Disclaimer: This story utilizes characters, situations and premises that are copyright Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, Shonen Jump and Viz Media. No infringement on their respective copyrights pertaining to episodes, novelizations, comics or short stories is intended by the author in any way, shape or form. This fan oriented story is written solely for the author's own amusement and the entertainment of the readers. It is not for profit. Any resemblance to real organizations, institutions, products or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All fiction, plot and Original Characters with the exception of those introduced in the books, manga, video games, novelizations and anime, are the sole creation of KuriQuinn and using them without permission is considered rude, in bad-taste and will reflect seriously on your credibility as a writer. You will be roasted by an angry, chidori wielding Uchiha should you be found plagiarizing.

Warning:Spoiler Although this takes place in the early episodes of the anime, and is in the broadest sense an AU, there will be spoilers for information given (up to and including) Shippuden, all movies, Gaiden and Boruto. If it's been published in the canon, there is a good chance it will make it in here.

Canon-Compliance: Takes place during Team 7 genin days. Between the flashback in Naruto Shippuden Episode 181 and Tsunade's Return around Naruto Episode 100. Basically everything is AU from after the encounter with Zabuza and Haku.

This chapter was beta-read by: Sakura's Unicorn

When the Third Hokage originally discussed the idea of Kakashi training a team of genin, it was framed in the form of a non-negotiable mission: keep an eye on two of the village's most volatile young inhabitants and make sure they don't accidentally destroy the place.

His Sharingan made Kakashi the only jōnin capable of keeping them both in line – at least that's how Lord Third justified it. Given some of the utterly ridiculous shit he puts up with from his pre-teen subordinates, however, Kakashi suspects that someone in the village administration wants to see him squirm.

That's not to say he dislikes his squad.

Not as much as he did when he first met them, at least.

Despite the occasional mess-ups, the kids have been doing pretty well. They've all come a long way from the misfits he was assigned all those months ago.

Sasuke was impressive to begin with, but since awakening his Sharingan, his skills have become even more so.

Naruto's abilities grow exponentially with every mission – even if he's still more of a knucklehead than anything near Hokage-material.

As for Sakura, who used to be so boy-crazy (well, she still is boy-crazy, but only for one particular boy), she has shown definite improvement as well. Kakashi doubts her teammates have noticed; after all, Naruto and Sasuke's friendship is based on a rivalry that leaves no room to acknowledge others. Yet no matter what, Sakura is always on hand to support her stronger teammates.

More and more, she reminds Kakashi of Rin. Considering how talented his late friend was, he has high expectations for the pink-haired kunoichi. He just prays that her teammates will learn to better appreciate her. The shinobi life is full of heartbreak, and he realised far too late what Rin meant to him. He hopes neither Sasuke nor Naruto will ever have to see their teammate's blood on their hands.

The point is, all three are growing every day – to the point where he has been seriously considering recommending them for the upcoming Chūnin Exams.

And his regard for them grows as well.

There are days, like today, when Kakashi reflects that this is what it must be like to have children.

And it's one of those days he's very glad he doesn't actually have any.

"Moron! Stop walking in front of me!"

"I'm not walking in front of you! You're the one dogging my footsteps! You don't like it, you can be the one to lead the ostrich – believe it!"

"If you try to give me that rope one more time, I will shove it up your –"

"Oh, I so dare you to try it!"

"Naruto, would you knock it off? You've been at it for two hours!"

"If Sasuke would stop being such a bastard –"

"If this useless idiot would stop getting in my way –"

"CAW!"

Thock! Thock!

"OW!"

"DAMN IT!"

"Oh! Sasuke! Are you all right?!"

"Just leave me alone…"

"Oi! Sakura, I got pecked too, you know!"

"If you'd stop pestering the bird, you wouldn't be causing all this trouble!"

"I'm not the one causing trouble! He's the one who needs to learn to pull his weight!"

Kakashi exhales slowly, counting to ten. When the bickering continues, he does it again, only backwards.

Somehow, against all laws of nature and time, their return-journey to the village – which shouldn't take more than a few hours – is dragging into its second day. Even though the kids (and the ostrich) recently vented some of their pent-up frustrations on a hapless gang of thugs, they still have enough energy to goad each other on.

"–dimwitted, loud-mouthed, dead-last moron!"

"O-oh yeah? Well…well, your hair looks like the ass-end of a duck, and your face scares small children!"

"Sensei?" Sakura beseeches, peering up at Kakashi hopefully.

