Thanks for the reviews. They make me smile.
Warning: Spoilers, maybe.. but I'm thinking, if you're reading fanfics, you're fairly well versed in Naruto stuff, so you know more than I do. A bit of language, a bit of wordiness and a bit of seriousness on the side for balance. Oh yeah, I don't have beta readers, so there might be an occasional grammar mistake.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I can't even rent it..
----
Chapter 2 Train, Learn, Go.
The only noise in the room came from Akimichi Chouji as he worked his way through the third bag of potato chips for the morning. The constant crunching only served to grate on Shikamaru's nerves and made the headache already nagging at the back of his head come crawling to the forefront. Trying not to resent Chouji, he was a childhood friend of sorts, for his eating habits, Shikamaru turned his malicious glance from the chubby boy's rosy cheeked face to the real culprits who had caused him to have this incredibly bad mood.
However, Shikamaru's deadly glare bounced right off of Naruto and Sasuke who were busy ignoring each other to the point where all they could think about was each other and how much they would like to end the other's miserable existence. Their first night had been an unmitigated disaster with Naruto and Sasuke refusing to go to sleep first. They had basically stayed up all night, yelling insults at each other, and completely ruining Shikamaru's chance of getting any sleep.
If things kept up at this pace, Shikamaru might get off his lazy ass and kill the two of them in a messy and bloody way.
It wasn't only Shikamaru who was annoyed by Naruto and Sasuke's behavior, since their night time insult yelling had also disturbed the sleep of Neji and Lee who had the unfortunate luck to have the room next to theirs. Even though Neji had trained since an early age to ignore all distractions and fall into a peaceful meditative state when required, he had not been able to achieve his nirvana the night before. Of course, it had not helped that Lee had stayed up, listening and rooting for Naruto the whole way.
Therefore, the general atmosphere rocked precariously between annoyance and homicidal rage and the commanding officers took note of it as soon as they entered.
Well, three of them, anyway. Kakashi, as per usual, was nowhere to be seen.
"Let me guess and say no one got a good night's sleep?"
Kurenai's amused voiced pierced through the tense mood in the room and dispersed much of the ill will to the thin air. However, Naruto and Sasuke, who were still in the middle of their heated disagreement, paid her no mind and continued to ignore each other overtly.
"I'm Yuuhi Kurenai," she began pleasantly, "and I'm going to make sure you all survive out there."
That was a promise this time, not a damned hope. She did not want to lose anymore children in this war, especially those that she could protect. These twelve were her soldiers, her charges. They would survive the war intact, even if she had to lay down her life in exchange.
"And I'm Maito Gai!" So bellowed a muscular man in a leotard that should have only been worn by those who aerobicize, "and I will be here for you, if you want to talk, to spar, or to cry in my bosom!"
That caused most of the people in the room to shudder in revulsion, except for Lee who was enthusiastically clapping and cheering him on as fires of joy burned in his eyes.
"Technically, there is a fourth commander," Asuma said when Gai finished posing, "but as you rookies will learn, the man is never on time. For anything."
And so, introductions formally finished, the second day at the Special Academy was spent reviewing the concepts that they had learned in school. The first year veterans Neji, TenTen and Lee listened as well, but it was clear that only Lee was paying any attention. Of the nine rookies, it seemed that everyone was rather enraptured by the lecturing and the explaining, except for Naruto who had begun fidgeting almost immediately and Shikarmaru, who had finally the chance to get some sleep.
They relearned about the basics of all the jutsus, from the ninja arts of ninjutsu, the illusionary art of genjutsu and the physical art of taijutsu. They were told again about the war and its origins, the tactics previously employed by the Sound and its still yet unknown leader, and about the battle of Borderline that had decided everything.
Asuma droned on, punctuated only by Gai and Kurenai's occasional interruptions, about mission assignments and the defense perimeters. Sakura paid attention, despite the fact that she knew everything that was being reviewed; after all, she had been a great student and would be a good soldier. Obviously, she knew that there were five lines of defense, the fifth line being closest to Konoha and being the safest post and the first line being nearest to the Borderline and quite dangerous. She also knew that their two lines of offense were the most dangerous assignments, the death rate in the eighty percent range on average, and only the most elite and well trained battalions went there.
The pink haired girl smiled as the information she already knew was displayed before her capable mind. Wouldn't Sasuke just be so impressed by her intelligence and wouldn't Ino just burn with green envy?
As the officers finished up, a poof in the front of the classroom announced the belated arrival of their final commanding officer.
"Hey, I'm sorry I'm late, but I.." he began, running his right hand through his spiky and unruly silver hair. "You see, I ran into some rabid monkeys and.."
"Monkeys don't live near Konoha."
"Ah, my mistake, Asuma."
