Chapter 43:
Naruto grips the railing until his knuckles bleach, looking strange against the darkness of his skin. His ice blue eyes watch the curved television screen unblinkingly as he waits for the familiar characters of his name to pop up. He is anxious and tired of waiting around.
The man is so foxlike, it's unreal. Sasuke can almost see the gears working around Naruto's overactive, agile mind, like he already guessing who he'll be matched up against. In truth, he's probably more excited about the meal he'll eat after he becomes a Jonin, but that didn't mean he wasn't pumped up for his round.
When Shino Aburame's name pops up on the screen, along with the pierced, green-haired girl from the gate, Naruto let's out an annoyed sigh and folds his arms behind short, spiky hair.
"Maybe next round," Kakashi says loudly. "For now, you should support your comrade."
"They're both my comrades, as leaf shinobi." Naruto mumbles. "It doesn't matter who wins, so long as it's a fast battle."
The Hokage laughs at the man's mock maturity and crosses his legs, adjusting the triangular hat that sat upon his head. "I suppose that's true."
It is silent between the three once more as the participants enter the battle dome. They are closed off from the world, through a shear barrier, as the story of their lives play out for all to see.
Naruto watches, feeling completely out of place. There was something peculiar about digging into someone else's past, whether they agreed to it or not. Someone like Shino, who was incredibly reserved and lonely, certainly wouldn't want everyone to see his younger years. Biting his lip, Naruto debates whether he should be nervous about his own televised chronicles…
"Have you seen my video, Kakashi?" Sasuke hears Naruto ask after a moment. He doesn't bother looking over at him, deciding that this wasn't a conversation he really belonged in. Sasuke knew when his input was necessary.
"I've seen all of them."
"…and what does mine look like?"
Sasuke frowns at the timorous sound of Naruto's voice. No, he wasn't popular as a boy in his youth, but he had traits that many people never developed. Naruto was genuine and compassionate. Nothing about his younger days should cause him any worries. After all, it wasn't as if he betrayed his village or anything.
"Hm," Kakashi grunts, putting his finger up towards his covered chin. "Well, it's a bit funny…but more heart-wrenching, perhaps."
"And that girl—that Karin girl—she did all of this?"
Naruto knew she was once in cohorts with Sasuke. It was odd to know that this woman was a relative of his deceased mother, and it wasn't something he really found himself thinking about. He was not foolish enough to believe that their kinship held any bearing on important matters.
"She did."
For the first time that morning, Naruto plops down on his seat, running his hands along the smoothness of his cheeks. Slapping them a few times, as if he were on the verge of sleeping, the man inhales a deep breath and then sinks into his metal chair with defeat. It figures he'd be more worried about his life's story, than the battle he'd be fighting. It was so typical of Naruto Uzumaki.
Sakura watches in awe as Midori wields both swords, slicing away the tiny insects Shino sent towards her. It was an intriguing matchup, as the bug-king was better suited for long-range combat, and the green-haired woman was obviously a master at close-range.
The rose chews at her thumbnail as she nervously twists Itachi's ring around the slender finger of her right hand. Perhaps it's a bit silly to be directly cheering for any specific person, but Sakura finds herself wishing Shino would come out triumphant. He was her classmate, after all.
Her face winces as Midori's blade flies through the air and cuts the tender flesh of the man's shoulder.
Hojo, who is sitting a bit too close to her, shares her expression.. "That woman is advanced,"
"You're happy you don't have to face her, then?"
The laugh that tumbles from Hojo is shallow. "No, I'm happy I don't have to face him. I can handle a swordswoman."
Sakura had never really wondered about Hojo's prowess, or what he excelled at. He was just a grunt on the battlefield a few years ago, nursing his wounds and writing love letters to pretty nurses. The fact that he's made it this far meant he had to be powerful, at least somewhat. He carried no specific weapons and his strength or speed wasn't obvious, but there was something about him that made Sakura's believe wholeheartedly that he would be a difficult adversary for any average ninja.
