Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Promise of a Lifetime - that song belongs to Kutless.
The wind whistled softly through the air, causing the wind to rustle in a way that aided Ryu in hiding his soft breathing. His pale eyes refused to rest on anything, searching for the slightest movement that would give away his target's location.
There was nothing, though, the other member of the battle well hidden. Ryu knew that he'd give him a hint eventually. He always did. After all, how was a boy who wouldn't be a genin unless he passed his upcoming test find a jounin?
Snap!
And there it was. The slight slip up Asuma always made on purpose. Ryu acted instantly, moving swiftly to his pouch and producing kunai between each finger. He threw them in the direction of the noise, his eyes tracing the shadow of the retreating figure. When he saw the figure stop, he launched himself at the shadow. The person reacted immediately, taking a few shuriken from their pouch and sending them toward Ryu.
Ryu landed on a nearby branch and jumped up so that he was higher than the shurikens' path, his eyes not once leaving the other's black eyes. He brought his hands together, performing a series of hand signs. "Lightning style! Lightning snakes jutsu!" Ryu held his hand out toward his enemy, lightning bolts that zigzagged like snakes making their way to the other shinobi.
"Good job, Ryu. You're hand seal speed has increased," the other male said, doing a back flip to avoid the lightning.
Ryu sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Not fast enough apparently," he grumbled. "You can still see it coming, Asuma, as easily as when we first began."
The older Sarutobi smiled. "That's because I've helped you with your techniques and have memorized every one of your moves. After teaching a kid for two years you start to get to know him."
"Then how come I still can't beat you?" Ryu challenged, staring down at the man he'd grown close to since he first began helping him. His help had been a big thing that had helped Ryu recover. Asuma had both listened and advised Ryu with all the things bothering him at the time, playing Shogi or fighting him as they talked. Keeping his mind off what he spoke about helped Ryu to talk. Piece by piece, he'd almost completely returned to his normal self. There was still days he'd return to being depressed, but most days he was just himself. The weight that had been on his shoulders was gone, only returning when the depression did.
He owed both Asuma and Sakura a debt for healing him. Ryu wasn't sure how he'd repay the two, but he knew he had to do it.
"Because I haven't shown you everything up my sleeve. You haven't been able to make me do so, Ryu." Asuma stared up at the young boy, waiting for his next move.
His eyes narrowed, glancing around as he looked for things he could use to his advantage. Asuma waited patiently, ready to respond appropriately to whatever the younger Sarutobi had planned.
Looking over completely as if something had caught his eye, he took a very small step toward it. For a second, Asuma's eyes flickered in the same direction to figure out what had caught Ryu's interest. It was then that Ryu shot forward, pulling out a kunai. Asuma movement was swift enough to produce a kunai as well, blocking Ryu's. A clang of metal filled the air between the males. Before Ryu could land, Asuma used his own kunai to force his out of the way and kicked the boy in the chest, sending him flying back. He slammed into the very tree he'd come from, sliding down it so he was in a sitting position.
"Very good, Ryu," Asuma said. "If I didn't know you so well, I probably would have fallen for that." He reached down, lifting Ryu to his feet with the ease of a man strengthened from years training.
"Thanks." Ryu straightened out his shirt, which had rose up enough to slightly reveal his stomach.
Asuma glanced up at the sky, a small frown on his lips. "Have you been paying attention to the time?" he asked.
When Ryu glanced up, he mentally chided himself for not paying attention. He would be a little tardy at best. "Why didn't you point that out before? I thought you knew I still couldn't tell time all that well from the sky?"
Asuma's frown turned to a slight smile. "I guess you could say this is my way of making you learn." He gestured to toward the village. "Today is the day you take the test, isn't it?" When Ryu nodded in reply, he said," Then you had better get going or you may just miss it."
Ryu nodded, turning in the direction that would lead him to the Academy. "You want to continue after Academy lets out?" he asked.
"I'll meet you afterward. If you pass the test, I'll give you a break and we'll do what we usually do on Fridays. How's that sound."
