What I'm afraid will ruin the story for you is an overused yet necessary plot element I couldn't find a way around. I'm probably not killing anyone before shippuden, so don't worry about that :P
Marquies: Divergent AU is what I prefer, but in all honesty, it's a fix fic :P You find the end of the manga to your liking?
Maaaaaaaa: I assume you're talking about Sakura? The pinkette will get some love, but as with all things, it won't come easy.
As with the last chapter, the melancholic OST's are preferred. (Hinata vs Neji, Scene of Disaster, Swaying Necklace, Hokage, Student & Teacher Affection, Sadness and Sorrow, Loneliness, Man of the World...)
After his outburst, Kakashi gave the genin a few minutes to recover.
Naruto had recovered faster than expected, and was now doing his best to wake Sakura up. Strangely enough, he wasn't doing anything that would get him punched should the girl actually wake up. As he worked, the blonde threw his other teammate occasional glances of support, only to have them violently rejected by a hateful look.
Sasuke didn't seem to want to leave the roof, just sitting there, staring at the jonin. His path wasn't mindless revenge... it was a path of a just avenger. Why couldn't someone as experienced as Sharingan Kakashi see that?
Sakura woke up soon enough, jerking up and looking for her crush. Upon seeing him still there, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Sasuke! Are you alright?"
Naruto, who had succeeded in his effort to wake her up, rolled his eyes. "Gee, you're welcome, Sakura-chan."
While he expected her to ignore him, Kakashi was pleasantly surprised to see the girl turn her head to her blonde teammate, sporting the beginnings of a blush. "Uhm... sorry. Thanks, Naruto."
Of course, the blonde's response was taken straight from Guy's book. A thumbs-up and a brilliant smile, accompanied by the trademark words. "Hey, it's no problem, Sakura-chan!"
Realizing that now is as good a time as any, Kakashi wandered over to their side of the roof once again, sitting down at the exact spot he had been occupying a few minutes ago. He ran a hand through his hair, then motioned for the three of them to gather 'round once more. Naruto and Sakura obliged immediately, with Sasuke lagging behind a bit.
Raising an eyebrow, the jonin said nothing, instead letting his students exchange glances for the better part of the minute. Team 7 needs a new beginning, and what better place to start anything than a hospital roof?
"Now, if I'm not mistaken, it's Naruto's turn to face the facts."
The blonde gave a smug grin, pointing to himself. "Listen up, Sakura, Sasuke. Kakashi-sensei is going to explain exactly why I'm so awesome!"
Sakura offered a weak chuckle, and Sasuke simply ignored the statement. It could be worse, Kakashi figured.
"Naruto, your skills as a shinobi are abysmal. " Kakashi began, then abruptly stopped.
"..."
The blonde just stared at his teacher, jaw hanging slightly open.
"If the entrance exam for making genin wasn't something a better-informed civilian could do, you'd never even get your shot at that headband." the jonin continued.
"But...but Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto stammered, trying to understand why his teacher was being so harsh.
"Settle down, Naruto. While your skills might not be up to par, you have many other qualities worth salvaging. I'm sure that, after taking some time to fill all the gaps in your knowledge, you can realize your potential as well."
Should he tell him about the fox? About Minato-sensei? Sure, it might explain some things, but is the boy ready for that?
'Ah, to hell with it. This whole idea was a shot in the dark anyway.'
"Listen up, all three of you. There's something you need to know about Naruto..." he trailed off, the frown apparent even behind the mask.
"About me?" The blonde inquired, not at all reassured by the jonin's tone of voice.
"You are aware of the existence of the tailed beasts, right?"
Sakura nodded, while the boys gave no reaction. He was pretty sure Sasuke knew as well, but simply didn't want to give any sign of paying attention.
"Well, since the majority remains ignorant, I'll explain... The tailed beasts are large masses of sentient chakra, manifested in the form of colossal beasts. Their overall chakra varies, and is expressed by the number of tails the beast has; they range from one to nine. Every one of them has more than enough power to destroy a village." Kakashi began, planning out how he's supposed to break the news.
"Thirteen years ago, the nine-tailed fox attacked Konoha. To defeat it, the Yondaime Hokage gave his life in battle. Or that's the story you were all told. The truth, however, is somewhat more complicated, and a lot more illegal to talk about."
