A/N: Here's the rest of the chapter, as promised. Tbh I'm not quite satisfied with this weeks release. I promise it'll get better from hereon out. Next week is the last chapter of the "DEPARTURE" Arc. Please make sure to give a review! And of course, as always: I hope you all enjoy!


Chapter 3.1


"Those Who Are Encouraged - Pt. 2"


HOKAGE TOWER


Sakura stood nervously before the door to Tsunade's office. She was nervous because, against her better judgement, she was going to request the Hokage herself to train her in Medical Ninjutsu.

She was sick and tired of being a third-wheel. Frustrated at her lack of ability out in the field. She felt like an unnecessary piece—a wrench in the sound machinations of their formation. Well, she wouldn't be, not for another second.

She had decided that she had two choices: a) she could watch all of her friends excel and grow stronger, leaving her behind, forever weak, nothing but a bystander; or b) she could holster up her guns and take a risk—like asking the Hokage to take you on as a student; she didn't know a move ballsier than that.

"ENTER!"

Here goes nothing, she thought.

The door swung open and Shizune greeted her from the other side. She took a timid first few steps before slipping into a confident swagger, hoping that somewhere along the pretending, she would actually feel a surge of real confidence.

Tsunade held up her hand to stop her.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Sakura cleared her throat and said, "Tsunade-sama, please train me as your student!" with all the courage and bravado she could summon from within her.

Tsunade looked up from her overbearing paperwork at Sakura with a surprised expression on her face.

Sakura gulped a large breath of air at the vehement look Tsunade was giving her, as if she was about to tear her to shreds or something.

"P-please," Sakura repeated, cursing herself for choking on the simple word.

Tsunade guffawed, nearly falling off her chair in the process, and simultaneously scaring the bejeezus out of Sakura, for she expected a very separate—very opposite—outcome.

"T-train you?!" Tsunade exclaimed, one hand holding her stomach which was beginning to hurt from all her laughing, her other hand pointed outright towards Sakura, a finger jabbing in her direction, taunting her. "BAHAHAHAH!"

Sakura clenched her fists. Perhaps it was because Tsunade was laughing at her and she had dealt with being bullied before, or maybe it was an honest-to-goodness surge of willpower rocketing out of her…whatever it was, she spoke before she could formally digress, so as not to lose her momentum.

"I don't find anything funny about that," Sakura spat. And to that, she made a massive tactical error the moment she added an, "Old lady," at the end there. It was unnecessary and she would realize quite soon that the 'Old lady,' wasn't quite laughing at her, but rather she was impressed at her gumption.

The room fell eerily silent and Sakura could've sworn the temperature fluctuated like made, making her sweat, then freezing, cold as a popsicle; she imagined her perspiration freezing over would make her shine, not unlike a mirage in the desert.

Tsunade flung her desk aside. Papers flew everywhere. Wood splintered and crashed into either of the walls, and her beautiful glass windows that had just been cleaned by Ikemoto's crew shattered into a million bits and pieces, sparkling against the sunlight, like stars had come to earth.

She was at Sakura's throat within seconds, held her up by her collar and bored daggers into her very core through her gaze alone.

Sakura nearly wet herself; Tsunade's intent to kill was so strong.

"T-ts-ts-tsunade-s-s-sa-sama," she stuttered, tears brimming in her eyes. She could barely breathe the way her collar and Tsunade's fist was pressing into her throat. "I-I-I-I—"

"SHUT IT!" Tsunade shouted. "Who the hell are you callin' an old lady?! Huh?!"

Sakura flinched at every word. "I-I-I-I a-am s-so so-rr-y…"

Shizune appeared in her line of sight and she saw the woman pleading with Tsunade to let her go.

"Tsunade-sama!" she yelled. "Please put Sakura-san down! You're the Hokage for Kami's sake! Put! Her! Down!—"

Sakura fell to the floor—right on her ass—with a loud thump, rattling her bones all the way up to her skull.

She got up and rubbed her behind where she felt the damage the most, then caressed her throat, straightened her collar.

Tsunade turned her back on Sakura and ruminated for a few moments. Sakura feared what her leader had in mind for her next. The possibilities were endless—and for the mind of a 13 year old, each and every one of those endless possibilities, were often all negative.

Shizune stepped aside, receding back into her corner of the large office, allowing Tsunade room to think—and Sakura, room to breathe.

"Fine," Tsunade said, her back still turned.

Sakura didn't quite understand, though. "I-I'm s-sorry, I d-don't u-understand…?"

