4 reviews last chapter!!! dances thank you SO much Gnosismaster, Z Uzumaki Z, Arch Zell, and TTrunks (yes... I am fully aware that it was blackmail forcing you all to review this way... but darnit I was DESPERATE!!! My other NaruSaku story has been up about a week and has more reviews than this one cries) Maybe you guys are the only readers... XD YAY exclusive club!
hehe sorry
Kakashi and Yamato's eyes widened when they saw their team leaving in such a hurry, and it's safe to say that they were even more disturbed when they saw who was following them.
"It seems that Sasuke heard that Itachi was alive. He gathered a team." Kakashi murmured. Yamato nodded.
"They're all from Orochimaru's lot." He said softly. Then his head shot up from watching the forest floor. "The Sakura Bijuu is leading them."
"You mean... They know what we did?" Kakashi asked, looking at his friend. "Do they know all that we do?"
"Possibly not. Well, it goes without saying that we should go after them."
Both Shinobi sighed and dashed off ahead, taking the shortcut route.
And I was hoping to finish the chapter I was on... Kakashi thought absent mindedly; thinking of his book. Then he was suddenly reminded of his past, maybe it was this makeshift mission Naruto and the others had just embarked on.
Kakashi sat in the sunshine with Obito and Rin, they'd arrived late for training but their sensei was nowhere to be seen. He was sat lazily against the wall surrounding Konoha while Obito was kicking at a tuft of grass. The warm sun, however, proved too tempting for Rin; she was laid on the grass smiling, that is, until a bit of dirt landed on her face.
"Obito!" She sat up in annoyance, but the boy just grinned, adjusting his goggles slightly.
Rin smiled a bit and turned to Kakashi, who looked away, pretending he hadn't noticed the two other Genin. They were such a bother.
They all squinted in the direction of a twig snapping noise; coming over the horizon was a tall, slim man with shaggy blond hair, held back by only a blue Konoha headband across his forehead. He was wearing dark commonplace ninja wear but with a long white and red coat.
"Minato-kun!" Rin and Obito called out.
"Hokage-Sensei." Kakashi murmured, correcting them.
The man before them smiled his broad, cheerful smile, rubbing the back of his head. "Heh... No problem Kakashi-kun." He looked at Kakashi's expression of distaste and stopped smiling, "Well, actually, you can call me whatever you want, but I'm your friend too." He sighed. "Kakashi-kun, are you angry that I'm late?"
"Yes... Minato-sensei." The boy murmured.
"Well, there is a reason for it, you three need to learn patience, life is not to be rushed, or else before you know it, it is over. And you're alone." He paused for effect. "Dead. It's the inevitable end."
"Great way to cheer us up sensei." Rin folded her arms.
Yondaime smiled, "It's not that depressing, when you die, then the next generation is free to build on the foundations that you laid. We are always building on what the previous generation left behind for us, this is the way it has always been, and it's good."
"But what if we die tomorrow sensei?"
"That's always a possibility, but if it's true, then your influence will still always be there for people to build on, your life will always warm a heart that would otherwise be cold. As Shinobi, we would die for what we believe in, live for, is that a bad thing?" He smiled. "When I have a child, I hope that they will be influenced by you three in a huge way. They will then surely become a great ninja."
"Are you and Kushina-Sama having a baby?" Rin asked, lighting up at the thought. Yondaime looked at her and smiled, a little embarrassed.
"Eh... No, but some day, yeah."
"My uncle's having a baby." Obito chimed in. "He says he wants a boy called Itachi!"
"You look after that child, Obito-kun, he's important to you right? We should always protect those close to you."
"Kakashi doesn't." Obito pouted, Yondaime laughed.
"I'm sure he would if any of you were in danger."
Kakashi stopped thinking about them; it wouldn't help his current friends to think about lost ones. He summoned a small dog.
"Tell Tsunade-Sama about this." The dog nodded and left.
Yondaime sat with his wife on the roof. He'd been reluctant to come out but Kushina had been so persistent in asking that he'd finally conceded defeat. It was risky, but only for a short while.
"Show him to me." Kushina whispered. Minato looked at the redhead and smiled.
"You only saw him yesterday."
"I know but, I've been thinking about him a lot today. Please." She was tired; he could tell, her conversation with that masked guy, Tobi, had been tiring.
"Close your eyes." Minato said softly, kissing her forehead. He closed his own eyes and found Konoha.
"He's not there." She sounded disappointed.
"Not a problem, he must be on a mission." The man smiled, "I'll find him."
They saw the blond boy running through some woods, with Sakura and the other one, Sai. They were grim faced and anxious. Naruto's face was set and the light gone from his eyes. His girlfriend was biting her lip as she led the other two onwards.
"Where's Yamato or Kakashi-kun?" Kushina wondered, furrowing her brow. "They're an incomplete team."
