Sasuke heaved. Never… Never had he had training this intense…
"Perhaps the princess has been pampered too long that he doesn't even know what real training is."
Sasuke glared at his new temporary teacher.
Orochimaru
He had personally asked because after he realized who he was he just had to get trained by him. The man knew hundreds of jutsus and skills. Jiraiya was good but the man was a brawler Sasuke needed someone with a bit more tactical skill. But he understood why Naruto didn't like him. The guy was a certifiable creep.
A creep.
A perv.
And a drunk….
They were the strongest ninja?
But beggars couldn't be choosy. And that's why he was getting his butt whipped and his muscles injured and… god everything hurt.
"I'm surprised though that you were so hot headed. I always assumed Uchiha's were more… level headed."
The guy knew how to get under people's skin and Sasuke was wondering at this point if it was on purpose or just his personality.
"What is it about 'hokage' that set you off? Is it because the current one is an Uchiha?"
Sasuke pushed himself up.
"It's nothing...that noble…"
It was hard to catch his breath and that snake face just smiled as if enjoying his misery,
"Then tell me…"
"My first impression of you guys… boring"
A tall silver haired man with one eye covered stood in the doorway with chalk dust on his head from a fallen chalk board eraser.
Sasuke knew the man though. Kakashi Hatake the man who had stolen a sharingan…
"Meet me on the roof"
And with that he disappeared. Sasuke groaned as he stood Sakura that fan girl waiting and watching his every move like a stalker.
"Beat ya there"
Sasuke's eye twitched at the challenge and as a Uchiha he was better than that but the race was on and they were both squeezing through the door trying to get to the roof first.
"Well now how about introductions first."
"Whatcha wanna know?"
Naruto asked,
"How about your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future.. That stuff"
It was vague, too vague.
"Why don't you go first?"
Sakura nodded in agreement,
"Oh...me? Well my name is Kakashi Hatake. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes… though i have known Naruto for a while and quite like him. Dreams for the future….hmmm and i have lots of hobbies…"
There was stunned silence,
As Sakura turned to the other two.
"All he told us was his name…."
"Is he always like that?"
Sasuke groaned losing some respect for the man, and Naruto sighed,
"He gets worse."
"Now it's your turn, let's start on the right, Naruto?"
Naruto smiled,
"Yosh! My name is Naruto Uzumaki. What i like is home cooked Ramen. What i like even more is when i get to go out for ramen and someone pays for it.
Sakura sighed, was ramen the only thing he thinks about?
"What i dislike is people comparing me ta dad."
Sasuke locked his jaw
"And my dream is to surpass my dad and then protect the people that are important to me including this village."
At that Sasuke was surprised he was sure that he would have said being hokage….
"Hobbies…. Pranks i guess"
Kakashi chuckled,
"Alright next"
"I'll go!"
Sakura raised her hand,
"My name is Sakura Haruno. The thing i like is.. Well the person i like is…"
Her gaze fell to her left,
"And um my dream for the future…"
She giggled, and Sasuke wondered what he did to be cursed like this….
"Oh! And what i dislike? Naruto!"
"WHATCHA SAY?! YA WANT ME TA HURT YA FEELINGS!"
"OH YEA! AND WHAT CAN A BUMPKIN LIKE YOU SAY THAT WILL HURT MY FEELINGS?!"
"GAHH! YER LUCKY MA TOLD ME TA BE NICE TA GIRLS!"
"THAT'S RIGHT YOU UNCOUTH IDIOT I'M A LADY!"
Kakashi sighed,
"Anyway… last one."
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are lots of things i dislike and i don't really like anything. And i can't really call it a dream rather an ambition, because it is something i will make a reality. I….."
"Sasuke!"
Sasuke turned to see his pink haired stalker running toward him. Was she an idiot!? With her yelling like that she could give away his location.
"What?"
He glared because he didn't have time to waste with her. He had to find a way to get the bell or he would get sent back to the academy! His father would kill him!
"What should we do?"
Was she really asking such an obvious question?
"There's no way we can beat him! He's a jounin!"
Snap… It wasn't that he didn't know that but he had let the thought slip. How was a genin supposed to beat a jounin?
"Well we just need the bells right?"
Sasuke and Sakura looked up to see Naruto in the tree. He jumped down casually landing amongst them,
"I mean we don't have to win right?"
Sakura flipped her hair back,
"No kidding but i just said he's a jonin weren't you listening?"
Naruto pouted and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Whether the man was jounin or not he gave out specific instructions and failing to complete them meant failure in general; Uchiha's don't fail.
"Look here. The moment they assigned us as a team i decided"
Sasuke and Sakura stared at those hypnotizing eyes. Even after being around the kid so long they still mesmerized him.
"We're going to be the strongest team."
Sakura's mouth dropped and even Sasuke was stunned,
"Strongest…"
"Team?"
Naruto smiled wider,
"Sakura you've taken classes with Rin right?"
Sakura blinked unsure how he knew but nodded anyway,
"Then i have no doubt you'll be an awesome medic."
He shoved his thumb into his chest.
"And well i'm going to protect ya'll so i'll be the guard…"
A guard?
Naruto's eyes hardened in intensity as they fell on Sasuke.
"And you if you're serious about your goal then being in charge of a team will be easy after all you…."
"I can't accept it…"
Sasuke said finding strength,
"I won't accept it because…."
Since younger he decided. After meeting Naruto he confirmed.
"I….."
Shikamaru would grow up and be an advisor, Ino in charge of interrogation like her father. Kakashi would probably end up on the council. Sakura would be in charge of the hospital like Rin had and Naruto… Naruto would be by his side…. Playing the guard as he had promised… being his sword… because of Naruto he knew he could do it. Because Naruto believed in him… he would… he could…
"I WILL BE THE NEXT HOKAGE!"
Orochimaru stared at this boy, a small, young, naive boy. There was a time when he fell in darkness and had no hope, no belief in anything besides his own skill and power. But Jiraiya hadn't given up on him. Jiraiya had run and chased him like he mattered. And when he met Naruto he thought perhaps there was something about this world worth watching…. And now meeting this child.
He knew it.
Naruto was a flame. That offered warmth and hope to all whom he came in contact with. And clearly this boy was a result of being in that warmth for so long. Desire so intense filled his gaze and burned away any doubt.
Orochimaru smiled,
Perhaps there was no meaning to life….
But looking at this child in front of him he could surely see some value to it.
"Oi!"
Jiraiya sighed as he looked at the boy in the tree. It had been three days since the bet started and still Naruto hadn't made any move to train.
Not that he needed it. Naruto already knew quite a lot. He already knew the rasengan and a variety of other techniques, but he had been forbidden to use them while he was a genin. That was their rule. When he became Chunin he could let loose but for now…
Jiraiya sighed at Naruto's unresponsiveness.
There was so many things that they should probably talk about now that they were alone… like Kushina and the exams, like Rin and his torture. But all the topics were heavy and Jiraiya just couldn't bring himself to say it.
"OOOOOOoooooooiii! At least say something!"
But Naruto sat high in the tree looking up in the distance,
"Tell me…."
So now the boy wanted to talk?
"Why is she like that?"
Jiraiya stared into blue eyes. He had trained him well it seemed, he sighed.
"She wasn't always like that….."
And So Jiraiya unraveled the story of pain and loss. And Naruto felt himself connect. After Rin it seemed similar. He had love Rin in his own way… and he hadn't been able to save her either… But…
"I don't get it"
Jiraiya looked at his little apprentice,
"In this world we don't have the luxury…"
Because Naruto had tried so many times and it had failed every time,
"To run away"