Given the opportunity to work with others or by yourself, which do you prefer?
-l-l-l-
Naruto wandered into the forest surrounding his usual training area with Zetsu, absently keeping an eye out for the plant-man while his mind roamed.
He had just passed the second exam to become an official Genin, and while the outcome had eventually been favorable, the path to that conclusion had been littered with pitfalls. Not for the first time, he wished that Zetsu would teach him something more substantial than botany or philosophy. While learning about plants was interesting (and useful, he supposed, when in the field with limited supplies), and being taught to think for himself was proving even more advantageous, it hardly amounted to the proper ninja training that he so drastically needed and desired.
That point had just been proven rather harshly.
His sensei – correction: his, Uchiha Sasuke's, and Haruno Sakura's sensei – had turned out to be a man with silver hair by the name of Hatake Kakashi. The only notable features about the man (aside from the fact that his hair color gave him the appearance of being prematurely aged) were that he wore a face mask and had his hitae-ate slanted so that it covered his left eye. Naruto honestly had no idea what purpose that served, but was loathe to point it out given Black Zetsu's propensity to ridicule his own taste in orange clothing.
The test Kakashi had given his trio of Genin had started the previous day with an order to not eat breakfast, as they were likely to throw it up during 'survival training'. After the fiasco of listening to Mizuki and having his error pointed out to him by Black Zetsu, Naruto had (rather wisely) decided that obeying the simple behest of not eating that morning was a stupid idea. There didn't really seem to be any purpose to not having breakfast (and really, wasn't it a bad idea to do strenuous activity on an empty stomach?), nor did he see any way for Kakashi to know whether or not he had followed the instructions, so he had arrived at the training grounds in a relatively good mood…which had promptly soured when Kakashi had forced them to wait for him.
Unfortunately, the next step – grabbing one of two bells strapped to Kakashi's hip – had dampened his spirits even further. He wasn't stupid enough (anymore) to believe that any of the three Genin actually had a shot at getting a bell; Zetsu's proficiency at throwing senbon and his seemingly infinite knowledge of…well, everything…displayed the gap between himself and the plant-man quite sufficiently. As Kakashi was sure to be on a level close to his tutor, albeit probably with a completely different skill set, Naruto hadn't held much hope of completing the exercise assigned to them.
Still, that knowledge hadn't prevented him from at least putting forth the effort to try and get a bell. Using his Shadow Clones had definitely been a good idea, though Kakashi had been sure to throw off any of his meager attempts at taijutsu by constantly replacing himself with the blond doppelgangers. The fact that he had been led into such a rudimentary trick as a rope tied to a tree branch had been embarrassing, but not altogether harmful.
That didn't mean that he was going to include it in his report to Zetsu, though.
He had silently watched Sasuke's attempt at getting one of the bells, followed by Sakura's fainting spell after finding the Uchiha buried up to his neck in dirt. Shortly after that point, the timer had gone off, and Kakashi had tied Sakura (who'd done the least to get a bell) to a post, told the trio that the secret to beating him had been teamwork, and given the two boys strict instructions to not feed her. After lunch, they were to try for the bells once more.
There hadn't really been much time to think about the silver-haired man's words. Sasuke had opted into sharing his lunch with Sakura, and Naruto – more because he wasn't as hungry as the others than because he thought all three of them being energized would help them get the bells – had followed the other boy's example. At that point, Kakashi had appeared, and after putting on a façade of anger, he had informed the trio that they had passed. However pleased he was by his success, it was Kakashi's parting words that kept ringing in Naruto's head, driving him to seek out his dual-toned tutor.
"Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja are called 'trash'. But, you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades…are lower than trash."
The teamwork speech had been hard to swallow…that last message, delivered with such conviction, had completely contradicted the very breakthrough that he had had two nights ago with Black Zetsu.
"Hello, child. Finished training with your team, Naruto-kun?"
Speak of the devil. Devils? Gah, whatever! "Yes…er, no. I…don't know."
"You seem troubled."
Naruto frowned, though the expression wasn't directed at Zetsu's disturbing ability to read him so well. "I'm confused," he admitted. "I met with my team today, and my sensei said something that was…weird."
"What did he say?" prompted White Zetsu.
