A New Beginning

"He's AWAKE, Sakura-chan!" His ears were blasted off by a deafening screaming. Soon, some hasty running steps came towards him. Every muscle screamed in protest, but a soft warm palm touched his sensitive skin, easing the heaviest pain on his body.

"He's alright now," A husky female voice rang, sounding to be sleepless for days. Just when Sasuke felt sorry for her, a hard fist landed on his jaw and felt like breaking. All sympathy for her disappeared in the air, but he's still in too much pain to be angry.

"He's just woken! Don't you—" The first jumpy tone became worry and protest. Something hard gave out a horrible crack and a heavy lump's bumped onto the floor. Probably that's a serious bone fracture. From that voice, incoherent words came out.

"HE DESERVED IT, Naruto!" That insane bitch, Sakura screeched like a banshee. Sasuke's eardrums hurt even further more. He didn't voice a sound, but he's boggled.

"This punch's for hitting me that night!" She waved a second blow on his chest.

"This is for injuring Naruto!" She hit his stomach and yanked him from the bed.

"And this is for putting us in agony and worry for you for the past three years!!" It hit his left cheek. He flew for about a meter before hitting the cold ground and slid. His blurred vision became clearer and saw the entire room and people in full colours.

This was definitely the Hospital. Those two people in his dream were also here. The roseate stood near a bed like she'd just hit something at full force and facing him. The blonde's squatting on the floor with a swollen cheek and watching them in muse.

"Sakura…" Sasuke spoke for the first time, taken slight aback by his croaky voice. Despite his cries for mercy, she continued to beat him until he's covered with bruises.

"You…" She's fighting back her tears, but she couldn't resist it and they rained. She flung her arms around Sasuke's neck and hugged him tightly, soaking his clothes. Naruto walked wobbly up to them. When their orbs met, Sasuke saw that he's crying. Got untangled from Sakura, the boys hugged and Naruto sobbed it out aloud for real.

"I'm home…Naruto, Sakura." The trio laughed and fell into their embrace again, eyes flooded with gallons of happiness and relief after three years of worry. Just then, Tsunade, with Jiraiya, Kakashi and Yamato on her heels, were smiling at the reunion…


After they've recovered and were dismissed from hospital by nurses in a week, Tsunade summoned the Uchiha brothers. There, Itachi spit out the truth to everyone:

There's one madman among those Uchihas called Shisui unknown to all people, who always has intended to kill all clansmen for locking him up in his cell-like house. Yet, he'd befriended with Itachi, who often visited him and saw him as blood-brother. However, his illness worsened to a point that he's lost control. On that fateful night, he changed into Itachi and acted out the massacre to fool Sasuke for self-destruction. Itachi saw it all and carried the blame, killed Shisui and got his Mangekyou Sharingan. He only joined Akatsuki to watch over Konoha, and Sasuke to guarantee their safety.

Although normally there would be a death sentence for ones who left Konoha, Tsunade dismissed it because it's not Itachi's fault that he didn't have blames to carry. If she did, then Sasuke would be the one left in agony for the loss of his dear brother. Yet, she announced a one-year in jail for him, which he accepted with no complaints. Sasuke gave a sour frown of unwillingness to that, but he's in no place to oppose her.

As for Sasuke, he's to be returned to a Genin status. When this was announced, Naruto's flipped as he was no longer the only one in their age-group to be a Genin, and that he earned a half-hearted smack on the head from Sasuke, who only smirked. He took over his space in Team Kakashi from Sai and trained with Naruto and Sakura, even Yamato and Sai were resting in the shades away from the scorching midday Sun. Their teamwork grew tremendously that they worked with great tacit understanding.

When it's time for the Chuunin Exam, Yamato nominated Naruto and Sasuke, along Konohamaru, who agreed as firstly, he wished to try out the exam and secondly, he's just a provisional third member to compose the three-man cell to take the Exam. They passed the first "Information Gathering" Exam that Naruto and Sasuke laughed. However, Konohamaru failed the Second Exam and was kicked out by the invigilators, as examinees had a team to lead and had to survive in the Forest of Death for a week. By former experiences at hand, Naruto and Sasuke passed without breaking a sweat. In the end, those remained have to fight till the opponent's out; same as ever before. With his extraordinary stamina and amazing capacity of chakra so he won't exhaust, Naruto won in the last stage from Sasuke, though he performed better fighting skills. They're so promoted as Chuunin. Since then, the original four-man cell Team Seven, with Sai and Yamato as additional members, was back for missions as in the old days.