Tsunade turned around and stared at her hands, then said, "I'll take you on as my apprentice."

Shizune flashed surprise. "Tsunade-sama!" she exclaimed, but Tsunade simply put up a hand and her former apprentice fell silent almost immediately.

"I'll train you, kid," Tsunade said. "But you won't be able to handle it, that much's for sure."

Sakura steeled herself and shut her eyes tight, for she couldn't bear to look at Tsunade and show her faltering courage at the same time.

"I promise I won't fail you, Tsunade-sama!" she shouted, her hands balled into little fists.

Tsunade smirked at the sight of her. "Don't be so sure, kid. It isn't wise to make promises you can't keep."

Sakura opened her eyes then, and she looked sullen, not courageous. She stared right at Tsunade, her will exhausted, her strength nonexistent, and despite that, she spoke—her tone unwavering, because she spoke to Tsunade with a kind of power that was a thousand times stronger than anything else.

Her power was truth.

"I promise you," she said. "I won't fail you. I promise!"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the sudden conviction in her voice and smiled. "Good. You'd better not," she said. "'Cause I'll kick your ass if you do."

Sakura nodded her head.

"You start bright and early, tomorrow morning at 4 a.m. Understood?!"

Sakura held back her surprise and merely nodded again, yipping: "HAI!"

She knew she wouldn't get any sleep tonight. After bidding Naruto goodbye, it was off to the library with her, where she would read every book on Medical Ninjutsu that was available.

She wouldn't fail Tsunade-sama, alright. But more importantly, she wouldn't fail her team—not again. She would become strong enough to hold them all together, the way she was always supposed to. She would help Naruto and bring Sasuke back home. One day. Soon, she told herself. Soon.


KONOHAGAKURE


NORTHERN GATES


Naruto cut through the bustling streets of Konoha, swimming through the crowd unnoticed for a change. Though, he eventually tired of the hustle and the bustle, and having to nearly squeeze his way through the endless bodies of people crowding the markets surrounding him.

He cut through an alley and leapt to the top of a building, charging his legs with explosive amounts chakra—and from thereon, elected a 'rooftops-only' route. He was having a little trouble reforming his skills, felt as if he had to re-acclimatize himself with his own body and its many shinobi-functions; currently, he was struggling.

His leaps formed spiderweb-like cracks in the rooftops and rubble vibrated and shot off into the air all around him. Passerby below him always looked up a second too late, else they would've caught sight of him free running chaotically through the entire district.

Naruto slowed his pace at the sight of the Northern Gates, realizing very quickly that he was in no particular rush to arrive at his destination—in fact, some part of him did not even wish to leave Konoha at all; this place, despite all the discrimination and the secrecy and the narrow-minded people, was his home.

He knew, deep down, though, that one day, everybody's gotta grow up and leave home, so that they can find their own place in this world. He supposed that that was what this mission was all about, in a sense.

The gates grew closer and closer, and eventually, he was all out of rooftops to leap off of, and he had no choice but to make this last one count—

—he bound off the ledge, pumping as much chakra as he could into his legs, all the way up to his back—visualizing a spring unloading itself in his mind—and he closed the entire gap between here and the gates in one fell swoop.

He landed on his feet—barely—and looked all around him, searching for Jiraiya, but he never found him.

"Great," he said aloud, speaking to himself. "Be on time, be on time. Yeah? Well, I'm on time! Where the hell are you, 'ya perv?! Probably peeping at the hot-springs, knowing your M.O."

"Is that any way to talk about your sensei, kid," Jiraiya said, appearing a translucent bubble, coming out of the gate itself. He gave him an amused look and Naruto grinned back like a sheep in winter, caught apart from his herd, out of his pen, somewhere he was never supposed to be; it was an odd look, and Jiraiya didn't quite understand the depth behind its simple appearance.

"You ready, Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto deliberated for a moment, nearly hesitated giving his answer. He didn't turn back, knew if he did, he would have major second thoughts. He had to do this. No other choice. If he wanted to have even a chance in hell at fulfilling his promise to Sakura-chan, he had to do this.

"Yeah," Naruto said. "Let's go—"

And he was off. Marching with deliberately long strides, as if distancing himself quick enough would ease the feeling of homesickness.

"Naruto, wait," Jiraiya said.

"What?"

The sound of footsteps pattering against the earth echoed from behind him. Naruto turned around, saw the entire Rookie 9, sans Hinata—plus Lee, Neji, Tenten, and even their weird sensei, Guy.

