Chapter 2 - Expiration Date.
Pairing: Naruto x Fem Haku.
A/N: Time for the second chapter, it took me a bit longer to write this one since I basically wrote the first one in under a day lol. It took me a bit longer with this one because I ended up procrastinating on repeat, watching anime, gaming Assassin's Creed Valhalla, you know, just wasting my time. Anyhow, I hope you'll enjoy it!
As you can see, I changed the pairing. Sorry about that, if you wanted to read Uzumakicest you'll likely have to look elsewhere. I decided to change some things that haven't been relevant to the story yet, and new ideas brought this to mind. And I decided to do an attempt for a new pairing.
In the middle of the woods, deep within Hi no Kuni.
In the depth of the night, as the moon was at its highest in the sky, a lone blond figure leaped through the trees, using the branches to make his way through the forest. The moonlight shined down upon the forests of Hi no Kuni, yet unable to penetrate the crowns of leaves shielding the forest floor from the rays of light, hiding him completely from prying eyes that are unable to see in the dark.
Naruto landed on a branch high up in the crowns of the trees and crouched down, 'Most beings are unable to see clearly in the dark, yet some snakes, with specialties in hunting at night, have such eyes giving them the ability to do so. Orochimaru-sensei sure picked an interesting animal.' Naruto thought to himself with a smirk.
Closing his eyes briefly, he turned his head down to the log of the tree and opened them to see a small white black snake slithering toward him. Smiling to himself, he placed his palm down against the branch and let the snake crawl up his arm, under his sleeve until it appeared out of his shirt beside his head, the tongue hissing on the snake as they looked each other in the eye.
"I see, he did take the bait. So, our friend is already on his way? Didn't take him long, I assume he's excited to join us." Naruto mumbled out as the snake slithered up and out his shirt, moving up to hang loosely around his neck.
The snake settled in place and responded, 'He's not alone, the fool brought the whole party with him. Even if they are a bit behind him, they are still coming.'
Naruto tilted his head with interest as the snake hissed something else, "He's bringing a party with him, did they also bring some booze? I guess it's to be expected, he did steal the forbidden scroll after all. So, what to do now, any brilliant ideas?"
'You could always just chop them to pieces and feed them to me, that way I'll grow bigger and won't have to settle for a simple recon and messenger. I could fight and kill beside you…' The little black thing hissed, probably would smirk if it could.
As he listened to the snake's encrypted words in the form of a sentence made out of hisses, Naruto sweatdropped, "They don't have to die you know, I know that snakes are on top of the food chain, but I have no desire to kill the rest of them. Mizuki however, he's a threat. Not to my life, but to my goals. Can't let him drag Sandaime-jisan to Orochimaru."
'They'll get in the way, we need to bring back the scroll. It has great value, doesn't it?' The slithering little reptile asked with great curiosity.
If a snake could pout, he was sure that the little thing was doing it at the moment. It made Naruto chuckle, this snake of his was hilarious. Hence why he chose it to be his little messenger, "If they do get in the way, a fight can be inevitable, if I can avoid the fight then I'll do it. Why? Oh, that's simple. Konoha doesn't want me dead yet, so the bingo book entry on me is only calling for getting captured alive."
The snake hissed out its confusion at that, 'So what if they don't want you dead? You and Orochimaru-sama, if he gets his hands on the last pieces, they won't ever get your lives.'
"Hm, you don't understand? Let me put it this way, if I decide to massacre citizens or Shinobi of Hi no Kuni, then there will be a bounty calling for my death. It would make it more troublesome to achieve what I want, they'll try harder and use more lethal skills to achieve that compared to now."
The reptile slithered further down and off Naruto's body, looking up at him from the branch the blond was crouching on, 'What is your goal anyway? It seems like that's all you care about. What could be so important?'
Naruto sighed at that, a frown instead of a smirk spreading on his face as scratched his neck, "My goal? Well, that'll have to wait. We got some friendly company approaching, but I'll tell you later."
The snake seemed to settle for that answer, at least for now, the snake elders had grown quite an interest for this boy. Hence why it was so curious, what was so special about Orochimaru's student? What was the goal that seemed to take up all his time and dedication? He wished to know but now wasn't the time. They had the nuisance to kill after all.
So it slithered back and out of sight, hiding within the safety of the blond's shirt as the Uzumaki sat with a passive gaze.
He reached out and took a small piece of wood into his hands, sitting down on the branch as his feet dangled into the air.
With a tilt of his head, he placed the piece of wood between his hands. A small surge of chakra spread through his palms, miniature almost invisible wind blades cutting the bark off the piece of wood within his fingers.
This had become a hobby of his, a means to pass time. It also worked well for his chakra control, some loose training with his wind chakra every once in a while.
