Double Edged Sword
(The Rewrite)
By: Light And Noise
(the author formerly known as YoroichiIsSailorL)
Warnings: Yaoi (boy/boy), Dark!Naruto, Mild Language, OCs
Note: There will be a side-chapter. It will be Sasuke's birthday! Suggestions for gifts are welcome! Naruto, Shika, and Kakashi's presents are already decided, so anyone else is fine. Then next Sunday, the Chuunin exams get ready to begin! Enjoy the chapter.
Updates on Sundays
Side Chapters update on Wednesdays
[X x X]
It was Tuesday. Naruto was proud of his skills of observation and glad that he could accurately figure out what day of the week it was, but more than that he was irritated by the fact that Monday had seemed dreadfully long. The blond woke up feeling like it was Thursday at least only to remember that it was Tuesday. His awful dream didn't help and he almost dreaded seeing the younger of the Uchihas later. At the thought of the Uchihas, Naruto smiled, brushing his fingers across his bottom lip. A blush rose on his face as he realized what he did and Naruto flung himself out of bed quickly, putting more effort than needed into getting ready for the day.
By the time Naruto left the house, the day previous was the farthest thing from his mind. Instead, he was more focused on the Chuunin exams. After his fight with the crazy swordsman, Naruto truly had made up his mind. The things that took place after the fight only strengthened his resolve. He had to get stronger to protect Itachi and only the Chuunin exams would do it. When Kakashi took him home, Naruto got some food and quickly filled out the registration sheet. As he walked, it the paper was clutched tightly in his hand, as if he was afraid it would simply flutter away if he didn't keep a firm grip on it.
As usual, Naruto arrived at the academy at eight, not surprised to see his two teammates there. He was surprised, though, when they both shouted his name and stood up.
"Um, what did I miss?" Naruto questioned, looking between the two brunettes' very different expressions. Shikamaru looked worried and yet slightly relieved. Sasuke was glaring at him but not in anger. It was more a concerned glare. Naruto tucked his registration paper in his vest pocket as he waited for one of the two to answer him.
"Yesterday," Shikamaru began. Panic flooded Naruto instantly and his head shot up; did they know about Itachi? He glanced at Sasuke and tossed that idea out the window. The Uchiha would definitely be angry if they knew about Itachi. "When I was alone, I was attacked by a nin from Yama no Kuni. So was Sasuke. His name was Sanshi." Naruto arched a brow at Shikamaru.
"What?" he questioned. "That's not right. I kicked Sanshi's ass on my way home." Shikamaru shot Sasuke a look and the brunette scoffed but didn't look away from either of his teammates. "I… Don't get it," Naruto admitted softly.
"It was probably some sort of test," Sasuke grumbled, scuffing his shoe against the ground. Naruto dropped his gaze to their feet, watching Sasuke's shoe leave marks on the tile. "Hn."
Naruto looked up and tilted his head to the side, looking at Sasuke for a moment. He had to look away when the previous afternoon flashed through his head. His gaze rested on Shikamaru who was watching him thoughtfully.
"You say you kicked his ass?" Shikamaru questioned. Naruto nodded. "It must have been a genjutsu then. That doesn't explain how I was actually able to sell his sword."
"You sold his sword?" Naruto asked, his eye brows raising in surprise. A smirk settled on Shikamaru's face and Naruto glanced at Sasuke, deciding the two were spending too much time together because Shikamaru didn't smirk.
With a nod, Shikamaru answered, "Yes. I got a few hundred ryou. Why? Didn't you take the sword?"
"No," Naruto said slowly. "I just… He needed to get away from me or he was going to die." He ignored the looks both Sasuke and Shikamaru gave him at those words. "What about you, Sasuke? What did you do with it?"
A sheepish look crossed Sasuke's face before he went back to glaring at the blond and the Nara. "I broke it so he couldn't use it." Naruto shook his head, rolling his eyes as he did so. Shikamaru chuckled and Sasuke gave them both dark glares, earning smiles in return. Between them, it fell quiet for a moment. Naruto was the one to break the quiet this time.
