Chapter 12, fresh off the press! Thanks for the reviews and I'm glad my story is liked and being read. Well, hope you all like the next chapter.

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Unwanted

Chapter 12 – Sasuke and Naruto still don't have a new sensei

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"Oh," Naruto said after she had finished her story, "I had no idea about that…"

"I told my friend Cagalli that I would tell them too, I haven't told them yet, but I just can't…" she hugged herself. Naruto's eyes closed half way as he reached out and took hold of Katya. He pulled her close to him and hugged her tightly. He felt her arms reach around his body and close tightly too. Then he felt her start to sob, then she pulled away from him.

"Katya?"

"Stay away from me!" she yelled at him.

"What?" he said, shocked.

"I said stay away, Uzumaki Naruto!" she stood up and looked down at him. "I hate you!"

Katayanagi dashed through the thick brush and she was gone.

"Katya…" he said quietly.

--

Naruto walked again through Konoha, he was dragging his feet and he hadn't changed since he buried Iruka, so his clothes were still dirty. Many people stared, some whispered to each other, they all watched the fox boy walk.

Ino, who was eating an ice cream cone with Chouji, saw Naruto and jumped up, leaving her cone behind.

"Naruto!" she called and she met face to face with him on the street. "What's up?"

"I don't want to talk now." he replied with a monotone voice.

"Naruto…"

"Please leave me alone."

She put her hands on her hips and looked at the bedraggled Naruto who looked only at the ground. "Naruto." she said again finally and he gave the same response. "Don't give me that!" she snapped back and his head lifted slightly. "What happened to the Naruto I used to know who always ran around, care-free, chasing after Sakura and rivaling with Sasuke?" he shook his head.

"I don't know."

"Well go find him, ok? Because this new Naruto is a stick in the mud and an ass as far as I can see, so lighten up, alright?" she smiled at him sweetly and her voice was sweet. Everyone looked at the two in the middle of the street.

"He's gone." he replied.

"Where did he go?" she asked. He didn't respond instantly, it took him a moment.

"He's dead." Ino started to get mad. She lifted her hand and slapped him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM, NARUTO?!" she yelled. "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT PUT YOU INTO THIS MOOD BUT I DON'T LIKE IT AND NOW THAT I THINK OF IT, IT WAS PROBABLY NOT A GOOD IDEA TO SLAP YOU BUT I DON'T CARE!! LIGHTEN UP, NARUTO! YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT SO BADLY OFF!"

"What do you know?" he asked and without waiting for an answer he pushed by her and continued on.

"I guess that was a little uncalled for…" she thought than laughed. "So was that…"

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Sakura brushed her hair and then put down the brush and sat back on her bed. She wanted to help Sasuke find a trainer, but she had no idea where to start. Kakashi-sensei is who she would have picked. She got up again and looked out her window, Naruto was sitting gloomily on a bench outside; she went to see him.

He was looking at his feet and didn't move when she approached him. "Hello, Naruto," she said sweetly, he didn't respond, "what's wrong?" he shook his head.

"Many things." He answered.

"You can tell me, Naruto." Sakura felt that she had been so mean to him all the times before when they were together, hitting Naruto and chasing Sasuke, her rudeness had never seemed to affect him, and now she felt as if she helped his condition now. "You can tell me anything."

"Remember Iruka-sensei? From the Academy?" he asked after a moment of silence, she nodded. "He's dead, someone killed him." The news shocked Sakura.

"But Naruto!" she said in a louder tone. "He meant so much to you!" he nodded and she quieted down. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

"That's what she said too…" he whispered.

"Who?" Sakura asked.

"Katya." He replied almost instantly. "I told her, and then I hugged her but she started to cry and pulled away from me and said she hated me. I have no idea she was faking the whole time…"

"About?"

"Liking me."

"She said she did?"

"No, but she gave me this," he took out the locket she had given him before the chuunin exams began, "she said it was for good luck. And when we first met…"

Sakura waited patiently for him to continue, but he didn't. "And when we first met…?" she urged him on.

"She kissed me." Sakura was shocked. Any girl she knew wouldn't just kiss a guy they liked as soon as they met, they were too shy or something, or just too sane. But what was insane about kissing someone you just met? She pondered on the questions. "And in our fight she said she couldn't fight me…I don't know anymore!" he yelled out now, and then was quiet. "Is there even a point to live…?"

Inside, Sakura felt furious. She stood up fast and looked down at the blonde. "What do you mean, 'is there even a point to live'? You want to be Hokage, remember? So that you can be recognized, and not be looked down upon because you have the spirit of a fox that almost killed everyone in Konoha! You don't want people to think of that when they see you or your name, you want them to think, 'the Hokage, Konoha's leader,' not 'the boy with the fox inside him', right?" he nodded slightly.

"Iruka is dead, your girlfriend dumped you, and you think your life is over?" she realized something. "I've never had someone close to me die, I was fortunate, but does that mean I'm weak and will give up everything when something goes wrong? What would Iruka want you to do?"

Naruto thought a moment, then replied, "He'd want me to be strong."

"Exactly."

"And," Naruto stood up and looked Sakura in the eye, "and I will be strong, I'll make Iruka-sensei proud." Then his usual smile appeared on his face, a smile he thought he would never smile again. "Thanks, Sakura!"

"Sure Naruto," she smiled back, "no problem."

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"Now, about my new trainer…" he thought. He was sitting on another bench looking towards the river. A pair of half-naked legs appeared in front of him, he looked up quickly before he started to blush. The silver-haired teammate of Katya's was standing in front of him.

"You're Naruto, right?" she asked.

"Uh huh…" he answered. "And you are the one with the crush on Gaara, right?" she turned red.

"How the hell do you know?" she snapped.

"Because of two things. You were always looking at him and in your battle you well, you get my drift." He shrugged. "So anyway, what is it that you wanted?"

"To train you." Naruto jumped up, almost making her fall backwards and roll into the river. She caught her balance. "What's so wrong with that? Why did you jump up like that?

"What do you mean?" he snapped, his blood pressure rose tremendously. "I don't want to be trained by someone younger than me and who lost their fight!"

"Hey watch your tongue!" she snapped back. "How do you know I'm younger than you anyway, besides, I lost to a worthy opponent!"

"Yeah?" he said more clam, "I'm 13 and was born on the 10th of October."

"I'm 13 and was born on the 1st of April." She replied. Naruto felt stumped, he had to think of a comeback…

"Well how do I know you didn't just lose you match on purpose just so you could have lost by Gaara's hand?" The emotion in Cagalli's eyes turned from anger into sadness.

"What do you know?" she ran off.

"…" Naruto sat back on the bench. "I guess she would have been an alright trainer…"

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"Lady Tsunade!" Sasuke was finally let in to see the Hokage.

"What is it, Uchiha?" she asked him.

"I need a sensei, so I can train before the month is up and the chuunin exams continue." He said it all out at once.

"Hmm…"

"Well can you do that?" he asked, she mused for a moment longer than replied, "Yes Sasuke, I think I can."

She stood up from her desk and walked towards him. "Now what kind of sensei would you like?"

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That is the end of Chapter 12! Phew, that took its time but wait a moment I updated yesterday! Man I'm going fast, that's good. Well please R&R!