A/N: Wow. This is the second chapter I've started typing in one day. I
wonder if my headache will let me finish it though =( Today's been the
strangest day. My friend and I were playing DDR, but we left because a
very, very scary guy was trying to show off on the machine and it was
embarrassing to watch. Then, when we got back, all hell broke lose. A guy I
know got a bad grade on a physics test and ended up barricading himself in
the bathroom and creating a poisonous gas, so he got arrested by dps and
taken to the hospital and we all got evacuated for a while. Actually, I'm
more in shock that it was THIS guy who did it than anything else. But
either way, I'm back in the building now and all is peaceful and good. I'll
stop babbling about college drama now and get cracking on the typing. I
don't know if there will be enough reviews to really justify this since I'm
posting the chapters so close together, but any replies I may have will be
at the end of the fic as usual =)
Umm... I'm going to put this in its own little paragraph because I think it needs to be read. For those of you who don't like it when I follow the anime closely, you may want to skip this chapter. It's short, and it basically describes what happens in the fight with the chain ninjas. I thought very carefully about omitting this chapter from my fanfic, but after some consideration I decided to include it because of the added interaction between Sasuke and Naruto. This fight, short as it is, is their first real battle together, and it does have some significance, especially the part with the kunai. For that reason, this chapter is going to be very to the point. Again, you can probably skip it if you want, but I think that the thought processes of Naruto and Sasuke which I depict during the fight help add a little bit more flesh and realism to my story. Expect a slightly longer chapter tomorrow as long as I don't spend the entire night studying for my English midterm on Friday (and don't complain, you guys got two in one day!).
Disclaimer: As I'm sure you could have all guessed, Naruto's not mine, nor are any of the characters found therein.
............
The journey took more than Kakashi-sensei's allotted two weeks to complete. By the time Tazuna announced that they were nearing their destination, even Naruto's seemingly endless cheer was approaching its limits. As a group, they were sore, sleep deprived and generally grumpy. Nothing had broken the peace during the long days of walking except for the fights that Naruto purposely picked with both Sasuke and Sakura. Their conversations, which had been frequent in the beginning of the trip, had diminished to almost nothing as the days passed. The news that they had almost reached the end of this journey was heartening, as was the hope of a real meal and a warm bath.
They trudged along in silence, Naruto once again walking a few steps ahead of his companions. Idly, he noticed the puddle on the side of the road as he passed by, but it didn't really register, and he didn't think to say anything about it to his teammates. He wasn't really in the mood to bother with talking to anyone else at the moment. All it would do was start another argument...
Between one moment and the next, all hell broke loose. A pair of masked ninjas appeared from nowhere, encircling Kakashi-sensei with the wickedly spiked chain which connected them at the wrists and pulling before the three young ninjas could even react-
"One down," cackled one of the ninjas as the pair simultaneously yanked the chain and cruelly ripped the helpless Kakashi into pieces. To Naruto, their moves were impossibly fast. Even as Sakura reacted, screaming, to the sight of their sensei's remains falling to the ground in a bloody heap, the pair reappeared right behind Naruto. The blonde was frozen, unable to react.
"Two down," the same dry, emotionless voice laughed as the duo sent their chain to embrace Naruto just as it had Kakashi. Just like Kakashi-sensei, Naruto was going to die, and all he could do was stand there, paralyzed, and watch.
But - With unbelievable speed, Sasuke was there, leaping into the air with shirukin and kunai in hand. A moment later, the shirukin had trapped the chain against a nearby tree. As if by magic, the kunai blossomed in the center of the shirukin, effectively locking the whole metal flower in place. Unerringly, the black-haired boy landed on the outstretched arms of his two dumbstruck opponents, taking advantage of their shock to land a kick to each of their heads.
Eyes wide, Naruto could only stare as the two attacking ninjas broke free of their hindering chain and split up, one aiming for Naruto and the other running towards Sakura and Tazuna, forcing Sasuke to decide. Sakura was weaker than Naruto physically; she would need the most help, but Naruto... Naruto would have to take care of himself! Sheer seconds before the enemy reached Sakura, Sasuke sped between them, ready to defend her as he prayed Naruto was defending himself. Naruto could do this, he COULD. He could...
Sasuke never had the opportunity to finish the fight. From nowhere, Kakashi- sensei reappeared, disabling both of the attacking ninjas and swiftly taking charge of the entire situation. He threw an apology at Naruto, praised Sasuke and Sakura for their efforts and shot Tazuna an appraising look, mentioning calmly that he needed to speak with the bridge builder.
