The day of the final part of the Chunin Exams, Team Seven gathered at Ichiraku for an early lunch.
"Man I can't wait to kick that Temari chick's ass!" Naruto crowed after he'd scarfed down a bowl, "me and Kitty are gonna roast her!"
Sasuke groaned at the pun. "Naruto, please, stop making puns. They're terrible. And didn't I tell you that Temari uses wind techniques? She won't be as easy to beat as you think she is. She won't hesitate to snap your spine, you know."
Naruto grinned. "Yeah, but Kakashi-sensei and Hana-nee-chan taught me some cool stuff, and I bet my Flamethrower Combo is more powerful than any of her wind attacks!"
Sakura snorted. "I still can't believe you decided to name it that."
"I still can't believe you performed that technique in my house last night," Sasuke grumbled, "and you're fixing that wall you burnt."
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto waved him off casually, "anyway, do you think this is gonna be tournament style?"
Sakura shrugged. "History says it could be either way. The last times we hosted the exams, it was tournament style. The time before that, it was tournament style, but not one on one fights- there were six people, and they set the winners of the three rounds against each other for the last round. So really, it's a toss-up."
Sasuke smirked. "I hope it is. Then, I could actually have an audience for when I defeat you two."
Naruto scoffed, "like you could, asshole."
Sakura smacked them both on the arm. "Boys, quit it. Besides, we all know which of us could kick both of your asses. Now shut up and finish eating. I'm not going to be picking up Kakashi-sensei's bad habit, you hear me?"
Naruto and Sasuke didn't argue that. Naruto knew she could beat him with her brain, and Sasuke knew she could beat him with her fists. And both of them knew these facts very well- Kakashi had made her prove it the first time she'd boasted it.
They arrived at the arena before the other combatants, and were directed to stand in the field at parade rest until the Final Exams started.
The proctor then explained, "Don't worry, though, you can talk. Nobody up there can hear you right now. Once the fighting starts, though, they will. The Fourth Hokage put seals around the stadium so that the audience can hear the banter of battle- he was one for theatrics, let me tell you…"
Soon enough, though, the rest of the genin arrived, and the stands above them were filled.
While the proctor waited for a thumbs-up from the chunin manning the sound amplifier seal, the genin chatted.
Gaara zeroed in on Naruto. "You."
Naruto jumped fractionally. "Me?"
"Mother says you are like me. I want to fight you."
He paused, then tilted his head. "What the fuck does that mean?"
But before Gaara could reply, the proctor announced, "Welcome to the Final Round of the Chunin Exams!"
His voice echoed throughout the stadium, and the crowd fell quiet
"Today, eight exceptional genin from the Leaf and the Sand will compete for the title of Chunin! At the end of the battles, there could be either eight new chunin, or no new chunin! Whether they win or lose, it's all about how they perform! Now, without any further delay-
"Temari of the Sand versus Naruto Uzumaki!"
Sasuke and Sakura paused in following the other genin up to the participant's box.
"Don't lose," Sasuke commanded.
Sakura held her fist out to Naruto. He responded, as he always did, with a fist bump.
This seemed to bolster the crowd, and the cheering began as Sakura and Sasuke walked away.
Temari scoffed.
Naruto turned to her. "What's your deal?"
"Your team's a bunch of showoffs. Surprising, considering you've got Sasuke-chan on your team. What was that little display even about?" she asked, giving him a derisive glance.
Naruto let out a strangled laugh. "Sasuke-chan!? Oh, man, I can't wait to fuck with him about that. This is gonna be great!"
Temari snorted.
Sakura cackled.
Sasuke's face burned.
"I'll kill her," he mumbled, "one day, I swear I will."
"Are you two ready, then?" the proctor asked.
Naruto punched the air, and Kitty jumped down to his feet. "Yeah! Let's go!"
Temari nodded.
"Alright then. Begin!"
Temari lashed out as soon as the proctor had cleared the area, slashing her fan through the air.
Naruto bolted out of the way, and returned fire with a weak Great Breakthrough.
"You think that's gonna do anything to me?" Temari laughed. "Kid, I grew up in the Wind Nation! I know more wind techniques than you can possible imagine!"
"That's alright!" Naruto replied cheerfully, "I don't need to know a whole lot of techniques! I only need to master a few!"
