Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters in this story
Good news everyone, I just got more reviews. I only have 8 now, but who cares, I still got reviews. Also, to JLP, the reason why Naruto didn't say anything when Jiraiya mentioned his father was because Naruto already knew beforehand. In chapter 5, when Naruto was explaining why he hid his strength, there is a line that says "After Mizuki's arrest, Iruka sat Naruto down and told him everything". Iruka was the one who told Naruto about his father being the 4th Hokage, at least in this story. You have to pay attention to the small details too. Otherwise, you might miss something. And I'll explain why Sasuke protects Naruto even though Naruto is stronger and can fend for himself in the next chapter. With all that said, enjoy chapter 10. This chapter probably won't be that good because I really didn't know what to right for this chapter, so everything is just something I thought of off the bat.
More Than Just Comrades
Chapter 10
It was the afternoon of the next day and the Ninja Academy had let out 35 minutes ago. It was Friday, and Naruto and Sasuke were enjoying the beginning of their weekend by playing catch in the park with a football. There was still at least 20 minutes before they had to go to the training field, so the two lovers were taking it easy until then. They continued to throw the football back and forth until their arms became tired. Afterwards they sat down for a small break and enjoyed the peace quiet of nature.
As they sat on the park bench flirting with each other, Tsunade appeared in a puff of smoke.
"Old hag? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked from his position on Sasuke's lap.
"Stop calling me "old hag" brat, or I'll kick your ass. And for your information, I came to inform you that you need to be at the training grounds right now." Tsunade said.
"But there's still 10 minutes left before we actually have to be at the training grounds" Sasuke said, looking at one of the light post clocks that were posted here and there around the park.
"I know, but you have a mission directly afterwards and Kakashi says that we should start training now while we still have time." Tsunade informed.
"What! Screw that! I finally get to spend more time with my boyfriend and now we have--" Naruto began before the blonde woman interrupted him angrily.
"SHUT UP!!! You haven't been on any missions for a good while, so stop your bitching and get your lazy asses to the training field or I'll drag you there" Tsunade said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
"I wonder what pissed her off" Naruto said to himself as he and Sasuke stood up to leave "I'm telling ya Sasuke, that woman has more mood swings than a pregnant woman."
Sasuke was about to chuckle, but he held it in.
"Naruto" Sasuke said in a scolding tone.
"It's true and you know it teme" Naruto replied.
As the walked towards the training grounds through town, Sasuke noticed the glares the villagers were giving Naruto as he passed by. If he could've, Sasuke would've slapped anyone who even looked their way. Naruto had not destroyed their home or killed their loved ones, the Kyuubi did. How could they look at Naruto, even when he was a small child, and see him as a demon? How could they treat someone like that? People always say that demons are evil and heartless creatures, but humanity can be the same way at times, sometimes even worse. Of course, Sasuke realized that that was something that humanity would never admit. Instead of slapping them, Sasuke merely returned the glares of the people they passed and continued on.
As Naruto and Sasuke walked on towards the training field, they passed the Yamanaka clan family flower shop and saw Ino outside watering some flowers that were still in bloom. Ino saw them approaching and cautiously waved. Sasuke only glared, but Naruto, being the person he is, happily waved back. It amazed Sasuke how kind and forgiving Naruto was. Ino had never liked Naruto and would always make his life hell every chance she got. Yet, Naruto still respected her. Then again, that's what Sasuke liked about Naruto. He was always happy and respected everyone, even if they were a total dick to him. It kind of made you feel guilty for being mean to him in a way.
"Hey Ino" Naruto said as he and Sasuke walked up.
"Hey...Naruto" Ino said nervously.
Ever since yesterday when Sasuke went off on her and Sakura for saying some really nasty things to Naruto, Ino's conscience had been nagging at her. She had not slept that night and had barely eaten. How would you cope if the boy you liked hated you for even existing? Not only that, she kept thinking about Naruto. As she thought back more and more, she realized that even after all the shit she had put Naruto through, he never once fought back, despite what she'd heard about him being evil and the vessel of a demonic fox. Naruto had never hit her, yelled at her, or done anything that would cause Ino to hate him. Yet she hated him because of an assumption. Naruto wasn't the the monster here....she was, and it had taken her this long to finally see that.
"Whatcha doin?" Naruto asked.
