Dawn arises in Konoha, as it is wont to do each morning; the firmament is a mix of beautiful warm colours and the sun a glowing speck above the sleepy village slowly unfurling her petals like a flower from her slumber. The jubilant birdsongs echo through the dewy air as the young Uzumaki steps out of the townhouse affectionately dubbed 'Little Uzushio' by his parents and his godfather. He sweeps one last cursory glance around the brightly furnished interior, bright blue eyes landing on the small vase of purple and yellow wildflowers in the breakfast nook's table and smiles, warmth spreading through him as he remembers picking the flowers with Ino and Hinata. He lifts the straps of his dark purple backpack—embroidered with the Uchiha clan symbol and pink and purple flowers—over his shoulder, nodding with satisfaction when he finds nothing out of place.

He shuts the door behind him and locks it, pausing briefly to debate whether he should apply the security seals as an extra precaution for the house. On one hand: it could be seen as overkill, considering the crime rate in Konoha was so low that it was unlikely that he would get robbed; on the other hand, he was leaving the village on his very first mission, and his godfather drilled lessons into him about the importance of being cautious, even if he lived in a village filled with ninja and even if he locked the door. There were important scrolls, Jiraiya-jiji said, scrolls given to Kushina-hime from Mito-hime, scrolls filled with dangerous sealing jutsu, scrolls even Orochimaru would want. And while Naruto hasn't seen the scrolls in question, as he's only a novice fūijtusu student, he's seen the vault in which they were stored. Pretty impressive seal work, his godfather had said, as he showed the boy the vault, Mito-hime's design, modernized and expanded upon by your mother. This seal has only been used thrice—to protect this vault and its secrets, the second was used to protect this house and the third was to protect something in the Uchihiku.

But he wonders as he stands there, five years later, why those special seals didn't protect the Uchiha clan from the former heir, from being slaughtered.

( perhaps it wasn't meant to protect the entirety of the Uchihiku )

Perhaps they'd never know why the seals and protective wards failed to protect the entire clan, or why Itachi slaughtered his entire clan sans Sasuke, but he could protect the last survivor—his best friend—and even if Sasuke pushed him away now, he'd find a way to protect him.

He shakes his head, clearing those dark thoughts from his mind. Better safe than sorry he thinks, sliding a bloodied finger across the door frame in intricate designs, watching with glittering eyes as the wood absorbs his life-blood and settles into the cracks of the townhouse, fueling the protection seals and wards. Starlight slides down his spine and settles into his bones, leaving him feeling connected to the house.

Naruto slips his bleeding finger into his mouth, licking the residual blood and once the wound is clean (he doesn't bother wrapping it up with gauze, knowing his accelerated healing will take care of the rest), he slips his hands into his pockets. He walks down the stoop, careful not to disturb the potted plants decorating it, the power of the wards and seals buzzing under his skin like an itch under his skin he isn't able to scratch away—a side effect of setting the seals, his sensei said, it'll go away after a while.

Most of the inhabitants of Konoha are still asleep at that hour, lost in the realm of sweet dreams, unaware of the beauty of the morning sun or the birdsongs, of the darkness that rises like specks of moondust (something dark comes, the dark voice croons in his ear, beware the hare and the solar flare, forswear the forest of despair). But for the shinobi of Konoha, their day has already begun; as had Naruto's. He'd risen that morning, dewy-eyed and aching, lightning lancing up his spine, and as he wiped the tears from his eyes, the dream faded away like smoke in the wind and he was left with the taste of ashes in his mouth and a ringing sound in his ears.

( plumes of smoke rising slowly in the starlit sky from the dilapidated building—

black tears dripping from red-tinted eyes, an ear-splitting wail echoing in the forest )

The strange dream lingers in his mind, the details falling away like deadened stars, yet the dread lingers within him and he can't explain why it scares him so. It was so unlike his other dreams; those dreams he could explain, at least. As the jinchūriki of Nine-Tailed-Fox, it wasn't uncommon for him to awaken with the taste of blood coating his tongue, a deep hunger for birds and bugs gnawing at the core of his being, or the urge to run through the forest and dip his toes into the river.

A sigh escapes his lips as he stops himself from tumbling down that rabbit hole; now isn't the time to be distracted: Team 7 had a new mission—their very first C-rank mission outside the village and he needs to be focusing on that. Yet, flashes of red and black seep into his thoughts.