"Did… Did he say anything strange to you guys?" the blond asked, his tone carefully blank as well as his face. If Sanshi didn't pick at his teammates, he certainly didn't want to announce that Sanshi knew his weak spot. Shikamaru's eyes widened a fraction before he shook his head. Sasuke glared harder and scoffed. "Okay then."
Shikamaru hesitated before asking, "Why? Did he say something strange to you?" Naruto glared at him. "Well you did bring it up," the brunette pointed out and Naruto sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
"Doesn't matter now," he groused. "Let's drop it."
"Naruto…"
"No, Shikamaru, drop it." Naruto didn't look at either of his teammates. Instead, he pushed between the two dark haired boys and walked over to the bench Team Seven had claimed as theirs when they first became a team. He plopped down on it and tucked his hands into his vest pockets, dropping his eyes to the floor. Naruto didn't look up as Sasuke's feet passed in front of him and he ignored the Uchiha when he sat beside the blond. Shikamaru plopped down on Naruto's left and the only reason Naruto knew what because he was the green of his friend's pants out of the corner of his eye.
Time passed slowly without conversation between the trio. Naruto was mildly irritated, but mostly at himself. He reacted badly to Shikamaru's question when he did bring it up. In his defense, Shikamaru should have shut up when Naruto told him to drop it the first time. Kakashi's tardiness wasn't helping. Normally, Naruto wasn't fazed by his sensei's lateness. He just took it in stride. He was just too irritated for lenience at the moment.
Naruto groaned and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He ran his fingers through his hair and jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He shot Shikamaru a glare and the brunette shrugged, not removing his hand. Naruto sighed and accepted it, looking forward again. Kakashi didn't make an appearance for almost an hour more. When he finally did show up, Naruto was the first one of Team Seven on their feet. Shikamaru and Sasuke followed, though, and the three walked quickly over to Kakashi.
"Aa, sorry for being late!" Kakashi said lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I got lost on the road of life!" He chuckled at the boys only to get blank stares in return. "What's got you all so wound up?" the Jounin asked, his tone turning serious. Naruto reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a slightly wrinkled Chuunin exams registration paper. He shoved it at his Sensei.
"I'm gonna take the exams," Naruto mumbled, looking away from Kakashi. He licked his lips, his gaze on the floor. He looked up when Shikamaru sighed loudly and muttered about troublesome tests. Amusement played across Naruto's face when the complaining twelve year-old shoved his own paper into Kakashi's hands. "Really, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked, reaching out to pat Shikamaru's shoulder.
"I have my reasons," the brunette snapped, causing Naruto to quickly withdraw his hand. If he kept pushing, he might get bit. Metaphorically or literally; Shikamaru was a strange character. Naruto looked way from Shikamaru, trying to escape the annoyance on his face. Instead, he looked at Sasuke who pulled out a carefully folded square of paper. He unfolded it and handed it to Kakashi with an airy wave of his hand. Naruto looked back to Shikamaru and then at Kakashi who stared at the papers in his hand. Naruto got the impression that he was smiling although his eye wasn't curved up as it normally did when he smiled.
The blond shuffled his feet and glance at the clock. It was ten in the morning, not surprisingly. But now they were wasting more mission time just standing around. Naruto shoved his hands into his vest pockets and looked up at Kakashi who was looking at the team now, a smile obvious beneath his mask.
"Well then," Kakashi stated. "I suppose this means you should all have the day off."
"What," Naruto deadpanned. He dressed for catching Tora the Satanic cat, not for relaxing on his couch. For once, he actually wanted to go on simple minded D-Rank missions. His mind was too cluttered and he needed to clear it. Kakashi's words certainly smacked Naruto's wants in the face.
"Take the day off," Kakashi said, his voice firm. It left no room for argument, not that Naruto's teammates would object. "Relax. Yesterday was a long day." Naruto met Kakashi's gaze and he sighed, giving in with a slump of his shoulders. Kakashi was referring to finding the blond in the forest. Geez, was Kakashi going to be on hyper-alert now? Naruto sincerely hoped not; he didn't think he could handle being escorted home constantly. Naruto took a step back and turned to leave when a hand caught his shoulder. Shikamaru brushed passed him and the blond sighed, looking over at his sensei. "Are you okay?" Kakashi asked lowly. Naruto glanced at Shikamaru who was lingering a few feet away from them. Sasuke was nowhere in sight.