"Illegal?" Sakura asked. "Why?"
"I'm getting there, Sakura. Anyway, the story that was given to the general public was that the fourth died in battle with the nine-tails. That isn't true. In reality, the fourth Hokage gave his life to seal the colossal beast into a newborn child; not just any child, mind you, but his own son."
"Wait... but Mizuki said that I'm the nine-tailed demon... He tried to convince me that the whole village hated me because of that." Naruto trailed off, the information apparently too much for him to handle.
"Naruto, what Mizuki said was true. You do carry the nine-tailed fox sealed inside of you."
Sakura's eyes widened as she made the connection, and even Sasuke blinked in surprise, staring at his teammate with a look of disbelief. Kakashi smirked under his mask, counting the seconds before the blonde freaks out.
Maybe it wasn't the best time to tell him, but he was sure that telling the boy the truth was somehow part of 'making Team 7 battle-ready'. She asked for results, and results are what she's going to get, as far as Kakashi was concerned.
"But...I don't want to be the nine-tailed fox! It killed so many people!" Naruto began to panic, throwing nervous glances left and right.
Kakashi shook his head, amused with the fact that the bigger truth completely sailed past the blonde.
"Easy, Naruto. The fox is sealed inside of you. You are its' container, not its' avatar."
This did little to ease the boy's worrying, as he completely lost control, intending to run away and hide. He was stopped when Kakashi reached out and flicked him in the forehead.
"Naruto. Calm down. Think about what I've just said."
The blonde blinked, then did as he was told. So the fourth didn't die by fighting the Kyubi, but rather sacrificed his own life to seal the demon away in a newborn child - his son. But how did he get the fox inside of him then? Was the fox moved into him or something?
He took a deep breath, trying to focus. "I don't get it, Kakashi-sensei. If the fourth sealed the fox in some kid, why do I have it inside of me?"
Kakashi gave an eye-smile, content that the boy had finally come close enough to the truth.
"Well, that's at least simple. It's because he sealed it in you. The fourth Hokage was your father, Naruto."
The blonde blinked.
"..."
"Your father was a man who cared deeply not only for his village, but for his own family. I don't know why exactly he decided to seal the fox in you, his own son, but I have no doubt that he had a very good reason to do so."
"But how could you know, Kakashi-sensei? He was the Hokage..." Piped in the kunoichi. The whole story seemed to be far-fetched, but she doubted Kakashi-sensei would mess with them like that.
"He was also my teacher, Sakura."
A heavy silence rolled across the roof, the trio of Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke trading glances. Naruto didn't say anything for a while, his head hanging low as if he was falling asleep. After some time, he raised his head, a pained expression on his face.
"But why would he want me to carry something like the demon fox within me forever? Is that the reason everyone hated me all these years?" Asked the boy, a pleading look in his eyes.
"Not everyone. Think back." Kakashi immediately replied.
The blonde closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the rare times in his childhood when someone would take his side. Old man Hokage would help out every time he asked for it, and some of the genin like Shikamaru or Kiba didn't mind taking his side, but most of the time, all he got were hateful looks.
No, that wasn't quite right. Ayame and Teuchi at Ichiraku's were always there for him, as was Iruka-sensei. He might not have noticed it at the time, but even then he had people who cared for him.
"Your father was a powerful man. As such, he had powerful enemies, the kind of people who wouldn't mind hurting a child in order to get some form of vengeance." He turned to Sasuke for that last bit, getting the boy to grunt in annoyance.
"But why didn't old man Hokage do something about that? Everyone always seemed to hate me for no reason!" the jinchuriki protested, sitting up a bit and leaning forward.
"Being Hokage isn't as simple as it seems. It's a big responsibility. The Sandaime had his hands full keeping the village intact after the calamities of the Nine-Tails attack and the Uchiha massacre."
Sasuke's frown deepened at the mention of that event, but he said nothing.
Naruto lowered his head, feeling very tired all of a sudden. The nine-tailed fox, sealed in that weird mark on his stomach... the fourth Hokage, his dad... Jiji's attempt to help him out... all those hateful looks.
It kind of made sense.
"You don't hate me, right?" He asked no one in particular.
