Behind the Glares
Ayane Selznick
Calm before the storm! Sasuke and Sakura's idea!
They stared disbelievingly.
What has happened to my brother? Sasuke would ask to himself while he gulped nervously.
Is…is that my sister? Sakura would ask while sweating nervously.
And as for the lonely child…
"I don't think this one worked for one bit."
The young Uchiha and the young Haruno snapped back from their trance as they both looked at their teammate.
"How come they don't like to have a decent conversation? Why do they want to kill each other anytime, anywhere?"
Sakura sighed, defeated. She couldn't understand her sister… sometimes.
"I don't know Naruto. That's why we're searching reasons why they hated each other so much."
Sasuke walked closer to them and said, "Actually they gave us a hint. My brother humiliated your sister. That's it."
Both Naruto and Sakura raised a brow out of Sasuke's observation. So what if his brother humiliated her sister? What did really happen? Which one of them was wrong?
But before they even find another way of getting through the issue…
"AHEM."
All three of them looked behind them only to see a very pissed Iruka staring at them.
(You three are sooooooooooooo dead! Hide kids!)
The thing is, Naruto kept his very cheerful grin and even said…
"Hi Iruka-sensei! Let's go to Ichiraku!"
That gave a nerve popping to which Sasuke and Sakura easily saw from Iruka's right temple. They both sweat dropped. Knowing their previous teacher back in Ninja Academy…
Iruka lacks PATIENCE.
And when he lacks patience, Naruto should be out of the picture.
Because… It will be the end of the world!
"NO WE'RE NOT GOING TO ICHIRAKU! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING MESSING THE MONUMENT AGAIN!" Iruka-sensei screeched at the top of his lungs that almost the entire Konoha tremble from its echo.
The trio covered their ears in time otherwise their eardrums would have shattered long ago.
(Want some fluffy ear plugs kids?)
Iruka accusingly pointed the children of Team 7 and added, "Since you three planned everything… you will CLEAN UP THIS MESS!"
"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Naruto and Sakura screamed while Sasuke smack his forehead knowing the outcome of the moron's plan.
We are so dead. He added in his thoughts.
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Inside the Hokage tower where the duo was standing face to face with the Hokage…
"You both know that it's not decent to show violence in public. It causes commotion." The Hokage puffed out smoke that came from his cigar.
"Forgive me." They said in unison but glared each other from the corner of their eyes.
The Sandaime noticed this and massaged his forehead for a while. He sighed a little later and looked at them.
"The mistakes happened in the past should be corrected in the present and in the future. You are old enough to understand that."
They both bowed politely but never said a word. Sandaime continued.
"Shinobis and Kunoichis are like brothers and sisters in this village even at war in the battlefield. How can't you show it to one another?"
Itachi raised his head to have an eye level to the Hokage but never spoke. He glanced shortly at the female ninja beside him. She hasn't raised her head as she kept her gaze on the floor.
"Unless you two are not in good terms, you will be restricted to do S and A classes of mission."
That made Kayako raised her head and stared shockingly to the Hokage.
"You can't do this to me, Hokage-sama."
Itachi twitched a brow but said nothing.
"Consider this a punishment. You should know how to discipline yourselves." The Hokage sat up from his chair and dismissed them, "I'm hoping to see you guys in good terms from this day forward. Dismissed."
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While cleaning the mess at the Hokage monument…
Sakura throw a bucket of water at the forehead of the Third Hokage and started scrubbing the paint away with the use of a scrubber.
Sasuke was hanging upside down at the nose of the Fourth Hokage while he was splashing water on the paint and started rubbing it as well.
Naruto was scrubbing the huge cheek of the Fourth Hokage. He would be glancing towards Sasuke and Sakura knowing that those two were probably thinking of another plan.
Or maybe not…
"Hey, what are we going to do next?" The blond blurted out once he finished cleaning the huge mess from the cheek.
Sasuke twisted only to land at the tip of the nose of the Fourth Hokage while staring lazily at Naruto.
"What do you mean what do to next?" He said.
Sakura wiped the trickling sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand and stared at Naruto.
"Don't you want them to be good comrades? So—" Naruto was cut off by Sakura.
"—you want to think of another plan to make them talk?" She finished and sighed exasperatedly.
Naruto nodded weakly at the sight before him. Sasuke was probably tired of scrubbing the large mess under the nose of the Hokage. Sakura was also tired but she has to bring all their groceries to their apartment after this. That would be double exhaustion.
"You don't want to give up now right? We have a clue already but we have to know why and then let them settle their argument." He added, trying to convince the two.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes to Naruto. It seems like their blond teammate was trying to persuade them to continue this prying-in-their-siblings-thing.
"…We're not going to do any of your plans, dobe. It's better that you don't think about it."
(Bulls eye Sasuke! Ting ting ting! You hit the right button!)
And there goes smokes coming out of Naruto's nose and ears as he glared the Uchiha upon digesting the insult about him.
