Chapter 11
It was the night of Naruto and Sasuke's reconciliation, and Naruto was sitting awake on his bed after a horrible nightmare. He stared glumly out of his open bedroom window at the moonlit Hokage's Monument and tried not to cry.
Naruto was scared – no – terrified. One of the horrible images that had assaulted him was the leering faces of the orphanage children, ghoulish as they swarmed around him and brutally crushed him. Just thinking about it made his heart race and sweat glisten on his skin.
He wished that he wasn't so weak.
Yet thinking that only brought up one of the reasons why he was so afraid – where had his abrupt bravery come from? How had he summoned enough courage to actually spit in Hideo's face? Was it…the Kyuubi's influence on him? Maybe he really was turning into a monster! He had never been that strong before…
The clouds suddenly shifted, and it almost seemed to Naruto that a beam of moonlight fell directly on the face of the Fourth Hokage, his father.
No, he corrected himself, his other father. An image of Iruka flashed through his mind and a lump formed in his throat. He hoped that, wherever the Fourth Hokage was, he wouldn't mind Naruto calling Iruka 'father.'
As Naruto regarded the stone visage of the Fourth, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if he were still alive. Would he be proud of Naruto?
All of a sudden, a figure appeared across the street, waving at him. Naruto, overcoming the abrupt beating of his heart, squinted fiercely and barely discerned a familiar masked man.
"Inu-san!" he called, ushering. He blinked and suddenly Inu-san was perched on his windowsill.
"Hello, Naruto. I just got back from a mission and wanted to check up on you."
A hazy memory triggered in Naruto's mind. He glanced up at Inu-san.
"Thank you for saving me before," he murmured gratefully.
"I'm just glad that you're alright."
Naruto turned away shamefully.
"But…I don't think I am alright. I mean…I'm different than I was before," Naruto admitted with a sniffle.
"To not change after surviving something like that would certainly be a feat," Inu-san replied matter-of-factly.
Naruto frowned. "Feet?"
Inu-san rolled his eyes. "What I mean is that it's normal to feel different, because living through that kind of experience would change anyone."
"Really?" Naruto asked hopefully.
"Yes, it's true. I myself can say that I changed after my first mission as a ninja. But you know, the kind of change that happens may not be a bad thing."
Naruto was thoughtful. "I guess not. But how do I know it's me that's changing, and not the Kyuubi?"
Inu-san sighed. So he did know.
"I'm not sure about that, but I think it's clear that the Kyuubi has yet to affect you. After all, no one found out about it who didn't already know, meaning that you've kept it well guarded."
Naruto's eyes glistened. "I've kept it well guarded?"
Inu-san nodded. "Yes, you have. You're a very brave young man for enduring everything as you have."
Naruto's breath hitched in his throat. Inu-san had just called him brave.
"But…I'm not very brave at all. I'm…" he trailed off pathetically.
Inu-san felt bad for upsetting him, so he decided to change the subject.
"Do you want to know what's under my mask?"
Naruto's head snapped up. "You'd let me find out?" His eyes were wide and full of curiosity and eagerness.
Inu-san chuckled to himself. How easy it was to change a child's mind.
"Yes, but you must promise to never tell anyone that I let you."
"Okay," Naruto promised. He wriggled impatiently as Inu-san reached up and gently pried away the mask…only to reveal another mask beneath it that completely concealed his identity. Naruto pouted petulantly. "Hey, no fair!"
The one eye revealed winked and then creased into a smile.
"I'll be looking out for you, Naruto, so don't worry."
Naruto shyly smiled. "Thanks, Inu-san."
Inu-san grabbed his mask back, and after reinstalling it on his face, leaped off into the night, pausing on the street below to compare the shining face of Naruto in his window with that of the illuminated Fourth Hokage. Smiling, he nodded at his old sensei and melted into the shadows.
Naruto watched him disappear and then sank back into his bed, falling into a slightly less troubled slumber.
