A/N: Nothing to say here. Just that it's a bit cold and my head's feeling all fuzzy.
Th4n: Thanks for the reviews and I assure you that all your questions will be answered… in due time, MUAHAHAHA. Sorry 'bout that. Everything would be clear soon.
As for the others down here, I'll try to finish the Starter arc before I go for the Christmas break. Oh yeah, and for those that were curious, this is indeed my first fic.
Disclaimer: Ownership of Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto… and me; for ten seconds after I fail to write this disclaimer, before I go to jail.
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Chapter what again? Oh yeah, Chapter SIX
Heading For Boot Camp
Opening theme: Wind by Toshio Masuda
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The first thing Sasuke did when Naruto approached him was to punch the dobe straight in the gut. However, a log of wood spontaneously replaced the blonde.
"What the HELL, teme?", asked Naruto, appearing behind his friend.
Sasuke glared at him in reply, "You had us worried, dobe. Where had you been?"
"Training", he said elusively, "Oh, hi, Mrs Uchiha!" He then spotted Kyuubi and immediately went slack-jawed.
"You-you're-you..."
"What?", the girl asked irritatedly.
"I-I-We've met bef-I… oh shit."
"Whatever, weirdo."
Sasuke sniggered at this.
Iruka was with his megaphone again and he used it to grab everyone's attention.
"Congratulations to all our new operatives. From here, we will proceed directly to the company's boot camp. Guardians should please say their goodbyes and bear with us. The training will last for only two weeks."
"Oi, ain't we, at least, entitled to know where our kids are going to?", asked the feral woman with the one-eyed dog. A few parents around also chorused in agreement.
"I'm sorry, Tsume-san", Iruka said apologetically, "You know how the company works. I can assure you, however, that your children are in safe hands. As I speak, a bus is being parked outside along with a small entourage of ANBU."
The guardians nodded and the examiners excused themselves, allowing them some time with their kids. Sasuke left to go retrieve his bag from his mother's car.
"Didn't you pack anything, Naruto-kun?", Mikoto asked the young blonde.
Naruto diverted his attention from Kyuubi, who was now punching furiously on the screen of her Sony Xperia.
"Oh, I was in a bit of haste, Mrs Uchiha. Don't worry, I'll get by."
"Are you sure, Naruto-kun?"
"Yup. I get ma hustle like that."
The Uchiha matron smiled at his words.
"Here", Sasuke said, tossing a bag to his friend. The raven-haired Uchiha had just arrived with two backpacks in tow.
"What's this?"
"You always leave some clothes over whenever you crash at my end. I took the liberty of packing them for you."
"Whoa, thanks a lot, Sasuke!"
"I didn't wash them."
"?. . . Teme!"
"Sasuke-kun", Mikoto began, "Come here and recite your father and brother's numbers to me."
"But I have them on my phone!"
"You can lose it. Come over, quickly. And their social security numbers too."
"Mom!"
It was Naruto's turn to snigger; which quickly turned to full out laughter, as he and Kyuubi watched in amusement as Mikoto continuously tormented her son.
"Alright then", said the matron, "If that is all, I wish you all the best. See you in two weeks!"
She then proceeded to consecutively hug the two boys. Naruto lingered a little while longer, making sure to snuggle into her generous bosom. Oh, Mikoto-chan!
The matron raised a delicate eyebrow.
"And you too, young lady", Mikoto said, also embracing Kyuubi, "Take good care of the boys for me now, would you?"
"I will, Mikoto-san."
With a final wave, she left the building.
"Don't say a word", Sasuke warned.
"I haven't even opened my mouth yet", Naruto replied, though there was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He would be sure to tease his friend later.
The three filed out of the building together, backpacks slung over their shoulders.
"U-Uzu-ZUMAKI Na-NARUTO!", the blonde declared, trying once again to introduce himself to Kyuubi, "a-and that's U-UCH..."
"Uchiha Sasuke, I know", completed the redhead, "Can you be a little less loud? I'm having a bit of a headache." And she pinched the bridge of her nose as if for added emphasis.
Sasuke thought that Naruto looked majorly disheartened, but only for a second, before the blonde goofball bounced back and whispered 'okay'.
The bus was already revved by the time they arrived at the yard and Sasuke caught sight of two, tall figures in white masks and camo uniforms, blending into the shade.
'ANBU', he thought.
