A/N: A wild 6th chapter appears! Just want to take a moment and thank everyone for the favs/follows this fic has gotten. To be honest, I never expected much in terms of a positive turnout, so I'm super glad that you all are enjoying it so far!
I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto does.
Chapter VI: A Leap of Faith
Sasuke was up before Naruto this morning, preparing a breakfast of eggs over rice with miso soup. Now that the two were roommates, Sasuke swore he would break his friend's habit of eating ramen for every meal, even if he had to do so while Naruto kicked and screamed. There would undoubtedly be some whining from the blond about the lack of instant ramen, but Sasuke knew that Naruto enjoyed his miso soup, even if he didn't admit it. It had taken Sasuke a good number of attempts before he was able to make miso soup like his mother had. It wasn't quite the same, nor would it ever be, but he liked to think of it as a faithful recreation; one that reminded him of her warmth.
Naruto emerged from his room donning his usual black and orange tracksuit, stifling a yawn. He sleepily looked over the spread that was on the table, a small frown marring his face. "What, no ramen?"
Sasuke shook his head as he set down Naruto's bowl of soup. "Nope. You're going to start eating like a normal person for both of our sakes," the Uchiha answered plainly. Naruto crossed his arms and pouted, making Sasuke roll his eyes. "Oh, come on, you big baby. Look, there's even miso soup. I know you like my miso soup." Sasuke smirked as he raised his eyebrows suggestively.
"Like hell I do!" Naruto fumed.
"Oh? Is that why you cleaned your bowl last night?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"I was hungry from training!"
"You went and got seconds."
"I have a big appetite and you know it, saucepan." The blond spat.
Sasuke's eye twitched before he crossed his arms in a huff. "Regardless. This is a hell of a lot better for you than instant ramen." With that, he sat down and brought his hands together, offering his gratitude for the meal.
Naruto grumbled before sitting across from his roommate and doing the same. The two cracked their eggs over their rice, mixing it with chopsticks and digging in. As he was eating, he noticed that Sasuke had given him a sweet umeboshi as a dessert, while Sasuke had a small grape tomato. The blond smiled to himself; Sasuke's love of tomatoes wasn't unlike Naruto's love of ramen. The two ate in comfortable silence before setting out to their training ground.
For all the years that Kakashi had been the leader and sensei of Team 7, he never seemed to break his habit of arriving late. Naruto and Sasuke sat against a tree, enjoying the cool shade it offered. Naruto was sharpening one of his kunai, while Sasuke was watching and listening for birds, as well as any sign of their sensei's arrival.
Naruto groaned. "For crying out loud! It's been two hours since Kakashi-sensei was supposed to show up."
Sasuke hummed in acknowledgment. "Would you expect anything less of him? He's been this way since we were genin."
Naruto grumbled in reluctant agreement before he sprang to his feet. "I'm gonna practice using my shadow clones. I was close to being able to use one yesterday."
"Just don't push yourself. Sakura's busy helping Lady Tsunade and the other medics today, so she won't be able to bail you out if you hurt yourself," the Uchiha cautioned, shifting to keep an eye on his teammate.
The orange-clad ninja threw his hands into the cross seal as a copy of him popped into existence. Both Narutos stumbled before they regained their footing. "Hey! I'm doing it! I can see what my clone sees!" He cheered.
Sasuke gave a small smile. "Nice job," he congratulated before bringing a hand to his chin for a moment. "Hm. See if you can move the clone further away from you. Or better yet, move it behind you. You could have a 360-degree field of vision that way."
Naruto considered his friend's advice, nodding in agreement after a quick pause. The shadow clone moved behind Naruto, eliciting an overjoyed cackle from the Uzumaki. "Holy shit! This is so cool! I can see in front and behind me at the same time!" Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle at the genuine excitement radiating from his friend.