The next morning, after bidding Iruka off to work, Naruto settled onto the couch and tried to read a new book he had gotten. Unfortunately, while he was a fast learner at Iruka's physical training, mental exercises, especially reading, eluded him. No matter how hard he concentrated, the letters seemed to scramble on the page, making nothing distinguishable. For over an hour he tried to make his brain work, whether by bringing the book an inch from his face, or by holding it far back; by blinking quickly in hopes that he would catch the words at a standstill, or by staring at it as long as he could so maybe the words would stop shuffling. Nothing seemed to work, and just as he was about to give in to his frustration, a large, booming knock resounded on the front door.
Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound, which he had not expected until later, and certainly not as loud! He hurried to the front door and opened it, smiling in anticipation of greeting his friends. However, as the door swung open and revealed his visitor, the smile dropped off his face.
The old man…one of the Sannin…what was he doing here?
Naruto had thought that the old man – what was his name again? – had left after their whole episode. Had he really been in Konoha this whole time?
"Hey Naruto! Remember me?"
Naruto vaguely did, though it wasn't an altogether pleasant memory.
"You're one of the Sannin."
"Yep. Jiraiya's the name. I don't think we were properly introduced." Jiraiya stuck out his hand and Naruto awkwardly shook it.
"You're…my godfather, right?"
Jiraiya's smile became a bit strained. "Yes, I am." He shook himself. "And that's why I wanted to take you out for a day in town!"
"Really?" Naruto felt a bit suspicious. "Why?"
Jiraiya's smile dropped. He sighed.
"Listen, I know that you've gone through a lot and that I haven't been here. I'm so sorry, Naruto. I don't really deserve to call myself your godfather…and frankly I think your father would kick my as—butt if he were alive, but I've had my reasons. Believe me when I say I would've been here if I could've."
Naruto bit his lip, conflicted. Before him stood the only man left who was part of his real family, and yet he hadn't even known he existed. He wanted to trust Jiraiya, but, considering his past experiences, he had second thoughts about that.
"I…I can't do today. I'm meeting friends—"
"Oh good!" Jiraiya interrupted. "I was hoping to meet some of yours, seeing as I would like to introduce you to a few of mine!"
To Naruto's horror, he suddenly bit his thumb enough to draw blood, and then slammed his palms onto the ground. An intricate circle appeared and then disappeared in a puff of smoke as, in its place, sat an orange tadpole the length of Naruto's leg. Naruto recoiled in fear as it began to wriggle and then spoke.
"Yo, what are you doing summoning me for? You better have snacks!" the creature demanded indignantly at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya just laughed. "Just thought I should introduce some family to you. Naruto here's never seen a summoning jutsu, right?"
Naruto's eyes widened in curiosity as he took a step closer, nodding in response to Jiraiya's question. The tadpole swiveled to face him and peered at him closely.
"Yo. So you're Naruto, huh?"
Naruto nodded dumbly, relaxing as he realized this small tadpole couldn't possibly hurt him.
"Yeah. What's your name?"
"I'm Gamakichi. Nice to meet you, I guess. Though this is a bit annoying to be summoned out of nowhere, especially without any snacks. Couldn't you have called Pops instead?"
"I thought I'd start small and build my way up. Besides, we're inside," Jiraiya pointed out.
"You saying I'm small?" Gamakichi pouted.
"So, what are you?" Naruto blurted suddenly.
Gamakichi rolled his eyes. "What does it look like? I'm a tadpole. Soon to be a real toad, mind you! Just give me a few months!"
"Or years," Jiraiya put in.
"Hmph," Gamakichi grumbled lightly, smirking.
"No, but, what do you do?" Naruto continued, really wondering why someone would use this kind of technique.
"Well, I don't do much like this," Gamakichi admitted. "But when I get bigger, I'll be just like Pops! I'll be the best fighter ever, er, second best to him of course."
"You fight?" Naruto breathed.
"You bet we do!"
"There is a special summoning technique where, after making pacts with the animal of your choice, you can summon them in battle to help you out," Jiraiya explained.
