FIRST OF ALL…SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! OKAY, SO I WON'T STATE ALL MY EXCUSES HERE, BUT ANYWAY ON WITH THE STORY! GOSH, WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME? ANYWAY, REVIEWER NOTES AND AUTHOR'S NOTES ARE AFTER THE CHAPPIE…HOPE YOU LIKE THIS ONE!
STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES: I DON'T OWN THE ANIME AND THE MANGA, NARUTO…OKAY? HAPPY?
SIR KAKASHI'S IN LOVE? By Sutefani-chanCHAPTER 3
THE KONOHA WE NEVER KNEWThe soft thud of his head to the ground brought a bit of pain to his nerves. He curled his fingers and felt that what he had landed on was grassy surface. He was about to figure out what must've happened when the thought of his companions entered his mind.
Iie!
He forcefully opened his eyes amidst the headache. Before him was the blue, cloudless sky. Nani? He quickly sat up and turned to his right. There, lying with their faces to the ground were Sakura and Naruto.
"Sakura! Naruto!" he mumbled as he shook their shoulders gently, checking if they were conscious or not.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura murmured as she finally came to her senses.
"What happened?" grumbled Naruto as he sat up groggily, massaging the back of his neck.
"Shiranai (I don't know)," muttered Sasuke without even looking at him, then he tried to stand up.
"All that I can remember is we being sucked up by a blinding light coming from the book and the last thing I know is this!" said Sakura.
Sasuke pondered on it for a moment. Come to think of it, he did remember something about a peculiar blank book shedding incredible light that eventually devoured them. Wait. Could it be…? Could they have been sucked into the book? But, how? Suddenly, he remembered the odd inscription on the first page of the book. Okay, so maybe it wasn't really blank. HO. INU. KONOHA. Could they be a chant that brought them to another dimension? To where they were now? But, where were they now exactly?
Then, as if magic, the answer suddenly appeared to him. There, just below him – from the hill where they were standing – stood the village of Konoha.
"How did we end up in here?" wondered Naruto, studying the grassy surroundings around them, "We were in Kakashi-sensei's apartment before this, weren't we?"
"Matte! (Wait!) Do you think that…? What if…?" She glanced fretfully at the direction of Sasuke. Sasuke met her glance and closed his eyes, lowering his head. Sakura gasped. Her worst fear yet was confirmed.
"NANI! WE'RE STUCK IN A BOOK?" she shrieked.
"NANI?" bellowed Naruto.
"We can't be stuck in a book! How are we ever going to get out?" panicked Sakura, clasping her cheeks with her hands.
"Wait. How can you say that we're actually trapped inside a book?" doubted Naruto.
"It's obvious, isn't it, dobe? You witnessed what had just happened!" said Sasuke. He was getting a little tense too.
"Don't call me an idiot, you freak! Are you saying there are no other options left?" yelled Naruto. Upon hearing this, Sakura quickly hit Naruto on the face.
"Sasuke-kun's not a freak, baka! And to let you know, there is still one option left…"
Both heads turned to look at her.
She continued, "…Which is to go down to the village and see for ourselves. What if we were only transported outside Kakashi-sensei's apartment and not actually inside the book? What if this was just some sort of genjutsu Kakashi-sensei had put to ward off burglars or some sort? That can happen, hai?"
Naruto brought his fingers to his chin, "Hmm…yes, I think that can happen." Then, all of a sudden, he raised his fist in the air, "Yokata! Sakura-chan!"
Sakura looked at Sasuke hopingly. Sasuke just nodded at her. Sighing, she said, "Well then. Let's go, shall we?"
They quietly walked the streets of Konoha, discreetly studying the surroundings around them. Oddly, the atmosphere was a bit stiff. They couldn't quite trace the joyousness the village they knew held, and they knew something was wrong. Sure, it was peaceful, but it was oddly peaceful. It was like something was missing, but they can't tell what it was.
As they continued to walk, the people around them was staring at them like they were strangers from another village. What was absurd though was that some of the villagers there that they saw weren't usual faces in Konoha. They couldn't even recall seeing them before, but now those villagers were the ones looking at the three as if they weren't Konoha residents. Sasuke felt this most unlikely welcome. Something's not really right here, he assumed.
"Why is everything…different around here?" Sakura wondered under her breath. She felt suddenly uneasy as the villagers continued to stare at them, murmuring words to each other.
"Hey, I'm hungry. Wanna go for some ramen?" Naruto suggested.
Sakura sighed, "You go ahead. We're not hungry."
"Aww, c'mon!" he quickly grabbed the two and dragged them to Naruto's famous haven – the Ichiraku. When they had finally arrived there, Naruto squealed in glee. "Hai! Ramen, here I come!"
He went to the counter/table and sat on the stool.