Naruto glanced at the new commanding officer and could only conclude that the silver haired one could not be that reliable. Not only was he late by three hours, a feat that not even Shikamaru could claim, this guy also was a terrible liar. The last of the Uchiha clan came to a similar conclusion, only adding that this new commander might be a bigger idiot than his blond roommate.
"Oh, yes, I'm Hatake Kakashi. That's all."
Yep, Sasuke grimaced, this Kakashi was most definitely on par with Naruto.
Just great.
--
"I'm telling you, this room isn't big enough for four people. It's barely enough for three."
"So? I just want to stay here until damned Chouji goes to sleep."
Shikamaru gave up trying to reason with Kiba. What was the point, anyway, since it seemed as if no one bothered to listen to him, most notably, his constantly at-war roommates.
"See," Kiba continued, his dark eyes unblinking and serious, "Chouji isn't a bad guy, but I think he wants to eat Akamaru. He's got that gleam, you know?"
Akamaru, Kiba's faithful companion dog, barked in assent as he burrowed further into Kiba's jacket. The dog and his master had not slept much the night before either, for they had been on Chouji look-out, in order to prevent Akamaru's sudden change in status from dog to stew.
"Kiba, even Chouji wouldn't eat a dog." Shikamaru mumbled as he sat on his bed. "Besides, you don't want to be here when Naruto and Sasuke get here."
"Man, are they as bad as I think they are? I'm surprised Sasuke hasn't murdered Naruto yet for that lap thing."
Shikamaru snorted and lied back on his bed, trying to get comfortable and as close to sleep as possible before the two of them returned. However, Kiba kept on talking, which put a major hindrance in his plans to sleep.
"I still can't see how Naruto made it. Sasuke, sure, he's the damned super genius ninja of the Uchiha clan, all fated to be, but Naruto?"
"Uh huh," replied Shikamaru, still trying to find peace in sleep.
"Naruto can't even do a simple transformation, or even create a clone. All he can do is run off at his mouth."
"Right," mumbled Shikamaru, feeling awfully put out that Kiba would not take the hint and just get out.
"And Naruto just antagonizes Sasuke without even trying. How they hell did those two ever get assigned together?"
"Don't.. care.."
"I'd hate to be in their way when they really start fighting, because Naruto would just get killed." Kiba continued, oblivious to Shikamaru's deep seeded wish to be left alone.
"I wish," he murmured to Kiba's statement, picturing just how quickly Sasuke could flay the blonde's flesh off with a simple ninjutsu.
"Maybe you're right," Kiba said as he made motions to stand, "and I'd better get gone before those two get back."
However, the sentiment came too late, for the dueling pair burst open the door at that exact moment, both of them holding their toothbrushes like kunais. After a brief struggle at the doorway that could not accommodate both of them at once, they barreled right over Kiba who happened to be sitting in the only pathway available to the beds.
'Oh, here we go again,' thought Shikamaru as he sighed once more. At least it looked like Kiba and Akamaru would get some rest tonight, seeing as how Naruto and Sasuke's rampage into the room had completely knocked the dog- boy senseless. Besides, neither the blond nor the Uchiha had noticed that they had run someone over, so busy they were with their rivalry.
Sighing again more out of habit than actual frustration, Shikamaru buried his head into the pillow and wished that he could knock himself out as well.
--
Perhaps the new soldiers of the 121 did not quite know that wars meant death and misery, or maybe they were still enamored by the romantic quality of a battle that they read about in books. Whatever the case, of the nine rookies, most of them were itching for action, some to prove that they were strong, some to relieve boredom, and some to experience what they had trained so hard for.
However, the commanding officers were somewhat relieved that for the first three weeks with the newly formed 121, no new mission orders had come through. Sure, they were somewhat dismayed that they were safe in Konoha while their fellow officers and soldiers were off dying on the blood soaked fields just beyond the massive walls, but they could not help but feel lucky that they had not been forced to send these fifteen and sixteen year olds to kill and be killed. They would appreciate it as long as it could last, because when the first battle came, it would change them all.
Hadn't Neji, TenTen and Lee already learned that harsh lesson?
The three weeks were not wasted, every spare moment devoted to strengthening their soldier's abilities and mental stamina. The four of them had divided the group of twelve into threes according to their skills and school scores, and had trained them to an inch of their life.
Kakashi, ever the nonchalant one, had chosen to train the group consisting of Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura. He knew that Sasuke and Naruto absolutely despised each other and considered the other a rival of sorts. The reason that he requested those two on the same team had been so that their rivalry would spring them beyond what each could achieve alone and it had paid off in spades. Those two developed astronomically, Sasuke learning jutsus that only the higher ups could use and Naruto becoming unbelievably strong. Sakura, the poor girl, had not the strength of chakra to keep up with either of them, but she was a bright one. Kakashi enjoyed furthering her knowledge on genjutsu and medical arts, knowing that she would never forget what had been told her once.
