THE CHERRY BLOSSOM FIELD
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The characters belong to their respective owners.
CHAPTER 4: LAND OF WAVES-II
"Mhmm…Sakura-chan…more ramen...ra-men…'ttebayo…"
Thwack!
Sasuke jolted awake with a start. His right hand came to rest on his cheek, which was slightly stinging and warm. Trying to focus in the dark, his eyes narrowed. Seeing Naruto snoring just beside him, all the way from the futon he had been sleeping in originally, T-shirt ridden up to expose his belly and a slight drool hanging from the side of his mouth, it didn't take a genius to decipher what had attacked the raven-haired boy. Somehow, the idiot had abandoned his own make-shift bed and rolled over all the way to Sasuke's futon, his right half on Sakura's empty futon, which was positioned between the two boys', and left half sprawled on the floor, and hit the young Uchiha square in his face, all while remaining asleep as evident by the loud snores echoing in the air.
Irritated, Sasuke threw the jumbled blanket at his lap away and looked at the nearby table-clock. 2:28 AM
When Kakashi dropped due to chakra exhaustion after the hunter-nin vanished, Tazuna had invited, practically forced them to reside at his home, at least until their teacher woke up. Since Zabuza was dead, there was no immediate threat that they knew of, but the three genin had decided to stand guard in shifts regardless. Sakura had taken the first watch and was supposed to wake him at 1.30 AM.
What if something happened?...Sasuke's stomach twisted uncomfortably. The thought rushed at him faster than he would've liked.
Sneaking a glare at his loud-mouthed blonde teammate while nursing the light bruise that had appeared on the side of his cheek, the boy begrudgingly admitted that throwing him out of the window just might wake the others up. Plus, there was the chance that his other teammate could potentially be in danger. He would let it slide. Just this once.
Changing sweatpants for his combat-appropriate shorts, Sasuke fastened his weapon holster on his right thigh before slipping out of the room noiselessly.
Nothing was amiss and he couldn't sense anything particularly menacing or powerful; no screaming or any clashes of battle. All good signs.
As he stepped on the slanted roof of their client's house, Sasuke could easily spot Sakura sitting on one end, crouched, with her knees pressed to her chest. She was donning her usual attire, a red top and black shorts, minus her pale pink apron-skirt. Her bubble-gum-coloured hair fell all around her face, fluttering slightly due to the occasional wind.
"Your shift ended an hour ago."
The rosette's head immediately jolted in his direction, hand reaching into her weapon-pouch. Her sharp eyes softened and her demeanour relaxed when she saw who it was. Brushing a few pink strands from her face, she gave a sheepish smile. "Must've lost track of time."
The boy just shrugged in response. Maintaining a few feet from his teammate, he sat cross-legged on the cold tiles on the roof of the house. Fetching a kunai knife from his holster, he began spinning it from the handle absentmindedly. The air was slightly chilly, which was understandable considering the water bodies all around the country and the heavy moisture in the air.
"Sasuke?"
The inquisitive and soft whisper of the girl beside him rang in his ears, not like an irritating alarm-clock but more like a delicate veil in the background. He turned his head in her direction, midnight-black eyes touching emerald-green. Sakura opened her mouth slightly, then closed it. Her eyes flickered with uncertainty, as if debating whether to utter the words or not.
"Aa?" he prodded, silently berating himself for pushing the conversation along.
"What happened to your clan?"
Sasuke immediately stiffened; his eyes narrowed. He jerked his head away from her and his grip on the kunai tightened immensely.
"It's just…you said in your introduction that you want to resurrect your clan," she explained. "It's…unusual for a twelve-year old…and you don't have to answer that…"
"Dead."
The already chilly air surrounding the two of them dropped a few degrees. Sakura gasped, her eyebrows furrowing in a mixture of emotions. Eyes widening in what could be assumed as horror and confusion, her mind started racing. Dead? The whole Uchiha clan? He's…I…they-
Realising that she hadn't responded to his answer yet, she tried to rack her brain for something to say. Something sensible, understanding, mature, helpful; but nothing coherent came. The typical 'I'm sorry for your loss' was just at the tip of her tongue, waiting to be said, but one look at Sasuke and Sakura knew she couldn't say that. Firstly, she didn't feel sorry. Yes, she felt sympathy for her teammate, but it was that, sympathy for her teammate. Besides, if the whole clan was dead, then the boy had probably heard 'I'm sorry's to last him a lifetime. Her teammate was proud, and she was fully aware of that. Pity wasn't something he would appreciate. So, the kunoichi let the gentle breeze, rustling through the trees, make the only sound between the two.
Sasuke, meanwhile, was caught up in thoughts of his own. His fists clenched and unclenched for a few minutes. His mind was whirring. He didn't know what had possessed him when he answered the girl's question. He didn't owe her anything, did he? No. But somewhere, deep inside his being, he knew why he did, and the fact that he knew was irking him just a little. His eyes shut almost painfully as he tried to supress any thoughts of that…fateful night.
"Who is the man you want to destroy?"
No! No! Don't answer that. You already told her about the clan. Don't give her any more information. You are an av-
"My aniki (older brother)," the raven-haired boy spat out with a vengeful tone. And this time, his mental barriers were not strong enough to hold the dark thoughts away. He allowed himself to picture a hundred different ways he would kill his brother, each more painful than the last. He deserved it after all, that bastard.
"I see," Sakura muttered in a small voice. The cog-wheels in her brain were twisting and turning. She tried to deduce something, something that'd help her understand her teammate, but gave up and filed this information for later. With Sasuke, there were just too many questions and too little answers.
The raven-haired boy meanwhile, sat beside her with furrowed eyebrows. He had expected gasps, exclamations, hell, maybe even accusations about how could he do this, but all he received were the two small words. He risked a glance at her. She was sitting in the same position, her chin resting on her knees while her emerald eyes looked to her side, opposite from him. Sasuke blinked a few times, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on her when he felt that she was appearing closer than before. Had she tried to inch closer to him while he was caught up in his thoughts? However, when he looked back at the door leading to the stairs to Sakura to himself, he realised with no small amount of reluctance that it was him who had moved.
The pink-haired kunoichi felt the onyx-eyed boy's gaze on herself. Assuming it was a result for her lack of reaction, she shrugged, letting her hands support her weight as she leaned back. "Everybody has their reasons."
Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed further. He didn't know exactly what he had expected, but it wasn't this. Sakura made it seem like they were just two friends gossiping and chatting about the weather for Kami's sake! Was it really that simple, sharing about oneself? All the deep dark goals? The boy knew it wasn't.
A small giggle broke his train of thoughts. He looked up to see the kunoichi tucking a few pink strands behind her ear, smiling cheekily. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. You were looking incredibly adorable just now."
