Disappear With the Wind
A Naruto/Bleach crossover fic by Kalashnikov2092
Living 2: Three Years
"You kids shouldn't play so rough. Somebody's gonna start cryin'."
Mr. Blonde,
Resevoir Dogs
/
Tsunade didn't really know what to say when Naruto and Jiraiya walked into her office. Jiraiya was jovial as always when he saw her, but Naruto was completely quiet, completely still.
He'd grown considerably since she last saw him. Back then, he had stood roughly five feet tall. Now he was nine inches taller, and easily stood taller than her. His baby fat was gone, leaving a very angled face. That signature blond hair was no longer a mess of spikes; instead, he had slicked it back tightly, leaving only two bangs to frame his face. The headband he had once proudly wore across his forehead was now wrapped around his neck almost like a turtleneck. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt and a pair of dark green shinobi trousers. His ankles were taped in normal shinobi style, and a pair of black sandals adorned his feet. She took notice of the two orange bracelets on each wrist. Looked as though that boy couldn't give up that color entirely.
The most surprising thing Tsunade found herself noticing about her little brother was the sword at his hip. It was a scimitar, a nice looking one at that. When had Naruto gotten the time to learn the way of the sword? More importantly, who did he learn it from? She knew that Jiraiya had no sword training at all. Perhaps it was a friend of her teammate's?
"Ah! I see you're looking at my dashing apprentice! He's grown quite a bit, eh Tsunade? Soon he'll be beating away the ladies with a stick...or not!" Jiraiya spoke, the pride in his voice surprising his old teammate. She hadn't heard him talk about someone like that since Minato...
Getting back on track, Tsunade replied, "I must say Jiraiya, it's weird seeing him when he used to be such a shorty. Now I'm going to actually look up at him to scold him!"
A look of slight annoyance evolved on the boy's features. "Come on, I wasn't that short, Tsunade," Naruto murmured. Tsunade was surprised that Naruto was actually referring to her by her actual name, instead of his usual barb at her age.
"Learned respect, also. Something in which he was severely lacking when you last saw him," Jiraiya said.
Scoffing, Naruto said, "Oh, I learned respect. Just only to those who deserve it, Ero-sennin." A comment that drew a bit of ire from the old sage.
Ending an argument before it began, Tsunade spoke, "Alright then, its good to know that you've gained some maturity, Naruto. Perhaps it'll make what I'm about to say easier for you to take."
Suddenly, all attention was on her. She became serious as well, knowing full well that the next few words she'd be speaking would be a sensitive subject for the blond.
"Uchiha Sasuke was able to defect to Sound."
Surprisingly, Naruto looked pretty calm. "Damn. What happened?"
"We're...not entirely sure," she admitted, embarassed. "We think it might have been an inside job. Regardless, that little bastard busted out of Interrogation a week after you left. A few shinobi were killed in the escape, and now Ibiki has a few new scars to add to his already impressive collection."
"I see...what do you want me to do about it?" Naruto asked in exasperation, to which Tsunade blinked.
"Well, I thought you just wanted to know. Sasuke was your former teammate, so I thought-"
Cutting her off, Naruto said, "I really don't care about him anymore. He showed me how much of a teammate he was on that mission. If you expect me to go after him, it will be because he's a threat to Konoha, not because I want to bring him back. I've got bigger priorities these days, namely the organization his brother works for."
Tsunade found herself looking into Naruto's eyes, then. She noticed that they were the same color as ever, that sapphire blue. However, it was like the light had dimmed a bit in them. She realized that Naruto no longer had the child-like innocence of his earlier years. Something must have happened while he was out training with Jiraiya. Something very terrible.
"I see...well if that does not bother you, then I guess you may leave. Jiraiya and I have much to talk about," Tsunade chided, giving Jiraiya a quick glance. The man nodded slightly at the look. He had a good idea what she was insinuating.
Naruto stood there for a moment, eying his sensei and his Hokage. he knew something was up, but he also knew he wasn't going to be present to find out what. So he simply turned on his heel and left the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, Tsunade looked at Jiraiya expectantly. He already had an idea what she wanted to talk about.
Sighing, Jiraiya began with: "You don't have to ask, I'll tell. To put it simply, that boy has changed. A lot."
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As soon as he left the Hokage Tower, Naruto took to the roofs. It felt so good to be up. Perhaps it was because of his affinity with wind that he loved being up so high. In the past three years, Naruto found that he was beginning to see what Shikamaru had been seeing for so long.
The blue sky, the white clouds, and everything else in that domain were magnificent.
When Naruto wasn't training, he took to sitting at the top of a tree or building and staring up at the clouds. The freedom that the sky seemed to have...it was truly mesmerizing. If only a human could live up in the sky like the birds, relinquishing all the troubles that seemed to plague the ground. Up in the sky, there was apparently peace.
He liked to entertain himself with thoughts of peace sometimes. He would wonder what the world would be like if there was actually peace. However, the truth always brought him out of his daydreams. Peace was quite the impossibility in the land he lived. As long as there were shinobi, there would be killing. As long as there was killing, there would be pain. If there is pain, then it will evolve into hatred.
And hatred caused wars.
Killing...oh yes, he had killed on a few occasions while running around the Elemental Countries with Jiraiya. Hell, he had tortured an enemy ninja or two. He pretty much had to. The trip had shown him just how ugly it was outside Konoha's walls. The preview he got from dealing with freaks like Orochimaru and Akatsuki was the only thing that kept him from feeling the shock any other would feel in his place. He had kept going forward despite the brutalities he saw and partook in, but it had sped up a change his fight with Sasuke had ultimately started.
He just couldn't help it. When he was forced to witness everything from torture, to murder, to rape, he was forced to mature emotionally and mentally. He attained the ninja's greatest tool (in his opinion) because of it. He could do what Haku had called "killing his heart" to commit atrocities. In the end he had neither liked it or hated it; simply a numb apathy once he was finished disposing of whatever foe that had decided to fight him.
Sometimes he would have the occasional nightmare, but it didn't effect him very much. He looked back on the instances of his kills, and found they were entirely necessary. It would have been him or them, and he was damn sure it wasn't going to be him. So, he stained his hands with blood.
Naruto recalled the first time he actually took a human life. An Iwa-nin had been none too happy to see Jiraiya. Naruto didn't know what went on in Iwagakure, but they obviously taught their shinobi to hate any powerful ninja from Konoha that had devastated their ranks in the previous wars. The guy had attacked Jiraiya and him out of blind hatred, and Naruto simply fought and killed the man. He did it almost subconsciously. He saw an opening and drove a kunai in the Iwa-nin's ear. The horror of his deed hit him days later, but he had remained strong and had overcome his first hardship of those three years.
