A/N: Woo! Third chapter! This is a long one, so buckle up and enjoy!

Hmm...nope. Still don't own Naruto.


Chapter III: Tempered in Fire

The events which forged the bonds of Team 7 were complicated. They were often full of shared sacrifice and pain; but each sacrifice, each wound, each jarring experience was a strike of the hammer upon steel, folding and reinforcing their ties to one another. Their mission to Wave Country was where they first discovered just how naïve they all were when it came to their expectations of the ninja lifestyle. They had witnessed death firsthand; they had seen their normally stoic sensei beat the Demon Brothers of Kiri and skewer the missing nin Zabuza Momochi on his forearm with his Chidori. They had seen Haku effortlessly drop the crime lord known as Gatō with a single senbon to the throat after Naruto spared his life and stopped him from putting himself between Zabuza and Kakashi.

Sakura had received a harsh reality check, having the rose-colored glasses ripped off after seeing Sasuke nearly die and Naruto go into a fit of rage after the fact. She was forced to reevaluate how she felt about her team, Naruto especially. Sakura had never realized that he was capable of unleashing that much raw power, and it both frightened and amazed her. During his near-death experience, Sasuke had realized that not only was he not as strong as he had thought himself to be, but that he had protected Naruto on sheer instinct. He didn't have to think about protecting his brother, he just did it. Their loudmouthed teammate matured as well, coming to the same realization as Sasuke; and in typical Naruto fashion, he vowed to everyone in earshot that he would train his hardest to get stronger to protect those that he held dear.

Naruto had ended up befriending the androgynous boy, Haku, and offered to take him back to Konoha with his team. It had taken quite a bit of convincing from Naruto and Haku to get Kakashi and the other two genin to agree, but Team Kakashi had returned to Konoha with their plus one, who the team had admittedly warmed up to along the way. He was immediately put through the course of interrogation, examination, and probation before being allowed the possibility of becoming a Konoha Shinobi. Haku was just grateful to have been taken in.

Their training leading up to the Chūnin Exams had been rigorous, to say the least. After getting an earful from Hiruzen, Kakashi had doubled down on his efforts to mold his 'cute little genin' into respectable shinobi. He had started with their chakra affinities. Sasuke shared lightning with Kakashi, who was disappointed that he didn't possess the fire affinity that his clan was so well-known for but was grateful that he at least had a teacher who shared his affinity; one who also possessed a Sharingan, no less. Sakura's affinity test had surprised everyone. The chakra paper that she was given had split in half, dampened, and then frozen in her hand. Even the unshakable Sasuke was agape at Sakura's newly discovered Kekkei Genkai, the likes of which they had only ever seen once. Naruto possessed a wind affinity, which was a bit of a rarity among the shinobi of Konoha. Kakashi took it upon himself to get in touch with Asuma for supplemental affinity training, which both he and Naruto agreed to. He saw to Sasuke's affinity training personally, and taught him his jutsu, Chidori. Naruto had the idea to refer Sakura to Haku for help with honing her skills with her bloodline, since he was the only one they knew to possess the Hyōton Kekkei Genkai. Thankfully, both Hiruzen and a very surprised Haku agreed.

Outside of their training under Kakashi and their secondary teachers, Team 7 had slowly started growing closer. They spent more time together after training talking and winding down before parting ways. These conversations eventually would be held over meals, and even afternoon tea when they were given a day off. They had even taken to gathering at any one of the member's homes every now and again.

Sakura had seen sides of Sasuke and Naruto she had never known of during her days in the academy: despite their rivalry, the two were best friends. As it turned out, Sasuke and Naruto knew each other even before they started at the academy and were already friends by the time they both started, on account of Sasuke's late mother knowing Naruto. After the Uchiha Massacre, Naruto had sought out Sasuke, going so far as to let him stay at his apartment after being released from the hospital until he recovered as best he could. Sasuke had said that the time after his family was killed was when he came to see Naruto as a brother.

She had never seen Sasuke smile as much as he did when he was talking to Naruto. She had even heard Sasuke laugh for the first time. Sasuke laughed! The same cool and stoic boy that had his own fan club had enjoyed laughing and smiling just as much as anyone else. Sakura couldn't help but feel as though her world was turned upside down; though she didn't resent it. She knew Naruto always smiled no matter what, but his smiles and laughs were so genuine around Sasuke.

Her preconceived notions of Naruto being the annoying class clown were washed away by what she had seen between him and Sasuke. What had surprised her even more was their willingness to talk to her and welcome her into their circle. She was deeply moved by Naruto's compassion especially. He had always gone on about wanting to be strong and she remembered his vow after their mission to Wave Country, but hearing him tell her that she was one of the people he wanted to protect had struck a chord in the kunoichi. She felt welcomed and wanted, and she genuinely enjoyed their company. Kakashi had originally planned to continue with team-building exercises, but he saw how much closer they had grown, and was more than happy to toss those exercises aside in favor of honing their skills for the upcoming exams.

