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Team 7 Apart
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Sakura and Naruto were sweeping Konoha's streets. It was punishment from the Third Hokage for breaking into the Forest of Death. For the rest of the week, they had to keep Konoha clean and tidy while people all around them enjoyed the festivals held for the tournament.
Naruto was going on and on about how unfair it was that Kakashi announced he'd be exclusively training Sasuke for the tournament.
"Punishment for breaking the rules my ass. He's just giving advantages to Sasuke! This way, we will inevitably fall behind."
Sakura sighed. "I think my hands are blistering from all this sweeping. I can't believe we have to do this for the rest of the week." She looked ahead to see how much longer the street was. She'd wanted to prepare a bento for Sasuke before him and Kakashi left the village, but the Hokage had them report for duty with the first sun rays.
Sakura stopped sweeping. "Wait, do you see that man over there? What is he doing?"
Naruto followed her glance and spotted Jiraiya. He was hiding behind a tree and stared at women walking past in their yukata, an impish grin on his face. When the man saw Naruto, he waved and walked over.
"Ah Naruto, nice to see you again. How is your training as a Genin going? Is Kakashi nice to you?" he asked in an overly friendly manner.
Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I never see you in Konoha for years, and then you always suddenly show up out of nowhere and act like we know each other. Get lost!"
"I heard your teacher is busy training Sasuke for the rest of the week. Lucky for you, I got some free time! I could teach you a thing or two while I'm in Konoha, what do you say? The girl there can join too. Is she your girlfriend?" A dirty smirk formed on Jiraiya's lips.
"Wait, you couldn't be…" Sakura too narrowed her eyes at the white-haired man to inspect him properly. "Are you one of the Legendary Sannin?"
Jiraiya cringed at the title. "Yes, I'm Jiraiya, the great toad sage. But just call me Jiraiya. Or toad sage."
"Stay out of my life!" Naruto yelled at him and grabbed Sakura's hand to run off.
The girl was confused when they finally came to a stop again.
"What is wrong with you? That man is like one of the most famous shinobi of Konoha. And he offered to train with us!"
Naruto only pouted. "I don't care. He's a perv. You wouldn't want to spend time with him."
"I don't understand. Did something happen between you two? How does he know you?"
"He keeps showing up randomly in my life. One time I looked him up and found out that, well, he used to be my father's teacher. Just like Kakashi is our teacher."
Sakura didn't quite understand. "Isn't that a good thing? Your father was the Hokage, and he was trained by a Legendary Sannin. That's pretty cool, isn't it?"
Naruto stared down. He couldn't quite bring himself to smile at Sakura like he usually would. "I don't want him in my life. If I train with him, I might become like my father. And I don't want that. I want to be better than him. I want to take my own path."
"But just because you talk a bit to him doesn't mean you have to become like your father. I mean, maybe he's just wondering how you are doing." She stopped for a moment before continuing, "I always thought you wanted to become Hokage like your father. I mean, everyone loved him."
Naruto looked around, hoping to find something to distract them both with. But he'd dragged Sakura to a small park, and besides one or two people passing by, there was not much happening. "I barely know a single thing about my parents. No one ever cared to tell me anything apart from 'Your father was the great Fourth Hokage. Everyone respected him.'" He rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure I want to be like a person I basically know nothing about."
Sakura was considering what to say. This was a side of Naruto she hadn't seen before. His expression was much more serious, though he soon put on a smile again. "Hey, why don't we sneak off for now and have some lunch instead of sweeping the streets? The Third will never know as long as we don't get caught."
Naruto quickly agreed. Food always managed to cheer him up, especially when he could share it with his teammates.
"Well, if we do get caught though I'll tell them it was your idea," she laughed. Sakura was unsure for a moment whether she should continue the conversation, whether Naruto wanted to talk about it. He somehow didn't look like he wanted to. So she said, "Naho is out of the hospital again too. Maybe we should invite her?"
"I've been at her place earlier today. I think she's meeting with Tenten, so she's probably busy."
"Oh." Sakura played with a strain of hair. It still felt strangely short. "I didn't know you were going to see Naho today."
