Disclamer: I don't own nothing

Chapter 5 Here we are now

Naruto's eyes fluttered open. He was surrounded by white. Fuzzy, blurry, blobs of white. His whole body ached, and he couldn't move. 'Where am I…?' He asked.

'You are safe… You've been badly injured…' came a soothing voice from inside his mind.

'Oh yeah…' murmured Naruto, smiling dreamily. 'But what about…stupid Sasuke and the foolish Old Man?' he inquired, concern not hidden in his voice.

'They are safe and resting…as you should be,' replied the voice. 'Sleep now, Naruto. You have a long road ahead…'

Naruto closed his eyes and smiled. 'Sleep…that sounds good…'

-------

Two years fly by. Under the assumption that Naruto was back to normal, the Hokage decided to let Naruto continue living as a normal boy, and attend Konoha's Ninja Academy, despite the many objections from the other student's parents. Life continued on.

Naruto had horrible marks in the academy and, although Iruka didn't want to admit it, was probably not going to pass the genin exams. The genin exam came and went. Naruto failed as predicted, but passed in the end after the whole "Forbidden Scroll" fiasco.

Naruto became a member of Team 7, or Team Kakashi, with Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura, the pretty braniac, and Sasuke, the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan that really pissed him off. He hated the stupid Uchiha. Somewhere in his repressed memories, that hatred for the boy and what he did still existed.

Sasuke, on the other hand, hated Naruto as well, but for different reasons. He didn't know why, but whenever he saw the other boy, he would get chills, and want to run away. The dobe, Naruto, instilled a fear that he couldn't find the origin of. Memories within him had been repressed, but no matter what he tried, he couldn't release them. He knew they were there, but he couldn't seem to find the key to unlock the missing piece.

Team Kakashi went on their various missions, Sasuke and Naruto always trying to outdo each other. When the Chunin exam rolled around, it became their greatest opportunity to see who would outdo the other. And at the moment, Naruto was winning…

-----

Sasuke was wide eyed and staring, and a cold sweat had broken out on his forehead. He was no longer sure who to be more afraid of: the Stone Nin with the snake, or Naruto? Naruto was breathing hard, his eyes a blood-shot red…he had just saved Sasuke from the attack of a giant snake.

"…Heh…Heh…" Naruto panted, looking up at Sasuke with a smirk, "Are you okay…Scardy Cat?"

Cats eye pupils. Horrible blood red eyes with cats eye pupils. This wasn't Naruto, this was…

But the memories stopped and Sasuke was thrown back into reality. Naruto had left and was now pounding away at the snake with his bare hands. "Who is he?" whispered Sasuke.

"TAKE THIS BASTARD!"

Naruto had disregarded the snake and was headed straight for its controller.

"HAAAAAA- Uhg!" The Nin had hit Naruto in the stomach with some kind of seal. Naruto immediately blacked out.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed, throwing a kunai to stop her comrade from falling further. "Sasuke! We have to do something!"

But Sasuke was already on it. 'SHARINGAN!' he thought as he activated his clan's bloodline. 'Stupid dobe…'

"Kukukuku…so, it's the Uchiha brat's turn…" the Nin laughed, smirking.

Sasuke drew four shuriken and threw them at the Nin, following up with an exploding note. Through the smoke, the Nin sent two small snakes, which came out and bit Sasuke with their venomous fangs.

Sasuke disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The nin laughed his cold laugh, "Kukuku… Kawarimi no Jutsu …very good…" his eyes scanned the vicinity. "Behind…" he murmured, drawing three kunai. Once he spotted the Uchiha, he threw.

Sasuke quickly prepared his next attack: Body binding technique. As the kunai came flying at him, Sasuke narrowly dodged them by swinging around a branch, he proceeded in his attack.

Sasuke looped the tree with his thin, barely visible wires, pulling to slam the snake Nin into the tree. Without stopping, he rapidly did a series of hand symbols. 'Katon: grand fireball technique!'

The attack traveled down the string Sasuke still held in his hands and hit the bound Nin at full force, frying his body crispy. Once he was satisfied with his work, Sasuke let up the attack, smirking. "Hmph, that wasn't so hard," he said to himself.

Sakura joined Sasuke on the branch; together they watched and waited for the smoke to clear.

"Kukukukukukuku…Well done Sasuke…" Came a voice from within the smoke. The smoke dispersed and a man, the same Nin, with his face peeling off grinned sadistically at them. "Yes…I think I will have you…" his grinned widened.

Sasuke pushed Sakura behind him, fearing the worst. "Run," he murmured to her.

"Huh? Sasuke, but-!" Sakura protested.

"Go!" He shouted. His eyes widening as the evil Nin's head shot straight for them, mouth open wide.

"Sasuke!" She screamed.

"I SAID GO! Ugh!" the Snake man bit Sasuke, leaving a strange symbol on his shoulder.

Dropping to his knees, Sasuke tried to fight the pain. "Ugh…argh…ah…AH…" his whole body burned and his senses were shutting down. He couldn't take it.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed, writhing in agony.

The Snake Nin laughed manically, freeing himself of his bonds.

"What have you done to him?" Sakura cried.

The Nin grinned. "Don't worry, if he survives, he'll have power beyond his wildest dreams," Laughing again, the Nin sped off through the treetops.

Sakura looked at both the boys with tears in her eyes: unconscious Naruto and screaming Sasuke. "What do I do now?" She whispered.

Please Review

……………………….

………………

…….

Kyuubi's harem : Yay, Kyuubi's back