The Chūnin Exams was the greatest challenge that Team 7 had faced together since their mission to Wave Country. Things were going well at first, until they had a less than pleasant run-in with Orochimaru, who attacked them and branded Sasuke with his Cursed Seal of Heaven and crippled Naruto with the Five-Pronged Seal and separated him from his team. Sakura had carried Sasuke's unconscious form, hoping to find Naruto when she fought a team from Otogakure, where Sasuke lost control of himself after one of them had hurt Sakura. In retaliation, he broke the arms of one of the Oto genin.

Once the team reunited and reached the tower, they quickly brought him to Kakashi, who sealed it to the best of his ability, but the jōnin knew that Sasuke would need a stronger seal to keep Orochimaru's influence at bay. By a stroke of luck, Jiraiya, who was a seal expert, had arrived in Konoha and had taken over Naruto's individual training (albeit after Naruto essentially abandoned his original instructor, Ebisu). The blond genin had mentioned what happened to Sasuke, and Jiraiya took it upon himself to examine the Curse Mark with Hiruzen and Kakashi's permission. Everyone, Sasuke especially, breathed a sigh of relief when Jiraiya was able to seal off the influence of Orochimaru's Curse Mark, which had returned Sasuke back to normal. He was shaken, and Orochimaru had planted seeds of ideas in his subconscious, but he wouldn't lose control like he did in the Forest of Death.

The invasion of Konoha by Suna and Oto, led by none other than Orochimaru himself, was another stone on the shared path that Team 7 walked. Orochimaru had killed Hiruzen, but not before Hiruzen could use the Shiki Fūjin and cripple Orochimaru's ability to use any jutsu. The village had suffered a good amount of damage at the hands of the combined force. Unbeknownst to Konoha and Team 7, one of the exam participants, Gaara, had turned out to be the container for the One-Tailed Demon Tanuki. Naruto had been the one to ultimately subdue the tailed beast and its jailor, but not without the help of his teammates and friends. He not only subdued Gaara, but managed to change him for the better, curbing his bloodlust and redefining what it meant to exist in the redhead's mind. He talked with him as they both laid beaten and exhausted about their shared burden of being containers for Tailed Beasts and growing up alone. He had even mentioned Sasuke and how their shared experiences and differences brought them together rather than drove them apart.

After the invasion of Konoha, something in Sasuke had snapped. He became obsessed with getting stronger and began isolating himself. He always said that he had to be alone so he could get stronger. He became more closed-off towards his teammates and his sensei, he was moody, brooding, and more irritable than ever. Everything came to a head when Naruto caught wind of Sasuke wanting to leave the village for the sake of trying to get even stronger. He and Sasuke fought bitterly at the Valley of the End: where Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had fought many years ago after Madara betrayed the village and Hashirama. The fight had provoked Naruto to the point of releasing some of the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra, while Sasuke had released some of the power of the Curse Mark.

Naruto had screamed at Sasuke how much he, Sakura, and Kakashi cared about him and how strong they all were as a team. Each statement was punctuated by Naruto's fists connecting with the raven-haired boy. It wasn't until Naruto held down Sasuke by his shoulders and wept over him that Sasuke snapped out of his lust for power. He wept for his friend; he wept for his brother. All at once, the memories of how close he had grown to his team and how close he and Naruto were from the time they were children flooded back to him. From that day on, he vowed never to abandon his friends for the pursuit of power, Itachi be damned.

Jiraiya had caught wind of the trio's accomplishments and decided to take them along to search for Tsunade to serve as Hiruzen's successor as the Fifth Hokage. Naturally, he left that not so small detail out when he had asked them to come along, and instead told them they were being sent to retrieve a famous kunoichi medic named Tsunade. Sasuke and Sakura had heard Naruto refer to the Toad Sage as "Pervy Sage" on account of witnessing him peeping on the women's hot springs for so-called "research." They had gently rebuked him for referring to one of the Legendary Sannin as such, claiming that someone of his stature couldn't possibly do that. Naruto had vehemently protested their refutations, staking his own claim of Jiraiya being more of a womanizing peeping tom than they thought, much to the chagrin of the Sage.

They were proven wrong, however, when they consistently found him in bars with women on each arm, a perverted grin plastered on his face, and giggling like a schoolboy. Naruto scoffed mirthfully at their ignorance while Sasuke and Sakura gaped. Sasuke could hardly believe that this was the same man that had sealed his Curse Mark, while Sakura could hardly believe that he had the nerve to be so sleazy. The handful of times that they had caught the Toad Sage peeping on women's hot springs further proved that the title of Pervy Sage wasn't unjustified. Said instances threw Sakura into fits of blinding rage. Her fury was enough that Sasuke and Naruto had to hold her back from beating the white-haired codger to a pulp. From that point on, even they referred to him as Pervy Sage behind his back; Naruto was the only one audacious enough to call him that to his face.