Scowling hollowly at the adjective used for him, he didn't note any real displeasure when the girl's smile grew wider. "And now you're pouting! Kawai (cute)!"
A yawn immediately escaped her throat. The boy straightened, remembering that she had been awake much longer than necessary by now. "Go to sleep, Sakura."
She threw him a you-really-think-you-can-boss-me-around glare, but it fell when the next blowing breeze made her shiver. Rubbing her arms, she stood up and headed towards the door. "Goodnight."
"Hn."
A few minutes passed in silence. The leaves on the trees rustled and Sasuke could faintly hear an owl screeching in the distance. Another cold breeze later, he was about to fetch some sort of covering for himself when he turned to see a green-tinted blanket offered to him in his peripheral vision.
"Can't have you freezing out here." Sakura smirked playfully. Dropping it on the boy's lap, she turned to leave.
"Thanks."
The word was spoken in such a soft and low voice that the girl would've missed it if it wasn't for the dead quiet in the middle of the night. She grinned at him, relishing in the fact that this was the first time she had heard the stoic Uchiha use that word. "You're welcome."
When the footsteps faded and Sasuke knew that he was completely alone, he let a ghost of a smirk appear on his face. Wrapping the blanket around his body, he gazed at the full moon overhead. A weird sound that could resemble a chuckle resonated in his throat when he heard the commotion in the room downstairs.
"Naruto! Get out of my bed!"
-oOo-
"Just a little closer, a little…no Naruto, not that close!"
"Eh…Ack! Phew! Thanks Sakura-chan…"
"Tch. Dobe."
Kakashi's lone eye snapped open, the afore muffled voices ringing in his head. He tried to get up, but most of his muscles felt like deadweight. Feeling light-headed, he glanced around.
Naruto was sitting just beside him, face uncomfortably close to Kakashi's. His sapphire eyes darted here and there while he smiled a crooked grin. Sakura was just seated behind him, hand clasped on the back of the collar of his orange jumpsuit. She gave her teacher a, hopefully, reassuring smile then whispered fiercely in the blonde's ear, which Kakashi was too tired to listen in. Sasuke was peering at him curiously while sitting a few feet from his teammates, but still closer than what the jounin gave him credit for.
"What were you guys doing?"
All three gasped, looking as if they had been caught stealing cookies from the cookie-jar. They looked so comical, the copy-ninja wished he had a camera on him to commemorate this moment forever. His cute, little genin.
"N-nothing, sensei," Sakura started, berating herself for stuttering. Beside her, Naruto nodded furiously. I can't let him know we were trying to see his face under the mask! She tried to change the subject instead. "How are you feeling now?"
"I've been better," Kakashi muttered, the events that had put him in this condition coming back to hit him with full force. So, Zabuza had been defeated and that hunter-nin had appeared and-
His eyes widened.
"W-what's the matter, 'ttebayo?" Naruto exclaimed. "You are looking all serious now!"
Tazuna, who had been leaning casually against the doorframe until now straightened up as well, features distorting in confusion and apprehension. Sakura inched closer to the jounin and Sasuke just turned his head slightly in his direction.
Kakashi tried to sit up, and he would've winced at the painful affair if he wasn't used to this. Seeing his struggle, the rosette tried to prop him up but he waved her off with a shake of his hand, thoughts too pre-occupied. "Well, you know that boy was a hunter-nin, right?"
All the three nodded at once.
"Well…they usually dispose the body immediately after they kill them," he spoke in a wary tone, not wanting to spell it out himself in order to see if the three could decipher his implication. "Did you see how that masked boy disposed Zabuza's body?"
Sakura's eyebrows furrowed while she tried to concentrate with her hand under her chin. "We didn't actually see it, since he took the body with him."
"Yeah, if he needed proof of his work, he could've just taken the head with him," the jounin nodded. "And then there's the weapon he used…"
Senbon…Sasuke's mind supplied. Immediately, his eyes widened, connecting the dots. "No way," he breathed in a tight voice.
"Yeah." The copy-ninja rubbed the back of his head.
"W-what do you guys mean?" the bridge builder voiced, his tone laced with fear and confusion.
"Most likely…" Kakashi spoke in a grave tone, stretching out the silence. "Zabuza is still alive."
"What the hell do you mean?!" Naruto bellowed in indignation, his eyes growing as wide as saucers.
"You checked and said he was dead, sensei!" Sakura chimed in. Battling the missing-nin once had been hard enough and put her teacher in a bed, she didn't want to think what another confrontation would lead to.
"I did, but now I'm starting to think that it was just a momentary death," Kakashi admitted. "The needles, senbon, that the boy used have a very low chance of actually killing your opponent unless it hits a vital organ. Since hunter-nin are thoroughly knowledgeable about human anatomy, putting the body in a momentary death is relatively easy for them."
"Firstly, the masked boy carried away Zabuza's heavy body, which he didn't actually need to. Secondly, he used a weapon which isn't generally used to kill," he continued. "These two points suggest that he wasn't trying to kill Zabuza, but-"
"To save him?" Sakura finished in a breathy tone, eyes widening in realisation.
The copy-ninja nodded. "It's a possibility we can't ignore."
"Aren't you guys overanalysing it too much?" Tazuna began in falsely cheerful tone but fell relatively sombre. A single bead of sweat formed just above his brow. "Hunter-nin are supposed to kill missing-nin."
"No, over-analysis is an integral part of being a shinobi," the jounin stated in a flat tone. "And we have to prepare for that possibility before it gets too late."
Seeing the slightly fearful, excited and wary expressions on his students' faces, he induced some edge in his next statement. "Even if Zabuza is dead, it won't hurt to assume that Gatou would hire an even stronger shinobi next."
Silence descended the group, everyone left to their own thoughts. Naruto felt thrill rush in his veins. One more chance to prove myself. I won't lose to anyone!
"…How will we prepare? You can barely move," Sakura pointed out, cutting in the stillness. "We three can't take him on our own."
The blonde let out a squawk of rebuttal. Before he could open his mouth, however, his teacher laughed a dry chuckle. The blonde turned to him with a confused expression. Kakashi merely closed his lone eye in an inverted-U. "I will train you."
"Training?" The rosette parroted, considering the idea. "What is a little training going to do, though? Our enemy is a ninja you struggled against even with the Sharingan."
"Sakura, who saved me, even without training, when I was struggling against Zabuza?" the copy-ninja said in a little too cheerful tone. "You guys have grown rapidly."
Naruto positively beamed at the praise, a small blush tinging his cheeks. Sakura just blinked, trying to feel something for the cheerful words she had been addressed with, but the realisation that they were spoken more to coax her than in genuine appreciation was disappointing. She just shrugged but the blonde looked absolutely thrilled at the prospect, eyes shining.
