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The Day of Remembrance
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The day of remembrance was the day that brought families together. Both the dead and the living. All of Konoha was already up and about early in the morning. Families visited bazaars, had breakfast at a café or sat down together for some tea. They knew their ancestors were with them during these times, so they put down offerings at their graves or at family altars.
Some people were dancing down the streets, forming circles or long straight lines, their hands connected to both family and strangers. It was a way to welcome the spirits, to show them they weren't forgotten. They danced for them, and they sang for them. They celebrated for them.
Sakura didn't have any ancestors she wanted to greet. She had never known her grandparents, or any other person in her family that died. In fact, she had never known anyone at all who died. Right now, she didn't even have a living family to spend the day with.
"I've managed to save up quite a bit, so I'll start looking for my own flat tomorrow." She said to Ino, while helping her tie up her yukata correctly. Ino was wearing a crown of purple flowers on her head. Sakura didn't want to admit it, but she sure was beautiful.
"That's not it," Ino said, putting on lipstick. "I don't mind you living on my floor. At least it offers me new opportunities to look down on you." She grinned. "But they are your family, Sakura. You should spend the day with them. You should make up."
"I can't, Ino. They'll just think they can go on deciding my life."
"Well, if you say so…" She grabbed a small purse, more flowers printed on it. "Anyway, do you want to join me and my parents?"
"No, I'm fine. Like you said, it's a day for family."
"And you are going to do what? Spend that day alone?" She raised an eyebrow at Sakura. "Come on, put on a yukata and join us." She grabbed Sakura by the wrist and pulled her towards her closet. It was filled with all kinds of yukatas, one more gorgeous than the other. Ino sure had everything she wanted. Her father adored her. And her father respected her ninja path. He understood her, supported her. There was only one thing that Ino had always wanted and never gotten, and it was Sasuke.
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Naho approached the Konoha gates. The two shinobi that stood guard raised their eyebrows at her.
"Where are you going, little girl?" one of them asked.
"I'm visiting my parents."
The shinobi didn't look too convinced. "Well, you should definitely be careful out there alone. It can be dangerous outside of Konoha's walls."
His words irritated Naho, but she still continued on. She hadn't been home in a year. But this was the one day she had to. It was the Day of Remembrance.
She walked past fields and down forest paths. Surely she'd be much faster sprinting. But sprinting always felt way too exhausting to her. And there wasn't really anything else she had to do. Kakashi had given them the day off, so she could sit in front of her parents' graves all day long.
It took hours for Naho to make it to the little farmhouse. It sat alone on a big field, pastures left and right. But there were no animals, not anymore. Naho hadn't known what to do with them when she left to move to Konoha. So she'd set them free. It was the only thing she could think of. Every time when she returned, she wondered if she'd see one of them somewhere, maybe a cow grassing nearby, or a pig playing in a puddle in front of her house. But she never did. They were gone. Just like her parents.
She went into the farm first, instinctively taking off her shoes. It was something her mother used to be very strict about. Dirty shoes didn't belong inside. But she soon realised that the floor was much dirtier than her own shoes, so she put them back on again.
It was quiet. So quiet it was almost deafening. She'd told herself she would look at the pictures in their living room, maybe take some with her as a memento. But as soon as she stepped inside, her body froze. She couldn't go further. The blood was still there. She knew without looking at it. So she turned around and left through the front door again.
Her parents' graves were at the back. There were no gravestones. Naho didn't have any. She had to dig their graves herself, drag their bodies there, over the floor and the ground. Grass had regrown, and one almost couldn't tell anymore that there were any graves at all. They'd become one with nature again. The only thing left that gave it away were some stones Naho had collected to mark the spot, and to make up for the missing gravestones.
She put down flowers she'd collected on her way to the farm and told her parents of the life she now lived. They wouldn't be proud of the path she chose, she knew. They never wanted her to go to Konoha. They never wanted her to become a shinobi. But dead people couldn't be lied to. So she told them the truth. Hoping their souls would forgive her on just this very day.
