Seven

by Shaydrall

There's a lot to be said about second chances, but that's about it. They're rarely offered in a world where mistakes lead to death. That's no fun though, so buckle up and let's just do it anyway! In which Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura each find themselves back in time and are honestly not too upset about it. The catch? None of them know about the other two. Will they ever?

11. Step Up to the Starting Line

Chapter 11: Step up to the starting line

Naruto walked at a sedate pace as he made his way back to Training Ground Three, hands behind his head, eyes on the clouds that drifted aimlessly above. He was eager to get back to his team. They were all learning new jutsu from Kakashi-sensei for their elemental affinities, one of which was entirely new to him, and the prospect was enough to have even the old version of him jumping for joy. That said, he couldn't bring himself to move any faster than a civilian's walk, not with so much going through his mind.

Gaara was on his way.

Not at that moment, of course. Visiting teams for the chunin exam tended to arrive up to a week before the beginning of it. But the few weeks he had before his "friend" actually did show up felt like moments away. It was frustrating because while Naruto knew that he'd be able to help Gaara see the light once the invasion was underway, he really wanted to try and prevent it from happening in the first place. He was trying to save his Ji-ji after all.

Also Shukaku was just shy of driving the teen mad.

"Worthless tanuki."

A blink and Naruto sat before the biggest friend he had. Literally the biggest.

"Seriously?" he said in a deadpan to the fox. "You've been giving me the cold shoulder since we came back from Kiri and the first thing you say is to insult your little brother?"

"That one tailed rat is an embarrassment to the bijuu," Kurama said with a scowl. "And you are delusional. I do not give miniature lifeforms such as yourself the 'cold shoulder'."

"Stop deflecting, I thought we became friends!" Naruto complained.

In a moment Naruto had been snatched up by a hand that engulfed him up to his neck, brought within feet of one of the fox's intense eyes.

"That was before you began using those damned chains!" he snapped.

Naruto slapped his forehead in realization. Or at least he would have if he could move either of his arms.

"Oooohhhh," he said in understanding. "Mom used to chain you up. I totally forgot about that."

"Running her through with my tail is a memory that will keep me smiling for at least another century."

"Okay, not cool Kurama!" Naruto said angrily. "Watch it!"

"What are you going to do about it, brat?"

Naruto squirmed until one of his arms popped free and he pointed at the titan fox.

"I'll kick your ass!"

"I'd like to see you try, worm."

~Meanwhile… outside of Naruto's head…~

"Mommy, why is he standing like that?"

"Don't stare sweetie."

The boy was standing in the middle of the road, unmoving, his head leaning back limply with a blank expression on his face. Drool escaped the side of his mouth where the tip of his tongue just passed his lips. If any went close enough (and I can assure you, no one did) they would have heard a low "uuuuuuuuuuu" emanating from his mouth.

~Anyway…~

The forest clearing was, surprisingly, unchanged by the brief chaos that took place within it. Kurama grunted in frustration as he let out a hurricane of a sigh. Perspective was important, even to a sentient mass of chakra in the shape of a colossal fox with man-hands.

Even if that perspective happened to be upside down at the moment.

A muffled shout had the giant fox grunt once more, this time as he rolled over into a seated position. A blonde human was pressed into the ground where his back had been.

"Thanks…" Naruto said dully, prying himself out of the earth. "We good?"

"Whatever."

They'd… fought wasn't quite the word, but it did well enough to describe the situation. Regardless, it didn't take long for them to reach an understanding. Naruto knew that Kurama was still his friend. Kurama knew that Naruto was a Grade A Certified Moron. A moron who still genuinely believed they were good friends.

"Let's plan for when Shukaku shows up," Naruto said, stretching with a series of pops from his back. "I should have a little "training" by then so we can start really working together from now on."

"Right, right. Just do it while you're walking, before someone declares you brain dead. Not that they'd be wrong."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Xxx

"So, what do you think?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi considered the man who sat in front of his desk, watching the crystal ball that contained a blonde genin in orange excitedly meeting back up with his team. The man watched for another few seconds before tapping the ball twice, causing the image to vanish.

"I don't know what you expect, Sensei," the man said with a sigh. He got to his feet with a grunt that belied his age. "I haven't seen him in years. I doubt the kid even remembers me."