The ANBU was standard for ANsatsu senjutsu taijutsu BUtai. They were an elite group of Oniwabanshu operatives trained especially in assassination and espionage. They were also rumored to be the bodyguards of the Hokage; who was the C.E.O of the company, and a man, only few were privileged to meet. Sasuke had ambitions of joining the ANBU some time in his career. They were so cool and the movies made them out as totally bad-ass!
Mizuki had taken the position behind the wheel while the Aoba guy rode shot-gun. Iruka was standing inside the bus trying to organize the group into a single file. Naruto ended up standing between the boy in the shades and the timid girl with white eyes.
"What's up?", he asked, nodding at the girl behind him.
She didn't reply. Instead, she yelped and looked down at her feet.
Strange world.
Inside the bus, he tried to locate his friend and spied him sitting at the back next to the Kyuubi chick. As he walked over to them, he tripped and fell face floor on the aisle.
"Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there", chuckled a seated, brown-haired boy who held a small pup. The dog barked in approval of the joke.
Naruto picked himself up and glared darkly at the boy but chose not to retaliate. Not with Iruka watching his back anyway. Besides, he was way too ecstatic about finally becoming a mercenary to allow something that trifle, bother him.
So he laughed sarcastically and continued his walk, willing the event to erase from his mind.
Kyuubi was laughing aloud at something Sasuke said. Naruto felt a bit envious that she was so relaxed around the Uchiha but he shrugged it off and sat opposite to them, throwing a peace sign when they looked at him. He did a quick head count to find out that, minus the examiners and the two ANBU (hidden with genjutsu), there were only twelve people within the bus.
Iruka made a quick announcement about something before the journey went underway. As they drove out of the warehouse, Naruto retrieved his I-pod and put his earphones on; selecting the song 'Kids with Guns' by Gorillaz. Settling into an easy sleep, he tried to steadily recharge some of his expended chakra.
Sasuke looked over at the blonde sleeping across from him. Typical. Only Naruto could sleep anywhere without caring about his surroundings. But it brought a small smile to the Uchiha's face because there was just something about a sleeping Naruto. His friend lived a catastrophic life filled with lust and violence but when he slept; the inner child within him was allowed to come forth.
There were no walls around him this time. No guards. No 'tough guy' attribute. All that remained was he. Calm – quiet - at peace - simple Naruto. And evidently, quite a snorer.
The Kyuubi girl was a case study too. She seemed weary; every fibre of her being trying to fall asleep; including her hair. But for some reason, she struggled to keep awake. The dark bags underneath her eyes had morphed into rings and she was all sweaty and pale, but she clung to her phone; texting furiously, as her labored breathing pronounced itself over the din of the noisy bus.
So, calmly, carefully; as not to agitate her, he removed the phone from her tired grasp, artfully ignoring the reproachful look she gave him for doing so.
"What you doing?", she asked, her addled brain unable to even form the words properly.
"You need to rest, Kyuubi."
"Mind your business, Sasuke."
"I would but for some reason, you seem to make up the brunt of it."
"Just give me my phone."
"You're not insomniac; since you're obviously not used to the symptoms. So, you can just tell me why you can't sleep or I'll do this the hard way and knock you into next week."
Kyuubi smiled at that, "I'm a girl, you know."
"But you are also a merc. And believe me; you don't want to be looking like that on the job."
The redhead feigned a hurt look, "So, I'm not cute enough for you, Sasuke-kun?"
"Looking like this? Not by a mile."
Kyuubi wanted to say more but she could see the serious look on his face. From the little she'd seen of him, he wasn't the type to act so emotional; doing so only in front of family. The fact that he was asking after her well-being was probably taking more willpower than she had considered.
"Have you ever felt like there was this raging stream of darkness inside you?", she began, "This gigantic dam of hate and pain that you're just so un-accountable for..."
Sasuke, obviously, was a good listener because he didn't bother to say anything.
"Well, the truth is that if I close my eyes; that dam would break, and I would lose everything; my friends, my family, my life. Everything! So, you understand why I can't even try to sleep because I'm just so, so . . . scared."
There. She'd said it. And with it, relief flooded her entire being. She waited for Sasuke to judge her harshly or worse, share words of pity but she definitely didn't expect him to do what he did.
"Hn."
"Hn? Hn? Is that all you have to say?"
"Hn."
Just when Kyuubi thought that she'd be gouging out Sasuke's eyes, he pointed at Naruto. The blonde was snoring loudly, head lolling about with each bump.
"Huh?"
"Naruto", Sasuke said.
"Yeah, I know his name is Naruto. What gives?"
