Bonds That Bind
'Stupid sun, why won't you rise any faster?' Naruto thought to himself as he lay in his bed. He hadn't gotten much sleep throughout the night; he would just lay there and doze off every now and then. As he looked outside his slightly frosted window, he came to the conclusion that he should just get up and go outside while he wait for Ichiraku to open.
As he got up from his bed he made a mental note for him to look for a new bed while he was out. He had grown a lot since he left and had his legs hanging off his bed all night long. He got dressed and took a quick moment to look at his old Team 7 picture that he kept on his bedroom dresser. 'Sasuke.' He still deeply missed his friend. Naruto made another mental note to check up with Baachan and see what news she had to offer him in regards to his old friend.
He locked his apartment and headed towards his breakfast destination. It was still very early in Konoha, many of the shops hadn't opened yet for business. As he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, he looked back at the Hokage monument and nearly fell off the roof when he noticed Tsunade's face carved into the mountain after the 4th. 'Wow, I don't think that I'll ever get used to that'. He made it to Ichiraku's 30 minutes before it would open, so he did what he always did when he was forced to wait for Ichiraku to open up. "HEY OLD MAN! Open up already, I'm starving!"
"Hold your horses! We'll open when we open!" someone inside the small restaurant replied.
"Oh come on! I'll help make the ramen myself if you want, I've been waiting for 3 years!" Naruto replied.
"3 years?" Just then the old man poked his head outside to see who it was. "NARUTO! When did you get back?"
"Last night" Naruto replied with his full sized grin.
"Well come in, come in. You can have a seat while we get ready for you" The old man replied with a grin of his own.
Naruto made himself comfy on the stool and got his chop sticks ready. When he suddenly heard a familiar voice. "N-Naru-to-kun?" He turned around to see 3 Konoha shinobi on the road behind him. One of them was very concealed yet familiar none the less, another was riding a great white hound, and the third was a girl, with long dark hair and two very big lavender eyes. She was blushing madly while poking her fingers together.
"Hinata! Kiba! Akamaru! And is that really Shino?" Naruto blurted out.
"Hey Naruto, Long time no see? When did you get back from your training?" Kiba said with a wide grin on his face.
"I got back just last night, what are you guys up to?"
"We have an escort mission for a merchant." Shino stated in a very monotone voice.
"So what was your training like Naruto? Did you learn any new jutsus?" Kiba asked.
"You bet! I can't wait to show them off, any of you guys want to spar when you get back?", said Naruto.
"Sure I'll take you on, but I'm warning you. Me and Akamaru haven't been slacking off this whole time, you'll be in for a huge defeat when we get back."
"Bring it on. I'm sure I can handle a little wolf boy and his puppy."
"Hah, we'll see about that Naruto."
"Hinata, have you learned any new moves since I've been gone?" Naruto asked and as if on cue, Hinata responded as she always did when Naruto would talk to her.
"I-I-uh…" and just fainted right there on the street. Luckily Shino caught her before she hit the dirt road.
"Well we better get going or that merchant will start complaining to the Hokage. It was good seeing you again Naruto." Kiba yelled as they headed off towards Konoha's main gate.
After his run in with Team 8, Naruto was served with a huge bowl of pork ramen. 'Its better than I remember it' he thought to himself as he inhaled it. After his compliments to Ichiraku he left the ramen shop and went to find some old friends of his. He headed over to the hospital in an attempt to find a certain pink-haired kunoichi that used to be on his team.
As he entered his least favorite place on earth, he couldn't help but notice the scowling faces that seemed to pierce through him from many of the nurses and doctors walking through the bright white halls which seemed to extend in every direction. He asked one of the few staff members who didn't seem to be shooting him glares if she happened to know where Sakura was and she told him to check on the 4th floor. As he made his way to the 4th floor he continued to notice the stares coming his way from the people. The angry looks people gave him were one of the few things he hadn't missed since leaving Konoha. He tried to never take it personally, he knew that it was the only way these people had of getting revenge for what the Kyuubi had done 15 years earlier, but it still hurt Naruto many times. 'Why can't they understand that I'm not the Kyuubi? I'll prove to them that I'm not the Kyuubi, I'll prove to all of them what I can do to better this village, and I'll prove to them that they're wrong when I become the Hokage'.
As he continued down the intricate corridors of the hospital he heard his name being called. "Naruto! Is that really you?!" He turned around to see a pink-haired nurse calling out to him. "Sakura-chan!" He started to run towards her when he heard her yell at him, "Don't run in the hospital you idiot!".
They left the hospital and started to walk around Konoha. The life in the streets was starting to pick up now that it was almost midday and the city was alive at last. Naruto and Sakura walked with each other, telling each their own stories and what they have been up to these past 3 years. Then Naruto asked Sakura a question which made her burst into tears, a question that Naruto didn't think was very odd, a question which Sakura herself had asked Tsunade many times and never got the answer she had hoped for.
"Hey Sakura-chan, what has happened so far with Sasuke? Have they found out anything new? Does the Hokage know where he is? Is he safe?" Naruto was an oblivious man, it had to be something really obvious for him to notice anything, but for this particular question, Naruto was as attentive as he possibly could be. He noticed right when he mentioned 'Sasuke' the look of shock and sadness sweep over Sakura's face. Then when he finished his question, there were tears making their way down Sakura's cheeks. She was looking down at the street and sobbing heavily. "Sakura-chan, what is it? What happened?"
"Nothing." She replied in a voice that was hardly audible. "Nothing has happened at all."