"But of course, this training is only for until I get better. You three cannot defeat him without my help," Kakashi stated in a placid tone, no traces of gloating but simple facts. "Also, a person put in a momentary death needs time to recover. I would say a week, give or take, which is coincidentally perfect considering it's almost the same time in which I'll recover as well."
"Alright alright!" Naruto chirped excitedly. "Training sounds like a lot of fun, dattebayo!"
"Training? That's not fun," a child-like voice interjected, tone flat but condescending.
"Inari, my boy! Where were you?" Tazuna chattered excitedly, opening his arms wide. "Come and give your grandfather a big hug!"
"Welcome home, grandpa," 'Inari' muttered, spreading his small arms over the older man's bigger frame. His eyes were averted and cold.
"Oh, Inari, you're back," Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter, exclaimed upon entering the room. She nodded and gave a smile to Kakashi, setting a tray of food beside his make-shift bed. "Say hello to these people, Inari. These ninjas protected your grandfather."
The said boy just stared at the four shinobi in the room, as if sizing them up. The young eyes were weary and shut off, as if he already had an impression of them and he didn't want to see further than that. Pointing a finger at them, he simply stated, "Kaa-san, they're going to die."
Naruto squawked in response, quickly developing a defensive demeanour. "What the hell did you say, you stupid brat!"
"There's no way you can win against Gatou."
"You brat! I'll-"
The blonde knucklehead tried to lunge at the younger boy, pulling up his sleeves, only to be stopped by Sakura grasping his orange jumpsuit from behind. She gave him an exasperated look. "Why are you getting angry at a child? Baka!"
"Inari! That's no way to talk to people who helped your family," Tsunami berated, but only half-heartedly. She put her hands on her hips, but her eyes were soft, as if she was hiding something painful in them.
The small boy made no indication that he had heard the words. After a few moments, he turned on his heel and started walking towards the door that led to the inner part of his house.
"Hey you, Inari. Listen," Naruto called out. The said boy stopped, but didn't turn. "I am Naruto Uzumaki, a hero who'll one day become the Hokage, an incredible ninja. I don't know this Gatou guy, but he's got nothin' on me, 'ttebayo!"
Inari just scoffed, a sound that didn't quite match his young figure. "What are you? Stupid?" he bit out in a clipped tone. "There's no such thing as a hero."
Naruto began to rush at him once again, but the rosette just tightened her grip on his clothes, leaving him flailing in the air. "What?! You little brat!"
"If you don't want to die, you should leave," were the last words Inari uttered before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.
Sasuke momentarily stared at the door, feeling slight discomfort. The way that kid acted was not normal at all. His eyes were weary and cold, face mostly expressionless and words piercing and clipped, as if he had seen or felt something way beyond his years. The raven-haired genin's eyebrow furrowed when he realised that he was seeing a part of himself in the boy…and he wasn't sure if he liked it.
"Sorry," Tazuna muttered, looking as if he had aged fifty years. His gaze was downcast, a surrendered aura around him. Tsunami looked apologetic, her eyes on the closed door, hands intertwined in her lap.
Sakura, tired of Naruto's squirming, released her surprisingly strong grip on the blonde's jumpsuit. Finally free, he sprinted out of the room, muttering angrily about 'little brats' and 'teaching a lesson'.
Racing up the stairs, which he assumed the kid had walked, he could make out a closed door at a slight distance. Putting his hand on the doorknob, he was about to twist it when suddenly, muffled sobs stopped him in his tracks. Crying?
Pressing his ear against the door, he listened to the broken cries coming from the other side. The pitchy, child-like voice made it evident that it was Inari inside. Sympathy immediately displaced rage in the blonde's stomach as he found himself unable to bring himself to confront the little boy. Retracting his hand from the doorknob, Naruto walked away from the door without a single word.
-oOo-
"Alright. We'll now begin our training," Kakashi announced in a drawl, hands holding the crutches he was using as a support for his recovery-in-progress body. Naruto started cheering, but Kakashi cut in. "But before that, I will tell you about the shinobi ability, chakra."
"Cha-k-ra," Naruto spelled out, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Um…what is that?"
Sasuke gave him an irritated glare. "Dobe. What did you even learn in the academy?"
The blonde was ready to retort, but Kakashi just sighed, motioning to the only girl on the team. "Sakura?"
The said girl just shrugged in response, procuring a scroll from seemingly thin air. She tossed it to the knucklehead, who failed to catch it, distracted by his squabble with his raven-haired teammate. It hit Naruto on the forehead, effectively shutting him up. Unfurling the scroll, he blinked a couple of times before turning to the rosette.
"It's tiresome so I'll explain it only once," Sakura announced in authoritative tone, putting her hands on her hips. "Try to keep up."
At her blonde teammate's fervent nod, she started. "Simply put, chakra is the energy shinobi need to perform a jutsu. It is made up of two types of energy. First, physical energy gathered from every cell of your body. Second, spiritual energy which is accumulated through numerous trainings and experiences."
"When you perform a jutsu, you combine both the physical and spiritual energies. The said combination forms chakra, which is activated by hand signs," Sakura finished, looking over at the blonde. Her eyebrow twitched a little in annoyance when his face looked absolutely clueless. However, she knew Naruto wasn't particularly good with terminologies and complicated explanations. Releasing a breath, she tried again, thinking of a simple enough way to get her point across. "Er, think of it as making ramen, alright? To get a delicious bowl of ramen, what are the two main things you need?"
Naruto's hand immediately shot up in excitement. "Noodles and broth, 'ttebayo!"
"Right." She nodded. "Similar to how you make ramen using both noodles and broth, you form chakra by using both physical and spiritual energy. The ramen fills your empty stomach and chakra helps you in performing jutsu, like your kage bunshin jutsu."
A look of realisation dawned on the blonde. Giving a wide grin, he gave a thumbs up. "Ah! I get it now, 'ttebayo! Thanks, Sakura-chan."
She smiled in response. Kakashi nodded in approval, a light amusement in his tone. "That was exactly right. Props to you, Sakura, for getting the knucklehead to grasp the concept."
The rosette giggled easily while Naruto just pouted in mock annoyance. A second later, his face became a little serious. "But sensei, I can perform jutsu! So it means I'm already using chakra, dattebayo! So why does it matter if I know the definition or not?"
"No." The jounin shook his head. "You guys are not using chakra efficiently."
"Efficiently?" Sakura hummed, hand under her chin.
"Listen, you three," Kakashi commanded with a slight edge to his voice, demanding attention. "As Sakura explained, releasing chakra requires mixing both physical and spiritual energy within your body. However, the amount and preparation of chakra you release will depend of the jutsu you want to activate. You guys are not using chakra efficiently yet."
"Even if you are able to combine a large amount of chakra, unless you can control it properly, the justu will be weakened or won't work at all. Wasting chakra will prevent you from battling for long durations," he finished, giving each of his students a glance.