"Relax. They won't actually kill each other."

They watch the two boys do their best to knock each other out, all while dodging – and failing to dodge – savage jabs from the large, bow-tie clad bird of prey.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Not really."

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Right," he sighs, remembering that, for all intents and purposes, he is supposed to be the responsible adult here. "Intervening."

For a moment, Kakashi considers the merits of running an electric current underground to shock them all into unconsciousness. Except, while that would lead to well-deserved peace and quiet, it would also create the problem of having to carry three passed-out genin and a sociopathic ostrich.

Maybe not then, he decides.

"I think it's about time we stop for the night," he announces, nodding his head toward a copse of trees away from the main road. It leads into a densely forested area that will, no doubt, provide, decent cover for the night. "It'll be dark soon."

"We should just keep going," Sasuke points out, Naruto forgotten. "We can make the village in a few hours if we don't stop."

He doesn't bother to hide his impatience to return to the Hidden Leaf. Ever since their encounter with Zabuza in the Land of Waves, Sasuke's been more determined than ever to improve his skills. It would be a worthy goal if Kakashi didn't know the exact motivation behind it.

"Sasuke's right," Sakura declares with a toss of her hair. "We might even finish the mission on time for once." In a smaller voice, she adds, "And I really want a bath."

"And I want Ichiraku ramen!" Naruto pipes up, earning him a swift peck from the ostrich. "Ow! You stupid bird! I swear, if you do that one more time, I'm gonna turn you into a pillow! Believe it!"

"Naruto, stop bothering the ostrich."

"Me? I'm not the one who keeps starting it!"

"Ugh. Can you try to be the mature one for once? If you ignore it, it'll leave you alone!"

"Says the only one this stupid feathered psycho hasn't gone after yet! Right, Sasuke? Back me up here!"

"Not getting involved," Sasuke snorts, and then swears when the bird lands a vicious strike on his head too.

The situation is rapidly devolving again. How these three haven't attracted an entire squad of enemy ninja yet is a mystery.

Kakashi sighs.

"We're not travelling any more tonight until everyone's had some time to cool their heels. Also, if Mr. Ostrich here manages to escape, he'll be harder to find in the dark. I don't want myself or Sasuke exhausting our Sharingan trying to track him."

"I guess that makes sense," Sakura admits.

For a wonder, there's no more arguing. His students allow him to lead them to the forest cover where they find a clearing far enough from the road to avoid attention. While Naruto loops the bird's lead around a low-hanging tree branch, Sakura sets up their sleeping bags and Sasuke builds the fire pit. After so many missions together, there's an unspoken routine to settling in for the night –

"Damn it, Sasuke!" Naruto howls, rubbing the spot where his head connected with a log. Sasuke passes by, unconcerned, carrying an armful of fuel for their campfire.

"It's your own fault for being in the way."

Kakashi sighs.

Every time…the same routine arguments.

"You did that on purpose!"

"I did not. You're just clumsy."

"Am not! And even if I was, you could've moved to avoid me, Mr Super Eyesight!" Naruto's face is red with anger. "You're telling me you can avoid shuriken being thrown at your face, but you can't take a step to the left not to hit someone in the head?"

Sasuke carefully stacks the wood within easy distance from the fire pit. "You should have better reflexes."

"Yeah, Naruto," Sakura chimes in, hands on her hips.

Naruto turns, if possible, redder now that Sakura has joined in. He marches forward and plonks himself down in front of Sasuke, who continues to pretend he can't see or hear him.

"Know what I think? I think you're going blind – believe it!"

Sasuke glowers.

"Yeah," Naruto continues, looking smug and jabbing a hand within inches of Sasuke's face. "Or your Sharingan's really just all about luck, and you've been lying and showing off. That's so something you could do."

"Get your hand out of my face."

"It's not in your face," Naruto taunts, "but it's about to –"

Several things happen in quick succession.

Naruto reaches toward Sasuke's head, ostensibly to poke him in the forehead. Sasuke, however, sees it coming and reacts instantaneously, twisting his teammate's arm. In a move that wouldn't be out of place in a brawl, he swings him around until Naruto is facedown on the ground, a knee in his back and arm locked.

"Don't do that!" he snarls, as Naruto howls in pain and surprise. There's a minor cracking noise, like bones being twisted to the point just before breaking.

"Sasuke!" Sakura gasps, sounding as surprised as Kakashi at the level of brutality.