The Academy student couldn't help but smile at the offer. "Sure does!" With that taken care of, Ryu took off, eager to arrive at the Academy. Finally, after years of training and trying to become a ninja, he was finally going to do it! He was going to take the test to see if he'd become a genin. The thing he'd dreamt of since he arrived at Konoha. Ever since he met Hiruzen, a person who was a great shinobi who used his power to help those he cared about.
For a second, he wondered about what would happen if he failed. After all, for about three years at the Academy, he'd relied completely on what he had done long ago. Now, however, he was pushing himself back up in the ranks of the Academy students. Could he previous cockiness be his downfall in the upcoming test?
Ryu pushed that thought away. If he worried about things like that, he'd just drag himself down. He had to be confident. Asuma had taught him well, helping him push beyond what he had before. His biggest problem was the regular jutsus. All he'd been taught as a kid was to use his elemental jutsus, so It was strange having to do things such as substitution and clone jutsus. Asuma had to force him to learn them, though, so he was at about normal level with normal jutsu.
A quick glance at the sky knocks Ryu out of his thoughts. Instead he faces forward again and forces himself to sprint even faster than he had been. He only had ten minutes to get to the Academy and he was just entering the village from the other side.
Ryu weaved through the crowd, jumping on top of buildings and taking risky short cuts that were filled with demonic dogs who enjoyed attacking Ryu just to see which could catch him first. Who needed a mail man when they had him around?
By the time the Academy's top came into view, Ryu felt about ready to collapse. He forced himself to continue at a slower pace, though, refusing to be any later than he had to be. When the gates finally came into his sight, his energy was renewed, wanting the sweet relief of rest he could only achieve after getting to his goal.
I still have one more minute, Ryu realized, staring at the sky as he made his way to the Academy gate. He'd made it with great timing. He had expected to be five minutes late. Then he paused, continuing to look at the sky. How much time had Asuma said he'd had? "Liar," Ryu muttered, figuring out what Asuma had done. He knew that Ryu didn't do well at reading time through the sun and had made it seem like he would be later than he would by the way he asked if Ryu had been paying attention to the sun. He'd had fifteen or seventeen minutes to get to class at the gate, not ten.
Going at a light jog instead of a sprint into the Academy, Ryu got to his room to see that Iruka wasn't in there. Sighing with relief, he pushed open the screen door. Everyone glanced back to see if it was Iruka arriving, but when they figured out it wasn't, they resumed whatever they'd been doing prior to his entrance.
The room was filled with excited students. They were all in groups, chatting with their friends. Eagerness flowed from every group, making it impossible not to feel the same. But it was understandable. After all, it was their last day as being Academy students. Well, at least most of the kids' last day.
Ryu's eyes scanned the packed room, searching for a place to sit. Sakura was sitting beside - he mentally groaned - Sasuke, a boy named Shikamaru on Sakura's other side. The pinkette may seem to think clearer away from Sasuke, but the moment her eyes fell on the Uchiha, it seemed like she stopped thinking about everything else. Ryu couldn't help if she was crushing on him. It wasn't the Sasuke-crazed side of Sakura Ryu really liked. It was the gentler side of her she showed when around him that he liked.
He truly didn't mind, though. It seemed to keep her mind off past events, something he'd worried about for a long time. Just because she wasn't as affected didn't mean she wouldn't still be traumatized. But focusing on Sasuke during class had seemed to help her as well as hanging with Ryu. As long as Sasuke kept the pain away, Ryu didn't mind.
Deciding it was best not sitting in the seat in front of Sakura by the shadowy bug child of the Aburame clan, he searched for another seat. He smiled when he saw Naruto had a free seat beside of him, Hinata on the side opposite of the blond.
"Hey, Naruto. Hey, Hinata," Ryu greeted, waving to the shy girl and his overly enthusiastic friend.
"I was worried you'd chickened out, Ryu! It wouldn't surprise me seeing as you have such an awesome friend to be in the shadows of. But don't worry. I'll make sure to add you into my thank you speech," Naruto assured Ryu, causing the other boy to laugh. Naruto smiled, though he looked slightly lost. That just made Ryu laugh harder. "You're strange, Ryu."
"You're one to talk," he said. "At least I don't go around painting on the monument of my friend's grandpa."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you give me the red paint?"
