The author says: Hello everyone! Here is chapter 10 for you!
Thank you sooooo much for all the wonderful reviews! I can't believe how much feedback I got for the last chapter! You guys are awesome! Keep it coming, it makes me happy ;)
I hope you enjoy the new chapter as well! Have fun reading!
I do not own Naruto!
'He had no idea'
Chapter 10
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
tell the World I'm coming home
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes
I'm coming home, I'm coming home
tell the World that I'm coming
- 'Coming Home' by Diddy-Dirty Money feat. Skylar Grey
"Naruto-san," the composed Hyuuga started, "this all sounds very interesting, but what exactly are we going to do?"
At that, all eyes turned to Naruto. The girl blinked at them and suddenly her face lit up.
"We, gentlemen," she said and flashed them a very feral grin that sent shivers down their backs, "go Akatsuki hunting."
A stunned silence followed her words.
Shikamaru and Neji's eyes widened, not quite believing what Naruto had just said. Akatsuki hunting? As in, trying to catch and defeat the supposedly strongest organization of criminal rogue ninja ever? The ones who were after the Jinchuuriki, such as Naruto herself?
Before the two brunettes could voice their questions, Kiba broke the silence. "Aka-what?"
Shikamaru and Neji sweat-dropped at their team mate's lack of knowledge. They all had been briefed on the Akatsuki in ANBU. There was not one ANBU, who didn't know about them... Or apparently there was a single one.
Neji finally supplied an answer for the ignorant Inuzuka. "The Akatsuki, Kiba-san. An organization of S-rank missing-nin. And in fact the most wanted group in the shinobi world. We don't know much about them so far, but apparently they are after the Bijuu."
At Kiba's blank face, Neji quickly went on, trying hard to keep his famous patience. "The Bijuu, Kiba-san. The Tailed Beasts, such as the Kyuubi. They were sealed in children and the Akatsuki want to extract them. For what reason exactly, we don't know yet, but it can't be good."
Naruto rolled her eyes at Kiba. "Man, dog-breath, you better pay attention from now on or I'll replace you before you know it!"
Kiba huffed, but quickly muttered something about just having forgotten about it.
"So, Naruto," Shikamaru addressed their new captain, "how would we hunt them? I mean, no one knows where they are or when they will strike. It's not like we have any useful knowledge about them."
Naruto smirked at the boys. "That's where you're wrong, Shika. Fortunately, someone is providing me with very useful insider information on the members of Akatsuki and their plans."
The Nara frowned. "Who would be able to offer insider information on them, except for a current or former member?"
Naruto's face returned to a serious expression. She was about to tell her team who her new informant was. Hopefully, they would take it better than Tsunade and Jiraiya. Both were not pleased about the idea, to say the least. Although they had found out about Itachi's true role in the Uchiha Massacre, they were suspicious of him and didn't like it at all that Naruto had accepted his wish to help him rescue Sasuke. Naruto wasn't too sure about the whole idea of rescuing Sasuke either, but she had made a deal with the older Uchiha and hence would not go back on her word. Itachi had promised to give her information at least once a month and their meeting had been over six weeks ago already. He was only two weeks late, but still, a tiny spark of doubt was growing in Naruto; which made her wonder whether he would keep his side of the bargain. But on the other hand, if he didn't, Naruto would not help him to get back Sasuke and the older Uchiha had seemed just too desperate to throw away this chance. So she'd wait.
"It is a current member," Naruto revealed and the boys' eyes widened. Konoha had not much knowledge on the Akatsuki and up to now they only knew of Orochimaru as a former member and Uchiha Itachi and his partner Hoshigaki Kisame as current members. Assuming that Naruto had no contact to Itachi's fishy partner, it left the Uchiha himself as the only possible informant.
"Uchiha Itachi," Shikamaru said quietly in realization, the frown deepening on his irritated face.
Naruto nodded in confirmation and three very questioning pair of eyes focused on her.
"Why would you trust a traitor, Naruto?", Kiba asked curiously, but uncharacteristically serious. Whatever he might think of Naruto, he was sure that the girl would never trust the man who was responsible for her best friend's misery and his consuming thirst for revenge.
The girl then told them of her encounter with the Uchiha six weeks ago and also of Itachi's mission to kill his clan. She left out that she had agreed to helping him, but Shikamaru was too sharp and realized that the Uchiha would not offer information like that for nothing.
"What does he want from you in return, Naruto?", he asked suspiciously, his intelligent eyes on the blonde captain.
Said captain averted her eyes and lowered her head. She didn't know why, but somehow she didn't want to see the expression on their faces when she mentioned Sasuke.
"I promised to help him rescue Sasuke." Her voice didn't betray any emotion of how she might feel about that promise, but Neji was skilled enough in reading people's body language that he realized that Naruto didn't feel comfortable about her promise. Even though her eyes were looking at the ground, he saw the slightest shifts of her feet and the tiniest movements of muscles on her face. Naruto was obviously still affected greatly by Sasuke's betrayal. Just thinking about the boy seemed to trouble her.
Sharing a knowing glance with Shikamaru and shooting a warning one at Kiba, Neji cleared his throat and tried to distract Naruto's thoughts from her former best friend. "So, about the information...?" he trailed off, waiting for the blonde to catch on.
Naruto's head shot up, forcing her attention back to the conversation, she told them about the contents of Itachi's first scroll. Up to this point, they knew about all the members, their partners and specialisation. It was not much, but at least a start. To actually start hunting them down, they relied on Itachi's next information. Until then, they'd have to train and probably go on other missions. The three boys had had the time to build up their team work for a whole month, but none of them had worked with Naruto yet. In order to be efficient and successful with their plan, they needed to be prepared and able to rely on each other unhesitatingly.
"So..." Naruto began, "Now that you know what we're going to do and that it's without a doubt going to be quite dangerous... Are you still with me?"
Her blue eyes calmly regarded the boys. This was their last chance to chicken out. They might have agreed to working with her after finding out that she was a demon container, but she couldn't take it for granted that they'd risk their lives on missions that promised to be rather reckless and adventurous.
Shikamaru once called himself 'the number one in running away'. He had preferred his lazy lifestyle, watching clouds, sleeping in class and spending his days with his best friend Chouji. He had avoided everything that looked to be troublesome. But right now the thought of running away from this task didn't even cross his mind for a mere millisecond. He had no doubt that the word troublesome could by no means come close to what was waiting for them. Moreover, there was a high probability that they lost their lives fighting S-rank missing-nin.
Shikamaru was aware of the fact that all of their skills and abilities had improved tremendously – and he had not yet seen Naruto in action – but they were mere teenagers. Not in their dreams could they measure up to the battle experience of the Akatsuki members. They would be outclassed, beyond doubt. But with enough information on the group and knowing all about their secret techniques and tactics, they were able to meet them on even terms. It all depended on their own strategies. And Shikamaru would make sure that those were going to be foolproof – or at least as foolproof as strategies against criminal S-rank shinobi could be.