Surprisingly, Sakura was the first to respond. "No. It isn't you who destroyed the village and killed all those people, Naruto. It's the fox, the one you seem to be keeping in check."
Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at that, noticing the uncharacteristically mature response from his student. "Sakura, please explain."
She turned her head to her teacher, then nodded. "The tailed beasts are being of unrivaled rage, with an appetite for destruction that can never be sated. If it was trying to get out, it could've done so any number of times when the villagers...even I...did something to hurt him. But it didn't."
Kakashi smiled, happy that at least one of his students was taking the news so well. "Very good, Sakura. If Naruto wasn't as tenacious and stubborn as we know him to be, odds are that he would've gone nuclear a long time ago, killing every last one of us."
Of course, he didn't expect them to get the irony.
Getting a blink from all three, Kakashi leaned back, content to watch the sunset for a while as the information sunk in.
oOoOoOo
Settling back into a comfortable position, the Cyclops jonin eyed the bright-haired kid sitting across from him, noticing that the boy is still pretty confused. His teammates were far more interesting, though.
Sakura stared at the blonde in awe, the regret for all the times she tried her best to embarrass and ignore the boy coming back in droves. It was a sickening feeling, disrespecting the memory of the Yondaime like that. Naruto might be a bumbling idiot, but if Kakashi-sensei is placing faith in him, she'll do so as well.
For Sasuke, it was certainly a most interesting turn of events. For the dobe to be the son of someone as respected as the fourth Hokage... Maybe that was the reason he was getting so strong this quickly; Success was in his blood as well... But no genius, obvious or not, could ever stand up to an Uchiha.
If you keep thinking you're better than everyone else, Naruto included, you will never defeat Itachi.
Kakashi's words echoed in the boy's mind, coming back louder and louder as he tried to silence them. What did he know about the Uchiha? All he had was that Sharingan, and all anyone could tell him was 'he got it in the war'. To bear the burden of avenging your entire clan...
And Naruto's idiotic offer to help kill Itachi... it was an insult. No one as weak as him would ever be able to beat his brother. No one...
His mind flashed back to the aftermath of the chunin exams, and the sight of seeing Naruto standing atop the toad boss, Gamabunta. While he did hold the cats' contract, Sasuke knew he could never bring out a creature that powerful. Even when he tried his hardest, Sasuke was simply shoved aside by Gaara's overwhelming power. And yet the dobe managed to beat him...
No. Whatever Naruto could do, as an Uchiha, Sasuke would do better. And he'd do it on his own terms.
"Anything else you want to say, sensei?" The boy spoke, his voice as cold as it usually was.
The jonin eye-smiled, noticing something in the boy's eyes that seemed promising. While he was obviously confused about a lot of things, his talent was impossible to doubt. Given time, he'd warm up to the team, and from there... Kakashi doubted that the boy himself would believe how he'd progress from there.
But thinking about Sasuke could be placed on hold. He's been talking to them long enough, so he needed to get the last, and pretty much worst, part of the team meeting out of the way.
"And finally, I guess it's my turn." The moment he spoke, both Naruto and Sakura snapped to attention.
He sighed. Acceptance that there's a problem is the first step in fixing it...
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I'm a terrible teacher."
"Kakashi-sensei, you're not..."
He raised his hand, stopping the girl from further holding on to the delusion.
"We worked together for the better part of the year. In all that time, I've taught you to walk on water and trees, I taught you two D-Rank jutsu, I taught Sasuke a jutsu that can easily kill if it lands properly, and I taught Naruto jack squat."
The genin exchanged glances, not one of them trying to disprove their teacher. He was mildly hurt that no one wanted to defend him, but then again, the three of them holding true to their opinions was also a good sign; he continued:
"Honestly, there's loads of stuff we could have explored during all that time, but I was simply too busy with other things to bother with teaching them to you. For that, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, you do kind of stink as a teacher, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto offered with a grin.
"But I remember that no matter how much I messed around the academy, Iruka-sensei always gave me another shot. It's because I got that chance that I managed to even earn this," he said, pointing at his headband, "seems to me that you deserve another shot too."
Sakura nodded, turning to her teacher. "Naruto's right... you weren't really a great teacher. But I also think you could do better if we started from scratch. Besides, it'd be wrong of me to hold it against you after what you arranged for me..."