"I thought we agreed to never talk about that?"
Before the blond could respond, the door opened, and this time Iruka walked in instead of another late hurrying student. "Good morning, class," the scarred ninja greeted, making his way to the front of the room. He had a clipboard in his hand, a smile on his face as he looked at his soon to be old students. "I'm sure you all know what today is."
There was a chorus of cheers, excitement crackling in the air. His smile grew broader as he took in his class's eagerness. Ryu also smiled at Naruto stared at Iruka, looking like he was ready to bolt to him just to be given the test.
"Today I hope all of you will grow in rank to become genin, but there is the chance of some of you failing. Knowing you guys, though, I'm sure all of you will pass." Even as he spoke, Iruka sent a worried glance at Naruto, something Ryu only noticed because his eyes were locked on the chunin's eyes.
Just tell us what the test is! Ryu pleaded mentally, trying to learn what was needed by looking at his eyes. A growing fear grew within him that it would be something difficult, but once again he shoved the worry away.
"To graduate, class, you will have to succeed in making three clones with the clone jutsu."
Ryu tensed, but then he relaxed. It was only three clones. He could manage that at least. He thought he could do about four or five, but he wasn't exactly sure. The Sarutobi pushed his worries away, a new worry replacing it. Naruto.
The blond boy had become as pale as a ghost, his blue eyes wide with fear. It was no secret that Naruto sucked at the clone jutsu. Why, out of all the jutsus in the world, did it have to be the one Naruto couldn't do?
Ryu chewed on his bottom lip as he watched his friend shift from frozen to freaking out. He looked as if he was going to pull all of his blond hair out. Hinata was looking at the whiskered boy as well, her concern mirroring Ryu's.
"Ryu Sarutobi, you're up first," Iruka announced.
Ryu was surprised to hear his name called not just early, but as the very first. Despite his surprise, he still got to his feet. He sent Naruto one last worried look before making his way to the door Iruka had gone through.
He followed Iruka back into the room, his heart running a marathon in his chest. He never expected to be so anxious for the test, but he suddenly wanted to turn and run. What would it be like if he failed? How disappointed would Grandpa be?
The room he was led to was mostly empty except for a table covered in shinobi headbands. The symbol of being a protector of their nation. That showed they were true shinobi and not just learning to be one. Not many of the kids understood just how big a responsibility that simple headband held. After growing up with the Hokage, he'd found out just how much it had.
Which was why he was going to pass. He wanted to be one of the people with that responsibility. He wanted to be one of the people who dedicated their life to helping the citizens of Konoha and protected their home. If he was able to, he even wanted to help all those without their own power to use to protect themselves.
Iruka sat by another sensei known as Mizuki. The white haired man watched him along with Iruka as the younger male took his spot in front of the two.
"Okay, Ryu, to pass you just need to create two clones," Iruka instructed.
Ryu nodded, feeling his confidence slowly rising. It was only two clones. He could manage that. I'll do it, and then I'll be a ninja. Ryu thought, bringing his hands up to perform the correct sequence of hand signs. "Clone jutsu!"
There was a poof of smoke on either side of Ryu. It clouded his vision for a moment as the smoke passed in front of his face. Within seconds, though, it vanished. The Sarutobi glanced at both sides, letting out a relieved sigh when he saw two mirror images of him. He'd done it. Ryu had passed.
Iruka smiled and nodded. "Good job, Ryu. You may select a headband and return to your seat," the scarred chunin said.
Ryu nodded, grabbing a headband and heading out. He tied it around his forehead, but that felt wrong. He was about to take it off, but then he decided he'd just figure it out when he got to his house.
Remembering that he could leave, Ryu turned and walked through the door he'd entered through. All the kids' eyes instantly fell on his forehead, their already vast excitement growing when they saw the metal plate there.
But he didn't pay attention to all of them. Instead he looked for two certain people. Sakura smiled, obviously happy that he had succeeded in the test. Naruto gave him a thumbs up, but he still looked about ready to crumble to pieces. As if on cue, his thumb fell and he started yanking at his blond hair again. He'd be bald by the time his turn came up.
