AN:
To keep reminding you: beyond the usual emphasized words and expressions, italicized segments usually are 'the mysterious voice' (or Inner Sakura) speaking, while (bracketed) segments signify 'active thought', non-vocalized or 'private' speech, sometimes an emotional echo or associative thought.
And of course I don't own Naruto, Sasuke or anyone else native to the series, be it manga or anime.
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During the chuunin exam, in the Forest of Death, Orochimaru gives Sasuke the Cursed Seal. So far, so bad and a familiar story.
But when Sasuke wakes, why does he hear a voice that tries to undermine the sannin's influence? And knows things?
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Raven Chatter
The Raven knows the value of patience. For if you wait long enough, wisdom, change and death all come looking for you.
Part Three: Intermission
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Sakura paled and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh Kami..."
Sasuke gulped.
Naruto shivered.
Kakashi read his little orange book.
The other Sand shinobi moved hesitantly towards Gaara, Baki the only one daring to move quickly.
"Gaara! Control yourself!"
Not getting a favorable reaction and correctly interpreting the red-headed boy's bleeding ears, he amplified his words with a wind technique and tried to make them heard in Gaara's head. He had some success.
"Hurt... blood... my blood... Mother - failed...?"
With an enormous effort the jounin tried to calm Gaara, braving the still whipping sand and, finally, succeding. As soon as the sand calmed down, Gaara dropped unconscious, his sand spilling uncontrolled across the floor. Even the thin sand armor covering his skin cracked and silently trickled away.
His teammates lifted him up and quickly took him to the medics.
"Um... Winner: Gaara of the *wheeze* Sand... We will continue in about," Gekko Hayate, himself a bit queasy, looked up towards the Hokage and his assistants, "an hour or so, until the cleaning crew has finished."
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"A break, excellent," Kakashi said and closed his 'Icha Icha' with a snap.
"YEEEK! When did you get back here?" "Gah! Sensei! Don't do that!" "Hrk – it's about time!"
Each of Team Seven, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke respectively, acknowledged their sensei's arrival in their own way.
"Sasuke, you wanted to talk to me? Let's go then. You two are free to do what you want, except for causing trouble, of course, especially since you had your fights already. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll be back here as soon as the fights resume," their jounin sensei stated, nodding to them and leaving again, Sasuke in tow.
"Tch, they'd better. You and Sasuke are going to the finals, so you'd better keep your eyes open and study your possible opponents," Sakura grumbled. "Gah, this Gaara...," she shuddered.
"Sakura-chan, I think he can't help it," Naruto quietly said.
Shocked by her teammate's unexpected somberness, Sakura inquired: "What do you mean by that?"
"I can't exactly tell you," the blond answered, avoiding eye contact, "but I think he's... broken somehow. There is something about him..."
Sakura looked at him, unbelieving. "Naruto? What has happened to you?"
"Wh-what? What should have happened? I'm just standing here, just the same as you. H-hey, maybe we could look whether there is someplace we could get some Ramen? I'll pay," the boy hectically tried to deflect the question.
Sakura made a decision. She grabbed the blond by the ear and pulled him along, making him squeal in pain. "Yes. Let's. And then you will tell me what I want to know. First Sasuke, now you... and me... has someone turned the world over and shaken it? If Kakashi-sensei isn't late either, once the break ends, I'll know the end of the world is near!"
"Sakura-chaaan... lemme gooo..."
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Kakashi led the way through the exam tower.
Sasuke, following him, started to talk. "Do you know already what happened to us in the forest?"
"Yes," Kakashi answered, "in general, mostly. But take care for now with what you say, we're not secure yet."
"As I assumed. He probably knows and suspects a lot more then he lets on, he might even be testing you. Play along as we planned, I'll help you out where necessary."
"Very well. Let me just say he told me his name, and Sakura recalled enough from the academy and her books to identify him. He marked me and made me an offer he thinks I can't refuse. I think he's interested in me specifically," Sasuke summarized quietly as they made their way down the stairs.