"That people who break ninja rules are 'trash', but that those who don't take care of their comrades are 'worse than trash'," the blond recited. "He seemed to really emphasize teamwork."
Black Zetsu made a sound that Naruto thought might be a bark of laughter. "Unsurprising."
"Really?"
"Konoha's shinobi are firm believers in the Will of Fire," Black Zetsu explained. "It is a faith that causes them to risk themselves in an effort to protect those weaker than them, whether they are the next generation or the people working with them on a mission."
"You…don't agree with it," Naruto stated, though the hesitance in his voice made it sound more like a question. Black Zetsu's snort of derision told him it was a stupid one to voice, most likely because he already knew the answer.
"What should it matter to you if your teammates perish on a mission? Does it affect your well-being or performance?"
"Well, what if they're your friend?"
This time, the laughter emanating from Zetsu's darker side was far more recognizable. "Are your teammates your friends?"
Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it, thinking.
Kakashi was his superior, and a too recent addition to Naruto's world to be considered anything more than that. If the man's beliefs were anything to go by, Naruto could trust the Jōnin to protect him, but he wasn't sure he could classify their relationship as anything beyond a strictly student-teacher one.
Sasuke was a rival, or had been, at any rate. He was a measuring stick by which Naruto could judge – had always judged, in a way – his own progress, though now that he thought about it, trying to track his own abilities against that of someone who was also growing wasn't a very accurate gauge of how far he'd come. Using someone whose relative power had hit a sort of plateau – Kakashi or Zetsu, perhaps – was a better choice to judge his own improvements against. But even beyond that new revelation, Sasuke was a very aloof individual, never partaking in group activities the Academy hadn't forced him into, and choosing to distance himself from others. His very nature would make it difficult, if not impossible, to become friendly with him, and even his teamwork mindset during the bell test had only come around because Kakashi hadn't really given them any other option in the matter.
Sakura was the girl he had a crush on…but now that he was trying to analyze her objectively, he realized that he had no reason to be interested in her. Sure, she was a good student (and even kind of cute), and if she applied herself, she could probably be a decent kunoichi, but her treatment of him was rather poor. All of his efforts to be nice to her over the years (as over-the-top and perhaps obnoxious as they had been) had gone to waste – Sakura possessed eyes for Sasuke and only Sasuke. During the bell test, she hadn't even made an appearance until Kakashi had trapped Sasuke beneath the earth, and after waking up from passing out, she had immediately helped her crush out of his predicament. Naruto – hanging from the rope trap nearby, plotting his next move – had been conveniently ignored by her throughout the entire exercise.
They weren't friends…they were just people he had been partnered with to continue his ninja career.
Huh… It was a little weird to acknowledge that Zetsu's method of forcing him to think things through had given him insight that, several weeks ago, he had never possessed. Seeing things from an objective, unbiased point of view was rather eye-opening. He made a mental note to not complain about Zetsu's teaching methodology the next time the thought cropped up.
The comprehension must have shown on his face, for White Zetsu said, "It looks like you understand."
"Yeah…"
"I'm surprised you asked us such a question," White Zetsu observed. "We thought our position on such things was made clear to you."
"It was! I just…" He frowned again, scratching the side of his head. "Sometimes I forget that you're set in your ways, and…I dunno, it's weird to have people teach you conflicting things."
"You're quite impressionable."
"Uh, thanks."
"It was not a compliment. It is a handicap. Once you get an idea in your head, it sticks there," elaborated White Zetsu. "However, the new idea tends to dislodge any of the old ones you have, making you lose focus of what your original opinion was. This matter is a good example of that."
"So," Naruto began, working through this train of thought, "if you don't like me learning other peoples' opinions, why didn't you just say that your opinion was the right one?"
"You should be able to learn these lessons on your own merit. What purpose is served by feeding you the answers? Experience is the hallmark of learning."
"That's true…"
"We are also not so arrogant as to believe that our philosophy is the only correct one." Naruto's expression must have displayed his confusion, for White Zetsu continued, "It is merely the one that we have concluded best suits our life based on past experiences. Villages such as Konohagakure and Iwagakure would have not survived long by adhering to principles such as the Will of Fire or the Will of Stone if they were not successful ideologies. We simply believe them to be foolish faiths to put stock in."