At her voice, Sasuke blinks and comes back to himself. He lets go of Naruto, who splutters in the dirt.

"I'm…going to check the perimeter," the Uchiha boy says, not offering any kind of explanation before disappearing into the trees.

Well. That was…new, Kakashi muses. The boys do fight, but never with such vicious intent. It might be time for a one-on-one chat with Sasuke soon…

"Hey, Sasuke, wait up!" Sakura cries, disappearing into the trees after him.

Then again, there's a better chance he'll open up to her.

Naruto gets to his feet and glares in the general direction his two teammates disappeared to. He looks angry and bewildered, obviously trying to figure out exactly what just happened, but also trying not to look bothered by it.

Kakashi remembers what that feels like.

"Not going after them?" he asks, raising his only visible eyebrow.

"No way. It's Sakura's turn to deal with the big jerk," Naruto grumps, crossing his arms petulantly. He winces and stretches the arm Sasuke held not minutes ago. "I just wanna kick back and relax and do nothing for a few hours."

"Well, that's definitely not in the cards for you. If you're not going to make sure this spot is safe like the others, you can dig the latrines for tonight."

"Ugh. Fine," Naruto grumbles. "Anything's better than dealing with that bastard when he's –"

"CAW!"

There's a snapping sound, and the rope that so recently tied the ostrich to the tree breaks. The bird wastes no time in taking off, and Naruto swears.

"Oh, come on!"

Then he's darting off into the trees after it.

Kakashi glances around the now-deserted clearing, still in the process of being set up for camp, and chuckles. "Well, at least it's quiet for now."

Considering his team, he knows it's something that won't last; as such, he feels no guilt whatsoever pulling out his battered and well-loved copy of Icha Icha Paradise. Who knows when he'll get another few minutes to himself?

ナルト

Sasuke isn't surprised when Sakura follows him.

Of his entire squad, she's the most predictable and the most annoying. Even Naruto knows when to leave him alone, but the irritating girl just can't take a hint.

Although, she also happens to be the easiest of the bunch to ignore, so he supposes it could be worse. As she trails after him, tentatively trying to ensure he's all right while going on a mini-rant about how immature Naruto is, Sasuke tries to sort out his thoughts.

It's not that he doesn't agree that the blond boy is a pest, but that's not why he lashed out at him. Sasuke doesn't like to be touched on a normal day – he tolerates Sakura on occasion, and he's more than happy to trade blows in a fight – but when Naruto's hand got close to his face, Sasuke experienced a disturbing flash of memory. He could almost see Itachi's fingers reaching forward to tap his forehead, could almost hear him murmuring, "Maybe next time."

His body moved of its own volition, as it often seems to do lately.

He tries not to think of the implications of his mind forming a link between Naruto and Itachi.

Sakura has noticed by now that he isn't replying, but instead of lingering in awkward silence, she tries to fill it with inconsequential chatter. She does that a lot, especially when he and Naruto fight. Despite having chosen the shinobi life, Sakura doesn't like conflict.

Sasuke needs to figure out how to convince her to leave him alone. Preferably in a way that won't have her start crying or something. If that happens, he's sure to have the blond boy on his back.

The useless idiot's crush on Sakura is almost as pitiful to experience as the infatuation she has with Sasuke.

No, he's not oblivious to it. He just doesn't have time for a simpering girl's stupid feelings, or her prioritizing of looks and socializing over becoming a strong ninja.

That's not to say he can't recognise her other attributes. Messed up priorities aside, Sakura is a kind-hearted and good person. She's the most innocent one on the team, her violent temper notwithstanding. He finds a secret, uneasy comfort in the knowledge that she's always looking out for him. Since the massacre, Sasuke hasn't had anyone keeping an eye on him, except occasionally the Third Hokage. He's pretty sure the old man does that for every orphan in the Leaf Village, including Naruto.

Still, whatever little bit of warmth or gratitude Sasuke might feel for his teammate, he can't allow himself to give into it. She's just one more person he'll lose when he finally becomes strong enough to hunt down Itachi.

And kill him.

He doubts Sakura will look at him with the same annoying adoration if she knew he meant to kill his own brother. He just can't understand why a smart girl like her can't figure out that she's wasting her time on someone who has no time for matters outside of his vengeance.

Because Sakura is intelligent.

He knows for a fact that she's beaten him on every written test they've ever had at the Academy. Only her negligible talent when it comes to mastering more than basic ninjutsu kept her from attaining the coveted status of top student when they were in school. Back then, it suited him fine because it was one less obstacle on his path to becoming the best.