"Come now, Jiraiya," Hiruzen said with a raised eyebrow. "Even a bad jonin could give me a report on someone after watching them for a minute."

Which was a comical statement, considering Jiraiya of the Sannin was hailed as one of the greatest living shinobi in the Land of Fire, if not the world.

"I've read the file," the Sannin said noncommittally.

"The file doesn't do him justice," the Hokage said evenly. "He is more than ready. Minato would agree with me, you know this."

"Maybe," Jiraiya said. "And maybe Kushina would gut you instead."

"Things are changing in the Elemental Nations," Hiruzen said with a frown. "War could find us in the next few years. It may very well be at our doorstep already. We need Naruto ready to take his place on the board if it comes to it."

"The board, huh? If that's the case then why didn't you just get that mukaton kid in here to train him before?"

"Because in spite of all I've done I am still just an old man who wants the best for his children and grandchildren."

Jiraiya barked an empty laugh, leaving the office with no further comment. The Hokage let out a long sigh, dropping into his chair wearily.

"Hard headed boy, if you cared so much then you should have taken the hat twelve years ago when you had the option."

Xxx

Sakura hummed in thought as she watched Kakashi work with Sasuke to teach him his promised justu. Two each in fire and lightning. No chidori yet but really it was only a matter of time at this point. He simply copied each using his sharingan to speed up the process so they could work on power and improving them overall. Sakura ultimately still needed Tsunade to really go into her own once more and even then it would take time for her to "learn" things.

"Bullshit is bullshit, I guess," she said absently, looking down at the roughly textured "gloves" that covered her hands and forearms. Kakashi had actually surprised her by showing her two earth jutsu she didn't know at all.

The first was a simple earth clone. With Naruto as a nearly constant teammate through her previous life she'd never entertained the idea of using solid clones herself, simply the incorporeal ones for misdirection. His were always both more abundant and of superior quality. Still, the utility of having some actual clone technique couldn't be understated, particularly when those clones could punch above their weight class. Glass cannons in every sense of the word.

The second technique was the far more interesting of the two. Earth armor. She could fortify her body by manipulating the earth to cover it. If she covered her whole body it would turn her into a durable but mainly immobile target, but with greater control she could choose instead to more flexibly apply it where she wanted. Useful, to be sure. She'd have to experiment.

A sudden gust of wind kicked up nearby, causing her to look at the final member of her team. Naruto lay flat on his back in the grass, every blade pointing away from him like it didn't like him. Though he'd clearly messed up whichever jutsu he'd been practicing, the expected look of annoyance wasn't there. He just stared at the sky quietly.

"Hey, you okay? Naruto?"

She poked him on the shoulder to get his attention, so caught up in whatever he was thinking about.

"Huh? Hey, Sakura," he said, blinking at the girl now squatting next to him. "Did you need something?"

"That's what I'm asking you," she returned. "You look a bit out of it, everything okay?"

"I…"

As he trailed off, Sakura wondered if he was about to actually talk about the fox. As far as she could remember, he never explicitly told anyone about his burden. They'd all just found out from one place or another.

"I've got a problem, I guess," he said, voice carefully measured to be as neutral as possible. "And I'm not sure how to deal with it."

The fox must have always been weighing on him like this. What have I ever done to help him?

"It's okay if you don't want to share it, but don't forget that we're here to support you," Sakura said with a smile. "I'm sure no matter what it is we can take it on as a team."

The thoughtful expression on the blonde's face was quickly replaced by a cheerful one.

"Thanks, Sakura. I guess I really needed that." He took her offered hand and they stood up together. "I'll remember what you said."

"You'd better," she chided, narrowing her eyes. "So what're you working on? Having trouble with your new jutsu?" To her surprise Naruto suddenly looked embarrassed.

"Uh, no actually," he admitted, scratching a cheek with a single finger. "The jutsu Kakashi-sensei showed me actually aren't that hard. They really just blow wind in a direction. I think I'm supposed to use them more to combo with Sasuke than anything. I'll practice the water ones later."

"So then what…"

"I'm, uh… trying to invent something?" he said with a small chuckle.