"More importantly, at least on a personal level," his eyes burned into Kakashi's neck, trying to force him to feel his gaze, "he may have made a mistake there because I think," he pronounced his next words with careful intensity, "finally, I get it."
Kakashi stopped, turning enough to meet Sasuke's eyes with his single uncovered one. "You do? You think there is something to 'get'?"
Sasuke smirked. "Oh yes, apparently I just had to get it violently hammered into my stubborn Uchiha head, as Naruto might say. Or stupid, maybe." He paused.
"You tried to tell me, tell us, all the time, but subtlety obviously didn't work. Especially since you tend to work by the 'do as I say, not as I do' principle."
"Maa, that's mean, Sasuke-kun," the silver-headed jounin complained, sweatdropping.
"But true. No matter, I wasn't ready to listen either until the forest."
"Oh? And," the man opened a door, waved Sasuke in, followed and locked it with a seal, "what exactly did you get, there in the forest?"
He formed a few seals and ensured their privacy.
"Without Naruto, I would be gone. Abducted, probably brainwashed and enslaved or whatever he wants from me. Without Sakura, yes, 'useless pink-haired Sakura', we three would be dead. Teammates have a reason, and I was too stubborn and proud to see it. You always wanted me to learn humility; well, apparently I have. A bit. Though, starting with the loudmouth and the fangirl as teammates made it that much harder to see."
Kakashi just examined him for a few seconds. "You have changed."
"For the better, I hope. Okay, let me list what else I wanted to bring to your attention." Sasuke started to thoroughly describe the encounter with Orochimaru in the forest, adding or modifying a few details his inner voice recommended to justify the 'deductions he had made'...
"... then he just pulled the skin off his face. I don't know what that technique was, but it wasn't a standard henge or genjutsu. Even my sharingan didn't penetrate it before. So Orochimaru could still be here, disguised as anyone unfamiliar enough we can't unmask behavior."
"... so not only he gave me that damn seal or whatever it is, he did something similar to Naruto, just instead of a bite he thrust chakra-charged fingertips into his stomach. He doesn't seem to have gotten the same thing as I, but you should check it out too, just in case."
"... then he dared to say he offered me 'power', and if I wanted more, I should 'seek him out'. Moron. As if I would just go to him and say 'give me power and I'll do what you want'. An Uchiha would never just sell himself to such a creep! Besides, who knows what that creep would want me to do? He didn't have a particularly... pleasant... demeanor..."
"... even incapacitated, there were a few things I remember... these Sound nin did seem to have had orders to kill me, but were pretty confused and pissed when they saw the curse seal, as if they had been betrayed. I guess he was involved with them too. Which reminds me, Sound is pretty new, and Orochimaru definitely has the power to be a Kage, doesn't he?"
"... especially when Sakura rapidly listed all she remembered about Orochimaru and the other Sannin. Actually, when she showed me there actually was a brain under that horrible pink hair of hers, I forced myself to have a serious talk with her. I guess it stuck and was the cause for the way she fought the Nara – Shikamaru I mean. I guess she has deserved the chance to be taken seriously."
During all of this, Kakashi had started to prepare a sealing matrix to deal with the unwelcome curse seal as soon as Sasuke had shown it to him.
"Heh, I guess the famed Uchiha willpower has shown itself useful if you can hold control over this curse seal for that long. Oh, well, sit here and we'll see what we can do," Kakashi finally remarked.
"More like the 'famous Uchiha stubbornness', I'd say."
Hush.
"Well, now we'll see what sealing the curse seal does to me. If we shouldn't speak again, well, it was fun, remember my words as well as you can, and try to follow the spirit more than the letter. Kakashi may have been a rotten teacher, but mostly because he has standards fresh genin usually just can't match."
Oh. I had not thought of that. For what it's worth, thanks and good bye, if you really should get sealed away along with this... thing.
"What, no tear-jerking claims of unforgettable affection? Heh, still the stoic Uchiha, I guess. Okay, he starts now – let's hope no one interferes."
"Hrn. Kakashi, you are sure no one can interrupt?"
"I guess so, but okay, I'll make certain. Okay, the seals are secure, the matrix is ready. Let's do this."
