Chapter 11: Beggin'

Dear Diary,

Kushina Uzumaki is the next holder of the Kyuubi. It is true then, that Madara Uchiha was able to control it and use it against the First Hokage, killing him. Mito-sama had sealed the beast within herself to prevent it from happening again, and that is why Tobirama had punished the rest of the clan. Though Kushina-chan knows now, she doesn't believe in holding it against us, since even Madara had died anyways and I don't seem the type to want power.

I get that she doesn't understand the way my clan is ran, being a patriarch. I am the only child of the clan head, so whoever I marry will become the clan head. If I had to marry anyone, it would be Minato-kun but rather, it's unfortunately Fugaku. Grumpy, furious, determined, Fugaku. How shameful. I think I will act similar to Kushina-chan to scare him off and then show them that I can be as strong as any Uchiha male. I have my own list of demands for the clan that I want to be different, but that doesn't make me power hungry, does it?

Arms crossed as he stood before the memorial stone, Naruto wanted to bash her own head into the posts at Kakashi's twitching brow.

Helping a dazed Sakura to the spot as Sasuke only marched several feet before them refusing to help, the blonde tried not to sigh in irritation. She ran out of time, spending too much of it showing off for her teacher to recognize her as something more than the dead last, and clearly didn't do enough to convince them to work as a team and pass.

The moment the Uzumaki released her pink teammate, her breath was taken out of her as she was slammed to the center post and she groaned as she was quickly tied tightly to it. Instead of being punished for trying to be the lunch thief this time, she knew it was because she was throwing paint and trying to stab him with rusty nails. Wiggling her body and only scratching her back through her jumpsuit, her legs floundered and kicked at nothing, her stopping in time to pout at Kakashi. "Senseeii," she whined. "Why am I tied up! You did them too tiiiight!"

The two other genin hid their widened eyes and the need to laugh at the grumpy jonin by looking away or only crossed their arms in a signature Uchiha brooding session while Kakashi gestured to himself as if it explained everything. 'It's his fault that Old Kak- Old-old? Does that count,' she thought as her sensei quickly dived into how and why each of them failed other than not using teamwork to fight him, pointing at Sakura and correctly saying it was her fangirlism to be tricked by a simple genjutsu, at Sasuke for his stubbornness of refusing help, and finally between them at Naruto, he shook his head and claimed it was her tactics.

"Oi, my tactics were good, you paint-covered pervert!" She shouted at him, kicking her legs wildly again, her teammates too busy thinking over Kakashi's words to at least try and help her.

"Then why did you fail?"

"Because I ran outta time, damnit!"

"Considering you were the only one who knew the meaning of the test, you still didn't try to convince your teammates properly, knowing there was a time limit," he said slowly, the other genins swirling their heads to stare at him as the blonde sighed and pouted again. He wasn't wrong and she winced as he took several steps back to stare down at the memorial stone. "Tell them, Naruto. What is the secret of this test?"

Hanging her head to avoid the other two pairs of eyes boring holes at her, she mumbled her answer for them to hear. "Teamwork. No genin alone can defeat a jonin and even then, we probably woulda not gotten the bells still, but," she tried to shrug for them to see as she trailed off, her arms tied down too tightly to move them much still.

"Correct," Kakashi started over his shoulder, stepping to the side to ask what they thought the memorial stone was and this time the blonde remained quiet. Remembering how the old Naruto had shouted that she was going to go on the stone after he said this is where heroes went, her sensei's words still rung in her ears even at Itachi the Second's funeral. Heroes that died in battle, an action that Old Naruto never did - her godson, Neji, all dying instead.

To look underneath the underneath was a cruddy phrase, yet it made sense now, because of all of Old Naruto's memories. To look underneath the test of the bells, they'd see that it made no sense - even using Naruto's words earlier before the test began as proof - that teams of 3 minimum were standard around the village. Underneath that was the true meaning of the test, being teamwork. Teamwork that without, they'd be taken advantage of in places of battle, and the entire time he explained, his words were much harsher this time as someone had to be dropping hints only to not follow through on her own advice. It was why at Sakura's huff of being told to listen to the dead last, she was suddenly pulled forward in a blur, on the ground as their sensei pressed his foot onto her head.

Another difference that knocked Naruto out of her trance, feeling his words yet unseeing the moment before them, reminded her of very real scenarios in a distant future, that she kicked and struggled as the Hatake swung a kunai and crouched to loosely hold it well above the pinkette's back.

"Sasuke, kill Naruto or I'll kill Sakura!" Kakashi barked at him.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes despite the feeling of water thrown over her at the contrast, knowing that it was obviously not just a bad trade just like last time but still obviously a scare tactic, her eyes zeroed on the twitch in Sasuke's arm as his fingers automatically made a grabbing motion for his kunai pouch.

Suddenly, it wasn't funny anymore and the wide-awake feeling now felt ice cold.