"It can't be helped," the pineapple-haired Nara drawled, "but I guess you need me and my brain. I won't let you kill yourself just because you lack a proper plan, you know."
Kiba rolled his eyes at the genius. "Geez, Shika, the brains you have went to your head!" he teased and added, "You wouldn't survive two minutes without me and Akamaru!"
Naruto took his boastful words as his way of saying that he would join them. She focused on the Hyuuga, who was the last to answer.
"I called you a failure once, Naruto-san," he began in his serious but gentle voice, a tone of regret and maybe shame in it, "but you showed me that fate is not everything and that one can fight against his destiny. You made the impossible possible, a failure like you defeating a prodigy like me." His pale eyes shone with respect for the blonde girl.
"If anyone can take down the Akatsuki, I believe it is you, Naruto-san," he finished almost solemnly and Naruto felt a blush creep on her cheeks.
Unconsciously, she rubbed the back of her head, feeling a bit awkward and embarrassed about the confidence the Hyuuga had in her. Neji gently smiled at her, which made her turn her head away, only to meet the sight of Kiba's cocky grin and Shikamaru's amused smirk. Naruto felt a grin tug at the corner of her lips.
"Thanks, guys," she said in a serious tone, wanting the three to know how much she appreciated their answers.
She let the grin split her face in two and suddenly she felt like she could take on the whole world right this minute. Naruto now definitely had her team.
Having cleared up the most important questions, said newly formed team made its way back to Konoha; their ANBU masks back over their faces and Naruto's hood hiding her blonde hair once again. It was still before noon and Naruto had a lot to do today. She was going to make it publicly known that the demon brat was back in Konoha. Or so she had planned.
Before the four went their own ways, Kiba declared that Naruto needed to meet their old friends as soon as possible. "I'll tell the others to meet us tonight at Ichiraku's ramen, alright Naruto? You still love ramen, don't you?"
Naruto blinked stupidly. Ramen? "I... I don't like ramen any more...," she breathed, stating this fact aloud for the first time. It felt still weird to her that she had lived without ramen for the last three years.
Somehow her lust for ramen had vanished. It was not that she really didn't like it any more, but it was rather the fact that someday, her beloved ramen had lost its appeal. Ramen had been a constant in her life on which she had been able to rely on. It was the cheapest food for her to buy, but also she had truly loved and enjoyed it. The delicious taste of the salty noodles had somehow comforted her, eased her mind when the pressure of Konoha's hatred was becoming too much to bear. But then, one day – and she denied to connect the date to Sasuke's defection – ramen had lost its ability to comfort her. Salty noodles were just that – salty noodles; no more hidden consolation in a bowl of ramen.
"Um...," Kiba mouthed, unsure of this new development, "would you prefer barbecue?"
"Sure, why not," Naruto agreed and Kiba told them that he'd tell the others to meet them tonight at the barbecue restaurant. He wanted to surprise the others with Naruto's return and the boy was so enthusiastic about it that Naruto couldn't object.
Kiba and Neji said good-bye and jumped away, but Shikamaru hesitated. The huge gates of Konoha were looming up in front of them, but before he parted from Naruto, the Nara heir wanted to ask the blonde some more questions.
Sensing that her new team mate wasn't satisfied yet, Naruto looked at him through the holes of her Weasel mask. "You won't leave it alone, will you?" Naruto sighed, looking away from him, not waiting for his answer. She knew it; Shikamaru certainly was persistent. "Just pick me up tonight for dinner, alright?"
Shikamaru nodded in agreement. He had waited with these questions for over three years, some more hours wouldn't make a difference.
Naruto changed back from the ANBU uniform into her normal clothes in Kakashi's apartment. The jounin was not at home right now; apparently, he had to go on a mission once in a while, too.
The blonde gathered her few belongings and exited through the front door. The beloved hood was hiding her features and her blue eyes. She told herself that she'd remove the hood as soon as she was downstairs on the street. After all, she wanted the people to know that she was back... right? And no one knew that she was wearing black leather pants and revealing tops by now. The civilians would never connect the loud-mouthed child Naruto to the serious young woman she now was. But the hair, eyes and whisker-marks would give her away.
Stepping onto the street in front of the apartment complex Kakashi lived in, she shot glances to the right an left, but the street was empty. She started to walk in the direction of her own apartment. After some minutes of walking alone, her hand reached up, intending to push back the hood. Her fingers were already touching the smooth black cloth, when suddenly a civilian woman with her daughter turned around the corner, walking straight towards Naruto. She let go of the hood as if it was on fire. Her hand dropped back to her side; the hood stayed in place.
Naruto felt her heart racing. What was going on with her? Was she truly that afraid of confronting the villagers? Everything had gone so well this morning with the boys, better than she had dared to imagine. Why was it so hard for her to show her face now? Was her fear so great? The villagers had no idea of the power they had over her. Which was definitely better this way. Ashamed of herself for her weakness, she took to roof-jumping, cutting short the walk to her apartment, never shedding the hood.
The blonde let out a shaky breath as she came to stop in front of the red door of her apartment. It looked even more shabby than she remembered. She took out the rusty key she hadn't used in over three years. The lock protested for a second, but finally the door swung open.
Naruto stepped into the sad room of an apartment. Expecting clouds of dust and musty air, she was quite surprised when she was greeted by clean floors, a freshly made bed and no visible spider webs. Someone had been in here.
Suspicious, Naruto listened carefully for a hidden attacker. She sweat-dropped a little at her own behaviour. No one could hide in a one-room-apartment with a dingy bed, a small dresser and the small kitchen as pretty much the only furniture. She didn't sense any presence hiding in the tiny bathroom either, so there was really no one trying to ambush her. And why would anyone trying to ambush her clean her apartment beforehand?
Closing the door behind her, Naruto's eyes fell on a note pinned to her door from the inside.
Naru,
I thought you might want to come back to a clean apartment. I hope you don't mind, but I sent a genin team to take care of it this morning. (Don't worry, they have no idea who lives here and I threatened them thoroughly, so I don't think they stole anything. Not that there is anything one might steel from you anyway...)
You're welcome at my place any time, should you feel like visiting your old sensei!
– Kakashi
P.S.: Sorry, but there wasn't really anything except for orange bed sheets.
Naruto chuckled softy at the random note. Although she didn't like the thought of having strangers in her apartment at all, she still appreciated the gesture; it was really kind of nice. In a Kakashi kind of way.
She threw her worn back pouch onto the freshly made bed. The sheets were indeed a bright orange. It reminded her of the child she had been three years ago; trying to attract attention at all costs. Today, she definitely preferred more subdued colours. However, she did neither have the money to buy something as unimportant as new sheets, nor did she care enough. They were only sheets after all. She would have to patch the holes in the future, though.