"Really?" Naruto's eyes lit up as he beamed at Jiraiya, who chuckled.
"Yes, really. Want to see something even cooler? I can summon an even bigger toad outside!"
Naruto's mood faded as he gulped. Could he really trust this man?
"Aw, don't worry about Pops. He's grouchy on the outside, but he's nice once you get to know him," Gamakichi assured Naruto, not understanding the reason for his abrupt mood swing.
Naruto hesitated, trying to recall what Iruka had told him about the Sannin. They seemed pretty revered throughout the village as strong, loyal shinobi so…what did he have to worry about?
Swallowing his fear, he followed Jiraiya outside, where Jiraiya set Gamakichi on the ground and copied his technique from before. Suddenly there stood a giant toad that occupied the entire road.
Naruto's jaw dropped at the toad's sheer immensity.
"What's going on? Why did you summon me? There's no danger here! I'm going back—" the large toad groused.
"Gamabunta-san, I wanted you to meet Naruto. Minato's son, and my godson," Jiraiya hastily cut in.
All of a sudden, Gamabunta leaned over and an eye the size of Naruto himself peered at him intensely. Naruto withstood his scrutiny, though he shook a little, still amazed at the toad's size.
"He's scrawny," Gamabunta muttered as he straightened.
Jiraiya grinned. "He's just a kid now. Be nice."
"Hmph. This is pointless. Come on, Gamakichi. We're going home. Oh, and Jiraiya, next time, you better have a reason for summoning me!"
"See ya, Naruto!" Gamakichi called. In a puff of smoke, the toads vanished, leaving Naruto wondering if had just had a very strange dream.
"Hehe…sorry about them," Jiraiya apologized awkwardly. "Usually they're a bit nicer than that… Actually, no…" As he comically scratched his head, Naruto couldn't help but let a giggle escape. Jiraiya took this to heart.
"Just think – someday you could have your own summons."
Naruto's eyes brightened at the prospect. "Shinobi get to do so many cool things! They can summon animals, beat people up and they can fly!"
"Fly?" Jiraiya repeated dubiously.
"Yeah, Inu-san took me flying once! It was awesome!"
"Inu-san?"
"He's one of the guys in the masks!"
"Oh, you mean the Anbu."
"Is that what they're called?"
"Yup."
"And they work for the Hokage right?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"Can the Hokage summon anything?"
"That old man? Yup. He can summon Enma, the Monkey King." As Naruto exhaled in wonder, Jiraiya added, "Maybe someday I could even teach you how to summon the toads, and sign a contract with them."
Naruto gazed at Jiraiya with wide, excited eyes.
Jiraiya smiled back and then clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"Alright, now how about we go grab something to eat?"
As the Sannin steered them to a restaurant, Naruto had trouble reminding himself to be wary of the old man. Just the idea of being able to summon creatures like that was so thrilling! He couldn't wait to be a real shinobi!
Over lunch, Naruto listened with rapt attention as Jiraiya told Naruto stories of his travels, detailing some of his special techniques in the process. During one of his tales, Naruto's father was mentioned, and Jiraiya's voice suddenly dropped into a whisper.
"Naruto, have you told anyone about what I told you?"
Naruto shook his head. "Only Iruka knows," he swore.
Jiraiya's eyes were sad as he straightened, resuming his smile.
"That's good. Now Naruto, I think it would be best if it stayed that way for a while. Do you understand?"
Naruto nodded mutely. He agreed with Jiraiya, and furtively relished having this one secret to treasure. Where before he had had so many secrets to himself, recent events had revealed everything, and suddenly Naruto didn't want to be so exposed anymore. He wanted something for himself, even if it was just a name.
As they were leaving the restaurant, they bumped into Sakura.
Naruto saw her first, and waved her over. When she saw who he was with, though, her eyes widened and she grew speechless.