He knew that if anything amazing was to happen, it would come from the three he had trained so mercilessly. It had to, didn't it, what with the last of the Uchiha with his yet undiscovered Sharingan eyes and the Demon Bound with powers to match the gods under his tutelage.
It irked him that in the three weeks he had trained them that neither the Sharingan nor the power of the Demon had emerged, but he was a patient man. He was sure that if he trained them more, their innate talents would surface and their chances of survival would increase. Hell, if those two could manage to master their latent powers, it was entirely possible that the war could finally end.
Or at least, the Third Hokage thought that about Naruto. But Kakashi was willing to bet that if similar hopes were placed on Sasuke, he would not disappoint.
But all his hopes of training them until they discovered their powers went down the drain when at the end of the three weeks, mission orders came down. Battalion 121 would go off to the fifth line of defense and support the teams already there for the month ahead.
A month on the battlefield. A month in which the entire battalion could once again be wiped out, for so much promise to be blown out like a wispy candle light in a hurricane.
--
The wind ruffled his already messy hair and swept over him in a cleansing brush. The 121 had finally received orders and though it was to the fifth line, probably the safest place on the war front, it was still something other than sitting in the safety of Konoha training. It was what they had trained for, wasn't it, to go out into war and hopefully put a big enough dent in Sound's forces for at least a cease fire?
Besides, Naruto felt stronger than ever. When he had first stepped into the Special Academy, he had promised himself that he would be stronger, better than what he had been. He would improve in every way possible, and he had been successful beyond his expectations. Granted, the damned genius of all things jutsu Sasuke had overshadowed him with his quick learning and easy mastery over things that even the higher level ninjas could not handle, but he had his own strengths. He was stronger, for one, and had what Kakashi had called an idiotic amount of chakra and physical stamina.
Then there was Kakashi, the one both he and Sasuke had written off as a total loser. Not only did they change their minds about him being a loser and a weakling minutes after their training began, but they both genuinely respected the man's intelligence and strength. He was a monster, really, his chakra level so much higher than anyone else they'd ever met and his mastery over jutsus was something of a miracle. Sakura had told them, or Sasuke while Naruto eavesdropped, that Kakashi was the master of over a thousand jutsus according to records she had researched. Certainly, their silver haired, masked commander was a man to be reckoned with.
Even if his hobby was reading a book too dirty for him to even show them a sentence out of it.
Kakashi had made him stronger, that was for sure. Though it had ticked off the blond that Kakashi seemed more interested in Sasuke than him, he still could not argue that the one eyed pervert genius had helped him improve far beyond his original expectations. At least, he could be thankful for that, for in three weeks, Kakashi had made him and Sasuke better ninjas than all those years in school had.
So here he was, stronger and better, before going off to war, standing on the highest point in Konoha looking down at the city that was his home. Ten years ago, when everyone had evacuated to Konoha, Naruto had been so afraid that he would have been left behind. After all, he was an orphan, no one to call family, and ever since he could remember, he had been fending for his own. Then he had been picked up into the gentle arms of the Third Hokage who had personally carried him back to Konoha and made sure that he survived.
The blond knew that no one liked him, even now. He knew that almost every adult he looked at viewed him as something less than human, but he never let it get to him. What other people felt about him, he could not really help. All he could do was make sure they paid attention to him, so that he would not be left behind, so that he would not be forgotten. So what if everyone in Konoha, with the possible exception of the Hokage old man and Iruka, hated him down to the core? At least they wouldn't be forgetting any time soon.
Therefore, even if everyone hated him, Naruto did not mind going off to war. In fact, he relished in this chance given to him, so that he may prove himself to the people of Konoha that he was not so worthless. He could do things well, damn it, and he would damn well show them.
"Eleven hours till deployment, huh. What to do.."
Naruto sat, his chin perched on his hands, as he looked around Konoha from the top of the monuments. No one was supposed to be up here, of course, this place was off limits to just about everyone, but he had wanted a panoramic view of his home before he went outside the walls. And the only place he could do it was on top of the monument of the four Hokages carved in massive relief into the rock face that served as the town's rear wall.
If someone scolded him, so what? He'd be long gone before they could finish lecturing, fighting off a horde of war crazed Sound ninjas with his awesome powers.
His blue eyes glazed as he pictured himself in the throes of heroics. It featured him as the main character, the badass ninja, and it involved the thrashing of several hundreds, maybe even thousands of Sound ninjas, his unfortunate opponents, or rather, victims. And, as icing on the cake, one Uchiha Sasuke took the title role as the helpless injured comrade that he would rescue. Ah yes, it was beautiful in his little world until it was rudely interrupted by a snort.
"So this is where you ran off to."