"Nothing, just..uh..watering some flowers" Ino replied, backing away a few steps.
Naruto noticed this and knew she was feeling uncomfortable from yesterday. Realizing this, Naruto decided that they better go. He hated making Ino feel this way.
"Ok...well, me and Sasuke have to get to the training grounds, so I'll see you later" Naruto said as he and Sasuke were about to walk off.
"Naruto, hold a sec" Ino said, gently grabbing Naruto's shoulder.
The blonde vessel turned around and looked at her.
"What's up?" he asked
"Can I talk to you in the flower shop for a minute?" Ino asked nervously as she sat her watering can on the stand the plants were resting on.
"Sure, we have time to spare" Naruto said. He then turned to the bored looking raven behind him "Wait here Sasuke, I'll only be a minute"
"Whatever, just don't take too long" Sasuke replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Naruto followed Ino into the flower shop and she turned to him
"Naruto, I'm sorry for what I said to you the other day. In fact, I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to you in the past. I only acted that way because I saw the adults acting that way towards you and then I heard that you had some kind of monster sealed inside of you. I assumed that it was true and I put you through a lot of fucked up things during your childhood that I'm not proud of. After thinking about it, I realized that you never fought back even though I would bully you and now I know that I was wrong. I understand if you don't forgive me. I wouldn't forgive myself either. But, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry" Ino explained, a lone tear appearing in her eye and dropping to the floor.
As Ino dropped her head in shame from being unable to even look Naruto in the eye, she suddenly felt herself being pulled into Naruto's warm chest. This action, of course, surprised the hell out of the blonde haired girl. Naruto was supposed to hate her right now, but instead he was comforting her.
"I've already forgiven you Ino-chan, but thank you for apologizing anyway" Naruto said as he gently stroked her back.
Ino pulled away in confusion.
"Naruto, I don't understand. After everything I've ever put you through, why do you still forgive me? I....don't deserve forgiveness. I don't deserve you kindness. I've treated you like crap since we were kids without even getting to know you. I've been no better than anyone else you've met in your life, but yet you forgive me. Don't you...hate me? Ino asked.
This hadn't gone like she had thought it would. She figured Naruto would slap her and spit in her face like she did to him when they were kids. She thought he would throw her apology back in her face, that's what anyone else would've done. Instead, he forgave her even though she deserved to be hated. Now she knew for sure she was wrong about the blonde in front of her all along. If Naruto was evil, he would hit her back whenever she beat him up. If Naruto was evil, he would've yelled back at her. If Naruto was evil, he never would've forgiven her, but he did.
"No, I don't hate you Ino. I should, but I can't. More hate doesn't solve anything. Also, I understand why you acted the way you did. You didn't want the villagers to treat Sakura the same way they treated me, so turned her against me. I understand the reason behind it, so I'm not mad at you. You were my enemy because of a misunderstanding. If I were to hate you, the cycle would never end and we'd just become bitter towards each other. I want us to be friends, if you'll accept." Naruto explained.
Ino smiled and, walk forward, pulled Naruto into a tight hug.
"Of course I accept Naruto-kun. Thank you for forgiving me, even though I don't deserve it." Ino replied happily after releasing Naruto. She knew she didn't even deserve Naruto as a friend, but she was glad he was here anyway. After patching things up between them, the two walked back outside.
"Bye Naruto-kun!" Ino waved as Naruto and Sasuke walked off. She then went back to watering her flowers, smiling happily now that her conscience was satisfied and she had made a new friend.
Meanwhile, with the two lovers, Sasuke could not believe Naruto actually forgave Ino. He had heard the whole conversation from outside and was expecting Naruto to at least yell at the girl, but he didn't. Instead, he saw it from her point of view and forgave her. What he could he say, Naruto had a kind heart.
"You know dobe, you really are one of a kind" Sasuke said as the training grounds came into view.
"I know, but that's why you love me teme" Naruto said while smiling.
As soon as Naruto and Sasuke arrived at the training grounds, they were not surprised that Kakashi Hatake was was not present. Once again, the masked Jonin was running late and they could not begin training until he arrived, so Jiraiya, Tsunade, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke had to wait around until then. They had hoped that Kakashi was on his way, but after 15 minutes had passed, their hopes of starting anytime soon were crushed.