Minato concentrated. "They're heading in the same direction just about 14 metres to the west." He expanded his consciousness, curious about where they were going; his eyes shot open as he noticed it.
Then Kisame ran out to the roof and caught their arms.
"Kakashi and Yamato found us earlier today, I'm extremely sorry that you weren't notified."
"Here?!" Kushina's eyes widened and she stood at the edge of the rooftop. "When will they arrive?"
"Nine minutes, at their current pace; make preparations!" Minato shouted, standing up and pulling his wife back from the edge. "We have to go inside, you're still weak."
"I want to see! Let go of me!"
"No. Kushina-chan." He took hold of her hand, "Never." She turned to him and laughed a little.
"Sorry, I guess I kind of overreacted... heh..." She turned away from the edge and allowed her husband to help her inside. "You're right; I'm still recovering from that illness."
"Yeah." They went inside, but not before Yondaime pulled Kisame close and muttered, "Call the others here, this is a siege. My wife and I will be in that room."
"Understood."
Naruto kept an eye on Sakura's back; she seemed to know exactly where to go, though she was constantly checking the area around her as though she'd never been here before.
Maybe it's the Bijuu... Is she ashamed of it?
Well, you hardly announce it to the world right?
I guess so. I wish I could help her but our experiences are too different, all I can do is be there for her.
They kept going through the woods until Sakura began to slow down.
"We're almost there."
Naruto swallowed. This was it. They came to a stop in a small town near the borders, still in the Fire country. Before them was a battered looking building in the town centre, red paint flaked off the wooden structure and green lettering on the sign above the door was so damaged that it wasn't even forming recognizable words. Naruto's eyes flickered up to the silhouette of the roof, a good four storeys up; he'd thought that there was someone up there...
"This it?" Came Sai's voice from Naruto's right. The pink-haired girl on Naruto's left nodded.
"Yes." Her voice was hoarse. Naruto looked at her; and her eyes were dead set. His, too, he knew were similar. They'd both faced revelations, but they'd cope. They always did.
Team Hebi stopped. Sasuke, Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu crouched in the trees, hiding their presences from the young ninja before them. Karin looked at the building in front as Sasuke looked at her, waiting for the report.
"Yes, Sasuke, your brother is inside... But there's something else..." She furrowed her brow; this couldn't be right.
"What now?" Suigetsu sighed, glancing at her half-amused, half-pissed with the girl who was constantly fawning over their leader. She glared at him with her mouth twisted into a pout.
"There are two people in a safe room and they're-they're very similar to that blond boy.
"Naruto." Sasuke corrected. The teammates looked at him.
Juugo looked down, "Similar how?"
The girl twisted some of her spiky hair round her finger. "Like relatives... But didn't Sasuke say that the kid was alone?"
"Yeah... Come on Sasuke, why'd you say that? Lying to us?" Suigetsu pouted, imitating Karin and batting his eyelashes. She swatted him over the head. "Ouch!"
Sasuke looked at the building in front of them, thinking deeply. Is it true? Are there relatives of Naruto inside there... with my brother?
Yamato and Kakashi arrived near the younger ninja and were met with shocked faces.
"How did you know we'd come?" Naruto asked, causing Sai to roll his eyes.
"It's not hard, assuming that we knew where this place was." He said, as Kakashi looked up at the building.
"How do we get in? Hinata or Neji would definitely be useful here. We have no idea what we'll find. I've gotten a message to Tsunade-Sama and we'll get backup teams... within two hours I estimate."
"I thought that Jirayia was out fighting the leader..." Sakura whispered. "But he's not here." Naruto looked at her in surprise.
"Ero-Sennin?" He asked, "How do you know?" The men all looked at her and she laughed a bit, embarrassed.
"Oh, uh... It's not that I eavesdrop or anything... I just... overhear sometimes, when I'm in the building..."
"You listen in?" Naruto blinked, a grin beginning to form. "Sakura-chan that's a bad thing to do."
"Shut up!" She grabbed his jacket and snarled. "I didn't mean to overhear!"
"It's okay Sakura-chan, everyone does bad things..."
"Baka!"
Sai smiled; at least they weren't dark now. "We'd better spread out."
Yamato nodded and split them all into groups of two, leaving Kakashi as the odd one out as he was most capable, with that Sharingan, Yamato paired with Naruto since he alone could control the demon fox chakra, and that left Sai and Sakura as a pair.
Before separating though, Naruto and Sakura looked each other in the eyes. Naruto swallowed, "Sakura-chan... I love you." The girl pulled him into a kiss.
"See you soon, Naruto. This won't be goodbye."
They spread out and began their entry simultaneously.
OMG They're infiltrating Akatsuki without backup or orders! Kids huh? hehe REVIEW please!!! If you've read it review it...