Chapter 11 Around the Fire
Night had fallen as Sakura Haruno sat as far away as she could possibly be from that large animal that they called a flying bison. She had never seen anything like that and while she wasn't scared of the seemly peaceful Appa she didn't like it because she couldn't see how it stayed up in the air. However the small monkey like creature called a flying lemur just seemed to loved her pink hair and was always trying to jump on her head which drove her up the wall. Naruto was right besides her unsealing some of their supplies. Making a note of what all they had to work with.
"Looks like Kakashi-sensie loaded us up for war." said Naruto as he unsealed a scroll full of kunai, after he checked it he sealed it back before placing it into his pack.
"What did you do?" asked Sokka as he finally spoke up after watching items suddenly appearing out of seemly normal paper.
"It's a sealing technique." answered Fukasaku as he pulled a small scroll from his cloak and unsealed a bowel full of bugs for his lunch. "Luckily Ma packed my favorite."
"And I have my roman noodles." said Naruto as he pulled out a bowel of roman noodles designed to be heated by chakra alone.
"Sometimes I swear you run off that stuff." said Sakura as she pulled out her own scroll and unsealed some food. The avatar's friends were stunned at they looked at a large fish sitting on a wooden plate. Sakura pulled out a knife and stated to cut the fish into smaller servings. "Do you guys want some fish?"
"Sure." said Sokka as he reached for the still wet fish only to have his hand slapped down by his sister. "What?"
"Sokka do you know how to cook?" asked Katara as Sokka shock his head. "Then let me handle it. Thanks, Sakura"
"No problem." said Sakura as she handed Katara different porations of fish
"I hate to ask but do you happen to have some kind of fruit or berries?" asked Aang as he looked around the island. There was maybe a dozen trees total and none of them had any food on it.
"Sorry I forgot to say as an air nomad Aang can't eat meat." said Katara
"You can't eat meat?" asked Naruto as his Chakra headed up the Ramón noodles
"It's the way of the air benders." explained Aang
"Alright." said Sakura as pulled out a scroll and unsealed some fruit.
"Thank you." said Aang
"So…who is this Sasuke?" asked Suki as Naruto and Sakura just looked at each other for a moment.
"I guess we should start at the beginning." said Sakura as she took a deep breath "Sasuke is Naruto and mine former teammate when we were all genin four years ago."
"What?" asked Katara as her mistrust of them grew even higher.
"What is a genin?" asked Sokka
"It's a ninja rank, a genin is fresh out of school and you have to past certain tests in order to reach higher ranks." said Sakura before she grinned at Naruto "In fact Naruto and Sasuke are still genins."
"It isn't my fault I went away for training for two years." said Naruto
"If Sasuke is a low ranking ninja I don't want to see a high ranking one." said Sokka
"In a way he is a high ranking ninja, however he is a rogue ninja so he has no rank apart from his wanted level which is S level." added Fukasaku "He is amongst the most wanted ninjas in the world. If I were to place his rank, I would put it at least a special jonnin."
"I would agree." said Sakura "His skills are about equal to the Hokage."
"I would place Naruto in the same rank." said Fukasaku as Naruto smiled "He is rough around the edges but he has great potential."
"From what I can see he is just pure evil." said Katara as she looked toward Zuko almost saying Zuko was the same as Sasuke.
"He isn't pure evil." said Naruto as Sakura looked at him. "He has had a tough life."
"Sorry I don't think a tough life is any excuse for what he is." said Katara "We all had a tough life."
"What happened to him?" asked Suki
"His entire clan was killed in a single night by his own brother." said Naruto
"Sokka and me lost our mother to a fire nation attack, Suki lost her father in a storm, Toph's own parents tried to kidnap her and Aang lost his entire nation and we aren't evil." said Katara
"And Zuko had a lot of issues to." Said Suki
"Who cares about his issue." snapped Katara as she glared at Zuko.
"You need to calm down." said Naruto
"You don't understand." said Sakura as she remembered the reports that she had seen about that night "It was his clan not just his family…it was all his family members, aunts, uncles, cousins all of them were killed in one night. He saw his own brother kill his parents by cutting off their heads."
"So he grew up alone?" asked Sokka
"Yes." said Naruto
"That still doesn't matter Naruto look at yours…" said Sakura only to a look from Naruto telling her not to say anything about his life alone in a village that hated him because of the Kyuubi.