She rests her elbow on her thigh and heels her hand to her chin, looking deeply into the muscular, easy-going man before her. He was kind, and determined, but he gave her the impression that he enjoyed chasing his pray, more than eating it.
He was certainly no Sasuke.
She feels her cheeks start to heat up as her mind starts to stray. In a way, she's happy that Sasuke can entice such reactions from her without trying. Even in her dreams, the man would haunt her, making her wake up with sticky skin and puffy cheeks. She closes her eyes, wondering what she will see of Sasuke when his video plays on the screen.
Like Shino, Sakura wonders if there is a recording of the day he was actually born. It would be nice to see more of his family and of a pure Sasuke, before he was cursed. The sigh that escapes her lips can only come from a girl in love. It is such an earnest huff, it causes Hojo to turn sharply in search of where it came from. He looks down at Sakura, who has her eyes shut as she falls into the daydreams of her own consciousness.
Her lashes are light and wispy, almost long enough to touch her cheeks. A blush drifts from under the shadow of those eyelashes and she captures her lower lip in an unprovocative way, though the man cannot help the jolt that he feels just under his navel.
Hojo's hands are sweating, and his teeth feel like their completely numb. Before he can stop himself, the man feels himself move, inching closer to Sakura's berry-stained mouth, as if her kisses were ripe for the taking. Suddenly it's as though Hojo has swallowed a cotton ball. He cannot even breathe properly, and he finds himself drawn to her proximity.
"Shikamaru needs to step in," Sasuke says as a spray of Shino's blood fans out across the ground. The stands shake as the crowds whoop and holler, screaming out he name of who they'd bet on.
Normally, matches last only a few minutes. This one was nearing on fifteen, and Sasuke knew that death by a thousand cuts was certainly not a way the beetle-boy wanted to die.
Naruto cracked his knuckles and stood, unable to stay firmly seated any longer. He was never the type that enjoyed watching fights. He was much more interested in joining them. As he leans out across the railings, gathering up the musty air around him, his all-seeing eyes spot a very perturbing scene across the way.
Sakura's unmoving form stood sturdily as Hojo leaned in, approaching her face way too closely. It wasn't as though the Kyuubi was an expert, or anything, but from here it kinda looked like they were about to…canoodle. His heart starts beating faster, and he leans out just to make sure that his eyes weren't deceiving him. Darting left and right, Naruto clears his throat and says, "Maybe you should be paying more attention to your wife, Sasuke."
Like a torpedo, Sasuke's eyes lock-on to Sakura from the hundreds of feet across the stadium. She was easy enough to spot, with her cotton-candy locks and creamy skin and bold, red top. (As if Sasuke didn't know exactly where she was, anyways.)
His eyebrows furrow together, and mismatched irises narrow down at the scene unfolding before him.
True to his words, Sasuke was never the jealous type. He had never felt the urge to shoot a glare at the people who eyed Sakura, nor had he wanted to bash someone in for wanted or unwanted advances. In fact, a week ago Sasuke would have been perfectly okay with Hojo's flirtations.
But today, with what he had planned, this….kiss simply wouldn't do.
Below, hot, searing steam pours from Midori's mouth, and Shino falls to the ground. He'd been boiled alive and was exhausted from both chakra and blood loss. Shikamaru waves a lazy hand towards the green-haired woman and says, "Round two, end. Midori of Konoha is the winner."
Sakura stands up quickly, turning her head towards the arena with such speed that she knocks Hojo away from her. For a second, she wonders when he'd gotten so close, but all of that is forgotten when Shikamaru's voice booms across the speakers.
She is disappointed that Shino hadn't won. He was skilled and agile, but it seemed Midori was a step ahead. Both liked to play mind games, and the female was a bit better. That theme ran rampant throughout nature, and ninja battles weren't always much different.
Sakura has to stop herself from rushing into heal the man, regardless of how painful his injuries seemed. She needed to conserve as much chakra as possible, especially if she was parried against Naruto, Sasuke, or Rock Lee. All three men were brutally powerful and Sakura had to admit she was a bit...unsure of how to win against her dearest comrades.