He created five Shadow Clones, and three of them launched themselves at Temari while Naruto prepared another Great Breakthrough. This one would be paired up with a Fire Bullet from Kitty, however, and would be the big reveal of his Flamethrower Combo.
Just as Temari destroyed the third clone, Kitty jumped onto his head and spat out a glob of fire. Naruto sent the Great Breakthrough he'd prepared under it, which spread the flames out over a large area and strengthened them.
Temari's eyes widened and she tried to dodge, but the fire was too widespread and she ended up singed.
While Naruto and Kitty were showing off their flamethrower combo, the other two clones were scrambling to set up several tripwires with minor explosives notes attached. He didn't want to completely maim her, but he definitely wanted to slow her down enough to catch her off guard.
Unfortunately, Temari noticed his traps just in time to dodge them.
Or rather, most of them.
One of the traps his clones had laid down was a triple-layered trip wire that he hadn't used since he tried to dye an ANBU's vest pink. (It didn't work. The ANBU noticed, and then told him that even if they hadn't noticed, it wouldn't have worked- their vests were metal, not cloth. He was also warned against trying again with paint.)
The layer that she triggered was a simple stink and smoke bomb that spread over a large area.
Temari hadn't ever experienced such a trap, and gagged and coughed while trying to stumble out of the smog.
Naruto and Kitty performed one last Flamethrower Combo, and Temari was left on the ground, scorched and still gagging.
The proctor jumped back into the arena and knelt beside her.
"Temari of the Sand has forfeited! Naruto Uzumaki wins!"
The crowd roared.
A huge grin spread across Naruto's face, and he threw a fist into the air triumphantly.
Sakura and Sasuke greeted Naruto when he arrived in the Participants' box.
"Way to actually back up your boasts this time, idiot." Sasuke said.
From him? Such a phrase was high praise.
Sakura laughed. "What he said! Now, was that the bomb you used on Kiba way back in the academy?"
"Cause he was makin' fun of that one quiet girl?" Naruto asked, and when she nodded he said, "Yeah! One of my cats brought it to me 'cause they were super grossed out by it. They didn't notice it before cause I had old clothes piled on top of it, but then you burned them all and so I guess they could smell it."
Sakura sniffed. "One, those clothes were horrible. Two, they weren't doing you any good at the bottom of your closet, they were just taking up space. You should thank me for cleaning up your messes."
She tossed her mohawk to the other side of her head and moved to stalk off.
"Hey," Shikamaru greeted them, "I wanna talk to you guys about something."
Sakura spun on her heel and returned.
"What's up, Shikamaru?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "Look, you know how Sasuke went to the Sand Village for a few years? And you remember that red head kid that me and Choji were friends with?"
Sakura wiggled her hand in the air uncertainly. "There were a lot of kids at the academy, okay? And I didn't exactly have friends, you know?"
"Well, anyway, that was Gaara. He came here from the Sand Village in exchange for Sasuke. The thing is, he was a little… off. Back then, I mean. I and Choji kind of helped him out, but I know we didn't fix him. Trouble is, he came back a lot crazier than he left. He was friendly to me and Choji, but so far I've seen him threaten death to several people with a completely serious expression. He meant it. So, Sasuke, if I were you, I'd be really careful when you fight him."
Sasuke initially wanted to scoff, but then he looked over at Gaara.
The red head was staring at him intently, with one corner of his lips upturned slightly. It was an expression of anticipation, and it set the hairs on the back of his neck on end.
"I'll keep that in mind." He promised.
Shikamaru nodded, and turned to walk away.
He paused. "oh, and I don't know if it's relevant, but he's got about as much chakra as Naruto does, and he can control sand."
Naruto froze, and stared after Shikamaru as he walked away. Suddenly, his run in with him made sense.
Sakura punched him after a few seconds. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Naruto turned away and grabbed at Sasuke's shirt. "You will forfeit your match. You're going to explain that he's way too strong for you."
"What? No!"
"Sasuke." Naruto stared him in the eye. "Trust me. He is too strong for you. He will kill you with no hesitation, and if I'm right, he's got more power than you can imagine."
Sasuke shoved him away. "Shikamaru said he has as much as you do!"
Naruto nodded. "And I've never run out. Ever. That, and the vibes I've been getting from him? I have a bad feeling that if I'm right and you try to fight him? You'll die. I'm serious."
"How do you know?" Sasuke demanded. "Tell me, and I'll consider it."
