NF Chapter 7:

The setting sun cast dancing shadows through the rustling leaves, bathing the tree-lined park in an ever-shifting golden glow. Despite the late hour there were plenty of people savouring the last drops of sunlight: from their secluded corner, Naruto could see several students lying on blankets, not-so-surreptitiously enjoying a few beers, a few people walking dogs and even a late-night jogger or two.

"Naruto. Focus."

Naruto guiltily broke away from his daze, apologising. "Sorry Jiraiya. Guess I'm just not all here tonight."

His teacher, sat cross-legged in front of him in his usual half-lotus, sighed and nodded. "You can say that again. Come on, we're supposed to be meditating. It's an important part of your training, even if you're not entirely convinced yet."

"No, it's not that," Naruto replied quickly, feeling even worse. He laughed awkwardly, "I mean, I wasn't sure at the beginning, but I trusted you. And I think I'm getting a bit better."

Jiraiya nodded again, this time relenting slightly. "I must admit, despite your… wobbly start, you're doing really well. You always have been a fast learner."

"I think 'wobbly' is putting it mildly."

"But the important thing is you persevered. Let's call it quits for today." He straightened up and yawned, the easy, good-natured smile returning to his face. "Anything on your mind today? You've been very distracted."

Naruto hesitated midway through stretching, unsure as how to phrase the several hundred questions he had. Jiraiya was always able to notice; in truth he'd been worrying for the entire week about this fight with Suigetsu. It was happening in a few hours and he had no idea if he was going to be able to pull it off. It had been a drunk, spur-of-the-moment decision, but if he was honest with himself he would make the same decision again, a thousand times if need be.

He must have zoned out again for a second, because he jumped when Jiraiya gently waved in front of his face. "Earth to Naruto? Seriously, I'm worried about you. Haven't seen you this spaced in a while."

"No, I'm okay. It's just…" Naruto scratched his jaw, trying to figure out exactly how to phrase the question. "I need advice. So say you knew you needed to fight someone. And there was no negotiating, no running… how do you gain the edge in a fight like that?"

Jiraiya frowned. "I'm sure I've told you this before. You fight dirty. Anything you can use to stop yourself getting hurt."

"What if I… didn't want to? I mean, what if-"

"-they were your friend?" Jiraiya cut in, his brow furrowed in concern. "You want to know what to do if you run into Sasuke again, don't you?"

Naruto blinked in surprise; it was an unexpected answer, but it worked in context. "Eh… yeah. Yeah."

Jiraiya hesitated for a second, seeming to weigh his words. "The only advice I can give you is this: the first time you properly fight someone, no advice can really suffice."

"And what he did to me doesn't count?" Naruto asked, rather insulted.

There was another pause, punctuated briefly by a dog's playful bark in the dying light. Jiraiya stood, gazing through the trees at the setting sun, his eyes far off. "You know, they say that real fighters, true fighters, can read each other's mind with nothing but an exchange of fists. Do you believe that Naruto?"

He shrugged, taking a second to realise that Jiraiya couldn't see him. "I dunno. Can you really know what anyone's thinking?"

"I've been in a lot of fights, Naruto, through a lot of years. My first two… they always stand out. As you know, I signed up for military service as soon as I was able: I had this grand notion that it would be some sort of adventure. But I didn't sign up alone."

Naruto almost did a double take. Jiraiya had vaguely alluded to some of his service before – Naruto had always got the distinct impression that he didn't like talking about it – but this was the first time he'd mentioned another person.

"I grew up with this guy. I might have once described him as a brother, before… before everything happened. Halfway through our first tour – my only tour – he was caught selling secrets. He tried to run, I tried to stop him… without guns." Jiraiya shook his head, smiling slightly. "It was stupid, but that was me all over: young and stupid. Some would tell you that hasn't changed."

The smile quickly faded. "The only reason I didn't end up in a bodybag was because he felt he had something to prove."

Naruto put the dots together: the boy Jiraiya had trained with, they must have enlisted together. "Your friend, right?" He asked, needing confirmation. "The one you grew up with."

