Note: Kakashi Gaiden coming up for animation? Woo! I really am sleep deprived! T T hahaha so gomen about a not so well functioning brain. I tried out a different writing method, too, which I don't think I like so much, so I'm going to go back to my old way. But I think the Sasuke-Naruto talk came out pretty cool, and I liked the Naruhina at the beginning. Arigato mina (Thanks everyone) for the encouragement and feedback! As usual, everyone's reviews helped me think of more ideas. Thank you especially for enjoying this fan fic! Knowing people are enjoying it makes it more fun to write and worth all the effort! Poor Naruto, but yay for the friendship with Sasuke! As promised, here's some SasuSaku!
All The Difference 10
Sasuke's steps echoed off of the pavement of the Konoha streets. All around him, the world was busy and bustling, vendors hawking their goods, customers bargaining down prices, people on their way here and there, but all Sasuke could hear was the echo of his own feet against the pavement, as if he were walking in a different dimension all together and only a shadow of him appeared in this world. He had often felt this way in Konoha, ever since his clan was slaughtered.
In his dimension, no one was there, no one but him. He was lost in his thoughts.
Is this my home?
His eyes raised from the white, concrete that he walked on to the living world around him, watching as they all floated by him like a dream.
Okaerinasai (Welcome home).
The image and sound of Sakura welcoming him home had been haunting him since the day he arrived. Home. His home was destroyed a long time ago, crushed under the weight of his brother's ambitions. Was Konoha really his home?
At that moment, he felt like he did back at the BBQ restaurant with everyone there talking with each other and laughing. He felt disconnected from this place, a stranger to a land everyone else called home.
Sasuke remembered Kiba's acknowledgement.
Sasuke, it's good to have you back!
Shikamaru's voice ran through his mind.
Ah, you're a Konoha ninja, one of us. Even if it's troublesome, I wanted to do it.
There were moments, when he was with Sakura, with Naruto, and everyone else, where he felt like he belonged. Sasuke sighed. But his home had been destroyed long ago.
Itachi. He had been on his way to slay Itachi and avenge his family when he ran into Naruto. Sasuke knew he had grown strong enough to face his brother, or else Orochimaru wouldn't have let him go. Sasuke knew he was too precious to Orochimaru's plans. All Sasuke wanted to do was complete his revenge as he tracked down his brother. But seeing Naruto again and hearing everything his friend had to say had awoken in him the other part of his life, the memories of his times with Team 7 in Konoha, those parts of him that weren't consumed by the drive for vengeance. Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi sensei…and all the others who had gone after him even though he'd stayed aloof from all of them. They risked their lives for his sake. People had thought of him while he was gone, even missed him. And Naruto had made him realize that if he continued on the path he was on, it would most likely lead him back to Konoha as its destroyer.
It doesn't matter if Konoha is my home or not. I refuse to come back as its destroyer. Sasuke thought adamantly.
He held out his hands in front of him, palms up. He'd gotten stronger, much stronger, and powerful under the tutelage of Orochimaru who had run him through incessant training, trying to make the most of lost time, Sasuke realized after awhile. He had read the tell tale signs. He could see with his Sharingan through Orochimaru's jutsu, a gruesome technique that allowed him to take over another person's body. Sasuke figured out he would have been the next if he had made it there on time, if the others hadn't come for him and delayed his arrival. At the time, he didn't care, he just wanted to get stronger, so that he could avenge his family by killing his brother.
He stopped in his tracks and looked up to his right. He saw a modest home of white walls with friendly windows surrounded by a few cheerful, potted plants. Sakura's home. Inside, he heard the clinking and clanking of pots and pans of someone who was busily making a noontime meal.
Sasuke looked up at the sky, realizing that he had spent the morning wandering around aimlessly, deep in thought, and somehow, his feet had carried him to Sakura's doorstep. No, he had wanted to ask Sakura something, to ask her why she had welcomed him home. It seemed like such a pointless question, though. What kind of answer did he expect? She would probably say, 'This is your home because all your friends are here' or 'because you belong here' or 'because you were born here.' Sasuke sighed. What sort of answer was he really looking for anyways?
He turned away from her house and continued on his way.
"Sasuke-kun?"
He looked up to see Sakura walking straight towards him, her short pink hair bobbing cheerfully behind her.
"Sakura-chan, ohayou (morning)."
"It's not morning anymore," she stuck her tongue out at him. He smiled. She was different now around him, more relaxed.
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I was just out for a walk."
"I just came from training with Tsunade-sama. Have you eaten yet?"