Kakashi did not arrive until another 10 minutes later. Upon his arrival, he was met with a lot of angry glares.
"Kakashi sensei, where the hell have you been!!?" Naruto demanded angrily. He was anxious to resume working on the Rasengan again.
"Sorry I'm late everyone. I got lost on the road of life." Kakashi said casually.
"LIAR!!!" both Naruto and Sakura yelled at the same time, causing Kakashi to rub the back of his head nervously and sweat drop.
"Anyway, now that I'm here, let's begin training" Kakashi, uncovering his Sharingan eye.
The members of Squad 7 went with their respective masters to the spots where they normally trained and began training as soon as they arrived since they had lost so much time because of a certain Jonin.
With Kakashi and Sasuke, Kakashi was still working with Sasuke to help him learn the chidori. The chidori is a jutsu that channels a large amount of lightning chakra to the user's hand. The amount of chakra used for the technique is so great that the chakra becomes visible and the opponent can actually see it in the users hand. The high concentration of electricity produces a sound that sounds like many birds chirping, hence the name Chidori. The technique is classified as an assassination technique because the user must charge forward and thrust their hand into the target at high speeds.
By using the Sharingan to copy the technique, Sasuke had learned how to do it in one day. However, he could only use it twice per day and his wasn't as powerful as Kakashi's. Sasuke had requested that Kakashi teach him the upgraded version of Chidori, called the Lightning Blade. Kakashi firmly said no, as the Lightning Blade required better chakra control and it required more chakra to use than the Chidori. It would put a much greater strain on Sasuke after only one use and Sasuke's body couldn't handle that just yet. Currently, Kakashi was teaching Sasuke how to master the principles of lightning manipulation and how to perform other lightning based jutsus without the need of hand seals.
With Naruto and Jiraiya, Naruto was making fast progress with learning the Rasengan. Since the Rinnegan allowed the user to quickly learn and master any jutsu, Naruto was already on the third step and was almost finished. He just had to spin the water inside the balloon while using a much denser chakra that could easily cause the balloon to break and he had to spin the water without moving the balloon itself. It seemed near impossible to do, but for Naruto, it was as easy as breathing. By holding concentration, Naruto had been able to keep the water spinning perfectly inside the balloon for 5 minutes straight.
Jiraiya was beyond impressed. The Rasengan was an A-rank move that would take weeks or even months for a genin to learn. It had taken Jiraiya himself 5 and half weeks to even get past stage 1. Yet Naruto had already almost finished learning it in only 2 days!! How he did it, Jiraiya did not know, but he was guessing that it had something to do with the Rinnegan. He was sure of it and it just made him that much eager to learn more about it.
"Okay, now what Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked after he was done with step 3 and handed the water balloon back to Jiraiya.
"Now use everything you learned from steps 1, 2, and 3 and shape the Rasengan in your hand using the wind" Jiraiya instructed.
Naruto did as he instructed and concentrated, manipulating the wind and concentrating it to his palm in the same way he had manipulated the water inside the balloon.
In minutes, the Rasengan was formed and spinning in Naruto's hand. Again, Jiraiya was impressed. He'd had to use shadow clones when he first started. He wasn't able to form it in one had until he became an adult and had more practice with it. Naruto just continued to surprise him each day.
"Look, I did it!" Naruto exclaimed. He looked around and, after spotting a huge tree only a few feet away, charged forward. Naruto thrusted his hand into the tree and the Rasengan grinded away half of the tree's thick trunk before dispersing in Naruto's hand. He smiled in satisfaction. He had not used very much chakra that time just to see what would happen, but he was happy with the results.
"Excellent work Naruto" Jiraiya said when Naruto walked back over "I didn't expect you to learn it this fast"
"So now what will we do?" Naruto asked, eager to learn more new jutsus.
Jiraiya was tempted to teach Naruto how to use other techniques based off of the Rasengan, but he would teach those to Naruto later. Right now he had to work on Naruto's taijutsu skills.
"That's all we'll do for today Naruto. For the time being, let's work on your taijutsu. It seems to be your weakest area" Jiraiya informed him
Naruto nodded and got into a fighting stance, his Rinnegan activated and ready.
Jiraiya got into his own stance and then charged at Naruto....