She sat on the orange bed and it creaked heavily, even under her light weight. The mattress was so thin and shabby that she could feel the broken frame through it. The blonde girl let out a weary breath. Even sleeping on Kakashi's couch – no, even sleeping on the ground in the forest – had been more comfortable than this sorry excuse of a bed. Maybe she should move to the floor?
Her eyes wandered over the small kitchen unit, where she had prepared endless bowls of instant ramen. Her cooking skills were pretty much non-existent, the only things she had ever succeeded in were pouring milk over cereals and heating the instant cups of ramen in the old microwave. The fridge was probably empty and the cupboard full of forgotten instant ramen cups. But gone was her craving for ramen; which meant that in the future, she probably needed to learn how to cook properly.
Her eyes fell on the dresser opposite of her bed, next to the door to the bathroom. She had never owned many clothes and when she had left with Jiraiya, she had taken most of them with her. It was probably empty except for some holey socks.
She looked down at the nightstand next to her. There stood the picture of the old Team Seven. She hadn't felt like taking it with her when she left, but neither did she have the heart to throw it away. Naruto grabbed the picture frame and stared at it. Sakura in the middle, smiling, happy about being placed on a team with her precious Sasuke-kun. Kakashi, patting hers and Sasuke's heads, smiling his famous one-eyed smile. Her blonde self, glancing at Sasuke, her rival; the envious look in her blue eyes spoke volumes. Sasuke... a broody and rather unhappy look on his face. Naruto sighed. Had Sasuke already been thinking about leaving Konoha back then? But no, it wouldn't make sense. It was only after Orochimaru put the Cursed Seal on him during the Chuunin Exams that Sasuke's need for revenge and power reached an unhealthy level.
Shaking off the depressing thoughts, the blonde opened the top drawer of the nightstand to hide the photograph, when her eyes fell on a long-forgotten Konoha forehead protector. She pulled the drawer out completely. The crossed out Konoha insignia glistened in the light, as if mocking her. It was Sasuke's old Hitai-ate; the one he had worn during their fight in the Valley of the End. With her free hand she took it out. The dark blue cloth felt smooth under her fingers. She ran her thumb over the scratch she had created on it with her rasengan. This scratch was the only proof that she had been able to stand up to Sasuke – until he had shoved the chidori through her chest, aiming to kill. The proof for that was the ugly scar right over her heart.
Suddenly angry, she threw the picture and the headband into the drawer and shut it forcefully; the wooden nightstand shaking from the violent treatment.
Naruto leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. She buried her face in her hands, breathing in and out deeply, trying to get rid of the sudden whirl of emotions. What was wrong with her? Only earlier this morning, everything had been alright, more than that even. And now she was almost breaking down from taking a look at a freaking photograph? Kyuubi felt her distress and tried to force his chakra onto her. Shuddering from the effort to suppress the demon's evil intentions, Naruto clawed at the pain in her chest. Why was the dull ache hurting so much at times like these?
Five weeks earlier: somewhere in an underground lair in Otogakure
Sasuke lay panting on Orochimaru's bedroom floor.
He had succeeded. Orochimaru was dead and the Snake Sannin would never take over his body. Even though his sensei had been seriously weakened, the fight had taken its toll on the Uchiha.
Did he regret killing his sensei? No, definitely not. Sasuke had never felt any kind of attachment to the snaky bastard. He had been only another means to get stronger, to fuel his hatred. What would happen if word of Orochimaru's death reached the Elemental Nations? Would someone come after him? It actually surprised the raven a little that until now no one had tried to retrieve him again. But why was he expecting it anyway? Was it because he couldn't shake off the thought of a certain blonde dobe? Very deep inside of him, Sasuke felt a tiny spark of disappointment that the girl had not tried to 'rescue' him again. Naruto had seemed to be so intent on bringing him back to Konoha during their fight. She had even cried, begged him to return home with her. But he had severed that bond... Had he actually been successful? Was that why no one was looking for him? Unconsciously, his hand reached up to claw at his heart. The dull ache was pulsing through his chest, reminding him of too painful memories, buried deep inside of his avenger's heart. Why was the dull ache hurting so much at times like these?
Sasuke's breathing became less strained and he slowly lifted himself up to his feet. He grabbed his large chokuto from the ground and slit it back in the sheath strapped to his lower back. On slightly unsteady feet, he left the dark room. He had no time to lose.
His plan was simple. Kill Orochimaru and escape. He had not had much time to come up with it, so it was not really well thought-out. His dark eyes scanned his surroundings as he was walking through the corridors. Kabuto had left the hide-out to get new medicine for his master, but it was only a matter of time till he came back. And right now, Sasuke had to be realistic; normally, Kabuto was no match for him, but in his now weakened state, he needed to escape as quickly as possible.
But first he needed to get to the laboratories. He had decided on gathering a team for his next mission; which was finding Itachi and then killing him. But being chased by Oto-nin and possibly Kabuto himself, could prove more difficult than he anticipated. Crossing through a large hall, he opened a door, which led to Orochimaru's main lab.
Straightening up a little, the raven walked over to a water tank, in which Orochimaru kept one of his live experiments. A white-haired boy about his own age, regarded him curiously, as Sasuke stopped in front of him.
Sasuke wasn't really sure why he chose the boy to help him, but he had met him several times already and even though his belligerent attitude was annoying, Sasuke also knew that Hozuki Suigetsu was a skilled shinobi. So the boy would escape with him.
It was not that Sasuke felt pity to leave him behind, his intentions were purely self-serving. It would just be easier for him to escape the Land of Sound with a second person to help him defeat the ninja Kabuto would undoubtedly send after him.
Besides, Sasuke needed to admit to himself that he had no idea where to find his brother. He had to begin somewhere and again, having a second pair of eyes helping him, might prove useful. Furthermore, he was planning on assembling two more of Orochimaru's followers. A girl named Karin, who was a very skilled sensor and currently in charge of one of the Sannin's bases, and a man called Juugo, who was imprisoned in yet another base. He had met the three during his three years with Orochimaru and they were the most fitting for his plans. Besides, he was sure that they would follow him instead of Orochimaru.
Listening half-heartedly to Suigetsu's demand of retrieving some sword if Sasuke wanted him to follow him, Sasuke agreed, not really caring about it. He had no idea where to begin his search for his brother, so wherever they needed to go to get this sword, it was fine with him. But before they needed to escape and get the other two.
With a last glance at Orochimaru's laboratory, Sasuke and Suigetsu took off.
Naruto didn't know how much time had passed, but since it was almost dark in her poor little room, it must've been several hours. Exhaling deeply, she ran a hand over her dry, burning eyes. She had been staring into her hands for hours, trying to make sense of all the emotional chaos inside of her.