Iruka followed out only seconds after Ryu began to walk to his seat. By the time he sat down, Iruka had already announced Shino Aburame was next up.
About five more students followed before Iruka came out again and said, "Naruto Uzumaki."
The said boy froze in his hair tearing when his name was called. His blue eyes traveled up to look at Iruka. Despite his obvious fear, he put on a brave front as he got to his feet and made his way down the aisle. Ryu watched him, his concern for his friend growing slowly.
"He'll be just fine," Hinata whispered, almost reassuringly. When Ryu glanced at her, he saw she was watching Naruto as well.
"You're right. If there's anyone who will make sure he becomes a genin, it's Naruto."
The Hyuuga girl flinched, obviously not meaning for him to hear. She smiled slightly, though. Ryu wasn't sure if his extra assurance worked, but she turned back toward Naruto, a new type of hope in her eyes.
He smiled, wishing he could do the same for himself. Nobody how hard he tried, though, he couldn't figure out how Naruto could become a genin.
His fears were confirmed when Naruto walked out of the room, his head bowed. Ryu didn't have to see Naruto's face to know there was a disappointed look on his face. If it wasn't worse.
"Naruto," Hinata murmured, staring at the whiskered boy. Her eyes were filled with concern, making it clear she cared for Naruto despite the fact Naruto rarely ever noticed her. Ryu bit his lip, unsure of how to consul his friend as he walked passed his seat. He expected the boy to stop and take his seat, but instead the boy went on. Ryu watched as he walked out the door, his heart clenching as his friend left. He hated it so very, very much when people hurt and he couldn't do anything about it.
"Where are you going?" Ryu asked.
"Outside." With that last word, Naruto kept on walking, not looking back once.
Biting his lip, Ryu got to his feet and followed.
*~*~*~
When Ryu got outside, he saw Naruto sitting on his favorite swing. A few parents had already arrived to wait for their children, so Ryu had to go around them just to get to his blond friend.
"Just leave me alone, Ryu," Naruto murmured, still staring down at the ground.
"How long have I been your friend, Naruto?" the other boy demanded, trying to figure out the right words to sooth his friends. He just couldn't find them, though, so he decided he had to wing it.
He shrugged. "Since we first entered the Academy, I think."
Ryu nodded in confirmation. "Since the very first day," he said. "I haven't left you since then, and I'm not leaving you now. You can tell me to go away as much as you want, but I won't."
Naruto pursed his lips. "Sometimes I really hate your persistence, Ryu," he remarked, but he finally raised his blue eyes to Ryu's pale ones. "I'll be fine, seriously."
"You can't face everything along, Naruto."
"Why?" Naruto suddenly snapped. "Because I'm too weak to even become a genin? Become I'm a loser?"
"That's not true!" Ryu disagreed, caught off guard by the usually optimistic boy's sudden change. "You're one of the strongest ninja out there, Naruto. So what if you can't do a stupid clone jutsu? I bet it's just because it's too weak for you. You have to be challenged." Ryu's attempt at working Naruto's usually unbelievable confidence in himself didn't work.
"Or I'm too weak for it."
"Naruto-"
"You were about as strong as me, Ryu," Naruto interrupted. "A little after you and Sakura came back, you were around my level. I could spar with you and be fine. But then you suddenly shot back up. You're probably sixth best in taijutsu and pretty good at ninjutsu as well. You can even use cool lightning style jutsu!" Naruto shook his head. "If you can do that, tell me why I can't. Why am I so freaking weak when everyone else around me is so strong?"
Ryu was becoming more and more shocked by the way Naruto was acting. Finally he said, "Everyone else is how they are because, well, they're good with this type of teaching. You learn better by doing. I'm different from everyone else, which is why I could catch up so fast."
"What makes you so different, then, huh?" Naruto demanded, still irritated about Ryu's level compared to his own. "Just because you're the like Hokage's grandson? Because you're taught by that Asuma guy?"
"No." Ryu forced himself to stay calm, despite the fact he suddenly felt like running. He didn't want to tell Naruto, but he had to make him understand. Speaking of anything from his past brought forward that unbelievable pain. "I'm different because from the age of two until I was about seven, I was pushed to my limits to become strong."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "Why?" he asked, his earlier anger as his strength completely forgotten.
