Sakura and Sasuke walked through the village. Even when it seemed like time stopped it continued to move. There was no real damage so there were no repairs to be done and people went back to their everyday life of living.
Sakura didn't like being alone because it reminded her of the loneliness that Rin would never fill again. She blamed herself for not being stronger. Even after she found her resolve she still had to continue being protected and it stung.
Sasuke was on the other hand furious. Naruto had lied! He took the blame and they had carted him away like it was the most natural option. No one cared what he had to say. Two weeks and Sasuke had gone to Naruto's house everyday… But he wasn't there. That house that seemed so empty and cold now whereas it had been so warm before kushina….
Sasuke locked his jaw.
It seemed everything had spiraled from there. Minato was inaccessible and it pissed him off. Had Minato been around that sand monster wouldn't have stood a chance. But instead.. Rin had died and because of that Kakashi was out of commission, Obito was falling apart and rumor had it the council was looking for a new hokage.
Why was this happening!?
Splash!
Sakura's gasp made Sasuke look up and the anger he had felt moments ago froze.
For there a few feet away was Naruto, the boy he had been looking for a while now. There he was still dressed in that Black outfit that only made his blue eyes and blonde hair stand out more. There he was head bowed, eyes weary...dripping. Dripping with whatever the girl had poured on him; and he looked like he didn't even care!
"It's your fault Lady Rin died"
Sasuke flinched frozen watching to see if Naruto would react at all…. But he didn't. He just looked resigned and a bit tired as if this was getting old and he was used to it,
"YOU'RE A MONSTER! A MURDERING MONSTER!"
And the girl who was probably a genin wasn't the only one. Others in the area looked at Naruto with such hate it frightened Sasuke and they all seemed to whisper words of agreement,
"SOMEONE….SOMETHING LIKE YOU SHOULD JUST DIE!"
"STOP IT!"
Sasuke snapped out of it as he saw Sakura standing in front of Naruto arms spread as if to protect him and Naruto looked surprised as well,
"Naruto… NARUTO ISN'T LIKE THAT!"
The girl Sasuke began to notice had puffy red eyes and he wondered if Rin had been someone special to her as she had been to Sakura. But she made no acknowledgement that they shared the same pain and simply turned and walked away.
Sakura looked like she would burst into tears again as she watched the girl go but she held it in as she turned to the boy behind her,
"Naruto! Are you okay!?"
Naruto didn't answer and instead looked at her like this was a rare moment. Like he didn't expect someone to stand up for him and that hurt her more than she thought, because they were teammates; it was natural they help each other!
"Naruto!"
He seemed to snap out of it then and stood up straighter touching his drenched hair,
"Ah…. I'll have to take a shower… It's okay Sakura, i'm fine"
But this was anything but fine,
"How can they just… Even though they knew you loved Rin too… How can they just…"
Naruto sighed as he looked away from his teary eyed teammate,
"Pain is..pain is a strange thing. And when people are in pain they hate it. They want someone to blame to relieve that pain and i just seem to fit the bill, ya know."
No…
Sasuke frowned. He shouldn't fit the bill, but Naruto purposely made himself out to be the villain..and why!? For some foreign ninja.
"It may seem a but harsh but i don't think they are being all that cruel..in fact perhaps the cruelest one…"
Naruto's blue eyes grew distant,
"Is me…."
Sakura was confused,
"What do you mean?"
But Naruto shook his head not planning to indulge in an answer and instead his face relaxed as he looked at Sakura up and down with open interest it made her nervous,
"Ya know...since i'm dirty and you're so worried i feel like now is a good a time as ever… let's bath together"
"DON'T BE A PERV NARUTO!"
Sakura cried as she slammed her fist into Naruto's face and Sasuke once again found them at the pace they were always at. Playing and goofing like the world was okay.
His fist clenched.
Naruto just had that ability. Even when he was facing of the worst of all conditions Naruto just had a special ability that was able to make things just be okay again. Whether with a smile or gentle words; Naruto made them feel warm…. And it scared him.
That if they relied on him so much than surely, surely Naruto would someday... burn out…
"Oi if it isn't my favorite little midget"
Sasuke turned to look behind him,
"WHO YA CALLIN A MIDGET PERVY SAGE!"
"Yeah, my chakra was dog poop so pervy sage worked me like a horse."
But this person was!
"His name is master Jiraiya."
Sakura said as they rested against the wall out of earshot,
"Master Jiraiya?"
Sakura looked at him weary but still shocked,
"I'm surprised you haven't heard of him. He is one of the legendary Sannin along with lord Orochimaru and Lady Tsunade they were on the same team; he's a legend"
Sasuke had heard of the legendary sannin but he didn't know their names,
"He knew Minato really well…"
Sasuke whispered not really continuing the conversation but saying a statement,
"Well yea, from what i know Master Jiraiya was Lord Minato's teacher…"
So this was the person that Naruto talked about!? This was the one who had trained him!? A legendary sannin!?
"Now now don't get so worked up, i have great news."
Naruto looked at him skeptically, no news jiraiya had ever given him seemed good nevertheless great…
"Eh…."
"Oi have a little faith in me, will ya?!"
Sasuke and Sakura watched the strange scene in awe. And Sasuke wondered if the two were always like that….he hoped so. Naruto though he spoke rebellion looked happy, and Sasuke couldn't remember Naruto's own father displaying such softness with him before. These two were close; Sasuke realized. It wasn't fake but genuine happiness shared between the two and it almost made him jealous.
"I got permission for you ta leave with me"
That made the two comrades jump,
"Wait, What!? What do you mean leave!? Where are you taking Naruto!?"
Jiraiya looked at the young worried girl, and gave a gentle smile.