"Not that. Naruto killed for the first time when we were ten."
Kyuubi gasped.
"It was bloody; messy even, definitely not the work of a professional. But it was necessary. He had stopped a rape in progress."
"So Naruto's a murderer?"
"No. A murderer is one who kills without reasoning. A killer does so because he has no other choice."
"Oh. And you're a killer too?"
"Yes. My only kill was when I was twelve. But in this job, everyone ultimately becomes one. However, that's beside the point. After he killed, Naruto couldn't sleep for days. He kept having nightmares and felt he'd devolve into a lunatic if he so much as blinked. He looked even worse than you do at the time."
"And how did he get over it?"
"By realizing the truth. He found out the hard way that selfish sacrifice was the worst possible thing you could do. Before you know it, you become what you actually fear and cause the harm you were trying to prevent. The human mind is weak and by fleeing from our troubles, we only make it weaker. Whatever dam you're holding back would eventually burst when you become too tired to continue doing so. The best you can do is rest, save your strength and surround yourself with your loved ones, because what must happen would happen. All you can pray for is to be ready when it finally comes."
Sasuke then looked at the phone in his hands, which was ringing quietly now, "It's for this reason that Naruto eventually came to cherish his peace. He has a friend who will always be there for him. You have even one better."
And he passed her the phone; where the name 'MOM' was now flashing on the screen. Kyuubi glanced at him tiredly before answering the call,
"I'm sorry, mom!", she immediately blurted out, tears swimming in her eyes, "I'm sorry!"
'Kyuubi-chan...'
"I'm sorry I left! I'm sorry I wasn't picking your calls! I'm sorry for texting you guys to leave me alone! I'm..."
'It's alright, dear. Your dad's here, we're just happy you're safe.'
"But, mom! I was just so scared! I didn't want to! I didn't want to hurt anyone ever again! But I should have told you guys..."
'...That you wanted to be a mercenary? You didn't exactly hide that bit quite as well as you thought, hon.'
"Mom, I'm scared! I'm tired. I'm scared. Maybe I should just come back home."
'...'
"Mom?"
'Don't worry, dear. Your father and I think it's for the best. Mr Sarutobi is also aware. They might do more for your gift over there than we could do for you.'
"A-are y-you sure?"
'What did I tell you about finishing everything you start, Miss Hanataka Kyuubi? Now, go kick them in the leg.'
"Thanks, mom."
'But Kyuubi-chan, next time you leave a letter, you wouldn't mind placing it somewhere we could easily spot, would you? Under your bed is not exactly the best delivery space out there.'
Kyuubi laughed; a short, chiming note which Sasuke found immensely pleasurable (not that he'd be telling anyone that, sometime soon).
"I'll try, mom."
'Alright dear, I'd have let you talk to your father but he's too busy bawling his eyes out to form proper sentences. Call us when you get settled, okay?'
"I will, mom, but we aren't exactly allowed to reveal where we are."
'Don't worry; I think your dad has an idea. Goodbye. Love you.'
"Love you too, mom."
Kyuubi cut the call to see a smirking Sasuke.
"What? Like you're any better with your mother."
The Uchiha smirked even more.
The girl huffed and leaned back against her seat, relief flooding her entire being. It was just so easy to ignore the chatter around her and focus on the cool of the breeze, or the beauty of the scenery, or the fine rays of the sun…
Sasuke sighed as the Kyuubi girl finally went to sleep. He didn't want to know or even think about what could be strong enough to scare her that badly, but it had to be some kind of power; judging from what she had earlier said. He did know, however, that he was getting too soft. Still, that didn't mean he thought to push the girl away when her head came to rest on his shoulder. Nor did he care when the blonde from before, and an oddly-colored pink-haired girl, started throwing glances over at them. Just now, his life may have gotten more complex than all that petty shit.
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Naruto had awoken sometime before the bus pulled up and was casually playing with a pen-knife he found in his bag. Sasuke and Kyuubi were sleeping peacefully; resting on each other, and he vaguely wondered how long he had been out. For that matter, almost everyone on the bus was asleep, excluding the examiners and that shady, glasses-guy. He could tell that they had left Konoha, so that meant they were most likely around its outskirts or in one of the other cities close to the Fire nation's capital. Stretching, he stood up from his seat as everyone roused, directing a thumbs-up to where he knew the two ANBU had been.
"Are we there yet?", Kyuubi asked blearily, as she and Sasuke awoke; though the Uchiha looked comparatively more alert than the former.