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Sasuke was on his way to the cemetery. The streets were already filled with people, families. It was a day to honour the dead. But over the years it had turned more and more into a day to appreciate the family that was still alive, the people around you. Stalls filled the streets, and little kids ran in front of Sasuke, blocking his way. They were screaming at their parents to try the goldfish game and take part in the lottery. They didn't understand the meaning of this day yet. But they sure enjoyed it.
All those people annoyed Sasuke. They were in his way. They were too loud, too bubbly. But if his family was still alive, he knew he'd be there with them too.
He hadn't been to the cemetery since the day he officially became part of team 7. Fallen leaves and branches lay on their graves. He put a bowl with mochi on the small grave in the middle. And that was it. He'd fulfilled his obligation. There was nothing he had to say to dead people, so he turned around and left again.
His eyes fell on Kakashi, who was in a different part of the cemetery, in front of a grave. Sasuke wondered for a moment whose grave it was. But it didn't matter. It was only natural that someone like Kakashi would have lost people.
Their eyes met, they both looked away again. And Sasuke left. His time was better spent training.
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Naruto spent his day on the training grounds. But instead of training his body, he sat in the grass, meditating, searching for the red chakra inside of him. He was searching for its origin, for the part of him that was the Kyuubi. But it was hard. Hinata had helped him, but he still didn't exactly know what he was searching for exactly. If only he had eyes like the Byakugan.
His eyes were closed, so his ears drifted off, searching for sounds around him, anything that could distract him from this impossible task.
He could hear the sounds of hands punching wood, and feet kicking wood. Someone had to be training as well. The Day of Remembrance was a holiday. No one was supposed to be training. At least no one who had better things to do, like spending the day with their family.
Curiosity hit Naruto and he went to see who else was spending the holiday alone. He found Neji hitting a tree stump. Neji immediately noticed him and stopped to look at him.
"You are a Hyuuga too, right?" Naruto basically knew nothing about him. But he had the same eyes as Hinata. Whenever he'd seen them talk, he figured that Neji was her big brother.
Neji didn't answer.
The look on his face reminded Naruto of Sasuke. "Hey, do you think you could help me train?"
"Why would I?"
Naruto stepped closer and put on a smiling face. "Just help a fellow Genin out, would ya? I'd ask Hinata, but her stupid guardian isn't letting me talk to her."
"I don't see how training with you could benefit me." He turned away from Naruto and continued punching the stump instead.
"Hmpf, Hinata is a lot nicer than you, you know?" Naruto pouted, but inside, he was wondering if he could truly become Neji's teammate. It would take so much hardship away from his life. He wouldn't have to worry about the Kyuubi anymore. He wouldn't have to do stupid meditation anymore. He could focus on taijutsu and actual training. And like Lee, he could prove everyone what a good shinobi he could be. Sure, Tenten wasn't as cute as Sakura or Naho, but she seemed nice enough. And Lee seemed like a truly nice person, despite his bushy eyebrows. Nicer than Sasuke. "Say, why're you here? Aren't you spending the day with Hinata and your family?" Naruto wanted to know more about this potential new teammate of his.
"I don't have a family."
"But aren't you a Hyuuga? Like Hinata?"
Neji rolled his eyes at Naruto's ignorance. "I'm a branch member. Hinata is of the main family."
Naruto didn't quite understand what that meant, but he knew enough about facial expressions to understand that he didn't want to talk about it. "Well, how about we spend the day together? Seems like we both don't have anywhere to be. I know an awesome ramen shop. We could have lunch together."
Neji stopped his training once again. He looked at Naruto, from top to bottom. "I'll pass." With that said, he walked off, leaving Naruto alone.
Naruto now turned to the stump himself. He gave it some fast punches and kicks, realising he wasn't quite as fast as Neji. This was the kind of training he preferred, the one that trained his body. But he soon stopped, knowing this wasn't what he was supposed to do. He had to go back to finding the red chakra.