Shit, of course with his luck, it had to be Sasuke standing there with that goddamned superior smirk on his face. Hadn't they already annoyed each other enough during the last three weeks as they competed against each other in order to be better? Hadn't Naruto spent many nights unable to sleep in anticipation of some surprise attack from his dark haired rival? Hadn't Sasuke already called him every word synonymous with idiot currently available in the lexicon?
In three weeks, he had seen more of Sasuke than anyone else, training with him by day and sleeping in the same room at night. They wrangled at each other, insulted, and yelled, or at least, Naruto yelled while Sasuke spat out various sarcastic remarks. Kakashi had told them if it weren't for the spitting animosity shooting out of their eyes every time they happen to be near each other, they would be mistaken for a married couple and that had earned Kakashi an attempt on his life from two irate boys.
It would seem, then, logically anyway, the day before battle, a day that their commanding officers had given them as a free day to do as they wished, Sasuke would not put 'find Naruto and bother the shit out him' on his to-do list.
But no, Sasuke was there, still smirking at him. Naruto's left eye began ticking rather ominously, but the dark haired ninja paid it no heed. After all, if he was intimidated by a bit of brow ticking, he had no business going off to war, now did he?
"How did you find me?" Naruto asked, his irritation clear in his posture and his tone. The irritation climbed another notch when Sasuke's smirk only got bigger and the hated rival dared to sit down next to him.
"Chakra locating," Sasuke replied smugly, "which is easy when your target is too incompetent to smother his signature."
"Shut up, asshole. I'm not incompetent, I'm just not doing it because we're in Konoha."
How Sasuke could convey a world of contempt through a snort was a mystery to Naruto, but damn it, he could do it.
"Don't let your guard down, ever, you idiot. You're going to end up dead the minute we get to battle with your attitude."
Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the boy sitting next to him. If it had not been Sasuke saying it, it might have sounded almost like concern.
"Don't piss me off, okay?" Naruto said, turning his eyes back on the view of Konoha below him.
"Why not? It's so damned easy."
"Because," the blond replied, his voice uncharacteristically gentle, "I want to see Konoha peacefully, in case. Just in case."
For the first time in their acquaintance, Naruto had spoken to him without the taint of malice or anger in his voice and that threw Sasuke for a loop. He had figured when he set out to find Naruto that he would get a good stress relief by arguing with his loud mouthed roommate, but apparently, that was not to be. Instead, he was faced with a quiet boy who was thinking serious thoughts.
"Don't say that," Sasuke answered just as gently, "because we'll come back. The only one who can kill you is me. I reserve that right as the one that you piss off the most."
"Yeah, I guess. I'd feel cheated if anyone other than me killed you, asshole."
So, the two sat on top of the monument of the four greatest ninjas of Fire country, looking out into the sunset coloring the landscape orange, and found some companionable silence and understanding.
--
Five in the morning, an hour usually designated for sleep or illegal activities, was the time that Battalion 121 gathered in the hall of the Special Academy, every single one of them awake and armed. As per instructions, they were all in the assigned dark colored uniform, their pouches, filled with shuriken and kunai, strapped to their legs and back, and their forehead protectors with the symbol of Konoha tied to various places on their bodies. Asuma gave a quick prayer to whichever god that still cared to bring them all back at the end of the month none too worse for wear, and Kurenai smiled encouragingly at her flock of young soldiers. They left the inspirational speech to Gai who was going at it full swing, his loud and strident voice echoing off the walls of the hall.
Of course, Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, but he would be along. Even if he was a chronic retard about punctuality, he was one of the best in the ninja army of Konoha. He would never miss a battle, especially not with so many children being rookies.
Naruto felt his hands shake in anticipation as he checked and rechecked all of his equipment. Although he felt vaguely uncomfortable in the newly issued uniform of entirely too many dark colors, he figured it had to be better than his usual orange jumpsuit. Kakashi was right, if he went to battle in glaring orange, he might as well as paint a bulls-eye on his ass and ask for Sound ninjas to use him for target practice.
He looked around him and saw that all his battalion mates were in similar condition as he, somewhere between anticipation and crippling fear. Well, except for the three veterans of their group. They seemed to be more composed, but they had already seen action, already been through all this. Still, Lee was fired up, his eyes twin dark pools of fighting spirit underneath those impossibly thick eyebrows, while Neji was more reserved, only clenching his fist to show that he was ready. TenTen seemed withdrawn, but Naruto hardly knew her, so he could not judge whether or not she was ready for battle.
Then there was Sasuke, of course, the ice prince himself, not even showing that he was excited or scared or anything. His rival stood next to him, composed as ever, his dark eyes empty of emotions that he knew was burning a hole through his baby blues. What was up with that?
"We're all here," Naruto heard Gai say, "to fight for Konoha and our future. Be brave, be stupendous, and be alive."
With that, Battalion 121 filed out of the hall to march onto the battle field.