"See if you can make one more clone," the Uchiha called. Naruto nodded, his smile never leaving his face as he formed the cross seal once more. Another copy of Naruto appeared, causing the original and the newly made clone to stumble; the first clone was surprisingly unmoving. The two quickly regained their bearings, causing Naruto to cheer loudly once more. Naruto's mouth was pulled into an ear to ear smile, his eyes crinkling beneath his sunglasses. "This is amazing! I can see three points of view at once! Nobody will be able to sneak up on me at this rate!"
Sasuke rose, walking over towards the blond ninja and his copies. "Alright, move your clones so you're standing in a triangle facing away from each other, and tell me if you can see me. I'm gonna walk in a circle around you." Naruto gave a quick nod as Sasuke began walking.
Excitement welled up within the Rinnegan bearer; Sasuke never left his sight, quite literally. As soon as he stepped out of view of one set of eyes, he came into view of another. His heart pounded against his chest at the exhilarating feeling of having honed one of his dōjutsu's abilities.
"So, were you able to see me?" Sasuke asked as he stepped away. The original Naruto nodded with a face-splitting smile. Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle as the shadow clones dispelled in puffs of smoke.
Their celebration was cut short by an ANBU ninja appearing in front of Naruto. The blond ninja stumbled back with a yelp, while Sasuke flinched at the sudden appearance. The Uchiha was perceptive and considered himself hard to get the drop on, but ANBU had a way of flying under the radar. Naruto always said that ANBU gave him the creeps because of their masks and the way they talked.
"Naruto Uzumaki. Your presence is urgently requested by the Hokage. Come with me," the masked man recited. Naruto eyed the ANBU dubiously before giving a nod. He gestured to Sasuke to come with him. Just as Sasuke took a step, the ANBU held up his hand, stopping Sasuke in his tracks. "I'm afraid the only one I was instructed to retrieve was Naruto Uzumaki. You'll have to stay behind, Master Uchiha."
Naruto glared at the ANBU, his eyes boring holes through his sunglasses and the porcelain-colored mask. "Either Sasuke comes with me or I'm not going with you," he growled. The ANBU considered his options. He didn't want to have to use force, so he yielded to the blond ninja's demand.
"Very well, he can come as far as the Hokage will allow. Understand that there may be consequences if he oversteps any boundaries," he stated dryly. Naruto and Sasuke both nodded before they set off with body flickers.
The two chūnin were led to the same entrance beneath the First Hokage's stone face. Sasuke was hassled about why he was there when Naruto was the one summoned, but was granted passage once Naruto staked his claim that he would go no further without his friend. They were once again led through stone corridors, though this time they were taken even deeper into the complex.
Tsunade was waiting just beside another heavy metal door, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently. She threw a scowl at Naruto's direction, causing both him and Sasuke to visibly flinch.
"You. First, why is the Uchiha here?" She barked.
Naruto raised his hands in a placating gesture, knowing full well what the consequences would be if he further irritated the woman. "I just figured if it's important, he ought to be here, too."
Tsunade glowered at the two of them. Sasuke's mouth was drawn into a tight line, while Naruto forced a smile; sweat beaded on both of their foreheads, the air thick with tension. Tsunade considered the implications of having the Uchiha heir present. True, he was technically a clan head, but he was still young. On the other hand, he was one of the people closest to Naruto, who was the reason for this whole snafu she'd been dealing with in the first place.
Tsunade pointed a finger at Sasuke. "You can come in. But, you're a fly on the wall. If I hear so much as a peep out of you…" the older blond cracked her knuckles to drive her point home. Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded quickly.
"And you. You'd better have a damn good explanation for what's behind this door, brat," She growled. Naruto's brow furrowed as he cocked his head. Tsunade simply gestured to one of the ANBU guarding the door. The masked ninja applied chakra to the seal that locked the door, the hinges groaning in protest as it swung open. Tsunade ushered the two chūnin inside before the door shut behind them with a clang.
