Chapter Four: Silence
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto today, either
"The instructions are simple." Kakashi was telling his yawning genin. "As a team, we go to the Missions Assignment Desk. Now, who can tell me where that is?"
Not for the first time, Sasuke was extremely grateful he'd long mastered the art of keeping his facial expressions from revealing what he was actually feeling. If he hadn't, Sasuke would most definitely be rolling his eyes, crossing his arms, and tapping his foot in impatience.
"In the academy, right? I always saw it when I first came in." Sakura responded.
"Correct! Now, I'm sure you already know this, but when we receive our missions, you will do so without complaint. Understand?"
"Yes, Sensei." The three said in unison.
"Good." Kakashi nodded. "Let's go!"
The trio followed Kakashi to the academy, Sasuke already dreading the day. The first day of missions was always the worst — exhaustingly easy, and he had to babysit his two very loud teammates. It didn't help that he'd finally gotten to more interesting missions just a week prior, before the reset.
It was going to be a long day.
Sasuke barely paid attention as the old man explained they would be getting D-rank missions starting off. Suppressing a growl, Sasuke waited for him to finally give Team 7 their very first mission: the dangerous task of helping an old lady do some shopping.
Naruto grimaced, but remained silent, while Sakura squealed.
They met the old woman in question, who smiled at Sasuke but glared at Naruto. Sakura charmed their client, however, and the hour passed by quickly. Team 7 returned, and received their next mission: Fishing for an old man.
The man frowned at the team when he saw them, but before long he and Naruto were talking about the old man's grandchildren and what the best tools to build a house were. By the time they had caught 35 fish, the old man was practically inviting Naruto for Sunday dinner.
And then came their third mission of the day: weeding a garden. And then their fourth, which consisted of putting up lights around a house. Finally, they finished with a short mission of transporting some new bandages and gauze to the hospital.
I think I prefer being experimented on, Sasuke growled to himself throughout the day. Unlike Naruto, however, Sasuke refused to complain out loud. After all, like mom used to say: Patience is the virtue of a ninja. He could bear the missions and tolerate his loud teammates for a day.
Unfortunately, the loud teammates in question were currently arguing about ramen being better than dumplings, and Sasuke found himself rubbing his temples. They talk too much, Sasuke decided. When will I finally have solitude?
At last, 3 p.m. rolled around, and Team Seven found themselves before their Hokage, whose presence made him feel ill. The man pretended to be so innocent…
"Well done!" The old man chuckled, pulling Sasuke out of his fantasy of demanding why he let his clan be slaughtered. "Naruto, you really have grown up, haven't you? There wasn't even a single complaint about you!"
Naruto gave him a toothy grin. "I promised you I would, gramps."
"That's Hokage-sama to you, Naruto." Iruka said, trying to sound severe. However, his affectionate smile ruined the effect.
"Kakashi will divide up your pay for the day…" the Hokage said into his pipe. "Truly, well done. I have high hopes for Team Seven."
Naruto and Sakura beamed, while Kakashi looked at his team with pride. After Iruka promised to treat Naruto to dinner later, Team 7 was dismissed. Sasuke briefly wondered if Naruto ever noticed the blatant favoritism their Hokage and former sensei showed him as the team left the room.
Not that Sasuke cared — because he didn't — but he really couldn't help but wonder how a loser like Naruto got so many people to care about him like that. Growing up, he was like Sasuke; that is, Naruto was always alone. But once they became ninja… Naruto kept getting further away. He got stronger at an unwarranted rate, and Naruto developed something like a family with practically every single person he met. It was annoying.
Once Kakashi dismissed them, telling the trio to meet him at the Old River Bridge at 6 a.m. the next day, he disappeared. Sasuke was just about to do the same, when Naruto opened his mouth.
"I think we should train together! Sasuke, you can get stronger and Sakura, you get to be near Sasuke! Everybody wins!" Naruto exclaimed.
You mean, spend even more time with you two? Sasuke thought with disdain. He cast a longing look towards the direction of his apartment.
"Train? Naruto, we just spent…" Sakura complained, before cutting herself off. Sakura frowned, and looked at her feet. "Actually… training might not be a bad idea."
A look of surprise came over Naruto. "You mean… even if Sasuke doesn't join? Really?"
"Don't get any weird ideas, Naruto." Sakura warned when she looked back up at him.
"What? Oh, uh, no weird ideas. I promise, you know!" Naruto said, before turning to Sasuke. "Sasuke? You in? We can improve our teamwork and get stronger and stuff."
Sasuke nearly scoffed. Didn't they realize they'd just slow him down? He needed to get real training in, and get used to his new sword.
An image of Sakura, with lifeless eyes and a gaping hole where her heart should be, flooded his head. Sasuke suppressed a growl.
How was she going to get stronger on her own? There was no way he could leave that up to Naruto. Besides, Sasuke begrudgingly reminded himself. Didn't I decide to do things differently?
"Fine." Sasuke said at last.
