Chapter 8

Sasuke sighed. Ever since he'd admitted to himself not long ago that Hotaru had become his best friend, he had found himself thinking less and less of revenge and more and more of protecting his friends and his home. Today, he and Hotaru were sparring while Kurenai-sensei was training Shino in some kind of genjutsu, he presumed. He hadn't bothered to ask precisely what they were doing; after all, if it was something truly useful, he suspected his teammate would let him copy it once he activated his Sharingan.

Sasuke, distracted by his thoughts, wasn't prepared to dodge the sweeping kick Hotaru launched at him and ended up flat on his rear end. Looking up in surprise, the Uchiha chuckled slightly, then launched himself back to his feet. Coming at his teammate with renewed vigor, Sasuke managed to land a few blows to the boy, who gave as good as he got. After twenty minutes of continuous sparring, the two fell onto their backs next to one another, both breathing hard.

Catching his breath, Hotaru rolled onto his side and looked at Sasuke. "I've been wondering something, Sasuke," he began. Sasuke turned his head slightly and raised an eyebrow at the boy. "I remember when we were first put on this team. You as much as ignored Shino and me. And back in the Academy, you were a major jerk to Naruto and Hinata, yet now...you're different. You're my friend now. What happened?"

Sasuke sighed. "You've become my best friend, Hotaru. I suppose I should tell you...everything. Back in the Academy, I thought I was the best at everything and that I deserved the best. Hinata was clearly the best of the girls in our class, that's why I went after her like I did." Stopping, the raven-haired boy shook his head, eyes closed briefly. "I was such an idiot. I wasn't even the best in my family. I wasn't good enough to save them." Stopping again, Sasuke blinked a few times and took a deep breath, then continued, "My brother, Itachi...he killed my entire clan. I'm sure you remember when they all died, but not many knew it was Itachi that did it. He could have killed me, but he told me to hate him, to come after him and kill him some day. He said the only way I might be able to kill him is if I managed to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan like he did...and that to get it I'd have to kill my best friend." Sasuke locked his eyes with Hotaru's as he said this. "I swore that day that I would never have a best friend. I wouldn't endanger anyone by forming a bond like that. It wasn't worth it. I swore I'd find my own way to kill Itachi. I would become an avenger and restore my clan to its former glory...and I'd do it without following Itachi's steps to power." Sighing, Sasuke finished, "But then you...and Tobio didn't give me that option. You made me be your friend, whether I liked it or not. And now...I don't want to have to kill you, Hotaru. I fear that I may be turning away from my path...but I can't kill you for power...I just can't." Here, Sasuke rolled onto his side so that Hotaru was behind him. He blinked several times, trying not to let his tears fall. "There, I said it. I don't want to kill him...he's my best friend. I can't do it...not even to kill Itachi."

Hotaru sat up and rested a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke turned around and, seeing Hotaru sitting up, sat up himself and looked at his friend. Hotaru gave Sasuke one of the small smiles that the Uchiha recognized as his sincere ones. When the boy spoke, his voice was far more serious than Sasuke could ever remember it being. "I don't know much about revenge, Sasuke," he said, "but I do know you. You're a good guy, and I trust you. You wouldn't do that to me." Sasuke shook his head, looking down at his lap as he did. He couldn't meet Hotaru's eyes for some reason. Hotaru chuckled. "Sasuke, think about what you said. You vowed to yourself that you wouldn't make friends so as to not endanger those around you. You vowed to even protect them from yourself. You would sacrifice your own happiness to protect your comrades. That may be the strongest Will of Fire I've ever heard of."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Will of Fire?" he asked.

Hotaru nodded. Sasuke looked even more confused. Hotaru chuckled. "Okay, you know how all of the ninja of our village are put into teams from the time we're just Genin?" he asked. Sasuke nodded, his eyes still clearly showing confusion. "I asked the Hokage about that one day. I was working out on one of the outlying training grounds when he happened upon me. I guess he was out on one of his typical walks around the village. I asked him why everyone is put on these three-man teams. It had been bugging me a while, and I figured if anyone knew, he would. I'll never forget what he told me that day.

"He told me that the people of our village each have within us a Will of Fire. He said that the Will of Fire is the fervent desire to protect our village and those precious to us within it. He told me that we're put on teams like we are to foster this Will of Fire by giving it specific targets, namely our teammates. I've never forgotten that...and now...I realize what he said is true. Sasuke, you would even protect us from yourself if you had to...and that, I think, is a perfect example of what the Hokage meant when he told me about the Will of Fire." Hotaru gave his friend a small smile as he finished.

Sasuke thought about his friend's words for a moment. "You may be right, Hotaru...you may be right," he said slowly.

Hotaru came over and rested a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "I know I'm right, Sasuke," he said with a genuine smile. "You just told me so yourself."

