Chapter 11

Extra: I've lost the original chapter, rewrote it and hated it, and then came up with this chapter by pure flow of writing. I FREAKING HATE WRITER'S BLOCK...omg.

Unedited since I just wanted to finally get this posted up!

I'm SOOOOOOO SORRY for the unbelievable long wait for an update! It didn't help that every time I got on the computer I was accused of "Always being on it" when in truth I rarely was because I didn't want to be accused of the former and deal with a lot of bipolar drama. I swear, it's like i have to constantly watch what I say around this damn woman that is my sister. Better to just nod and go along then deal with butting heads over small things that she just has to make into bigger deals.

THANK YOU FOR NOT ABANDONING THIS STORY!

And a massive Thaaaaaaaannnnkkk Yooooouuuuu to those of you have favorited this story and/or written a review!

Anyways here is the next chapter!

Dark eyes stared into blue hues with such intent the owner of those baby blues shifted back in their seat as if that'd lessen the intensity. It didnt. Instead those dark eyes moved closer until they were able to see the flecks of bright silver within those blue iris. The later of which slide their gaze away to take in the empty classroom; barren of students besides them and filled with educational items and unfilled desks. Minus the one desk occupied by a blonde haired boy who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but where he was currently forced to be.

"So do you know why you're here? Spending your lunch hour in this room with me?"

Dark eyes glinted and blue ones rolled in disinterest.

"Cause the Headmaster told me to be here." sighed the blonde.

"You'd like to think that was the only reason." Hissed the owner of those dark eyes as they leaned forward in their stance while crossing their arms in some show of being authoritative. It didn't have that effect however as it just made blue eyes dart down to the swell of their chest then back into the depths of the classroom; making dark eyes narrow further. "No, we're here so I can teach you a lesson about manners and keeping your damn hands off my Sasuke, Uzumaki."

The addressed blonde slowly returned their attention back onto their supposed tutor; a lazy version of the wtf face overruling all other possible expressions on their face. "Um...What?" Naruto raised a brow.

"Don't, "Um..what," me blondie!." A aqua painted fingernail poked the blonde in the chest. "I invited you to a party at my houses and you still have the gall to attack Sasuke?"

"And you're what?" Blue eyes looked the other over from their long red hair to the hem of their black pants with glittery details along the lining of the pockets and back up to their face were annoyed expression now could be seen. "Girlfriend number 7? Think that makes you lucky or something?"

The girl nearly screeched, Naruto was thankfully she didn't as she was still leaning too close, and slammed her hands upon the desk before her. "I am not a number, damn it! And my name is Karin, least you could do is remember the host of the party you attended if not your tutor, asshole."

Naruto merely shrugged. Which seemed to be the wrong thing to do as Karin grabbed the cloth of his shirt by the shoulder areas and yanked him forward to where his stomach smashed into the desk's edge. He grunted but didn't break off eye contact; damn if he was gonna give up to one of the asshole's groupie's. How unfair was that? A bastard like that had so many girls trailing him. Naruto doubted any of those girls ever got even an incline of the head from the bastard either if the way he had seen the duck-butt asshole ignoring all forms of conversation in their sadly shared class was anything to go by. He idly wondered if this girl was this guy's Sakura because she sure as hell was very similar to his pink haired friend. Maybe they're distantly related? He was shaken, literary, from his thoughts by the girl before him who promptly saw fit to sprout off into a rant about all things Uchiha.

And just to be an ass in return to her unnecessary bitching Naruto gently took her hands off his person, sat back in his seat and interlocked his fingers behind his head while tilting his head some. "So...what's an Uchiha?"

In the next five minutes found the blonde being shoved out of the door even as his feet were walking along more than willingly. He turned on his heel as his supposed tutor kept talking about what he guessed was about the Uchiha topic he had been tuning out and gently closed the door upon her. "-you dare say that again about him!?" He blinked when it was it yanked open again and she yelled at him some more; " Get out you asswipe! And you better have that apology letter typed and printed for me by tomorrow, ya jerk-off!" and slammed the door shut in his face, almost hitting the hand that he had left raised from where he had been holding the doorknob from his side of the now closed door.

