Author Note: And now we can get into the real meat and potatoes of the story, once a few last things are cleared away. Stage is set for it, so the story will gradually go from these mental overviews and large spans of time to more focused scenes, likely slowing down the story as a whole, but for the better of things. Plus, I'm sure you guys will love more interaction between the main stated characters and all. And some better fight scenes.
She was getting better, and that made Sasuke a happy man. Man, because he had sacrificed his boyhood long ago. He was hardly a child, which was itself a fault term to apply to any of the many young shinobi who made up the early ranks of the ninja program. He wondered if people realized how grim that actually was; they were a key element of the military might of the nation. Children, often younger then teens, and yet they were tasked with being the fist of a nation.
Childhood was something that many shinobi sacrificed. It was not hard to see why so many became as eccentric as they did. It was a surprise so many functioned as well as they did, given the things they had to do. But, then again, most of the truly unhinged ones tended towards the ANBU units, or rarely made it past Tokubetsu Jonin. Others ended up dead, by their or enemy hands, or as missing-nin, which generally meant also dead in the long run.
Then again, he was now a missing-nin too, though he hadn't exactly taken any aggressive action against the village. Some, he knew, would see who he had run to as a traitorous act in and of itself, and he did not blame them. He knew that everyone back in Konoha (not home, anymore, simply Konoha) likely thought he was crazy.
That worked just fine with him. He never claimed to be exactly and totally sane. Having one's clan slaughtered in front of you tended to cause that in people. Being forced to watch it over and over made it only more justifiable. That being said, he was likely a bit too right in the mind to be a crazy person.
He brought his mind back to his original thought,.What was it again? Ah, yes, being pleased. Or perhaps proud was more accurate description of his feelings. Even that was not quite right, but it was a start. She had made so much progress, and his mind had traced it back to that day, and that brutal fight. He had told her he had no use for someone who couldn't fight. He didn't know why, but he found he was unhappy with himself when the thought of that.
It was true, though. Unless she could fight for him, she would be no use. He needed a partner at best, or a tool at worst. She could be his shield, or his sword, or something else, but she could not be his cheerleader. And she seemed to know that too, which was why he found some pride in the fact that she had doubled her efforts in the last few months. She was no match for him in a straight up fight, but she was not supposed to be either, though he had been more liberal in letting her know that as of yet.
With Sakura's progress increasing under the tutelage of Orochimaru's chief aide, the often annoying Kabuto, it had been Sasuke's place to step up. He had pushed himself to apply the principles he'd gained when he learned chidori to other uses. Orochimaru was good at teaching him principles behind jutsu, but was somewhat reserved in actually teaching him techniques. He had passed on a few of his snake jutsu, though Sasuke as reserved about using them, and had spent more time teaching him general techniques for improving his chakra control and adapting the chidori to other jutsu.
Orochimaru was a genius, Sasuke could admit, when it came to the academic side of jutsu. He could develop them with ease, even if he could not actually perform them himself. This made him a rather suitable tutor for at least that side of things. However, jutsu was not the only skill Orochimaru passed on to his pupil. He trained him in kenjutsu as well; swordplay, and supplied the young Uchiha with a rather effective weapon for it as well. They formed a core of an entirely new wardrobe, given his old clothing had become ragged and worn over their training. He dressed more traditionally, taking something from his teacher in that sense.
It was not out of respect, he simply liked how it looked. And he made it look so much better. And, of course, someone would have to carry on the style after his dear master passed away.
Sasuke was currently in a state he was fundamentally inexperienced with: speechlessness. He was never a long winded soul, but he was more then capable of saying what he meant and meaning what he said. He could taunt a foe with ease, or be rather eloquent when he needed to be. But he was always very careful to pick his words for the greatest effect. Thus, to be struck with a sudden inability to use any words was a new and utterly unenjoyable experience for him.
She had changed her clothes and... more. Her hair was hanging low, nearly halfway down her back now, the hitae-ite she usually wore as a hair band replaced with a simple red silk ribbon that matched the rest of her outfit well. It was not surprising, really. It reminded him of Kabuto's clothes, abet far more... form fitting, and he was rather glad she was the one wearing the skirt instead of him. It went down below her knees, but was slit up the side all the way to her hips, revealing a rather short white miniskirt beneath.