"Uh, no, not yet."
"Why don't you join my mom and me for lunch?"
"Oh, um, no, it's all right."
"Oh, come on, it's just lunch. Afterwards, you can go back to wandering the streets aimlessly."
He gave her a look that asked how she knew he had been wandering the streets.
"It's says 'aimless' all over your face," she answered with an impish glint in her turquoise eyes, "Come on, I know you're not going anywhere, so you can't get out of this."
She grabbed his wrist before he could protest again and dragged him into her house.
"Okaasan (Mother)! We have a guest for lunch."
"Oh?"
Sasuke allowed himself to be dragged by Sakura around a corner and into the kitchen. There he saw an older, motherly version of Sakura tending a hot stove with a white apron wrapped around her body. She was stirring something in a large pot while something else was sizzling in a pan next to it. The rich smells of home cooking permeated the air and Sasuke couldn't help but relax a bit as he took a whiff of the pleasant aromas. There was something sadly familiar about the whole scene. The last time he was in a kitchen full of such smells was the last time he had eaten a meal cooked by his mother. His eyes softened a bit at her revived memory.
"Ah, Sasuke-kun, nice to see you again."
He looked up at her a bit startled, Again?
"Konnichiha (hello)," Sasuke said politely.
"You've gotten tall! You're as tall as your mother! Soon you'll be past your father, I'm sure of it!"
"You knew my parents?"
"Your mother and I used to see each other at the market all the time. She was such a great cook. In fact, you picked the perfect day to stop by! Sakura, help me with this."
Sakura went over to her mother while Sasuke took a seat at the kitchen table. Sakura began setting the table and serving the food. Sasuke felt his stomach rumble as the plate of fish swimming in sauce was placed in front of him with a bowl of white, fluffy rice, and another bowl of hot, steaming soup.
"Sasuke-kun, can you pour some water for the three of us?"
"Ah," Sasuke responded to the cook's request as he took the pitcher from her and filled each cup to the brim with ice cold water. Droplets of condensed water began to form on the surface of the glasses and glisten in the sunlight that poured in through the windows.
"You're mother and I used to swap recipes all the time, so I think you'll like the fish today," Sakura's mother said with a warm smile as she and Sakura sat down at the kitchen table with him.
"Itadakimasu (expression of gratitude before meals)," Sakura said, clapping her hands together.
"It… itadakimasu," Sasuke said awkwardly after Sakura, making the same hand gesture. It had been years since he had said that in a cozy family kitchen full of life, having had most of his meals alone or aloof from a crowd. Sitting at that small table in the modest kitchen with just two other companions gave him no room to be aloof.
He grabbed his chopsticks, picked up some of the fish on the plate in front of him and placed it onto his rice, the dark, red-brown sauce dripping all over his rice. Then he held the bowl of rice up to his mouth and began to scoop rice, fish, and sauce into his mouth. As soon as his taste buds got a chance to fully take in the flavor of what he was eating, he froze, the food sitting un-chewed in his mouth.
Sakura was all ready ravenously helping herself to another piece of fish when she noticed Sasuke frozen in the seat next to her. Sakura's mom smiled at him. She had been looking at him expectantly this whole time.
"Recognize it?"
He looked over at Sakura's mother's large, turquoise eyes. He nodded his head as he finished chewing and swallowed.
"You're mother's special sauce. She said it was your favorite. I guess it passed the test?"
Sasuke nodded as he helped himself to more. Sakura's mother beamed. Sakura looked down at the new piece of fish she had plopped in her bowl, a dish she had enjoyed on numerous occasions. She never knew it was a recipe of Sasuke's mother.
As Sasuke ate, he willed himself to calm down. Inside, he felt his chest trembling as he ate mouthful after mouthful of the painfully familiar food. He missed his mother so much. He had thought he'd never be able to eat her cooking again.
After the meal, Sasuke and Sakura helped clean up. When they were about to leave, Sakura's mother handed Sasuke a medium-sized bottle full of the red-brown sauce.
"Here, this way you can have some at home whenever you feel like it. Just bring it back when it's empty and I'll fill it back up for you," Sakura's mother smiled warmly.
"I know you're mother would be so proud of you if she could see you today. You've grown up to be such a fine ninja. Sakura told me how you all helped that poor village on your mission the other day," Sakura's mom said with slightly misty eyes, and then added, "You look so much like her."
"A…arigato (thank you)," Sasuke managed to squeeze out.
"Come back and visit anytime," she said, as she closed the door behind them. Out of their sight, she dabbed the corners of her eyes and took a deep breath.
