Chapter 2
They had to allow Naruto to take the Chunnin exam. They'd already agreed to it with Kaakshi. The problem was, they didn't want to.
"We could tell him he can't take the exam because his power is too great after studying under the great Jiarya."
"That would be the same as telling him he's already qualified enough to be Hokage."
"Well what would you tell him then?"
"That he can't take the test because of his age."
"We've never had an issue with that before."
"You are all acting like children," the old woman who spoke during Naruto and Kakashi's meeting before spoke up finally. "It's quite simple actually."
She paused for effect, waiting until all the other elders' eyes were on her.
"We tell him he can't take the test without a team."
The rest of them all erupted at that.
"Of course! All the ninja's preparing to become a Chunnin this time around are going with their teams."
"They must be in groups of three!"
"And even if there were any, it wouldn't matter. He would need to be in a team he could work well in."
"Sakura-san is already nearing her Jounin level, so she can't be a participant."
"This is brilliant."
"Send an alert to everyone, and make sure Naruto knows," the woman spoke one more time. "Naruto cannot participate without a full team."
Naruto woke up with a sneeze. He'd been having a strange dream. Somehow it reminded him of the past; he couldn't quite remember. He yawned. Nevermind. If it were important, I'll remember it later.
He bounced out of bed and began dressing in his typical orange excitedly. He was training for something again. He finally had a concrete, definite goal. He hadn't had one of those since…since…since Sasuke left.
He froze at the thought. Well that's depressing. And here I was having such a good day. He mentally shook himself, before he finished dressing. He had to concentrate. Becoming Hokage was just within his reach.
He dashed out of the house, grabbing an apple for breakfast ("you should eat more healthily Naruto" Sakura-chan had chastised) and ended up in his old training area.
"Yosh!" He exclaimed and got right to work.
Fifty rounds of push-ups, pull-ups, and ab work later, he started his run. Lee had told him running was the single most effective way to improve one's Taijutsu, and Naruto intended to have his body in tip-top shape before the test. The war had ended not long ago, but he'd already lazed around enough, he was short of breathe after a few laps. He decided it was time to work on some ninjutsu; the sun already indicated it was nearing mid-day.
He arrived back at his training area to find a figure standing there, waiting for him. "Naruto-niisan!" Konohamaru waved as he approached.
"Hey! What are you doing here?"
"I heard you were training for the Chunnin exam out here, and I wanted to share the news with you."
"News? What news?"
"The Elders have announced that only groups of three are allowed to participate," he held a crumpled paper before his face.
"Let me see that," Naruto snatched it away from him and began reading quickly, his eyes darting back and forth.
"As a reminder, only teams of three are allowed to participate in the exam. Team members may only consist of ninjas in the Genin level who have been approved by a Jounin to participate. It is unadvisable to try and find two other individuals with whom you have never worked – Konohamaru what is this shit?!"
Konohamaru just looked at him.
"They know I don't have a team, dattebayo!"
"I don't know what to tell you Naruto-niisan…"
"Wait!" The blonde's face suddenly lit up with excitement. "You're a Genin, right?"
"Yes, but –"
"We can be on a team together! Now we just need to find one more – "
"Sorry, Naruto-niisan, but I already have a team of three."
Naruto's face fell.
"Look, I'll, uh see you around ok? Good luck with the training!" And with that, the younger ninja ran off.
The desire to train was gone. Naruto just sunk to the ground, still holding the flyer. Goddammit. They really are trying to make this impossible for me. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep the childish tears from falling. This isn't fair.
Life isn't fair Naruto, Kurama's voice rang through his mind.
Naruto opened his eyes; they were in his mind, as they had been many times in the past. The difference was the lack of bars separating him and the fox.
This is my dream, Kurama. Not just some kid stealing my ramen.
Then what's stopping you from achieving it?
Did you not see what the flyer said? They need a group of three, and there are no groups left.
So?
So it's impossible, dattebayo!
That's never stopped you before.
Naruto didn't respond.
It was impossible for you to befriend me, impossible for anyone to defeat Madara or the ten tails, impossible to stop Pein from destroying Konoha…
I get it. I did those things. But what do I do for this?
Find two other Genin who you've worked with who are not considered Chunnin yet. Preferably two who you've worked with before.
You sound like you have someone in mind.
It would ruin the fun if you couldn't figure it out for yourself, Naruto. Look sharp, someone's coming along.
