The author says: Hello everyone! Here's chapter 10 for you!
Please don't get confused, but maybe you noticed, but I changed the name of the story from 'He had no idea SasuNaruSasu' to only 'He had no idea', because the pairing in the title looked stupid. I also changed the summary in hopes that this story will get more attention from now on.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed and of course also to everyone else for reading!
Have fun reading the new chapter!
I do not own Naruto!
'He had no idea'
Chapter 10
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
tell the World I'm coming home
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes
I'm coming home, I'm coming home
tell the World that I'm coming
- 'Coming Home' by Diddy-Dirty Money feat. Skylar Grey
"Naruto-san," the composed Hyuuga started, "this all sounds very interesting, but what exactly are we going to do?"
At that, all eyes turned to Naruto. The boy blinked at them and suddenly his face lit up.
"We, gentlemen," he said and flashed them a very feral grin that sent shivers down their backs, "go Akatsuki hunting."
A stunned silence followed Naruto's words.
Shikamaru and Neji's eyes widened, not quite believing what Naruto had just said. Akatsuki hunting? As in, trying to catch and defeat the supposedly strongest organization of criminal rogue ninja ever? The ones who were after the Jinchuuriki, such as Naruto himself?
Before the two brunettes could voice their questions, Kiba broke the silence. "Aka-what?"
Shikamaru and Neji sweat-dropped at their team mate's lack of knowledge. They all had been briefed on the Akatsuki in ANBU. There was not one ANBU, who didn't know about them... Or apparently there was a single one.
Neji finally supplied an answer for the ignorant Inuzuka. "The Akatsuki, Kiba-san. An organization of S-rank missing-nin. And in fact the most wanted group in the shinobi world. We don't know much about them so far, but apparently they are after the Bijuu."
At Kiba's blank face, Neji quickly went on, trying hard to keep his famous patience. "The Bijuu, Kiba-san. The Tailed Beasts, such as the Kyuubi. They were sealed in children and the Akatsuki want to extract them. For what reason exactly, we don't know yet, but it can't be good."
Naruto rolled his eyes at Kiba. "Man, dog-breath, you better pay attention from now on or I'll replace you before you know it!"
Kiba huffed, but quickly muttered something about just having forgotten about it.
"So, Naruto," Shikamaru addressed their new captain, "how would we hunt them? I mean, no one knows where they are or when they will strike. It's not like we have any useful knowledge about them."
Naruto smirked at the boys. "That's where you're wrong, Shika. Fortunately, someone is providing me with very useful insider information on the members of Akatsuki and their plans."
The Nara frowned. "Who would be able to offer insider information on them, except for a current or former member?"
Naruto's face returned to a serious expression. He was about to tell his team who his new informant was. Hopefully they would take it better than Tsunade and Jiraiya. Both were not pleased about the idea, to say the least. Although they had found out about Itachi's true role in the Uchiha Massacre, they were suspicious of him and didn't like it at all that Naruto had accepted his wish to help him rescue Sasuke. Naruto wasn't too sure about the whole idea of rescuing Sasuke either, but he had made a deal with the older Uchiha and hence would not go back on his word. Itachi had promised to give him information at least once a month and their meeting had been over six weeks ago already. He was only two weeks late, but still, a tiny spark of doubt was growing in Naruto; which made him wonder whether Itachi would keep his side of the bargain. But on the other hand, if he didn't, Naruto would not help him get back Sasuke and the older Uchiha had seemed just too desperate to throw away this chance. So he'd wait.
"It is a current member," Naruto revealed and the boys' eyes widened. Konoha had not much knowledge on the Akatsuki and up to now they only knew of Orochimaru as a former member and Uchiha Itachi and his partner Hoshigaki Kisame as current members. Assuming that Naruto had no contact to Itachi's fishy partner, it left the Uchiha himself as the only possible informant.
"Uchiha Itachi," Shikamaru said quietly in realization, the frown deepening on his irritated face.
Naruto nodded in confirmation and three very questioning pair of eyes focused on him.
"Why would you trust a traitor, Naruto?", Kiba asked curiously, but uncharacteristically serious. Whatever he might think of Naruto, he was sure that the boy would never trust the man who was responsible for his best friend's misery and his consuming thirst for revenge.
The blond then told them of his encounter with the Uchiha six weeks ago and also of Itachi's mission to kill his clan. He left out that he had agreed to helping him, but Shikamaru was too sharp and realized that the Uchiha would not offer information like that for nothing.
"What does he want from you in return, Naruto?", he asked suspiciously, his intelligent eyes on the blond captain.
Said captain averted his eyes and lowered his head. He didn't know why, but somehow Naruto didn't want to see the expression on their faces when he mentioned Sasuke.
"I promised to help him rescue Sasuke." His voice didn't betray any emotion of how he might feel about that promise, but Neji was skilled enough in reading people's body language that he realized that Naruto didn't feel comfortable about the promise. Even though Naruto's eyes were looking at the ground, Neji saw the slightest shifts of his feet and the tiniest movements of muscles on his face. Naruto was obviously still affected greatly by Sasuke's betrayal. Just thinking about the other boy seemed to trouble him.
Sharing a knowing glance with Shikamaru and shooting a warning one at Kiba, Neji cleared his throat and tried to distract Naruto's thoughts from his former best friend. "So, about the information...?" he trailed off, waiting for the blond to catch on.
Naruto's head shot up, forcing his attention back to the conversation, he told them about the contents of Itachi's first scroll. Up to this point, they knew about all the members, their partners and specialisation. It was not much, but at least a start. To actually start hunting them down, they relied on Itachi's next information. Until then, they'd have to train and probably go on other missions. The other three boys had had the time to build up their team work for a whole month, but none of them had worked with Naruto yet. In order to be efficient and successful with their plan, they needed to be prepared and able to rely on each other unhesitatingly.
"So..." Naruto began, "Now that you know what we're going to do and that it's without a doubt going to be quite dangerous... Are you still with me?"
His blue eyes calmly regarded the boys. This was their last chance to chicken out. They might have agreed to working with him after finding out that he was a demon container, but he couldn't take it for granted that they'd risk their lives on missions that promised to be rather reckless and adventurous.
Shikamaru once called himself 'the number one in running away'. He had preferred his lazy lifestyle, watching clouds, sleeping in class and spending his days with his best friend Chouji. He had avoided everything that looked to be troublesome. But right now the thought of running away from this task didn't even cross his mind for a mere millisecond. He had no doubt that the word troublesome could by no means come close to what was waiting for them. Moreover, there was a high probability that they lost their lives fighting S-rank missing-nin.