He killed a total of seventeen ninja after that, and had tortured two other for information. Each time he did it, he did it quicker and much more efficiently. He'd become an able shinobi by doing so, something he knew was necessary to become Hokage.
There had been times in the trip where he wasn't so sure he actually wanted to be Hokage. He was completely willing to admit that. He just got to thinking about his dream, and found that there were some cons to being the leader of an entire shinobi village, especially one as prosperous as Konohagakure. He didn't know if he'd be a good politician in addition to and S-Class shinobi. Sure, he was good to talking with people, but not high-class people. They saw his way of speaking to be that of a vagrant or a ruffian. Sure, he could just be a leader that solved all his problems with power like so many other Kages in the history books, but it didn't feel right to him. While his personality had changed drastically, the vast majority of his morals had not.
A low rumble in his stomach broke him from his musings. He couldn't help but chuckle. He had eaten right before he arrived back, but his stomach had a mind of its own. That was something that had never changed in his trek.
His stomach's mind had been focusing on Ichiraku ramen the minute it came through the gates, and now he was gonna go get some.
Some of the scenery had changed in Konoha, but he knew exactly where his favorite ramen stand was. He'd eaten many bowls of those noodles the past three years, but none could ever hope to match the orgasmic flavors that Ichiraku Teuchi was able to get out his ramen.
Not wasting a minute, Naruto spun in mid-leap to change his traveling direction. He bounded from one roof after another, his stomach guiding him instead of his eyes. He could practically smell the legendary noodles of his orange-wearing youth.
He arrived at Ichiraku's in no time, but when he arrived, his hunger suddenly disappeared.
It was Sakura.
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At first, Naruto didn't know what to do. He had landed in front of the ramen stand without thinking, and now he was stuck in a very awkward situation. As soon as the clack of his sandals could be heard, the pinkette had turned in her seat to meet him with wide eyes.
She never grew her hair back out, he observed. She had decided to keep it down to her chin like when she had cut it in the chunin exams. Her clothes were similar as well, with a few slight changes. She had grown into a teenager, that was for sure. She had gained some of the curves that a girl of her age was expected to have. She was still lacking in one key feature of a woman, but she still had plenty of time to grow those particular assets out.
She stared at him with those wide emerald eyes, not saying a damn thing. That was fine with him, he was in no mood to talk with her. He'd just put on his cool and eat his ramen. She may have ruined a lot of things for him in the past, but she would not ruin ramen. He would have his bowl (or six), and then see if he could try and talk to her.
Walking right past her, Naruto spoke to Teuchi, "Hey old man! Got any warm ramen for your number one fan?"
The elderly ramen chef, who had been cleaning some dishes, turned around immediately at the sound of his voice. A large grin exploded from the chef as he caught sight of his best customer.
"Naruto!" the old man bellowed. "By god my boy, it's been how many years since you've been gone? Whatever, who cares! Sit, eat! Ha ha, it's been too quiet with you gone, my boy!" As he spoke, his hands clapped the blond youth on his shoulder over and over in happiness. However, after his first shout of the blond's name, there had been a sort of crashing in the back. After Ichiraku had been done speaking, his daughter Ayame emerged from the back with a look of something akin to excitement on her face.
Upon seeing Naruto, that look almost doubled. She practically jumped over the counter to give the blond a hug. He received the embrace with a hearty laugh. He almost knew exactly what would happen after. He was not very vain, but he knew the effect of his looks on the ladies.
Right on cue, Ayame almost jumped back away from the blond, a slight redness tinging her cheeks. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, and he could have sworn that her blush got a bit redder.
"Hi Ayame. Glad to see you missed me," Naruto said jovially. There was a bark of laughter from Teuchi as he wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders.
"Of course, Naruto!" the ramen chef spouted. "You're like a little brother to Ayame. Of course she'd be glad to see you had come back unharmed. And looking better than ever, in my opinion. You've grown so tall!"
Naruto chuckled, saying, "Well, I began to eat my veggies in addition to ramen. I'm a much more well-rounded eater now." That got a laugh out of the old man, and Ayame looked a lot less red. She gave the blond a kind smile, which he returned with a wink, which brought back the blush.
"Hey, aren't you gonna say hello to your friend?" Teuchi asked when he remembered that Sakura had been eating there too.
He almost cursed. Right now he had no idea how he should talk to his old teammate. So he took a page out of his old self's idiot book and gave her a sheepish wave. When she looked away, he frowned.
Teuchi mirrored Naruto's small frown at seeing the interaction between the two young ninja, but didn't comment. He'd heard rumors of what occurred between the two after Naruto brought that Uchiha brat back. It just surprised him to see their favorite blond ball of energy holding a grudge. He looked at the pink-haired girl and saw the hidden sadness in her green eyes. That, and a little bit of guilt.
Still, he kept to himself. Teuchi simply turned and finished preparing Naruto's bowl of ramen. He did it in total silence, something rare from the blond. Back then, he had always been one for the conversation while Teuchi was preparing Naruto's favorite dish. Maybe Naruto didn't feel like talking because his teammate was there. Either that, or perhaps the boy had calmed down a bit in the past couple of years.
Naruto, meanwhile, was noticing the silence as well. He guessed that Teuchi and Ayame could see how awkward things were between him and Sakura. It wasn't his fault. He tried to acknowledge her, but she had seemed to ignore him. He had been angry at first after he remembered the way Sakura had yelled at him after he brought her precious Sasuke back. He'd done what he had to do, and all he got was a load of crap from the person he had done it for. He wasn't okay with that. Not now, not ever.
However, he had thought back on it a lot the past three years. He had made up his mind that he was not going to be bitter when he came back. Being bitter was like being weak to Naruto. No way was he going to let that incident rule him. He'd be strong and try to patch things up the best he could. He wouldn't do it the stupid way either, by just acting like nothing ever happened. He could never forget what she did. Naruto planned to confront not just Sakura, but a lot of people about their past sins towards him. However he intended to try and make new bonds with these people.
Because that's what a Hokage would do.
There was a ruckus somewhere down the street, but Naruto paid no mind. He had come for ramen, and by god was he going to have it. However, when that ruckus quickly approached Ichiraku's, Naruto finally took the time to peek out and see what the hell was happening. As soon as he did, a figure with a long orange scarf attempted to tackle him.
Key word: attempted.