Ryu reached toward his left hand and began twisting the ring on his finger. "I just didn't have the best of lives, okay? But that's the reason I was able to progress so much. I was already at that level, but I just let myself go. I was taught elemental jutsu before I was ever taught things such as the substitution jutsu and the clone jutsu. That's why I can use lightning style. So yeah, I'm just different."
If Naruto was going to say anything after that, he stopped because the doors opened and kids spilled out. The two boys had been oblivious to the parents that had arrived, but the field was now half filled with them, half filled with kids.
Ryu pursed his lips, feeling a pang in his heart when he remembered Hiruzen was going to be in the front instead of celebrating with him. Neither he nor Naruto had parents, leaving them alone in the Academy yard. The closest thing to family Ryu had was Hiruzen, but for things like this, he usually couldn't exactly be there and actually be there for Ryu because of who he was. Being the Hokage meant he'd have some work to do afterward involving the new graduates. He couldn't go out to eat or something like most kids probably would be.
"Hey, Ryu."
Ryu's eyes widened as he swirled around to face the new arrival. A smile broke across his face when he saw the bearded man before him. "Asuma!" he said, the older Sarutobi giving him a slight grin. Ryu had completely forgotten that after the test, he'd be going to Asuma's. It had slipped his mind entirely. But even if he'd remembered, he hadn't expected Asuma to show up to take him there. So either way he would have been surprised.
"Hello, Naruto," Asuma said when he noticed the Uzumaki child. "So, did you pass the test?"
That sad, dejected look returned. "No," he responded, staring at the ground again. "I'm the only one that failed."
Asuma sent Ryu a look that looked as if it was asking him what to do to make up for it. The smallest of shrugs was the only answer Ryu could give him. He wasn't even sure how to cheer him up, and he was his best friend.
"I was going to take Ryu to my place for dinner. You want to join us?" Asuma attempted, still looking between Naruto and the other boy.
"No." His answer was almost emotionless, somehow both hiding and showing his sadness at the same time. "I have no reason to celebrate."
"We're not celebrating," Ryu said. "I just go to his house every Friday." He wasn't going to mention that he usually sparred as well but wouldn't be that day because of his success. If anything, that would make Naruto even worse.
"No thanks, Ryu."
Ryu was about to protest, but what would he say? That it would make him forget the fact he'd failed the test? Becoming a ninja had been what had driven Naruto day to day. His dream to become Hokage had fueled every part of him. How could he just forget that when it would leave a hole in him to have those two things gone? He could always say there was always next year, but that would also just make things worse. It would separate Naruto from all his other classmates. How would he feel in a class of stranger students who would see him as the kid who failed the final test to become a genin?
Not sure what else to do to aid his friend, Ryu said, "Well, if you change your mind, we'll be at Asuma's house. Don't hesitate to come down." He began to walk, the still uneasy jonin falling into step beside him. As they did, a chill seemed to crawl from his toes to his scalp. He paused for a moment, glancing back to see Mizuki-sensei standing by Naruto, speaking to him in a pleasant tone.
"What's wrong, Ryu?" Asuma looked back as well. "Oh, it's that Mizuki-sensei guy from your class." Noticing Ryu's calculating gaze, Asuma asked, "Is there something wrong about him talking to Naruto?"
Ryu slowly shook his head, facing forward again. "No. It's nothing, Asuma. I just thought I saw Sakura by Naruto, that's all."
Knowing about Ryu's crush, Asuma laughed as he continued to walk. Ryu did as well, but before he had, he'd cast one more worried look over his shoulder. What had the sudden chill been?