By the time Naruto arrives at his team's training area, it's considerably warmer; the chill of the spring morning making way for the heat of the spring sun. Sunlight shifts through the forest leaves, casting the training grounds in half shadow, and it's in the shadow that he catches sight of Sasuke alone. Neither their third squad member nor their sensei has arrived yet, but Naruto's not too worried; their female teammate will show up soon, she's not one to be late, and their sensei shortly after. Their sensei was never late. Excitement buzzes inside him, like Shino's bugs beneath his skin—and he finds himself wishing the last two would hurry up so they could depart that much sooner.

Sasuke doesn't notice him at first as engrossed in cleaning his kunai as he is and Naruto can't help but watch him; the long fingers of his left hand curling around the pommel as he wipes a cloth up and down the blade with his other. Naruto's eyes wander up to his face, taking in the dark circles under his eyes, the furrowing of his brows, and the slight frown curling at his mouth. If Naruto looks closely, he can see the freckles that litter Sasuke's aristocratic nose, but in the morning light and with the pallor of his skin, they're half-hidden like the moon behind the clouds.

"Hey, Sasuke."

Naruto looks down again and red coats Sasuke's fingers like caramel on an apple, dripping onto the grass with a soft pitter-patter. Fear slithers down his spine as his gaze flickers upwards, blue eyes widening at the sight that greets him: blood stains Sasuke's moonlike face, sloping down the curve of his jaw, collecting beneath his shirt, and a wicked grin curves at his mouth as his sword swings downwards—

"—to."

"Usuratonkachi."

He blinks and the red disappears like mist in the sunlight, though the colour burns into his mind, along with the image of Sasuke's sharp-toothed smile and red-tinted eyes. "Whussit?"

"I asked if you remembered to eat breakfast." annoyance laces Sasuke's tone as he peers at Naruto's face, dark eyebrows drawn together.

"Oh—uh, yeah."

Sasuke stares at him for a few more seconds before turning his gaze to his (clean) weapons, and Naruto forces himself not to follow his gaze, to look at Sasuke (blood blood blood, wicked smile). What was that—a dream? A Vision? Uneasiness crawls in his belly like a spider skittering across the forest floor.

Naruto plasters a smile on his face, swallowing the nausea that crawls up his spine. "Did you eat breakfast? We have a mission you know."

Sasuke glances up at him, boredom painting his features, though a hint of something flashes in his dark eyes. "Of course I did, who do you think I am?"

"Someone who forgot to eat his food?" He cracks a smile, laughing at the squawk of indignation from Sasuke and the filthy glare he sends at Naruto.

"I brought some snacks!" Naruto sets his backpack on the grass and unzips it, carefully reaching inside to get Sasuke something to eat. His fingers curl around the snack he'd prepared—for both this reason and for the journey ahead of them. It's Sasuke's favorite, roasted tomato onigiri, and judging from the hunger that glints in Sasuke's eyes, he's glad he decided to pack extra food. He throws the onigiri in Sasuke's general direction and watches as Sasuke catches it, the red from his ears fading.

"Eat, tomato."

Naruto settles on the ground, crossing his legs in front of him, and turns his gaze towards his friend, the vision creeping into his thoughts like a venomous, irresistible poison; his gorge rising like the tides of the shore at the remembrance of blood stained fingers and burning flesh—

( beware the hare and the solar flare, forswear the forest of despair )

Unable to stand the memory of Sasuke covered in blood, Naruto turns away and pulls his well worn copy of The Gathering of the Bands, a book he hoped would distract him until it was time to leave for the mission. Sasuke had gotten him into the book series, and now it became his comfort book; a book that reminded him of his early childhood, of the time before the massacre when the Uchiha clan still thrived in their district and dimpled smiles came easier to Sasuke's mouth, especially when they pretended to be Bodo Haggins and his faithful friend, Samlad Goodchild on their journey to Markhor. He opens the book to his bookmarked page, and begins reading.

The third member of their team sweeps in not long after he picks up from where he left off, and the sun brightens at her arrival, welcoming her as one would welcome a child (and even the shadows scatter at her arrival).

"Good morning, my dear boys." She says, settling down next to Sasuke, tossing her braid behind her.

Naruto looks up from the passage about Samlad 'dropping no eaves', lips curling upwards into a smile as he looks at his female squad member. "G'Morning' freckles."

Sayuri is dressed practically in black shorts and a sleeveless electric-indigo high-stand collar blouse with the Ōhirume sun on the back, her white-gold curls pulled into a simple plait down her back. Dressed in his plain orange pants and black shirt, he feels drab in comparison.