-- TBC --
Warning: Spoilers, maybe.. but I'm thinking, if you're reading fanfics, you're fairly well versed in Naruto stuff, so you know more than I do. A bit of language, a bit of wordiness and a bit of seriousness on the side for balance. Oh yeah, I don't have beta readers, so there might be an occasional grammar mistake.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I can't even rent it..
----
Chapter 2 Train, Learn, Go.
The only noise in the room came from Akimichi Chouji as he worked his way through the third bag of potato chips for the morning. The constant crunching only served to grate on Shikamaru's nerves and made the headache already nagging at the back of his head come crawling to the forefront. Trying not to resent Chouji, he was a childhood friend of sorts, for his eating habits, Shikamaru turned his malicious glance from the chubby boy's rosy cheeked face to the real culprits who had caused him to have this incredibly bad mood.
However, Shikamaru's deadly glare bounced right off of Naruto and Sasuke who were busy ignoring each other to the point where all they could think about was each other and how much they would like to end the other's miserable existence. Their first night had been an unmitigated disaster with Naruto and Sasuke refusing to go to sleep first. They had basically stayed up all night, yelling insults at each other, and completely ruining Shikamaru's chance of getting any sleep.
If things kept up at this pace, Shikamaru might get off his lazy ass and kill the two of them in a messy and bloody way.
It wasn't only Shikamaru who was annoyed by Naruto and Sasuke's behavior, since their night time insult yelling had also disturbed the sleep of Neji and Lee who had the unfortunate luck to have the room next to theirs. Even though Neji had trained since an early age to ignore all distractions and fall into a peaceful meditative state when required, he had not been able to achieve his nirvana the night before. Of course, it had not helped that Lee had stayed up, listening and rooting for Naruto the whole way.
Therefore, the general atmosphere rocked precariously between annoyance and homicidal rage and the commanding officers took note of it as soon as they entered.
Well, three of them, anyway. Kakashi, as per usual, was nowhere to be seen.
"Let me guess and say no one got a good night's sleep?"
Kurenai's amused voiced pierced through the tense mood in the room and dispersed much of the ill will to the thin air. However, Naruto and Sasuke, who were still in the middle of their heated disagreement, paid her no mind and continued to ignore each other overtly.
"I'm Yuuhi Kurenai," she began pleasantly, "and I'm going to make sure you all survive out there."
That was a promise this time, not a damned hope. She did not want to lose anymore children in this war, especially those that she could protect. These twelve were her soldiers, her charges. They would survive the war intact, even if she had to lay down her life in exchange.
"And I'm Maito Gai!" So bellowed a muscular man in a leotard that should have only been worn by those who aerobicize, "and I will be here for you, if you want to talk, to spar, or to cry in my bosom!"
That caused most of the people in the room to shudder in revulsion, except for Lee who was enthusiastically clapping and cheering him on as fires of joy burned in his eyes.
"Technically, there is a fourth commander," Asuma said when Gai finished posing, "but as you rookies will learn, the man is never on time. For anything."
And so, introductions formally finished, the second day at the Special Academy was spent reviewing the concepts that they had learned in school. The first year veterans Neji, TenTen and Lee listened as well, but it was clear that only Lee was paying any attention. Of the nine rookies, it seemed that everyone was rather enraptured by the lecturing and the explaining, except for Naruto who had begun fidgeting almost immediately and Shikarmaru, who had finally the chance to get some sleep.
They relearned about the basics of all the jutsus, from the ninja arts of ninjutsu, the illusionary art of genjutsu and the physical art of taijutsu. They were told again about the war and its origins, the tactics previously employed by the Sound and its still yet unknown leader, and about the battle of Borderline that had decided everything.
Asuma droned on, punctuated only by Gai and Kurenai's occasional interruptions, about mission assignments and the defense perimeters. Sakura paid attention, despite the fact that she knew everything that was being reviewed; after all, she had been a great student and would be a good soldier. Obviously, she knew that there were five lines of defense, the fifth line being closest to Konoha and being the safest post and the first line being nearest to the Borderline and quite dangerous. She also knew that their two lines of offense were the most dangerous assignments, the death rate in the eighty percent range on average, and only the most elite and well trained battalions went there.
The pink haired girl smiled as the information she already knew was displayed before her capable mind. Wouldn't Sasuke just be so impressed by her intelligence and wouldn't Ino just burn with green envy?
As the officers finished up, a poof in the front of the classroom announced the belated arrival of their final commanding officer.
"Hey, I'm sorry I'm late, but I.." he began, running his right hand through his spiky and unruly silver hair. "You see, I ran into some rabid monkeys and.."
"Monkeys don't live near Konoha."
"Ah, my mistake, Asuma."