Naruto blanched as he beheld a familiar head of pale blue hair, decorated by a single periwinkle paper rose. Her cloak was folded on the back of the chair she was sitting on, revealing a near skin-tight, sleeveless top. The zipper ended around the bottom of her sternum, flaring open and exposing some of her midriff, framing the four piercings surrounding her navel. They seemed to match her labret piercing's color and style. Her hands lay folded on the metal table; nails painted the same shade of amber as her eyes. They were duller than he remembered, reflecting the exhaustion that she wore on her face. A chakra suppression seal adorned her forehead, preventing her from escaping or attempting anything rash. Both Naruto and Sasuke were taken aback at just how beautiful she was.
"You wouldn't be able to tell me why this member of the Akatsuki showed up at the main gate looking for you, would you, brat?" Tsunade interrogated, a vein on her forehead bulging. Naruto winced before he shook his head, avoiding the Hokage's intense gaze, but still feeling the holes she was boring into his head. He turned to look at the woman from Amegakure.
"I remember you. Konan, why are you here?" He prompted, sitting in the chair across from her.
"So you do know this woman!" Tsunade shouted.
Naruto flinched and nodded. "I…met her after my fight with Pain. It's a little complicated, Granny. I'll explain it later," he assured. Tsunade huffed before reluctantly nodding. He felt guilty not telling the Hokage everything at that moment, but he didn't want to further incriminate Konan; he also wanted answers. He returned his focus back to the blue-haired woman in front of him.
"First of all, I'm no longer with the Akatsuki. Second, I was looking for you," she stated, her voice slightly hoarse.
Naruto sighed. "I gather that you were looking for me, but why?"
The woman's head dropped slightly, her hair falling to frame her face. "Nagato asked me to find you," she said with a hint of sadness.
The room fell dead silent at her claim. "Nagato asked you to? But…why?" The blond asked.
"Because of your eyes, Naruto," Konan answered, her voice barely above a whisper. Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at the blue-haired woman, taking in a sharp breath. Sasuke stared at her incredulously, while Tsunade cocked an eyebrow, leaning against one of the walls next to Sasuke.
"You…you…know about m-my eyes?" He stammered. Naruto struggled to sort through the mélange of emotions he was feeling. He remembered the story that Nagato had told him about how he came to meet Konan and Yahiko. He knew what it felt like to be alone, but he was lucky that he never knew true hunger the way Nagato had. Neither had he known the horrors of war, much less watching your parents die in front of you the way he had. Not even Sasuke knew that pain; he had found them dead. Despite the common ground between them, Naruto felt resentment towards Konan. She was a member of the organization that had kidnapped his friend, murdered his master and Shikamaru's sensei, and destroyed his village.
Worse still was the fact that she somehow knew about his Rinnegan, something that was meant to be an S-class secret. Yet, some small voice in him told him to try to let the past go; to try and see the good and forgive her, even forgive Nagato. He set those thoughts aside, trying to focus on the moment at hand. He needed answers.
"How…do you know about my eyes?" He questioned softly.
Konan raised her head, meeting the blank gaze of Naruto's sunglasses with her own soft amber eyes. "Do you remember what Nagato told you?" Sasuke and Tsunade's ears perked up, hanging onto Konan's every word.
Naruto's mouth tightened into a thin line as he swallowed. "He…said that I could bring about peace in his place…"
The azure-haired woman gave a small nod. "He gave you those eyes to help you do so," she said gently.
Naruto stiffened as his breath hitched. Tsunade's brow furrowed as Sasuke's jaw went slack. All eyes were glued to Konan, who maintained a soft gaze on the stupefied blond sitting across from her.
"Wh-what are you talking about? What do you mean he gave me these eyes?" Naruto asked, fighting to keep his voice from quivering. His stomach was doing somersaults, his heartbeat pounded in his ears. 'Looks like Kakashi-sensei might have been right…' he thought.
Konan averted her gaze, focusing on her hands. A sigh escaped her lips as she spoke quietly. "Before he died, Nagato said he wanted you to have his eyes. He sensed something was coming, and he…" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "He asked me…to help give you his eyes," she finished as she tried to maintain her composure.