For unique information-gathering by use of Kage Bunshin and his chakra supply, Naruto's soon promoted to be a Jounin shortly a year after, ahead of his best friends. They didn't complain, but they declared in a Naruto-way that they would be ANBUs; given the condition if he's slacking and out of shape and left him behind in the place. Naruto laughed since he could still be the Hokage and he didn't have to fight over it. He asked both Sasuke and Neji, who've been sulking for Naruto's speedy promotions, to train with him on everything he's lacked of that a proper Jounin should possess of.

Working under Ibiki, Sasuke was so excelled in interrogation with his Sharingan. Many, including Itachi, have supported the fact Sasuke could be a great skilful Jounin. One night, after Ibiki was hauled by Anko into the bars and forced to drink till drunk, the Special Jounin signed a paper without looking thoroughly into the content of it. When he's awake, he cursed for being cheated. It's a paper for Sasuke to be a Jounin. While Ibiki was pouting for losing such a good interrogator, Tsunade, the mastermind, promised that she might send Sasuke back to the Interrogation Squad someday. Yet, he now had to deal missions as a Jounin. Lately, he's in a new challenge with Naruto: to finish a hundred missions of different ranks and get a promotion as ANBU Captain.

As for Sakura, she seemed prefer working in the Hospital along with her master, Tsunade. She wasn't so enthusiastically eager to be a Jounin as her teammates were, as she might have to look after a team of Genins if anointed. Under their sincere beg, she surrendered and accepted the promotion, only she wouldn't take a Genin team. Later, the males told her they believed the missions would be more lively and kicking, only if their brutal soul-sister's around with them. Sakura sulked at their childishness.

The three new-babies Jounin were overwhelmed by missions, especially Naruto. He demanded one after another, the other way round of Konoha's current situation, which it's Tsunade to sent them off right away after they'd just reported in the done. At first, they thought it's because of his hyper-activeness, but it soon grew worrying: the blonde hasn't rested, even during those missions, for almost half a year nonstop.

In one coincidence, Yamato found Naruto at the Weapon Store, and he acted. He dragged him to a spare interrogation room. Then it's time to see Ibiki's teachings. Under Sasuke's Genjutsu, Naruto spoke of the horrible dread he had with Akatsuki, and if he's kept in frequent action, he wouldn't be so easily pinpointed down by them, as well as protecting Konoha from unnecessary warfare. After his release from jailing, Itachi coughed out information of the secretive organization he's gained in the past. Allied with the other Villages, all shinobis went straight for the secretive hiding place.

After two weeks of intense fighting, they've finally overturned the organization, ending Naruto's nightmares as the uncollected Jinchuuriki. As a mediator with Kyuubi, both the Bijuu and the man compromised they wouldn't do any harm to each other. Believing they'd be stronger if sealed within human body with human's intelligence, the Bijuu were sealed within orphans, though Shukaku preferred to be in Gaara again, but the Kazekage could sleep without worrying his mind to be possessed by the beast. After days of negotiations among the leaders, the orphans would be living in Konoha, since there's a professor to teach those youngsters to control their enormous chakra. They had thought of leaving some under Gaara's care to diverse the burden. However, the Kazekage pointed out comparing to Konoha, they're short in necessary resources.

Considering Naruto's becoming a qualified shinobi, who would not be deterred, never give up and be considerate to the others, the right candidate for a good leader, the entire village cheered Naruto would succeed Tsunade as the Rokudaime Hokage. Tsunade privately promised the grinning boy that it'd be shortly within a year's time. She now had to merge herself into the Hospital's most important affairs little by little, so she might give the place to Naruto, who's now an ANBU Captain ahead of Sasuke, the personal guard of Tsunade and trainee of the Special Hokage Leadership training. Never could any of the Leaf's shinobis get promotions with such fast and wide paces, and Uzumaki Naruto's definitely an unforgettable legend after the Yondaime Hokage.

Finally, the dead-last Knucklehead Ninja has fulfilled his dreams of his lifetime. With those, he held his head high with pride under the bright Sun and gentle breeze.


My life's being drained from me when I was rewriting it, and I revived when it finally ended.

Saying I was rewriting is because I'm a perfectionist in creating my Naruto fanfics, which I couldn't stand imperfect lines (I insist to have all sorts of punctuation at the end of the line in Microsoft Word at font Calibri-12 -- minus hyphens and dashes). Since the first draft was not good enough, so I rewrite it from the start and polish everything up with my best efforts. My family thought I'm crazy.

I feel like a hero after writing it! Happy endings with no more Akatsuki and all the Bijuu are good friends! Yeah!

Hope you all love this arrangement and pray for me to finish the sequel to the storyline ASAP! Your support will be my best effort!

Drops of Chastity