Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters and blah! So, nyah! You can't sue me now! (attempts to chuck demonic plushies at anyone who dares say otherwise)

Review Questions:

ghostninja85: Oh yeah! Sorry! Well, when he left, two years had passed. So, at that time, he was around 14. You actually find out in this chapter, but I meant to write it in the last chapter. Instead, I accidentally ended with 'several years'. Still, it's been almost four years. So, everyone should be around 17-18.

xXFissshBonesssXx: Whoo hoo! Well, even if everyone leaves, at least I know there's someone who's going to stick around 'til the end. Hehe. I'm glad you like the story!

Exkariya: Yes, he was 14 when he left. Then, four years passed. You can do the math! Okay, find I'll do it for you. He'll be around 17-18 at this point in my story.

Kami Beverly: Seeing as you've just taken the time to try and accuse me of stealing someone else's work… I'll take the time to say that I didn't. I hate plagiarism. There are many Naruto stories floating around that overlap each other. It's only been three chapters into my story and I'm trying to take a different turn in it. I'm not surprised that it seems similar to others. Too bad you don't like the story, but if you're going to accuse me of that, I'd appreciate it if you would tell me what story it is and point out what portion in mine resembles it. Since you didn't, I'll just ignore the comment for now. It's frustrating for me to work hard to think of a story and have my confidence and enjoyment in writing it shot down.

Fragile Bonds

Chapter 4: Just Like Us

Naruto tossed and turned in his sleep. He turned to gaze at the clock.

6:57 in the morning.

He groaned and turned to face the wall. "Too…early…"

Be there at 7:30. That's that.

"Oh, yeah," he had almost forgotten. "Almost forgot about that."

Naruto sat in his bed, his chin resting thoughtfully in his right hand. He began conspiring the many excuses that he could use on his behalf for arriving late.

'Woke up late? No. Pretend that I forgot? Nah,' he frowned. 'This is harder than I thought. I wonder how Kakashi did it? Then again, his were all incredibly stupid and farfetched.'

He went through hundreds of ridiculous ideas before finally accepting the fact that he wasn't getting anywhere. The blond ended up deciding that he'd just get there on time. It's not like he had much else to do, in any case.

After a quick shower and once he had freshened up, he grabbed the jounin uniform that Tsunade had given him. He pulled the navy blue shirt over his head, rolling up the sleeves to his elbows. He wrapped a few bandages around his legs before slipping on the navy blue pants as well. Once he had that done, he took hold of the dark, green vest.

The colors were a strange contrast with his hair and eye color, but nevertheless, it looked good on him.

Naruto continued to hold his vest. It felt strange to have it. It had taken him years of hard work to earn the chuunin position and already he was a jounin right after he had returned. The feeling wasn't as satisfactory as it had been when he had received the chuunin vest. He slid on the vest, pulling on his pair of fingerless gloves as well. The blond looked around his room. 'Now where did I put it?'

He scanned the room, grinning as his eyes came to a stop. "There," he whispered. He grabbed the small bag and pulled out a black coat and the Leaf head protector. He pulled the coat on, adjusting the collar. It fell slightly below his knees.

Naruto stared at the head protector in his hand. He slowly traced the Leaf symbol with his finger. "It's been a while since I've brought this out," he whispered.

Instead of tying it around his forehead, he settled for having it on his left arm. It was rather difficult, but he managed to firmly tie it around his bicep. "Well, I guess I should be leaving now."

He let out a deep sigh as he opened up his window.

"I'm home."

A young, blue haired girl who looked around the age of twelve drummed her fingers impatiently on her desk. 'Where the hell is he?!' she screamed in her mind. They're new teacher was already almost a half an hour late.

"What was the point of coming here this early if the damned teacher wasn't going to show up at the assigned time," spat a boy leaning against the blackboard. He folded his tiny arms across his chest and huffed.

"Just shut up and wait," came a voice from the obscure part of the room. Another boy stepped out of the shadowy corner of the room. He ran his hands through his black strands of hair.