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Sakura was sitting on a bench alone, eating sweets. Spending the day with a family that wasn't hers had felt awkward, too awkward. So she'd thought of an excuse to leave them. And now there she was, unable to return home, because she didn't have a key. Or rather, she didn't have a home. She was at Ino's mercy. Who knew how long her family would stay at the festival, or if they even went to have dinner afterwards.
Sakura sighed. She looked awfully cute in Ino's yukata. It wasn't her colour, a light blue with yellow flowers printed on it, but she could still make it work.
Her thoughts drifted to Sasuke. What was he doing on such a day? She thought about visiting him. Would that be awkward? She hit her own forehead. What a stupid thought. Of course it would be awkward.
She observed the people passing by. She'd see old classmates from the Academy every now and then. Even Shino had a smile on his face when she saw him with his parents and little sister. Sakura knew he had a sister, but she'd never seen her before. She was cute, way too cute to be the sister of a bug-wielding weirdo. A shiver ran down Sakura's spine as she wondered if that little girl housed bugs inside her body too.
She sighed again and got up, deciding to buy more sweets. If there was a day to eat too much sugar, it had to be this one.
She strolled down the street, wondering if her parents would be at the festival too. What would she do if she met them? What would they do? Question after question popped into her head. Maybe she should visit Naho, she thought. That wouldn't be weird.
She sat down on another bench to eat. Were people judging her because she spent this day all alone? Her mind kept going, after all, this was all she could do. The day was still long. Long and lonely.
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Kakashi sat down at Ichiraku's. The sun was setting already. Soon yet another day would be over. Ayame was fast to greet him and take his order. There was a big smile on her face. Iruka was there too, sitting in a corner reading. His family had to work even on holidays, especially on holidays when everyone wanted to have a fine dinner out, so he had no other choice but to join them in their little ramen shop on his free day.
"How's Naruto doing?" was the first question he asked Kakashi. He remembered how down the boy had been, but he hadn't seen him since.
"Fine, I guess."
"Eh, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto's voice echoed through the shop. "You are here too? What a coincidence!"
Kakashi threw a fake smile at him. "Yeah, what a coincidence." The serenity was gone.
"You know what's even more of a coincidence?" Naruto asked in an overly excited voice, before pulling Sakura, Sasuke and Naho into the shop. He gave them all a hug, which earned him a knock on the head from both Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto had learned to ignore those. "Isn't this the biggest coincidence ever? First I found Sakura, then Naho, then Sasuke… and now here you are!" He sat down next to Kakashi.
A smile instantly formed on Iruka's lips as he saw that Naruto was in good spirits once again.
"This is the first time all five of us have dinner together," Sakura noted, looking at Kakashi in particular. Their teacher had proven to always be busy whenever they went to have dinner.
"Yeah, that's nice. But don't expect me to pay for all of you just because I'm the oldest here," he said in a bored voice.
"I didn't know you like eating here too, Kakashi-sensei. Which is your favourite ramen flavour?" Naruto engaged in a lively conversation about ramen with his teacher. Well, at least his side was lively, Kakashi's engagement was as dead as it could be.
Their ramen got served, and Naruto finally gave his attention to eating instead of talking.
Sakura soon realised that Sasuke kept glancing at her. It was something she wasn't used to. "Is everything alright?" she finally asked, wondering if there was something on her face.
"Don't you have parents you should spend the day with?"
Sakura looked down, then up, and down again. "Well, we had a little fight," she admitted.
"Really? You never said anything. What about?" Naruto asked, slurping some noodles.
"Ah, it doesn't matter." She brushed it off. "No big deal."
Sasuke fished an egg out of his soup bowl. "Big enough that you aren't spending this day with them."
Sakura was irritated. Where did this sudden interest come from? She'd never pictured Sasuke as much of a family man, though she definitely pictured their future family. "Well, actually I moved out."
