Author's Note: So, I know it's been a while. And I do apologize for the wait. Life is a fucking bitch, and I'll leave it at that. I have the first 20 or so chapters planned out, or at least a rough timeline that reaches up to the start of the Chunin Exams. Thanks to those who read and review, as well as give me a kudos. It means a lot more to me than you'd think. Anywho, without further ado-
Previously, in when stars bleed:
"I'll be here to help you every step of the way, Sasuke. I promise you that. We're a team now, like you said. Like family, dattebayo." The words are accompanied by the feel of Naruto resting his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. The dark haired boy closes his eyes, before nodding once. Minutes pass in silence, before the Uchiha finally speaks.
"Hey dobe?"
"Yeah?"
"I see you."
A few dozen yards away, a gray haired Jonin vanishes with a puff of smoke, pride in his eyes, and weight gone from his shoulders.
1-4: Forced Therapy and the first steps to becoming a family.
A few weeks after the bell test-
His cute genin were truly something interesting, he decided. Between the loud blonde, the broody Uchiha, and the pink haired girl, he wasn't entirely sure how to go about things. Minato would know how to handle things. Hell, even Obito would be better at dealing with this kind of thing. And yet here he was pouring over three files, lone grey eye studying each paper, deep in thought as his left hand takes notes on similarities, as well as things to possibly bring up during training.
Kakashi may seem lax and lazy on the outside, but he refused to let his genin get hurt. Not now that they were his team.
That was one lesson of Obito's that had made itself firmly at home in his head.
A glance at a nearby clock lets him know that it's nearly time to head out for training with the kids. He exhales softly, and he stares over at the lone photo he had of his Team Seven, Minato's smiling face, Rin's small smile, Obito's glare, his own blank face.
Never again.
Tucking each file back into their places, he vanishes from his small apartment with a sunshin.
He reappears in Training Ground 3, the same place as last time as he takes a moment to observe his team while they weren't aware of him. Naruto was wearing an ink stained t-shirt, his arms covered in the ink as he studies his sealing intently. Sasuke looked torn between watching what the blonde was doing, and ignoring Sakura. The pinkette in question seemed to be jumping from glaring at Naruto to making heart eyes at Sasuke, as well as talking loudly. Just when he had hoped he was making progress.
Another sunshin, and he appears in front of the three genin in a swirl of leaves.
"Yo!" The greeting is met by three disbelieving stares. It was only 9:30. He wasn't even 15 minutes late! Naruto eyes the gray haired jonin with a suspicious eye, gently setting down his brush and ink, glancing at the scroll before grunting, dismissing it from his attention.
"So. I am going to tell you three a short story, and you are going to listen. Understand?" The words are spoken with a calmness to them, and he looks between each of the three. They all give a lone nod, and he lowers himself to a seat, legs crossed over each other as he prepares himself mentally for what was to come.
"When I was six years old, I became a genin. I was placed on Team Seven, under Minato Namikaze, before he became the Yondaime. I was placed with Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara. A few months later, I was made a chunin. Things…" He pauses, quickly spotting the wide eyes of the trio. "Things were different then. We were at war. Many people were graduating early from the Academy, although none quite as young as myself. I remained with Team Seven though. Once I turned 12 I was promoted to Jonin. And with it, came a mission to destroy a bridge that was a vital position to the war efforts, alongside Obito and Rin. Sensei was needed elsewhere, and I was a Jonin after all."
He is unable to keep his eye up, and he stares blankly down at his hands, his voice long since losing any sort of emotion. He almost wants to vanish from the spot, to run and never look back. But there was a reason for this, he needed these three to know what to avoid, what not to become. Because he wouldn't be able to handle one of them dying before Chunin. Hell, before Jonin. He was already Friend-Killer Kakashi. He couldn't become Child-Killer Kakashi. He couldn't. He exhales shakily, and forces his eye back up, ignoring the tight feeling in his chest.
