"Next chapter! WOO! Now you get to see Naruto's true skill," I said with an evil grin.

"Oh, is that so?" Nagato asks.

"Well... yeah."

Nagato shakes his head. "Okay then."

I poke his arm. "Will you say the disclaimer?"

"Nonya owns nothing but the plot."

"Thank you! We want you to read, enjoy, and review."


Chapter 8:

Confrontation

The two returned to the Haruno and Uchiha who stayed in place. Kakashi dispersed the clone and they walked towards them to begin training. Sasuke's coal eyes were kept on the blond. Naruto was allowed to leave and the blond started walking towards his apartment when a strong hand gripped his bruised shoulder painfully and pulled him around to make cerulean eyes (that slowly turned darker) meet coal eyes unwillingly. Sasuke was almost taken aback by the amount of hate this orange clad boy had in his eyes, something that was almost enough to make him jealous, almost enough to make him afraid. No, Sasuke was afraid, he just wouldn't show it or admit it, but Naruto saw, he saw it crystal clearly.

"What do you want?" Naruto demanded, cerulean eyes turning a few shades darker with each second and narrowing.

The Uchiha almost didn't answer, but he pushed himself to talk. "What's wrong with you?"

The Uzumaki laughed bitterly. "I thought you Uchiha were intelligent, but obviously your capacity of understanding is limited, and judging by you're look you're dis-spirited. I had assumed that you were giving me attention earlier, but obviously you didn't absorb it so, reluctantly, I will repeat myself. I've never been happy. The only times I've ever been happy are few and far, so if you excuse me, but I must depart from you're... delightful presence."

Sasuke had no idea what to be more shocked at: the fact that Naruto was angry and unhappy most of his life, or the fact that his vocabulary was for larger than previously perceived in the past. He steeled himself and ran forward, catching the blond boy's shoulder and forcing him to turn around and face him.

"You're not supposed to be this way," Sasuke said, his voice wavering at how Naruto's eyes were nearing a gray-blue color.

Naruto shoved Sasuke almost effortlessly. "And you're the one that wants to call be an idiot? You're tempting me, teme, and if you come at me one more time, just one more fucking time, I will hurt you. Understand?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, but it's not like I'm gonna listen. You're coming back with me."

The onyx haired boy grabbed the blond's and then his hand was turned into the small of his back and then brought up painfully to the top of his shoulders, right in between the shoulder blades, making the Uchiha cry out in pain. Naruto's eyes were now as dark of a blue as possible and they caused fear to bubble in the dark eyed boy's stomach and heart. Even Orochimaru didn't scare him more than his teammate in this second. He wanted to get away, but more than anything he wanted to beat Naruto up as well.

"Are you done yet? Or do I have to break your arm?" Naruto asked as casually and as menacingly as possible.

Without a word Sasuke turned and tried to land a blow on Naruto who simply ducked out of the way and ended up punching him in the throat, but not hard enough to kill him or seriously damage anything, just to stop the air for a second. For a second Sasuke thought he was going to die, but Naruto simply kneed his gut and walked away, leaving his teammate alive and gasping for air that didn't seem to want to enter his lungs.

What happened to our Naruto? This can't be him? Sasuke thought, activating his Sharingan to see the familiar chakra. No... it is him... but at the same time it's not...

|-T-I-M-E-S-K-I-P-|-T-I-M-E-S-K-I-P-|T-I-M-E-S-K-I-P-|

Naruto sat with Hinata in the park, his eyes back to their original bright color. Her hand gently held his and he noticed how she observed him. He knew that she saw that he was careful in his movements, that sometimes when he moved one way he would stop and go the other when it came to simple tasks because of his multiple cuts and bruises. Soon it was time for Hinata to leave and he escorted her home before he walked back to Jiraiya's, who had something he wanted to say/tell/ask Naruto apparently.

"Ero-Sennin! Can I com in now?" Naruto called, a little annoyed, before hearing two bangs.

"Oh shit!" Jiraiya hissed from behind the door before opening it quickly. He was ruffled, his eyes had bags, and he looked like he just woke up from a nap. "I thought I said five?"

"I was released earlier and thought I'd come here," Naruto said, looking behind his godfather and seeing that he'd most likely tripped when he was on his way to the door. "What's up?"

Jiraiya sighed, trying to wake up. "I was wondering if... you wanted to come live with me? I cleared out a room, actually after cleaning this place I cleared out two, but... what do you say?"

The whiskered boy blinked... blinked... and once against blinked. "What? Really?! Are you serious?"

The Toad Sage smiled at the grin he was given by the younger boy. "Yes. I'll help you move in and everything."

It seemed that it was better that day after all.