A low whistle caught the blonde's attention dragging it away willingly from the classroom he had never been more than happier to escape from. Or to be booted from. Naruto shot one last glare at the door before focusing upon the older male fidgeting with one of their black spiked snake bite piercings. He smiled at the sight of Yahiko* and gave the orange haired senior a lazy wave that was returned with an incline of the head. "Didn't take you as a guy to like screamers. What with you being such a riot all on your own after all."

"Ya ya, you're just jealous you couldn't handle all this." Naruto motioned to himself in way one might also do when brushing crumbs off their shirt in one big hand sweep down the chest.

"Uh-huh. Well since we're on this odd topic, I happen to have something that you couldn't handle back at my place if you're up for a little challenge."

"Er...ya know when i said, you couldn't handle all this and pointed to myself? I didn't mean it in the homo way."

"You really know how to hurt a straight man's feeling, Naruto."

"Ass…" Naruto mumbled while following behind the older teen.

"And apparently you're an asswipe." Yahiko chuckled as the blonde attempted to shove him over only to stumble. The two walked through the school without interruption and approached the older teen's car that Naruto almost drooled over. "One drop gets on my car again, your waxing this baby." Naruto blinked at the pointed look given to him as Yahiko unlocked the car and slipped into the driver's seat. Moments later the impeccable black range rover was growling down the streets and turning corners so smoothly for something its size Naruto had to wonder if Yahiko was in training to become a professional driver. The drive wasn't all that quick nor long by the time the car slowed down along a block within one of the known shopping districts. They came into a smooth parking spot and complete stop before a tattoo and piercing place with black painted windows that made it impossible to see in and what looked to be chain mesh covering the door in the way hippies back in the 70's would hang strings of beads in their doorway arches. The first time Naruto was asked to come here it was via a shouted request for him to meet the orange haired senior at the place they first met. That was a solid week after the 1st term's party where he had been forced to kiss Sai and willingly beat up the bastard.

The only highlight to that night.

Yahiko cut the engine and motioned for Naruto to follow him out and up to the shop's oddly designed door. The older of the two rapped on the door in a way that was more like a musical code similar to that Simon children's memory game. Naruto blinked when the door was yanked opened from the other side inward and a man he never saw before was on the other side. Their single visible eye was a shade darker than Naruto's own and the face it was set in was a few shades lighter of tan than his own; but the grin in place was the most uncanny. "Ahh finally here, boss-man?" exclaimed the taller blonde; dark painted nails drumming against the door frame as they rested their temple against the back of their hand. "We thought you got mobbed by-"

"Deidara, you're always so well unobservant." entered a voice from somewhere behind the blonde dubbed as Deidara.; who turned their head to shoot a glare over their shoulder.

Yahiko and Naruto exchanged a look, or rather Naruto had looked to Yahiko and the older teen had merely felt the gaze and glanced in the direction of where it was coming from. Without warning Yahiko shoved the blonde blocking the doorway further inside the place while tugging on the front of Naruto's shirt as he walked into the tattoo and piercing shop. He left the later by the door as he made his way over to the cash register and leaned over the counter it was set upon to reach something underside it on the opposite side. No sooner had he straightened himself out did the faint echo of a few doors opening sound; along with a scream from deeper back in the shop.

Naruto wasn't sure what to make nor think of that.

A dark redheaded guy a few centimeters taller than Naruto stepped out of the door closest, a guy sharing Yahiko's height but of slender build and with long raven hair swept back in a ponytail came through the archway that seemed to the curve left from the shop's front entrance and third guy who towered over both newly shown faces stepped into the room while brushing off something crimson from his shirt but only managing to make the smear bigger. Something that annoyed them if the deep grumbles that were growing into mumbled curses of; "That little shit bastard and his damn squirming, why's it so fucking hard to sit the hell still .." were anything to go by. The three men who all appeared of similar age to Yahiko came to a stop just shy of actually setting foot in storefront and looked to the orange haired male; two impassively and one fighting off an annoyed expression and failing.