After searching several small towns, sleazy bars, and shady casinos, they had found Tsunade in a pub surrounded by empty sake bottles, accompanied by her assistant, Shizune, and her pig, Tonton. Tsunade was aghast that Jiraiya was able to find her after all those years, while Team 7 could hardly believe that the woman before them was the world-famous kunoichi medic Tsunade. Jiraiya revealed the reasons that he and Team 7 were looking for her. She refused the offer to be the next Hokage, stating that it was a position that only fools would take. An enraged Naruto had challenged her to a match, on the condition that if he beat her, she would come back with them and be Hokage. She accepted, and after revealing herself to be one of the Legendary Sannin, beat him with one finger. Naruto had begrudgingly admitted defeat, but Jiraiya had decided to keep trying his luck, so the group trailed Tsunade for a few days after that night.

One reason that Tsunade had for not returning with them was that she had been approached by Orochimaru, who had tempted her with a promise to revive her dead lover, Dan, and her younger brother, Nawaki, with the kinjutsu, Edo Tensei, in exchange for healing his arms, which were crippled by Hiruzen using the Shiki Fūjin on him. The grief-stricken woman had agreed, only to be betrayed by the snake Sannin and his underling, Kabuto. Luckily for her and Shizune, Jiraiya and Team 7 stepped in to help.

Orochimaru had fled, leaving the fighting to Kabuto. After incapacitating Shizune and forcing Jiraiya to tend to her, he had made short work of knocking Team 7 out of the way. Unfortunately for him, the trio would not be so easily defeated. After mercilessly laying into Tsunade with repeated kicks and punches, the three genin rose. Fueled by their combined anger at the traitor and their desire to fulfill their duty, they relentlessly defended Tsunade. The woman sat there in awe of what she was seeing. Not only did she see the Will of Fire that her grandfather and great uncle had spoken of so fondly, but she saw in Naruto the same passion she had seen in her little brother, as well as the same desire to protect that she had seen in Dan.

After Naruto had beaten Kabuto with his newly learned technique, the Rasengan, Tsunade couldn't help but stare at him and his teammates. These three genin were stronger than she had originally thought. She rebuked herself for underestimating them. After patching up Shizune and tending to the wounds sustained by Team 7, Tsunade had agreed to return to Konoha with them and accept the position of Fifth Hokage.

After some much needed rest, the genin of Team 7 reunited with Kakashi, who decided that it was time to step their training up in terms of intensity. Since Jiraiya was in the village, Naruto had begun more intensive training with him and less with Asuma. Sakura and Haku had resumed refining her Hyōton, and Sasuke had once again started training more with Kakashi. They picked up missions here and there, and still had found time to hang out and keep their friendship going.

Not long after their training had resumed, Jiraiya had offered Naruto a chance to take a trip with him outside the village both to train and to see more of the world they lived in. Of course, he didn't mention that it was also partially due to increasing reports of the Akatsuki being on the move. He had hesitated when Jiraiya had said the trip would be for almost three years, but Naruto agreed after speaking to his teammates and his sensei, who were incredibly supportive of the idea. Hearing of Jiraiya's training trip had given Kakashi the idea to take Sasuke with him on a trip of their own.

Haku and Sakura talked at length about their options and opted to approach Tsunade about the possibility of being taken on as apprentices, given that both had excellent chakra control and had considered becoming medic nin. Sakura had mentioned the idea to Ino, who was glad to join them. Tsunade had groaned at the prospect of having three new apprentices besides Shizune but saw it as the opportunity she was looking for in terms of starting up a dedicated medical program for Konoha, and accepted the three under her tutelage.

As fate would have it, Naruto and Sasuke had run into each other on their return journey after two-and-a-half years. The two had talked and caught up with each other right up to the moment they reached the gate, talking mostly about the rigors of their respective training trips. Naruto told Sasuke about how he had improved and nearly perfected the Rasengan with Jiraiya, along with working on his wind chakra manipulation. Sasuke had mastered Kakashi's original move, Chidori, along with his clan's signature Fireball Jutsu. He'd also learned quite a bit of kenjutsu, and now wielded a ninjato that was about the same length as a katana. It was a bit odd as far as swords went, even ninjato; it was solid black, save for a small Uchiha crest on the handle, which was flush with the scabbard. He had named it Kusanagi, as a parody of the real Kusanagi that Orochimaru wielded. Sasuke was smiling ear to ear about how he had awakened his third Tomoe in his Sharingan, thus fully evolving it. Naruto couldn't help but beam with pride at his best friend.

After reaching the village and reuniting with Sakura, Haku, and Tsunade at the Hokage tower, they decided to celebrate with lunch at Ichiraku. Along the way, Naruto and Sasuke had run into their old classmates, and took time to catch up with them on the way. After their meal, Naruto gifted Kakashi a new, unreleased volume from the Icha Icha series called Icha Icha Tactics, which Kakashi accepted while giggling like a schoolboy. Everyone could only awkwardly marvel at how much their sensei loved such a…steamy novel.