"What was that?!" when the other boy didn't reply, he just frowned and crouched on the ground, tracing circles on the floorboard. "Whatever. If this guy doesn't show up soon, I'm leaving. He deserves it." Just then, the boy's face lit up. The girl noticed this and in an instant, knew exactly what was running through the boy's mind.

"Reiji! Whatever you're thinking, drop it! Pranks every now and then are fun, but we don't even know who this guy is. Messing with a jounin isn't always smart."

"I know, but it could be fun!" She glared at him.

"Reiji!! Don't!" she looked desperately at her other companion. "Daisuke, please do something!"

"Feh. That idiot's not going to listen. Just let him do whatever he wants, Sachiko," he said calmly. "Besides, I highly doubt a jounin is going to fall for a trick like that. It's pathetic."

The girl nodded. "Of course, Daisuke! I always knew you were the smartest," she said as she went starry-eyed.

"Fine, fine! I won't do anything!" he huffed. 'Everyone's always trying to ruin my fun.' He smoothed out the tiny creases in his red shirt.

The all quieted down when they heard footsteps coming from the hallway.

"Sorry! I'm a bit late!" Naruto said, stepping into the room. He looked at Sachiko, Daisuke, and then at Reiji. "I got a little sidetracked," he said, laughing nervously. "Ichiraku's ramen was calling to me."

'I wonder what's so bad about them. They look like good kids,' he thought, folding his arms. 'Better not be too trusting, though.'

Daisuke carefully studied him. 'He looks pretty tough, but that grin on his face tells me otherwise. And he is still pretty young, too. But then I've heard of that Kakashi guy who became a jounin at around our age if not younger.'

Reiji scratched the back of his head and looked up at Naruto. "He looks kind of stupid. I bet the outfit's just to make him seem cool."

"Like you're one to talk, moron."

"Shut up, Daisuke!"

A small girl shoved her way into the conversation. "Reiji, don't talk to Daisuke like that!"

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Naruto's head. 'They're kind of like… how we used to be.' He smirked. 'This could get interesting.'

"Stop arguing. Now, what are your names? And why don't you tell me a bit about yourself as well. Likes, dislikes, dreams…" They stopped and turned to him.

Reiji spoke first. "Um, I like… er… training! And I dislike," he pointed a finger at the darker haired boy. "HIM! And my dream is to become stronger! I want to prove to people that I can be something more than just the troublemaker everyone says I am!"

Naruto gave him an understanding smile. 'So, this is what the hag was talking about.'

He gave Sachiko a nod before she took her turn. "I like to draw, paint… anything artsy. I dislike having to deal with rather loud people," she glared at Reiji, but he only smiled back. I don't think he got that she wasn't looking at him fondly. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. "And my dream, well, I guess I just want to have a nice life. Family, friends, nice home."

"And you, the one in the back."

Daisuke didn't look up at him. "Feh. There aren't many things I like, but plenty that I dislike. As for my dream," he narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "It's none of your concern."

Naruto frowned. "You remind me of someone," he said slowly. The young boy looked up at him, seeming somewhat intrigued to know who this person was, but quickly lost interest. "Well, let's get started. I have better things to be doing than dealing with you three, so I'd like to get this done quickly."

The jounin rested his hands in the pockets of his dark coat, turning his back on his new students as rather crude remarks spewed from Sachiko and Reiji's mouths.

'This is going to be very interesting.'

"So, what are we gonna do first? A mission? Learn some cool skill?" asked Reiji. Naruto looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He could see the sparkle in his eyes. Naruto continued walking and brought the group to a halt. He looked around at the large clearing in the forest. He smirked and turned to the group.

"No missions I'm afraid and you're not going to learn anything from me either. You haven't proved your worth yet, and until then, I'm afraid I'm not going to bother with you," he made sure to revel in the look of pure shock etched onto their faces. Even the seemingly stoic boy showed response. "As of now, you all are pathetic excuses for ninjas in my eyes."

Reiji clenched his fists until his knuckles turned pale. In an act of anger, he swung his leg out to kick the jounin. Naruto simply caught hold of the boy's leg and lifted him into the air, grabbing his other leg as he tried to land a blow to his face. The boy ended up hanging in the air, squirming to get free.

