Here's the next chapter. Just so you know Nanami's kekkei genkai has a name finally. It's called the Chiyubodi. Don't ask me what it means cause I didn't come up with it. My sister named it. Speaking of which she is writing a sequel based off the original version of the story. There are a few things from this one in it but not many. If you like this story or the original I recommend reading her sequel. Very good. I'll let you get to the story now.

Disclaimer: I no own Naruto or any of the characters. I just own Nanami and her clan


Ch. 8: New Teammates

Nanami caught up to the others shortly after they had managed to get Gaara. A wave of grief washed over her. For a medic death was the ultimate enemy. It was and insult to them because it was the one thing they could never cure. Sakura was standing next to the unemotional Sasuke with tears streaming down her face. Kakashi had a sad look in his eyes as he looked at the Kazekage's body.

Naruto was effected the worse by these events because he had shared a bond with Gaara that no one else could understand. Both of them had suffered as children for something beyond their control. Their villages had shunned them and no one had ever believed they could amount to anything. Now one of them had become something. Gaara had made it to Kazekage and now he was dead. Naruto would view that as an insult but not for the same reasons as Nanami and Sakura. Gaara had suffered all through life and had finally gotten a moment of happiness only to have it snatched away. That was the insult Naruto saw. The fox ranted. He blamed Suna and mostly he blamed Chiyo.

The old woman looked at his angry and sad face then back at Gaara. She walked over and knelt beside him. She began to use a jutsu that had the two leaf medics gasping in shock. They explained to Naruto what Chiyo was doing. When she started to run low on chakra Naruto gave her some of his. They were approaching the point of no return.

"Are you sure about this, Chiyo-sama?" Nanami asked the old woman before it was too late for her to change her mind.

"Yes. Maybe it's time I start caring for the future of our village even a little. It's time I do the right thing for once."

Nanami nodded, "Alright."

Gaara woke up and everyone was there to greet him. There was a grand funeral for Chiyo and the leaf shinobi stayed for three days to help Suna repair the damage done to the village. Nanami worked hard to exhaust herself everyday. She wanted to be very tired when she went to bed so that she wouldn't think. She didn't want to wonder about Itachi and the hints of his innocents. The medic knew that if she allowed herself to hope that he hadn't killed his clan then she would break. She had promised herself that she would never cry for him again and she intended to keep that promise even if it killed her.

Sasuke walked up to her as she stood on a roof staring at the stars. He braces himself against the small wall in front of them. Nanami was sitting on that wall with her legs dangling off the side. She glanced at him and waited for him to speak.

"What's bothering you, Nanami?"

She looked up at the stars again, "It's nothing."

"Don't give me that bullshit. I know you. Something happened. What was it?"

Nanami looked back at him, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Alright. Itachi said a few things that confused me." The look he gave her told her she had better elaborate. She sighed and continued, "Some of the things he said didn't mesh with what we believed of him. For a moment I thought he was going to tell me he hadn't killed your clan but then he said he had. He mentioned about someone killing someone else if he didn't do as they said."

He looked down at the street below, "Do you think he did it?"

She stood up on the roof and began to pace. "I want to say no."

He looked at her in shock.

"That's what I want to say, Sasuke. For all his faults and issues I loved him once. I don't want to believe that I could love a cold blooded murder." She stopped pacing and looked at him with a bittersweet expression, "But to believe that he was innocent would be a fantasy. We have the facts. He was seen by your father just seconds after he had died. Then there's the use of his Mongekyo Sharingan on you. Oh, and we can't forget that he told me that he had killed his clan a few days ago while fighting him. I stopped believing in fantasies a long time ago."

He watched her as she began to pace restlessly again. She was battling an inner demon and the demon's name was Itachi. Nanami frequently admitting to once loving his brother and would have died for him. Now she had convinced herself and almost everyone else that she hated him for what he had done. Then Itachi shows up and throws her world off balance and she didn't know what to believe anymore. Sasuke knew a part of her was praying and hoping with all its might that Itachi was innocent. He also knew she would ruthlessly squash that part of her for dreaming of the impossible.