"Gentlemen-" A soft cough sounded from behind the counter catching all eyes and prompting them to move to the high backed chair where a shadowed woman had been sitting the whole time. She stood up and stepped forward so the red painted light bulbs mingled with what seemed to be christmas lights showed her beautiful face. "And a lady." she spoke while pointedly looking at Yahiko who tossed her a smile but added on the extra bit before continuing on as if he hadn't been interrupted. "This kid here is Naruto Uzumaki."

"Is that supposed to be a grand thing or something?" asked the blonde who had opened the door.

"Dependable for the future." came the smooth reply that didn't put much reassurance or clearing up for the one they were talking about. "This is the kid I was talking to you guys about; namely you, Sasori."

This time the dark redhead spoke, their voice low but not in the deep tone type of way. "You wish for him to fight Gaara?"

Before the pierced bottom lip of Yahiko's could even lower a fraction to start a response, Naruto shouted out a rather loud "WHAT!?" that gained everyone's attention as much as a gun going off would make people drop to their knees when in a bank robbery. Naruto's blue eyes were wide in mixtures of emotion, Deidara looked a bit startled and the tall guy with the questionable red stain on their shirt suddenly reached for something located in their back pocket of something but cut the motion off when they legalized the sudden exclaim. Yahiko, the raven and the woman and Sasori exchanged a glance before resettling their focus upon the youngest blonde within the room. Who looked utterly confused, shocked, worried and curious all wrapped in one. The former finding the feat of such a pooled expression kinda impressive. "You want me to fight someone for like, fight betting or whatever? That's why you brought me all the way over here?"

"Don't be silly, Naruto."

Naruto breathed out a relieved sigh.

"I want you to fight Gaara to help in his training."

Deidara laughed out loud when the younger blonde choked on their spit and went through a small coughing fit. He was shut up by a quelling look that looked far more menacing than it should with the black colored piercings adoring Yahiko's face. The tallest of the males gathered snickered and Deidara flipped the man off, feeling slighted when the boarder male wasn't given a look to shut up either. "Shut up Kisame, yeah."

"Cut your hair pretty girl." remarked the bulky male.

"He doesn't seem anywhere near on par to fight with Gaara, Yahiko." interjected Sasori's voice from the verbal back and forth that may or may not have turned into a tirade of insults. "Height matters not."

"Was that a jibe at me?"

"Itachi f you will take Naruto to the back to get ready?"

The raven haired male coolly looked up from the mobile device they had pulled out at some point during the multiple flows of conversation and gave a single curt nod before pocketing the phone and turning on their heel to head back the way they came. Naruto was nudged by a head motion from Yahiko to follow after which he did after taking one more look at the other blonde, tall broad guy who looked like he could take on a shark no problem and the dark redhead. Itachi guided Naruto down a small corner turn that led into a slender hallway that couldn't fit more than two at a time and passed a few doors; some with an occupied sign, and into one that had a taped sign on it saying BASEMENT. They went down the stairs lined with only white christmas lights and paused outside a steel looking door that was swiftly opened and showed a rubber mat texture type floor with padded black walls and a black cloud painted upon the red painted ceiling. However what really caught Naruto's attention was the wall to wall bulletproof looking casing that held medals, trophies, photographs and even some worn weapons within. One of them even being a B mag 17 and still in fresh good condition.

"Has anyone every used that?" asked Naruto without taking his eyes off the gun being held up with metal looking hooks against the back wall of the case in the weapon section. "Or are those just for show to get people to join the secret dojo you guys run?"