Naruto nodded to the Jounin. "Yes," he answered, forcing a smile. "Don't worry about me, Sensei." Kakashi stared at him for a moment and nodded, releasing the blond's shoulder. Naruto quickly walked over to Shikamaru and they left the academy without any questions or words between them.
The duo quietly exited the academy and fell easily into step with one another. Neither said a thing. They simply walked together with no obvious destination in mind. That was something Naruto liked about Shikamaru. When the brunette wasn't being pushy, he was good company and Naruto felt at ease with him. They didn't need to talk and they didn't need to go anywhere to enjoy each other's company. Naruto glanced at his friend and sighed at the glare said brunette was giving the ground as they walked.
"Shikamaru-" Naruto began, only to be cut off by someone else shouting his friend's name. Both boys look up to find the source of the shouting. It wasn't hard.
"Uzumaki-Kun! Nara-Kun!" Naruto lifted his arm in a wave and Shikamaru waved his hand a couple of times at the blond and brunette walking toward them. Nodoka was beaming at them and Chouji managed a smile in between mouthfuls of chips. Nodoka reached out and grabbed Chouji's arm, tugging him after her as she started to jog toward the boys of Team Seven. "Where is Uchiha-Kun?" the blond girl asked as she and Chouji reached the pair.
Naruto shrugged. "He left. He's probably at Maki's or at his house."
Nodoka smiled. "Oh. Are you three getting along better?"
"More or less," Naruto answered, glancing at Shikamaru who nodded his head in agreement. "What are you two up to?" Naruto asked abruptly, hoping to divert the conversation from Team Seven.
"Oh, not much," Nodoka answered lightly. "We just left the barbeque stand. We hadn't decided what we wanted to do next." The girl looked at Chouji who gave her a smile. Naruto arched a brow but said nothing.
"We're just wandering around," the male blond confessed. "It kills time." He forced a chuckle.
"Well, can we walk with you?" Naruto nodded in response to Nodoka's question and they set off together as a group, wandering aimlessly through Konoha.
Unlike Shikamaru and Naruto, Nodoka and Chouji seemed to need chatter. They talked back and forth, occasionally drawing the other two boys into the conversation. The calm between the four was nice and Naruto found himself somewhat glad that they didn't have missions that day. With Nodoka, Shikamaru, and Chouji it was almost as relaxing on Naruto's cluttered mind as missions would have been. Everything seemed fine. Around Naruto, though, good things didn't last very long. The calm, happy atmosphere between the four was quickly shattered by a loud scream. Naruto's heart stopped for a brief second before he took off, not surprised that Shikamaru was at his heels. If Nodoka and Chouji didn't follow, Naruto would hunt them down later and apologize. The extra footsteps assured Naruto that his other two friends had followed.
Naruto didn't stop running until he reached the alley where the scream came from and even then, he was tempted to run into the people causing such a ruckus. The blond forced himself to stop running, if only because he didn't know what they were up against. Shikamaru bumped shoulders with him and Naruto spared him a glance, not looking when someone bumped his left shoulder. Instead, the blond focused on the scene before him.
A ninja he didn't recognize was holding a small boy a few feet in the air by his shirt front while two other children stood huddled together off to the side. It took Naruto a moment to fully digest the situation and when he did, he sighed in annoyance. The male ninja was yelling at the only grandson of the Hokage.
"Hey," Naruto snapped, taking a step forward. The foreign ninja looked away from the boy to glare at Naruto. "Put him down."
The ninja sneered at him and gave the boy a shake to prove a point. "Who the hell is gonna make me?" the nin snapped. Naruto ground his teeth together, willing himself to calm down. He had had enough of snarky, foreign nin to last him a long time.
"Look. I don't know who you are but I seriously think you should put Konohamaru down," Naruto stated firmly, his posture tense. He was ready to attack the nin if needed. He doubted he would need to but it was just a precaution. After the mission to Nami, Naruto wanted to be more alert, more prepared for battle. He bit his tongue as memories flashed through his mind; now was not the time. Stop it, he scolded himself.
