AN: Reviews, sorry to all of you that reviewed after chapter 12 was posted. I did answer your reviews below, but I didn't have time last time. Thanks to everyone who reviews and keeps this story going. I don't update based on number of reviews, but it is really encouraging to see that people actually enjoy it. It is also wonderful when people give me little tips to improve my writing. I'm trying to improve my skills at least a little, and the smallest comment can help!
Alana-StarSugarCat I couldn't agree more. Maybe it'll happen this chapter.
krn-kimbap well he can't stay stupid forever. I hope you like this chapter as well.
Harukakanata aww, come on giving in is for sissies. They'll make these others suffer first.
Dual Rasengan hehe. Keep enjoying!
crazy-antman run, run fast as you can you can't catch me I'm the ginger bread man. Hmmm, maybe Naruto should use that line. Anyway, enjoy!
Limelie I don't really see Naruto as lazy; the kid trains his ass off. Anyway, hope you enjoy!
Insanechildfanfic thanks! I hope you like it 'til the end.
Azamiko gah, I haven't had the chance to see the sequel yet, but I do hear it's awesome. I'll include more cameos if I can come up with any. Any suggestions would be welcome. Hope you enjoy!
Night-Owl123, HanaTenshiHimeko this is a bit late, isn't it. Enjoy!
starry096 but that would take all the fun out of it. Maybe the pursuers will smarten up a bit this chapter.
Goingcommando I'm glad you liked that little scene. It's my favorite line in the movie, with the possible exception of, "That conversation made a lot more sense this time." I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
Hurrahhurrah you should totally go see that movie again. Anyway I'm glad you liked last chapter; hope you like this chapter as well.
This weeks reviews:
Thanks to all of you, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Keep up with the great reviews! Sorry about lumping you all together; I'll give more personal responses next time!
Joy,Wraith, Ulitheal, jAi0rOKu, starry096, Azamiko, DaRkDrEaMzzz, Alana-StarSugarCat, SolidAmerican, goingcommando, insanechildfanfic, Night-Owl123, krn-kimbap, HanaTenshiHimeko thanks; I'm glad you liked it so much!
L.Mc'Clown sorry about that. It was supposed to be in here, but I had to cut that scene because it didn't fit anymore. I hope you like it anyway!
This story is AU (Sasuke's still there) starting after about chapter 177 of the manga that means there will be spoilers if you haven't gotten that far. Information about the past five years will be told throughout the story.
wolvesm0on indeed, indeed.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
B regular stuff
B internal thoughts and such.
As I said, last chapter was really just filler again. Its end was the same day as this chapter; you'll figure it out during this chapter. Enjoy!
Picture Day
The next day began in much the same way as the rest of the week. As the two boys were assaulted with the first rays of morning, they were assaulted with the first of their pursuers. Naruto and Sasuke once again received an unwelcome wake up call from Kakashi and Sakura. "Why the hell won't this end?" Naruto asked groggily, not that he expected an answer from the deserted street.
When he ran into Sasuke an hour later it wasn't surprising that both ANBU captains were in particularly bad moods. Not only was this cutting into their sleeping times and vacation, but into valuable training sessions.
Not long after lunch that day – which Naruto and Sasuke were forced to skip because of their pursuers – Iruka-sensei really pulled through for them. "Ramen?" Sasuke asked, as the two jumped into the parade. A moment later, two identical copies of the two appeared and took off, leaving the two Jounin to ride a bit farther before parting from the parade.
"I love that man," Naruto stated, as the two continued to run.
"How did he do it?" Sasuke asked.
"He didn't," Naruto replied. "He had the Academy do it," he added a moment later.
"The Annual End of the Year Parade," Sasuke said a moment later grinning at the blond. "Quick in here," he added, dodging into a doorway. Naruto followed a moment later. Near Hokage Tower, two Naruto and Sasuke like figures did the same.
