place against the sleeves. Naruto grabbed an armful, around ten or so, maybe twelve, he didn't count and hurried to the counter, setting them down quickly and grabbing Gama-chan from inside of his orange jacket. The owner, unfortunately, was the one before the counter. The man glared down at Naruto as he slowly reached towards the boy. Naruto gulped, but then blinked as the man pushed Gama-chan back into his jacket, his other hand taking the tags off of each shirt.
"Kid... On the house." Naruto stared at the man in shock. "You saved Iruka's life. You took out a traitor. Kid... You might not know it, but people respect you for that." He extended a hand towards naruto, who gingerly took it, the man shaking his hand briskly before releasing him.
"You're welcome anytime, kid... Just not on the house." Naruto smiled and nodded before hurrying out and back to his apartment. Naruto opened his closet with one foot and began hanging up the shirts. He paused and tossed one of them onto his bed, yanking off his orange jacket and tossing it into a corner of the room to be forgotten. Naruto held up the black shirt he had been given, nodding to himself as Kurama grumbled about never changing. Naruto unzipped the shirt and pulled it on, zipping it to the base of his neck, leaving an inch of so open so his neck could at least have some air, it wasn't winter yet. Turning to look at himself in the mirror, Naruto realized that, much like the first time he had received it, he had forgotten to put his headband on, his signature goggles sat on top of his head. Naruto slowly pulled them off and tossed them onto the jacket in the corner. He tied the headband across his forehead, then pulled at part of his hair.
"Might need a haircut..." 'You're fine, kiddo. Don't go changing yourself too much, or else people will suspect something' "Probably right..." Naruto muttered before stepping out of his room and made a quick stop in the kitchen for one more bowl of ramen before heading to the academy. Naruto ducked in and out of alleys, avoiding contact with people as much as possible, and, so far, was succeeding. Naruto's eyes shifted to the right, noting that he had already arrived at the academy. Glancing quickly to his left, he took note of the clock in the window of a sandwich joint; 8:57AM. Three minutes before the team announcements... Great, he wasn't trying to be this close to the time, but it was what it was, he couldn't change it now. He entered the academy and made his way to Iruka's classroom, pausing for a moment before sliding the door open. Most everyone was already there, save for Sasuke's screaming fan club. Iruka glanced to his right, the sight causing him to double take.
"Naruto. No orange today?" Naruto shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck, giving Iruka a large smile. Iruka waved his hands towards the student seating. Naruto walked up the stairs, pausing at the seat next to Sasuke, the brooding Uchiha glancing at the blonde as Naruto glanced around before taking the seat.
"I'll spare you from the harpies." Naruto whispered out of the corner of his mouth. Sasuke snorted, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter as the afore mentioned harpies entered the room, Sakura and Ino... Fighting to get through the door. Naruto and Sasuke grimaced at the sight, Sasuke for what was coming, Naruto for forgetting how idiotic these two acted in their genin and academy days. Sakura and Ino, along with several other girls climbed the stairs, arguing who would be marrying Sasuke. Ino and the other girls took their seats, but Sakura... She stood there, staring hearts at Sasuke, but someone was in her way.
"Naruto!" Naruto glanced to his right at Sakura, several people pausing to took, some had heard about Mizuki's fall at Naruto's hands and had spread the word, most wanted to see the altercation. "Move so I can sit next to Sasuke!" "Nope." Sakura froze, several other girls stared at Naruto in shock. Naruto had been head over heels for Sakura for years, so why was he denying her?! Sakura cracked her knuckles as she stepped towards Naruto, but the blonde was having none of it. 'I'm sorry, Sakura... But the younger you needs a shock.'
"What are you going to do, Sakura? Hit me? Try me." Naruto growled, causing even Sasuke to look at the dead last in shock. "I went through hell in a basket last night and I'm in no mood to take any shit from a pink haired harpy that thinks being a ninja is just like a romance novel! Now sit the hell down before I make you!" Naruto roared, causing Iruka to clear his throat to gain their attention as Sakura sat on the bench across the aisle from Naruto and Sasuke. Iruka held up a vanilla folder with the symbol of fire and Konoha on it's front.