"During the mission, one of my teammates was captured. I was a stuck up little shit, putting the mission first. No matter what. I wanted to finish the mission, to abandon Rin. Obito refused though. He- He demanded that we go save her. And I refused. He went off without me. A stupid dead-last genin, going on a half-cocked rescue mission. And I almost left without them. But in the end, I didn't. I went back, and we saved Rin. In the process, I took a hit for Obito that damaged my eye, making it useless. In the process of escaping, one of the Iwa-nin created a cave in. There was…" He stops, his voice cracking slightly. Keep going, Hatake. There is a purpose to this. "There was a boulder falling, and because of my eye, I didn't notice. Obito, he- he pushed me out off the way, and was mostly crushed. His entire right side was pinned, and we couldn't get him out. So, he told us to leave. He gave me his left eye, his Sharingan, to replace the one I had lost while protecting him. We had to leave, and Obito died."
He finally stops, his eye closing as he steels himself for the inevitable questions. The pitying looks. He is met with nothing but silence, and when his eyes open, he is met with three saddened faces, each bearing the faintest hints of tears.
"We escaped, and with Obito's gift, we held out long enough for Sensei to arrive and help finish the fight."
He finishes his story quietly, before standing, and waving a hand for the trio to do the same.
"Sensei-"
"I'm telling you this for a reason. Sasuke, Sakura. Naruto. Team Seven has a legacy. A long, bloody legacy, spanning back to Nidaime's own team. With the exception of the first Team Seven, all members have had some sort of misfortune befall them. The Sannin, one is a rogue murderer, one has all but abandoned the village to get away from her memories, and the last hides behind a spy network. And of my own Team Seven, I am the only remaining survivor. I refuse to allow you three to repeat my mistakes, the mistakes of the past. You will be better. Understand?"
He finally stops speaking, and he meets each of their eyes, not looking away until he gets a nod from each.
"Good. Now, we are going to sit down, and you are each going to explain your darkest secret. I do not care how you go about doing it, but we are not leaving this training ground until you do. We are a Team, and that means we are family. There should be none in this village that you trust more than those standing here right now. And yes Sakura, that includes your parents." His words are calm and he watches them all for their reactions. Of the three, Sasuke seemed the most reluctant for the exercise, but he didn't care. He had made a promise, and he would be damned if he broke this one too.
"Ever since I could remember, the village has hated me. Parents pull their kids away from me, always staring, whispering. Calling me a demon, a monster. I….I can only shop in certain stores, and the ones that do serve me only give expired foods, or items no one else will buy, and at inflated prices at that. And recently, I discovered why." Naruto stops, an ink stained hand coming up to rub at his jaw, bright blue eyes searching out Kakashi. The Jonin gives a small nod. "On the night I was born, the Kyuubi No Kitsune attacked Konoha. And at the end of the night, the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi inside of me. It, it can't talk to me, or anything like that. I'm still me, I swear-"
Something akin to panic seeps into the blonde's words, the young boy dangerously close to rambling before Sasuke moves, a hand punching Naruto's shoulder, giving the shorter boy an almost annoyed look. "Hn. Dobe." The words are insulting, but Naruto merely quiets down, blue eyes staring blankly at the Uchiha, disbelief thrumming deep in his chest. This was something huge, something major, and that's all he has to say about it? It's almost relieving, in a way.
"Naruto, you're still the same idiot. Having a fox sealed in you doesn't change that." Sakura's words are the true surprise, and the three boys turn to look at the pink haired girl, Kakashi raising an eyebrow. Of the two other members on the team, he had been most worried about how Sakura would take the news of Naruto's tenant the worst. Civilians always had a skewed view on things, especially Jinchuriki and the Bijuu they hold.
"Good job, Naruto. Sasuke, you're up." Kakashi's words are gentle, and he ruffles Naruto's hair, giving him an affectionate eye-smile. The blonde leans into the touch, and for a moment Kakashi's heart aches in his chest. How badly he had failed when the son of Minato and Kushina was so clearly touch starved. He had failed his pack, and that was unforgivable.
