"Naruto" Normal Speech
'Zeref' People's thoughts
"Acnologia" Summons/Gods/Monsters/Other being's speech
'Kurama' Summons/Gods/Monsters/Other being's thoughts
"Rasengan" Techniques/Spells/Jutsus/Terms
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Fairy Tail or any other franchise in any source of way; they belong to Masashi Kishimoto, Hiro Mashima, Atlus and whoever else is getting actual money out of it.
Chapter 34
Steel Your Heart
They were both perplexed to no end, that much was more than obvious to anyone who could have looked at the pair right at that moment, although luckily for them they had no one's attention upon themselves, besides their own of course.
But even so, Naruto couldn't say that this was a good situation. Oh don't get him wrong, he was certainly more than happy to know that Sasuki was back and safe even if he already knew that she hadn't been harmed during Akatsuki's attack, but he couldn't say that her sudden presence was doing good things to his heart.
Just by looking at her black eyes it made every single decision and thought that he had formed yesterday to come back and hit him like a hammer to the chest, only that now each time those memories and decisions flashed into his mind they were followed by one simple question.
What about her?
And to his credit, he did try to say something, although if it was to answer himself or just to say something to Sasuki he wasn't sure. He definitely knew that he was failing miserably at both ideas since no words had left his mouth ever since he opened the door.
Then again wasn't he the quiet one of the two? Maybe she would just take this as their usual routine?
Suffice to say he wasn't that lucky if the way her openly shocked face slowly turned into a glare was any indication. He then saw her raise her right hand, and while she knew that Sasuki could be quite…short tempered from time to time she never went with the 'hit first ask later' approach.
At least not as much as he would like to remember.
So while he hadn't expected her hand to hit him or anything he certainly didn't expect for her to suddenly touch his hair. It wasn't only the action that got him surprised but also just how softly her hands were moving through her previously blonde locks.
Delicate was another word he wouldn't use to describe Sasuki but he certainly didn't mean anything bad by that, but even so, that was the only word he could properly use to describe the feeling of her fingers slowly moving through his hair to the point that he actually found it somewhat soothing.
Unexpected? Most definitely, but not unwelcomed.
"Seriously…" The Uchiha muttered as she kept her gaze up "I'm gone for a few days and you go and do this" There wasn't really any reproach on her voice though, it was more like she was simply stating a fact that didn't really bother her that much.
It was hard to get bothered by it when she honestly thought it looked good on him. Not that she minded his blonde hair, but this was a different kind of nice, although she had to wonder why he didn't just dye it all the way through.
But hey, if he was good enough to do something like this then that must mean that he had recovered nicely, right? At least that is what she would like to believe above all things.
It was hard after all, to simply ignore that gruesome sight she had seen days ago. It had been pretty much burned into her memory, and even if she hadn't been using her Sharingan at that moment she still had the feeling that she wouldn't be able to forget such a thing.
She knew that their job was a dangerous one of course, after all those Shinobi and Kunoichi that managed to live long, prosperous life to later die of old age were as numerous as the amount of Kages that the five villages had combined.
But even as she knew the dangers of their profession, her friend had always struck her simply as someone…different.
She had no shame in admitting that she admired him, she couldn't exactly pinpoint when that admiration had started inside of her, but she knew it was a fact just like how she admired her older brother.
He was simply someone that looked unbeatable in her eyes. She knew it was a little over the top and something that she wouldn't say out loud, but he always just seemed so strong to her to the point that just being around him was enough to give her a sense of security.
That had been one of the reasons she hadn't cared that much about the members of Team 7. Sure, Anko could be a pain in the ass and Kakashi was way too relaxed, and that was without even adding Menma and Mito to the mix.
But Naruto had been there alongside her, and she couldn't imagine actually being able to work with that team without him around.
And yet she had seen that same person looking the worse she had ever seen him be. Not even after the Chunin Exams had she seen him like that, and even then there was the added fact that she doubted anyone would have let him die during his fight with Gaara, even if she had to jump in there herself.
But in their mission there hadn't been such a thing, and now she understood that the only reason that he was even alive and in front of her was that of nothing but a sheer struck of luck.
If her brother's team hadn't arrived on time who knew what could have happened? Naruto had looked like he had been beaten within an inch of his life, and that was without taking into consideration the sheer destruction that the guy with the explosives had created.
Maybe that was why she kept her hand on his hair, just a way for her to make sure that he was actually here in front of her, alive and safe. She had almost lost him after all, and if that didn't shake her to the core then facing an opponent that could crush her in one move certainly did.
She needed to get stronger, even more so than before, and if not only for herself then for Naruto too, after all, if there were really enemies that he couldn't defeat then she would just have to do it for him.
She knew he had her back, but how could she say the same when her strength was still lacking? Even if it hurt her pride to admit such a thing she knew deep bottom that when it came to Team 7 the difference in strength was more than obvious.
"Hey…" She whispered softly as she finally removed her hand from his hair before crossing her arms below her chest, and while Naruto wouldn't tell her he found himself actually missing the soothing contact "Can we talk? I mean, in private… There's something I need to tell you"
Her voice came with more nervousness than she would like to admit, and judging by the raised eyebrow that she received from the Uzumaki she knew that he had detected it too, and while it was unbecoming of her she still wasn't able to properly hide her nervousness when it came to that subject.
Shikamaru had been right about that after all, their life as ninjas could end at any minute. You never knew when things would go south, that much she understood more than clear by now.