Naruto opened his eyes. True to the fox's word, someone kneeled before him. Far too close to him. With a yelp, he fell over.
"SAI! DO YOU REALLY FEEL THE NEED TO GET SO CLOSE TO ME ALL THE TIME?!" He exclaimed once he'd regained his breath.
The dark haired ninja just smiled his mysterious smile. "Hello, Naruto-kun."
"And don't call me Naruto-kun. It's creepy and weird."
"Then what should I call you?"
"Just call me Naruto." The blonde stood up and wiped the dirt off his back.
"Isn't dropping formalities the sign of being extremely close with someone?" The other stood up as well.
"Shut up and stop being so weird. What did you want anyways?"
"I heard you were training out here to take the Chunnin exam, and I decided to pop in and bring a snack. Sakura-chan said you probably weren't eating healthy." He held up a basket of food. "Shall we picnic, Naruto?" He smiled again.
"THAT MAKES IT SOUND LIKE A DATE!"
Moments later, they were eating rice balls under a tree. Naruto grabbed his fourth and chewed it thoughtfully.
"Something on your mind?" The sound of Sai's voice brought Naruto out of his thoughts.
"Hmm? Oh I suppose so." For a moment he considered not telling the other. "They told me I couldn't be Hokage unless I pass the Chunnin exam coming up. Problem is, you need a team of three and I don't have one."
"That does sound like a problem."
"Yeah. And Sakura-chan's already a Chunnin, and you're…what are you?"
"Hmm…" Sai looked away thinking. "I don't know for sure," he said after a moment. "I suppose I'm just a Genin as far as the official standings go. We didn't go through the same training at Root, but in order to be considered a real ninja of the village, we were required to be Genin. That was the only official test I believe I took."
"You're a Genin? That's great!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly, grabbing Sai's wrists and causing him to drop his rice.
"I – I suppose so…"
"Do you know what this means?"
Sai swallowed the last of his rice, but Naruto didn't give him a chance to answer.
"We can be on a team together! This is great! I bet you that's what the damn fox was talking about. Now we only need to find one other person!"
He finally released Sai's wrists and ran off jumping around and chanting "only one more" at the top of his lungs. Sai chuckled to himself at the strangeness of his friend.
He decided it was time to leave; Naruto looked like he was ready to go back to training. As he stood, Naruto made one of his Shadow Clones appear and the two of them danced around each other still chanting. Neither Naruto nor his clone noticed the dark haired ninja disappear back towards the village.
"Wake up, traitor. You have a visitor."
Sasuke opened his eyes to the sound of one of the guards' voices. He didn't particularly enjoy being woken from his slumber.
"Tell them I'm busy." He rolled over.
"Showing your back to the enemy is something that gets ninjas captured. Oh wait." A new voice entered.
"You're the one who took my place, correct? Sai, if I recall." He turned and sat up. The guard was gone.
"That's right." The newcomer smiled at him. It was a creepy smile, like he was hiding the desire to kill. Poorly.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Drop the pleasantries, Uchiha." The smile was gone.
"Such hostility. All I asked was why you were here."
The other just glared.
"Really, what is it with you people coming down here and threatening me? First it's Sakura, now it's you – "
"I haven't threatened you." The shorter haired ninja cut him off. The word yet hung unspoken in the air between them.
"Then I'll ask again, what do you want?"
It was silent for a moment.
"I don't have time for this shit." Sasuke made as if to try and sleep again.
"Wait." The voice didn't reek of bad intentions this time. It was enough to cause Sasuke to stop and stay seated.
"I'm listening."
The glare returned to the other ninja's face.
"Rumor has it you're going to be called to speak with the Elders soon. They are going to decide what to do with you; whether it's worth it to let you keep living or not."
"Why are they deciding? Isn't that the Hokage's job?"
"I suppose it would be, if we had a Hokage."
"Why don't you have a Hokage?" Sasuke tried very hard to not let his real question show through.
Sai's eyebrow raised the tiniest bit.
"That's the problem. According to what I've heard, the Elders want Kakashi –" I knew it! "– but Kakashi said he would rather have Naruto be Hokage. The agreement they came to was that Naruto would have to pass the ninja tests if he wanted to become the new Hokage."
"What does that have to do with me?" He put more of an effort to sound apathetic to the subject than he ever had in the past.