"Sakura, this is Jiraiya-san. He's one of the—"
"Sannin," Sakura supplied, overwhelmed. "I never thought…But…oh it's nice to meet you!" She hurriedly bowed, causing Jiraiya to laugh and reflect on how beautiful she would be when she was older…
"Um…so…how do you know each other?" she asked timidly as they strolled down the street, those who would normally shoot Naruto nasty glares simply ignoring him thanks to Jiraiya's intimidating presence.
"We just met," Jiraiya answered smoothly, sharing a meaningful look with Naruto that went over Sakura's head.
"Oh," Sakura said.
"Yeah, he was just showing me a really cool summoning technique. He made these giant toads appear out of nowhere!"
Sakura mirrored Naruto's enthusiasm as he described everything for her.
"Man, I hope I'll be able to do that when I become a true ninja! Though I'm kind of worried about starting the Academy…"
"Don't worry, Naruto. I'm sure you'll be a really great ninja!" Sakura smiled at him and Naruto blushed.
"Thanks, Sakura-chan. I'm sure you'll be a great one, too." He flushed even more fiercely as he realized that he had accidentally added the term of endearment, -chan, to Sakura's name. She, in turn, acknowledged this change in their relationship with her own blush.
"Thanks…Naruto-kun."
Jiraiya laughingly watched the children blush and then shyly avoid each other's gazes. Ah, young love, he thought, snorting in amusement.
When they got nearer to Sakura's house she was forced to excuse herself, and as she headed home, Jiraiya pulled Naruto close to him.
"Someone's got a crush on a certain pink-haired girl," he teased, elbowing Naruto suggestively, who felt his face grow hot.
"N-No I don't!" he denied vehemently, causing Jiraiya to burst out in a guffaw.
"Right! And I'm not one of the Sannin!" he laughed.
Naruto ducked his head in embarrassment, his face aflame.
"Alright, alright. I'll stop…for now," Jiraiya chuckled with a wink as he clapped a friendly hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Now if you don't mind, I think we should actually head over to the old man's tower. I mentioned that I was going to see you today and he wanted me to bring you along. Actually he ordered me to. Guess I have to listen to my old sensei, huh?"
"The Hokage was your teacher?" Naruto asked in wonder, trying unsuccessfully to picture a younger version of the old man.
"Yep. You know, he's actually connected to you, too, if you think about it. There's a whole line down to you – the Third Hokage was my teacher, and I was your father's teacher. I wonder who'll be yours?"
"I don't know if I'll have one," Naruto mumbled sadly.
"What do you mean?"
"What if I fail out of the Academy?" Naruto's eyes were wide with fear and uncertainty. Jiraiya winced as he tried to think of something comforting.
"I don't think that'll happen. I mean, look at who you're living with! That Umino guy is one hell of a teacher if I ever saw one!"
Naruto's expression lifted slightly.
"And," Jiraiya pressed on, "I have faith in you, and so do all of your friends. Look at how far you've come!" He put on his best smile and Naruto hearkened to his words.
"You really think so?"
"Definitely! I think your girlfriend was absolutely right with what she said."
Naruto's ears reddened. "She's…she's not my girlfriend!" he stammered helplessly.
Jiraiya grinned in relief as they approached the Hokage Tower. Naruto allowed his neck to crane back so he could look up at the enormous building.
"This is where Inu-san took me flying! We went all the way up there!" Naruto informed Jiraiya.
"Would you like to do it again?" Jiraiya asked with a mischievous smile.
"You can fly in those?" Naruto mused dubiously, regarding Jiraiya's sandals.
Jiraiya nodded. "Of course. I love these geta. Why wouldn't I be able to fly in them?"
Naruto shrugged and then cringed as Jiraiya grabbed him, though his grip was gentle but firm.
"You ready?"
With a nod from the blond, Jiraiya crouched and then sprang into the air. At first he whooped triumphantly, but then he became aware that something was horribly wrong.
Naruto had not said a word, and in fact had latched onto his clothing with fists so tight that his knuckles were white. His face, instead of reflecting joy, exuded absolute terror and he was sobbing uncontrollably.
Jiraiya immediately stopped ascending and landed on the nearest ledge, cradling Naruto on the inside nearest the building.