And she knew the first thing that she would do once she reached her home was to give her mother the biggest hug she ever gave her, and damn was she going to make sure to make her brother train her more even if it was just to spend time with him.
But even beyond that, there was something that she needed to tell him, or more like it was something that she needed to take out of her chest. Even now she still couldn't say that she understood her own feelings properly, but wasn't a direct approach her own area of expertise?
Besides, she had a feeling that talking to him would help her clear her mind.
Or at least that was the plan since Kakashi had told them that they could do as they wanted while he reported so she had decided to check on Naruto first and with any luck talk to him properly about what was eating her on the inside.
But it seemed she wouldn't be that lucky in the last regard.
"I'm sorry…" The mage said as he properly walked out of the apartment while closing the door behind him as a tired breath was quick to leave his mouth "But I have to do something right now"
That response surprised Sasuki immediately, her mind already wondering what was it that had her friend busy so early. Surely he didn't have any missions right now, right? Maybe it was just training but the reluctance in his voice told her that it wasn't something that he was happy to do.
"Can't it wait?" She asked, truly not wanting to sound like a needy child but also more than a bit curious about where he was going. She did her best to hide the irritation from her voice though.
"Hokage's orders" His words made whatever complain Sasuki could have to die instantly right as she lowered her head while a frown appeared on her face. Like the man or not it wasn't like they could do anything about something like that.
"And after that?" Her question only brought another sigh from the former blonde who could only shake his head, knowing that Sasuki could get a bit impatience with the responses he was going to give her.
"More orders" He told her, getting a small growl from the girl. As much as he would like to he knew that he just couldn't ditch any of the things that he had to do today. Not only that but considering the newfound worries that were plaguing his mind he knew that he needed at least a bit of time to think, and for that he would need to leave right now.
"10 P.M" He said as a small idea popped in his head, quickly earning Sasuki's attention "I should be free by then, so let's met at the top of the Academy"
She thought about the idea for a few seconds before simply nodding slowly. It wasn't like she had anything else to do anyway, and she would really like to talk to him properly as soon as possible.
Although she had to wonder just what had him so busy that he wouldn't be available until it was that late.
And she was about to voice out that question, but as soon as she had decided to ask that Naruto looked more than ready to simply leave, apparently in a more than obvious hurry.
"Glad to have you back" That was the last thing he told her before jumping away from the place since he had decided to take the long route in order to get his mind clear. She wasn't even able to say anything since he was gone in seconds, leaving a clearly annoyed girl behind.
"Idiot" She whispered under her breath as she simply decided to let him off the hook this time. Maybe she could use this time too, after all, she was sure her mother wouldn't mind hearing her after she reached home.
Then again picturing the all-knowing smile that she knew her mother would be sporting throughout the whole talk made her reconsider her options just a bit.
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"And you are absolutely sure that he understood clearly when you rejected the idea, right?" Boy was he getting way too used to that glare coming from the violet eyes of his wife. You would think that after all this time he would have gained immunity to it or something, but it was quite the opposite to be honest.
After all the more time he spent married with her the more ways she found to punish him for any misdeeds.
Although he would like to think that he had behaved well enough considering the situation but judging by the warning glare that she still had aimed at him he knew that if he slept inside his house or not depended entirely on the next words that left his lips.
Luckily for him, he had done as instructed.
"Of course!" He answered immediately as he raised his hands in obvious surrendering fashion "I made sure that Hiashi understood my decision and that I was more than willing to help him as much as I could but that I wasn't going to throw my son to the wolfs"
He could still remember the dejected but understanding expression that Hiashi had given him after firmly declining his proposal. Of course, he had still promised to help, after all Hiashi was not only his friend but the Hyuga clan was a key part of the village.
He didn't need another incident happening like the one that almost came to be with the Uchiha clan after all, but then again without Danzo's extremist views around he doubted such a thing would happen anytime soon.
"And…?" It looked like he was still not off the hook though since Kushina kept glaring at him with her hands on her hips.
"Yes…?" He asked awkwardly, not understanding what had her upset after what he had told her. Surely he hadn't forgotten about any important dates, right? He would like to not have to replace his desk again thank you very much.
"While I'm sure that's what happened" The red-head said, although the amount of scepticism in her voice felt like a stab to the gut for the blonde Kage "I'm waiting for the part that you're hiding from me thinking that I won't beat you to a bloody pulp if you do"
Ah…
Was he really that easy to read?
"W-well…" He started slowly as he drew out his disarming smile "Hiashi asked me if I was going to stop Naruto from interacting with anyone from his clan, to which I said no…" In his own personal opinion that would have been an overkill.
His words were followed by a couple of seconds of nothing but silence in which Kushina's narrowed glare turned into a look of realization right as her eyes narrowed before going back to a glare.
"And I'm sure it is just a coincidence that Naruto-kun is now helping in the same class that has Hiashi's youngest daughter, who just so happened to be the one that he wanted to marry off to Naruto-kun" Another stab to the gut was the result of his wife's words, and he had to admit that for this one he understood her doubts, even though he was actually completely innocent this time!
"I can assure you that the only reason I chose that particular class was because of Natsumi and Iruka" He said seriously and with nothing but the truth. He simply thought that nothing bad could happen from putting the two siblings in the same class, and with Iruka being there that was just a bonus.
If someone could get Naruto to open up a bit then it was Iruka alright, and him interacting with other people from the village would do him good or at least that's what he liked to believe.
His words still got a look of suspiciousness from the red-head, who still couldn't say she was completely convinced. Maybe she was being paranoid and a bit overprotective, but the last thing she wanted to happen was for something stupid to mess up even more their relationship with their son.