"Like I said, you're all pathetic excuses for ninjas. Coming at me with basic moves like this," he nodded his head at the small boy struggling to get free from his grasp. " Are only going to get you killed," he hissed the last word to prove his point. Reiji swallowed hard and stopped squirming.

Sachiko stepped back in fear, but Daisuke didn't seem wavered by the jounin's words.

He dropped Reiji who fell into a crumpled pile on the floor and walked into the clearing. "Now, why don't we begin? You may think you're ninjas with that fancy headband of yours, but as far as I'm concerned, you're not. If you want to consider this a training session, then go ahead, but it's much more than that. Unless I see you fit to hold the title of ninja, you will all be sent back to the academy!"

Sachiko's jaw dropped. "What?!" she screamed.

'More surprises?' she thought. 'Then what was the point of graduating from the academy?' she bit her lip.

"Just tell us what we have to do already," scoffed Daisuke. He wasn't about to fail, especially not by this guy. He hadn't cared about what the other jounin's thought, but he was going to prove something to this one.

Naruto held a hand up to his chin. "Hm, good question." All three fell to the ground. "Ah! I have just the thing!" he pulled out two bells.

'Hehe, unoriginal … but I don't really have any other ideas at the moment,' he thought. 'Maybe I should have spent a little more time thinking about what I was going to do for this. Ah well, it couldn't hurt.'

He cleared his throat. "All you have to do is try and get these from me," he said, holding up a pair of bells. "Now, before you start, think about how you're going to get them. Develop some sort of strategy. If you plan on running at me like a fool, you might as well quit right now. You can use your friend's earlier actions as an example." Reiji scowled, biting back a retort.

With that, he left the three to think on their own, searching for a place to sit quietly and think to himself. "Oh yeah," he stopped. "One more thing. The student who doesn't get a bell will be sent back to the academy. If you all fail to get a bell, then you will meet the same fate together."

Reiji's anger raised a notch. He turned to his teammates to see that they both shared the same anger. "But he only has two bells!"

Daisuke nodded. "That means that one of us will fail for sure."

"Hmph. Well, it's not going to be me!" he stomped off. "I'm going to go get that bell!"

"Wait, you idiot! Didn't you listen to a thing he said? We can't just try and fight him for the bell. Even if he does appear to be dumb, he's obviously a good enough fighter to be worthy of the jounin title."

"Yeah, but I don't see you thinking of anything!"

"We've got to work together on this one," he went on.

Sachiko decided it was time for her to step into the conversation. "I agree with you, but what's the point if one of us is going to be sent back? There's no avoiding it."

"Yeah, yeah!"

The dark-haired boy thought about this for a moment. "We've got to try and trap him. And as for whoever gets the bells, that depends on who's quick enough."

None of them liked the idea, but it was all they got.

Naruto smiled at their attempts to get him into a corner. They had come pretty close, he had to admit, but they weren't good enough. 'I guess I'll have to pass them,' he thought.

Still, watching them run around chasing his double was just too fun. He had used the Kage Bunshin. Even though it was slightly stressing on his chakra, having only one clone that didn't have to do anything drastic made it a lot easier to keep going for a long period of time without draining too much chakra. I don't think they even realized the fact that he had been hiding from them in a tree the entire time, watching them… much to his amusement.

He smiled. "They make a good team," he whispered.

Sachiko was good with the traps and figuring out the opponent's next moves while Daisuke was quick and a good fighter and was equally good with reading moves. Not to mention his battle tactics were impressive. Reiji, on the other hand, was similar to him when he was younger. His stamina and chakra amount were wonderful. While the others did the planning, he distracted the opponent and did some of the heavy work.

He realized that they were beginning to get rather tired and felt a small amount of sympathy for them. "I think I'll end this about now."

The three gasped as his double vanished in a puff of smoke and the black clad boy walked towards them, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"What the…? Don't tell me we were fighting a clone the entire time!!" Sachiko slapped her hands to her cheeks in disbelief.