"I sometimes go there when we don't have training and I'm bored. I once asked Sasuke to hang out too, but he threw me out."
"You never asked me," Sakura realised.
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly. "Oh uh, I always wanted too, really. I've come to your house quite a few times, actually even knocked once or twice and then ran off. Because, well, you were always with your parents. I didn't think they would want to see me. But maybe I should have just knocked at your window again, right?"
Sakura was ready to beat the idea out of his head. She didn't like the thought of Naruto showing up in front of her window. But instead, she said, "Well, as long as you don't just come inside or stalk on me." Because Sakura really didn't want to be left out.
Naruto was happy, and they both went to eat ramen together.
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Naho was sitting on a tall stone on a training's ground watching Tenten and Neji train together. Sweat had been dripping down both of their faces for a while now, but Neji kept asking for another round, until Tenten eventually lay down in the grass and declared that if she had to move even one finger again, her arms and legs would fall off.
Naho kneeled next to her and offered some of her chocolate. Tenten was so exhausted she only opened her mouth for Naho to feed her.
Neji drank some water, then observed the two girls. "Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be training with your team as well?"
Naho shrugged. "Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke are training alone outside of Konoha. And Naruto and Sakura are sweeping the streets somewhere because they sneaked into the Forest of Death."
"Then don't sit around lazily and fight me."
"Neji!" Tenten pushed herself up with her elbows. "Naho only got released from the hospital today."
"So? If she's been released, she's fine again. Or are you not?"
Naho weakly laughed. She wasn't in the mood of fighting her friend's teammate. But Neji seemed eager to continue training.
"I'm just a first-year Genin. I don't think I'd stand a chance against you.
"Your fight in the third stage wasn't too bad," Neji said. " And there are enough first-year Genin participating in the tournament, so that doesn't really mean anything."
Tenten sat up to hug Naho and rub her sweaty face against hers. Naho struggled, but Tenten had her in a tight grip. "You really were amazing in your last fight, little Naho-chan! You almost had that redhead!"
"Ugh, stop it, Tenten! That's yucky!" Naho turned her face away and brushed her cheek with the back of her hand. She pouted, her friend laughed in amusement.
"It doesn't seem to bother you that you weren't chosen for the tournament," Neji said, looking at both the girls. They were still fooling around and made a joke out of fighting over the last piece of Naho's chocolate.
"Why would it? We both lost," Tenten said.
"Winning is not a prerequisite to be chosen for the tournament. Look at Hinata. She has officially won her match, yet she hasn't even shown that she knows how to throw a kunai. Do you two find it fair that she gets to participate over you?"
"Hinata didn't even get the opportunity to show what she can do. It would also be unfair if she wasn't chosen just because her opponent withdrew," his teammate calmly answered.
"She only advanced because she's the Hyuuga heiress."
Tenten wasn't in the mood of arguing. She sighed, and said, "It doesn't really matter, does it? I enjoy being a Genin. I'll try again next year. This way, I can continue going on missions with Gai-sensei, Lee and you. That's not a bad date."
"Our first Genin year has been over for a while now. Gai-sensei kept going on missions with us and trained us, but I doubt that will go on much longer. Now that Lee is -"
"Stop it, Neji," Tenten interrupted him. "Lee will get better again and we can continue being a team." Her voice was angry and hurt at first, but she quickly forced a smile to her lips. "Who knows, Neji. Maybe you will be promoted to Chuunin and then you can take Lee and me on missions, and Naho could join to."
Naho felt uncomfortable as she somehow found herself standing between the two fighting parties. Neji was a realist in his own eyes and a pessimist in Tenten's eyes. Tenten was the complete opposite.
It had never bothered their friendship much. They'd been best friends ever since Tenten sat down next to Neji on their first day of the Academy, and they both looked down at all the clan children forming their own circle in the front of the class. Tenten, being a civilian, didn't know how to be part of them, and Neji, being of the side branch, didn't want to be part of them.