As for Tsunade and Sakura, Sakura was quickly starting to get the hang of chakra enhanced strength because of her excellent chakra control. So far she could only knock down medium sized trees and make a few dents in large boulders, but it was a start. Currently, Tsunade was working with Sakura to teach her to dodge the enemies attacks if she was to survive in battle. In order to do this, she charged at Sakura at full force and had Sakura dodge hern attacks for as long as she could. Sakura took a few hard hits and recieved a few bruises, but she was making good progress.
Squad 7 continued to train until around 6:00 when they were summoned to the Hokage Tower. After saying good bye to Jiraiya and Tsunade, Squad 7 and Kakashi made their way to the Hokage's office to recieve their assignment. The current reigning Hokage, or village leader, was the Sandaime, or 3rd, Hokage. He had come out of retirement and resumed the Hokage position when the 4th Hokage died. The 3rd Hokage really didn't look all that old. He had a goatee and his hair was grey instead of black like it used to be. He had a few liverspots here and there and a few wrinkles. Other than that, he didn't look his age, of 69, at all. He was currently working on some paper work when Squad 7 and Kakashi walked in. He looked up and smiled warmly, but his warm smile was replaced with a look of surprise when he saw young Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki come in holding hands.
"Is there something going on here that I should know about? "Hiruzen Sarutobi, the 3rd Hokage, asked.
"Yes, it would appear that Naruto and Sasuke have fallen in love" Kakashi said simply
Both lovers had expected the old man to become disgusted, but instead he just smiled warmly.
"In that case, I wish you two the best of luck and may your relationship prosper" the 3rd Hokage said.
"You mean, your not...upset old man?" Naruto asked
"Oh heavens no. In fact, this reminds me of the time Kakashi and Iruka first started dating" The Hokage replied matter of factly.
"What!! Kakashi sensei and Iruka sensei go out!!" Sakura asked, more like yelled, on the verge of feinting from surprise.
'I didn't know Kakashi and Iruka were going out. I really don't know either of my sensei's at all' the pink haired ninja thought.
"Yes, we do. I'm surprised nobody told you" Kakashi said casually, turning to look at her.
"This is gonna take some getting used to" Sakura said "Anyway, you called us for a mission Hokage sir?"
"Oh yes, I hate to ask this, but I need you all to escort a few members of the Fuma Clan back to Kirigakure" The third Hokage said " The trip back to Kirigakure is treacherous and is filled with many bandits that have been attacking passer-byes. This has to be classified as an A-rank mission I'm afraid. I understand that this may be quite difficult for you Genin, but all the other teams are away and your team was the only one that is available at the moment. The Fuma Clan members are already waiting at the village gates. Here is the scroll that holds your instructions"
The 3rd Hokage handed Kakashi their scroll.
"Wait a moment" Sasuke said "The Fuma Clan is one of the most fiercest battle clans around. Why would they need assistance from us?"
"Because currently, they are defenseless. They do not have any weapons on them to protect themselves and they happen to be near our area, so they came to us for help" The Hokage explained.
Squad 7 nodded in understanding and left the Hokage Tower. After stopping by their homes to pack their things, they made their way to the village gates. Sasuke and Naruto held hands the whole way there and people kept giving them looks. Some were looks of surprise, others were looks of disgust, other's were just stares. However, nobody dared to speak out.
As Squad 7 arrived, they discovered the Fuma Clan members already waiting at the village gates, just as the Hokage had said. There were 5 members in all: 4 men and 1 woman. They wore long leather skirts and orange-rust colored armor on their chests, stomachs, legs, shins, shoulders and backs. They also wore wooden masks to cover their faces.
"So your the help?" The tallest member asked skeptically. Squad 7 assumed that he was the leader of the small group. " If this all the help we get, then were better off going alone"
Don't be fooled by appearances" Kakashi said "These Genin are strong and are highly skilled at what they do"
"We'll believe that when we see it. Until then, let's get a move on while the sun is still up" The female Fuma Clan member said. They could not see her face, but they could tell it was a woman by her voice, and by her body since she had curves.
Squad 7 nodded and got into position. Naruto took the bottom left, Sasuke took the bottom right, Sakura took the upper left and Kakashi took the upper right. After getting into their rightful positions, Squad 7 followed the Fuma Clan's instructions as they lead the way to Kirigakure, The Village Hidden in the Mist.