Hey All! Here is the New and Beta'd Chapter Three! Let's all give PheonixClaw a hand!

Comments, suggestions, and constructive critisim always welcome! Remember that all chapters are subject to change.

Disclaimer: I'm just a girl who lives with my parents. If I owned Naruto, I would probably be living in a nice appartment somewhere in the middle of Tokyo city. And I probably wouldn't be going to school either... ;P

Sakura paused, her foot still in mid air. Her gaze was focused on the village before her. "I can't do this." Her chest heaved, her hands quivered. "I-I can't do this."

"Yes, you can." Ino came up behind her and put her arm around her shoulders. "You can, and you will." The blond sighed. "You told me you were past this, Sakura. You promised Naruto that you would be okay…"

Sakura pulled away. "Of course I did! I wasn't going to make Naruto worry any more than he had to! Especially since he was forced to stay behind." Sakura picked up a stone and hurled it hard. The lethal projectile sunk into the middle of a tree, leaving a hole seven inches deep. "But… You don't understand."

Ino wasn't sure about that. She knew very well what was troubling Sakura.

Sakura had been a medic-nin by choice, not by necessity like Hinata and Ino. She had cared for not only the ninja but for the civilians. Sakura had made it a point to make her patients as comfortable as possible by talking to them, asking questions, and telling them about herself. There was not a single patient be him young or old that she didn't know their entire life story, even if it seemed mundane. As she had told Sai once, "There is a tale in everyone's lives, a precious pearl that you won't find in anyone else."

The children loved her, rushing to meet her instead of running away. Old people loved her, knowing they could talk and talk and talk and she wouldn't tell them to be quiet. Dealing with Naruto had taught her that. Sakura made it a point to get to know each and every person she could as much as was possible.

And then, when the war started, she was forced to see friend after friend and patient after patient die, many of them dying even as she pumped an inhuman amount of chakra into their bodies. Sakura remembered them; she remembered their faces, their stories, their hopes and dreams. She remembered their names.

And she couldn't forgive herself for failing.

This was dangerous as Tsunade had often come to tell her. Tsunade had lectured Sakura constantly about the destructiveness of not distancing oneself. Sakura had been Tsunade's sound box, a person she could rant about all the things gone wrong in her past. Because of this, Sakura knew exactly what had broken the Hokage and driven out her strength for years – It was the deaths of her brother and lover.

However, despite this, Sakura couldn't let go of her failings.

She couldn't forget the face of the seven-year-old boy who had been at the wrong place at the wrong time, who loved puppies and wanted to be a cook. She couldn't forget the old lady who had been retired for years and only wanted to look after her garden, and whose life had been stolen by a cruel Sound-nin.

She couldn't forget shinobi who had been rushed in and placed on her table. She couldn't overlook their looks of resignation because they'd all seen injuries like this before, and knew exactly where it would end. Sakura couldn't escape from the genin teams who had left so hopefull and filled with life, believing that nothing could stop them, only to return with the broken body of a teammate and optimistic looks that tore into her because they believed that she could do something, that she would do something even though she knew she couldn't.

This was half of the problem. That village, which they were quickly approaching, was filled with people that Sakura thought she had failed. It was filled with people that Sakura thought she should have been able to save. It was filled with friends who wouldn't know her.

The other part of the problem extended from that existence which their entire lives seemed to revolve around nowadays: Naruto.

Tch. Ino didn't know when exactly it had occurred, but Sakura had begun to notice the attitude toward Naruto. It happened soon after Sakura had discovered Naruto's secret. At the time, only she and Shikamaru had known about Kyuubi, Team Gai had found out while rescuing Gaara, and the rest of the Konoha Nine were just beginning to see the reactions of the villagers and start questioning the behaviors of their parents.

Sakura quickly became appalled as she watched people she had respected from childhood as decent, caring, kind role models, turn into a child's worst nightmare. As she watched in newly opened and shocked eyes, the kind faces of her mentors twisted with hate and disgust. As she stared in horror, the people who acted so kind to her when she entered their stores closed the doors in her teammate's face. Soon, Sakura became almost bitter and disillusioned. Naruto saw what was happening, and even though it felt nice to for once have someone on his side, he begged her to lay aside her resentment and anger.

Perhaps, Ino reflected as she put a hand on Sakura's arm, it had been the mixture of both these things which had caused Sakura to snap. Which had caused her almost to refuse treatment of anyone in the "older generation," to insult the elders, to rebel… It had been a horrible four months. A no good, terrible, horrible four months until Sakura was suitable to tend to people again. Even then, she only tended to people who she had never seen do things to Naruto.

Ino glanced back at Lee, who was for once quiet and begged silently for his help. Despite his appearance, Lee was wise. The green-clad teen moved to come in front of cherry-headed girl. "Sakura, I know it makes you angry. I know it makes you sad. It makes me angry too… but the people down there are innocent, and they are the same people whose life stories you've heard. You have a chance to change those stories for the better, and a chance to save the lives of those you think you've failed."

Sakura kept her gaze firmly on the ground. "Sakura." Lee insisted, ducking to meet her eyes. Slowly, one side of her mouth stretched to a wry smile.