She turns to the man in the bright green jumpsuit just in time for his youthful exclamation to fill their bunker. "THAT WAS GOOD, SHINO. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!" As if the water-burned man could hear him.
Feeling Sakura's gaze, Lee turns quickly and solutes the kunoichi beside him. "PLEASE CHEER ME ON, WHEN IT IS MY TURN, SAKURA!"
Sakura decides that she cannot stand to force small talk with Yuma Hojo any longer, and strikes up a conversation with the Leaf's Handsome Devil. It had been a long time since the two had any sort of conversation, and Sakura thought highly of the well-defined ninja in front of her.
"Of course," she retorts. "Cheering for anyone else would be silly on my part. You're going to win, aren't you?"
In a lot of ways, these exams were very nostalgic. The only difference is that, this time, she is not a 12-year-old bystander. In fact, everyone has grown tremendously since then. She leans against the railing and turns her back on the arena just as the familiar bleeping began, and a rush of random names click across the screen. She would rather be surprised by her enemy, if her name were to pop up, anyways.
Suddenly, a loud, obnoxious groan sounded within the holding room of the final participants. Whipping her head around, Sakura watched as Kiba jumped up and balanced across the metal bars, which were placed to ward off accidental falls. He stuck a very vulgar middle finger towards the camera that zoomed into his features, making sure everyone heard his fiery words.
"Fuck no! I am not going to fight Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto's reply, which carried over everyone like a lead bullet, berated Sakura's ears. "C'mon, you mutt—don't be such a scaredy-cat!"
The stands erupt in laughter as the two men bicker back and forth.
"I ain't no stinkin' cat! I just know how this is gonna end!"
"No you don't! I've gotta wear those damn chakra chains, so what's the big deal? It's not like I'm full power! Get your ass down there and fight me!"
Interjecting, Rock Lee slaps his hand against Kiba's back playfully, exclaiming how his fighting spirit would be better suited for battle than words. But, as his clothed palm hits the dingy, grey fabric of Kiba's jacket, the man is launched forwards and plummets towards the ground below. He flaps his arms all the way down, as if, somehow, he'd turn into a goose and fly far, far away.
Sakura closes her eyes as the man lands, wincing with empathetic pain.
"I AM SORRY FOR THAT, KIBA. YOU WILL HAVE TO FORGIVE ME. BUT PLEASE, DO YOUR BEST!"
It's hard to hear anything over the rioting fans, but the pink-haired kunoichi picks up on Shikamaru's frustrated hiss. It was something she had learned to do during her various missions, so picking up on that lackadaisical pitch was almost second-nature, regardless of how far up and away she was from him. "Stop acting like an idiot and get this over with. If you're going to forfeit, at least wait until the match actually begins!"
It is amazing how childlike Naruto looks in this moment as he, too, falls towards the arena without bothering to take the stairs. His hair is ruffled, but short—no longer displaying his boyish spikes. He'd opted for a thick, black top and his normal orange pants, leaving his jacket up in the Hokage suite alongside Kakashi and Sasuke. You can see the excitement rippling off of him. He knows he is one step closer to completing his dream, and the only person standing in the way at this moment is Kiba.
And Kiba doesn't want any part in that.
He is, perhaps, just as cocky as Sasuke and just as reckless as Naruto. But even dogs know when to tuck-tail and run. He was the farthest thing from an idiot there was, and even Akamaru acknowledged Naruto's immense strength. The large, white dog—who had taken the stairs (smartly)—trembled lowly beside his master's feet and bared his teeth.
As both men take their separate sides, the invisible barrier creeps up around them, and Shikamaru's voice fades into the distance as Karin's recordings blast through the sound-system.
Just as Kiba's first day of academy starts to run, Sakura looks up towards Kakashi's perch and catches Sasuke's gaze. He is statue-still, and Sakura has to really look just to make sure his eyes were actually fixated on her. She wonders what the man is trying to communicate. It's like playing a guessing game, except the other player refuses to show any expression or gesture at all. In a way, it feels like he's daring her...like he's waiting for her to make the first move.