Jiraiya nodded grimly. "Yeah. I told you it hadn't ended well. After that, I thought I knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of someone's hatred. I thought I knew what it was to properly fight someone. It wasn't until a few months later that I realised how wrong I was.

"Remember I told you that I met my first students during my time in the army? There's a little more to it than that. My unit blazed through their village in a firefight. We had to move through the houses, making sure they didn't take hostages. I got charged, and had to take one down hand-to-hand. It didn't last long, but the hatred, the fear in that man's eyes… it haunted me for a long, long time."

He sighed, running a hand over his face. "I met my friend a few times after that. And every time, his eyes looked more and more like that soldier's. Eventually there wasn't anything left of the person I knew."

Naruto was dumbstruck: sometimes he forgot just how intense a life Jiraiya had led.

"Now, Naruto, the point of all this: when Sasuke fought you, what did you feel from him?"

Naruto closed his eyes, trying to remember. "He was angry, but I don't think it was really at me: it was like I was just in the way. And upset too. Something had shaken him."

Jiraiya nodded. "That's what I thought: Sasuke wasn't after you. He hurt you to stop you. Now, going up against someone that wants solely to hurt you, maybe even kill you… I hope you never have to do that Naruto. The only advice I could ever give was to keep a level head, and keep analysing them the way I taught you."

Jiraiya suddenly grinned, the large smile incongruous with the preceding grim conversation. "But remember, you always have me on your side, and I'm not about to let my Godson be beaten to a pulp: if you think someone's after you, no matter how much you may or may not have fucked up, I'll always be here for you. Okay?"

The thought infinitely reassured Naruto: no matter the result of this stupid machismo battle, Jiraiya could help if he really got in over his head. "Thanks Jiraiya."

"Okay, now let's get some food. I'm starving…"

(╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻

Naruto was running late.

It was his own fault: Jiraiya wanted to get a proper meal and, even though he knew he didn't have time for it, he'd agreed. He always found it hard to say no to his teacher. As he waited anxiously for a set of traffic lights to change, he tried to think on what Jiraiya had said.

Analyse the enemy. Suigetsu.

He was arrogant, that much was plain to see. It could give Naruto the edge if Suigetsu underestimated him... but not if he was taking it seriously. And despite his playful nature, Naruto was sure he was being serious. His fighting style would probably involve a lot of dodges, more flexibility and fluidity than he was used to. A sadist? Quite possibly.

As he approached Sasuke's training hall, he didn't see Suigetsu waiting for him. Or anyone else for that matter: would others be there? Having Suigetsu there would be bad enough, but the idea of criminals arriving unannounced at the training hall seemed… wrong. He swore under his breath. That was a massive oversight on his part: drunk Naruto did not make good decisions.

He swung the bag over his shoulder as he inserted his key into the lock, the few others he had on the chain jangling against the door, but found he wasn't able to fully turn it. It took him a beat to realise what was wrong.

The door was already open.

Naruto went cold: could he simply have forgotten to lock it, or… or was Suigetsu already inside? He stepped back, checking the door for any signs of forced entry. Nothing was amiss, except for a few cigarette butts in the doorway. One was fresh, the end still a dull, ashy glow.

Naruto suddenly got the strangest mental image of Suigetsu conducting a fight club in his training hall, à la Brad Pitt. He was covered in sweat and a smattering of blood, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, those stupidly good obliques visible above low-riding jeans – the only thing he happened to be wearing.

Naruto paused for a second, deciding it was probably a good idea to ignore the things his brain was supplying him with. He had noticed he'd been having some rather peculiar thoughts recently; the best thing to do was ignore them. He sighed, trying to shake the image from his mind and prepare himself for what he might find inside.

It certainly wasn't what he expected.

In the middle of the wooden floor sat a solitary man, cross-legged, facing the far wall. A thin line of smoke rose from in front of him, the familiar smell of incense flooding his sinuses. Naruto instantly recognised that feathery black hair; if that wasn't enough, the baggy white shirt had rode down his neck as he leaned forward, revealing a very distinctive tattoo.

