Naruto is the property of Kishimoto.
Worth-Part 4
Iruka approached the class cautiously. Teachers in Konoha had always been divided in how they taught chakra control. He himself had always been a firm believer in a grounding in the theory before any practical application.
Naruto however was of the school of thought that chakra control was mostly learnt by instinct, and taught it by having his pupils mold chakra and use it to hurl clods of dirt at each other.
It made visiting his classes very difficult. The children were supposed to be throwing' the little balls of roughly molded dirt at each other, and catching' them. Once they mastered it with earth, they moved on to water. However the /instinctual/ chakra control that Naruto so believed in seemed to make the children hurl the mud about at high speed, or burn it, or cause it to explode over the entire class.
So everything was rather messy.
A remarkably dirt free Naruto negotiated his way around a solemnly concentrating Arakawa Miho, her clump of dirt hovering shakily around the level of her chin. He jogged over, barely holding in a wide grin.
Great class this year
Iruka blinked.
One of the little sods nearly knocked my eye out with their lump of dirt! It must have been going like twenty miles an hour.
Iruka had to forcibly restrain himself from stepping further away from the class of children and their furiously spinning handfuls of dirt.
That's great.
He managed, rubbing his neck nervously.
What brings you here anyway
Naruto asked, adjusting his headband. He seemed cheerful enough, but Iruka could sense a kind of tension in the blond, an itch to be fighting. It was a feeling that he remembered from long ago, when lack of missions, or his rivalry with Sasuke had made the blond frustrated and looking for an outlet.
Iruka liked to think that at one point he was rather good at reading Naruto.
Just wanted to see how you were doing.
Naruto, who was looking over at his class, seemed to pass into a dream for a moment, as if he were trapped in one thought for too long.
I'm fine Iruka-sensei.
He said quietly, slipping back into an almost childish, wistful tone.
The class continued to hurl mud around, all save Miho who was shakily tossing her clump from side to side. Iruka could sense that already her control was very good, instinctively.
Outwardly, she seemed so like Sasuke, Iruka could see why Naruto was drawn to her. He wondered if Naruto could succeed where so many excellent teachers had failed - not in teaching her the skills of a ninja perfectly, she would master those easily, but instead teaching her the soul of a ninja, and the understanding of the bond she formed with her village.
He watched as she let her clump fall and turned to the boy beside her, his chubby face screwed up in frustration. She spoke to him, grabbing his hands and moving them around. It took Iruka a moment realise that she was helping him.
She's very good.
Naruto said blankly. And then Iruka understood. A week ago, when Naruto had been living his life happily without Sasuke, he had been able to look at Miho and see her as a fresh start, someone he could give a chance. Now she was simply a reminder of too much pain.
I heard about
Iruka began and Naruto flinched.
I don't want to talk about it.
Iruka new better than to argue. Instead he adopted a tactic of diversion that he had perfected over the last five years. He directed the topic just enough away from the subject of Sasuke that Naruto did not feel threatened, yet close enought that he could still touch on it.
Have you spoken to Sakura about it
Naruto made a thoughtful sound in his throat, his eyes still fixed on his grass. After a long, tense moment, he smiled and turned to face Iruka. He swept back his hair from his eyes, tangling long fingers almost anxiously in strands the colour of straw.
I should.
He didn't say he would, but it lightened Iruka's load of worry a little. Naruto was beyond his help now, but Sakura was a different matter. She still was able to get through to the blond, occasionally.
Naruto-sensei! Iruka sensei
Both teachers turned to find the class in a circle, Miho in the centre, waving.
Look at this! Ready everyone
There was a strained sort of mutter from the children, but they waited for Miho, pudgy faces screwed up in extreme concentration.
Three, two, one- GO
There was a sudden pulse of wriggling chakra, and /almost/ in synch the class began to toss litte clods of earth around the circle. The chain of quivering soil continued fairly well for almost a minute, and Naruto was almost on the verge of congratulating them, when there was a pile up which rapidly turned into a panicked sort of frenzy with earth hurtling every which way.
Oh dear.
Iruka said quietly, with a resigned sort of sigh.
So much for innate chakra control. . .
He soon wished he could retract that statement, when Naruto turned to face him with a glitter in his eye that was vaguely reminiscent of Kakashi at his worst.
And actually, the mud-ruined uniform and loss of dignity in front of an entire class was worth it to hear Naruto laughing.
-
Sakura didn't come to visit Naruto often. His little flat was too empty and quiet to be any comfort to her, and he was fiercely protective of his private space. She wondered if it was something that he had inherited from the kyuubi- this territorial instinct, that was entirely unspoken.