"I-" Naruto thought back to the beginning of the Third Exam. "Okay, look. He and I share a thing in common, and he's more willing to use that thing than I am. Which is a bad thing. It's a really bad thing. Technically, I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to tell you? It's like this huge big S-Rank secret, okay. I mean, I'd tell you if I could-"
Sasuke scoffed. "Clearly it can't be that bad if it's something you two share in common. You're a little bit of an idiot."
But Sakura was staring at Naruto intently.
Naruto glanced to her, panicked and looking for support. "Sakura, back me up!"
"Give me a hint first." She demanded. "Don't tell me if it'll get us in trouble. Just... A hint."
Naruto hesitated, and then admitted, "It has to do with October tenth."
Sakura paused, then her eyes widened in horror. "It has to do with the Kyuubi!?"
That made Sasuke listen.
"My birthday is also October tenth," Naruto added quietly.
Sakura let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Are you saying-?"
Naruto shrugged.
"Are you seriously telling me you're a fucking jinchuriki!?" she punched his shoulder. "Why didn't you say anything? I could have used that information! Fucking- Damn it Naruto, you don't hide shit like that from your teammates! Fucking hell…."
Then she stopped.
"Fuck, Sasuke, you can't go up against him. If he's using the demon's power-"
"wait." Sasuke held up his hand. "Explain. What's a jinchuriki?"
Sakura groaned. "You boys and your allergy to books. A jinchuriki is a person who has one of the nine tailed beasts sealed in them. There's a shocking amount of information in the library about them, for some reason. From what I've read, some people can get deals out of these demons to use their chakra, but sometimes the demon makes the person go crazy. Apparently, all of the Ichibi hosts have been bat shit, which means that this guy is probably the jinchuriki of the Ichibi."
Sasuke and Naruto both stared at her.
"What? I have an eidetic memory! I can't help it!"
Sasuke shook his head. "I don't want to forfeit unless you think there is a one hundred percent chance of death for me."
Sakura paused and calculated the odds in her head. "It leans towards eighty percent, to be honest. And only so low because he's our age. Seriously, I'm not sure I'd fight him if I were you."
Sasuke grit his teeth and looked away.
The crowd gasped, but none of the three looked towards the arena to see why. They were too busy staring. Sasuke, at a far wall, and Sakura and Naruto directly at Sasuke, waiting for his answer to Naruto's pleas and Sakura's well-reasoned advice.
Sasuke conceded, "I'll attack him once, to show my ability. Then I will forfeit. I do want to make chunin, you realize."
Naruto let out a huge breath of relief.
"Oh, and Naruto? We're talking about this after this exam is over."
Naruto nodded meekly.
"Hinata Hyuuga is unable to continue! Neji Hyuuga wins!"
Sasuke nodded to Sakura. "You're up. You'd better win."
"I'll win for the both of us so you don't feel so bad. Ooh, speaking of-" she reached for his bandoleer and plucked one of the scrolls from it. "-I need this!"
She bound away, and Sasuke called down the stairs after her, "it's boar tiger dog for that one!"
"I know!" she replied from several floors below. "It's got my stuff in it, after all!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, regretting for the umpteenth time that he'd agreed to seal and carry his teammates' stuff.
Neither Sakura nor Shikamaru moved when the proctor called for them to begin.
"I noticed your team wasn't watching the Hyuuga match," Shikamaru said idly, as if they were having one of their usual conversations.
"Yeah, we were hashing some things out about our teammate that we didn't know about previously," Sakura replied, "but don't worry, we've got it figured out. Everyone's cool now."
Shikamaru nodded and then shrugged. "I kind of don't know how to do this fight, to be honest."
"You could always go the traditional way?" Sakura offered.
"What? Attack you? No, you're a girl. It's against my policy to hit girls."
Sakura put her hand on her forehead. "Are you a ninja or not? Fucking man up and fight me!"
"Troublesome…"
Sakura growled and threw a pair of kunai at him, which he dodged.
"Alright, alright!" Shikamaru grumbled, "I'll fight, but if you kill me you won't have anyone to play chess or go with!"
"Oh, I wouldn't kill you, Shika!" Sakura replied, grinning now, "Maybe maim you, but no kill strikes. Trust me, you'll be fine!"
Shikamaru turned and bolted for the small outcropping of trees, and skid to a halt behind one of them.
