Hello!

So, I see that this fanfic has somewhat of a decent following for a start! I'm actually really excited to continue this story, after all, I think it's about damn time; I throw my skills in to make a decent fem!Sasuke fanfiction that isn't cringeworthy, nor filled with annoying tropes that make you want to scratch your eyes out. Just kidding, I came from an older generation of fanfiction writers, so my style has evolved somewhat, thought there are some holdovers from the cringey early 2010's fanfiction era. Sue me.

Anyway, in this chapter, we begin to expand the cast! Anyone who knows how I write my fanfictions, I never just focus on one or two characters for narrative. I usually jump between many, sometimes too many, oop, just to flesh out the rest of the world. Kishimoto himself, did not know how to write female characters and the way many female characters are written (not all, but many), are shittily written and it's a goddamn shame. So, I intend to rectify that, hopefully. Maybe. LOL so, there are some things I'd like to say, since I'm on that tangent anyway; No harem; I am just so sick and tired of writing/reading harems. There's no creativity in that. They're all just power fantasies, unless it's a polyamorous relationship. NO SMUT; so if there's any of y'all that's following this hoping to read some uncensored sexy-time? Go read something else, there's plenty of that on this site and AO3. As an adult and having written too much smut as a teenager in my older fanfictions, shit makes me uncomfortable to even read and I'm literally engaged LMFAO. I don't know, smut and the obsession for it is honestly kinda fucking funny and gross at the same time. There's hentai doujinshi for that, you nerd. But that isn't to say that there won't be sexy-time. I just like to leave it up to you to imagine the actual dance. I abso-fucking-lutely will write sensual scenes, however, but if you're hoping for smut-try another author.

This fanfiction, since ffn limits two tags; Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Adventure, Romance and Drama - basically all the good and juicy tags.

ANYWAY, enough with the Author's Note:

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto


Chapter 2: You're a Moron

There were many moments in his life where he wondered if he ever made the right decision. Walking into places he knew didn't like him, or going to areas of the village that had a distinct hatred for him, this however, crossed so many lines that he didn't even know he had drawn. All he wanted was to prank Sasuke, all he wanted to was do some stupid shit to maybe hurt the Uchiha's ego, even if it was for a split second. Catch him unaware, tie him up, maybe sit on him for good measure, but for sure, it wasn't this!

"I…" Naruto panicked, unable to find the words. "I…"

Satsuki had a moment of silence, unable to look away from the boy who boke into her apartment. Blade of shattered glace pressed against his throat, blood began to trickle down his neck. Her rage and fury rising with each passing second, she pressed the blade further into flesh, painting the reflection of his quivering eyes crimson with his own blood. However, something stopped her, refusing to flick her wrist, she pulled back, dropping the shard. As it clattered on the wooden floorboards, she backed away, dropping the boy from her deathly grip.

Before Naruto could open his mouth again, her foot smashed into his chest. He sputtered; eyes as wide as plates. He swore a rib or two broke from her strength. Falling to the floor, Satsuki was over him once again, glass shard in her hand, ready to end his life in an instant. Her eyes were filled with anger, fury, rage, but there was something else in there that Naruto could barely believe. Fear. As the blade of glass neared his throat once again, there was something else in her eyes. Hesitation.

"L-Look, even though I think it's totally deserved, please don't kill me yet!"

Satsuki didn't say a word, keeping her glare leveled at the blond idiot trapped in her deathly grip. The blade of glass inching deeper and deeper. He was certain if he agitated her any further, she might actually cut something important. While he didn't really understand the human body enough, he saw what Mizuki had done to Iruka and that was just the man's back.

"I…" She pulled the glass back, tossing it away as if it burned to the touch. Once more, as Naruto opened his mouth to speak, she shot her hands forward, slamming her palms against his mouth. Her breaths were shaking, her body was trembling, eyes jumping wildly between him and the knife. "You…"

Naruto didn't know what to do. Trapped between a rock and hard place, he could do nothing but stay still. The threat of death was too real. It was as if he had stepped into a snake pit, surrounded on all sides by fangs dripping with venom. Somehow, she was even stronger than the Sasuke he knew. Hands calloused and scratched with cuts and bruises. Pressing down, the wood of her walls began to creak and snap.

"No one was supposed to know." She said with an empty tone. "Not yet. No one."

"W-What do you mean?" Naruto asked, his voice muffled.

"No one was supposed to know that I am actually a girl." She said once more, as dead as before.

"B-But… why?"