She got up from the bed, her legs and arms stiff from sitting slumped all day. She stretched her arms over her head, enjoying the feeling of her muscles relaxing. Switching on the small lamp on her nightstand – it was the only one that worked in her shabby apartment – she glanced at the watch on the wall. Realizing it was obviously broken, Naruto decided to take a quick shower before Shikamaru came to pick her up for meeting the others.
The tiny bathroom was cold, but Naruto didn't even think about turning on the heating – there was none. She undressed quickly and stepped into the shower. Ice cold water hit her body, causing her to gasp from the shock. How had she managed to forget that there was no hot water in her apartment? Trying her best to adjust to the chilling coldness, she washed and rinsed her long blonde hair as quickly as possible and hopped out of the shower. In the cupboard under her sink she found an old and thin orange towel. It was barely large enough to cover all important parts. She remembered how this towel had fallen down to her ankles when she was just a child. She had grown more than she realized.
Ignoring the dresser, she went to her bed and took a scroll from out of her back pouch. Unsealing a new set of clothing, she redressed in her 'scandalous' outfit, when she felt a familiar chakra signature approaching. She walked over to the door to open it.
A pineapple-haired Nara stood in front of her door, his fist raised to knock. "Um, hi, Naruto," he said, lowering his hand.
Naruto ran a hand through her still wet hair and rubbed it with the orange towel in an attempt to get most of the water out of it. "Hey Shikamaru, just give me a second," she said and disappeared in the bathroom.
A speechless Shikamaru was still staring at the spot where Naruto had just stood. What the hell was she wearing? A bare midriff? And leather pants? Sure, the boy had noticed how tightly her ANBU uniform was hugging her now more womanly figure, but this... this was... even too much for his normally uninterested self. How troublesome. Naruto looked hot. He had to admit it. He was a teenager after all and he could only handle so much. The wet, blonde hair had not been helpful either and the fact that she was obviously oblivious to how beautiful she looked, made it even more appealing, adding an innocent touch to the daring outfit.
Naruto came back, stepped out of her apartment and locked the door behind her.
Shikamaru stared at the exposed skin of her midriff. He just couldn't help it! She was a little too skinny for his personal liking, but still the muscles on her stomach were nicely defined, not too much, but enough to show how hard she trained. The leather pants were riding dangerously low on her hips and Shikamaru was glad that the girl was standing with her back to the door now or otherwise he would probably be shamelessly checking out her leather-clad behind.
Clearing her throat threateningly, Naruto was able to shake the boy out of his stupor, and the Nara's eyes quickly shot up to meet her amused blue eyes. Naruto's hands shot up to pull the hood over her hair and eyes and she waved at Shikamaru, gesturing for him to take the lead.
The two walked in silence for some minutes, Shikamaru trying to collect himself and Naruto feeling very self-conscious about being on the streets again.
Naruto saw Shikamaru opening and closing his mouth several times next to her, but no words came out. Finally, she turned to him, "Just ask away, Shika, don't worry. If I don't want to answer, I just won't."
Encouraged by her words, the clan heir asked what Naruto had expected. "Three years ago, you know, when I found you being beaten... Was it because of..." he trailed off, gazing at Naruto's hidden face under the hood.
She pulled it away enough for him to see her eyes, but keeping her hair covered. "Because of the Kyuubi, you mean?" she finished for him, sighing. She had never talked about this to someone else of her age. "Yes," she whispered, an unreadable expression in her eyes.
"It was not the first time, was it?" he whispered back, trying not to upset her by bringing up obviously unwanted memories.
Naruto openly looked at him. What was she going to say? Deny it? Shikamaru was far too clever to believe her lies and besides, the boy was for some unknown reason genuinely concerned about her. And he did rescue her back then. Somehow she felt like he deserved to know the truth.
"No," she admitted, closing her eyes, "it wasn't."
Shikamaru watched the different emotions crossing over Naruto's face. He didn't need Neji's skills of reading people to see how much those memories pained Naruto. Living as a Jinchuuriki must have been even more difficult than he had dared to imagine.
"They hate me, Shika. All of them," she whispered in a hollow voice that somehow was more painful to hear than an actual show of emotion. The blonde looked up at him. "The villagers despise me for having sealed the Kyuubi in me. I won't lie to you, because I know you won't accept it. But just please, don't feel pity for me!" Her blue eyes were cold and daring him to tell her he felt sorry for her. But Shikamaru knew better than to anger her now.
"Beatings were one of my lesser problems," she went on and shrugged, as if being beaten was indeed nothing. "They won't let me buy food or charge me twice the money for bad products, but you know... Someday they will stop seeing the demon in me and acknowledge me..."
Shikamaru saw the determination in her eyes, but there was insecurity in her voice and an almost longing tone to it. Naruto was obviously still dreaming of being recognized by the Konoha citizens and he was unable to imagine how hard it must've been for her to grow up with the knowledge that the village she lived in hated her. He remembered how he had heard some of the civilians call her a demon, telling her to die. What kind of person would do this to a helpless child? He felt disgusted, knowing that he fought for those people everyday, risked his life for people who had no qualms about beating up a child. A child without a family, with no one that cared about it. Shikamaru stared into Naruto's too blue eyes, which were silently pleading Shikamaru to tell her it was really going to happen one day; that the villagers would overcome their hatred one day. Was that why the child Naruto had so desperately tried to get everyone's attention? Why she had dreamed of becoming Hokage? Before he knew it, the question had left his mouth.
"To become Hokage?" Naruto mused, "Well, it was a dream once, but I don't think I want to be Hokage any more. There is so much else to do right now." And it's very unlikely that the villagers will ever accept me as their leader, she added silently.
Shikamaru sensed the unspoken words and saw the impassive acceptance in her gaze. It made him sad to see the blonde girl so unlike her usual bubbly self, something like resignation in her eyes. But maybe Naruto had always been like this deep inside; no one could endure such a treatment completely unharmed after all.
"Like hunting the Akatsuki?" Shikamaru prompted, intently staring at her.
She nodded. "You know, I just can't wait for them to attack me any moment, always trying to hide or run away. That's just not who I am."
Her ocean blue eyes gazed up at him, too many emotions in them for Shikamaru to comprehend them all. But a new sparkle lit up in them, reminding him of the feral glow in them, the moment she had told them about hunting down the members of the Akatsuki. Years before, one would see this glow in her eyes when she talked about becoming Hokage. Her dream had apparently changed, but still, it was not less ambitious at all.
Shikamaru marvelled at her personal growth. The child Naruto would have been rambling by now, shouting about her dream and whatnot. But the young woman in front of him was considerate and showing an intelligence that Shikamaru had never connected her younger self to. He realized that he liked this version of Naruto better, even if he was sad about the circumstances that had brought on these changes.
Giving in the urge to comfort her, although Naruto had threatened him not to show her pity, he suddenly closed his arms around her smaller form, pulling her against his chest.