Absently, still in shock, Naruto picked himself up off the ground (when had he fallen?) and shakily tried to get to his feet. All he could think about was his failure. 'I couldn't do anything... Yet Sasuke... It was his first real battle too... Wasn't he scared at all? He looks as if nothing happened. He doesn't even have a speck of dust on him!' The Uchiha boy was standing nonchalantly, staring up into space, acting as though nothing had happened and deep down, Naruto felt an almost overwhelming urge to smack the smile off of his teammate's face. The compulsion made no sense; they were friends as well as teammates, but in this moment of failure the blonde could not help but resent his friend's success. At that moment, a small thought invaded and calmed the blonde's anger. 'He saved me...'
Abruptly, almost as though he were forcing himself to do so, Sasuke turned to face Naruto. "Hey."
The shorter boy stiffened, his recent uncharitable thoughts towards Sasuke not quite forgotten.
"You all right?" the dark-haired boy asked, a funny smile on his face. "Scaredy-cat..."
It was an act. It was an act it was an act it was an act. He had to say it. They were friends. He didn't mean it. He wasn't serious. It was an act. They were friends... It didn't matter. In the aftermath of his stinging failure, the jab was too much. Naruto snapped. They were friends, but Sasuke had no right. He had no RIGHT to rub Naruto's nose in his failures. "SASUKE!" he yelled, ready to launch himself at the other boy, only to be brought up short by Kakashi-sensei.
"Naruto! Their claws are soaked in poison. You must remove it quickly. We must open the wound and release the poisoned blood from your body. Don't move much. The poison will spread."
Looking down at the hand he hadn't even realized was in pain, the boy ground his teeth. Now that his attention had been brought to his injury, it HURT. Holding his wrist and gazing into the swollen red lips of the wound, Naruto tuned everything out, ignoring the interaction between his sensei and the bridge-maker. For a few moments, his whole world became the pain and the pain became his whole world until he became aware of the others staring at him.
"This might be too much. I guess we should return to the village to treat Naruto," Kakashi-sensei intoned, avoiding his student's questioning gaze.
What little composure the boy had regained in the few minutes since his last rebuke slipped away. They were NOT going to cancel this mission on his account. Because he couldn't fight. He was not dead last. Not the way Sasuke said he was, even if the boy didn't mean it. Not the way everyone just assumed he was... He was... He was a ninja. And ninjas didn't get scared in battle.
Before he knew what he was doing, he had his kunai in his uninjured hand, raising it up and slamming the sharp blade into the wound on the back of his hand. He could feel the warm drops of blood splatter away from the wound, could hear the collective gasps of his traveling companions, but he ignored the distractions, concentrating only on the pain. 'Why is there such a large difference? Why is there... I should be becoming stronger.' He never even heard Sakura talking to him as he gritted his teeth and mentally strengthened his resolve. 'I've completed many missions, and I practice jutsu every day by myself. I'm not going to need saving ever again. I'm not going to be afraid, and try to run... I won't lose to Sasuke... I swear it on this pain in my left hand.' They were still rivals despite their friendship, and that was what a rivalry WAS. He cared for Sasuke, but he was competition. He would not lose.
"With this kunai, I'll protect the old man." So profound was his concentration, Naruto hadn't even realized that he spoke that last part aloud. As he turned to face his team, the bloody kunai still deeply embedded in his hand, he could not suppress his grim smile of determination. "We're continuing this mission!"
"Naruto," Kakashi began, breaking the uncertain silence, "It's good to release the poison, but any more and you'll die from blood loss." It wasn't what the man wanted to say. It wasn't what any of them wanted to say, but it broke the tension.
In a heartbeat, the moment was over; the serious side of Naruto was once again buried beneath uncompromising walls of plastered smiles and hyperactive cheer as the young blonde immediately overreacted, leaping around and waving his arms.
Slightly apart from the noise that his blonde companion generated, Sasuke watched Kakashi-sensei treat Naruto's wound. He had reacted before he could think, leaping to his friend's rescue when it appeared that Naruto was in danger, but he wondered now if he had done the right thing. There had been true, heartfelt anger in those blue eyes before Kakashi-sensei had brought the boy up short.
Maybe next time he would let Naruto handle things by himself before he jumped in. Maybe next time... They would find a way to work together. He had no desire to steal the spotlight from the blonde. Maybe next time... He did not doubt that there would be a next time. He would be doubly careful from now on. For all of them.
............