Naruto blushed when he spied some cleavage down her tank-top and turned his head aside, "Erm...s-sure. W-we just got here though."
He then proceeded to walk out of the bus hastily. Sasuke also stood, allowing Kyuubi to help herself up, as he too alighted from the bus.
He found his fellow freshmen ganged together behind the instructors looking up at a drab building that read 'Boot camp' in the front.
"So, this is going to be your home for the next two weeks", Iruka began, "Since it's your arrival, nothing is scheduled for the day. Just head to the mess hall and from there, you'd be designated to your dorms."
"Alright!", said Naruto, doing some bending exercises, "I was wondering when the fuck we'll get to chow around here. I totally lost all my mojo during that exam shit."
Iruka and the other instructors stared in dismay as Naruto proceeded to walk straight into the building. However, after two minutes, his head came back out.
"Er, where exactly is the mess hall?"
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The food was drab and grubby; not even half-close to the kind of delicacies Mikoto-san normally made, but Naruto had had much worse, so he splurged into it with gusto as the people around him looked on in disgust. The instructors were discussing something at a separate table, leaving the students all to themselves.
"I'm Inuzuka Kiba!", proclaimed the dog boy, who had tripped Naruto earlier in the bus, "And this here is Akamaru!", he said, gesturing at his companion. The dog barked in reply, "Just saying so because in every pack there's an alpha and I'm not about to lose that position to anybody!"
"Shut the fuck up, mutt", Naruto replied, eyes narrowing slightly, "Your dog-breath's stinking up the entire room."
There was a moment of silence as the teens waited anxiously for Kiba's reaction. He got red in the face; looking even more feral in the process, before barking out, "And who the fuck do you think you are?"
Naruto didn't miss a beat, "Uzumaki Naruto. And you better remember it because I'll be the one beating your face into the dirt, you tepid gallon of dog piss. Alpha you claim, yeah right?"
For the briefest of moments, Kiba's claws sharpened and it seemed as if he would go for Naruto's throat, but then he remembered that the examiners weren't so far away and sat back down.
"You better watch your back", he warned.
"Or what? You'll sniff my ass, doggie-boy?"
"For the love of God!", Kyuubi snarled, "Naruto, shut that gutter trash you call a mouth and you," - she pointed at Kiba - "behave yourself. This camp isn't a male piss contest."
Her red-eyed glare was enough to shock Kiba into submission but Naruto's silence was one born of hurt. Still, both boys resumed their meals, in order to avoid further embarrassment.
"For introduction's sake, I'm Hanataka Kyuubi", the redhead continued, "It's nice meeting all of you."
"How troublesome", commented the pineapple haired boy, "It's already like this and it's just day one? I'm Nara Shikamaru by the way."
"Akimichi Choji", the fat boy beside him said. He was eating even worse than Naruto.
"Aburame Shino."
"Haruno Sakura", the pinkette announced.
"Or you can call her forehead girl", piped the only other blonde on the table, "I'm Yamanaka Ino; future beauty queen!"
"You mean 'beauty pig'", Sakura fired back.
"Masahiro Kuichi", a brown haired boy interrupted in order to prevent another uproar. "The pleasure is all mine."
'Hyuuga Hinata' was next; the white-eyed girl saying her name so timidly that only a few heard.
"Sai. I hope we can all be friends", a pale, pasty boy with a creepy smile said. Naruto looked over at him and shuddered. The boy's smile was even worse than Itachi's attempt at doing so.
There was a pause where everyone looked expectantly at Sasuke but he just glared back, hands intertwined in front of his face. Kyuubi stomped on his feet since he was next to her. Hard.
"Hn. Uchiha Sasuke."
Sakura and Ino immediately got stars in their eyes.
'Kawai!'
'He's so cool!'
Naruto rolled his eyes at their reaction.
The rest of the meal was uneventful (apart from the part where Choji nearly choked on onigiri) and soon, they were being dismissed to their rooms.
Naruto fell into step behind Sasuke as they headed to the boys' dormitory. He saw Kyuubi give a cheerful wave to the dark-haired male as she headed in the opposite direction; the dormitory reserved for the females. He sighed.
The boys' dorm was large; enough to accommodate all eight of them with four double bunks spread across the room. Naruto had begun heading for the nearest one when he was roughly pushed aside, banging his shoulder against the concrete wall.
"Watch where you're going, blondie", Kiba taunted.