"Oh! Tell me all about it!" Sakura said, genuine excitement flowing through her. She loved technical things and jutsu were no different. Besides, maybe she could help. "What's the purpose of your jutsu? It's wind based, I assume, but are you trying for something more offensive, defensive… and how much chakra-"

Across the training ground, Kakashi and Sasuke paused to watch Naruto rapidly gain an overwhelmed look on his face as their resident brainiac got too excited for her own good trying to help.

"This is a good team," Kakashi said fondly, smiling at the pair.

"What was your genin team like, Sensei?" Sasuke asked, turning away from his teammates to continue practicing the speed of his hand signs without distractions or the chance of friendly fire.

"Hmm…" Kakashi tapped his chin with a thoughtful finger before turning back to Sasuke. "Nothing like you guys at all!" Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle at the irony.

"So when are you going to teach me a real jutsu?" he posed, finishing his string of signs before pointing to a tree he'd thrown a shuriken into earlier. A crack of electricity and flash of light left the area around the thrown weapon blackened.

"Ma, ma, so impatient," Kakashi said absently, nodding in apparent satisfaction at the performed jutsu. "If you make it to the tournament portion of the exam I'll consider it."

A wide smile lit the Uchiha's face.

Xxx

It was one week later when it happened.

Much in the same way that Naruto often found himself walking past Ichiraku Ramen or atop the head of the hokage monument, there was one other place he couldn't help but visit each day.

The sounds of soft laughter and splashing water rose lazily with the steam. His ears, so accustomed to the sound, easily picked up the taps of wood on stone and the low but persistent grumbling of the old lady that owned the establishment as she oversaw her domain. But today there was something different, though no less foreign to his memory. Hushed giggles and the occasional scratch of something rough on paper. The slight sounds of shifting feet and rustling clothing.

Suddenly there Jiraiya was, just as when Naruto had bumped into him all those years ago. Squatting by a peephole in the wooden fence surrounding one of the most popular hot springs in Leaf. Giggling perversely as he occasionally scratched something into a tiny notebook.

Naruto thought he'd prepared himself to see anyone who hadn't made it. That he could take anything in stride and roll with it. After everything he'd accomplished, his experiences since the reset, it seemed obvious that he'd adjusted.

A mane of spiky white hair proved him so, so horribly wrong.

During their training trip, Jiraiya had told him about the times he'd checked in on him as a young kid. The time he'd delivered a case of instant ramen to his front door. The year he'd gifted the toad wallet for his birthday. In fact, if he wasn't peeping at a hot spring for inspiration or doing something for the village, he was usually writing while sitting on Naruto's roof. Once he began the Academy though Jiraiya found himself out of the village nearly year round. The Chunin exam was the first time he'd seen Naruto in several years.

Of course, Naruto didn't remember any of this. He hadn't even been aware of any of it. It made him angry at first to learn it all. Angry enough to shout things he didn't mean. Jiraiya's death brought whatever resentment he'd still carried to a swift end, replaced by an emptiness he couldn't begin to fill. Now in this moment by the hot spring, all Naruto could do was grab the one thing he didn't want to lose ever again.

Naruto simply walked over to the man and put his arms around as much of him as he could reach before he broke down crying. He felt the same. He smelled the same. It only made him cry harder.

"Don't leave me like that… stupid toad head."

Jiraiya, understandably, froze for a few moments before his face fell, notebook disappearing in a small puff of smoke. A large hand found its way to the top of Naruto's head where it gently rested. The boy's desperate grip redoubled.

"Sorry, kiddo."

Xxx

Several minutes later…

"I'm… sorry. I lost control for a bit, it won't happen again."

"It's alright."

Jiraiya's reply was delivered with an easy shrug, hoping that Naruto really wouldn't break down again. That first time had been enough of an emotional blow for him in the first place. He'd honestly never considered the boy would remember him. Or knew that he even came around. Or was that attached to him…

"I know it probably doesn't make much sense, but..." Naruto gave him a stricken look. He looked so lost. "It's been such a long time and no one… I didn't- I didn't have anyone else."

Nope, another rasengan to the heart. Mercy, this was going to be a long day.

"I'm surprised you recognized me," Jiraiya said honestly.

"It's more a feeling than anything, but I'd be blind not to," Naruto said with a frown. "You were on my roof a lot, so I noticed when you didn't come back."