A/N: To the three of you who got reviews in before I posted this - Thank you for your reviews =) I know that things are going slow and predictable right now, but I promise, I PROMISE that they will pick up and get more interesting again. I'm having a conflict between wanting the timeline to flow smoothly (and be longer than I think most people assume) and wanting to move the story along. The next chapter will get into the Zabuza fight, and hopefully things will truly start moving along from there. Thank you all for reading. Look for the next update tomorrow or Friday! And, of course, give me lots of love (aka reviews!).
Umm... I'm going to put this in its own little paragraph because I think it needs to be read. For those of you who don't like it when I follow the anime closely, you may want to skip this chapter. It's short, and it basically describes what happens in the fight with the chain ninjas. I thought very carefully about omitting this chapter from my fanfic, but after some consideration I decided to include it because of the added interaction between Sasuke and Naruto. This fight, short as it is, is their first real battle together, and it does have some significance, especially the part with the kunai. For that reason, this chapter is going to be very to the point. Again, you can probably skip it if you want, but I think that the thought processes of Naruto and Sasuke which I depict during the fight help add a little bit more flesh and realism to my story. Expect a slightly longer chapter tomorrow as long as I don't spend the entire night studying for my English midterm on Friday (and don't complain, you guys got two in one day!).
Disclaimer: As I'm sure you could have all guessed, Naruto's not mine, nor are any of the characters found therein.
............
The journey took more than Kakashi-sensei's allotted two weeks to complete. By the time Tazuna announced that they were nearing their destination, even Naruto's seemingly endless cheer was approaching its limits. As a group, they were sore, sleep deprived and generally grumpy. Nothing had broken the peace during the long days of walking except for the fights that Naruto purposely picked with both Sasuke and Sakura. Their conversations, which had been frequent in the beginning of the trip, had diminished to almost nothing as the days passed. The news that they had almost reached the end of this journey was heartening, as was the hope of a real meal and a warm bath.
They trudged along in silence, Naruto once again walking a few steps ahead of his companions. Idly, he noticed the puddle on the side of the road as he passed by, but it didn't really register, and he didn't think to say anything about it to his teammates. He wasn't really in the mood to bother with talking to anyone else at the moment. All it would do was start another argument...
Between one moment and the next, all hell broke loose. A pair of masked ninjas appeared from nowhere, encircling Kakashi-sensei with the wickedly spiked chain which connected them at the wrists and pulling before the three young ninjas could even react-
"One down," cackled one of the ninjas as the pair simultaneously yanked the chain and cruelly ripped the helpless Kakashi into pieces. To Naruto, their moves were impossibly fast. Even as Sakura reacted, screaming, to the sight of their sensei's remains falling to the ground in a bloody heap, the pair reappeared right behind Naruto. The blonde was frozen, unable to react.
"Two down," the same dry, emotionless voice laughed as the duo sent their chain to embrace Naruto just as it had Kakashi. Just like Kakashi-sensei, Naruto was going to die, and all he could do was stand there, paralyzed, and watch.
But - With unbelievable speed, Sasuke was there, leaping into the air with shirukin and kunai in hand. A moment later, the shirukin had trapped the chain against a nearby tree. As if by magic, the kunai blossomed in the center of the shirukin, effectively locking the whole metal flower in place. Unerringly, the black-haired boy landed on the outstretched arms of his two dumbstruck opponents, taking advantage of their shock to land a kick to each of their heads.
Eyes wide, Naruto could only stare as the two attacking ninjas broke free of their hindering chain and split up, one aiming for Naruto and the other running towards Sakura and Tazuna, forcing Sasuke to decide. Sakura was weaker than Naruto physically; she would need the most help, but Naruto... Naruto would have to take care of himself! Sheer seconds before the enemy reached Sakura, Sasuke sped between them, ready to defend her as he prayed Naruto was defending himself. Naruto could do this, he COULD. He could...
Sasuke never had the opportunity to finish the fight. From nowhere, Kakashi- sensei reappeared, disabling both of the attacking ninjas and swiftly taking charge of the entire situation. He threw an apology at Naruto, praised Sasuke and Sakura for their efforts and shot Tazuna an appraising look, mentioning calmly that he needed to speak with the bridge builder.
Absently, still in shock, Naruto picked himself up off the ground (when had he fallen?) and shakily tried to get to his feet. All he could think about was his failure. 'I couldn't do anything... Yet Sasuke... It was his first real battle too... Wasn't he scared at all? He looks as if nothing happened. He doesn't even have a speck of dust on him!' The Uchiha boy was standing nonchalantly, staring up into space, acting as though nothing had happened and deep down, Naruto felt an almost overwhelming urge to smack the smile off of his teammate's face. The compulsion made no sense; they were friends as well as teammates, but in this moment of failure the blonde could not help but resent his friend's success. At that moment, a small thought invaded and calmed the blonde's anger. 'He saved me...'
