(A/N): Sorry for such the long wait, I made this chapter longer for you. Also, I would like to thank everyone who has read and commented on both of my stories! I never believed that I would ever get this far so thank you so much!
"Naruto!"-speech
'Naruto! '-thought
"Naruto!"-bijuu talking
'Naruto!'-talking to bijuu
{Previously}
His eyes were red and puffy, and his cheeks were stained with tear tracks. Kakashi carried Naruto home to his small apartment and after leaving a note saying that he was the one who had brought him home, Kakashi shunshined to his own apartment and practically collapsed on his bed.
As for Sakura, she just walked home to her parents with a moody expression on her face. She was in a foul mood and decided to lock herself in her room, she also missed dinner so she would have a slim figure to impress 'her Sasuke-kun'.
Chapter 7: It Begins
It had been almost two weeks since Naruto's breakdown, and the members of Team 7 seemed to pretend as if it had never happened. During the two weeks following the incident, Kakashi had made his team complete simple D-rank missions, and although they were tedious, they were a form of team bonding exercises.
Currently, his team were helping to babysit a pair of children known as the terror twins. Kakashi, however, was sat in a tree observing his students through a nearby window. He held a small orange book in his hands but was actually thinking about how the leaders of the other genin teams reacted when he told the Hokage that Team 7 had passed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Flashback *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The day after the teams had been tested, the Hokage requested the presence of the jounin leaders of teams 7, 8 and 10 along with several other chunin.
"Squad leaders, come forward." He requested, "Report."
Asuma Sarutobi stepped forward and spoke,
"Team 10 of Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka, passed," he stepped back as he finished talking. Kurenai Yuhi stepped forward before she also spoke,
"Team 8 of Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga and Shino Aburame, passed," the Hokage just nodded in response as Kurenai stood back. Last but not least, it was Kakashi Hatake's turn. He stepped forward with a familiar orange book in hand.
"Team 7 of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno... passed," he said with his signature single eye smile. There were shocked gasps from the other sensei and some surprised murmurs from the chunin in the background.
"Well Kakashi..." the Hokage said unfazed, "This is the first team you've passed, but considering 'he' is on your team, I was expecting them to pass." He said knowingly.
Kakashi closed his book and replied, "I also have the civilian council breathing down my neck, so that's another reason why."
Even though the chunin were confused by their conversation, the other two jonin Sensei understood. Due to the last (loyal) Uchiha being on his team, the council practically blackmailed Kakashi into passing him.
On the other hand, the pariah of the village, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki Naruto Uzumaki, was the only genin that the council didn't want to graduate. They had wanted him to be taken by Danzo and trained as an emotionless killing machine. However, when they had approached the Hokage with their ideas, they were immediately denied.
The Hokage nodded at Kakashi's plight. The civilian council, especially Mebuki Haruno, were willing to do whatever it took to achieve their ideals, and Sasuke was their current person of interest.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End of flashback *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ahh!" Naruto yelled with laughter as he chased the terror twins in a game of tag. The twins squealed in excitement as they ran around their house. Sasuke was in the kitchen cooking lunch for the children and his teammates, and Sakura was upstairs tidying the twins' room.
This continued for another half an hour before the twins were tired and Sasuke had finished their lunch. After the twins were put to bed, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura began to eat their food in silence... but not for long.
Sakura had barely touched her plate and for the last three years since she entered the Academy, Sakura had tried to maintain the 'perfect figure' for 'her Sasuke-kun'.
Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed Sakura's reluctance to eat. She probably thought that he had cooked it, so he decided to give her a little motivation.
"Hey Sasuke-teme, your cooking is really good!" In response, Sasuke began to cough and slightly choke on the rice ball he had been eating.
Naruto's comment on his cooking had shocked him, that was probably the first time someone had sincerely complimented him since the Uchiha massacre. To say he was surprised was an understatement.
Sasuke noticed that his thoughts had begun to drift towards that dreadful night. However, Naruto's childish question to Sakura woke him from his stupor,
"Hey Sakura-chan, you should try some, Sasuke-teme is surprisingly good at cooking!" Sakura then slowly began to eat the food from her plate as Naruto continued to eat his own while Sasuke stayed silent.
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, the twins were asleep and an hour passed before the mother of the children returned. As Team 7 were leaving the building, they noticed a certain silver-haired jonin waiting for them.
Sasuke acted uninterested, Sakura was in a dazed state (probably fantasising about Sasuke) and Naruto was jumping around excitedly.
"Hey Kakashi-sensei, can we go on a better mission now!" Kakashi eye smiled before saying,
"Well my cute little genin, let's go ask the Hokage if he has any missions to keep you entertained." Sasuke 'hned' in response, a lovesick Sakura following behind him while Naruto narrowed his his eyes at his brother's choice of words.
Either they were getting another boring D-ranked mission or they were finally going on a C-rank. Kakashi turned around slightly to wink at his suspicious brother. Naruto instantly caught on to what his annoying brother was trying to say.