Although he wishes he was on a team with Sakura, oh Sakura, with her vine-green eyes and cherry blossom pink hair, he's come to appreciate Sayuri (and he knows Sasuke does too) for her quick wit, smile that rivals the sun, her appreciation for ramen and not fangirling over Sasuke. They have enough of that from Ino and as much as he likes Ino, her fangirling of Sasuke is, well, annoying. But he and Sasuke managed to handle it—just barely.

Sasuke sweeps a sidelong glance at Sayuri, nodding at the female member of his team. "Ōhirume." His voice isn't cold, or detached when he speaks to her—though he addresses her by her surname.

Naruto cracks a smile—that's just how Sasuke was; after The Massacre he stopped using honorifics, and though some people might have cared (the council members—bleh!—other adults), Sayuri doesn't find it offensive.

"You look a bit, tired, Sasuke. Have you been sleeping well?"

"I'm fine, Ōhirume."

Sayuri shoots Naruto a look and Naruto shrugs, mouthing the words we'll talk later behind Sasuke's back.

"Our next mission should be interesting," Sayuri says to no one in particular, her sweet voice filling the sweet summer air. "We're leaving the village for the first time."

"Yosh! I'm ready, I even packed extra snacks!" A fox-like smile curls at Naruto's mouth as he pats his backpack, careful not to crush the food.

"We're only planting flowers in a neighboring town and escorting the town's priestess to her village, it's hardly impressive." Sasuke drolls, boredom painting lacing his voice. "Always thinking with your stomach, hm, Samlad?"

Sayuri rolls her eyes, but there's a fond smile on her mouth. "A mission is a mission, right? Who knows, perhaps something exciting will happen."

"Oi!" Like Sayuri, a warm smile curls at his mouth and—oh—was that his imagination or did he see a smirk flutter across Sasuke's face? Something warm settles in his bones when Sasuke mentions his childhood nickname—and character from their favourite book. "I thought we agreed that I was Bodo. I'm brave and heroic like him."

Sayuri laughs, laughing dark eyes bouncing between her male teammates. "I don't know Naruto, you remind me of Samlad—you're both strong and loyal friends who like potatoes."

"Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew."

He knows he's not dreaming when he sees the corners of Sasuke's mouth lift up, the dimple showing, but it's gone like lightning, and Naruto mourns it's loss like the flower mourns the sun when it sets. It's such a small thing, but somehow, he feels as though everything's going to be okay.

Sayuri's tinkling laughter caresses his ears, reminding him of the windchimes that hang outside on the patio. "Then who am I?" She asks with an arched eyebrow.

He and Sasuke share a glance, a thousand things transmitting between them, and he breaks the stare first and turns to look at Sayuri. "Áreiel, the daughter of Eldasil—she was headstrong, persuasive and confident and she fell in love with Aearondir and loved him so much that she forsook her immortality to be with him."

Sayuri sighs dreamily, resting her cheek against the palm of her hand. "That's awfully romantic. One day, I hope to love someone as much as Áreiel loved Aearondir. And I hope my chosen partner loves me with as much ferocity."

"They will, tebayo!"

It was then that their sensei made her timely arrival. She, like everyone else, is dressed practically in a long-sleeved black turtleneck under the traditional jōnin, vest, her dark hair pinned up into a bun with poisoned senbon, the blades on her back looking anything but ornamental—she's looking every inch the hardened warrior and kenjutsu mistress.

Naruto scrambles to his feet, pulling his backpack over his shoulder, his mind attempting to filter out all the unnecessary consent; he needs to be focused on the mission at hand. He can hear the other two doing the same, but he doesn't pay much attention to them for he's already focused. He wants to prove to their sensei and the old man that they are ready for both this mission and other c-ranked missions. He doesn't want to disappoint him.

Their sensei holds her overnight bag in one hand, the scroll with the mission information in the other, amber eyes sharp as she sweeps a glance at her genin squad. "We'll store our backpacks in this scroll, meet the Priestess at the front gates, then we'll be on our way."

"Yes sensei," the three of them chime.

"I expect each and every one of you to uphold the integrity of Konoha and respect the traditions and such of Kikozaki when we arrive. As an assignment, I want each of you to observe the village, the villagers, and her traditions, and write a short report on what you observed."

Naruto bites back a groan—another write up. Misaka-sensei had taken a shine to assigning her squad members little write up assignments—to practice their observation skills and writing reports for the Hokage, she said.