"…You're confusing."
White Zetsu tittered lightly, and when Black Zetsu spoke, Naruto could almost imagine that he was scowling. "And you're mindless," he retorted, "a trait which we are trying to rectify."
Naruto peered at his mentor curiously, unfazed by the insult. Black Zetsu had delivered the line without any of the venom he usually put into his snarls, and so Naruto knew that he didn't really mean it. But the green-haired man had a strange habit of talking in circles and contradictions, and so sometimes it took a bit of thought to get to the point he was trying to make.
Zetsu seemed to be trying to tell him that while there were other ideals people clung to, it was his ideal of relying only on himself that provided the most accurate representation of what to expect from life. Experience was a better teacher than pretty words that had no evidence to back them up – as Kakashi's parting philosophy tutored – and Naruto's exploits had taught him that…well, that Zetsu's philosophy held more water than Kakashi's. Or Konoha's. After all, who aside from the Hokage and Iruka had ever protected him, or gone out of their way to help him?
He was alone, and unlikely to turn Sasuke and Sakura into his comrades, given their personalities. Not that that would prevent him from trying – he was nothing if not stubbornly persistent – but honesty forced him to admit that the likelihood was slim.
Once again, he was struck by the realization that Zetsu's methods really were quite effective. "Hey, Zetsu? How long have you been alone?"
The pupil in the white side's yellow eye shifted so that it was closer to Black Zetsu. Naruto imagined that the two halves were holding a private conversation. "Over 13 years now," he replied. "Why?"
"Curious," responded the blond, returning to his introspection. Zetsu had been alone for longer than he had been alive. That was a little sad, given the events of his own life, but it also explained why the plant-man was so attached to his ways; with over a decade of being by himself, it was no wonder Zetsu scoffed at any philosophies that promoted friendship and reliance upon others.
For a brief moment, Naruto considered asking Zetsu if they were friends, but then decided against it. Not only was their relationship still relatively new (not to mention seeming more of a teacher-student one than anything else), Naruto wasn't sure he wanted to hear what Zetsu considered him. Given Zetsu's personality, the plant-man was unlikely to deem Naruto his friend, and given the only partially successful quest the previous day to try and befriend Ino, the blond didn't think he could stand being rejected (again), especially not by the person he was currently closest to.
If he wanted friends or comrades, it would be more prudent to start with the people his own age that he already had established, positive relationships with. Given that most of his peers tended to mock or ignore him, his options were rather limited. Despite her hesitance, Ino seemed like the safest bet, as she at least seemed willing to give him a chance to prove himself, and as an added bonus, her teammates were Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chōji, people whom he had hung around in the past and got along with decently.
Plus, it was possible that he could gain insight into the process of strengthening bonds with his own teammates by observing the other three Genin in action. It wasn't exactly what Zetsu wanted him to do, but then again, the former Kusa-nin had just admitted that his philosophy wasn't the only right one. If the plant-man could be wrong about one thing (though, as it stood now, his arguments all held a lot of merit), who was to say he couldn't be wrong about others? Would it really be such a bad idea to try to turn Sasuke and Sakura into his comrades, to make friends?
Black Zetsu had already stated that Naruto shouldn't trust his opinions, he should trust only what made the most sense. If experience was the hallmark of learning, then the blond should at least be willing to give his teammates the opportunity to become comrades and/or friends before making any final decision about them prematurely.
Naruto broke out of his musing to find Zetsu staring at him, a speculative look on the white side of the former Kusa-nin's face. He blinked, mildly unnerved by the scrutiny, and stammered, "I'm, ah, gonna go…do something. Is that…okay?"
"You do not need our permission to leave. Our lesson will merely be postponed. Seek us out when you desire another one."
The blond was a little surprised at how…tame…his tutor's reaction to his leaving was, but tried not to focus on it. He nodded once and hastily left the forest, uncomfortably aware of Zetsu's far-too-knowledgeable yellow eyes on his back as he did so.
-l-l-l-
Naruto tried to organize his thoughts as he made his way toward the Twelfth Training Ground. He had stopped by Yamanaka Flowers just to make sure that Ino wasn't working, and the man behind the counter – a man the blond presumed to be Ino's father – had pointed him in the direction of Team 10's training area upon inquiring about Ino's whereabouts.