The top was sleeveless on one side, her left arm hanging free with only a short white undershirt on the upper portion. Her right arm was clad all the way down past her wrist, and the sleeve was far looser then the rest of her attire. She wore it well, and for the first time he realized that she had a far more feminine body then he had given her credit for. The pink silk obi ribbon she wore around her waist accentuated her growing curves, and for some reason he could find no words when he looked at her.
"Sasuke-kun, something wrong?" Sakura asked, a confused expression on her face. Sasuke had a strange look on his face, one she couldn't quite place. She'd never seen him quite like this before.
"Oh, do you like the new outfit? The old one was all in tatters, so I thought I'd get something a bit more updated." she said with a smile, twirling once in a loose pirouette. She giggled slightly, bringing hand to her mouth as she did. "Your new robes look good too, Sasuke-Kun."
She tried to hold back her swooning. He didn't appreciate that, which only endeared him more to her heart. He did not need to be constantly told how great he was, or how good he looked, or how his new outfit showed of his chest so nicely, or how she wanted to throw herself at him and pin him against the bed and tear off his clothes and...
She was blushing now, wasn't she? She shook her head to clear her mind. Sasuke, on the other hand, was still staring. She was starting to get worried.
"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?" she said with concern, followed by a rather standard response of 'hn' from the Uchiha as he turned to walk off.
"Lets... get something to eat, Sakura-chan."
She froze there, as speechless as Sasuke had been not long before. Sasuke had called her Sakura-chan. Sasuke did not use honorifics, ever. Not even to Kakashi-sensei, or Orochimaru. He certainly didn't use them with her...
Sasuke turned back, his expression amused. "What?" he asked with a grin, "Aren't you coming?"
She was blushing all through lunch.
Back in Konoha...
Naruto could perhaps be faulted for many things, but enthusiasm was never one of them. Nor was optimism, and despite the great many failures in finding any leads on his teammates-turned-missing-nin he'd been faced with as of late he had never once showed any sort of faltering spirit. If anything, each failure seemed to spur him to new heights of enthusiasm. Ino once asked him how he could be so excited even after they'd failed, to which he responded very simply.
"It's one less thing to do, don't you see?" he said, smile on his face, "That option didn't work, so we go to the next one, and the next one, and eventually, we'll get to the one that does work!"
Ino found herself smiling at that response, and Naruto simply rushed off to do whatever Naruto did. How strange it was to find herself actually admiring the blond-haired genin. He'd been dead last in the academy, and then turned out to be the shocking upset of the entire class. Naruto had wowed everyone, and was continuing to do so every day. She'd never seen him doubt himself, and all that enthusiasm...
She sighed. She wished she could be like him, always so hopeful and eager. But Ino worried. She had not seen Sasuke's defection coming, and that made her realize that she had to admit she knew so very little about the Uchiha boy. Indeed, the more she thought, the more she realized she knew truly almost nothing. This image of the perfect boy in her head was cultivated by his mysterious and closed nature. He had been a blank slate for each girl to write in their own story or details.
Ino had come to the conclusion that she had never truly 'loved' or even liked Sasuke at all. She liked her concept of Sasuke, a person who did not actually exist and never would. For that reason, she was not surprised that she had not predicted his sudden defection. But Sakura...
Sakura was her friend. Her best friend, really. Even after their split they were still unable to sever that bond. And, after the events of the chuunin exams, that friendship had returned in full force. She had enjoyed that, having her friend back, even if they had not given up on the fight over the Uchiha. But something had become very apparent to the young Yamanaka: Sakura truly loved Sasuke. She had always had a talent for reading people, and although many of the girls their age had said it, it was only after the friendship had been cultivated once more that she realized the depths that her friend's feelings went.
She had told herself she felt the same, and perhaps it was living vicariously through Sakura that she had been able to convince herself that was true. But even knowing that, she had not seen any signs of the lengths Sakura would go for for Sasuke. Her feelings were there, but to go follow him into the jaws of the one who had just attacked their home?
She'd lost her friend and her crush in one fell swoop. To an extent, she seemed to be taking it harder then even Naruto had, though she began to wonder if Naruto was simply distracted so much by Hinata. Ino was surprised at all the time they had been spending together, either on missions, or training, or simply talking. She smelled romance, though Hinata was fairly defensive whenever she mentioned it. But she always had been pretty shy. Still, given how thick Naruto was, Ino suspected it might be the truth.
