Rating: T
A/N: Holy CRAP. I thought "The Importance of Secrets" was full of drama, but this… This one is even more emotionally charged. Where the hell is my muse taking me? … Well, to be fair, this is labeled "Drama." Also, new poll is up.
Speaking of polls, the other one has had enough feedback and I've made my decision. Because most of you didn't really care/don't mind about the Jinchuuriki, I'm not going to focus much on that and will instead focus on the more central characters. However, because quite a few of you actually do want to see the appearances of the Jinchuuriki(though fewer), I've decided to incorporate a few of them—they won't have any groundbreaking roles, but they will make an appearance. Just don't expect much; I'm still researching to try and get a good grasp on their personalities before I have them enter the scene.
Word count is ~11k.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Bitter Confrontations
Hatake Kakashi, perpetually late, always with his nose in an Icha Icha book, and completely laid back and uncaring.
That's what most people thought of the man when they saw him around Konoha, these days. During his time in ANBU, people knew him(or his alias, rather) as a cold-hearted killer, a trained assassin, and someone with questionable sanity.
If the man himself were to be completely honest, all of these apply to him in some way—of course, the assumption of him currently was one he rather preferred if he had to make a choice; anyone with a none-too-happy past would rather be seen as a lazy old man than a heartless killer with the blood of innocents on his hands. His past made him feel like that enough as it was.
What most people didn't know, however, was that Kakashi was not nearly as detached from his students as people assumed. Many thought of him as a lazy Jounin, unbefitting his rank or students. Some of his old friends and fellow Jounin thought of him as unstable, thinking that he kept his distance from his students because he was afraid. Again, these two sides had their truths, and the former was one he preferred people to think. So of course, that meant people didn't know about the fact that, for his team meets, Kakashi was actually always early… Well, most of the time. Sure, he spent the three-or-more hours following his arrival reading Icha Icha, but sometimes he would take to observing his students as well.
Consider it a… Test, an evaluation, of the sort. It was his method of getting to know his team, however backwards and unusual it was. Kakashi was not a social person and as such wouldn't use actual conversation to get to know a person in most cases. He was a trained Shinobi after all, not a politician; he was much more skilled in hiding and observing than holding friendly conversation(or pseudo friendly) without it ending up being an interrogation. Kami knew that the man was more skilled in interrogation than the art of true, friendly banter.
Anyway. Yes, it was a bit obsessive, yes, it was a bit strange for him to use such a method, but it was the best method in his humble opinion. Especially with students like Uchiha Sasuke, who simply wasn't able to hold a friendly conversation, Haruno Sakura, who's conversations consisted of beauty care, her crush, and gossip, and Uzumaki Naruto, who… Well, the blonde was precisely the reason why Kakashi was still using this tactic: he still had yet to get a proper read on the bo—… girl.
This particular day, he had been lounging on the branch of a tree in the training grounds, near the meeting place he and his Genin were supposed to arrive at. Naruto had shown up about thirty minutes early as per the usual, and Kakashi took to observing his recently-revealed-to-be-a-female student.
Nothing was out of the ordinary. She had gone to the base of another tree to start meditating, and remained completely still. Had Kakashi still had his original assumption of her—dead last, idiot, compulsive, male—he would have sooner thought she had fallen asleep, as meditation required utmost concentration and the ability to detach oneself from their physical restraints.
Uzumaki Naruto was… Strange.
Well, actually, no. She was actually rather normal, if one were to measure her as a Jounin, which was something she wasn't. From ability, to perceptiveness, reaction and intelligence, she behaved more like a seasoned Jounin at times as opposed to a newbie Genin.
Kakashi's first assessment of her had been rather simple: dead last, lacking in ability, outgoing and foolhardy. After getting to really know her, however, he came to find that Naruto was anything but simple, lacking in ability, and foolhardy. Not to mention, Naruto was not male like Kakashi had thought, and the fact that she had seemingly pulled the wool over the eyes of the majority of the Shinobi population(he had a feeling the Hokage knew) was enough to indicate that she had a certain level of ability. It was also revealed by Naruto herself; Kakashi had never had any doubts about her gender before that time in the hospital.
He wondered if her ability had to do with Fuuko. No, scratch that; he knew her ability was thanks to Namikaze Fuuko, but therein lied the question: how? How did they meet, how much did Naruto know(about their relation, about her parents) and why? Regardless of relations, why did Fuuko decide to train Naruto? Was it pity? Did the woman have some sort of hidden agenda?
Despite himself, Kakashi felt his heart drop slightly at the thought. Fuuko reminded him of both Minato and Kushina in odd aspects, and her affiliation with them could not be contested. Kakashi was certain that she was loyal to Konoha… But what he was fearful of was the possibility of her loyalty being similar to a certain elder's. Loyal, but a twisted, convoluted sense of the word.
The copy-nin decided that, no, the chances of that were slim, and that his assumptions should be kept as such until he could confirm it. Unconsciously, he spread out his chakra and senses in an attempt to see if the blonde was anywhere nearby; her chakra was similar to Naruto's(they were related, so of course it would be similar) so it was always rather simple for him to find her… When she didn't mind being found.
Kakashi sighed in slight disappointment at the realization that, no, Fuuko wasn't nearby, and most likely wouldn't be coming that day.
He blinked.
… Disappointment?
His brow furrowed, somewhat taken aback by his reaction. It was minute, but a feeling of disappointment nonetheless. He smiled, however, as his thoughts drifted to the few conversations he had had with her. She was surprisingly animated and expressive, even with her mask, much like Kushina. Of course, she was also a dangerous woman that held untold power much like Minato, if her display in Wave was any indication.
His thoughts immediately trailed to the night they were on their way back to Konoha and scowled faintly as he felt his ears heat up somewhat. He had seen her face that night, and though he had been able to act relatively normal when he revealed himself, his heart had jumped up to his throat when he saw her face. She was similar to Minato and Kushina in such a way that their relations could not be debated, and yet… She was startlingly herself as well, for lack of a better description. She wasn't especially beautiful, but…
Kakashi shook his head as he pushed away his thoughts. He didn't want to analyze this odd feeling, though he had suspicions about it. There were too many factors, however; too many other variables that took precedence over the potential of this… Whatever it was. For instance, figuring out exactly what was wrong with his student, who happened to be the daughter of Kakashi's ex-Jounin sensei and the man's wife, both of which he viewed as role models and family.
With a sigh—he had about ten minutes, he guessed—he leapt down from his position in the tree and walked over to Naruto, who was none too surprised by his appearance.
'She knew, then,' he surmised. Not that he hadn't realized this before, but he wanted to make sure. She had stated before that she knew of his habit, knew that he often arrived early or on time and simply lurked around the area as he watched his students, but he hadn't wanted to simply believe that his supposedly Genin student could detect a Jounin while he was suppressing his chakra in such a way that even ANBU wouldn't have been able to detect him.