"So, what should we do?" Naruto asked seriously.
"Learn to control it…" the copy-ninja answered simply. His voice dropped a few octaves as he continued in a sinister tone. "…through a difficult training that requires you to put your life on the line to master!"
All three straightened, eyes hardening. They all waited for a few moments, willing their teacher. When he didn't, Sakura prodded him in a careful tone. "What are we going to do?"
The jounin merely hummed, staying silent for a few seconds. "Tree-climbing."
Naruto's face fell at the underwhelming response, shoulders slumping. Sounds boring…
"Of course, it's not simple tree-climbing," he continued. "You'll be doing it without using your hands."
The knucklehead immediately perked up, face glowing at the prospect of a challenge. Now we're talking!
"How?" Sasuke asked, hands in his pockets.
"Watch." Kakashi brought his hands together in the tiger seal, closing his visible eye. A beat later, a faint breeze appeared around his feet, over as soon as it had started. The jounin opened his eye. Firmly grasping his clutches, he almost hobbled over to a tree. Putting a foot a few inches above the base of the tree, he smirked at the gasps he heard behind him when he placed his other foot further up the tree. Positioning his crutches as well, Kakashi casually walked up the length of the trunk, stopping when we arrived at a branch. Hanging upside down like a bat, latching on to the tree by nothing except the soles of his feet, he addressed his gaping students. "Focus your chakra in the bottom of your feet to make them stick to the tree trunk. If you use chakra well, you can do things like these."
"But but!" Naruto yelled, pointing a finger at his teacher. "How does something like that make you strong?!"
"Listen," Kakashi heightened his voice. "The purpose of this training is to teach you chakra-control. You will need to focus the required amount of chakra to the required spot. This is surprisingly difficult for even an expert ninja."
"The amount of chakra needed for tree-climbing is very subtle and the soles of the feet are the most difficult place to gather chakra," he continued. "If you master chakra-control, theoretically, it is possible for you to master any jutsu."
Naruto's sapphire eyes basically quivered with excitement at the last statement.
"It is also to develop your stamina needed to control chakra properly. Depending on the jutsu, controlling your chakra can be quite challenging. Ninja combine the most chakra during battles, and in those situations, you will face difficulties with control and maintenance of your chakra. During this exercise, you must build your stamina needed for proper chakra-control."
"Of course, me talking all day isn't going to do anything…" Kakashi took out three kunai knives from his pocket, throwing it to the ground below. The weapons lodged in the dirt a few inches in front of his students. "Use these kunai to mark how high you make it up to the tree, then try to surpass it. You guys won't be good enough to walk up the tree so gain some momentum and try running at it, got it?"
"Hehe! This training is nothing to me!" Naruto chirped, flexing the kunai in front of his face.
"Why don't you stop the bragging?" Kakashi chided. "Pick a tree and start practising."
Sakura bent, yanking the kunai out of the earth. She looked at it for a few moments, dusting the dirt off it. Chakra-control. She knew about it, of course, and her sensei's words matched with the things she had learned in various scrolls and books she had read. Iruka, her instructor, had once off-handedly commented that she had a good chakra-control, but she hadn't actually applied it in practical situations. Now was her chance! The rosette brought her hands into the tiger seal, focusing her chakra the soles of her feet. Emerald eyes glinting with determination, she readied herself and ran towards a sturdy looking tree.
"OUCH!"
Almost immediately, Naruto's wincing filled the air as he fell headfirst on the ground, not even getting a moment to mark the tree with his kunai. He clutched his head, rolling on the ground to ease the pain.
Sasuke meanwhile, could only make a few steps before the area under his foot exploded, throwing him off the tree. Twisting, he slashed the kunai across the trunk before landing on the ground below. Eyeing his mark, his eyebrows furrowed in displeasure at his performance. I didn't realise it would be this hard…
Too much chakra and the wood cracks…the raven-haired boy glanced at the impression of his ninja sandal on the tree trunk. He then turned to his blonde teammate flailing on the ground. But too little and you don't stick at all…he noted.
He ran at the tree once again, trying to focus his chakra to the best of his ability. The bark exploded under his foot once more and he slashed the trunk. Landing on the ground, Sasuke gritted his teeth in annoyance and irritation when he saw his second mark was almost at the same place as his first one, maybe even a few inches lower. Pushing himself, he tried again. His agitation increased when he got the same result over and over. Not enough! At this rate, I'll never grow stronger! I'll never be able to beat-
"This is quite easy!"
A voice above caught the attention of the three males. All of them looked up simultaneously to see Sakura perched on the highest branch of the tree, kunai-knife twirling in her hand. A slash was made on the tree trunk just beside her…but it wasn't because of her limit, Kakashi noted, but because there was no room on the tree to go any further.
"Well, it looks like the best at chakra-control right now is Sakura," the jounin commented, glancing at the girl.
"You're awesome, Sakura-chan!" Naruto encouraged, waving wildly at her. He tried to supress the small part of him which was envious of his pink-haired teammate.
Sasuke just sighed in response; head slightly bent so his black bangs were hiding his expression. He offered no words, but kept staring at the girl with an unreadable face who stared right back. Sakura was a little unnerved by his slightly penetrating glare, but never once did her emerald eyes waver. His clenched jaw, clouded gaze and defensive demeanour offered a sort of window to what he may be thinking, which the pink-haired kunoichi couldn't discern.
"Wow, not only does she know a lot about chakra, but her chakra-control and stamina are quite good as well," Kakashi announced in a falsely cheerful tone, making the girl turn to him questionably. "As of now, Sakura is the closest to being the Hokage…unlike a certain someone."
Naruto looked positively offended, head whipping towards his teacher.
The jounin's next words took a mocking turn. "Tch. I guess the Uchiha clan isn't much worth either."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed to slits and his hands clenched on his sides.
Of course, Naruto and Sasuke have incomparably greater amount of chakra within them…Kakashi glanced at the boys. If this training goes well, they could become powerful assets.
Sakura's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Hokage and Uchiha clan? What did her chakra-control have anything to do with either of those, she wondered. However, when she saw her two teammates levelling each other with a challenging stare, everything became clear. The rosette narrowed her eyes and slightly clenched her jaw, glaring at her teacher. He completely snatched my moment of accomplishment and used to it fan the rivalry between the two of them...
Trying to ignore the small hurt that came with that realisation, she focused chakra to her feet before walking vertically down along the tree-trunk. She kept up this exercise of going up and down the trunk until she could do it almost subconsciously. However, she could feel her chakra draining in her mind. Her reserves were fairly limited, not small by any chance, but still limited.
"Sakura, you may leave," Kakashi permitted. He had long since descended down from the branch and was currently sitting on a hefty rock, crutches piled up on the side. "You could help Tsunami-san with the dinner. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."