Sasuke straightened up, taking a deep breath. "Good of you to show up, Naruto."

"W-what are you doing here?" Naruto eventually choked out, letting his bag fall to the floor.

"Did you know Samurai used to light incense to purify their minds before battle?" He asked, ignoring the question. He stretched his neck from one side to the other, drawing the motion out. "You've really fucked up this time, haven't you?"

It was very subtle, but even without seeing his face Naruto knew something was off about Sasuke: his shoulders were set, his whole frame tight, contrasting with his usual relaxed posture.

Sasuke's angry. Or is it something else?

"But wasn't Suigetsu-"

Sasuke stood up, a single fluid motion so sudden it cut Naruto off. "I don't think you quite understand the gravity of the situation."

Naruto seemed to get over his shock as quickly as it had come over him. "You jumped out of the goddamn window you psychopath!" He shouted, taking a few steps closer.

"Don't get hung up on the details. What did you agree to, Naruto?"

Once more, it seemed the only way to move forward was to play Sasuke's game. He felt like a scolded child. "I fight Suigetsu for a meeting with Orochimaru."

"Well I guess we can rule out you being oblivious… to be honest, I wouldn't have been half surprised."

Naruto's patience was wearing thin, Sasuke's spiteful tone getting to him. "What do you want Sasuke? I didn't come here to be insulted; I came here to get the full story from your boss, since you're being a little bitch."

Sasuke whirled round, finally facing Naruto, eyes razor sharp. Naruto had been wrong before: he wasn't angry, he was furious. "And why the fuck would you want to do that? You were here the first time he came for me, or did you forget?" He spat the words, the first time in quite a while Naruto had heard him get this angry.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "I didn't.

"Then you'll remember just how dangerous he is."

"Well colour me concerned, but if he's so dangerous why the fuck are you working for him?" Naruto yelled, losing his cool again.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What I do is my business Naruto, not yours."

"So what, I'm just supposed to let-"

"-You don't 'let' me do anything. If you respected me at all you'd leave me alone. I'll say it one more time: it's none of your goddamn business."

Naruto gritted his teeth, frustrated: nothing he said seemed to get through to him. Part of him was worried he was right, too.

Is it wrong to keep pursuing him like this? Is it as patronising as it feels to him?

"I just…" Naruto sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just want to help you, Sasuke."

Sasuke seemed to relent slightly, his shoulders dipping and losing some of their stiffness. "I know you're trying to help me, but you're in over your head. If we're lucky I've stopped this in its tracks. It never reaches Orochimaru. Suigetsu owes me a few favours, I can trust him."

"But Sasuke, I-"

"Drop it, Naruto." Sasuke paused, turning away from him. He crouched down, snuffing the incense with his fingers. "You know what happens if you keep pushing this, and... I don't enjoy it."

Naruto didn't know what to say. Sasuke picked up the small black burner, carrying it over to the small kitchen area next to the door. It was only as he hopped smoothly off the platform Naruto noticed that he was barefoot, his black boots left untied by the small step. He made virtually no noise as he padded past, his movement more relaxed and collected than before.

Even after all this time, he still cares about this place and its rules…

"Well," Naruto began awkwardly, still not sure how to respond to the sudden change in tone. "It wouldn't be quite as easy for you this time around. To kick my ass."

Sasuke nodded, setting the wirework burner gently in a cupboard. "So I see. Jiraiya has you working hard." He walked slowly over to his boots, looking back over his shoulder at Naruto. He seemed to hesitate, a second of indecision flitting across his face before settling on that rare, genuine half-smile. "How about you show me?"

Naruto was sure he'd misheard. "Pardon?"

Sasuke continued past his boots, back up onto the platform. "You say you've got better. Show me." He turned around, spreading his arms slightly before letting them fall back at his sides. "I mean… when was the last time we sparred?"

"I… I guess it feels like it's been years." He quipped, trying not to appear over-excited.