"Yo," he stated casually with a wave, earning him a nod as she opened her eyes and stared at him. It made him twitch, slightly, how similar her blank gaze was to Namikaze Fuuko's. "You're here early."
She dipped her head slightly and gave a small smile. "So are you, Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto leaned back into the tree and stared off into the field, silence descending between them. 'Again,' Kakashi thought quietly. Naruto always had a way to surprise him, lately, and it was completely unnerving. That was likely attributed to the fact that Kakashi hadn't quite yet thrown the impression of "loud-mouth" out of his head, and because she usually switched between silent and out-going, well… It left him feeling off-center, to put it mildly.
She was completely unpredictable, even to a seasoned Jounin with a history in ANBU.
Finally, he coughed, deciding to just go ahead and ask. "… Are there any other secrets you want to tell me?" Kakashi questioned casually, trying to not seem as on-edge as he felt.
Naruto only slid her gaze over to him, almost languidly, and Kakashi repressed the urge to groan. He didn't understand her, at all. Uzumaki Naruto was supposed to be the dead last, but then he realized she was actually much stronger than she let on, possibly on par with a strong Chuunin or a low-level Jounin. She was also supposed to be a he, but, well, she was not(she had little reason to lie about that). Naruto was also supposed to be a loud-mouthed brat with endless, unrestrained energy, but she clearly had a handle on her energy and her overall attitude was also much more mature than he had expected.
He managed to hold her gaze for a few moments, and then she looked away.
"… No, Kakashi-sensei, there aren't."
Outwardly, Naruto was as calm as a still pond as she sat.
Inwardly, she was having an internal war—with herself, and with Kurama, who couldn't seem to make up his damn mind.
'Tell him.' Kurama growled, irritated for a reason Naruto was still unable to place. 'Just trust me on this.'
'But why? Why are you so damn adamant that I tell him? Why are you trying to get me to broadcast my secrets to everyone?' She bristled slightly. 'You always told me to be careful about my secrets before, and now you're telling me to just tell everyone?'
He shook his head. '… I can't say. Just… Just believe me.'
She was confused and conflicted enough, and Kurama's sudden change of approach was not only disorienting but irritating. Something clicked, and she sent a mental glare at the fox. '… This has to do with your disappearance a while ago, doesn't it?' He remained silent. 'It does, doesn't it? I understand alleviating some of the burden, sharing my knowledge, but where is the boundary? What do I say, and what do I keep to myself? Why are you so insistent, so, so… So anxious?'
When Kurama didn't respond, she released a quiet sigh disguised as a deep breath.
She wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell her teammates. She wanted to tell everyone that mattered to her; the full truth, everything. She felt guilty, keeping it from them, the people that she considered friends and family—even if they didn't feel the same at this point in time. Of course, she was also wary, worried about the possibility of the wrong people finding out the truth as well, and to a lesser, selfish extent, worried that her precious people wouldn't accept her if they knew. Logically she knew that it was safer to keep the secrets to herself and it was mostly her own selfish wish that other people knew. At the same time, she chided herself for trying to shoulder everything on her own, for thinking herself above needing to rely on others.
Not to mention, Kurama's silence on the matter—on everything—unnerved her. She had noticed a change in her seal after Kurama came back, and gave him an earful on not attempting that again. To think, he had the gall to pin the entirety of the blame from that fiasco on her. She had her secrets, and so did Kurama, but they were supposed to work together on this, damn it.
"… I see."
She turned back to Kakashi, who gave a small nod. He didn't seem entirely convinced by her response, but was accepting of it nonetheless, to which she was grateful.
It was at that moment that Sakura and Sasuke trailed into the training grounds, both of them seemingly rather shocked that their sensei was already present. As they approached, Kakashi looked as though he were about to speak. Naruto quickly took that chance from him.
"Hey guys! I have an idea!" Sakura and Sasuke turned to her with questioning looks, and Kakashi looked mildly unnerved from her sudden change in demeanor. She ignored it, instead smiling brightly at her two teammates.
"Hi Naruto. What kind of idea?" Sakura questioned, her head tilted to the side.
"Well, since both Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke are still healing, I figured we could do a team exercise."
Kakashi held a hand up in front of Naruto, halting her words before she could continue. "Maa, Naruto, I already had something planned for you guys," he had his usual eye-smile in place. "If you wanted to do something else, perhaps you should have brought it up with me before."
She sent an equally fake smile up at the copy-nin. "Well, I'm asking now. It won't take too long, I promise, Kakashi-sensei."
He stared at her for what felt like hours before relenting, combing a hand through his hair as his shoulders slumped in defeat. "… Fine. Let's hear it."
"Okay!" She immediately wiped the faux happiness from her tone and expression, settling into the serious look she had earlier. Her team was still unaccustomed to her abrupt changes, apparently, if their surprised looks were any indication. "We've had some time to get to know each other, wouldn't you guys agree?" Kakashi shrugged, Sakura nodded after glancing at her sensei and male teammate, and Sasuke "hn'd." Naruto grinned from where she sat, motioning for everyone to take a seat around her. "How about we each say what we know about each other, yeah? Kakashi-sensei can go first, since he's the oldest."
For a few moments, the other members of Team seven merely stared at her. She shrugged, looking pointedly at Kakashi. "… Well?"
The copy-nin sighed, nodding as he sat down. Sakura and Sasuke settled into the grass as well, turning to Kakashi with expectant looks. He scratched his chin contemplatively and turned to Sakura first. "Haruno Sakura. Pink hair, green eyes. Graduated as the top Kunoichi of her year. Tends to get… Distracted, in missions. High intelligence and adaptability, good chakra control, and a headstrong personality. Willingness to learn, though sometimes bullheaded about certain topics."
He turned to Sasuke, who narrowed his eyes as though challenging the man to give an unsatisfactory report. Kakashi was unperturbed. "Uchiha Sasuke. Black hair and eyes. High marks in all areas except teamwork in the Academy. A quick learner with fast reflexes, though difficult to work with in most cases."
When he turned to Naruto, he paused for a short moment before beginning, seemingly measuring the blonde. Had she not been looking for it, she wouldn't have noticed the brief hesitation. "… Uzumaki Naruto. Blonde hair, with a penchant for orange. Seems to be much stronger than anticipated, despite having graduated as the dead last of her year." He shrugged, shaking his head. "There is literally nothing else I am certain of in regards to you." His only visible eye clearly spoke differently as he glanced at Naruto, but she ignored it.
The blonde only shrugged, turning to Sakura. "You next."
The pinkette flinched slightly, but nodded, turning to Kakashi first. "Um… Hatake Kakashi, also known as Sharingan no Kakashi. Jounin of Konoha, um… Knows a lot of Ninjutsu," she mumbled, trying to grasp at what she knew of the man. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she pointed an accusing finger at him. "Also reads porn in public!"