"My brother killed my entire clan. I watched as he killed our mother and father. And he let me live, because I was too weak." The final words are spat out, venomous and angry, his eyes glaring at nothing as he drifts back into the memories, the heady scent of copper-blood, the red of Itachi's eyes, the swirl of his Mangekyo. His whispered taunts, his dark words. His breathing is shaky, and his fists clenched tightly enough that his fingernails dig into the calloused flesh of his palms, small droplets of warm lifeblood dripping down onto the grass below. Kakashi crouches in front of the Uchiha, his hands gently pulling Sasuke's arms up, nimble fingers softly forcing the hands open, pale green chakra seeping into the wounds, healing the small cuts almost instantly.
"Itachi was a kind boy, when I knew him. He was on my ANBU team for a period of time. I don't pretend to understand what happened that night, and I don't have all the details, but one thing I know for sure, Sasuke? Itachi loved you, with all his heart. Whenever missions would take too long, it was all he would talk about. 'Sasuke is waiting for me.' I could almost hear it in my sleep sometimes." Kakashi's words are quiet, gentle, his eye looking up into Sasuke's angry eyes. His hands tightly grip Sasuke's wrists, preventing him from going anywhere, not that the Uchiha even bothered to try.
"When the time comes, Sasuke, I will help you find your brother. And I'll help you get your answers. And, if it goes that way, then I will be right by your side as you kill him." Kakashi's voice is low and guttural, the promise deep in his voice as his eyes lock onto Sasuke's, refusing to look away until the dark haired boy gives a minute nod.
"Ano sa, Teme. I'll be there to help too, dattebayo. No matter what." Naruto speaks gently, almost quiet for the orange obsessed Uzumaki. His blue eyes meet Sasuke's onyx, and the Uchiha gives a grunt of appreciation, along with a small nod.
"I'll do what I can to help too, Sasuke-kun. We're with you all the way." Sakura pipes up, careful to speak softly. Sasuke inhales sharply, before exhaling, the breath leaving him shakily. He wasn't expecting this sort of reaction, none of it. He had expected the pitying looks, the constant whispering, poor little Sasuke Uchiha, the last of the great clan. Because for the last five years, that was his life, his own personal hell. Sakura exhales softly, and gives a humorless grin to the trio of boys.
"You know, I don't exactly have any deep dark secrets. Not really. My parents are fine and alive, if a bit overbearing at times. They weren't too thrilled with me becoming a shinobi but they aren't overly against it, I think. I know it all seems so small in comparison, honestly." She trails off softly with a gentle shrug. Kakashi merely gives the pink haired girl an eye-smile, with Naruto letting a small laugh out and even Sasuke managing something that seemed to be more a grimace as opposed to a grin, but it was progress at the least. Kakashi lets out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding.
"Right then. It's time to start with some basic chakra exercises. Sakura, Sasuke, you are both going to begin with the Tree Climbing exercise. Naruto, you're going to be going a bit backwards, and will be starting with the advanced version, water walking. This is purely due to how much of a chakra monster you are in comparison. Once you have each finished your task, you will swap. Naruto, you will teach Sasuke and Sakura how to conquer water walking, and you two will assist Naruto with refining his chakra control even further. I will be supervising and giving pointers when needed." Kakashi pauses, and takes a long look at his watch. "Right, it's now 10:30. If all three of you finish your tasks by say... 4:30 this afternoon, we'll figure out what your natures are and I'll teach you each a jutsu of your element."
His words are met by three determined nods.
Perhaps things will work out after all.
They didn't finish in time. It was almost 6 by the time the trio had marched over to him, Sasuke and Sakura both soaking wet, with Naruto well on his way to being dry at this point. They all look absolutely miserable, and he can't help the large smile that was clearly visible through the dark blue fabric of his face-mask.