"That's life as a shinobi, kid," Jiraiya said with a sigh. "Village first, everything else second."

"That's kinda… I don't know… sad though, isn't it?"

Yes. Genuinely, Jiraiya agreed. This was what happened when he put the village first. It wasn't so difficult to understand why Tsunade had left, really. Whether he agreed with her or the way she went about it was a different story.

"It is. Better now?"

"Much. Thanks."

And dear Kami let that be the case.

"Good. Sensei told me you've been doing well."

"Ji-ji got me into the academy after you left and I graduated this year," Naruto said proudly, smiling a toothy grin. "I'm on Team Seven with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Kakashi-sensei is my, uh… sensei, duh."

"Oh? Do you like him?" Jiraiya asked in amusement. Now that the waterworks had ended, Naruto was far more cheerful than he'd expected.

"Kakashi-sensei's pretty great, even though he's late and reads your porn all the time."

"Hey, ain't nothing wrong with my literature."

"It's pretty good, but you could do better," Naruto reasoned, scratching his chin in thought. To this Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.

"You're reading my stuff?"

"I… uh…"

"Hah!" The sage let out a barking laugh and slapped Naruto on the back hard enough to plant him face first in the dirt. "You've got good taste, kid!"

"Learned… from the *hack, cough* best…" Naruto managed from the ground, spitting out a tuft of dirt and grass.

"So tell me about your teammates then. What are they like?" Jiraiya asked in curiosity.

"They're awesome!" Naruto said brightly as he dusted himself off, much to the Sannin's surprise. "Sasuke is really cool and collected, but he's always got my back when I need it. Sakura is really smart and nice, and she listens when I need someone to talk to. Oh, and they're both super strong. Our team kicks ass!"

Huh, and here the man had figured all Team Sevens were cursed to be like his. Of course he completely believed the boy when he said the team was strong. Apparently each genin was infamous for one reason or another among the jonin and had only become more so after a few months together. Well, Team Seven had always been specially put together to grow terrifying shinobi, in one way or another. Apparently this iteration was no different.

Jiraiya stood and thumped a fist to his chest.

"In that case, why don't you show me what all the Team Seven hype is about? Heck, impress me and might even teach you something."

Naruto just grinned.

"Don't blink or you might regret it, Jiraiya-sensei."

Jiraiya couldn't help but grin too.

Xxx

Several hours later found the odd pair of short blonde and white haired giant at a ramen stand, the latter laughing uproariously at a story the former was telling.

"Man I would have paid to see that," Jiraiya said appreciatively, downing another cup of sake. "Sensei must have lost his mind. So what happened when you got caught?"

"Hey, don't say it like that, I turned myself in," Naruto said defensively. "I mean it's not like I could get away with it, I literally painted across an entire cliffside."

"I remember that," Ayame said with a smile, hiding it behind her hand so her father wouldn't see. "The village went crazy that morning when the sun came up and shinobi chased you all over the place."

"Turned yourself in, huh?" Jiraiya repeated with raised eyebrows.

"I mean I didn't make it easy for anyone…"

"If I recall correctly you cleaned the entire thing over the next week," Teuchi added, shaking his head. "You know why those faces are there, Naruto. Heck you even said you were going to be Hokage one day. That's no way to honor their sacrifices."

The genin sighed, dropping his chopsticks into the empty bowl in front of him. His third at this point.

"Before it always felt like they were looking down on me. Being Hokage isn't really my number one goal anymore, but don't get me wrong, I still do respect them."

"I think you could do it," Jiraiya said, scratching his chin in thought.

Because if their scrap was anything to go by, his old student's son was a gold mine of untapped potential. Strong, fast, crafty, unpredictable, and the true game changer that were chakra chains. All he needed was some sealing utility and a haymaker or two and he'd be unstoppable by anyone less than a decent jonin. As a wet behind the ears genin no less. Then there was the matter of the kyuubi.

The old man wanted their jinchuriki whipped into shape for the chunin exam? After he was through with the kid, if he wasn't promoted straight to jonin he'd stop writing porn.

"You do?" Naruto said, genuinely surprised. Maybe after they'd known each other for years, but now?

"What, hard to believe?" Jiraiya countered.