"Why is Sasuke's life an excuse for his crime but Naruto-kun who has been though worst then anything that snake has been though is defending him?" asked Inner Sakura
"It is getting late; we should get some sleep before we head to the Ember Island." said Zuko
"Who is going to stand guard?" asked Toph
"Don't worry about it." said Naruto as he made some shadow clones. "They will alert me to any trouble."
"Are you sure?" asked Sokka
"Trust us, it will work." said Fukasaku as he slammed his hands together creating a seal of chakra to form across the ground. "Also this cloaking justu will stop anyone from seeing the light from the fire from any passing ships."
"I can't believe you can do that." said Sokka with a smile "It is simply amazing."
"Believe me this isn't nothing." said Naruto with a smile
"I am going to wash up." said Sakura as she stood up and headed around a small sand rise as she headed toward a small freshwater spring.
"I'll come with you." said Katara as she stood up and followed Sakura.
"Good night." said Toph as she earth bent a small tent for herself. Sokka went to create a tent for him and Suki to share. Aang decided to use Appa as one giant pillow, Zuko pulled a simply blanket from his pouch while Fukasaku summoned a small tent of his own. For a moment Naruto just looked around at the strange group before he started to unpack his own sleeping gear.
Only Yards away from the fire Sakura placed a wash towel in the cool spring water. Ever ninja knew that they may have to go days if not weeks without washing but it didn't stop her from taking every chance she got. While she wasn't about to undress she could run a wet towel over her face, arms and legs washing at least some of the dirt away. She didn't say anything as Katara knelt down beside her.
"There is something you aren't telling us isn't there?" asked Katara as she bent some water up to wash her own face.
"Nothing important." said Sakura
"There is no way she can know about the Kyuubi." thought Sakura
"Everything is important." stated Katara "How will we be able to defeat Sasuke if we don't know everything."
"It isn't important." said Sakura
"We can't tell her about the Kyuubi, what if they hate Naruto-kun just like the villagers do." thought Sakura
"We could always tell her something else." said Inner Sakura
"If you really want to know I will tell you." said Sakura
"What is it?" asked Katara
"When Sasuke first left the village Naruto promised me that he would bring him back to me." said Sakura "At the time I had a huge crush on him and Naruto-kun wanted to make me happy because he had a crush on me. Because of my promise Naruto didn't kill Sasuke turning a battle when they where twelve and Sasuke almost killed him instead."
"So Naruto wants to save Sasuke because you like him?" asked Katara
"I had a crush on him when I was 12 years old…I don't anymore…but Naruto-kun never goes back on a promise." said Sakura
"You added kun to his name does that mean something?" asked Katara
"Don't worry about it." said Sakura as she stood up and head back to camp.
At another camp Azula sat by the fire, everyone else was sleep. They where a day out of the fire nation where the fleet was gathering to attack the northern water tribe. The original plan was to have them attack after the comet but since it was likely that the Avatar headed to the North Pole to train she was going to push that timetable up. They needed the Avatar captured before the comet came because if they didn't he could cause a lot of problems during the short time frame when they can use the power of the comet to increase their fire bending.
"Thanks to Sasuke we should be able to punch though their defenses like nothing and then we will have the Avatar and the Northern Water Tribe." though Azula as she looked toward where Sasuke was supposed to be sleeping only to find that no one was there. She quickly looked around to see Sasuke sitting across from her, though the roaring fire they locked eyes. His dark eyes meet her golden ones.
"You where thinking about something weren't you." said Sasuke
"You know my father wants me to get to know you better." said Azula as the fire between them turned from a golden red to a deep blue. However Sasuke didn't even seamed phased from the sudden change of the flame color.
"I know." said Sasuke as he put his hand into the fire, to Azula's amazement the flames didn't burn Sasuke's chakra covered hand. Slowly he pulled out a piece of blue flame and he held it in his hand as if it was nothing. Slowly he pumped his chakra into the flames turning it into a bright white hot flame. "It is interesting that my chakra is the pretty much the same as the chi you used for your fire bending ability."
"It just proves that we are not that different." said Azula as she pulled the flames out of Sasuke's hands and back toward her. For a moment it covered her arm before disappearing into nothingness. Slowly Sasuke leaned back against his pack in an almost relax form.
"I have to admit Azula you are by far the most…interesting young woman I have met." said Sasuke with a rare true smile.
"And you are by far the most…interesting young men I have ever met." said Azula with a smile of her own.