Naruto seemed on the verge of a panic attack. His eyes were rolling and he was heaving for breath. He slid down the wall and pulled himself into a ball where he was oblivious to Jiraiya's frantic calls.
Anbu, summoned by the yelling, abruptly appeared and after appraising the situation, ushered Jiraiya and a hyperventilating Naruto into the building. They ended up in an empty conference room where Naruto began to tremble and shake his head.
"Naruto? Naruto, what's wrong?" Jiraiya asked softly, kneeling before the boy. "Naruto, it's okay now. You're safe."
Naruto didn't seem to hear him.
"N-no…I don't…I don't want to fall! We're too high! We're…we're gonna fall!" he cried anxiously over and over to himself.
At hearing this, Jiraiya could've kicked himself. Of course it was logical that the kid was afraid of heights! What had he been thinking? That feeling they got in their stomachs as they took off from the ground couldn't have helped things either! He was such an idiot!
"What's going on here?"
Jiraiya turned around to face the Hokage.
"It's my fault." He quickly explained his reasoning and the Hokage, with a pained look, nodded in agreement.
"That makes sense," he sighed as he joined Jiraiya on the ground.
"Naruto? Can you hear me?"
But Naruto was covering his ears, as if trying to block out harmful words. The Hokage felt a rage build inside him as he reflected on what she had done to him.
"You. Go get Iruka immediately," he barked at a nearby Anbu as he realized his uselessness in this situation. The Anbu nodded and disappeared.
The Hokage gazed at his former student, who was looking murderous.
"She only got ten years?" Jiraiya spat.
The Hokage sighed. "Yes. But ten years is a long time. He will be stronger by then, I am sure of it."
Jiraiya seemed to regain control of himself and nodded slowly.
"Yeah. I believe that, too."
Suddenly Iruka burst through the door, panting. His eyes widened as he beheld Naruto.
"Naruto!" He raced forward and pulled the boy into a hug. "It's okay, it's okay! It's me! It's Iruka!" His eyes sought out the Hokage's over Naruto's shoulder. "What happened?" he demanded harshly.
As Jiraiya explained, Naruto proved him correct as he repeated his earlier words.
Iruka squeezed Naruto gently. "You're not falling anymore, Naruto. See? I've got you and I'm not going to let you go. I'm here."
After a few more of these utterances, something seemed to click in Naruto's mind and he collapsed against Iruka with a painful sob.
"Dad?" he whimpered as he pressed into Iruka's body.
"Yeah, it's me," Iruka whispered. "I'm here."
"I-I don't want to fall again."
"I know. You won't. I won't ever let you fall again," Iruka promised as he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the boy in his arms. He stayed that way until Naruto quieted and then slowly stood up.
The Hokage's eyes were shining as he nodded to Iruka.
"You're doing Konoha a wonderful service," he said.
Iruka's jaw tightened. "I'm not doing this for Konoha. Now, if you would excuse me, Hokage-sama."
The Hokage stepped aside as Jiraiya joined him. They stood, former teacher and former student, and watched Iruka and Naruto depart.
"I guess it's too late for me, huh?" Jiraiya mused.
The Hokage gave him a look and Jiraiya's shoulders dropped.
"Yeah. It probably wouldn't have worked with me anyways." He sighed. "I suppose I'll be going then."
"You give up too easily," the Hokage commented.
Jiraiya's baleful grin was tinged with sadness and remorse.
"Yeah, that's one fatal character flaw of mine. But even I can see that he doesn't need me, not now at least. Not when he has Iruka. But I swear I'll come back for him when he does need me."
"And when will that be, and what will you do until then? Try to fulfill that silly prophecy of yours?"
Jiraiya shrugged. "I guess."
There was silence, and then the Hokage shook his head. "Too much has happened and I have been able to do nothing."
"Now don't you get all pessimistic on me, Sensei. You're the Hokage."
"But you won't even consider it?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "I'm not Hokage material. Hell, I can't even deal with my own godson. I've no right to hold such a position. But you, old man, you've got strength left. I expect you to still be in power when I come back."
