disclaimer: emo fox ATTACK still does not own Naruto

Chapter 3

Have edited chapter 2 for some minor annoyances.

The night was brutal, assaulting his senses with the acrid smell of smoke as phantom tongues of fire ghosted across his skin. That young face of the crying Iwa nin was on an endless loop, blackening and cracking with a grin plastered on that was as vicious as Tsunade's. Naruto knew sleep would not be coming to him for a long time, and he thought back with a smile those grief-filled nights after his first kill: at least then he had had a reason.

He could not sleep: a prickling sense of foreboding pervaded his body, and unpleasant tingles of something traveled the length of his spin. His guts were churning, and he was feverish. He was not sick, of course- Kyuubi would not allow it. He was not one to worry, but this deep sense of anxiousness was lingering, worse than the stink that took weeks to wash out of his old jumpsuit when the old landlord cut off his water and he couldn't afford to go to the laundromat.

Naruto was nervous. Fuck that, he was scared.

Scared of what? Even he did not know. But those intangible fears were the worst, because there was nothing that could prove them baseless.

Naruto did not like the dark. He slept with the curtains to his window pulled back, hoping to catch some moonbeams.

Naruto was beginning to know fear of a different sort, and his fears were extended as he recalled that look in Tsunade's eyes when she told him to leave. If there was a problem, of course Tsunade would know about it- it was the job of the Hokage to ensure the continued prosperity of Konohagakure. But Naruto saw desperation in those hazel eyes, the reckless hope of someone already dead when she whispered Iwagakure no Sato…

There was something very wrong with Tsunade's reaction to their mission report. They had recovered from the heavy losses suffered from the death of Sandaime, and needed to reconsolidate their dominance over the other countries. The implications of the ambush were as good a reason to go to war with the Stone, and Suna would back them regardless the consequences. The tensions between the Leaf and Stone were still present, kept alive by a raw bitterness passed on by surviving veterans. Any other day, Tsunade would have declared war on the Stone and ordered its utter annihilation.

But all she had done was smile upon hearing that her prized Team Kakashi had been ambushed and pulled that formal Godaime shit.

Something was very, very wrong with that picture. Naruto swallowed dryly. Whatever was going on was a bad, bad business and he wanted no part of it. But his involvement was probably unavoidable: jinchuuriki were tools, manipulated to facilitate any need of their village. But still…

It was deeper this time. The problem at hand seemed more convoluted than anything they had had to deal with before; he knew that much when Tsunade looked away when he closed that door. What could be so important that it made them revert back to distant protocol?

It was going to be complicated.

Naruto did not know where his jumbled thoughts were taking him, but he knew that he should fear for the future of the Fire Contry.

"Go to sleep, Uzumaki. Go to sleep." And Kyuubi laughed deep and guttural.

Sakura lay in her old bed, staring up at the water stained ceiling. She had her own apartment now, but sometimes she would go back home and look after her parents: they were getting on in the years, and seemed to worry about her more often now since they realized exactly what it truly meant to be a shinobi. It had been easier for them to bear when she was a genin (she was still their little girl who wore ribbons in her hair who was learning the right way to punch.) Sakura could remember clearly their stricken faces when she returned from her first A-rank mission covered in blood, the look that told her they knew.

The paint in her old bedroom was chipping now, a girlish bubble gum pink that made her smile. Her apartment was beige, with a dark rug; not as vibrant as she would have liked, but she had bought a few painting to liven up the place. Naruto had plants in his apartment, didn't he? Maybe she would buy some one day.

She yawned and rolled over onto her side, facing the wall. The bed was small, and her feet stuck out at the end; the mattress was well worn, and she could feel a spring poking at her lower back. She wished her bed was closer to a window, so that she could catch a breeze, but inner Sakura quickly squashed that foolish notion with a sneer. Windows are insecure locations; shinobi should place themselves in secure locations at times of weakness. Sleeping was a weakness all shinobi had, thus Sakura suffered.

Naruto's bed was probably by a window, Sakura thought with a snort. But he was studying seals now, and had most likely secured his apartment against hostiles- besides, Naruto was scrappy enough to take care of himself if his defenses were breached.

She rolled over again and lay there for over an hour before she deemed her night over. She took her time getting up, and got dressed, flexing her hands into her gloves; they were starting to get worn out, she would need to replace them soon. She wrote a quick note to her parents, apologizing for leaving without notice- she would post it on the refrigerator so they would not miss it.

She tiptoed downstairs, holding her breath as she heard her father snore loudly. She turned down the hall to the kitchen, staring nervously at the soft glow of light from the kitchen; she had turned off all the lights when she went to bed. "It's probably nothing," she muttered as she stroked the holster secured about her thigh. She peeked around the corner, and put her kunai back.

Her mother sat at the kitchen counter, smiling as she rifled through an old photo album Sakura remembered looking through once or twice. There was a glass of untouched water next to her mother, and Sakura realized she was rather thirsty. She knew her mother had seen her enter, and was content to let her speak first. Mrs. Haruno seemed torn, before she turned green eyes to her daughter.