"I guess… I need to let go, don't I." She said ruefully. Lee grinned.

"That is my Sakura-chan! Filled to the brim with the power of youth which will guide her on her journey to seeking the goodness in the hearts of men even as she blossoms into—"

Ino slammed her fist onto his head. "Shut up."

Sometimes, Lee's brand of wisdom wasn't the best choice.

Konoha

The chuunin looked up to see three figures approaching the gates. He reached over and tapped his companion on the shoulder to wake him. Rouma grunted and opened his eyes. His legs remained firmly propped up on the desk, however, Ryu knew that the moment Rouma sensed any danger, he would be ready. The figures continued to come closer. They made no attempt to hide themselves, but their movements made him worried. Their feet grazed upon the ground hardly leaving a mark. Their strides were graceful and confident. They carried themselves almost warily. They carried themselves like shinobi.

Rouma tightened his hand around a kunai. Ryu motioned him off. "Don't alert them to our suspicions. Better to let them hang themselves." Rouma silently acknowledged his point and forced himself to relax. If they were spies… well… they wouldn't last long. The Yellow Flash was in town.

They were dressed strangely, Sakura mused. It felt weird to be in "civilian clothes" after all these years. Boots, blue jeans, a black tee-shirt with the words 'It wasn't me!' and her white trench coat. No weapons unless you counted her fists.

Ino was in a purple short-sleeve embroidered shirt and khakis – definitely not shinobi clothes. Lee was posed as their companion/bodyguard, so he was able to wear at least some clothing in which fighting was possible, but even then… They all felt vulnerable.

None of them wore their headbands, obviously, and it felt so strange. It felt as if she had cut off one of her arms and left it behind. Lee had taken leaving his hiate behind especially hard, having inherited Gai's red headband after his death. Lee had never gone anywhere without it after Gai's death a year and a half ago. Or was it in twenty years? Gah! Sakura's face twisted. Time traveling is so confusing!

And Ino had on tennis shoes of all things! Those impractical, unsteady monstrosities! Of course, boots weren't much better, she figured.

Sakura focused on the village. It looked so… new and carefree, and yes, she could see the signs of the war which marred this time but still, it was a far cry from the smoldering wreckage that Orochimaru had left in his wake.

Lee already had an extra spring in his step, only noticeable if you had been around him for as long as she had. Ino was almost skipping, her face becoming more carefree than Sakura had seen in a long time. It was interesting what coming home could do…

Lee felt himself becoming more cheerful, more dare-he-think-it-of-course-he-did youthful.

However, this time, Lee thought, it isn't just referring to attitude. It feels as if years have rolled off my shoulders. Ino and Sakura look so young now and I don't mean because they're fifteen either. Ino… she's had to deal with a lot in the last year with taking care of Sakura. And Sakura… well, perhaps this will allow her to let go of the past and embrace the springtime of youth! Not very likely, however. He sighed ruefully. Some people just didn't get it. Gai-sensei! I hope somewhere you are proud of me! Today, I will strive to make a better world for you, one where sadness isn't something shown often on your face.

The gates were fast approaching, and Lee knew they would just come oh so much sooner if they could just run! However, going incognito meant that nothing could link them to being shinobi.

There were, naturally, subtle signs that Lee knew they weren't hiding, but no one could truly hide the signs of a trained fighter, especially one which had seen battle. That, Lee knew, would always be seen in the shadows of the eyes, the hardness around the mouth, the cautious looks at bushes and the way one set ones back to a wall. It was seen in slightly twitchy hands that inched to an imaginary pouch that just wasn't there. It was seen in the melancholy and far off looks towards better times that everyone, even him, was subject to. Lee had even seen Naruto - cheerful, youthful, and rebounding Naruto pause and sit frozen, staring at his hands as if he were seeing them for the first time.

Lee knew what he was seeing.

Sometimes, Lee saw it himself – the deeds that weren't suitable for remembering, much less mentioning. The sins that they had committed while in the 'line of duty.' Lee knew that Naruto, more than anyone else other than maybe Sai was well aware of all the genin he had cut down – genin who hadn't even stood a chance against the experienced jounin.

Sai was more aware simply because he had been in that life for as long as he could remember. Sai had been trained to be an emotionless weapon since the age of three. Sai knew… darker things than the rest, which he thankfully kept mostly to himself. However, the things that Sai inevitably did reveal…

They made Lee shudder to even think that there was someone so twisted, so – unyouthful – that they could do those deeds to a child. It made him gasp in horror to know that those people had claimed allegiance to Konoha and that the village that he stepped closer to with every passing second was almost under their control. At the same time… Naruto's situation had made him realize that not all humans were as good as they… well, let's leave it at that.

Where was he? Oh yes, the signs of a shinobi…

However, by this time it was irrelevant. The guards had probably seen them – should have seen them a while ago if they were worth their salt – and had probably marked down anything suspicious. That is, if methods of conduct were the same now as fifty years ago. Er. Later.

Tch! Time travel!

Well, it was time to see how things would go from now on. As Ino had once said, "It was time to face the music."

Rouma could feel his muscles tense. What was it about them that set him off? Traders came less than usual, true, but they still came. They were a shinobi village, after all. They had to make money somehow, so customers were still regular. It wasn't rare for some unknowing family to come to a shinobi village when it was at war. After all, shinobi needed to keep these sorts of things away from the public.