Shikamaru was aware of the fact that all of their skills and abilities had improved tremendously – and he had not yet seen Naruto in action – but they were mere teenagers. Not in their dreams could they measure up to the battle experience of the Akatsuki members. They would be outclassed, beyond doubt. But with enough information on the group and knowing all about their secret techniques and tactics, they were able to meet them on even terms. It all depended on their own strategies. And Shikamaru would make sure that those were going to be foolproof – or at least as foolproof as strategies against criminal S-rank shinobi could be.
"It can't be helped," the pineapple-haired Nara drawled, "but I guess you need me and my brain. I won't let you kill yourself just because you lack a proper plan, you know."
Kiba rolled his eyes at the genius. "Geez, Shika, the brains you have went to your head!" he teased and added, "You wouldn't survive two minutes without me and Akamaru!"
Naruto took his boastful words as his way of saying that he would join them. He focused on the Hyuuga, who was the last to answer.
"I called you a failure once, Naruto-san," he began in his serious but gentle voice, a tone of regret and maybe shame in it, "but you showed me that fate is not everything and that one can fight against his destiny. You made the impossible possible, a failure like you defeating a prodigy like me." His pale eyes shone with respect for the blond boy.
"If anyone can take down the Akatsuki, I believe it is you, Naruto-san," he finished almost solemnly and Naruto felt a blush creep on his cheeks.
Unconsciously, he rubbed the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward and embarrassed about the confidence the Hyuuga had in him. Neji gently smiled at him, which made Naruto turn his head away, only to meet the sight of Kiba's cocky grin and Shikamaru's amused smirk. Naruto felt a grin tug at the corner of his lips.
"Thanks, guys," he said in a serious tone, wanting the three to know how much he appreciated their answers.
Naruto let the grin split his face in two and suddenly he felt like he could take on the whole world right this minute. Naruto now definitely had his team.
Having cleared up the most important questions, said newly formed team made its way back to Konoha; their ANBU masks back over their faces and Naruto's hood hiding his blond hair once again. It was still before noon and Naruto had a lot to do today. He was going to make it publicly known that the demon brat was back in Konoha. Or so he had planned.
Before the four went their own ways, Kiba declared that Naruto needed to meet their old friends as soon as possible. "I'll tell the others to meet us tonight at Ichiraku's ramen, alright Naruto? You still love ramen, don't you?"
Naruto blinked stupidly. Ramen? "I... I don't like ramen any more...," he breathed, stating this fact aloud for the first time. It felt still weird to him that he had lived without ramen for the last three years.
Somehow Naruto's lust for ramen had vanished. It was not that he really didn't like it any more, but it was rather the fact that someday, his beloved ramen had lost its appeal. Ramen had been a constant in his life on which he had been able to rely on. It was the cheapest food for him to buy, but also he had truly loved and enjoyed it. The delicious taste of the salty noodles had somehow comforted him, eased his mind when the pressure of Konoha's hatred was becoming too much to bear. But then, one day – and he denied to connect the date to Sasuke's defection – ramen had lost its ability to comfort him. Salty noodles were just that – salty noodles; no more hidden consolation in a bowl of ramen.
"Um...," Kiba mouthed, unsure of this new development, "would you prefer barbecue?"
"Sure, why not," Naruto agreed and Kiba told them that he'd tell the others to meet them tonight at the barbecue restaurant. He wanted to surprise the others with Naruto's return and the boy was so enthusiastic about it that Naruto couldn't object.
Kiba and Neji said good-bye and jumped away, but Shikamaru hesitated. The huge gates of Konoha were looming up in front of them, but before he parted from Naruto, the Nara heir wanted to ask the blond some more questions.
Sensing that his new team mate wasn't satisfied yet, Naruto looked at him through the holes of his Weasel mask. "You won't leave it alone, will you?" Naruto sighed, looking away from him, not waiting for his answer. He knew it; Shikamaru certainly was persistent. "Just pick me up tonight for dinner, alright?"
Shikamaru nodded in agreement. He had waited with these questions for over three years, some more hours wouldn't make a difference.
Naruto changed back from the ANBU uniform into his normal clothes in Kakashi's apartment. The jounin was not at home right now; apparently, he had to go on a mission once in a while, too.
The blond gathered his few belongings and exited through the front door. The beloved hood was hiding his features and his blue eyes. Heh told himself that he'd remove the hood as soon as he was downstairs on the street. After all, he wanted the people to know that he was back... right? And no one knew that he was now wearing the standard jounin outfit. The civilians would never connect the loud-mouthed child Naruto to the serious young man he now was. But the hair, eyes and whisker-marks would give him away.
Stepping onto the street in front of the apartment complex Kakashi lived in, Naruto shot glances to the right an left, but the street was empty. He started to walk in the direction of his own apartment. After some minutes of walking alone, his hand reached up, intending to push back the hood. His fingers were already touching the smooth black cloth, when suddenly a civilian woman with her daughter turned around the corner, walking straight towards Naruto. He let go of the hood as if it was on fire. His hand dropped back to his side; the hood stayed in place.
Naruto felt his heart racing. What was going on with him? Was he truly that afraid of confronting the villagers? Everything had gone so well this morning with the guys, better than he had dared to imagine. Why was it so hard for him to show his face now? Was his fear so great? The villagers had no idea of the power they had over him. Which was definitely better this way. Ashamed of himself for his weakness, he took to roof-jumping, cutting short the walk to his apartment, never shedding the hood.
The blond let out a shaky breath as he came to stop in front of the red door of his apartment. It looked even more shabby than he remembered. He took out the rusty key he hadn't used in over three years. The lock protested for a second, but finally the door swung open.
Naruto stepped into the sad room of an apartment. Expecting clouds of dust and musty air, he was quite surprised when he was greeted by clean floors, a freshly made bed and no visible spider webs. Someone had been in here.
Suspicious, Naruto listened carefully for a hidden attacker. He sweat-dropped a little at his own behaviour. No one could hide in a one-room-apartment with a dingy bed, a small dresser and the small kitchen as pretty much the only furniture. He didn't sense any presence hiding in the tiny bathroom either, so there was really no one trying to ambush him. And why would anyone trying to ambush him clean his apartment beforehand?
Closing the door behind him, Naruto's eyes fell on a note pinned to the door from the inside.
Naruto,
I thought you might want to come back to a clean apartment. I hope you don't mind, but I sent a genin team to take care of it this morning. (Don't worry, they have no idea who lives here and I threatened them thoroughly, so I don't think they stole anything. Not that there is anything one might steel from you anyway...)
You're welcome at my place any time, should you feel like visiting your old sensei!
– Kakashi
P.S.: Sorry, but there wasn't really anything except for orange bed sheets.
Naruto chuckled softy at the random note. Although he didn't like the thought of having strangers in his apartment at all, he still appreciated the gesture; it was really kind of nice. In a Kakashi kind of way.