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"I hope you all enjoyed the Annual End of the Year Parade," Iruka-sensei said, smiling at the group from the doorway to Tsunade's office.
"We had to reschedule due to rain being in the forecast for the next several days," Hinata added politely next to him.
"I do love this year's theme," Iruka said. "Toto-sensei's class came up with it," he explained. "All of the students have been working so hard to get things ready in time," he added proudly.
Tsunade's entire office stared at the two blankly for a moment, before Anko and Ino began cracking up.
"Where'd they go?" Tsunade asked in confusion, as she switched the projector back on. "We just saw them in the hallway," she said, looking up at the two senseis.
"You didn't," Kurenai stated in disbelief.
"Didn't what?" Hinata asked her sensei innocently. Ino and Anko began laughing even harder.
"Where are they?" Kiba shouted from the doorway. "We followed those two as soon as we could," he added pointing Neji and TenTen.
"Where's who?" Hinata asked, turning to look at the three.
"Naruto and Sasuke," TenTen answered grinning. "We followed them up here as soon as we got past that parade," she added growling slightly.
"Kiba-kun, why don't you have Akamaru," Hinata asked.
"He was tired after everything yesterday," Kiba stated.
"Neji nii-san, did you have the byakugan activated?" she asked.
"No," he replied reluctantly.
TenTen stared at the two senseis in horror. "You didn't," she stated.
"Didn't what? Kurenai asked us the same thing," Iruka-sensei asked smirking.
"I know you helped them yesterday," Kiba said accusingly.
"So…" Iruka-sensei said, smiling at the Inuzuka boy.
"You really spend far too much time with Naruto," Kurenai said, looking at him.
"Indeed. My Eternal Rival's wonderfully powerful student has had a most invigorating, indelible effect upon you. That child's youth and exuberance has once more transformed you into the wisecracker of your youth," Gai said gravely.
Iruka blinked several times at the man's statement, before shrugging nonchalantly. "Enjoy the rest of your day," he said turning to leave. A smiling Hinata walked out after him, leaving behind three awestruck pursuers. "They will catch you," Iruka added, as he walked down the hallway.
"Hinata-chan just…" Kiba said, trailing off and looking over at TenTen and Neji.
"Apparently she doesn't just yell," TenTen stated.
"I can't believe Hinata-chan just helped him," Kiba said pathetically.
"Would you three hurry up and find that brat!" Tsunade yelled, snapping everyone out of their trances. "You have to find them by tonight; if they aren't ready by the end of tomorrow, Kakashi won't be the only one who'll pay for it," she added.
TenTen, Neji, and Kiba exchanged fearful glances, before turning and sprinting out of the room.
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"Naruto, Sasuke-kun," Sakura shouted at the top of her lungs. Somewhere in Suna, Gaara wondered what the two Jounin had done this time.
"If you two come out, I promise we'll go easy on you tomorrow," she added. A moment later, she slapped her hand of her mouth. Kakashi had collapsed into a fit of laughter on the street. Half of the street's occupants were looking at her in shock, which quickly degraded into gossip.
"They're going to kill you," Kakashi said several minutes later, as he stood up and brushed himself off.
"Those two miscreants will not be allowed to harm my fair flower," Lee said, standing proudly beside the girl.
Kakashi glared at him slightly before turning away. He pulled out a scroll. When he finished the jutsu, five dogs of various breeds and sizes were standing in front of him. "Pakkun, you need to find Naruto and Sasuke. When you find them, alert me and keep them cornered," he said seriously.
"Oi, they didn't run away again, did they?" the little doggie asked.
"No," Kakashi said, "they're just being brats."
"Okay," Pakkun said before taking off; the other dogs quickly followed.
Barely five minutes later, as the three shinobi ran through Konoha, they heard the dogs howling. "That's our signal," Kakashi said happily, as he turned towards the dogs' sound.
"Hello, Naruto-kun," Kakashi said happily, dropping down behind the boy.