She shot her elbow out, knocking Naruto to the floor. Hands rushing to his bruising head, he cried out, trying to crawl back to the window. As he neared however, her hands grabbed his ankles and pulled him back into the living room. Fists raised, her eyes were no longer filled with anger. The onyx orbs quaked with unabated terror. She prepared to punch, but her shivering fists stopped her mid-swing.

Naruto however, did nothing, laying there beneath her ire. Of all the stupid things he had done, this had to take the cake in every way imaginable. She had every right to beat him to death. She didn't. She sat there, straddling his chest, fist raised, another gripping the collar of his orange jumpsuit. Neither said a word, as if they were trapped in limbo of what to do next.

"U-Uh… Sasuke?" Naruto asked, preparing his wince. "If you're not going to kill me… can you explain to me what the hell is going on?"

Satsuki took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "You're big on keeping your word, right?"

"Huh?"

"Answer the question, moron!"

"U-Uh, yeah, s-sure!"

"Then swear to me, on your own words, that you will not tell a fucking soul about this unless I say so." Satsuki grabbed his collar with both hands, raising him to face level. "Do you understand me?! I want to hear you promise it! If you don't then I can just kill you right here, right now!"

"I promise!" Naruto said, paling at her threat. "I swear I won't!"

"Get off my floor and take a seat then…" Satsuki stood up and slammed her window shut. Pulling the curtains, no one would see inside. Turning to the Uzumaki, the boy was slowly getting off the floor, clutching his chest releasing a few hisses as he did. He stumbled to his feet, wiping blood from his split lips. A pang resounded in her chest, watching his dejected form fall into her couch, breathless and in agonizing pain.

"N-No…" Naruto waved a hand. "I-I get it. I honestly… of all the things that I thought would happen today, this was the absolute last thing I would have ever imagined. I'm surprised you're not killing me right now."

"Still on the fence about that one, moron." Satsuki frowned, taking a pensive seat in front of him. "My name isn't Sasuke… it's Satsuki. I am the daughter of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto. I was born a girl and through some circumstances, I had decided to use fuinjutsu to change my gender so people would leave me alone and treat me like anyone else. Obviously, that came with some drawbacks and somewhat backfired on me. What you are seeing… is the real me."

"It's nice to know the real you isn't so much of an asshole."

"I can be an asshole if it makes you feel better, idiot." Satsuki spat. "Say what you will, but this was a precaution. Uchiha were feared by the people of the village as they were the police. No one likes the police. I think you've had some run ins with the ANBU and shinobi who patrol the streets. Not exactly the nicest of professions. Worse yet, our kekkei genkai. With the Uchiha gone, except for myself and my brother, Konoha has lost one of its most powerful weapons."

Naruto weakly turned to her, a new pain rumbling within his body. "W-What do you mean?"

"We're ninja, Naruto. We're literally training to be killers. The bloodline that my family has… had… was coveted by people across the Shinobi Nations. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out what would happen to a kunoichi who had such powers. Experimentation, treated like an object, every shitty little thing you can imagine that the Shinobi World has to offer, there's someone out there, who sees other people as nothing more than something to study, something to examine, some thing."

"I…" Naruto frowned. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want pity!" Satsuki slammed her fist into her coffee table. "I'm not telling you this for you to feel sorry about me! That is the last thing I want or need! W-What I want… what I've always wanted… was to be myself. It was to be respected and adored like my older brother… but all I am to people, is a name. A bloodline. A fucking thing to gain! Even as a boy, even as Sasuke, all these people see is a boy with incredible talent and handsome features, they don't even see him as a person, what makes you think they'd see me as a person?!"

Springing from her seat, she paced. Hands crushed together, she winced at the cuts and bruises springing across her knuckles. "None of you even know that I read, or that I can do archery, or my favorite food! All I am, even to you, was a goal, something to surpass, something to tiptoe around, a goddamn pedestal! No one knows me, no one even bothered to ask!"

Naruto mumbled something incoherent.

"If you have something to say, loser, just spit it out already."

Sheepish, he sat up, clutching his stomach. "S-So… uh… what is your favorite food?"

Satsuki, for all her bravado, had to take a step back. Shaking in her clothes, she rubbed her eyes. The sheer audacity. This boy, breaks into her home, seeing her in her most vulnerable state; gets the dogshit beaten out of him and nearly killed, then, after all of that, asked the most profoundly ridiculous question one could ask in a situation like this. Dumbfounded, she blinked. A careful step was taken, inching closer to the seat she once occupied. Shaking her head from the whiplash, she blinked once again.

