In Which:
There is a discussion- The plan is revealed- Things get moving.
Naruto slipped silently and confidently from shadow to shadow, weaving through the complex twists of Konoha's streets with the ease of long practice.
Naruto had passed no less than four patrols on his way down the empty streets, none noticed him. The blond smirked to himself. He wondered what his friend would think of this: Uzumaki Naruto, number one loudest ninja, slipping undetected through the streets, so silent and not there that the eyes of Konoha's elite simply slid past him.
They would be surprised, no doubt. But they would be even more surprised to find out that he was not setting up a prank, but instead delivering the last of the payment for some very important- and therefore expensive- information.
The information he had paid for (and was still paying for) had come from Konoha's underground. There were three levels to Konoha: the top, in which the common, law-abiding people dwelled; the "underbelly" which contained smugglers, petty thieves, thugs for hire and other such unpleasant types. Then there was the real underground. The places where information was bought and sold, the places where truly dangerous and illegal goods could be found, the places that the Hokage never had and never would know about.
The places where it was taken for granted that the name you used was not real, that you were willing to kill at the drop of a hat. Places where the currency was just as often blood, death, and other such "favors" as it was money.
Luckily, the man he had purchased information from was all right with taking coin, so even if he was caught it would be perfectly legal and aboveground. Well, not quite, but still.
And the information had been worth every penny: patrol times for all of Konoha, who would work each patrol for the next eight months, where the hidden entrances into and out of the village were located, how to activate them, and where to find the best cover. With this, all he needed was an excuse not to be seen for a few days and he would be well out of reach long before anyone clued in.
And he knew what he would use as a cover, too. He just needed to work up the courage to talk to her.
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbO0o0Odddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
Naruto is an idiot,
thought Sakura. All week, he had been sneaking furtive glances at
her. This was not unusual, except for two things: one, his gaze was a
strange mix of calculating and uncertain instead of adoration, and
two, he was actually being subtle.
If the silly blond didn't say what was on his mind soon, she was going to corner him and make him talk. In fact, she decided impulsively, I'll do it right now!
The whole of the Rookie Nine had taken to meeting for lunch in the middle of training ground 31, which was usually abandoned. This meant that lunches had evolved from a slightly uncomfortable silence between the two remaining members of Team Seven into a rowdy affair including sporadic attacks on various members of the group by other members of the group, yelled insults and anyone and everyone, and the use of soba as a new and deadly weapon (don't ask.). The yelling was done mostly by Ino, Kiba and herself – not Naruto, to everyone's surprise.
In fact, Naruto had been a lot quieter and more thoughtful lately, which surprised many, including Sakura. But she, unlike the others, was surprised by the fact Naruto was showing the people around him who he was, not by the fact that he actually had a quiet side.
And he's still staring at me! Sakura growled under her breath. Enough was enough. With how chaotic things were right now, no one would notice her drag the blond off for a little chat. As Ino planted a fist into Kiba's face and another fight broke out, Sakura edged closer to Naruto, who was staring off into space.
Then, as the brawling pair became the centre of attention, she struck.
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbO0o0Oddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
Naruto was jarred rudely out of his thoughts by a hand over his mouth and a vice-like grip on his arm. In his surprise, he simply allowed Sakura to tow him past the tree line around the training ground and well into the forest. She took a moment to form a half-seal with her free hand, and he felt a wave of chakra wash through him. Then she released him abruptly, spun him around, and glared.
"Explain."
Naruto winced. She had obviously noticed something off. Damn. Okay, he hadn't planned on this, but it was as good a time to 'fess up as any. He took a deep breath.
"Okay. Just...listen. Hear me out completely, then you have full permission to rant. Are we safe?"
"Yes," Sakura answered, frowning at him. "I've set up the usual ward. No sound will escape."
"Right. Good. It's like this…. You and I both know that we would follow Sasuke anywhere he needed us to be right?"
Sakura frowned again. "Yess, Naruto, I know. But he left us behind."
"Well, yeah. We know we'll do anything for the stupid bastard, but he doesn't! So, I got to thinking that, well, maybe we're going about this whole thing wrong. The bastard's never going to give up on killing Itachi, and he thinks going to Sound will help him get strong enough. Maybe…we should support that. Support him. Even if he is a stuck up asshole."
Sakura ignored the insults to her teammate and crush. "What do you mean, support him? How can we do anything for him from Konoha except try to bring him back?"
Naruto raised his head and stared her straight in the eye. "We can't do anything from Konoha. So we go where we can help him. To Sound. We follow our idiot anywhere he needs us."
Sakura spluttered, staring incredulously at her friend. "But…but…What about the others?! And what about the Hokage?!"
"The way I see it, the other Rookies will get it. I mean, they'll be angry at first, but Shinkamaru will figure things out pretty quick, and he'll tell them. As for baa-chan …well, I suppose we just hope for the best!" He laughed sheepishly, then abruptly sobered. "Sakura…I want you with me in this, but I'll do it either was. The bastard needs people around him who will ground him or he'll loose himself."
For a long, tense moment, Sakura was quiet, thinking. Her mother was always busy now, as a nurse at the hospital. Her father had gone back on duty as a ninja three years ago. She rarely saw either of them, and all three of them around the dinner table was a rare thing. It would take them a few weeks to notice she was gone. But abandon her friends? Her village?
Finally, she broke the silence. "Alright. Show me what you've planned. I'll go."
Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and grinned. "Alright. We'll start by having a very public fight, and one of us will storm off….."
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbO0o0Odddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
And so, it begins. Next chapter will come within a week. It will include the words "You sanctimonious prick! Go suck eggs!" Am I the only one who finds that line ridiculous?
-Heliotropic