"What do you mean 'Nothing has happened'? Why are you crying what has happened with Sasuke!" Naruto could easily see the look of torment in his teammates face but he didn't understand why.
"Tsunade-sama called off the search for Sasuke-kun", Sakura replied still weeping.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY CALLED OFF THE SEARCH! HOW COULD SHE DO THAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HER?" Naruto was starting to become hysterical.
"I TRIED! I TRIED TO MAKE HER CONTINUE! BUT SHE WOULDN'T. I don't know why." Sakura's sadness was turning into rage.
"I'm sorry Sakura-chan, I didn't mean to yell at you. I just don't understand."
As they both started to calm down, Naruto felt that he need to change the subject.
"So, when did you become a full blown nurse?"
"I'm not, I just help out in the hospital when they need me. I am usually out in the field attached to a squad and act as their medical shinobi."
"Wow that's amazing Sakura-chan!"
Sakura smiled at the small compliment, she had missed Naruto. She had felt alone in the village ever since she had accomplished Tsunade's training and Naruto had left to go and train with Jiraiya. Now Naruto was back, and she was regaining her happiness that she had once lost.
After having lunch with each other, Sakura went back to the hospital and Naruto made his way straight for the Hokage's Office.
He charged right in as usual and found Tsunade sitting in her chair staring dominantly at Naruto as if she had been expecting him.
"WHY BAACHAN! WHY DID YOU CALL OFF THE SEARCH FOR SASUKE?" Naruto was filled with anger and disgust, and he wanted Tsunade to know it.
"Naruto, do not come into my office and start yelling at me over a decision I made for the better of the village." Tsunade was speaking in a very stern voice and made it clear that she would not change her decision.
"What do you mean 'For the better of the village'!? How is ignoring Sasuke helping the village?"
"Because Naruto, as the Hokage, I cannot send resources to find Sasuke. I need to think of what's best for this village and its future, not what is in your best interests."
"But what about Orochimaru? He will come back and mount an attack against the village again just like he did before. How is ignoring Sasuke going to help the village?"
"Because Naruto, it is a strategy."
"What kind of strategy? How is ignoring your enemies a strategy?"
"I am not ignoring Orochimaru nor am I ignoring the Akatsuki, It is just that I am only committing forces to gain intelligence on them. I do not believe it is worth the risk to send more and more shinobi into harms way to rescue a single missing Nin from our village when we already know that some time in the future he will return."
"But why not try and rescue him? Why are you letting Orochimaru get his way?"
"Naruto what I'm about to tell you is top secret, and If you so much as tell another person about this, I will have you branded as a traitor against the leaf. Do you accept these circumstances?"
"I do." Naruto replied, a little fearful of what he may learn.
"The Akatsuki and Orochimaru are currently enemies of each other. It is our beliefs that The Akatsuki will not allow Orochimaru the chance to change containers. This is why we are merely monitoring the situation between the two. Why should we attack either of them now while they are full strength, rather then after the two have fought and are severely weaker?"
Naruto knew deep down that she had a point, and also knew that attempting to save Sasuke right now would be meaningless. He would have to wait for the time to be right, and then act on his own.
"Fine Baachan, but could you do me a favor?"
"What do you have in mind Naruto?"
"Can you at least keep me informed on what happens in regards to Sasuke and the Akatsuki?"
"I will try Naruto, but I'm not making any promises".
'Damn', Naruto had anticipated this type of answer. 'So be it, I'll get the information I need. Don't worry Sasuke, I'll make sure that you never become a vessel to that piece of trash!'
"Thank you Baachan." And with that, Naruto left the Hokage's office. Depressed and Helpless, he continued on towards one last stop before home. Ichiraku.
As he made his way towards his lunch, he noticed that Konoha seemed to be getting a bigger population as the day passed. Noticeably more and more people seemed to be filling the streets. He got to Ichiraku and was delighted to see who else was there. "Hey! Iruka-sensei!" He yelled as he ran to the seat next to his old sensei.
"Naruto! My have you really grown. How was your training? Are you alright?", Iruka asked, clearly interested in what his favorite student has been up to in his 3 years of absence.
Naruto and Iruka talked with each other through the day and into the night. It really brightened Naruto's mood to see Iruka again and talk with him about his training. Naruto had always thought of Iruka more as a father than as a teacher and he really missed the chuunin instructor while he was off with Jiraiya.
"Hey Iruka-sensei, is it just me or are there a lot more people in Konoha now?"
"Oh right! Listen Naruto, the Chuunin exams are starting, the increase in people your referring to is all of the shinobi and merchants from other villages coming to attend, Konoha is the host of the exams this turn."
"The Chuunin exams are now? Wow I can show off my new jutsus and techniques I've learned! Iruka-sensei, how would I sign up?"
"Well the exams this year are going to be in 3 man cells again, so I don't have an answer for that Naruto, everyone you age group are either Chuunin or Jonin by now. Go and talk with the Hokage tomorrow, I'm sure she'll find some way to fit you in."
"Right." Naruto, now realizing the time, ends the conversation. "Thanks for the talk Iruka-sensei, let me take care of the ramen bill this time."
"Thanks Naruto, I'll take you up on that offer", Iruka says with a smile.
Naruto leaves his father figure and heads off for home. The cool air flows around his body as he soars from rooftop to rooftop. He thinks to himself about how he is finally going to be a chuunin after 3 years of waiting, his chance is finally here! Just then he stops. A stunned look appears on his face. He looks around him and finds himself to be alone. The busy city life has retreated to slumber. But what can this chakra be then. And then he realizes it, it's the same dual type of chakra he has all to well been accustomed to. Another Jinchuuriki.