Sasuke wondered what he should say. Comforting just wasn't his forte. Nanami had always been the one to do that when those around them were upset or scared. She had a gift for putting people at ease that he always lacked. He finally spoke somewhat awkwardly, "Nanami, it's alright you know. It's okay to be confused after what he said."

She looked up at him with a small smile, "I know." Nanami started for the door, "We should probably get some sleep. we're returning to Konoha tomorrow and you and Naruto still have to take the chunin exams."

He nodded and followed her off the roof.

They were home at last. Kakashi was told to rest in the hospital since he still hadn't recovered from using his Mongekyo Sharingan. Everyone else who had been in Suna was allowed to rest for two days before Naruto and Sasuke took the chunin exams. The two of them were promoted to chunins. Sasuke saw Nanami in the crowd just like he had on the day he had become a genin. And just like before she turned and walked towards his clan's compound. He followed her again. For the first time since his clan had been murdered he walked onto the Uchiha compound to visit his parents graves.

He stood by Nanami as she told his parents about the days events. It was painful to stand there in front of his parents but it was worth it to hear Nanami tell them that they would've been proud of him. He looked over at the compound itself and made a decision. He had let Itachi run him out of his own home. It wasn't going to happen again. "Nanami."

"What is it, Sasuke?" she asked turning to him.

"I want to move back into the compound. Will you help me?"

She blinked in surprise then smiled. "Of course I will. Better yet let's go get Sakura and Naruto. They'll want to help too."

Sasuke nodded and watched Nanami go. He walked into the compound feeling very tense. This place has haunted his dreams for most of his life. He could still picture his parents bodies lying lifeless on the floor. He shook the image out of his head. He wouldn't allow what Itachi had done to keep him away anymore. This was his home damn it and he wouldn't be forced to stay away by anyone especially Itachi.

His friends all helped him clean out the compound and refurnish it. Naruto would goof around and make everyone laugh. Sasuke soon found that he could relax in compound even with the nightmares. Having his friends around him made it seem much less hostile.

They had just finished cleaning up Sasuke's bedroom when Tsunade walked in with Shizune. Nanami smiled, "Don't tell met he hokage is actually going to help clean?"

Tsunade laughed, "No thank you. I have enough chores as the hokage. I don't need household chores to add to it."

Sakura tilted her head, "Then why are you here, Shishou?"

"I'm going to add three shinobi to your team. Your next mission will be dangerous and I want you to have all the help you can get."

"What is our next mission, Granny-Tsunade?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Sakura retrieved information regarding Orochimaru. There is a spy among his people and we want to get what information he has. You'll have more people just in case it's a trap to capture Naruto or Sasuke."

Sasuke looked into Tsunade's eyes, "If he wants me he'll have to kill me first."

That simple statement fill Nanami with pride. The boy really had grown up. There was a time he would have used this to join Orochimaru. She heard everyone else let out a relieved breath. Apparently they were still wary of Sasuke becoming the enemy. The medic made a mental note of the trust issue for future reference. It could become important eventually.

"Who are the three shinobi, Shishou?" the pink haired kunoichi asked.

The hokage turned to Nanami, "If she'll agree, I want Nanami to be one of them."

Nanami smiled, "I would love to."

Naruto and Sakura cheered. Having Nanami on the team was a relief for them. The older girl always had a way of making things come out right. Sasuke also relaxed. She was a strong shinobi and an even more skilled medic than Tsunade. Between her and Sakura everyone would be alright.

"You will get to meet the other two later today." Tsunade handed Nanami a piece of paper. "There's the time and place. Nanami, you and the other jonin will be the team leaders. I hope you know how to share."

"Don't worry, Tsunade. I'll be able to handle it."

The hokage nodded, "Then I'll leave you to your cleaning."