Not that she didn't trust Minato mind you, but at this point she would rather not leave any decisions regarding their son to the man alone.
She ended up just sighing before nodding slowly. She honestly doubted that Naruto would get interested in the Hyuga anyway, or at least that is what she would like to guess. Sure, she had no idea about what type of girls the young Chunin liked, something that came with him keeping her at arm's length sadly, but didn't he spend a lot of time with Mikoto's daughter?
She almost had to massage her forehead at that thought not knowing if it was better or not, after all in her opinion the only clan that could be considered more problematic that the Hyuga one was the Uchiha, friends with the matriarch of the clan or not.
"And Zeref?" Deciding to change the subject she asked what had most of their attention lately, but the only thing she got was a shake of the blonde's head.
"Absolutely nothing. No one is able to find the man and even following Naruto around to see if they meet got us nothing" He said regretfully and with more than a little frustration. Sure, the idea of having someone following his son as if he was a criminal left a bad taste in his mouth, and he knew that Kushina didn't exactly approve of it either, but he really needed to find the man as soon as possible.
Besides, it was only Itachi the one following him anyway, so he knew it would be handled with as much discretion as possible.
But even so, the man's behavior simply looked weird for the pair. Naruto had been back in the village for almost a week already and the man had no contact with him? That just seemed strange to them. You would think he would care a bit more about someone he had been teaching for years.
"I guess asking him is our only choice" Kushina said, and the only thing that had stopped them from doing it already was the feeling that the blonde wouldn't be honest with them but she had to agree with Minato in that one regard.
Zeref was an unknown variable with way too much influence. Even ignoring the fact that he trained Naruto under their noses just the fact that he was able to stay in the village for so long without anyone noticing it was certainly problematic by itself.
Especially when the man could simply disappear at will.
The man was a puzzle, that much they both knew, and it was one that they had to solve one way or another.
They had a feeling that if they didn't the consequences would be immeasurable.
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Hours later, with Naruto
Clouds were relaxing, weren't they?
He knew he was starting to sound like Shikamaru with just that thought but he just wasn't able to help it. It was simply something that got caught in his mind as his eyes got glued to the blue sky above him while his body rested on the floor belonging to the rooftop of the Academy, his hands behind his head as they worked like a pillow.
It wasn't like this was one of his hobbies or anything, but when you had nothing else to do during free time while also wanting to clear your head you simply tended to find things to distract you.
And as distracting as he was sure that accepting Natsumi's invite to eat lunch with her would have been he wasn't that desperate…today at least.
So simply coming up here to get his head out of the gutter for a while sounded like a good idea to him at the time. Sure, he wasn't any closer to figuring out what to do with Sasuki back in the picture but hey, at least it was relaxing.
And considering the amount of lying he had to do with Inoichi he certainly didn't mind relaxing a bit.
Zeref had taught him many things but how to deceive others had not been one of them, a skill that he knew he would have to learn to use properly if he wanted to survive his last month in this village.
Even when it came to Sasuki herself.
A tired sigh left his lips as soon as that thought emerged in his mind. Just the idea itself of abandoning her by leaving this place was enough to make him feel like nothing but trash.
It wasn't a pretty feeling that much he understood by now.
Luckily for him he wasn't given enough time to truly ponder that thought for long.
"Here, catch!" A sudden voice called out to him, making the Chunin raise his body instinctually, his eyes quickly catching the object being thrown at him, his hand moving quickly to intercept said object before it hit his face.
A cold, watery feeling was the next thing he felt right as his hand grasped the can of liquid that had been thrown his way. His questioning glance quickly moving from said beverage to the man responsible for throwing it to him, said man displaying nothing but a smile as he looked down at the blonde, a can of the same beverage also present on his hand.
"Iruka-sensei…?" He wasn't able to hold his questioning voice inside just as he aimed a confused frown as the scarred Chunin that had just entered the rooftop.
"I knew I would find you here" The man said as if that would answer all of the questions Naruto had while walking closer to the blonde "You aren't the first one to come here to get a clear head, you know?"
"Sorry…" Was he that obvious? He certainly didn't think he had acted so out of place that even Iruka was able to detect something was wrong with him but the man's words seemed to imply otherwise.
"Don't worry; you just seemed a bit distracted during class, that's all" The older Chunin said in a disarming tone while his arms rested on the handrail by the edge of the roof with Naruto still sitting right beside him "Then again I know this can be an uncertain territory for you so I guess I understand"
A smile was still present on Iruka's face, and while Naruto looked up at him he had to wonder how the man was able to smile that much. It wasn't even just how much the man smiled, but rather the feeling behind said expression.
It was an honest one after all, with no sign of deceit behind it as far as the blue-eyed mage could see.
"Even so, I'm sorry for worrying you" The dragon slayer shot back as he slowly stood up "I'll be sure to not be a bother during work" Iruka already had to deal with one annoying Uzumaki after all, so in his own opinion there wasn't a need to add another one to that mix.
Although it looked like the man disagreed with his opinion if the shake of his head was anything to go by.
"We might hold the same rank but I still can't help but to see you as my student, Naruto-kun" The older Chunin said with a chuckle "I'm just not being able to help myself so it isn't your fault"
If the former blonde had to be honest then he didn't really mind the sentiment. For all the people he had troubles with inside this village, Iruka was far from one of them. They might have the same rank, yes, but the respect for the older Chunin was still there.
It simply came to the fact that the man never treated him any different than any other student, and an insignificant as that sounded it still meant enough for him.