Daisuke shook his head. "It can't be. When Reiji managed to hit him, he didn't vanish. It was a real body. He must know some sort of jutsu that allows him to create clones with real bodies."

Naruto smirked. "Correct! You were fighting a double the entire time while I simply sat by and watched you. I didn't bother to hide myself well, but I knew that you wouldn't acknowledge my presence with how preoccupied you were with my clone."

Reiji frowned. 'We were fooled so easily. This guy is…'

"You all look tired. Why don't we call it a day?" he walked away, his coat flowing behind him. "Oh, and by the way… you all pass."

"EH?!" They stood there, blinking several times before the words sunk in. After exchanging a few confused glances, they ran after their new sensei.

Naruto yawned as he walked through the crowd. Instead of the usual glares he used to get, he was greeted by suspicious glances. He shrugged them off. Naruto took a seat at his favorite place to eat. "Oy, can I get something to eat?"

An old man walked up to the front, wiping his hands with a towel. "Ah, back for seconds, Naruto?"

Naruto laughed briefly. "Yeah. Just got done training a genin team. I started getting hungry, so what better place to come, eh?" he lightly brushed away the blond strands from his eyes.

The old man smiled. "Well, what'll you have?"

"Just the usual," he smiled, his eyes curving. He leaned on the counter with his elbows, interlacing his fingers, a similar fashion to his rival. 'I wonder how everyone's doing? I guess I should do what the old hag had suggested and let everyone know I'm around, but…'

"Naruto?"

"Hm?" he was shaken out of his thoughts.

"Is that you Naruto?!"

He smiled. The blond didn't have to see his visitor to know who it was. "Hey, Sakura." Her hair had grown long again. He took note of the chuunin vest that she wore over her clothing. It looked the same except that, instead of red, it was a sweet green that was gentle on the eyes.

"After all these years, that's all you say?" she took a seat beside her old friend. "So, how are you? You know, everyone's been worried about you."

He winced. That wasn't exactly part of his plan, but it couldn't have been helped. Well, actually that wasn't the case, but that was in the past. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "Hehe. I guess that would have been a bit of a surprise, eh?"

She grinned. 'He really has changed a lot. His hair, his clothing and the way he carries himself. He really is quite… handsome.' She turned away as a light blush crept to her cheeks after realizing that she had been staring. He smirked.

Feeling confident that he wasn't focusing his attention on her at the moment, she spared him another quick glance. 'It's not just his physical appearance that's changed,' she thought. 'He seems to have matured a lot. He isn't the bumbling, energetic blond that he had been.'

Strangely, she felt a bit sad. Things in the village had grown rather dull after he left. She thought that being rid of his constant chattering for a while would have been relieving, but she found that she had missed him after a while. His presence was strong and he didn't care to hide himself. It was comforting to have him around.

The man came back with a bowl of miso ramen. "Here you go!"

'I guess some things never change,' she thought. It was a nice thought. 'At least there's something that's stayed the same.'

"Would you like somethin', too?" she shook her head and smiled. He busied himself with something and left the two alone.

"How are things with you and the others?" he finally voiced the question that had been bothering him the past few days. The only other question was, 'Did they miss me?'

"Normal, I guess. Ever since becoming a chuunin I haven't had as much time to do the usual things like shopping and all that. It's the same with the others. We try to spend time with each other aside from mission related situations. It's been fun!" she exclaimed.

"That's good to hear." He had forgotten about his hunger and picked at the noodles with his food. He was happy, but he couldn't ignore the knot forming in his stomach.

'So, they didn't miss him…'

"But," she paused. "It wasn't the same without you," she said, her voice lowering with the last few words.

His eyes widened. "What?"

"We missed you. Even Sasuke had trouble dealing with your loss. In fact, he seemed to be affected the most by your disappearance."

Naruto frowned. 'Sasuke? Miss him? Is she lying to me?'

"We were all affected. I used to always say that you were annoying or loud, but…" She waited until she was sure that she had his full attention. "After you left, I realized that it was fun having you around. Your loud personality brightened up everything." She stopped and could clearly see the bewildered expression on the boy's face. "I can bet that everyone else would feel the same way, too."