After they finished cleaning, Sakura decided to go to the hospital to check on Kakashi. Naruto decided to go out for lunch and Nanami and Sasuke joined him. As the three of them walked through the village the ran into Shikamaru and Choji. The group started talking and made fun of how Shikamaru and Ino got together. Shikamaru was just threatening Naruto within an inch of his life when someone attacked them with a beast made of ink. They looked at the roof and saw a boy so pale he was almost white. His hair and eyes were a solid black and Nanami saw that those eyes were also empty of anything. Nanami stood back while Sasuke and Naruto attacked. The three of them were locked in a stalemate until the boy noticed Shikamaru's shadow trying to grab him. He chose that moment to leave.

"Well that was annoying," Nanami commented.

Naruto and Sasuke fully agreed. They were both extremely pissed about something but they wouldn't tell the others what it was. Naruto, Sasuke, and Nanami said goodbye to Shikamaru and Choji. They needed to go meet their knew teammates. When they arrived Sakura was already there. She said hello as Naruto looked around.

"There's no one else here," the blonde boy said stating the obvious.

"We are a little early, Naruto. They'll be here soon."

Two people walked out of the shadows. One was a man with brown hair and dark eyes. He introduced himself as Yamato. Nanami, Naruto, and Sasuke recognized the other one immediately. He had been the one to attack them earlier that day. He introduced himself as Sai and insulted everyone almost immediately. Naruto attacked the moment Sai insulted him. Nanami moved in and grabbing the boy and shoving him against the wall. Yamato grabbed a hold of Naruto.

"You're not very polite are you?" Nanami asked Sai.

He tilted his head, "I'm just saying what I think."

She considered him for a moment, "You may want to keep bad opinions to yourself. They tend to get you into trouble with people who have a hot temper."

He nodded his head with a smile, "Of course."

She rolled her eyes, "And don't give me a fake smile. It annoys me. If you don't feel anything don't show anything...to me anyways."

His face became absolutely blank of all emotions, "Alright."

Nanami stepped back and looked at Yamato, who had finally let go of Naruto. She smiled and held out her hand, "I'm Nanami Tsukino."

"Nice to meet you." He looked at Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. "Now who are the rest of the team?"

The blonde was grumbling and bit out, "Naruto Uzumaki."

Sakura smiled, "I'm Sakura Haruno."

They all turned to Sasuke who had just stood there through the entire thing. He didn't seem to care about the events around him. His friends knew that this was just an act. The more irritated he was the less emotion he showed. His eyes met Sai's and there seemed to be a lot of tension between the two of them though neither of them had said a word to each other. Sasuke noticed that everyone was waiting for him to give his name. He was about to just turn his back to everyone and not give his name when he felt a burning sensation on his left arm. His dark eyes looked up and met Nanami's. She was giving him a glare. He understood the warning.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Yamato looked at her, "How did you do that and can you teach me? I didn't think anyone could get through to a Uchiha."

Nanami smiled, "A lot of practice and not you can't learn. It's part of my kekkei genkai."

He sighed, "Damn."

Sai looked at her, "You have a kekkei genkai?"

"Yes. It's called Chiyubodi." (A/N: see I wasn't lying to you. Her kekkei genkai really does have a name now.)

"What is it?"

"I'm not going to tell you that. No one outside of my clan and our most trusted friends is allowed to know." She thought about it for a moment then said, "I suppose I could tell you but I'd have to kill you."

Sai looked away. He wanted to know but he couldn't risk his life on it. He had a mission to complete and failure was not an option. His dark eyes looked at the Uchiha. Sasuke was ignoring him and seemed unconcerned with everything. Sai wondered if Sasuke was acting or if he really didn't feel anything. Nanami and Yamato told them when they would leave for their mission and then dismissed them.


I think I'm upset. No one reviewed the last chapter so I don't know if you liked it or not. So here's the deal. I'm not updating until someone sends me a review saying they want me to continue writing this story.