A surprised Naruto stood stiffly for a second, before carefully returning the hug. Shikamaru was warm and he smelled of a fresh shower. Why was he hugging her? It was not pity, she felt it. But what was it then?
"Why do you care about me so much, Shika?" the blonde girl whispered against his chest, but he heard her clearly.
Chuckling softly to himself, he realized that this was the third time someone asked him why he cared so much about Naruto. The first time, it had been Jiraiya, right after he had rescued the girl from her attackers; the second time, it had been Kakashi, only some weeks ago, when Shikamaru had asked him if the rumours about Naruto's return were true; and now, the third time, it was the girl herself, asking him the very same question. And once again, he gave the very same answer, speaking into the cloth of her hood that hid her sunny hair.
"Why wouldn't I care about you, Naruto? I consider you a good friend of mine."
Naruto was stunned. Shikamaru considered her a friend? A good friend even? But why? What did he know about her after all? Sure, they had played together during academy days, but was that enough to call someone a friend? Naruto remembered her own naiveté and how she used to call Sakura her friend when the pink-haired girl had repeatedly insulted her and openly disliked her from the beginning.
Shikamaru could almost hear Naruto's brain working through the confusion that seemed to have followed his words. He chuckled again and tightened the hug. "Don't ask why, Naruto, just accept it."
With that he loosened his hold on her and to Naruto's utter amazement, placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. He let go of her and turned around, walking away towards the restaurant in which their friends were waiting.
"Come on, idiot! We're already late," he called over his shoulder and shoved his hands in his pockets.
Naruto felt her mouth hanging open. She quickly closed it and her right hand reached up to meet the spot where Shikamaru's lips had touched her skin. It was not a kiss that a lover would give you, it was rather a brotherly kiss, offering comfort, showing her that she was not as alone as she had assumed.
A friend? Naruto wondered. Bonds? Was she really forming bonds again? Had the incident with Sasuke not shown her how stupid it was to form bonds? How easy it was to be hurt? Gaara had said it was all about trust. Was she trusting Shikamaru? What reason did she have not to? Was there actually one? The boy had been surprisingly nice and thinking back, he had never been mean to her during academy days. And now he was her team mate. She really needed to trust her team mates. Did it mean forming bonds again? It probably did. Was she okay with it? It felt nice to call Shikamaru her friend. And for a team to function properly, she needed to rely on the guys. How would she do it, if she wasn't able to trust them?
This is more difficult than I had anticipated. How come she had not realized that all her plans included new bonds, trust and people who helped her. She wasn't alone any more. She had her team and that was what she had wanted. Was she really that blind to not see that her former belief in bonds was slowly returning to her?
There were so many questions Naruto found no answer to. But Shikamaru had unknowingly pushed her thoughts into a direction that she had avoided to take. On one hand he had set off all those stupid questions, on the other hand, he had also provided Naruto with one clear answer. She did neither feel threatened by the idea to form a bond of friendship with him nor did she feel like it was wrong. Instead, she knew that she couldn't go on like this, mistrusting and apprehensive of everyone.
This is all stupid Sasuke-teme's fault! Naruto spat inwardly, cursing the raven, who continuously invaded her thoughts. But had it actually ever helped the Uchiha to cut off all bonds and ties? Naruto didn't know how her former best friend was faring under Orochimaru's tutelage, but one thing she was now sure of. Sasuke was alone. And she now had a team.
Naruto stared at Shikamaru's retreating back. Sadly, the boy – her friend – didn't see the somehow entranced smile on her lips.
Some minutes later, the two arrived at the restaurant. Shikamaru stopped in front of the entrance, turning around to Naruto. He looked down at her, searching for her eyes under the hood. "You know, this hood is really troublesome."
The blonde shrugged. The hood was her only protection against the hateful stares of the villagers; she wasn't going to admit her current weakness, though. She still hadn't dared to take it off, even though she was walking with Shikamaru. Later, she told herself, but apparently, the Nara had other plans.
He removed his hands from his pockets and lazily but determinately reached up, pulling the hood off Naruto's head, revealing her sunny blonde hair and ocean blue eyes – which were now darting glances left and right. It somehow reminded Shikamaru of a caged animal. Was Naruto really that afraid of being seen by the villagers? Once again the scene from the alley came back to him and he sighed inwardly. No surprise that the girl in front of him wasn't too enthusiastic about meeting those people. Deciding to make her feel better, he grabbed her hand and pulled her along after him.
The girl stumbled into the restaurant close at his heels, surprised about the usually lazy boy's sudden initiative.
Shikamaru expected their friends to be sitting at their usual table and indeed, he was proven right, as all of the other rookie nine – minus Sasuke, of course – but plus Team Gai and Sai, came into view. He saw that there were still two free spots, between Kiba and Neji. It seemed as if the two boys were already thinking like a real team, intending to sort of shield their new captain from the others in the middle of them. Appreciating the gesture, he cleared his throat, for that their friends would stop their animated chatter.
Everyone looked up at the newest guests and Shikamaru graced them with a lazy wave of his free hand. The other was still holding tightly onto Naruto's. Squeezing it comfortingly, he pulled her into view and several surprised gasps sounded from the gathered shinobi.
The girl herself was holding her breath. This was one of the moments she had dreaded the most. She was already unbelievably grateful for her new team mates' acceptance, but who knew whether the reunion with her old class mates would go as smoothly. She was oddly aware of the stares she received. What would they say? Would they be mad at her for not properly saying good-bye all those three years ago? Would they even care about her any more?
Her eyes caught Neji's level gaze. Almost unnoticeably, he bowed his head at her; both a gesture of respect and greeting. Kiba grinned at her, baring his fangs, the red triangle tattoos on his cheeks stretching. She saw Sakura's green eyes staring at her, shyly and insecure. Sai was there, too; his dark eyes smiling his fake smile as usual.
"Na-Naruto?" a disbelieving female voice questioned loudly. Naruto's eyes snapped to the bleach-blonde girl, Yamanaka Ino. Once again, Naruto was surprised as the taller girl jumped up from her cushion, dancing over to Naruto and hugged her.
Naruto stood stiffly, not exactly knowing how to react. This is good, just hug back, the voice of instinct spoke to her quietly. Knowing she could rely on her instincts, Naruto slowly hugged back; since her one hand was still locked with Shikamaru's it was a bit awkward, but Ino had already let go and was now looking at her. Her pale blue eyes wandered over Naruto's body and Ino suddenly laughed.
"Naruto, who would have thought that you finally developed a sense of fashion during those three years?" she laughed, winking at Naruto approvingly. This made the others look at the missing blonde more closely.
Next to her, Shikamaru shook his head. "Troublesome," he muttered, as especially the guys checked Naruto out. Kiba grinned a goofy grin, openly staring at Naruto's exposed skin and tight leather pants. Her blonde hair had finally dried and was falling freely down her back in soft waves. Her messy bangs was framing her face, somehow managing to make her look both fragile and tough. While the outfit made her look like the strong kunoichi jounin she was, her hair and face softened her appearance. Nonetheless, Naruto was beautiful, no one at the table would deny it.