The Hokage's lips stretched into a wan smile. "Alright then."
"Until next time." Jiraiya saluted as he stalked to the window and then leaped to the ground.
The Hokage stared at the window, abruptly feeling very old. But then he straightened and a dangerous glint returned to his steely eyes. With a purposeful stride, he headed back to his office.
Time passed. A day, a week, a month and then a few months flew by. It was now the week before they started the Academy, and Naruto and his friends were both very excited and very nervous.
Naruto, for one, had been training very hard in preparation for it, both mentally and physically. Unfortunately, his reading and writing skills hadn't improved very much at all, though he refused to give up and spent as much time as he could practicing. Luckily, his nightmares had started to decrease in frequency, and he had only had them about twice a week, give or take, so he was no longer quite so exhausted.
Time had also done wonders for Naruto's confidence. He had begun to journey into town by himself, though he was always cautious and ready for anything when he did. He had also begun to accept his new fear of heights and tried to push himself past it, though it was proving slow progress. Iruka assured him that it, too, would heal in time. He just needed to be patient.
On one of the last days before they were to enter the Academy, Naruto was spending time with his friends. He had gotten Sasuke to warm up slightly to the others, and the five of them were often seen together all over town. The point of the large group, as it were, was not only to have more fun, but to also be able to protect each other in case something happened.
On this particular day, Naruto and his friends were making their way to the convenience store to get some popsicles. The sun was rather hot even though it was early in the morning, and the general consensus among them all was that they wanted to cool down if they could, especially since swimming lessons weren't until later in the afternoon. Indeed, Choji's mother had stuck with her promise and was teaching all of the children how to swim. Though Sasuke wouldn't be caught dead in their class, wearing their silly swimming trunks, Naruto and the others were learning loads and he was beginning to feel better about being near water. It helped that Chiharu was a wonderful teacher and a surprisingly adept swimmer, considering her girth.
As they chatted amiably, with Sasuke in the back with hands stuck in his pockets and a characteristic glower on his face, Sakura abruptly halted and gave a shout, pointing. The others followed her gaze and exchanged glances with each other.
Outside the Yamanaka Flower Shop, which had been closed for awhile, there stood a large wagon being emptied by men they didn't recognize. What was important was that lights were on in the building, and the doors were wide open.
"They must be back!" Sakura declared excitedly as she darted forward to investigate. Just outside the door there came a cry from inside and a familiar blond hurdled out to tackle Sakura with a hug.
"Sakura!"
"Ino! You're back!" Sakura cried, her voice muffled.
"Yeah, I am." Ino smiled as they pulled apart. She turned to face the others and the smile froze on her face as she stared at Naruto. He in turn stiffened, and between them crackled the spectrum of emotion, from apology to fear to joy. For Ino, she was happy to see that Naruto was okay because her father had revealed to her that his prospects hadn't been looking good when they left. But on top of her happiness, she couldn't help but feel guilty that she had caused all of this to happen. If she had never told her mother about his healing ability, maybe Hanako wouldn't have gone to such extreme measures...
On Naruto's part, though he had braced himself for this moment, his body couldn't help but negatively react to one that looked so much like Hanako. He knew he should have been expecting that her resemblance would set him off, but he didn't think it would be this bad. His fear was purely instinctual, even though he tried to remind himself over and over that this was his friend and that she hadn't been the one to hurt him.
"Ino?" Sakura spoke up timidly, breaking the spell locking Ino and Naruto in place.
"H-huh?" Ino stammered as she turned to Sakura again.
"Are you okay?"
Ino bit her lip and then nodded. "For the most part."
"Hey, it's good to see you," Shikamaru greeted as the group joined them.
"Well that's surprising, coming from you," Ino teased.
Choji chuckled as he caught the girl in an embrace.
"Yeah, well, Shikamaru really missed you!"
"Hey!" Shikamaru pouted as Choji laughed.
"I missed you, too," the chubby boy added.
