Summary: What does it mean to be a ninja? This is the question that guides Uzumaki Naruto through his life as a shinobi of Konoha. Along that path, witness as he meets friends, fights evil, and keeps his eyes fixed on the ultimate dream…
Rating Warning (T): This story will include fairly intense violence, occasional suggestive themes, and occasional strong language. Please use your judgment.
Disclaimer: "Naruto" and associated material belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo.
Date: August 26, 2014 (Updated September 2)
Naruto: Birth of a Ninja
Chapter 10: A Friend in Need
Wherein the team makes new friends and gain insight into one another.
Team 7's first sight of Konoha in two months was a joyous occasion – Naruto leapt into the air, hurling his empty canteen with a shout. Sakura let out a sigh, allowing her wobbling legs to finally collapse under her. Sasuke allowed himself a brief smile, peering at the polished wood of the gate that marked his return home – and Kakashi simply continued reading.
Their journey had been long, weary, and at times harrowing, but now they were home again – and home meant many things. Family (at least for Sakura), friends, rest, and most of all, safety.
Naruto led the team to the gate, where a pair of familiar faces greeted him.
"You two!" Naruto called out with a grin. Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu had been the gate guards who'd stamped Team 7's papers when they'd left the village – it was quite a coincidence that they were also the ones to welcome the Team back.
"Us two." Kotetsu smirked under the bandage that bisected his face. "You lot have been gone an awful lot longer than a week, Kakashi-san." Kakashi inclined his head slightly.
"True. Lucky I sent word back, huh?" Unstated was the warning that Kakashi should avoid making his taking of missions on the fly a habit. It wouldn't do to harass the jounin for decisions his genin had supposedly made.
Izumo nodded. "You'll want to report back to Hokage-sama. I hear congratulations are in order – a triple mission?" Kakashi smirked.
"What can I say? I've got an awesome team." The genin swelled with the praise, and practically skipping, Naruto led them to the Hokage's administrative offices. Up the stairs and through the secretary's office they went. Sitting at a small desk in the secretary's office was a young boy with brown hair sticking from a gap in his grey helmet. His round face and wide eyes spoke to his youth, and around his neck was a blue scarf that was longer than he was tall. He perked up as he saw the genin enter.
"Boss! You're back! Gramps said you were busy on a mission, and he didn't know when you'd be back, and I was bored, and -" Naruto waved a hand at him to cut him off.
"Calm down! Guys, this is Konohamaru, the Hokage's grandson. Konohamaru, these are my teammates! This is Sakura-chan – she knows how to heal people; this is Sasuke, he can shoot fire and lightning and stuff; and this is Kakashi-sensei – he's a perv." All but Kakashi smiled and quietly greeted the excited boy. Kakashi just rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's awesome to meet you guys! Wow, boss, you're a real genin and went on missions and everything! Did you save any princesses, huh? Battle missing-nins and all that?" Kakashi face-palmed as Naruto happily confirmed all of Konohamaru's misconceptions of what genin life was like. Just because Team 7 happened to have the strangest luck didn't mean that was what it was supposed to be like.
Naruto finished a highly abbreviated (and abridged) version of their long journey, noticing that his teammates were waiting patiently with their weariness in their eyes. He smiled at Konohamaru.
"Hey, I've gotta meet with your gramps now – maybe you wanna play ninja or something later?" Konohamaru nodded happily.
"Sure, boss! I'll bring a couple of my friends!"
As Team 7 turned away, Sasuke quietly asked, "Play ninja? Aren't you an actual ninja now?"
Naruto had the good grace to blush. "I mean… I didn't get to play ninja much when I was a kid… and besides! It'll be good training for the academy and all – he just started this year!" Sakura nodded sympathetically.
"It certainly couldn't hurt. Hush now – Hokage-sama's waiting!"
The Hokage's office was just as Kakashi remembered it – and much as Naruto remembered it as well, having come here often. For Sakura and Sasuke, however, it was a totally new experienced, and they were on tenterhooks entering the private dominion of their commander-in-chief. The Hokage smiled as they entered.
"The notorious – and elusive – Team 7. You have no idea how many queries I have fielded regarding your whereabouts." Kakashi assumed a more formal bearing as he stepped forward.
"Team 7 reporting, Hokage-sama – mission C-34957 was a success – bandit camp destroyed. Elimination of the targets led to the rescue of a high-value hostage, resulting in mission B-32644. Mission B-32644 was also a success, with Asahina Midori returned safely to the custody of her father, Fire Country chancellor Asahina Mikaze. Return of the principal resulted in mission B-32645. Mission B-32645 was deemed a success due to the successful protection of the principals until the date of their wedding – along with the elimination of a pair of missing-nins, ranked C and B. The evidence, as well as the details, is in this scroll."
Kakashi handed the scroll in which he'd written the mission report. The Hokage accepted it with a grave nod, and the genin almost simultaneously took a deep breath. The scroll not only contained the missions' documentation, but the heads of the two missing-nin Team 7 had defeated. Kakashi had privately decapitated the bodies after their execution, but had made sure his students understood what he was carrying.
The Hokage set the scroll to the side of his desk and steepled his fingers. "What am I going to do with you, Kakashi-kun? And you, Naruto-kun – don't think Kakashi-kun left your antics out of his report." Naruto frowned.
"Hokage-oji-sama, I… I've learned my lesson about jumping into things like this, but I believed then and now that we made the right decision. I mean, I think we'd have done the same thing again – only maybe asked Midori-hime about what was really going on first this time." Naruto was nervous – having to defend his actions before the Hokage was tough. To his surprise, Sasuke stepped forward.
"Hokage-sama – though Naruto's actions were rash, they were borne of good intention, and ultimately served Konoha well." Sakura nodded.
"Kakashi-sensei said we were given those extra three months to train because you wanted us to be the best – now we have a pair of B-ranked missions on our record, and contacts in the capital. If anything, Naruto's actions paid dividends, Hokage-sama! You can't punish him for that!"
With a sigh, the Hokage leaned back and smiled. "Well, with such an onslaught of explanations as that, I suppose there's little I can do – very well, Naruto-kun, you're off the hook. Take your teammates and head out."
Naruto, though, remained still. Sasuke and Sakura, about to leave, looked back at him – then at Kakashi, who'd stood silently all the while. Naruto shook his head.
"Hokage-oji-sama, I can't. Not until Kakashi-sensei is cleared too!" Kakashi looked down at him.
"Naruto, understand – I was well within my rights as a jounin, but certainly made a rash decision with regards to your lives. Hokage-sama's punishment probably won't be anything serious." Naruto still stood, and his teammates didn't move either. After a long pause, the Hokage smiled.
"Very well, Kakashi, take your students and leave – but I don't want you coming in here for a C-ranked mission for another few weeks at least – and not until you've dealt with the paperwork for all this shenaniganry!"
Kakashi groaned theatrically, but turned to leave, his genin following him. Naruto waved goodbye to the Hokage, and they made their way outside. Once they stood in the streets again, Kakashi turned to his students.
"That was a close shave – don't go pulling that on a regular basis. The Hokage was feeling lenient, especially because my screw-up – and Naruto's – got us huge favor in the capital and an extra pair of B-ranked missions. Naruto, you spent your time with Mikaze-sama – why don't you tell us why we should avoid doing it again?" Naruto nodded. This was an easy one.
"Because this time, he can afford to be lenient – even if we broke the rules, we had a good reason, and the rules weren't exactly hard-and-fast to begin with. If we do it again, it establishes a pattern of bad behavior – and Oji-sama can't allow that." Kakashi nodded.
"Good. Now, I'd say we lay low for the next couple weeks and take some more D-ranked missions, "Kakashi paused at his team's groans, "yes, I know how much you hate those – but remember. We need seven more completed before the Chuunin Exams – it looks like the Hokage isn't planning to reward us for our bad behavior by wiping those off the requirements for us." Naruto nodded grimly, remembering the waste of time the team's previous D-ranked missions had proven. Sakura, settling a hand on his shoulder, spoke up.
"Is there any way we could find shorter missions and all? I mean, we're back in Konoha, so we should really be using the time to train, right?" Kakashi grinned.