So the two started hanging out with each other, not because they were particularly interested in the other, but because it was better than being all alone. And even Neji had to admit that hanging out with Tenten wasn't the worst of all things. After all, she was always willing to train with him and never complained when they ended up wrestling in the dirt and ruined her clothes. Neither did she care or know about clan business. A trait that was both annoying and refreshing to Neji.
But Neji was the kind of person to only get full scores on exams, yet always found a question he wasn't completely sure about on every exam. And each time, he was certain he'd gotten it all wrong and wouldn't be top of the class anymore.
Tenten on the other hand barely ever understood the questions she was supposed to answer, yet always believed she would pass somehow.
When Neji and Tenten ended up on a team together with Gai as their teacher, Neji was convinced that the Hokage had assigned him a clanless teacher who didn't even know ninjutsu because Neji belonged to the side branch, and wasn't worth a better teacher.
Tenten was excited that their teacher seemed friendly and motivated, and that was enough for her.
So far, their different attitudes never mattered much. But that changed now that Lee's wellbeing was involved.
It bothered Tenten more than anything that Neji voiced his doubts on whether Lee would ever get better. It was not a thought she wanted in her life.
Naho didn't know how to cheer her friend up. And she didn't know how to deal with the tension between her and Neji. So she came up with an excuse, and left the two teammates alone.
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Sakura and Naruto were eating ramen at Ichiruka's when Iruka approached and sat down next to Naruto. The boy first thought his former teacher had just come home and started chatting. He excitedly told Iruka all about the Chuunin exams and his adventures.
Iruka listened attentively, but then said, "Actually, Naruto, I'm here because the Hokage told me to find you. You and Sakura are supposed to go to the Hokage office right away. Apparently you two were chosen for a special mission."
"A special mission?" Naruto exclaimed. "Why didn't you say so earlier!" He quickly gulped down the rest of his noodles and slurped the broth in one go before jumping up.
Sakura never got to finish her soup as Naruto dragged her to the Hokage building.
The Hokage was waiting in his office, but to Naruto's dismay, Jiraiya was standing next to the desk, waiting as well.
He explained the mission. Jiraiya, Naruto and Sakura were to go to another town, find Tsunade Senju, and bring her back to Konoha.
The excitement in Naruto had died, even though the mission meant they'd be excused from their punishment.
"I'd rather sweep the streets," Naruto mumbled.
"This is an S-rank mission," the Hokage added. Naruto's reaction surprised him.
Sakura gasped, but Naruto only frowned.
"Listen, I don't want you to give me missions because my father was the Fourth Hokage."
"This has nothing to do with your father," the Hokage calmly said.
"Really? Then why would you choose… me for an S-rank mission. I'm a Genin. I didn't even participate in the Chuunin exams yet. Just admit that the old guy there wants to hang out with me."
There was a short pause and Naruto already thought he had them figured out. But then the Hokage continued.
"This is not an S-rank mission because it's particularly dangerous and requires highly skilled shinobi. It's an S-rank mission because of the importance the success of this mission holds for Konoha. I need Tsunade back. And Tsunade has left the village many years ago after the death of her younger brother. You, Naruto, remind both me and Jiraiya of her brother. You are about the same age, have the same attitude, and you both have the same dream of becoming Hokage. That is why we chose you for this mission, not because Jiraiya wants to spend time with you. But because we think you are suitable."
Naruto chewed his lip thinking.
"If you don't want this mission, fine," the Hokage added. "But let me tell you that declining a mission because of a personal conflict you might have with another shinobi is highly unprofessional."
"He's right, Naruto," Sakura whispered once she saw that Naruto was still considering.
Naruto finally agreed to take the mission, and the Hokage told them they had to go and pack right away.
The two Genin nodded, and agreed to meet with Jiraiya at Konoha's gate in an hour.
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Sakura scolded Naruto for the mess she found in his flat. She wanted to make sure her teammate was on time, so she went to his place to pick him up.
Naruto was still collecting clothes that lay scattered on the ground. He smelled them and shoved the good ones into his backpack.
Sakura sighed at the sight and sat down at his kitchen table to wait.
