Disclaimer: I henceforth announce that Naruto is the sole property of Kishimoto, and Kishimoto is not me.

Author's Note: I was just reading through chapter 238 of the Naruto manga again, and then watching the old episodes of Naruto. And hence this fic Enjoy! Any criticism/comments are, of course, welcome.

Those Times Three Years Ago

A Naruto fan-fiction

Three years is a long time.

In three years, you can shoot up a couple of inches. You can grow your hair long again, almost as long as before you cut it with a kunai to prove a point. You can take the Chuunin Exam again after failing your first time round when you were just a rookie Genin. You can add more style and flavour into your appearance.

You can blossom from a tiny, green bud into a beautiful flower.

But in three years, you can't forget the things which happened three years ago. You can't forget your old days in Team 7. You can't forget how you used to reprimand the No. 1 loudest ninja in Konoha who was also in your team. You can't forget how your old teacher never showed up at the meeting time, instead appearing dramatically three hours later.

You can't forget the love you held for the boy who rejected you to seek power for revenge against his brother.

Three years is a long time.

In three years, you think through many things. You think of the first encounter with a strong enemy and how all you could do was to stand there protecting the man whom you were supposed to protect due to your mission. You think of the instance during the Chuunin Exam when your crush - later your love - received a Curse Seal from a deranged man set on using him - her love - to learn all the jutsus in the world. You think of the time when your friend - the No. 1 loudest ninja - swore to bring back the man you loved who went away to seek power.

You think of the times when the members of Team 7 - you included, of course - would sit together during one of the many breaks. You'd stare into the clouds, picking out the ones which look most like your love's face. Your love would just sit stoically in a corner, not speaking, head bowed in thought. Your other friend and teammate would be quiet for once, idly plucking at the soft lush grass on the floor. Your teacher would, as expected of him, lean against the tree trunk and read the latest issue of Come Come Paradise.

You think of the times when everyone just seemed to protect you. You remember the time when your love - or just your crush back then - jumped in front of you and demanded that you move out the way expressionlessly, but you feel the slight tremor that betrays his feelings then. You remember the time your teacher battled long and hard with a strong ninja bent on killing them to protect you and your teammates. You remember the time when your love tells you how your other friend and teammate fought so hard to the pont of collapse after finally defeating the enemy just to save you from the ninjas of the Hidden Sand.

You think of the times which you spent together as Team 7. All the laughter you shared at your friend's stupidity and clumsiness, always providing a good laugh. All the tears you shed over your love. All the times you spent together, when only Team 7 mattered, when there was no revenge, no enemies, just Team 7.

Three years is a long time.

You miss those times, but those times can never return. So you reluctantly let go, slowly, your heart aching with all the losses. Your wounds can never heal, but your determination stands out the battle.

A small tiny part of you wishes that those times might return someday. The times when you were so carefree, just happy to be near your friends, just as Team 7. But you know they can never come back, and so you let go, keeping deep inside your heart all your memories.

You decide to forge a new life for yourself, a new life where you can love again, a new life with friends, with no regrets. It is a hard road, but this is your choice from three years back and you know that this choice is the best for yourself. For your future.

Three years is a long time.

But you can never forget your times as Team 7 in three years.