Sasuke stared after Naruto, ignoring Iaka for the time being. Why would
Naruto have given up on his dream just like that? With the new scroll, they
would have no trouble becoming stronger than the Hokage. Wasn't that what
Naruto had always wanted – to prove that he was someone too?
Iaka called his attention back to her, hesitantly offering the forehead protector to him. "Do you also forfeit your rank as genin? If you do, one student will have to retake the course. Are the two of you really that selfish?"
Sasuke had been ready to answer, but this stopped him again. He glanced back to where Naruto had gone. "He's only doing this because of me," he thought uncertainly. "Who would – no." Naruto was the only one that mattered in this decision. He smirked, choice made. "No thank you. It's unnecessary."
Iaka staggered back, confused. "Why would you two refuse the extra training . . . ?"
"People become genins and go up from there in rank either because they need the challenge to push them to become stronger, or because they want to show off their strength." Sasuke snorted. "We're not them. Thank you, but you may leave now."
Blinking, Iaka nodded. "I understand," she whispered. She turned to leave. "Good luck." Outside the door, she stared at her empty hands. Hopefully Sasuke wouldn't find the hitai-ate until she was too far away for him to return them.
"Dobe. Why'd you give it all up like that?" Sasuke asked the empty room. Naruto could hear him, he was sure of it, but he got no reply. Shaking his head, he picked up the hitai-ate by the door. He'd known she'd leave them – that was the sort of person she was. What he didn't expect was the note:
Sasuke and Naruto: Don't be surprised – reading people is really my only real ability, but I'm better at it than anyone else you know yet. You gave everything up to go after Itachi, right? In that case, I'll put you on a team with Haruno Sakura. The three of you will make up Team Seven, and you instructor will be Hatake Kakashi. He's currently on an ANBU mission and won't be able to teach you for a while, but that won't matter too much. Just focus on learning the things in that scroll, and you should become strong enough on your own. My only request is that you leave the village and take Sakura with you. That scroll contains high-level genjutsu, and I think that's what she could learn the most from. It'd be best for you, Naruto, to learn techniques that require enormous amounts of charka, and for you, Sasuke, to master the Sharingan. Once you do meet up with Kakashi, ask him to teach you Chidori too, all right? Come back for the Chuunin exams and don't get caught if hunter-nins come after you. I'll try to keep them off your back for as long as possible.
Morochi Iaka
"She's pretty good."
Sasuke spun around to see Naruto with a pack on.
"So are we picking up Sakura then? It was sort of her last request – it's the least we could do for her. Besides, I sure can't cook," Naruto added with a grin.
Sasuke nodded with a slight grin of his own. "What took you so long?"
Sticking out his tongue, Naruto grabbed the scroll, quickly checking that it wasn't a fake, and walked out the door. Sasuke frowned. Naruto must have realized that they'd be under surveillance and sneaking out would be suspicious if they were caught. Planning wasn't usually Naruto's thing. Sasuke didn't mention it though, simply walking next to the blonde, careful to look casual.
Not twenty seconds after passing the gates of his manor, Sasuke spotted an approaching storm of fangirls. In the lead, as always, were Sakura and Ino. He sighed, glancing at the now smug Naruto. So he hadn't been trying avoid looking suspicious, but on using their fanclub's predictability to get Sakura. It was still pretty good planning, but not anywhere near as impressive.
"Sasuke-kun! Naruto-kun!"
Both boys winced at the shrill cry – the sound of their impending doom if they didn't move soon. Making only a slight change in their usual route of escape, they swept past the horde. It took several minutes before Ino and company realized that not only were the object of their affection no longer before them, but Sakura had gone missing as well. "Damn. Back to your houses girls! We try again tomorrow!" Following Ino's order, thirty or so girls wandered back into their usual routines looking only slightly disappointed. It always ended like this, although Sakura going missing as well was an unexpected change. None of them thought much of it though. Of all of them, she was probably the only one who truly had any feelings what- so-ever for the two boys. Ino surmised that she was probably at home crying or some other such thing. Maybe later she'd go comfort her.
Meanwhile, Sakura was having some difficulty breathing, not because she'd been bound and gagged and was being held down completely without her permission, but because she'd been bound and gagged and was being held down completely without her permission by Sasuke and Naruto!