He slipped his shoes and socks off, thinking for a second before he shrugged off his hoodie as well. He shook his arms out as he joined his friend, the long sleeved compression shirt clinging to his sore limbs; even after getting used to Jiraiya's tough regime, he still couldn't get rid of the dull ache that pulsed through his tired body.

As he watched Sasuke stretch his neck from side to side once again, he realised he was more nervous than the last few times they'd actually fought. He jumped up and down a few times, trying to rid himself of that anxiety and just focus on the task at hand.

I'm not going to lose to Sasuke: not when he doesn't have the element of surprise.

Sasuke adopted a casual fighting stance: Naruto found it funny that his posture was more relaxed now, at the beginning of a fight, than when they were arguing.

Fighting always did come naturally to Sasuke…

Naruto raised his own fists, half open, his left extended and right up by his head. He pushed up onto the balls of his feet, bouncing lightly, moving slightly on the spot. Kakashi had taught his students to always be ready to move (a habit enforced with push-ups if they weren't), and it had served him well; Sasuke, on the other hand, favoured the stillness that Naruto had always found slightly disquieting. Despite appearances, Naruto knew that he'd be faster than most would believe.

Sasuke waited for Naruto to make the first move. It was just like the old days: when sparring Sasuke was calm and patient, all his problems seeming to melt away. He had always been miles ahead of Naruto of course, a true prodigy, but on the rare occasions he had agreed to fight he had always been encouraging.

Naruto led with a right hook, a nice simple start. Sasuke dodged effortlessly, leaning backwards, making Naruto grin despite himself. It was exactly the familiar move he'd been expecting. Quickly sliding his left foot in, he snapped his right up in an explosive head-height side kick: he wasn't going easy on Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, unable to back up any further. Instead he dropped, Naruto's foot sailing over his head. Naruto brought the foot down, hoping to still catch him with an axe kick, but felt a sharp slap against his leg, sending him spinning away to the side.

Naruto regained his footing, turning sharply to face Sasuke. Still squatting, he rested his hands on his thighs, evidently amused. "Well, you aren't holding back, are you?"

Naruto smiled despite his slightly stinging thigh. "Did you just palm strike me? That's some Shaolin Monk shit right there."

Sasuke exhaled through his nose, closing his eyes but still smiling. "The palm strike is used in-"

"-in a variety of martial arts dating back thousands of years." Naruto finished, grinning smugly. "You told me that the first time you used them on me, remember?"

Sasuke pushed himself up, shaking his head. "That look doesn't suit you."

"What, remind you too much of yourself?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "As a matter of fact, yes. Only I get to be that cocky." He stepped forward, raising his arms once more.

"En garde!" Naruto shouted, with a goofy grin, before launching himself towards his friend again.

Sasuke mostly blocked or dodged the attacks, only occasionally delivering a hit of his own. Naruto managed to catch him in the ribs, taking a shin to the stomach not a second later. Grabbing the offending limb before Sasuke could retract it, he gave it a good tug to bring Sasuke off his feet. But he once again managed to use it to his advantage, pulling off a backwards handspring that almost left Naruto with a foot to the face.

"Holy shit," Naruto laughed, trying to press the assault while Sasuke was recovering his balance. "I could make a joke about the Chinese gymnastics team."

"I'm Japanese, you fuck." Sasuke growled, swatting aside Naruto's hand.

"I know," he replied, in between punches. "But- it's funnier- to wind you up."

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand as it missed his head once again, pulling him close and sweeping his legs away from under him. Naruto fell like a ton of bricks, landing hard on his back.

"Gymnastics team that." Sasuke laughed, a playfulness in his voice that Naruto hadn't heard for years. Naruto grinned, despite being slightly winded.

He scrambled up again, eager for more. Sasuke engaged him once again, the intensity ramping up: it seemed like Sasuke's competitive nature was taking over his earlier restraint. Blows were struck thick and fast, Naruto managing to keep pace with most of them. They broke apart several times, only to come back together almost immediately. The gentle ribbing was gone; Naruto could feel his smile fade as concentration took over, and soon it became all he could do to keep up.