When no answer was forthcoming the blonde turned his head to where he had thought the Itachi guy was and blinked when they weren't. He nearly jumped when he felt a hand turn his body around and what looked vaguely like a bulletproof vest was shoved into his chest. Blue eyes jerked upward to look into dark coal and startled somewhat at the odd nudge of formality sparked from the simple eye contact. Naruto looked from the vest to Itachi and back again. "You're not going to use me as an example of how well that gun works, are you?"

The faint upturn of the guy's lips was not reassuring.

Itachi tapped the blonde's chest before moving over to cabinet just beside the door no one would be able to see upon entering the room and opened it to remove a mini red box. It looked like a medical kit expect inside it contained only gauze tape rolls in the choice colors of original white, red and black. The tall raven plucked up the black one, returned the kit to its place, and returned to the now curious looking blonde who kept flicking their blue eyes from him to the rolled up gauze. "Judging by your expression, Uzumaki, you have never put these on before, yes?"

Naruto shook his head faintly; still not sure why he'd even need those. He knew what they were far and putting two and two together had his mind conjuring up hand wraps. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"That is to be seen." Replied the raven indifferently. "However attempting this won't fault you later on in the day. Let alone your life, I assure you."

"Alright."

After motioning with a faint hand motion to ask permission; Itachi began to wrap the younger's hands down to their wrists and up to the second knuckle. He made sure to give more padding to the knuckle area. Naruto watched with an intent look that the older teen oddly enough thought to be a bit out of place. At least from the times Yahiko had spoken of the boy and their describing traits. It was surprising that a guy like this was able to beat his younger brother. He had trained his brother a bit himself on those days he managed to keep his promises to help train Sasuke before his little brother stopped bothering to ask anymore. Itachi knew he had become too deeply emerged in Yahiko's group but it was better this way. Sasuke was kept safer this way. And that was all that matter in the long run. "...long as he's safe..." mumbled Itachi in barely a breathy whisper.

"Whose's safe?"

Itachi actually blinked in surprise and looked up from tying the last knot, "My brother."

The blonde made an "Oh" sound while flexing his now wrapped fingers. His blue eyes looked up from the black cloth to the matching dark eyes boring down on him. "They feel fine."

"Good."

With that the older removed his gaze from them and onto the door they had just came through. Naruto followed their line of sight but didn't see anything worth noting and let his eyes wonder. The room really was like a master's indoor training room. It was rather impressive to one who had never seen let along been in one before. Itachi and Naruto stood in silence within the room; the later skimming the case once more before flicking his gaze to the doorway Itachi had yet to take his gaze off. And did a double take.

A crimson red headed boy was pushing open the door. His hand already wrapped liked the blonde's own were but in red gauze. They had a simple black t shirt on with black gym shorts that were knee length and adorned with a red single thick stripe on the sides going down the leg. His expression was blank, but his eyes green eyes made Naruto think about Sakura for a moment then dismiss it. This guy's eyes stood out a bit more than her's and Naruto wasn't sure why. Until the redhead drew closer and more of his features became clearer. They had a pale face, young but showing them around the blonde's own age or a year or two younger, and dark circles around their eyes that could only be eyeliner residue; which Naruto only knew of thanks to sleepovers at Sakura's and seeing her in the morning after when she forgets to take her face off. The redhead, Naruto was very surprised to note, only came up to Naruto's eyes and was slender in build. However he had this air around him that had the blonde feeling caution filter through his system to where the little hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. The two looked at each other. One with a mirror image of impassiveness as Itachi and the other with an unsure look.

"Naruto, this is Gaara." Itachi only looked briefly in the crimson redhead's direction to indicate who he spoke of then shifted a glance to Naruto before resting his gaze once more on Gaara . "And this is Naruto. He shall be your sparring partner till deemed otherwise by your growth or his."

"Eh wha..?"

"Wha' is not a word."

"What I mean is, What exactly is going on here?"

Neither within the dojo like room answered the blonde.

"Okay...rewind and take two then." He pointed to himself, "What am I," then the ceiling, "doing here," followed by a finger directed at Itachi then Gaara. "With you people?"