The Jinchūriki entered the Twelfth Training Ground and found his fellow blonde standing next to a boy with dark hair tied in a spiky ponytail (vaguely resembling a pineapple) who was reclining on the ground, hands laced behind his head. In comparison to Ino – who was avidly watching a spar between a chubby boy with light brown hair and a tall, sturdily built man Naruto guessed was Team 10's sensei – the dark-haired boy had his eyes closed, an aura of boredom and relaxation emanating off of him.
Naruto coughed to announce his presence, and Ino whirled around, her long ponytail whipping through the air. Nara Shikamaru opened one brown eye lazily and grunted, "Naruto," in greeting before returning to his previous activity of trying to sleep.
"Hey Shikamaru," he greeted, before turning to the boy's teammate and adding, "Ino."
"Naruto," she returned, and there was a definite note of caution in her voice, as if she was unsure why he was around. He was distinctly reminded of her hesitance and skepticism when he had entered the flower shop the other day, and knew that turning Ino into his friend would require a lot of work to change the opinion she had of him from the Academy. "What are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "Kakashi-sensei dismissed us for the day after we passed his stupid bell test, so I thought I'd come see how you guys are doing." He paused before continuing, "Actually, I also had some things I wanted to ask you…"
"Not now!" she hissed, but the damage was already done.
Shikamaru's drawling voice interjected itself into the conversation. "Wait a minute…Naruto, you came here to talk to Ino?" His brown eyes – both now open with interest – narrowed suspiciously. "When did you two get so chummy?"
Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but Ino beat him to the punch. "Naruto's taken an interest in flowers," she shot back hotly. "He's manly enough to not be afraid of what others might think of him taking up a girly hobby. Maybe if you weren't so lazy, you'd find it interesting, too."
The Nara stared at his teammate for a long moment before closing his eyes with an uttered, "Troublesome. It's too much effort to argue with a woman."
Ino made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, but a deep voice cut across any remark she might have made. "Oh, we have a visitor. Who's this?"
Naruto looked up to find Team 10's Jōnin-sensei standing before him, Akimichi Chōji digging through a bag of chips at his side. The man was over six feet tall, with short black hair and a pointed beard; a cigarette hanging from his lips and a white sash decorated with the red kanji for 'fire' inscribed in a black circle were the only additions to the standard Jōnin outfit of the Hidden Leaf. While the Jinchūriki took in the appearance of the man, Ino said, "Asuma-sensei, this is Naruto. He graduated with us, and he's interested in becoming my protégé at the flower shop."
"Is that so?"
Ino nudged him with her elbow, and Naruto managed, "Ah, yes…Asuma-sensei. Sorry for interrupting," he added, attempting politeness for a good first impression.
"It's no problem. I was just about done with these guys anyway." He blew out a cloud of smoke. "You can go, but we're meeting here at the same time tomorrow, Ino."
"Got it."
"You're welcome back here anytime you want," Asuma addressed Naruto, "provided that it doesn't interfere with whatever Kakashi has planned for you."
Naruto started at the man's knowledge of who his teacher was without knowing who he was, but then deduced from Asuma's slight grin that his identity had been known all along. "Thanks, Asuma-sensei. Bye Chōji, Shikamaru." Both boys offered him departing waves before Ino tugged on his arm and dragged him away.
"Jeez," Ino griped before he could say anything, "I can't believe you came to our training grounds to see me. There's no telling what Shikamaru and Chōji would've thought if I hadn't come up with the excuse that you're interested in flowers. And it's a good thing Asuma-sensei seemed to like you, too, otherwise that might've gone pretty badly. How'd you even know where I was, anyway?"
"Uh, your dad, I think."
"You told my dad you were looking for me? I'm going to have to do so much damage control when I get home…"
"Um," Naruto tried, noticing that they weren't heading to Yamanaka Flowers as he had assumed, "where're we goin'?"
"Away from prying eyes," was the response. Naruto remained silent as Ino eventually led him into a lush field of tall grass and simple flowers. The platinum blonde released his arm and seated herself somewhat huffily, gesturing for Naruto to do the same. When he had done so, she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths before reopening them; her face held much less tension than when she had been speaking to her teammates and sensei. "Look, I'm sorry about before. I'm not really comfortable enough yet with this whole situation to have it known that you and I are…" she grappled about for the right words, "on speaking terms."