What was he doing? Quite simple. Ever since he was little, he had made these small animal figures out of food. He had started doing it with kunai, but as he figured out his element he took it a step further.
It all started when his sister had asked him for a pet. They couldn't have one in their small apartment, so he had opted to make small gifts for her.
She had seemed pleased with them, going as far as to put them on display on a shelf every time he made a new one for her.
It brought a smile to his face. She always liked these small things, and so did she.
Speaking of the devil. A blur rushed to his side, and with a small grin he turned his head up to see a blue-haired woman gazing down at him with a small smile on her face.
Dark eyes met his electric blue, and with a small chuckle, he turned back down to carving the little figure in his hands. "I wondered when you would show up again… Guren-san."
The woman crouched down again, her bangs slightly tickling the back of his neck as she gazed over his shoulder.
"Back to carving again?"
The question met his ears, and he nodded, "Well, the mouse is about to walk into the trap, no point hurrying him. He should be here any minute."
She sat down next to him, feet dangling beside his, eyes still latched onto his closed palms. "What is it this time?"
The blond tilted his head, before opening his palms to reveal a roughly sketched fox, "Too sentimental?" He asked through a small chuckle.
She shook her head and smiled with a small quirk of her lips, "You're still thinking about her?"
"Of course, I'll never stop."
Guren leaned in, cheek lightly on his shoulder as she watched the focused teen as the ample blades of wind smoothened the fox's figure, cutting the details into the tail. "You'll visit her, won't you?"
Naruto's hands paused, a slight moment before he continued, "I'm too close not to. It's been so long… I need to see her."
Her lips fell into a frown, as her hand reached up to brush her fingers through the golden locks of his head, "It's dangerous, what if you're caught?"
"You have that little faith in me?"
She shook her head, "No, you know I have faith in you, but I can't help but worry. Should someone see you, then I'll never see you again."
Naruto chuckled, flicking the fox into her open palm, "Then I'll just have to not get caught."
The blond stood up from his seated position as the silver-haired figure of Mizuki rushed into the clearing, looking his head frantically left and right. This had been the spot that Naruto had deceived him into entering. 'Oh well, why keep him waiting?' He thought before dropping from the branch.
Guren stood and watched as she leaned against the tree trunk, her dark eyes relaxed as she watched him from a distance. 'I do have no reason to doubt him…'
He had gotten strong. So much stronger than when had first met him.
Like he was some wonderchild, he had appeared out of nowhere.
The silver-haired man snapped his head in the blond's direction, the scroll he had been tasked with getting on his back, and an overly large shuriken in his hand. From his position, he could only tell someone was there, but the darkness kept their appearance concealed. "Where's Orochimaru-sama? He told me to meet him here!"
Naruto smirked and stepped into the moonlight to reveal himself, a calm posture over his body as he shrugged, "Nowhere near I'm afraid, I'm here to collect the scroll and take you to him." Naruto lied of course, but Mizuki didn't need to know that.
Mizuki's eyes widened as a smirk crept onto his face from the sight before him, "Uzumaki Naruto, so it's true after all. You did join up with Orochimaru-sama, can't say I blame you. After all, I too would have darted as far away from that hell hole if I had to call myself the monster's brother."
Naruto's eyes narrowed in a heartbeat at the arrogant man's foul words, "Monster?" The word left a sour taste in his mouth, the urge to slit the man's throat so tempting. It would thrill him at this point, to see the blood spray like a fountain out his neck, the life draining from his eyes.
The man tilted his head with a curious look, "That's why you did it right? I can't believe they let the damn fox graduate. Letting that beast into the village's ranks. I should have come sooner, but until Orochimaru-sama sent me that snake, I had no idea what he wanted in exchange."
The blond gained a devilish smirk as he lifted his hands, letting his little reptile snake friend crawl out of his sleeve, the little being's slitted eyes staring in Mizuki's direction as Naruto asked calmly, "You mean this snake? Sorry about that, this snake is mine. Orochimaru had nothing to do with any of this, he just sent me here for the scroll. So hand it over, and let's be on our way."
Mizuki shook his head, holding the large shuriken up in front of his form, "Sorry, but no way. I'm handing it over personally, so that way Orochimaru-sama can see my worth! Then I'll finally have the power I deserve, and then I can rid the world of that godforsaken little pest people think is human!"
The look in the Uzumaki's eyes got colder by the second, the nerve in his hand twitching with the need to make this man suffer, "That shuriken is quite large, you sure it isn't compensating for something else? You'll never get to Orochimaru without me, so hand the scroll over."
"You know, I never understood you. You left the village, but what were you after? Is it the power you want? I can imagine how tempting it is to make that thing vanish from existence. And I got to refuse again, this scroll, I'm carrying it. Just lead the way already!" Mizuki shouted the last part out, gripping the shuriken tighter as he felt his pride hurt from the insult.