Feeling a little self-conscious, Naruto let go of Shikamaru's hand, squeezing it in thanks before, and put on a cheery grin. It looked so much like her old childish grin, that it easily fooled most of her old class mates. Neji, being the master of reading body language, narrowed his eyes at the girl. He saw through the fake grin, as seemed to do Kiba, because the Inuzuka now called for Naruto to join them at the table, patting the cushion next to him.
Naruto ignored Neji's scrutinizing gaze and walked over to Kiba, sitting down next to him. Shikamaru took the last free cushion between her and Neji. Ino also sat back down and started questioning her about her travels with Jiraiya. Naruto found it hard to tell them about it. The three years had gone by so fast, she had experienced so many different things and she now felt like she didn't want to reveal everything about it. The time had also been sort of very private and she had no desire to let them know of all the things she had felt and seen. So she talked about minor things, like the different countries she had seen, the people she had met and so on. It was way easier to talk about other topics instead of about herself.
Pausing for a moment, chewing on a piece of meat, Lee took the chance to speak up. "Naruto-san, it is a pleasure to see how the youthfulness burns brightly in you! I can't wait to tell Gai-sensei of your youthful adventures!" He finished with a 'yosh' and punched his fist in the air, very energetically.
Tenten face-palmed exasperatedly, even though – or maybe because – she was used to her former team mate's antics.
"Naruto," Ino began, "will you go on missions again? With your old team?" She was referring to Team Kakashi plus Sai instead of Sasuke.
My old team? Naruto mused. It didn't feel like her old team. Not with Sasuke gone and Sakura hating her – or was she still? Naruto didn't know, but somehow didn't feel the energy to care much. The pink-haired girl had majorly annoyed her during the mock mission. Naruto didn't think she could work with her again in the future. Sakura's attitude towards shinobi life still needed a lot of improvement. Whatever great medic she was, she lacked skills as a shinobi and Naruto certainly wasn't planning on working on a medic squad. She had her own ANBU team, about which she felt really good. She couldn't tell the others about it, though. Joining ANBU was not a topic you discussed openly. There was a reason why it was so important to keep the members' identities a secret. Although the others had probably guessed that Neji and Kiba had joined ANBU, the two would not confirm it. And neither would she. No one expected the lazy Shikamaru to be an ANBU anyway, so there was no one really suspecting him.
Naruto gave a certain, "No," at the question whether she was rejoining Team Kakashi, but answered evasively about the other part, saying something about taking solo missions and doing more training.
The conversation took up again and Naruto was satisfied with only listening. So far, no one seemed to be mad at her for any reason and Naruto was relieved as well as angry at herself for being so insecure beforehand. It seemed that her return to Konoha had thrown her into a confusion of emotions. She was unusually insecure and churned up. Trying to shake off the feeling, she concentrated back on the others.
Shino was not saying much, just like he used to be before she left. Chouji seemed content with eating, but had warmly smiled at her in welcome. Hinata had greeted her with a stuttered "N-Naruto-ch-chan," which had reminded Naruto of the fact that she was the only one except for Iruka, who called her 'Naruto-chan'. After that, the Hyuuga heiress had managed to talk to her almost stutter-freely and Naruto actually enjoyed talking to the shy girl. It seemed that her meek nature had improved a little, but Naruto seriously hoped that Hinata would one day be able to lead her clan with confidence.
While talking to Hinata, Naruto noticed Kiba's entranced gaze, unwaveringly fixed on the black-haired girl. Had Hinata noticed it, too? The effect she seemed to have on the Inuzuka? Probably not, Hinata was just too oblivious to see such things. Had Kiba asked her out already? Naruto made a mental note to investigate in the future.
Naruto was interrupted from her inner musings, when a boisterous Ino squeezed herself in between Kiba and her, shoving a cup of sake in Naruto's face. The bleach-blonde raised her glass at the other blonde and both emptied their cups.
"So, Naruto," Ino leaned closer, a conspiratorial grin on her lips, "is there a man in your life? A gallant shinobi from a foreign country maybe?" She winked at the blushing Naruto.
"No, Ino," she mumbled, "there is no one."
"Mmh," Ino thought aloud, "I saw you holding hands with Shikamaru earlier, you know. You can tell me, I won't tell a soul!"
Somehow Ino's last statement left Naruto feeling very doubtful, but she couldn't deny the part about holding hands. "We-we're just friends," she assured Ino. The word 'friend' coming out of her mouth felt almost surreal. She hadn't called someone her friend since – since Sasuke had betrayed her. She felt her mood drop, but had no time to dwell on it, as Ino shot question after question at her.
"Naruto," Ino eventually cooed, her cheeks red from maybe a bit too much sake, "we have so much to catch up on! I'm so glad you're back! You know, forehead-girl is no fun since she's Hokage-sama's apprentice. She's working all the time! And Hinata is no fun either, her father is just too strict with her and she hardly has any free-time!" Her hand was patting Naruto's knee the whole time, like she was talking to a child. "I can feel it, Naruto! Things are going to change again, now that you're back in town!"
A feeling of foreboding sent a shiver down Naruto's back. Things were certainly going to change again. She just hoped it would be to the better. Feeling a bit uneasy all of a sudden, Naruto downed another cup of sake, trying to kill the churning emotions with the burning liquid.
Hours later, Shikamaru nudged Naruto with his elbow. "You alright, captain?" he mumbled, too low for the others to hear.
Naruto shot him a look. "Stop worrying about me, Shika, I'm fine," she said, suddenly overwhelmed by all that happened. The others were laughing and talking loudly, eating and drinking sake, trying to tell Naruto everything that had happened during her absence. It was too loud, too hot and too many emotions were still troubling her. The sake was not helping either, so she sighed a half-hearted apology to Shikamaru. The blonde got up from her cushion and endured the protests that followed her good-bye. Neji walked her to the door, watching her closely.
"Shall I walk you home, Naruto-san?" His friendly offer was only further irritating Naruto. Did she really look so pathetic today that all of them were worried about her? She was not some weak girl that couldn't take care of herself! She was Uzumaki Naruto! And she was a damn fine kunoichi! A damn fine kunoichi, who is too afraid to take off her hood in public? Hiding behind it like a shield? Look at yourself, no wonder they're worried about you! You are weak!
"Naruto-san? Are you all right?" Neji's concerned eyes looked down at her.
"Sorry, Neji," Naruto averted her eyes, "I just... spaced out for a second."
Neji narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, but otherwise said nothing to the lame excuse. Naruto said good-bye and stepped out of the restaurant and into the night of Konoha's streets. Reflexively, she pulled the hood over her hair, the shield against the outside world back in place. She needn't have bothered, there was no one on the streets at this late hour. She walked alone, hands in the pockets of her tight pants.