"Oh, jeez." Sakura grumbled in reply. "Are you doing that silly hand thing? It's just a placebo, you know! It only works cause you think it does!"
Shikamaru ignored her.
Sakura sighed, and pulled out the scroll she had stolen from Sasuke. This scroll held her three swords that she'd picked up from her first C-rank mission. She'd been training with a guy that Kakashi and Anko both knew- Gekkou Hayate- and he'd taught her some fun things to do with swords that wouldn't kill her opponent. (She'd specifically requested that he teach her such things, since her opponent was a fellow Leaf ninja.)
"Shikamaru, I'm giving you until the count of five to implement a plan, and then I'm coming at you with a pair of very sharp swords that I've only had a month of training with." She warned, and began counting aloud.
"One!" she made the sign for boar.
"Two!" Tiger.
"Three!" Dog.
"Four!" she slung the sheath of the sword with the matte black handle over her shoulder, in case she dropped one or both of the others.
"Five!" she gripped the brass-colored hilt in her left hand, and the silver-colored hilt in her right.
"Alright, I'm coming for you!"
She took three steps, and a shadow shot out at her. She leapt backwards until the shadow stopped. Then she drew a line in the dirt with the toe of her sandal (not with her sword- Gekkou would have killed her!) and grinned widely.
"Oh, you're taking me seriously, I see! Good! You might win at this rate!"
Shikamaru scoffed and shouted from the trees, "not likely! You're mean as hell!"
Sakura laughed. "Okay, you got me. I'm going to win, of course! I've got brains and brawn, and what better combination is there than that?"
This comment seemed to please the crowd, and they cheered for her.
"Aw, look, they like me! C'mon, Shika, let's give them a show!"
There was a pause before Shikamaru replied. "A show, huh?"
And then there was a small, round object coming at her, and she dodged it. It blew just behind her, and she realized it was a flash bomb. She moved to bolt, but it was too late- Shikamaru had captured her in his clan's Shadow Imitation technique.
"Well, fuck."
Shikamaru shrugged, and she was met with the surreal and highly disturbing feeling of her body moving without her command.
"Forfeit, please," he requested.
"… nah. You'll run out of chakra soon, and then I'll have a for-sure win."
"Can you really wait that long, though? You're an awfully impatient person."
She scoffed. "Please. You've met my teammates. I have to have an immense amount of patience to handle those two daily."
And so they engaged in a waiting game, much to the disappointment of the crowd.
Nearly thirty minutes of a mental chess game later, Sakura felt her hand raise.
"Wh- I told you, I'm not going to forfeit."
"Oh I know," Shikamaru replied, "I am. I forfeit. Sakura will clearly defeat me, and I have held her long enough that even if she were my enemy, my teammates could have killed her long ago."
"Shikamaru Nara forfeits! Sakura Haruno wins!"
Then his Shadow Imitation technique broke and his shadow returned to below his feet.
"You dirty trickster," she said, admiringly, "that was disgustingly low and I love it."
"Thanks? Please don't murder me in my sleep."
"I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't have anyone to play chess with."
Before Sasuke reached the stairs, Naruto stopped him by grabbing his shirt.
"Remember, one attack, then you forfeit. Our team wouldn't be the same without our grumpy puppeteer pack mule!" he said with a weak grin.
Sasuke nearly snapped a rude reply out, but swallowed it. Naruto wasn't the brightest after all, and he had made a confession about himself that had unnerved him, and even Sasuke knew that it had probably taken a lot out of the blonde.
"I know." He said instead, and smacked Naruto's hand pointedly.
Naruto let go, and Sasuke descended the stairs to the arena.
Gaara stood at one end with his arms crossed. The stance seemed less like a barrier and more like a taunt to Sasuke, and it took every ounce of his willpower to not attack him right then and there. Instead, he repeated Naruto's warning in his head like a mantra: He will kill you with no hesitation.
And he pictured Itachi's face. He couldn't die yet- he still had goals to accomplish.
"Begin!"
Sasuke summoned Blade from his scroll. If he only got one move to show off, it was going to be his flashiest one. He could only do it once a day with his puppet, and only that many times because he'd upgraded Blades sword-hands.
Blade's sword-hands gleamed in the light of the afternoon sun. Gaara stared at it blankly. Clearly the puppet didn't intimidate him, not even when the arena filled with the sound of birds chirping and lightning arced off of the short, fat blades in place of the puppet's hands.