****
She was lost in the never ending trees, searching for something without knowing what that something was. All she knew was it was drawing her in the direction she was going. Its hold on her was unwavering, making it impossible to escape. The walking continued until the girl got to a clearing in the forest. Whatever drew her forward disappeared, replaced by the feeling of being watched. "Hello!" she called, but there was no answer. Her eyes narrowed in confusion. What was going on? She knew someone else was there. Someone had to be. "Come out! You can't hide forever." She knew for a fact that if the person was strong enough, they could, indeed, hide forever. "Fine. If you truly want to meet again, we will." The girl froze, slowly turning around. Her eyes widened when she saw a blond man standing before her, his body covered by ragged blue clothing. Shiro Yamanaka stood there, a cocky smile on his face. The girl tensed, her heart hammering against her chest. "No," she murmured, taking a step away. She turned to run, but she slammed her heels into the ground when she saw Shiro somehow in front of her again. "What's wrong? Are you afraid?" His hand shot forward, grasping her throat. "You should be. You may have been saved last time, but not now. Nobody is here now." Her breathing became hard as fear began to override all of her senses. She was alone. Nobody was there to stop Shiro from kill her. Not a single person. She was going to die, and nobody was there to save her.
*~*~*~
Sakura bolted to an upright sitting position, gasping for air. Just like in her dream, her heart seemed to be trying to break through her ribcage it was beating so fast. Tears were spilling from her eyes. Whether it was caused by fear or the relief of being alive, Sakura couldn't tell.
Her eyes closed as she tried to calm down, but that only made it worse. Without her eyes open, she thought Shiro would appear from thin air and she wouldn't know it until she was dead.
It had been a long time since those days from a couple years ago had haunted her. They had stopped about five months after her return, so the sudden reappearance was unexpected. What could have caused it.
It took Sakura a while to figure out, but she finally did. She was becoming a ninja. What if other situations like that were to occur? Would Sasuke save her? After all, he was the strongest in class. He could do it.
What about Ryu? another part of her brain asked.
Sakura stared down at her hands, knowing it was stupid, but thinking of just how great it would be to have Sasuke save her instead. After all, he was her dream hero. But Ryu was a true friend, and even if she would almost never admit it, there was a part of her that liked him, too. The part that liked Sasuke, however, was greater.
And yet for some reason, she still felt that strange need for Ryu right then. Yes, she loved Sasuke more than any other guy, but Ryu did make her feel safe. He always had, and he always would.
****
"I'm going to be late again!" Ryu yelled, his anger getting the best of him. Asuma had done it again. Only this time he was right about him only having a handful of minutes. He'd made sure to be thorough about the time when he'd looked at the sky.
And all Asuma had done was laugh. After all, he was a ninja now. It was his duty to be one time. Ryu wished he could hit the bearded jonin in the face, but seeing as he'd done it a few times and it had done nothing, he doubted it would now.
"Darn it, Asuma. You're treating me graduating as a game," the Sarutobi muttered, glaring ahead of him.
He had to maneuver around a lot of people, but before long, he arrived at the gate. With a quick glance at the sky, he concluded he had maybe two minutes left. Hoping Iruka would choose that day to be late, Ryu walked into the school and made his way to his class room.
And to his surprise, he saw an angry mob of girls beating the crap out of Naruto. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what the young Uzumaki had done to deserve such harsh punishment.
"What did you do?" he questioned, walking up to the beaten Naruto when the girls finally left.
Naruto glared. "Why didn't you help me?" he whined angrily, his one blue eye showing his anger. The other eye was swollen shut, the skin a dark purple color.
He gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Naruto. I just thought it would be better if at least one of us lived." He reached down, helping Naruto back onto his feet. "So, you never did answer me."
Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but it instantly snapped shut. He looked down at the floor, a look of utter embarrassment etched onto his face. "Nothing," he muttered.
Ryu waited, but when Naruto didn't get an answer, he shrugged. "Okay, you don't have to tell me." His eyes wondered the once again nearly packed room. Then he finally realized just what was going on. "Wait, Naruto, you didn't graduate! Why are you here?"
He rolled his visible eye. "Are you blind?" Naruto reached up and tapped a blue headband that Ryu had completely missed.
"Wow, Naruto. How'd you manage that?"
"I'm just awesome that way," Naruto said, turning around abruptly and walking toward the desks. "Anyone who doesn't already know that doesn't deserve to be in my presence.
It was Ryu's turn to roll his eyes, but he stopped when he noticed where Naruto was sitting. He sat on one end of the desk, the dreaded Sasuke Uchiha sitting on the opposite side. And between the two boys was Sakura.