He threw his worn back pouch onto the freshly made bed. The sheets were indeed a bright orange. It reminded him of the child he had been three years ago; trying to attract attention at all costs. Today, he definitely preferred more subdued colours. However, he did neither have the money to buy something as unimportant as new sheets, nor did he care enough. They were only sheets after all. He would have to patch the holes in the future, though.
Naruto sat on the orange bed and it creaked heavily under his weight. The mattress was so thin and shabby that he could feel the broken frame through it. The blond boy let out a weary breath. Even sleeping on Kakashi's couch – no, even sleeping on the ground in the forest – had been more comfortable than this sorry excuse of a bed. Maybe he should move to the floor?
His eyes wandered over the small kitchen unit, where he had prepared endless bowls of instant ramen. His cooking skills were pretty much non-existent, the only things he had ever succeeded in were pouring milk over cereals and heating the instant cups of ramen in the old microwave. The fridge was probably empty and the cupboard full of forgotten instant ramen cups. But gone was his craving for ramen; which meant that in the future, he probably needed to learn how to cook properly.
His eyes fell on the dresser opposite of the bed, next to the door to the bathroom. He had never owned many clothes and when he had left with Jiraiya, he had taken most of them with him. It was probably empty except for some holey socks.
He looked down at the nightstand next to him. There stood the picture of the old Team Seven. He hadn't felt like taking it with him when he left, but neither did he have the heart to throw it away.
Naruto grabbed the picture frame and stared at it. Sakura in the middle, smiling, happy about being placed on a team with her precious Sasuke-kun. Kakashi, patting his and Sasuke's heads, smiling his famous one-eyed smile. His blond self, glancing at Sasuke, his rival; the envious look in his blue eyes spoke volumes. Sasuke... a broody and rather unhappy look on his face. Naruto sighed. Had Sasuke already been thinking about leaving Konoha back then? But no, it wouldn't make sense. It was only after Orochimaru put the Cursed Seal on him during the Chuunin Exams that Sasuke's need for revenge and power reached an unhealthy level.
Shaking off the depressing thoughts, the blond opened the top drawer of the nightstand to hide the photograph, when his eyes fell on a long-forgotten Konoha forehead protector. He pulled the drawer out completely. The crossed out Konoha insignia glistened in the light, as if mocking him. It was Sasuke's old Hitai-ate; the one he had worn during their fight in the Valley of the End. With his free hand Naruto took it out. The dark blue cloth felt smooth under his fingers. He ran his thumb over the scratch he had created on it with his rasengan. This scratch was the only proof that he had been able to stand up to Sasuke – until he had shoved the chidori through his chest, aiming to kill. The proof for that was the ugly scar right over his heart.
Suddenly angry, Naruto threw the picture and the headband into the drawer and shut it forcefully; the wooden nightstand shaking from the violent treatment.
Naruto leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. He buried his face in his hands, breathing in and out deeply, trying to get rid of the sudden whirl of emotions. What was wrong with him? Only earlier this morning, everything had been alright, more than that even. And now he was almost breaking down from taking a look at a freaking photograph? Kyuubi felt his distress and tried to force his chakra onto him. Shuddering from the effort to suppress the demon's evil intentions, Naruto clawed at the pain in his chest. Why was the dull ache hurting so much at times like these?
Five weeks earlier: somewhere in an underground lair in Otogakure
Sasuke lay panting on Orochimaru's bedroom floor.
He had succeeded. Orochimaru was dead and the Snake Sannin would never take over his body. Even though his sensei had been seriously weakened, the fight had taken its toll on the Uchiha.
Did he regret killing his sensei? No, definitely not. Sasuke had never felt any kind of attachment to the snaky bastard. He had been only another means to get stronger, to fuel his hatred. What would happen if word of Orochimaru's death reached the Elemental Nations? Would someone come after him? It actually surprised the raven a little that until now no one had tried to retrieve him again. But why was he expecting it anyway? Was it because he couldn't shake off the thought of a certain blond dobe? Very deep inside of him, Sasuke felt a tiny spark of disappointment that the boy had not tried to 'rescue' him again. Naruto had seemed to be so intent on bringing him back to Konoha during their fight. He had even cried, begged him to return home with him. But he had severed that bond... Had he actually been successful? Was that why no one was looking for him? Unconsciously, Sasuke's hand reached up to claw at his heart. The dull ache was pulsing through his chest, reminding him of too painful memories, buried deep inside of his avenger's heart. Why was the dull ache hurting so much at times like these?
Sasuke's breathing became less strained and he slowly lifted himself up to his feet. He grabbed his large chokuto from the ground and slit it back in the sheath strapped to his lower back. On slightly unsteady feet, he left the dark room. He had no time to lose.
His plan was simple. Kill Orochimaru and escape. He had not had much time to come up with it, so it was not really well thought-out. His dark eyes scanned his surroundings as he was walking through the corridors. Kabuto had left the hide-out to get new medicine for his master, but it was only a matter of time till he came back. And right now, Sasuke had to be realistic; normally, Kabuto was no match for him, but in his now weakened state, he needed to escape as quickly as possible.
But first he needed to get to the laboratories. He had decided on gathering a team for his next mission; which was finding Itachi and then killing him. But being chased by Oto-nin and possibly Kabuto himself, could prove more difficult than he anticipated. Crossing through a large hall, he opened a door, which led to Orochimaru's main lab.
Straightening up a little, the raven walked over to a water tank, in which Orochimaru kept one of his live experiments. A white-haired boy about his own age, regarded him curiously, as Sasuke stopped in front of him.
Sasuke wasn't really sure why he chose the boy to help him, but he had met him several times already and even though his belligerent attitude was annoying, Sasuke also knew that Hozuki Suigetsu was a skilled shinobi. So the boy would escape with him.
It was not that Sasuke felt pity to leave him behind, his intentions were purely self-serving. It would just be easier for him to escape the Land of Sound with a second person to help him defeat the ninja Kabuto would undoubtedly send after him.
Besides, Sasuke needed to admit to himself that he had no idea where to find his brother. He had to begin somewhere and again, having a second pair of eyes helping him, might prove useful. Furthermore, he was planning on assembling two more of Orochimaru's followers. A girl named Karin, who was a very skilled sensor and currently in charge of one of the Sannin's bases, and a man called Juugo, who was imprisoned in yet another base. He had met the three during his three years with Orochimaru and they were the most fitting for his plans. Besides, he was sure that they would follow him instead of Orochimaru.
Listening half-heartedly to Suigetsu's demand of retrieving some sword if Sasuke wanted him to follow him, Sasuke agreed, not really caring about it. He had no idea where to begin his search for his brother, so wherever they needed to go to get this sword, it was fine with him. But before they needed to escape and get the other two.
With a last glance at Orochimaru's laboratory, Sasuke and Suigetsu took off.
Naruto didn't know how much time had passed, but since it was almost dark in his poor little room, it must've been several hours. Exhaling deeply, he ran a hand over his dry, burning eyes. He had been staring into his hands for hours, trying to make sense of all the emotional chaos inside of him.