A small silence descended, and Naruto coughed to get Sakura to focus again. The pinkette blushed as she settled back down, turning to Sasuke next. "U-Uchiha Sasuke. Rookie of the year, well-liked by lots of people." Her eyes wandered, clearly unnerved by the assessing gaze the Uchiha leveled her with. "Knows Katon Ninjutsu, uses a specialized Taijutsu. Wants to kill a certain man." The last statement was spoken just above a whisper, and before the boy could react, she turned to Naruto.
"… Uzumaki Naruto," she began. "… Different from what I—what we thought. A girl like me, for one. Understanding. Helpful. Strong." Her eyes darted to the side and she whispered. "… Wronged."
Naruto was surprised at how affected Sakura seemed to be, how much respect the girl seemed to have for her. It was somewhat disappointing that it was a distant kind of respect, unlike the sibling relationship Naruto once had with the pinkette, but it was still far better than the animosity Sakura once held for her. She nodded, turning to Sasuke next, who grunted in response.
He turned to Kakashi with narrowed eyes. "Hatake Kakashi. Jounin of Konoha. Has a Sharingan left eye. Rumored to know over a thousand Jutsu, and was one of the youngest Shinobi to be placed in the bingo book." Naruto wondered where he found that out. "Considered one of the strongest Jounin in Konoha, and is feared by friend and foe alike." He paused. "… Reads porn in public." Naruto had to withhold the laughter that threatened to bubble forth. She couldn't tell if Sasuke had purposefully added that to alleviate the serious atmosphere(she refused to believe that Sasuke was actually trying to lift the mood) with that last comment.
Sasuke glanced to Naruto, seemingly knowing that she had found it amusing. He then turned his attention to Sakura, who had adopted the habit of playing with the hem of her dress out of nervousness, apparently. "Haruno Sakura. Graduated the Academy as Kunoichi of the year. Over all, weak." Naruto winced at the deflated look Sakura took. "… But, improving. Has high potential to become a medic-nin, apparently, and has good chakra control." Sakura seemed to regain some color at the mention, and Naruto sent the girl a bright smile.
The Uchiha then turned to Naruto, an indiscernible look in place. "… Uzumaki Naruto. Graduated the dead last of our year. Stronger than first believed, and apprenticed to Namikaze Fuuko." His eyes narrowed. "… Wants to become Hokage, but apparently has a few people that need to be 'erased' first."
Naruto murmured a small curse as everyone turned to her at the mention. She knew saying that much might reveal too much and that it would come back to bite her in the ass at a later date, and yet, she still said it.
"… Who?" Everyone turned to Sasuke again, who's gaze was solely on Naruto. "Who are these people that you need to kill?"
The blonde sighed, her thoughts drifting off to the Chuunin Exams. Orochimaru wasn't one of the people originally on that list, but what else was she supposed to do? Was she to kill him? Let him live? Surprisingly, the thought of offing the slimy bastard wasn't difficult in the slightest sense for her to think about. In the past, she never had to kill someone, not exactly. She had only ever killed a few times before, and that was during her time as ANBU in the Genjutsu. Even with the blood of random strangers(that also happened to be mere illusions) that she didn't know, it still felt irrevocably wrong at the time…
And yet, the thought of killing Orochimaru? Nothing.
Perhaps it was because she still had hope that Sasuke wouldn't defect. And perhaps it was also because she realized that, in a way, Orochimaru was the cause for so much death and destruction, through Sasuke.
'… You're too focused on the Uchiha brat. I thought you promised that you wouldn't drop everything just to save him?'
Naruto closed her eyes. 'I… I know I did. And I'm not. The Chuunin Exams are going to happen soon, and if you recall, they quite literally revolved around Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Gaara.' Gaara wasn't going to show up anytime soon and he had actually turned out alright the first time around. There was no worry of him betraying his village to follow after some sick bastard the moment she took her eyes off of him; that worry lay with Sasuke. She needed to do whatever she could to keep Sasuke from defecting this time around, while she still had the time.
"… Yes," she finally began, "yes I have people that I need to destroy, people that need to be killed."
Sakura bit her lip. "… But why? Was it…" She turned to Sasuke, who was focused completely on Naruto.
"No." Naruto's voice was curt as she spoke. "It's complicated. They need to be stopped, erased before they are able to enact their plans."
"What plans?" It was Kakashi who asked, and though his relaxed posture indicated boredom, the tone of his voice betrayed any sort of inattentiveness. "And complicated in what way? Why exactly do you have to be the one to 'erase' them?"
Naruto shook her head, a small frown in place. "They… Are extremely dangerous. I don't know much about them right now," that was not a lie, she didn't know what the Akatsuki did at this point in time, "but I do know that they pose a major threat."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "So… It's more because you're scared of what they might do, even though they haven't done anything?"
"Oh, no, they've all done something alright," Naruto growled lowly, startling everyone present. "That's the reason why I know exactly how threatening they are, what they are capable of. Destroying villages and continents would be mere child's play for some of them."
She suppressed a wince at the way Kakashi's eyes narrowed at her little proclamation. No doubt, he wondered how truthful her words were, and if they were of note, how a Genin got such information was definitely a factor. Had she kept her idiot/dead last guise, her words might have been over-looked as the foolhardy dreaming and extreme ambitions of a child. Even though there was very little she would have been able to do at this point had she kept it—regarding the team dynamics, how much she could interfere in the timeline, everything—she wasn't quite sure if she would've preferred to have kept that guise, if only for this very moment.
In her mind scape, Kurama rolled his eyes, and she sent him a mental glare accompanied with a firm statement of, 'you're not helping.'
"Anyway," Naruto coughed, clearing her throat. "It's my turn isn't it?" She pushed away her hesitance, looking at each of her teammates with a serious gaze. "Before I begin, I want you guys to understand something: what I am about to tell you is meant to open your eyes, not make you bury yourselves further into whatever barrier you may have. What I say may be harsh, may be construed as unnecessary, but it is meant to help point out flaws." Her teammates exchanged a few looks, of both nervousness and skepticism.
When Naruto received nods from her team, she looked at Kakashi, inwardly preparing herself for the veritable shitstorm she was about to incur.
"… Hatake Kakashi. Graduated the Academy at five, and became a Chuunin at six. Became apprenticed to the Yondaime at a young age. Entered Namikaze Minato's team cell along with two others, an aspiring medic-nin and an Uchiha. Age thirteen when the Uchiha died, giving him the Sharingan he currently holds today, and not long after watched as the medic-nin died in front of him." She took a deep breath, pointedly ignoring her shocked teammates and Kakashi out of fear of his reaction. She knew that what she was doing was terribly insensitive, but he was their sensei. This was necessary, and surely the man could take it. "After his sensei died during the Kyuubi attack, he entered ANBU, where he stayed for several years until he took on a Genin team—us. The attitude we see currently is his attempt to hide the emotional scarring he suffered from years of pain and loss."