However… something just set him on edge. Even as the children, for children they were he could now see, something just rubbed him wrong. Of course… It might just be that boy.

Who on earth wears that horrid shade of green! If it were spandex, I could swear he was an older version of… Rouma cut off that line of thought. He shook his head rapidly. However, masochism is more fun when shared, so Rouma turned to his partner.

"Oi, Ryo… Is it just me or does that boy look a lot like-"

"Don't say anything." The jounin hissed. "I'm trying not to think of that, thank you. All he needs is spandex and…" Simultaneously, both of them shuddered. What horrors that particular Konoha Chuunin must have gone through to turn out like that.

Ryo sighed. "They're almost here. You'd think that if they were shinobi, they'd at least do us the courtesy of arriving quickly. Mendokuse!" Ryu grumbled as he stood up and straightened his hiate. Or that is, he tilted it more off kilter. Calloused hands, used to wielding a sword, brushed off his jounin vest. He picked up the jug of sake and set it on the table. "Let's make them a little loosed tongued, right? Rouma?"

Rouma groaned. Why do I always have to be the drunk?

Ino paused in mid step, her face a humorous display of bemusement, bewilderment, and astonishment. A grin spread over her face and she hopped over to the desk, falling easily into the role of a normal, hyper fifteen year old civilian girl.

"Ooohh!" She said splaying her hands on the desk and leaning forward, her eyes fixed on the chuunin who was acting drunk. Acting. Always acting. Always… She forced the thoughts out of her head to focus on playing her role. Spunky to the extreme, she asked, "Is he drunk?" She put a finger on her cheek. "Never been around a drunk guy before… well, at this time of the day anyway!" Was it her imagination, or did they just tense. Of course it wasn't. She wasn't top interrogator for looking hot, after all. They were suspicious.

"My daddy, now, he got drunk around seven every night! Not to mention my brothers! You better get him some headache medicine, or else he's gonna have a hangover the size of a horse!" She giggled. "Daddy now, he got real temperamental when he got a hangover."

Sakura sighed. "What are you talking 'bout, Ino? You're just as temperamental as your daddy was. Only his bad day is a great one compared to yours." Ino's face fell and she scowled.

"What did you say, forehead girl." Sparks flew between them, and then they turned away in a huff. However, in a second, both girls were leaning on the desk again.

"But really, should he be drunk this early in the day? I would think that that would be…" Both girls paused before chorusing. "Troublesome!" Lee bounded up behind them.

"Ino! Haruka! Not only that, but by being drunk so early in the day means that this poor soul has some deep scar and is trying to drown it! We must attempt to revive his flames of youth which are being crushed by—"

Ino clamped a hand around Lee's mouth. "Leeeeee." Ino knew, just knew, that the shudder which had run through the guards had been from that comment. Was it possible they knew Gai? They seemed disturbed enough… "Sorry about that!" She laughed nervously. "My friend here is a little… quirky." She winced. The jounin seemed suddenly much more sympathetic.

"Names?" He asked.

"I'm Nawaki Ino, this is Sato Haruka and this bundle of youth in green cloth over here is Tai Lee." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. Sheesh! He wasn't seriously this gullible, was he? She pushed over her papers even as she noticed the chuunin was suddenly much less drunk and trying hard to still seem so.

Bingo. Caught you. She hid a smirk. Some of the oldest tricks in the book. The drunk man first and if that didn't work the sympathetic guard who was sooo gullible. She felt like sighing. Aren't they in the middle of a war? Shouldn't they be making some new things up? Of course, these old school tactics might be new for them.

The documents were quickly checked out and after a moment the jounin looked up. He glanced at them, and then back down.

"What's a bunch of kids doing so far from home?" He asked, scanning their documents a third time. Sakura stepped forward while Ino conceded her place generously. When putting forward a business proposition, Sakura's assertive nature always worked better, especially now that Ino had established herself as a normal 'hyper' fifteen year old. Sakura's body posture was completely serious, her aura concentrated.

"Business." Sakura started curtly. "I and my companions are part of a group in a caravan. We wish to start a business which specialized in civilian-shinobi trade. Basically, we come for about a week, set up our stall, sell our wares, buy supplies, leave and go to a civilian village. Then we go to another shinobi village, then another civilian village. We are an impartial party – we take no side in any war, and as long as a village will trade with us, we will trade with them."

As the jounin began to open his mouth, most likely to voice protest, Sakura continued. "Of course, we will need permission from your… Hokage? Was it?" Sakura's green eyes met the Konoha nin's caramel straight on. Her back was ramrod straight and her voice was clipped and to the point. The jounin opened his mouth again, only to stop. He shook his head in amusement.

"What makes you think that Konoha will want anything to do with an "impartial party." For all we know, you could be scouts in Iwa's pay to see Konoha's defenses."