Before the sun rose over the Avatar camp everyone was already on the move. They where only a few hours away from the ember island and they wanted to be there by lunch. As Appa took to the sky the ninjas tried to make sure they were nowhere near the edge.
"You scared of heights?" asked Sokka
"No, it is more of wondering how an animal this size can fly without wings." said Naruto
"Appa is air bending." answered Aang "The air nomads learned how to airbend from studying the air bison's."
"I learned how to earth bend by studying the badgers moles." added Toph
"The dragons where the first fire benders." answered Zuko
"Who taught you all the ninja arts?" asked Sokka
"Legends say that the sage of the six paths appeared during a time in which war cover the planet. He taught humans and creatures the ways of chakra and the ninja way." said Fukasaku
"Listen carefully you are about to hear my origins." said the dark voice of the Kyuubi inside Naruto's mind.
"On top of that he sealed away the 10th tailed demon inside himself creating the first Jinchuriki." said Fukasaku
"A what?" asked Katara
"A jinchuriki." said Fukasaku "It is when a demon is sealed inside a person so that it can't hurt anyone anymore and the person can use the demon chakra if needed."
"Why not just kill the Jinchuriki it would kill the demon." said Sokka "Wouldn't it?"
"Not all the time besides it doesn't matter." said Fukasaku "See the sage of the six path summoned nine spirits from your spirit world and broke the chakra of the 10th tailed demon among the nine of them. Creating the nine tailed beasts."
"So that is how you came to be?" asked Naruto to the Kyuubi
"Yes, I and my kind was just stupid massagers for some dumb book owl but once I had the power of the 10 tailed I became king of the foxes." said Kyuubi "With me in command we gained our freedom and grew in power. Then your ancestors in the Uzumaki clan summoned me and sealed me away to use as a clan weapon."
"Wait…you had other containers before me?" asked Naruto
"Yes, you idiot." said the Kyuubi "My last container was one Kushina Uzumaki"
"Uzumaki that is my last?" asked Naruto as the Kyuubi grinned.
"I will tell you later." said Kyuubi "Now pay attention because your mate is yelling at you."
"My Mate?" asked Naruto
"Naruto!" yelled Sakura as Naruto snapped out of it.
"What?" asked Naruto
"Katara wants to ask you something." Said Sakura as Naruto looked toward the water bender.
"Naruto what is your family like?" asked Katara as Naruto's and Sakura's eyes widened.
"Crap." though Sakura as she mentally kicked herself for not asking Katara what she wanted to ask Naruto first.
"I…I…don't know." admitted Naruto
"How can you not know about your own family?" asked Sokka as he remembered sitting around the fire listening to his elders tell the stories. "Didn't your parents tell you about your family history…like what your grandparents did for a living or some amazing fact about your family."
"I…I am…I am an orphan." said Naruto as he looked down. Instantly everyone shut up as if they had touched on a subject they shouldn't have. "And Uzumaki is a common name, there are seven families in the Leaf alone with that name but none are related to me."
"Sorry I didn't know." said Katara
"It's ok." said Naruto "It's something you get used to."
"I never knew my parents either." said Aang as Katara's head snapped toward him "No air nomad does."
"What?" asked Katara
"Once kids reach the age of five they are taken before the an elder." explained Aang "If the child has air bending skills he or she is taken away from their parents to train in the ways of air bending. They may never know who their parents are and they normally change the child's name."
"So Aang isn't your real name?" asked Katara
"No, it is my name…I was told that since my parents knew I was the avatar it was beside the point." explained Aang "However they couldn't they couldn't say I was their son."
"That is horrible." said Suki
"It's how the air nomads have always done it." said Aang "However you are always around your friends so it doesn't hurt."
"The love from a mother and father can't be replaced just by friendship." said Naruto "It may ease the pain but it will never truly go away."
"Naruto-kun." though Sakura sadly "Someday I will take that pain away."
"I guess you're right." said Aang as he raised his head just in time to see a large mountain top poke out of the horizon "Looks like we will be in the Ember Island in an hour or two."
"Good, because I want to get off this thing." said Sakura as Naruto nodded in agreement.
Well I hope you liked this chapter and the scenes between Naruto/Sakura and the avatar team and between Sasuke and Azula. I also have news I have posted on my profile four different story clips of upcoming stories and you can vote on which one you like the most. Now until next time please keep reading. Thanks Wilkins75