Honestly, it had been a sense of normality that right now he sorely missed.
No time to dwell on simpler times though.
"You really worry too much, Iruka-sensei…" Naruto said in a soft tone as he gave a side-way glance to the scarred man who matched it with a small frown "I don't think that's a bad thing, though"
"I'll take that as a compliment then" His voice was followed by him scratching his cheek slightly, his expression then turning slightly more serious as he too eyed the young man to his side "I do mean it about still considering you my student though, so if you want to talk about whatever has you worried I'm always available"
Once again that honesty in his voice was there for everyone's display, but even so…
"It was nothing, Iruka-sensei" A shrug and a lie were the only answers that the mage was able to give the curious man. A part of him honestly felt slightly bad about it but even so, it wasn't as if he could honestly tell Iruka anything about his problems, now could he?
If he could really be that honest with anyone then he wouldn't be in this problem in the first place.
"I see" Naruto wasn't able to ignore the slight disappointment in Iruka's voice, but his only response was to take a small sip of the can in his hand, almost as if the action would take away the awkward feeling around the two.
"I honestly expected for you to completely shut me down so I guess this could have gone worse" A small sigh left Iruka's lips soon after he voiced out his thoughts, although the words themselves got a slightly surprised expression from the younger Chunin.
"You thought I would do that and yet you came here?" He also wasn't able to hold his question back just as he eyed Iruka with confusion. He couldn't really blame the man for thinking that way, that much he knew considering how he himself acted around others.
He wasn't the most approachable person around, that much was obvious even to him.
"Well it would have been worse if I didn't" Iruka's response simply got a frown from Naruto, which made the older man follow his words with an explanation "I mean, even when you know something will be difficult I believe you should still go through it, or else the regret you might feel if you don't could be even worse"
His declaration was followed by the man turning around from his position so that he could look towards the entrance to the rooftop, but his gaze was glued to the younger man to his side, although his smiling expression suddenly turned into a worried one as soon as he noticed the surprised one from said younger man.
However before Iruka got the time to say anything he saw as Naruto chugged down whatever was left of his drink, something that was followed by him looking to the side, not meeting Iruka's eyes.
"You still are a good teacher, Iruka-sensei" It was Naruto's subdued voice the one that came out first just before his legs dragged him towards the entrance, leaving a surprised Iruka behind, who could only stare at Naruto's back with a perplexed expression.
He didn't know that the young man was able to show that much emotion with just his voice alone.
"Thank you…?"
"Next time I'm inviting the drinks though" Naruto gave one last nod of acknowledgment towards Iruka after reaching the door, although he ended up staying still on that spot by the door with the obvious intention of wanting to wait for the scarred Chunin.
Said Chunin was quick to join him though, with a smile once again present on his face. Classes were about to start again after all, so they really had to get moving by now.
That one word kept repeating itself in Naruto's mind though, even after they left the rooftop together.
'Regrets, huh…?'
He wasn't one to remember his Academy days, but right now if he had to be honest then he couldn't say he was without regrets about those days.
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Later
He was really starting to dislike water balloons.
Funnily enough, each time that thought came to his mind it was followed by the sound of him sighing while the small object in his palm stopped reacting to his chakra.
You didn't have to be a genius to understand his sudden animosity towards the object in particular once you also counted the amount of time that he had already spent simply looking at the sphere in his hand almost as if it would disappear at any second if he ever so took his eyes away from it by even a second.
It certainly didn't help that from time to time the sound of someone snickering could be easily heard from behind him, and considering the three individuals doing their own training behind him he didn't have to be a genius to figure out just who was making said sound.
Then again those snickers were usually followed by Menma yelping in pain so as long as karma kept playing its part then he wouldn't even bother complaining.
Besides, it wasn't Mito, Menma and Kakashi ducking it out the ones that could be considered to be actually annoyance to him right now. No no, that title was firmly grabbed by the owner of the blue eyes right to his side, who kept herself busy by watching him as if he was the most interesting thing in the world.
Of all times to be quiet and calm, Naruto had to wonder why Natsumi had chosen today to not only act like that but also to look at him as if he was a dog about to learn a new trick.
At least he was getting some progress done with this exercise though, or at least that is what he would like to believe considering how erratic the movement of the water inside the balloon had become already.
It bet looking at a sphere that was barely even moving if he was honest.
Sure, he understood the core concept of what he had to do and considering what the end result was he knew it would probably take him time, after all not only was this the first step to learn one of the Yondaime's techniques, the Rasengan (Spiralling Sphere), but it was also an exercise for his chakra, and for all the things the former blonde could do he wasn't the best when it came to chakra itself.
By now his own chakra had been mostly relegated to nothing but fuel for his magic. It was something that simply came when the man that trained you was a master of one art but completely unable to do the other.
Of course it wasn't like Naruto was useless when it came to his chakra-based learnings, far from it, but even so his focus had been clear for years, and even with the extra help from those working under Zeref it was more than obvious that when it came to magic and chakra the former was heavily favored by the dragon slayer.
So for all that he understood that it would take him time. This wasn't such a technique just for nothing after all. He had to wonder though just how long it had taken for both Mito and Menma to actually learn the technique.
Well, at least Kushina had stopped sending encouraging words his way and had instead opted for focusing on how the other two members of Team 7 were faring against Kakashi.
That thought actually managed to stop him in his tracks, also getting the water inside the balloon to stop moving relentlessly. Was there even a Team 7 anymore? Even ignoring the fact that he and Mito were Chunin now, wasn't there still one member that he hadn't seen in a while.