Now that she's his teammate, though, it's different. Her deficiencies mean he's often the one who ends up having to protect her. Which is a waste of everyone's time, but especially his.

Hell, even Naruto can hold his own long enough for back-up to arrive, when he doesn't take care of the situation in his own blundering way. Moron he may be, but the guy's rate of success gets better every day.

Sasuke clenches his fist at that thought.

If he has any chance of destroying his brother, he can't let dead weight like Naruto come anywhere close to his league.

He casts side-eyes at Sakura as she chatters on, oblivious.

"…so seeing as how we'll probably get back early tomorrow, that means the entire afternoon's free," she says. "If you want, we could, um, you know, go catch a movie or something –"

"No."

He can't let Sakura's pathetic feelings hold him back either.

"Oh." There a momentary drop in her sunny tone that he hopes means she's going to go away, but then she's talking again. "I-I guess you're right. It's better if we go straight home and rest so that we're ready for another mission as soon as possible. Right?"

"Mmhm," he acknowledges because that, at least, they agree on. The more missions they get, the further he moves up in rank.

"And I think we're all a little tired of travelling. You and Naruto need some sleep, especially with the way he keeps antagonizing that bird. I bet you both have headaches, and that's why you're so…" She trails off with another nervous laugh, and he suspects if he looked over at her now, she would be blushing again. "I just mean, Naruto's done loads worse before and you never reacted like…well, the way you did."

He narrows his eyes when he realises what she's referring to.

"Are you…all right?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh. Okay. But, you know, sometimes it helps," she replies, hesitant. "Especially if it's something that stresses you out. So you can, you know, work through it. Which is kind of important, especially since we're in the middle of a mission." She laughs nervously. "Well, I know it's sort of a stupid mission, but it's still a mission.

They're all stupid missions in his opinion – ridiculous in both nature and level of ease. And yet somehow, his idiotic teammates always end up overcomplicating everything. Naruto especially. From hunting down stray animals and red four-leaf clovers, to getting stuck together while searching for an idol belonging to the daimyo's daughter (he really wishes he could forget that particular clusterfuck).

He's surprised they've managed to recapture the damn bird they were sent after with only a few bruises.

"Sasuke? Can I ask you a question?"

He refrains from pointing out that she just did.

"That thing that got you upset before…did it have to do with your…did it have to do with whoever…" Sakura can't seem to find the right words, and every attempt grates on him more than the last. "You don't really talk about it, so I was just wondering –"

"Shut up." He turns to face her, his patience gone. She gasps and, because he sees the widening of her eyes with a sudden clarity, he knows his Sharingan is active. "You don't get to talk about this. Ever."

Tears leak from the corners of her eyes.

"I'm sorry…I was only trying to help," she sniffs. "You don't need to be so mean about it."

"There's a difference between being mean and being truthful. And if you're too stupid to see that, it's not my problem." He turns away and walks off. "You shouldn't pry into things you don't understand."

He can almost hear her flinch, and for a second, he feels a brief flicker of vindication...and guilt.

He half-expects, half-hopes she will decide to go back to camp now, but when several seconds pass with no retreating footsteps, he knows that won't happen.

Surprisingly, he senses her move closer to him, tentatively, and then –

"I'm sorry."

He inclines his head only slightly and sees that she's bent forward in a low, respectful bow of apology.

"I didn't mean to upset you or speak about things I don't understand. It's like you said," she tells him softly.

He feels himself slowly relax.

Something firm enters her voice then. "But I'm your friend. Or at least your teammate. And I don't want you to be in pain or hurting, if there's something that can be done to help."

He closes his eyes in resignation. He should've known better than to think she'd actually have the sense to let it go. In a lot of ways, Sakura is more stubborn than Naruto.

"Annoying," he grumbles under his breath. Raising his voice, he goes on, "There's nothing you can do. There's nothing anyone can do, except me."

"Why?"

He blinks. "What?"

"Why are you the only one who can do something?" she clarifies. "Can't you get help? You know I'd do anything to help you. Naruto, too. And Kakashi-sensei."

"It doesn't work like that," he retorts, frustrated because he doesn't want to explain this. "Listen, you should get back to camp –"

"Sasuke –"

" – because the whole point of scouting the area is to keep enemies from finding us. Talking will just draw attention and get us noticed, so –"

"CAAAAAAAWWW!"