Tsunade stepped forward as Naruto gaped at the woman. "Are you meaning to say that you were the one who replaced his eyes with the Rinnegan?" Amber met honey as Konan looked Tsunade in the eye before nodding. The Hokage stared at the blue-haired woman, trying her best to maintain her poker face as realization crept into her thoughts. "Then that must explain how he—" Tsunade was cut off by Naruto pointing at Konan, eyes ablaze beneath his sunglasses.
"Wait just a damn minute! You mean you took my eyes out and just…replaced them?!" He cried, his hand trembling. Konan's poker face was even better than Tsunade's; her expression was unreadable as she nodded. Naruto noticed her eyes had softened as she looked at him, making him relax back into his chair. He was beginning to piece together what had happened after he blacked out. "You knocked me unconscious, didn't you?" Konan gave a single, quick nod. Naruto leaned forward, resting his cheek on a fist, the other hand palming his forehead.
The blond ninja stared at nothing in particular, lost in thought. On the one hand, he felt a sense of appreciation to Nagato for trusting him with such a powerful dōjutsu (his own eyes, no less), and for believing that he could do what the redhead and his friends had originally set out to do. On the other hand, he hadn't asked for any of this. He hadn't asked for Nagato's Rinnegan, hadn't asked to carry the mantle of responsibility of bringing peace to the world. It felt comparable to his burden of being a jinchūriki; the latter had had the greatest effect on his life up to this point, but being the third known bearer of the Rinnegan was a close second. He inwardly chuckled at the irony of not having a choice in either matter, though he reckoned having a powerful and legendary dōjutsu essentially gifted to you was better than having a tailed beast sealed into you the same day you were born.
He was brought out of his rumination by Konan's voice. "Naruto, I don't expect you to fully trust me when your village doesn't trust me. But as I told the ANBU and your Hokage: I come here with no malice. I'm only trying to honor Nagato's wishes. I'm here…" she took a deep breath. "To help you train your Rinnegan."
Naruto stared at the woman, as did Tsunade and Sasuke, all with an unreadable expression. The blond chūnin sighed as he removed his sunglasses, looking Konan in her amber eyes with his purple rippled ones. She gasped quietly at the sight; she had expected him to make a full recovery, given the prowess of Tsunade and her protégés, but seeing Nagato's eyes in the blond in person was jarring. Naruto took a deep breath.
"Konan, if I'm being honest, I don't know whether to thank you or curse you. The fact that I had no say in whether or not I had my eyes removed and replaced by Nagato's Rinnegan is a bit…upsetting." Konan hung her head slightly, knowing full well that knocking him unconscious to perform an essentially forced field surgery was dirty, even for her. "But I think I'm beginning to understand just how, uh, important these eyes are. I'm pretty sure Nagato wouldn't have trusted these to me if he didn't believe in me, and the fact that he asked you to find me after the fact is proof of that, too." He shut his eyes, choosing his next words before opening his purple orbs slowly. "That being said, I'm willing to take a leap of faith and accept your help, provided that Granny here agrees as well," he said, pointing to the buxom woman with his thumb. Tsunade let out an irritated growl at the use of his nickname for her.
Konan's heart skipped a beat as she let out a bated breath, thanking him silently with a small smile. She and Naruto turned to the Hokage, each with a pleading gaze. The twin-tailed blonde crossed her arms, eyes darting between the two.
Sasuke leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Lady Tsunade, I think this would be a safe bet to make. She was the one who was closest to Nagato, who was the one controlling Pain with the Rinnegan, after all."
Tsunade threw a scowl at the Uchiha before she hummed in acknowledgment of his advice, raising a hand to her chin. He did have a point, after all. As problematic as it would be to have a former high-ranking Akatsuki member in the village, Sasuke did raise an important point: she had seen the Rinnegan in use for longer than anyone she knew besides Jiraiya. She contemplated the consequences of her potential decisions.
On one hand, this woman could prove to be a valuable asset, and not just when it came to helping Naruto. She could give insider information about the Akatsuki and their members: veritable dossiers that would normally have required Jiraiya's spy network to sniff out. She could also make a fine Konoha shinobi one day; though that was something of a pipe dream for now.