"When we said "impartial party," we meant," Sakura leaned forwards. "Im-par-tial party. We will neither trade, nor talk, nor give hints about a village to another village – be they friends or foes. Nor will we carry messages, nor will we sell better quality of things to one village and not to another." She looked straight at him, her eyes sharp. "Besides, accept or deny us, that isn't your choice is it? I assume that the similar dress between you two mean that you are not the Hokage. While I realize you are fully within your authority to deny us into the city, you can't deny our business proposition. Only the Hokage can do that."

Rouma had to fight not to laugh. Ryo-san was getting dressed down by a fifteen year old civilian! And a girl too! It was too funny.

She wasn't… disrespectful, exactly, but she was forceful. And Rouma knew from experience that Ryo responded to force with force. Thus, Rouma was surprised when Ryo burst out laughing. And not chuckles, but deep belly-aching laughs.

The laughter slowed down to a chuckle and Ryo looked down to the girl before him.

"You've got spirit girl!" He said between chuckles. "You remind me of my Mokoto." He smiled. "Okay. Rouma! I think I can guard the gate while you take these business people to the Hokage tower." Ryo glared at his partner. "However, if you're late, it comes out of you're salary."

Rouma felt as if the air had been knocked out of him. "W-whaaat?" He gasped. "But, but!" He stammered around, gesturing with his hands and mouthing words. Ryo smiled innocently.

"Do you have a problem?" He asked with fake sweetness. Rouma sighed.

"No sir, not at all, sir, why would I sir, I live to serve, si-"

"Oh? You do?" Ryo grinned evilly. "Then why don't you pick up my laundry on the way back, eh?"

Rouma watched helplessly as his paycheck flew away amid a sea of delirious giggles.

The Caves

Naruto spun around to kick the straw dummy. He flipped in the air and came up behind it, raining down punches like a storm. With one final growl he tore the head off.

"Now… What did that poor straw man ever do to you?" Sai asked sardonically, walking into the room. He reached down to pick up the head. "Any particular reason it looks like a fusion of Kakashi and Neji?"

Naruto turned away and stood silently – a quivering package of emotion just waiting to burst. "H-how come they have to be so rational?" He growled and hit the wall with a crack. Sai inwardly winced. That had to hurt. Sai sighed and walked up beside the blond once-a-man-now-a-boy, whereas the blond leaned his head against the wall silently. Naruto's red flecked eyes watched his hand contemplatively as the bones knit and reformed, the skin already growing back to hide any sign of the injury.

"You know, we're going to have to get used to our teammates going out without us being there controlling the situation." Sai commented calmly, leaning his back against the wall. Dark eyes were fixed on the sky above them, obscured only by stone which jutted out.

Naruto glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

"That doesn't mean I have to like it." He pushed himself off the wall and walked over to scoop up his coat. The coat and pants were all that remained from his original outfit. He wore a bright orange sleeveless shirt as well as a black headband in place of his hiate. He threw on the jacket and reached to secure his weapons pouch before he remembered. No more weapons pouch. His fingers curled. No more safety.

He could feel Sai's eyes on him, watching, observing, and his gaze as sharp as his pseudonym. Sai – sword. How appropriate. What's in a name?

"I just know you're going to rant right now." Sai stated in false exasperation, rolling his eyes. Naruto scowled.

"Shut up. Emo."

"Drama queen."

"Emotion runt."

"Overblown dumb blond."

"Cheesy lout."

"Wind bag."

"Effeminate artist!"

"…Do you really want me to give the logical retort to that?" Sai asked, smiling. Naruto puffed in annoyance.

"Forget it." He made his way towards the exit of the cavern which led back up to their cave dwellings and paused. "Do you think that we're doing the right thing? Being here, in this time?"

"What else could we do?" Sai answered matter-a-factly. "Quite frankly, our chances of surviving without Konoha were very slim. Gaara, I know, would have accepted us because of your friendship with him, but I don't think certain members of our party, including myself, could have lasted long under him. Suna has interesting rules after all." Sai counted off on his fingers. "And then, when we finally left Suna we would have been considered missing-nin's. Then we wouldn't have anywhere to go with a lot of enemies behind. And then, survivor's guilt would grab hold, fling you upside down, and choke you all."

"I notice you didn't include yourself in that…"

"Of course not. I don't feel guilt."

"…Reaalllyy…."

Konoha

Ino laughed at a joke the chuunin told her. Rouma was funny! Well, in a quirky, corny sort of way. But oi! She would take what she could get. Too bad he's taken. Ino resisted the sudden and compelling urge to sulk. Most of his sentences were taken up with references to Kyoko this, or Kyoko that. Ino sighed. Well, you just gotta pick your battles, eh.

Ino had one rule when it came to flirting with guys – only go after those who were non-committed. It saved her a lot of trouble, despite being so fun. After all, when you went after a taken guy there was the difficulty of convincing him to flirt back, then the difficulty in urging him to continue flirting back, and then there was the girlfriend who sparked a rivalry which usually ended up with bad rumors for both Ino and the maligned party. Basically, if you were flirting just to flirt – it was too troublesome!

Rouma gestured around him. "Well, this street is the main food section. We have everything from steak to ramen! The dango is good, and the sushi is particularly excellent, but I really recommend the barbecue place over there, if you stay that is." Lee followed Rouma's finger to see the same Barbecue place that Chouji so often spent his time in. He had a lot of memories from there, Lee knew, as did all the other ex-Konoha nins. The barbecue place and the Ichiraku Ramen stand had been chief gathering places, if only because Naruto refused to go without ramen for a week. Lee smiled, albeit sadly. "It is new, isn't it?"