She quickly turned to Sakura. "Haruno Sakura. First generation Kunoichi. Bullied at a young age for the size of her forehead." The girl squeaked in surprise at this. "Became friends with Yamanaka Ino until their rivalry over Sasuke created a rift between them. Is both strong and weak at the same time, affected by the "feminine" ideals she has set for herself. Has the potential to become an even better medic-nin than Tsunade of the Sannin, but is too blinded by her crush and lack of proper drive."
"Uchiha Sasuke. Second son to the Uchiha clan head. At the age of eight, witnessed first-hand the betrayal of his brother, Uchiha Itachi, the perpetrator of the Uchiha Massacre." Sasuke stiffened, but Naruto ignored the action. She kept her face and reactions carefully blank. "Decided to become an avenger to chase after his brother in order to kill him as revenge for slaughtering the clan. This ideal leaves him blinded and incapable of truly seeing the truth."
She finally breathed, looking at each of the people present. Kakashi had an indiscernible look, but there was clear and underlying pain present. Sakura was biting her lip and obviously frustrated. Sasuke's eyes were shadowed by his bangs, and he was trembling—most likely from a mix of rage and fear.
Naruto's brow furrowed as she looked away, refusing to let the almost immediate regret take hold of her. She knew the little "talk" would have adverse effects, but she had to do it. For Kakashi, it was in preparation for the truth about Obito which may be revealed sooner than later, at the rate she was going. For Sasuke, it was a similar situation; he needed to know the truth before he himself killed Itachi and then lived a life of regret that his own brother's blood was on his hands. For Sakura, it was to prepare her for the future's hardships that would be present, all thanks to her mentally screwed-up teammates. The blonde knew that she was probably going to need to explain how she knew so much—especially in Kakashi's case—but she could probably attribute most of it to the rumor mill. Worst case scenario, she could reveal that she knew that her father was Minato, and expand from there—say that she found out that Kakashi was his student, and promptly began to research more on the matter.
Finally, Kakashi sighed. "… We don't have a mission today," he stated quietly as he stood up. "You can all go home, consider it a day-off. We'll meet here again tomorrow."
Naruto ignored the guilt that welled up as Sakura and Sasuke trudged away in the directions of their homes, the latter completely despondent and stiff in his movements. Inwardly, she wondered if she had made the right choice. Was it really such a good idea to reveal so much? Did it only seem like a good idea at the time because of her wish to tell the truth, the full truth? Logically, she knew that this was necessary, that her team needed this push in preparation for the Chuunin Exams. But emotionally speaking she was completely uncertain, and while a "push" was necessary, she felt as though she had instead metaphorically stabbed each of her teammates.
She only hoped that tomorrow would see better results.
The next day, Naruto decided to have a clone attend the team meet as she arrived as Fuuko. She wasn't quite up to being the potential object of her team's ire and hatred, not while she already felt somewhat insecure about the whole ordeal.
She was pleasantly surprised, however, to see them acting… Relatively normal.
Kakashi was more or less his usual self, and seemed somewhat happier to see Fuuko there as well. Sakura was quieter, but didn't send glances of utter hatred to Naruto as she had first assumed. Sasuke was… Broody. But that was normal.
The real differences began to surface when Kakashi put Sakura to the side to study her Iryo-ninjutsu, Sasuke to work on his Taijutsu… And Naruto to just stand there with Fuuko. The blonde frowned, watching as her team attempted to handle their assigned tasks. Sakura was clearly distracted—she had been on the same page of her book for the last thirty-minutes. Sasuke occasionally tripped—he tripped—while rehearsing some of the katas. Kakashi had his Icha Icha book in front of his face, as usual, but from the trajectory of his eyes(and the fact that he hadn't flipped the pages in a while) he was staring instead at the grass before him. Fuuko's frown became a scowl as the slight regret began welling up again.
But what could she do? She couldn't just tell them to forget about what she had said the other day; what was done was done, and trying to get them to ignore the rather insensitive approach she had taken would likely only offend them.
"Hey, boss," Fuuko glanced down at her clone, which had a decidedly mischievous look on it's face. Fuuko raised an eyebrow. "Their broody looks are getting annoying, wouldn't you agree?"
The taller blonde narrowed her eyes, but nodded slowly nonetheless. She knew that look, it was one she often wore in her younger years when planning a particularly nefarious prank. "… Yes. What exactly are you planning?"
The clone's smile grew to a menacing grin and she hopped away to the rest of Team Seven. "Hey guys! You're all acting annoyingly broody, ya know that?"
Sakura bristled. "I'm not acting broody, I'm just studying—"
"Yeah yeah," the clone waved a hand dismissively, grin still in place. "You guys must be bored, though, so I figured… Do you wanna see something cool!?"
Before anyone could say anything—scoff, tell her to shut up, anything—the clone-Naruto held her hands up in the Ram seal. Fuuko was betwixt anticipation for the potential of a good laugh, and worry for the possibility of the results only having adverse effects.
The brief second of time spent deliberating was wasted, however, as the clone channeled her chakra and shouted, "Oiroke no Jutsu!"
The reactions were instantaneous.
Kakashi dropped his book and a suspicious red spot formed on his mask. Sakura's eyes went wider than dinner plates and she jumped up in horror. Sasuke froze completely, a prominent red spreading across his face.
The clone dropped to her knees and clutched her stomach, the laughter obviously proving too much for her to handle. Fuuko walked over to her clone and let out her own barely restrained laughter as she took in her teammate's reactions. It was strange, really, how differently her clones acted from her sometimes, but she was thankful for the change. While she acted as the war-hardened Hokage, her clones always had that childish element to them that left her feeling rather nostalgic at times. In all honesty, using the Oiroke no Jutsu wouldn't have been the first idea to come to mind to try and cheer up her teammates—as she had been worried that it would be a pointless endeavor—but her clone had done just that. And it worked. It actually worked.
"Um. Fuuko..?" The addressed blonde turned to Kakashi, who's ears were dusted a light red and who was making an effort to not look at the clone. There was something strangely gratifying about being able to throw the supposedly aloof Jounin Hatake Kakashi and the Uchiha survivor off kilter like this, though she felt somewhat sorry for Sakura.
Fuuko snorted quietly, shaking her head. "Yes, Kakashi?"
He cleared his throat, looking away from Fuuko herself, now, the red finally disappearing. "… Don't you think that it's a little…" He glanced to the clone again, causing another wave of light-red to flush on his face. "… Similar?"
Fuuko turned sharply to her clone, which went ramrod straight at the mention. The original blonde looked carefully at her clone, eyes narrowed. It was true, and she hadn't noticed before, but the face structure, the body shape, everything was awfully similar. If anything, perhaps the clone's bust-size was somewhat exaggerated, waist was thinner, and the face was more… Angelic? "Cute?" And, of course, there were the whisker marks. Other than those minute differences, however, the Oiroke no Jutsu was shockingly similar to what Naruto looked like at an older age. Similar to what Fuuko looked like.