On the other hand, her status as a former high-ranking Akatsuki member could be a double-edged sword. As an S-ranked criminal, there would be no way of knowing whether she had something malicious planned, like espionage or full-on sabotage from within. There was also the matter of the council. Or rather, specific members of the council, that she would have to deal with. She grimaced internally at the thought of having to explain herself to Homura and Koharu. Danzō would be another matter, and not one she wanted to think about.
Tsunade sighed before speaking in a serious manner. "Fine. She can stay and help you. But she'll need to undergo an examination by T&I before she's cleared." Konan breathed a sigh of relief while Naruto simply nodded with a small smile. Both bowed their heads, thanking the Hokage.
"A few housekeeping things: firstly, unless you're with Kakashi, you'll be under ANBU observation at all times and you won't be allowed to set foot outside the village save for the training grounds. Additionally, I expect you to tell me everything you know about the Akatsuki and its members. And I mean everything. If you don't, I have people who can extract that information out of you through various means, if need be." Konan swallowed at the prospect of being tortured for failure to comply. She nodded quickly before Tsunade continued. "You'll be on probation for three months, provided you maintain good behavior, during which time you'll be evaluated by T&I to make sure you're not planning anything suspicious. After that time, we'll consider your future here, should you choose to stay for longer."
The Ame woman nodded in understanding. "I understand, Lady Hokage. Thank you for giving me this opportunity," she said with another bow of her head.
Tsunade huffed. "You're just lucky that brat has faith in you. Now come on, there's someone you should meet before your first psych evaluation." Naruto and Sasuke both raised an eyebrow at the Hokage's statement. The buxom woman thumbed the seal on the door to unlock it as Naruto replaced his sunglasses and Konan retrieved her folded cloak, both rising from their chairs to follow behind Tsunade and Sasuke. The door opened with a metallic groan, revealing an expectant Kakashi, whose nose was in the copy of Icha Icha Tactics that Naruto had given him.
The masked jōnin shut his book and regarded the Hokage and his students before resting his eye on the head of blue hair beside Naruto. Kakashi normally wasn't one to be caught off guard, especially not when it came to beautiful women. Yet, for a fleeting moment, his stoic façade had cracked, and a light blush adorned the top of his visible cheek as his eye wandered over her and her azure hair. He cleared his throat, regaining his composure as he addressed his Hokage.
"Lady Tsunade. Is this who you wanted me to see?"
The twin-tailed blonde nodded, gesturing for Konan to step forward.
Konan was the first to bow. "Konan," she said plainly.
"…Kakashi Hatake," he replied after hesitating for a moment, returning the bow.
"She will be assisting Naruto in honing his abilities," the Hokage stated.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, glancing between Tsunade and Naruto. The latter wore a sheepish expression, while the former gave him a look that told him she would explain in detail later.
"Alright, brat. You're dismissed for now. I'll summon you again if I need you," Tsunade said before turning to Konan. "Let's go." Konan nodded as she was led down the hallway by the Hokage, two ANBU following her closely behind as Naruto watched after the group. He turned to Sasuke and his sensei.
"Well then. What do you say we get a little bit of training in?" Kakashi asked, smiling beneath his mask. Naruto returned the smile with a quick nod before the trio set out once more for their training ground.
The sun had crept just past its high point by the time the men of Team 7 had arrived at their training ground. Kakashi knew that he didn't have as much time as he would have liked to train Naruto, especially given the day's events, but he wanted to at least check on his progress.
"So, Naruto, how has the Shadow Clone Jutsu been coming?" The jōnin prompted. Naruto gave a toothy grin before his hands flew into the cross hand seal and two copies of himself appeared in puffs of smoke, each standing with their arms crossed. Kakashi studied the shadow clones, who were all standing straight with no sign of stumbling, humming in acknowledgement. "Nice work. Can you see what they see?"