"I really hope we get back before the tournament," she said. "I need to cheer on Sasuke. But they said the town wasn't far away, right?"
Naruto agreed. He also didn't want to miss the tournament.
"Say, Naruto. Why do you dislike Jiraiya so much? Just because he used to be your father's teacher? I mean, this is a big opportunity. You should be excited."
Naruto stopped what he was doing, then sat down next to Sakura and offered her some cookies he'd found in a corner. Sakura told him she wasn't going to eat anything that lay around on his dirty floor.
"It's not that he did anything in particular…" Naruto said. "But throughout all my childhood, everyone compared me to my father. They told me that my father had given me a gift, the kyuubi, and that I had to learn how to use it. Because my father was a genius, and he believed in me, so I had to not disappoint him."
Naruto's glance dropped as he took a bite of the dry cookie.
"In the end, I failed and never learned how to control or use the kyuubi. They sealed it, and people stopped talking about my father to me. That Jiraiya guy… I once heard him talk to the Hokage about me. And it was all about my father and the kyuubi, not about me. I just, I can't stand that, you know? I don't want people to treat me like another genius invention of my father. That's why I want to become Hokage. The best Hokage, better than my father. Because then people have to stop seeing me as someone continuing my father's path. Because I will make my own. I'll be even better than the Fourth."
"I didn't know you thought about your father like that."
"Well, everyone kinda stopped talking about it after I failed." Naruto laughed, even though there really wasn't anything funny about it.
Sakura gave him a good knock on the head. "Idiot. You don't want others to compare you to your father, so stop comparing yourself to him. Don't refuse missions because of him, or he will continue to influence your life, negatively. Instead, let's do this mission and make it a great success!" She punched down on the table so hard Naruto feared it would break.
But he appreciated her words. He nodded, and together they left to go on a mission with Jiraiya.
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The next day, Naho was strolling through Konoha aimlessly. She wondered how it happened that she was the only one left of her team. Sasuke and Kakashi were gone on a training's trip, Naruto and Sakura had left for a mission.
She felt left behind. So far, all the missions they had completed, they had done together. She knew that after their first Genin year was over, their team would get mixed up, and they were expected to work together with other shinobi as well. But it still felt wrong knowing Naruto and Sakura were gone with another shinobi. Without her.
She ended up at the main gate, and decided to leave the village to visit her parents.
The guard at the gate didn't seem happy to see her leave, but also didn't stop her.
Naho walked slowly down the forest path. She knew that with this pace, it would take hours until she reached the farm. But Naho didn't have anything else to do. So she strolled, and her thoughts got lost in memories of both past and present.
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When Naho reached the old farmhouse, she realised that the front door was open.
She couldn't remember if she had accidentally left it open the last time she visited. It had been months. Maybe someone also broke in during her absence, scavenged the place. It was likely.
She went inside to see if something was missing. It didn't take long until she heard something, someone.
Naho froze for a moment, wondering whether an animal might have chosen the abandoned farm as its new home. Maybe it was even one of their old animals that came back. She hoped for the latter, but somehow her heart was beating fast.
Slowly she tiptoed down the hallway. After all, she was a shinobi. She didn't need to be scared.
When she noticed someone lashing at her from behind, it was already too late.
A stranger grabbed her arms, and within seconds, her hands were wrapped in wire.
"Just a girl?" The man behind her said.
Another stepped in front of her, looked at the headband she was wearing.
"Shit, she's a Konoha shinobi."
Naho wondered whether she'd be able to use jutsu, but her hands were tied tight in a way she could not even use her fingers. Clearly those two men were shinobi as well.
"That's good though, isn't it?" One of them kneeled in front of her. There was a friendly smile on his face, but the other one was still grabbing onto her arm, making sure she didn't run. "Do you think you could take us to -"
He stopped mid-sentence to dug away from needles that came flying at him. They got stuck in the wall next to them.
Naho had never even seen them coming.
The two men cursed, and immediately, they let go of her, averted all their attention to a stranger who he stood at the end of the hallway. He was wearing a mask.