Backing away slowly, leaving her dwelling as quietly as possible, the girl sneaks out. As Sasuke's body gets smaller, she smiles, seeing that at the last moment he's turned around and exited his own booth as well.
"Shouldn't we be watching Naruto?" Sakura asks as she reaches the final step from the staircase. In the dimness of this hallway, all sorts of scents and sights play with her senses. It smells like fresh clay or cement, mixed with fried foods and human perspiration. She can feel her nausea start to creep up, but the second Sasuke responds, the sickness goes away.
"Kiba's not going to battle him."
"So, how much time do we have?" Sakura asks in a voice that is as dainty as her footfalls.
"Not enough," He responds just as delicately.
Sasuke almost wishes to be a child again. He wonders, briefly, how things would have turned out if his brother hadn't slaughtered his kin. He wonders what Sakura would mean to him on Team 7, and if—as they grew—they would find themselves drawn together as tightly as they're wound now.
The walls are not thin, but the outside world was loud enough to pierce through them. They can hear bits and pieces of music wafting through the porous barriers, even as blood fills their ears from over-excited hearts.
Sasuke closes his eyes. How old would he have been, when he took her first kiss the right way? He thinks (as he presses his mouth to hers) that he would have stolen it much sooner than he did in this life.
"What if I have to fight you?" Sakura whispers as she pulls away, "Star-crossed lovers, forced to parry their blows—isn't that romantically tragic?"
He shrugs. "Not really. It wouldn't last long at all. I'd have you down in a second."
Sakura turns her nose up and crosses her arms in mock belligerence. "Yeah, down healing you, because I pummeled you so much."
Sasuke flashes a not-so-rare-anymore smile and pecks the tip her upturned nose. "Come with me," He uncrosses her arms so he can hold her hand. "We can wait for Naruto together."
Perhaps it was silly of her to get shy, considering there was no one around to see their displays of intimacy, but the fact that they were in a public place and holding hands still made Sakura feel a bit light-headed.
Really light-headed…
In fact…it's almost as though she could pass out at any moment.
She grips his hand firmly and stands up taller, willing away the fuzziness that threated her peripherals. She had been feeling so odd lately. On top of her bloated, weak stomach, the woman felt agitated at the drop of a pin, and noticed that wrapping her chest-bindings had been a slightly painful task morning.
She chocked up the tenderness, and slight cramping, to the newly formed relationship she and Sasuke had developed. Ino hadn't mentioned such ill effects, but Sakura had decided not to bother asking for any more advice in regards to personal subjects such as these. For now, Sakura would deal with the pain, and pray it wouldn't affect her battle so much.
As they made their way up the steps, with Sasuke trailing close behind her, the two entered Kakashi's lounge and immediately let professionalism sweep over them. However, keeping up that facade was incredibly hard in the presence of Hatake Kakashi.
Regarding his favorite female student, the elderly man nodded briefly. "Back so soon? I seem to remember lasting a bit longer, in my youth."
Sakura immediately started to stutter, covering her mouth to keep from spewing any type of nonsense she'd come to regret later. Somehow, her old teacher could make her ooze down into a puddle of embarrassment in .002 seconds flat, and she always hated that about the guy.
To her horror, Sasuke didn't even bother to deny the allegation. Instead, he grunted briefly and folded his forearms together, staring down at the see-through dome that housed his best friend, as if he were suddenly preoccupied with the scenes before him.
Resigning herself to Naruto's chair, the woman crossed her legs and looked straight ahead, clearing her throat before speaking. "I hear that…lone sessions can take a long time, the more frequently they happen, sensei."
Feeling proud of her witty comeback, she sat up taller and relished the guffaw from the silver-haired Hokage to her left. Even better, she'd somehow brought out a choking, strangled gasp from Sasuke Uchiha himself.
"You are incredible tacky." Kakashi retorts as he wipes his eyes.
"I've learned from the best."
And as the two share a humorous moment together Naruto's young voice roars throughout the stands.