"Sounds like a plan – I'll work out a schedule tonight for some more techniques and sparring practice for you all. In the meanwhile, figure out some ways to train in the stuff I can't help with. Tomorrow morning, usual place." Kakashi vanished in his trademark blur, but the dry leaves that floated into the air marked the team's return to Konoha as much as anything else they'd seen.
Naruto turned to his teammates. "Man, I wish I knew how to do that… but he's right – we should figure out our other stuff… I need to get back in touch with Gai-sensei and start up my morning practices again. What about you guys?"
Sakura shrugged. "I'm going to head back to the hospital and get back to my lessons with Hinata-san and Kabuto-sensei. Hopefully they haven't gotten too far ahead while I was away – I was a little ahead when I left, so I should be able to catch up." Sasuke nodded.
"I need to figure out someone – or somewhere – I can practice with this." Sasuke indicated the beautiful katana at his side. Naruto contemplated it – it wasn't a particularly ornamented piece – its only decoration was the gold pommel cap. Nonetheless, the blade was beautiful in its simplicity as a killing instrument – Gendou had informed Sasuke that the weapon was forged from the sword he'd used during his first term of service in the Fire Lord's Army, fighting rebels in the west.
"I… might have someone who could help with that." Sasuke wheeled towards his blonde teammate with a raised eyebrow. "Do you remember Gai-sensei? We met them that night at the bar…
Sasuke snorted, ignoring Sakura's giggle. "How could I forget any of that? That green menace and the teacher he was cloned from…" Naruto chuckled but shook his head.
"Right, but neither of those – Do you remember Tenten?" Sasuke thought for a moment.
"Ah, the girl… no, I don't remember anything about her besides that she was there. Would she be of help, then?" Naruto nodded.
"Yeah – I remember hearing that she was supposed to be an excellent weapon mistress – any weapon, really. I'm sure she'd know something about swordsmanship – and even if she didn't, she'd have the weapons knowledge to spar against your sword. Come with me tomorrow morning, and I'll introduce you." Naruto turned to Sakura now.
"You should come tomorrow too – I know you're not really much for that kind of crazy taijutsu or whatever, but Lee beats himself up pretty hard during training – I figure if he had someone at the hospital he could go to after doing his really stupid stuff, it'd be a little safer." Sakura moaned.
"From everything you've said about these freaks, I'm not sure I want to – but hey, if it means some more practical experience for me and one less Konoha ninja beating themselves to death in training… well…" Naruto grinned.
"It won't be so bad. Tomorrow, then!"
Early the next morning, Naruto led his teammates out to Training Ground 27. Sakura was yawning, while Sasuke's eyes were still red and slightly hollowed. From a distance, they could already hear the thud of flesh and bone meeting wood – and as they approached, they saw the figures waiting on the field to greet them. Gai was the first to turn towards the newcomers.
"Ah! Naruto-kun! It is spectacular to have you back in Konoha after your most excellent missions!" Naruto nodded weakly in return as Lee bounded up.
"Naruto-san! It will be most exciting to have my training partner back in Konoha – but do tell me, who is this delightful flower next to you?!" Naruto froze, looking next to himself at Sasuke, whose eyes had also grown very round. Both immediately relaxed when they noticed Lee staring at Sakura – who had most certainly NOT relaxed. In a blur of green, Lee was past the two boys, holding Sakura's hands in his own.
"You, most delightful rose of Konoha! Be mine and go out on a date with me – and I will endeavor forever to protect you!" Tenten and Neji, having only been out on the training field for a few minutes before Team 7's arrival, now approached.
Tenten groaned loudly. "Lee, please – give the girl a little space!" Sakura dragged her hands out of Lee's and looked to Sasuke for a little help. Lee promptly misinterpreted this.
"Ah, so you are besotted with the young Uchiha? Then I must battle him for your affections!" Lee turned to Sasuke, who hadn't moved – now bearing a sort of deer-in-the-headlights look. Naruto leapt to his rescue, seeing that Gai, chuckling loudly, wasn't about to say anything.
"Nobody's about to battle anyone for anyone's affections. Lee, Sakura can, uh, be besotted with anyone she likes (Naruto ignored his female teammate's angry look). Battling Sasuke isn't going to make her any happier. And none of that has to do with why I brought them here!"
Gai spoke up then, "Most wise of you, Naruto-kun – so do tell us! Why have you brought your excellent comrades to this training ground, then?"
"Well, for one thing, I wanted to let you guys know I was back in town – I'll be coming to morning practices again, if that's all right with you, Gai-sensei." Gai nodded. "Right. In that case, I brought my teammates to introduce them to you guys – and since I figured we could help each other. Tenten, you use weapons, right?"
Neji made his first contribution to the conversation – in the form of a snort. Tenten shot him an irritated look before turning to Naruto. "Yes, Naruto-san, I do use weapons, mainly shuriken and kunai, but of any sort, really." Naruto nodded.
"Right. Sasuke here learned to use a sword pretty well while we were out on our mission, and he wanted someone he could train with. Do you think he could train with you?" Tenten looked at Sasuke appraisingly.
"Hmm… I suppose I could use some work with my melee weapon skills – sure, I'll train with him. On one condition." Tenten was grinning now, and Sasuke thinned his lips.
"What's that?"
Tenten smirked. "He asks me himself." Sasuke blanched slightly before recovering.
"Very well. Tenten-san – would you do me the honor of practicing swordplay with me?" Tenten choked very slightly, as did Naruto. Sakura caught the (probably unintentional) innuendo a moment late and smacked Naruto over the back of his head.
"ANYWAYS," Sakura loudly continued, "I came because Naruto wanted to introduce me to Lee…" Lee gave her an enormous grin, and Sakura shivered, "… for some reason…"
Naruto smoothly picked up the thread of conversation. "Because I thought that since Lee was just about to learn Gai-sensei's super-special-awesome technique when I left, he could use having a medic-nin at the hospital that he knew he could go to." Gai nodded at this decisively.
"Well done indeed, Naruto – a medic-nin known to us would indeed be an excellent help – and I'm certain that healing Lee's injuries would be of great assistance to Sakura-san's training as well, yes?" Sakura nodded, muting her shock. Clearly Gai was no idiot, despite his strange habits.
But, Sakura considered, what was strange for a ninja, really, if Jiraiya-sama himself wrote erotic novels, Kakashi-sensei read them, and so on.
She really hoped that whatever bad habits she picked up were comparatively mild…
The next week passed very quickly for the genin of Team 7. Along with their interaction with Gai's squad, they undertook two D-ranked missions (neither of which, luckily, were as eventful as their chase after Tora the cat). Kakashi focused on training his students' existing abilities, particularly their utilization of techniques during combat and their ability to fight against superior opponents as a team – none of the genin wanted to be put in the same position they'd found themselves in against the so-called "Legendary Dark Ninja."
Though Naruto renewed his shadow clone training, adding an extra pair of clones to decipher and practice the information on Jiraiya's scroll, he quickly found himself lacking a good way to actually practice the seals he theorized.
"… and really, I can't just stick them on anything – if I don't try the durability seal on a surface like a wall or something, I can't see if it works. But if I put it on my wall and it explodes or something, my landlord'll throw a fit!" Naruto complained to Sasuke after training one day. Sasuke shrugged.
"Isn't there a way you can use seals that someone else came up with?" Naruto shook his head, discouraged.
"Nah. According to Jiraiya's scroll, some seals can just be copied over – usually simple ones, or those with an external power source, like some sort of spirit or whatever. But the ones that are self-enclosed the user has to come up with himself! Or herself, I guess, but I'm a guy, so…" Sasuke snorted.
"So you need somewhere to test your insane creations." The two lapsed into silence at Naruto's nod, and continued walking quietly. As they reached the outskirts of the old Uchiha district, Sasuke perked up.
"I have an idea." Naruto raised a brow.
"Yeah?"
"You could use some of the old buildings in there – in the Uchiha district." Naruto grinned widely, and then paused at the strange, dark look in Sasuke's eyes.
"Are you sure, man?" Sasuke shrugged, but Naruto still saw the glint in his teammate's eyes.