"Ohayo! Three beef ramen, dozo! (Please!)" He ordered cheerily.
"Is that all?" asked the man from behind the counter.
"Anou, make it four – ACK!" He gasped as he stared at the man in front of him.
"Nani, Naruto?" grumbled Sakura as she slapped her forehead hopelessly.
"A-Anatawa…anatawa…" He continued to gape at the confused clerk.
"What's the matter with you?" murmured Sasuke as cast an annoyed look at Naruto.
"Wh-Where…where is the old man?" Naruto suddenly asked the clerk. The clerk raised his eyebrow.
"You know, the one who manages this ramen stand?" The man blinked at him.
"I'm the only one who manages this store ever since I was young. Nobody has ever run this store except me. Are you alright kid?" He asked Naruto worriedly.
Naruto studied the man carefully, bringing his right hand to his chin as his right elbow rested on the back of his left hand, his left arm against his chest. He caressed his chin with his fingers, doing it so in an 'assuming manner'. The man was about forty or so; his hair was neatly slicked back in a short bun, a few white hairs sticking out beneath the black layers. There were a few creases on his face but it wasn't that obvious. He appeared quite healthy and he wasn't thin nor was he obese.
Naruto scratched his head in confusion. He can't be him, he thought. The man who was standing before him wasn't the one Naruto was thinking he would be. The clerk in Naruto's mind happened to be an old man of about fifty or so, is a bit bald in the center if not only for the remaining black hair sticking in his large head. The man he was picturing wasn't at all the man he was seeing right in front of him. Sure, they do look similar in some way but this one was younger from the one he was thinking who was…a bit old.
"Hey, baka!" Sasuke suddenly hit Naruto's head. "Stop staring."
"Hey! What did you do that for?" Naruto moaned.
"Sumimasen, but I have to work now," excused the clerk and then waited on the other customer who had just arrived. Naruto gave one last glance at the man and huddled close to Sasuke and Sakura.
"Anou, did you notice anything different from the guy or this place?"
Sasuke smirked, "Yes, you."
Naruto glared at him, "Iie, you ice man. Do you know who that guy is?"
Sakura peered closely to get a look at the clerk. Then, she gasped.
"Yatta! He looks like the old man who used to run the stand!" she mumbled, bewildered.
Naruto nodded, "Hai."
Sasuke glanced at the clerk and then turned to them, "I hate to say this but I think you're right. He must have been replaced while we were at Kakashi-sensei's apartment. Maybe, HE'S the old man's son or something."
"Bakeru! The old man doesn't have a son! He doesn't have a family – well, maybe once – but not now!" shot Naruto at him.
"You're a fan of him, aren't you?" said Sakura blankly.
Naruto grinned at her, "I'm a fan of his ramen."
Naruto, you ravenous pig, thought Sasuke grimly.
"So you're assuming that this guy here is the same man who used to serve in this place, only that this guy is the younger version of that old man. Am I right?" said Sakura.
Naruto nodded.
"So, you're point is that there's a possibility that we've might been transported to the past, which is where we're in now," figured Sasuke. Naruto widened his eyes in approval. All three went silent.
There's only one way to find out, Sasuke thought. He went up to the man behind the counter and asked, "Sumimasen, demo, what year is it now?"
The clerk looked at him as if he came from Mars.
"Why, it's 1995, boy! Are you sure you kids are all right? Do you want me to make ramen for the three of you?" he said as he eyed at them worriedly.
"Yokata!" cheered Naruto, "Hai. Onegai?" (Please?)
Sasuke froze in his place. 1995? There was no way they could be transported 10 years back, he thought. How? Then he suddenly remembered something. Unless…
Sakura suddenly dragged Naruto by the ear and away from the clerk then she hit him squarely on the head. She hissed at him, " Bakeru! We've just found out that we've been transported 10 years back and here you still crave for a free ramen!"
Naruto rubbed the sore part of his head, "Sakura-chaaaan…"
"Sakura!" Sasuke suddenly called her. Sakura's eyes perked up as she turned to look at him, "Nani, Sasuke-kun?"
"Could the book we had found in Kakashi-sensei's apartment caused all of these?" he dreaded for the worst. The two turned at him with horrified looks on their faces.
"I think we've been trapped inside the book somehow after all," Naruto gasped.
They walked out of the ramen stand without uttering a word to each other. Upon coming to a realization they've been dreading for a long period of time – well, not really long – they were too mesmerized to even think of something to say or do. They couldn't be trapped inside the book or be transported to another period of time. How would they ever get back? What would happen to them and to the people they've left behind? Would their Kakashi-sensei eventually find the book and realize that his three gennins are gone? Most importantly, what if they could never go back and be stuck inside the book…forever?