The admission didn't sting as much as Naruto thought it might, though he supposed that, realistically, as he and Ino had never really interacted before the previous day, it was foolish to believe that she would be willing to freely associate with him so soon. Still… "How come?"
"Well, my reputation is…" she started, then realized that was the wrong thing to say, and said instead, "your reputation…mm… People like us normally don't mesh well," she decided on. "It would just raise all sorts of questions that I don't want to have to answer yet, and Shikamaru already seems suspicious. He'll figure it out before long."
The conversation was already going in the direction Naruto wanted, so he prodded it along by prompting, "Shikamaru? But he was practically as bad as me back in the Academy."
"He's a lot smarter than people give him credit for," Ino elaborated. "Trust me, if anyone would find out that you and I are…getting together more than normal—" the word 'friends' still seemed beyond her, at least for the moment, "—it'll be Shikamaru."
Now they were getting somewhere; Ino had pretty much led the conversation directly into the area he wanted to discuss. Naruto tilted his head curiously. "You seem to know a lot about Shikamaru even though we just got sorted into teams the other day."
Ino nodded absently and picked at the surrounding grass, ripping individual blades into even smaller pieces. "I've known Shikamaru and Chōji for a couple of years now," she told him. "Our dads were all on the same Genin team as the previous generation of the Ino-Shika-Chō formation." At Naruto's bewildered expression, Ino sighed. "Members of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans have worked together since the era of the Clan Wars…" she trailed off as Naruto's face became even more distorted with confusion; she grumbled exasperatedly. "Honestly…
"Before the founding of the Hidden Villages, individual clans fought over rights, land, power…the usual. While most clans fought by themselves, the abilities of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans have always worked best when used in tandem, and so they banded together to pose a more powerful threat to their enemies. That was the birth of the Ino-Shika-Chō combination.
"When the Uchiha and Senju clans founded Konoha, they extended invitations to several other clans to join them; one of them, the Sarutobi clan, invited the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans to join alongside it. They all agreed, along with the Hyūga, Aburame, Inuzuka, and Kurama clans, and thus Konoha was born." She lifted her hand and jingled the small, silver, hoop earring dangling from her left lobe with her pointer finger. "These earrings are my dad's. Each member of the next generation of Ino-Shika-Chō is given a set by the previous generation from the time they become Genin to the time they become Chūnin. After Shikamaru, Chōji, and I become Chūnin, a member of the Sarutobi clan – which Asuma-sensei is part of – will give us our own earrings, to symbolize our oath to work together, and protect both each other and Konoha."
Naruto tried not to show Ino how impressed he was with the vast amount of information that she knew, but was sure that he failed. He wanted to ask if there had been an Uzumaki clan that had joined Konoha – information about the family he had never known would certainly be interesting – but when he opened his mouth, he asked instead, "How do you know all of that?"
His female companion gently ran a finger over the petals of a nearby yellow flower. "Some things from the Academy, others from my dad."
When Ino didn't immediately say anything else, Naruto prompted, "So I guess there's an important connection among yours, Shikamaru's, and Chōji's families, huh?"
"That's the simplest way of putting it, yes," Ino replied. "Anyway, because of our dads' friendship and our clans' traditions, Shikamaru, Chōji, and I were pretty much guaranteed to be put on the same team. Our families have gotten together for stuff plenty of times before, so we're pretty used to each other. We get along well enough, even if Shikamaru is a bit lazy and Chōji could stand to lose some weight."
"Do you consider them your friends?"
The platinum blonde was silent for a long moment, fiddling again with the flora surrounding her. "I suppose so," she admitted. "I've never really thought about it in that way before. It's not like we're best friends or anything, but we have history and camaraderie. I doubt our team would work together as well as we're supposed to if we weren't friends."