"I'm not gonna just… y'know… blow up your family's old stuff… If it's still important to you -"
"No. Do it. Better that it's good for something than just… sitting there…" Sasuke said, and Naruto heard the harsh tone behind his voice. He chose not to argue – Sasuke clearly felt strongly, and he could sense that any further argument would be counterproductive, if anything.
"If you're sure…"
As it happened, Naruto didn't have to blow many of the old Uchiha residences up anyways – he was not only a remarkably inventive seal-creator, but a remarkably consistent one as well – by theorizing the combinations of components he planned to use first, Naruto managed to avoid any serious harm to the abandoned buildings and objects left around the ghost town that Sasuke made his home in.
Sometimes, Naruto felt as though Sasuke would rather that the whole thing end up a charnel.
Sasuke's own training was advancing quickly as well. Kakashi had decided that with the second tomoe of Sasuke's Sharingan now active, it was time for him to understand the intricacies of how his eyes worked. Since Kakashi hadn't actually told his students that he possessed the Sharingan to begin with, this was a much more difficult discussion than it otherwise might have been.
"All right, Sasuke, now that you have the Sharingan's copying power active, it's important that you take some very important things into account." Kakashi had drawn his quietest student aside while Naruto and Sakura sparred. The roaring of Naruto's wind techniques and grinding of Sakura's earth could be heard nearby. Sasuke stared back with a carefully blank look on his face. Kakashi sighed.
"Sasuke, you are one of the only two Sharingan users in the village. That means -"
"Two?! Who's the other one?" Sasuke burst out, as Kakashi knew he would. Kakashi slowly reached for his slanted headband and lifted it, revealing the horrible scar that bisected his eye socket. His eyelid flickered open – revealing the scarlet depths of the eye Obito had left him.
Sasuke recoiled in shock. "You?! How?!" Kakashi sighed.
"You must understand, Sasuke, the story of how I received this eye is not… it's not a happy tale. And it's a long story I'll tell you and the others some other day. Suffice to say, a close friend died – and I lived." Sasuke stared back at him with wide eyes, and Kakashi shook his head.
"I understand that it's difficult for you to accept such a vague answer…" Sasuke frowned. "… But I'm not willing to speak further about it for now. You'll have to accept that – and in any case, it's not what I meant to speak to you about." Sasuke cocked an eyebrow incredulously.
"Then what?"
Kakashi's mouth set in a grim line under his mask. "Those with the Sharingan… have not always had the best reputation about the village. Sometimes we are known as technique thieves – stealing away techniques our comrades and others have trained for weeks or months to master." Sasuke seemed about to protest and Kakashi shook his head.
"Yes, I know – every advantage is an advantage that should be used – and only a fool does not take advantage when it is offered. Nonetheless, you must be aware that to be seen with one's Sharingan open in Konoha is to be assumed to be recording what one sees." Sasuke snorted, and Kakashi shrugged.
"I'm not here to argue with you about the ethics of copying techniques, Sasuke – that's something you'll need to think about yourself – but think on this. Imagine if you were to copy Naruto's shadow clone technique, or his 'great breakthrough' technique? How would he feel?" Sasuke paused at this and bit his lip.
Kakashi, though, continued to the main reason he'd called Sasuke aside. "None of that is really important, though – the real reason you should be careful of the Sharingan's gifts is because of their risk to YOU." Sasuke shook his head.
"I haven't heard of -"
"Of course you haven't heard of any such threat, Sasuke." Kakashi interrupted, slightly annoyed. You've had your eyes active for only a few months, and this is the first real training you're getting with them. What you don't understand is that though the Sharingan copies the hand seals and the way chakra moves to make a technique work, it can't replicate the effects of training – using a technique you've copied and haven't practiced is phenomenally dangerous because it will drain your chakra at an accelerated rate. I wouldn't suggest it even for myself, let alone for you." Sasuke's eyes were wide now, and Kakashi sighed inwardly – he was glad to have gotten through to the boy. To Sasuke's credit, he was far more willing to listen regarding the flaws inherent in his bloodline than most Uchiha ever had been.
Probably, Kakashi's mind reminded him, because there were no other Uchihas left. None but Sasuke.
Sasuke and Itachi.
While Naruto commenced his daily inadvertent attempts to nearly (but not quite) blow up the Uchiha district and Sasuke began to learn techniques from Kakashi (for, despite Kakashi's warnings, the Sharingan was an excellent means of learning techniques quickly, so long as one practiced them carefully and extensively afterwards), Sakura redoubled her efforts at the hospital.
Not only did the pink-haired genin take on extra time and responsibilities, staying late into the night and doing an extra shift in the mornings before her daily training (or mission) with Kakashi, but she read rabidly ahead in the textbook to stay on track with what Kabuto had noted that his students should learn.
One afternoon, while Hinata was gone on a mission, Kabuto and Sakura worked in silence preparing special bandages for medic-nin field kits. The bandages were steeped in a special chakra-imbued solution that would accelerate healing and prevent infection, though they took time to create and were meant to only be used on the direst of injuries. As she worked, Sakura turned to her instructor with questioning eyes.
"Kabuto-sensei? May I ask you a question?" Kabuto looked over at her with a smile.
"We're not in lessons; you know – go ahead and call me "Kabuto-senpai." Sakura blushed very slightly and nodded.
"All right, Senpai. May I?" Kabuto nodded, still smiling. Sakura sobered slightly.
"Have you ever killed anyone while on a mission?" Kabuto's smile remained, and he seemed to think for a moment.
"Well, yes. I presume you had to kill on that mission you went out on?" Sakura nodded, a shadow passing over her eyes. Kabuto settled a hand on her shoulder.
"Killing, especially for medic-nin like us… it's not a fun thing. To us, so used to training to keep a soul in its body, removing the soul feels almost anathema. Yet at the same time that we're medics, we're also ninja – our duties to our comrades come as much through combat as through healing. At least, that's how I like to think of it." Sakura nodded slowly. Kabuto had spoken as though reciting something – perhaps something someone had once said to him? Or perhaps something he'd read somewhere.
Sakura shrugged slightly, and a flash of light broke into a prismatic spray through Kabuto's glasses as he grinned. Sakura blushed deeper.
"Don't worry too much about it – as ninja, we're meant to kill – our enemies. And as medics, we're meant to heal – our friends. There's no conflict there." At Sakura's doubtful glance, his smile took on a conspiratorial tilt.
"Say, I've heard there's a medic-nin fighting style kept in the hospital archive. Want to see if we can find it? We can surprise Hinata-san with it when she comes back…"
"And then Sakura-chan just did this crazy spinning move and almost took my ankle out! Well, actually, she DID take my ankle out – her scalpel was super-intense! I didn't even feel it until my leg gave out. Got lucky that I heal so fast…" Naruto scooped another clump of ramen noodles from his bowl and noisily slurped it down. A hot bowl at Ichiraku's stand always made him feel better after a long day of training – and now he had the money to afford as much as he wanted!
Ayame grinned, leaning on the counter next to him. Naruto was the only customer, since it was well-past normal dinner hours. "Sounds like your teammates are getting pretty handy, huh, Naruto-kun? I hope you're keeping up!"
Naruto chuckled. "Well, 'course I am! Can't be Hokage if I'm letting even my own teammates get past me! Nah, I'm doing plenty of work – both alone and with Kakashi-sensei. Sticking around Konoha gives us so much more time to train than when we're out on missions! Not to mention all the chances for seal work…" Teuchi's hand thumped down on the counter.
"Speaking of which, I was meaning to ask – hey, Naruto – how much for one of those protective seal-sets you've been bandying about town?"
After liberal testing in the Uchiha district, Naruto had developed several interesting sets of seals both for his own use and as tests for future ideas. Upon mentioning his practice to Shikamaru during their weekly game, the lazy genius had proven his intellect once more. A refined version of Naruto's special alarm seal, combined with a proximity line and activated trigger had proven to be an effective burglar alarm system equal or superior to any seal-based system in Konoha.
Shikamaru had suggested that Naruto sell the seal set-up to any businesses or residences that wanted the added protection – and Naruto had readily agreed. Naruto still remembered the first business Shikamaru had directed him to.