"It's good to see you all," Ino said, misty-eyed, "And you…I know who you are!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "So does everyone in this village."
Ino ignored him and bounced forward, her eyes widening.
"You're so much cooler in person!"
Sasuke resisted the urge to smack himself and instead peeked worriedly at Naruto out of the corner of his eye. It appeared that the other blond was still struggling with himself, and suddenly Sasuke realized that Ino didn't know about the Kyuubi. How would Naruto break the news to her? He narrowed his eyes, carefully gauging his friend's reaction, as Naruto awkwardly hugged her and stared at the ground. As Naruto began to fidget, Sasuke noticed that his fists were clenching and unclenching and that he was starting to pant irregularly.
"So, um…do you want to come inside? I mean, we're not unpacked yet but—"
"We have to go," Sasuke interrupted irritably. Then, as an afterthought, "Sorry."
Ino's face fell for a moment, but then brightened as Sakura promised that she would stay.
"Don't worry, Ino. I'll help you unpack." Sakura grinned and exchanged a meaningful glance with the boys, her eyes flickering to Naruto who was showing the early signs of a panic attack.
Shikamaru immediately intervened and, with a pleasant smile on his face, apologized to Ino for leaving and physically steered Naruto away.
Sakura regarded Ino carefully as Naruto and the others left, and she was slightly alarmed to see that her friend's cheerfulness had died only to be replaced by despondency. She surged forward and hugged her friend again, squeezing her tight.
"It's okay. He'll be okay," she whispered soothingly.
"It's not him I'm worried about!" Ino whispered back, tears filling her eyes. "I didn't expect much else from Naruto after what…what my mother did to him, but I…I can't stop crying about it!"
Sakura rubbed Ino's back comfortingly as she cast a longing glance to the boys retreating down the street. Only time could help them heal, and they had still had a long way to go before the semblance of normalcy could return.
Meanwhile, Naruto's trembling was slowly abating as his friends clustered around him in concern. They were in a park-like area of Konoha, and Naruto was seated on a bench.
"You okay, Naruto?" Choji asked, frowning anxiously.
Naruto nodded in frustration. "What's wrong with me? I know she's not…her so why—?" he demanded helplessly, glaring at his hands.
"It's not your fault," Shikamaru said.
"I know it's not!" Naruto snapped. "But why do I still have to react like that? I've been doing fine for a while and now it's all gone!"
Shikamaru swallowed guiltily. "You're not going to go back to normal so quickly, you know. Not after everything."
"But why not? I'm fine now!" Naruto insisted on the verge of tears.
"Really?"
Naruto bit back his tears as Sasuke stared at him.
"You're not fine, Naruto. You can't be fine after all of that. It only happened a few months ago. You can pretend all you want but…you'll never get over it," Sasuke said, his voice soft. Realizing that he had accidentally revealed his vulnerable side, Sasuke quickly reassumed his hardened expression. "Never mind," he muttered as the others eyed him sympathetically. "Stop staring at me like that!"
Choji and Shikamaru dropped their gazes guiltily as Naruto tried to weigh Sasuke's words in his mind.
"I guess you're right," he murmured at last. All of a sudden he leaped into the air, pumping his fist. "So let's not be so sad about it! Let's make more happy memories to cover the bad ones!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "And let me guess – that will include more ramen."
"Of course!" Naruto grinned. "What's so bad about ramen?"
"Oh nothing except that you never stop talking about it!" Sasuke groused as Choji and Shikamaru laughed at him.
"Aw, I think Sasuke-chan's hiding something. Maybe a secret love of ramen?" Shikamaru teased, glorying in the furious expression on Sasuke's face.
"Shikamaru!" Choji admonished, though he couldn't keep his lips from forming into a smile.
"Really?" Naruto asked, his face lit up at the prospect that Sasuke might harbor the same love he had for his favorite food.
"No!" Sasuke exploded, sending a death glare in Shikamaru's direction, who took it with a snigger. "I'm sick to death of ramen!"