With Team 7 reunited, they were permitted to go on missions once again. Of course, they would continue training with their respective teachers. When Sasuke learned that Naruto had signed the toad summoning contract and Sakura had signed the slug contract, he couldn't help but feel a little left out. In the two years that he and Kakashi were on the road, there was talk of summoning, but he never signed a contract. Kakashi had offered to let Sasuke summon Pakkun and his ninja dogs, but Sasuke politely declined. It wasn't so much that he didn't like Pakkun or appreciate the offer, he just wasn't much of a dog person. Truth be told, he preferred cats.

Sasuke once more broached the topic of summoning to his sensei, who had suggested he speak with a Tokubetsu jōnin who held a particularly unique summoning contract. No sooner did Anko Mitarashi appear in an extravagant cloud of purple smoke, dango skewer in hand. Sasuke was perplexed at first, unsure as to why the half-insane T&I specialist had appeared before him and Kakashi. She explained that not only did she hold the snake summoning contract, but also had her own Curse mark; courtesy of a certain despicable snake Sannin. She offered Sasuke the summoning contract, which he accepted and signed. Snakes, in his mind, were like cats; quiet, calm, and relatively low maintenance. Snakes were just longer, had scales, no legs, and were cold blooded. He had also borne witness to how strong Orochimaru's snakes were and figured a summon with that kind of power would prove useful.

By way of recommendation from Kakashi and Jiraiya, Sasuke and Naruto were promoted to the rank of chūnin. Naruto had wondered aloud why Sakura wasn't being promoted along with them, which Tsunade coolly dismissed by stating she had already been promoted. Sakura had gently added that many of their classmates were also recently made chūnin, while Shikamaru was on his way to jōnin, while Neij had been a jōnin for a few months by that point.

As Sasuke and Naruto were still reeling over the fact that they had only just been promoted to chūnin and caught up with their classmates, Jiraiya and Kakashi appeared. Jiraiya had then told the group what he knew about the Akatsuki and their movements. Gaara, who had recently been named Kazekage, had been captured by the Akatsuki. Tsunade had instructed Team 7 to head to Suna and aid them in whatever way they could to retrieve him. They would set out immediately.


On their way to Suna, Team 7 had encountered Temari, who was on her return journey from the Chūnin Exams in Konoha. She decided to accompany them after catching up briefly. During their journey, Naruto had told Temari, Sasuke, and Sakura that he was the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox and how the Akatsuki are targeting Gaara because of his status as a jinchūriki. Sasuke and Sakura made a vow to themselves that they would do everything they could to protect Naruto.

Upon their arrival in Suna, Team 7 had learned of the attack on Kankurō by Sasori of the Red Sand, one of the two Akatsuki who attacked Suna and kidnapped Gaara, and how Kankurō was poisoned by this Sasori. Sakura was able to cure Kankurō and develop portable antidotes, should they meet Sasori in combat. Everyone present was in shock over how quickly she had developed the cure. Naruto and Sasuke knew that she had been studying under Tsunade while they were away, but this was the first time they had seen the fruits of her labor; they were both amazed and proud. Kakashi had summoned Pakkun to track Sasori, which would then lead them to Gaara. Temari had offered to join them, but Elder Chiyo, who was a puppeteer as well as Sasori's grandmother, went in her stead. Tsunade had also sent Team Guy as backup, since the Akatsuki were not to be taken lightly.

The Akatsuki had dispatched Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki to deal with Team 7 and Team Guy, respectively. Team Guy was occupied with Kisame, a rogue nin who was one of the former Ninja Swordsmen from Kirigakure; one who wielded a great sword called Samehada, which was famous for devouring chakra. Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi would deal with Itachi. Sasuke had frozen when he saw his brother, struggling to sort through the mélange of emotions he was feeling. The ensuing fight was not an easy one, and had taken a great deal of teamwork along with Naruto's new jutsu, the Ōdama Rasengan, to defeat the rogue Uchiha.

After the fight, Sasuke sunk to his knees in a state of shock over what had just happened. He had fought his older brother, by whose hand the Uchiha clan was slaughtered in cold blood; and he survived. Despite this, he felt like he had failed. "Itachi" had turned out to be a different person under a transformation. Itachi was still alive; Sasuke hadn't even been the one to deal the final blow. He had begun to wonder if he had really gotten stronger or if he was just kidding himself. Naruto snapped him out of it, reminding him of everything that had happened since that fateful night. He reminded him of his strength of will and how he was able to overcome the darkness that had nearly consumed him after the Chūnin Exams. He reminded him that Itachi wasn't the only brother he had, and that seemed to hit home with Sasuke, who sincerely thanked Naruto.