Sasuke frowned. "You're the reason I'm still this weak." He stated flatly.
Kakashi scratched his head, trying to find an appropriate response. He had lost the moment of Guy-inspired toughness, so he had trouble coming up with a response that's in line with his previous statements.
"Eh...maybe?" The jonin offered politely.
Sasuke shook his head, obviously not amused in the slightest. "Can I leave now?"
He didn't even bother for an answer, getting up and walking towards the door. The sun had almost set, and it was getting chilly on the roof anyway.
"Well, you could, but you'd be missing out on what I have planned." Kakashi spoke, his negotiation instinct kicking back into gear.
This, as expected, brought the Uchiha back to their group, if only temporarily. Still wearing his annoyed look, Sasuke sat back down to Naruto's right side, across from the jonin. No matter how much of an idiot he was, Kakashi was a legend for a reason, so it'd be smart to at least hear him out.
"Since you seem most interested, let's start with you, Sasuke..." the copy-nin trailed off, recalling exactly what he had intended to say.
"Well, keeping in mind that you have the Sharingan, you're set up for pretty much anything. Ninjutsu comes easier to you, as does close combat. The precise chakra control needed for genjutsu is circumvented by your eyes as well... You're pretty much a blank slate..."
Seeing the Uchiha roll his eyes at the open-ended answer, Kakashi pressed on.
"Expand your ninjutsu library... maybe add a sword in the mix... genjutsu too...hmm, this is harder than I expected." He concluded, giving the boy an apologetic shrug.
"A sword? That's the best you can come up with?" The Uchiha asked, disbelief obvious in his voice. He was seriously beginning to consider the fact that the elite jonin was just messing with him.
"Why not? If I recall correctly, Shisui Uchiha used to use one, and he was considered a genius rivaled only by Itachi."
Sasuke's eyes widened, the memory of his long-dead cousin coming to the front of his mind. There were so many times that he had watched the two of them spar, each time seeing something completely new and amazing. At times they would simply spar up close, kunai sparking against a blade, moving at speeds that only the Uchiha eyes could follow. Other times, it would be a genjutsu battle, the two young men simply staring at each other, their battle fought on the mental plane, rather than the physical.
His favorites, though, were when Shisui started teleporting everywhere. Ever since he was a genin, the prodigy Uchiha had given his all to that particular jutsu, taking it to a level that no one else in the shinobi world could hope to do. Once he told both him and Itachi that his shunshin cost him almost no chakra.
Sasuke cracked a rare smile, remembering the times when he was happy as a child, the times before everything went bad...
"Hn." He grunted, erasing the smile the moment he had registered it.
"Try me, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cut in, eager to hear his teacher's assessment of his potential specialization.
The man looked over to the energetic blonde, placing a finger to his chin in contemplation.
"Well, until we fix all the areas you're lacking in, I can't really say..." he started, noticing the genin's smile fading quickly as he did so, "But you'd do wise to stay around Jiraya every chance you get. He's one of the legendary sannin for a reason. I'm sure he could answer your question better than I ever would."
Then he turned his head to Sakura, who seemed less than enthusiastic to hear about what her sensei thought of her potential abilities. He didn't spend a single moment thinking about it.
"Sakura, I arranged for Lady Hokage to tutor you because I believe you'd be perfectly suited for a medical ninja. Your level of control is something you don't often see even in shinobi thrice your age, and it would be a waste of potential trying to specialize you in anything else. In time, you could become just as good as Amane."
The girl's eyes widened at the mention of the kunoichi they have met at the Land of Waves. She was one of the few ninja who took Sakura seriously for whatever reason, and that left the impressionable genin with a large amount of respect for the woman. According to Kakashi, what she did to save that boy Haku wasn't something just any medic could do.
Naruto and Sakura exchanged glances, then both nodded.
"Right then. Meeting adjourned!"
As he leapt across Konoha's rooftops, Sasuke could only return to what had transpired at the 'Team meeting'. Did the man really think that a pep-talk would help? He needed to get stronger, he didn't need stupid apologies or empty promises.