"GET BACK HERE, YOU STUPID SACK OF FEATHERS!"

Two flashes of colour practically fly by them – one black and one orange – and disappear into the surrounding foliage with a crash.

"What about that?" Sakura inquires, glancing from the broken bushes to Sasuke.

"I'm going to kill him," Sasuke declares sourly, before taking off at a run to pursue the fleeing moron that is his teammate.

"Sasuke! Wait up!"

As expected, Sakura follows.

ナルト

Sakura and Sasuke flit through the forest, chasing after the gleefully cawing ostrich while Naruto's cursing streams back to them. Deeper and deeper into the woodland they go until the trees are so thick that they obscure even the sound of their exuberant quarry. Naruto's furious yells get farther away until they disappear entirely.

"Damn it! We lost them!" Sasuke curses after several minutes of this. They both alight on a tree branch, looking left and right for a sign of Naruto and the ostrich. "I can't hear them at all anymore."

"Can you see with the Sharingan?" Sakura asks, squinting into the shadows of the treetops; twilight has made her vision blurry.

"No." Sasuke's tone is short and irritated. "I'm going to do a sweep ahead through the trees. Maybe there's something. You stick around here and comb the grounds. And keep quiet. We need the element of surprise."

Really? We do? I thought I'd just go barging in, throwing some explosive tags, and declaring it my sworn nemesis, the voice at the back of her head snaps.

"Right," she replies out loud, leaping down from the tree branch. She doesn't hear him disappear, but her innate ability to sense where Sasuke is in proximity to her tells her he is gone.

She sighs and sets about exploring the thick bushes and undergrowth.

Sakura doesn't know whether to be frustrated or grateful for Naruto's latest misadventure. On the one hand, it means Sasuke didn't get a chance to complete his usual dismissal of her. On the other, she thought she was reaching him. Just for a moment. A little longer, and she might've have gotten him to open up.

Or at least acknowledge, in words, that they are friends.

Teammates.

The more time they spend together, the less sure she is which acknowledgement she wants more – that of her feelings, or that of her improvement as a shinobi.

Sakura doesn't come from a prestigious clan. Her parents only ever made it to genin level. Although she's heard stories that, with her father's intelligence, he could've become as talented as Lord Fourth, it still doesn't change the fact that the Haruno clan are among the no-names of the shinobi world. She has no bloodline talent to speak of, unless she counts the ability to completely compartmentalise her initial impulses in order to meet people's expectations.

Because that's been working so well, the ever-present voice at the back of her head sneers.

She can't even argue with it.

Lately, Sakura's inner thoughts have been consumed with self-recrimination. Ever since joining Team 7, she's suspected that her teammates see her as an annoyance – someone who needs to be protected at all times. That knowledge grates on her. In the past few weeks, she's been thinking of ways to make herself better, too, because she's not sure how to ask Kakashi to help her.

Part of her is fearful he'd tell her there's no point.

And then there's the fact that he has his hands full with those two idiots, the voice of her inner self complains with irritation she would never dare express outwardly.

Their stupid rivalry aside, Sasuke and Naruto are always getting stronger. Sakura will never achieve that level of strength – Sasuke has his kekkei genkai and Naruto has his…inhuman resilience. She'll never have either of those things.

She's been trying, of course.

Ever since Kakashi caught her in that genjutsu during the bell test – forcing her to see Sasuke in pain, bleeding and dying – she's been hell-bent on never getting caught in another one. Her room is filled with books and scrolls on how to improve her technique, and she's even asked Kurenai-sensei more practical questions.

Being paired with Naruto on missions, she's been forced, by circumstance and his stupid mouth, to beat the living daylights out of him on more than one occasion. In the process, she's learned that she's actually good at taijutsu. That's rare – most kunoichi specialise in subtler arts – but she's developing a taste for using brute force to deal with problems.

Watch me get stronger than both of them – then they'll have to respect me! Shannaro!

Her dreams are far off, however. Right now, she's barely a productive member of the team, let alone worthy of being acknowledged by the person she cares for most in the world.

It's hard to take, knowing he can't stand her, especially because she's in love with him. Whatever she pretends, that fact scares her a little.

Her heart might be enamoured with the whole thing, but her brain keeps reminding her that no one finds their soulmate when they're thirteen years old. As her parents constantly remind her, it's a phase that she will probably grow out of, and so she shouldn't focus so much on her feelings. But she hasn't been able to see anyone else except Sasuke as far back as she can remember. She wishes that wasn't the case because caring about him isn't easy.