They continued to walk, not sure of where they would be heading to. If they were transported to the past 10 years back, then it means that they already existed in this time, two years old to be exact. Should they go to their homes now? No, it could make things more complicated. Just then, one thing dawned upon the three of them. If they already existed in this time, then it means that they could prevent the mistakes that happened in their lives and make them right. Curiosity overcame them. All of them had their unfinished businesses somehow.
They sat under a cherry blossom tree beside the road in silence where not much villagers pass by. It didn't quite occur to them what had just happened. They couldn't just be transported to another dimension by the book. The three couldn't believe it. Was someone playing them, perhaps?
"Argh! Naruto, this is all your fault!" Sakura suddenly blurted out. Naruto cast her a confused yet defensive look, "What do you mean it's all my fault?"
"If it weren't for you and your stupid dare, we wouldn't be stuck here, 10 years back to be exact!"
"Ahhh…Sakura-chaaaaaan…"
Sakura growled at him and stubbornly crossed her arms, leaning her back against the tree. She turned to her right, noticing that Sasuke was being seriously quiet, contemplating on something. Sasuke-kun worried Sakura. She knew what was disturbing Sasuke's mind. Now that they've realized that they were in the past, they could prevent all the mistakes that happened in the future – which is their present – and make things better for their benefits.
She didn't think twice about what was on Sasuke's mind. She knew that Sasuke was planning to prevent the downfall of the Uchiha clan – his family. She knew that he wanted to prevent the tragedy that had once befallen on his family. It was all vivid now.
"Anou…" Naruto started, "If we already existed now, which is the past, then it means that our teachers already existed too!"
"DUH!" Sakura muttered.
"I know but what I'm trying to say is that they exist now in their teen versions!"
"And so?"
"And so, we will be able to know more about them and see what they were like during their teen years…which is now!"
"Naruto, you nosy coot!" Sasuke barked at him.
"I AM NOT A NOSY COOT, Y-YOU…YOU INSUFFERABLE ICE MAN!"
Shocked, Sakura was about to slap Naruto for saying something horrible to her Sasuke-kun when she restrained herself from doing so as to not make matters worse.
"Maa, maa…cut it out, you two," she sighed. What am I like, your nanny?
"Can't you think of anything more productive to do besides meddling other people's lives?" shot Sasuke at Naruto. Naruto turned his glare away from him. No matter how jolly Naruto may seem, he has also some things he desperately hope having, and problems wherein he stays late at night to be trampled upon, but is always trying to be optimistic in end. He was only human after all.
Ever since they've been transported ten years back, this gave him the opportunity to know about his past. He wanted to know what happened to his parents and where he was when he was still a baby or who took care of him. But all he knew was that he was an orphan ever since birth, but that didn't give him the idea to back out so easily.
Suddenly, they heard faint voices. They quickly looked to their left. From not far enough, they saw a group of boys with forehead protectors bearing the sign of Konoha walking towards their direction on the road. Their eyes fell on a certain ninja amidst the group. He appeared to have brown hair tied in a high yet short pony. His skin was a bit tan and he was carrying that familiar warm smile and ambience. The three gasped. They couldn't be wrong; he obviously had to be…
"Iruka-sensei!" waved Naruto loudly enough for the whole street to hear. Sakura quickly grabbed Naruto by the waist and covered his mouth with her free hand as Naruto tried to struggle free from her grasps.
"Bakeru! What are you trying to do? They still don't know us in this time! Heck, they don't even know we exist yet! You're trying to get us into serious trouble. Baka!" hissed Sakura madly at him. But it was too late. The fifteen-year old Iruka was now heading towards them with a confused look on his face.
"Sumimasen, anou…what did you just called me with?" he asked, bewildered at the same time suspicious.
It was funny though, seeing their teacher as a fifteen-year old gennin in front of them – who they assume he was, considering that he wasn't wearing his chuunin gear. He was now facing them in a black shirt with a gray plain vest on top of it. He was wearing for the bottom part a khaki-colored cargo shorts.
"Ohayo! Uh…anou…" Naruto grinned as he scratched the back of his head.
"Anou… how did you know my name? Hey, I don't see you guys around here before." Iruka glanced at their forehead protectors. They're from here, he thought.
"Uh…we're, anou…newly appointed gennins?" Sakura said. It was more of a suggestion than a statement.
"NEWLY-APPOI –!" Sasuke cut off Naruto as he quickly stood up and grabbed Naruto, covering his mouth. "Mmf ---mfff!"
"I see," Iruka surprisingly brought the lie. "So, who's your assigned jounin?"
Uh-oh, I haven't thought of that, Sakura panicked. She quickly turned to Sasuke and Naruto for help. Unfortunately, they just stared at her. She sighed hopelessly.
She turned to the confused Iruka.
"Anou, actually we haven't have one – yet." She lied.