He got up from the bed, his legs and arms stiff from sitting slumped all day. He stretched his arms over his head, enjoying the feeling of his muscles relaxing. Switching on the small lamp on the nightstand – it was the only one that worked in the shabby apartment – he glanced at the watch on the wall. Realizing it was obviously broken, Naruto decided to take a quick shower before Shikamaru came to pick him up for meeting the others.
The tiny bathroom was cold, but Naruto didn't even think about turning on the heating – there was none. He undressed quickly and stepped into the shower. Ice cold water hit his body, causing him to gasp from the shock. How had he managed to forget that there was no hot water in his apartment? Trying his best to adjust to the chilling coldness, he washed and rinsed his messy blond hair as quickly as possible and hopped out of the shower. In the cupboard under the sink he found an old and thin orange towel. It was barely large enough to cover all important parts. He remembered how this towel had fallen down to his ankles when he was just a child. He had grown more than he realized.
Ignoring the dresser, Naruto went to his bed and took a scroll from out of his back pouch. Unsealing a new set of clothing, he dressed, when he felt a familiar chakra signature approaching. He walked over to the door to open it.
A pineapple-haired Nara stood in front of the door, his fist raised to knock. "Um, hi, Naruto," he said, lowering his hand.
Naruto ran a hand through his still wet hair and rubbed it with the orange towel in an attempt to get most of the water out of it. "Hey Shikamaru, just give me a second," he said and disappeared in the bathroom.
Shikamaru stared at the spot where Naruto had stood for a second. The young man was now wearing what looked like the standard jounin outfit, except for the fact that he was wearing a black tank top under the dark-green vest, instead of the longsleeve. His bare arms were muscular and tanned. Together with the shaggy blond hair of his, the ladies would love him.
Naruto came back, stepped out of his apartment and locked the door behind him. His hands shot up to pull the hood over his hair and eyes and he waved at Shikamaru, gesturing for him to take the lead.
The two walked in silence for some minutes. Naruto felt very self-conscious about being on the streets again.
Naruto saw Shikamaru opening and closing his mouth several times next to him, but no words came out. Finally, he turned to the brunette, "Just ask away, Shika, don't worry. If I don't want to answer, I just won't."
Encouraged by his words, the clan heir asked what Naruto had expected. "Three years ago, you know, when I found you being beaten... Was it because of..." he trailed off, gazing at Naruto's hidden face under the hood.
Naruto pulled it away enough for Shikamaru to see his eyes, but keeping his hair covered. "Because of the Kyuubi, you mean?" he finished for him, sighing. He had never talked about this to someone else of his age. "Yes," he whispered, an unreadable expression in his eyes.
"It was not the first time, was it?" Shikamaru whispered back, trying not to upset Naruto by bringing up obviously unwanted memories.
Naruto openly looked at him. What was he going to say? Deny it? Shikamaru was far too clever to believe his lies and besides, the other boy was for some unknown reason genuinely concerned about him. And he did rescue him back then. Somehow Naruto felt like he deserved to know the truth.
"No," the blond admitted, closing his eyes, "it wasn't."
Shikamaru watched the different emotions crossing over Naruto's face. He didn't need Neji's skills of reading people to see how much those memories pained Naruto. Living as a Jinchuuriki must have been even more difficult than he had dared to imagine.
"They hate me, Shika. All of them," Naruto whispered in a hollow voice that somehow was more painful to hear than an actual show of emotion. The blond looked at him. "The villagers despise me for having sealed the Kyuubi in me. I won't lie to you, because I know you won't accept it. But just please, don't feel pity for me!" His blue eyes were cold and daring Shikamaru to tell him he felt sorry for him. But Shikamaru knew better than to anger him now.
"Beatings were one of my lesser problems," he went on and shrugged, as if being beaten was indeed nothing. "They won't let me buy food or charge me twice the money for bad products. But you know... Someday they will stop seeing the demon in me and acknowledge me..."
Shikamaru saw the determination in Naruto's eyes, but there was insecurity in his voice and an almost longing tone to it. Naruto was obviously still dreaming of being recognized by the Konoha citizens and Shikamaru was unable to imagine how hard it must've been for him to grow up with the knowledge that the village he lived in hated him. He remembered how he had heard some of the civilians call Naruto a demon, telling him to die. What kind of person would do this to a helpless child? Shikamaru felt disgusted, knowing that he fought for those people everyday, risked his life for people, who had no qualms about beating up a child. A child without a family, with no one that cared about it. Shikamaru stared into Naruto's too blue eyes, which were silently pleading Shikamaru to tell him it was really going to happen one day; that the villagers would overcome their hatred one day. Was that why the child Naruto had so desperately tried to get everyone's attention? Why he had dreamed of becoming Hokage? Before Shikamaru knew it, the question had left his mouth.
"To become Hokage?" Naruto mused, "Well, it was a dream once, but I don't think I want to be Hokage any more. There is so much else to do right now." And it's very unlikely that the villagers will ever accept me as their leader, he added silently.
Shikamaru sensed the unspoken words and saw the impassive acceptance in Naruto's gaze. It made him sad to see the blond boy so unlike his usual bubbly self, something like resignation in his eyes. But maybe Naruto had always been like this deep inside; no one could endure such a treatment completely unharmed after all.
"Like hunting the Akatsuki?" Shikamaru prompted, intently staring at him.
Naruto nodded. "You know, I just can't wait for them to attack me any moment, always trying to hide or run away. That's just not who I am."
His ocean blue eyes gazed at him, too many emotions in them for Shikamaru to comprehend them all. But a new sparkle lit up in them, reminding Shikamaru of the feral glow in them, the moment Naruto had told them about hunting down the members of the Akatsuki. Years before, one would see this glow in his eyes when he talked about becoming Hokage. His dream had apparently changed, but still, it was not less ambitious at all.
Shikamaru marvelled at Naruto's personal growth. The child Naruto would have been rambling by now, shouting about his dream and whatnot. But the young man in front of him was considerate and showing an intelligence that Shikamaru had never connected his younger self to. He realized that he liked this version of Naruto better, even if he was sad about the circumstances that had brought on these changes.
Giving in the urge to comfort him, although Naruto had threatened him not to show him pity, the Nara suddenly closed his arms around his Naruto's form, pulling him against his chest.
A surprised Naruto stood stiffly for a second, before carefully returning the hug. Shikamaru was warm and he smelled of a fresh shower. Why was he hugging him? It was not pity, Naruto felt it. But what was it then?
"Why do you care about me so much, Shika?" the blond whispered, but the brunette heard her clearly.