She let her feet guide her and for some reason, she ended up in front of Kakashi's apartment complex instead of her own. Not bothering to knock on the door, she jumped onto his balcony and quietly opened the window to his bedroom. Being the jounin of high renown he was, Kakashi awoke almost immediately, but otherwise unalarmed, since he had recognized his student's chakra signature.
"Naruto, what's up?" he yawned, pushing himself into a sitting position.
The blonde girl sat crouched on his window sill, looking into the darkness of his room. The hood kept her face in even more shadows and Kakashi wasn't able to see her eyes or face.
"I just met with the others," she said; the tone in her voice not quite distinguishable for Kakashi.
"So how did it go?" he eye-smiled encouragingly with his both eyes, as he took his headband off for sleeping.
Naruto kept silent for some moments, then replied. "Okay, I guess. No one seemed to be mad at me. And I think they were even happy to see me again." Amazement at that realization swung in her voice, as if she hadn't yet comprehended it fully.
"See, Naru," Kakashi said cheerily, "I told you so!" Very pleased with himself, he questioned her about how the meeting with the three boys had gone just this morning. Naruto told him, a steady stream of words flowing out of her, feeling more herself than for the whole day and night.
None of them wondered about how they had a quite normal conversation in the middle of the night in Kakashi's dark bedroom. Naruto felt at ease around her sensei and retelling all that had happened helped her in sorting through all the different emotions inside her.
Eventually she finished, a little breathless all of a sudden from all the talking. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness perfectly and she saw Kakashi's mismatched eyes watching her. There was a question on her mind; one she wasn't sure whether to ask, as it was both kind of private and probably a bit rude to ask. Her sensei noticed her hesitation, saw her shifting on the window sill.
"Shoot, Naru!" the grey-haired jounin prompted, arching his eyebrows at her and showing the girl how much he knew her.
Naruto looked at him, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Why do you wear the mask, Kakashi?"
Naruto and the other members of Team Seven had asked themselves this question a myriad times, but never actually dared to ask. Why was Kakashi hiding his face? He didn't have some ugly scar or any other disfiguring features. Was he hiding behind it, just like her? Protecting himself against something? Or was it some entirely different reason for him?
Curious about his answer, she saw him smiling at her. "Why do you wear the hood, Naruto?"
It was a typical, mysterious Kakashi-answer, which left so much space for interpretation, but still revealed so much. Reflecting on why she was wearing the mask, she knew that it was personal weakness, her fear of being rejected again, of meeting those ice-cold, hateful stares. What was Kakashi avoiding? She didn't know and in fact, she didn't know a lot about her sensei's past, but she wouldn't pry further. He had answered her in his own manner, telling her that their reasons for hiding their faces were probably the same, but also entirely different. But Kakashi had revealed his face to her, voluntarily. It was only then that Naruto truly understood the extent of this gesture.
Feeling suddenly warm all over, she pushed her hood back over her hair, showing him the hesitant but genuine grin on her face. She inclined her head at him, meeting his mismatched gaze.
"You want to stay for the night?" Kakashi asked. Anyone who would have heard that offer would immediately think of something inappropriate, but to Naruto it was just an invitation to not spend the first night alone in her empty apartment. However, she shook her head, thanking him, but saying that she somehow had the feeling she needed to go to her own place.
And indeed, her instincts had been right to tell her to go home. Home? She snorted in disbelief, how could anyone call this miserable place a 'home'? But still, she felt more at home in Konoha now than just two days ago. It had to do with the honest acceptance of her three team mates, who acknowledged her, even though they knew that she was a demon. The warm welcome she had received from her former class mates had helped, too. However, it would probably still take some time until she truly felt like she belonged.
Her senses were back to full alert, as she smelled a vaguely familiar scent in her room. She stopped in front of her door, listening. She heard the pulsing of a heartbeat coming from the other side and suddenly she knew who it was. This day seems to be full of surprises.
She opened her door and stepped inside, outwardly casual, but tensing to counter in case she was attacked. She needn't have bothered, though. The raven-haired man sitting on her wobbly kitchen chair looked oddly out-of-place in the shabby room. His onyx eyes were just the same as his brother's and Naruto needed to look away from them.
"Uchiha," she said in greeting, walking over to him.
"Naruto-san," Itachi said quietly, watching her closely. "I've been waiting for you for forever."
Naruto wondered at the slightly whiny undertone in his deep voice. "What are you doing here anyway? Isn't it a little too dangerous for you to be in Konoha?"
"I'm honoured that you care about my safety, Naruto-san," he said mockingly and the blonde snorted. "But the fact that I was able to enter the village undetected, is what should have you worried"
Unfortunately, Naruto had to agree with him. It seemed like Tsunade needed to seriously change something about Konoha's security precautions.
Itachi watched her reaction and she scowled at him. "Why are you here, Itachi? I thought you wanted to send a scroll?"
"Yes," he said, "but I wanted to talk to you in person." Naruto's heart skipped a beat. Was it already time for her to keep her promise? Were they going after Sasuke now? She wasn't sure whether she was ready for that yet.
But to her relief, it was not about Sasuke. Not yet, at least. "Did you ask the Hokage for the reports on the Uchiha massacre?" the raven asked, his voice neutral and deep.
Naruto nodded curtly. Yes, she had read said secret report. And there was actually something she needed to say. "I read it. And I want to apologize for treating you like a traitor. You don't deserve that. I am sorry, Itachi."
The man's eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever apologized to him for calling him a traitor; well, no one exactly knew that he wasn't really a traitor. "Why do you apologize?" he whispered, stunned.
His surprise grew, when Naruto continued. "All my life people have blamed and hated me for things I had no influence on. Konoha despises me for something I have no control over. But you... Everyone thinks you are a traitor, although you are actually Konoha's hero! You put the welfare of the whole village above your own. Taking all the blame on yourself and living with the shame... No one ever acknowledged what you did for Konoha, Itachi." Her voice was serious and the look in her blue eyes sincere.
"You saved Konoha from the Uchiha clan's betrayal and I highly respect you for that." Her look turned into a glare and her voice was cold as she went on. "But never forget that I deeply resent you for what you did to your brother."
Itachi swore her ocean blue eyes flashed crimson for a second.
"What you did to Sasuke is inexcusable to me. I understand that you only meant to protect him, but you destroyed him. I will never forgive you for that, Itachi."
The look in those blue orbs sent a shiver down Itachi's back. And it took a lot for Uchiha Itachi to feel uneasy. In a subdued and ashamed voice, he whispered, "I will never forgive myself either, Naruto-san."
Feeling the tiniest pang of guilt at how she had talked to the man, who very obviously blamed himself for his past mistakes, she swallowed and cleared her throat, trying to break the guilt-filled silence. "So, why are you here...?"