Naruto frowned a little at that answer. From the way Ino was speaking, her team had practically been destined to be together since she, Chōji, and Shikamaru had been born, if not since at least the time they had entered the Academy together. Their families had pre-established connections, and they had known the ins and outs of each others' personalities for several years because of those bonds. As far as teamwork went, Team 10 was stacked heavily in favor of being able to cooperate easily with each other. In fact, it sounded as if they were forced to work together to complement the others' skill sets. That was merely a guess, as the blond had no idea what the techniques of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans were, but to have a bond among their clans that spanned generations hinted towards his guess being accurate.
He had gotten answers to his questions, but none of them pointed to him having any chance of befriending Sasuke and Sakura. To have already been friendly with her teammates before being placed together was a situation that hadn't occurred to Naruto before asking for Ino's opinions, especially given her lack of attention to Shikamaru and Chōji during their time at the Academy. It didn't seem fair that she had such fortune when he was faced with the exact opposite situation, but then again, he was partly to blame for Sasuke's and Sakura's attitudes towards him. He couldn't really imagine wanting to be friends with his Academy-self either.
The blond caught Ino's voice asking him something, but he missed the question. "Er, sorry, what was that?"
Ino huffed. "I said, can't you be friends with Billboard Brow and Sasuke-kun?"
Naruto opened his mouth to offer a derogatory retort about the Uchiha, but his brain reminded him that insulting Sasuke in front of Ino was a bad idea, both for his physical health and for any potential friendship they might kindle. Swallowing his immediate response, he said, "Well, Sasuke—" it burned a little to not tack on the 'teme' like he wanted to, but he felt that that might be something he would have to get used to "—isn't really interested in making friends. And Sakura-chan is too obsessed with him to pay me any attention."
"That lucky Billboard Brow," Ino growled, glaring at her clenched fists, "getting placed on a team with Sasuke-kun. It's no wonder she won't pay you any mind with someone as cool as Sasuke-kun nearby." She looked up to see Naruto flinch back at her comment, and immediately gritted her teeth in regret. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like—"
"It's…it's fine. I'm used to it."
Ino frowned. "It's not fine. You seem like you're trying really hard to be different, even if I don't know why, and I keep treating you unfairly. You didn't even insult Sasuke-kun like you normally do."
"Yeah, well…I've gotta be nice to him if we wanna be friends, right?"
The platinum blonde stared at her companion for a moment. "Why do you want to be friends with me, anyway? It's not like we ever hung out in the Academy or anything." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Unless this is all one elaborate prank…"
Naruto stretched out his arms and shook them, hastily stating, "No no no, that's not it at all!" He crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, staring intently at his lap. "I guess you could say that I wanted to change, and you were the first person I came across who might be willing to give me a chance."
"So it's just because I was convenient, huh?" There was a dangerous timbre in her voice, as if she was offended by his reasoning.
Naruto was either oblivious to it or chose to ignore it. "Well, at first, I guess you could say that." His head came up at the sound of Ino cracking her knuckles threateningly. "But then I thought that you were interesting." Ino's hands dropped into her lap, her face releasing some of her anger. "You were willing to teach me more about flowers, and you're not afraid to speak honestly about things, which is a lesson I've come to appreciate recently. I guess I'm saying that I respect your opinions."
"Oh. Well, thanks."
"Sure."
"Don't think that means I like you any more or anything, though!" she warned.
Naruto grinned lopsidedly at her defensiveness before returning to stare at the grass. There was silence between them for a minute – Ino returning to shredding green blades in mild embarrassment for losing her temper so easily, Naruto sitting with his arms crossed, thinking – before the male blond asked, "Do you think it's possible for a team to work well together without being friends?"
Ino looked at the boy before her. The expression on his face wasn't worried or even angry, like she thought it might be, but simply curious; he genuinely wanted to know her opinion on a subject he would most likely have to deal with, perhaps even draw insight from her answer so he could properly mingle with his teammates. "I don't know," she replied, opting for the honesty he said he appreciated. Naruto nodded, as if he had expected that answer, and the furrow between his eyebrows grew a little deeper. "But," she continued, trying to lighten the tenseness in his face, "maybe if you continue to be…uh…"
"Not annoying?" Naruto suggested.
She flinched a little at the candor, wondering why everything she said to Naruto seemed to come out wrong; it never bothered her before, but with him trying to be a better person (and that wasn't quite right either, but she didn't have another way of describing it), it seemed unfair to continue labeling him with old prejudices. Change, she supposed, would come with time. "Yeah, maybe if you act around them like you're acting around me, they'll be willing to become your friends."