Iruka raised his brows, "That's odd. Usually they assign a jounin to a team of gennins right away. Have you asked you r teacher in Academy school about it?" The three just shrugged.
"Uh, okay. So, what are your names?" he asked them.
It was just a simple task, but the three were having a hard time, fumbling for words to say.
Finally, Sakura started to speak, "Anou, his name's Naruto," she pointed at Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes widened. But before he could say something to Sakura, she quickly cut him off, "And he's, uh, Sa-Sakura," she pointed awkwardly at Naruto. Naruto's jaw dropped. "WHAT THE –!"
"And I'm, anou…Sasuke?" she quickly said.
Iruka glanced at the fuming Naruto (the real one).
"Sakura? Well, that's quite an odd name for a boy…"
"Yeah, I know. Funny, huh?" said the real Sakura as she gave an awkward laugh. She winced a bit as she saw the two glaring at her from the corner of her eye.
"Well, nice meeting you guys. Listen, I have to go now so I guess I'll be seeing you guys around. Sayonara!" he waved at them and started to leave when Sakura suddenly blurted out, "Anou, Iruka-sen – err, Iruka-san?"
Iruka turned around, "Hai?"
"Uh, anou…may we ask a favor from you?"
Iruka thought for a moment but then said, "Sure. What is it?"
"Uh, anou…may we please stay in your apartment for tonight?" Iruka blinked, surprised to see Sakura kneeling before him as she bowed, bringing her head to the grassy floor. Sasuke and Naruto stared at her grimly.
"Anou, we don't have anywhere to stay for the night because, uh, we got kicked out from our, uh, apartment. May you please take us in for the night? Onegai? We promise to do some chores for you," she offered. Okay, this is pathetic.
Iruka blinked at her again. He thought the idea was kind of…awkward, with Sakura kneeling before him. But being the kind person that he was, he finally agreed. They didn't seem to look like spies so he guessed it was okay. But if they were, he could just easily save himself from them.
Sakura's eyes shone brightly with tears. Yokata!
"Arigato de gozaimasu!" she kept on saying as she stood up and kept on bowing full front slightly. Iruka raised both his hands near his chest. "It's alright. C'mon, I'll bring you three there right now so you could at least get some rest."
"ARIGATO!" cheered Sakura once more.
Iruka led the way as they walked towards their destination, he, five paces ahead of them as the three trailed quietly behind him. Suddenly, Naruto nudged Sakura in the arm. Sakura looked at him.
"Sakura? What's with that? My name is Naruto and I'm a man!" he moaned at her.
"You know, you should be thanking me. Because of me, we have a place to stay fro the night and I've just prevented a confusion from happening, thank you." She said it defensively.
"What confusion? You just made one!"
"If I hadn't messed up our names, chaos will happen in the future, which is our time! They will know that we've been to their time, or know that we existed in their time, which will only bring confusion! It will affect our future!"
"I hate to say this but I agree with Naruto. And besides, why did you give me his name? It's as if anybody would want to be named after HIM," said Sasuke.
"Hey!" Naruto shot an angry look at him.
Ignoring him, Sasuke continued," Couldn't you, at least, think of something else?"
"Gomen," muttered Sakura, "I've already ran out of ideas."
TBC
AUTHOR'S NOTES: SO HOW WAS IT? PLEASE, AS A POLIT READER AND REVIEWER, KINDLY LEAVE A MESSAGE REGARDING YOUR COMMENT ON THIS CHAPPIE. HEHEHE…
I'M REALLY SORRY IF IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE THIS STORY. RIGHT NOW, I'M CURRENTLY HANDLING THREE FICS AND PROBABLY-FUTURE FICS ARE ALREADY FORMULATING ON MY NOW SUFFERING BRAIN, WITH THE PRACTICES OF OUR SCHOOL PLAY GOING ON. AND NOW JUST TWO WEEKS TO GO THEN I'M OFF TO SCHOOL AGAIN. HOW FAST TIME FLIES, CRAP!
OKAY, ON WITH THE REVIEWER NOTES:
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THOS WHO READ AND REVIEWED THIS STORY NAMELY: himawari, demon-flying, enchantedsleeper (Yes, just like Harry Potter), kc, chokuro, wraith and youku.
A certain reviewer asked me when this story occurred. Well, this takes place even before Orochimaru or the chuunin exams came in. let's just say this one is one of the 'ordinary days' they have in the series.
And with this I must go now. Ciao!
Japanese words (translation):
Iie – no
Nani – what
Shiranai – I don't know (Believe me, that's what it means)
Matte – wait
Dobe – it means moron – close to that
Baka – idiot
Bakeru – stupid
Dozo/Onegai – please
Yatta – Oh no!
Sumimasen – excuse me
Demo – but
Gomen – sorry