"Yes Misaka-sensei." They repeat. She motions for them to place their backpacks in front of her so she could seal the backpacks in a storage seal. It was easier to travel that way, and if they were ambushed, not being burdened by cumbersome backpacks would help them fight off their enemies. Naruto watches with a keen eye, as she seals their backpacks in the seal, and slips the scroll into her ninja pack.

Misaka slides her gaze at Sasuke, her golden eyes softening slightly. "Are you injured, Uchiha-san?" she gestures towards the bandages around Sasuke's hand, and Naruto curses silently, wishing he hadn't missed that.

"I'm fine. It's a scratch." He says by way of explaining. Naruto peers into Sasuke's face, but the darker boy doesn't give anything away; he is completely expressionless. "It won't affect my ability to carry out the mission."

Misaka-sensei peers at Sasuke for a few moments longer, and nods. "If the wound affects your ability to carry out the mission, I expect you'll tell me?"

"Yes sensei."

Naruto turns to the female member of their squad, lips curving into a foxy grin. "Psst, freckles, want a ride?"

A dark eyebrow arches, but her lips curve into an amused smile. "You'll give me a piggyback ride? What are you, twelve?"

"Yes."

Naruto leans over and beckons Sayuri to wrap her arms around his shoulders, a smile curling at his mouth. He hears her step forward, and out of the corner of his eye, he sees Sasuke roll his eyes. "Your chariot awaits, M'lady."

A laugh escapes her lips as she leans forward and wraps her arms around his neck, the warmth of her breath making him shiver as it feathers across his neck. He hears her inhale, wondering if she can smell the mint and hibiscus shampoo he'd pilfered from Sasuke's stash (not that Sasuke will notice, probably, maybe—hopefully), and hoists her into the air, feeling his knees and back protesting at the added weight, cheeks heating up as he notices the way his hands are holding her by the thighs.

"Ándale, good sir!"

He swallows and inhales, the smell of jasmine and coconut invading his senses as he follows his sensei and teammate.

They reach the gate just as the air turns balmy, the scent of blossoms on the air. Their client is waiting there, of course, and Naruto takes a good look at her. She's older than them, with pretty blonde hair and a smile that sends shivers down his spine—

Beware of the solar flare and the forest of despair.

"This is our client, Ikehata Risu. As you know, we'll be escorting her to her village, and helping them as they prepare for their summer festival." their sensei says, giving them a look—be respectful, my hatchlings.

"Hello young ones. I am so very pleased you have decided to accompany me to my village. I am looking forward to this journey and I do hope we will all be friends." her silky voice slides down his spine, the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck rising.

"Hello Ikehata-san—I can call you that, right?" Sayuri asks as she slides off his back, and he mourns the heat against his back, suddenly cold. "I'm excited to see your village, and observe your customs."

"Yes, you may—may I enquire as to your name, young one?"

"Oh—I'm Sayuri. It's a pleasure to meet you." She bows and from the corner of his eye, he catches their sensei give her a proud smile.

They depart from the village soon after, with Misaka-sensei leading the squad; the priestess directly behind her and Sasuke and Sayuri on either side of her (Sayuri chats away with her while Sasuke stays silent). He takes up the rear, protecting his squad and the client from the back (far away from the woman whose smile sends shivers down his spine, who smells of blood and flowers).

Hello beautiful lovelies! It's been 3-4 months since I last updated this fic! School has been busy and inspiration has been low. However! I'm glad you've stuck with me and waited patiently. This chapter, as you've noticed is from Naruto's point of view - and I'll be switching between Sasuke's point of view, Naruto's point of view, and Sayuri's point of view. There may be some interludes from other characters but for now, those are the main point of view.

Team 7 is off on their next adventure! This arc replaces the wave arc, but will have the same impact as the wave mission. I had originally planned to write a training arc, but i was just too excited to get to this arc/the village so I rearranged the order of the arcs.

So, i'm sure you've noticed that Team 7 has two different members : Misaka Yabuchi, their sensei and Sayuri Ohirume, their third squad member. Yes, these are two original characters. Kakashi will be featured, even though he isn't the sensei of Team 7. I did warn you in the chapter one notes that this is a very different Team 7 and there were even some hints in the first chapter that team seven's sensei was Not Kakashi. Not to worry, Kakashi will still show up and he'll be involved in team 7's development.

Please let me know what you think!