"I mean people are people," the blonde reasoned. "You're you."

"Kid, if I'm training you, you could be anything you want to be," the Sannin said with a shrug. He paid for their meal and stepped back into the street. "But before you become Hokage for your village, you'll need to become something else."

Naruto's face was shadowed as he stepped into the sunlight, but when he looked up into Jiraiya's eyes there was nothing but serious determination on his face.

"Right. Let's do it."

Xxx

"Kai."

"I don't understand the purpose of this exercise."

"Haven't I already explained this? Kai. You lack finesse with your genjutsu."

"That doesn't explain why you look like that."

Kurenai turned to give him a rather immature pout, fists on her hips and all. It fit her quite well, considering she was presently henged as herself at thirteen.

"If you spent half as much time doing the exercise- kai- as being distracted and complaining about it you'd have mastered it al- kai- ready," she shot, though not before regarding him with a smug grin. "Is this the problem? The great Uchiha has trouble making his genjutsu softer because of how edgy he is?"

Sasuke ignored the statement, unwilling to let any hint show that she was actually right. It wasn't enough that he could place one over most people without them knowing. It wasn't enough that he could actually make people question reality itself by using his clan's eyes. What mattered was that Kurenai was miles better than he was and she didn't have a ridiculously overpowered pair of eyes to help. The way that she was able to layer an illusion over anything without so much as a gentle smile had him wondering if there wasn't some long buried Uchiha genetics in her ancestry. Her eyes were certainly red enough for it.

And so what if he wasn't amazing at her kind of genjutsu? When so much of your life was dedicated to learning how to obliterate your opponent through force, subtlety took a bit more to get accustomed to.

Unable to think of something snappish to retort he said, "You don't have to keep saying it, I'm not blind, I know when it isn't working."

Apparently satisfied, Kurenai turned on her heel and continued leading them down the market street. Begrudgingly, Sasuke followed, resigned to watch her form sway minutely from side to side.

Perhaps the chief reason he wasn't having much luck with his training was that he was mainly trying to think of ways to make his kid half die a painful death so he wouldn't ever again need to be tormented by the fact that he thought something was, dare he say it, cute. And thirteen year old Kurenai was, if nothing else, undoubtedly cute.

The near physical pain that came with thinking such a thought was deeply disturbing to the genin. He was Sasuke Uchiha! He'd become one of the most respected and feared shinobi in the world (for a lot of bad reasons, but we're not focusing on that right now…)!

He fixed his eyes on the back of Kurenai's head and let his chakra reach out to envelop her. Softly, like the lightest, sheerest sheet of fabric falling over a figure, taking every aspect of her shape and not changing in any way. It flowed with her and settled, gliding over her chakra and finally invading-

"Kai. You suck."

His eyelid twitched twice.

Xxx

Sakura stood at relative peace, but anyone who knew her well enough would be able to see her practically vibrating in excitement. She was standing just outside the general shinobi hospital, waiting for Kakashi-sensei to go in with her. They had an appointment with the director where they would hopefully convince him to accept a genin as an med-nin apprentice. There was a medical program, established years ago by Tsunade Senju, for eligible chunin to enlist in and become medical nin, but it was restrictively difficult to get into if only for the demanded skills needed. Not to mention, she would need to be a chunin to even apply.

Of course, it wouldn't be particularly difficult to convince anyone that she was suitable for medical jutsu, but going about it this way was by far the most effective strategy for landing Tsunade as her sensei once again. It was inevitable that she would return to the village, and by then there wouldn't be a soul in Konoha's medical division who didn't know about the latest and greatest genin out of the academy.

"I'm strong."

The statement was spoken aloud and it made her smile in pride. Her body was at a peak she could only have dreamed of when she first became a genin. No longer was she needing to supplement her growth with medical techniques, simply eating well and staying active. She could continue, obviously, but it would both be unnatural and draw attention in ways she didn't want. She wanted to be a better Sakura, not a new Sakura. Her experiences, both good and bad, were valuable to her.

"There you are, Sakura."

Kakashi's statement, given in such a way as if he'd been the one waiting for her, caused her to let out the smallest of sighs.

"Hi, Kakashi-sensei," she greeted, giving him a small wave as he joined her. "Ready?"