Naruto never /acted/ like she was not welcome, she just felt out of place- like a rabbit in a fox's den.
But she had to go, because she hadn't been able to apologise yet, for everything she had contributed to this awful mess. She remembered distinctly telling Naruto to go and find Sasuke, and he had only refused her once.
She had been angry at him, for refusing to bring back the boy she loved, after he had been betrayed. It made her wince to think about it.
Oh hello Sakura-chan.
He said wearily as he opened the door. His hair was completely wet and he was barefoot. The first thing Sakura could think of was what his skin might feel like- something to do with the way the neck of his t-shirt was low, and the way his ankles looked.
She looked up at his face and found that she had forgotten her well rehearsed speech. Forgetten in fact, what she had planned on saying entirely. What she wanted to say.
Why she even wanted to say it.
I eh- can I come in
He smiled and moved aside.
He began, grabbing a towl from the back of his sofa,
I was in the shower. And then I lost the scroll and
He trailed off, rummaging around under the sofa, before withdrawing a crumpled looking scroll.
It's fine.
Sakura murmured, perching on his table.
I got caught up in a mud fight today and then I had to file a whole load of genin-class applications.
He yawned, and Sakura heard his jaw crack. There was something so human about Naruto, about the way his body creaked and grumbled as much as anyone elses. She had spent an entire day with Sasuke, trailing behind as he hurled kunai into a treetrunk, as he molded chakra hour on hour. He had never looked human. She could never imagine him groaning or aching; rubbing his neck tiredly.
Sounds like an eventful day. Certainly more eventful than mine.
Naruto didn't respond immediately, instead sinking into a crosslegged position on the sofa and leaning back with a sigh.
I'm sure it was.
He said eventually, then patted the sofa.
Come sit here? I feel like I'm being interrogated when you sit like that.
Naruto had been interrogated enough recently, Sakura thought, sadly, and moved to sit beside him. He smelled of soap and noodles, and Sakura allowed herself to inhale it for a moment.
I'm sorry.
She said, and he responded by stretching his arm over her and tucking her against his side. She felt him yawn again, and felt the warmth of his chest, rising and falling gently with each breath he took.
Not your fault.
He added, through an even deeper yawn.
Sakura thought about Sasuke, fierce and dark and cold. And about betrayal, and inaftuation and friendship. She closed her eyes and leaned closer into the man beside her. Her eyes slid to his hand, casually resting across his flat stomach.
Is the seal giving you any bother
She asked touching the back of his hand tentatively. He looked down at his stomach, and her hand, then lifted his t-shirt so that she could see where the seal had burned only a few days before. His skin was smooth around his navel , only marred slightly with a rough red spiral which she was sure would fade soon. Sakura found her fingertip tracing it without thought, and Naruto tilted his head back against the sofa restlessly.
It was very strange thinking that her touch still had an effect on him, when he seemed so impervious to everything else. Strange, and fascinating.
Experimentally, she eased her touch lower, to skin increasingly more sensitive. Naruto tossed his head to the side and she felt him snort into her hair, ruffling it with his rapid breath.
Oi, Sakura-chan.
He murmured.
Don't tease.
She pulled her hand back as if she had been burnt.
I - Sorry.
When she looked up he was smiling good naturedly, and she sighed. How was it that some things Naruto understood perfectly, tolerated with this unfailing smile? How was it that he seemed to understand the intricacies of her strange attraction to him better than Sakura knew herself ? Yet other things, tiny things- his appearance, his lifestyle, when questioned on them, he would react with violence, and mad irrational anger.
I-I couldn't talk to him.
It came from nowhere, and she half expected Naruto to pull away, to get angry.
I wanted to ask him w-why, because I missed his statement, but
Naruto grunted and shifted beside her, but he seemed unusually relaxed.
Clammed up all day did he
Another yawn, accompanied with a shiver that she felt under her cheek.
You'd think you would get a chance spending all day with him.
He said lightheartedly.
I heard you are his new nanny, after all.
Sakura could find nothing to say to that, although she felt she had to reassure him of something. She decided to wrap an arm around his stomach again, and she felt him sigh.
I didn't ask forI know.
He cut in, a little sharper.
Please Sakura.
He shifted again, and Sakura felt the restless power that flickered in him. It unsettled her, his shifting power, but she knew that he wouldn't hurt her. She wasn't Sasuke.
Mm. Ok.
She let herself tease the edge of his t-shirt again and he exhaled slowly through his nose, moving his hand up to her neck. She was just about to sit up and move closer, to do something- she had no idea what, just something, when-
Would you believe him
He asked very quietly, brushing the edge of her ear with his fingertips. He sounded thoughtful, and sad.
