Chapter 4.


Pairing: Naruto x Yugao.

A/N: You guys are really amazing. I don't think I've ever had so many positive readers and followers on a story before, so thank you endlessly. As I promised, the pairing I had normally thought of was Yugao Uzuki or Yugito Nii. Feel free to help me pick, I have scenarios written out for both of them.

And one of you guys 'The-Funeral-Pyre' made me aware of something quite important, if I put all the village elites into one group and made them work together on every mission, the number of high-rank missions the village could take would be less. So thanks a lot for reminding me of that. I'll keep that in mind.

Last but not least, I will have even slower updates after this chapter. I am starting at a school that'll allow me to get a forklift certificate, so for the next two months, I'll only be near a computer on the weekends. So unless I feel like writing on my phone, don't expect more than one or two chapters a month at max.


Team Seven's former training ground.


The wind brushed through his hair as he calmly meditated on a large boulder in the middle of the river that was running through the training ground. Opening his eyes slowly, he scanned the area as the memories of his early Team Seven days flashes before his eyes, how he had been tied to the log and they had been passed when Sakura and Sasuke fed him, or how they had captured Tora together. It all brought a small smile to his face. He would really miss that.

Feeling a chakra nature appear behind him on the opposite side of the river, Naruto blinked and got out of his trance before he stood up on the boulder and turned around, watching as a familiar pinkette walked forward through the trees.

"So this is where you have been hiding! We need to talk, Naruto." Sakura called out as she stood by the shore, making the blond Uzumaki close his eyes with a sigh.

Opening his eyes a mere second later, his piercing blue stare met Sakura's eyes. "Let me guess, it's about the initiative?"

"Right! You need to help me convince Shishou and Kakashi-sensei that it's a bad idea! You and he are needed on Team Seven for when we get Sasuke back, then the whole team will be reunited!" She called out while being sure that the blond would listen to her.

Sighing heavily, Naruto threw his head back while running a hand through his blond locks, "I'm sorry Sakura… I accepted."

"W-What?! How could you be so foolish and accept that?! Our team will be disbanded, and when Sasuke comes back what and who would he work with?" Sakura yelled in outrage. First Kakashi-sensei, and now Naruto too? She started to feel like she was truly the only one looking to get Team Seven back together.

"Come now Sakura, no reason to throw insults like that…" Naruto frowned heavily at her, causing her anger to intensify even further.

"Am I the only one that really cares about getting our team back together?! Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-kun, me and you!" Sakura yelled out with confusion written all over her face as she shook her head at the blond.

Naruto's gaze softened as he sat down on the boulder again, "Sakura… Nothing lasts forever. It's time to grow up…"

"You are telling me to grow up? The most unpredictable knucklehead shinobi, is telling me to grow up? Where is that knucklehead I liked to hang out with? He should have come home, he would have understood..." Sakura spat out with disgust, her fists trembling with her knuckles turning white as she clenched her fists.

Feeling quite offended at that, Naruto scoffed with his gaze hardening, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "That knucklehead you speak off saw, the truth of this world. That not everything is sunshine and rainbows. The world is not black and white. It is grey and many different shades of grey. He saw the truth of the world where people kill, steal, rape, and plunder like no tomorrow. What did you think would happen if Sasuke did come back? And that's a huge if. He would be punished for betraying the village for Orochimaru in his quest for power. At best he gets under village lockdown and at worst he gets executed. This is not a fairy tale. Sasuke won't come back so he can marry you and all that delusional stuff. Seeing the stuff that plagues this world, it made me grow up. You have yet to see even two steps in front of you. So next time you wanna talk to me like that why don't you grow up before you start your shit."

With anger seething through her, Sakura's breathing got intense as her body trembled in place furiously. Gritting her teeth painfully, she leaped off the ground with her fist pulled back, flying toward the blond's sitting form. "W-Why you?!"

Narrowing his eyes a bit more, Naruto backflipped off the boulder before it was crushed into a thousand pieces by Sakura's fist. Flipping onto his feet on the lake, Naruto brushed some of the debrief away from his haori. "Do you honestly wish to fight me?" He asked softly.

"Are you really that dense?! Yes! So stop dodging like a genin and fight!" She heaved with intense anger and confusion.

"Hmm fine then. I'll stop dodging like a genin you say." He says before he instantly appears in front of her before punching her in the face, sending her flying several yards back into the woods. "Instead I will dodge and hit you as a Jounin should, Chuunin Haruno. Remember this cause if you don't you will die then. Come at me with the intent to kill otherwise, you'll get killed yourself."

Jumping back onto like, she growled loudly "I should have known that you got your smart jabs from Kakashi-sensei! Are you even your own person anymore?!" She yelled with hurt, anger, and visible confusion. How could this happen? They were supposed to a team. Why couldn't they see and understand?

"I might have been too dumb and naive to stand up for myself in my genin days Sakura, but I will not tolerate this anymore."