But he couldn't teach himself. Becoming a worthy shinobi meant having a capable mentor, one who had both the knowledge and the drive required to teach. Kakashi had the knowledge, but his drive was obviously lacking. Was he supposed to just believe that all of a sudden he'd take training his team seriously?
Huffing in annoyance, Sasuke stopped at a tree branch, sitting down to catch his breath. The night was chilly, for sure, but he was past that now. All he wanted to do was get stronger. He had the talent, he had the eyes... hell, he even had the goddamn curse mark. Why was he still so weak?
As he sat there, the boy was completely oblivious to the four figures staring at him from a ways' off, all four standing on one of Konoha's roofs, having had little trouble with infiltrating the village. For a place that was recently attacked, Konoha's defense perimeter was laughable. Did they really lose so many shinobi?
The shortest of the lot gave a signal to the other three, signaling to move in closer. While they were sure that no one would bother them in the civilian district of the village, being careful always paid off, and it wasn't like they'd have trouble with time after making contact. Orochimaru had already planted the seeds, all that was left was for them to collect the fruits of his labor.
Still unaware of the approaching ninja, Sasuke kept running over the day's events in his mind. Kakashi had no right telling him what to do. Actually, no one had the right telling him what to do. He was an Uchiha, and he could do what he damn well pleased. And what he wanted most was the power to obliterate Itachi and restore the proud name of the clan...
What would someone like him know, anyway? He didn't lose everyone he ever cared for in one night. He was well aware of the story of Konoha's white fang, but even that was simply insignificant when compared to the extermination of the Uchiha at the hands of one of their own...
If you want to kill me... curse me! Hate me! And live a long and unsightly life...
What right did he have to tell him that!? Sasuke clenched his fists as the memories of that night returned to his mind yet again, pushing all other thoughts aside.
Run away...run away... and cling to your pitiful life.
He would kill him. No matter how strong Itachi was, he would kill him. That was his goal, his purpose. Killing the man who had slaughtered the clan would redeem their name, the name of the Uchiha. With his own eyes, Sasuke would watch as his brother drew his last breath.
And then some day, when you have the same eyes as I do, come before me.
The Mangekyo Sharingan. Eyes of incredible power, one that you could only acquire by killing your closest friend. They were the reason Shisui had died. Those cursed eyes with that unimaginable genjutsu... 72 hours of living in hell, seeing your family butchered by your own brother, your own blood...
"No..." Sasuke muttered, coming to a conclusion. He wouldn't blindly listen to his brother anymore. He wouldn't come to him, having done exactly what that man had told him to. He wouldn't disgrace the clan like that.
'No one can tell me what to do.'
It's at that point that he finally noticed the four figures that have been moving ever closer for the past few minutes. They didn't look like Konoha ninja, and a glance at their heads proved that they weren't. Sound shinobi - Orochimaru's. The man who had given him the curse mark had sent his underlings to collect, probably intending to get the Sharingan in exchange.
Sasuke wasn't having any of that, pulling the one kunai he held on him, and leaping off the branch onto the same roof.
"Looks feisty." The sole girl of the group stated, shooting the boy a overly hungry look.
"Boy, Orochimaru-sama really knows how to pick them... he looks like he can barely stand..." spoke the white-haired one, sidestepping Sasuke's attempt to run him through, slightly amused with the speed with which the boy withdrew after his failed attack.
"But far be it from me to question his judgment." He finsihed, moving towards Sasuke with an air of menace around him.
The tallest of the lot, some kind of freak with four arms too many, looked around the dark village, not seeing anyone on the approach. These Konoha guys were pushovers. He then turned his head to the white-haired one with two heads. "Cut that shit out, Sakon, we don't have time to chase this trash all around the village. Just tell him why we're here so we can split."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. The guy approaching him was good, but he didn't doubt he could take him on in a single fight. The problem was that there was three others to deal with as well. Alone, this weak, he'd have trouble claiming victory... that didn't mean he wouldn't try.
Readying his kunai, Sasuke once more dashed forward, Sharingan red flaring from his eyes. He made an attempt to slash the sound shinobi's throat, but only saw the guy twist in a completely unnatural way, dodging the attack. In retaliation, he slammed a fist into Sasuke's head, sending him flying to the side, his head ringing.