"Welcome to Yamanaka Flower Empori – ah, shit it's you." Ino slumped on the counter with a grouchy look on her face. Her long, platinum blonde hair bound in a ponytail and her crystal-blue eyes shining in the afternoon light in a refined, pale face, Naruto had to admit that the girl was one of the prettiest he knew. If only the face was attached to a personality that was less bossy and strident.
"Yeah, it's me, Ino. I'm here about that seal set-up Shikamaru probably told you about?" Naruto nervously scratched his head. Ino looked decidedly unimpressed.
"You're the supposed seal-master? Yeah, right – pull the other one, I tied a kunai trap to it." Naruto frowned.
"It's not a joke – my seals work perfectly, and Shikamaru said I should come here to see about setting them up – if you don't want them -" Naruto was interrupted as the bell attached to the door jangled behind him. He spun, finding himself face-to-face with a tall man with ash-blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and a standard jounin uniform.
"Hmm… who's this, Ino, one of your friends?" Ino snorted.
"Hardly, dad. This is Naruto – he was in my class at the Academy, remember?" Yamanaka Inoichi, Ino's father, nodded. Naruto remembered Shikamaru's advice and bowed.
"Hello, Inoichi-san. I'm here about placing those anti-burglar seals Shikamaru probably told you about?" Inoichi fingered the stubble at his chin as he nodded slowly.
"Yes, Shikamaru-kun did tell me all about a new anti-burglar ward you'd come up with, and our business has been getting a surge in customers lately. I don't see the harm in getting some additional protection." Both shinobi ignored Ino's outraged sputtering as they haggled over a price – Naruto had no idea what his work was worth, but managed to obtain a sum he found more than reasonable, and set to work.
Naruto's work on the Yamanaka shop had been noticed, and soon he had a small clientele setting up appointments for his work – though most of the civilians continued to give him the cold shoulder, Naruto found Konoha's many shops owned by retired shinobi or by members of one of the shinobi clans to be more than willing to pay for some additional protection – particularly from a source Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku were willing to vouch for as trustworthy.
Between training with Kakashi and Gai, studying seals on his own in the Uchiha district, and absorbing what his clones could learn, Naruto's time was already fairly full, but he managed to take one or two appointments per day – easily enough to make rent and food payments – with enough left over to begin building some savings for a rainy day.
Broken from his musing by Ayame's inquisitive smile, Naruto nodded. "For you guys, nothing! I'll do it for free – hell, I'll do it today, after I finish eating!" Ayame clapped her hands with a happy cry, while Teuchi loudly proclaimed a free bowl for Naruto, and Naruto dug in with a smile.
It was good to have friends.
A bead of sweat slipped from Sasuke's forehead as he slid to his right, dodging the glimmering blade that descended towards his shoulder. The droplet splintered into countless particles of mist as Tenten's attack struck through it, and Sasuke grit his teeth.
He was most certainly more skilled with the sword than his opponent – and stronger as well. His reach was longer, and he was at least as fast. But Tenten had two traits that more than evened the odds, and explained why all eight duels between the two had ended in draws due to exhaustion.
The first was the weapon mistress's precision. Every attack landed exactly where it was meant to – her slices frequently tore his uniform open or left nicks across his frame – nicks Sasuke was relatively certain would be lethal blows had he been fighting the girl for real. The best dodge could only do so much in the face of such careful accuracy – and Sasuke found himself blocking and parrying far more than he was used to against Tenten's relentless onslaught.
The second was the sheer chemistry between Tenten and her weapon. Watching his foe strike, dodge, and parry was like watching a snake move, Sasuke thought – sinuous, fluid, and incredibly deadly – but strangely entrancing. Sasuke could never remember being matched so closely in anything before, and that Tenten could do it now felt simultaneously frustrating and exhilarating.
Sasuke sliced towards Tenten's midriff with an elegant blow that moved nearly too fast for the other genin to avoid – but he was fully certain that she would. Tenten buckled away at the last second, her shirt slicing under the assault of Sasuke's steel. Tenten, though, was already on the attack again, using a pivot to cut low, nearly hamstringing the Uchiha – but Sasuke was in the air, having hopped over Tenten's entire frame.
He immediately knew it was a mistake as Tenten's teeth flashed. She struck upwards and across, and only an awkward twist saved Sasuke from losing his legs. He landed with an ungainly stumble and Tenten laughed gaily.
Sasuke grunted. "Something funny, Tenten-san?" The older genin's smile remained, brown eyes shining.
"Only that dodge. They teach you that in the capital?" Sasuke pressed his lips together as he redoubled his attacks – he moved into a kata he was highly familiar with – a low attack, then a high one, followed by a stab and another high attack. Tenten blocked the first two and dodged the third, but had to jerk away from the fourth, a strand of loose brown hair floating away where it had been sliced away. Sasuke allowed himself a smirk.
"They taught me THAT." Tenten's jaw set and she brought her sword down in a vicious blow that Sasuke blocked – he saw an opening and locked his own blade under his foe's and lifted. To his dismay, he'd forgotten Tenten's incredible flexibility as she allowed her shoulder to rotate almost entirely skyward, refusing to allow her sword to fall free – and Sasuke's own blade clattered from his grasp.
Sasuke stared for a moment, and then sighed. Tenten's sword hand had been lacerated, and though she held her sword with her undamaged index and small fingers, her thumb and middle two were badly cut. The girl held the weapon for just a moment before letting it fall with a groan of her own – it was clear that she was in no shape to continue wielding her weapon.
"And here I thought I actually HAD you this time!" Sasuke shook his head silently. The two collected their weapons with a companionable ease before slowly making their way off the field in the direction of the hospital where Sakura would inevitably give them both the tongue-lashing of a lifetime.
Or not – they both knew they'd be back the next morning.
As the sun set, Sakura cleansed her hands thoroughly with the antiseptic wash the medic-nins and lay doctors were instructed to use, allowing her weary shoulders to come to a rest. Hers had been a long afternoon and evening in the hospital, dealing with everything from minor scrapes and training wounds to broken bones, all under Kabuto's watchful supervision. She'd even had to deal with one petty thief who'd burst an eardrum due to the misfortune of standing immediately next to one of Naruto's anti-theft seals when it went off.
She really hadn't wanted to heal that one.
Hinata, standing next to her, shot her a weary smile. The other girl's confidence had improved slightly with her stay at the hospital, and Sakura could see why. While Sakura was rapidly learning to be an increasingly effective combat medic and trauma expert, Hinata's Byakugan allowed her to spot deep-tissue injuries, diseases, and poisons faster than practically any other medic-nin at the hospital.
"Was your ward round s-satisfactory, Sakura-san?" Sakura smiled back briefly.
"It was. That old perv in 3-B is still trying to get a load of my ass, but his leg's almost healed, so he should be out by tomorrow. You?" Hinata nodded cheerfully.
"I caught Moegi-chan's allergic reaction before it could become too severe! Kabuto-sensei was quite pleased." Sakura smiled – she knew how much Hinata liked being able to help the village's children. Kabuto often assigned her to the pediatric ward as a result. Once the two girls had bundled up their aprons and donned their usual street garb, they left the hospital. Sakura always loved her first breath of fresh fall air after spending half the day in the dry, astringent air of the wards.
"Ugh, another D-rank mission tomorrow. It's just not worth thinking about, is it Hinata-san? I can already hear Naruto's whining…" Sakura complained – a sidelong glance caught the flush in her companion's face at the thought of Sakura's teammate. Hinata was a good sort, Sakura thought; perhaps she should try and help her out sometime.
Sometime when she had time, at least. Hinata regained control of herself. "Th-they are rather frustrating. Kiba-kun always becomes very agitated when we r-receive them. My f-f-father said once that they were meant to teach humility…" Hinata's voice quietened at the end, though Sakura didn't know why.
"Oh? I can hardly imagine the great Hyuuga Hiashi picking up trash, can you?" Sakura chuckled, but Hinata didn't join her. The two continued walking quietly for a time. Sakura finally tried to pick up a new conversation.
"Say, the Nine-Tails festival is coming up next week, isn't it? My parents have been looking forward to it all year! They always like to shove me off into the fairgrounds and have some time to themselves… I usually just read near the performance stages, though. What'll you be doing?" Hinata smiled at this.