"Look, you're not the boss here," the ninja snapped in reply to Naruto's warning. "I don't think I'm going to put the runt down." He turned his attention back to Konohamaru and gave him another shake. "You're a goddamn stupid kid, you know? You're not worth shit."
"Seriously," Naruto hissed, his eyes narrowing. "Put. Him. Down."
The ninja looked back to the enraged blond and smirked. "Or what?" he taunted. "You'll go get your mommy to scold me?" He chuckled at his own joke, raising his brows when Shikamaru grabbed Naruto's arms.
"Naruto, calm down," Shikamaru muttered to the blond. Naruto forcefully pulled out of Shikamaru's grip, taking another step toward Konohamaru and his capture. "How troublesome." Naruto ignored his teammate, focusing solely on Konohamaru and the foreign ninja.
"What are you gonna do?" the ninja taunted, shaking Konohamaru again. "Play ninja? Please, you don't look strong at all."
"You son of a-"
"Shikamaru!" Naruto cut the brunette off, throwing a glare over his shoulder. He was surprised to see Shikamaru with the other two kids. When had his teammate got the kids? Naruto brushed that off and exchanged glares with Shikamaru. Maybe they needed each other. That behaviour was abnormal for Shikamaru. What had happened with Sanshi? No. Naruto couldn't think about that now either. He needed to focus on getting Konohamaru out of harm's way. "Okay," Naruto said to both Shikamaru and the stranger. He turned his gaze onto the foreign nin, drawing himself to his full height. Albeit, he was kind of short, it did something to the foreign nin. His eyes darkened and he moved his hands from Konohamaru's shirt to his arms. The boy cried out in pain and Naruto inhaled sharply. "Let him go now."
"I said no," the ninja hissed, his grip visibly tightening on Konohamaru's arms. His grip was quickly released, though, and he shouted out in pain, dropping Konohamaru. Naruto blinked at the foreign nin and smirked when he caught sight of a rather sharp rock lying on the ground. Konohamaru wasted no time and leapt to his feet, sprinting to Naruto who easily scooped him into his arms. "What the hell?" the foreign ninja shouted, holding his hand tightly. Konohamaru pressed his face against Naruto's shoulder, whimpering slightly.
"You would attack and injure the grandson of this village's leader?" Naruto looked up sharply, his posture relaxing slightly but not completely at the sight of Uchiha Sasuke in one of the many trees that lined the alleys (and streets) of Konoha. The Uchiha clicked his tongue and jumped from the tree, landing quietly beside Naruto. Sasuke folded his arms across his chest and glared at the foreign ninja. "You're our guest and yet you harm the Honorable Grandson?" Naruto heard Konohamaru wince and he brought his hand up, rubbing the brunette's back soothingly.
"I-I… What?" the foreign ninja spluttered. "Honorable Grandson? How was I supposed to know?"
"Precisely what he means," Shikamaru chimed in. "Don't cause trouble here and trouble won't find you."
"What the hell! He fucking started it!"
"He's seven," Naruto stated flatly, glancing up when yet another new voice joined their conversation.
"Kankuro, what the hell!" The speaker was a female with blond hair. Her headband, which she wore around her neck, bore the same symbol as the male's headband. "Don't run off like that, you idiot! You'll cause trouble!"
"Kankuro, is it?" Naruto voiced aloud. The male glared while the female nodded. "Kankuro has caused enough trouble. Be sure to keep a close eye on him." The girl groaned and punched Kankuro's shoulder, muttering curses. "Just make sure he doesn't harm any more of Hokage-Sama's relatives when he's alone." Naruto leaned his head gently against Konohamaru's, resuming rubbing his back.
The girl sucked in a sharp breath. "Kankuro, you are so goddamn stupid! You know what this could mean, right? We'll get banned from the exams!"
The two bickered for a moment before Sasuke interrupted. "Not that this isn't absolutely enthralling, but who exactly are you?"
The girl looked at Sasuke and blushed. "I'm Temari, this idiot is Kankuro. We're Suna nin."