'Why? I thought..' she couldn't even gather her thoughts to wonder why as their sensei shook his head in disappointment.

"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that's true. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum," he clearly said, releasing Sakura and even helping her up from the ground, brushing dirt off her shoulders. "Are you scum, Sasuke?"

And Naruto sat against the post quietly, her head falling forward to avoid the intense stare that wasn't even directed at her, the Uchiha doing the same.

"Mm, I will give you all one more chance, however, after lunch as long as neither of you feeds Naruto," their soon-to be sensei said with a crinkle in his eye before disappearing in a poof.

As the trio sat in silence, Naruto waited for them to have a few bites before she could even find the ability to say anything, feeling too cautious. She didn't see how Kakashi's words affected Sasuke and didn't want to be on the side of his rage, the moment yesterday in the hallway outside of class and him suddenly itching for his kunai too similar to the other version of him on his broodiest of days. It wasn't like last time anyways, her stomach growling so loudly as she stood and tied up, ashamed to ask and break the rules until the other two began sharing awkward and pitying looks.

"Neh, neh, Sakura-chan..?" Naruto finally stage whispered, eyeing the too-cute rice ball with whisker marks like hers as the other girl slowly froze, a piece of carrot halfway to her mouth. "If I just have one of those rice balls, I'll have enough chakra to help better when we re-test," she begged, large emerald eyes shifting between her two teammates as she considered it, Sasuke scowling harder, turning his head away as though he didn't want to watch Sakura decide.

And he probably didn't, too angry about absolutely nothing that he wouldn't be the one to sigh and hold out his chopsticks before the Haruno could decide like last time.

"I'll buy ya anything you want later," Naruto promised, urging her, "I already owe ya for earlier, ya know?"

After a long painful moment, Sakura slowly put the carrot in her mouth and grabbed the rice-ball with nori whiskers, neck craning in search for their sensei before she put her free hand to her lips in a shushing manner and offering the rice-ball.

And just as last time, the sky quickly darkened and Kakashi returned, the blonde's shoulders dropping with relief before he was even finished with his speech, ending on a cheerful note as the jutsu was dropped while he passed them. Just as before when she passed her genin test, even if some little things were different, her heart still soared in her chest and she cheered with Sakura, Sasuke only hn'ing as their official sensei agreed to meet with them tomorrow morning at 7am.

When he disappeared, the genin still celebrating, Naruto had closed her eyes to embrace the feeling of passing.

But when she opened them again, the field was quiet with Sasuke walking away, Sakura on his heel.

"Aye, aren't you gonna untie me!?" Shouting at them, the Uchiha turned halfway as the pinkette watched quietly, her eyes quickly downcast and avoiding looking at the blonde as she backed up further, from the two and the situation entirely.

"No. It was enough to have dealt with you as my neighbor and in class, but now you're on my team. You aren't only a hindrance to me, but to the entire Uchiha Clan." Facing forward again, away from her, his hands tucked into his pockets, his voice carrying as he walked away. "You're an embarrassment to everyone. Figure it out yourself and don't bother us anymore, or you might find a kunai in your back on a mission."

Stunned into silence and watching Sakura follow him into the forest and out of sight, Naruto could barely swallow the lump in her throat as her eyes burned until she dropped her head and let it hang as his words echoed to her.

No matter how hard she tried to hold in the tears, they'd still fall into the rope that held her down.

She didn't want it to be true, believing it all to be only a blimp until he realized how much she cared for him, an additional sibling he never asked for but received nonetheless by chance, him having felt the same despite his stubbornness insisting that he be almost utterly alone. A brother complex, sure, only to be given love in a full circle in their practically-family-unit, but something must have made him snap, all progress thrown out the window.

There wasn't a cursed mark, whispering promises in his ear as long as he left it all behind, twisting each act of kindness into pity and a sign of weakness.

It was all him, only a survivor of a massacre, still so angry at the world despite being given an anchor to keep him sane and in Konoha.

It just wasn't her even though she tried so hard.

The more things that change, the more stay the same.

Table set for three, perfectly planned for their small group with decorative plates and bakeware, Itachi had kept his senses peeled in search of his little brother and the savior.

Thrown off guard off only one chakra entering the complex, the young Police Chief stepped out the front door to stand expectantly as Sasuke's small proud smile turned into a sneer with a scoff when Itachi rose an eyebrow after the announcement. "She went to get Ramen," he shrugged, quickly sitting at the table for the early dinner and late lunch to begin serving himself.

Still, the older Uchiha went to serve Naruto's usual spot, his eyes flickering to her empty chair when his brother was distracted with retelling how the test had gone. Knowing she'd be over the moon and possibly want to brag to everyone as she pre-ate from burning so much calories and chakra, he listened to Sasuke telling his battle in great detail as he skimmed over Naruto's, decapitated to even see Sakura's own fight.