Team Guy was largely incapacitated by Kisame, and Guy had fought the former Kiri Swordsman alone. Despite the circumstances, he had emerged victorious as well. "Kisame" had also been someone in disguise thanks to a shapeshifting technique. Their fights had been distractions to buy time for the Akatsuki to extract Shukaku, the One-Tailed Tanuki, from Gaara, which would kill him if the extraction was successful. The entrance to the Akatsuki hideout was blocked by a barrier, which Team Guy disabled under Kakashi's direction. However, the barrier's failsafe created clones to further delay them. Unfortunately, their delays were successful.

Team 7 and Chiyo had found Sasori and Deidara, an Iwa rogue shinobi whose specialty was explosive clay, guarding Gaara's lifeless form. Naruto's blood boiled; he was angry enough that some of the Nine Tails' chakra had leaked out, causing his features to turn more animalistic. Deidara flew off on a clay bird with Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi in hot pursuit, while Chiyo and Sakura stayed behind to face Sasori.

Sasori was a master puppeteer. Sakura had seen what Kankurō was capable of with his puppets, but Sasori was on another level. He was fast, faster than expected, and found every opportunity to strike either with his blade-like tail or with hidden poisoned senbon. Sakura had told Chiyo to use her like she would a puppet, and had destroyed Sasori's first puppet, Hiruko, which served as a suit of armor. After Hiruko was destroyed, Sasori revealed his true form. He had looked just as young as he had when he left Suna. His greyish brown eyes were half-lidded as his face held a hazy look, framed by his short, mousy red hair. He then revealed one of his favorite puppets: The Third Kazekage. Chiyo's incredulity prompted Sasori to reveal that he not only killed the Third Kazekage, but turned his body into a puppet, along with 297 other people. He then stated that he planned to do the same to Sakura and Chiyo. Chiyo summoned two puppets that had the appearance of Sasori's parents; puppets that Sasori had made himself to remind him of them.

The fight against the Kazekage puppet was bitter. The array of concealed blades, poisons, and traps made Hiruko seem like a child's doll, but even that puppet was dispatched by Sakura, who was thankful for the rigorous training that Tsunade had put her through, not to mention the doses of antidote she had prepared for the exact situation she had been in. After the destruction of the Kazekage puppet, Sasori had revealed his secret: he had made himself into a living puppet. His heart was kept in a talisman in his chest labeled with the kanji for Scorpion, which allowed him to use chakra. Chiyo used her Shirohigi: Jikki Chikamatsu no Shū, while Sasori countered with his Akahigi: Hyakki no Sōen. In the end, Sasori had died at the hands of the puppets of his mother and father that he had made. The puppets had held him in a similar way that his own parents did when they were alive. Chiyo believed that Sasori let himself be killed. Sakura and Chiyo were both fatally wounded, but Chiyo used a technique that she developed for Sasori to save Sakura's life. Since Sakura was alive, she was able to heal Chiyo. Sasori's last words were that he had a spy within Orochimaru's ranks that he was supposed to meet; Sakura flinched when she heard Orochimaru's name, but would pass the intel along.

Naruto and Kakashi's fight with Deidara started with Kakashi trying to decapitate Deidara with his Kamui, but only managed to sever one of his arms. Sasuke had been floored by Kakashi's new technique, he had never even heard of it before. After that, an enraged Naruto slammed a Rasengan fueled by the Nine Tails' chakra into the clay bird that Deidara was trying to escape on. At first, it looked like Naruto had beaten the explosive-obsessed rogue, but it had turned out to be a clay clone. Naruto had started to sprout a third tail because of his anger. Kakashi and Sasuke could tell that he was beginning to appear feral, which prompted Kakashi to use a seal tag that Jiraiya had given him to stop the transformation. Naruto had returned to normal after that.

Sakura, Chiyo, and Team Guy had caught up with the trio, and Deidara had opted to turn himself into a human bomb. He swallowed some of his clay and exploded. Kakashi collapsed from exhaustion after using his Kamui to send the explosion to another dimension. Unfortunately for them, this wouldn't be the last of Deidara.

Naruto carried Gaara's body as they made their way back to Suna. Along the way, they stopped in a grassy field, where Sakura pronounced Gaara dead. Naruto wept. He wept for his fellow jinchūriki and the cruelty that he had endured because of his burden. He wept for his failure to save him. He wept for his friend. Chiyo tried to revive Gaara with her Kishō Tensei, but didn't have enough life force left. Naruto had lent his own chakra to help her, and Chiyo was able to revive the fallen Kazekage, but at the unfortunate cost of her own life.

The group returned to Suna, where they paid their respects to Chiyo and bid Gaara and his siblings farewell. Gaara had extended a hand for Naruto to shake, which Naruto was unprepared for. Sasuke had been the one to gently guide Naruto's hand to Gaara's, albeit rather awkwardly. The Konoha shinobi made for home, where Kakashi was put on bedrest because of his exhaustion. Sakura reported the intel she received from Sasori to Tsunade, who thanked her and the rest of them for their work. She gave them some time off to rest. Team 7 thanked Tsunade and the members of Team Guy before they decided to meet at Naruto's apartment to talk and relax.