She sighed as her mind wandered back to Sakura. Asuma-sensei had told her she should not be so hard on herself, and that no one saw it. She couldn't be held responsible, he said. Ino felt differently. She was her best friend, she was a Yamanaka. She should have seen it, could have seen it... if she was stronger. But, instead of helping stop them, she did nothing. Shikamaru and Choji came back, and she felt as though she should be apologizing to them. Especially Choji; he'd nearly died. And despite what anyone said, she still was blaming herself.
She wanted to be stronger, and she wanted never to be unaware of the workings of others. She wanted to be able to get inside people's heads without tossing her soul at them.
Which is exactly what she had told the head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Force, Ibiki Morino, when she asked him to train her.
Kiba had not been on a mission in nearly two months. The reason for this was two fold. He was not exactly in an emotional state to do so in the least, spending most of his time moping around his home. The second reason was directly related to the first: Akamaru was not capable of performing as a nin-dog any longer.
He had been heavily injured during the their tenure on the short lived Sasuke Retrieval Team, specifically during their fight with the creepy ass twins. The Suna-Nin had shown up with his puppets in time to save the young Inuzuka and his partner from death, and had assisted in getting them back to Konohagakure in time as well. But there was only so much medical-nin could do. Even his own sister, with her veterinary expertise, could work only so many miracles.
Akamaru was alive, which made Kiba indescribably happy, but the pup was unable to participate in many of the coordinated combat techniques that were the Inuzuka clan's trademark. He might be able to track, and eventually keep up with Kiba even at full tilt, but he would not fight again. This left Kiba without his closest friend and partner, and took away his combat focus.
He was honestly considering retiring all together, even going so far as to talk with Kurenai-sensei about replacing him in the team. He had suggested offering the position to Naruto, given the strange friendship that had sprung up between the blond-haired genin and Hinata. The fact that Naruto was left essentially without a team made the concept sensible to Kiba. He was planning on handing in his resignation within a week.
The last person he had expected to show up and try to talk him out of this was Naruto's jonin sensei. Kakashi had shown up without preamble, dragged him out into one of the many training fields in Konohagakure, and unfurled a scroll in front of him.
Curious, Kiba had asked what the heck it was.
"This is going to be your new tool" Kakashi said, "It's a summoning contract. The dog contract, to be precise."
Naruto Uzumaki was leaving Konoha.
It was not something he had wanted to do, really. He had never even imagined having to leave, and certainly not for such a length of time. The thought of leaving his home was not one he entertained lightly. In an oddly cynical moment he had thought about how that apparently made him the unique one amongst his team. He shook that thought away. He would find them both, and bring them home. He had promised, hadn't he? And he never went back on his word.
Naruto looked at his traveling companion. The Pervy Sage, as Naruto rather amusingly called him, had come to talk with the young genin after he had been bedridden yet again. He had appeared in the window right after Hinata had gone home after their lunch. Jiraiya gave him one of those sly grins that Naruto was so used to seeing, but the context had confused him.
"Quite a catch you got there. Seems like you're old teacher's taste is rubbing off on you after all." he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as he did. Naruto became flustered.
"It's not like that, you perv! She's my friend!" he had said defensively, causing Jiraiya to laugh. Let the kid figure it out on his own.
Of course, what Naruto did not know was that his embarrassment was not entirely because of the rather suggestive tone his ero-sennin had presented the idea with. Rather, Naruto was embarrassed because, deep down, he rather liked the concept. But he was young, and bristled at the implication for unknown reasons.
But after that little tease, his sensei had gotten far more serious. It was strange how fast he could change gears, from joking lecher to composed sannin without any warning or preamble. It confused the young genin.
Jiraiya hadn't wasn't much time informing him of Akatsuki's movements and his plan to take him off for a lengthy journey. Harder to find if you're moving around, that was the reasoning, and he'd be training him too. Of course, Naruto had responded quickly, saying he couldn't just go off when Orochimaru was planning to hijack his friend's body. But let it never be said that Jiraiya was unprepared. He'd looked into that to, and somewhat mollified Naruto by informing him of the three-year wait for Orochimaru.
And he told him he needed to be stronger if he intended to live up to that promise he'd made.