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With a rush of chakra the sealing matrix shrunk and tightened, enclosing the cursed seal and blocking most of its connections to Sasuke's chakra system.
Yes, much better. Ah, there I can do something. And... heave! You, get over here, not there... aaand – lock! Very well done, even if I say so myself.
Ah, good, I'm not trapped. Excellent. Now to let Kakashi finish and hope he doesn't get the visit from Orochimaru – or should I hope he does? It would prove what I made Sasuke say... Hmmm, if I only could read Kakashi's thoughts... Oh, well, I guess I'll have to trust in him.
With a satisfied sigh the 'voice' finished his work on and inside the Uchiha boy's chakra coils and relaxed, waiting for whatever would happen next.
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On the outside, the jounin with the Oto head protector stood and pouted.
"Kukuku... Our dear little Kakashi seems to have improved his ways in security seals... too bad, I'd have liked to visit my little Sasuke and... comforted... him about his disappointing little squabble with that horrid girl... Why oh why didn't the matchups go like I planned? Oh well, I still have to compensate for Dosu's loss and his damaging Gaara, little idiots... On the other hand now were the perfect opportunity to set him up with a seal, if I had brought more of Juugo 'juice'... maybe I could send Kabuto-kun on an errand? Hmmm... jinchuuriki with curse seals... so much power... better than the other plan...?" His thoughts leaped from one possibility to the next, and finally, unwilling to risk discovery, he withdrew and vanished to rejoin the audience of the preliminary final exams.
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Now where did that come from? That can't be real... can it? What's going on?
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Meanwhile Sakura and Naruto had found an area outfitted to serve as a mess hall and, with Sakura's decisive guidance, selected a quiet corner away from most prying eyes and ears, at least for the moment.
Naruto even had gotten his beloved ramen, a big bowl with miso and pork. Not quite Ichiraku, but it would suffice for now. Sakura was satisfied with a few simple rice balls and some pickles, neither in the mood for more luxurious fare nor caring for dieting thoughts.
"Okay, Naruto, spill it. Something weird is going on here, and I wanna know what," she demanded after taking the edge off her own hunger. Hm, definitely more pleasant than chewing up a soldier pill...
"Sakura-chan, I really don't know what you are talking about," Naruto whined, already thinking about getting another bowl – and dodging Sakura's questions at the same time. A dual purpose fulfillment. Ah, ramen, the food of the gods...
Sakura sighed and rubbed her temples.
"Fine, if I have to figuratively pull your teeth to get answers I can do that." "Hell, literally too, if I need to."
Naruto gulped.
"Okay, one question at a time, and if you don't give me a good answer I'll... I'll..." she floundered a bit thinking up a believable threat which would have an effect on the (usually) hyperactive blond. "I'll rent you out to Tenten for target practice," she finally joked, feeling the absurdity of the situation. Getting Naruto, of all people, to answer a serious question seriously? Preposterous. "Or I'll get Ino-pig to give Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei a makeover and get you blamed for the idea."
Seeing Naruto shudder she had to suppress a smirk. When he wasn't actively annoying her and Sasuke-kun he actually could be fun- tolerable.
"Okay, first things first: Why were you that serious up there when Gaara – gah, I don't even want to think about it." Even Inner Sakura was still queasy.
"I told you," Naruto sighed, surprising her with his somber tone. "I think he's broken, in here," he held a hand to his chest. "And I can understand him, hell, I came close to that myself."
Sakura was stunned. Naruto, living bad joke factory, annoyance on legs, loudest ninja ever, looking and sounding... depressed?
"Naruto, if that's a joke, it's a very bad one. How the hell could someone like you understand a cold, insane killer like that?"
Naruto looked at her with an unreadable expression. "No joke, Sakura-chan."
He sighed and braced his head on his hands.