"Well, you didn't quite make it in time, but no worries my cute little genin! Your gracious Jonin-Sensei is going to give you a jutsu anyway! Aren't I so generous?" He speaks jovially, withdrawing three small sheets of what appeared to be parchment. The three genin glare at him, and he lets out a small laugh. "Right, right. Anyways, each of you channel your chakra into your paper, and that will be able to tell us your natures." His voice loses most of the amusement, getting serious once more as he puts on his lecture pants, so to say. Each of the three does as told, and Kakashi's eyebrow raises.
"Uh Sensei? What exactly does this mean?" Naruto is the first to speak, looking up from his paper that split in half, before crinkling. Sakura nods along, her own paper looking almost muddy in her hands. Sasuke, looks over at the man, a frown taking hold on the Uchiha's face, his own paper crinkling in his hands, the center of the paper smoking.
"It means things just got very interesting. Naruto, you have Wind and lightning as a dual primary affinity, an interesting combination. Sakura, you seem to have earth and water as your primary, and Sasuke, you seem to have a primary affinity for lightning, with a secondary in fire. This is unique, as most genin have at most one primary affinity, and rarely have a secondary, let alone two primaries. You three have some interesting potential."
Potential to be utter monsters, more like.
He couldn't wait for what was to come.
He had known tonight was going to be bad. It was October 10th after all, and the rest of the village were always just a little more cruel to the blonde on that day. However, this? This was something new. Something entirely unexpected. Naruto closes the front door, trying to wipe the image from his mind. Why the villagers had decided to find and kill a wild fox just to leave it in his bed, he wouldn't know. It was so fucking uncalled for. There was never a reason to cruelly kill an animal, fox or not.
The Kyuubi had nothing to do with regular foxes.
He swallows roughly, and he bites back the sting of tears as he sprints through the village rooftops, running blindly before slowing to a stop in front of a place he hadn't been to yet.
The Uchiha compound.
He knew which house had Sasuke in it. It was the only one lit up, dimly glowing in the center of the compound. It was only a matter of walking slowly towards it, hands fidgeting idly. He didn't know what he was here for. It hadn't even been planned, for that matter.
Sasuke was going to kill him for showing up so late in the night.
It's only 8 in the evening, Naruto.
Right, right.
"Ne, Dobe. Are you going to stand there all night? What do you want?"
Sasuke's words surprise the blonde, and he looks up towards where the noise came from. The Uchiha was sitting on the low rooftop, looking down at the Uzumaki with a raised eyebrow. Naruto pauses, his mouth open as his blue eyes stare up at the last Uchiha.
"I…"
A rough swallow, his eyes burning as he looks away, cheeks flaring red with shame that he struggles to bury.
"I need somewhere to crash, Teme. Someone, they- There's."
He stops, a low growl escaping from him as he forces his eyes back up to Sasuke.
"I can't go back to my home. I just- I can't, okay?"
His swirling cerulean eyes stare pleadingly at onyx, and for a short moment, Naruto hates that he bothered to come here. He should have just gotten rid of the dead fox and stuck through the night. The Uchiha shifts, and his shoulders relax minutely. He hops down from the roof, and lands with a practiced softness a few feet away from the Uzumaki.
"Hn. C'mon then. I was just getting started on dinner."
The tension in the air fades, and the two boys walk into the dimly glowing house, mild bickering emanating through the night sky as the moon hangs high in the air.
And that is a wrap on Chapter 4. I gotta say, this thing put me through the paces. I wanted to keep pushing until I hit at least 5k words, but it really wasn't working. And god knows I've already gone long enough without updating the story.
So, a couple things I want to cover. While yes, the story is endgame NaruSasuSaku, it won't go towards that until around post-Chuunin Exams. In the meantime, we have the Wave mission starting up in the next chapter, and that'll probably go for a little bit. I have some surprises planned with that one though, so stay tuned.
I do wanna say thanks for the kudos, 20 was a lot more than I was anticipating. And thanks to all who bookmark as well as even taking the time to read this. God knows it's hardly unique, eh?