"The same as every y-year, I suppose. Most of the day, I'll be with my family, but in the evening I'll be dancing at the river stage." Sakura was surprised. She'd known Hinata had learned to dance when she was younger, but hadn't realized the blue-haired girl still did.
"I remember you telling us during that kunoichi lesson that you'd learned dancing – I didn't realize you did it, well, professionally, Hinata-san!" Hinata blushed deeply.
"Not professionally, S-Sakura-san. I'm not as good as all that. The dance at the r-river stage is an important spiritual function – to offer thanks to all those who gave their lives for the Leaf – particularly during the battle against the Kyuubi, but really all our veterans. That's why it takes place across from the memorial stone." Sakura nodded absently. She remembered the memorial stone from Kakashi's speech after the bell test.
It sometimes seemed like another life, or another world – before she'd been aware of all the dangers life as a shinobi held, or of the efforts she'd have to put into becoming a kunoichi she could be proud of.
Yet, Sakura reflected, it was all worth it.
Naruto stared with a deadpan face at the Inuzuka hounds whose care had been entrusted to Team 7. The canines looked back with equally dubious expressions.
"You're kidding, right?" Kakashi grinned.
"Nope! Our mission today is definitely walking the Inuzuka dogs around Konoha!" Inuzuka Hana, the pretty veterinary medic-nin who had assigned the mission, carefully distributed the dogs' leashes amongst the team, suppressing a smile. Naruto continued complaining.
"Oh, come on! I remember reading that the Inuzuka dogs are as smart as people – they're sentient and all, right?!"
Sasuke sniped, "Yeah, that makes them brighter than Naruto, at least…" Naruto elbowed him, and Sasuke shot him an irritated glance. Sakura broke them up – the prospect of yet another boring, absurd mission was clearly piquing her teammates.
"All right, boys, come on… This'll be seven – only three more of these, and we'll never need to look back, right? We can get through three more like this without killing each other. What are we, children, or ninja?" Naruto sighed and slumped, taking several of the leashes from Hana's hand.
"Make sure to -" Before Hana could finish her warning, the dogs attached to the leashes tore off, dragging a yelping Naruto behind them. Hana sighed.
"I swear, that boy is almost as loud as my brother…" With a sympathetic nod, Kakashi and the other two genin took up the remaining leashes and followed Naruto with a more sedate pace.
Naruto, practically running to halfway keep up with the dogs, tried to slow down by digging his heels into the ground. It did no good, and instead catapulted the blond genin with another yell flat onto his face. Matters only worsened as he slid along the ground, was pulled through a gutter, and barely clambered to his feet fast enough to avoid being pulled across the street.
It was only several minutes later that Naruto managed to wrap the leashes around a tree as the dogs yapped at a squirrel. He heard rough laughter.
"Hana stuck you guys with the dog-walking, huh?" Naruto turned to the familiar voice. Inuzuka Kiba leaned against a nearby fence with a feral grin. With feral black eyes, slit pupils, long, pointed canines, and red tattoos much like his sister's, Kiba matched the image of one of the Inuzuka beast ninja. He wore a grey parka trimmed in dark fur, with the hood drawn up to ward off the autumn wind (despite the lack of a chill). Most recognizable, though, was the small white puppy nestled in his arms.
"'Lo, Kiba. Akamaru." Naruto nodded to the pair, too sore to engage in the usual banter any conversation with Kiba practically required. Kiba smirked.
"The dogs got you all worn out, huh? Guess they're a bit much for ya!" Naruto was instantly riled up, his aches forgotten.
"Hah! Forget that! I can handle these dogs easy! They're just… not what I was expecting!" Kiba chuckled.
"Yeah, I'd believe that, Naruto. Try not choking up on the leash so much – it makes 'em think you're afraid of 'em, and they don't wanna deal with that. It chokes 'em too – if you give a little more leash, they'll be able to move around more and wear themselves out." Naruto nodded slowly. He didn't know much about dogs, and was prepared to take Kiba's advice.
"If you say so. Hey, what're you doing off-duty? I thought your team had the same off day as us and Shikamaru's team?" Kiba shrugged.
"We got the whole week off team training to recover from our first C-rank mission. I heard you were out of town on something like that too, yeah?" Naruto puffed up.
"Hah! C-rank my ass – we left town on a C-rank, and ended up with two B-ranks as well!" Kiba snarled.
"Bullshit! Genin aren't allowed on B-ranks!" But as Naruto elaborated, Kiba's disbelief flattened into annoyance.
"Ugh, just like you, Naruto, to get lucky as hell like that. I guess you must have gotten better since the Academy to be able to handle a mission like that though…" Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, I'd say so – you probably have as well. Anyways, I'll catch you later dog-breath – these mutts ain't gonna run themselves out!" Naruto unwound the leash and loosened his grip – and once more found himself chasing after the hounds – albeit with a more controlled stride.
Kiba called after him, "Hey, Naruto – you going to the Nine-Tails Festival next week?" But Naruto didn't respond, instead merely speeding his pace.
He rejoined his teammates by tracking the sounds of their dogs' barking, carefully guiding his charges with their leashes and more than a little pleading. Sasuke snorted as he approached, immediately seeing the dirt splattered across his clothing and the scratches on his face, but Naruto wasn't fooled – Sasuke looked somewhat roughed up himself.
"Ran into Kiba – gave me some advice. Try not choking up on the leash – they like to move around on it a bit." The team followed Kiba's advice for the rest of the mission, lapsing into silence. As they drew close to the Inuzuka compound once more in the afternoon, Naruto turned to Kakashi with an inquisitive look.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei – we've been in Konoha for almost two weeks. Can we take another C-ranked mission next?" Kakashi looked up from his book contemplatively.
"Maybe. I'll think about it – you don't think you all could use a little more rest?" Sakura and Sasuke snorted at the same time – the concept of their time in Konoha being a "rest" was laughable at best.
Naruto, though, said nothing, his eyes merely darkening slightly. As if sensing his mood, the rest of the team completed the mission in silence.
"Troublesome." Shikamaru whispered as Naruto made his move after thinking for several minutes. The lazy boy stared at the Shougi board intently as Naruto grinned, leaning over to take a potato chip from the bag Chouji held. His heavy friend had learned by now to bring larger bags of chips to the weekly game sessions, since Naruto had a habit of stealing the salty snacks as he played.
Chouji, tilting his head as he looked at the board, smiled in amazement. "I've got to say, Naruto, I've never met anyone who was OK with losing to Shikamaru over and over like this…" Naruto shrugged.
"It's not so bad – every time, I get better, and I like seeing lazy-ass over here actually have to think every time I do something crazy." Shikamaru didn't respond, instead running through move after move in his head. The sun was low – it was the third game of the day, and Naruto had come up with a strategy that, though it probably wouldn't beat his insufferably intelligent friend, would almost certainly challenge him.
After thinking for nearly a quarter of an hour, Shikamaru carefully made a move – and Naruto sprung his trap. Sliding his lance across the board, he cackled as Shikamaru groaned theatrically.
"Check, Shikamaru! I thought you'd kept your eye on that!" Shikamaru's mind was already racing though, and his friends could practically hear the finely-tuned machine whirring at full-tilt. He countered Naruto's move, and a flurry of attacks and ripostes followed. Naruto applied Lord Mikaze's teaching – what did he know, what were the motives behind Shikamaru's plays – and so, what would he do next? Every move had its answer, and Naruto let the day bleed away as the game continued.
Finally, as the last sliver of the autumn sun dipped behind the forests to the west, Shikamaru, his forehead drenched in sweat, clapped his hands together and made the final move of the game.
"And… checkmate." Chouji grinned wearily – watching his friends play was tiring enough in its own right. He'd run out of chips nearly an hour ago, and was already beginning to feel the edges of the famed Akimichi appetite. Naruto chuckled ruefully.
"Guess I still can't win, huh, Shikamaru? I thought I had you that time…" Shikamaru, though, shook his head.
"No, perhaps not this time – but you came awfully close. C'mon, you two. I'll treat you bottomless pits to dinner." Naruto and Chouji both widened their eyes comically.
"You?! Treat us?" Chouji's eyes took on a fiery look, and Shikamaru seemed like he promptly regretted his statement. Nonetheless, he nodded.