"I would love to joke, to put it all away and just yell at someone or something, but... This Sound nin, Dosu... I hated him for what he -almost- did to you, and I would have happily danced if he had all his arms and legs broken or something like that – but this actually is the first time someone I have known, even as an enemy, has died in such a way. When Zabuza and Haku died, in Wave, I was sad too – Haku saw himself as a tool without purpose, after I beat him – and Zabuza, he too was a professional killer, but there was something about them that made me sad when they died. But when Gaara killed Dosu, he was in pain, in rage, he just lashed out – and he had the power to totally destroy him in a heartbeat. And he did it. And I felt – I dunno, shock – but that's all. No real sadness. And that scares me."
"Wow, Naruto... I never heard you talk like that..." Sakura felt a little scared. "Naruto? Deep? Hell, what is going on here?"
"Heh, you always refused me asking for a date, didn't you," he weakly grinned. "I guess it's the whatchacallit – the shock. And the break. Usually, something else happens, or I just have to run away, or I look for something else to do, but somehow this time there isn't anything. It feels weird, and I usually feel that way only when I'm at home and trying to sleep but I am not tired enough. Then Sasuke, even for just a few minutes, took me serious and talked to me, to us – heck, he must have used up a good week's supply of words and I couldn't even get a rise out of him. That made me feel weird, too."
"That's it."
"Huh?"
"Sasuke."
Naruto made a face. "Sakura-chaan, please, don't start talking about the bastard again," he whined.
Sakura forced Inner Sakura down and restricted herself to a minor twitch of annoyance.
"That's not what I mean. I'm serious. Do you see me fawning about him right now?"
Naruto's eyes widened. "What the... hey, you're right! You don't have the look. Wha – hell, that's why you asked! Something happened to you and you think to me too?"
Sakura did her best to keep calm, but was rapidly losing patience. Naruto started being jumpy again, and if she wanted answers, that just wouldn't do.
"Yes – no – oh hell. Shut up and listen," she barked, barely restraining her volume. She took a deep breath.
"When you were fishing the morning after the Sound team attacked," Naruto nodded obediently, "Sasuke talked to me. He actually talked, and I have to admit he has never done that - like that - before. First he just asked whether I knew anything about Orochimaru – that snake creep – and when I recalled and rattled off most of the stuff from the academy history lessons – yes, I remember you usually slept through these, Iruka-sensei has yelled at you often enough about that," she interjected, cutting off Naruto's comment before it started, "- and an old bingo book I read just after Wave, he actually praised me," she raised her hand to keep him silent, "and immediately after that he put me down hard. No, keep shutting up," she barked again as he colored in anger, "I guess I deserved it."
"Huh?" Now Naruto was just confused. Sasuke had hurt Sakura but she didn't want to cr- ven- complain? She said she deserved it? What the kyuubi-
"Heh. I must have been such an idiot. He actually sat down with me and plainly told me that. Have I really been that annoying? That you can answer now, but don't yell, okay?"
"Uh... what do you mean? I don't want to say something dumb, but I really don't understand what you mean with that," Naruto asked, desperately trying to convey his honest cluelessness and actively not-annoying Sakura.
Same sighed and tried to make herself understood: "Was I really that annoying chasing after Sasuke-kun?"
Naruto 'aaah'-ed, then closed his mouth with an audible snap. He scrunched his face in thought.
"Just tell me," Sakura sighed.
Naruto tentatively answered: "Well, you were always going 'Sasuke' this and 'Sasuke' that and 'Sasuke-kuun' and 'Sasuke is so great' even when he did exactly nothing and you always said 'Sasuke is soo much better' even when I was the one who did something..."
Every few words made Sakura twitch more until she raised her hand, preparing to inflict a deserved justice bump, when Naruto stopped, raising his own hands in frightened defense, lowering his head, and just closed with: "... you asked."
Sakura looked at her own hand in shock, then at Naruto, then back at her fist. Then she just slumped, burying her face on the tabletop.
"Oh crap. I just noticed... I behaved towards Sasuke just as you always did to me, didn't I?"
"Oh hell nooo..." Inner Sakura delivered an excellent impression of Munch's 'The Scream', not that either Sakura knew anything about artist or painting.
"I did," she answered her own question.
Cluelessly Naruto asked: "And what's wrong with that?"
If she hadn't already rested her head on the table she would have broken it now with a massive facefault.