Basically, he said, 'if you want a C-rank then you have to play the part.' Fine, if that's how he wants to play, then so be it. Once we had arrived at the mission department of the Hokage tower, we were greeted by the Hokage and Iruka-sensei sat behind a brown desk covered with piles of paper and scrolls.
"Team 7," the Hokage greeted, "Here for another D-rank?" the elder shinobi continued,
"We have a cat rescue mission, weeding a civilians gar-" Naruto swiftly denied,
"Hey, Jiji! I want a higher ranked mission!" he whined,
"Well..." the Hokage drawled, pretending to think about the answer. Meanwhile, Iruka had begun to fidget nervously. After learning Naruto's secret, Iruka was continuously anxious about the blonde-haired nin's missions, even simple D-ranks.
However, Iruka only knew two of his secrets and Naruto's abilities and status as ex-ANBU were still under lock and key. Iruka was about to voice his thoughts when surprisingly Sasuke beat him to it.
"For once, I agree Hokage-sama. We need to be challenged with a higher ranked mission." Sakura nodded along,
"Well Kakashi, it seems that your team wants a C-ranked mission, what do you think?" Iruka decided now was the time to speak,
"Hokage-sama, you can't actually be considering giving them a C-rank!" he said expressing his worry,
"Actually, Iruka-kun, it is Kakashi's choice whether his students are able to handle it..." Iruka turned his attention to the silver-haired jonin, he noticed that the jonin avoided his gaze and was trying to keep his focus on the Hokage.
A plan started to form in his mind. He knew the 'crush' that Kakashi had on him and he also knew that the higher ranked nin would follow him home every night to make sure he arrived home safe.
"Um, Hatake-san.." he paused as if to seem nervous,
"I was wondering if you could reconsider assigning this mission to Team 7..." Naruto seemed shocked at his previous sensei's tactics to stop them from leaving on a mission. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head as he responded to Iruka's comment.
"Please, call me Kakashi, and I was planning to accept this mission as I think it would be a good training exercise..." he said unsure of the response he would receive. In the background, Sasuke was listening to the adults' discussion while trying to avoid Sakura's death grip.
Naruto, however, was stood out of sight behind Kakashi, attempting to stifle his laughter. Due to Kakashi being his brother and Iruka being a close second, he knew all about the crushes they have on each other and both of their non-existent love lives...
Naruto's laughter was short lived as the Hokage cleared his throat,
"It seems that Team 7 is about to start their first C-rank. The only C-rank we have currently available is an escort and protection mission." Kakashi nodded before giving a spoken answer,
"Guess that's the mission we're taking."
"Splendid, send in Tazuna!" The Hokage said joyfully as a door to his right opened and in walked a grey-haired, bespectacled man with a large beard and dark eyes. He wore a grey sleeveless shirt, and bamboo hat with a white towel hung around his neck. In his hand was an open bottle of saké and from the way he walked, he was clearly drunk.
"What? They're all brats." He drank from the bottle, "Hey, is the short one with an idiotic face really a ninja?" Even though Naruto knew that he was the shortest, he glanced around the room to check who was the shortest,
"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, "Take back what you said, old man!" Naruto then continued to act angry and attack the client, but before he could reach Tazuna, Kakashi grabbed him by the back of his collar.
"Maa Naruto, you're not meant to attack our client..." Kakashi said in a playful tone. Eventually, Naruto stopped struggling, causing Kakashi to let go. The Hokage was about to continue with the mission details when Naruto spoke in a threatening tone,
"Also," he paused as he threw a kunai at the sake bottle, smashing it,"I hate drunks..." Kakashi was holding back his laughter at his brother's behaviour while the Hokage was chuckling. Before Naruto had joined ANBU and Kakashi was out on missions, drunk villagers would destroy his home and attack him.
In the background, Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Sakura was too busy fawning over Sasuke that she was confused as to why the Hokage was chuckling and their client, Tazuna, was gaping like a fish.
They then stood in an awkward silence until the Hokage spoke,
"Well, Tazuna here is a bridge builder from the Land of Waves and needs an escort home." Kakashi walked forward and turned to face his team,
"We'll be leaving later today so go home and pack enough equipment to last a week or two. Meet me at the main gate of the village at 2 pm and don't be late." He disappeared in a swirl of leaves,
"Hypocrite..." Naruto mumbled before walking out of the mission room followed by Sasuke and Sakura. As they walked through the streets of Konoha, Naruto was greeted with glares, while Sasuke was greeted with looks of admiration or jealousy.