He simply ducked under the flying person, smiling in a bit of satisfaction as he heard a young voice cry out in surprise when he completely missed his intended target. The voice was different from the last time he heard it, but it still had enough of a resemblance for Naruto to guess its owner.
"Oh hey Konohamaru. Were you trying to tackle me or something? I never noticed," Naruto teased his "rival." A young boy of twelve sat up and gave Naruto a death glare.
"You got lucky, Boss! I would have had you for sure if my scarf hadn't got in my way!" Sarutobi Konohamaru cried in aggravation. Naruto scoffed and flicked the younger boy in the forehead.
"Then don't wear it, stupid. Wearing a scarf that makes you trip is a liability, especially for a ninja," he told the Sandaime's grandson. Then he broke out into a smile and ruffled the boy's hair. "How's it been, Konohamaru?"
Smiling cheekily at his blond rival, Konohamaru replied, "Pretty good Boss. I even have a surprise for you! Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Technique)!"
There was a puff of almost unnatural smoke, then Konohamaru's new form was unveiled. No longer was there a child; no, in fact there was a very sexy and very naked woman in his place. She blew Naruto a kiss, then the smoke shrouded the spot again. This time when the smoke cleared, Konohamaru stood in the same spot again, this time having a wide grin plastered to his face.
"So what do you think? A real zinger of a jutsu, eh?" the boy asked excitedly, before a girl of similar age came out of nowhere and cracked the boy in the back of his head with her fist. It was Moegi, one of Konohamaru's friends.
"What are doing? Are you trying to get yourself in trouble?" Moegi asked sharply as her friend rubbed the area he had been bopped. Naruto chuckled at their antics, seeing almost a mirror image of some of the situations himself and Sakura had gone through.
"Jeez Konohamaru, you still use that technique. Sorry to tell you this, but that jutsu is just child's play. Have you taken the time to learn any real jutsu?" At that, Konohamaru looked down in embarrassment. Naruto knew by the boy's guilty look that the answer was obvious. Sighing, Naruto continued, "It doesn't take an idiot to know that Oiroke no Jutsu only works on a select few people. You need to be more versatile if you want to be a ninja. So, I have a present for you."
Before Konohamaru could even look up, something collided painfully with the top of his skull. He yelped and immediately caught the object. His eyes widened when he found a scroll in his hands.
Looking down at his junior, Naruto said, "I have a few low-class jutsu you and your friends can learn. Like I said, it's nothing major. It's just a push in the right direction. When you learn everything on that scroll, I'll give you another with some more difficult techniques."
The thankfulness in Konohamaru's eyes almost got a grin out of Naruto. However, the blond practiced great control and kept his features neutral. Konohamaru could see that he wasn't going to get anything else out of his "rival," so he turned foot and took off towards the training grounds. Moegi gave Naruto an appreciative nod before following her teammate.
When the two were out of sight Naruto retreated back into the ramen stand. His meeting with Konohamaru had been brief, but he was glad it occurred sooner than later. If that kid was still going around using Oiroke no Jutsu as his signature move, then he needed to learn some true ninja attacks. It kind of disgusted him that he had actually made that technique. Had he really been that immature three years ago?
He supposed that he was. He had been dumb enough to fight monsters like Orochimaru and Momochi Zabuza by himself. It was sheer dumb luck that he still was walking the earth today. Looking back at his early shinobi career, he saw just how useless he had been for the longest time. Thank god he was able to get apprenticed by a genius like Jiraiya. Sure, the man was an unequaled pervert, but he was still a Sannin. He would have never guessed in a million years that Jiraiya was so powerful.
Naruto took a seat back on his stool, happy to find a steaming bowl of ramen sitting in front of him. He grinned a bit and took hold of his chopsticks. He dug into the salty noodles like an animal, devouring the dish in the blink of an eye.
Teuchi gave a boisterous laugh at seeing Naruto go to work on his second bowl. That kid may have matured a good deal when he was gone, but he still loved his ramen. Which was perfectly fine for the old ramen chef.
"Well now. When I heard you were back in town, I knew there was only one place you could be. Looks like I was right."
Naruto stopped in mid-slurp, knowing that voice as soon as it spoke its first sentence. He finished his slurp, making sure he didn't have food in his mouth when he talked.
Not bothering to look behind him, Naruto said, "Kakashi."
"Hey Naruto," the silver-haired Jonin stated with a wave as he took a seat next to his blond pupil.
Frowning, Naruto asked, "What do you want Kakashi? I'm trying to enjoy my first meal at Ichiraku's in three years. You of all people should know how much this means to me" Kakashi raised his one visible eyebrow at the boy's tone. Did he hear a touch of contempt in the boy's voice at first?
"Come on now. Is that any way to greet your sensei?" Kakashi asked with a frown hidden by his mask.
"I'm sorry. The only man who I can call sensei is Jiraiya," Naruto said. Then he guided another bunch of noodles to his mouth with his chopsticks. Kakashi frowned even deeper. So the boy was upset with him for something. Better to get this out of the way now...
Turning towards Naruto, Kakashi said, "I taught you as well Naruto. Don't forget that. I know that Jiraiya has taught you these past couple of years, but I'm still your sensei."
Surprisingly, Naruto expelled a sigh. "Listen Kakashi, I can see what you're trying to do, and I don't really feel like that's what I need right now. Don't come in here and try to get into an argument with me about this. It's just going to end badly for you. So please, get lost and let me enjoy my first meal at Ichiraku's in three years."
"I'm afraid I can't do that Naruto. As your sensei, I need to resolve any problems between us before we work as a team," the man responded.
This time Naruto did turn to look at Kakashi. He wore an expression of annoyance and exasperation at the man's prodding. His blue eyes looked squarely into Kakashi's lone black one, and the Jonin could see that the boy didn't hold him in high regards at the moment.
"Alright Kakashi," Naruto began. "You want it, you got it, so I apologize beforehand. It's plain and simple: you're not my sensei. Why? You never truly taught me."
Kakashi blinked at that. He raised his hand, saying, "I taught you plenty. Remember the mission in Wave? I taught you all."
"No," Naruto stated simply, pointing his chopsticks at Kakashi for emphasis. "You didn't teach me much at all. Sure, there was the tree-walking, but what about after that? What did I learn from Sharingan Kakashi, master of a thousand techniques? The answer is so easy its baffling: absolutely nothing."
