A/N: Well, here's the next installment of the story! Sorry for the update time, but my editors are slow. Enjoy!
Still don't own anything. No suing. Got it?
Chapter 5- Prodigal Traitor
Two months had passed, and the hot summer was drawing to an end. News had spread like wildfire of the new shinobi in Konoha. The four Akatsuki members had been given asylum, while Naruto and Jiraiya had returned to normal living, Naruto with his training, and Jiraiya with his… research. Often was the sound of screeching, indignant women heard.
Of course, Naruto had fallen into his old routines, eating ramen and spending time with friends, with great vigor. He could be seen any day of the week walking down the streets of the Leaf Village, arguing with Kiba or laughing at one of Choji's many attempts at wooing Ino Yamanaka. His new friend, Harry, was equally at his side, like a new sidekick, or perhaps maybe a henchman. Of course, Harry simply accepted the lack of attention in stride. Ever since the attention at Hogwarts, Harry Potter had relished any opportunity to be out of the spotlight. And Naruto seemed to attract attention to himself without even trying.
And if Naruto was seen in the company of one girl, he was seen with a hundred. Every teenaged girl seemed to flock to him like gulls to food. He simply shrugged off the ladies, save for one. Hinata was often the target of multiple death-glares, as she could seem to glomp to Naruto without being ignored. Naruto would turn to her and smile, regaling her with tales of his exotic travels alongside the (aptly-named) Toad-sage. His other feminine friends could be caught holding his shoulder, or arm, while he went about life, but none nearly as much as Hinata. She accepted the killing-intent laced stares with quiet grace and dignity.
The odd trio, Naruto, Hinata and Harry, had become faster friends than any could have expected. Harry quickly achieved his genin rank in a record time, being pushed by Anko faster and harder than most could hope to survive. Due to the lack of genin teams, he was placed in a special team alongside Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura. Harry quickly proved his worth, combing magic with jutsu in devastating combinations. Of course, he had his share of ass-whooping, courtesy of several taijutsu experts who could have given Lee a run for his money. But the boy quickly learned his lessons, and meshed well with his team
Dawn rose on a new day, heralding Harry's third month in Konoha. Today, the original Rookie Nine were meeting, along with Team Gai for a joint training exercise in one of the more distant training grounds. Team Ten and the remnants of teams Seven and Eight were already assembled. Naruto was hanging from a tree branch, weaving another tale of heroics from his journey, while Harry and Kiba laughed at the blonde's antics. Shino and Shikamaru simply sat watching the clouds, while Choji munched the largest bag of chips any of the ninja had ever seen.
A snapping twig dragged the super-sensitive senses of the shinobi straight to attention. Naruto dropped from the tree, waiting for the source of the noise to show itself.
"What is it?" Harry whispered to an alert Kiba.
"Intruder. No Leaf-nin would make a stupid mistake like stepping on a branch. We live in a forest for Kami's sake!" The muttered reply was enough to worry the ninja-wizard.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Sakura shouted, drawing a handful of shuriken.
The shape that stepped from the shadows slowly formed into a man.
Harry vaguely wondered why half the shinobi suddenly went stiff. Naruto hadn't reacted, but Sakura…
Harry shivered seeing the girl's reaction. The blank stare, totally devoid of any emotion whatsoever, was so out of place, it was like staring at a wall.
The boy wasn't tall. Harry estimated him to be about 5 feet 6 inches. The black hair on his head was swept back almost like a duck's tail. A white shirt hung open, revealing toned muscles, hiding under unhealthily pale skin. Black pants were held up by a thick purple rope.
"Sasuke," Naruto growled, almost feral. His eyes had turned from cold to hate-filled. A snarl greeted the boy.
'So this is Sasuke Uchiha!' Harry thought to himself.
"Naruto." Sasuke looked over at his old teammate. A small, almost-smirk, bent at the corner of his mouth.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm hurt! I come all this way, and this is my greeting?" Sasuke's smirk grew. "I heard a certain someone was here, and I came to fulfill my goal."
"Bastard!" Naruto shouted, but Sasuke was already gone. He reappeared next to the unmoving Sakura.
"Hello, Sakura-chan. Long time now see." He reached out a hand to stroke her cheek. The girl leaned into the contact, trying to confirm the reality of the touch. Harry suddenly heard a gasp from behind him.
Team Gai had arrived.
Tenten, the source of the noise, stood with one hand over her mouth. Gai and Neji simply glared at the Uchiha. But Lee…
Harry felt his heart break as he saw the devastated look on the green-clad boy's face. It seemed that Sasuke had come back, and Lee would lose again.
A sigh, barely perceptible, drew Harry back to the tableau before him.
Sakura suddenly snapped her eyes open. The killing intent rolling off of her forced most of the assembled ninja to stumble back, the boys suddenly fearing for their man-hoods. The girl gripped the hand on her cheek in a fist, popping several knuckles under the vice grip.