"Ah, Sakura… I was just looking though some old pictures of the family-" she cut herself off, and looked away as her voice hitched. When she turned back to Sakura, she was all gentle smiles. "I know it's very early- the sun hasn't even risen yet!- but I feel so restless, I was just about to start breakfast. Do you think you'll be able to stay for breakfast? Your father will wake up if he smells food, so…"

Sakura was tempted to say no. She needed to train, and wanted to get it out of the way before she did her tenure at the hospital. But her mother seemed a bit off, and had been rather frayed around the edges. Even now, a little note of hysteria had been lighting her voice.

"Yeah mom, I think I'll be staying for breakfast."

Mrs. Haruno smiled, and Sakura knew she had made the right choice.

Kakashi had loved his students, even way back when he was too foolish to realize their potential. But, he really did care for them, and wanted nothing but the best for them: it was more apparent now then it had been back then, but it was the truth. They were very dear to him.

Too little too late, Hatake: they can take care of themselves now.

The old Team Seven photo was next to his own genin team photo, both of which were propped on the table next to his bed, which was halfway between his window and bedroom door. His sheets were plain and rumpled, and a spare vest was tossed over his pillow: it had been there since before the mission, and would likely remain there into the considerable future. Kakashi had not been sleeping well as of late.

He was shaken after the mission, more so than he thought he would be. It was a close call, a very close call: there had been so many ninja, the odds had been stacked tremendously in favor of their untimely deaths. Or, he could have lived on, and lost Naruto and Sakura. And he would have been left once again, another Obito and another Rin. It was a scary thought, being alone again. He couldn't bear to lose them: it hurt that he lost one, he would not lose the rest.

Kakashi was ashamed of his past. His failures far outstripped his successes, and what made it unbearable was that no one but he acknowledged the fact. His foolishness had aided in Obito's death, his foolishness had facilitated Sasuke's defection, his foolishness, foolishness, foolishness! He had invested so much time and energy in the boy, to make up to Obito, only to have it all blow up in his face, leaving him with two broken students who had never had him when they needed him.

Neglect. That was Kakashi's crime. He had neglected to nurture his bonds with his teammates as a child, and lost them. He had neglected to nurture his bonds with all of his students as a man, and had lost them. It hurt.

Naruto was Jiraiya's. Sakura was Tsunade's. Orochimaru thought he had him, but Sasuke was no-ones. At least Naruto and Sakura still loved him, and stayed with him, giving him the will to go one. The sun still shined.

"A shinobi who abandons his teammates is trash."

They may not need him now, but Kakashi would be there for them no matter what.

Dawn was fast approaching, and the morning warbles of the birds displaced the cricket song of the night. The civilians slept, internal clocks set to go off with the faint rays of the rising sun. The final transience of dark to light was the shinobi's hour, where shadowy figures lurked with twitching fingers and nervous kunai. But Konohagakure was safe that night from all external penetrations. The coming dawn would be the harbinger of chaos, as inky blacks and indigos were violently consumed by the bleached pinks of oranges of the coming sun until the sky shifted to a clear, clear blue.

The sun rose late, its rays dispelling wispy mists and the dew on the green grass. There was an urgent message received from the daimyo, and the order for a total summons had been issued by the Council. The resonant beating of a distant drum echoed throughout the village, rousing the ninja from the shadows, the waking from their beds. Entranced and frightened, the villagers traveled in the odd, lingering quasi-darkness to the Hokage's tower, a large amorphous mass looking up at that balcony where Tsunade had stood so long ago. Naruto was among the crowd, and Kakashi, and Sakura, although her parents were not present (her mother had fallen ill shortly after breakfast, and her father remained to tend to her needs).

The drum was still being pounded, thus a steady, painful rhythm of ba-bum-ba-bum heralded Tsunade's appearance. She looked lovely and terrible up on the balcony, with the Hokage hat and robe on: Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane stood behind her, looking somber.

The drumming stopped, and the crowd stood silent as Tsunade slid her hat off. She smiled softly, and the tension skyrocketed as everyone forgot to breathe.

"Civilians, Shinobi- citizens of Konohagakure: Thank you for assembling here so swiftly, it being so early, and the summons being so hasty. I'm sorry, but this couldn't wait. I have relinquished my position. I am no longer the Hokage. My successor will be announced in a months time. Once again, thank you."

She smiled again, pivoted on her heel, and left swiftly, leaving the Council Elders to deal with the impending aftermath as the crowd reeled and tried to process what had been said. Kakashi looked up, catching the gaze of a hidden ANBU member, and Naruto and Sakura sought each other out with uneasy smiles on their faces.

Oh well, fuck. Sorry for the delay. You may have divined that I do not update regularly. This is a permanent condition of mine, sadly, so, expect this often. Thanks should go to hydraling110, because without her threats of bodily harm, I would not have posted this anytime soon. Sorry about this chapter, I haven't edited it all, so it's not all the way to my liking. Close enough though.

Thank you for the reviews!! (more would be nice :D), and the next chapter will come eventuallty. Trust me on that, because I will never abandon this. This is the only thing I'm probably never going to lie about, so take heed of it.

Happy Holidays to everyone

emo fox ATTACK