"Really?" Naruto and Sakura exclaimed, both taking a step forward to Sasuke with excitement.
"Hn." Sasuke replied with his arms crossed; real training will have to wait.
"Yes!" Naruto exclaimed, taking a step back as he pumped his fist.
"Oh, this is wonderful, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed.
They're actually ecstatic, Sasuke observed, their youthful faces covered in glee. Why? Is spending time with me really that much of a pleasure? Sasuke knew that he was great, but he got the impression that it wasn't his skills as a ninja they were excited about.
Now that I think about it, Sasuke thought as the trio made their way to an open training ground, they've always been like this. Even after I betrayed them. Shaking the thought away, Sasuke decided it would be best to not dwell on their strange adoration for him.
Though, he supposed it was nice that they weren't trying to use him for their own personal agendas. If nothing else, their unconditional acceptance of him without expecting anything in return was refreshing for the raven-haired youth. It didn't change the fact that their skills were far beneath his, though.
"If we're going to do this," Sasuke found himself saying. "Then we need to do this right."
"Whaddya mean?" Naruto asked, hands fisted in his pockets.
"I mean, we are going at my speed. If I'm going to train with you guys, then you better not slow me down."
"As if I would slow you down, Mr. Show-off…" Naruto grumbled. Louder, he said, "I was thinking we could spar and stuff? See where we are physically, and how good at fighting we are and then go from there. You know?"
"And then create workouts specific to us." Sakura added. "Yesterday, I was reading a book about how each person's bodies are different, so they need different types of training to get stronger in the most efficient way."
"Wait, how did you find the energy to read a book after Kakashi-sensei's bell test?"
Sakura shrugged, looking up as though she were trying to avoid eye contact. "After we finished, I felt inspired, so I went to the library to do some light reading."
Naruto nodded.
"Cool, cool. Alright: teme and Sakura, you two spar-"
"No." Sasuke interrupted.
Naruto and Sakura both looked at him with confusion.
"Why the hell not?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms.
"Our levels are too different; until she gets stronger, I will not spar with her." Sasuke informed them.
"Okay… why can't you just go easy on her? You know, hold back a little?"
"Do you want me to train with you guys or not?" Sasuke demanded.
Naruto opened his mouth in protest, but Sakura stepped up. "That's fine, Sasuke-kun. Naruto, I guess I'll just spar with you for now."
"But…" Naruto started, before groaning. "Oh, forget it. Okay, okay; fine. No sparring between you two till Sakura-chan gets stronger. Let's focus on the things we all need to get better at; what did Kakashi say yesterday?"
"That you need better chakra control." Sakura said. "And I need to get better at… well, everything."
"Not everything. Just work in your taijutsu and ninjutsu, and you'll be golden!" Naruto smiled at her, and she gave an unconvinced smile back.
Babying Sakura isn't going to help her, Sasuke thought to himself as the trio stepped into the training area.
"Iruka-sensei always talked about how we need to develop our own individual styles once we learn the basics. I think we should also focus on that, too." Sakura said, stepping in front of the boys to face them.
"Oh yeah, I like that!" Naruto exclaimed. "Focus on our own individual styles; how do we do that? Sasuke? You're the most experienced one here."
Naruto and Sakura turned to him expectantly. Taken aback by Naruto's comment, Sasuke blinked. "Find out what you're naturally good at, and go from there."
"Find out what you're naturally good at…" Naruto trailed off. "Sakura-chan, you're really good at chakra control, and you're hands down the smartest girl in our class. You should find something that focuses on that."
"Like what?" Sakura asked.
"Err… teme? Any ideas?" Naruto asked, giving Sasuke a glance.
"Medical ninjutsu." Sasuke proposed. She was already a world-renowned medic by the time she was sixteen, and it would be useful to have her become one again. More importantly, it would likely make her harder to be killed.
"Yes!" Naruto yelled, causing both Sakura and Sasuke to flinch. "That's it! Sakura-chan, you can become our medic! You're brilliant, so you'll be really great at it!"
Sakura stared at him for a moment, and shook her head.
Looking at her feet, Sakura said, "I don't know… medical ninjutsu? I really don't think I'm cut out for it…"
How ironic. I hear about her saving an entire town at fifteen, and yet she doesn't think she's cut out to be a medic.
"C'mon Sakura-chan, you're better than you give yourself credit for." Naruto said, stepping towards her.
She was still looking unsure, so Sasuke sighed. "Sakura, of the three of us, you're the most adept at becoming a medic-nin. Especially with Naruto on the team, we are going to need a medic."
"That's ri- Wait." Sasuke's words seemed to process in Naruto's head, and he shot the raven-haired youth a glare. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
Sasuke chose not to respond, but his mouth twitched upwards.
Sakura was silent for a moment, before resolve filled her emerald eyes. "Okay, I'll do it. At the very least I can learn more than basic first aid."
"That's the spirit! Okay, so Sakura-chan will work on becoming a medic-nin, work on taijutsu, and ninjutsu, and become the super awesome ninja she was born to be! Sasuke and I will work on better chakra control-"
"Who said I needed to work on chakra control?" Sasuke questioned Naruto, his tone sharper than intended.