As if feeling his gaze, Sakura looked over at Ryu. She had a uncharacteristically tired look, but other than that, the pinkette looked normal. Her pale jade eyes had a bit of anxiety in them, but that was to be expected, right? Her lips twitched up into a small smile.
Ryu returned her small smile with one of his own. For a moment he thought of kicking Sasuke out of his seat, but that was a stupid idea he quickly dismissed. Turning away, Ryu found there was a seat beside of Hinata. He walked over to her, sitting down in the unoccupied seat.
"Hey, Hinata," Ryu said, giving her a small smile like he had Sakura.
"Hello, Ryu." Her smile wasn't so much small as it was simply shy, but she did smile. "It looks like Naruto passed after all. Isn't that great?"
"Yeah, it is." Ryu looked over his shoulder at his blond friend. "I'm not sure what Naruto would do if he couldn't be a ninja. I think that would tear him to pieces."
Hinata was nodding in agreement when Ryu turned around. "He sure seemed happy when he walked in. I think knowing he's a ninja is the happiest thing for him."
"Yeah, I bet you're ri-"
"Good morning, class." The scarred chunin had finally arrived, a clipboard in his hands. He smiled proudly at his old students, looking over every single one of them. Was he wondering if this would be the last time he'd see them? "Congratulation on becoming genin!"
The class roared with excitement, causing Iruka to laugh. It took him a few moments to finally calm them down.
With the smile still on his face, he said, "Starting today, all of you are shinobi." Even his voice showed he was proud about his students. "But you all are still genin. The hard journey that lies ahead has just started. Now you will get missions to help the village. So now we will create three man teams, and each team will have a jounin sensei. You will follow your sensei's instructions in order to successfully complete your missions."
Ryu's eyes narrowed as he quickly did the math. "But, Iruka-sensei, there's thirty-one kids. There would have to be nine groups of three and one with four members."
Iruka nodded. "You are correct, Ryu. One team will have an extra member," he said. "Speaking of the teams, how about we get started?"
As Iruka began going through the team, Ryu hoped he would be in a team with either Naruto or Sakura. It would be amazing if he was with both of them. With this hope burning strong, Ryu listened intently to the names called.
"Team seven: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno-"
Naruto threw his hands up in a sign of happiness, which caused Ryu to roll his eyes. He knew that his friend had a crush on Sakura as well. It was the reason he hadn't told Naruto about his own crush. He didn't want it to tear them apart or anything.
The realization that both kids were together hit him. That was both his closest friends. Would he be the next person? He had to be. After all, fate couldn't hate him that much, right?
-"and Sasuke Uchiha."
Ryu felt his heart sink. Sasuke Uchiha? Out of all the people his friends had to be paired with, it was Sasuke Uchiha! The guy who couldn't care less about anyone but himself. He was too consumed with his own anger to worry about others. Sasuke was really starting to annoy the crap out of Ryu.
"Team eight: Hinata Hyuuga-"
The girl beside of Ryu tensed, her eyes going from Naruto to Iruka. She looked nervous, but she listened intently for her two team mates.
-"Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame."
"Nice team," Ryu said. "You guys will probably go far."
He announced team nine, which consisted of people he didn't exactly know. There was an excited shout from two of them, though, making it obvious they were happy about their team.
"Team ten: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi, and Ryu Sarutobi."
Ryu's eyes widened when he realized he was in a team with Sakura's old friend. He'd known Ino pretty well, but then they'd separated because of the simple fact that they both had a crush on Sasuke. He didn't really know either Shikamaru or Chouji, but he felt pretty good with being on Ino's team. She may be a bit bossy, but overall, she was a pretty good person.
"You are dismissed for now. Just meet up again later so that you can meet your respective senseis."
With that, everyone in the class began to leave. Ryu was about to when someone's voice stopped him. "Hey, Ryu."
He turned to see his team standing behind him. Chouji had been the one to speak between mouthfuls of chips. "Hey, guys. Can I help you with something?"
"We were all going to have lunch together. Want to come?" Ino invited.
Ryu was about to answer when he saw Sakura walking out. "I'll meet you guys in a little while, okay? I need to do something. Thanks for the offer, though."