As in, where the hell was Anko anyway?
He quickly decided to not think too hard about that, knowing that any thought he had about the woman would certainly end in a headache.
"Eh…So even Naruto-nii has trouble with some stuff…"Before he was able to start the exercise once again the voice of Natsumi gained his attention.
His gaze moved towards the girl that seemed content with just sitting there with both of her arms supporting her head thanks to her hands that were planted below her chin and cheeks.
Her blue eyes were also glued to the balloon in his hand as if it would pop at any second.
If only…
"You speak as if you could do better" He whispered softly, something which he immediately came to regret as soon as the words came out of his mouth.
Not only because it meant pretty much confirming that he was starting to get frustrated, but mostly because of the reaction of the younger girl who apparently was able to hear him loud and clear.
He saw her eyes shine as her expression turned into a grin. She was then quick to move, her whole body springing up into action as she stood up and moved towards the bucket right beside the mage, which said bucket filled to the brim with nothing but other similar water balloons like the one Naruto had on his hand at the moment.
And sure enough, it didn't take more than a few seconds for something to happen.
"Ha!" Her voice was followed by the balloon on her hand suddenly bursting, with water splashing out of her hand as the only thing that remained was the rest of the previously spherical object.
"Feel free to praise me as much as you want now, Naruto-nii!" The pride in her voice could not be mistaken for anything else, although the way she brought her hands to her hips while sticking her chest out in confidence.
However, she certainly didn't get the answer she expected.
"You can do something like that and yet you're the one that gives Iruka-sensei the most trouble…" The expression Naruto had could only be described as someone that was looking at something beyond human understanding.
"Why am I getting scolded instead of praised?!" Her former posture was broken as the girl actually tried to grab the older Uzumaki to show her displeasure even more, but a hand from Naruto, which he firmly planted on her forehead, was enough to stop her from coming closer.
Not that she stopped trying mind you.
And even as he stopped Natsumi's movement his own focus was still on the water balloon in his own hand.
He still had his own priorities after all.
But even after so much time passed the result didn't change at all.
So even when the moon started moving through the dark sky the object in his hand was still intact as it had been during the whole day. In fact, the only difference around Naruto was the fact that the trio of Kakashi, Mito, and Menma had stopped their fight, while Natsumi herself had also stopped trying to gain the mage's attention.
"I think that's enough for today, Naruto-kun" He hadn't even heard any sound for the past ten minutes until Kushina's voice finally filled his ears.
He moved his eyes away from the balloon to look up at the red-headed woman before releasing a small sigh and nodding in resignation.
He stood up slowly; his legs wobbling a bit as a result of being in the same position for quite a while now.
"Don't worry too much about it, Naruto-kun" This time it was Kakashi's voice the one that regarded him, with the silver-haired Jonin walking closer to him alongside Mito, Menma and Natsumi "It took me quite a while too before I was able to learn that technique, so this is a rather normal start"
The one-eyed smile the Jonin gave was simply answered by a small nod from Naruto, who then noticed how Kakashi's attention was suddenly turned to his hair.
He almost released a sigh at that. He knew it was coming but it didn't make any better, although at least he had been able to ignore their questioning glances up to this point so there was that.
"I always wondered why you never dyed it completely if you liked it black that much" The Jonin continued as he rubbed his chin with his hand "Although it seems you still missed some spots"
"Red would suit Naruto-nii better" It was Natsumi the one that followed Kakashi's statement with one of her own.
"I think it suits him though…" Then it was Mito who spoke while scratching her cheek.
As interesting as it was for the former blonde to hear everyone's opinion on his hair color it still wasn't something that he was happy to deal with, especially since it seemed that it would be Kushina the one to add her own two-cents to the mix now.
Surprisingly enough she was beaten to the punch by Menma of all people.
"Why though…?" The blonde murmured with a confused expression, quickly earning the attention of everyone as they turned to look at him, who could only cough slightly after becoming the center of attention "I mean, what was wrong with being blonde?"
"I just felt like it" Naruto answered swiftly, an excuse already formed in his head every since Inoichi brought up the subject himself "And I wanted to make sure no one would mix me up with you"
"Well screw you too" Menma shot back with a click of the tongue, and the only reason he wasn't being scolded by either Kushina or Mito was simply because of the lack of fire behind his words.
"I'm taking this with me then" Naruto's attention then moved to Kushina once more right as he raised the hand that as holding the balloon. He might as well keep practicing in his spare time then.
"Sure, but…" Kushina spoke with a frown with doubt creeping in her voice "You could always stay for dinner, and I'm sure Minato-kun won't have any problem with giving you a few tips about the technique"
There it was, that same offer to stay the night once again, and to be honest, Naruto wasn't surprised by it. The first time? Maybe, but by now he knew just how headstrong Kushina could be so as far as he knew she would offer him the same thing each day he spent in this place.
And right now he actually couldn't be gladder that that was the case.
"Sorry, but I'm busy right now" He made sure to keep his voice as neutral as it could be, but even so his answer still got a dejected face from the older Uzumaki, alongside Mito and Natsumi, while Kakashi looked at the group in worry right as Menma also sported a complicated expression.
His next words took them by surprise though, something that he also knew it would.
"Maybe another day, though" He said to them quietly, although high enough so that they could hear him, and the surprise they showed was nothing short of genuine.
He walked out of the place soon after, a balloon of water still on in his hand. It was as they said after all, to keep your enemies closer. He wasn't kidding about acting like the perfect Shinobi for the village. Good behavior was a must for him right now if he wanted everyone to get off his back, and for that it meant to stop antagonizing Kushina and her family.