"Oi. Calm down or we're leaving without you," muttered Naruto as he shifted his weight off her. Sasuke rolled his eyes – there was no way Naruto would leave without Sakura. He'd had a crush on her since before either boy could possibly hope to remember. She didn't know of course, which suited Naruto just fine. He didn't much care for how she liked him – it was too fanatical.
Finally Sakura stopped struggling, alarm filling her eyes. "Mrefing?" The boys blinked and removed her gag. Immediately she began ranting. "How can you leave? You're the strongest, best, most popular guys in Konoha and you're leaving? Do you even have permission? If you don't you'll become missing-nins and –"
"Shut up. We're leaving, we'll become missing-nins, and you're going with us."
Sakura glared at Sasuke. "If you leave I'll –"she stopped, brow furrowed in confusiong. "I'm going with you?"
Naruto grinned. "There! She said it, so now it's not really without consent so let's go!"
Sasuke nodded and grabbed her arm. Sakura glanced about wildly. They may have been her lust objects for longer than she could remember, but what about her friends? What about her family?
"Wait! Where are we going?!"
Four minutes later they reached the gates of Konoha with Sakura still in tow and no long fighting them. She instead was merely watching the proceedings. After all, being kidnapped by the two most sought after guys in the village wasn't the worst thing that could happen to a girl, right?
"Where do you three think you're going?"
Sakura's eyes widened as the group came to an abrupt halt before a suspicious jounin. Sasuke quickly pulled her closer to hide her still bound hands. Sakura blushed, but realized she shouldn't say anything. If she did, and said the wrong thing, Naruto and Sasuke would get in trouble. At least, that's what would happen if she were any other fan, but she wasn't. She was Haruno Sakura. Using a simple rope untying jutsu, she freed herself and pushed back the still hesitating boys.
"We have a mission for our new instructor. He's on a mission and so could come to escort us out, but acknowledged that we're capable of carrying it out on our own."
The jounin raised and eyebrow and leaned back against the gate. "Who's your instructor then?"
Sakura froze. She didn't know that yet. Luckily, Naruto stepped up to the man and smirked.
"Hatake Kakashi. Do we need to report this to him?"
The jounin straightened. "I – I'm sorry. I didn't know. Let them through!" He shouted to the other ninja gathering around. The trio grinned and walked through. Once past the gates, Naruto spun around.
"All right Team Seven! Let's go!"
Iaka called his attention back to her, hesitantly offering the forehead protector to him. "Do you also forfeit your rank as genin? If you do, one student will have to retake the course. Are the two of you really that selfish?"
Sasuke had been ready to answer, but this stopped him again. He glanced back to where Naruto had gone. "He's only doing this because of me," he thought uncertainly. "Who would – no." Naruto was the only one that mattered in this decision. He smirked, choice made. "No thank you. It's unnecessary."
Iaka staggered back, confused. "Why would you two refuse the extra training . . . ?"
"People become genins and go up from there in rank either because they need the challenge to push them to become stronger, or because they want to show off their strength." Sasuke snorted. "We're not them. Thank you, but you may leave now."
Blinking, Iaka nodded. "I understand," she whispered. She turned to leave. "Good luck." Outside the door, she stared at her empty hands. Hopefully Sasuke wouldn't find the hitai-ate until she was too far away for him to return them.
"Dobe. Why'd you give it all up like that?" Sasuke asked the empty room. Naruto could hear him, he was sure of it, but he got no reply. Shaking his head, he picked up the hitai-ate by the door. He'd known she'd leave them – that was the sort of person she was. What he didn't expect was the note:
Sasuke and Naruto: Don't be surprised – reading people is really my only real ability, but I'm better at it than anyone else you know yet. You gave everything up to go after Itachi, right? In that case, I'll put you on a team with Haruno Sakura. The three of you will make up Team Seven, and you instructor will be Hatake Kakashi. He's currently on an ANBU mission and won't be able to teach you for a while, but that won't matter too much. Just focus on learning the things in that scroll, and you should become strong enough on your own. My only request is that you leave the village and take Sakura with you. That scroll contains high-level genjutsu, and I think that's what she could learn the most from. It'd be best for you, Naruto, to learn techniques that require enormous amounts of charka, and for you, Sasuke, to master the Sharingan. Once you do meet up with Kakashi, ask him to teach you Chidori too, all right? Come back for the Chuunin exams and don't get caught if hunter-nins come after you. I'll try to keep them off your back for as long as possible.