Sasuke slowly returned his friend's smile. "Thank you, Hotaru. Your words have reminded me of what is truly important in my life. It is our friends and trusted comrades that make living our lives worthwhile. Without people to care about, this life would be empty and meaningless. I have lost my trusted comrades once before, I saw them die in front of my very eyes...and I will never let that happen again, if it is in my power to prevent it," he said with obvious emotion in his voice.

As the two friends were speaking, they heard a laugh from nearby. Looking up, the two saw Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba walking down the main street of the village toward the Hokage tower with Kakashi close on their heels. Hotaru smiled softly at how close the team obviously was, both physically and spiritually; it was clear in the way they walked and talked with one another that their team was as close to a family as any people not related by blood could be. "Naruto...Hinata," Sasuke said quietly. The dark-haired boy rested a hand on his friend's shoulder a minute. Hotaru turned and looked at Sasuke. The Uchiha looked toward Team Seven, his eyes questioning. Hotaru understood what Sasuke was asking and nodded. Sasuke smiled softly again and made his way toward the team, Hotaru close behind him. Neither of them spared a thought for Shino or Kurenai; they had bigger fish to fry just then.

xxxxxx

Kakashi smiled down at his team as they made their way toward the Hokage Tower. The pseudo-family had spent the last few hours making their way back to the village and were now on their way to make their report to the Hokage about their excursion. Naruto and Hinata had only grown closer since he had told them the truth about Naruto's past, and Kiba was even more protective of both of them than he had been before; Kakashi suspected Kiba looked at the two as younger siblings now and would protect them as such. Kakashi was proud of his students; he only hoped his father would be as proud of him as he was of his kids. "When did they become my kids?" he asked himself. Chuckling quietly, he shook his head at himself; he'd gotten sentimental of late, it seemed. Nonetheless, he realized that he did think of these three as his kids, and he knew even then he would protect them as if he were their father.

As Kakashi and his team continued on their way, they heard two sets of footsteps approaching them. Stopping and turning, the small entourage saw Sasuke Uchiha and Hotaru Kaneko coming toward them. Naruto would have sworn Sasuke's face showed a hint of apprehension, but he figured he had to be imagining that. Hotaru was offering the group a small smile, trying to put them at ease; he only succeeded in making them all the more anxious as they all wondered why he was approaching them in Sasuke's company.

When the two got to within earshot, they both stopped. Hotaru continued to smile as he rested a hand on Sasuke's shoulder a moment. Sasuke looked at the other boy, then turned back to Team Seven, taking a deep breath as he did. Before the Uchiha could speak, Kiba growled and Naruto spoke up. "W-What d-do you w-want, Sasuke?" he asked, disgust obvious in his voice as he said the name.

Sasuke flinched slightly, then sighed deeply. "Naruto, Hinata," he began, "I have heretofore acted toward you in a manner which has brought dishonor to the name of Uchiha." Naruto stiffened in surprise; was Sasuke actually admitting he'd done something wrong?! Kiba and Hinata raised an eyebrow in suspicion and curiosity respectively. Surprising all four members of Team Seven, Sasuke bowed formally at his waist to Naruto and Hinata. "I deeply apologize for my dishonorable treatment of you, and I beseech your forgiveness."

Naruto turned to Hinata and Kiba in turn, then turned around to look at Kakashi. When Kakashi and Naruto's eyes met, the team, by silent consent, huddled up. Kiba spoke first. "Something isn't right," he said. "Sasuke apologizing...bowing to you? Something just doesn't smell right about this."

Naruto sighed. "You're right, Kiba, something doesn't smell right here...but I'm not going to call the guy a liar. I've never known him to lie. He's a jerk, yes, but I've never known him to lie. Plus, he is acting rather formal, so I suspect he's acting more as an Uchiha than as...well, himself," he said.

Hinata nodded. "Yes, that's true. The formal bowing and all that...especially since he hasn't left that position, seems to indicate he's acting as head of his clan, not as himself," she said. At her words, everyone looked to see that, indeed, Sasuke was still bowed at his waist to them. What none of them saw was the anxious look the boy was directing at his feet. Hinata continued, "Even if none of us really trust him or believe he's sincere, it is customary for us to accept his apology...if nothing else, it will reflect well on us for being merciful toward him."

Kakashi eye-smiled at his team. "Your words are wise, Hinata," he said. "We must all be on our guards with the Uchiha, but it would be rude to reject his apology, especially when it has been delivered in such a sincere manner. That said, however, you should make it clear to him that he is not trusted by us and that he should tread carefully. Do not be overly rude about it, but do be honest; it's only fair that we be honest with him when he has been so with us."

That said, the team turned as one to face the two boys who still awaited their response. Naruto spoke first. "You have caught us off-guard, Sasuke," he said. "When we saw you approaching, an apology was the last thing any of us expected. That said, however, we accept your apology. It is only fair that we do so when you have gone to such effort to deliver it."

Sasuke rose and gave the team a small smile. Hinata spoke up next before he could say anything more. "Even though we accept your apology," she began, her voice quiet but stern, "this does not mean that we trust you or that you are our friend. You have done us much harm in the past, and earning our trust is going to take some time. However, if, as your current actions seem to indicate, you are indeed earnest in this and wish to change your manner of acting toward us, it is only fair that we give you the chance to earn our trust and, maybe, some day, our friendship as well."