She silently noted that she had to be more wary about the similarities. If she wasn't careful, particularly astute individuals might be able to clue into the fact that Namikaze Fuuko was not a relative of Uzumaki Naruto's—Fuuko was Naruto. They would be more apt to believe that Naruto had fashioned the Oiroke no Jutsu after Fuuko(maybe they'd think that the "younger" blonde idolized the older) before making the true connection, but it was a possibility nonetheless. The more important connection they could make would be that Naruto and Fuuko looked far too similar to be distant cousins connected through the Uzumaki bloodline, would think about Fuuko's surname, connect the dots, realize that Naruto had Namikaze blood, and it would only spiral from there. If anyone ever acquired a sample of "Fuuko's" blood, she would quite literally be doomed since it was impossible to alter one's blood when it's being tested against a machine. Chakra was one thing; it was a matter of allowing Kurama's own chakra to flow into her network or not, and that usually provided enough of a difference for people to simply think she was a relation to Naruto—herself.
Point was, with particularly sharp individuals such as Danzou in Konoha, she couldn't be too careful. She didn't detect any Root ANBU nearby so she wasn't too worried. Still…
The blonde turned to the rest of Team Seven, wondering about the extent of the damage incurred. Sasuke was turned around, looking at something apparently very interesting over in the treeline. Kakashi was looking pointedly at the grass, apparently finding something interesting there too. Sakura had her hands covering her face, though her eyes were wide and visible through her fingers as she stared on, a red even darker than her dress.
Fuuko shrugged as the worry dissipated, a smile tugging at her lips.
Hey, at least it lifted the mood.
"Oi, brat, wait!"
Naruto froze in her tracks. She had just left her team a little while ago, after they completed another D-Rank(weeding a garden this time), and was somewhat happy that the somewhat happy mood had persisted ever since her clone had decided to use the Oiroke no Jutsu on them. She switched with her clone, who went to Fuuko's apartment to dispel while Naruto herself headed to her home, presumably to eat, sleep, or do some other menial task.
This, however, she had not expected.
She turned slowly, not betraying her rather true and not-at-all-forced hesitation, and made an attempt to look convincingly confused as a familiar head of spiky white hair came into view.
He walked up to her as she stared up at him wide-eyed. He looked exactly as he had before, not a hair out of place. Exactly as he had before he… Immediately, her eyes glazed over and darkened as she battled with the unbidden memory she had received from the Rikudou Sennin, of the very moment of this man's death.
"… Er, so, I wanted to ask…" She snapped out of her quickly darkening thoughts at the interjection. "Is there, well, a reason why you've been avoiding me…?"
Naruto stared up at him as he scratched the back of his head with a nervous chuckle, a tentative and uncertain smile on his face. He looked between worried and almost fearful, no doubt from the fact that his Godchild had avoided him and seemingly begun to hate him. A strange anger bubbled forth from the thought; hate was something she could feel for the man before her. She wanted to hug him, to tell him that he was someone that she held closest in her heart. That she knew, now, that what they had was much more than a mere mentorship, that it was the closest thing to a family that she had ever experienced. That she would never let him go a second time, that she would make sure that she wouldn't lose her Godfather a second time.
She couldn't, though. Not if she didn't want to end up being saddled with a rather lengthy and difficult explanation over a subject that she was still uncertain about divulging to anyone.
"Kid?" Once again, Naruto was wrenched from her thoughts. She slowly shook her head; it seemed that she had developed a rather unsavory habit.
"No," she mumbled slightly as she recalled his question, carefully averting her eyes. She wished she had time to prepare for this—well, actually, she supposed that she did have time, but she kept putting it off since it always brought up one of the biggest and damaging impacts in her life before the war—officially meeting her Godfather for the second time after having mourned him before was not a particularly easy experience.
Jiraiya looked unconvinced. "Oh really?"
Naruto nodded, a carefully blank expression on her face. "Yes."
She was startled slightly when a broad grin stretched across the man's face then. "Well, then surely you wouldn't mind if we went out to eat some ramen together, eh?"
The blonde frowned, repressing the urge to groan in exasperation. If she didn't know him as well as she did, she would think he was some creepy, old, paedophilic man. "… I don't follow weird pedophiles, it's bad," was what she settled for. She was barely able to hide her amusement at the indignant splutter her light jab earned her.
"Wha—no, I-I'm not a—but RAMEN!" He exclaimed, flailing his arms around as though his reasoning was perfectly acceptable. Which it was, since Naruto actually knew him, but it wasn't as if he knew that.
She couldn't help it. She broke down into a fit of giggles, causing the white-haired toad sage to abruptly halt his showy display, only to glare at the blonde when he realized the truth. The tip of his nose and cheeks colored slightly. "You… You little punk."
Naruto grinned up at him, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. "You're treating me to ramen, or I'm gonna shout that I'm being abducted by a pedo."
Jiraiya let out a snort—it sounded both of amusement and insult—before walking in the direction of the ramen house. Naruto followed after him, deciding to play up the act of not-knowing the man. "Hey, ero-oyaji, who are you, anyway?"
"E-ERO-OYAJI!?" The Sannin exclaimed, looking scandalized—Naruto smiled as she foresaw what was going to happen next. "I'm the hermit of Mount Myoboku, the great Gama Sennin!" He shifted his arms, spreading his feet so they were shoulder-width apart. The only thing missing was a toad to complete his little performance. "I am no ordinary pervert! I am the Great Jiraiya, a Super Pervert!"
The blonde shrugged, pushing away the unbidden nostalgia(and the slight sadness that accompanied it) as they entered the familiar hole-in-the-wall restaurant that served the best ramen ever. "Teuchi-jjiisan! Two bowls of Miso ramen, please!"
The elderly ramen shop owner turned around, a bright smile in place as he recognized Naruto. "Naruto! I haven't seen you in a while, are you sure you only want two bowls?"
Naruto grinned as she sat down, Jiraiya taking the seat to her left. "I'm sure, after all, I don't want Erosennin," she jerked her thumb at the now-dumbfounded Jiraiya, "to leave here with a huge debt."
Teuchi cast a quick assessing glance towards Jiraiya before nodding, laughing heartily as the man mouthed the new nickname that Naruto had labeled him with. As the ramen-house owner got to work, Naruto turned to Jiraiya with a casual glance. "So…" The white-haired Sannin turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Why did it matter if I was avoiding you, Erosennin?"
Jiraiya started slightly, glancing to the narrowed eyes of Teuchi. "Er, well, I had a reason, see."
"And what would that reason be?" The blonde questioned innocently, smiling as Teuchi passed over the bowls of steaming ramen.
The toad sage scratched his cheek, obviously at a loss for words. Naruto had split her chopsticks and taken her first gulp of food when she finally decided to show pity on the man. "It's okay, Erosennin," she whispered so that only he could hear. "Though, I would have preferred it if my Godfather had come for me sooner."