"Kakashi-sensei, I hate you," Naruto said before jumping away towards Sasuke and glaring at the older man.
"Ah, now that's not a nice thing to say to the sensei who spent so much time training you and preparing you for your future as the village's leader," Kakashi said still smiling.
"Flattery isn't going to work," Sasuke remarked.
"Fine, fine," Kakashi said. "Will this?" he asked, as Lee and Sakura dropped down behind the two boys.
"I hate you all," Naruto growled out.
When Sakura and Lee lunged at the two, two clouds of smoke met them, and they fell to the ground holding two sacks of potatoes. "Kawarimi," Sakura growled out.
"See you later," Naruto said, from about twenty feet away. And with that, the two ANBU captains had disappeared.
"Pakkun," Kakashi said simply. The dogs quickly took off after the two; Sakura, Lee, and Kakashi took off after them.
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Half an hour later the two found themselves running through Hokage tower. They dove into Tsunade's office and under the rather large conference table that had been set up. For some odd reason the table had a large tablecloth over it that reached the floor, but the two ignored that and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Above the table Tsunade, Jiraiya, the elders and several other random shinobi looked at each other in horror. Tsunade quickly shut off the projector, before she ducked her head under the table. "Umm, what are you two doing?" she asked.
"Hiding, so don't you dare tell Kakashi-sensei and Sakura where we are," Naruto said back.
"Right," Tsunade said, before sitting back up and shrugging to the others in the group.
A moment later, Jiraiya ducked under the table and grinned at Naruto. "So," he began innocently, "is what Sakura said the other day actually true," he finished.
Naruto and Sasuke looked at Jiraiya in horror for a moment, before quickly crawling out from under the table and jumping to their feet. "How the hell did you hear about that?" Naruto asked, pointing a finger at the older man accusingly.
"Ahh," Jiraiya said suddenly realizing his mistake, while Tsunade groaned behind him, "Genma told me," he finally said nodding. Fortunately for Jiraiya the two bought it and turned on Genma, who was now glaring at the Sennin.
"Genma I swear…" Naruto began when Sasuke interrupted.
"Naruto," Sasuke said, directing the blonde's gaze to the center of the table where Tsunade's crystal ball was sitting, currently displaying the two boys where they were.
"I don't believe it, you old hag," Naruto said, turning to look at Tsunade in shock. Tsunade looked away nervously, and the others shifted slightly in their seats. The two surveyed the room's occupants, growing more aggravated by the minute.
Sasuke turned to the Hokage in anger, but Naruto was a bit too distracted by the tiny toad trying to hide on Chouji's shoulder.
"I don't believe it," Naruto said painfully, catching the group's attention. Tsunade bit her lip lightly; she actually felt sorry for the brat. "My own summon," he said pitifully, staring at Gamakichi. He fell silent as he continued to gaze at the small summon.
"How long have you been watching this?" Sasuke shouted. Naruto continued to stare at the now guilty frog.
"Umm…" Tsunade responded, glancing off to the side. A moment later she looked back up and sternly declared, "Don't question me. I'm the Hokage, and a simple ANBU captain doesn't have the right to question me."
"My own summon," Naruto muttered miserably, breaking the hearts of every woman in the room – and some of the men.
"Snap out of it Naruto," Sasuke said, nudging the blond.
"Got you," Sakura shouted, as she jumped into the room from the window and then jumped at Naruto. Sasuke pulled the still numb blond out of the way and glared at his pink haired teammate.
"They in here?" Kakashi asked, as he rounded the corner and entered Tsunade's office.
Naruto snapped out of his trance long enough to shout, "This is all your fault Jiraiya!" The next moment Sakura, Lee, and Kakashi lunged forward at the two – and then collapsed into a pile onto the floor. Tsunade glanced down at the three in disappointment and then looked up at the smirking Uchiha that had attached himself and his pouting teammate to the ceiling.