If he was telling the truth.
It seemed to be a good enough answer, because he slid his fingers down her neck and raised his other hand to tilt her chin up. Sakura could see nothing his his clear blue eyes, nothing she could read.
Hmmm. Thinking about it makes me tired.
He dropped his head down and she saw a curve in his lips that didn't seem like a smile. An unhappy, frustrated tilt.
If you let him get near me, I think I might kill him.
His face was /so/ close. That strange excited flutter began inside of Sakura, the one that whispered about what was forbidden, and what was wrong.
She lied, and he kissed her, pushing her back into the sofa, encircling her with fierce arms and somehow managing to lift her hips and unfold her legs at the same time. He slid his hand down her neck to flatten on the ridge of her chest just between her breasts and she felt him pull at the zipper of her dress.
He sat up, paused, then stood up, pressing one hand against his forehead and turning sharply away.
Sakura sat up more slowly, fixing her clothes and her hair. She could see from where she sat that he was shaking.
I had better go.
He just nodded and rubbed his hair slowly, as if he were embarrassed to face her.
Don't - do anything stupid.
Sakura added lamely, as she stood. That earned her a snort of laughter and a bow as he opened the door for her.
'Course not, Sakura-chan- sleep well.
Outside it was far too cold for the season, and Sakura felt oddly exposed without Naruto warm beside her.
-
Sasuke was using a blade, a long sword in a series of practised and decisive moves. It was a weapon Sakura had never seen him use before, and it made him seem like even more of a stranger, his dark hair too long, his clothes too drab.
She was supposed to be using the time to check mission reports, but the reading material was dry and uninspiring, and she could just hear Sasuke panting.
Where did you learn this
Sasuke stopped at her question and turned to stare at her for a long time.
I picked it up.
He moved to sit beside her, swiftly cleaning the blade and sliding into a scratched leather sheath.
I don't like it, I prefer throwing weapons.
Sakura knew what he meant, the life of a ninja was as much a mobile, working and modern life, as it was one steeped in tradition. A sword was less practical than a holster full of shuriken.
Why do you use it then
Sasuke grunted slightly in reply, and pulled out a scroll, battered and well read. Sakura watched him open it and read a few lines, and wondered if he planned on answering her question at all.
A throwing weapon is very little use against an enemy with a sword.
He said suddenly eithout looking up.
Sometimes, I like to fight on an equal footing.Like when you fought with Naruto.
Sakura murmured under her breath. Sasuke raised his eyebrows, but still didn't look up.
He read quietly for some time, occasionally flipping his hand in a seal, or scribbling a note on the scroll. Sakura did a little work, but mostly she watched- because he still had that habit of moving his lips to the shape of every word he read, a childlike and fascinating thing.
I'm going to see him now.
Sasuke said abruptly, interrupting her dream and shoving his scroll away inside his jacket. The sword was slung casually over a shoulder and he was already half standing before she could move. She lunged for him without thought.
His hand flew to his hip and Sakura had to flip backwards to avoid the first shuriken. The second she deflected with a hastily drawn kunai, and the third she managed to catch, just by her neck.
You can't.
Sakura said, steadying herself, pulling on that control she had such pride in. She put the kunai away carefully.
Sasuke kept a fighting stance, one hand hovering by the sword handle. Sakura's eyes widened as they met his, and the wheel of the sharingan.
She hissed.
If you want to kill me, why don't you just do it, and leave? Why did you allow us to /keep/ you here? Why did you stay
As her voice escalated Sasuke's face contorted and he brought his hand suddenly down, slamming his fist into some imaginary enemy.
You don't UNDERSTAND
He almost howled it, and Sakura staggered back a step.
You have no idea
A kunai still glinted in his hand, and Sakura kept her fingers flickering over her shuriken holster.
I don't understand? I've NEVER UNDERSTOOD Sasuke! If you think so little of Konoha, of everyone in it -of ME- then why are you still hereBECAUSE NARUTO IS HERE
Sasuke bellowed, hurling the kunai into the earth directly in front of her. There was a deathly silence.
Of course.
Sakura muttered,
Of /course/.
She straightened and dropped her hands to hang by her sides.
It's always Naruto. Isn't it
Sasuke blinked and straightened too, his face twisted and angry.
Is that what this is about? Jealousy? Just because you were fixated on me when we were childrSHUT UP
Her screech echoed across the courtyard, disturbing a flock of birds resting in the curve of trees nearby.