All three Narutos nodded before one spoke. "You bet! It was a kinda hard at first, but I started with just one clone and worked my way up to three, so now I can see—" a kunai flying in from what would be his blind spot cut the statement short, but was easily dodged by the blond shinobi. "What my clones see. Check it out!" The two copies of Naruto arranged themselves in a triangle with the original, all facing away from the center. This time Sasuke threw a shuriken, aiming for a Naruto that wouldn't see it coming, only for his target to duck as the weapon whizzed past. Said target turned and gave his sensei a foxy grin as his clones disappeared in clouds of smoke.
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask at his blond student. "Very good. The next step from here would be to fight with this expanded field of vision, adding more clones later. Though, I wouldn't create too many at once unless you find some way to cut the links after a certain number. It could overload your senses if you have too many sets of eyes," the silver-haired jōnin explained sagely.
Naruto scratched his cheek, considering the ramifications of having fifty or a hundred shadow clones active with this new ability. There had to be a way to get his shadow clones to behave like before, rather than as a facsimile of Pain's bodies.
"I wonder. Maybe if you focus on making the clone's vision separate from yours, then that could cut the link?" Sasuke offered. Naruto and Kakashi cupped their chins in thought before Kakashi nodded.
"That could work. Give it a shot, Naruto," the jōnin encouraged.
Naruto clapped his hand against his fist, giving a nod before he formed the familiar hand seal. He focused on making the clones more independent of him, particularly on severing the link between his and the clones' eyes. A single shadow clone appeared in the usual plume of smoke. The original Naruto turned and examined his doppelganger, a smile stretching across his face. Naruto thrust a fist into the air, whooping with glee.
"Hell yeah! I did it! I cut the link! All I see is what I see!" The shadow clone joined in on the raucous cheering, realizing that its sense of sight wasn't being intruded upon by his conjurer. Wanting to test the limits, Naruto threw his hands together and summoned twelve other shadow clones. The original Naruto cheered again at his success in maintaining the severed visual link.
"Finally! I have my shadow clones back! Now I just need to try the Rasengan again!" Naruto dispelled all but one clone. Just as he was getting into position to try and form the jutsu made famous by his father, Kakashi raised a hand to stop him. Naruto and his copy froze as their heads snapped to the jōnin; perplexed expressions plastered to their face. Kakashi responded in kind with his usual half-lidded gaze.
"What gives, sensei?" The orange-clad ninja demanded as his shadow clone dispelled in a puff of smoke. Even Sasuke turned to Kakashi, his brow raised quizzically.
"While I fully support you testing to make sure you can still perform the Rasengan, I think we ought to discuss today's…events, along with how your training will proceed," the jōnin stated. Naruto let out an exasperated sigh as he trudged closer to his sensei and his friend.
Kakashi's eye crinkled in a smile before returning to its normal half-lidded state. "While Lady Tsunade hasn't filled me in on the details of what that woman-Konan, I think her name was-will be doing to assist you in 'honing your abilities,'" he began, forming air quotes with the last phrase. "I plan to be present when she does so. I'm sure the Hokage will reinforce that when she briefs me on the conditions of her helping you. As far as your training goes; as I stated before, I'll continue helping you as much as I can to refine your chakra manipulation and control. I can also try to teach you one or two basic wind jutsu, but as far as your dōjutsu goes, the most I can offer is advice as a Sharingan user. Once you feel you have better control of your shadow clones and that ability, I think spars to test that ability are in order," he finished, gesturing towards the Uchiha. The two nodded before Sasuke put a hand to his chin.
"Sensei, do you think I could check the Uchiha archives to see if there's anything that could help Naruto?" The jōnin considered Sasuke's request before nodding.
"I think that would be a great idea. You might want to consult Lady Tsunade first, as I'm not sure whether the archives are sealed or not. If you can get a hold of anything, I think it would be beneficial to the both of you," he said with a masked smile. "Now, I really wish we could continue, but I'd better check in with the Hokage. Naruto, if you want, you can try to form the Rasengan on your own but be careful. We still don't know for sure if or how your Rinnegan will affect your ability to manipulate chakra," he finished.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure fishcake here doesn't hurt himself," the Uchiha sneered. Naruto's eye twitched at the nickname.