Any expression she may have been wearing soured at his words. Its not like she didn't like helping people, but the statement irked her to no ends. If one of the boys had done the exercise as early as she had, would he send him to help with the dinner?
"Uh..." she started, internally fighting if she should ask him to train her further.
"Hmm?" the jounin hummed in response, having heard her. But before the rosette could say anything, she caught how her teacher was looking at the two boys with such…interest. Feeling a weird sense of being an outcast rise within her, she quashed it down and shook her head. Still feeling miffed about the whole rivalry-fanning, she felt a need to be alone for a while. "Nothing..."
"Um, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura made to leave the clearing, but a call halted her movements. She turned, her face a mixture of angry and sad. "Yeah?"
"Could you…um…could you give me some tips?" Naruto spoke softly, as softly as he could anyway, in her ear, cupping his hands over his mouth.
She looked surprised for a moment. But a glance at Sasuke, who was watching the two of them intently, and she understood what he was doing. Playing along, she smirked at the blonde. "Sure!"
Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance when the rosette cupped her hands over her mouth, whispering whatever advice she had in Naruto's ear. The raven-haired boy had heard the blonde knucklehead ask her for tips, and was hoping to get some as well. Because God forbid, someone from the high-and-mighty Uchiha clan would ever ask someone for help. Damn it!
"Got it! Thanks, Sakura-chan!" Naruto jumped with enthusiasm, flashing a thumbs up towards the kunoichi. With newfound vigour, he closed his eyes for a few seconds longer than usual and ran at the tree. Sasuke made a choking sound in his throat when he saw that the blonde made a few steps further than his last attempt, dangerously close to the half-way mark, Sasuke's highest.
His head jolted to the kunoichi, slightly gaping. She looked back at him with curiosity. What had she told the blonde that he improved so much on the first try? He mustered up the words to ask for her help for a few moments, and she stood there, probably waiting.
However, when he didn't utter the words for another minute, Sakura lost her patience. Glancing back at her teacher, whose attention was too preoccupied with the boys to notice her, she wondered if he would show this sort of interest in her if she was the one struggling with the exercise.
Without a word, she turned and left.
-oOo-
Damn it! He keeps climbing higher and higher!...Naruto huffed and panted, glancing sourly at his raven-haired teammate, who had made another slash on the tree trunk and was jumping down with practiced ease.
Both the trees the boys were using for their exercise were now adorned with uncountable horizontal slashes, starting from a foot from the base of the trunk. The blonde couldn't quell the competitiveness that bubbled in his throat when he noted that Sasuke's marks still higher than his own. He growled ferally, then shook his head. No no no! I can't lose my concentration! Sakura-chan had said…
Scrunching his eyebrows in concentration, the knucklehead tried to dissipate any foreign, distracting thoughts plaguing his attention. When he felt his chakra slowly seep to the bottom of his feet, he opened his determined sapphire eyes. Focus! Focus!
With a spring in his step, he clenched the kunai in his hand and ran at the tree. Alright! Here I go!
"Hey, Naruto!"
Immediately, the blonde lost his momentum. Instead of running up the tree, he crashed face-first into its trunk. Wincing with pain, he rubbed at the bruise which was starting to form in the middle of his forehead. Irritated and enraged by his interruption, he turned to the young Uchiha. "What the hell is your problem, you bastard?! Can't you see that I'm trying to focus, 'ttebayo?!"
"Well…" Sasuke almost whispered, his bands partially hiding his face.
"What is it?" Naruto prodded. His arms were crossed in front of his chest in irritation but he couldn't help the curiosity that bubbled in his mind. Humph! It's rare for him to talk to me first.
"W-what…" the raven-haired boy frowned at the stutter, and cleared his throat. "What did Sakura tell you?"
For a moment, everything went silent. Naruto's eyebrows shot up in surprise, eyes turning as big as beach-balls. Immediately, his face contorted into a wide, toothy smile that threatened to crack his face in two. "I'm not telling!"
If the blonde wasn't relishing so much in teasing his teammate, he probably would've noticed the blush Sasuke was sporting before it disappeared when he heard the blonde's aggravating reply.
-oOo-
"You sure seem super-bored by yourself."
Sakura turned her head towards Tazuna, who was holding a big pile of timber over his shoulder. She nodded, wiping her eyes as she stifled another yawn.
"Where's that blond brat? And that other one?" the bridge builder asked, flicking his burden to the required place.
"Training."
"And you don't have to do that?" Tazuna wiped the sweat off his brow.
"I've already completed it so I am here on your guard duty."
"Really?"
The suspicious tone that laced his question irritated the rosette. Trying not to growl at his obvious insult to her capabilities, she instead looked at the mass of water from the railing of the bridge-in-progress. Her mind travelled back to the last battle and she remembered how Zabuza and Kakashi had stood and fought while standing at the surface of the lake, as if it was firm ground. If she could somehow learn that, it would prove very useful in many situations.
"Hey…Tazuna…"
A heavy, but hesitant voice brought her out of reverie. She saw a man, nearly the bridge-builder's height and build with simple civilian clothes, standing directly in front of him with a tensed expression on his face.
"Giichi? What is it?" Tazuna asked, adjusting his spectacles.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking and…" 'Giichi' trailed off. "Can I stop working on the bridge?"
"What?! Not you too!" the bridge-builder hollered. "Why is that?!"
"Tazuna, we've been close for a long time. I really want to help you…but if we keep doing this, Gatou will notice us. And what is the point if you get killed?"
A visible bead of sweat rolled down Tazuna's temple to his chin.
"Why don't we…quit building the bridge?"
An audible silence fell around the two men. A few feet away, Sakura, who had heard every word of the conversation, gulped at the obvious tension.
"I can't do that." Tazuna tipped his straw hat. "This bridge…we started building it together believing it would bring resources to our poor land."
"But what if we lose our lives?!" Giichi accused, flabbergasted.
"It's already late, let's stop for today!" the veteran announced in a high volume to all the men working at the bridge. Looking back at his friend, he gave a slightly betrayed and angry expression. "Giichi, you don't have to come tomorrow."
The said man just gasped, surprise and shame tainting his features. He averted his eyes, and for a second it looked as if he was about to say something before he decided against it and left in huffled steps.
"Come on, kid," Tazuna beckoned to the kunoichi, who quickly fell into step with him.
The two mostly travelled in silence. When Sakura saw Tazuna lead her down an unrecognizable road, she raised an eyebrow. "That's not the way home."
"I'm supposed to get groceries for dinner."
Nodding her head in understanding, she clutched the strap of her sling-bag. As they neared the denser part of the Country, the rosette appalled when she actually came face-to-face with just how bad the situation was. The buildings were dusty and worn down. Most of them had large, visible cracks running across the structures. Some of the huts didn't even have a proper roof, instead, tarpaulin was thrown over and barely secured as a make-shift covering.