Rouma looked surprised. "Aa! How'd you know?"

"Just a guess…" Lee turned away and continued walking.

Rouma watched him, confused, before shrugging it off. "After we get off this street we'll be near the Hokage Tower."

Lee nodded to him, his eyes intense. "I thank you for your assistance in coming here! I shall hope that you will be able to complete all the tasks your companion gave you! If you do not I shall walk fourteen times down the street on my hands carrying the laundry! And if I cannot, I shall do one hundred push ups with thirty pound weights on my back!"

Rouma shakily nodded his head and tried to smile. Why did that sound more like a threat?

Sakura sighed. "Lee, I don't think we have time for that. Not," She hastily added, "That I don't believe Rouma-san can do it, but because we have to get back to the group soon." Lee's shoulders drooped, and he looked at Sakura pleadingly.

"But Haruka-chan! I have to keep up with my training! If not, how will I protect you and Ino if we happen to be attacked?"

Sakura's eyes gleamed. "Why? Do Ino and I need to be protected?"

Lee stammered, clearly recognizing he was on thin ice. In the meantime, Ino ignored them and kept her eyes pealed for any cute boys who happened to be passing by. She walked up and leaned at a stall which was selling herbs. "Yo, hottie! What's up!"

The poor boy looked confused and astonished, even glancing behind him to see if the blond, blue-eyed wonder was really addressing him. "Er… Hi?" She grinned, trying not to make it predatory.

"Whatcha doing?" She fingered some of the herbs. "Do you sell medicine?"

"Some!" The boy's eyes lightened up. "We sell a lot of medicinal herbs, but we also sell herbs such as lavender, or rosemary and ingredients such as parsley. To sum it up, any kind of herb, leaf or scent that you want, we sell." Ino looked fascinated.

"Wow! You really know your stuff!" She smiled. "I'm impressed." The boy blushed, causing Ino to nearly squeal: he's so cute! However, she had matured a lot, somewhat, since Sasuke and she was not going to act like a fan girl.

"Not really." The boy admitted. "I'm still learning from my mom. Dad was…k-killed in the war so I help mom around now." Ino's face sobered. He really was young, she knew. She judged him to be around fourteen or fifteen. Yet… his eyes and smile had the same sad edge that haunted those who had lost loved ones.

"I'm sure that helps her a lot." Ino said sincerely. "Ya know, when my mom was aliv… around, I used to help her in her flower shop! It was so much fun! Do you have any dried…?"

Soon, both were deeply involved in a discussion on herbs and flowers.

Haruka and Lee weren't doing so well, Rouma noted with a grin. Lee kept digging himself into a bigger hole. Finally, the green wearing boy burst out, "I just meant that I'm going to set a goal for myself!"

Haruka paused in mid sentence. "Oh." She looked a little confused. "Why didn't you say that in the first place?" And just like that she was nice again. Rouma fought the urge to laugh. She really was a spit fire. Especially when she was arguing with the blo—

Where was the blond! He spun around, panic starting to swell. Maybe they were spies! Maybe this 'Ino' was planting bombs and making maps as they spoke! Maybe she was charting their weaknesses, and trying to figure out how to collapse the wall! Maybe she was trying to poison someone's food! Maybe--

He spotted her at the herb stand – a sad, dying business run by a widow and her son. She and Haru seemed to be having a fascinating discussion. Haru was animated, his hands waving around like pistons, while Ino was talking rapidly, her eyes sparkling. And was the blond… flirting? He blinked. She was. A girl that hot was flirting with a guy like… Haru? He grinned. Oh boy. Wait until Kyo heard about this. He would never believe it.

Rouma turned to his charge. "Oi! I-Ino-san, right? We need to get going."

The girl didn't seem to hear him, even though Haru glanced up. Rouma sighed and walked forwards. "Oi! You're name's Ino-san right? We got to go to the Hokage Tow…er."

If looks could kill, and Rouma was sure that there was some Kakkai Genkai somewhere that did, Rouma knew he would be six feet under pushing up daises while the shinigami danced the tango over his grave. Who knew such a pretty, delicate thing could glare like that. It was as if her eyes had turned into ice shards! Rouma didn't have to stretch his imagination to feel those shards pierce into his heart and freeze him inside. She was still beautiful, he noted absently, but in a cold, ice queen, cruel wicked witch of the west sort of way. Then, as if it had all been a mask or a bad dream, her face smoothed out, and she spun back to the herb boy.

"My name's Nawaki Ino. Yours is…" She waited expectantly. The boy looked stunned, as if a girl had never asked for his name before. Rouma silently acknowledged that probably none ever had.

"Er… Minasuki. Minasuki Haru."

Ino grinned. "Well, Minasuki Haru-kun, next time I pass by, how about we get a bite to eat." She winked. "Whadaya say?"

With that she turned back to the chuunin, cast a royal glare on him like he was the scum of the earth, and walked over to the other two who were almost but not quite huddled behind a telephone post. Rouma was confused, and turned to Haru. "What just happened?"