The stands filled with Leaf Ninja began murmuring excitedly.
Sasuke ignored them. Using Chidori through a puppet took a considerable amount of concentration.
The puppet darted forward, and Gaara didn't flinch.
That was fine with Sasuke- it made him an easier target to hit.
And blade did indeed hit its mark. Though the layer of sand that flew up to block him a foot from Gaara's chest slowed down the strike, it only stopped the chirping electricity from punching through Gaara's shoulder.
There was a short beat, and then a scream.
Sasuke detached Blade's arm from the elbow down, abandoning it for a lost cause and reeling his puppet back in.
Sand began forming a sphere around Gaara, and Sasuke felt a flutter of fear.
"Proctor, I forfeit!" he shouted.
"Sasuke Uchiha forfeits! Gaara of the Sand wins!" the proctor shouted.
Sand lashed out at both of them, sending them flying, and chaos erupted.
In the Participants' box, Sakura looked up at the suddenly quiet crowd, and realized they'd all fallen asleep. Then she looked up at the Kage box, where both the Hokage and the Kazekage were supposed to be sitting, only to see the box empty and a huge purple barrier technique being held on the roof.
"Shit, we're being attacked!" Sakura breathed.
Temari vaulted the railing and landed near Gaara. She took up a defensive position with her fan, and was shortly joined by Kankuro.
"Naruto, Sakura, get Sasuke out of the arena and find your sensei. I'm going to find my team and see if we can't figure out what to do from there."
Sakura nodded, and they jumped down to the arena. Naruto landed on Sasuke's left, and Sakura on his right.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke demanded.
"Have you seen the Kage box recently?" Sakura asked in reply.
Sasuke looked up and ground his teeth. "Some sort of ambush, then?"
Sakura shrugged. "I think it's an invasion, actually. The people in the stands were put to sleep with a genjutsu, but you can't see that from here. We need to get to Kakashi for further orders."
"Right."
Sasuke yanked Blade close to him and sealed him up quickly, then unsealed Bella before the three of them jumped into the stands.
They were greeted by an old woman, and Sasuke instantly dropped into a defensive crouch.
"Oh relax, boy. I'm not going to attack you," the old woman said, and Sasuke stood back up. "are these your teammates? Sasuke-chan's told me a lot about you two in his letters to me."
"Are you…" Sakura hesitated, "Are you Elder Chiyo? From the Sand Village?"
"I am."
"And you're not attacking us… why?"
"Easy!" Chiyo smiled. "The Kazekage is an imposter."
Sakura stared at her in shock.
"Okay, okay," Naruto interrupted, "seriously, we need to find Kakashi-sensei. If you're friendly, you might as well come with us."
There was a familiar cough from behind them. "I'm right-"
Chiyo startled, and drew a kunai. "White Fang!?"
Sasuke jumped in front of Chiyo, hands held wide. "No! That's his son! This is Kakashi-sensei!"
"Oh. Okay then," Chiyo said, slipping her kunai back into her sleeve. "You could have warned me that he looked so similar to the White Fang."
An annoyed look crossed Sasuke's face. "I did tell you about him, Chiyo-sensei. I told you this in three separate letters."
She waved at him dismissively. "I'm old, boy, you can't expect me to remember such things!"
Sasuke rubbed his face tiredly.
Kakashi patted his head. "Alright, my cute genin. I'm going to need you three to-" His attention was diverted from them to a roof on the far side of the arena, where Temari and Kankuro had landed with Gaara supported between them.
"-Go after Gaara and his siblings."
"Bad idea. Gaara's a jinchuriki," Chiyo told him.
Kakashi nodded. "It's actually fine. Naruto can handle that. Can't you, Naruto?"
Naruto blanched, but squeaked out, "yeah. No problem!"
"Oh is he-?"
"Can't tell you. Hokage decree."
Sasuke scowled. "Kakashi-sensei, Sakura and I figured it out. We know he's the jinchuriki for the Kyuubi."
Before Kakashi could respond to that, the three of them dashed off after Gaara and his siblings.
"Those two have Sasuke-chan positively chatty," Chiyo noted.
Kakashi nodded. "It's good for him, though, I think. Loner genius kids are a bit rough around the edges when they don't have friends."