Not only that, even the people looked lost and weary. Most of them were simply huddling around for their chores. Others were sitting on the ground with a small piece of cloth in front of them, looking dazed. Sakura controlled a frown when she saw a man trudging along the path with a sign around his neck that said 'will take any job'. What's with this village?
"Thief! Thief!"
A cry resonated from behind, she turned to see a child, no more than ten, running away with a meagre loaf of bread in his hand. Her eyebrows furrowed in surprise and sadness.
"Here we are," Tazuna announced, entering a mostly run-down shop. Entering, she felt further upset and sympathetic when she saw that it was practically empty. All the compartments and shelfs were mostly bare, only a couple of them having a pathetically small array of vegetables. There's hardly anything to buy…
Sensing air shift behind her, she saw a man stretching his hand across her lower back in her peripheral vision. Rage, disgust and ninja instincts taking over, she raised her right leg, delivering a strong kick to his face. "Pervert!"
"N-no, I was j-just…" the man spluttered, nursing his face with one hand and gesturing at her bag with the other. Sakura's face was mildly red with anger, and wanting to prevent another injury, he just hobbled out of the shop.
Tazuna whistled behind her, eyes blinking. "Damn. You're super-strong for a kid."
She didn't respond to the compliment. A small part of her was already drowning with guilt. Considering the condition she had witnessed this country in just now, it was hard to hold the attempt at stealing against the man.
She waited until her client had paid for the selective groceries and they resumed walking. "Tazuna-san, what happened to this village?"
The girl jerked still when she felt a tug at her apron skirt from behind. Again?...she gritted her teeth, clenching her hand into a fist before whipping around, ready to plummet the assaulter to bits and pieces.
However, her plans for any pain-infliction were knocked out as soon as her emerald orbs rested at the small child in front of her. Through a mop of unevenly cut hair, the small girl raised pleading, warm eyes at her. Sakura tried to blink away any stray tears that threatened to escape as she saw small, calloused and dirty hands presented to her. "Give me!"
Managing a crooked smile, the rosette rummaged through her bag to find anything. Fortunately, she had a sweet tooth, so her bag was always housing some sort of candy or chocolate. Handing the younger girl a fistful of sweets, Sakura ruffled her dark mop of hair. Thanking the kunoichi, she squealed and merrily skipped away. Tazuna watched the entire exchange with a forlorn expression on his face.
"It's been this way since Gatou came. Even all adults have lost hope," he spoke. "That's why we need that bridge. It is a symbol of courage for us. People have to lose their fear and regain the desire to stand up for themselves.
If that bridge…if that bridge can be completed, the city will return to how it used to be…the people will return how they're supposed to be."
Sakura could only nod her head absently.
-oOo-
"Wow! This is super fun!" Tazuna cheered, rubbing the back of his head. "It's been a long time since we've had so many people eat with us."
He was awarded by the various munching and chomping sounds made by the two boys of Team seven, who were both inhaling the food at an alarmingly fast rate, Sasuke with better manners. Sakura looked from one to another. "So, how did the training go?"
Apparently, that had been the wrong thing to say. Instead of answering, they just glared at each other, eating at an even faster pace. Both raised their bowls at the same time. "More!"
Sakura would've been impressed with their synchronisation…had they not doubled up and vomited almost immediately after, that too at a dinner table. Her eyebrow ticked as she felt her appetite thrown out of her. She clenched her hand holding her chopsticks, snapping them in half. "If you're just going to throw up, stop eating!"
"No, I must eat." Sasuke rubbed his mouth.
"Yeah, we have to get stronger," Naruto chimed in, already reaching for his plate.
"Yup yup!" Kakashi nodded along, but cleared his throat at the rosette's withering glare. "But no need to throw up," he added.
Fortunately, the rest of the dinner went relatively smoothly. Thanking Tsunami for their meal, Sakura put her used plate in the sink. A shining object caught her eye. "Tsunami-san, why do you have a torn picture on the wall?"
Immediately, she could feel the woman stiffen beside her, hands momentarily frozen. The rosette peered at the picture frame. She could make out Tazuna at the left, Inari in the middle and Tsunami at the right. However, there was a hand resting on the small boy's head, but the person who it belonged to had been ripped out of the picture.
"My husband," the dark-haired woman answered in a clipped tone.
"The hero of this city," Tazuna mumbled along, eyes downcast. No sooner had the man uttered those words, Inari got up from his seat and left the room, shutting the door behind him with a bang.
"Tou-san! I have told you not to talk about that man in front of Inari!" Tsunami thundered when she was sure the young boy was out of earshot. The veteran looked apologetic, rubbing at his eyes.
"What happened?" Kakashi asked, his half-open eye fixed at his client.
"Inari had a father-not related by blood-but they were very close. That kid used to laugh a lot back then," Tazuna began in a reminiscent tone. "But…he has changed since that incident."
Sakura traced the young boy's face in the picture. Sure enough, he was practically beaming, all milk teeth visible. What had caused him to lose that?
"Incident? What happened to him?" the copy-ninja prodded. All his students also focused their attention on the elderly man.
"Before I get to that, I must tell you about the man who was hailed as the hero of this village." Tazuna took off his spectacles and rubbed his weary eyes. "Three years ago, Inari was thrown into a lake by some bullies. He didn't know how to swim…and probably would've…but he saved him."
"Who?"
"Kaiza. He had appeared out of nowhere, a fisherman who wanted to follow his dreams. After that, Inari and him became very close. The boy's real father had died before Inari got to know about him, and eventually, Kaiza became a part of our small family. He was exactly the man this village needed. Once, a storm flooded a part of the village and Kaiza risked his life to save the people in danger. 'If something is truly precious to you, even if you lose your life, you must protect it with these two hands' he used to say. Henceforth, he was called a 'hero' by the people and Inari couldn't be any prouder of his dad. And then…"
Tazuna visibly shivered, and a sound resembling a muffled cry erupted from his throat. Coughing a few times, he continued. "Gatou entered our country. That man knew, with Kaiza around, he will have a hard time taking over. He had to break the people, shatter them completely so they wouldn't dare to oppose him. So, he…"
All the listeners waited patiently for him to continue. Even Naruto looked relatively sombre.
"As a warning, Gatou publicly executed Kaiza…right in front of Inari's eyes. As Kaiza's soul left his tortured body, so did the courage from the people's hearts. From that day, Inari changed, as did Tsunami and the whole village."
Silence reigned the occupants of the room, each left to their own thoughts.
Suddenly, Naruto jerked up from his seat. However, before he could take any steps, his legs gave out and the blonde fell straight on his face.
"If you're thinking of training, don't," Kakashi warned. "You've released too much chakra today. Any more and you'll die."