She shrugged as Jiraiya choked on air, patting him lightly on the back. He turned to her with wide-eyes, seemingly trying to say something, but she continued before he could regain his bearings. "I know, you probably have your reasons. I don't mind, I really don't," she gave him a sad smile before turning back to her food. She really didn't mind, not anymore. It had been painful the first time she found out, that the man she saw as a father figure, her shishou, had never told her that they had yet another connection—he was her godfather. It had left her feeling bitter in the weeks after finding this particular fact out, and coupled with the grief of losing the man, she was… Tired. Ultimately, she resolved that he had his reasons, perhaps her sunshine blonde hair had been too similar to her father's, a man that Jiraiya had almost seen as a son. Overall, she had just been glad that she had even met the man, glad that she had so many happy memories with him. Their time together was cut ruefully short the first time around, however, and the pain from that fact still haunted her today.
But she was here, now. She had another chance, and she was going to make absolutely certain that she didn't lose this man again, she wasn't going to let him sacrifice himself a second time. She felt her eyes tear up slightly—from happiness, sorrow, she honestly didn't know anymore—and mindlessly lifted a hand to wipe away the building moisture.
A hand making harsh contact with her back snapped her abruptly out of her musings, almost making her shove the bamboo utensil in her hand down her throat. She turned to glare at Jiraiya, but any anger immediately left her when she saw his earnest expression.
"Naruto… Nothing I say could ever right the fact that I wasn't there for you," he began, making it strangely difficult for the blonde to breathe. He sent her a cheeky grin, so painfully similar to the ones he gave her back when she had truly been a child—before she had lost everything once. "But I can make it up to you. I'm the great Gama Sennin, after all, you couldn't ask for a better shishou than me!"
Naruto wasn't quite sure what she was more surprised about—the fact that he had willingly volunteered himself to be her shishou this time around(maybe all it took was a reminder that he was her Godfather?) or the fact that he wasn't questioning her on exactly how she knew about him. Regardless, she was too happy… Her heart felt strangely full, and she couldn't bring herself to worry about that at that particular moment.
She beamed at him before diving into her ramen with renewed vigor, smiling through the noodles at the hearty laughter her godfather emitted at the action.
Jiraiya stood in front of the Hokage tower, a stern look on his features.
His meeting with Naruto had been… Enlightening, to say the least. The boy was far different from what Jiraiya had heard mostly through the rumor mill, far less like the out-going, prankster dead-last that many apparently saw him as. Certainly, the boy had his moments; he seemed outgoing and childish at times, but that was to be expected of someone his age. However, there was that underlying air of danger, that raw power and intelligence far beyond the average that could leave enemies quivering in fear. He was just like his father in that regard; Namikaze Minato similarly hid behind a mask of tomfoolery—though his was more of the "weak and wimpy" facade, but still, same purpose, same hidden strength. On a similar tangent, another thing that caught his attention almost immediately was the fact that Naruto seemed to know about their relation. His eyes narrowed. Exactly how much did Naruto know, though? There was so little that Jiraiya had truly known about his student's son, his godchild, and it left him thoroughly ashamed—this boy was his family in all but blood, and he, a spymaster, knew nothing about the boy.
Belatedly, he realized it was really only his fault that he knew so little about Naruto. He was constantly traveling, and as such, it was difficult for Hiruzen to contact him without the help of the toad summons(which only worked when it was Jiraiya who initiated the contact). He almost only ever sent messages back to Konoha when it was involving his spy network, and never particularly inquired about Naruto's state. Not to mention, he had made it a sort of habit to stay away from Konoha as much as possible, since he had been forbidden from making direct contact with Naruto until the boy became a legal Shinobi of Konoha.
Jiraiya scowled. He never liked the council, but the fact that his sensei had actually allowed such a restriction to be approved aggravated him to no end. He understood the old man's reasoning, of course, but the more sentimental side of him said that it was his responsibility to take care of Naruto. Of course, they had rejected the very idea; saying that Jiraiya had a duty to Konoha as the spymaster, and that he could not take the Jinchuuriki with him out of Konoha. When he had presented the rather logical argument that, he was also a seal master and a Sannin(as such would be the best candidate to look after the Jinchuuriki, inside the village or not), they promptly went ahead and dared to say that Jiraiya would taint the boy with his unsavory literature.
Hypocrites; calling Naruto a demon when it suited them, and pulling the innocent-boy card just the same. The white-haired Sannin had refuted the foolish claim, saying that, if nothing else, they should be happy that he was willing to take the Jinchuuriki out of the village. How it pained him to refer to his godchild, Minato's son in such a detached and borderline insulting manner, but it worked. Well, it almost did, until the old warhawk had to step in and make a valid point; the Jinchuuriki shouldn't leave the village, not when the Kyuubi was Konoha's strongest line of defense should things go wrong. There was also the fact that there was a near constant competition for the Bijuu, and enemy nations targeting the strongest of them all was something to be expected—Konoha had quite a history of that happening.
At that point, there had been little Jiraiya could do. He had figured that he could at least visit his godchild—as far as he was concerned, that was his right. However, the council had stripped him of that, even—Kakashi too, in part; neither of them were to openly interact with the Jinchuuriki until he was a certified Shinobi. It was Danzou who had laid down this rule, as he was one of the few in the circle that knew of Naruto's true heritage. The rest of the council, however ignorant they were to the true situation, still went along with Danzou's odd statement without contesting it.
Jiraiya shook his head. That didn't matter now, since Naruto was a certified Shinobi of Konoha now, a Genin. Heck, the kid had been placed on Kakashi's team, and that meant that Jiraiya himself was no longer held back by Danzou's restrictions.
Besides, there were other things that took precedence.
The Sannin leapt onto the tiles of the Hokage tower, nodding once when he confirmed that his sensei was in. How did Naruto know that Jiraiya was his godfather? Did he know who his parents were? And if that was the case, why wasn't Jiraiya allowed to take care of him sooner?
He swiftly slid open the window, plastering a faux smile on his face as his sensei turned to him. "Yo, Sensei. I think we need to have a small talk."
Naruto had been in a rather good mood after finally seeing her godfather again and actually speaking to him. She should have realized that her brief elation wouldn't last for long.
When Naruto arrived at her home, she was greeted by the sight of one Uchiha Sasuke leaning against her door, hands in his pockets, staring blankly at the ground in front of him. The blonde knew that, whatever the Uchiha was there for, it couldn't end well—never did "conversations" with the boy, especially ones he initiated, ever end with a simple smile and a handshake. No, they usually ended with both of them in the hospital with critical wounds, and the fact that he deigned to come to find her already spoke volumes about what he likely needed to talk about. Only the most dire of situations would make Sasuke decide that he had to speak with someone.