Naruto glanced at the new commanding officer and could only conclude that the silver haired one could not be that reliable. Not only was he late by three hours, a feat that not even Shikamaru could claim, this guy also was a terrible liar. The last of the Uchiha clan came to a similar conclusion, only adding that this new commander might be a bigger idiot than his blond roommate.
"Oh, yes, I'm Hatake Kakashi. That's all."
Yep, Sasuke grimaced, this Kakashi was most definitely on par with Naruto.
Just great.
--
"I'm telling you, this room isn't big enough for four people. It's barely enough for three."
"So? I just want to stay here until damned Chouji goes to sleep."
Shikamaru gave up trying to reason with Kiba. What was the point, anyway, since it seemed as if no one bothered to listen to him, most notably, his constantly at-war roommates.
"See," Kiba continued, his dark eyes unblinking and serious, "Chouji isn't a bad guy, but I think he wants to eat Akamaru. He's got that gleam, you know?"
Akamaru, Kiba's faithful companion dog, barked in assent as he burrowed further into Kiba's jacket. The dog and his master had not slept much the night before either, for they had been on Chouji look-out, in order to prevent Akamaru's sudden change in status from dog to stew.
"Kiba, even Chouji wouldn't eat a dog." Shikamaru mumbled as he sat on his bed. "Besides, you don't want to be here when Naruto and Sasuke get here."
"Man, are they as bad as I think they are? I'm surprised Sasuke hasn't murdered Naruto yet for that lap thing."
Shikamaru snorted and lied back on his bed, trying to get comfortable and as close to sleep as possible before the two of them returned. However, Kiba kept on talking, which put a major hindrance in his plans to sleep.
"I still can't see how Naruto made it. Sasuke, sure, he's the damned super genius ninja of the Uchiha clan, all fated to be, but Naruto?"
"Uh huh," replied Shikamaru, still trying to find peace in sleep.
"Naruto can't even do a simple transformation, or even create a clone. All he can do is run off at his mouth."
"Right," mumbled Shikamaru, feeling awfully put out that Kiba would not take the hint and just get out.
"And Naruto just antagonizes Sasuke without even trying. How they hell did those two ever get assigned together?"
"Don't.. care.."
"I'd hate to be in their way when they really start fighting, because Naruto would just get killed." Kiba continued, oblivious to Shikamaru's deep seeded wish to be left alone.
"I wish," he murmured to Kiba's statement, picturing just how quickly Sasuke could flay the blonde's flesh off with a simple ninjutsu.
"Maybe you're right," Kiba said as he made motions to stand, "and I'd better get gone before those two get back."
However, the sentiment came too late, for the dueling pair burst open the door at that exact moment, both of them holding their toothbrushes like kunais. After a brief struggle at the doorway that could not accommodate both of them at once, they barreled right over Kiba who happened to be sitting in the only pathway available to the beds.
'Oh, here we go again,' thought Shikamaru as he sighed once more. At least it looked like Kiba and Akamaru would get some rest tonight, seeing as how Naruto and Sasuke's rampage into the room had completely knocked the dog- boy senseless. Besides, neither the blond nor the Uchiha had noticed that they had run someone over, so busy they were with their rivalry.
Sighing again more out of habit than actual frustration, Shikamaru buried his head into the pillow and wished that he could knock himself out as well.
--
Perhaps the new soldiers of the 121 did not quite know that wars meant death and misery, or maybe they were still enamored by the romantic quality of a battle that they read about in books. Whatever the case, of the nine rookies, most of them were itching for action, some to prove that they were strong, some to relieve boredom, and some to experience what they had trained so hard for.
However, the commanding officers were somewhat relieved that for the first three weeks with the newly formed 121, no new mission orders had come through. Sure, they were somewhat dismayed that they were safe in Konoha while their fellow officers and soldiers were off dying on the blood soaked fields just beyond the massive walls, but they could not help but feel lucky that they had not been forced to send these fifteen and sixteen year olds to kill and be killed. They would appreciate it as long as it could last, because when the first battle came, it would change them all.
Hadn't Neji, TenTen and Lee already learned that harsh lesson?
The three weeks were not wasted, every spare moment devoted to strengthening their soldier's abilities and mental stamina. The four of them had divided the group of twelve into threes according to their skills and school scores, and had trained them to an inch of their life.
Kakashi, ever the nonchalant one, had chosen to train the group consisting of Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura. He knew that Sasuke and Naruto absolutely despised each other and considered the other a rival of sorts. The reason that he requested those two on the same team had been so that their rivalry would spring them beyond what each could achieve alone and it had paid off in spades. Those two developed astronomically, Sasuke learning jutsus that only the higher ups could use and Naruto becoming unbelievably strong. Sakura, the poor girl, had not the strength of chakra to keep up with either of them, but she was a bright one. Kakashi enjoyed furthering her knowledge on genjutsu and medical arts, knowing that she would never forget what had been told her once.