Outside, Sasuke was staring down at the bottle he held in his hand. He gripped it tightly.
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Sakura smiled at him.
"I have to run back to Tsunade-sama's office. I'll catch you later," Sakura waved as she made to take off in a trot. As she turned, she felt Sasuke's hand grasp her wrist. She turned back around, looking first down at his hand holding her arm and then up into his deep, dark eyes.
"Sakura, thanks, it was a great lunch."
"Douitashimashite (You're welcome)," Sakura replied with a hint of mock formality and a bright smile.
Sasuke wanted to get something off his chest. He had learned the hard way that people who were important to you could be gone in an instant, that life was short and you couldn't take anyone for granted. He had taken his parents for granted; he never told them how much he they meant to him. He wished he had been more like Naruto back then, with heart on his sleeve. He was sure that if Naruto had had a family, his yellow haired friend would have made sure they knew how important they were to him every day.
"Sakura…when I bumped into Naruto in the forest before I came back, he told me that Itachi had hurt someone important to him. I didn't know about Hinata then, so I thought it was you. Part of the reason I came back was to see if you were okay. I'm really glad you are."
Sakura blushed.
"A…arigato, Sasuke-kun, for worrying about me."
"No…thank you for worrying about me."
He gave here a sincere smile, which she returned shyly with red cheeks.
Jease, why am I getting all shy and embarrassed all of a sudden! I thought I was over this! Sakura berated herself internally.
"Matane (see you later)," Sasuke said with a warm smile, a pleasant breeze weaving itself around them, causing their hair and clothes to wave and rustle in unison. Then he released her wrist, turned, and walked away.
Sakura was left standing there speechless, her face burning bright red as a flurry of feelings churned incessantly inside of her.
When Sasuke arrived back at his apartment, he pulled out a spoon from a drawer and poured a dollop of the sauce onto it. Then he popped the spoon into his mouth, put the bottle of sauce away in his fridge, and walked towards his window. He saw his own translucent reflection in it, the new forehead protector with the Konoha symbol glimmering in the inflow of sunlight. He looked over at his dresser where his old one lay, the Konoha symbol scratched out from his battle with Naruto. He would keep that to remind him of that path, the path he stepped off of.
Spoon still in mouth, he opened the window and looked out on the view. In the distance he saw the symbol of the Uchiha clan in full sunlight, a large red fan gracing the top of a police station. He smiled. His family's legacy was alive and well in this village. Their spirits and memories still lived on in the hearts of the people here. He carried that honor with him and with all of his friends here. The smiling faces of all his peers and teachers flashed through his thoughts; the great game they had the other day playing through his mind. In just the few weeks of being back, he had made so many new memories.
He looked down at a picture frame that lay flat and dusty on the window sill. Picking it up and blowing the dust off out through the open window, he put it standing up, revealing a picture of Team 7, bright, colorful, and full of life. Then he smiled because he realized he was indeed home.
Naruto walked down the street with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Over his eyes was tied a thick, black cloth. Onlookers stared at him as he went along, wondering what would have possessed him to blind fold himself so randomly on such a beautiful, sunny day.
He walked up to the front steps of central office building that housed the Hokage's office. As he reached up to open the front door, the knob turned and the door swung open. Out stepped Hyuuga Neji.
"Oi, Neji, what's up?"
Neji gave his friend a raised eyebrow in response.
"What are you doing Naruto?"
"Training."
"Training?"
"Yeah. I wasn't born with a byakuugan like you, so I'm training my extended perception."
"Oh, so desu ne (I see)."
Why do you have that stupid blind fold over your eyes?
The Kyubi growled inside him.
You look like a moron.
"If I do this, I'll get better at sensing my surroundings! This way, I'll only hit targets I intend to hit!" Naruto said with a fury.
Why do you have to feel all that pain for that little girl? She probably would have been killed anyways. Who cares. What difference does it make?
"I care!"
Just because you killed her? Who cares? What does it matter?
"I get to live on and enjoy each day. It's only right that I should do something to learn a lesson from what happened, for her sake, so that her death isn't meaningless! I'm going to make sure it never happens again!"
Hmph, all that pain just for some stupid, useless little girl.
"Listen you spoiled brat! You can't go around enjoying yourself and not care about other people! If you have a right to enjoy life, so does everyone else!" Naruto scolded.
Psh.
The Kyubi turned its back to the gates. Naruto fumed.
"Why you…"
"Uh, Naruto?"
Naruto suddenly broke from his conversation with the Kyubi inside him.