Chuckling softly to himself, Shikamaru realized that this was the third time someone asked him why he cared so much about Naruto. The first time, it had been Jiraiya, right after he had rescued the boy from his attackers; the second time, it had been Kakashi, only some weeks ago, when Shikamaru had asked him if the rumours about Naruto's return were true; and now, the third time, it was the boy himself, asking him the very same question. And once again, he gave the very same answer, speaking into the cloth of Naruto's hood that hid his sunny hair.
"Why wouldn't I care about you, Naruto? I consider you a good friend of mine."
Naruto was stunned. Shikamaru considered him a friend? A good friend even? But why? What did he know about him after all? Sure, they had played together during academy days, but was that enough to call someone a friend? Naruto remembered his own naiveté and how he used to call Sakura his friend when the pink-haired girl had repeatedly insulted him and openly disliked him from the beginning.
Shikamaru could almost hear Naruto's brain working through the confusion that seemed to have followed his words. He chuckled again and tightened the hug. "Don't ask why, Naruto, just accept it."
With that he loosened his hold on Naruto and turned around, walking away towards the restaurant in which their friends were waiting.
"Come on, idiot! We're already late," he called over his shoulder and shoved his hands in his pockets.
Naruto felt his mouth hanging open. He quickly closed it. He hugged himself, savouring the warm feeling that was left after the other boy's hug. It was not a lover's gesture, rather brotherly, offering comfort, showing him that he was not as alone as he had assumed.
A friend? Naruto wondered. Bonds? Was he really forming bonds again? Had the incident with Sasuke not shown him how stupid it was to form bonds? How easy it was to be hurt? Gaara had said it was all about trust. Was he trusting Shikamaru? What reason did he have not to? Was there actually one? The boy had been surprisingly nice and thinking back, he had never been mean to him during academy days. And now he was his team mate. Naruto really needed to trust his team mates. Did it mean forming bonds again? It probably did. Was he okay with it? It felt nice to call Shikamaru his friend. And for a team to function properly, he needed to rely on the guys. How would he do it, if he wasn't able to trust them?
This is more difficult than I had anticipated. How come he had not realized that all his plans included new bonds, trust and people who helped him. He wasn't alone any more. He had his team and that was what he had wanted. Was he really that blind to not see that his former belief in bonds was slowly returning to him?
There were so many questions Naruto found no answer to. But Shikamaru had unknowingly pushed his thoughts into a direction that he had avoided to take. On one hand the Nara had set off all those stupid questions, on the other hand, he had also provided Naruto with one clear answer. He did neither feel threatened by the idea to form a bond of friendship with the other boy, nor did Naruto feel like it was wrong. Instead, he knew that he couldn't go on like this, mistrusting and apprehensive of everyone.
This is all stupid Sasuke-teme's fault! Naruto spat inwardly, cursing the raven, who continuously invaded his thoughts. But had it actually ever helped the Uchiha to cut off all bonds and ties? Naruto didn't know how his former best friend was faring under Orochimaru's tutelage, but one thing he was now sure of. Sasuke was alone. And Naruto now had a team.
Naruto stared at Shikamaru's retreating back. Sadly, the boy – his friend – didn't see the somehow entranced smile on his lips.
Some minutes later, the two arrived at the restaurant. Shikamaru stopped in front of the entrance, turning around to Naruto. He looked at him, searching for his eyes under the hood. "You know, this hood is really troublesome."
The blond shrugged. The hood was his only protection against the hateful stares of the villagers; he wasn't going to admit his current weakness, though. He still hadn't dared to take it off, even though he was walking with Shikamaru. Later, he told himself, but apparently, the Nara had other plans.
He removed his hands from his pockets and lazily but determinately reached up, pulling the hood off Naruto's head, revealing his sunny blond hair and ocean blue eyes – which were now darting glances left and right. It somehow reminded Shikamaru of a caged animal. Was Naruto really that afraid of being seen by the villagers? Once again the scene from the alley came back to him and he sighed inwardly. No surprise that the boy in front of him wasn't too enthusiastic about meeting those people. Deciding to make him feel better, Shikamaru grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him along after him.
The boy stumbled into the restaurant close at his heels, surprised about the usually lazy boy's sudden initiative.
Shikamaru expected their friends to be sitting at their usual table and indeed, he was proven right, as all of the other rookie nine – minus Sasuke, of course – but plus Team Gai and Sai, came into view. He saw that there were still two free spots, between Kiba and Neji. It seemed as if the two boys were already thinking like a real team, intending to sort of shield their new captain from the others in the middle of them. Appreciating the gesture, he cleared his throat, for that their friends would stop their animated chatter.
Everyone looked up at the newest guests and Shikamaru graced them with a lazy wave of his free hand. The other was still holding tightly onto Naruto's. Squeezing it comfortingly, he pulled him into view and several surprised gasps sounded from the gathered shinobi.
The boy himself was holding his breath. This was one of the moments he had dreaded the most. He was already unbelievably grateful for his new team mates' acceptance, but who knew whether the reunion with his old class mates would go as smoothly. He was oddly aware of the stares he received. What would they say? Would they be mad at him for not properly saying good-bye all those three years ago? Would they even care about him any more?
Naruto's eyes caught Neji's level gaze. Almost unnoticeably, the Hyuuga bowed his head at him; both a gesture of respect and greeting. Kiba grinned at him, baring his fangs, the red triangle tattoos on his cheeks stretching. He saw Sakura's green eyes staring at him, shyly and insecure. Sai was there, too; his dark eyes smiling his fake smile as usual.
"Na-Naruto?" a disbelieving female voice questioned loudly. Naruto's eyes snapped to the bleach-blonde girl, Yamanaka Ino. Once again, Naruto was surprised as the girl jumped up from her cushion, dancing over to Naruto and hugged him.
Naruto stood stiffly, not exactly knowing how to react. This is good, just hug back, the voice of instinct spoke to him quietly. Knowing he could rely on his instincts, Naruto slowly hugged back; since his one hand was still locked with Shikamaru's it was a bit awkward, but Ino had already let go and was now looking up at him. Her pale blue eyes wandered over Naruto's body and Ino suddenly laughed.
"Naruto, who would have thought that you finally developed a sense of fashion during those three years?" she laughed, winking at Naruto approvingly. This made the others look at the missing blond more closely.
Next to Naruto, Shikamaru shook his head. "Troublesome," he muttered, as all of them checked Naruto out. The most striking feature was probably the lack of the colour orange, which Ino had already referred to. The fact that Naruto was now wearing a jounin vest also meant that he had been promoted. The ANBU tattoo was not visible, hidden under a henge. His frame was broader than all those years ago and his body was living proof for how hard he trained.
Feeling a little self-conscious, Naruto let go of Shikamaru's hand, squeezing it in thanks before, and put on a cheery grin. It looked so much like his old childish grin, that it easily fooled most of his old class mates. Neji, being the master of reading body language, narrowed his eyes at the boy. He saw through the fake grin, as seemed to do Kiba, because the Inuzuka now called for Naruto to join them at the table, patting the cushion next to him.