Cracking her knuckles, Sakura took a fighting stance. "When we were out celebrating, Jiraiya said that he was amused by you drawing your sword against Kakashi-sensei. You apparently only do it against a threat, but even before you drew it, you said you could have ended it. Are you a hypocrite?"

"He wasn't a threat while holding back, but he wanted to see it," Naruto responded casually, not seeing what that had to do with anything.

Snorting at his response, Sakura motioned for him to come at her with her hands, "Then come! I want to see it, swing your sword at me!"

Closing his eyes at her anger-fueled rage, Naruto shook his head "No you don't want to see it, you want to pick a battle you can't possibly win."

"So you say you don't see me as a threat?!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, starting to get more and more pissed off. Not only was he going to abandon their team, but he was insulting her too? The Naruto she knew, wasn't the blond in front of her.

Palming his forehead, Naruto was starting to get pissed too. This shouldn't even be a discussion. What's best for the village and Hi no Kuni should always come first, that was that they signed up for when joining the academy. Their role and place are to put their life on the line for their nation. Not being a selfish and egotistical brat.

"Since you are apparently looking to get your pride hurt. Frankly, I don't. You're a medic Sakura, you don't belong on the frontlines with me, or at the back. Your place is in the med bay to tend to the wounded, even with Baa-chan's training you don't even belong on the battlefield. But, that doesn't mean you aren't useful. A medic's job is as important as the Shinobis one the frontline's. Perhaps even more so." Naruto said simply and before anything else could be said, he threw a smoke bomb down on the ground.

Sakura covered her eyes as the smoke covered the entire lake and cleared soon after, but as soon as it cleared. Naruto was nowhere to be seen.


An hour later, in a small lunch stand serving several kinds of easy foods, or take away, Sakura was sitting with one Ino Yamanaka. All seemed rather good, well, if you looked aside from the angry tone a certain pinkette was using.

"And then he left! Naruto he… He isn't the same person anymore…" Sakura finally finished. Her tone softening out at the end as she frowned with a soft gaze, staring into her palms resting in her lap.

Ino just blinked several times, seemingly stuck in place with a cup of tea placed in front of her mouth, her lips slightly parted around it. Without answering, she moved again and put the cup down. It had surprised her greatly that Naruto was home after so long, but she found it hard to believe all the things Sakura was saying. Yet on one side, why would she even lie about it?

When Sakura noticed Ino wasn't going to say anything, she sighed, "Ino…" She started softly, getting the blonde Yamanaka's attention. "Am I being selfish?"

Ino nodded with a shrug instantly at that, "Most definitely."

"W-What do you mean? Isn't it logical for me to want everything to go back to normal?" Sakura tried again, trying to find the slightest rational reasoning for her actions other than being selfish about it.

"What's logical for you and our village is completely different Sakura! I mean, of course, I understand, but from what you tell me here, this 'team' sounds rather important to the village. Yet it is logical, but only to you! While on the other side, this new team is more logical for the village. And while I don't know Naruto and Kakashi all too well yet, do you honestly think they would do this unless it's really super damn important?" Ino spoke out, waving her hands around in the air after each statement.

When Sakura didn't answer, Ino just sighed and went again, "Have you ever stopped-up to consider how hard this must be on them?"

Sakura's eyes widened as her gaze snapped to Ino's. She started to feel stupid. Such a simple sentence, but how great an impact. She had never stopped up to truly think how they must feel about this. They had treasured Team Seven too, Naruto had almost died to get Sasuke back the first time, Kakashi had lost yet another comrade and one of his students…

"Could I be in the wrong?" Sakura groaned out, slamming her hand onto the table, cracking and splintering the wood.

Nodding her head in an instant while sweatdropping at Sakura''s anger issues, Ino opened her mouth, "Yes you are. And not only that! You attacked your teammate! And not a moment before you said that, you explained to me how he is now a Jounin, hence your commanding officer, and also the person who effortlessly beat Kakashi Hatake for crying out loud!"

"I get it, I get it, could you keep it down please?!" Sakura hissed, as the people of the lunch stand started to stare in their direction.

"No worries you already got their attention when you broke the table." Ino shrugged casually.

Blushing with embarrassment, Sakura hid her face in her palms as she cringed visibly. "What am I supposed to do now…"

"I'm not quite sure… Yet there is something bothering me."

Raising her head, Sakura looked confused at Ino, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean, forehead, is that the way you describe Naruto resemble nothing of the orange loving moron we went to class with. What he said with medics on the battlefield might be partly right with the exception of maybe Tsunade-Shishou and Shizune-chan, but it was a bit cruel and dark to me." Ino mentioned, frowning lightly with an uncomfortable gaze.

Nodding a bit, Sakura shrugged with a small smile, "He is right though… I'm not close enough to be dependable as a combat medic yet. I want to be like Shishou, and earn my spot on the frontlines."

"That's the spirit! If Naruto is as amazing as you say, then it's going to be a hard job to get there to stand beside him in a battle, but if you work hard enough… Then I'm sure you can do it!" Ino reassured, clenching her fist with a big grin.

