A/N: I know this account has died; I've been dead for about a year. And that I'll probably go back to being dead once this ficlet is up. But… however much I know that any fandom that I write in won't get reviews like my C009 ones had (I wonder why, those were crappy too…) this is just a little shot in the Naruto section. And who knows, maybe if I really get into it, Naruto could be my next section! Mm, this is the part where you all scream, "NO!" Hehe...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any part of Naruto. Blech.

Title: True Strength

Ficlet—One Shot

Dedicated to: Vanessa, whose wonderful erm… guidance has gotten me this far. Coupled with a bunch of threats on my life, and a few near-death experiences, she's made me who I am today... so, let's wish her a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Enjoy…

Team Seven was weak, much more so than before. Sasuke supposed it was his fault for leaving Konoha in favor of Orochimaru… but it would've still happened—the signs were all there. True, his attempt at abandoning the Hidden Leaf had automatically put him in the Gondaime's bad list, but the fact that he had hurt her two favorite Genin caused her to completely loose trust in him, but it was going to happen sooner or later. Well, that's what he kept telling himself anyway. The fact of the matter was, Tsunade had disbanded Team 7 in the false hopes of salvaging what was left of the genius team, the team that had the potential to rival the legendary Sannin.

Personally, Sasuke thought that was the stupidest thing she could've done.

Splitting the team up would eventually have its repercussions, and if he had learned anything from his slacker of a Sensei, it would be that teamwork was the key to success. And only with success, could you become a tolerable ninja. And then, only if you were the best of the tolerable ninja, could you become legendary. Simple, really.

So why didn't Konoha's most powerful ninja understand that?

Sasuke thought of how happy they had been, how carefree every day was. Their team was perfect—he had known that from the envious stares that the other Genin had thrown them, and the awe-filled gazes of the Academy Students.

He knew they were good, they were the idol of the Genin teams, the ones pre-ninjas wanted to be. Just… it was too wonderful, too good to last. Something was bound to go wrong, and it did. It wasn't that he regretted leaving for Orochimaru, he still believed that it was his path to go through, but he had chosen the wrong moment. He should've waited for the moment when it wasn't his best friend that was ordered to retrieve him, when he grew stronger and when his resolve wasn't weakened beforehand by a teary kunoichi and his detached, yet completely in-his-shoes sensei.

Someday, he would go search for his Aniki, he would kill him and have revenge for his clan. But that time hadn't come yet, and he would treasure every peaceful moment of his life until then.

Yet sometimes Sasuke couldn't help but think, maybe it wasn't the best idea to take his chosen path. Maybe going to Orochimaru was just wrong, and training in Konoha, where he grew up, with the people he cherished was the right path to take. Yes, he had given up denying his growing affections towards his Team, the only people who had taken the time to understand him Using the curse-seal and its power was only the cheaters way through, it wasn't true strength, not like Kakashi-sensei's, Naruto's, nor his Aniki's powers. It would be the coward's way out, to rely on such a perversion of power instead on truly deserving it. Sometimes he would think that it was Konoha that had the most power, where one could gain this strength instead of in Sound.

But then Sasuke would remind himself that he was going soft, having been in Konoha for an extended period of time. However, he couldn't help but feel at home in the leafy comfort of his village, like this was where he really belonged. He would try to remind himself of Orochimaru's terrifying power, but then his mind would conjure up the image of Naruto, standing before him in his full-Kyuubi glory.

"You're LATE!" Naruto's and Sakura's voiced chorused together, in perfect harmony.

Looking out over to the river, the corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched slightly, almost imperceptible if one wasn't looking for it. Then, there were times like this. Times where he was completely and fully relaxed, oblivious to the twists and turns of life. Times where he didn't have to worry about a thing, the only thoughts on his mind being how irritating the routine screeching was. Yes, everything was routine now, the same each day, nothing special or interesting about each passing twenty-four hours. Hitherto, Sasuke had always imagined this to be incredibly boring, and a waste of his precious training time. But, he had come to think of it as a base, something for him to hold onto when everything else was lost.

"You see, it's not my fault, and a very long story—I was hurrying towards our meeting spot, but an old lady fell down on the street and asked me to help, so then…" Sasuke's lips tugged upwards again, listening to his sensei's latest excuse. He could imagine Kakashi-sensei's amused half-moon eye as he told his story and the barely visible grinning features under his mask. It was around the part where he had gone off to lecturing to them the importance of recycling bottle caps so that the trees in Konoha could grow taller when Naruto had apparently had enough. "Let's just go have ramen already! I'm starving! Sakura-chan, let's go!" he complained, vigorously rubbing his stomach for emphasis.

"Fine, it is around lunchtime anyway… But GOD, Naruto, can't you just shut up for once!" Sasuke could hear Sakura rolling her eyes, but allowing herself to be dragged along anyway.

"Sasuke-teme, are you coming?" Getting up from his leaning position by the bridge railing, he turned around, and saw Naruto waiting a few steps away, head turned towards him. "Well?" he demanded, waving his hands in the air. Sakura stood by his side, her hand clenched in his. Stepping forward, she held out her other hand to him, her face lit up by a mischievous smile.

"Sasuke-kun? Come on, I know you're hungry! We've been waiting forever for Kakashi-sensei, but we're such great students that we'll treat him to ramen anyway, right?"

"I'm not one to turn down a meal from my students, but you should know by now Sakura, your eyes are too slow to follow my movements," the silver-haired Jounin said lightly, not looking up once from his Icha Icha Paradise that had magically found its way into his hand, "Although that might be why you're so eager to take Sasuke along?" Sakura blushed slightly, hand still held insistently out.

"You bet it is!" Naruto burst forth, loudly as always, "Why else would we have Sasuke-teme come along, sheesh!"

"Aaa, that means we have even less use for you, Dobe." Sasuke drawled back, hesitantly taking Sakura's outstretched hand. Ignoring Naruto's furious sputtering, he smiled inwardly at her surprised expression, then at the pure delight that stretched across her pretty-face. Nearly skipping with happiness, the pink-haired kunoichi pulled both her teammates along the road, calling back, "Come on, Kakashi-sensei, we should go before all the seats are taken!" Kakashi followed his Genin team in his usual slouching pace, eyes on his book, but Sasuke could tell that he was listening intently on Sakura's and Naruto's frantic chatter, feelings as content as he was.

At these times, Sasuke felt like this was where he really belonged, among these people, the ones that he would give his life for without a second thought. At these times, he was truly himself, without any goals nor hopes, just living his life in the present.

At these times, Sasuke knew that Tsunade was wrong, that their team was stronger than ever.