"I-I love cherry tomatoes and fish."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "Fish? That's not very specific."

"I like seafood, dumbass." Satsuki rolled her eyes. "Mackerel, Tilapia, Pompano, Tuna."

Naruto rolled his eyes back. "I know what fish are, asshole."

Satsuki's frown, however, remained. "You're taking all of this information surprisingly well."

It was his turn to get flustered. "U-Uh, I may have had a slight suspicion for a while now? But I didn't have any proof? Nor did I have any real foundation?"

"Okay." Satsuki leaned back into her seat, crossing a leg over the other, as she did with her arms. "Spill."

"Mizuki, the bastard was leaned up on you after graduation. There were some things off about your face." Naruto said. "U-Uh n-not that I watch you or anything! Swear! It was just… your real lips were showing, I guess. Eyelashes were longer, hair was slightly longer, your figure within your shirt was showing as the winds blew past you, your jawline was slimmer. I-It was weird and I thought I was seeing things. It just made everything even weirder when Mizuki wouldn't leave you alone."

"Speaking of Mizuki, what happened to him?"

Satsuki spied the red tinge on Naruto's cheeks, the twiddling of his thumbs. Clear indications that he was hiding something. Tilting her head, she watched him fumble with his jumpsuit cuffs. As if a practiced response, his hand ran to the back of his head, rubbing nervously. "H-Honestly, no clue! Hehe."

She was unconvinced. Raising a brow, she narrowed her eyes at him, trying to get a read on the orange wearing idiot. There was something about what he said that had merit. Satsuki was so uncomfortable with Mizuki so close by. Something about him just exuded the worst aura imaginable. He leered, his eyes going everywhere but her own, her personal space invaded as if he were familiar with her. It made her stomach twist. She was a child, the final hope of a clan or not. Looking at Naruto, he maintained that stupid smile. He was lying.

"I was forced to spill the greatest secret anyone could ever possibly have," Satsuki glared, "and you don't have the heart to tell me yours? That doesn't seem fair, don't you think?"

"I…" Naruto's face paled. She watched as he spilled between different emotions in the span of a split second. Fear. Disappointment. Frustration. Emotions she was well accustomed to, it wasn't a surprise that he felt an inkling of it. An orphan as well and for reasons unknown to her, absolutely hated by the village. For a moment, she thought about retracting her question.

"No one can hear us?"

"After all the shouting and the broken glass, you ask that now?"

"Point taken." Naruto sighed. "I promised not to spill your secret… do you promise not to spill mine?"

"I promise." Satsuki nodded.

"You and everyone else were wondering how I got my hitai-ate." Naruto frowned. "Mizuki came to me with a proposition to retake the graduation exam, but it was a lie. He had me steal the scroll of forbidden ninjutsu from the Hokage Tower. I-"

"You did what?"

"You want me to finish or not?"

Satsuki shook her head in disbelief. "Go ahead then."

"After I learned a ninjutsu from the scroll, I was ambushed by Mizuki and he told me the truth behind everything, all confirmed by the old man Hokage himself. Remember the Nine-tailed fox, thirteen years ago?"

"What about it?"

"The Yondaime couldn't kill it. He sealed it."

Satsuki was about to ask, but something clicked in her head. Demon! "Oh."

"Yeah."

"Oh."

She frowned further, sinking into her seat. Arms tightening across her chest, her eyes fell to her bare feet and the floorboards beneath them. Naruto did the same, neither of them speaking for what felt like an eternity. What was there to say? Both of them had secrets that would upend everything the entire village believed, and what their comrades knew. Satsuki hissed inwardly. If everyone were to find out she were a girl too soon, other villages would find out. If the secret of Naruto's tenant would come out, there, no doubt, would be people coming after him to take that power away.

Everything fell back on them being weak. You're weak, Satsuki. Hate me, little sister. Return to me when you have the same eyes. Her brows furrowed, deepening as that voice rung in her head. Unbeknownst to her, Naruto was in the same boat. His thoughts trailed left and right, wondering if and when Satsuki would ostracize him too. The truth of all of his problems laid bare for the girl he had caught unaware—he didn't deserve an ounce of sympathy from her, but he had held desperately to that hope that she would forgive him, at least move on and give him another chance to earn her trust. If she was supposed to be his teammate, he wanted to put all of this behind them and move forward.

"Naruto." Satsuki hummed. "I'm going to be honest. I hate you. So, so much. But not because of the fox inside you. I hate you because you annoy the hell out me and you're a moron."