That only seemed to strengthen the knucklehead's resolve as he tried to prop himself up using the table. His sky-blue eyes glittered with determination as he looked back at his teammates. "I'm going to prove it."
"Prove what?" Sakura asked, still a little distracted by the story she had just heard.
"I'm going to prove that, in this world…heroes do exist.!"
-oOo-
"You're not an Uchiha."
Sakura looked up from the book she was reading. In reality, her eyes were just running over the words, not really taking anything. After the dinner, she and the rest of Team seven, except Naruto, had resided in the guest room offered to them. Kakashi had been reading his small book as well when Sasuke's statement cut through the silence.
"No," the copy-ninja replied, although the onyx-eyed boy had said it more like a statement than a question.
"How do you have the Sharingan?" Sasuke's tone was sharp.
Kakashi closed his book but kept staring at the cover. His eyes were glazed over as he didn't utter a single word. The young Uchiha's patience was running thin.
"A friend of mine entrusted it to me before he…" the jounin stated in a surprisingly normal tone, but trailed off.
The two kids in the room just stared at him. A few minutes later, Sasuke turned away. Not bothering with any reply, he just rolled up in his futon. Since the jounin had reassured them, the genin had dropped the watch-duty. Sakura turned to her teacher, who was staring into space absently. Feeling that she had witnessed a moment she wasn't sure she was supposed to, the rosette couldn't help her slight discomfort at the blatantly palpable tension in the room. She got up on her feet, reaching for her weapon holster. "I'll go see if Naruto's okay."
Not getting a reply, and not expecting one anyway, she softly slid the door behind her.
It didn't take long for her to arrive at the clearing Sakura had expected him to be in. Sure enough, the blonde was still training. She saw with a small smile the number of slashes the tree was bearing. Her smile widened when she saw Naruto improving with every new attempt. She waited until he stopped for a second, panting madly, and cleared her throat. Immediately, his head whipped around, eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Sakura-chan!"
"Hey." She gave a small wave, walking towards him. "You've been improving, Naruto."
Looking absolutely pleased at the phrase and sporting a small blush on his cheeks, he just chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. However, his eyes grew serious when he pointed to his teammate's tree. "Still not as good as you or Sasuke-teme though."
"Don't look so down, baka. You've already come a long way from where you started, you know," she encouraged, patting his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll master it soon."
For a moment, Naruto just blinked, his eyes glued to the ground. A minute later, his face split into a genuine grin as he wrapped his arms around his pink-haired teammate. "Thank you, Sakura-chan."
Sakura was taken aback for a second, but once composed, she patted his back in a comforting gesture, laughing easily. "Alright alright! You're welcome."
He broke his embrace. "So, did you come here to see my super-duper awesome training, 'ttebayo?"
"Well, now that you mention it…" the kunoichi started, looking a little shy and hesitant as opposed to her nature. "That jutsu of yours, shadow-clone technique. Could you possibly…teach it to me?"
The blonde blinked, and pointed a finger towards his face. "You want me to teach you, Sakura-chan?"
She nodded. For a second, Sakura was apprehensive that he was going to refuse, but when she saw an ear-splitting, impossibly wide smile adorning his whiskered face, she couldn't help giggling. "Please teach me your jutsu, Naruto-sensei."
Her giggles turned to full-blown laughter when the said boy almost choked on air on hearing the honorific, even if it was attached in a mocking way. His eyes glittered with sincerity. "Of course! I'll be the best damn sensei, dattebayo!"
The rosette listened attentively as her teammate began explaining how to perform his shadow-clone technique. The blonde wasn't great in theory, preferring to actually do something to get a feel of how it's supposed to be. She couldn't help an amused smile when he heard his rather peculiar 'teaching'. "So, you cross your fingers like this…you see…and then, then you…focus." He gestured to the middle of his chest. "Y'know y'know, it's…um…like this…"
Nodding crudely, Sakura brought her hands so that the index and middle fingers of both hands were in a cross. Honestly, shadow-clone technique wasn't that difference from the ordinary-clone technique, unless she was deciphering her teammate completely wrong. Focusing her chakra, she called out, "kage bunshin no jutsu (shadow clone jutsu)!"
Two solid clones poofed into existence, surprisingly good for her first try. But before she could bask in her attempt, she felt the wind completely knocked out of her, legs buckling underneath her. Naruto, quick to react, caught her before she hit the ground. As soon as they appeared, the clones poofed out of existence.
"Thanks," the rosette muttered. "Wow, it just sapped all of my energy there. It uses a lot of chakra." She titled her heard towards the blonde. "Naruto, you don't feel light-headedness while using it, right?"
When he shook his head, she gave a thoughtful look. "You must have insane amount of chakra then, what with creating clones left and right…"
He gave her a confused blink. "I have a…lot of chakra?"
Sakura nodded. "Yeah! Which also explains how you haven't passed out yet. You've been training the whole day, y'know."
The blonde just stared back dumbfounded. The rosette gently removed his hands clutched around her waist. "I'm okay now."
"You're sure, Sakura-chan?" she found the concern in his voice adorable.
"Yeah!" she exclaimed with a goofy expression, flexing her bicep. "Besides, don't you have to get back to your own training?"
Naruto gasped, as if electrocuted. He eyed his tree, then Sasuke's, then his again. A determined glint spread on his whiskered face. "Yeah!"
The kunoichi brought her hands on a cross again just as Naruto ran towards the tree. She was more careful this time, only creating one shadow-clone. Sakura felt her chakra deplete immediately, but not enough so she would fall again. Dispersing it after a close inspection, she once again tried to create two. However, when her chakra depleted a little too much and she felt her vision blur, the jutsu was halted in alarm. She didn't understand a lot about the shadow-clone technique, and knowing Naruto, he probably didn't either. Was it just about chakra or were there other factors in play? Sakura didn't like not knowing things, especially when they were something she could know more about. At the very least, she mentally scoffed, it would keep her preoccupied while she was assigned guard duty until the boys completed their training.
Naruto kept going at the tree again and again, without stopping for even a break. God knows the knucklehead was pushing himself to the edge. At last, he crumpled on the ground, panting hard. His limbs felt heavy and muscles were cramping. Catching a few moments to calm his beating heart and throbbing head, he called out in an obnoxiously loud voice, "Sakura-chan?"
When he didn't receive an answer for a couple of seconds, Naruto immediately shot up and whipped his head. His posture relaxed when he saw his pink-haired teammate crouched near a sturdy-looking tree, her head tipped back to rest on the trunk. Her emerald-green eyes were closed, knees slightly bent, and her soft breaths filled the otherwise silent clearing. Moon shining against her palish skin, the kunoichi looked as peaceful as baby.