Naruto almost choked on his noodles. "You moved out? When? Why?"
Sakura shrugged. "It's better this way. They wouldn't accept the road I chose for my life."
Naho's eyes grew wider. She was the first to remember the day when Sakura's mother showed up in the woods during their training. Sakura had been convinced their parents wouldn't allow her to continue being part of team 7. Yet she'd shown up to training the next day, pretending nothing ever happened.
"Is that why you never bring those delicious bento anymore?" Naruto pointed his chopsticks at her, until he too remembered the first day Sakura showed up without a bento. "Wait, did you… did you move out because of me?"
Sakura punched him again. "Don't get this full of yourself. I moved because my parents couldn't accept my life choices."
Naruto gave Sakura a big hug. "Oh, Sakura-chan! You are so cute! I never knew I meant this much to you!" She pushed him away again, almost spilling his ramen, which had Naruto screaming in terror.
Ayame laughed at the four kids. "Your Genin are really cute, Kakashi." There was a soft blush on her face, as her eyes were quite fixated on the teacher.
"Thanks. You want them?"
Kakashi's attitude immediately earned him a loud protest from Naruto.
Ayame laughed again. "You guys are also lucky to have Kakashi as your teacher." She wrapped her palms around her cheeks, her blushing intensified. "His face is such a treat for the eye. I wish he'd eat here every day." Iruka dropped his book at the sudden admiration his cousin had for Kakashi. But he couldn't quite find the words to express his feelings, so he just stammered some unintelligible scraps and the conversation went on without him.
"Eh, what do you mean? You saw his face?" Sakura and Naruto yelled at her at the same time.
"Of course, he can't eat with a mask on, can he?"
All four Genin instantly stared at Kakashi, just to see that his ramen bowl was already empty. Disappointed sighs left each of them.
"So what are we going to do tomorrow, Kakashi-sensei? Anything exciting?" Naruto's own question suddenly tempered his enthusiasm. It was so natural to look forward to another day with his team. But what if tomorrow actually turned out to be the last day?
"Ah well, I guess it's finally time for some new ninjutsu, isn't it?"
Everyone's eyes grew bigger. Especially Naruto's. He'd dreamed of spitting fireballs and growing whole forests for such a long time. He looked at Sakura, and then at Naho. They were both smiling light-heartedly. If there was one thing certain in his life, it was that he wanted to protect those two. They were his friends. Whatever he did, it had to be for the best of them. Even Sasuke…
"I hope you are not going to hold us back again," Sasuke murmured in Naruto's direction, interrupting his thoughts.
Naruto simply laughed his comment off. He wasn't in the mood to argue.
"Well, thanks for the food," Kakashi said to Ayame and Teuchi. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. There is one exercise you will have to complete before we can start with ninjutsu though."
"Wait, why don't we all go to the festival together?" Sakura suggested before he could leave. "There is a fire show soon now that it's dark. We should watch it together."
Naho and Naruto both got excited, and even Sasuke didn't object.
"Ah sorry, I still got things to do," Kakashi said. "I'll let you guys know when and where we meet."
"What could you possibly have to do on a day like this?" Naruto yelled after him, but his teacher only raised his hand to wave goodbye.
Sakura gave Naruto another knock on the head. "What a stupid question. Kakashi-sensei might have some family too, you know?"
"Huh? Yeah, I guess you are right." Naruto was covering his head. "Though I've never actually seen him with anyone." He grinned. "You think he has a girlfriend?"
"Mh, I guess it's possible," Sakura wondered. "Maybe that's why he's always late."
The four Genin paid for their food and went on their way to the festival, still exchanging theories on Kakashi's private life.
Ayame took the bowl away to do the dishes. "So… does Kakashi have a girlfriend?" she asked Iruka, who dropped his book once more.
"Why would you want to know?"
"Well, I gotta know if I could ask him out."
"No," Iruka closed his book. "No, you don't."
"Yes, I do." She happily threw the dishes into the sink and started scrubbing.