"You DARE INSULT me you BASTARD!" Naruto was about to launch to Sasuke when he tripped and…
(Insert falling sound)
"TEMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" (bastard)
Both Sasuke and Sakura sweat drop and watched Naruto go down, down, down…
"What an idiot." Sasuke blurted out.
(Yeah what an idiot.)
Sakura sighed again and was about to go down from the monument when Sasuke called her.
"Hey."
She turned around and stared lazily.
"I think I have a plan, but I want to speak with you first." He said with a look of determination in his eyes.
(Ooohhh the Uchiha brat, err, the youngest Uchiha was worried about their siblings!)
Sakura looked over to the village and then back to him.
"…okay."
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When the two were dismissed, they walked the only corridor that leads to the exit. They walked in silence. No one wanted to open up something.
(Because they really hated each other okay?)
They kept their distance to one another and only their sandals steps were heard.
Kayako glared the floor.
I don't want to talk to him, nor see him everyday, nor call him by his name… it sucks! The very person who humiliated me is the person I must have patience with! I can't take this!
Itachi glanced to his side but wasn't able to see the Haruno's expression. He looked forward and thought…
She really hit my nerves. Dammit. Is it that hard to forget? Well… I can't really forget what she did to me after the exams. But man, is that how thick her skull is? Can't she just see why I did that to her!
The moment they reached the exit, Kayako turned left and was about to leave when Itachi called out her name.
"Oi where are you going?"
Kayako glanced to the side and then glared at him.
"Like I'd tell you…" She prepared to leave but left an insult. "Bastard."
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The next day…
Sasuke and Itachi weren't talking much (should we say, Itachi was ignoring Sasuke more but Sasuke was pestering him sooooo much!) but Sasuke was pretty sure that his brother was still upset about yesterday's incident.
Who wouldn't be?
The little one glanced to his brother once again and this time Itachi had reached the peak of his patience.
"What are you looking at?" Itachi coldly said while they walk towards the forest. Sasuke asked him for another shuriken training and it seems like the older one was pissed off but he agreed to go anyway.
"What happened yesterday? You're so upset." Sasuke stated truthfully.
Itachi stopped walking and raised a brow at his brother. (Oh so the brat was curious huh?)
"What makes you think I'm upset?"
Sasuke sighed heavily. His brother is not a good liar.
"Well you weren't talking that much and you keep on glaring the floor. Who wouldn't think you're upset?"
And again, Itachi gave Sasuke a disbelieving look.
"Really huh?"
Sasuke grunted and looked lazily at his brother, "You know you should stop lying. You're not good at it."
Then a light bulb turned on atop of Itachi's head. And surprisingly, people, he smirked! Itachi walked once again and before he left his brother, he said…
"You know I'm not because you're good at it."
With that my friends, Sasuke growled!
"DAMN YOUUUUUUUUUUU!"
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Sakura was silently watching the clouds that slowly crawl up in the sky. She smiled quietly as birds flew out of the trees and went towards north. Sooner, she felt another presence lurking behind her.
"Is that you?" She asked softly.
The figure behind her came out behind the tree and went towards her.
"How long have you been waiting?" He asked quietly and sat beside her.
"10 or 5 minutes ago." She answered sweetly and smiled at him.
The raven haired kid nodded as he had an apologetic look on his face. "Aa."
"Come, join me here."
He walked towards the bench and sat beside Sakura who continued watching the clouds. He eyed her questioningly and soon followed her gaze in the sky.
"So…" Sakura started. If she only saw the surprised look as he jerked nervously when she spoke. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Aa… yeah…" He coughed nervously and stared in nothingness. "Do you think your sister values you so much?"
"Huh?" She jerked awake and looked at him incredulously. She didn't know what he's getting at.
Sasuke rephrased his statement. "I meant, if she cares for you so much that if something happen to you she would really look for you?"
"Ah that." She nodded knowingly and smiled at him, "even though we always had a verbal fight she still cares for me. I could feel that. Why did you ask?"
Sasuke nodded, "I see. She does the same like my brother… even though he always tells me to bug off."
The young Uchiha noticed her brow raised in curiously as well as her eyes shining brightly at him. He could have blushed at the sight but being him, he looked to the side and continued thinking of the plan that was forming in his brain.
"Well you see… I have a plan."
Sakura blinked at the sudden statement, "Plan?"
Sasuke returned looking at her and said, "Yes, a plan. A plan to make them talk without killing each other."
The pink haired teammate could only stare in awe while the Uchiha smiled evilly and his eyes had a glint of wickedness.
Author's Note: Sorry if this one's short and late. I have a writer's block you know and I've been working with someone screaming all this time that I always forget to update this one unless I reread the first chapter. Anyway, care to give an idea for their plan? Do you have something in mind? Well you can tell me in your reviews! Thank you for reading and I do hope you have a lot of patience for the next update for this story! (winks)