He knew that if anything amazing was to happen, it would come from the three he had trained so mercilessly. It had to, didn't it, what with the last of the Uchiha with his yet undiscovered Sharingan eyes and the Demon Bound with powers to match the gods under his tutelage.
It irked him that in the three weeks he had trained them that neither the Sharingan nor the power of the Demon had emerged, but he was a patient man. He was sure that if he trained them more, their innate talents would surface and their chances of survival would increase. Hell, if those two could manage to master their latent powers, it was entirely possible that the war could finally end.
Or at least, the Third Hokage thought that about Naruto. But Kakashi was willing to bet that if similar hopes were placed on Sasuke, he would not disappoint.
But all his hopes of training them until they discovered their powers went down the drain when at the end of the three weeks, mission orders came down. Battalion 121 would go off to the fifth line of defense and support the teams already there for the month ahead.
A month on the battlefield. A month in which the entire battalion could once again be wiped out, for so much promise to be blown out like a wispy candle light in a hurricane.
--
The wind ruffled his already messy hair and swept over him in a cleansing brush. The 121 had finally received orders and though it was to the fifth line, probably the safest place on the war front, it was still something other than sitting in the safety of Konoha training. It was what they had trained for, wasn't it, to go out into war and hopefully put a big enough dent in Sound's forces for at least a cease fire?
Besides, Naruto felt stronger than ever. When he had first stepped into the Special Academy, he had promised himself that he would be stronger, better than what he had been. He would improve in every way possible, and he had been successful beyond his expectations. Granted, the damned genius of all things jutsu Sasuke had overshadowed him with his quick learning and easy mastery over things that even the higher level ninjas could not handle, but he had his own strengths. He was stronger, for one, and had what Kakashi had called an idiotic amount of chakra and physical stamina.
Then there was Kakashi, the one both he and Sasuke had written off as a total loser. Not only did they change their minds about him being a loser and a weakling minutes after their training began, but they both genuinely respected the man's intelligence and strength. He was a monster, really, his chakra level so much higher than anyone else they'd ever met and his mastery over jutsus was something of a miracle. Sakura had told them, or Sasuke while Naruto eavesdropped, that Kakashi was the master of over a thousand jutsus according to records she had researched. Certainly, their silver haired, masked commander was a man to be reckoned with.
Even if his hobby was reading a book too dirty for him to even show them a sentence out of it.
Kakashi had made him stronger, that was for sure. Though it had ticked off the blond that Kakashi seemed more interested in Sasuke than him, he still could not argue that the one eyed pervert genius had helped him improve far beyond his original expectations. At least, he could be thankful for that, for in three weeks, Kakashi had made him and Sasuke better ninjas than all those years in school had.
So here he was, stronger and better, before going off to war, standing on the highest point in Konoha looking down at the city that was his home. Ten years ago, when everyone had evacuated to Konoha, Naruto had been so afraid that he would have been left behind. After all, he was an orphan, no one to call family, and ever since he could remember, he had been fending for his own. Then he had been picked up into the gentle arms of the Third Hokage who had personally carried him back to Konoha and made sure that he survived.
The blond knew that no one liked him, even now. He knew that almost every adult he looked at viewed him as something less than human, but he never let it get to him. What other people felt about him, he could not really help. All he could do was make sure they paid attention to him, so that he would not be left behind, so that he would not be forgotten. So what if everyone in Konoha, with the possible exception of the Hokage old man and Iruka, hated him down to the core? At least they wouldn't be forgetting any time soon.
Therefore, even if everyone hated him, Naruto did not mind going off to war. In fact, he relished in this chance given to him, so that he may prove himself to the people of Konoha that he was not so worthless. He could do things well, damn it, and he would damn well show them.
"Eleven hours till deployment, huh. What to do.."
Naruto sat, his chin perched on his hands, as he looked around Konoha from the top of the monuments. No one was supposed to be up here, of course, this place was off limits to just about everyone, but he had wanted a panoramic view of his home before he went outside the walls. And the only place he could do it was on top of the monument of the four Hokages carved in massive relief into the rock face that served as the town's rear wall.
If someone scolded him, so what? He'd be long gone before they could finish lecturing, fighting off a horde of war crazed Sound ninjas with his awesome powers.
His blue eyes glazed as he pictured himself in the throes of heroics. It featured him as the main character, the badass ninja, and it involved the thrashing of several hundreds, maybe even thousands of Sound ninjas, his unfortunate opponents, or rather, victims. And, as icing on the cake, one Uchiha Sasuke took the title role as the helpless injured comrade that he would rescue. Ah yes, it was beautiful in his little world until it was rudely interrupted by a snort.
"So this is where you ran off to."