"It's okay, Sasuke-chan. You don't have to hide it," Shikamaru laughed. Sasuke looked absolutely murderous.
"Stop calling me that! I'm older than you and I've already been in the Academy for a year, so I could kill you!"
Shikamaru sighed. "I'm just kidding! You get so worked up about nothing! Just relax!"
Sasuke glared at him. "Why am I even hanging out with you?"
"Because we're all friends!" Choji spoke up. He 'eeped' as Sasuke's eyes narrowed on his. "What? I thought we were?"
Sasuke squared his jaw but said nothing. He huffed in annoyance.
"You know, I was thinking something, and don't say anything!" Sasuke cut off Shikamaru with a severe look. "Ino doesn't know."
Naruto looked up in suddenly, his eyes wide.
"Doesn't know? What are you talking about?" Choji asked, confused.
"You're right. She doesn't," Shikamaru breathed, abruptly worried.
"What? Who doesn't know what?" Choji demanded.
Naruto swallowed. "Ino doesn't know about the Kyuubi," he mumbled.
Choji gasped. "Oh! Oh no! But you don't think she'll react badly, do you?"
Shikamaru looked grim as he shrugged. "I don't know."
"It doesn't matter. She deserves to know," Sasuke stated. "She's your friend, right? She deserves to know the truth."
Shikamaru gave Sasuke a reproving glance, though he reluctantly agreed.
"He's right, Naruto. She doesn't know why…what happened happened."
They all gazed at Naruto as he heaved a sigh and stared at the sky.
"I…I talked to the Kyuubi once," he admitted quietly, veering off-topic.
"What does that have anything to do with anything?" Sasuke scowled.
"You WHAT?" Shikamaru cried out.
"Wait, you can actually talk to it?" Choji gaped.
Naruto grinned sadly. "Yeah."
"Well, what did it say?"
"It wanted me to release it."
A chorus of gasps echoed out.
"But obviously you didn't," Shikamaru pointed out as Naruto nodded slowly.
"No, I didn't."
"Then what's the problem?" Sasuke demanded impatiently.
"Isn't that…weird though?" Naruto asked, a desperate look in his eyes.
"Naruto, we've already had this conversation," Shikamaru reminded him. "We're all weird!"
"But you don't have a monster sealed inside of you!" Naruto protested.
"And you don't have a brother who killed your entire clan!" Sasuke shot back angrily, startling them all into shamed silence.
"Listen," Shikamaru began in placating tones, "Are you worried that Ino won't accept you?"
"I guess," Naruto mumbled. "I've also been worrying about…well…you guys. You've been helping me and I've just been…"
"Today's just a bad day, Naruto," Choji said. "And we're your friends so we'll stick with you no matter what!"
"But—"
"We're all worried about the Academy," Shikamaru assured him. "Except maybe for Sasuke-chan."
Sasuke bristled. "You'll get what you deserve when we start doing drills!" he promised savagely.
Shikamaru shrugged him off. "Yeah, probably. Hey, why don't we go cloud-gaze?"
"Okay! And don't forget about the popsicles!"
"Ah, right! Good job for remembering, Choji. Let's go!"
Naruto smiled as he stood up. "Thanks guys," he said sincerely as they started to walk toward the convenience store.
"No problem. Hey," Shikamaru paused to call over his shoulder at a sulking Sasuke. "You coming?"
"I hate cloud-gazing," Sasuke grumbled before hurrying to catch up with them.
A/N: Haha, I love writing Shikamaru teasing Sasuke…
Anyways, just wanted to say two things:
1.) I actually would prefer Naruto to be with Hinata, but in this fic I don't really see how that can happen. I would only accept Naruto and Sakura in an AU fic that's written well, or that has realistic elements to support the relationship. I. Hate. Canon. Sakura.
2.) I LOVE MY SASUKE. Not canon Sasuke, MY Sasuke. =) Oh, and Shikamaru is MY FAVORITE CHARACTER EVER in Naruto! Who knew laziness could be so sexy, haha!