"Uncle, say something!" Iruka yelled, looking like he was about to have a heart-attack.
Teuchi only laughed. "Hah, kids. They grow up so fast."
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The streets of Konoha were crowded with family and friends, who were all excited to see the fire show and enjoy a nice evening out. The air was filled with a plethora of smells, ranging from smoked meat to sweet tea.
The shinobi of Konoha were responsible for the yearly fire show and it was one of the rare instances they used ninjutsu for entertainment. The four Genin sneaked around people, searching for openings to get closer to the Hokage rocks, where it would take place.
Sakura was the first to grab Sasuke's hand, both not to get lost and to get closer to him. To her delight, he didn't shake her off, but lightly wrapped his fingers around hers. Her face lit up. It was the first time he returned her advances.
"Where are Naho and Naruto?" Sasuke asked, calling Sakura back to reality.
"Huh? They were next to us just a moment ago." She looked around, but could only see the backs of strangers. It was noisy, with everyone talking to the person next to them, trying to speak louder than the people around them to get heard. People bumped into them left and right.
Sakura was wondering, did she want to find Naho and Naruto again? After all, she was wearing a cute yukata, her hair was done, and she was about to see a fire show with Sasuke. And only Sasuke. But a look at him told her that he didn't quite feel the same. His eyes were skipping left and right, checking the area for their friends. He pulled her along to less crowded areas, trying to get a better view. Sakura too started looking. What good was it to be alone with Sasuke when all he did was search for the others?
"Hey, over here!" they eventually heard Naruto call. "We found a really nice spot. This way."
Naruto and Naho walked up to them, realising the two were holding hands.
Sakura knew how to interpret the grin that formed on Naruto's lips, and she instantly grabbed Naho's hand, making sure she got ahead of him.
"Eh, Sakura-chan! I wanted to hold your hand too!" Naruto complained, just like she'd thought. His eyes checked the two remaining options. Sasuke's face already screamed "don't you dare," at Naruto. So Naruto looked at Naho instead. The last time he'd touched her, he'd wrapped his hands around her neck. She stared back at him with big eyes. Eyes Naruto couldn't read. Was it okay for him to take her hand? Would she be scared of him? What would he do if she pulled away? All those questions went through his head, and he knew that he'd rather take Sasuke's hand after all. So he grabbed it. Sasuke looked like he was going to yell some insults at him for a moment, but then kept quiet after all.
They walked to the spot Naruto and Naho had found, all holding onto each other to not get lost. But they didn't let go again even when they reached their destination.
The show started. Lights lit up from the bottom of the Hokage rocks, all the way up to the top. The faces of the four Hokage glanced in the light of the fires, their faces overlooking Konoha and its people. Fireballs flew through the air and split into several smaller ones. Others formed into different pictures of flowers, leaves and the symbol of Konoha.
Everyone watched in awe, but Naruto couldn't help taking his eyes off to look at his teammates instead. They were more than just his team. They were the people he wanted to spend this day with for the years to come. He unintentionally pressed Sasuke's hand tighter.
Sasuke glanced over at him. "Naruto, are you…"
"I'm just… I really want to spend this day with you guys next year too. And the year after. And the year after that."
The three looked at him in confusion.
"Well, why not. Let's come here next year together as well," Naho said after a short moment of silence.
"You will? Even if I'm not part of team 7 anymore?"
"What's up with you?" Sasuke asked, fairly annoyed.
"I think I'll change to Gai-sensei's team. Kakashi-sensei said I could, and I…"
"What, why?" Sakura was the first to speak, but all three seemed equally irritated at Naruto's sudden confession.
"I don't want to bother you guys. Or… do something even worse. Which is why I'll tell Kakashi-sensei to redo the seal he released. But I can't stay on team 7 if I do that. Because I'd just hold you guys back. I most likely won't be able to use any ninjutsu with that seal. So I'll change to Gai's team to focus on taijutsu."