Sakura wonders what he might've been like if he never lost his family.

Not that thinking about that's any help right now, she chastises herself. She forces her attention back to searching the grounds for any sign of Naruto or the troublesome ostrich.

It figures that they were assigned to catch an animal that has the same stubborn nature as the blond boy. Sakura is honestly amazed that, between the two of them, they haven't torn down the forest in their wake.

Then again, if they had done so, she wouldn't be fighting her way through prickling vines and thickly grown brush to find them. The trees are like a wall in this part of the wood, and she can't help think Naruto and the ostrich must have broken through in a less dense area.

Then why the hell did Sasuke tell me to go this way, the jerk?!

She tamps down that irritation.

He might not like her, but he wouldn't tell her to do something useless or time-wasting in the middle of a recovery mission (however bizarre or inconvenient it is).

After a few minutes, she finally gives in and grabs her kunai to hack through a particularly thick wall of vine only to come face to face with –

Sakura screams and jumps back, falling into a defensive crouch.

A half-second later, she realises her enemy isn't an actual person, but a weathered stone statue. A komainu, upon second glance, like the dog-lions that reside in temples and are meant to ward off evil spirits. The growling maw and over-stylized features are almost completely overgrown with moss and vines.

It's odd that such a thing would be out here in the middle of the wilderness –

There's a rustle of movement to her left, and when she looks up, Sasuke has materialised.

"What happened?" he demands, glancing left and right, shuriken fitted between his knuckles.

"I…" she begins, not wanting to admit that she thought a statue was an attacker. Especially not to him. She bites her lip and looks away. "There was a snake."

Sasuke makes a disgusted noise then mutters. "Typical…"

"Did you see them?" Sakura changes the subject.

"No. With our luck, the bird's probably knocked him out and is halfway back to Kanabun."

"Or it's just sitting on Naruto, trying to crush the life out of him again." It's what happened the first time they tried to wrangle the ostrich. Sakura pauses. "You know, maybe it really is trying to kill him."

"Hm." He almost sounds amused. "Come on."

For a wonder, he doesn't return to his search of the treetops, instead leading Sakura through where the bushes grow even thicker. She wants to protest – the brush is not forgiving, and there's more than a few thorny shrubberies they have to skirt. Not to mention, all the greenery is so thick here, there's no way an ostrich or Naruto could get through without leaving some sign – broken branches or ripped fabric.

However, after several paces, they enter a small clearing and she understands.

Sasuke must have seen this before.

Would it have killed him to tell me?

Across the way, an old wooden building sags beneath years of overgrowth. The general shape, as well as the number of similar komainu statues to the one Sakura encountered, suggests that this place was once a shrine.

All the way out in the middle of nowhere, though?

"You don't think they're in there, do you?" she asks.

"Of course not," Sasuke retorts. "The door's locked tight, I checked."

"Oh."

She follows Sasuke through the more navigable greenspace, eyes flitting nervously back to the abandoned shrine. She can't help a shiver of apprehension at the sight of it, like there's something inside that should be left alone.

There's something written along the frame of the doors, characters almost degraded with age.

Chousho wa tansho.

"'Our strong points are our weak points'," she murmurs, puzzled. It's an odd, cryptic sentiment to see engraved on a building, much less an old shrine.

"What?" Sasuke asks, shooting her a confused look.

"Nothing. It's just what's written over th –"

Once again, their quiet interactions are interrupted by thundering footsteps and a wordless, angry howl.

The ostrich stumbles into the clearing, snapping at the Narutos hanging off of it.

Sakura and Sasuke nod at each other.

Time to go to work.

ナルト

Naruto clings to the bird's back, trying to get a hold around its neck, while his clone tries to wrestle it to the ground. The ostrich spins round and round, trying alternately to peck at him or buck him off.

Eventually, the clone loses its grip and goes flying, disappearing into smoke as it hits a tree. A moment later, Naruto is thrown off as well, and the bird rounds on him, lashing out with its powerful legs.

Having no other way of escaping just then, Naruto throws himself down on the ground and covers his head.

"Ow – ow – OW!' he yells as the animal's large feet land on him, raking his back through the thick material of his jacket.

"Hey! Stop that!" Sakura yells from somewhere – when did she get here? – and then the bird is gone.

Naruto's head shoots up, eyes wide in dismay as the ostrich makes a furious beeline for his teammate.