"KAI!!!" She screamed a feral cry as the entwined hands were driven into the ground hard enough to cause a tremor. When the dust settled, the shinobi observed the scene before them.
And proceeded to fall back on their rears laughing. Sasuke's entire arm, from the elbow down, was buried in the dirt. He stared up at Sakura, eyes bulging in surprise, and not a little bit of fear.
The girl simply huffed once, dusted her hands off, and walked over to Lee, where she proceeded to leap onto his torso and prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was an Uchiha fan girl no more.
Harry found himself wanting a girl to do that to him. 'Maybe Ginny would… wait… where the HELL did that come from?!' His mind locked up in the mental equivalent of a train wreck.
Meanwhile, Naruto had gotten to his feet, still chuckling darkly at the Uchiha struggling with the ground. Several (painful) tugs later, and the two stood facing each other.
"You're lucky." Naruto's statement was received with a blank stare. "She was gonna break your legs." Naruto suddenly frowned. "Care to explain why I shouldn't do the honors?"
Sasuke blanched. He froze up, looking at his old teammates, his former comrades, who had come so very far from their genin days. Sakura, strong as an ox, but as beautiful as her namesake. Naruto, tall, muscular, and mature. The insight truly terrified Sasuke.
"I… That is to say… umm…" He stammered for a couple seconds before stopping. He hung his head. Grief and shame welled up in his chest, threatening to burst out. "I have no reason. I deserve worse for how I acted. I was a damned fool. I'm sorry. So sorry!" Sasuke finally broke down in tears, repeating "I'm sorry," again and again, before Naruto put a hand on his shoulder. The two stared at each other for a moment before Naruto smirked a bit.
"Yes, you were a fool. Kakashi-taicho always said 'Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon comrades are worse than trash.' There's a reason for that. We would have helped you then. All you needed to do was ask." Naruto chuckled a bit, and Sasuke actually felt a chance at redemption.
"Besides, he also said look under the underneath! If you had, you would have realized the revenge and hatred was unnecessary! Then, you get started on the second half of your dream!" The blonde finished with an exaggerated pervert-grin.
WHACK!!!
"Oww! Sakur--- oh!" Naruto rubbed his head in pain, before turning to his tormentor. "Hinata-chan! Heh, heh… gulp!"
Hinata was fuming at the apparent perversion in Naruto. She turned her baleful stare on her blonde crush.
"None of that. We didn't have you train for three years to be another pervert, Naruto-kun." Sasuke smiled, before wilting under her attention as the small girl turned to him. "And you, Uchiha-san. If all that was true, then you are a fool, but an apologetic fool. You are willing to repent, and we shall give you the opportunity. I assume that, as you are here alone, Orochimaru and his sound-cronies are indisposed? Otherwise, they might have followed you. Right?" Her tone brokered no argument, and Sasuke meekly nodded. "Good. Then we'll report to the Hokage immediately. Move it!" She shouted the last words, grabbing both boys by their ears and dragging them away.
The remaining shinobi simply gaped at the scene that unfolded in front of them. It could have been the Uchiha crying, Naruto as a pervert, or Hinata actually dominating two growing teens, or some combination of the three, but all thought had been cut off, even to the degree that Kiba and Ino both sported hanging jaws.
Two poofs heralded the arrival of three more shinobi. Asuma and Kurenai both appeared next to the tree, bearing coffee. Kakashi materialized in front of everyone.
"Yo!" He waved at the shinobi. Several moments passed in silence before the cyclopean jonin realized neither of his students were berating him for being late.
"Where's Naruto? And Hinata? And why are Inuzuka-san and Yamanaka-san gaping at me? And why is Sakura trying to pump Lee's stomach with her mouth?"
The other ninja simply looked at Kakashi in continued silence.
Kiba and Harry looked at each other. Kiba shrugged and pulled a cup of coffee from his sensei's container.
"Your turn, Potter-san. Have fun!" He waved before walking off after Hinata. The group followed him.
Harry turned back to his temporary teacher and captain. The man was still smiling his creepy one-eye smile.
'Where to begin…'
And you thought Sakura was going to welcome him back with open legs.... I mean arms.
Well, the next chapter will be coming soon. I have it mostly written, and I just need to type and edit it.
Anyone wondering, this will be N/H and H/G, but the pairings will build up over time. Naruto isn't just going to jump into bed with Hinata. He's a normal ninja teenager. He sees pretty girl, he wants pretty girl, he pursues pretty girl in awkward fashion. Everyone laughs at him, but he still gets the girl.
No I'm not going to consider other pairings. I have the romance plotted out. No one may change my mind.
Next Chapter Preview: "There is more to this story than meets the eye, but not much."