Of course, he couldn't accept her invitation right away though. He wasn't dumb after all, and he knew that if he did just go along like that it might even look suspicious.
No, he had to make it seem like a gradual thing. A far as anyone knew his visits to Inoichi were doing wonders in fixing his relationship with that family.
Manipulating others had never been his area of expertise, and while a part of him didn't like doing stuff like that he knew he had no other choice. He knew what it was to be manipulated after all.
He almost snorted at that. It seemed like he really did learn a few things besides magic from Zeref.
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Uchiha Sasuki was not the most patient girl.
She didn't like to wait for stupid stuff, didn't like when unnecessary things ate up her time and most importantly she didn't like when someone wasted her time by being late.
The fact that she was on the same team as someone like Kakashi was just her bad luck, she guessed.
So for her to wait for someone that was already late to be there was a strange event that could only mean one of two things.
One, it was an extremely important thing and she had no other option but to wait.
Or two, the person she was waiting was extremely important, at least for her.
Suffice to say the reason she was right now at the rooftop of the Academy while lazily resting her arms on the rail as the cold of the night hit her was because of the latter rather than the former reason.
Sure, he was only fifteen minutes late, but that didn't stop Sasuki from frowning while she gazed at the night sight of Konoha.
And sure, her own nervousness had ended up making her get here half an hour early too, but that wasn't the point! Naruto wasn't one to be late after all, nor one to forget stuff, so where the hell was he?
Her answer actually came rather quickly in the form of a small gust of wind, which was followed by the sound of footsteps right behind her.
"You're late" She didn't even have to turn around to know who the person was, but any doubt that she could have had was swept away the moment Naruto took his place to her right while resting his arms on the rail just like his friend.
"I'm sorry…" He answered with clear regret in his voice while a frown also appeared on his face. It wasn't like he wanted to be here late of course, and he had more than enough time after leaving the Uzumaki-Namikaze residence, but there were things that he had to do.
Or rather, things to confirm.
In fact, after leaving that place he had done nothing but wander around the village by himself. Simply walking, although sometimes he did start running through the village instead.
He didn't do it out of a sudden need to work on his cardio, mind you.
He simply tried to confirm a small theory of his.
Which theory? Well, he just wanted to be sure that there had been no one following around, and by that he meant someone sent by the Hokage.
Maybe it was just his paranoia talking, but after putting himself in Minato's shoes he had gotten to the conclusion that it was extremely likely that he had at least someone following his tracks.
Wouldn't that make sense? After all, Minato knew of his relationship with Zeref, and something told him that such a thing wasn't the best considering what he would do in the near future.
Then again he knew that just walking around in the hopes of detecting the presence of anyone that might have been following him was not the best idea out there, but it was just something he wanted to test before asking Itachi personally.
After all, if someone knew then it must be that man in his opinion.
He had a lot of things to prepare in the three weeks of time he had, and he knew he couldn't waste time.
Of course, spending time with Sasuki never counted as that, and even if what he had been doing was important for him he still felt wrong about making her wait.
"Whatever…" She said with a sigh before she turned her head to look at the former blonde properly, but her gaze got caught by the object on his hand "A balloon?"
"Just ignore it" He ended up just putting it down beside his feet before returning to his previous position, only that this time he was looking sideways, straight into Sasuki's eyes.
"Are you going to tell me what had you so busy up until now or are you going to play mysterious?" The Uchiha said as she glared at him slightly "You know how hard it was to convince Otou-sama to let me leave this late?"
"I didn't know you had a curfew" He said while thinking of the best way to answer her properly.
"I don't, but Otou-sama is still strict, you know? Okaa-sama helped me to calm him down but it wasn't easy" She almost shivered once she remembered the look the matriarch of the clan gave to her father.
Her mother was definitely the scariest one of the two.
"I'm sorry, I just…" He sighed after a bit before his right hand moved through his hair "It's a long story"
"I have time" She pushed on, and with a quiet sigh from Naruto he simply resumed his day to her, of course skipping anything related to Zeref and what he was planning to do in the near future.
Suffice to say that her reaction wasn't a pretty one.
"What the hell?!" She pretty much yelled in nothing but sheer frustration, and with the way she was holding onto the rail Naruto was more than sure that the metal would bend at that rate.
Of course, the young Uchiha wasn't very fond of the Uzumaki-Namikaze family, although that would be putting it too kindly. Just the thought of them now pretty much forcing her friend to spend time with them was enough to make her sick, the excuse of training notwithstanding.
In her mind there was simply no way that Mito's family wanted what was best for Naruto, and even as she was forced to admit just how tempting training with someone like a Sannin or even the Yondaime himself was she still knew that one way or another this was just another way for them to fuck with her friend even more.
She didn't need any evidence either, it was just more than obvious in her eyes.
In fact, the only reason she wasn't reacting even more badly was because of just how calmed Naruto seemed about the whole thing.
In fact…
"How can you be so calm about all of this?!" She growled in annoyance while glaring at the former blonde. Sure, she knew that Naruto was able to handle his emotions better than her, but wasn't there a limit to how much you could take without getting at least a bit angry?
"It could be worse" He told her swiftly, and while he honestly meant that there was also the fact that he had already released a lot of his pent-up anger on the Forest of Death.
Not that he would tell her that or anything about the Hyugas. That would be too much and he also didn't want to imply anything related to Itachi.
In response to his words, Sasuki simply snorted before she started pacing around the roof in an attempt to calm herself. She was failing miserably at that mind you, but she was at least trying.