It hadn't taken long for the subject to change, Itachi covering the missing blonde's plate and shelving it in the fridge as time went on, listening to the summarizing of their mother's diary quietly, friends that Sasuke had never met mentioned, still not having reached Mikoto's passing of her genin test and knowing who her teammates were.

Pulling out the box of their parent's personal objects, picked clean of everything that would question their love of the village and spill too many secrets about the blonde's birth, he had even told stories that they had once told him when he was a child, excluding the details of him being brought onto the battlefield several times and the deaths he had witnessed of their teammates and friends during the war.

Still, even after his brother went to bed with the journal under his arm, he never stopped searching for Naruto's approaching chakra, only feeling the other tenants.

Anko with a vaguely familiar chakra of someone else in the village, Kakashi's ninken lounging or running around his apartment as the summoner was missing himself, it was finally after 10pm, the blonde slowly nearing until it became a rush, her stomping footsteps through the thin walls up the stairs and going to her apartment door, he quickly intercepted her with the meal in his hands to watch her fumble with her keys, back turned to him.

"Naruto? Did something happen at Ichiraku Ramen?"

Frozen in place before she turned, even though she kept her head down, he could see the hurt and bubbling anger underneath.

"I wasn't at Ichiraku Ramen, they left me tired to the fuckin' pole!"

Unable to find anything to say, he allowed her to slam the door shut in his face before he returned to place the Hambagu and sides back in the fridge. Making his way to Sasuke's room, he didn't bother knocking before entering, his brother already asleep with the journal in his lap. Picking it up and gently setting it aside, he quickly ripped the sheets from beneath the genin to wake him up, his hiss to do so met with wide surprised eyes.

Grabbing his brother by the back of his pajama shirt and pulled out of bed, he barely caught himself to not be dragged as Itachi never stopped pulling him along.

Through their front door and up the stairs to the top floor, he only released Sasuke long enough to single out the key for the roof and unlock the door, all questions ignored as he quickly found his collar again and pulled him up one last flight of steps with hard jerks and through one last door.

Dragging him forward and purposely pushing his brother before him, landing with a thump on his hands and knees, he flicked on the set of lanterns he had bought for the little blonde savior, illuminating the rooftop garden.

It was beautiful.

Raised tin garden beds had been surrounded with painted rocks and bricks, cemented to their miniature walls. Inside of them, thick plants with leaves of every size and of so many colors were busting forth, dark wooden lattice was hidden underneath vines that'd crawl across them and up many of the lamp posts that held the lanterns up. Small fruit trees with hanging bee boxes, and tomato plants were crammed into every spare spot between smaller vegetables, herbs, and fruits.

Once upon a time, it was her secret spot as an orphan with an itch to garden, almost barely and half organized, at a loss of what to do with the produce she grew. After she began to get her memories, it was a place to ward off her sadness, crowding into her studio apartment. And he had decorated it, every wall of lattice well placed to wall out the thoughts that clearly broke her heart though she'd never say what it was exactly, every rock and brick painstakingly painted to keep the darkness away, the lanterns to be her little suns when it was darkest.

A well-decorated spot, it was Itachi's favorite place to sit with Naruto in the mornings they'd be awake before Sasuke, watching the sunrise as they quietly whispered plans until there was nothing more they could do or discuss, their morning tradition broken as the pressure to do something couldn't be eased anymore with comforting talks.

Though it hadn't been over two years since they last sat together there watching the village wake up together, he didn't regret all that he had done to make the garden less focused on inner and outer survival, knowing that she'd sit here when she had skipped the Academy for no reason at all other than she could.

"Naruto had done all this, little brother," he tried to say calmly, walking through the little aisles between garden beds, his bare feet on the gentle gravel and dirt he laid for paths. "And I have not needed to buy a single tomato since we moved in." Fingering the leaves of many said plants to be lifted clearly into the light, plump tomatoes in all stages of growth glistening with their automated watering, he went to every single one of every variety she could buy until Sasuke could no longer look at him, his hands gripping his shorts tightly.

Approaching him and channeling chakra into his fingers to tap onto Sasuke's forehead, the smaller Uchiha flinched with pain as he rubbed at it, the scowl dropping as he peered into his older brother's eyes, still shimmering with anger and disappointment. Yet it wasn't enough for the Clan Head, the younger's chakra barely twinged with guilt, only anger directed at him.

"if you continue to punish her for being in our lives, I will punish you," he threatened, activating his Mangekyou. Watching Sasuke tense and fold into himself, freezing as he was unable to even step back in his fear, Itachi resisted the Clan Killer smirk he'd use in the other life, only focusing on forcing his glare before his head snapped up and he walked around the younger Uchiha, allowing the rooftop door to slam shut behind him.

Perhaps it was too much to expect Sasuke to figure out the bigger picture without a little bit of fear of those around him, too coddled and expecting the consequences to be a boring sacrifice of his time than a beating worthy of the hospital, fitting of him beginning to betray his honorary and chakra family member.

When the time comes, Itachi will ensure that his little brother begged for Naruto's forgiveness.