Naruto had gone silent for a few moments before summoning his trademark enthusiasm and agreeing with his teacher and rather hastily trying to get up from his bed, still looking like a mummy, and rather quickly eased back into the bed. Jiraiya had laughed, commended his eagerness, but told him that his current mission was to heal up. They had a week.
The week had not lasted. He spent the first three days in bed, still recovering from the wounds he'd received. That had given him a chance to talk with Hinata, at least. He liked talking with Hinata. She was different then the other girls he'd known, and certainly different then Sakura, the only real girl he'd had any lengthy interaction with. But it was a good sort of difference. Less hitting, more talking, and far more laughing. He particularly appreciated the first part, as being around a pretty girl wasn't as great when she was always clobbering you.
When he had told Hinata that she grew very quiet, and very red. It was odd, really. He was used to her getting rather shy around him, though she'd seemed to have stopped as of late. Naruto had just chaulked it up to one of the many things he never really understood about girls in general. Like why Sakura was so violent around him and yet was so sickly sweet to the bastard. Or why Ino was so bossy...
Actually, he didn't know enough girls really. But Hinata was such a stark contrast to Sakura that he found it quite refreshing. And, once she'd gotten past that whole shy thing she was even a pretty good conversationalist. He'd found out interesting things, like her hobbies. Flower-pressing, she had said, and then he had surprised her with how truly and actually interested in that he actually was. His gardening hobby had surprised her too.
He wondered what the others would say if they knew he spent hours talking with Hinata about flowers and plants. Something snarky, no doubt. He had brought that up with Hinata too, and they had some good laughs as Naruto imitated their various friends fairly accurately. It had made Hinata laugh and smile, and that made Naruto happy. He was happy that the laughter at his antics was once with him, and not at him. The attention in general was something he came to treasure.
She had taken his news of going away with sadness, and Naruto was stricken with the strangest feeling of conflicting emotions he'd ever had. On one hand, he found the fact that someone not only enjoyed his presence but also found the idea of being unable to continue enjoying it to be an unpleasant thing... downright odd. And he shared it too, he hated the concept of not talking with her, but reminded himself that he still needed it. It was for the best, and that she'd be there when he got back, just like all his friends.
He knew that. Particularly her. That was their nindo, after all.
And with that thought, he managed to actually keep a smile as he left Konoha, falling into step behind the white-haired Toad Sage. Well, that thought, and look on Hinata's face when he had handed her a parting gift. He knew she could press it, too. He had been hoping she wouldn't be weirded out by what they meant; she had shown a remarkable knowledge of the so-called 'language of flowers' before. He picked them for their meaning, and because they reminded him of her eyes.
Pale violet bellflowers. She had known what they meant. She had given him a look he had not seen, but had rather enjoyed. Her face was as red as often, but with a smile on it, and she looked him straight in the eye. It was a bolder looking face, and Naruto rather liked it. It was that face that was in his mind as he left his home. Which was, of course, what the flowers had meant.
In the language of flowers, the bellflower means 'thinking of you.'
Hinata watched Naruto disappear into the horizon for some time, and then spent almost an hour watching even after he'd gone. Neji, of all people, had stood with her the entire time. She was happy for that. It was part of a great many things that had made the last few months some of, if not the most, happiest months of her young life.
Her father had begun to acknowledge her, in his own way, and apologize even, again in his own way. Each day he seemed to show greater interest in her development, and she had seen him smile at her more times in those few months then she could ever remember. But that was only part of the change. Neji, having apologized for his behavior, had also taken a far greater interest in her, much like an older brother. She was happy for that, and for the fact of how kinder he had become as a whole. He was even training with Hiashi now.
Ino had taken an interest in her, as it would be, and struck up a friendship with her as well. She suspected it was partially because she lacked any other girls, with Sakura's leaving and all. But she was happy for it never-the-less. Ino was... different, but what had begun likely as nothing more then Ino's boredom had grown into an actual friendship. Hinata frequented her family's shop often to get supplies for her pressing. Even Naruto had started going there for his own gardening needs.
Naruto... that was the true light of it all as well. She was closer to him then she had ever imagined possible, and felt secretly bad that it had been his abandonment by his teammates that had brought that about. She should not have felt so glad for it, and yet she found it hard not to. Something told her that, in another time and place, she never would have been. She never would have been there to save him, nor would she have become such a close a friend, and nor would he have handed her a bunch of flowers that made her more confident then she had ever been in her entire life.