"Yeah, let's go. Naruto played a good game, and the payment for our last C-rank came in." Both Naruto and Chouji stared feverishly, and Shikamaru quickly amended his statement.
"But no ramen!" Both his companions groaned good-naturedly, but free food was free food. All three quickly aided in cleaning up the shougi board and headed to the mercantile distract. Unfortunately, as they walked, the conversation quickly took a turn that Naruto didn't particularly appreciate.
"Say, Naruto, what's your plan for tomorrow?" Chouji, bouncing along the street with a jovial air that reminded Naruto more of a happy puppy than a ninja, turned to him with a smile. For a moment, Naruto couldn't remember what he was talking about.
"Tomorrow… huh?" Shikamaru shot him an incredulous look.
"Tomorrow. The festival?" Naruto's face opened in an "oh" expression. The Nine-Tails Festival. The bane of Naruto's year.
"Not much. I figure I'll stay in." Chouji seemed practically scandalized by this.
"Stay in?! Naruto, it's the biggest event of the year besides the Spring Festival – how can you just 'stay in'?!" Shikamaru, seeing Naruto's dampened mood, put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"It's fine, Chouji. If Naruto doesn't want to go to the festival, he doesn't have to." Chouji spluttered.
"But… but… there's so much at the festivals! Stalls with food and drinks – sweets and buns!" Shikamaru shrugged.
"I prefer the performances – I hear Hyuuga Hinata, from our graduating class – yeah, the blue-haired one – I hear she's one of the dancers performing the memorial dance at the shrine." Naruto nodded absently, and then perked up as he saw a familiar figure ahead.
"Hey, is that – hey, Sasuke! Sasuke, get over here!" Sasuke turned and, noticing his teammate and old classmates, waited for them to catch up. Chouji, slightly nervous in the presence of the taciturn Uchiha, greeted him.
"How are you, Sasuke-san? We haven't seen you since the Academy…" Sasuke offered a polite nod. Shikamaru, bored, decided it was too much trouble to change the subject.
"We were discussing the festival tomorrow. Will you be attending?" Sasuke shook his head.
"Yes – at least for a time, I suppose. Although…" While Chouji winced, Sasuke turned to Naruto.
"… Given that tomorrow is Naruto's birthday, I suppose our team might have other plans for at least part of the day." Naruto's head shot up in surprise, while Shikamaru's eyebrows rose. Chouji coughed, caught halfway through eating a chip.
"B-birthday?! Naruto, why didn't you say anything?" Naruto shrugged.
"I don't really celebrate my birthday, guys. Sometimes Oji-sama or Iruka-sensei drop in, but it's not really that important." Even Shikamaru was rendered speechless by his matter-of-fact attitude. Chouji frowned, looking determined.
"Naruto, if your birthday is tomorrow, we have to do something to celebrate! We're your friends; you can't expect us to just ignore it!" Naruto looked helplessly towards Shikamaru, who shrugged, and at Sasuke, who gave Naruto a strangely intense look. Naruto threw his hands up.
"All right, fine – let's go!" With a cheer, Chouji led them forwards, announcing that for Naruto's birthday, he'd make certain that they all got into one of the Akimichi-owned restaurants in the center of the market district. Shikamaru sighed in relief for his wallet.
As the group approached the market center, they ran into another familiar face. "Hey, Kiba! What're you doing running around here, dog-breath?" Naruto exclaimed, stepping forward to greet their old classmate. Akamaru barked a responded greeting, and Naruto rubbed a hand across his fuzzy neck.
"Nothing much. My sis has a date and my mom kicked me out so she could do old lady stuff. What the heck are you guys running around for?" Kiba gave the group a double-take – while seeing Naruto with either Sasuke or the boys of Team 10 together wasn't particularly strange, all together it made for an unlikely party. Shikamaru just shrugged again, refusing even to take his hands out of his pockets, while Sasuke nodded abruptly. Chouji, on the other hand…
"It's Naruto's birthday tomorrow and he usually doesn't celebrate it! Wanna join us?" Kiba looked confused for a moment.
"He doesn't… celebrate his birthday?" Kiba's face took on a queer mixture of pity and excitement. Naruto growled.
"Don't you dare pity me, dog-breath -"
"Shut up, moron, I'm not pitying you! I got an idea! If if's Naruto's birthday, then we should do something SPECIAL…" Chouji sniffed.
"Well, of course we are! We're going to an Akimichi restaurant for barbeque!" Kiba shook his head with a grin – a grin Sasuke and Shikamaru paled slightly at. Akamaru whimpered.
"No – well, sure. Can't resist meat. But AFTER that…"
"I don't know how you talked me into this!" Sasuke shouted.
"What?!" Naruto replied. The dull thumping of the music was far too loud to understand what his teammate was saying, even from immediately next to him.
"I SAID…" Naruto shook his head, and Sasuke growled in frustration, grabbing at a shot of shochu sitting nearby and downed it. Kiba's 'special' idea had been to drag the entire group, immediately after dinner, to a nearby dance bar. As genin, they were all adults, as Naruto and Sasuke had found out the first time they'd ended up in a bar, and were allowed in. Luckily, it was a different bar, and apparently one that hadn't heard of their complicity in Lee's rampage through the last one.
Naruto groaned as he watched Sasuke pound away at his third shot in fifteen minutes – he was already fairly certain they'd be making another trip to Sakura's home at an ungodly hour. Perhaps he'd save her the trouble… but no, the only other medic-nin Naruto could think of was Hinata, and the Hyuuga compound wasn't somewhere Naruto thought he'd be welcome at the best of times, let alone while dragging a half-conscious, vomiting Uchiha.
Shikamaru, at his other side, had gone through nearly an entire bottle of sake by himself before settling it down and beginning a rant on the problems with women – a rant he still had yet to complete.
"… and I'm just telling you man, those women are troublesome, man, really troublesome; and they always want you to DO things, like my mom, she's always telling me to DO things and it's not fair, because I do things, just not the things she wants me to do, man, and it's all troublesome – and then I get my team and BAM there's Ino right there telling us to DO things again, and even Asuma-sensei is poisoned by the estrogen or something because he wants us to DO things all the time like exercising and stretching my shadow and I'm sure my mom must have told him because my dad always tells me 'son, if anything goes wrong, it's probably your mom's fault,' and then she gets mad, but he only says that when he's joking around, so maybe he doesn't mean that, but I don't know because I don't really listen carefully because you know, man, there are only so many clouds to look at, and clouds don't tell you to do things, man, because they're just there floating along like I want to be, just floating along through the sky, and Ino can't tell them to do things – but my mom probably could, man, because let me tell you…"
Naruto looked away again, after ascertaining that, yes; Shikamaru was still fully capable of breathing correctly. Chouji had fallen asleep long ago, and was snoring lustily beneath Naruto's chair, where the group had tucked him. Kiba, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found, and Naruto, slightly tipsy and quickly realizing that his so-called bloodline was preventing him from getting drunk at his own party, wasn't particularly in a mood to figure things out.
Sasuke, fairly tipsy himself, grabbed at his sake bottle and leaned over, his eyes focused somewhere in the middle distance. "Don't look now, but there's… there's… that one chick… the snake chick with the dango… I remember I accidently took a dango order meant for her once…" Sasuke shuddered violently, spilling a fair amount of sake on himself. Naruto couldn't tell who his teammate was pointing at in a crowd of jounin and special jounin, and instead decided to carefully tilt Sasuke's bottle upright in his hand once more. Shikamaru, pausing for breath during his rant, looked over at Chouji, under Naruto's seat, with a newfound focus.
"Is he all right?" Naruto nodded, surprised that Shikamaru, certainly the shortest and skinniest amongst their group now that Naruto had actually begun to grow a little, was able to put together so coherent a thought in the state he was in.
"Yeah, he's fine. I'm making sure he doesn't roll over and choke or something – we learned that last time." Shikamaru nodded absently.
"That's good. If he choked, I'm pretty sure my mom would have my ass, because seriously, man, my mom gets really mad when I don't pay attention and bad things happen, because she's always sure that they happen because…" Naruto tuned him out again, turning to Sasuke, who was staring at the crowd again.