Naruto's eyes blinked once before he disappeared in a flash of pure speed, landing right beside Mizuki as the shuriken started crumbling into pieces of metal shards landing heavily on the ground, the shock in the man evident as he shakily turned his head to look at the blond that was now beside him.
"You want to know why? I'll tell you." Naruto chuckled and leaned his head up to Mizuki's ear, a kunai silently flipped into his hand as he with speed Mizuki was unable to see, stabbed the knife up into his gut. Digging the kunai up into his flesh, the blood leaking out of the wound and into the grass beneath, the red liquid staining Naruto's hand as he kept pushing it deeper and deeper.
Mizuki's eyes widened at the sudden flash of pain, but the pain was enough to keep him silent. He wanted to scream, he wanted to shout out, but the pain in his gut. It didn't even allow him to breathe. He could only hoarsely whisper out, "W-Why?"
"Why? That's simple you little rat." The smirk intensified as the cold look in Naruto's eyes disappeared, the satisfaction of stabbing Mizuki lighting them up, as he whispered back in return while placing his free hand on top of the strap keeping the scroll latched onto Mizuki's back, "I love my sister."
It seemed impossible, but the shocked look on the chunin's face seemed to intensify, it didn't make any sense! What other reason could there be for Naruto to abandon Konoha and join up with its biggest traitor? "W-What? H-How can you love that… that b-beast!"
Without replying, Naruto freed the scroll and swung it over his shoulder to carry it like Mizuki had, taking a step back as he watched with satisfaction as the bastard barely could stand on his own, the wobbly legs giving in as the blood ran out of his gut, the life force draining within him rapidly, "Because she's my baby sister, and I'd do anything to protect her."
The chunin coughed up a large amount of blood, the thick red liquid making a puddle beneath him as it stained from the corners of his mouth and down, even with his life disappearing, the man found the audacity to smirk at him as if he had won, "O-Orochimaru-sama will kill you for this, I was the one that had to bring him that scroll!"
Naruto couldn't help but laugh softly at the nonsense the man was babbling about. Tilting his head to the sight, Naruto looked on with triumph, "Do tell, why would he do that? He was after all the one that told me... to kill you."
Mizuki didn't even have the strength to respond at this point, his wobbly legs gave up under him, causing him to first fall onto his knees before collapsing across the ground. Comically enough, making his face slam right into the puddle of his own blood.
"I pity you, you really thought Orochimaru-sensei was interested in such a pathetic weakling like you? Don't make me laugh. We have no use for a failure that can't even conceal his own presence, a man with no skill or talent, a simple academy instructor. You are as low as they come, and you dare mock my sister in front of me? Shows exactly who the real mistake here is." Naruto finished while placing his foot on the side of Mizuki's head, stepping his face further into the blood.
The snake that had been watching from Naruto's sleeve this entire time, crept its head out to look up at its summoner, 'We should leave, the afterparty is bound to come sooner or later at this point. Well, unless you've changed your mind about killing them.'
"I have not, let's leave. Oh, and before I go, I have a little gift for you. Y'know, to thank you for all your troubles." Naruto smiled the fakest smile that sent shivers up Mizuki's spine, his eyes staring weakly as the blond placed a paper bomb right on his forehead protector and vanished in a shunshin the moment after.
Mizuki didn't even get to have a final thought, as much as a final word, before his entire being was blown to pieces.
Guren brought a hand to her face to shield her face from the blood exploding over the woods. Slight grunt as she wiped some off her cheek. "You couldn't have aimed that the other way?"
Naruto who now stood beside her with arms crossed over his chest, chuckled, "What? Does it disturb you that much?"
"I'd rather not get coated in pig's blood…"
The blond raised an amused brow, "I'll try and direct the wind the other way next time."
"There'll be a next time?"
With a roll of his eyes, Naruto unfolded his arms, "We're working with Orochimaru, killing filth is part of the job description."
She could feel her eyes roll, "Job description…"
It surprised him greatly that he could still slip undetected into the village that he used to call his home. Most of the ANBU squad patrols at night were still the same too, he only had one patrol to hide from, since he hadn't expected it to be there. 'I suppose it's to be expected after everything that has happened.' He thought to himself with a blank look as he walked up the stairs to the building he had once lived in. The place where he and his sister had been taken in so many years ago.
Standing beside the door, right in front of the window, he flicked a bit of wind chakra through the small gap separating the window from the wall to open the window for him. Taking a deep breath, his heart going a bit faster than he would like, he pushed it open and snuck inside the dark apartment.
Guren watched him with an impassive look that was soon interrupted by a frown that spread on her face.