When he released a sigh of relief, she almost snapped at the whiplash again. God, I think we need therapists or something. "But that doesn't mean you have to stay a moron."

"H-Huh?"

"Whether I'm Sasuke or Satsuki, I am in close correspondence with Hokage-sama, after all, he is the one who helped devise the seal. He does monthly check-ups to ensure that the matrices remain stable. I… will admit, I feel like I'm plateauing in my skills if I don't receive an actual training partner to compete with."

"Hold on, what are you saying?" Naruto raised his hands in defense.

"Be honest with yourself, Naruto." Satsuki said. "Your skills as a ninja suck. My socializing skills need work. You help me, I help you. Besides, it's a great way to make sure you don't go spilling my secrets."

"So… you're saying you want me to train with you?"

"What? Are you trying to tell me you didn't have fun beating the snot out of each other in the Academy?"

Naruto, for all of his turmoil, burst into contagious laughter. Satsuki couldn't fight the smirk growing on her face. Before she knew it, she was smiling at his antics. Naruto wiped the tear from his eye and focused his gaze on the girl in front of him. "I need to get strong to become Hokage. Let's do it."

"First things first," Satsuki raised a hand, "when I'm not… personal, I am Sasuke to you and everyone else, got it?"

"Unless somehow the situation calls for it, I don't hold the Kyuubi inside me."

For the first time in a long time, the two of them felt the weight on their shoulders lighten. For the first time in an unbelievably long time, they felt that they finally had someone to lean on, someone who understood somewhat what went on their broken little heads. However, neither wanted to make the first move, say something that could be taken out of context, even Naruto, the ever boisterous and extroverted fool, had taken a mental step back and looked at the whole situation. This was a friend. Not like Shikamaru and Choji, but a friend he felt he trusted on a deeper level.

Sure, the whole reason they spilled their secrets was convoluted, but regardless, they had a shared bond. Something that held them together, something so incredibly insane, that it would turn Konoha upside down if released when the time wasn't right. For a moment, just that moment, as he took everything in, processing every word, promise and secret spilled, he was elated. As his smile began to falter, he noticed Satsuki's as well. A mimic in emotion, a reflection as broken as his own.

"Hey." Naruto said. "You and I have goals that we want more than anything. We've already bared the worst secrets we have; help me become Hokage and I'll help you hunt down your brother."

Satsuki choked on her spit. "Excuse me? What brought this on?"

"What can I say…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Even though we never talked… I considered you a friend. And what are friends for?"

"Ha!" Satsuki giggled. "We are definitely not friends."

Naruto's face fell. "Jeez, twist the knife why don't you?"

"You just learned the true me, I just learned the true you. I think it's a little too fast to be calling each other friend, especially given the circumstances." Satsuki giggled once more, this time, the condescending tone had vanished. "Like I said before, I don't like you. You're annoying, you're stupid and most of all, weak."

Naruto cringed. "There you go again with the knife twisting…"

"But those can be changed." Satsuki rolled her eyes. "What, you think I was born smart? Born with all the skills I have? No. Maybe some of it, but everything I have, I trained for. I bled for. I read books, I studied, I trained until my seal would break and then train some more."

"So that's why you have the social skills of roadkill?"

"Says the one who doesn't know how to stay quiet for more than three seconds. I bet you talk in your sleep too."

"Oh, I even talk when I eat." Naruto responded with the same snark.

Satsuki facepalmed, "t-this is what I mean. Alright, dipshit, on your feet."

He snapped in salute, drawing an uncharacteristic giggle from the Uchiha. "put your hand down. Okay, here's what we're going to do. You want to be respected as a shinobi and become Hokage; I want to be respected as a kunoichi one day and bring my brother to justice. We can't do either if we're the same weaklings we are now. I know we just became genin, but why walk when you can run."

"Before you say anything, no, I'm not getting rid of the orange." Naruto glared. "I can see it in your eyes."

"You little-"

"Other than that, lay it on me, Satsuki-sensei!"

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, Satsuki-chan."

"Do… do you want me to kill you?"

"What would you say if I said no?"

"Then don't call me that either."

"Fine, fine. No fun."

"Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted…" Satsuki sighed into her palm, "we will train every day. In between missions, during missions, every second we have time, we will be at the training grounds, expanding our skills, trying to do everything in our power to get more power. Diets will have to be changed, attire will have to be changed, fighting styles will be learned, ninjutsu, one day, will be learned. Itachi is one of the most dangerous criminals in all the Elemental Nations and the title of Hokage means that you're the strongest in the village. Some shadow clones and a high pain tolerance won't tip the scales in your favor."