"Everything."
"What?" This time he couldn't stop the curiosity from showing in his voice.
"In order to pass the Chunnin exam, you must be in a group of three. Since I was in Root, I am only officially a Genin, but Sakura-san passed the Chunnin exam several years ago. Everyone else eligible for the exam is already split into teams of three."
"This still doesn't relate to me."
"You are a Genin, are you not?"
It clicked. He was almost ashamed at how long it had taken. "Absolutely not."
"But you are, I read your file –"
"Yes, I'm a Genin. I meant I am absolutely not taking the Chunnin exam with you."
"You're the last option. Not only are you the last ninja in need of a teammate, you were also Naruto's former team member. It's perfect!"
"Except I'm in prison. I'm a traitor remember? They aren't going to let me take some damn test."
"They will."
"No they won't! For the love of – if it weren't for that pink haired girl ripping it off my face I'd still be blindfolded! I'm in chains for Pete's sake!" He shook his wrists to prove his point.
The other ninja waited patiently for Sasuke's tantrum to end.
"Are you quite finished?"
This time, it was the Uchiha's turn to glare.
"They will allow this and here's why. They don't want Naruto to be Hokage – no listen to me – but they know he could possibly find another loophole in the exam's rules. If they allow him to participate with you as his teammate, there's the possibility you could try to escape or destroy Konoha or kill someone or something. And if that were to happen, not only would he not pass, nobody would want him to be Hokage. Or at least that's how they probably see it."
Sasuke continued to glare. "I thought you liked him."
"I do."
Something hot and angry bubbled in the Uchiha's stomach. "Then why suggest this?"
"Because it's the best chance Naruto-kun has of becoming Hokage."
"And if I decide to kill someone or something?"
"I'll be with you the whole time. If something like that happens, I'll kill you without any hesitation." The shorter-haired ninja's voice hardened at this, contrasting strongly with the smile which appeared on his face.
"And why would I agree to this?"
"Because if you do this, you'd more than likely be pardoned. I'm sure Naruto-kun would let you move far, far away once he's Hokage."
The hot thing bubbled more.
"And if I decide to stay and remain a ninja?"
The smile slipped off Sai's face. "Then you're bound to face more hardships trying to do that than Naruto is now trying to realize his dream."
Sasuke nodded. He expected no less.
"Do we have a deal then?"
"You never made me an offer," the Uchiha smirked.
"You agree to be the third member of our team, not kill anyone or try to destroy Konoha, and I agree not to kill you. You will also never mention this conversation to anyone."
"Sounds like a rip-off to me."
"Either that, or stay locked down here until they decide to kill you. Do you really think Kakashi would be as forgiving as Naruto?"
He couldn't argue with that. "I agree to your conditions, but with one of my own."
"You are in no condition to make demands."
"You must answer one question."
"That's it? Fine. I'll answer your question. This never happened anyways."
Sasuke mustered up all his courage.
"Why has he not come down to see me?"
"He?" The other was being impossible, Sasuke knew it.
"N-Naruto." He instantly hated himself for stammering and tried to cover it up. "Sakura came down to threaten me, and now here you are, bargaining with me, both of you on his behalf."
"Hmm. That's true. I guess we have. Well I did promise you an answer, I suppose." He paused a moment. "The reason Naruto hasn't come down to visit you –"
"Time's up! Let's go, pretty boy!" The guards were back. And before he knew it, Sai was gone. He could've sworn the shorter-haired man had shot him a look of pity before he left, but it didn't matter. He still didn't have the answers.
"Hope you enjoyed your visit, traitor." The guard taunted, before disappearing up the stairs and slamming the door.
Sasuke laid back down and rolled over, once again alone in the darkness with his thoughts.
AN: Sorry for the delayed update! It's nearing finals. In fact, I have HW due tomorrow that I've neglected because I was writing this instead. Love me.
To answer some questions people have asked (and some I'm anticipating):
You will eventually learn what happened to Tsunade. For the time being, it's best to assume she's just gone. All things will be revealed in time.
Yes, I've read ch. 627. In this version, Sasuke did NOT go willingly back to the Leaf. In fact, the way I have it planned out currently (it's possible it could change, I guess) he was captured. That doesn't necessarily mean he was still trying to destroy the Leaf though.
If you have any other questions or comments, feel free to PM me or write them in your review!
PLEASE review!