"So you are giving up?" It wasn't the reaction Naruto had expected from Sasuke.
"I'm not giving up on anything, I'm just doing the right thing."
"You are doing the easy thing."
"What?"
"You were given the power of the Kyuubi. It's a power many shinobi would kill for. But you are just going to throw it away because you are scared. If you don't want it, then I'll take it."
"It's not like I'm lazy," Naruto protested. "I don't mind working hard. I don't mind working hard for months and years if that's what it takes. But yes, maybe I'm scared. I don't want to hurt anyone of you again. I don't want to risk it. I'll gladly pass on this weird demon power if that means I can stay friends with you guys."
"Pathetic." Sasuke turned away from him. He looked up at the Hokage rocks, at the First Hokage. "I guess it was all just empty talk when you said you wanted to become Hokage."
"Of course it wasn't! I'm going to become Hokage. Just you wait, I'll make it without ninjutsu. And without this demon in me."
Sasuke laughed. "You think Konoha needs a Hokage who can't even use ninjutsu? The Hokage is supposed to be the strongest shinobi. He's supposed to protect everyone. But you can't even protect your teammates from yourself without having to put a seal on yourself."
Naruto punched Sasuke, knocking him over to the ground.
"Stop it, you two!" Sakura immediately yelled at them.
"Why do you always have to talk down on me like you are sitting on such a high horse?" Naruto yelled at Sasuke, completely ignoring Sakura.
The two boys rolled in the dirt, both trying to get on top of the other. Some people standing around them threw annoyed glances at them. But no one intervened. If anything, they stepped further away to not get themselves involved in any sort of brawl.
"That's enough!" Sakura grabbed Naruto and pulled him away from Sasuke.
Sasuke immediately got up to throw himself at Naruto in return, but Naho stepped between the two. Their eyes met, and he looked away.
"Why do you always have to pick a fight with Sasuke? Can't you just enjoy the fire show for once?" Sakura put the blame on Naruto.
"What?" Naruto yelled back. "He started this! Why are you always on Sasuke's side, it's not fair."
Sakura was about to defend herself with her fists as well now, but Naho grabbed her hand again.
"Please, let's not fight. Not today." Naho looked at both Naruto and Sasuke, but neither seemed willing to give in just yet. Sakura was the only one who loosened up, remembering that she was wearing a yukata and was supposed to look cute, not frightening.
"I thought you guys would think this is the right decision, ya know," Naruto eventually admitted, lowering his head. He'd expected some support. It was not a decision he was proud of. He needed support.
"I really don't care. Leave if you want to leave." Sasuke turned away from them and continued watching the fire show. Sky lanterns were being launched. They were flying all around them like big stars, slowly reaching for the dark sky to take the souls of the dead with them to the afterlife again.
"I really don't know," Sakura said. "I never knew these tailed beasts would be such a big deal."
"Neither did I." Naruto stood there awkwardly. He hadn't really thought this through and simply said whatever came to his mind. But maybe he should have. Now he'd destroyed the moment.
"I don't want you to leave." Naho's sudden words surprised Naruto. "Not because of me, please." She reached for his hand. "We are friends, right? Even if you change teams, we'll still stay friends. But I'd like us to stay teammates too."
Sakura nodded. "I guess it would be way too peaceful without Naruto's stupidity anyway."
Naruto still wasn't sure. But there was no way he could leave them. Not if they actually wanted him to stay. It looked like he had to pull through somehow.
Sasuke was watching the lanterns rise into the sky. "I'm going home," he said, without turning back to his team.
"Wait!" Sakura tried to grab his hand and stop him, but he pulled away. "What's with him all of a sudden? Man, this was such a nice evening just minutes ago." She sighed in defeat, while watching him vanish in the crowd.
Some distant lights were all that was left from the fire show. They became smaller and smaller.
But while the lights slowly vanished, the feeling of Sasuke's fists grabbing his collar stayed. The words of his teammates resounded in his ears. This was his team.