However, Haru was on cloud nine, so Rouma decided to ask Lee, who, despite the argument a moment ago, seemed to really know what was going on.

"You interrupted her flirting." Lee answered, as if it were obvious. Rouma looked confused. And how did that explain it? Then he paused. Oh wait… Maybe that was all the explanation needed.

The boy watched the group with interest. He'd never seen them before! And he knew everybody. With a grin he hopped off the stool.

"Oi Rouma-kun! Who've you got there?"

Rouma spun around, his face lighting up when he saw the caller. "Just some guests, Obito-san."

"Ha! I knew I'd never seen them before!" Obito laughed. "Hi! I'm Uchiha Obito! Who are you?"

Sakura felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Uchiha – Sasuke's family. Obito – Kakashi's teammate.

However, none of this showed on her face – fortunately. Instead, she answered. "Sato Haruka. It's nice to meet you!" Obito grinned at her.

Wow, Ino noted, He really does kinda does look like Naruto – except with black hair. And dark eyes. And whiter skin. But he has goggles! She repressed a giggle.

Obito was, Sakura knew, around ten years old right now. That meant he was a genin having been promoted to chuunin at the age of eleven, only two years before his death.

"What are you doing here?" Rouma asked. "I thought you and your team started missions again today."

"Aa. But right now I'm eating with my team." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, before asking rapid fire questions about "Who are they?" "What are they doing here?" "How old are you?" "Do you like cats, because there is this one really annoying cat that always is running away and then my team and I…And the Jerk is Kakashi. Don't listen to anything he says. All he does is stick to rules, train, stick to rules, train, stick to rules, nag on me, train, sti…"

Lee perked up. "Would it perhaps be possible to find a place to train my taijutsu?" Obito glanced at him, curious. "My sensei always stressed that one must take each and every opportunity to enhance one's skills!"

Obito looked skeptical. "You know Taijutsu? But I thought you were civilians?"

"Civilians have fighting skills too," Lee answered calmly. "Just because we don't use them as an income source doesn't mean we are completely helpless."

"I think, Lee-kun, you think that every one has a background like yours." Ino cut in. "Lee's dad was a taijutsu expert." She explained to the genin and chuunin. "He taught Lee everything he knew before he died. Lee continues to practice it as a way to remember him, though it does come in handy if we ever face bandits on the road."

Obito nodded. "I get it. So basically it's family techniques!"

Lee sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I guess you could say that, Obito-san. But my father also liked to study other people's styles and tried to integrate it into his own." Lee's back straightened and he frowned fiercely. "He never stole techniques, of course, but he did try to adapt them so he could use them."

Over time, Lee had developed a distinct distaste of copied jutsus, taijutsu, or genjutus. He viewed copying or stealing someone's manner of fighting as cheating or dishonorable and said constantly that such things had to be earned by hard work. Even then, to copy something without the original owner's permission, in Lee's mind, was theft. He believed that even if you took something from the enemy you had to change it, albeit only slightly. This way of thinking had actually helped him to surpass Gai even when he had been at his peak.

This way of thinking had also caused Lee to distrust Sasuke for more things than just the betrayal of the village – which was already very bad in his opinion. Lee had viewed Sasuke as a cheater of himself and others and one who sought strength through short cuts and dishonorable means. It would be interesting, Ino reflected, to see how Lee would react to a village full of Uchiha.

He seemed to be taking it well, so far.

"So, you're a taijutsu specialist." Obito summarized.

"You could say that." Lee answered. "But like anyone else, I must sharpen my skills with hard work and practice!" Obito nodded.

"Sounds good. Hey, do you feel like going down to a training field and helping me out with my own skills? 'Cause they kinda need a little bit of help, and I want to beat my rival, Kakashi."

Oh no. Sakura and Ino echoed in their minds, exchanging horror filled looks. He said the forbidden words!

Lee's face screwed up tightly. His mouth pressed into a thin line and his eyes squinted. Obito glanced from him to the girls, worried that perhaps he had offended someone. Then, all at once it seemed as if a sunset had been placed behind the boy in front of him. Great large tears rolled down the boy's cheeks as Lee began sprouting about rivals and prodigies, and how wonderful it was to see someone full of the flames of youth. He loudly and passionately commended the 'youth from the fountain before him' for his desire to improve. He proclaimed with fervor that Obito would surely learn from him as he hoped to impart the teachings of youth to a new generation! He vociferously pronounced the beauty of rivalry, and how overjoyed he was to have found someone so filled with the fires of life as to engage in this activity.

Obito stared at Lee, his face shocked until he felt one of the girls tap him on the shoulder.

"Ignore the fountain of youth, okay?" Ino guided him away from the oblivious taijutsu expert. Rouma was staring at Lee, shocked and wondering what jutsu had placed the sunrise and sunbeams there. And where was the music coming from?

Namikaze Minato glanced behind him, his expression curious. He had, of course, noticed Obito's departure, but he knew about Obito's open and friendly nature so he assumed he was seeing friends. However, that explosion of… enthusiasm hadn't quite been expected. He spun around to lean against the Ramen Counter, resting his weight on his elbows. Obito, it appeared, was being accosted by a miniature volcano in green. Minato grinned; the expression Obito was wearing was hilarious.