Naho hardly cared for him, whoever he was. She turned around and ran outside again. She had to get back to Konoha. Quickly.
These shinobi did not belong to Konoha nor did they wear a headband that would show their fealty.
Her hands were still tied up behind her back, and when Naho stumbled over a stone, she lost balance and fell.
She glanced back at the house. The shinobi had followed her outside, but none of them seemed to care about her anymore. They were fighting each other. Two men against one masked person.
Their movements were swift, the jutsu they used Naho had never seen.
She pushed herself up again to continue running. Her heart stopped for just a second as she bumped into someone.
A woman was standing in front of her.
At first, Naho was not sure whether this woman was a shinobi or a princess. But the mask covering her face led her to believe it was the former.
She wore a traditional dress that Naho had often seen clan members wear. At least in her history books. It reached all the way down to the ankles, but was loose enough around the legs to move.
The fabric was made of silk and was embroidered with flowers and butterflies on the kimono sleeves.
The woman took off her mask and smiled at her. Her lips were painted in a dark red.
"Let me cut the wire," she said and took out a knife.
Naho let her. Somehow, this woman did not scare her.
Part of her black hair was carefully pinned up with silver hair needles and blue ribbon. Naho could even spot a little bell in her hair.
She was so mesmerized by the woman, she had to blink several times to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
The woman looked at the fight again, and when Naho did so too, she found the two men dead.
The stranger was standing between them and took off his mask as well. Now that she thoroughly eyed him for the first time, she found that he had to be only a few years older than herself.
The woman kneeled down next to the corpses. She took out two scrolls, wrote something down with careful brush strokes and let the blood of the dead drop onto the scrolls. She used a sign, and the bodies were gone.
Her eyes switched to Naho again. "You may leave, little girl. Or is there anything we can help you with?"
Naho swallowed. This all confused her too much. This was her farm. Yet somehow she met these foreign shinobi there who fought and killed other foreign shinobi. It was too strange.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, because she really wanted to know. And these two did not seem hostile at least.
"We were chasing these criminals. It's good we were here in time. These two were rather dangerous." She spoke in such a calm and collected way that it was hard for Naho to not believe her.
"You are not wearing a headband," she noted.
The woman smiled. "We don't. Would you like to see our identification papers?"
Naho blushed and shook her head. She couldn't believe this woman who looked like a princess, an Empress almost, would truly prove her cause to her.
The woman straightened her dress and the scrolls vanished in her sleeves. "I see you are wearing the Konoha headband. Are you a Genin?"
Naho nodded.
"I have not been to Konoha in ages. Would you mind accompanying us back there? I would really like to visit."
"But mother!" The boy looked surprised.
She ignored him and looked around. "But now that I think about it, we are quite a bit away from Konoha. Are you here on a mission?"
"No, I used to live here. I just wanted to visit."
"Oh, you did? Do you not belong to one of the Konoha clans?"
"No, my parents were both farmers."
It was clear from the state of the farm that no one had lived there in years.
"Really? Interesting. Well, good for you. It was quite the achievement back in my days, becoming a Genin when one does not belong to any clan."
"Do you belong to a clan?" The question almost seemed dumb to Naho. The woman was too noble to not belong to one.
"Me? I don't." She smiled again. "Anyways, my son and I shall go to Konoha. Our mission here is over after all. I would have liked to accompany you to assure your safety. But if you have your own business here to attend to…"
Naho had only just arrived but had also been attacked. She wanted to go back to Konoha too.
So she asked the woman whether they could wait for five minutes, and quickly ran to her parent's graves. She said a few words, left a flower she found nearby, and returned to the woman and her son.
She seemed pleased that Naho decided to walk with her.
The woman walked just like she spoke. Calm and slow. Her back was a perfect straight line, and her hands were folded in front of her. It made Naho conscious of her own posture as well.
"Say child, what is your name?" she asked as they were walking down the small road that led through the forest. It was a quiet journey, with not a lot of travellers and merchants passing them.
"Naho Kanazawa," she answered. "And… who are you?" She looked at both the woman and her son. They could be anyone, even Konoha shinobi working undercover.