"Mm…"
Ino stood up after another bout of silence and brushed off her clothes. "Come on, I promised you a lesson, didn't I? I'll even introduce you to Dad if he's still at the shop…meeting someone's family is a good step to becoming good friends."
Naruto seemed to brighten at that announcement. "Really?"
"Sure. Plus, he knows a lot more about flowers than I do. And," she added as they began to leave the field, "if you ever want to take Asuma-sensei up on his offer to come visit us, you can. Maybe you should pretend sometimes that you came to see Shikamaru and Chōji, though, okay? Until I'm used to…whatever this is," she finished, gesturing between them.
"Yeah, okay."
As they walked out of the field, a pair of yellow eyes watched silently from within the confines of a young tree.
-l-l-l-
One Week Later
Jeez, Naruto thought, watching Sakura try to entertain the brown-haired grandchild of some important village elder, this kid is annoying. Is this what it was like for people to be around me? Now I really understand why everyone stayed away from me. If only I had some sort of poison to make him be quiet or sit still or something…
His musing on his lack of poisons – something he had intended to work on but kept putting off – was cut short as a toy block clocked him on the side of the head. He grabbed the block off the floor and was prepared to throw it back at the kid when a glare from Sakura stopped him. The pink-haired girl had insisted on entertaining the child herself as Naruto's presence aggravated him – prejudice, he wondered, passed down from his parents and grandparents? – and Sasuke hadn't been interested in what he deemed to be simple babysitting (though Naruto privately thought that Sakura enjoyed the opportunity to show her crush how good she was with children all on her own, anyway).
Deciding that getting Sakura on his case wasn't worth the trouble of petty revenge, he released the block and slumped back against the wall he had been leaning against, sliding to the floor. "How much longer do we hafta be here?"
"Until the client returns," Kakashi reminded him from his position in the corner, nose buried in his book.
Naruto grumbled to himself, but then turned to Sasuke, who was seated further along the wall with one arm placed atop his bent knee. "Hey, Sasuke, once this mission is over, do you wanna train?"
The Uchiha shot him a dark look. "There's no point in training with someone who's beneath me."
"Now, now, Sasuke," Kakashi inserted, "there's no need to be rude." Sasuke harrumphed, but said nothing else; neither did Kakashi. Naruto wondered what the point of giving his opinion was if the silver-haired man wasn't actually going to do anything, and decided to turn his attention to his other teammate.
"What about you, Sakura-chan? Wanna go do something afterwards?"
"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to go on a date with you, Naruto?" she replied, half-distracted by their charge.
"No, I didn't mean like…" The blond sighed. "Never mind."
He had tried on and off for the past week to make some headway on becoming more friendly with his teammates in an effort to increase their camaraderie, but it had come to no avail. Ino's advice, while sound, had so far been unable to disprove his initial estimation of Team 7, which merely proved that Zetsu was, once again, right. What worked for Ino, who had prior history and a (mostly) good relationship with her teammates, was clearly not working for him.
Zetsu had said that his philosophy wasn't necessarily the correct one, just the one most applicable to his lifestyle. Naruto was willing to give other ones a try simply to see if they worked – and because ending up as alone as Zetsu seemed a horrible way to live his life (though as Zetsu had pointed out, he was already well on his way there) – but Kakashi's idea of camaraderie was so far proving fruitless.
Well, he thought, gazing around the room at the people he was stuck working with, I guess I'll just hafta make do for now. With any luck, I won't hafta worry about defending or abandoning my supposed comrades.
Zetsu was right…I can't rely on anyone but myself.
-l-l-l-
Author's Note: I'll admit that I'm not the biggest fan of Team 7, but I'm trying to reflect their personalities here from an unbiased point of view. I've been rereading the first several dozen chapters of the manga to get a more accurate gauge of their characterization, so hopefully it doesn't look like I'm bashing anyone. Next chapter will delve into Naruto's opinions in more detail. Thanks to all of you who reviewed the previous chapter, and feel free to let me know what you thought of this one; I'll see you again in 3 weeks.