Pushing himself up from the ground, Sasuke eyed his foe once more, hatred burning in his mind. "You're good at dodging..." he made the three hand signs, gathering chakra in his palm, feeling as it changes from the usual fluid shape into the wild and uncontained energy of a lightning technique.
"Then dodge this... Chidori!"
Sakon smirked, shifting his weight to the side in order to dodge the deceptively fast technique. Throwing himself to the side, he watched in satisfaction as the Uchiha blazed past the point where he stood not moments ago, straight into the group of three shinobi that stood behind him.
The three looked alarmed only for a moment, until the large one flattened Sasuke with a violent clothesline. The dark-haired boy hit the ground with a loud thud, rolling off to the side. Almost instantly, black flame marks started spreading across his body.
"The curse mark?" The tall one asked, immediately recognizing the markings. "Does he really think it'll help?"
"I'll handle him." The large one muttered, walking towards the still grounded Uchiha. What he didn't expect was the boy to suddenly leap up and connect a kick to his head, sending him crashing to the ground due to the boosted strength behind the attack.
"You're the best Orochimaru sent? I guess what he's given me already is enough to toss you out of the village..." Sasuke said, picking his kunai up. He went so far as to place it back into his pouch.
"Trash..." Jirobo began, his arrow-patterned markings flowing across his skin, stopping only when they completely covered the left side of his body, "...SHOULD KNOW ITS' PLACE!"
With speed unnatural for someone of his size, the massive shinobi picked the boy up, chucking him into a wall next to his teammates. He immediately let the mark recede after that, unwilling to risk the adverse effects too soon.
Sasuke groaned as he watched the two ninja standing near him, the force with which he hit the wall being enough to knock most of the air out of him. Odds were that all four of those ninja had the curse marks, and they were way, way better at using them...
However, when the spider-armed one tried to check if he's alive, Sasuke immediately took his opportunity. He pulled the guy down, rolling over him while simultaneously pulling the kunai from his pouch. He brought it up, intending to drive down with enough force to push the blade into the ninja's chest.
Unfortunately, in his rage, he had forgotten about the others, noticing only when something held his hand in place, preventing him from finishing the guy off. As he turned his head around to see what stopped him, Sasuke only caught a glance of Sakon's sandal as the ninja drove his foot into his head, smashing it against the wall again.
"Gee, Tayuya, if you didn't hold him back, I might have not made it in time to save our dear friend." The pale-skinned shinobi grinned, the sarcasm practically oozing from his words. Kidomaru, the one with the spider-like arms, stood up, giving his teammate and temporary leader an annoyed look.
"Kiss my ass, dipshit." Came the response from the redhead, the one responsible for keeping Kidomaru not-stabbed. She didn't need that double prick giving her shit for something like that, she was being generous.
"Save your flirting for later." Began the spider, staring at the Uchiha's unconscious form. "We didn't deliver the message."
The girl made a 'tsk' noise, then knelt beside Sasuke's head, whispering something into his ear. "There, now this little trash will know where to come looking for us. Can we leave this shithole already? I'm tired of looking at that stupid symbol."
Her finger was pointing at Sasuke's headband, and the Konoha swirled leaf on it.
The two-faced Sakon grinned, always enjoying his teammates' 'unique' personalities.
"Sure, let's go."
Sakura was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She'd go see the Hokage tomorrow, intent on starting her new training as early as possible. She would work hard to catch up to Sasuke, and prove that she's someone who's worth his time. She'd prove she wasn't the weak little girl she seemed to be.
If Kakashi-sensei would place his faith in her, she had no right to disappoint him. No matter how harsh or strict the Hokage is, she'd take everything she threw at her, and she'd become a kunoichi her mother could be proud of.
But... something felt wrong. It was something about the way Sasuke just leapt off the roof the moment Kakashi disappeared in the swirl of leaves. She wanted to follow after him, but he was already gone, and Naruto was already pestering her about going out for ramen. She just told him that she wanted to be alone to think over everything Kakashi had said.
She kind of envied him with how quickly he accepted everything their teacher told him. It must be big news, having the nine-tails sealed into you, and learning that the Yondaime was your father... but Naruto just took it with a big smile... like he always did.