The boy neither spoke nor ever looked her way. His eyes were set ahead.
"How would you like to call me?" The woman's question irritated Naho. "Is there a name you think would suit me?"
She still did not understand.
"I'm a shinobi. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to tell you my true name. Because one's true name can hold a lot of power. You should be careful who you give it to as well."
Naho frowned. "I don't think my name will ever hold any power at all."
"You should remember those words once you are a strong and accomplished kunoichi. Your name alone will make your opponents tremble in fear."
Naho was not convinced that would ever happen. But she did like the encouragement.
"But how may you call me. Let's see…" She put a finger to her red lips, just barely touching them. "Kaguya, maybe. I have always liked the tale of the moon princess."
Naho felt a bit like the woman was making fun of her. One couldn't just come up with names. There was no point. But obviously, she had to stay polite, so she only muttered a small "nice to meet you."
"This is my son." Again, she started to think about a name to give him. She asked her son which one he'd like, but he respectfully said he could not care less. So she said, "You may call him Ichiro."
They continued their walk towards Konoha. Naho felt weirdly safe next to the woman.
"So, Naho-chan, I heard the Chuunin exams are taking place in Konoha right now. Are you participating?"
"I was," she admitted. She suddenly felt a bit embarrassed to tell this person that she was not chosen for the tournament. She had not seen the woman calling herself Kaguya fight, not even lift a finger. Yet she could tell that Kaguya had to be an exceptional shinobi. There was too much confidence in her voice for her to not be.
"I finished all three stages of the exams. But I lost in the last one."
"That's nothing to be ashamed of. You are still young after all. I'm assuming this was your first Chuunin exam?" She waited for Naho to nod. "In my first exam, I didn't even make it to the third stage."
"Really?" Naho blurted out. She hoped the woman would tell her more of her own Genin days, but she did not.
Instead, Kaguya kept asking questions about Naho's life. It was something the girl couldn't quite comprehend, after all, her life was nothing more than boring.
They had almost reached Konoha when their conversation returned to the Chuunin exams and the tournament.
"Are any of your friends participating in the tournament?" Kaguya asked.
"My teammate, Sasuke. He's away training with our teacher, Kakashi-sensei."
There was a hint of surprise in the woman's eyes. "Kakashi is your teacher?"
Naho nodded eagerly. "Do you know him?"
The woman laughed a bit. It was a small and reserved laugh. "I do. I hope he is a good teacher to you?"
"Yes, of course," Naho immediately answered, because that was the polite and expected answer. But she did like Kakashi.
"And Sasuke, you said. Are you talking about Sasuke Uchiha?"
"I do!" Naho said in surprise. "You know a lot of people from Konoha. You aren't a Konoha shinobi though, are you?"
The woman smiled down at Naho. "Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha are quite famous names," she explained. "Powerful names, one could say."
They reached the gate of Konoha, and for a moment, Naho suddenly felt nervous entering the village with two strangers. Somehow, she had talked to them throughout their little journey, yet she basically knew nothing about them. Not even their names.
She carefully observed the woman and her son as they showed their papers to the guard at the gate, wondering what kind of name the papers showed. The guard carefully looked at them, then welcomed them both inside.
Naho was glad. It was like a confirmation that these two people truly were no enemies.
"Maybe we should stay for the tournament," Kaguya said to her son as her eyes fell on the houses and streets before them. "I would love to see it. And thank you Naho for accompanying us. I wish your teammate all the best for the tournament. I'm certain you yourself are going to become an exceptional shinobi as well."
Naho was disappointed that their ways parted. Yet the woman's encouragement also made her eyes beam. For the first time, she actually wanted to become an exceptional shinobi. Because she wanted to impress this strange woman who she might never meet again.
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A/N:
Spend the last weeks (months) updating my earlier chapters of this fic (... and writing my other fic, woops). I added one completely new chapter ("To Kill"). The next chapter is also aaaalmost finished and will get some Sasuke, Kakashi and Orochimaru time, plus some Naruto, Sakura, Tsunade and Jiraiya time!