After their time off and Kakashi's recovery, Team 7 was summoned to the Hokage Tower for another mission. They were met by their sensei along with Jiraiya and an unknown Konoha shinobi. Jiraiya had started by saying they had a lead on Orochimaru, thanks to the information that Sakura had given them. He was still in the Land of Fire along with his subordinate, Kabuto.

After his briefing, Tsunade gave them their mission: join up with another team and hunt down Orochimaru. His knowledge and betrayal of Konoha, along with his involvement with the Akatsuki made him too dangerous to be left alive. During their briefing, Team 7 were also introduced to a new member: a jōnin by the name of Yamato. Naruto was apprehensive about having him along for the mission, given that Yamato gave him the creeps. Sasuke had poked fun at his friend for that. Kakashi proceeded to tell his team of his stint in ANBU with Yamato, revealing that he was a wielder of the Mokuton. Team 7's jaws hit the floor with that new revelation.

Tsunade gave them two weeks to prepare, since the mission would be long, and they would be up against Orochimaru and likely Itachi as well. Plus, Kakashi and Yamato needed some time to deliberate over which team they would be taking with them. Jiraiya had decided to continue Naruto's training before he learned Senjutsu later. Sakura continued her apprenticeship with Tsunade alongside Haku and Ino, and asked Haku to train her more in Hyōton, which he gladly agreed to. Sasuke had requested to be trained by Anko Mitarashi in addition to Kakashi, given her knowledge of snake summons. Kakashi had given Sasuke a warning regarding Anko and her extreme training methods, which Sasuke dismissed. Kakashi winced and mused to himself how much Naruto's confidence rubbed off on him.


The combined squad of Team 7 and Team 8 had set out at the end of the two-week buffer period. With Kurenai pregnant, Kakashi was the designated jōnin leader of Team 8, while Yamato spearheaded Team 7. The group had a lead on Orochimaru that was provided by Jiraiya that put him at one of his hidden bases in the Land of Fire. They had found Orochimaru and Kabuto at one of their hidden hideouts within the Land of Fire after traveling for about a week. Orochimaru had fled and once again left Kabuto to stall. This time, however, Kabuto was outmatched. After taking some hits from Hinata's Gentle Fist, Kabuto fled as well. Kiba had wanted to pursue but was reminded by Kakashi that the primary target was Orochimaru. He reluctantly agreed, knowing full well the mission came first.

With the help of Hinata's Byakugan and the noses of Kiba and Akamaru, the eight man squad tracked Orochimaru for a few days before they caught up to him in one of the many forests between Konoha and the Land of Rice Fields, now known as the Land of Sound. Of course, the snake had been expecting them. Sasuke and Naruto's blood had boiled when Orochimaru taunted them about his success with giving Sasuke the Cursed Seal of Heaven, but held their tongues, not wanting to let the serpentine traitor provoke them.

Sakura had maintained a hard exterior despite her unshakeable nerves. She remembered what had happened the last time they had faced Orochimaru during the Chūnin Exams and was silently praying that it wouldn't happen again. Naruto had sensed her apprehension, and with a knowing look in her direction he communicated that he and Sasuke both were just as nervous as she was, but they would pull through by the combined strength of Team 7 and Team 8. She knew he was right, and silently thanked him. Naruto had turned into a beacon of optimism; inspiring her and others to be confident and never back down. He had truly become a ray of sunshine for the Konoha 12, and she admired him for it. The eight-man squad steeled themselves for the fight that was about to take place; Shino readied his insects, Hinata had activated her Byakugan, Kakashi lifted his headband to reveal his Sharingan, while Kiba and Akamaru poised themselves in their signature taijutsu stance. Sasuke's Sharingan was blazing crimson as he drew his ninjato, Naruto drew a kunai and flared his chakra, ready to create as many shadow clones as needed, Yamato drew his own kunai while he began molding chakra to use his Mokuton at a moment's notice, while Sakura did the same for her Hyōton and her strength enhancement techniques she had learned from Tsunade.

The fight was bitter. Orochimaru was nigh on untouchable, his body arching and twisting in unnatural ways to avoid what would be devastating blows. Any blows that did connect had connected with seemingly endless mud clones. Kabuto had managed to further repair Orochimaru's arms, so he was able to use some ninjutsu without many issues. Thankfully, he was unable to summon Manda, his massive personal snake summon; however he was still able to summon snakes to fight with, as well as use some high-level ninjutsu. Kabuto had managed to find his way back to Orochimaru like a human boomerang, which only made things more difficult.