Kakashi chuckled at their antics. "Let's meet here again tomorrow morning. Same time: 9 AM. See you guys then." With a wave of his hand, he once again disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
Naruto and Sasuke both grumbled about their sensei's constant tardiness. Naruto quickly created a shadow clone, channeling chakra into his hand while the clone helped him shape it. A smile stretched across his whisker-marked face as a swirling ball of chakra appeared in his palm, stabilized by his shadow clone. Sasuke smiled inwardly at his friend's success thus far. 'It's a wonder he wasn't considered a prodigy back at the academy,' he mused to himself.
Naruto pumped more chakra into the swirling orb in an effort to increase its size. He felt it expand, just like he wanted. Without warning, he felt his control of the jutsu slip. His clone tried to hold the shape, but to no avail. Said clone was dispelled and Naruto was thrown onto his backside with a shriek as the ball of chakra exploded. Sasuke shielded his face from the shockwave before his brow furrowed and his head tilted to the side.
"The fuck was that?!" The blond yelped. "I had it! You saw! I had it and it exploded! That's never happened before!"
Sasuke merely shrugged. "Try again, maybe it was just some weirdness with your Rinnegan or something. Kakashi-sensei did mention that it could affect your manipulation," he offered as Naruto rose to his feet, grumbling as he dusted himself off.
The orange-clad shinobi created another shadow clone that positioned itself next to him. He focused his chakra in his palm again, this time focusing even more intently on maintaining the shape. The familiar swirling blue ball appeared once more, and relief washed over the blond. He added more chakra, increasing the size of the jutsu. The shadow clone was hell-bent on keeping it stable, so much so that sweat beaded on its forehead. Sasuke watched with his Sharingan active to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. When he saw nothing unusual, his eyes returned to normal. Naruto smiled and laughed as he felt himself keeping control of the Rasengan like he did before the Rinnegan came unto him.
Naruto dispelled the clone as he charged forward, slamming the swirling ball of chakra into a tree. "Rasengan!" He yelled as wood splintered and flew in a cone around him. By the time the destructive orb dissipated, the tree bore a swirl-shaped scar on its trunk. Sasuke walked over to inspect the damage, remembering the countless times he had heard Naruto slam it into various tree trunks around the training ground. A small smile tugged at the Uchiha's mouth, admiring how quickly he was adapting to his new circumstances in true Naruto fashion.
Sasuke noticed the sun had crept further into the west, and sunset would be upon them soon.
"Yo, blondie, let's go. The sun's gonna set soon," Sasuke called.
Naruto turned on his heel, following his roommate. By the time they got back to the apartment, it would surely be time for dinner. Naruto felt his stomach growl as he thought of what Sasuke would likely make for them. He knew it probably wouldn't be ramen, but he had to admit, the Uchiha made some damn good miso soup. It made Naruto wonder just what else he could cook.
The two friends-turned-roommates walked through the village, noting how quickly things were coming together. More buildings had been painted or been coated in stucco or plaster. Some were even covered in tile or concrete. The village was beginning to look like home again.
They shared a comfortable silence as they entered their apartment and cleaned themselves up before preparing dinner. Naruto, expecting miso soup, was surprised to smell what Sasuke was cooking: curry. The two set the table and sat down to eat after offering their gratitude for the meal.
"So, you gonna tell me how you know that woman from the Akatsuki?" Sasuke probed, taking a bite of rice.
Naruto sighed as he chewed on a bite of curry. "Well, I met her when I found the guy who was controlling Pain."
"Nagato?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, Nagato. He told me the story of how he met Konan and this guy named Yahiko. It was kinda…surreal in a way."
"Whaddaya mean surreal?"
"The way he talked about them, it kinda reminded me of how we are with each other and Sakura," the blond explained.
