And now follow the next two Chapters. I have to finish this story before I could start another one.
Naruto had asked her about that training two days later, as she had dropped some papers on his desk to sign them.
"What do you think?"
"Sounds funny." She stated, but didn't sound that amused at all.
"You don't have to do that, you know."
"I know." She said. "But nonetheless I think it could be fun. At least a little. I love it to see how Kakashi-sensei is still able to handle you." She grinned widely.
"Oy! You just wait, I'll get him down! And afterwards you."
"No chance Naruto. You're never able to kick me."
"We'll see. How about Saturday afternoon?"
"Anytime, anyplace." She stated. "Don't forget to sign these papers, I need them." and with that she left.
He went to tell Kakashi and Sasuke that evening before he went home.
"How do you think things will turn out?" Hinata asked him after he had eaten and was helping her with the dishes.
"I don't know. I think she still has feelings for him, even if they're buried quite deep. And I think that he somehow returned because of her, even if he wouldn't admit that."
"He has changed a lot." She stated, looking at him with a smile.
"Yeah, he has. And that's good. The old Sasuke wouldn't stand a chance here."
"None of you would stand a chance now, if you all would still be the same."
"You're right." He grinned, kissing her on the forehead. "When he's with the rest of us he's still the old cold, and I don't think that this'll change, and there's no need to at all."
"Maybe it's better." She stated. "A Sasuke who turns out to be that emotional near the water like Lee would knock you all out. And freaking like Kiba or being lazy like Shikamaru isn't an option either. I guess it's completely ok if he stays that way."
"Right." Naruto grinned.
Saturday arrived faster as they had imagined, and they met at the bridge like in the early days.
"Brushed your teeth and changed your underwear?" Sasuke asked Naruto as he arrived.
"Blow-dried your hair?" Naruto asked Sakura.
"Are they already driving you nuts?" Kakashi asked Sasuke.
"You're on time?!" they all called out, and then started laughing. Sasuke allowed himself a grin.
"First me against you!" Naruto grinned at Kakashi.
"I was afraid you'd say that. Some things never change." The copy nin grinned.
"What? Have you expected me to change?"
"No one ever expects you to do that." Was the answer he got.
As they arrived their old training grounds they all sighed. How many memories where bound to this place…
"Now I'll make your weird haircut even weirder." Naruto grinned widely.
"I know, fair and square. Get started, you screw up." Kakashi teased him.
"I'll get you for that." The blonde laughed. "If not today, then on your next mission."
"So far for the fair-part." The silver haired sighed. After half an hour he had his victory about his former student, again with his book in his hand.
"I told you he'll kick your butt." Sakura grinned as Naruto let himself fall down into the grass next to her.
"I know." He grumbled. "I thought you're already OLD sensei." He teased.
"Not old enough as you see." He laughed. "But it seems like you're rusting. Even a hokage should train."
"I had no one to spar with." He shot back.
"So Yamato and me are no one?"
"Hmpf." He replied. "I think that's now Sakura vs. Sasuke."
Both of them looked at the blonde, slightly shocked as he found, but then they stood up and took their places without any words. They stood there, simply staring at each other, for a few minutes.
"Why don't you start?" Sakura asked him after a while, her voice strangely cold.
"I'll let you the chance to strike first." He replied.
"Out of mercy, huh?"
"No."
"Don't you dare thinking that I'm not able to beat you."
"I don't think anything in that direction." He tried to stay calm, her voice and the words hit him.
"You snob." She hissed and finally attacked.
Naruto and Kakashi decided to back off a little, the feelings both of them were airing letting them imagine that this fight could become hard.
Sakura came with nearly full force, a hit that would've been a hard blow if he would've caught it. He only moved, he didn't say anything nor made any noises. Somehow that freaked her out and she became really angry. All these years he had played that cold hearted, that emotionless and she was sick of it. So fed up with that. She put all the upwelling feelings in her attacks, sometimes making it more than just hard for him to dodge them. He caught some hits and learned quickly that he don't want her to hit him really hard.
The other two decided that ramen would be much healthier than staying here. They could return later, picking up the pieces that were left. Too much danger in the range of them.
"Are you intending on killing me?" he asked her after a while.
"Why should you bother?" she barked. "You've never cared what others around think."
"That's not true." He stated calm.
"You and your attitude." She hissed.
"What attitude?" he asked back, now getting angry as well.
"You think that you're better than everyone around you."
"I don't." he pressed out, fighting to calm down.
"Oh yeah? Sorry, I haven't recognised! What are you planning? Coming home after years! And now playing mister nice guy or what?"
"I don't play!" he shouted, dodging another blow.
That answer stunned her, and she stopped dead in motion. She was angry, angry at him, at Naruto and Kakashi for putting up that fight and angry at herself for that lack of self-control she was so used to.
"You're the one who's acting strange now." He stated and she did something he never expected, she slapped him. A simple slap, not even with half hearted power, with no power at all. And then she started crying.
"Don't you dare… You left us, even though we tried everything to be there for you. You always acted
like we were nothing, nothing but obstacles in your way. Obstacles you have to overcome. And you did it, you put us aside and left without wasting one thought. You simply moved on and never looked back, back at those who were there for you. And if that wouldn't be enough! You tried to kill your best friend, maybe the only true friend you ever had, without one moment of hesitation."
He just stood there and looked at her.
"And now you do it again. You don't show any emotion at all! You act that stoic like always. What do you plan? Why do you put up such a big show? Wasn't hurting all your friends once enough for you? Couldn't you just let us be? Things have been fine here without you!"
He still remained silent. It hurt him what she said, more shouted at him, and he knew that he deserved it.
"God damn it! Say something!"
"What should I say? Of which use would it be?" He asked her silently. "No matter what I will say, you won't believe anything. The fix picture you have in your mind stays. So why should I say anything?"
"Are you really that cold hearted?" she asked. "Do you really care so less? There are so many wounds you left behind, so many things that couldn't be changed that easily, things you couldn't wipe out by just being nice for a few days. Have you ever thought what would happen? Naruto had loads of trouble. Trouble with Tsunade-shisho, with Jiraiya, with the Goikenban. You were a missing-nin, normally they would've added your name into the bingo-book, but Naruto fought for you so they won't. He went out for you, over and over again. He hadn't put you into prison as it would've been with everyone else, he didn't even put you under ANBU watch."
She sobbed and brushed away the tears with the back of her hand.
"All the time you didn't bother to come home, you didn't care what was going on here. And now you return all of the sudden and everything should be back to normal. But that's impossible, completely impossible. Questions over questions, that's the only thing you left behind. Things we wondered about but never found an answer. And the biggest question of all is why."
"Are you ready now with lecturing me?" He asked her. "You're not only upset because of that, you're angry at me because I left you, right?"
She gasped and he caught her hand just before she could slap him again.
"Why do you think, or for who do you think, I've returned?" he asked, let go of her hand and left.