How would you know anything about how I felt? You spent your time ignoring I existed completely! All your attention was focussed on making Naruto HURT as much as possible
For a moment she thought she had floored him. His dark eyes flickered and he straightened, very stiffly, expression clank and shocked. Then very quietly, cruelly, he began to laugh.
How dare you accuse me of hurting Naruto.
When he spoke his voice was shaking. The crimson of the sharingan seemed even more harsh against his bloodless face, and his hands were tensely fisted by his sides.
You spent your time following behind me as if I was some kind of prize to be won, and treated Naruto like the dirt beneath your feet
Sakura recoiled as if she had been slapped.
It- it wasn't like that
Her voice was almost a whisper, but Sasuke heard.
What was it like then
His voice was still harsh, his mouth twisted viciously.
It wasn't some pathetic race against all the other girls of the village to have me as some trophy boyfriend
Sakura shook her head, slumping back, almost stumbling.
It - it was - we were childrenI WAS A CHILD TOO
He seemed unable to stop, two spots of red flushing his cheeks angrily, his hair rising with the static of his rising chakra.
Did you not think that maybe I wanted to be wanted FOR MYSELF? Instead of a name; a DEAD NAMES-Sasuke. . .Did you never cease in your pathetic race to think for a moment that I might rather have you as a friend instead of someone who spent an hour simpering after my EVERY WORD.FUCK YOU
Sakura finally found the words, stumbling right back from Sasuke. He was so different, yet so painfully the same. So disconnected, and out of place.
I WAS A CHILD
She howled, and he blinked in shock, perhaps fixed to the spot by her anger alone.
I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ANY OF THAT CRAP! I didn't want some famous name and a chance to breed the next line of the Uchiha! I was a TEENAGE GIRL! I wanted a boyfriend- Someone to hold my hand and buy me chocolate! Someone cool and good looking and smartYou wanted a pretty face to show off to your friends, a
He sounded weak, Sakura thought, weak against this frustration and ager that had been boiling inside her for years.
No Sasuke! I wanted YOU. I wanted your messy hair and your grumpy black eyes and your hands around my waist and just- time with you! And when it became painfully obvious that you weren't interested I just wanted you to- just
She was crying, she felt it running down her neck, and sticky under her eyes. Her lips tasted salty from her tears, and she wondered how long she had been crying for, exactly.
He asked quietly. When, Sakura wondered, had he got so close?
I- just wanted you to acknowledge it, I guess. To say'Hey, Sakura, I know how you feel, and I'm sorry I don't feel the same way.' I just wanted you to . . . see me there, like you always saw Naruto. . .
There was a very long, dead silence. Sakura was staring at her feet, but she could see Sasuke's toes, he was close enough
I didn't realise.
He spoke eventually.
You- must understand that I wasn't trying to
God, she could hear him swallow, it sounded awkward and very, very human.
Hurt Naruto. Or you.I think I know that.
Sakura said tiredly, she couldn't seem to raise her head and look at him.
Do you still
She sat down slowly and dropped her head into her hands. After a moments pause Sasuke copied her.
Now, I think I might -like you for a different reason.
She laughed, dully.
It's not as if you can bless me with an untainted clan now- and I doubt you will help me score any points with Ino. You're not as cool either
She thought of Sasuke cooly turning her down with his icy one liners, and it somehow didn't fit. Not since he had made such an awful mistake. He couldn't really be cool any more.
Oh thanks.
His tone made her look up in surprise. She expected the dry sarcasm, but not the warmth behind his words.
It's true, though.
She smiled, her cheeks raw from her tears.
I wish we hadn't misunderstood each other.
Sasuke shifted closer, crosslegged, a very un-Sasuke pose.
I- me too.
Sakura's heart nearly stopped, because he had reached a hand out to push her hair back against her forehead. It was the first time he had ever touched her without a real reason.
I never disliked you.
He said eventually, and she knew that was as close as she would ever get. And she thought of Naruto, restless in his messy little flat, and it felt like her heart was broken and scattered about.
I can't take you to see Naruto yet.
His fingers stayed by her forehead, pushing more tangled hair from the headband, his pinky touched her skin and Sakura shivered, almost ducking her head away.
I understand.
He sounded curious, pressing his fingertips across the edge of her headband.
I'll talk to him- oh.
He had run his finger lightly, rapidly, down her cheek, eyes focused on her intently. She realised slowly that he was smudging the last of her tears away, as if it was another mission, to clear them from her face entirely.
I- never liked it when you cried.
He said softly, and before Sakura could say anything he was standing, and moving, halfway across the courtyard, with his sword slung across his shoulder. She could only really watch him go, her fingertip hovering just above where his had been.