Naruto turned a corner on his left, and as Sasuke quickened his pace to catch up with Naruto, he turned the corner only to find a dead-end and no trace of Naruto. Sakura stood at the entrance of the alley,
"Umm, Sasuke-kun? Will you go on a date with me?" She asked while batting her eyes,
"No." he responded while walking past her to his apartment. Her face looked down-trodden until she suddenly perked up,
"I'll just have to impress Sasuke during this mission to Wave!" she yelled with determination. Once she arrived home, she packed her mission bag and then spent the next few hours daydreaming about 'her (fictional) future with Sasuke'.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Sasuke P.O.V *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
'Tch, dobe.' I thought as I chased after Naruto into an alleyway. 'He really is dense...'
As I turned the corner, I was greeted with an empty dead-end,
'What?! ' I yelled in my mind, shocked. I walked down the alley and found a folded piece of paper with the name 'Uchiha' written on the front. I noticed footsteps behind me and I swiftly hid the note in my pocket.
"Umm..." Sakura muttered, "Sasuke-kun?" I internally groaned,
"Will you go on a date with me?" She asked as I glanced in her direction only to see her batting her eyes, trying to 'appeal' to me. I stood up and as I walked past her, I said in a monotone voice,
"No." Before walking towards to my apartment. I pumped chakra to my legs, jumped onto the nearest rooftop and continued to run across the buildings. Once I arrived at my apartment, I entered my bedroom and noticed that a photo frame on my bedside cabinet beside the Team 7 photo had been placed face down.
I moved the picture so it stood. Inside the frame was a photo from before the Massacre. I remember it like it was yesterday, it had been a few years before I entered the academy. I was out training with Itachi when I sprained my ankle and being the older and apparently more responsible brother, he had offered to carry me home on his back.
Once we had arrived back at the compound, our mother couldn't help but snap a photo of her 'cute little boys'. My thoughts once again drifted to the night of the massacre and I sighed as I began to pack my bag. Checked the clock on my opposite my bed, it read quarter to two. 'Did I really spend so long looking at the photo. I'd better get going then.'
As I walked towards the village gate, only one thought was on my mind. 'When I find him, will Itachi tell me the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre?' By then I all but forgot about the note folded in my pocket.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End of Sasuke P.O.V *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Sasuke had shown up, he was greeted by a mostly sober old man, their client he reminded himself, and a day-dreaming Sakura. Deciding to avoid the banshee of a fangirl, he walked over to the bridge-builder and stood next to him. He closed his eyes and tried to rid his mind of the depressing thoughts of his family.
Barely five minutes later the sound of chatting and footsteps came from the right. Kakashi was animatedly talking to a silent Naruto, hands in his pockets and a bag on his back. Naruto, however, was a different story.
He was wearing a light grey zip-up hoodie with navy stripes from the shoulder to the end of his sleeves. Kakashi had had the jacket custom made as a replica of Minato's when he was younger as a gift for passing his test, however, despite the few minor changes Kakashi had made on Naruto's behalf, it was practically identical to the original.
Under that, he wore a chainmail vest with black ANBU style pants and matching black ninja sandals. His hitai-ate was on a black cloth and tied around his neck like always. Aside from the change in clothes, Naruto also had bandages wrapped around his left leg with two pouches made for holding scrolls attached. Once Kakashi and Naruto finally arrived at the gate, surprisingly on time, the mission had officially begun.
As they began to leave the village, Sasuke turned to Naruto, he was looking around in amusement and wonder,
"Hey, dobe..." he said to gain Naruto's attention,"What's with the sudden change in clothes?" He asked, trying to sound uninterested,
"It was a gift from... the Hokage for passing Kaka-sensei's test." Naruto smoothly lied in reply before asking,
"Why do you want to you?" He said sincerely, Sasuke tried to act as if he didn't care, but deep down, he knew he did,
"Tch, I was just wondering since you never wear anything that isn't obnoxiously bright." Naruto puffed his cheeks out like a young child before responding,
"Well I'm a real ninja now so I have to act like one and that includes my clothes." Sasuke was left baffled at Naruto's sudden change in behaviour so he decided to move to the front of the formation.
Each person of Team 7 was stood either in front of or behind Tazuna. Sasuke was currently on the front left, Sakura the front right, Naruto in the back left behind Sasuke and Kakashi in the back behind Sakura. The client was trudging in the middle of the square formation. Even though he was mostly sober, Tazuna was still a civilian and didn't have the stamina to keep up with trained ninja, causing the group to walk at a slow, steady pace. They walked in silence for a while before Sakura spoke up,
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, she was considering whether to ask the question on her mind about the ninja in the Land of Waves but Sasuke may think she's weak and stupid so she decided against asking,
"Umm, nevermind sensei." The awkward silence increased tenfold and the only sound heard was the footsteps of the group as they walked down a dusty path surrounded by trees. As the group walked through the forest, Naruto noticed a small puddle by the side of the path.
'Two chakra signatures...' he thought, 'Can't be a coincidence that they're hiding in water, must be Kiri missing nin.' Naruto then noticed that Kakashi had his book out and turned a page for the first time in an hour. It was a signal that he had noticed the missing-nin and was prepared to fight.
However, just as Naruto was about to jump into the puddle; it finally began.