Naruto ignored Neji's scrutinizing gaze and walked over to Kiba, sitting down next to him. Shikamaru took the last free cushion between Naruto and Neji. Ino also sat back down and started questioning Naruto about his travels with Jiraiya.
Naruto found it hard to tell them about it. The three years had gone by so fast, he had experienced so many different things and he now felt like he didn't want to reveal everything about it. The time had also been sort of very private and he had no desire to let them know of all the things he had felt and seen. So he talked about minor things, like the different countries he had seen, the people he had met and so on. It was way easier to talk about other topics instead of about himself.
Pausing for a moment, chewing on a piece of meat, Lee took the chance to speak up. "Naruto-san, it is a pleasure to see how the youthfulness burns brightly in you! I can't wait to tell Gai-sensei of your youthful adventures!" He finished with a 'yosh' and punched his fist in the air, very energetically.
Tenten face-palmed exasperatedly, even though – or maybe because – she was used to her former team mate's antics.
"Naruto," Ino began, "will you go on missions again? With your old team?" She was referring to Team Kakashi plus Sai instead of Sasuke.
My old team? Naruto mused. It didn't feel like his old team. Not with Sasuke gone and Sakura hating him – or was she still? Naruto didn't know, but somehow didn't feel the energy to care much. The pink-haired girl had majorly annoyed him during the mock mission. Naruto didn't think he could work with her again in the future. Sakura's attitude towards shinobi life still needed a lot of improvement. Whatever great medic she was, she lacked skills as a shinobi and Naruto certainly wasn't planning on working on a medic squad. He had his own ANBU team, about which he felt really good. He couldn't tell the others about it, though. Joining ANBU was not a topic you discussed openly. There was a reason why it was so important to keep the members' identities a secret. Although the others had probably guessed that Neji and Kiba had joined ANBU, the two would not confirm it. And neither would he. No one expected the lazy Shikamaru to be an ANBU anyway, so there was no one really suspecting him.
Naruto gave a certain, "No," at the question whether he was rejoining Team Kakashi, but answered evasively about the other part, saying something about taking solo missions and doing more training.
The conversation took up again and Naruto was satisfied with only listening. So far, no one seemed to be mad at him for any reason and Naruto was relieved as well as angry at himself for being so insecure beforehand. It seemed that his return to Konoha had thrown him into a confusion of emotions. He was unusually insecure and churned up. Trying to shake off the feeling, he concentrated back on the others.
Shino was not saying much, just like he used to be before Naruto left. Chouji seemed content with eating, but had warmly smiled at him in welcome. Hinata had greeted him with a stuttered "N-Naruto-k-kun," which had reminded Naruto of the fact that she was the only one except for Iruka, who called her 'Naruto-kun'. After that, the Hyuuga heiress had managed to talk to him almost stutter-freely and Naruto actually enjoyed talking to the shy girl. It seemed that her meek nature had improved a little, but Naruto seriously hoped that Hinata would one day be able to lead her clan with confidence.
While talking to Hinata, Naruto noticed Kiba's entranced gaze, unwaveringly fixed on the black-haired girl. Had Hinata noticed it, too? The effect she seemed to have on the Inuzuka? Probably not, Hinata was just too oblivious to see such things. Had Kiba asked her out already? Naruto made a mental note to investigate in the future.
Naruto was interrupted from his inner musings, when a boisterous Ino squeezed herself in between Kiba and him, shoving a cup of sake in Naruto's face. The bleach-blonde raised her glass at the other blond and both emptied their cups.
"So, Naruto," Ino leaned closer, a conspiratorial grin on her lips, "Is there a girl in your life? A beautiful princess from a foreign country maybe?" She winked at the blushing Naruto.
"No, Ino," he mumbled, "there is no one."
"Mmh," Ino thought aloud, "I saw you holding hands with Shikamaru earlier, you know. You can tell me, I won't tell a soul!"
Somehow Ino's last statement left Naruto feeling very doubtful, but he couldn't deny the part about holding hands. "We-we're just friends," he assured Ino. The word 'friend' coming out of his mouth felt almost surreal. He hadn't called someone his friend since – since Sasuke had betrayed him. He felt his mood drop, but had no time to dwell on it, as Ino shot question after question at him.
"Naruto," Ino eventually cooed, her cheeks red from maybe a bit too much sake, "we have so much to catch up on! I'm so glad you're back! You know, forehead-girl is no fun since she's Hokage-sama's apprentice. She's working all the time! And Hinata is no fun either, her father is just too strict with her and she hardly has any free-time!" Her hand was patting Naruto's knee the whole time, like she was talking to a child. "I can feel it, Naruto! Things are going to change again, now that you're back in town!"
A feeling of foreboding sent a shiver down Naruto's back. Things were certainly going to change again. He just hoped it would be to the better. Feeling a bit uneasy all of a sudden, Naruto downed another cup of sake, trying to kill the churning emotions with the burning liquid.
Hours later, Shikamaru nudged Naruto with his elbow. "You alright, captain?" he mumbled, too low for the others to hear.
Naruto shot him a look. "Stop worrying about me, Shika, I'm fine," he said, suddenly overwhelmed by all that happened. The others were laughing and talking loudly, eating and drinking sake, trying to tell Naruto everything that had happened during his absence. It was too loud, too hot and too many emotions were still troubling him. The sake was not helping either, so he sighed a half-hearted apology to Shikamaru. The blond got up from his cushion and endured the protests that followed his good-bye. Neji walked him to the door, watching him closely.
"Shall I walk you home, Naruto-san?" His friendly offer was only further irritating Naruto. Did he really look so pathetic today that all of them were worried about him? He was not some weak boy that couldn't take care of himself! He was Uzumaki Naruto! And he was a damn fine shinobi! A damn fine shinobi, who is too afraid to take off his hood in public? Hiding behind it like a shield? Look at yourself, no wonder they're worried about you! You are weak!
"Naruto-san? Are you all right?" Neji's concerned eyes looked down at him.
"Sorry, Neji," Naruto averted his eyes, "I just... spaced out for a second."
Neji narrowed his eyes at the other boy suspiciously, but otherwise said nothing to the lame excuse. Naruto said good-bye and stepped out of the restaurant and into the night of Konoha's streets. Reflexively, he pulled the hood over his hair, the shield against the outside world back in place. He needn't have bothered, there was no one on the streets at this late hour. He walked alone, hands in the pockets of his pants.
He let his feet guide him and for some reason, he ended up in front of Kakashi's apartment complex instead of his own. Not bothering to knock on the door, Naruto jumped onto the balcony and quietly opened the window to Kakashi's bedroom. Being the jounin of high renown he was, Kakashi awoke almost immediately, but otherwise unalarmed, since he had recognized his student's chakra signature.