"Welcome, everyone! Since you're all here, you passed you genin exams! Now... In this folder are your team assignments. I will begin reading the teams, and once the last name is called for the team, the three of you will leave and proceed to your assigned room. Now, starting with team one..." Iruka called each name, each group of three left in turn... And then came Team Seven.
"Team Seven! Uchiha Sasuke... Haruno Sakura..." Sakura cheered, but was quickly silenced. "Uzumaki Naruto." Sakura froze, her fist still in the air as she turned to look at Naruto, who held his left fist out towards Sasuke, who returned the fist bump rather quickly. The two boys stood, Naruto pausing to extend a hand towards Sakura, giving her a warm smile, waiting to help her to her feet. Sakura looked from Naruto's hand to his face, her left extending slowly, taking the offered hand. Naruto pulled her to her feet, giving her a nod before turning and making his way down the stairs, Sakura a few steps behind. Sasuke was standing in the hall waiting for them.
"Let's get some lunch." Naruto suddenly said, causing Sakura and Sasuke to look at him in shock. "N-Naruto! We have to hea-" Naruto held up a hand, cutting Sakura off from saying anything further.
"Trust me on this... I got a feeling our sensei won't be here until almost one." Sakura glanced at the clock in the hallway, it only read 9:42AM. Sakura looked at Naruto and Sasuke almost nervously, Naruto walking away and Sasuke thinking for a moment before following Naruto. Sakura grit her teeth and followed along, hurrying after the two boys as they left the academy and, to both Sasuke and Sakura's surprise, walked to a nearby sandwich store rather than over to Ichiraku's. The owner welcomed the three, clapping Naruto on the shoulder, the boy realizing he was respecting him for his actions the night before. After ordering their food and drinks, Naruto rubbed his eyes, feeling completely exhausted for some reason. Sakura tilted her head, a question on her mind, and Naruto noticed.
"What?" Naruto asked, turning towards her. "Uh, well... What... Entirely happened last night?" "He killed Mizuki." Sasuke answered for him. Sakura's eyes became dinner plates as she stared at Naruto. "But.. How? Why?!" Sakura demanded, staring at her new teammate.
"He tricked me... I... Stole something from the archives and he wanted it for someone... He was a traitor. He tried to behead Iruka-sensei... And I snapped. I.. I don't even know what I used to kill him, just that I did as Jiji and his guards showed up." Naruto lied, but with the way he was talking, Sasuke and Sakura didn't doubt him. Iruka had been a father to Naruto for so long they weren't surprised that he would have snapped to defend Iruka's life. Sakura, for the time being, wasn't obsessing over Sasuke, who sat right next to her, instead she was looking at Naruto in a whole new light as their drinks and food were delivered to the table.
The trio spent some time in the shop, just talking. Naruto knew almost everything that was going to be said, but to hear it here and now and not in the future was... A nice change of pace. When the conversation turned to their goals in life, Sakura paused, glancing at Sasuke before sighing and began playing with her nails.
"I... I don't know... I mean, I've always had something in mind, but... Naruto, I just don't know anymore..." "You could become a medic." Sakura blinked, staring at Naruto. "A medic? I..." "Think about it. You've always been the best at chakra control in the class, and medical stuff takes a ton of concentration. You'd be perfect." "He's got a point." Naruto nodded at Sasuke's added statement. Sakura looked down at her hands, rubbing her fingers together, imaging herself training to become a medical ninja... It wasn't a bad idea, really, she had to admit. Naruto looked towards Sasuke, raising his eyebrows, Sasuke quickly realizing it was his turn.
"Me? Well... I'm going to kill a certain someone and avenge my clan." "Sasuke-kun, tha-" "You're an idiot." Sakura and Sasuke stared at Naruto, whose glare towards Sasuke sent chills down their spines. "You really think being an avenger is going to help your clan, when you have no damn idea why Itachi did it? So much for being the number one in the class, huh?" Naruto practically snarled at the Uchiha, causing the boy to gulp, Sakura scooting to the edge of her chair, once more staring at Naruto in fear.