Shikamaru was the one who said anything, and that wasn't until after Ryu was walking away. "Tell Sakura Ino said hello."
"Don't tell her that!" Ino yelled.
Ryu smiled, wondering just how long it would take his team to start arguing about something as he made his way to find Sakura.
****
Part of her was still terrified of everything. Sakura knew she was a ninja, but at the same time part of her didn't want to be. That fear still burned strong within her that something bad would happen.
That's what Sakura thought of as she walked down the path, searching for Sasuke. "Sasuke!" she called, looking around for the raven haired Uchiha.
"Sakura," a familiar voice said behind her.
When she recognized it, she turned with a big smile on her face. "Hey, Ryu." That safe feeling bubbled up within Sakura when Ryu smiled back and walked up to her. Ryu's appearance had changed since they first met. His physical features were the same, but the way he dressed was as different as hers. He wore a black short sleeve open shirt that had two straps near the top, a light purple shirt under it with a white stripe under the two straps, grey pockets, black pants with white streaks from the knees down, and ninja shoes. His headband was sewn into the left thigh, something unique among the other ways the kids wore them.
"So, you're on a team with Sasuke. I bet you're happy."
Sakura smiled. "Yeah, but wouldn't it have been cool if it was you on my team instead of Naruto?"
Ryu's eyes narrowed slightly. "Naruto will do just fine, Sakura. He pulls something off when nobody else thinks he can. That's the great thing about him," Ryu defended. "He became a genin when everyone thought he'd failed. Nobody thought he'd ever graduate."
Sakura was slightly taken aback, forgetting that he was Naruto's best friend. "Sorry, Ryu. I mean, I'd just find it really cool if we could be on the same team."
Ryu nodded. "Yeah. I would have liked to be on a team with either you or Naruto. Instead I'm with Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji." He rolled his eyes when Ino's name brought a slight glare to Sakura's face. "Either way, I'm sure you'll be fine. Even if I hate the Uchiha, I have to admit he has skill. If you can get him to care, you'll be as good as gold." When Sakura's glare turned to him, he smiled. "Sorry, but it's the truth."
Sakura glared for a moment longer before sighing. "I would still feel better if you were there. I feel…." Sakura paused, feeling weird admitting how she felt. She'd never really told Ryu about how he was the only person she truly felt safe around. "I feel safer around you. I know you'll protect me."
Ryu's eyes widened slightly. "Naruto and Sasuke will protect you, Sakura. You're their team mate."
Sakura pursed her lips, knowing her fear was irrational but needing to let it out. "What if they're not there?"
"Then your sensei will be."
"And if they're not?" she questioned.
"You'll have your own strength."
"What if that's not enough?" Despite her best attempts, a few tears escaped.
Ryu went to answer, but he paused. Anger flared within his eyes. "This is because of what happened with Shiro, isn't it?" Sakura was shocked at his sudden rage, and if it wasn't for the fact she knew it was directed toward Shiro, she would have been terrified. "I would never let that happen to you again, Sakura." As if seeing the slight fear his anger caused, it changed to a gentle expression. "How about this, Sakura?"
She raised an eyebrow as Ryu glanced down and squeezed his ring. A bit of pain flashed in his eyes. "I'm going to make a promise to you that someone else made to me. I rarely ever think of it, but it used to help me out a lot as a kid before I got to Konoha." This time when he looked at her, he smiled. "I promise that when nobody else it there to protect you, no matter what stands in my way, I'll get to you, Sakura. If you can't protect yourself, I'll be there to do it for you. This isn't just any promise. Sakura, this is my promise of a lifetime to you."
Despite the silliness of the whole situation, a sense of ease settled over Sakura. That strange feeling of safety that only Ryu could cause built. "But we're on different teams," she pointed out.
"Doesn't matter." His smile lost its slight happiness, instead replaced by sadness. "I'll find a way. I don't break my promises, Sakura."
Before Sakura could find another way to protest, Ryu turned, walking away from the Haruno. As he did, she saw him reach for his ring again. As he left, she could have sworn she heard him say, "I won't break my promise like he did. I refuse to."
Sakura watched the boy walk away, the mystery of his past becoming greater and greater.