"Where'd they go?" Kakashi asked stupidly, as he stood up. Genma sighed and innocently pointed up. "Hello," Kakashi said, smiling at his students.
Naruto and Sasuke glared at Genma, before releasing their footing. The two landed on the table and watched Kakashi waiting for him to make the first move. While they were waiting, Naruto glanced down and saw the Hokage's Looking Glass. He smirked at Tsunade and then looked back down. When Tsunade realized their mistake, she lunged forward, only to have the small globe snatched up by Naruto.
The blond inspected the small object before looking back up at the fuming Legendary Sucker. "So this belongs to the Hokage, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, you stupid brat so hand it over," she shouted at him.
"Neh," Naruto replied. "I think I'll just take it a little early," he added, as the two moved to leave. Time seemed to stop for a moment, before Tsunade slammed a hand down on the table and split it down the middle. The rest of the room's occupants jumped into action. Unfortunately for Genma, he was the only one that managed to get close enough to the blond. He snatched the looking glass from his hand and tossed it to Jiraiya, before dodging a punch from Naruto.
"I swear if I catch you using it on me again, I'll wait until your dead to become Hokage. And Genma, I curse you with erectile dysfunction disorder," Naruto shouted, as the two ran from the room.
Genma blinked twice before turning to Kakashi. "That kid has threatened me more in the past week, than he has in the five years since I met him."
"Does he even know what erectile dysfunction disorder is?" Sakura mused out loud.
Kakashi shrugged, before turning to Sakura. "Let's go," he said. Lee and Sakura took off after the other two. Kakashi followed a bit more leisurely until Tsunade shouted, "Two days!" He sprinted down the hall.
"Naruto-kun," he shouted when he exited the building. "I'll treat you to Ramen," he added.
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"So Kakashi said they meet with Tsunade in two days," Sasuke said, coming up from behind Naruto. The two continued to stroll through the village gaining the occasional wave or bow from passerbies. They had been able to evade their sensei and the rest of the pursuers ever since they had left the Hokage's office earlier that day.
"I suppose we should at least agree to get new clothes," Naruto finally said with a sigh.
"I suppose," Sasuke agreed.
They continued on in silence once more, "Naruto! Sasuke!"
"Shit," they said in unison, before taking off again
"Coward" they responded while running
Those on the street heard "Shut up!" shouted in symphony by the two ANBU captains as they skidded to a halt.
"This is getting creepy," they both stated.
"D-" Sasuke placed a hand on Naruto's mouth, "don't, just don't. How about we let them catch us and agree to go with them tomorrow?" he suggested, after several minutes.
Naruto mulled it over for a moment. "I guess, after all who knows what Tsunade would come up with to punish him if he didn't succeed," he finally said. "But lets wait until tonight so the panic really sets in," he added, before dashing off. Sasuke smirked and followed a moment later.
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The two reached Team 7's old training grounds just as dusk began setting in. "Do you want to spar?" Sasuke asked.
"Sure," Naruto responded, taking a defensive stance about a meter away.
Sasuke smirked and slid into his own stance across from the blond. "When was the last time we did this?" he asked nonchalantly, lunging forward.
"A couple of months ago," Naruto answered, as he easily dodged Sasuke's attack. "I'm so going to kick your ass," Naruto responded.
"Yeah right dobe," Sasuke retorted childishly.
Naruto snickered at him. "You've been using that line since we were Genin," he said, dodging another attack.
"You still pissed off at Sakura?" Naruto asked, several minutes later. Their fight had remained relatively tame, much to both boys' surprise and disappointment.
"Not really," Sasuke responded.
"What does that mean?" Naruto asked.
"Nothing," Sasuke said, smirking at the blond.
Kakashi, Sakura and Lee finally found them half an hour later. They were still sparring.
AN: Nothing much to say. I hope you all enjoyed it. I might have the next chapter up Friday, but I'm not promising anything. Review and tell me what you thought.