The feeling came back to her, like a bad itch. It loomed somewhere in the back of her mind, keeping her awake. Perhaps she could go out, clear her head a bit? It was a nice night, and she wouldn't mind if it was a little colder than usual. She wouldn't be away for too long... her parents didn't need to know.
Slowly picking herself up, Sakura opened the window, pausing upon noticing the scroll sitting idly on one of the shelves above her table. It was the same one she got in the Land of Waves, but she never really got around to opening it...
At first, it was because she was busy trying to get Sasuke to notice her, but then there were missions, and then the exams... over time, she had simply forgotten she even had the thing. For a moment, she considered opening it, but then decided otherwise. If Amane trusted her with that scroll, she'd open it only when she caught up to her teammates. Whatever gift the medic kunoichi left her, she'd have to earn it.
With a deep breath, Sakura leapt out of the window, into the night.
Her landing was unusually easy, so she attributed it to the nice weather, then kept walking. For some reason, the strange itch in the back of her mind seemed to be lessening, but she still felt like there was something very bad about to happen.
Taking it easy, the girl headed west, intending to reach the main street and maybe take a stroll to the gate. Izumo and Kotetsu were always on daytime duty, but she never saw who took the night watch. For some reason, the image in her head was of two kunoichi with identical temperaments to the easygoing duo.
She wondered what working with Lady Tsunade would be like. She was known as the idol of all kunoichi in the village, and was held in high regard in most other villages due to her medical proficiency. The sannin had revolutionized the medical field, bringing about changes that had supposedly saved Konoha from losing the entirety of its' fighting force in the war... But she also heard that the current Hokage had left the village for a long time after the war, only returning when master Jiraya and Naruto went to look for her.
What kind of person made those kinds of choices? She was a medic, after all, but war had a way of changing people... that's what she was always told, anyway. Maybe she was nice, well-mannered and wise, if vain and unmotivated. Someone who'd been through what she did would probably turn out like that.
Unaware of how wrong her assumptions were, Sakura walked past Ino's flower store, seeing that the lights have long since been turned off. A feeling of regret once again struck at her, reminding her of the friendship she had with the Yamanaka heir, before their mutual crush on Sasuke drove them apart... That was just another reason to become stronger. If she got strong, she would have Sasuke's attention, and Ino would finally let go. Maybe then they could try and work on their friendship again.
Finally reaching the gate, Sakura was mildly disappointed to see a pair of disinterested looking chunin. They didn't stick out in any way, and seemed to be grumpy about their assignment, as evidenced by the look they shot her. Deciding that she'd rather not be there, Sakura went back towards the village center, only to decide to stop and rest at a bench.
It was a somewhat thin cobblestone path, surrounded by trees from both sides. It was a popular place for young couples to meet before their dates, and most such dates ended in the very same place. It was one of the more romantic spots in Konoha.
She gazed up at the starry sky, frowning a bit at the odd feeling that has been following her around ever since the team meeting. Before she could get into investigating it, however, she saw a figure approaching in the distance...
Waking up, Sasuke could see that his attackers were already gone. He ran a hand across his sore head, realizing that the influence of the curse mark protected him from the worst of the damage. He'd bruise a bit, but that was it. It wasn't what bothered him.
Those four kicked him around like he was a clueless academy student. Nothing he threw at them worked... They were too fast, and their control over the curse marks was better than his. He could never beat them, no matter how hard he tried - they were simply better than him.
Meet us outside the village, Sasuke. We can offer you power the likes of which you've never seen.
There was a brief pause in the eerie voice ringing through his head, which sent an involuntary chill up his spine. Was this some kind of genjutsu?
Remember your purpose, Sasuke.
His purpose? His purpose was to kill Itachi... and Orochimaru could give him the power he needed to do it.
He got up, licking his lips, then began walking towards the Uchiha district. He could just leave Konoha, leave the place that so stubbornly intended to hold him back, keep him from the vengeance he alone could deliver. No one would be able to stop him. Kakashi was ignorant, Naruto and Sakura weak... no one else cared.
It was as simple as walking out of those gates, north to the land of sound. Orochimaru would make good on his promise; the snake's intention is and will be getting his hands on the Sharingan. But Sasuke would never give him the opportunity. He'd kill the sannin, and then he would kill Itachi... only then could the clan rest in peace.