Several minutes passed, the two men exchanging a multitude of blows in silence. For a while it seemed like no one had the upper hand, but slowly Sasuke gained the edge. He ducked a sloppy hook from Naruto, popping up behind the fist to grab his collar. Sasuke pushed, once again using his feet to topple Naruto. Out of desperation, Naruto grabbed the baggy shirt in front of him, using his momentum to bring the other man down on top of him. As quickly as possible, he planted a foot in Sasuke's stomach, only kicking off when his back slammed into the floor. Sasuke went flying over him, landing with a dull thud on the wood.

Naruto drew in breath, the wind knocked out of him. "So… was that as good for you as it was for me?"

Sasuke did the funny little laugh-exhale that Naruto had come to associate so strongly with him. "Oh yeah baby." He replied, totally deadpan. "You really rocked my world."

"They all say that." Naruto continued in an over-the-top 'tough guy' accent. He hadn't meant it to, but it sounded very similar to Patrick Warburton. "Now all I need is a cigarette to light and I'll be the epitome of cool."

"You know the rules, you only burn incense in here. If you wanna smoke go outside."

"I-I was joking. I don't smoke." Naruto stopped awkwardly, again unsure what he could say to follow that. He was grateful when Sasuke filled the void.

"You never know. A lot can change in 3 years."

"Yeah… some things don't though." Naruto tilted his head so he could see Sasuke, still lying on the floor like he was. "You still really respect this place, for one."

He made a non-committal grunt. "Old habits. Besides, this is your training space now."

"And… well, fighting you still feels great."

Sasuke, hands behind his head, looked up at Naruto. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. It just feels… good. Different from sparring with other people." Naruto quickly looked away, blushing slightly. "I dunno, it's probably just nostalgia or something, I-"

"No, I know what you mean." Sasuke interrupted quietly.

Naruto looked up again: this time it was Sasuke staring very resolutely at the ceiling, but instead of his usual stone-face apathy or rare bouts of emotion, he looked… calm. His face had relaxed, his thin lips parted very slightly and the creases gone from his forehead.

"It's like when…" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut. "Actually, never mind."

"Come on, you can tell me."

"It's just… it's like when we were kids. Before any of this… bullshit. It's nice."

It was nice to hear that from Sasuke: Naruto closed his eyes, just enjoying the moment. "I'm glad you feel like that. Maybe we can make it a habit?" When he didn't get a response, Naruto tried to deviate from that particular sentiment. "But hey, it's not all the same: you can't kick my ass nearly as easily now."

Naruto opened his eyes a second later to Sasuke's knee pressed gently to his throat, a strong hand grasping his hair.

"Don't flatter yourself, Naruto." Sasuke said, though not cruelly: a gentle smile was on his face, his eyes amused once again.

Naruto's mouth flopped open like a landed fish: he hadn't even heard Sasuke get up, never mind close enough to completely pin him. "H-how…"

Sasuke winked – Naruto didn't think he'd ever seen his friend do that before – and released him, standing up. "Trade secret."

Sasuke sat at the edge of the platform, lacing up his Doc Martins. Naruto rubbed his neck, glad that he hadn't decided to apply his full weight: a move like that could kill a man if done right. All of his frustrations came back in droves. What good was all this extra training if Sasuke could still beat him that easily?

"You've got a lot better, Naruto." Sasuke said as he finished up his boots, standing once more. He grabbed his jacket off the hook at the door, rummaging in the pockets and pulling out a box of cigarettes. "Really, I'm impressed. I was struggling for a second there. But…"

Naruto was beginning to get agitated again, the arrogance creeping back into Sasuke's voice. "But what?" He asked through gritted teeth,

"But it's best I stay out your life. For your own good."

"Don't fucking tell me what's good for me!" Naruto yelled, slamming his fist into the floor. "I'm not giving up on you Sasuke, you hear me?"

Sasuke nodded, a strange smile playing about his face.

"I know."

Then he was gone again.