"I should be asking you that," the jonin returned. "You understand why they don't typically do this, right?"

"Of course, but they'd be crazy not to make an exception," she said with an open palm.

Kakashi shrugged, not about to argue the point. He agreed completely, and was the primary reason he reached out in the first place.

The hospital was remarkably peaceful as they walked through it, led to the director's office by a chunin. There was little happening beyond day to day activity, mainly moderate damage taken during training exercises, or the injuries from squads returning from the field. Konoha's shinobi force was on the larger side of its peers, but their focus on teamwork and support helped bring a lot more people home in one piece than people believed. As a past-future member of the medical division, Sakura knew she appreciated the philosophy every day.

"Kakashi, hello there," the director said, smiling as they entered the man's office.

"Yo."

Kakashi, would it kill you to not be yourself for a second…

"Hello, Tenma-san, thank you for taking the time to meet with me," Sakura said politely, bowing her head in respect. Kenzo Tenma returned the gesture, smiling down at the genin kindly. There was a look in his eyes that belied his curiosity. A part of her couldn't help but warm at seeing him there, loosely wearing his medical coat, and obviously not a name on a memorial pillar. He had been killed in action during the fourth war.

"I was wondering about this, but considering that this guy is on time for a change you must be the real deal."

"I'm confident that I can impress you," Sakura said without preamble.

"I certainly hope so," Tenma replied, gesturing to a table at the side of the office that was covered in a number of objects that she instantly recognized as tools to help test chakra control in a variety of ways. No doubt he'd be testing her medical knowledge after. "This place could use some new blood, and not the red kind."

Sakura grinned appreciatively at the pun, having heard it a dozen times in the past. She glanced at a nearby calendar on the wall. The Chunin Exam was just under two weeks away.

"So, what would you like me to do first?"

A number of feet away, Kakashi leaned against the wall, nose buried in his little orange book, smiling in a way that had nothing to do with what he read.

Xxx

With one week remaining until the chunin exam, the Team Seven genin found themselves gathered around a kitchen counter staring at an unopened folder.

"Okay so what are we looking at here?"

"Sensei passed me this, it has the info on the teams we've been assigned."

They'd already discussed how they wanted to handle this. As a team they'd always support each other, but it was inevitable that they would need to split their attention to keep tabs on all their targets at the same time. Three teams, three of them. Now they just needed to decide who would take which.

"That's great, but should we really be reading this here?"

Sasuke and Sakura looked at Naruto as he voiced his concern.

"I mean…"

"You're out of your mind, Kakashi! Subaru-chan is obviously the best!"

"Haruno-san, I respect what you've done for the village, but you are wrong. Hikari-chan is the clear choice!"

Out of sight, the two voices projected out of the nearby sitting room.

"How can you call yourself a true fan of literature when you're so blind? It's Subaru-chan!"

"I pity you for your ignorance! Hikari-chan!"

"SUBARU-CHAN!"

"HIKARI-CHAN!"

The three turned as one to watch Sakura's mother walk past them to the nearby staircase, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Two incomes are better than one. Two incomes are better than one, Mebuki. Nowhere to dump the body anyway. Two incomes…"

The three stood in silence for a beat.

"Uhh… nevermind. My place doesn't have food anyway…" he mumbled.

"Open it, I need to escape reality," Sakura deadpanned.

Sasuke broke the seal with an application of chakra and flipped it open, leafing through the papers with a shifting expression. The other two waited in curiosity but were patient.

"Okay, let's go through these one at a time," Sasuke said, placing the stack in the center of the group. On the top was the symbol of Kirigakure. "Kiri is sending one team, and these are the names of the members."

Eyebrows went up around the group, though for different reasons.

"Zabuza Momochi? Isn't he a missing nin?" asked Naruto carefully.

"I'm sure a lot of Kiri's missing nin have returned now that there's a new Mizukage," Sasuke explained. "Their village is the one that chooses if they're missing or not."

Otherwise he'd never have been able to return to his home, as strange as it had felt to call it that.

"Haku?"

The boys turned to see Sakura's eyes further down the page in surprise. Whatever they were thinking was carefully kept off of their faces. They weren't supposed to know who that was after all.

"Do you recognize someone?"