"Alright, then, Satsuki, do your worst!"

Something strange echoed in her chest as she and Naruto bumped fists. It was as if a whole new world was opened up to her. Windows were raised, curtains were drawn, winds and warmth rushed in to meet her with its open embrace. It was as if it were a rebirth, a second coming, a revival. The dead weight that rested in her chest, the fears that fermented and coalesced into the nightmares that haunted her, faded, glistening in the light of sun, in the light of his chakra. It was breathtaking, exhilarating, and it –

"Satsuki, please I know we just got over the murder phase…" Naruto cringed.

"W-What now?!"

"I think I had some bad milk this morning! I need to use your bathroom badly!"

"Oh god, what the fuck, Naruto?!"

"Oh no, I need to go, now!"

"No, do it on the street, you idiot!"

"I'm really sorry, I swear!"

"I just had a plumber here last week!"


It was bright and sunny summer day in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Genin teams were running amok between streets and alleyways doing the most menial of jobs. Chunin and jōnin were leaving the village gates, never to be seen for weeks on end, while others lounged on rooftops and watchtowers, jumping through the skyline of the village. Upon the busiest strip in Konoha, a beautiful flower shop stood in broad view, bringing in hordes of customers and people gawking at wares.

Balmy, warm and beaming with life, in the back room, sitting on bags of fertilizer, Ino and Sakura ate ice cream, wiping the sweat from their brows. An off day for both of them, no missions, no training, just relaxing in each other's presence. The pinkette still claimed the rival card, but her actions always spoke louder than her words did, as hard as that was to believe.

As Ino snapped the stick and tossed it into a trash bin, she turned to the girl beside her, flipping blonde bangs. "So, what's your team like? It's been a month since we all graduated, I've been wondering how everyone is doing. Having Sasuke-kun and Naruto around 24/7 must be the best thing ever and the worst at the same time, huh?"

Sakura's expression turned somber, but also confused. Snapping her own stick and tossing it across the room, she sighed. "It's… it's kinda hard to explain."

Ino raised a brow. "Try me."

"Well, you know how Naruto and Sasuke-kun hated each other in the Academy?"

"Yeah?"

"One day, they returned for team training and a mission and it was as if they were the best of friends. It's so strange to watch." Sakura ran her hands through her hair. "Sasuke-kun barely acknowledged me to begin with, but now, he and even Naruto barely talk to me unless they have to. Literally. One day, Naruto is asking me out on a date, one that I was honestly kind of considering, but he disappeared completely. I didn't see Sasuke-kun either! Then the next day, they're talking and discussing. Ino, they were talking to one another. No arguing, almost little to no insults, no threats and Naruto wasn't shouting about how he was going to kick Sasuke-kun's ass. It's been like that for the last three weeks and… and I don't know what to make of it."

Ino's brows raised further. "Huh. Y-You don't think…"

"W-What?!" Sakura shrieked. "N-No! No way! It-It can't be! There's no way!"

"I-I mean, he never gave any other girl a chance-"

"T-That's because he had personal traumas, h-he had reasons!"

"That is a reason."

"Sasuke-kun couldn't be! I mean, even if he was, why Naruto? Wouldn't you think he'd go for someone more… competent?"

"Say, what do you think Naruto and Sasuke are up to?" Ino asked. "I wanna see this for myself."

"I mean, I guess they're training right now."

"They're training?" Ino was finding this conversation tiresome. Her eyebrow just would not come down with every revelation. "Why aren't you training with them?"

"Kakashi-sensei is busy with the Hokage today and Naruto and Sasuke don't include me in their training." Sakura frowned. "I know I've said it a lot, but it's so strange. They were so big on working as a team, but for some reason, as soon as they start sparring, there is no one else in their little world but each other…"

Pink tinge grew on both of their cheeks.

"No fucking way."

"Oh god."

"No. No. No. No."

"Oh, the way that was said!"

"We definitely have to and see what's up!"


Naruto was getting frustrated.

Okay, frustrated was putting it lightly.

He was annoyed.

Satsuki was getting a kick out of this.

Okay, a kick was putting it lightly.

She was having the time of her life.

Satsuki had maintained the façade of Sasuke and was currently grating the last of his nerves. Any further and he swore he'd be numb to pain and annoyance. She slapped him every time his legs loosened from the horse stance. A bamboo stick in hand, the instant the angle of his knees were wrong, she'd smack his thigh, his calves, his knees – literally every possible place she could to keep him as stiff and as angular as possible. If she hits me one more time, I'm going to beat the living dogshit out of her.