He couldn't help but stare at Sakura, his thoughts and feelings reached out to her. He knew he had failed her, and they hadn't quite spoken—not properly at least—since he'd returned to Konoha…without Sasuke.

He turned his gaze on Jiraiya, who simply nodded at him, gesticulating for him to go forth and say his goodbyes—to really make them count, for after this moment, his life would become a tough journey he might even think about ending on a few occasions.

Naruto nodded and ran off towards his friends—a word he never thought he'd be able to use proudly, but he did, for he never gave up.

"Running away, Naruto?" Shika jested. Naruto chuckled. "Get strong, okay?" he said. "And you better believe that I'm not gonna fall behind, this time around—after all, who else is gonna save the village from you when you become Hokage?"

A sudden breeze swept past them, brushing against their skin, eliciting gooseflesh all around.

Naruto raised his fist and pumped it high in the air; Lee ditto. Together they yelled:

"YOSH!"

Naruto bumped fists with Shika and the whole lot of boys—fisting, Jiraiya would write in his personal dictionary—and Choji even put away his chips to get in on some fisting action.

Kiba, ever the rambunctious one, and truthfully, the only one to rival Naruto in timbre, said, "Let's have a rematch when you get back, huh?!"

Naruto laughed at his antics; Akamaru gave him a few good licks for good luck.

Despite his reputation for being silent, Shino actually imparted a few endearing words of his own to Naruto, telling him he would be sorely missed; Naruto would take it; it was better than getting nothing at all.

Rock Lee and Guy-sensei both spoke in an almost practiced unison, their voices echoing about Youth-this, Youth-that. Naruto simple shot them a thumbs up—as if he understood what they'd meant to say in the first place—and held out his fist; but Neji was a nobleman, too accustomed to formalities, and he merely bowed. Naruto bowed back awkwardly, not wanting to offend Neji, or harm their newly formed friendship.

For perhaps the very first time, Naruto felt at a loss for words. He stared at all his friends and felt a warmth wash over him, making him feel all jittery on the inside. The lack of Hinata's presence irked him for some reason, and he decided to voice his concern.

"Where's Hinata?" he asked.

They all looked around each other, as if just now noticing that Hinata was not among them.

"No clue," they all resounded.

Naruto shook his head and smiled. Oh well, he had hoped to see all of his friends before leaving, but such was his luck, huh?

What he didn't know was that Hinata was indeed watching him, from afar, away from prying eyes, for she had no other choice; she had to make this sacrifice for reasons he would never truly know…not until he killed himself 3 years later.

Naruto's eyes flickered briefly over to Ino, and he felt a tinge hotter in his face, decided this wasn't the best time to embarrass himself. He saw Sakura, beaming at him with the widest grin he had ever seen on her face; he couldn't help but return the smile.

"Come home soon, okay?" Sakura said aloud, not caring that everyone was listening; she would never make the mistake of letting her loved ones go without confessing her true feelings first (she had nearly lost Naruto and all she could wonder while it was all happening was, what if he dies and I'm never able to tell him that I'm gonna miss his dumbass?).

Naruto beamed. "I'll be back before you know it," he said.

He took a few steps back and took in the grand sight that were all his comrades, his friends. He smiled to no-one but himself. I have friends, he thought yet again. More than I could have asked for…

He raised his hand and waved goodbye…one last time. They all waved back, smiling at him, sending their good wishes his way. He clasped his hand, as if catching their wishes, and about-faced, walking off towards Jiraiya.

Jiraiya nodded his head and smiled at Naruto; he caught a faint glimmer in his student's eyes and knew they were tears that he wouldn't cry anymore.

Together, they walked off, disappearing into the depths of the forest that hid Konoha from the rest of the world, what made it their own, hidden abode—where, aside from their duties as soldiers, it was a pretty swell place.

When they were far enough, Naruto about-faced, gazed upon the village in its entirety. It looked beautiful as it basked in the sunlight, and it almost felt like a scene out of a movie.

Naruto's eyes roved the Hokage Monument, the towering structure upon which the faces of each Hokage were sculpted in honour of their efforts. His eyes naturally stopped at the face of the Fourth, and he recalled Jiraiya's words about their likeness, felt his resolve become sharper than ever. He raised his fist and thrust it high in the air, toasting the Gods with his determination.

Watch me, he thought to himself as he stared at the face of the Yondaime Hokage. Watch me!