"Naruto, what's up?" he yawned, pushing himself into a sitting position.
The blond sat crouched on his window sill, looking into the darkness of his room. The hood kept his face in even more shadows and Kakashi wasn't able to see his eyes or face.
"I just met with the others," Naruto said; the tone in his voice not quite distinguishable for Kakashi.
"So how did it go?" he eye-smiled encouragingly with his both eyes, as he took his headband off for sleeping.
Naruto kept silent for some moments, then replied. "Okay, I guess. No one seemed to be mad at me. And I think they were even happy to see me again." Amazement at that realization swung in his voice, as if he hadn't yet comprehended it fully.
"See, Naruto," Kakashi said cheerily, "I told you so!" Very pleased with himself, he questioned his student about how the meeting with the other three boys had gone just this morning. Naruto told him, a steady stream of words flowing out of him, feeling more himself than for the whole day and night.
None of them wondered about how they had a quite normal conversation in the middle of the night in Kakashi's dark bedroom. Naruto felt at ease around his sensei and retelling all that had happened helped him in sorting through all the different emotions inside him.
Eventually he finished, a little breathless all of a sudden from all the talking. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness perfectly and he saw Kakashi's mismatched eyes watching him. There was a question on his mind; one he wasn't sure whether to ask, as it was both kind of private and probably a bit rude to ask. His sensei noticed his hesitation, saw him shifting on the window sill.
"Shoot, Naru!" the grey-haired jounin prompted, arching his eyebrows at him and showing the boy how much he knew him.
Naruto looked at him, a thoughtful frown on his face. "Why do you wear the mask, Kakashi?"
Naruto and the other members of Team Seven had asked themselves this question a myriad times, but never actually dared to ask. Why was Kakashi hiding his face? He didn't have some ugly scar or any other disfiguring features. Was he hiding behind it, just like him? Protecting himself against something? Or was it some entirely different reason for him?
Curious about his answer, Naruto saw Kakashi smiling at him. "Why do you wear the hood, Naruto?"
It was a typical, mysterious Kakashi-answer, which left so much space for interpretation, but still revealed so much. Reflecting on why he was wearing the mask, Naruto knew that it was personal weakness, his fear of being rejected again, of meeting those ice-cold, hateful stares. What was Kakashi avoiding? Naruto didn't know and in fact, he didn't know a lot about his sensei's past, but he wouldn't pry further. Kakashi had answered him in his own manner, telling him that their reasons for hiding their faces were probably the same, but also entirely different. But Kakashi had revealed his face to him, voluntarily. It was only then that Naruto truly understood the extent of this gesture.
Feeling suddenly warm all over, Naruto pushed his hood back over his hair, showing his sensei the hesitant but genuine grin on his face. He inclined his head at him, meeting his mismatched gaze.
"You want to stay for the night?" Kakashi asked. Anyone who would have heard that offer would immediately think of something inappropriate, but to Naruto it was just an invitation to not spend the first night alone in his empty apartment. However, Naruto shook his head, thanking him, but saying that he somehow had the feeling he needed to go to his own place.
And indeed, Naruto's instincts had been right to tell him to go home. Home? He snorted in disbelief, how could anyone call this miserable place a 'home'? But still, he felt more at home in Konoha now than just two days ago. It had to do with the honest acceptance of his three team mates, who acknowledged him, even though they knew that he was a demon. The warm welcome he had received from his former class mates had helped, too. However, it would probably still take some time until he truly felt like he belonged.
His senses were back to full alert, as Naruto smelled a vaguely familiar scent in his room. He stopped in front of the door, listening. He heard the pulsing of a heartbeat coming from the other side and suddenly he knew who it was. This day seems to be full of surprises.
Naruto opened his door and stepped inside, outwardly casual, but tensing to counter in case he was attacked. He needn't have bothered, though. The raven-haired man sitting on his wobbly kitchen chair looked oddly out-of-place in the shabby room. His onyx eyes were just the same as his brother's and Naruto needed to look away from them.
"Uchiha," Naruto said in greeting, walking over to him.
"Naruto-san," Itachi said quietly, watching him closely. "I've been waiting for you for forever."
Naruto wondered at the slightly whiny undertone in his deep voice. "What are you doing here anyway? Isn't it a little too dangerous for you to be in Konoha?"
"I'm honoured that you care about my safety, Naruto-san," he said mockingly and the blond snorted. "But the fact that I was able to enter the village undetected, is what should have you worried"
Unfortunately, Naruto had to agree with him. It seemed like Tsunade needed to seriously change something about Konoha's security precautions.
Itachi watched his reaction and the boy scowled at him. "Why are you here, Itachi? I thought you wanted to send a scroll?"
"Yes," he said, "but I wanted to talk to you in person." Naruto's heart skipped a beat. Was it already time for him to keep his promise? Were they going after Sasuke now? He wasn't sure whether he was ready for that yet.
But to his relief, it was not about Sasuke. Not yet, at least. "Did you ask the Hokage for the reports on the Uchiha massacre?" the raven asked, his voice neutral and deep.
Naruto nodded curtly. Yes, he had read said secret report. And there was actually something he needed to say. "I read it. And I want to apologize for treating you like a traitor. You don't deserve that. I am sorry, Itachi."
The man's eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever apologized to him for calling him a traitor; well, no one exactly knew that he wasn't really a traitor. "Why do you apologize?" he whispered, stunned.
His surprise grew, when Naruto continued. "All my life people have blamed and hated me for things I had no influence on. Konoha despises me for something I have no control over. But you... Everyone thinks you are a traitor, although you are actually Konoha's hero! You put the welfare of the whole village above your own. Taking all the blame on yourself and living with the shame... No one ever acknowledged what you did for Konoha, Itachi." Naruto's voice was serious and the look in his blue eyes sincere.
"You saved Konoha from the Uchiha clan's betrayal and I highly respect you for that." His look turned into a glare and his voice was cold as he went on. "But never forget that I deeply resent you for what you did to your brother."
Itachi swore Naruto's ocean blue eyes flashed crimson for a second.
"What you did to Sasuke is inexcusable to me. I understand that you only meant to protect him, but you destroyed him. I will never forgive you for that, Itachi."
The look in those blue orbs sent a shiver down Itachi's back. And it took a lot for Uchiha Itachi to feel uneasy. In a subdued and ashamed voice, he whispered, "I will never forgive myself either, Naruto-san."
Feeling the tiniest pang of guilt at how he had talked to the man, who very obviously blamed himself for his past mistakes, Naruto swallowed and cleared his throat, trying to break the guilt-filled silence. "So, why are you here...?"