Naruto felt a small, warm sensation rush through him at the sight. Grinning, he walked up to her and angled her shoulders at a more comfortable position. Taking off his jacket and wrapping it around the two of them, he huddled closer to his teammate. His right side pressed to her left, he rested his head on her shoulder, stifling a yawn.
As Sakura's head lolled over his' protectively, a few pink strands brushing against his cheek, Naruto could feel sleep slowly alluding his senses. Before long, his loud snores were the only sounds echoing in the still air.
-oOo-
"You'll catch a cold sleeping in a place like this."
When Sakura opened her eyes sleepily, her dazed eyes could only make out a black and pink blur. Blinking, she tried to focus. A pale-faced girl with lustrous black hair was crouched in front of her. Wearing a pink, sleeveless kimono and a small basket slung over her right, she was smiling friendlily at her.
The kunoichi bolted upright, accidently kneeing Naruto, who had slumped down to her lap sometime during the night, in the back of head. He yelped, more due to the sudden movement than pain, rubbing his eyes groggily. Sakura gave him a sheepish and apologetic look, mouthing a 'sorry'. However, his attention was immediately captured by the other female in front of him. "Who are you?"
The girl just giggled in response, beckoning them to come with her. Glancing at each other, they got up and followed her. She stopped a few yards farther, gesturing to the half-empty basket in her hand and the small flowers and leaves that sprouted from the ground underneath them. "I'm collecting these herbs. Do you mind helping me?"
Sakura wasn't sure if the person before them was a friend or foe, but the way she was smiling so easily, it was hard not to relax. "Of course!" Naruto beamed, already getting to the task.
The two genin plucked the small leaves, occasionally showing their produce to the black-haired girl for confirmation. Naruto peered at a small flower in his palm with slight confusion and awe. "This is a medicine?"
The girl nodded, organizing the contents in her basket. 'You two…the headbands…are you shinobi?"
The blonde jumped excitedly, gesturing to the hitai-ate fastened on his forehead. "You noticed? Yeah yeah! I'm a ninja, so is Sakura-chan!"
"That's great." She brushed the dirt off her kimono. "What were you two doing here?"
"Training!" the knucklehead chirped with fervour. Sakura smiled at him exasperatedly.
"Is sleeping outside a part of your training?" the black-haired girl teased. Sakura just laughed merrily and Naruto's face went red with embarrassment.
When they were done with gathering plants, Naruto fetched his kunai and glanced meaningfully at his tree. Following his eyes, the kimono-wearing girl gasped a little at the various callouses and slashes on the trunk. "Why are you training?"
"Because I want to be strong!" the blonde exclaimed.
"You look plenty strong already…"
"No no! I want to become even stronger!"
The girl's gaze darkened, eyebrows furrowing. "Why is that?"
"So, I can become the Hokage, the most incredible ninja in my village! I'm going to make everyone acknowledge my strength!" he answered, gripping his kunai tighter. "And…right now, I also need to prove something to a certain someone."
"What about you?" the girl turned to Sakura.
The rosette tensed a little. "In the last few days, we've faced…unexpected circumstances. We've faced something we shouldn't have to, at least not yet. And I think, if we find ourselves in such a situation again, I want to be prepared for it…"
The girl's face darkened, before she giggled lightly.
"What's so funny, 'ttebayo?" the blonde grumbled, flailing his arms.
"Do you…" a forlorn expression encased her beautiful face. "…have someone who is important to you?"
"Huh?" Sakura looked up suddenly, confused at the sudden question.
"When someone has something…or someone…important to protect, that's when they can become truly strong," the girl finished, giving the duo a warm smile.
Naruto blinked. His thoughts raced, the kunai faltering in his grip just a little.
Nobody will ever love you…
His eyes closed tightly at the painful memory. For as long as the blonde could remember, all the adults in the village had ostracized him, cursing and hating him. For what reason, he didn't know. Naruto had every right to believe those words, until…
I've acknowledged him as one of my excellent students…he's Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf!
Iruka, his academy instructor…and the first person to have acknowledged him when other adults ignored his existence.
I will not allow my comrades to get killed…
His thoughts wandered towards his current sensei. 'You guys have grown' Kakashi had said.
"Naruto, you okay?"
The knucklehead raised his sapphire eyes to meet emerald-green, which were etched with concern. He nodded absently. When someone has something important to protect, that's when they can become truly strong.
Well…he had Team seven now, didn't he? And Iruka-sensei?
"Yeah," Naruto gave a wide grin to the black-haired girl, cheeks warm. "I understand that very well."
"Must be the first time, eh?" Sakura teased, lightly jabbing his ribs with her elbow. The boy in turn, stuck his tongue out at her good-naturedly.
The black-haired girl looked at the kunoichi who hadn't really said much the entire time, but the dynamic between the two genin was undeniable. Sakura caught her looking, cocking her head to the side in confusion.
Dusting her kimono, the ravenette picked her basket and stood up. "You'll become strong, both of you. I hope to see you again sometime."
"Sure," Sakura answered genially, and Naruto nodded vigorously beside her.
"Oh and…" the girl turned her head a little, long, black locks slightly swaying. "I'm a boy."
The two genin were left gaping, eyes as big as saucers, as 'he' walked out of the clearing, disappearing in the foliage.
"A boy?! But but! He's so much cuter than any girl I've ever seen!" Naruto shrieked, putting his hands on his cheeks in horror. "No offense to you, Sakura-chan."
"None taken," the said-girl muttered, nodding along to show her affirmation to the blonde's claim. However, her attention was soon drawn to their third teammate who was walking towards them. "Hey, Sasuke."
"Breakfast," he uttered in a flat tone.
"You could say it more nicely, teme!" Naruto complained, crossing his hands in front of his chest.
Sasuke just glared at the blonde. For someone who was training the whole day yesterday, he certainly seemed unaffected. Energetic, loud and undoubtedly obnoxious. The young Uchiha noted with displeasure that his muscles were a little stiff.
"Alright, lets go!" Sakura chirped, standing up and dusting her apron skirt. As onyx eyes travelled to her, Sasuke frowned.
Unlike Naruto, she seemed weary and tired. Her movements seemed a little strained and the small eye-bags looked very prominent against her fair skin, evidence of a not exactly well-rested night. About to voice a snarky remark about how she should be taking better care of herself, Sasuke's words died in his throat, too shocked over the fact that in many years, this was probably the first time he had cared about someone's well-being other than himself.
END OF THE CHAPTER
Author's notes:
So so? Did you like it, eh?
I was hoping that the LoW arc would be wrapped up in this chapter itself, but phew, this chapter already has a word count of over 10K+. It will be over in the next chapter though, if everything goes as planned.
Thank you dreadix for checking out the story! There's no way I can address any of your raised points without giving spoilers for the events that will unfold ahead, so all I can is: trust the process
Reviews are appreciated!