"Come on now Naruto, you're being unfair. I taught you all about teamwork. I-"
But the blond cut him off with a scoff. "Yeah, we really learned about teamwork," Naruto stated sarcastically. "One teammate nearly killed me in a psychotic quest for power to murder his older brother, and then the other got pissed at me when I defended myself. I must say Kakashi, you got team of the fuckin' year." Naruto got a bit of satisfaction when he saw Sakura flinch out of the corner of his eye. He didn't feel guilty, though. This was the perfect time to bring everything to light.
His face much more serious now, Kakashi said, "Now that's even more unfair Naruto. That happened a very long time ago. I thought you knew about forgiveness."
Sighing again, Naruto said, "Oh just shut up Kakashi. You don't know me very well at all. Just because you saw me every day doesn't mean you took the time to talk to me and understand me. We all know there was only one person you gave two shits about on that team. Because of that, you basically were the one who destroyed out team."
"What?" Kakashi asked in shock. "I'm the one who broke up our team? No, I'm afraid that was Orochimaru, Naruto."
"Of course it was. Blame the obvious evil, right Kakashi?" the blond youth asked as he closed his eyes and leaned against the bar. "No, I'm afraid that Orochimaru simply capitalized on your shitty teaching. You did nothing to quell Sasuke's arrogance, even though a shinobi of your experience should know what arrogance can do to a ninja. Not only did you let his arrogance go, but you also fueled it with your favoritism. You gave him all these skills like the chidori, and then he became even more arrogant. Especially because you're only teaching these things to him. 'The dobe and the fangirl aren't worth his time,' he must have thought. Then, when he first loses in the Forest of Death to Orochimaru, it sets in motion a chain of events that lead to the end of the Uchiha Clan in Konoha.
"He was perhaps humbled by the defeat, though I really couldn't tell. Someone kept me out of the loop about what went on after I was knocked out. But then you took him under your wing to train him for the finals. He got the chidori, and he thought he was tough shit again. Only he found that it wasn't true when Gaara nearly killed him. Then, to make things worse, I defeat Gaara right before his eyes, using techniques that surpassed his own. Me, the fucking dead last of the academy! It must have messed him up right good. So he grew jealous of me. He began to despise me for even having the gall to be stronger than him. He needed to get stronger than me if he ever wanted to avenge his clan. So here comes Orochimaru with whisperings of power and vengeance. And Uchiha Sasuke accepts. The rest is history."
The silence in the ramen stand was the only answer Naruto desired. He took hold of the last of the noodles in his bowl with his chopsticks. Then he carried them to his mouth and gobbled them up.
He gulped down the remaining broth and turned to Kakashi. "So there you have it folks. That's the whole song and dance. You fucked up, Kakashi. Plain. And. Simple. Understand?" He punctuated each of his last three words with a flourish of his chopsticks.
Then a slap rocketed across the left side of his face, nearly knocking him out of his chair. Luckily, he caught himself before the chair could fully tip over. That slap had been strong.
He turned to the perpetrator with a stony face, the obvious displeasure of being slapped showing on his features. He found Sakura sitting there, water welling in the corner of her eyes. She held the hand that had slapped him, almost trying to take it back.
His hand came up, slowly, grasping her chin. "Now was that necessary?" Naruto asked while his other hand rubbed his sore cheek..
Sakura's watery eyes slanted into a glare, and she responded, "Yes Naruto, it was. You have no right to talk to Kakashi-sensei like that. He came here to get caught up with you, not have you throw what happened to us in his face!"
"Fair enough," Naruto said evenly, his face now completely apathetic. "Though I really don't care what he came here for. I'm done with this team, and I wanted him to know that. The short time we were Team 7 showed that it simply doesn't work. Why should I bother being on a broken team?"
"Because broken things can be fixed," Kakashi stated as he pulled Naruto's hand from Sakura's face. Naruto leveled his gaze with his sensei's, finding that the man's eye held more than enough coldness to match his own.
Tilting his head a bit, Naruto said, "Not all, Kakashi. There are some things that cannot be fixed after they've been shattered. This team might be one of them."
"How can we prove that it can be fixed, then?"
Naruto was quiet for a moment. Then: "This may sound a bit crazy, but I guess we have to fight. You and Sakura against me."
Kakashi's gaze softened at boy's proposition. "Do we really have to do that? Is violence the only way to solve this?"
"Yes Kakashi," Naruto answered without hesitation, though he held a very soft frown. "For shinobi, violence is the only answer."
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Tsunade gave Jiraiya a very annoyed look.
"I can see that he changed, Jiraiya. Just elaborate for me before I crush your head like a grape," the Hokage ordered.
Sighing, Jiraiya responded, "Okay, okay. Well for one, he's taken a human life. More than once."
Her eyes broke contact with his, understanding fully what that meant. Naruto had finally taken another human being's life, usually an act that changes a shinobi. It always seems so trivial until the first time you see the life leave a person's eyes due to your actions. It is a very heavy situation to endure; so heavy, in fact, that it makes a good number of genin quit once they have actually done it.
"I see," Tsunade said. "Anything else?"
Frowning now, Jiraiya answered with, "Yes. Um, how do I say this...he's tortured enemy ninja as well."
"What?"
"He did it when I was not there, on both occasions," Jiraiya admitted with guilt. "There have been times that I've had to leave him on his own when I go to meet a contact. The first one he tortured was an Oto-nin. Found him snooping around the hotel we were staying at, so he tied him down after defeating him. Broke all of his fingers, after putting the bamboo spikes under his nails. I walked in on the scene to find Naruto beginning to cut his toes. I put a stop to it of course, and finished the interrogation myself. It didn't take much to get info out of him; Naruto did plenty enough already."
Tsunade's face was pale at the information she received. To think that the Naruto she had known had actually tortured somebody.
"What about the other?" Tsunade asked.
Scratching his head, Jiraiya said, "Well that one was actually good. We got some important information from that one. Naruto had a close call one day, almost running into two members of Akatsuki. He avoided detection and followed them. Apparently they turned in a bounty to a collector in Kumo. Once they left Naruto captured the collector and tortured him for some intel on Akatsuki. He didn't go as far as the last time; he just electrocuted the guy until he coughed up what Naruto wanted to know."
Tsunade sat up a bit at that. "Electrocuted?" she asked. "He knows Raiton jutsu?"
Smirking, Jiraiya nodded and said, "Yep, he has two elemental affinities: a strong wind affinity and a close second in lightning. He's damn good at manipulation for both, though his wind is still superior. He just sent lightning chakra into the collector's, uh...downstairs, if you catch my drift. Found out that the two Akatsuki members that were collecting the bounty were known as Hidan and Kakuzu. Other than that, he got nothing useful about them. Naruto let the guy go after he got me to wipe the guy's mind."