Shit, of course with his luck, it had to be Sasuke standing there with that goddamned superior smirk on his face. Hadn't they already annoyed each other enough during the last three weeks as they competed against each other in order to be better? Hadn't Naruto spent many nights unable to sleep in anticipation of some surprise attack from his dark haired rival? Hadn't Sasuke already called him every word synonymous with idiot currently available in the lexicon?
In three weeks, he had seen more of Sasuke than anyone else, training with him by day and sleeping in the same room at night. They wrangled at each other, insulted, and yelled, or at least, Naruto yelled while Sasuke spat out various sarcastic remarks. Kakashi had told them if it weren't for the spitting animosity shooting out of their eyes every time they happen to be near each other, they would be mistaken for a married couple and that had earned Kakashi an attempt on his life from two irate boys.
It would seem, then, logically anyway, the day before battle, a day that their commanding officers had given them as a free day to do as they wished, Sasuke would not put 'find Naruto and bother the shit out him' on his to-do list.
But no, Sasuke was there, still smirking at him. Naruto's left eye began ticking rather ominously, but the dark haired ninja paid it no heed. After all, if he was intimidated by a bit of brow ticking, he had no business going off to war, now did he?
"How did you find me?" Naruto asked, his irritation clear in his posture and his tone. The irritation climbed another notch when Sasuke's smirk only got bigger and the hated rival dared to sit down next to him.
"Chakra locating," Sasuke replied smugly, "which is easy when your target is too incompetent to smother his signature."
"Shut up, asshole. I'm not incompetent, I'm just not doing it because we're in Konoha."
How Sasuke could convey a world of contempt through a snort was a mystery to Naruto, but damn it, he could do it.
"Don't let your guard down, ever, you idiot. You're going to end up dead the minute we get to battle with your attitude."
Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the boy sitting next to him. If it had not been Sasuke saying it, it might have sounded almost like concern.
"Don't piss me off, okay?" Naruto said, turning his eyes back on the view of Konoha below him.
"Why not? It's so damned easy."
"Because," the blond replied, his voice uncharacteristically gentle, "I want to see Konoha peacefully, in case. Just in case."
For the first time in their acquaintance, Naruto had spoken to him without the taint of malice or anger in his voice and that threw Sasuke for a loop. He had figured when he set out to find Naruto that he would get a good stress relief by arguing with his loud mouthed roommate, but apparently, that was not to be. Instead, he was faced with a quiet boy who was thinking serious thoughts.
"Don't say that," Sasuke answered just as gently, "because we'll come back. The only one who can kill you is me. I reserve that right as the one that you piss off the most."
"Yeah, I guess. I'd feel cheated if anyone other than me killed you, asshole."
So, the two sat on top of the monument of the four greatest ninjas of Fire country, looking out into the sunset coloring the landscape orange, and found some companionable silence and understanding.
--
Five in the morning, an hour usually designated for sleep or illegal activities, was the time that Battalion 121 gathered in the hall of the Special Academy, every single one of them awake and armed. As per instructions, they were all in the assigned dark colored uniform, their pouches, filled with shuriken and kunai, strapped to their legs and back, and their forehead protectors with the symbol of Konoha tied to various places on their bodies. Asuma gave a quick prayer to whichever god that still cared to bring them all back at the end of the month none too worse for wear, and Kurenai smiled encouragingly at her flock of young soldiers. They left the inspirational speech to Gai who was going at it full swing, his loud and strident voice echoing off the walls of the hall.
Of course, Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, but he would be along. Even if he was a chronic retard about punctuality, he was one of the best in the ninja army of Konoha. He would never miss a battle, especially not with so many children being rookies.
Naruto felt his hands shake in anticipation as he checked and rechecked all of his equipment. Although he felt vaguely uncomfortable in the newly issued uniform of entirely too many dark colors, he figured it had to be better than his usual orange jumpsuit. Kakashi was right, if he went to battle in glaring orange, he might as well as paint a bulls-eye on his ass and ask for Sound ninjas to use him for target practice.
He looked around him and saw that all his battalion mates were in similar condition as he, somewhere between anticipation and crippling fear. Well, except for the three veterans of their group. They seemed to be more composed, but they had already seen action, already been through all this. Still, Lee was fired up, his eyes twin dark pools of fighting spirit underneath those impossibly thick eyebrows, while Neji was more reserved, only clenching his fist to show that he was ready. TenTen seemed withdrawn, but Naruto hardly knew her, so he could not judge whether or not she was ready for battle.
Then there was Sasuke, of course, the ice prince himself, not even showing that he was excited or scared or anything. His rival stood next to him, composed as ever, his dark eyes empty of emotions that he knew was burning a hole through his baby blues. What was up with that?
"We're all here," Naruto heard Gai say, "to fight for Konoha and our future. Be brave, be stupendous, and be alive."
With that, Battalion 121 filed out of the hall to march onto the battle field.
-- TBC --