A pang of guilt surged through him. "I… I didn't realize that I had made such an impact."

"Well, you did!" she gave his back a friendly pat, brightening the mood. "And to make up for it, you can come to my house two days from now!"

"Eh? Err, I'm not so sure about that," he said.

Her face fell. "Oh, come on! You've been gone for three years, nearly four, and you honestly don't want to see everyone?"

"No, that isn't it," he protested. "It's just that I've been asked to train three genin. I'm not sure if I'll have time."

"You're teaching genin? But I thought only jou-" she froze. She eyed the vest beneath his coat. "You're a jounin? But I thought the tests are starting two weeks from now!"

"Tsunade's idea," he said quickly. "They're starting in two weeks? I was thinking about participating anyway. It'll be fun! Plus, I didn't really do anything to get this," he said as he slid his thumbs into the armholes of the vest and pulled it forward.

She sighed. "Well, I'm happy for you, but as for visiting my house… at least try. If you can't, that's okay. I'll just let everyone know about it."

"Uh, actually, can you not do that?"

"Why?"

"I'd rather them know when I'm ready. If what you said was true, they might come all at once and bombard me with their questions."

She nodded in understanding. "In that case, I'll keep this to myself." Sakura stood up to leave, but not before pressing a light kiss on Naruto's cheek.

He flinched at the sudden act, but he didn't feel anything from it. The blond had lost his silly feelings for her a long time ago. She was more like a sister to him at that point. Sakura waved and ran off.

He sighed and went back to playing with his food. "I wonder how everyone is?"

Naruto wandered off during the evening. After being away for so long, his small apartment didn't seem too inviting. So, he settled for walking around a bit, smiling at the memories that came back from seeing small things here and there. He hadn't realized how much he really missed the place until now.

He neared the area that Team 7 had passed that same test that he had put his students through just that afternoon. He chuckled as he remembered the ridiculous attempts he had made to snatch a bell from Kakashi.

Those times had been the best of his life. He missed the ritual of failed attempts at asking Sakura out on a date every morning. He missed Kakashi in all his damned, late glory, and yes… even Sasuke's never-ending insults. But of course… Naruto wouldn't admit that.

He closed his eyes and smiled in reminiscence. The air was chilled and a gentle breeze kissed his cheeks, turning them a warm, rosy shade. Blue eyes drank in the beauty of the sparkling water.

…We missed you. Even Sasuke had trouble dealing with your loss. In fact, he seemed to be affected the most by your disappearance…

He smiled to himself. The warm feeling that wrapped around his body from hearing those words had felt consoling. 'They missed me,' he thought. 'But Sasuke…?' He shook his head. 'She was probably saying that to make me feel better.' Even after their fight, they still bickered constantly. Ever since they returned from their mission, they had avoided each other like the plague.

A feeling of being watched swept over him. Naruto's body visibly stiffened as his trained ears picked up a faint rustle of leaves in the midst of the wind. He allowed his hand to hover over his holster as a warning to whoever was watching. He could feel the powerful yet familiar presence. The blond tried to pin it down, but his mind was in a haze and he threw down any further attempts.

When he sensed that he wasn't in any sort of danger, he let his body's stance soften. He secured the gloves on his hands before shoving them into his coat pockets.

"Show yourself," he said coolly. "I already know you're here and you're aware of that. Come out already."

He could hear the rustling of leaves and faint footsteps nearing him until they ended abruptly. He spun around to meet obsidian eyes. His own sky-blue eyes widened in surprise. "Sa… Sasuke?" He hadn't been given the chance to utter another word as he was pinned to the ground. Strong arms grasped his wrists, pushing them above his head as two legs were pressed against his thighs. He couldn't move.

"Where have you been?" he spoke, trying to hide the anger in his voice. It would have seemed like the ordinary iced tone, but Naruto's ears could pick out the irritation and - pain? - in his voice.

Naruto didn't bother to escape free from his binding. "Around."