She had known this boy since he joined them. As the one assigned to look after him in the beginning, she had come to know him.
It wasn't hard to realize what was going through his head. And how heavy his heart must be feeling from being here, after what had happened here.
With no sound, she slipped through the window and followed after him. Her eyes were glued to his back as he effortlessly wandered through the place.
It was easily noticeable that he had a destination in mind, and as he neared it, she stopped to idly stand by in a nearby doorway.
She stood there and waited. She had no place where he was going, and she respected that. Yet, she couldn't help but feel a desire to walk in there and comfort him. The sadness behind those usually indifferent eyes was like a knife to her chest.
He felt truly out of place here. Like he didn't belong. He couldn't help it though, it had been so long. Been so long since he had last seen her face. It was like a thorn pushing in his side, being away from someone he loved so unconditionally, it really was a tough feeling to miss someone as much as he missed her.
He didn't even have a plan. What if she was still awake? What if she wasn't even here? She had just graduated after all. Perhaps she was out celebrating with her classmates, but then again, it was quite late. Knowing how they did things, there were team placements the next morning.
So, as quiet as a mouse, he walked toward the open bedroom door. It was just open enough for him to gaze in through the crack, and the sight before him made him smile. A true, genuine smile.
Tucked beneath her blanket, only her face showing with her head resting against the pillow. Her eyelids were closed, and the peaceful snoring hit his ears. He shouldn't even be here, but he couldn't help it. Taking a deep breath, he gently pushed the door open and stepped inside the room to get a better look.
The closer he got, the more he could notice how much she had grown. She had been just a small kid when he had left, but she was a young woman now. She still had that baby fat on her face, making it appear more round. He always thought that was one of her more adorable features, just like the way their mother had looked even as an adult.
Her long golden blonde hair had gotten longer as well, 'I wonder if she still ties her hair up into high pigtails…' He smiled and suppressed the need to chuckle as he crouched down at her bedside, watching over her as she slept.
His eyes gazed around the room, a small pain in his chest as he gazed over the wooden animals he had carved so long ago. They all looked rough and unrefined, but then again, it was years ago.
He grabbed a small sparrow on the edge of the shelf, flicking it between his fingers before placing it back down.
His eyes fell back down to her.
Raising his hand hesitantly, he gently placed it on her head, feeling the silky smooth locks of her hair against his skin. He wanted to wake her up so badly, to talk to her again, hold her in his arms when she was sad and confused, but she was no longer a child anymore. Not like she had been back then. 'I doubt you need your big brother anymore, right?'
He smiled sadly. He indeed had no place here anymore. His sister had grown up, she had become a Kunoichi! He couldn't be more proud of her. His little angel had become an adult today. And he had missed all of it. It made a wave of regret wash over him, his head lowering with his spiky locks hanging from his forehead to shield his face filled with anguish.
'I should get out of here.' He sighed at last and stood up, taking a last look at her while stroking her cheek affectionately. With shaky movement, he pulled his hand to himself to wipe a lone tear off of his cheek, before turning around and headed for the door.
"N...Nii?"
The sudden question caused him to freeze in his tracks, his blood running cold in his veins. His eyes widened with shock, his hands trembling as he shakily turned around to see those big beautiful blue eyes looking up at him from the pillow, the expression on the girl's face confused, tired, and unbelieving.
He couldn't bring himself to say anything. Any word he could come up with was stuck in his throat, the urge to shed a tear so hard to resist as he just looked at her. It hurt. Was this how it was supposed to go? He didn't plan for this. He wasn't prepared, was this the day she would tell him off for good, wanting nothing ever to do again with him? The day she would express her hatred for him for leaving her.
The sleepy girl blinked slowly, "Am I… Dreaming?" She asked in a tired tone, which made Naruto feel a bit more at ease. This was a chance he couldn't let go of, he could talk to her again, something he had wanted for so long. There was so damn much he wanted to say.
Gulping nervously, a sight which would have made Orochimaru bellow with laughter at his usually calm and relaxed student, he sat down beside her bed again. "It appears so, Chibi-Mito."
"Nii used to call me that… I hated it." She mumbled out in her tired state, the exhausted blue eyes locked on his as she tucked herself deeper under the covers to stay warm.
Naruto chuckled softly and raised a hand to touch her face again, she seemed to welcome it, but why? Wasn't she supposed to despise him with her entire being? "I did, didn't I?" He smiled, stroking her cheek with affection.
The look in the girl's eyes went from surprised to sad, her brother looked so different in her dream compared to what she had remembered about him. He was taller in her dream, more mature, even his clothes were different. "I miss you…"
Naruto had to fight the urge not to cry again, god he felt pathetic. "I-I'm sure wherever I am, I miss you too." He replied out, trying to make her believe in this being just a dream. Speaking about himself in the third person format, so it would appear like he was just a manifestation of her mind.