"Jiraiya...just how strong is Naruto now?" Tsunade asked. She was very intrigued. Nature manipulation at his age was almost unheard of. If what Jiraiya was saying was true, then Naruto could be a prodigy in the making.
Cupping his chin in thought, Jiraiya answered, "Well, if I had to rank him, I'd have to say around Kakashi's level. He has great strength and manipulation, but he didn't take the time to learn many jutsu. He could easily learn any fuuton jutsu he wanted, but he just stuck to using manipulation. I think it's because he's trying to combine his Rasengan with wind chakra, something that not even Minato could do. If he pulls it off, then he'll probably start learning actual jutsu. Once he does that, the the sky's the limit for what he'll be able to do. Hell, I might even take him to the toads to teach him sage chakra. Seriously, I haven't seen this much promise in a ninja since his father. And we all know how Minato turned out."
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They stood there, a team divided.
Naruto looked at the two of them as he sat on the middle log in a cluster of three. It was the location of the bell test, their first interaction as a team. Now they were there for what could be their last moment as a team.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kakashi asked. "I plan to take this fight seriously. It could end badly for you."
Naruto nodded despite Kakashi's comment. He knew just how formidable his skills were. Kakashi didn't. He planned on giving both the Jonin and Sakura a surprise in this fight.
Sighing, Kakashi said, "Alright then. Should we begin?"
Surprisingly, it was Sakura who moved first. She leaped forward, going for a punch to Naruto's midsection. He easily leaped away long before the girl ever reached him. He watched from mid-air as Sakura's fist obliterated the log. So Tsunade had taught her. A surprise for him, it seemed.
He landed and immediately jumped again as Kakashi flanked him and attempted a kick. Naruto clasped his hand in a familiar seal, three Kage Bunshin materializing next to him in the air. Two of them began to help him morph a Rasengan in each hand. The third spun behind him and placed its feet on his back. As the two channeling the Rasengans disappeared, the third pushed with its legs.
The act shot Naruto down at Kakashi, both Rasengans aimed to shred the man to pieces. Kakashi leaped away with ease, years of being a Jonin making the act almost second nature. He watched as Naruto's attack collided with the ground where he had once stood and then exploded. A massive cloud of dust hid Naruto from Kakashi's view.
Then the blond was shooting out of the smoke, fist aimed to take Kakashi's head off. The man caught the fist with ease.
Then another Naruto was right next to him.
A vicious kick cracked into his ribs and sent the man flying. The Jonin couldn't believe the amount of force behind the kick; it was almost as painful as a kick from Gai!
Naruto planned on continuing his offensive, but a gloved fist whizzed past his face. He leaned away from the punch and then bent backwards to dodge a kick from Sakura. The girl tried desperately to land a hit on the blond, only to find that the boy was too quick.
He finally ended her attacks when he latched onto her wrist and pulled her past him. As she stumbled past him, he landed an open palm strike that sent the girl into the dirt. The next moment, he blocked a hard kick from his former sensei. The strike threw him off balance, so he was forced to go on the defensive as Kakashi began to send expert taijutsu strikes at him.
One punch smashed into Naruto's chin, promptly making Naruto disappear in a puff of smoke.
Kakashi's eye widened at the revelation. His highly trained senses screaming at him, the Jonin whipped around to barely block a flying kick. The impact from the kick rang through his whole body.
Cursing silently, Kakashi quickly put distance between him and the ever-surprising blond. He had expected Naruto to grow in the past three years, but nowhere near this level. So far he was keeping up with the Jonin, a feat in itself. Then he was landing hits with Kage Bunshin of all things!
Switching it up a bit, Kakashi removed a kunai from his pouch and got into a defensive stance. Seeing this, Naruto tore his scimitar from its sheath. The silver blade seemed to shimmer for a second, but Kakashi didn't have time to notice as Naruto was coming at him.
The silver-haired cyclops ducked under a horizontal slash and tried to drive his fist into Naruto's gut. The blond didn't let him, spinning on his heels to avoid the punch. Naruto left his feet, supporting himself with one hand. He went for an upwards slash while upside-down. Kakashi placed his kunai between himself and the slash.
The kunai was promptly cut in half.
Kakashi leaned back in alarm, saving himself from receiving a face-full of steel. Instead, the tip of the scimitar cut him shallowly on his right cheek. The man jumped way back now, sensing the danger that Naruto presented up close. He looked at his kunai, finding the knife's cut completely smooth. It was nature manipulation alright, but not lightning. A cut infused with lightning chakra would have melted the kunai very slightly, not cut it so finely. So it was wind chakra.
"So you see it now," Naruto spoke as he noticed the look of realization on Kakashi's face.
Frowning, Kakashi said, "He taught you how to use wind natured chakra? You're not even sixteen!"
Barking out laughter, Naruto returned with, "As I heard, you created the chidori when you were my age. So don't go around thinking that a kid can't be trusted with powerful jutsu. Unless you're Uchiha Sasuke."
That barb made Kakashi frown even deeper. "Sasuke was different. He was going to fight Gaara. You know full well how dangerous that boy was."
"Oh, I know alright. I beat him without the chidori. Still, there's no difference between me and Sasuke. You forget, I've got S-Class criminals after my ass. Last time I checked, that presents more alarm than a genin, even if he is a jinchuuriki," Naruto answered. "Just because it was Sasuke you taught that jutsu to, it doesn't mean that he's the only one allowed to learn dangerous things. Jiraiya took me as his student, and I expected to learn something useful from him. Not just basic chakra control."
"Enough talk!" a familiar pink-haired kunoichi roared as she sped towards her blond teammate. Naruto saw the attack coming a mile away, so dealing with her was an ease. As she went for another Tsunade punch, Naruto slipped right in her guard and knocked away her swinging arm with an elbow into the inside of her forearm.
He then grasped a firm hold of the front of her shirt with both of his hands. He pulled her towards him, ramming his forehead right into hers.
It was easy. Her forehead was a very large target.
The force behind the headbutt was massive, but she was a tough little dame; she held onto consciousness and was lucky enough to grab a hold of Naruto's shoulders.
For the first time in the fight, Naruto actually had a look of surprise as he found that he could not get out of her grip. Then he mentally kicked himself for forgetting that Tsunade had apparently taught her. Which meant the next few moments were gonna hurt.
"Cha! Take this!" Sakura yelled in triumph. She easily hefted the blond over her head before slamming him full-force into the ground. The earth beneath the blond cracked and fragmented under the tremendous force.