With a mental sigh in preparation, Naruto closed the distance between them before bending minutely to look up into the blank eyes of her teammate. "Any reason why you're standing in front of my door, Sasuke?"
The raven jumped slightly before scowling, apparently not having detected her until she was right in front of him. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "… Well?"
"… I need to talk to you," Sasuke finally said, his eyes seemingly trying to bore a hole into her forehead.
The blonde shrugged, motioning for him to move. "Fine. Let me go in and—"
"No need," he interrupted, and continued at Naruto's skeptical look. "Let's go to the training field."
Naruto suppressed a groan. Of course. Her teammate always wanted to settle things in a virile display of power… Or perhaps he actually had some forethought, realizing that whatever he was about to say would likely end up with the two of them battling it out? Maybe he was doing her a favor so her home wouldn't get trashed?
… Yeah, no, she highly doubted that. Sasuke and considerate were two words that didn't go in the same sentence.
With an amused shrug, she grabbed Sasuke's arm and Shunshin'd them to the nearest training field, feeling some odd form of gratification that the boy reeled slightly as soon as they landed. Payback, in a way, for all the times the Sasuke she knew did that to her.
She snorted at the light glare the Uchiha sent her before motioning for him to speak. "So… You wanted to talk." She crossed her arms. "What about?"
Sasuke paused, before straightening as the nausea from the technique slowly dissipated. "… You said that you had… That you had people that you wanted to kill. You've told me before that our ambitions, while similar, aren't the same." He looked at Naruto—his stare was strangely lacking in the competitive and hateful emotions that were usually present. Instead, he looked strangely… relaxed, curious, even. "… That there are more important things to worry about."
The blonde gave a small smile; maybe this wouldn't be so bad. She only shrugged, her smile growing wider at the grunt of irritation the noncommittal gesture earned her.
Sasuke turned away, looking at the expanse of the clearing. "You… You know. I don't know how, but you know…" His eyes drifted downwards to the grass. "… My brother. That man killed the… The entire clan. In one night. Ever since then, it's been my ambition to pay him back, to give him retribution for what he's done."
The lapsed into silence, and Naruto turned away from him, looking at the tree-line. "… You're opening up, and I can guess why. You probably think that our methods are similar… It's not." Sasuke turned to her with a frown.
"I know that. That's what I want to know; what makes it different? We both need to kill to—"
"I've told you before, Sasuke, my will to become stronger isn't just to kill them, and I don't want them dead just because they wronged me." She turned to him, meeting her azure orbs with his onyx eyes—they weren't as warm as they had been in the Genjutsu, but not as cold as they had been after Itachi's initial death. She gave him a rueful smile. "The reason for me needing to kill? It's to protect."
Sasuke's brow furrowed—in confusion or distaste, she wasn't sure. "… To protect? Protect what?"
Naruto chuckled, mirth shining in her eyes. "To protect everyone I care about, of course," she stated in a tone that implied that it was obvious—which is was. She jabbed a finger in the raven's chest and smiled brightly. "Including you."
The raven was now completely scowling, and he gently pushed her hand away. "… I don't need to be protected."
Naruto shook her head. "How can you be so sure?"
"I just don't. I don't need bonds—" He paused, a look of hesitation crossing his face, before his gaze hardened again. "I don't need to be protected."
"Yes you do."
Naruto hopped back from the punch that as directed at her midsection, just barely evading the attack. Sasuke charged—surprisingly focused and controlled, unlike his spars with Fuuko—and aimed a kick at the blonde's head. She tilted her head to avoid it, deflecting the following hook and attempt to grab her arm. There was no exchange in this game(it could hardly be considered a spar), as Naruto was set on dodging as her teammate performed offensive maneuvers in the hopes of finally landing a hit. His control and focus started to dwindle, and frustration grew more evident with each failed attempt to lure the blonde into retaliating.
"Take me seriously," Sasuke finally hissed as he swept a kick under the blonde, who jumped to easily avoid the attack. "Stop fooling around. You're looking down on—"
He was abruptly cut off, as Naruto slammed her elbow into his jugular—sending him flying in a mock attempt at a reversed lariat. She quickly Shunshin'd behind him before he landed in the grass, kicked his legs out from behind him and landed a heel in his midsection.
Sasuke emitted a wet cough as his form bounced off of the ground from the impact and made an attempt to recover, but suddenly found with a start that he couldn't move. Naruto stood over him, looking down at him laying spread eagle in defeat. The was pure frustration and anger evident in his eyes, and he quickly averted his narrowed gaze.
"… Why?" He bit out caustically, spitting out some blood in the process. "Why were you trained? What is different?"
Inwardly, Naruto sighed. She knew that he was talking about Fuuko, thinking about how she rejected his plea to have her train him. Perhaps it was an ill-appropriate move for Naruto to make, defeating her teammate so completely in a fashion that was similar to his first defeat to her persona. She had seen progress in the boy's attitude, and decided last minute that a harsher route would be the best way to get him to understand. While it instead ended up with adverse effects, it wasn't as though Sasuke was completely despondent and ignoring her, meaning she still had a chance.
"Sasuke." He didn't respond, looking pointedly to the side. "Sasuke," Naruto repeated, in a more commanding tone. She released the binding seal she had inconspicuously placed on the boy and offered him a hand as he turned to her.
He stared at the offered appendage for a few moments, clearly debating whether or not to take it or to slap it away. Finally he sighed, grabbing her hand as she hoisted him up from the ground. He winced at the pain in his stomach, and his eyes—while no longer as hateful, still had clear irritation and frustration evident. Disappointment.
"… Why are you so strong?" He grumbled as he wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth, seemingly convinced that the blonde wouldn't hear him.
Naruto took a deep breath, deciding that she may as well stick with her initial plan. Kami knew she may never get another chance like this, while her teammate actually seemed to be listening to her. "… Let me ask you a few questions, Sasuke. Are you strong Sasuke?" They locked eyes again, and Naruto continued. "Are you courageous? Or are you a weak coward?"
Sasuke scowled, but before he could answer, she continued. "Why do you want to kill your brother?" He looked at her with no small amount of incredulity.
"Why do you think?" He nearly sneered, but the action was noticeably less venomous than it could have been. "He killed my clan, he killed my entire family."
Naruto crossed her arms. "And?"
"… And?" Sasuke repeated, disbelieving. His eyes flickered with hatred, again. "What do you mean, 'and?' He murdered my family in cold blood, of course I'm going to want to—"
"Out of curiosity," Naruto interrupted, earning her a scathing glare from the raven. "Do you know why he killed them? Do you know what caused him to do so?"
Sasuke emitted a low growl, his shoulders tense as though readying for a battle. "I don't need to tell you—"
"Now you're just being a brat," Naruto commented, inwardly remarking, 'and I'm the idiot prodding the hornet's nest.' "You've already told me quite a bit, and I know most of what happened. Humor me."