She didn't seem to believe him, her eyes cast downward into the pillow as she scooted away from his hand. "Why did you leave me? Wasn't I a good sister, w-what did I do wrong?" She asked tearfully.
It made Naruto's heart crack into pieces, he had never wanted this. It was unfair. What he wouldn't give… "Don't say stuff like that, you were beyond perfect, my beautiful baby sister. Please don't ever think otherwise, you were always loved, Mito-chan." He admitted with his hand falling down at his side again.
"T-Then why?! Why did you leave? You didn't even say goodbye..." She started to sound more and more frustrated, the drowsiness in her voice starting to wear off. He had to make this quick before she was awake enough to tell this wasn't a dream, and her foul brother was indeed in the room.
He gritted his teeth tightly together, failing to hold in the tears as he lowered his head. The wet salty tears dropping from his face, landing on his hands that were curled together in his lap, "Y-You'd have to ask the real me, I'm after all just a manifestation of your mind." It hurt to say this, letting her believe this wasn't real. He would give anything to hold her, beg her for forgiveness, tell her how sorry he was. The time wasn't right though, it had to wait.
"I just want you back, is that too much to ask for?" She asked softly, hoping that even if this wasn't the real brother she longed for, it would still bring her some kind of answer.
Naruto couldn't bring himself to answer her. How could she do this to herself? It didn't make sense. Why want the scumbag that left you back in your life? He had only hurt her, it wasn't fair to her, nothing about this was right. "W-Whatever the answer is to your questions, just know that I'm proud of you. I always have been, I'm so proud of who you became."
He took a breath and went on again, "You've done well. You've grown up my dear sister, you no longer need me in your life… but, just remember that no matter what happens, I'll always love you. And I'll always protect and watch over you, until the day I die." He whispered the last part out and leaned up to kiss her on the forehead, meanwhile gently pressing a place on her neck as he watched her fall back asleep again.
Standing up from her bedside a second time, he gently pulled the covers up over her again, tucked her in, and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "I'm sorry for everything, I never meant to hurt you. I just hope one day you can forgive me, even if you don't… I'll always be there for you. Even if you hate me." With those last words, he disappeared from the apartment. Leaving no trace behind of him ever being there in the first place.
Still standing in the hallway, she could feel Naruto's presence disappear. Guren frowned softly as she walked closer and entered the room, casting a soft gaze at the sound asleep blonde girl laying in the bed.
'So she's the one… They look just alike.' She smiled with that thought and crouched down near the top of the bed.
A stray finger traced some hair away from the young girl's face before it fell back to her side.
Though, a pang to her chest made her cast her eyes away. There was so much pain between those two, and it didn't feel fair to either of them.
And she had no idea why it was like this.
She of course knew Naruto had left his home without much of a word, so she couldn't speak for his actions. Yet, she felt like the girl needed some kind of reassurance, that there were still someone watching over her.
Even if she had to guess who, herself.
With an almost inaudible sigh, she stood up and placed the small wooden fox Naruto had carved earlier, on the shelf filled with wooden animals.
She giggled, and couldn't help but feel like the deadly student of Orochimaru, had some cute qualities.
Casting one last glance at the girl, Guren walked back out of the room. Closing the door again, before sneaking out of the window.
Closing it behind her, as she vanished after the blond without a trace of ever having been there.
Aside from one. A small change; in the form of a neatly fresh carved fox among gifts from the past.
Mito woke up with a gasp that next morning, an unexplainable pain in her neck that was close to nonexistent. Her eyes widened as the images of her 'dream' played through her head, her head snapping around the room as she let out a hopeful, "Nii?!" Though her room, which used to be her brother's once, was just as it had been when she had gone to bed.
Seems like it really had been a dream. 'So he wasn't here after all…' It pained her heart, she had just graduated. She wanted so desperately to hear the words the manifestation of her mind had said last night.
That mature voice she had heard in her dreams, the look on his face as she affectionately spoke 'Just know that I'm proud of you. I always have been, I'm so proud of who you became… remember that no matter what happens, I'll always love you. And I'll always protect and watch over you, until the day I die.' It made tears form in her ears, soon after they spilled down her cheeks as she pulled her legs up and hugged them to her. He would never say that, would he? He was gone.
"Am I fool to hope that he'll come back?" She asked herself quietly, her blonde morning hair sticking in all directions as she leaned her forehead down against her kneecaps, sniffling slightly as she desperately clung to the memory she had left of her brother, and the new ones her dream had brought her. He had looked so much older there, she couldn't understand.