The village was dark, only a few stray light poles strewn about in no specific order. It gave the village a dramatic, overly contrasted look that annoyed the boy. He picked up his pace, nearing the high walls of the Uchiha district. He only needed to gather some things, then he'd be gone for good.
Kakashi's attempt at salvaging Team 7... too late, he couldn't wait any longer. He needed the power, and he needed it as soon as possible...
Then a stray idea hit his head, and he placed his hands in the tiger seal, one that made chakra most volatile, and focused on it. He felt his chakra surge, the last strands of the genjutsu the four shinobi left on him leaving his mind. If they had done anything to manipulate his decision, he'd know now.
Nothing. Only words. Their genjutsu was the simple message to remember his purpose. A simple request... a simple command.
Sasuke grit his teeth, angry that the four sound shinobi would get him to betray his own declaration so quick. But what they offered was something he simply couldn't pass up. The importance of him having that power was impossible for anyone but him to understand.
All power comes at a cost, Sasuke. The price of the power you think you need to beat him is simply too high.
Again those words, echoing in the back of his mind. Why would they repeat themselves? He didn't care about what Kakashi had to say, what he thought. He didn't understand... he never will.
...and he was considered a genius rivaled only by Itachi.
Sasuke stopped, taking a moment to lean against a nearby wall. Shisui could beat Itachi, but that was before Itachi had those eyes... Maybe if... No, what was he thinking? Those sound creeps wouldn't be waiting around forever, so he needed to hurry up.
Nearing running speed, Sasuke reached his apartment, quickly unlocking the door and stepping inside. He took a standard shinobi backpack, packed some of his personal effects into it, and then turned to the wardrobe. As he began sorting through the outfits, intent on setting aside a combination for any kind of weather, the Uchiha kept thinking.
He didn't notice that the sky outside was unusually clear for the time of year, moonlight strong enough to illuminate the overgrown gardens that could be seen outside the window. In the other parts of the village, it'd be a D-Rank assignment, tending to gardens, but there was no such mission for the Uchiha district... Sasuke would need to request it himself.
Done with the wardrobe, he went to the weapons cabinet, sorting through his respectable collection. When most weapons broke or were dulled beyond use, they were dropped off at a weapons' shop to be sharpened or smelted and re-forged. As the last Uchiha, he had the unspoken privilege of getting his weapons returned first. Despite that, he kept a sizable collection at home.
He took out a pair of fuuma shuriken, recalling that one afternoon after their mission to the wave when he wasted his time working on a collaboration jutsu he and Naruto were supposed to use. They never did; How many times did the dobe fumble the shot? It must have been almost a hundred times...
Snapping himself out of it, Sasuke quickly packed away the weapons he needed, then turned to the table. He intended to take some of the scrolls he kept there, but instead saw the picture Team 7 took the day they completed their first successful mission. His eyes paused over the happy faces of Kakashi and Sakura, and they lingered on the hateful look Naruto was giving him...
No, it wasn't hateful. Not really... the dobe wasn't strong enough to hate. That was one of the reasons he'd always be weaker. No matter how much he progressed, so long as he didn't have hate and fury, Naruto would never catch up. He could howl all he wanted about how he's going to become Hokage, but in the end, that was little than a pipe dream, a way to hide the pain that Sasuke himself knew well. At least, unlike him, he was doing something about it.
He held the picture for a while longer, then just left it be. Their faces could watch his room forever, after he's gone. In the end, it's just an empty room, no matter how long he had lived in it. They were just a ninja team, nothing else; that picture had no meaning to him.
Having grabbed the scrolls, and with his gear ready, Sasuke headed for the door, head still full of voices that didn't belong to him.
Itachi, Kakashi, those sound freaks, Orochimaru, Naruto, Sakura...
He shook his head, and carried on in the night.
Shisui.
This story is growing... I'm grateful for that. :)
And while Naruto's heyday is slowly beginning to fade (compared to what it was at its' peak in 2010), I hope this story does its' part in keeping Kishimoto's amazing world alive for the times that will come.
Also, seeing as 100 reviews is an actual possibility now, I feel the need to mark that milestone somehow...
Next chapter up in 7 days, less with each review.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter.