Disclaimer: As I blew out my birthday candles, I wished to own Naruto. Why didn't it work?

Author's Note: The last chapter was the longest of them so far, but this one is a little bit longer. The general consensus is that the story is great. I have had a lot of chapters already done, so I'm editing it so they're longer and more detailed.

Chapter Four:
It had become public knowledge that Sakura was dating me now. At first, many people thought she was nuts, but she told them that they didn't know the real me. Everything seemed right in to me. I'd wanted Sakura to go out with me for years, and it was finally happening.

So why wasn't I the happiest guy on Earth? Well, for one thing, Sasuke stopped talking to me. So much for all that 'best friend' stuff he said. And Kakashi was being weird about him too. Like the other day, Sakura was late to the bridge (later than Kakashi!) and I wondered where she was. Sasuke sulked like he always seems to be doing nowadays, and Kakashi tried to brush everything off. It was confusing.

I wanted to talk to Sasuke about what was going on, but I didn't know how to do that. I guess I should start by going by his place. The thing is, I've never actually been there before.

Both Sasuke and I are orphans, but there's a big difference. The Third Hokage bought me an apartment to live in, and I was checked up on by Iruka a lot. Sasuke had his house already, and he had no one until he met Kakashi.

So I made up my mind. After training today, I was going to go to Sasuke's and talk to him. But something happened before hand, and I wasn't able to.

When we were all at the bridge, Sasuke made a strange request of Kakashi.

"Kakashi, I'd like to leave this squad."

"What!" I yelled. Sakura turned around to him too.

"Why would you want to ruin the thing we have going?" she asked. "We're a great team."

"It's getting to be too...cramped," he said. "Kakashi, you understand why I can't be on this team anymore, right?"

"I do, Sasuke," he said.

"What!" I yelled. "Kakashi, you can't really be serious! You're going to ruin this group because Sasuke wants to leave for god-knows-why?"

"I'm sorry it came down to this, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "You can leave, now." Kakashi turned to face me, as Sasuke left. Sakura went after him, but I was too worried about Kakashi. "Don't give me that look, Naruto."

"You just let him leave!" I asked. "What's wrong with you? Why does he want to leave?"

"He has to leave, Naruto," Kakashi said. "He'd be ineffective in a mission at this point."

"Why?" I asked. "What's changed since our mission to kill Kisame?" As soon as I said it I realized the truth. "It's because of me and Sakura, isn't it?" I asked.

"In a way," Kakashi said. I guess I'd have to drag it out of him. "He feels like a third wheel now that you two are dating."

"Don't give me that bull, Kakashi. He likes Sakura, doesn't he?" I didn't really believe it, but it was the only reasonable explanation. He wouldn't be able to watch his crush and his best friend date while trying to protect them. But if he liked Sakura, he could have had her a while ago. It didn't make sense, but it was the most sensible thing.

"He doesn't like Sakura," Kakashi said. "At least not like that."

"Then what's wrong?" I asked.

"I can't tell you, Naruto. As of this moment, Team 7 is disbanded until we have a new member to fill in. I have to tell Lord Hokage about this." He let me all alone with my thoughts.

Screw Kakashi. I was going to go to Sasuke's and ask him what happened. I had to talk to him myself. On my way, I ran into Sakura, who was just on her way back from seeing Sasuke.

"Don't bother," she said. "He refuses to see sense."

"I'm going to try, anyway. Kakashi says that until we get a new member, Team 7 is disbanded."

After absorbing the news, Sakura went to tell Ino what had happened, while I arrived at the Uchiha house. I didn't bother knocking, I just walked in.

"What the fuck?" I asked him. "What the fuck are you doing here when we should be training. Why the fuck did you quit the team? Answer me!"

"I couldn't stand it anymore. I'd prefer to do my training more in private. I need a lot of work if I am going to kill Itachi."

"So that's what this is about?" I saw him blush a little, but it must have been my imagination. "Sasauke," I said in a gentler tone, "you are one of the toughest, strongest, fastest ninja in the village. You could kill Itachi if you tried."

"I did try," he said. "And I failed. I will never fail again."

"Sasuke," I said. "You are a powerful ninja. If you trained with Kakashi, Sakura and I -"

"That's the point!" he yelled. "We aren't training, we're doing missions. I need to focus on that. Sorry, Naruto."

"Fine," I said. "Just be that way." I left, and slammed the door behind me for good measure.

OoOoOoOoO

For the next few months, Team 7 hadn't gotten a single assignment. That's because we didn't get a fourth member for the squad. Sasuke trained with Kakashi mostly, and I trained with Jiraya. I learned my elemental release was wind, and I mastered my first wind jutsu - wind style: whirlwhind ball jutsu. Meanwhile, Kakashi was teaching Sasuke how to do a fire release jutsu - fire style: shurikan flame dance.

While we were training, I was growing restless. One day, while Kakashi was teaching Sasuke a new move, I decided to join them, and I asked Kakashi about our new member.

"So Kakashi," I said. "Who is this new guy who's supposed to join us?"

"Well, Naruto," he said. "He is still a genin, but he's a powerful one. His name is Saru, and he will be joining us soon."

"Why not now?" I asked.

"Because there are...things...he has to do." His tone indicated that it was a dropped topic.

"Kakashi," Sasuke said. "I think I've finally mastered what you've been teaching me."

I hadn't quite seen it yet, so I was curious. "Well, go ahead, Sasuke," Kakashi urged.

"Fire style: Roaring flame sphere!" he yelled. He cupped his mouth, and fire came out in an orb a little bigger than my rasengan. It was a yellow-orange color, and I didn't really see flames on it. But it shot towards a tree, and made a huge explosion. I could tell it was a powerful jutsu.

"Good," Kakashi said. "It's a little small though." Sasuke hmphed, and turned away. Kakashi turned to me. "Naruto, let's see your jutsu."

I was tired from using up a lot of chakra training, and this jutsu required a lot of it. I summoned a bit of the nine tails chakra - but not too much - to help me.

"Wind style: shuriken tornado." I grabbed six shuriken, and jumped in the air. My chakra helped me rotate faster and faster until I became a tornado. I let out my shuriken, and they flew out in all directions, and they were extremely fast.

"Eh," Kakashi said. "Only six? It would be more effective to have more. And you were a little slow."

I hate when he criticizes me. But at least he criticized Sasuke too, right?

"I think that's all the training for the day, guys," Kakashi said. "Sasuke, I need to talk to you tomorrow. Meet me at the bridge at 9. Naruto, keep up practicing. You might be able to master that jutsu fast, but there's a way to enhance it. When you master it, come find me, and I'll teach you the next step. Have fun, boys." He disappeared, leaving Sasuke and I alone.

"I'm going home," Sasuke said.

"No you're not," I said. "I have to talk to you."

"About what?"

"That day when I woke up after our fight with Itachi and Kisame." Sasuke tensed up.

"What about it?" he asked.

"I heard what you said before I woke up." He gasped and turned around.

"How much?"

"I heard that you called me your best friend," I said, "and that you didn't want me to die. What's happened since then that caused you to pull away. We barely see each other, and you never talk to me. You quit the squad. What changed."

He turned away from me, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was crying. "I just couldn't handle losing to Itachi. I needed you to protect me. I will never need that again." With that, he left, and I wondered if I had made a mistake talking to him.

Later that day, I was talking to Sakura when Kakashi sensei found us.

"Oh, good," he said. "You're together. That'll make my job easier."

"What do you mean, Kakashi?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, we're on a date! Can you give us one night!" I yelled. I don't know why I was so upset, but I didn't like him imposing again. I didn't actually expect anything to happen with Sakura.

"Lord Hokage has decided that adjustments in the Chunin teams will have to be made. So far, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Shino, and you two are the only Chunin from your graduating class. That means that the three of you were on a team, and Shikamaru and Shino had a genin - Neji Hyuga - on their team. Well, another person has been made a chunin, and it has upset the balance of the squads.

"That mean," he continued, "that some squads will have to be rearranged. Sasuke had decided to rejoin Team 7 this afternoon, which prompted the shift in teams. If he hadn't, the new chunin would have joined our team, and we'd be complete again.

"Unfortunately, since Sasuke rejoined, it means that the teams have been switched up. The new Team 7 is me, Sasuke, Naruto, and...Ino Yaminka. Sakura, effective tomorrow, you will be in Team 8 - Asuma, Shikamaru, and Shino."

"What!" Sakura and I both yelled.

"Kakashi," she said, "why can't Ino join them? I mean, she's already worked with Shikamaru, so it should be easier."

"That would ordinarily make sense, but it won't work out," he said. "Unfortunately, because of your relationship with Naruto, it has been deemed unwise for you two to be on the same squad."

"That's stupid!" I said. "She's being put on another team because we're dating? That's so unfair."

"Naruto, if you two are on the same battlefield, your feelings for each other can cloud your judgement. It is what's best. A distracted team will not be able to accomplish successful missions. It would be one thing if you were a genin team doing Level C and D missions, but you're chunin. You do A and B ranked missions. It's too dangerous to have two people together on a battlefield who love each other. I'm sorry."

As Kakashi walked away, I turned to Sakura. I couldn't tell if she was hurt or pissed.

"One more thing," Kakashi said, without turning around. "Naruto, meet me at the bridge tomorrow." With that, he walked away.

OoOoOoOoO

Sasuke and I were the first to arrive at the bridge. It seemed Ino had the same body clock that Kakashi had.

"Naruto," Sasuke said. "I have a question for you."

After finding out Sasuke rejoined the team, I went to talk to him. I was upset that having Sasuke meant losing Sakura, but I understood, and in a way I was relieved. I knew that if I was in trouble on the battlefield, Sasuke could save me if he tried, but Sakura might not have the power to do it. He told me that I had convinced him to join Team 7 again, and he told me that he was sorry about being distant.

"What is it, Sasuke?" I asked.

"How did you master the shadow clone jutsu so fast?" he asked.

"Well," I said. "I shouldn't have. The only reason I was able to was because I stole the scroll of sealing."

"No way," he said. "If you stole it, you'd be in prison, not be a chunin."

"It was really Mizuki's fault. He manipulated me to get it. That's why I wasn't punished."

Before Sasuke could respond, we both heard the shriek that I'm sure Sasuke had been dreading for some time now.

"SASUKE!" Ino yelled from so far away, we could barely see her. But in an instant she was right as Sasuke's side, harassing him. "Sasuke! It's so nice to see you! I was so excited when I heard I'd be on your team!"

"Will you quiet down!" Sasuke said. "I have a headache."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ino said. Jeez, it was just like Sakura was until recently. I can't believe I have to deal with that again. Luckily, we didn't have to, because a minute later, Kakashi appeared.

"Ah, hello Ino, Naruto, Sasuke," he said. "Glad to see you're all here. We should get going."

"Going where?" I asked.

"We have a mission," Kakashi said. "After our success at killing Kisame Hoshigaki, we have been assigned a new mission. We have been asked by Lord Raikage of the Village Hidden in the Clouds to help him. His son, Mishikajiki Yotsuki has been kidnapped by Sound shinobi, hoping to invite war from the Cloud Village. As the Cloud's ally, our mission is to find and kill the kidnapper, and escort Mishikajiki back to the Cloud village. In doing so, we will prevent another Great Shinobi War."

"Why do we have to help, though?" Ino asked. "Aren't there other villages who can help? And why don't they just do it. They have shinobi too."

"The most recent development is that the Sound shinobi have taken Mishikajiki to a town in the Land of Fire. For another shinobi other than the Leaf village to enter is a breach of the treaty."

"Where are they?" I asked. "What village?"

"A village called Kagero," Kakashi said. "It's on the outskirts of the Land of Fire, near the border to the Land of Sound. Ideally, to get from the Land of Fire to the Land of Lightning, where the Hidden Cloud Village is, we'd have to go through the Land of Beasts and the Land of Shadows, but there are no Shinobi villages in those countries. It would be a very simple mission. But with the way we have to go to collect Mishikajiki, we'd have to go through the Land of Sound, meaning we might run into Sound shinobi."

"Orochimaru," Sasuke said.

"Possibly Orochimaru and Kabuto, yes," Kakashi said. "Or possibly the Sound Four."

"The Sound Four?" I asked.

"A group of ninjas handpicked by Orochimaru. They are the four most powerful shinobi in the Sound Village, and can take on Kage level opponents."

"Well," I said. "Let's get this squirt and hightail it to The Cloud Village."

"There's one more thing," Kakashi said. "I won't be going with you."

"What!" Ino shouted. "It's my first mission with you guys and the sensei doesn't even want to be there!"

"With Mishikajiki with you, there will be four people. Any more would risk a mission. I will be leading a squad of genin who will trail after you until after you get past the Sound Village. From there, it should be easy. But you have to leave now. Soon, Mishikajiki's kidnappers might bring him into the Land of Sound, which will make things much harder."

"Right," Sasuke said. "We'll leave now." With that, Kakashi left us ten minutes to prepare before meeting each other at the gates to the Hidden Leaf Village. After we were prepared, we set out.

It was an uneventful two days until we reached Kagero. We started looking for the shinobi who kidnapped the kid. We saw a picture of him, and we had his name - Shika Nijioaku. He was supposed to be a pretty powerful ninja. We began looking in hotels and the like, but we had no success.

"We should probably split up to find him," Sasuke said.

"No way, Sasuke!" I said. "Remember when we split up looking for Kisame? If you hadn't left Kakashi to find Sakura and I, we would have died. We'll do this together."

"Why don't we look in the woods," Ino said. "If he's a sound shinobi, he wouldn't take a kid that he kidnapped to a hotel. He might have a camp set up outside the village."

"It does make sense," Sasuke said. "Let's get to it."

We began looking around, until we came across two people - an old woman and her granddaughter, who was about Kakashi's age.

"Have you seen a sound ninja or a kid around here?" Sasuke asked. The granddaughter's eyes shifted to her grandmother for a second, but the grandmother answered.

"We haven't seen anyone. We're out here looking for herbs for my apothocary."

"Sorry to bother you, ma'am," Ino said, and the three of us began to leave, but Sasuke pivoted on his foot and threw a kunai at the grandmother.

"Sasuke!" I yelled.

"It's them," he said. "Using a transformation jutsu."

The grandmother chuckled. "I see you've figured us out, have you? Is that the best the cloud village can do for their Raikage's son? Three leaf village kids?" She turned into a sound ninja, and she sent a wave of sound at the granddaughter, who transformed into a ten year old boy. The wave sent him flying toward a tree that he was bound to by the sound.

"Hey, you better watch yourself," Ino said. "We're chunin."

"I don't care if you're ANBU," he said. "I'll kill you." He took out eight senbon. He threw them in the air. "Sound style: senbon decibal attack!" He threw the senbon at Ino, who dodged them. She stood, victorious over the attack, before falling to the ground, clutching her ears and yelling. "You see," he continued, "you have no chance against the power of sound."

"Oh yeah?" I said. I did my handsign. "Multi-shadow clone jutsu." Hundreds of shadow clones appeared, and ran at him.

"Your shadow clones are no match for me. He send a sound wave just like the one he used on Mishikajiki against my clones. They all disappeared because of the ferocity of the attack.

"Sharingan!" Sasuke said. His eyes turned that red with the black symbols on it. He began to charge up his chakra for the chidori. His arm began to glow blue-white, and he ran at the sound ninja. The sound ninja took out a sword.

"Sound Style: Sound Blade!" he yelled. His sword hit Sasuke's chidori, and they stood at a stalemate for a few seconds. By this time, I had gotten back up from his sound wave attack. Then, the sword emited a high pitched sound. I could hear Sasuke stop breathing. He fell back, and his ears began to bleed.

"Sasuke!" I yelled. I watched as he fell to his knees.

"Now, I kill him," the sound ninja said. He took out four senbon that dripped with poison. He aimed and threw at Sasuke's body.

Author's Note: Hehehehe…I'm going to leave you a little cliff hanger. What will happen to Sasuke? Will they complete the mission? Without Sakura on Team 7, will Naruto give up on her? Read the next chapter to find out.