Nodding a bit more relieved and less tense than before, Sakura smiled, "Right! I can't slack off just because Team Seven is no more!"

"So uhm... " Ino then trailed off, a light pink blush on her face.

Blinking in confusion, Sakura tilted her head and stared at her blonde friend. "What?"

"Is he hot now?"

"INO!"


A few streets away, Naruto gave a quiet sneeze into his sleeve. "That was odd…" He mumbled, having not felt it coming at all.

"What is odd?" A voice can from behind him, causing him to turn around.

Smiling lightly, Naruto gave a small wave, "Kakashi-sensei."

The silver-haired Jounin with gravity-defying hair eye-smiled and walk up beside his student, clapping his book shut before stuffing it inside his shuriken pouch.

"I had an interesting talk with Sakura, it in easy words ended rather heated. And then she ran off to find you." Kakashi mentioned, his eye-smile dropping as he watched his blond students sigh loudly.

Nodding his head, the blond stared down into the ground while crossing his arms, "Yeah she came to me, and our exchange of words and blows were rather heated."

"You two fought?"

"More like she tried to teach me a lesson and I didn't feel like being a punching bag." Naruto shrugged, feeling a bit guilty over hurting his teammate like that.

Sighing Kakashi clapped his student's shoulder, "I don't exactly approve of you being so harsh on your teammate, but it's a good improvement that you won't just take hits from people anymore."

"She wouldn't listen… So I said some things, that might have been a bit harsh to hear…" Naruto sighs heavily, clutching his forehead.

"She'll come around, just… Don't let it become a habit, she's still a comrade and a teammate." Kakashi instructs, clapping the blond on the back.

Nodding Naruto folded his arms across his chest again, "It won't. She's also a friend. It just startled me that she can't see the seriousness and importance of this. We are Shinobi of Konoha and Hi no Kuni, or role and priority are always to protect the village."

"That's true and a very mature view Naruto, but try and see it from Sakura's point of view. Her life for the last five years since she came a Kunoichi has been Team Seven, and to get us back together. It all just dropped over her head all at once, we can't really doubt she wouldn't be upset about it." Kakashi tried to defend his female student, but it wasn't really required since the blond Uzumaki already understood somewhat.

"I know... " Naruto sighed, closing his eyes slowly.


As night began to fall over the village, Tsunade sighed and signed the last piece of paper for the day. Letting out a tired groan, she stood up and stretched. Today had been tiresome. The whole situation with Team Seven, and this new team, had been really tiresome.

Sighing with another groan, she lifted her head and called out for her assistance, "Shizune!"

Not a moment later, the brunette waltzed in through the door while sighing relieved. Her boss had actually done her job today. "You called Tsunade-sama?"

"Yeah, remember to send word out to those people before morning, have them meet here at twelve. Especially tell Kakashi not to be late," Tsunade instructed clearly, and her assistant nodded quickly.

"Hai. I shall see to it being done immediately." Shizune quickly bowed and left to prepare the letters to be sent out.

Tsunade watched her assistant and student leave her office, before turning her gaze onto the five folders laying across the table.

"I seriously hope those five will be able to get along." Tsunade sighed to herself, rubbing her temples as she looked across the several folders. All were great shinobi in their own right. And they should definitely be an even stronger foe when putting them together.


Hundreds of miles away from Konoha, a loud grunt could be heard from a long-haired blond male. "Hn! Sasori my man, your home gets sand in my sandals!"

"If you don't pick up the speed soon, you'll make me wait. I hate waiting. Don't test me Deidara." The companion now known as Sasori replies, making his blond fella snort.

Sighing loudly, using his straw hat to shield his face from the sun, he grumbled to himself, "At least this sand dune will go out with an explosion, a true piece of art."

"Art is lasting you dimwit. Art must be preserved, and shall be able to be just that for the remains of time." Sasori grunted back as a response.

Snorting more at that answer, Deidara crossed his arms across his chest, "No way! Art is beauty, and what is more beautiful than an explosion of fire and lights, the aftermath of smoke to imprint the moment into the people's lives of those who survived!"

"Your ignorance is worth a headache. Get on your clay bird, scout the area so we can get this over with. Time is precious, we don't get enough of it to wait any longer."


So before I get this shit ton of reviews pointing out how short this chapter is. I know. I have had like zero time to write for the past two months, like freaking hell, the first three chapters I basically wrote in a week. It took me what, two months to get this done? Damn, I'm starting to slack. Yet, to my defense, I only have access to a computer on the weekends due to school. Fortunately, that'll be over in around a month, and I should be back to doing regular updates for this story. I'm not running dead, I very much still like writing it, time is just what I don't have to dedicate myself to writing. Plus, writing on my phone is bothersome, but I'll give it a try this week. Maybe a longer chapter will be ready next weekend, who knows.

Chapter Question: Which pairing do you prefer? Yugito or Yugao. Looking forward to hearing from you.