Wiping her eyes with a heavy heart, she jumped out of bed and got ready for the day. Today was the day she would get placed on a team. With a slight smile, she tied the new shining headband around her head, put on her outfit consisting of a pair of dark orange pants, with a matching black and orange jacket. When she had finally tamed her hair, she reached up and put her hair up into her, by now, signature pigtails and ran out of her apartment and toward the academy building.
Her eyes missing a small detail on her shelf, as she disappeared out of the door.
She looked slightly tired as she entered the classroom and greeted her fellow classmates. Flinching slightly at the bickering between her classmates, Sakura and Ino, who were once again fighting and fawning over Sasuke. Shaking her head, she sat down beside the raven-haired boy as she had done for the past few years.
When they were younger, her older brother and Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, had introduced them. Around three years later, however, everything turned to hell. First, the entire Uchiha clan was massacred by Itachi himself, and then a month later, she had woken up to find that her own brother had left her all alone. It brought a frown to her face, her heart aching with pain as she remembered it at all.
How she had woken up, the place totally empty. As she made her way to the one person who could know what was going on, would be the old man Sandaime. Her Nii had never left her alone without saying anything before, even if he had a mission he had to leave immediately for, he'd always come by and say it. Even if he had to wake her up. So when had just disappeared that day, it had scared her greatly.
He had been nowhere, he hadn't come home for hours. She had waited on the couch, staring at the door, it had soon turned from light to dark outside when she had moved her way toward the Hokage tower. On her way there, everyone had thrown looks her way. Those pitiful glances, she hadn't understood them at that point in time.
That would soon change when she had entered the Hokage's office, only to see two men she was familiar with talking with the old man. That was the night she had learned of what happened to her brother. What he had done. He had betrayed the leaf and left the night before, her godfather's contact having spotted him meeting with Konoha's biggest traitor.
She hadn't believed it at first. Screaming at them, calling them a liar. She had never cried as much before as she had done that day. She felt hurt, betrayed, like everything she had believed was a lie. Her older brother who had told her he loved her with everything he was, had left her alone. He hadn't even said goodbye…
"Oi, dobe! What are you spacing off for?" The raven-haired boy beside her called out with curiosity, his brow rising upon his forehead out of amusement.
Mito blushed a bit and chuckled nervously, a hand reaching up to scratch the back of her head as she yawned, "Sorry about that, I didn't sleep well last night. I had the weirdest dream, it felt so real though."
Sasuke tilted his head with his brows furrowing, "What about? You dreamt about the ramen stand closing up for good or something?"
The blonde girl glared in his direction, "Don't you dare speak of such evil!" She threatened while clenching her fist in front of her, making Sasuke sweatdrop. "And no… I dreamt about my brother last night. It just didn't feel like a dream."
The raven-haired boy felt a smirk crawl onto his face as he elbowed the blonde girl in the ribs, causing her to yelp with an offended look, "I knew you had a brother complex, but going as far as to dream about him? That seems like a whole new level of creepy, even for a ramen addict like you."
"Shut up, teme! It wasn't like that. And I don't have a brother complex!" She roared out in outrage, her pigtails rising up to form what would appear like nine swaying tails.
Sasuke grunted and shook his head, "Whatever you say, dobe. If it wasn't like that, then what did you dream about? If you look so tired, then it must have been something else."
Mito's face fell and her lips formed down into a sad frown as she clenched her fists together in her lap, "It felt like he was really there, y'know? He looked older, the sound of his voice was so different. And he just… congratulated me on passing. He told me some things… Some things I'd wish that he himself would say to me. It just made me realize how much I miss him."
Sasuke didn't know how to respond to that. Unlike him, Mito had never gotten a reason for why his brother was a criminal, besides him joining Orochimaru that is. When the Uchiha had been massacred, Itachi had taunted him before throwing in his face why he had murdered their family, their parents, and all their friends.
At least he had a reason, and the reason made him hate Itachi more than anything in the world. Hence why he had to kill him. The things were different with his blonde friend. What he had heard about it, was that she had just woken up and he was gone. The day before he had been like always, the morning after he was a well-known criminal in all of Konoha. The Yondaime's bastard son that joined the sick traitor, Orochimaru.
The rumor going around time had been that the blond boy had been totally damaged when the Uchiha clan had been wiped out by his supposed best friend. That and along with his parents' death and the terrorizing witnessing of the Kyuubi's rampage. Some even blamed it on the Hokage and the village higher-ups, saying they should have noticed that the blonde was sick.
By the end of his line of thought, their teacher Iruka had entered the room. Using his signature jutsu to quiet down the classroom before he started naming who was going to be on a team with who, and who their Jounin sensei was supposed to be. Sasuke hadn't recognized any of the names beside one, Hatake Kakashi, who was going to be their sensei it seemed. He hadn't talked to the man personally before, though he had briefly met him when he had talked with Mito.