Sasuke eyed her for a moment. "Why is your third teammate lurking in the tree? It's irritating, honestly." Naruto looked up in surprise, looking to the tree. Indeed, there was a redhead sitting on a branch. Naruto's gut told him the redhead only moved because Sasuke said something. The boy's presence put Naruto on edge and he tensed when he jumped down from the tree.
The redhead stared at the large group of Konoha ninja for a moment before he said anything. His voice was a raspy monotone that sent chills down Naruto's spin. "Temari. Kankuro. Let's go." The redhead sent one last glance at the Konoha nin, his gaze lingering on Sasuke for a moment longer before he turned and pushed passed his teammates.
"What's your name?" Sasuke demanded, his voice carrying through the alley. The redhead stopped walking and slowly turned around to face Sasuke. Naruto glared at the redhead when their gazes met briefly and he continued his glare long after the boy looked away.
"I am Sabaku no Gaara. Who are you?" Naruto glanced at Sasuke quickly before focusing back on Gaara.
Sasuke's tone was as blank as Gaara's. "Uchiha Sasuke."
"Hn." The redhead glanced at Naruto and they glared at one another. "Who are you, blond?" Gaara demanded. Naruto blinked and looked over his shoulder at Nodoka who glared at him. Naruto looked back to Gaara and they levelly met eyes.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto replied. Gaara made no sound of acknowledgement. He merely turned and continued walking. Temari and Kankuro looked at each other and followed the redhead. Naruto waited until Gaara and his team were gone before speaking. Konohamaru still in his arms, he turned so he was facing the four Genin and the two children. "Can you four make sure Konohamaru's friends get home okay? I'll take care of Konohamaru." Sasuke grunted and quickly walked toward the children, ushering them off. Shikamaru lingered for a moment and, at Naruto's nod, followed Chouji, Sasuke, and Nodoka as they took the kids home.
Naruto crouched down when they were gone and made Konohamaru let him go. He had the boy stand by himself but let Konohamaru hold onto his hand.
"Well now, Konohamaru," Naruto murmured to the boy he'd babysat more time than he cared to count, "that was interesting, wasn't it?"
"I didn't mean to!" Konohamaru blurted. "Moegi-Chan, Udon-Kun, and I were playing tag. Moegi-Chan was it and I ran into that weird cat guy!" Naruto's lips twitched at the corners. He hadn't really paid attention to Kankuro's looks. His focus had been getting Konohamaru away from the intimidating Suna nin. "I didn't mean to!"
"Konohamaru," Naruto said as he stood up straight. He tugged on the brunette's hand and led him out of the alley as he spoke. "It's not your fault. He shouldn't have behaved that way. So don't worry, I'm not blaming you." Naruto looked down at the boy and mustered up a smile for him, causing Konohamaru to relax. "You're not against getting a snack, are you? Then I'll take you to find your pops."
Konohamaru shook his head, his scarf brushing Naruto's leg with the action. "I don't want to go see Grandpa. He'll just get that boy in trouble."
He deserves it, Naruto thought to himself. He didn't say that, though. It would do no good to upset Konohamaru again. Instead, he said, "Okay. Then who do you want me to leave you with?"
Konohamaru peered up at him with those huge, brown eyes of his and Naruto forced himself to look away. "Can you take me to Asuma-Oji-San?" the boy requested. Naruto nodded, trying to remember if he knew where Team Eight trained. He didn't know. They would have to ask around but Naruto was going to get Konohamaru to Asuma, despite the irritation it was sure to cause. Naruto lead Konohamaru to Maki's and they got seated rather quickly. They agreed on a quick snack and what seemed like seconds later, Naruto was dropping Konohamaru off with Asuma after explaining what happened to the older man in hushed tones so his team wouldn't overhear. With Kiba and Shino on the team, Naruto was unsure of how secret what happened was but he comforted himself with knowing he tried to keep it on the down low.
Naruto bid the boy farewell and set off to find his friends. He had to wonder if they even stuck together. If they didn't, he would head home and take a nap or something counterproductive like that. With that in mind, Naruto set off, hoping he wouldn't find his friends. A nap sounded really good at the moment.