Team 8 had elected to deal with Kabuto while Team 7 dealt with Orochimaru; their fight was personal. Normally, anger would cloud the judgement and perception of a ninja, but in Team 7's case, it fueled them and drove them to fight harder. Their teamwork was impeccable by that point. Sakura was their main ranged hitter, engaging Orochimaru with senbon, kunai, shuriken, as well as some of her Hyōton jutsu that she had learned from Haku. Sasuke made openings by way of his Fireballs for Naruto to hit hard and deal as much damage as he could. Yamato provided support with his Mokuton, blocking attacks that would have been lethal had they connected with any of Team 7. Though the trio had improved immensely and gotten stronger, Orochimaru was still a cut above most. They were giving him a run for his money, and now and again had taken the Sannin by surprise, but he deftly dodged many of the hard-hitting attacks. He was toying with them at first, but had been forced to start fighting more seriously after being caught off guard a few too many times and being forced to shed a few of his precious bodies he had stored.

Orochimaru had taken advantage of the fatigue that had seeped into Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Yamato. They were slowing down, which was just what he wanted. He saw his opening and took it, and slammed Sakura, Naruto, and Yamato into some of the nearby trees, while he threw Sasuke into the ground like a rotten piece of fruit. Sasuke had seen what the snake Sannin had done to his teammates—no, his friends. The sight of Sakura and Naruto, his brother, gasping for air after having the wind knocked out of them before falling motionless. Seeing his precious people at the mercy of the monster that had given him a Curse Mark made his blood boil. He was trembling with rage, his fists clenched hard enough that his nails dug into his palm and drew blood.

He focused his fiery gaze on Orochimaru, who had a smug grin plastered on his face. Sasuke felt something awakening within him; a low thrum of energy in his stomach. He had felt it before; he felt it when he first awakened his Sharingan in Wave Country and again when he gained his third Tomoe during his trip with Kakashi. His eyes stung as his Tomoe spun. His normally red iris had turned black; a red, six-pointed pinwheel with a narrow, black pupil spun as it morphed before slowing to a stop. Orochimaru licked his lips with his obscenely long tongue, seemingly salivating at what had occurred in the Uchiha's ever-desirable eyes. Orochimaru had always wanted to have Sasuke's Sharingan, but now that he had awoken his Mangekyō Sharingan, the snake Sannin's lust for the dōjutsu had reached a new level.

Sasuke was relentless, his Mangekyō Sharingan was blazing. Every strike he aimed at the snake Sannin had Sasuke's unbridled fury behind it. Orochimaru was quick, but with his newly acquired dōjutsu and his training, Sasuke wasn't far behind him. He landed some hard hits, and at one point had even caused Orochimaru to shed one of his bodies to avoid being skewered by Sasuke's Chidori. Unfortunately for Sasuke, the combination of his rage and having his Mangekyō active for so long had tired him out, even if he didn't show it. Orochimaru landed a hit on Sasuke that sent him flying.

Just as Orochimaru was approaching the Uchiha heir, he was slammed by a mass of potent, red chakra. Sasuke looked up to see Naruto standing between him and Orochimaru, growling. His whisker marks were thicker and darker, his canines were longer and sharper, resembling fangs, and his eyes were a striking vermillion with black slits in place of pupils. He was surrounded by a cloak of red chakra that seemed to be boiling; three tails made of the same roiling chakra extended out from behind him. Sasuke recognized this chakra; it belonged to the Nine-Tailed Fox. He had remembered sensing it during their mission to Wave Country as he drifted in and out of consciousness after Haku had turned him into a pincushion. This time was different though, Naruto was fully aware of his actions. He wasn't just releasing the chakra; he was channeling it. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk.

Orochimaru was no longer smiling. He knew facing a fully awakened Mangekyō Sharingan and the jinchūriki of the Nine Tails in his three-tailed state wouldn't be easy, even for him. With Kabuto surprisingly still occupied with Team 8, Orochimaru had to face the duo on his own.

Naruto was blindingly fast; fast enough that even Sasuke had trouble keeping up with his movements. He wasn't just fast; he was relentless in his attacks. He was out for blood. Orochimaru had dodged more of his lethal swipes of his claws but had rolled with the punches, countering when the opportunity presented itself.

Sasuke took advantage of the moments Orochimaru was hit by Naruto's punches to try and slash at him with his blade, but the snake managed to dodge his cuts. Sasuke was considerably faster, since he had learned to utilize lightning chakra to boost his speed. Coupled with his Sharingan, he was able to track Orochimaru, even if the snake kept slipping right through his fingers.

Despite his slipperiness, Orochimaru was getting sloppy. He took more blows than he had intended to, trying to roll with the punches Naruto dealt, while dodging Sasuke's blade. He wanted to end the fight decisively and secure Sasuke's body and eyes, subsequently, for himself. He threw Naruto aside once more, charging blindingly fast at Sasuke in a last-ditch effort, his lower body taking on its signature serpentine form. The snake Sannin had the Sharingan and the last Uchiha prodigy in his grasp. He unhinged his jaw, extending fangs not unlike a venomous snake, and sank them into Sasuke's neck with a sickening noise.