The pink-haired girl calmed down the boy by a rather hard tap on the head. Minato winced in sympathy while reaching over to pick up his ramen bowl, because, after all, the only way to make an enjoyable situation more enjoyable was experiencing it with Ramen. Obito seemed to have gotten over his shock and continued his conversation with the thick-eyebrowed boy. Minato couldn't hear what they were talking about, and he pouted for a bit before something else caught his attention. His eyes narrowed. What the…

Kakashi wasn't a chuunin at his age for nothing. He was accustomed to being on high alert, and keeping track of the slightest changes. Years of being around ninja had taught him to read the subtle changes in posture. He could find someone's tell in minutes, find someone's weaknesses in less than an hour. He could find a person's nervous habits just by observing their appearance, and could sense sudden shifts in behavior instantly. He had to do these things to survive.

Thus when Minato-sensei tensed slightly, his chopsticks froze for a fraction of a second, and his eyes narrowed, Kakashi knew that Minato was concerned. Over what, the chuunin still didn't know. However, he extended his senses behind him, not turning around incase the 'enemy' would be alerted. Obito. Rouma – one of the gate guards, and… Four chakra signatures. Tightly controlled. They were high, nearly jou… No. They were low. Not even genin. Wait… what?

Kakashi spun around on his stool. "Sensei."

"Aa." Minato confirmed quietly, his gaze fixed on the visitors.

Minato couldn't exactly put his finger on it. Maybe that was why it bothered him so much. They didn't feel like civilians, but they didn't feel like shinobi either. There was little to no chakra whatsoever in the boy, and the chakra levels in the girls were either incredibly controlled or hardly there. However, this wasn't what worried him. After all, civilians usually had these chakra levels.

No. It was the way they acted.

Minato had a hobby. He liked watching people. He liked guessing at what their jobs where, how they lived, what they were like. He liked observing them, and picking up the small nuisances which made that person unique. He liked seeing identical twins and knowing which was which just because of the way one of them moved their hand when talking. He liked comparing civilians to shinobi, shinobi to samurai, samurai to civilians.

In all his observations between shinobi and civilians, even those who had fought before, civilians generally had one of three reactions when first entering a shinobi village.

They screamed when the first person darted out a window onto a roof or appeared suddenly.

They stared in shock, their eyes locked onto the strange figures which roamed the streets.

Or they fainted.

But to sum it up, non-shinobi who were exposed to the shinobi world reacted. They did something. The children in front of him didn't glance up when an ANBU appeared out of nowhere, dressed in full gear. They didn't gasp when a shinobi threw herself out of a four story window to the ground in front of them. They didn't even blink when someone used a katon to warm some soup, as useless as that venture was. There was no awe, no fear. And he wasn't just saying this to flatter his ego. It was just wrong.

The second thing was the way they moved. Their feet were confident, their movements smooth. Every foot was placed in such a way that it gave way to a forward or retreat. Their eyes darted occasionally, marking exits, entrances, people, and things. Hands. Hands were calloused. Scars ran up arms and around fingers. Nicks, marks, and dashes. Of course they could have been made by adventures climbing trees or romping in the wild, but their movements made him doubt that. That was the third time the pink-haired one's hands brushed her leg. If she had been a shinobi, Minato bet that was where her weapons pouch would have been.

He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

On the other hand, he sensed no ill desire. No killing intent. No obvious recordings of the walls or the positions of the Konoha guards. They weren't… enemies, he didn't think. But they certainly weren't friends.

With a sigh the jounin-sensei pushed himself up from the stool and walked over to the group. "Ohayo, Rouma-san. Obito, you should probably finish eating." Minato tapped him on the glass of the goggles. "You need energy for the next few hours."

Obito pouted for a second, before he gave it up as a bad job all around and enthusiastically introduced his new friends. "Oi, oi! Namikaze-sensei! Meet my new friends! The pink-haired one is Haruka, the blondie is Ino, and the strange one full of the…" He looked in askance, "Flames of youth is Lee! They're on their way to see the Hokage, cause they want to…"

"Start a business working as liaisons between shinobi villages and civilian villages, basically." The girl identified as Haruka shrugged. "Basically, we're a traveling caravan." She summarized.

Namikaze Minato nodded absently. "Hm… Well, if you have a few moments, I suppose I could escort you myself." He glanced at the relieved chuunin from the corner of his eye. "Knowing Kyo, he probably has you picking up some things for him, and taking any delays out of your pay, right?" Rouma nodded rapidly and Minato hid a smile. He had been Kyo's partner once, seven years ago when he had been a chuunin, and Minato was willing to bet his tactics hadn't changed much.

As he watched the chuunin rapidly make his way to the laundry office, smiling slightly, Minato extended his chakra to test out the visitors. Even at close range the reading was just as confusing. As he walked the group back to the ramen stand, all the while exalting the wonders of Ichiraku ramen, a bright grin on his face, the jounin hid a frown.

I just knew I should have stayed in bed this morning!