Abruptly, almost as though he were forcing himself to do so, Sasuke turned to face Naruto. "Hey."
The shorter boy stiffened, his recent uncharitable thoughts towards Sasuke not quite forgotten.
"You all right?" the dark-haired boy asked, a funny smile on his face. "Scaredy-cat..."
It was an act. It was an act it was an act it was an act. He had to say it. They were friends. He didn't mean it. He wasn't serious. It was an act. They were friends... It didn't matter. In the aftermath of his stinging failure, the jab was too much. Naruto snapped. They were friends, but Sasuke had no right. He had no RIGHT to rub Naruto's nose in his failures. "SASUKE!" he yelled, ready to launch himself at the other boy, only to be brought up short by Kakashi-sensei.
"Naruto! Their claws are soaked in poison. You must remove it quickly. We must open the wound and release the poisoned blood from your body. Don't move much. The poison will spread."
Looking down at the hand he hadn't even realized was in pain, the boy ground his teeth. Now that his attention had been brought to his injury, it HURT. Holding his wrist and gazing into the swollen red lips of the wound, Naruto tuned everything out, ignoring the interaction between his sensei and the bridge-maker. For a few moments, his whole world became the pain and the pain became his whole world until he became aware of the others staring at him.
"This might be too much. I guess we should return to the village to treat Naruto," Kakashi-sensei intoned, avoiding his student's questioning gaze.
What little composure the boy had regained in the few minutes since his last rebuke slipped away. They were NOT going to cancel this mission on his account. Because he couldn't fight. He was not dead last. Not the way Sasuke said he was, even if the boy didn't mean it. Not the way everyone just assumed he was... He was... He was a ninja. And ninjas didn't get scared in battle.
Before he knew what he was doing, he had his kunai in his uninjured hand, raising it up and slamming the sharp blade into the wound on the back of his hand. He could feel the warm drops of blood splatter away from the wound, could hear the collective gasps of his traveling companions, but he ignored the distractions, concentrating only on the pain. 'Why is there such a large difference? Why is there... I should be becoming stronger.' He never even heard Sakura talking to him as he gritted his teeth and mentally strengthened his resolve. 'I've completed many missions, and I practice jutsu every day by myself. I'm not going to need saving ever again. I'm not going to be afraid, and try to run... I won't lose to Sasuke... I swear it on this pain in my left hand.' They were still rivals despite their friendship, and that was what a rivalry WAS. He cared for Sasuke, but he was competition. He would not lose.
"With this kunai, I'll protect the old man." So profound was his concentration, Naruto hadn't even realized that he spoke that last part aloud. As he turned to face his team, the bloody kunai still deeply embedded in his hand, he could not suppress his grim smile of determination. "We're continuing this mission!"
"Naruto," Kakashi began, breaking the uncertain silence, "It's good to release the poison, but any more and you'll die from blood loss." It wasn't what the man wanted to say. It wasn't what any of them wanted to say, but it broke the tension.
In a heartbeat, the moment was over; the serious side of Naruto was once again buried beneath uncompromising walls of plastered smiles and hyperactive cheer as the young blonde immediately overreacted, leaping around and waving his arms.
Slightly apart from the noise that his blonde companion generated, Sasuke watched Kakashi-sensei treat Naruto's wound. He had reacted before he could think, leaping to his friend's rescue when it appeared that Naruto was in danger, but he wondered now if he had done the right thing. There had been true, heartfelt anger in those blue eyes before Kakashi-sensei had brought the boy up short.
Maybe next time he would let Naruto handle things by himself before he jumped in. Maybe next time... They would find a way to work together. He had no desire to steal the spotlight from the blonde. Maybe next time... He did not doubt that there would be a next time. He would be doubly careful from now on. For all of them.
............
A/N: To the three of you who got reviews in before I posted this - Thank you for your reviews =) I know that things are going slow and predictable right now, but I promise, I PROMISE that they will pick up and get more interesting again. I'm having a conflict between wanting the timeline to flow smoothly (and be longer than I think most people assume) and wanting to move the story along. The next chapter will get into the Zabuza fight, and hopefully things will truly start moving along from there. Thank you all for reading. Look for the next update tomorrow or Friday! And, of course, give me lots of love (aka reviews!).