"What, man, is that dango chick just that hot?" Sasuke mutely shook his head.
"Kiba's sister gave us our mission yesterday…" Naruto patted him on the back.
"Yes, yes she did." Sasuke nodded at this.
"She's pretty. She looks familiar." Naruto snorted. "Probably because she looks like Kiba, buddy. Well, no, not really – but she'd got the same triangles." Sasuke smiled, and then hiccupped.
Naruto spun then as he heard Kiba's voice rise above the music – and given the infernal volume the music was set to, that was loud indeed.
"I don't care, asshole! I'm a genin now, and you can't tell me what to do! It's my day off; I can go wherever I want!" Naruto elbowed his way through the crowd to find Kiba arguing with…
"Oh damn it, Kiba, why…" Standing before Kiba were three chuunin wearing standard uniforms and vests – but with light blue uniform shirts and pants rather than dark, and the four-pointed stars of the military police on either shoulder. The one at the front bore the red triangles of the Inuzuka clan on his cheeks.
"Doesn't matter, Kiba-chan – Tsume-sama gave us strict orders that you weren't supposed to be wandering around in bars until you were at least a chuunin, so you had something to keep you from just screwing around!" On the ground at their feet, little Akamaru's hair stood on end as he faced a dog nearly three times his size. Both canines growled, reflecting the taut air between their masters. One of the other Inuzuka's comrades, a woman with dark hair, stepped forward.
"C'mon, Inuzuka, let the kid off the hook – he's legal, after all." Kiba snarled even at this intervention.
"I'm not a kid!" Naruto saw the telltale red in his cheeks – Kiba, much like his companions, had been drinking well more than was advisable. Naruto stepped forward, grabbing hold of Kiba as he lunged forward, holding him back with just a hint of struggle – Kiba was tough, and certainly had more muscle mass than Naruto. It was better, Naruto thought, to make sure Kiba didn't end up committing drunken fratricide in a random techno bar.
"Hey, uh, MP-san – Kiba's just a little sloshed. Maybe I should just take him home or whatever, right?" The Inuzuka narrowed his eyes.
"Probably should have known you were involved in this. Caused any other trouble lately?"
Well, on the other hand. Naruto let Kiba go.
"Ugh, my head." Chouji moaned as he looked up at the grey ceiling of the room the five genin found themselves in. Shikamaru was lying down on a nearby bench, staring at the ceiling much as Chouji was, and Naruto wasn't actually entirely certain he hadn't fallen asleep. Kiba was pacing back and forth, a low growl resonating from his throat, while Akamaru slumbered quietly next to Chouji. Sasuke, on the other hand, sat quietly in the corner with his eyes closed, in a classic meditation posture.
After Kiba had nearly savaged the military policeman, the genin had all been gathered by the MPs and dragged to the nearby station to be thrown in a room Naruto had learned was called "the drunk tank." Naruto had protested that he wasn't drunk – but had quickly realized that the alternative to sitting in the featureless room with his comrades was leaving them behind to stew in their own drunken mess.
And so, Naruto sat in the drunk tank with his friends. Any disgust he felt towards himself for getting drunk – or, well, trying to – and winding up in the cellar of a military police station was tempered by the soaring feeling that accompanied his realization.
Naruto had friends. Not people he played shougi with, not teammates, but friends. People who enjoyed his company, and whose company he enjoyed. These weren't the Hokage and Iruka, people who took care of him, or Teuchi and Ayame, who were friends from his childhood who'd taken in a confused little boy who'd had nowhere else to eat – these were people he had befriended.
The happy bubble in Naruto's belly popped abruptly at the sound of the door at the far end of the hallway clanging open.
"All right, where're those idiot kids of ours?!" Into view swept the rangy form of Inuzuka Tsume. Tall, lithely muscled, with wild hair and the same feral eyes and tattoos as Kiba, Tsume was dressed in a typical jounin uniform. Behind her padded a huge, dark beast closer to wolf than man, with a single golden eye.
Behind the animalistic pair walked Nara Shikaku and his old friend, Chouji's father. Akimichi Chouza had flaming red hair and a pair of violet lines tattooed on his face that ran from his chin to just below his eyes. Instead of the standard jounin vest, he wore thick green armor reminiscent of that worn by the samurai Naruto had seen in Ka-Shi over his blue uniform clothing.
The three members of Konoha's Council stared at their children, who quailed beneath the weight of their parents' eyes. Naruto glanced back at Sasuke, who was looking back at him. He made a split-second decision.
"Honored, uh… Council members! I am Genin Uzumaki Naruto, and I take responsibility for all of this – it's my fault they're here! I came up with the plan – they shouldn't get into any trouble!" Naruto announced. The three older ninja looked astonished at Naruto's proclamation. Kiba, turning from his mother to Naruto, snarled.
"What the heck is that supposed to mean?! I came up with – ugh!" Kiba coughed as Naruto elbowed him. At this, Tsume laughed, the raucous sound echoing through the hallway and cell.
"Well I'll be a monkey's aunt! Kid, nice try, but sounds like my idiot son gave ya away! Not that I'd believe you did this for a second any day, though!" Naruto tilted his head in confusion, accepting that Kiba's outburst had given away the game.
"Wait, why not? It's not like I didn't cause enough trouble..." Shikamaru, quietly standing next to Naruto, across from his own father, answered.
"It's because you stepped forward like that – and because you're not drunk. My dad's probably already told them why he assumes we went to the bar, and they probably know that you don't celebrate your birthdays much." Shikaku smirked at his son.
"Quite. On that note, it's past midnight. Happy birthday, Naruto." Naruto froze as birthday wishes flowed towards him from all sides. His eyes itched, and he held himself back by biting his tongue – hard.
Through the metallic taste of the blood, he croaked, "Th-thanks… guys… Thanks… for everything." With a click, the cell door slid open, and Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba trundled towards the exit. The two men, chuckling, took their sons by the shoulder, while Tsume lingered.
"Everything Shikaku said is true – but I didn't know 'cause of any of that. I smelt it on ya, brat – you're a good kid." Naruto only nodded as the older woman grasped her son by the ear and dragged him away, her dog carrying a snoozing Akamaru by the scruff.
Naruto turned back to Sasuke, still sitting in the corner, and paced over to sit next to him, slumping with a groan. "And for all that, guess we'll get to stick around here until the morning, huh?" Sasuke nodded silently. His eyes had a strange, wistful look that Naruto didn't recognize.
"What's up, Sasuke." Naruto's words came out as a statement rather than a query, and Sasuke sighed.
"It's just… this building. You know the Uchiha used to run the Military Police?" Naruto snorted.
"Do I ever… I got caught by them so often, got dragged in front of the Hokage or Iruka-sensei too. Man… good times." Naruto paused and looked to Sasuke, but his teammate's face was placid, lost in memories.
"I remember my father walking through these halls – or the halls of a station just like it – with me on his shoulders… Itachi, my brother… he was never one for the MPs – he was too… skilled. My father told me that if I worked hard, all of this would one day be my responsibility." Naruto didn't know how to respond. Sasuke made an odd noise, and Naruto saw a strange shine in Sasuke's eyes – a shine he recognized as a tear, after a shocked moment.
"I never thought I'd see the inside of these buildings again… and now, I'm sure of it – I never want to." Naruto could only nod, placing a hand on the black-haired genin's shoulder. With Sasuke lost in memories, Naruto began to speak.
"I don't like my birthday… well, usually. I REALLY don't like the festival. Ever since I was a kid, Hokage-oji-sama always told me to stay the hell away from it, you know? It just seemed so… strange, anyways. I mean, celebrating the dead is one thing, but with that kind of party just seems… messed up. I mean, a lot of peoples' parents died that day… my parents…" Naruto lapsed into silence for a moment, noticing that Sasuke had turned to look at him.
"I don't even know who my parents are. That's pretty messed up, huh, Sasuke? You're lucky – at least you know they loved you, huh? Man, that's a messed-up thing to say." Sasuke just grunted and elbowed Naruto. Naruto looked at him in shock, and then elbowed him back. The two elbowed back and forth, steadily holding themselves back until both began laughing – Naruto in loud, long guffaws, and Sasuke quietly, his shoulders shaking and breathe catching in his throat.