Her teammate held his acerbic glare for a few tense moments before relaxing minutely, giving in. The blonde, while expectant of this, was still rather shocked at how accommodating he was being—or at least, attempting to be. "… He wanted to test his power. It was all in an effort to become stronger, and he just wanted to test his limits."
"Pfft. Guess what? According to you, your reasons are pretty damn similar," Naruto commented.
Her statement was not well-received. Sasuke's carefully crafted calm shattered immediately, and for a moment he just stared. Then, his face twisted into a foul snarl, his canines bared slightly. "… What? You actually—Just… What? How is it similar!? They're not—"
"Your goals are all wrong, Sasuke," Naruto stated with a sigh, knowing that she was at the point of no return. If she walked away without explaining herself, she would only have the animosity of her teammate for the rest of her life. It was also very well possible that she would only make things worse from here on out, but she had to at least try; giving up without even trying was not a concept she was well acquainted with.
Nor was it something she cared to become well acquainted with.
"You want power because, what? To become strong. To kill your brother. But then what? Once you've become strong, what then? Once you've killed your brother, what then? According to you, his reasoning was in a blind pursuit of power. Your reason is in a blind pursuit of revenge." Her gaze hardened as she contested his glare with her own. "Considering your clan is supposed to see the future, you're awfully blind to the truth, Sasuke."
Just as she had said his name and finished her lecture, Sasuke grabbed the collar of her jacket and yanked her towards him, his Sharingan blazing as he leaked minute killing intent. "Shut up," he hissed, shoving her away as his hands trembled with fury. "Just shut up, you don't know a thing! You don't know me, you like acting like you do, but you don't! You don't understand my pain and you never will! You don't understand loss, because you've never—"
His shouting was promptly halted, as Naruto clamped a hand over his mouth as she stared unflinchingly into his Sharingan, a look in her eyes more menacing than the Mangekyou in place. Sasuke might have retaliated, had he not frozen from the sudden fear that gripped him—though minute, Naruto began leaking her own killing intent, and worst of all, she was smiling.
She spoke in a near whisper, but it was no less menacing than having a kunai pointed directly at Sasuke's jugular. "You really shouldn't make assumptions, Sasuke. The reason why I'm strong is because I don't train to become strong. I train, I fight, I live to protect those that are important to me." Her eyes flashed dangerously and the smile immediately faded, her mouth set in a thin line. "Do you know why I hold my precious people so close? Why I am so fiercely protective? It's precisely because I've lost them all before, I have felt the pain of being left utterly alone, abandoned, by those I care for. I've felt that oppressive weight of being hated by those I cared for. I've also seen them die right in front of me, some to chase after some blind ambition." She snarled, KI clamped down tightly but still being released.
"Do not spout off utter nonsense, complete bullshit about how I don't understand loss, Sasuke. I do, I do so painfully-fucking WELL. I understand the urge to destroy, too, that concept of REVENGE that flirts with my desires, urging me to mercilessly KILL the ones who have wronged me. But even then, I know it isn't worth it. I know and I focus on what is important, protecting those that are still with me." She released Sasuke, removing her hand from his mouth, but the intensity in her gaze didn't waver. "You want to say that I don't understand your pain, but I do. It is actually the other way around, it is MY pain that you would never understand, because you refuse to open up to anyone. You refuse to accept the truth. You're just… You're just so fucking-stubborn!"
With a sigh, Naruto took a step back to regain her personal space, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "… True strength comes from the will to protect, Sasuke. True courage is the ability to make bonds, make new bonds, even when you've lost old ones. It's the ability to continue on despite the fear of further loss when the odds are against you." She turned back to Sasuke with a tired gaze, hardly noticing whether or not the boy was actually listening to her. "You never answered my earlier question, but I already know the answer. You are a coward, Sasuke, because you are afraid of being betrayed again, afraid of being weak. But guess what? You are weak. You are weak, Sasuke, because your motivation to gain power will fade as soon as the object of your revenge dies."
She shook her head. "You, Sasuke, are a coward, a weak, pitiful coward, and until you can see the truth, that which is most important, you will always be one."
Quite frankly, Naruto was surprised that her teammate had remained still throughout the entirety of her rather disparaging lecture. As soon as she finished speaking, however, he lunged at her, a kunai in hand and a snarl in place.
"Shut up!" His ferocity was not unlike what Naruto had seen many years ago, at the Valley of the End. There was conflicting, blatant hostility in his eyes, but it was coupled with something new—with the hesitant confusion ever present. "You don't know anything, you're just the IDIOT dead-last that doesn't know ANYTHING—" Naruto deflected the kunai and ducked from the following kick, patience gone.
"It's easy, isn't it!?" She parried the punch aimed at her face, matching her glare to Sasuke's. "To just close everyone off, calling them idiots, looking down on them!" She jumped to avoid a kick aimed at her knees and twisted mid-air, retaliating with her own. "To ignore your pain, and yearning by focusing on your ridiculous, blind goal!" She sent a powerful punch straight to Sasuke's chest and snarled at the resounding crack that the action caused—leaving her with a few broken fingers, but him with a much more severe injury. He flew over the training grounds before landing in a heap, but a split second later Naruto was over him, holding the boy from his collar and glaring at him right in his eyes. "Open your damn eyes already Sasuke, you're closing yourself off from everyone, from yourself!"
"You don't…" He shoved her away, stumbling slightly as he attempted to right himself. "You don't know a damn thing… You're just…"
"You're still going off on that, teme? You and I both know that you actually do understand, and that you're just being a stubborn little shit." Naruto snorted lightly. "Well, I guess I shouldn't have expected any different, not from you."
A small silence descended, the only sound filling the training field were the labored pants from the Uchiha survivor. He coughed, a viscous mixture of congealed blood and spit splattering into the grass. Naruto turned to him, something between a sad smile and a grimace in place as she took in the disdain he held in his eyes. "… You know, I wouldn't have done this if I wasn't trying to help you, Sasuke—" he gave a derisive snort, which was left ignored. "—I just want you to know: whether you think the same of me—whether or not you even consider me a friend—you are my friend, my best friend, no matter how pathetic that sounds, and I only want you to be happy." Sasuke's glare dissipated immediately and was replaced with wide-eyed shock. The blonde only kept her smile in place. "If you ever need me… I'll do my best to be right there for you. Because even when you turn your back on the world and the world forsakes you because of it, I'll…" She closed her eyes for a brief moment, thinking about how things had progressed last time. Her near-blind pursuit of Sasuke was, at first, a promise made to Sakura who wanted her teammate, friend, and crush back. At some point, Naruto herself began trying to get him back, not just for Sakura or their promise but because Team seven, her family, just wasn't the same without everyone present. Without Sasuke.
She opened her eyes, staring at Sasuke with a wry smile. Her words held a rueful bitterness, left over from the all-consuming loneliness that she had experienced when she first woke up. "… I'll always be right-fucking-there for you."