"Hell, Naruto, what's wrong with you?" she mumbled, exasperated, raising her head just enough to glare at him.
Naruto, not registering the glare, scratched his head in confusion. "Isn't that how you show you like someone? I mean that's just what you girls did all the time with Sasuke and Kiba isn't much different when he wants to talk to a girl... okay, some others don't, but they don't seem to have anyone anyway, so..."
Unbelieving, Sakura raised her head further, slowly, and stared at him. Okay, he usually did behave like a little kid, but he was supposed to be their age, about twelve, and, being a genin, technically an adult, kind of. Even Inner Sakura just stared.
"Kami, Naruto...," she actually wanted to be annoyed, angry, to lash out, but having just had her own epiphany she just couldn't, facing his honest confusion.
"Heh, I can't really complain, can I? I just noticed myself..." she muttered, "Kami, Naruto, no matter what I did myself, no, it was wrong, annoying and totally useless."
She dropped her head again. "All the time I just thought Sasuke was playing hard to get but he really hated that behavior... and I hated it too from you and didn't notice it was just the same..."
"Just like kids, but we don't want to be anymore, do we?" Inner Sakura mused.
She turned her head, now lying on the side, to look at the boy. He stared at her with wide eyes, uncomprehending – no, apparently half comprehending, if slowly.
"Naruto, I just got how stupid we both have been all the time. Sorry. I have an idea, let's just start over," she said, rising again.
"Hello Naruto. I'm Haruno Sakura, your teammate. I don't want to hate you anymore. No, I still don't want to date you, I still want to date Sasuke, but I promise to stop being an annoying pest about it if you try, too. Still, we're teammates and we can at least try to be friends, okay?" She offered her hand with a self-deprecating soft smile, waiting patiently for his reaction.
Naruto stared at her so much she feared his eyes would dry out. Finally – finally! – he blinked a few times and seemed to understand, nodding. He smiled – not his usual grin, a honest, unforced smile, with tears in his eyes – and took her hand.
"Hello Sakura. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, your other teammate. I still like you, but I don't want you to hate me and would really like to be your friend. Believe it."
They silently and softly shook on it and kept quiet for a few seconds, then let go. A few tears ran from Naruto's eyes, confusing Sakura a bit as they reached his smile. He wasn't crying because of her plain if soft rejection, so why...?
His next words shocked her, but explained a lot.
"Sakura-chan – this was maybe the second time in all my life and the first time someone my age seriously wanted me to be their friend. Thank you."
Sakura still was full of questions, but sensed the fragility of the mood, so they just silently sat in thought the rest of the time, absorbed in thought, absently eating a bit more.
Seeing Naruto actually consuming his ramen slowly and unhurried could have been creepy, but now it just drove the point home. They might become actual friends, real teammates, no longer just clashing personalities thrown together by chance and strict, uncaring rules.
Then the call went out: "The preliminary exams are ready to continue. Everybody involved please return to the arena."
And with a massive belch by Naruto, sporting an embarrassed and apologetic grin, the mood died in relieved laughter.
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AN: Yes, as far as I can tell, events never have allowed Naruto and Sakura a simple, serious talk before, be it for time, events or mood; Naruto has had his introspective, darker moments; and now, Sakura has had her own kind of trauma and both are still shocked by Gaara's fight. Circumstances have met, and the seed for rapid growth has spread. The last question is, will it really flourish?
(27. Aug. 2013 - Minor Edits)
And now a senseless Micro-Omake:
*Ding*
'Haruno Sakura' gains 1 Level!
Personal Growth +2!
Wisdom +3 Perception +1 Maturity +4 Impulsiveness –3
Free Attribute Change: 'Fanaticism' may be replaced with: 'Dedication' Y/N/O
y
Intensity –3 Patience +1 Resolve +2
Levelup complete. Visit your trainer for new jutsu.
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Next: Raven Chatter Part Four: Tower Fight, Part Two
The Raven is at home among the dead and dying. To him, eyes no longer seeing are a deliciacy...
"I feel morally obliged to all womankind to shave off these black caterpillars between what you call eyes and that awful haircut of yours!"
And there was much rejoicing.
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