"Sakura!"

He winces in pain as he speaks – he thinks his ribs might be broken, or at least massively bruised – but tries to struggle to his feet. He doesn't want her to get hurt by the psycho ostrich.

Sakura is smart, however.

When the ostrich comes at her, intent murderous, she dives into a nearby thorn hedge. It's not the best form of evasion – Naruto wouldn't have chosen it – but he supposes a face full of scratches is better than being ripped apart by sharp claws.

The bird seems to decide not to risk its eyes by going after her, because it turns around – just in time for Sasuke to appear behind it, a whirlwind of movement.

"Oh, sure. You jump in when it's Sakura," Naruto grumbles, straightening up. The last time they tried to catch this stupid bird, his teammates decided to wait for it to fall asleep – while it was sitting on top of Naruto.

It took hours.

Sasuke kicks out at the neck, legs, and wings – all places that Kakashi told them were weak-points – but the demon ostrich seems to expect every blow. It's actually fighting Sasuke off, and when the Uchiha boy takes a swing with a hidden kunai, the damned thing actually catches it in his beak!

"Are you kidding me?" Naruto demands while Sasuke grunts in surprise and annoyance. He jumps back to avoid the blade. "Are you gonna let a bird beat you?!"

"If you hadn't pissed it off to begin wi –" Sasuke starts to say, but is cut off as he dodges another swipe. Eventually, he is forced to jump into the overhang of a tree to avoid the blade.

Naruto laughs, despite the way the movement jars his ribs. "The great Sasuke Uchiha, reduced to hiding in a tree by an overgrown bird! Hah!"

The ostrich rounds on him, beady eyes promising violence, and Naruto freezes.

"Uh…"

The bird paws at the ground, angles the kunai in its beak, and looks to be about to lunge forward –

"Stop it, all of you!"

Everyone's attention falls upon Sakura, who is has come out of the shrubs now. Her hair is mussed and her skin is scratched, but her hands are on her hips and she's glaring at Naruto and the bird in exasperation.

"Uh, Sakura, maybe you shouldn't –" Naruto begins, but the bird whips the kunai at him, forcing him to jump back. "Hey! Watch it!"

The ostrich turns a cold eye on her, sizing her up like it's trying to decide how to take her out. Unlike Naruto and Sasuke's attempted frontal assaults, however, she circles it warily from the side and stays well out of range of its beak. The bird is forced to constantly turn, trying to keep her in its line of vision.

She doesn't make an attempt to attack it, however, and instead speaks in a soothing voice.

"Look, I know you're probably just trying to avoid being tied up again – and I understand that – but running into the forest isn't going to work out for you," she tells it. "You know ostrich is a delicacy in these parts, right?"

The ostrich makes a growling noise in its throat.

"I didn't say I eat ostrich," she continues quickly. "Just that other people do."

"Are you seriously talking to a stupid bird right now?!" Naruto yells.

"Animals understand things just as well as we do," Sakura reminds him, not looking away from the bird. "Just look at Kiba and Akamaru. Who says ostriches can't be as smart?"

Despite her words, Naruto notices her hands shaking and her knees bent slightly, like she's preparing to bolt if the bird comes after her. Clearly, she's not as sure of herself as she's pretending.

The bird looks mollified, however – the damn thing actually preens!

"Which is why you should think this through," Sakura continues, once more addressing the bird. "There are a lot of hunters who wouldn't even bother trying to catch you alive. They'd just run you into a trap and kill you straight off."

"Caw!"

"It's horrible," Sakura agrees, "but if you go with us, you won't have to deal with that. We're going back to Konoha, a place where you'll lots of food, and people who care about you and keep you safe." The ostrich yells, puffing out its chest and flapping its wings angrily. "Or you could go to one of the nature reserves. Then you can wander around free, instead of being some rich person's pet. You'd like that better, wouldn't you?"

The ostrich makes a noise like it's considering.

"We could talk to Lord Hokage about that. I mean, it's a crime that an exotic bird like you should be a pet. It's so much worse than that poor cat we always have to return, but I mean, you're such a sophisticated creature," Sakura continues, and Naruto wants to protest. That's all they need, giving this thing delusions of excellence; it's already a pain in the ass!

"Obviously you have talent. Just look at how you beat the best rookie in Konoha." Naruto brightens at this until she adds, "- and Naruto."

"What the hell do you mean and Naruto?!" he shouts.