Itachi looked at her and Naruto took the second chair opposite him. It creaked pitifully under her light weight, but she was used to her shabby furniture and ignored the sound. The raven took a scroll from out of the depth of his Akatsuki cloak, putting it on the table between them. It looked just like the first scroll he had given her and trusting him enough by now, Naruto grabbed it and opened it. Her eyes skimmed over the notes. They looked like they were written in haste, always in different situations, whenever Itachi dared to take notes that marked him as a traitor yet again.
"Deidara and Sasori," Naruto read the names out loud. The scroll contained almost only information on the two.
"Yes," Itachi said, "you know that the Akatsuki is after the Bijuu." Naruto nodded in confirmation. "We work in teams of two and each team is assigned to capture one of the Jinchuuriki. Deidara and Sasori are after the Fifth Kazekage."
"Gaara!" Naruto hissed, not liking the idea of someone going after her friend.
"Yes," Itachi confirmed, "as you know, Gaara is the Jinchuuriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku, the Ichibi. Deidara and Sasori will attack Sunagakure in exactly three weeks from now."
Naruto intently stared at him. The Uchiha's voice was hard and resolute. "I want you to interfere and kill them. So listen carefully, Naruto."
Naruto's eyes widened, but she listened as he wished, paying great attention to his words. He explained in detail about the team's strategies, their personalities, their abilities and whatever might be important.
Naruto digested all the information. Dawn was breaking by the time Itachi finished, painting the sky outside in colourful shades of pinks and reds. They both sat in silence.
Naruto's head was spinning from all that she had learned, but she had memorized everything as good as possible and she also had the scroll. Itachi ran a tired hand over his onyx eyes, brushing his long bangs out of his face, making him look actually human. The early sunlight cast a golden shine on him, the dark lines under his eyes standing out against the only slightly darker skin than his brother's.
The man got up, stretching gracefully. He waved over to the bed on which Naruto had left her ANBU mask, changing the topic.
"I see they found an honourable successor for my old mask," he smiled softly, which made Naruto blink. The sight of Itachi had taken some time to get used to, but the sight of a smiling Itachi would take even more time to get used to.
Then his words caught on and Naruto's eyes widened. She now remembered the initials scratched into the back of the mask. U.I. Uchiha Itachi. Of course, she thought. "So it was yours?" she asked despite knowing the answer.
Itachi nodded, before he innocently eye-smiled at her. "Did you hear any skunk-jokes already?"
"What!" Naruto exclaimed, annoyed that he, too, was teasing her about it, just like Kiba had.
The Uchiha chuckled. Oh yes, this night was truly full of surprises. "So you did, I assume."
"Why would you say that? It doesn't look like a skunk at all!" the blonde defended her animal mask.
"Well, it actually is a skunk, you know," he chuckled and at Naruto's incredulous face, grabbed the mask from the bed and walked over to her. Pointing to the red markings on the porcelain mask, he asked, "Do you see these lines?"
"Yes," of course she saw them, duh.
"Look more closely," the man advised and Naruto now saw that the red markings looked slightly different than the black ones. Like they had been added to the mask later on...
"Imagine the mask without the red markings, with only the black ones," Itachi ordered and Naruto squinted her eyes, looking at her mask closely.
Her eyes widened in realization. Without the red markings, the supposed weasel mask looked like a freaking skunk! "Nooo, why?" she almost whined, all illusions of having a weasel mask destroyed.
Itachi laughed at her unhappy face. "I reacted just like you when the Sandaime gave me this mask. Who wants to be known as a skunk, right?" His laughter faltered a little at the memory. "So I added the red markings and told everyone it was a weasel," he confessed and winked at the blonde girl.
Naruto stupidly blinked at him. Who would have thought that Uchiha Itachi could wink, chuckle, laugh and also deceive everyone about his ANBU mask? But frankly, who would honestly want to be known as a skunk? Naruto was so glad that Kiba didn't hear this. And she'd make sure that no one ever heard of it in the future.
Itachi's face returned to serious once more, which made Naruto sober up. She looked at him, waiting for what he was going to say next. "Did news about Orochimaru reach Konoha yet?"
Naruto shook her head. No news about the Snake Sannin. She dreaded those news and her heart rate increased despite her will.
"Apparently, my little brother killed Orochimaru about five weeks ago."
Naruto was unable to suppress the shocked gasp that escaped her lips. Sasuke had killed his sensei? Naruto felt relief wash over her. She clawed at her chest unintentionally. The teme had not let Orochimaru take over his body. But what now? Would he come back? Did she actually care?
"Where is he now?" she wanted to know.
"My last information is that he's gathering a team. To come after me and kill me," he sighed. "But I have no idea about his current whereabouts. It's not easy to hide my movements from the Akatsuki and my partner. But Sasuke is looking for me. He will find me when I decide it."
Naruto nodded. If each of them was looking for the other, they were bound to meet eventually. But it seemed as if Itachi thought that the right time had not yet come.
"I wished we could go after him right now, but there is so much we need to take care of, Naruto-san," he looked at her almost pleadingly, trying to make her understand, why he put off rescuing his beloved brother. "I want the Akatsuki dead as much as you want."
He suddenly coughed, clasping a hand over his mouth. His shoulders shook violently and his skin paled visibly. Naruto felt strangely worried and got up, supportingly grabbing Itachi's arm. Naruto's sensitive nose smelled blood and she arched her eyebrows at the man. What was happening?
Itachi's coughing fit subsided and he straightened up again, eyes not looking at Naruto's questioning gaze. "It's nothing," he mumbled hoarsely. Naruto didn't believe him. Coughing up blood was not 'nothing'. But she was not close enough to the man to further pry into his privacy.
The raven turned away, his back to her. "Be ready in three weeks, Naruto-san. You will hear from me again after that." He shot a last glance at her over his shoulder, eyes red from the coughing. "Take care," he whispered and shunshined away.
Naruto stood alone in her now brightly illuminated room. What a weird first day. So much had happened. And yet things were almost going too slow for her.
She had three weeks to come up with a plan to rescue Gaara and defeat two of the most feared shinobi in the Elemental Nations. Easy-peasy, she thought sarcastically, fuelled by both the lack of sleep and the sake that was still flowing through her system.
The blonde squinted her eyes as the first rays of sunshine blinded her. Rushing to the bathroom, she braided her long hair and tucked it into the hood. She grabbed her Konoha Hitai-ate and tied it around her forehead. Getting her katana and training equipment from atop the dresser and pulling the hood over her eyes, she 'poofed' away.
She had told the boys to meet her at the training grounds at sunrise. And a triviality like a night without sleep would not keep her from it. They needed to use the three weeks they were given wisely.
Next chapter: The new team sets out for their first mission! Will they be able to defeat Sasori and Deidara? (And nooo, it's not going to be like in the Anime!)
Thanks for reading everyone! Feel free to leave a review!
Over and out,
xXHaneliXx