"Convenient answer, but how about trying to be a little less vague?" Sasuke scowled. He wasn't about to let his 'captive' free until he had gotten a reasonable answer.

"Like I said, around. I've been traveling here and there with Jiraiya. Visited a few villages." He stopped when he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, and Inari says 'hi'."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You went back there?"

"Actually, we stayed with them for a while."

Sasuke didn't reply, as if pondering the answer. A simple 'oh' was all he could muster.

Several minutes passed by and the two only stared at each other. Naruto's face flushed as he finally took note of the awkward position they were in. He could feel Sasuke's warm breath washing over his neck, sending chills up his spine. "Are we going to stay like this all night or are you going to let me go?" he teased. The confidence that hung with his words surprised even him. It did nothing to reveal the fluttering sensation in his abdomen.

Sasuke seemed to contemplate this. This made Naruto blush even more. It was like he couldn't decide whether or not he wanted to get up. It didn't take much longer for Sasuke to snap out of it and stand up abruptly, releasing his strong hold on the boy. The taller boy turned his attention away from Naruto as the blond brushed off dirt from his clothing.

He glanced up at the sky and admired the stars. The usually stoic boy may not have appeared to be the type, but he really did enjoy nature. The blond took this time to briefly glance at his friend, taking in all of the changes. Nothing had really changed. He still wore the same pair of clothes - the bright blue shirt with the Uchiha clan's mark adorned on the back. Only now, it wasn't visible because he had a white coat on to provide him warmth from the weather's chilly, moist air.

The blond's lips slowly parted as he looked on as the fluttering sensation returned. The raven-haired boy's milky white skin and dark eyes were a perfect contrast. The moonlight danced on his pale skin, giving it an ethereal glow. The soft angles of his face gave him a touch of femininity, adding to his appeal. Mysterious and graceful.

It never really occurred to him that Sasuke really was…

"Beautiful," he whispered.

A smile graced Sasuke's lips. "It is isn't it?" Naruto's blush deepened and he stared at his feet, his blond strands of hair covering his eyes. It never occurred to the dark-haired boy that Naruto hadn't been referring to the same thing.

Noticing his friend's discomfort, Sasuke moved slowly towards Naruto. Startled by his sudden advancements, the blond took a few steps back, but that didn't stop the other boy from reaching his target. The darker haired boy gently brushed aside his golden strands, gazing into his cerulean eyes. He leaned into his ear, his lips lightly brushing against it. "Naruto, tell me one thing…" he began, his voice barely above a whisper.

Naruto stiffened and ignored the heated skin that tingled in reaction to the other boy's warmth. He didn't attempt to sit down and think about Sasuke's strange behavior. It would only hurt his brain.

"Why did I leave?" Sasuke stepped back and look at him with slight surprise. Naruto chuckled. "I'll tell you some other time. In the mean time, I have to worry about getting some rest before tomorrow."

Sasuke frowned. "What, a mission already?"

"Hehe. I guess you could call it that," he said, rubbing the back of his head, smiling lightly. Naruto wouldn't admit it, but he actually thoroughly enjoyed the company of his three students. He continued when he saw his former teammates obvious confusion. "I was assigned a genin team. From now on, I'm their sensei. I get to torture them!" he cackled.

He stopped when he realized that the idea of mortifying his students didn't seem quite as amusing to the other boy.

"I see. So, you're a jounin now," Sasuke said. Silence passed between them.

The blond turned around, his back facing the raven-haired boy, leaving the other boy to himself. It might have seemed rude, but he knew there was nothing left to say.

After confirming that his rival had left, he smacked his forehead. "What was I thinking? Getting that close…" He groaned and shook his head.

He held out his palms, his gaze fixed on them. "Jounin, huh? What else has changed, Naruto?"

For some reason this chapter seemed really long and out of place. I don't like any of these chapters!! Well, the first part was kind of fun to write, though. Anyway, sorry for the lack in the S/N department, but I'll get to that! This one just seemed to drawl on and on. Nyah…

Well, did you like it? Let me know what you think!