"Sparring." both voices overlapping in a way that brought forth the imagery of a dark musical chord being plucked.

Naruto sighed. "How many takes is this going to take…? Look, I get that I was brought here to spar with that guy," he pointed at Gaara who remained still as a statue, "but what I don't get is the why, get me now?"

It seemed Itachi did as the tall raven gave the reply. "Yahiko spoke of you before to us. We are, you could say, a professional fighting team. However some of us require a back up to take our places when we can not ourselves. You were witnessed in a fight producing and using skills that we were looking for." Itachi paused here a moment but not enough to where it seemed nothing else than to take a breath of air rather than the pause it was upon noticing Yahiko enter the room from behind the blonde. "You are here to put those fighting movements to the true test of a real spar rather than one comparable to that of a bar brawl."

"You'd admit your own brother fights like a drunken bar man with the training he's shared with you, Itachi?" chuckled Yahiko as he stepped up beside Naruto who jerked a bit upon hearing rather than seeing the man came up behind him. "Wheres that infamous Uchiha pride, I wonder?"

"You've seen my fight?"

"No." Replied Itachi as he put the vest over Naruto's head, wiggling the neck section over the blonde hair until the shoulder pads dropped down via gravity's help the rest of the way to the shoulder's. "However the fight I was speaking of was the one Yahiko informed us was against Sasuke."

"You know the bastard too…?" Naruto nearly groaned and it wasn't because Itachi was adjusting the snap clasp strap to be too tight. "Geeze, does everyone like that stuck up asshole expect for me?"

"We Uchihas' are known to be quite popular; even against our wishes."

A light amused snort came from a little ways away from the two. Yahiko merely waved off the faint narrowing of dark eyes even as the telling smile remained on his lips. Naruto refocused on the male before him. Tall, fair skinned with a feminine type face that wasn't overruling thanks to the stern eyes, slightly squared jawline at the corners and faint dark coloring under the eyes. And if he really tried to focus and remember the bastard's face from his history class he could seem some shared features between the two; mainly the eyes and hair with a bit of face structure, if just a younger version. He could see now how they could both be related to one another for sure.

"Sucks you gotta be related to him, man."

"I had been at some age against my status as a future older brother."

Naruto's jaw dropped a bit but before anything more could be said Yahiko walked up to the two whist leaving Gaara to remain where he was standing in the center of the room and hooked an arm over the blonde's shoulders to steer the younger in the redhead's direction. "You've met Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's older brother, and now it's time to show him how you beat his younger brother in hand to hand, with Gaara here." The older teen lowered his voice as he squeezed Naruto's neck some. "If you're the type against hitting a stranger, could always pretend he's Sasuke." And left the two to face off after calling a start to a fight that he and Itachi watched from a calculated distance to be close enough to see every details needed to been seen and remembered for signaling later and yet far enough as to not be bodily effected in any way, shape or form.

Naruto circled around Gaara's still form. He could seen the other's stance stay firm and unmoved but the subtle lift of the other's shoulders keyed him into their plan to attack first instead of dodging. Something he learned to read in his past fights with Kiba and a few of the guys they had had scrapes with. Naruto's analysis was proven correct when he went for forward lunge and had to swiftly bend his top half over to a 90 degree angle to avoid the quick kick and punch the redhead struck out with. He had to drop into a side roll to avoid the sudden elbow that came down aiming for his head and sprang back up onto his feet; only to grunt when Gaara was suddenly upon him. The guy was quick. Quicker than anyone Naruto had ever faced off against before. The two were forced to collide; Naruto's right forearm impacting with Gaara's left fist and his left hand swatting down an uppercut aimed for either his stomach or under jaw; depending which body part got in the swing's way first. They pushed against each other until Naruto dropped his forearm, taking the punch that skimmed more of his corner jaw then actually land it, and swung his head around; headbutting the redhead square on. Gaara stumbled, Naruto snuck his foot behind theirs, and went down.