"Sasuki…" Naruto for his part moved to put a hand on the girl's shoulder in an attempt of calming her, but the only thing he got was a glare aimed at him "Believe me, I'm fine about it"
Well, he was fine now. He was definitely glad that Sasuki hadn't seen him in his previous state or else he could only imagine what would have happened.
"You're too passive about shit like this, Naruto" She sighed in frustration while looking down, her hands to her side quickly turning into fists "First Snow and now this… You're allowed to complain about stuff, you know?"
The mage had to raise an eyebrow at hearing her mention their previous mission, and the way her eyes went to his arm from that told him that there was more to it than what he thought before.
He had no idea what had happened while he was fighting with Zancrow, with the only thing he knew being that Zancrow's partner had been attacking the village in the meantime, but besides confirming that Sasuki, alongside everyone else on the team, was ok he hadn't asked that many questions about the ordeal.
In his defense, that aspect of the mission had been the last thing on his mind as of late, but right now he felt that he definitely should have asked more to someone.
Well, now he knew what he was asking Kakashi next time he saw him. If he was going to spend any time with the man then he might as well take advantage of that.
He opened his mouth, but a look from Sasuki stopped him in his tracks. It was one that he wasn't used to seeing in her eyes, but that glint on her black orbs told him that something was amiss.
The fact that she then moved her hand to his arm just made it more obvious, and it didn't help the amount of delicacy that she was putting on her touch.
Once again, delicate was not a word that he would ever associate with the girl in front of him, but today she seemed to want him to prove him wrong.
The raven-haired youth took a few seconds to gather her wits while her thumb made slow movements over Naruto's arms. Whoever had treated him had her gratitude, that much was for sure.
"At least you're better now…" The girl whispered softly, her tone catching Naruto off-guard "You looked like crap before, I mean…"
He could only imagine just how badly his body had looked after his one-sided fight with Zancrow. He had probably looked like a house had fallen over him or something, and the only good part of it all that he could think off was the fact that it actually could have been worse.
Zancrow had just been playing around with him after all.
"We really almost die there, didn't we?" The Uchiha followed with more before letting go of Naruto's arms and walking on the rail once more, a movement that was followed by Naruto's gaze.
His own voice came out without him realizing it.
"What happened?"
And after a tired sigh from the Genin what followed was a description of their struggle against the man known as Deidara, an Iwa criminal with a knack for blowing things up if the description Sasuki gave him was any indication.
And just by her words alone he could already tell that it had not been pretty.
He even detected the slight quiver from her voice whenever she talked about Deidara's onslaught. He hadn't thought about it before, but if that man was working as a partner of Zancrow then it could mean that their strength was at least not that far from each other.
The silence that followed was a heavy one, however, once Sasuki turned to look at Naruto her expression turned into one of surprise after all didn't she just complain about Naruto not getting angry enough about things?
Then why did he suddenly look as if he wanted to kill someone?
But how couldn't he when the only reason Sasuki had been dragged into a situation like that in the first place had been because of him.
He could tolerate many things from Zeref. All the lies and deceives were stuff that one way or another he had to learn to handle if he wanted to deal with the dark mage.
But dragging Sasuki into this? That was unforgivable. He knew that Zeref cared little about others, and he had to admit that in some aspects he himself was the same, but if something had happened to Sasuki that day…
He closed his eyes while taking deep breaths in his best attempt to calm himself down. It took him a few seconds but once he opened his eyes again his gaze once again classed with Sasuki's, who was sporting a nervous frown.
"Sasuki, I…"
"I like you" Her words cut him off abruptly to the point that he almost spluttered in surprise. It took him a few seconds for his brain to process what he heard, and once it did only one thing escaped his lips.
"So do I?"He said, obviously more than lost with the current change of subject an still not understanding what even brought it on. Sure, it felt nice hearing it and all, but haven't they been friends for years already? He would like to think that they had to like each other at the very least after all that.
So why was Sasuki expression suddenly turning into a mighty glare that he knew was just the beginning of a session of yells? She was even red at her face, probably out of angriness he guessed.
"No, you dolt!" She yelled as she stomped her feet to the floor, not even having to think too much to know that Naruto had misunderstood what she meant.
She would really have to spell it out to him, didn't she? She might as well then since she had already gotten this far.
"I don't mean as friends, you big idiot" She growled out right as she felt even more heat going to her cheeks, and it definitely didn't help that the only thing he did was to slightly tip his head to the side. He really had no idea how hard this was for her, did he?
Maybe it was her choice of words too, but there was no way in hell she could say that to his face without killing him and then herself just out of sheer embarrassment.
"I meant as in between a man and a woman…" She said slowly as she crossed her arms below her chest while looking to her side, knowing that she wouldn't be able to match his gaze without her heart going a mile per second "I know you aren't stupid, Naruto, so stop acting like one!"
And in response, he just blinked slowly once and then two more times after that right until nothing but sheer realization finally shined in his eyes, which also widened as soon as he caught on what Sasuki was trying to tell him.
'Oh….' He thought mindlessly, feeling like a fish out of the water if he had to put it into words. Of all the things that he thought Sasuki would tell him today this was definitely not one of them, not even close.
"Since when… I mean, why now…?" He muttered, knowing that he had to say something but still having no idea as to what say or do in a situation like this one.
Zeref had taught him many things.
This was not one of them.