Mito and Sasuke watched the teams leave as their senseis came to pick them up, first it was team eight that got picked up by a beautiful woman named Yuhi Kurenai. Mito had heard about her before as a lot of the younger female students in the academy had talked about wanting to be just like her. They watched as Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, and one Inuzuka Kiba left behind the woman.
The next team to go was team ten, from what they could gather, team one to six along with team nine were still in rotation. It wasn't unusual, not a lot of teams became chunin squads after only a year in the field. A large bearded man named Sarutobi Asuma came in and pointed at Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Choji before telling them to meet him at the Akimichi's barbeque restaurant. Man, that would be a pricy bill that sensei would get.
And just like that, Sasuke and Mito were still waiting with the last remaining student beside them, Haruno Sakura, the only civilian girl, with even a modicum of skill, that was striving to be a kunoichi in their class. And just as Mito expected, they were kept waiting for hours. They had sat there waiting for three hours, when Sakura finally started slamming her head against her desk out of frustration, complaining about how they had gotten stuck with the laziest sensei of them all.
When the door finally slid open, Mito threw up her hands and pointed them accusingly at the silver-haired man, who resembled a scarecrow more than anything, "How do you have the nerve to be late on this day, Kakashi-nii?!"
"Mah, a black cat crossed my path and I had to take a detour around town to get here. Though when I got here, there was a ladder in front of the door and I had to wait until someone moved it before I could enter." He replied lamely with that even lamer signature eye-smile of his.
Sakura's body seemed lifeless at the response, her skin pale and her eyes empty as Sasuke just sat with a throbbing tick mark on his forehead. Mito on the other hand wasn't as composed, her temperament resembling that of her late mother as she stormed over to the blackboard, grabbing the eraser before hurling it with all the strength she could at the man's face.
Kakashi just stood still and quickly said, "Meet me on the roof in five minutes, or you'll go back to retake this year!" And then he vanished in a swirl of leaves, the eraser passing through the doorway where the man had once stood, and into the hallway, nearly scaring a janitor half to death.
They made their way up to the roof after that, each fuming with annoyance in their own way. Sasuke kept himself a bit more composed, Mito was still thinking of ways to punish the tardiness that Kakashi always dared to show. Sakura, on the other hand, wasn't as composed and ranted verbally the entire way up the stairs until they could see their new sensei leaning against the railing with a little orange book in his hand.
"Alright take a seat, as a proper team does we'll go through introductions. Pinky, you go ahead and start us off, we'll go through it one at a time." Kakashi spoke out in a monotone voice, sounding as if he was more bored than anything else as he watched his new cute little students taking a seat on the stairs in front of him.
Sakura looked on with confusion, tilting her head to the side as she asked, "Uh, sensei? What are we supposed to mention?"
Kakashi sweatdropped at that, 'Has she never done an introduction before?' He sighed out and shrugged, "Well, like things you like, or things you hate. Dreams for the future. That kind of stuff."
The pinkette still looked down at her feet, "Can't you go first, so we can see how it's done?" The question made all other teammates present, along with their sensei mentally smack themselves in the forehead. She may be striving to be a kunoichi, and for a civilian that was respectable, but a little more effort would be welcomed.
The silver-haired man lowered his head with a grunt, "My name is Hatake Kakashi. What I like and what I dislike? You're not old enough for that. My dreams for the future? Hmmm… Never really gave it much thought."
'All we really got to know was his name…' Was the recurring thought in their heads, before Sakura went on to do her introduction. If you could even call it that. All she did was giggle and steal glances at Sasuke while saying her name, it truly made Kakashi question why he had let the Sandaime push him into being a sensei in the first place. Catching Tora seemed more interesting at this point. If Sakura ever were to become something, he'd have to grind her into the dust to rid her of that fangirl mentality.
Sasuke grunted with a brief shake of his head, "I'm Uchiha Sasuke, I don't particularly like anything or hate anything, besides Mito's obsession with ramen. What I have isn't a dream, but an ambition, to destroy a certain someone and restore my clan."
The Jounin sweatdropped immensely at that, 'So as Hokage-sama expected, Sasuke wants to kill Itachi and make Uchiha babies. What could possibly go wrong down the line?'
"You're so gray, teme. I'll show you how to do it! My name is Uzumaki Mito! I like my Nii, ramen, Sandaime-Jiji, and even Kakashi-nii... when he isn't late. I hate to wait for ramen, and especially the instant ramen that has to stand there and mock me while it cooks. I also hate Sasuke when he is a jerk. My dreams… drag my idiot Nii back home to where he belongs." Mito started her introduction out quite cheerfully but seemed a bit more gloomy at the mention of her dreams.