Yahiko and Itachi watched on as the two boys rolled over the floor twice before Gaara was slamming Naruto's shoulders upon the floor from his position upon the blonde's waist. Yahiko counted that as a tally to Gaara on the scoreboard within his head. Itachi actually blinked in surprise when the blonde shot his hands forward to tangle in Gaara's hair and yanked the smaller teen's head to smack direction into the floor space just a little ways above the blonde's own shoulder and promptly flip them over. So now Gaara was under the blonde. This didn't end the fight however as the former elbowed the later in the face; Naruto jerking back in time but too much where he gave enough room for the smaller to get free and onto their feet.

"Creative indeed." commented Itachi lightly as his eyes followed the fighting pair.

Yahiko nodded "What do you think, can you train the kid up a bit?"

"I am a traditionalist fighter. Kisame would be a teacher of more a similar style and standing to the boy."

"You will do fine." Yahiko clamped a hand upon the raven's shoulder and offered an amused little smile. "After all I do believe he may loosen you up some, Itachi." With that said, the orange haired male signaled for a pause in the spar. Both teenagers broke apart once more. Gaara from his constant assault in punches and kicks and Naruto from his duck and weaving that he had mimicked off of a boxing match he and Kiba had forced Sakura to watch just for the hell of it even if they hadn't been into it all that much either. Naruto used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe off the blood he felt on his mouth and Gaara remained impassive as he shifted his stance to lean more weight on his left leg; favoring his right some. Neither spoke however. Yahiko sent Itachi a glance that was interpreted correctly as the raven spoke the blonde's name to gain their attention off Gaara and Yahiko, the later speaking while doing a few hand motions that seemed familial, and motioned for them to follow him. They stopped just a few paces away but out of hearing range of the talking other two.

"Fighting does not have to be all primal and dominance setting." started Itachi. "You fight well, if uncoordinated and utterly impulsively, Naruto. However if you do not wish to fine tune the skills you obviously process then I shall not waste my time in training you."

"Wait what-you want to train me?" stumbled the addressed teen verbally. "You just met me. Doesn't that kinda deciding take some time and more er... fight watching?"

"I have seen enough to place judgement and my input." there was a minor pause as Itachi's gaze bore into Naruto's blue eyes, unknowingly re-sparking the nudge of familiarity within the blonde. "The choice is yours however. As is the upkeep to the training should you chose to partake within our team, Naruto."

"I…" The idea fighting always had a fun appeal. The ones that didn't were the real fights that went down, however rare those may have been in the blonde's life. However he couldn't deny the thrill he felt whenever he did, or the relaxed hum that coursed through his being after a good fighting workout. He knew he wasn't the best but he was good enough. And apparently good enough to catch the attention of a fighting team that was seeking out new members. Naruto wondered what his parents would say toward it but figured if they had something like the wrestling team, a sparring team wouldn't be far off to accept. It also would help take off the stress of school as during the fight he was able to feel all that pent up emotion and ruffled energy seep out of him during his spar against the redhead. Gaara. Now that guy knew how to fight and it wasn't the tight professionally trained one he had dealt with when fighting with that bastard guy but something more closer to his own self made style of fighting. It was then that Naruto already figured he knew the answer to what he wanted to do. "I can definitely do more than just keep up."

Itachi gave a faint incline of the head to the blonde's acceptance whilst replying to the sum of their statement."Indeed?"

"Believe it."

END CHAPTER!

I promise on my Deadpool comic books I will have chapter 12 posted up by tomorrow night. I backed up what I have written so far for that chapter and I know exactly how i want it to go and get some of the main points into the story kinda like this chapter was but with more of the main characters all together. This chapter was originally going to focus on Sasuke buuuuut the 1st typing of that got deleted and the rewrite didn't match up and then I just-ya, rambling..AHEM, it's a moot point now anyways.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER; R&R AND LOOK FORWARD TO CHAPTER 12!