No sooner after Orochimaru started internally celebrating his success did he feel a strange sensation coming from his back. In a puff of smoke, Sasuke had turned into nothing more than a log, which the serpentine man immediately released from his maw. He looked down to see a thin silver line coming from his abdomen, his eyes widening in horror. He turned to see Sasuke standing behind him, his Mangekyō ablaze, giving him a glare that chilled even the indomitable Orochimaru to his bones. He had expected his eyes to be full of fury and rage, but instead they were indifferent, apathetic.

Orochimaru coughed up blood, his face contorted in pain. A trickle of blood ran from one of Sasuke's glowing crimson eyes as he muttered, "Amaterasu." Sasuke withdrew his blade as Orochimaru was consumed in obsidian flames. The Sannin writhed in pain as the fire burned furiously all over him. Sasuke only stared in cold apathy. After he had seen enough, he freed the Sannin's head from his body with a single swipe of his ninjato. The forest was deathly silent except for the crackle of the black flames. It was over. Orochimaru was dead, and Sasuke had been the one to kill him.

Truth be told, he took no pleasure in Orochimaru's suffering. He wasn't like that inhuman serpent. Even though this was a sort of vengeance, Sasuke felt no sense of triumph over his foe, nor did he feel an inclination to gloat. Rather, he felt relieved that it was finally over; relieved that Orochimaru would no longer be able to hurt people in his twisted ways.

Unbeknownst to the Uchiha, Naruto was staring at him with wide, sapphire eyes. His chakra cloak had receded, and his features returned to normal. Sakura had also come to and bore witness to the death of the man who had hurt two of her most precious people a few short years ago. She was relieved, but in a state of shock of what Sasuke was capable of. She noticed his eyes looked significantly different than she remembered. Something had happened while she was unconscious; she would ask him after they got back, she knew it wasn't the time.

Not a moment after Sakura and Naruto stood up, Sasuke fell to his knees before falling flat on his face. Yamato woke up to the sight of Sasuke on the ground as Naruto and Sakura rushed to him. Coincidentally, Team 8 had arrived just as Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato were helping Sasuke to his feet, and had reported that while they gave Kabuto a beating, he had fled. Orochimaru was nothing more than a pile of ash, the black flames having dissipated. The eight-man squad inwardly cursed the escape of Kabuto, but let out a sigh of relief at the success of eliminating the primary target.

After resting for the night, they had set out to head home. A few days in, they encountered a masked man in a forest between the Land of Fire and the Land of Sound. The man was surprisingly eccentric. Sasuke had said that he seemed like he had a screw loose, while Naruto simply said he was a moron. The squad had attacked, but the masked man dodged every single attack, not really taking anything seriously. Some of the more hotheaded members of the squad were infuriated that someone so ditzy was making fools of them.

The one-sided fight ended when a person that was half pitch-black and half white, seemingly surrounded by a giant Venus fly trap, phased out of a tree limb near the masked man. He had glared at them, and Sasuke and Kakashi swore they saw a Sharingan behind his orange swirl mask. The man had disappeared with a wave of his arm, and the plant man had phased back into the tree, both undetectable even by Hinata's Byakugan. They made haste for Konoha to report to Tsunade.


The eight-man squad returned home; weary after everything they had been through. They reported their success in eliminating Orochimaru to Tsunade, who dismissed them after congratulating them. She gave them some much needed time off, which they were all quietly thankful for. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had decided to hang out after they had gotten some rest rather than head straight to Ichiraku. Kakashi was glad he finally had some time to read Icha Icha Tactics.

A few days had passed before Naruto was summoned to the Hokage Tower, where he was greeted by the Elder Toad Sage known as Fukasaku, who informed him of Jiraiya's death at the hands of a member of the Akatsuki known as Pain. Naruto was crushed. He lashed out at Tsunade in anger, but she forgave him, knowing how big this loss was for him. Sakura and Kakashi had remained silent the whole time.

Word quickly reached Sasuke of what happened to the Toad Sage. He immediately went to Naruto to talk to him and comfort him as he had done for Sasuke in the past when his clan was slaughtered. Iruka and Sakura had offered their condolences and words of comfort. Even Kakashi had offered his own words of consolation. It took Sakura and Sasuke both embracing him before he really let himself grieve; he wept as his friends held him. Shikamaru and Sasuke had both given the blond pep talks that truly lifted his spirits. From that point on, he made a vow to train as hard as he could to eliminate the Akatsuki and defeat Pain. Fukasaku offered to bring Naruto to Mount Myōboku to train in Senjutsu and become a Toad Sage as Jiraiya had been. He accepted, and left Konoha once again, promising his precious people to return even stronger.


A/N: Phew! That was quite a bit of exposition, huh? Worldbuilding lovers, eat your heart out. Now, I know some folks like the ~mystery~ associated with AUs; but I felt compelled to write this chapter. I didn't want to do a complete rewrite of canon, either (that would have taken way longer), so I tried to cover some of the major events that I remembered to. Fav/follow if you enjoyed, leave a review if you feel like it! Thanks for reading! Chapter 4 on its way!