Naruto let out a cry as pain exploded through his back. He mentally cursed himself at his stupid mistake. He should have thought ahead before allowing a girl with such a fierce physical strength as Sakura come within grabbing distance of him. Now he had paid the price: a few broken bones in his shoulders and a strained back.
Sakura and Kakashi now stood over him with looks of amusement. He had been surprising at first, but it was still that bit of idiot in him that had allowed Sakura to land that decisive blow.
"So Naruto, will we be a team again?" Kakashi asked as he offered a hand to his student.
"Kakashi, do you want to know another thing that Jiraiya taught me?"
A sort of red smoke began to appear from under the blond.
"Apparently, I can channel my special chakra into any injured part, speeding up its recovery."
Suddenly, there was foot in both Kakashi and Sakura's stomachs. The force behind the kicks sent the two skidding backwards, holding their abdomens in pain.
"You see, originally I never wanted to use my special chakra again after I used it against Sasuke," Naruto spoke as he sat up and rolled his shoulders. "However, the past couple of years taught me that a shinobi needs to use all the resources he can get. So, I'm not as stingy with my special chakra. I use it to do some speedy healing in battle time to time, but I hardly rely on it as much as I did when I was younger."
Naruto leaped to his feet and rolled his shoulders a bit more. He gave the two a disappointed look as he said, "Do you really think that I'd want to be on a team that underestimates me that much? You land one good attack on me and then I'm suddenly down for the count? That's just stupid. Maybe I just have to beat it into the both of you that I'm strong."
His hands raised up a bit, and then began to come to together in a burst of seals. Seals that Kakashi was all too familiar with. The silver-haired man watched with wide eyes as Naruto raised his right hand, where it began glow with a sort of yellow light. The sound of birds chirping flooded the training ground.
Kakashi wanted to speak the name of the technique, but Naruto beat him to it.
"Chidori."
The blond's two teammates looked at the crackling electricity in Naruto's right hand in shock.
"Who taught you?" Kakashi asked with a wide eye.
Naruto simply gave him an even gaze. "Nobody. I taught it to myself."
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"How in God's name did that boy get to a Jonin level in only three years!" Tsunade asked her fellow Sannin in a mix of shock and amazement.
Smirking, Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders before he said, "I can't explain it. The kid's like a sponge. He soaked up all the shinobi knowledge he could. I had originally wanted to teach him how to use the Kyuubi's chakra, but he would have none of it. I've recently got him to practice it extensively, but still. He wanted to be strong on his own; not with the help of a demon. So I just worked him into the ground. Not once did he complain. Hell, he thanked me! Even when he was lying there in a pool of his own sweat, he was thanking me! I'm telling you Tsunade, I'd pick him as your successor in a few years. Lord know he has the potential to fill that spot sooner."
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"But how? The level of control it requires to use that jutsu is enormous. I'm sorry to say this, but you were never very good at control," Kakashi said, his eyes never leaving the yellow chidori in Naruto's hand.
Sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation, Naruto said, "People can get better, Kakashi. Remember? I'm one of them. Granted, it took me a good bit of the trip to get to that level of control, but I got there. As for learning the actual jutsu, it was simple. The manipulation is like a simpler version of Rasengan. All I had to do was remember the hand seals, and believe me, I saw them enough times thanks to Sasuke. After that it was a breeze to learn."
The blond suddenly busted into a full speed sprint at his sensei. The Sharingan wielding shinobi cursed and narrowly dodged his own technique. He then watched in amazement as Naruto seemed to close his fist around his chidori. Little arks of electricity jumped up his right arm, across his shoulders, and then down his left arm. From Naruto's open palm a small bolt of lightning shot forward and scored a hit on Kakashi's right shoulder.
So Naruto knew lightning manipulation too.
Fuck. This was gonna be very unpleasant...
His muscles clenched as a moderate voltage surged through them. He couldn't move for only a second, but Naruto only needed that much. He whipped around on the heel of his left foot, delivering a downright brutal spinning heel kick to Kakashi's face. The blow sent the Jonin flying away, his nose bloodied if not broken.
Sakura reacted immediately as soon as she realized that Naruto was right next to her. Her hands glowed with a glowing green aura as charkra scalpels surrounded them. Naruto came at her a moment later, fists moving expertly to dodge and block any strikes that would sever muscle. The girl's strength may have been monstrous, but if she didn't have the speed to keep up with him, all that strength was nothing to him.
Then, without warning, a fist snapped his head to the side.
Naruto quickly dodged the next one, watching it whiz by his head. Its owner was Hatake Kakashi. However, it wasn't the same Kakashi as before. The headband that usually covered his left eye was pulled up, revealing a three tomoe Sharingan for his left eye. It spun lazily, analyzing his every move with ease.
Cursing his sudden bad luck, Naruto quickly spun away from his legendary sensei. He knew that he wouldn't be landing anymore easy blows from now on. He was fighting Sharingan Kakashi, an S-Class shinobi in the bingo book. This would be the first time he fought one at his present skill. Not even Akatsuki had fought him yet. Not only that, but the man was both a little bit faster than him and had that damn Sharingan.
Still, Naruto was quite happy that there was no more holding back. He nodded towards the man, a sign of respect at the fact that he was taking the blond seriously now. The man smiled slightly and mirrored the nod. So there was a sliver of hope for his team after all.
The two met the very next second, dodging each other's punches. Naruto was the first to follow up, attempting an elbow to the Jonin's chest. However, Kakashi's Sharingan read his taijutsu like a book. He leaped up, landing on Naruto's elbow in a crouch. The blond never even got to smirk at the coolness of the act, for a full-on left hook popped him right in the mouth.
The blond growled as he went stumbling slightly. He caught himself right away, twisting away from a kunai thrust that would have stuck him like a pig. His fingers brushed against the knife as he passed by it, sending a jolt of lightning chakra through the weapon.
Kakashi grimaced as the shock jolted the muscles in his hand. He dropped the kunai, and Naruto snatched it out of the air. He spun, throwing the knife with perfect aim. If Kakashi wouldn't have moved, the sharp tip of the kunai would have buried itself deep in his left thigh.
The dodge forced him right where Naruto had wanted him: right into the path of his kick. The attack made contact with his back, but Kakashi seemed to lean backwards and let himself roll over Naruto's leg. The blond jinchuuriki cursed and pointed his left hand at the Jonin. A moment later, something hit Kakashi in the chest and sent him skidding backwards. The force behind the invisible blow didn't cause him any real harm; it had only been used to give Naruto a chance to put distance between himself and his old sensei.