Chiyo eyed him suspiciously. "That sounds like experience talking."
Kakashi smiled at her innocently.
Asuma sighed heavily when he saw Team Seven sprinting after the Sand Genin.
"Team Ten, I need you to back up Team Seven," he ordered reluctantly. "Kakashi sent them off after the crazy sand kid and his team."
Shikamaru cursed. "Idiots, I told them he was dangerous. Ino, Choji, after me!"
Asuma allowed himself a second to watch after his student admiringly. If Shikamaru didn't end up with a chunin vest, he'd quit smoking.
"Okay, look," Sakura said, "we're gonna have to take out the siblings first. They'll probably split up to bide time for the other to get Gaara to safety. Naruto, you'll need to go after Gaara no matter what, so who do you want backing you up?"
"Uh…"
Sasuke interrupted. "I get Kankuro. I need to speak to him, and the easiest way to do that is through a fight."
Sakura looked to Naruto for confirmation.
"Yeah, I mean… I can fight with both of you equally good!"
"Equally well," Sakura corrected absently. "Alright, if Kankuro stays behind, Sasuke gets him. If Temari stays behind, I get her. The other goes on with Naruto-"
Three sets of footsteps approached, and Team Seven tensed for a battle.
"Relax, it's us," Shikamaru said, "and we're here to back you up. Sakura, I overheard your plan. Why is Naruto going after Gaara? He'll be ripped to shreds."
"No he won't." Sakura replied simply. "Alright, change of plans. Sasuke, you'd do well with Choji, and I work well with Ino. Shikamaru will go on with Naruto, which works out especially well since apparently they were friends and that might help Gaara change his mind about releasing his demon on us."
Naruto choked. "He won't release it all the way! He'd die!"
Sakura and Shikamaru turned their heads to stare at him.
"I know that," Sakura said, "but why do you?"
"… I asked the old man what would happen if that happened."
Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "Understandable. Alright, plan is set. Let's try and catch up now, shall we?"
It wasn't long until they caught up with at least one of them.
"I told you so," Sakura muttered. "Alright, Sasuke, Choji, this is yours. Catch up quick, would you?"
Sasuke and Choji stopped on a branch a few feet from Kankuro while the rest of Team Seven and Team Ten went on.
"Look, Sasuke-" Kankuro said.
"I don't want to hear it," Sasuke told him flatly. "Unless you're about to tell me that you're surrendering."
Kankuro shook his head. "No, but Sasuke, seriously kid, I didn't have a choice. If I disobeyed orders, I would have been killed. I literally saw it happen."
"Then surrender now and I will do my best to get you into protective custody."
"Are- are you going to hurt Gaara? I know he's fucking crazy but-"
Choji spoke up at that. "Not if me and Shikamaru can help it! Gaara might be off his rocker, but he's our friend!"
Kankuro paused. "Are you two the ones who calmed him down while he was here?"
"Was he crazier before he came to the Leaf Village!?"
Kankuro straightened, and sealed Crow away. "Alright, I'll go with you peacefully if you promise not to hurt my siblings."
Sasuke put his hand over his heart. "I will do my best to leave Gaara and Temari uninjured."
Choji tied Kankuro's hands, and led him away. Sasuke paused just a second to sigh in relief that he didn't have to kill a friend, and then was struck with the realization that he might have just narrowly avoided getting the Mangekyo Sharingan.
He moved on and easily caught up.
"That was quick," Sakura commented.
"Where's Choji!?" Shikamaru asked fearfully.
"He's fine," Sasuke replied. "Kankuro surrendered after I promised I'd do my best not to hurt Gaara or Temari. Choji is escorting him back to the Village."
Shikamaru's face hardened. "Damn right we'll do our best. Gaara's my friend."
"And Temari mine. But she won't be as easy to talk down as Kankuro was.
They ran into Temari in the next clearing, and she was standing over Gaara, with her fan open completely.
Sasuke walked out with his hands high.
"What do you want? I won't let you get to Gaara!"
"Nobody wants to hurt him, Temari," Sasuke told her evenly. "We just don't want him to destroy our village."
"if- if you kill him-"
Sasuke interrupted her. "It'll release the Ichibi. I know. I said we won't hurt him."
She shook her head. "You can't stop him. He's been given an order. He knows what happens if he doesn't complete his mission."
"What happens?"
Temari glanced to Shikamaru.