Itachi looked at him and Naruto took the second chair opposite him. It creaked pitifully under his weight, but he was used to his shabby furniture and ignored the sound. The raven took a scroll from out of the depth of his Akatsuki cloak, putting it on the table between them. It looked just like the first scroll he had given him and trusting him enough by now, Naruto grabbed it and opened it. His eyes skimmed over the notes. They looked like they were written in haste, always in different situations, whenever Itachi dared to take notes that marked him as a traitor yet again.
"Deidara and Sasori," Naruto read the names out loud. The scroll contained almost only information on the two.
"Yes," Itachi said, "you know that the Akatsuki is after the Bijuu." Naruto nodded in confirmation. "We work in teams of two and each team is assigned to capture one of the Jinchuuriki. Deidara and Sasori are after the Fifth Kazekage."
"Gaara!" Naruto hissed, not liking the idea of someone going after his friend.
"Yes," Itachi confirmed, "as you know, Gaara is the Jinchuuriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku, the Ichibi. Deidara and Sasori will attack Sunagakure in exactly three weeks from now."
Naruto intently stared at him. The Uchiha's voice was hard and resolute. "I want you to interfere and kill them. So listen carefully, Naruto."
Naruto's eyes widened, but he listened as the other man wished, paying great attention to his words. He explained in detail about the team's strategies, their personalities, their abilities and whatever might be important.
Naruto digested all the information. Dawn was breaking by the time Itachi finished, painting the sky outside in colourful shades of pinks and reds. They both sat in silence.
Naruto's head was spinning from all that he had learned, but he had memorized everything as good as possible and he also had the scroll.
Itachi ran a tired hand over his onyx eyes, brushing his long bangs out of his face, making him look actually human. The early sunlight cast a golden shine on him, the dark lines under his eyes standing out against the only slightly darker skin than his brother's.
The man got up, stretching gracefully. He waved over to the bed on which Naruto had left his ANBU mask, changing the topic.
"I see they found an honourable successor for my old mask," he smiled softly, which made Naruto blink. The sight of Itachi had taken some time to get used to, but the sight of a smiling Itachi would take even more time to get used to.
Then his words caught on and Naruto's eyes widened. He now remembered the initials scratched into the back of the mask. U.I. Uchiha Itachi. Of course, he thought. "So it was yours?" he asked despite knowing the answer.
Itachi nodded, before he innocently eye-smiled at the blond. "Did you hear any skunk-jokes already?"
"What!" Naruto exclaimed, annoyed that Itachi, too, was teasing him about it, just like Kiba had.
The Uchiha chuckled. Oh yes, this night was truly full of surprises. "So you did, I assume."
"Why would you say that? It doesn't look like a skunk at all!" the blond defended his animal mask.
"Well, it actually is a skunk, you know," he chuckled and at Naruto's incredulous face, grabbed the mask from the bed and walked over to him. Pointing to the red markings on the porcelain mask, he asked, "Do you see these lines?"
"Yes," of course Naruto saw them, duh.
"Look more closely," the man advised and Naruto now saw that the red markings looked slightly different than the black ones. Like they had been added to the mask later on...
"Imagine the mask without the red markings, with only the black ones," Itachi ordered and Naruto squinted his eyes, looking at the mask closely.
His eyes widened in realization. Without the red markings, the supposed weasel mask looked like a freaking skunk! "Nooo, why?" he almost whined, all illusions of having a weasel mask destroyed.
Itachi laughed at Naruto's unhappy face. "I reacted just like you when the Sandaime gave me this mask. Who wants to be known as a skunk, right?" His laughter faltered a little at the memory. "So I added the red markings and told everyone it was a weasel," he confessed and winked at the blond.
Naruto stupidly blinked at him. Who would have thought that Uchiha Itachi could wink, chuckle, laugh and also deceive everyone about his ANBU mask? But frankly, who would honestly want to be known as a skunk? Naruto was so glad that Kiba didn't hear this. And he'd make sure that no one ever heard of it in the future.
Itachi's face returned to serious once more, which made Naruto sober up. He looked at the raven, waiting for what he was going to say next. "Did news about Orochimaru reach Konoha yet?"
Naruto shook his head. No news about the Snake Sannin. He dreaded those news and his heart rate increased despite his will.
"Apparently, my little brother killed Orochimaru about five weeks ago."
Naruto was unable to suppress the shocked gasp that escaped his lips. Sasuke had killed his sensei? Naruto felt relief wash over him. He clawed at his chest unintentionally. The teme had not let Orochimaru take over his body. But what now? Would he come back? Did Naruto actually care?
"Where is he now?" he wanted to know.
"My last information is that he's gathering a team. To come after me and kill me," he sighed. "But I have no idea about his current whereabouts. It's not easy to hide my movements from the Akatsuki and my partner. But Sasuke is looking for me. He will find me when I decide it."
Naruto nodded. If each of them was looking for the other, they were bound to meet eventually. But it seemed as if Itachi thought that the right time had not yet come.
"I wished we could go after him right now, but there is so much we need to take care of, Naruto-san," the raven looked at him almost pleadingly, trying to make him understand, why he put off rescuing his beloved brother. "I want the Akatsuki dead as much as you want."
Itachi suddenly coughed, clasping a hand over his mouth. His shoulders shook violently and his skin paled visibly. Naruto felt strangely worried and got up, supportingly grabbing Itachi's arm. Naruto's sensitive nose smelled blood and he arched his eyebrows at the man. What was happening?
Itachi's coughing fit subsided and he straightened up again, eyes not looking at Naruto's questioning gaze. "It's nothing," he mumbled hoarsely. Naruto didn't believe him. Coughing up blood was not 'nothing'. But Naruto was not close enough to the man to further pry into his privacy.
The raven turned away, his back to Naruto. "Be ready in three weeks, Naruto-san. You will hear from me again after that." He shot a last glance at the blond over his shoulder, eyes red from the coughing. "Take care," he whispered and shunshined away.
Naruto stood alone in his now brightly illuminated room. What a weird first day. So much had happened. And yet things were almost going too slow for him.
He had three weeks to come up with a plan to rescue Gaara and defeat two of the most feared shinobi in the Elemental Nations. Easy-peasy, he thought sarcastically, fuelled by both the lack of sleep and the sake that was still flowing through his system.
The blond squinted his eyes as the first rays of sunshine blinded him. Rushing to the bathroom, he freshened up and tucked his blond hair into the hood. He grabbed his Konoha Hitai-ate and tied it around his forehead. Getting his katana and training equipment from atop the dresser and pulling the hood over his eyes, Naruto 'poofed' away.
Naruto had told his team to meet him at the training grounds at sunrise. And a triviality like a night without sleep would not keep him from it. They needed to use the three weeks they were given wisely.
Next chapter: The new team sets out for their first mission! Will they be able to defeat Sasori and Deidara? (And nooo, it's not going to be like in the Anime!)
Thanks for reading everyone! Feel free to leave a review! ;)
Over and out,
xXHaneliXx