"For a while I guess" Sasuki answered while sighing, feeling more vulnerable than what she felt comfortable admitting. She knew of the consequences that confessing something like this could bring, but at this point she refused to just stay silent "But after what happened I just… Didn't want to have any regrets, you know?"
He did, he definitely understood that feeling of hers, but that didn't stop him from being lost at words, and just what she meant by a while exactly? For how long had she been feeling like that towards him of all people?
He blew a breath out slowly. It just went to show just how good he actually knew her if he couldn't even tell that much.
"Well?!" Her sudden rise of voice got his attention back, and he almost found himself giving a step back in surprise by the storm of emotions that he could see in her black eyes "I just told you how I felt so don't just stand there!" She pretty much growled out before looking down, her posture screaming nothing but uncertainty "Even if I won't like it just…Give me answer, please?"
Of course, she wanted an answer, even he could understand that, hell she was even pleading for one. Sasuki never did that and for him, it just went to show how important this was for her.
How could he not give her one when she was like that?
But then, what was he supposed to say?
Those kinds of things, he never thought about them in his life. He couldn't remember ever having those types of things crossing his mind, even before the whole situation with Zeref made a turn for the worse.
He was probably just the weird one out though, especially if even Sasuki herself already had that type of things in her mind.
A part of him actually had to admire her for that; after all at least she knew what she was feeling.
But to him he just didn't know what to think, he just didn't know what it meant to like someone like that. Those kinds of feelings simply eluded him.
But even if he was lost right now as soon as his eyes met Sasuki's uncertain stare he couldn't help but soften his own while one small thought shined on his mind like a lightbulb.
This was Sasuki.
One of the only two constants of his life, and by now the only good one in his opinion.
Because he just knew that, even if his relationship with Zeref was all but broken right now, and even if this village felt like nothing but a prison, the girl in front of him still felt like the light at the end of the tunnel.
He couldn't even imagine just how his life would have turned out if he had never met the girl, if she had never challenged him to a fight all those years ago.
At that time he had thought of her as nothing but a brash and overconfident girl, but now? He wouldn't change anything about her even if he could.
And maybe at one point she would have been everything he needed. Even if Minato wanted to throw him to the Hyugas, and even if his relationship with Zeref ended up breaking he knew that as long as Sasuki was with him he would be able to handle it all.
Maybe that was what she was feeling? He couldn't know for sure, but those feelings he had were simply the truth, even if he couldn't put a name to them.
Sadly, things weren't that simple, were they?
"Sasuki…" He ended up putting his hands on her shoulders, not only getting the girl to almost gasp in surprise but also to tense her whole body.
The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her. He would rather die than to do such a thing, but right now…
"I can't answer you right now…" He said as he looked down, not daring to look at Sasuki in the face, knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to handle whatever expression she was sporting at the moment.
"W-what!? Why not?" He could hear not only the confusion but also the hurt in her voice, but the only thing he could do was to beg for forgiveness in his mind.
"I need some time" That was nothing but a lie, he knew "I have a lot of things in my head right now… I'm sorry for being so selfish"
Another silence fell on the two, which was only broken once Sasuki released a long sigh right before she walked away from Naruto slowly
"Fine…" She whispered, honestly understanding what he was asking her. She had to admit that confessing to him considering his current situation might not have been the best, but she refused to back down.
She could give him some time, they had plenty of that anyway since the two of them weren't leaving the village any time soon as far as she knew.
"Just… don't make me wait too much, ok?" She continued while trying her best to smirk confidently "I'll make you regret it if you do"
She couldn't say that this had gone like she had wanted it to, but at least she hadn't been outright rejected.
But for Naruto, the truth was that he was too much of a coward to answer her honestly, too much of a coward to tell her that he couldn't accept her feelings even if he wanted to because his days in this village were counted.
And even if a part of him told him that if there was someone that he could be honest about everything that he was keeping hidden it was Sasuki, he knew that it was for that exact same reason that he just couldn't tell her anything.
How could he? How could he drag her into such a conflict? He had no choice but to fight, but she was different. She had her family, her clan and her dreams. He couldn't drag her into this, his own conscience wouldn't let him.
He had no choice in the matter for he had been dragged into the God's web even before he had been born, but if there was someone that he wanted to protect from all of it then it was her.
Because in the end, wasn't his own life already doomed? Sentenced to dance at the God's tune until he became strong enough to break free from their influence, how could he drag her into that?
But even if the conflict among the Gods dragged everyone in the Elemental Nations into it, then he would just have to fight even harder, not only for himself but also so that Sasuki didn't.
He was going to hurt her though.
She would probably hate him after everything was said and done.
But didn't he deserve it? After all even after everything that she had done for him he was still more than willing to abandon her.
A hateful smile appeared on his lips, one that he was glad Sasuki hadn't seen.
He really was Zeref's student, wasn't he?
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God damn this chapter. I meant for it to just be around 5k words and before I noticed it got twice that much. That is one of the reasons of the delay for this chapter, as for the other ones…
Danganronpa V3 and Cuphead ate my time, blame it on them.
I know the last part of the chapter is not something that many would like, but this was never meant to be a "X character follows Naruto away from the village" type of thing. That is one of the reasons I wanted to write moments between these two as much as I could right now, because as you can tell those will become fewer once Naruto is out.
And about Naruto leaving, don't worry those that want me to jump to that. Next chapter will be the last one of him acting inside Konoha. While Yes I'm sure I could find a way to write more than a few chapters before that I've decided to just jump straight to it since I think I already made everyone wait more than long enough.
Thank you all once more; you are the ones keeping this story alive after all.
Next Chapter: No Turning Back.