The bird hisses and turns to him again, just in time for Sasuke to appear behind it. He loops a rope around the beak and neck, forcing it to its knees.

"Oh, thank goodness. I was running out of things to say." Sakura beams at Sasuke.

"Hm." Sasuke trusses the bird up, while it caws and tries to break free. Naruto realises that all of it was just a ploy to keep the ostrich distracted while Sasuke caught it.

"No way! You guys planned that?" he demands. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you're horrible at being subtle," Sakura tells him matter-of-factly.

Naruto shakes his head, glaring at the bird. It returns the look with interest, and he makes a face.

"Man, if I didn't think this thing had it out for me before, I definitely do now. It totally wants to eat me."

"Ostriches don't eat humans," Sakura points out, managing to sound superior and amused at the same time.

"I don't even care. If we don't get back home soon, I'm gonna turn this bird's head into a paperweight. Believe it."

"Tch."

In a rare show of solidarity with the blond boy, Sasuke looks as if he's about to barbecue the ostrich if it even looks at him the wrong way.

The bird tries to make another break for it, but is held fast.

Sakura jabs a finger in its direction. "Now, you be good. I'm still going to see about getting you a nicer place, but you have to stop beating up my friends."

The bird shoots her what could only be described as a resigned sulk, but it stops struggling so much.

Naruto is impressed, and he says so. "Way to go, Sakura! You're like a bird-tamer or something!"

She grins at him. "Well, I read this book once about ostriches, and then I saw that Sasuke was in a prime position for a sneak attack if you and I could keep him busy, so…" She trails off and glances shyly at Sasuke. "We make a good team, right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke doesn't respond, instead pulling on the rope to lead the bird from the clearing. "Let's get back to camp. The sooner we get to sleep, the sooner we can head back to the village."

He turns, his back to them as Sakura's face falls.

Naruto clenches his fists in anger. It's bad enough that Sakura has a stupid obsession with the jerk, but it bothers him even more when Sasuke is so cavalier toward their teammate.

"Why do you always do that?" he snaps, marching forward to stop Sasuke from leaving.

The other boy's permanent glare changes somewhat, one eyebrow moving upward in question.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about! Why do you always treat us like we're beneath you?"

"Naruto, stop it –" Sakura begins.

"And even when we do well, you can't get your head out of your ass long enough to say so," he goes on, ignoring her entreaties. "Funny how when you think we're doing something wrong, you've got no problem saying so."

Yes, he's noticed that. Naruto might not be the most observant person in the world, but he knows that much. And his own issues aside – it's high time the bastard acknowledged that Naruto is just as good as him – he's sick of seeing Sakura hurt because Sasuke has a stick up his –

"What do you want me to do?" Sasuke interrupts Naruto's inner rant, his voice low and dangerous. There's a minor note of derision there. "Pat you on the head when you get it right? If you guys are looking for gold stars whenever you don't screw up, you're never going to be shinobi."

"That's not what we want, and you know it!"

"Then stop whining like a child –"

"Would you two knock it off?!" Sakura yells. "I'm so sick and tired of dealing with your constant arguing! Naruto, Sasuke's right. You need to start taking things more seriously –"

"But –!" he tries to protest at the unfairness, while Sasuke smirks.

"– and Sasuke, you need to get over yourself and accept help every now and then – SHANNARO!"

In her anger, she stomps a foot hard against the ground.

Somehow, the force of it travels through the earth in front of their group and splits through the clearing, heading for the nearby shrine. There's a shaking then a violent crack that sends a split across the door and part of the roof.

Naruto's jaw drops, and Sasuke blinks like it's the last thing he ever expected to see; even the ostrich makes an impressed coo in the back of its throat.

Sakura gasps, looking instantly repentant. "Oh my gosh! I didn't mean to… I didn't know I… it was an accident!"

Then the door of the shrine collapses in on itself, and there's a sudden explosion.

The world spins in colour and sound, and Naruto – along with the others – is thrown backward.

There's a rushing sensation, and then his awareness vanishes entirely.

つづく

I know everyone was waiting for the latest chapter of An Inch of Gold, but Sarada is being uncooperative at the moment. So instead of leaving you guys completely high and dry, here's something I've been writing in my spare time when I'm feeling blocked. It's a long-fic and will probably not be updated as often as IoG, because the chapters are pretty long. But, I'm hoping to have the action and plot happen a lot faster than IoG, so...

Read and review please!

Anyhow, hope you enjoy it!

クリ