Neji had placed a hand on her shoulder eventually, but said nothing more. They had left for home after that, though she hadn't stayed long. Long enough to put the flowers into some water and then go out on her own mission, of sorts. Naruto wasn't the only one who had made a promise, nor the only one who needed to get stronger. And, high on confidence, she set out to call in a favor with a certain someone .
She took a deep breath, and headed for the hokage's office.
Meanwhile, in a hidden location...
Orochimaru honestly found the Sakura girl that had tagged along with his new body somewhat fascinating, and simultaneously absolutely frustrating. He had let her stay at first if only for amusement, and to allow the Uchiha to become more relaxed; more easily molded to what Orochimaru wanted from him. Later, the sannin found her presence tended to make him fight harder, even if he had never noticed it.
He failed to notice many things, however. For one who bore the sharingan, he proved oddly unperceptive.
It also made her train almost as hard as the boy was. It was touching, really, how her devotion to him made the girl push herself. In a way, it reminded Orochimaru of Guren and her devotion to him. Obviously there were some differences, but the similarity was still there. The relationship between Guren and Orochimaru, however, was decidedly different and yet strangely the same. Both were based on power. Guren followed Orochimaru for it, and Orochimaru was fascinated by hers. With Sasuke and the girl it was different; he saw power he could use in her, and and her power came from her devotion. And, of course, the power she had over him that neither of them realized.
He had tested that power. He was not sure if it was a good idea.
It a was a simple test, really. He'd sent them to collect up some prisoners, along with another of his useful and fascinating subordinates. Karin proved quite useful, and from what he could tell she had taken quite a liking to the Uchiha as well. He was not unaware, it seemed, even he had no return on that infatuation. Orochimaru watched him save Karin after she had been caught unawares, but what had happened after was what had surprised him.
Sakura had seemed angry at that, lashing out with a hand that glowed with cutting power. Kabuto had passed on his many medical-nin arts that formed the core of his fighting style, and the chakra scalpel was one she had taken to quite well. She swept her arm, but it was not either of them she was aiming for. Rather, it was one of the escapees who had snuck up behind Sasuke and Karin after he had caught her. She looked down at him with a look that Orochimaru had never seen in her eyes, and from the looks of it, one that Sasuke had not seen either, before leaping off to find more of the prisoners on her own.
The exchange had taken less then a few seconds, but that little event seemed to trigger something in Sasuke, and it had not escaped Orochimaru's notice. He became more attentive, even if only slightly, and in his own way. He had treated her very much like a tool. Not a common tool, of course, but more like a treasured sword; it had obvious sentimental value and use, and you would hate to see something happen to it, but at it's core it was still a tool. But that single sweep that had cut through the windpipe of desperate man had also cut through Sasuke's image of her.
She was more then a tool to him now. She was a partner, a person who would kill for him without a second thought or hesitation. She did not need to be directed or applied like a simple tool might. Which made her dangerous, and very interesting to the White Snake. But it was an interest much unlike many of his others. She ha no purpose as a host, not even as a joking consideration. She also was no use as a minion of any sort; too devoted to Sasuke, and he was only devoted as long as he believed still had power to gain from Orochimaru.
But she was still so very interesting to watch. But a problem, as well. One he could not deal with in any reasonable way either. She was skilled enough to handle her own and Sasuke was willing to go out of his way for her. Any direct attempt would only cause him to leave, or die fighting. Any indirect attempt would be foiled by one or the other, or the combined efforts of both. This was why he found it so delectable when it was she herself who presented him with an option.
Of course, she either intentionally or unintentionally gave herself a little sliver of survival. Unintentional was most likely, in his opinion, but it was a damnable shame she had done it. Now he would have to go about it seriously, just to prove he could. The fact her chances of survival were still not particularly good only made it better. She may have known to play off his ego, and desire to experiment to get him to do it, but it also meant he'd have to actually try, and not simply use it as a way to kill her off.
Orochimaru had made peace with his pride long ago. He already had Kabuto preparing. He was still pondering her request...
"I know what you can do, I've seen it with my own eyes." she had said, a fire in her eyes, "I want to be useful to Sasuke. Give me something to do that."
And he had simply licked his lips, and said he had just the thing.