I think I'm enjoying myself too much. Satsuki, however, hummed in the back of her head. Red on her cheeks from how hot it was, she raised bamboo stick once more, smacking Naruto's back the moment she caught the slouch beginning to form. It hasn't been more than twenty minutes—at six years old, I was able to hold a horse stance for two hours! Come on, blondie, I thought you wanted to be Hokage.

I know she said it was some sort of bullshit chakra control exercise but I'm beginning to think she just wanted free licks in! Naruto growled in his mind. Holding the horse stance, arms extended, he scowled inwardly as the bamboo stick hit him once again. Hold the damn horse stance for an hour. An hour my ass!

This is literal child's play for an Uchiha, and I'm assuming, the rest of the Clan children. Satsuki thought to herself as she paced around him. She tossed the stick away, letting it bounce against blades of grass. Walking around the Uzumaki once more, eyes scanned his form. If he hasn't figured it out yet, I'm going to actually scream. He's supposed to also use chakra when holding this stance. A constant kneading will maintain his stance and plant him to the earth.

I have been trying to hold myself steady but my damn chakra control is so shot, this is harder than it fricken looks. Naruto cursed. Blue eyes blinded by sweat; he maintained his stance. Arms extended, knees bend, ass out like he was sitting on a bench. He could not risk Satsuki deciding on the bamboo stick again. Channeling chakra into his arms to stiffen the muscles, he cursed inwardly as his arms began to drop. Oh, come on! Please! Don't fucking hit me again!

Okay, time for a different approach. Satsuki sighed into her hand. "Okay doofus, calm down and relax." She walked behind him, remembering the times her mother, brother and father helped train her. He might be a visual learner.

A shuffle of grass and fabric was heard and before he knew it, she was behind him, donning the horse stance. He looked back, red forming on cheeks at the proximity. Her true face phasing in and out through the weakening of the seal. "Don't say a word. Just follow what I'm doing." Arms snaked forward, hands wrapping around his elbows. Slowly, she raised his arms forward, maintaining the horse stance as if it were the most natural of dispositions.

"I'm going to mold my own chakra through you to help you get an idea of what it's supposed to feel like." Satsuki narrowed her eyes. "God, how the hell did you make it this far?"

"Eh, I never give up, that's how." Naruto snarked.

"Well, your willpower to keep your arms up for extended periods of time, tells me otherwise, loser."

"S-Shut up, asshole."

He closed his eyes, returning back to the basics of chakra manipulation. It was the place between serenity and clarity. A place where his physical strength collided with his spiritual strength. He had to realize the equilibrium, the thrashing shores of his inner strength and that of the unwavering spirit. Their powers are great, with one always trying to overpower the other, bit within each, there was an inkling of weakness, exploitable and easy to subsume. Despite all of that, the simplest of chakra manipulation, was feeling the energy within their body, from the points strategically placed, to the rippling core in his stomach.

As Satsuki's seal began to fade, revealing her feminine face for the birds singing in the trees to see, her dark onyx eyes met with Naruto's cerulean blues. A moment of understanding as clear and vivid as the day their knuckles touched.

His chakra was warm, warmer than any she had ever felt before. It was the same as that day the moron broke into her apartment and violated every rule of privacy, even tainting the sanctity of her bathroom with his presence. There was something about it, that was just so incredibly different to her own. The hairs on Naruto's arms were raising by the second as she churned her chakra into his tenketsu. She could not find the words to describe the felling she was receiving and neither could Naruto. It was as if their chakras were opposites of the same coin.

Naruto began to lean back, Satsuki's body was sturdy, despite the faltering seal. Pressed together, sharing summer warmth between their shirts and bandages, it was almost a lullaby. His mind was in limbo, floating in a sea of ice-cold darkness, yet there was nothing to be afraid of. The things far out of sight, unable to snuff that one beacon that flickered in the empty void. It wasn't him either—it was Satsuki. The darkness, the freezing, piercing cold, it was all her.

Through it all, he began to feel the warmth of his kneading chakra running through his chakra coils. Back and forth, to his toes, back up to his chest and out toward his arms, to the very tip of his fingertips, only to repeat the trailing pathways, until every signal, every ping of chakra meeting tenketsu, returned to his stomach, kneading, building, churning, into -

Rumble!