Sasuke nodded his acknowledgment of Hinata's words, then bowed to them again. "I thank you, Naruto, Hinata. I will do my best to prove myself worthy of this chance you have given me. I give you my word as an Uchiha, I will not let you down," he said, then rose, gave Team Seven a small smile, and left, Hotaru following him.

"Well...that was bizarre," Kiba commented as Team Seven resumed their trek toward the Hokage Tower. The rest of the team silently agreed; that was, indeed, bizarre.

xxxxxx

As Sasuke was making his peace with Team Seven, Team Nine was in hell. Tobio had noticed Anko's curse mark and had made the mistake of asking her who gave her a hickey, and the entire team was now running for their lives as a giant snake pursued them around the training field they had been using. Sakura turned and glared at Tobio over her shoulder. "Don't you know better than to ask a woman about something like that?!" she roared.

Tobio grinned. "Of course I do," he said back cheekily. "I was just bored and wanted to see how she'd react. Besides, we're getting the best workout we've had in a while now, so don't complain!"

Sakura let out a loud roar and swung at her obnoxious teammate, who dodged the attack and gave her a "come get me" grin before taking off ahead of her. Sakura, snarling, tore off after him, murder in her eyes.

Sakumo rolled his eyes at his teammates' antics. "I don't know why Anko-sensei puts up with those two," he commented to himself.

A voice sounded from behind him. "I put up with them because, nonsense aside, Tobio is one of the most talented rookies I've ever seen, and Sakura has the most potential of any I've seen in a long time," it said.

Sakumo turned in surprise. "Oh! Anko-sensei!" he said. "I didn't know you were so close..." he trailed off as a very scary realization slowly dawned on him: if she was this close, so were her snakes! Anko gave the boy a sadistic grin and held out an arm. As a snake slithered out of it, Sakumo turned and ran after his teammates, hoping desperately that he was faster than those slithery reptiles. "I HATE SNAKES!" he yelled out. From ahead of him, Tobio was heard laughing at his outburst, and Sakura was heard bellowing as she continued to chase after Tobio with all the grace of a rampaging rhino.

Anko just chuckled at her students' antics. "And to think, our village's military might will someday depend on them," she muttered ruefully, shaking her head.

xxxxxx

Sasuke and Hotaru returned to the training ground they had recently vacated. "Well," Sasuke began when they arrived to find Shino and Kurenai still absent, "that went way better than I'd expected. I was fully expecting at least Kiba to attack me...and I really hadn't thought any of them would accept my apology."

Hotaru smiled. "You'll find that when you're sincere about things like that, people tend to respond well. Plus, you did take the chance of approaching them, and it's not like any of them are mean; I'm really not surprised that went so well."

Sasuke turned a playful smirk on his friend. "But of course it went well," he said. "I am an Uchiha! No one would dare to turn me away!"

Hotaru grinned. "Oh, so you're sure of yourself now, are you? Well, Mr. Uchiha, let's see how great you really are!" he said tauntingly.

Sasuke launched himself at Hotaru, who deflected the boy's punch easily. Hotaru responded with a low sweeping kick, which Sasuke blocked, surprising Hotaru. He'd been planning to kick up at Sasuke when he jumped and was unprepared to be blocked. Sasuke grinned down at his friend before planting a blow on his cheek, which sent Hotaru rolling across the grass.

Getting up, Hotaru wiped some dirt from his face and grinned at his friend. Running at the Uchiha, Hotaru went on the attack this time. Hotaru's first punch, aimed at Sasuke's face, was deflected easily. Hotaru had expected this, of course; he had been sparring with Sasuke for some time now and knew the Uchiha was quite skilled. After the first attack was deflected, Hotaru used the momentum of it and spun around and swung for Sasuke's gut. Sasuke, having not expected this, took the full brunt of the attack. Sasuke fell to the ground, grabbing his gut and gasping for breath.

Hotaru grinned at his friend, who returned a slight smirk. Reaching down, Hotaru helped Sasuke to his feet. Sasuke chuckled. "I guess it's true what they say," he said. "True friendship between ninja comes from the exchange of blows." The two friends shared a laugh at that. "But seriously, Hotaru, thank you," Sasuke said after a minute.

Hotaru raised an eyebrow at his friend. "What are you thanking me for, Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked up at the blue sky a moment, choosing his words carefully. "You were there for me even when I didn't want you to be," he began after a minute. "I became your friend in spite of myself...and ever since, everything has just been so much better. So, thank you...for everything."

Hotaru smiled and threw an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "It's been my pleasure, Sasuke," he said simply. Sasuke smiled as well, and both simply looked up at the sky. The clear blue sky seemed to be smiling back at them, and Sasuke felt something he hadn't felt in the years since Itachi had killed his clan: peace.