"Well, isn't this a cozy little surprise?" Both the genin, gasping for breath, turned to the doorway, where their teacher stood, leaning against the wall.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto scrambled to his feet. Sasuke tried to follow suit, but, still drunk, instead lurched somewhat sideways before his teammate could grab him and pull him upright. Kakashi shook his head.
"What a prize couple of buffoons you make. And here I avoided any punishment after your incident with Gai and his students since I thought you'd learned your lesson." Naruto felt the shame flood back into him. Sasuke stepped forward with a fierce look in his eye.
"It's Naruto's birthday. We meant to give him a celebration." Kakashi's eye glinted with a hint of something before it went blank again.
"Well, I suppose you managed that, at least. Come with me." Kakashi led them out of the drunk tank and through the hall, upstairs and through the station into the cool night air of Konoha. Sasuke and Naruto followed him silently as the jounin led them through the city and across the fields to their usual Training Ground.
Once they'd reached Training Ground 21, Kakashi turned to them, his eye fierce. "Since you're clearly lively enough to play around, I suppose you're lively enough to train." Kakashi took on a fighting stance and both his students' stomachs dropped into their legs.
"Your assignment for the night is to fight me. Your time begins now."
The next morning, Sakura found her entire team already at the training field – she stared, totally shocked, at Kakashi, early for the first time since she'd met him. Sasuke was sleeping under a tree, looking like he'd gone fifteen rounds with an angry bear in a mud pit. Naruto was also sleeping, sitting against the same tree – only marginally less dirty. Kakashi looked up from his book as Sakura approached.
"Hey Kakashi-sensei… what happened to them…" Sakura hurried over to her teammates, but Kakashi just grinned.
"Nothing at all. They were just doing some… training… They got involved in a little escapade yesterday – which is why they'll have to be punished…" Sakura nodded as she shook her teammates awake. Naruto groaned as the sun hit his eyes.
"Agh, it burns… Why… Sakura-chan? Oh shit, is it the morning?" Sasuke just moaned feebly and rolled over, requiring several nudges from Sakura's shoe before he finally moved onto his back, staring up at the sky sightlessly.
"Every bone in my body aches." Kakashi grinned.
"Oh, you think that's bad; you haven't heard the worst of your punishment. Thanks to your screwing around yesterday, I've decided that today won't be a day off after all!" Sakura shrieked in protest.
"But Sensei! It's the Festival today! That's not FAIR!" Sakura immediately realized the childishness of her statement. They were a team – and if Naruto and Sasuke were to be punished, she would accept the punishment too. But, she thought, looking at the two, she wouldn't have to do so happily.
Kakashi, as if reading her thoughts, nodded. "It isn't, but then, life isn't fair. I've sent word ahead to the mission assignment desk for us to pick up a C-rank mission out of town – now, I know you'll have to miss the festival, but, well, that's the lesson you learn, I guess!" As Kakashi shot his team a self-satisfied smile, Sakura caught a glance exchanged between her teammates and felt oddly left out. Naruto smiled.
"Well, I guess we'll have to learn our lesson, then…" Sasuke, shielding his eyes, stood as well. "Yes. We have faltered. And must be punished." Sakura gaped slightly. She knew she was missing something. Kakashi shrugged.
"Well, good on you all for taking it so well. I'll meet you at the mission desk!" Kakashi vanished in a whirl of leaves and grass. Sakura whirled on her teammates.
"What did you two DO?! And why are you so chipper about missing the festival?" Naruto looked chagrined.
"Sakura-chan, I'm really sorry you have to miss the -" Sakura shook her head.
"Shut up, Naruto – I don't care about the festival – I always spend most of it reading on my own anyways. I'm missing something else, though, and you're going to tell me what… or… or… or I won't heal Sasuke's hangover!" Sasuke groaned at this.
"Fine, fine. Today's Naruto's birthday, so Kiba dragged us to a bar and managed to get us all thrown in the drunk tank. Naruto hates the Nine-Tails Festival, so getting away from town today is actually a bonus. Happy?" Sakura stared at her teammates, shocked for a moment. How did she always manage to miss these moments?
Naruto stared nervously at her, and Sakura felt her lips curve into a smile. It was his birthday, and she hadn't even known! Then and there, she swore to be a better teammate to Naruto – and Sasuke, for that matter.
"Happy Birthday, Naruto. And for what it's worth – if it makes you happy to get away from the festival, then it's all right by me." Naruto grinned.
"So everything's OK, then?" Sakura smirked vindictively.
"Hardly. Next time you two idiots get drunk, I'm coming too!"
Technique Library: Chakra no Mesu no Jutsu (Chakra Scalpel Technique): A healing A-ranked ninjutsu which forms the user's chakra into a very small, sharp blade which extends only a very short distance from the user's hand. This technique is usually used for accurate incisions in the course of anatomical dissections or surgery. The scalpel's cuts can be targeted to affect the inside of the body rather than creating an open wound by avoiding damage to the skin. The scalpel can also be used offensively, but requires even greater precision and control this way – thus, offensive scalpel use is highly irregular.
Author's Note: Hello again, readers!
This chapter, with the team back in Konoha, took up that sort of quasi-vignette style again – I must confess my dislike of the extended training sequences some stories use – to me, Naruto has always been about the characters, the world, and the action – not the minutiae of learning a given technique or extending a plot point.
I foresee at least some commentary regarding how Naruto's seal training and use is going forward, but rather than trying to forestall it, I'll embrace it – look forward to any answers regarding that subject next chapter!
The next chapter will once again take our heroes out of Konoha, but only for part of the chapter – don't worry, the Nine-Tails Festival won't totally go ignored! Hell, after this much hinting and foreshadowing, it'd be practically criminal of me.
This chapter, we hit (and surpassed) 100 reviews! I'm very pleased at that – I'd love to hear from more readers, if you have the time. A few responses to selected reviews:
theIrishWriter: I figured the name would clue people in. Yes, Naruto will be learning the Rasengan, though, as you can see, that is quite a ways off. Jiraiya's whole existence in this fic so far is foreshadowing of a series of plotlines a long ways down the road – and the seal key most certainly is involved. The Iwa-nin most certainly may have had a moment of panic, but since we don't see things from their perspective, that wouldn't really fit into the story, unfortunately. Maybe later, though – this is hardly the last we'll see of Iwa-nin in this tale!
Shinobi of life: I believe I mentioned this in an earlier note, but that mission will be appearing, as will those characters – though hopefully in a manner that hasn't been done (or at the absolute least, hasn't been done often).
Will Heins: Keep thinking, you may hit upon it eventually. I figured that Naruto's growth could hardly go without including Naruto's first kiss – after all, one's development in a romantic sense is as important as anything else to one's development into an adult. I don't want to give anything away about the future, but I'll say at the least that though I may have fiddled with details of Akatsuki's plans and such, the timeframe remains the same – and thus the concept of a training trip will likely still exist, unless the story has diverged so far by then that it's untenable. And don't apologize, I like hearing from readers.
JGWO: At the very least, I don't plan to bulldoze my characters' development. How that sequence is dealt with will have to wait until the Wave mission for answers!
devo342: I can only assume you meant the way I explained the basic "Bunshin" technique as a "non-elemental genjutsu." What I meant by that is that the Bunshin technique is a genjutsu, and that it doesn't use any elemental or healing (or other altered) chakra. I didn't mean to imply that there were elemental genjutsu, as there, as you astutely pointed out, are none.
zolydck: My original concept for this story was actually a series of vignettes moving through Naruto's career where he learns philosophical lessons that make him a better person and ninja. That sounded like it'd bore most readers to tears, which is why I essentially built a framework of a story around it, which developed into this. You can be sure that there'll be a lot more philosophy and dilemmas in the chapters to come!
EVA-Saiyajin: I went back to look at the dialogue, and while you're definitely right that Kakashi's dialogue includes a fair few exclamation points, I rather intended Kakashi in this story to have a bit more motivation behind him – he is actually trying to make his students better ninja after all. Thus, I felt that a little more "oomph" was in-character for him. Nevertheless, I'll take your note into consideration and try to limit how I use them.
Thank you all for reading, and for your support; please review if you have a chance!
- The Captain