"Don't worry your heart. I'm just requesting his help with a special mission; i'll bring him back."
Sasuke frowned. Because as of late something was bothering him everytime he looked at Naruto, and he felt if Naruto left now…
"Oh yea i also got permission for you too."
Sasuke looked up to see the man staring at him, in fact they were all staring at him,
"Wha…?"
Jiraiya smiled,
"Yep i requested not only Naruto Uzumaki but Sasuke Uchiha. Oh course you'll need the clans permission but if you can get it you'll come too."
Sasuke didn't know what to think,
"Wait! WHY DOES SASUKE TEME HAVE TO COME!"
Naruto received a large clock on the head and groaned at the recently forming bump,
"Cause i said so, don't be such a baby"
"What...What about me…?"
And it was then that Sakura looked like she might fall apart because she was going to be left alone...because they didn't need her… because she was too weak to keep up….
Jiraiya kneeled down in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder, she would be a beauty when she grew up huh?
"Right now you have been through alot right?"
Sakura nodded as tears came out unwillingly because she had no one to run too. She didn't have siblings like Sasuke or a lover like Naruto. She couldn't tell her parents cause they just didn't understand and the one person that she had always run to before… Rin was…
"I wanted to help… I wanted to protect them too… But cause i'm so weak… because i… It…."
It hurt….
It hurt so much…
Because she thought she would be stronger but she wasn't… Because she wanted to be stronger and failed.. It hurt… Rin Died and she felt so alone… why did it hurt so much...
"When people get hurt, they learn to hate."
Emerald eyes looked into softened dark ones.
"When people hurt others, they become hated and racked with guilt. But knowing that pain allows people to be kind."
He gave her a smile that told her that it was okay. That the hurt was okay to have...
"Pain allows people to grow… and how you grow is up to you."
What did she want to do? What did she want to accomplish? That day that seemed so long ago, when Kakashi had asked them their dreams she had looked at Sasuke with love struck eyes and fantasies of marriage. But recently the cold truth of being a ninja had destroyed that… losing her hair, almost losing Naruto, losing Rin….
This was the truth of the world they had entered… could she really do anything…?
"Oi! Pervy sage what are you saying to my teammate?"
She looked up at Naruto who for some reason always seemed to save her when she was in doubt,
"Sakura is going to be strong ya know? We said we're the strongest team"
That confident smile on his face that always warmed her heart,
"We're going to be greater than then even your team ya know?"
Greater than the legendary sannin….
"Right sakura?"
Sakura closed her eyes. She was weak, that was a fact. But she wouldn't stay weak.
"Oh course idiot…"
Sasuke sighed casually,
"Who do you think we are?"
We….
Not just them. She grit her teeth and looked up her eyes no longer scared and doubtful,
"Fine... leave me here you jerks! But i'm going to get stronger so if you come back weaker than me than the loser has to eat 10 bowls of ichiraku's super intense bowl of fire, spicy ramen!"
The boys paled,
"...ten...bowls..?"
"OI SAKURA! DON'T YA THINK THAT'S TOO HARSH I CAN'T EVEN EAT ONE A DOS!"
Sakura smiled,
"Well i don't plan on losing"
And they smiled back, and Jiraiya thought that maybe just maybe they would be better… no the greatest team ever.
"Alright looks like my pep talk worked,"
"WHAT THE HELL YA TALKIN ABOUT!? YOU DIDN'T DO NUTHIN STUPID PERVY SAGE!"
"I think it's a great opportunity"
Itachi said as he had another scoop of rice.
"But you'll be out of the village for how long?"
Sasuke shrugged as he also continued to eat brushing off his mother's worry. He was happy Itachi was so receptive because honestly he wanted desperately to go. To think that he was going to witness a sannin at work!
"The man is fool, i don't approve."
This was the problem though. If his father didn't say okay he was doomed.
"Still regardless the man is strong, Sasuke will learn a great deal."
Sasuke continued to mentally root his brother on. Itachi was his only hope.
"Strength means nothing if you don't use it wisely, where was the man when we were under attack? His skills prove nothing, one cannot win with just skill, you must balance intelligence and talent neither does that man have."
Sasuke couldn't help but wonder about Jiraiya. He was a sannin, surely he should have something to show for it, right?
"The man runs a tight spy network and has helped plenty in protecting the village. Sasuke is wise and talented perhaps increasing his strength would not be careless."
Yes! Another point. His father frowned and he knew Itachi was getting to him,
"Plus because me and Shuhei will be away as escorts for the sand negotiations i have no time to train sasuke. You will be busy calming the people with the police force and Kakashi...well the man is in mourning he will not be fit to teach Sasuke at the moment."
Another step closer… just a little more.
"After this incident surely Sasuke has realized his ineptitude and desires greater skills, learning from a different teacher will certainly give him a change of pace and insight to new tactics."
One more… one more push,
"Not to mention word that an Uchiha chosen to be trained by a Sannin is influence in itself. The benefits to this are endless."
The table was quiet as they all stoically ate the dinner laid out and Sasuke hoped no one noticed the racing of his panicked heart, would it be enough?!
"Alright…"
And he had to bit his cheek to keep from leaping in joy,
"Although i don't like that he will be with the container when it is so unstable, Jiraiya should be able to control it if anything happens…."
Fugaku looked to his youngest son, who for all measure looked relaxed and calm,
"Learn all you can… and do not shame the Uchiha name."
Sasuke bowed if only to hide the smile that was threatening to split his face,
"Yes father"
Honestly I felt if Naruto and Sasuke weren't treated so different the story would have played out better. But look at Jiraiya helping the youth even when he's so useless...I still love his muscles...