"This girl I met when I was on the mission with Ino's team. Definitely shinobi trained, but she was at the bridge builder's house guarding his family before we got there and… SHE'S A BOY!?"

They winced at the sudden spike in volume but it went unnoticed to the commotion that was still happening a room away.

"But…" Sakura looked at a wall without seeing it. "She- he's so pretty though…"

Naruto mentally sighed.

I know exactly what you're going through, Sakura.

"Anyone else you recognize?" Sasuke asked. While the interaction with Haku, while surprising, wasn't so far-fetched, he knew more would be even less likely.

"No, but I'd like to take point on this team, if you both don't mind."

She'd already given this much thought, but despite knowing that she was considerably stronger than the other two, they were both incredible in their own right, far and above their strength during her previous life. If they could handle things then, it made her even more comfortable not pushing to take the most dangerous team of them all. Besides, she couldn't always keep them safe from the world. They'd need to keep getting stronger just like her.

"Sure, that's fine," Naruto agreed, flipping to the next team's information. Suna. "I'll be the best one to handle this team."

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked, scanning over the file with. "This isn't a team to take lightly."

The thickness of the mission file was mainly due to this team. Konoha had far more information on one of its allies than the others. Quite a bit more than just a mission history. Including…

"Ichibi jinchuriki?" Sakura said slowly, forming the words slowly as she read them.

"It means he has the one-tailed demon sealed in him," Sasuke said without inflection. He didn't even glance Naruto's way. "My father said every major village has them. They are war deterrents."

She looked at him in shock.

"That's… could he be a danger to the village? We're allies with Suna."

"If it weren't possible he wouldn't be in this file," Sasuke said pointedly. "The other two seem fine, but it says here Gaara is emotionally unstable."

"It's not his fault!" Naruto said suddenly. He paused as they broke off suddenly, staring at the closed fist he'd hit the counter top with. "Sorry. Ji-ji talked to me about him a while ago right after he gave us the mission. Gaara's seal probably sucks and the villagers are afraid of him. I can use my chains to help stop him if he loses control, at least until someone stronger can."

"Okay," Sakura said with a small smile. "We'll leave it to you then."

"Then that will leave me with the Oto team," Sasuke said with a small grin.

More than fine by me.

Their file was a single sheet of paper with barely anything on it but their names. Still, thinking about them brought their collective thoughts to the same places.

Orochimaru.

The first real threat they would be facing.

The beginning of a series of events that had spiraled so wildly out of control for them all.

"Listen." Sasuke's voice was the same volume as it had been all evening, but there was an intensity there that perked the other two up. "It doesn't matter what this test has in it or beyond. As long as we take it as a team there's nothing that can bring us down."

"Heck yeah, we rock!" said Naruto, bumping Sasuke's fist. Sakura met them a second later with her own.

"Team Seven!"

A larger hand in an armored glove covered the top of the three fists. Kakashi grinned down at them with his solitary smiling eye.

"Team Seven."

XXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Man, some people really, really don't like the Sasuke/Kurenai thing I've been doing. I mean, there's always going to be people who don't like what they're reading for whatever reason. I still get people shit posting on The Merging for one reason or another. Whatever makes them happy, I guess? But seriously, about this kurenai thing? Y'all need to lighten up a bit. This story is a mix of comedy, melancholy, and fun. The premise of the story makes it no pairing by definition, but that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore relationships between characters in whatever ways I want, you feel? And for those who have trust issues, I'll give it to you straight.

Kurenai is NOT sexually attracted to Sasuke. She thinks he is (roughly) ten years younger than she is. No one is banging in this fic. Chill.

Anyway, another dumpling for the table. Been a bit, but that's kids for ya. In my eyes, knowing who the jinchuriki are for each village would be one of the most important pieces of information any nation would want. To that end, unless they've been swapped in secret I see every (big) village knowing who they are. I suppose you can make an argument for no one knowing who has kurama cuz of the no talk decree, but it just seems soooo unlikely after all this time. I'll have to make a decision on this ultimately, but I'm not sure yet. If you've got an opinion I'd love to hear it, no one to talk to about this stuff but you all.

Thanks as usual for swinging by, I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know why you keep coming back and I'll see you next time :D