Jiraiya watched him from over his shoulder, and in that moment, he felt the heat of his resolve, felt compelled to put his belief in the young boy. He truly couldn't deny it, was unable to doubt him. He knew that Naruto would do it, that he would become—

Hokage!


~OMAKE~


Naruto and Jiraiya were trekking peacefully through the vast forestry surrounding Konohagakure when all of a sudden Jiraiya sensed an ominous presence appear from within the forest.

"Naruto, hold up," he whispered, putting his young student on the alert. "Someone's here. I can sense it..."

They heard a rustle emanating from the dense shrubbery lining one end of the forest, then they saw movement. A few bushes trembled. The sound of twigs snapping and branches being stretched, implying weight being put on them.

A figure shot out from atop a tree branch. Jiraiya spun a rasengan in his hand, prepared to counter whatever attack the enemy would throw at them.

"Yo-"

Jiraiya cancelled his rasengan and deadpanned at the sight of Hatake Kakashi standing in front of him with his head slightly bowed.

"Oi, Kakashi," Jiraiya said, his tone tinged with annoyance. "What's the big idea? I thought you were an enemy ninja for a second."

Kakashi waved the man off, scratching the back of his head with his free hand, saying, "Mah, mah, Jiraiya-sama, I thought I had missed the opportunity to say goodbye to my student. It took me an hour just to find you."

Jiraiya grunted. "On with it then," he said. "We've places to be, Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded his head fervently, then clutched onto Naruto as if he would never see him again for the rest of his life, weeping an entire river's worth of tears.

Naruto deadpanned at his sensei's antics, shooing him away with much difficulty. "Kakashi-sensei, stop being such a baby. I'll be back soon."

Kakashi nodded his head, about-faced and locked eyes with Jiraiya.

Jiraiya nearly flinched. He could sense something ominous on the man's mind. He was here with ill-intentions in mind and body.

"K-kakashi," Jiraiya started, holding his hands out in front of him to preemptively fend off any attempt at anything from Kakashi's end. "Now hold on there...what is it you want with me?"

Kakashi smiled with his eye closed and said, "Jiraiya-sama, would you please tell me what happens in the sequel of Icha Icha Paradise...?"

Naruto deadpanned and yelled out, "Nani?! You came all the way here just to ask him that?! I thought you were here to see me?!"

Kakashi about-faced and scratched the back of his head, nodding simultaneously. "Mah, Naruto, of course I was also here to see you, my favourite student-"

"Oh, please!" Naruto said, snorting. "Your tricks don't work on me anymore. Just get your autograph and get outta here."

Kakashi turned back to Jiraiya and held out his copy of the first and second Icha Icha Paradise. "Please and thank you, Jiraiya-sama..."

Jiraiya felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck. Poor guy was hooked on his stories; he just wanted to know what came next for Mononoke, the cold-on-the-outside, sweet-and-warm-on-the-inside female lead of his romance novels. The problem with that was that he had no idea where to go next with his story. There was nothing he could tell the man. Nothing he could say that would satisfy his lust for the perverted.

"You see," Jiraiya began, "Kakashi...I don't know myself yet...actually...so...uhm...I wouldn't be able to tell you anyway—"

"Jiraiya-sama, please don't lie. I'll be good. Just give me the opening premise."

Jiraiya chuckled awkwardly whilst simultaneously signalling Naruto to prepare to run—and though he didn't know why they were running, the boy sure as hell obliged.

They were off to the races. And Kakashi, of course, was hot on their tail, yelling: "JIRAIYA-SAMA! PLEASE! I BEG YOU! JUST THE PREMISE! JUST THE PREMIIISSSEEEE!"

It wasn't until they crossed the Land of Waves border did Jiraiya dare to look over his shoulder. Thankfully, it seemed that he had given up, as evidenced by the lack of his screeching voice begging for just the premise.

Phew, Jiraiya thought. Dodged a bullet there...

He had a bad feeling, though, that Kakashi would be awaiting the day they returned—concocting crazy conspiracy theories about the possible plot-lines that may or may not take shape in the Icha Icha franchise in the meantime.


OMAKE END.


A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter (and the omake; I'm beginning to have a lot of fun writing those, lets me work a little more on my comedic tone). I know not much happened, but after the next chapter we'll be embarking on the next Part/Arc of the story, which will feature an entirely new storyline, so please look forward to it!

Thank you for reading! Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts!

See you next week, Wednesday (that's the 24th!)