Kakashi could tell that what had hit him in the chest was a compressed ball of wind, a creation of Naruto's wind manipulation. The boy had sent it at a moment's notice, so it had nowhere as much power as it would if he had gathered enough chakra. Still, for a wind bullet to have that much force behind it with such little chakra spoke volumes about Naruto's level of skill.
Naruto once again removed his scimitar from its scabbard, knowing full well that he wouldn't get very far using taijutsu alone.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed as his Sharingan picked up a blue shimmer around Naruto's blade. It was most likely wind chakra, just like before.
The blond exploded into motion, slashing his sword in front of him. Kakashi found himself dodging more balls of compressed wind. Only these ones were much more powerful, smashing the bark off of the trees behind him. One hit from one of those babies and he's be sporting some broken ribs, if not a collapsed lung.
Kakashi's hands found themselves forced into action, blurring through a familiar set of seals. He needed to go on the offensive if he wanted to stay in control in this fight. Naruto had always been one to exploit weaknesses when he got control of a battle.
"Katon: Housenka (Fire Release: Mythical Fire Flower)," Kakashi shouted. Then he exhaled his breath, and a flurry of fireballs went flying at Naruto. The blond jinchuuriki cursed at the man's choice of jutsu. Fire jutsu only fed on wind jutsu, so his wind manipulation wouldn't help right now. So, Naruto quickly evaded the fireballs, moving right to where Kakashi wanted him to go.
As he ducked under the last fireball, Naruto found himself face-to-face with a gigantic dog leaping out of the ground. Naruto cursed and snapped his free hand out. The next moment a wall of wind pushed the giant dog backwards into the dirt. It whined for a moment, then disappeared in a puff of smoke.
The chirping of birds accompanied the popping sound of the disappearing dog, and Naruto ran through his own set of seals. The chirping intensified as Naruto held a yellow chidori once again. The blond spun around, jamming his chidori into Kakashi's, yellow meeting blue. There was a zapping noise, and the two techniques discharged, forcing their hands back.
Having dropped his scimitar so he could do hand seals, Naruto quickly picked his weapon up and attempted and upwards slash. Kakashi spun away from the slash, going through hand seals the entire time. As he stopped right next to Naruto, he finished the last seal.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)!"
Once again, Kakashi exhaled. Only this time, it wasn't a flurry of small fireballs that emerged from his mouth; it was a single colossal one. Naruto's eyes widened at finding the technique so close to him. He cursed loudly and created a shield Kage Bunshin. There was a series of popping noises as the clones were destroyed, but Naruto was out of the way by then. The clones had absorbed enough of the fireball for him to get out of there and avoid any damage completely.
As he was stepping backwards though, two hands exploded from the ground and grabbed Naruto's ankles in a vice grip. Alarmed, Naruto could do nothing as he pulled into the ground. All that stood above ground was his head, wearing a very frustrated look.
Kakashi, now standing next to Naruto's head, said with an eye smile, "Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Technique)."
Then, much to Kakashi's surprise, Naruto frown exploded into a huge grin. "Oh yeah? Well eat this: Bunshin Daibakuha (Clone Great Explosion)!"
Then Naruto promptly exploded magnificently.
Luckily, Kakashi was quick enough to leap away from the exploding clone. He landed and then looked back where he had used Goukakyuu; Naruto emerged from the gound, having dug under the fireball. He had created an exploding clone as a replacement of the real him, hoping to get Kakashi with it.
The sour look on his face showed how he was reacting to its failure.
Naruto then moved in at full speed, aiming a thrust at the center of the Jonin's chest with his blade. Kakashi grabbed hold of Naruto's wrist, however, pulling the scimitar out of its intended target. Naruto gave a powerful jerk, tearing his wrist from his former sensei's grip. He then spun, attempting a slash that would carve through the man's chest.
The act never worked, for Kakashi met the spin with a kick to the blond's shoulder, stopping the slash all together. Now on the offensive, Kakashi moved behind his student. A kunai was in his hand the next moment, thrusting forward to bury itself in the small of Naruto's back. The jinchuuriki defended by slipping the flat of his blade behind him to turn away the stab. There was the distinctive ringing of metal on metal, signifying that the block was successful.
Still, Kakashi didn't let up. A kick to the back of Naruto's knee almost sent the boy into a heap, but he gritted his teeth and stayed on his feet. Soon after, a heavy roundhouse crashed into Naruto's side and sent him tumbling. The blond easily rolled to his feet, only to find him self on the defense once more. A kick barely missed his head as he ducked at the last second. His forearms came up and blocked a textbook spinning backhand that would have knocked some of his teeth out. His hands occupied, Naruto was forced to roll under another kick as Kakashi spun back to face him.
Now on his back, Naruto looked up to see Kakashi's foot raised to deliver a high ax kick. Naruto growled and quickly brought his sword up to block. A split second later Kakashi's foot slammed into the flat of the blade, halted by the steel. Naruto then smirked, for Kakashi made a mistake that many had made before him.
Naruto's free hand came up and slapped the other side of the scimitar's blade. Then Kakashi was flipped backwards as his foot was caught in another ball of compressed wind. He found himself in the worst possible place now: upside-down in mid air, with his back towards Uzumaki Naruto.
His fears were met by a huge pressure slamming into his back. He gave a cry of surprise as he was thrown even farther into the air. He tried to right himself in the middle of flight, but he suddenly found Naruto directly behind him.
Shit, was all Kakashi could manage before three clones surrounded him. Two grabbed hold of his arms and legs, while the third moved behind the real Naruto. Kakashi was not able to see what was happening at this point. He tried to wrestle himself out of the clones' grip, but they had him beat in the strength department.
Meanwhile, Naruto was forming a Rasengan behind Kakashi. However, instead of using it on the silver-haired Jonin, he thrust it upwards, right into the stomach of his clone. The clone did not disperse; no, it had too much chakra in it to be destroyed that easily. It instead seemed to be focusing on something.
That something was using wind manipulation to keep itself from spinning due to the Rasengan.
Instead, Naruto began to spin himself; very, very fast, at that. Then the Rasengan exploded, propelling Naruto down at his old sensei. The boy went slamming into Kakashi's back feet first, spinning like a top. In turn, Kakashi went spiraling down, the two clones holding his limbs dispersing into clouds of smoke. The Jonin crashed into the ground a second later, the force behind his propulsion smashing the ground to bits and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Naruto landed safely. He then turned towards the dust cloud and whispered, "Uzumaki Gijutsu: Senpuuya (Uzumaki Technique: Whirlwind Arrow)."