Naruto snapped awake, finding himself under the beaming hot midday sun. Behind him, Satsuki's seal had almost completely dropped, revealing her elongated eyelashes, thick lips and slim jawline. The wrappings of her chest, nearly visible through her Uchiha shirt. Naruto kept his eyes away, spying the red tinge of her cheeks.

"So, uh-"

"Shut up."

"I think I have a new name for you, Satsuki. Tsundere-chan."

Satsuki took a sharp breath. "You are so fucking lucky that I need to be in this stance to draw chakra to the seal. I want to kick your ass so badly."

"That gives me a minute to speak my mind, eh, Tsundere-chan? What, forgot to eat breakfast or something, Tsundere-chan?"

"This is why I hate you. This is literally why!"


Ino and Sakura walked through the brush toward Training Ground Seven. Crossing paths with other genin teams and their jōnin sensei, nameless backgrounds, they arrived at the site of their confusion. Taking a moment, hidden by brush and bushes, they refused to take the next step. For some reason, they were beginning to regret showing up. It was a mutual, unspoken, kind of agreement. The air was off, the vibes were wrong, something else was afoot and the more rational parts of their minds, were telling them to turn around or else they, at best, might find nothing, or at the very worst, find what they were looking for. Neither option was a good one. The first made it seem like everything was a waste of time and the second… well, neither wanted to think that far ahead.

The blonde of the two neared Sakura with a somewhat pensive look. "Okay, I know I said that I wanted to see what was really happening, but jeez, this is actually kinda making me sweat."

"You'll see." Sakura sighed in defeat. "They're probably grappling and all over each other right now."

"By all over each other… you mean…"

"Yup." Sakura sighed once more. "I'd squeal from seeing Sasuke-kun shirtless, if it weren't for the fact that he and Naruto are so engrossed with one another when they spar. Every time, ever since that day Naruto disappeared after asking me out on a date, everything was different. He no longer declares a fight for me, Sasuke doesn't even give me that annoying grunt… in the end, without Kakashi-sensei to keep them in line, whenever they train together, it looks like I'm third wheeling. Oh god, the more I say it out loud… I'm really starting to think…"

Ino however, leaned in once more. "H-How close are we talking?"

"T-That's all you got from that rant?" Sakura facepalmed. "If you want to know so bad? Skin. To. Skin."

"Oh my god."

"Technically, Sasuke is covered in bandages." Sakura frowned. The pinkette turned to the blonde with an inquisitive look. "You know that don't you? That's why you decided on the mummy get up, right?"

Ino shrugged. "Some dumb fashion sense to make Sasuke-kun notice me. I mean, I really don't need them, at this point, it's just habit. Ugh, anyway. Sasuke-kun is covered in bandages and Naruto? What about him?"

"W-What about him?" Sakura asked incredulously. As if Ino had grown another head, Sakura paled at the question.

"I didn't think I had to spell it out for the smartest girl of our graduating class. What does he look like, forehead?" Ino face-faulted. "He's got a high pain tolerance and was decently strong the last I remembered. What does he look like under that god awful jumpsuit?"

"Uh…" Sakura gave the girl a horrified look. "Uh? Like a uh… why do you want to know, pig?"

"I'm curious. I want to know what makes Naruto so appealing to Sasuke." Ino said. However, as the final syllable left her lips, her face scrunched as if she bit into something sour. "Nope. That does not… no. God no. I think I'm gonna be sick."

"See, Naruto made you sick huh?"

"I-It's not that." Ino blushed, dipping her head into the bush in front of her. "I-I… I kinda want to see it even more now?"

"You fucking pervert, Ino." Sakura paled at her confession. "Sasuke-kun could be gay, Ino. Gay!"

"I mean, there's nothing wrong with that. He's pretty for a guy and even though the duck butt is kind of funny to look at from certain angles, he has a good routine for keeping his hair healthy." Ino shrugged, the blush still not leaving her face. "Wait. Does this mean that Sasuke is a twink? I mean, if they are gay, Sasuke is definitely the feminine one."

"Hardly." Sakura defended, red on her cheeks beginning to spread.

"You're still defending a boy who might not even be attracted to women?" Ino could not believe her ears.

"N-No, it's not that, pig." Sakura shook her head incredulously. "Just… urgh, come on and look."

Sliding underneath the bushes, they crawled across overturned dirt and cold blades of grass. Careful not to agitate any leaves or branches, they got a good view of the training field and all of its glory. A secluded place with three wooden posts and a stone monument that many young shinobi have seen or heard of. But what really caught their attention, was the pair of shirtless boys, pressed together, their legs apart in horse stance.