"We're not S-rank criminals, though," Sasuke deadpanned.
Naruto snorted. "Of course not. But you get what I mean, right?"
Sasuke nodded as he chewed on a grape tomato. "They became family to each other, you mean?"
"Yeah, exactly," Naruto answered as he took a sip of tea.
Sasuke eyed his roommate carefully. "Hey, are you…sure you want a former member of the Akatsuki around? It seems a little sketchy, even for us."
Naruto sighed, meeting Sasuke's onyx gaze with his intense muted purple one. "I know. But something tells me I should at least give her a chance. I doubt she would come all the way from Amegakure after the death of her best friend just to try and hit us from the inside. Besides, even if it was a covert op or something, Granny's got a nose that knows."
Sasuke took another bite of curry, processing what his roommate had said. Naruto had a point, unless you were unhinged like he had been at one point, coming all the way from another hidden village to attack one of the Five Greats by yourself was desperate at best.
The Uchiha shrugged as he took a sip of tea. "I guess you have a point. You're not exactly a bad judge of character either, so I'll trust your judgment on this one."
Naruto smiled as he enjoyed more of the food Sasuke had made. "Ya know, I'm not usually one for curry—"
"Or anything that isn't ramen, for that matter," Sasuke interrupted, making Naruto groan.
"Come on, man, I'm trying to compliment your cooking." Naruto feigned a hurt expression.
Sasuke merely shrugged, chuckling. "You know it's true. But thanks. I figured we would have something other than miso soup since we had it for dinner yesterday and breakfast this morning."
Naruto nodded as he took another bite, savoring the moderately spiced curry. "Wonder how Sakura's doing. Or even Haku and Ino, for that matter. I don't think I've seen them since before the attack," he wondered aloud.
"I'm sure they're alright. They're probably busy helping Sakura, Shizune, and Lady Tsunade with patients and setting up the hospital," Sasuke replied coolly.
A sigh escaped the blond. "I wonder how Hinata's doing," he muttered.
Sasuke stiffened slightly. "I'm sure she's fine. Don't worry so much. She's not as helpless as before, you know."
"I know, it's just. I feel guilty. She put herself in harm's way and nearly died for my sake. Then there's the whole thing of her saying she loved me," he said with a far-off look in his purple eyes.
"Don't. Her actions were her own. You know any of us would have done the same thing," Sasuke said firmly. A small smile tugged at Naruto's mouth as he finished his curry, turning to the umeboshi. He normally had sweet ones with honey, but he'd been meaning to try the sour variety.
"Hey, Naruto. I was thinking of something."
Naruto raised a brow and hummed as he chewed, finding the tartness to be surprisingly refreshing.
"I think I know a way we can find out more about your Rinnegan without having to wait for Lady Tsunade to let me into the Uchiha archives," Sasuke explained.
Naruto regarded his roommate with an expectant look as he chewed on another umeboshi.
"There's…a place. It's considered sacred, and only those with Uchiha blood are allowed to set foot there…" Naruto's face dropped. "…but. That's…a formality, more than anything. There are no blood seals or anything on the place. So technically anyone could go there, but, well, it's in the Uchiha compound."
Naruto stared at his friend. "You want to take me to a place your clan considers sacred? But…why?"
"Like I said the other night: you're my brother, even if you weren't born an Uchiha or adopted by the Uchiha. If taking you to the Uchiha Shrine will help, I see no reason not to," he said with a sense of finality.
Naruto smiled. "Thank you, Sasuke. Really. I'm honored you would take me there," he said with quiet sincerity.
Sasuke waved his hand dismissively as he chewed on another grape tomato. "Don't worry about it, you sap. It's the least I can do for you."
Naruto chuckled as he dug back into his umeboshi. He had to admit, the sour ones were good, and so was Sasuke's cooking. Maybe he could get used to not having ramen all the time.
A/N: Konan lives! Thanks a bundle for reading! As always, fav/follow if you enjoyed, and feel free to leave a review! Chapter 7 in the works! Thanks again!