"Nice technique," a voice called from behind Naruto. The blond immediately blocked the fist that was to slam into the back of his neck with the palm of his hand. He was not surprised to find Kakashi standing there, not a new scratch on him.
"Kawirimi (Replacement)," Naruto said, to which Kakashi nodded.
"I must say," the Jonin began. "That attack would have done me some good damage. Hell, it did. I was only able to use Kawarimi to avoid getting planted into the ground. That tornado kick dug quite deep into my back." To prove it, Kakashi leaned forward a bit to show his back. There was a hole in the back of his Jonin vest that went through all the layers of clothes underneath as well. The skin under it sported a terrible brush burn, parts of which were bleeding either steadily or lazily.
Naruto pulled his arm back to then punch the man and continue their battle, but Kakashi held his hands up in surrender.
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked cautiously. Kakashi was a pretty unpredictable figure that, while Naruto had been under his tutelage, he didn't know much about. He was a world-class ninja, and that was all that mattered to Naruto. Shinobi of that caliber could exploit any weakness his or her enemy presented at any time. He did not want it to be one of those times.
Smiling a bit, Kakashi said, "I think that's all for me Naruto. I need to get to a medic. Like I said, I may have dodged getting planted into the ground, but you still delivered that kick. Being in the business as long as me, you know when you're hurt. I have a few torn muscles in my back now. Fighting at this level will only make them worse. I didn't even want to fight you in the first place, so I don't think worsening my wounds is worth it."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man, trying to see if he was lying. He wasn't able to tell for sure, but it looked like he was being truthful. Naruto let out a sigh and waved the older man off. If the Jonin felt that bad about fighting him, then he didn't need to continue this any further.
"So...what about the team?"
The one who spoke was Sakura. She stood behind the two, looking very uneasy as Naruto made eye contact with her.
"This whole thing was necessary. I wanted to get our bad blood out into the open so we can put it behind us," Naruto suddenly said, which surprised both Kakashi and Sakura. "Sakura, what you did to me three years ago was deplorable. You spat in my face after I did exactly what you asked me to do. I had half expected it of course, but by that point I was in no mood for it. I had been stabbed in the chest with a chidori twice that day, by a person who I had started seeing as a brother. That notion is gone now, just so you know. Hell, that day I would have been happy if you hadn't said anything at all. I was so tired that I didn't want to do anything but collapse into a bed."
Naruto was looking at Sakura in the eyes the entire time he spoke. She held his gaze, but she held a guilty look to end all guilty looks. She broke eye contact out of shame, but Naruto grabbed her chin gently and brought her eyes back to him.
"There is no excuse for what you did, Sakura. But I'm willing to move past it, because people can change. I have faith in myself and you to grow stronger from this," Naruto nearly whispered. Sakura almost blushed due to the how intensely the blond was staring at her.
Kakashi thankfully saved her by giving a short cough. Naruto's look lingered on her for another moment, then he gave his attention to his old teacher.
"So...does that mean that we are a team again?" Kakashi asked slowly. The tension in the air was so thick that one could cut it with a kunai.
The blue-eyed shinobi was silent. Then, "I guess I could give it another go. Teaming up with Kakashi means that we could be going on some dangerous missions." He tried to put on a smile but Sakura could tell it wasn't completely sincere.
Kakashi broke out into an eye smile at the comment. "Good," he said. "I guess we're Team Kakashi, then. I'll catch you two later, I need to get my back checked out." Then he was gone, leaving Naruto and Sakura on their own. The two looked at each other in silence.
"Naruto...I'm sorr-," Sakura tried to get out, but Naruto silenced her with a raising of his hand.
Looking down at the shorter girl, Naruto said, "Don't, Sakura. Just don't. I know you want to get all that guilt off your chest, but saying sorry would be getting rid of it with a lie. You don't understand just how big of an impact your words had on me, Sakura. Back then, I would have gladly died for you. I was too stupid to ever see that you had no interest in me. Still, I thought you did and I desperately tried to make you happy. First was when I went and got Tsunade to come back and heal Sasuke. Then I tried again when I brought back Sasuke. I got thanks for neither, Sakura. For the latter you actually yelled at me for doing what I promised to do.
"Normally I would have simply took it. But that mission changed me, Sakura. I saw things that you did not. Sasuke had been completely willing to kill me just to get Orochimaru's power. I fought him at a time where even you would have been afraid of him. The things he said and did...sometimes they give me nightmares. Not because the acts themselves scared me, Sakura. No, it was the one who did them that did. My best friend was trying to kill me. For a moment, he succeeded. I was stone cold dead."
Sakura's eyes widened. Naruto had...died? Sasuke had actually killed him? No, that could never happen. Sasuke was his friend!
Nodding at the look of horror on Sakura's face, Naruto continued. "I died on that mission, Sakura. For a short while in that fight with Sasuke, my heart literally stopped beating.. I feel lucky to even be standing here today. Despite that, I still soldiered on and beat Sasuke. I brought him back, but you didn't care about that. You cared that I brought him back injured. I don't understand why you wouldn't realize that we'd have to fight if I were to take him back. Fights usually involve injuries."
"I...I get the point Naruto. I acted completely out of line. But you have to understand! We were only thirteen Naruto, I was so confused-"
"Sakura, that's enough," Naruto said, and Sakura fell into silence. "I know that you feel sorry for it now. Me, I'm still a bit bitter about it. I probably will always be a bit bitter about it. The best we can do in this situation is just see where this team goes. If it fails, it fails. If it succeeds, then everything will be okay. Let's just get on with our lives. The past is the past, and the future is much more important. Okay?"
She didn't look at him, but she still nodded her head. He saw tears drip from her down turned face and moisten the ground. He sighed and then pulled her towards him. Surprised, Sakura looked up at Naruto, finding herself pressed against his chest.
Naruto never looked at her. He only spoke.
"Don't cry for me, Sakura. I don't want them. Just try to make this work. Work hard, Sakura. Show me you actually have grown up. 'Cuz your chest sure doesn't show it."
Despite having to then dodge Sakura's barrage of angry punches, Naruto was laughing. The first time in three years.
END OF LIVING 2
Well if anyone ever read the first version of this chapter, Naruto came off as sort of a dick. That's not what I'm going for at the moment. I want him to start off as sort a much more mature version of his younger self that also has his dark moments. Eventually Naruto's personality will start to go downhill, starting off as a dick and going lower into a more...interesting Naruto...