Shikamaru stared at her in surprise. "If Gaara doesn't destroy the Leaf Village, I'll be assassinated?"
"Yeah. At least, that's what he told us."
Shikamaru looked at Gaara's prone body. "Jeez. What a troublesome guy. Can I talk to him? Please?"
Temari glanced at them all nervously. "Just you. Everyone else stay back."
Shikamaru approached slowly, and plopped down on the ground next to Gaara, where he lay whimpering in pain.
"Hey, buddy," he greeted quietly. "I bet that hurts."
Gaara responded with a whine.
"Do you think you can keep your mother from coming out if I get you to a healer?" Shikamaru asked.
"She- she has to come out!" Gaara gasped. "Father will h- have you killed if she doesn't!"
Shikamaru grinned shakily. "How's he gonna kill me if you're protecting me?"
That gave Gaara pause.
Sasuke took a single step forward. "I know some basic medical skills. I can probably heal that, at least most of the way."
Temari snarled at him. "You're the one who gave it to him in the first place!"
"I wasn't expecting him to not dodge it at all," Sasuke admitted, "and besides, I had it at half power and his sand slowed it down enough that he didn't get more than a third of what a real Chidori would have done. It was supposed to be just for show before I forfeited."
Shikamaru touched Gaara's good shoulder. "Listen, I know you might not trust Sasuke right now, but I have never heard him lie."
"I can back that claim up," Sakura admitted, "he can't lie for shit, let me tell you."
"No," Gaara whispered, "he'll probably kill me because he hates it too."
Naruto, bolstered by everyone else's talk, stepped forward as well. "Gaara, I promise you he won't kill you because of the Ichibi."
"How do you know!?" Gaara screamed.
"Because he hasn't tried to kill me yet, and I'm the container of the Kyuubi."
Gaara stared at him silently for a long moment.
Then he looked to Sasuke for a longer moment, and he nodded jerkily.
Sasuke strode forward, and grabbed Naruto's sleeve as he went. "I'll need your chakra."
"But you hardly used any!"
"Yes, but this is going to be a somewhat intensive operation, and healing chakra is tough to make in the first place. I'll need yours to supplement mine."
"Oh. Why didn't you just say so?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Just… put your hands on my shoulders and focus your chakra to your hands. Make sure it's yours. Whoknows what the Kyuubi's chakra would do to me…"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll make sure. Here, Gaara, pet Kitty while Sasuke heals you. Be gentle, though, she doesn't like hard petting…"
While Sasuke healed Gaara with Naruto and Shikamaru acting as nurses, Ino rounded on Sakura.
"Naruto is the Kyuubi!?"
Sakura growled and took a step towards Ino. Ino took three fearful steps away from Sakura.
"Let's get one thing straight. Naruto is not the Kyuubi. He is the container of the Kyuubi. He houses it. He is its jailer. It is trapped in a seal that is powered by his body and soul. You will never refer to Naruto as the Kyuubi in my presence or outside of it. Not only is this an S-Rank secret, but it's an incorrect statement."
"Then why does he wear a jacket with 'Fox' written on the back!?" Ino demanded.
Sakura shrugged. "He picked it up as loot on our first C-rank, which was a bandit clean-up. Bandits are dumb, so I suppose that whoever owned it first thought it made them look scary, since lots of people around here have been scared of foxes ever since the Kyuubi attack. I'm guessing Naruto picked it up as a lame joke, but then Kakashi-sensei told him to wear it. He has ever since."
Ino scoffed, but quieted down.
"Alright," Sasuke panted, "I think that's about all I can do. The bleeding is stopped, and I think I managed to sew up the muscle I tore. It should still hurt, but you're not in any danger anymore."
Gaara nodded tersely, and continued gently petting Kitty with his good hand.
"… I might have some strong pain pills." Sasuke offered grudgingly. He'd been saving them for Sakura, since she got hurt more than he did, and Naruto healed nearly instantly.
Shikamaru gave him a hopeful look, and Sasuke sighed and handed one of his scrolls to him.
"Third seal in, tiger monkey tiger," he said, and slumped against Naruto's side.
Shikamaru unsealed a pill bottle with three large, white pills inside.
"Just one," Sasuke advised. "It's extremely strong, and will put him to sleep if he takes any more."
Shikamaru stared at him in alarm. "Will one make him fall asleep!?"