Naruto; despite his anger, ignored him, relinquishing ownership of the bunk over to the dog boy. Obviously, this irritated Kiba even more because he snarled; lunging at Naruto's collar,
"Think you're so great, eh, blondie?"
However, before his hand could even scratch fabric, it was yanked back roughly in a firm grip; cool, onyx eyes boring into his.
"Back off", was Sasuke's single advice.
"What the fuck? Let go, man!"
"I won't repeat myself, mutt. Back off."
Naruto spared a glance over his shoulder,
"I don't need you fighting my battles, Sasuke."
"Hn."
Kiba was looking gradually incensed by Sasuke's demeanor but he couldn't bring himself to strike the mysterious Uchiha, all things be damned. So, he settled for a manlier approach from his own point of view; taunting.
"That's right, you heard your girlfriend! Why don't you go crawl in a hole and mind your business!"
"Troublesome", Shikamaru commented. He and Choji were already settled on a bunk (he had of course, chosen the upper bed) and were idly watching the altercation. "Training starts from tomorrow, Kiba. You should be getting all the rest you need."
Shino had joined Sai on one bunk and Kuichi had headed for the other. They were all watching the scene intently; wondering who will throw the first punch.
Kiba growled and ripped his arm, angrily, from Sasuke's grip. He didn't retaliate, instead choosing to brush past Naruto and head over to Kuichi. Naruto raised an eyebrow but Sasuke just shrugged and flipped to the top of the bunk.
"Hey!", Naruto complained, "That's my spot!"
"You wish. Like I'm going to stay below and watch you pee on me. You've done it before."
"We were eight years old then, teme! And I had too much soda!"
"Suit yourself", Sasuke said, draping a pillow over his face, "Goodnight, dobe."
Naruto grumbled and seemingly conceded defeat, before leaping for the top bunk and attempting to topple Sasuke off it. The two battled furiously, much to Shikamaru's amusement.
'Those two have an odd friendship', mused the Nara.
The lights went out at ten thirty.
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Omake
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Kyuubi was faced with a very annoying predicament.
She was dead tired for one. Her feet were aching and her muscles were very sore. She had three days' worth of sleep to catch up on and she didn't have a moment to waste.
That, of course, led to the second reason she was annoyed; seeing that Ino and Sakura had chosen the moment to host a 'female mercenary night out', or in order words… a girl slumber party.
They had lumped all four single beds together and were now dressed in nighties of varying degrees of shortness. Ino; whose purple number was by far the shortest, was trying to forcefully paint the toe-nails of one scared-looking Hinata, while also engaging Kyuubi and Sakura in a nonsensical conversation.
"So, I, like, totally think that Sasuke-kun is the hottest guy here by far and…"
"Omigosh! (Insert squeal) That raven-haired hunk, huh? He was totally staring at me!"
"Did not! He was staring at the wall behind you! I caught his eye the whole time!"
"Shut up, forehead! He couldn't even look past your billboard brow. Sasuke-kun is mine!"
"Yeah? But I call dibs on him first, Ino-pig!"
"Ha! I call dibs on him legally first!"
"Then I shall call dibs on him royally first!"
"Like that would work. I call di…"
But Kyuubi had had more than enough at this point; the redhead prowling steadily to her backpack and zipping it open.
"What's up?", Ino asked.
"Just a second", Kyuubi replied, rummaging within her bag. She dug her arm in up to her elbow causing to the girls' eyes to bulge out in shock.
"Ah, here it is", she chirped happily, before proceeding to pull out a chain saw.
"Oops, that's not it."
She dug her arm in again only to procure a giant mace.
"Sorry."
Then a meat masher.
Then a laundry table.
Then a body bag.
And finally; a tommy gun.
By the time Kyuubi found what she was looking for, Ino and Sakura were gripping each other in fear and Hinata was looking at her in sheer astonishment. The redhead smirked and waved her blanket at the girls before curling up on her bed; not bothering to replace the uncovered items.
"Hinata and I will be going to bed now", she cooed, "Can one of you please get the lights?"
Suffice it to say that the slumber party ended rather abruptly that night.
The lights went out at ten thirty.
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Finally, the rest of the rookie nine make an appearance; however short it may be. Don't you worry though, they are not as shallow as they seem. Each character will be flexed out in good time. Expect another chapter soon! Bye-bye!
(The theme songs are just current inspirations for each chapter I write. Nothing special)
Closing theme: Still the same; Jerk it out by Caesar's Palace.
Next chapter: Training and genin formations. A newly Ultimatized character makes an appearance.