"Oh, hehehehe, Neji, gomen (sorry), I forgot you were there," Naruto said with a hand behind his head.
"Um, who were you talking to just now?"
"Oh, was that out loud? Hahahahaha," Naruto laughed nervously, "Ano (um), I was just talking to my…inner demon."
"Ah," Neji replied, "I have conversations with my inner demon, too."
"YOU DO?" Naruto said, his eyes wide in disbelief behind the blind fold.
"Yes, I guess everyone has a bad side they have to deal with, an inner demon their trying to change. I know I do," Neji said thoughtfully.
"Oh, you mean…ah, hahahaha, yeah, everyone does…hahahaha."
"Well, ganbatte (keep at it) with your inner demon, Naruto," Neji said with a smile.
"Ah, hahahha, thanks, uh, you, too," Naruto laughed nervously again.
"Bai," Neji said as he walked off. Naruto held up a hand to say goodbye. When he heard Neji's footsteps fade away, he let his hand drop as he let out a sigh.
"One day, I'm going have to tell everyone…"
He walked into the building.
Naruto went up to the door at the end of the hallway. He put his hand on the cold door knob, turned it, and flung open the door to the sound of Hyuuga Hiashi's droning voice.
"Hiashi sensei! You called for me?" Naruto said loudly with a brilliant smile. A group of serious looking men and women dressed in dark ceremonial robes turned to look at the bright orange, blind-folded ninja that just barged in on their meeting.
"Hai (Yes), Naruto, could you please wait outside?"
"Ossu (Yes sir)!" Naruto barged out as noisily as he barged in.
The rest of the people in the room gave Hyuuga Hiashi a puzzled look. They had never seen him tolerate such behavior before. Normally, he would stare down someone who interrupted his speech until they cowered away leaving a trail of apologies. Instead, he almost welcomed the outburst, as if he had been expecting it, and he almost, dare they imagine, smiled when the loud boy burst into the room.
Hiashi finished up what he was saying, then excused the disoriented members of the meeting who filed out of the room throwing the yellow-haired ninja bewildered looks, and some of them recognized him.
"Jinchuriki (name for a person sealed with a Biju or tailed demon)…"
Naruto heard them mutter. He stood with his hands behind his head leaning his back against the wall in a relaxed posture. He threw them a sideways look of irritation through his blindfold.
"What does Hyuuga-sama want with the Jinchuriki?" another whisper reached his ear.
"Che," Naruto sounded in disgust.
"Naruto," Hiashi sensei called.
Naruto jumped back into the room.
"Naruto, why are you blindfolded?"
"Training!" Naruto said with exuberance as he pointed his thumb at himself.
Hiashi sensei understood. He knew about what happened, about the accident. Immediately he deducted why Naruto was engaged in this type of training.
"Ah, so desu ne (I see). Hm, this is the best way to obtain byakuugan like abilities."
Naruto beamed.
"Then Naruto, you may be perfect for the request I have to ask of you."
"What is it? Hiashi sensei?"
"You know that Hinata asked me to train her to fight off the Uchiha psychological torture attack that she endured."
"Mmh," Naruto affirmed, suddenly striking a serious tone.
"Well, unfortunately, there is no way to counter that attack, not with byakuugan or any techniques that I know anyways. Plus, byakuugan is the weakest against that sort of attack."
Naruto's mouth fell open. This couldn't be. So is Hinata completely helpless against that attack forever?
"However, there is a way to disable a sharingan user before that psychological attack can begin. That's where I need your help. No, that's where Hinata needs your help. I've been training her to do a technique that can temporarily blind an opponent."
Naruto's burst out in a smile, and his arm shot up in the air.
"I volunteer to train with her!"
Ha, before I even asked…what a high spirited ninja, Hiashi thought with a silent laugh.
"The attack has different levels. At the basic level, it causes temporary blindness. At an extreme level, it can take out all of an opponent's senses leaving him disoriented. Worst case scenario, you could lose one of your senses, such as vision…permanently. I wanted you to be aware of the risks before you agreed to do this."
"I all ready agreed!" Naruto shouted as he raised his hand up even higher.
"So desu (I see)."
He knew he wouldn't be disappointed by Naruto's bravery.
"All right then, meet us at the Hyuuga training grounds at sunrise tomorrow morning."
"Hai (Yes)!" Naruto yelled.
Note: I finally started watching some of the fillers (yay!). I'm also reading through the manga from the beginning. Thanks for reading! More Sasusaku and Naruhina coming up!