The Caves

Neji pounded the dummy, his hands punching chakra into it like a cannon. He spun on his heal and knocked the figure into the wall with a resounding thud. After many days of searching, the survivors had found the perfect training spot. It was in a ravine, the top of which was surrounded by chakra absorbing rocks. No chakra could get in or out. Neji stood the dummy on its feet and pulled out his sword, examining it intently. It was too large now, almost unfamiliar to his hands even though he had memorized the slightest scratches or nicks in its surface. The sword had been with him for three years now. A gift from Tenten.

At first he hadn't worn it to battle, thinking it was a dishonor for any self-respecting Hyuuga to take a primary weapon to battle. In his way of thinking, if he had the Jyuuken, what need did he have of weapons? That was before a cataclysmic mission which ended in the near death of Gai. As Neji examined the sword, he remembered how Gai had saved Neji from a sword-wielding witch by placing himself in front of Neji. Lee had managed to get Gai back to Sakura in time to heal his wounds, but Gai's lungs had never been the same. He was never able to use the gates again, after being expressly forbidden by both Haruno Sakura and Tsunade. As they told Team Gai, "If he uses the gates, his body won't be able to keep up. He'll die before he can open the third one. Don't let him."

Neji remembered the following days with black sentiment. They were days of depression, of guilt, of begging the leader to wake up and reassure them that they were okay. Neji felt guilt. The swords woman had been so good that only another swords master could have beaten her. If Neji had swallowed his stubborn pride for once, Gai wouldn't have been laying in that hospital bed, so motionless, so lifeless, all the fire out of his face. So wrong!

It had been about that time when Naruto had barged in, hit Neji twice, then picked him up off the ground, dusted him off, and shoved the sword into his hand. "You made a mistake. Now mend it."

Neji tossed the blade up in the air and caught it. With his gaze focused, he concentrated on the dummy. He blurred. He appeared on the right wall, on the ledge, on the bottom of the overhanging cliff. He switched hands, and drove his sword straight down into the head of the dummy. He landed on his feet.

It had taken two and a half seconds. Too long. Neji sighed and lifted the sword to his eye level. It seemed he would have to spend more time practicing. Where's Tenten when you need her…

"How's it going?"

Neji spun around to see Naruto leaning against the cavern wall. How long has he been there? Neji swished the sword back and forth. "Not so good. I'm not used to it being so large."

The blond haired jounin slouched his way over to examine the sword, his sharp gaze taking in its length compared to Neji's considerably shorter arm span. He cocked an eyebrow and leaned into Neji's face.

"Shorty." He smirked.

Neji felt a burst of irritation. "Oi!"

Naruto, as always, paid him no mind and just laughed.

Neji didn't know what had sparked his loyalty to the blond. He knew it must have started years ago, back in the first chuunin exam when Naruto had more or less knocked some sense into him. It might have grown in the following weeks where, curious about the red chakra, Neji had begun stumbling upon the attitudes of the village. It might have been when he witnessed Naruto walking away cheerfully after having his money thrown at him. It might have been when he saw Naruto's determination to retrieve Sasuke. It might have been even earlier, when he realized that Naruto saw people's hearts and not their outside attitudes… usually.

It had been a shock to Neji when he woke up one day and realized that he trusted Naruto. He remembered feeling ridiculous for trusting someone he rarely worked with, for trusting someone who had been gone from the village for one and a half years. However, when Naruto came back, stronger than ever and determined to save Gaara, his friend, Neji had known, somehow, that the trust hadn't been misplaced. As two more years passed and Neji saw the world around him evolve into hell, he and the others had seen Naruto grow, and become a pillar of strength for them.

When they had all been depressed, ready to give up, Naruto would come along and make some idiotic comment, do a prank, or just give a wise remark. It encouraged them. They fell down, and he would pick them up. He would be cheerful when they were sad, silly when things were serious and dangerous at all times. He gained wisdom. To be fair, all of them had to in order to survive. But Naruto really grew in that area. He was, of course, dense at times, but soon, Neji, and many other in the Konoha Twelve began wondering if it was just another mask. They learned that Naruto was an expert at masks and donned them almost continuously.

Eventually, most of them could see past many of the masks. Only Sai, for some strange reason, could see past all the masks with ease. Of course, Neji thought sourly, that's because he wears so many!

As Naruto continued to make inane comments, Neji would make sharp sarcastic comments back. Naruto was his Hokage, even if not in title. That was all that mattered.

As Sakura watched the chuunin walk away, she felt herself crying inside. The moment he had introduced himself, Sakura had put his name and face through her inward roster. During the war, Sakura had been in charge of remembering the names of those in active duty and their brief specifications so that they could be placed in positions accurately and quickly. After the war started, even retired shinobi were recalled to active duty. In the six years she had been working with Tsunade, Sakura was sure she had never seen him before. She hadn't seen his name on the retired scroll that went back ten years either. Sakura forced herself not to react, not to show any other emotion than joy and freedom as she walked with the Konoha Shinobi.

If he wasn't on the rosters, and if she didn't remember him from the deceased scroll, only one thing was possible; sometime in the next thirteen years, probably either in war or the Kyuubi attack, Rouma was going to die.

TBC...

Whew! Wasn't that fun!

Well, don't be afraid to leave comments! What did you guys think of Rouma?

Review!