Morochi Iaka
"She's pretty good."
Sasuke spun around to see Naruto with a pack on.
"So are we picking up Sakura then? It was sort of her last request – it's the least we could do for her. Besides, I sure can't cook," Naruto added with a grin.
Sasuke nodded with a slight grin of his own. "What took you so long?"
Sticking out his tongue, Naruto grabbed the scroll, quickly checking that it wasn't a fake, and walked out the door. Sasuke frowned. Naruto must have realized that they'd be under surveillance and sneaking out would be suspicious if they were caught. Planning wasn't usually Naruto's thing. Sasuke didn't mention it though, simply walking next to the blonde, careful to look casual.
Not twenty seconds after passing the gates of his manor, Sasuke spotted an approaching storm of fangirls. In the lead, as always, were Sakura and Ino. He sighed, glancing at the now smug Naruto. So he hadn't been trying avoid looking suspicious, but on using their fanclub's predictability to get Sakura. It was still pretty good planning, but not anywhere near as impressive.
"Sasuke-kun! Naruto-kun!"
Both boys winced at the shrill cry – the sound of their impending doom if they didn't move soon. Making only a slight change in their usual route of escape, they swept past the horde. It took several minutes before Ino and company realized that not only were the object of their affection no longer before them, but Sakura had gone missing as well. "Damn. Back to your houses girls! We try again tomorrow!" Following Ino's order, thirty or so girls wandered back into their usual routines looking only slightly disappointed. It always ended like this, although Sakura going missing as well was an unexpected change. None of them thought much of it though. Of all of them, she was probably the only one who truly had any feelings what- so-ever for the two boys. Ino surmised that she was probably at home crying or some other such thing. Maybe later she'd go comfort her.
Meanwhile, Sakura was having some difficulty breathing, not because she'd been bound and gagged and was being held down completely without her permission, but because she'd been bound and gagged and was being held down completely without her permission by Sasuke and Naruto!
"Oi. Calm down or we're leaving without you," muttered Naruto as he shifted his weight off her. Sasuke rolled his eyes – there was no way Naruto would leave without Sakura. He'd had a crush on her since before either boy could possibly hope to remember. She didn't know of course, which suited Naruto just fine. He didn't much care for how she liked him – it was too fanatical.
Finally Sakura stopped struggling, alarm filling her eyes. "Mrefing?" The boys blinked and removed her gag. Immediately she began ranting. "How can you leave? You're the strongest, best, most popular guys in Konoha and you're leaving? Do you even have permission? If you don't you'll become missing-nins and –"
"Shut up. We're leaving, we'll become missing-nins, and you're going with us."
Sakura glared at Sasuke. "If you leave I'll –"she stopped, brow furrowed in confusiong. "I'm going with you?"
Naruto grinned. "There! She said it, so now it's not really without consent so let's go!"
Sasuke nodded and grabbed her arm. Sakura glanced about wildly. They may have been her lust objects for longer than she could remember, but what about her friends? What about her family?
"Wait! Where are we going?!"
Four minutes later they reached the gates of Konoha with Sakura still in tow and no long fighting them. She instead was merely watching the proceedings. After all, being kidnapped by the two most sought after guys in the village wasn't the worst thing that could happen to a girl, right?
"Where do you three think you're going?"
Sakura's eyes widened as the group came to an abrupt halt before a suspicious jounin. Sasuke quickly pulled her closer to hide her still bound hands. Sakura blushed, but realized she shouldn't say anything. If she did, and said the wrong thing, Naruto and Sasuke would get in trouble. At least, that's what would happen if she were any other fan, but she wasn't. She was Haruno Sakura. Using a simple rope untying jutsu, she freed herself and pushed back the still hesitating boys.
"We have a mission for our new instructor. He's on a mission and so could come to escort us out, but acknowledged that we're capable of carrying it out on our own."
The jounin raised and eyebrow and leaned back against the gate. "Who's your instructor then?"
Sakura froze. She didn't know that yet. Luckily, Naruto stepped up to the man and smirked.
"Hatake Kakashi. Do we need to report this to him?"
The jounin straightened. "I – I'm sorry. I didn't know. Let them through!" He shouted to the other ninja gathering around. The trio grinned and walked through. Once past the gates, Naruto spun around.
"All right Team Seven! Let's go!"