It is such a strange feeling, having someone scream the name of your best friend with such…adoration. Everyone in the stands erupted with joy and chanted his name as if it was the only word they knew. Oh, how far they'd all come.
"And my dream is to become the greatest Hokage! That way, people will stop disrespecting me, and start treating me like I'm somebody!"
Music blares from the speakers in that moment. It's a soft piano beat, with a heavily acoustic male voice carrying his tune throughout the opening. In a flash, a child's running body zooms through various cameras. He is covered in red paint, running as fast as he can, leaving a trail of mess for the sorry suckers who dared to insult him.
It's like he's running forever—through streets and meadows—a messy haired boy with poorly bandaged wounds and a dirty face takes his place. Those glowing blue eyes and bright, yellow spikes could only belong to Naruto Uzumaki.
Slowly, as the song picks up tempo, we see him slightly aged. He wears his goggles and his jacket tied around his waist as he trains in the middle of the woods. A pitiful clone forms beside him, huffing out a mixture of smoke and steam as the original yells with frustration.
Strangely, no one laughs within the stadium, though the scene was somewhat funny. Perhaps they know where this is going. Perhaps they know because, at one point in time, they would have easily cackled at his sorry excuse of a jutsu. The children around him, in the video, seem to jump at the chance to bully him—all ridiculing and pointing fingers. It is almost heartbreaking to see.
"There's no way you'll be Hokage!" A blurred, faceless girl says.
"You can't even do a decent transformation jutsu."
With a stunning bass drop, a young Naruto fills an entire forest full of copies of himself, all ready to kill the man that dared disrespect Iruka-sensei, and tricked him into stealing that secret scroll. From then on, each battle he'd won, each hit he threw, each jutsu that poured from his hands rebounded from the screen in swift succession.
For a few seconds, Sakura sees herself on the screen, when her hair was long and the only thing she was worried about was Sasuke's affections. She crouches down, smiling as Naruto and Sasuke shoot heated glares towards each other and Kakashi leans in for the photo—the famous snapshot of Team 7.
Naruto says, "Because they saved me from myself, they rescued me from my loneliness. They were the first to accept me for who I am. They're my friends." And Sakura cannot stop the liquid that streams from her eyes.
The blond man is an older teen now, muscular and strong, but still charmingly rambunctious. He fights off Akatsuki members, defends Konoha against Pein, all broadcasted for Konoha civilians to see. It's almost as though people had forgotten everything he'd been through. Throughout the stands, no one says a word. Instead, they all watch as his life plays out before them.
There is a brutal scene, blurry and grainy, of Naruto and Sasuke—children at first who slowly dissolve into adults, fighting a deadly battle that stripped them of their dominant arms.
The screen fades to black, and everyone is stunned, too fixated on the television to even react.
Sakura scoots to the edge of her seat, waiting for more. Finally, after a few more seconds, Naruto's words dance around.
"When I'm with Iruka-sensei, I think that's what having a father is like. When I'm with you, Sasuke, I think that's what having a brother is like."
A bright flash of light rocks around everyone, showing the bare-knuckled fist bump both Sasuke and Naruto shared just before Sasuke left the village on his journey of redemption. From there, Hinata comes in, and as the song finally ends the final scene is a personal tape of the Uzumaki wedding, in which Naruto leans down and presses his lips upon his wife's.
"Hinata...Do you remember that lesson in class? The one with, "If the end of the world came, who would you spend your last day with?" I wrote no name because I didn't know my parents, and I had no friends. But now I can clearly say it. I want to be with you. From now on, I want to spend all and every single one of my days until I die with you, and only you, Hinata!"
And the match begins with everyone, understandably, cheering for Konoha's most hyperactive, knuckleheaded ninja.
Just as Shikamaru raises his hand, signaling the start, Kiba throws both paws into the air and Akamaru follows suit. In this moment, a heated, powerful battle should have played out. Kiba, however, had other plans in mind.
"I quit!" He yells loudly, and Sakura can hear Kakashi groan comically beside her.
"Well, Naruto's life story was kind of a waste, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," Sakura hisses.