Not that anyone had to question why, everyone knew that her brother, the Yondaime's prodigal son had gone crazy and left her to survive on her own. Or that was what they assumed at least.
Kakashi clapped his hands together and did another of his signature eye smiles, "Mah, now that we all know each other, then we can get to the fun. Tomorrow is our first mission, a survival exercise at the eastern training grounds. I won't say any details, but don't eat any breakfast. Oh, and don't be late. Ja ne!"
Sakura promptly lost it. Not that she had much to lose...
As the sun was setting in the distance, the Sandaime Hokage sat in his office working through the last of his, devil-sent, paperwork. It had been a long day, and a long night, stuff wasn't going too great for Konoha these days. One of their own had betrayed them last night and attempted to steal the forbidden scroll of seals. A scroll containing many of Konoha's secrets, and several forbidden jutsu that should never see the light of day again.
Across from him, leaning in against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, stood the last remaining of his students. Or well, the last dependable one at least. The expression on his face didn't require much explanation, aside from it being caused by the current news he had gotten told. "Are you certain he did this?"
"I cannot be a hundred percent certain since there isn't actual evidence of him being here, but it's too much of a coincidence to simply look past. Don't you think it's strange that not even a day after Naruto is spotted in the area, the fake scroll suddenly goes missing and that the supposed thief is nothing but a petty forest decoration now?" Hiruzen asked in a calm tone, but the look behind his eyes was far from calm.
Jiraiya cupped his forehead and leaned the back of his head against the wall, "I just don't understand him. He was right there Jiji! He was standing as clear as I see you now. He wasn't mad or anything like that, he didn't even want to fight."
"Wise of him, to take on a Sannin backed up by a Tokubetsu Jounin isn't a fair fight for anyone. What was he doing there anyway? Did he show any signs of what he may have been up to?" The old Hokage asked his student. There were too many pieces lacking for this puzzle to be solved, so jumping to a conclusion would be a bad idea at the present time. Even though Orochimaru may be in possession of the scroll now, it wouldn't help them to jump to conclusions.
Jiraiya shook his head and took a seat on the couch in the far corner, letting the summoning contract of the toads rest against the wall, "The only thing Anko had to say was that he was at a Dango stand, maybe he was hungry. I don't have much else to guess at, the only thing I managed to witness was him running into me and then doing everything he could to avoid a fight. Until Anko forced his hand and brought civilians into it. She isn't good at concealing her anger when it relates to Orochimaru."
Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe and sighed, "Would you have let him go before his hand was forced to bring civilians into it?"
The look on Jiraiya's face didn't tell much, aside from the frown to indicate his bad mood, "I… don't know. I more than anything want to talk to him, and have him here where he belongs. It… just doesn't look like he feels the same way. The look on his face and the stuff he was willing to do to stay away, doesn't that say he doesn't feel like he belongs here?"
The older man shook his head, "He may not believe so, but you've got to remember that Naruto is just a boy, still. He may be seventeen years old to this day, but he has still much to learn in regard to life. True he is strong, and Orochimaru may have trained him well, but Orochimaru is, without a doubt, not the ideal role model."
"I'll still look for him, even if I only get the chance to talk to him then I'll do anything I can to make it happen. Mito needs her brother, and I can, for one, tell that he needs his sister. If anyone can drag him out of whatever is holding him, then it's her. She is so much like Kushina, she is far too stubborn to let him go." Jiraiya chuckled sadly.
Hiruzen chuckled with his student and looked out of the window and over the village he was leading, "Did you get a good look at anything else over there? And no, I'm not talking about your research. Did he show any abilities? Any… unusual stuff around his body?"
Jiraiya raised a brow at that, "If you talk about anything inhuman, then no. He looks just like Minato did when he was his age. Aside from the little red in his hair of course, but nothing out of the ordinary. He didn't show a lot of his abilities, but he is fast, really fast. He is quick to think and plan ahead, and he is a good negotiator. A wild guess, but I think he is still a lot like the boy we remember."
Hiruzen nodded in agreement, "Orochimaru hasn't corrupted him a lot if he still cares about human life. He offered you the antidote, a generous amount of it, without thinking twice about it. He really just wanted to get away it seems."
Jiraiya just narrowed his eyes at that, "If Orochimaru hasn't turned him that much yet, it just makes me wonder more about what Naruto is truly after."
So, that's the second chapter. Hope you liked it, and the third chapter should be out sometime during next week.
Questions of the chapter:
What is Guren's relationship to Naruto? Why do they seem that close? Let me hear your theories.
Why do you think Jiraiya isn't too keen on stopping him when he has the chance?
Will she ever figure out that it wasn't a dream, and her brother was really there?