"You think that just up and killing your brother will solve your problems? All you'd be doing is progressing the hate further. Would killing him bring them back? Would it put them at ease? I doubt it, teme. You think repeating your clan's history since before the village was founded would solve anything?" Sasuke looked down at the floor, a slight red in his cheeks. He was being chastised by the dead last! He was being treated like a little kid who got caught stealing cookies from the kitchen! But... Naruto was right. How was he right? When did the dead last grow up this much? A few days ago he had painted the Hokage monument, and now here he was treating him, the Uchiha heir like a little kid! Sakura, on the other hand, was having different thoughts, a soft pink on her cheeks as she stared at the scene in front of her.
"Huh. You beat me to the punch." All three jumped as they finally noticed a silver-haired shinobi standing there at the end of the table, a copy of Icha Icha Paradise in his hand as he stared at the three with his single visible eye. Kakashi Hatake, the copy-cat shinobi of Konoha, their sensei... Was looking pleased. Naruto glanced at the clock and grimaced slightly; 1:02PM. They had spent longer in the shop then he had intended, but Kakashi didn't look too upset about it.
"Well, you three... My first impressions of you... Not bad. Could use some work, but at least two of you knows for sure what they want for their future..." Kakashi placed a hand on top of Sasuke's head, ruffling his hair a bit. "While the third just needs some guidance from his comrades, hm?" Sasuke smirked as he brushed Kakashi's hand away, giving their teacher a 'playful' glare and smirk as a waitress came to the table, but Kakashi only shook his head, quickly explaining that he was picking the three up. Kakashi turned back to the three, lifting his left hand to rub his chin through the ever present face mask.
"Hrm... Now then... Since being late clearly doesn't seem to bother you three..." Sasuke and Sakura gulped while Naruto only smirked. "Noon. Training ground three. Don't worry, I'll be there, being up bright and early doesn't suite me." Well, that was easy to change his tune, Naruto thought to himself as Kakashi gave them away and meandered off and out the front door. Naruto gave a restrained laugh, making a sound akin to a kazoo.
"Well, that went better than I thought it would." "No kidding." "Yeah... So, Sasuke-kun, Naruto... Thanks." Sakura said, her voice lower as she thanked the two. Sasuke blinked at Sakura, not really understanding why she was thanking them, but Naruto smiled and nodded towards her.
"We should do something like this all the time. I mean a lunch or something together. It might help us." "That is possibly one of the smartest things I've heard out of your mouth, dobe." "Watch it, emo-teme. I might let a kunai slip." Sasuke and Naruto glared at each other before breaking down and laughing, unable to take each others comments seriously, Sakura sighed and waved to the two as she left for the day. "So, dobe... How did you kill Mizuki?" "Huh?" "I know you were lying. You were trying to act too innocent." "... Damn it, I thought I was in the clear... To be honest I used something I read in the Scroll of Seals, the Shadow Clone Jutsu... I went overboard with it, they had to feed me a few soldier pills." Sasuke smirked, the Uchiha heir knowing what dispelling a large number of clones, especially those of the forbidden type could do to someone's head.
"Well. I think I'll head out, too. Get my stuff ready for tomorrow." Naruto nodded as Sasuke left, blinking when he noticed money already sitting on the table. Sasuke and Sakura hadn't... Kakashi, of course. Sneaky bastard. Naruto sighed as he pushed himself to his feet, nodding towards the owner as he left the shop. Naruto slowly made his way towards his apartment, pausing, his hand inches from the doorknob. He could feel someone on the other side... Oh, he knew who it was. He smirked as he slowly opened the door, the lights in his apartment suddenly flicking on as a blur of yellow, blue and gray rushed towards him. Naruto stepped slightly to his right and caught the individual by the collar of his shirt and long, blue scarf that hung around his neck.
"Konohamaru..."
Next Chapter: Enter... Konohamaru!