The raven-haired boy was covered in bandages, his hands snaking ever so slightly up and down the blond's arms, almost massaging his muscles. Sweat dipping in between the troughs of his forearm dips and the biceps and triceps. Ino and Sakura took a collective gulp as their jaws dropped lower and lower.

The blond boy, was leaned in, his back pressed against the bandaged boy, the sweat trickling down their backs, slowly meandering between creased shoulder blades and back muscles. Scars, cuts and bruises, there were markings on the blond boy's body that looked fresh. Ino couldn't believe her eyes and looking over to Sakura, neither could the pinkette.

"I-I'm assuming it never got that bad?"

"N-No. T-This is the f-first time I-I'm s-seeing this!" Sakura all but drooled as she said it.

The blond boy had his hair down, follicles sticking to his whiskered face. Mouth slightly ajar, it was almost sensual to watch. The raven-haired boy continued his movements, sliding his palms across bare skin, maintaining the horse stance.

"I think I'm about to pass out." Ino whispered weakly. Looking over, Sakura's face was pressed into the dirt, not a sound to be heard.


Naruto relaxed to Satsuki's touch.

She had remembered seeing her mother massaging her father during their early morning calisthenics. As her chakra control really helped Naruto, it wasn't doing enough. His reserves were just too damn large and she may have allegedly, damaged his flesh and some tenketsu. Allegedly, of course. She wanted to make it up to him, if not for the sheer fact that she could at least accept when she was wrong.

This wasn't to say he was going to get away with calling her a Tsundere. Oh, how that infuriated her. That was neither here, nor there at the moment. The only thing that mattered was mastering, or at the very least, having an intermediate understanding of chakra control exercises. It was a bit of a pain having to forcibly mimic kneading with her own chakra, that was chakra that she needed to force into the seal. Already, she could feel her short hair beginning to elongate. The bandages and binds that flattened her chest were doing all they could to keep her secret.

It was just too damn hot outside. The sun was high, it was early to midsummer, temperatures were almost inferno. She had to admit, despite all the initial frustrations they had when they first started this section of training, Naruto caught on to the teachings rather well and soaked information like a sponge. Running her hands across his biceps, he shivered, sinking deeper into the musings of her calloused fingertips. Gone was the face of Sasuke, now, it was fully Satsuki.

The red on Naruto's cheeks, the red on her own beginning to trickle across her face, from ear to ear, she bit her lip, remembering why she was even doing this in the first place. If Naruto could not get even the most basic of chakra control exercises down, there would be no way he could even think of doing elemental training. With his chakra reserves, and the potency of his chakra screamed elemental affinities and powerful ones at that.

As his chakra began to die down, hers went with his. Like steam, it vanished into the air, sparkling blue before fading into obscurity. Slowly, her features turned masculine, her hair was shortening by the second and the red of her cheeks faded as well. Before Naruto could prepare himself, her fist dug into the back of his head, launching him forward. Rolling through the dirt, he crashed against a wooden pole, collapsing into himself, choking up spit and blood.

"Yup…" he said weakly. "So, fucking worth it."

Satsuki growled, throwing a hand to her face.

"W-Why are you such a moron?!"


I want to say, for some godforsaken reason, I have decided that this fanfiction will be the penultimate of my writing ability to showcase for this site. Hopefully, one day, I'll finish it and then, I'll be done with fanfiction for good lmfao I'm getting too old for this shit and I'm starting to feel like a total weirdo for even continuing with writing fanfiction.

Anyway; I went on a huge binge of Shippuden recently after I finished my finals and I gotta say, there are some good filler episodes in the series, that I most definitely will be taking advantage of and using someway shape or form. I have a basic plot set up, and a basic progression planned, but the real meat and potatoes of this story will be after the time skip, as per usual for most Naruto fanfictions. Speaking of meat and potatoes - I've said this in another fanfic of mine; ever since The Boy and His Fox (one of my most popular works on this site), I refuse to write another Wave Arc and I refuse to write another Chunin Exam Arc in any real depth beyond what is necessary. The damn arcs have been so used and abused, you'd think they cost twenty cents for an hour on a busy weekend. I will literally projectile vomit if I have to write another curse mark scene, or another fucking mY nInjA wAy nEjI. Sue me. I've seen it way too many times to the point it has lost any charm.

Anyway! I've been really snarky in these author's notes and I apologize lmfao
You know the drill, tell me what you thought! Review, Favorite and Follow! PM me if you wanna discuss your fav Naruto abilities, or just yell at me like most people do LMFAO

Ja ne!

gottahavekyuubi