"It might make him drowsy, but it shouldn't. Why?"
"Mother is released when I sleep."
Naruto hissed in sympathy. "That's rough. I guess that's what the big rings around your eyes are about?"
Gaara moved to shrug, but aborted the action when his shoulder twinged in agony.
"So do we just… wait here?" Temari asked, while Shikamaru shook out a pill and gave it to Gaara.
Sakura threw her hands up helplessly. "Look, we were just ordered to stop you guys. They didn't tell us how, but I expect they thought we were gonna have to fight. How were we supposed to fuckin' know you all would be buddies and this would end without bloodshed? I feel useless right now, let me tell you."
They ended up waiting until Pakkun found them and told them to follow him.
Kakashi, Asuma, and Chiyo stood at the gates. Kakashi refused to look at Naruto or Sakura while they gave him a quick debriefing. Gaara and his siblings were taken to the hospital by Chiyo, and Asuma escorted Team Ten home.
"Something's wrong." Naruto told Sakura quietly.
"No shit, something's wrong," she replied, equally as quiet, "the village was invaded."
Naruto shook his head. "That's not what I meant! He looks like- he looks like the time one of Hana's cousins got back from a bad mission. She wasn't supposed to tell me, but her cousin's whole team got wiped out."
Sakura froze. "No."
"Sakura, you said it yourself-"
"No, no, no. My dad isn't dead. Kakashi-sensei, tell me my dad isn't dead!"
Kakashi stopped in his tracks.
"Kakashi-sensei, tell me he's alive!" she begged.
"Sakura, I…"
She covered her mouth with her hand. "No. no, no, no, no."
"Your house was crushed by a summoned snake," Kakashi finally said. "There was one body. Uhei confirmed that your dog pack made it to the summon realm safely."
"No! Fuck, no!"
Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder, and to his shock, she curled in towards his chest. He shot Naruto and Kakashi a panicked look, but started rubbing circles on her back.
"Naruto," Kakashi added, and looked away. "The Hokage fought Orochimaru on top of the Kage Box."
Naruto looked at the ground. "Orochimaru killed him, didn't he?"
"As far as we can tell, yes."
Naruto looked up at him, with fire in his eyes. "I'll kill Orochimaru. I'm going to get super strong, and then I'm gonna kill Orochimaru for the old man, and for Sakura's Anko-nee-chan, and then we're going after Itachi."
Kakashi smiled at him sadly. "What happened to becoming Hokage?"
"Oh, that's happening too, but I'm not ready for the hat yet," Naruto admitted. "And anyway, it wouldn't feel right getting it without avenging the old man, you know?"
Kakashi ruffled his hair. "The Uchiha Complex is mostly fine, including your house, Sasuke. Why don't you three go there? All genin are being given the next two days off so the Jonin and the chunin can organize things. I'm sure you'll get a mission after that, and I'll pull some strings to keep you three together if I can."
Sasuke led Sakura to the bed- it had stopped being his bed when Naruto and her had first started spending the night- while Naruto scrounged up something for them to eat before they all passed out.
He returned with three bentos that had been tucked away in the fridge.
"They're a little warm, what with the power being out, but I think they're okay to eat."
Sasuke nodded, and shoved one into Sakura's hands. "Eat or I will feed you like a child."
Sakura gave him a dirty look. "My dad might be dead but I'm not catatonic from grief. I can feed my fucking self."
"You haven't spoken in over an hour," Sasuke replied, "how was I supposed to know?"
She scowled, and started eating.
Sasuke let the silence sit until they were all finished.
"Naruto, Sakura."
They looked at him expectantly.
"If… If you want, you can both stay here from now on."
"Even if my apartment building is still standing?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Yeah."
"…Can my cats come?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I suppose if they must."
Naruto smiled at him. "Thanks, Sasuke. You're a real good friend, you know that? A bit quiet and a bit weird, but a really good friend still."
"…I'm not sure I knew you could make backhanded complements."
"Fuck you, Sasuke."
i'll always make sure to answer questions you all leave me in reviews (as long as i'm still writing, that is), so seriously, dont hesitate. i hate plot holes and you're all helping me avoid them!
also: serious question. after the tsunade retrieval arc, i was planning on doing an original arc, but i'm at a loss as to what. all suggestions will be taken in to consideration. thanks for reading and i hope you enjoy this fic!