"Didn't Kakashi?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.
"I think you're making that up, Naruto." Sakura said after a moment of silence.
Naruto spread out his hands and took a breath.
"Okay fine. I'll work on chakra control, and Mr. Perfect will work on becoming more perfect."
Sasuke frowned at Naruto's words, but didn't contest.
"You should also work on being quieter. With your clones, you'd make the perfect ambush team." Sakura said. "Not to mention it would be nice for the rest of us."
Naruto laughed at that. "I'll see what I can do."
Sakura gave him a brief smile before fidgeting with her collar.
"So… is this going to become a regular thing? Us training together?" Sakura asked, a sliver of hope in her voice as her eyes darted to Sasuke.
"Well, yeah. If you both are willing, I mean." Naruto shrugged, looking pointedly at Sasuke.
Once again, Sasuke found himself the object of affection from two pairs of eyes; Why, though? Why do you both keep looking at me like that?
"Hn." Sasuke replied, looking away from their gaze.
"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed, seemingly satisfied with Sasuke's response. "Now that we have our goals, let's get started. Sakura, you and me."
"Why do I have to go first?" Sakura complained.
"Because you are the weakest fighter between the three of us." Naruto told her.
"You know, I seem to recall you being dead last." Sakura said, hands on hips. "You did even worse than Shikamaru!"
Naruto looked like he was about to protest, but a devilish grin spread over his face instead.
"How about we spar and see how much of a dead-last I really am?"
Sakura raised her eyebrow as Naruto picked up a stick. They watched as he drew a large circle — roughly twelve feet in diameter — around them.
"The first one to get knocked out of this circle, loses." Naruto said.
Looking reluctant, Sakura nodded. Naruto and Sakura took their positions, and Sasuke stepped away.
"Wait, what are the rules?" Sakura asked.
"Umm, taijutsu only. At least for right now, I don't think we should use any weapons, ninjutsu, or genjutsu." Naruto said, before pausing. "Alright, on my mark-"
"Wait, why-" Sakura protested.
"Begin!" Naruto yelled, punching Sakura square in her gut, and out of the circle.
Sakura laid on the ground for a moment, and Sasuke wondered if she had been knocked out. Is that all she's got? Really? Sasuke sighed in disappointment.
Sakura sat up, her eyes flamed with anger. "Naruto. What was that?"
"That was me kicking your butt because like I said, you're the weakest fighter. You're hands down the smartest one on our team, but right now you don't have the physical prowess to win yet. I may have been dead last in the academy, but I ain't dead last anymore." Naruto grinned, motioning her to come at him.
Growling, Sakura stood back up and got back in the circle. She took a fighting stance, and Sasuke frowned.
Sasuke frowned further when Naruto quickly unbalanced the girl, and once again threw her out of the ring. She got up a third time, her form still the same. Even Naruto's form is perfect; I know she's a civilian born, but how did Sakura graduate without knowing better? How have I never noticed it before?
Looking over at Naruto, who still had that devilish grin, Sasuke could tell the blonde probably hadn't even noticed Sakura's form. A slight groan escaped Sasuke's lips – If I'm going to keep her from dying, I'm actually going to help, not just observe. Great.
"Sakura." Sasuke said softly, earning him two curious looks. "Fix your form."
"What's wrong with it?" She asked, looking down.
Sasuke's lips twitched to a frown, but otherwise hid his frustration.
"It's sloppy." Sasuke said, an image of his father making its way in Sasuke's mind. "Widen your feet another half an inch, for starters. And lower your arms a few centimeters."
Sakura obeyed; though better, her form still wasn't perfect. Suppressing a sigh, Sasuke got into form.
"Copy me."
She did, but again, not perfectly. Why is this so difficult for her? Sasuke frowned. She's always been a decent fighter, even if she wasn't necessarily the best in our class. Finally, Naruto stepped up and physically helped Sakura.
At first she flinched away from him, but ultimately let Naruto move her into correct form.
"Like this, Sakura-chan. Feel the difference?" he asked when he stepped away.
"Mm hmm," Sakura nodded. "I do; I feel more centered."
"Did you not practice in the academy?" Sasuke asked, sincerely curious.
A look of hurt crossed her face, and Sasuke told himself that the discomfort he felt was just indigestion.
"No need to be so rude about it, duck-butt." Naruto glared at Sasuke, and then softened his gaze toward Sakura. "Sakura-chan, you're doing great. Remember how you feel, because that is what's going to help keep you from getting knocked over so easily. Okay… begin!"
The fight was still heavily one-sided, but rather than getting knocked out in five seconds, the girl actually managed to keep up for a full thirty seconds. Incredible what cleaning up one's form can do for a ninja, Sasuke mused. Sakura once again stood up to fight — and about thirty-five seconds later, she was out of the circle. They repeated this a few times, Sasuke watching with sharp eyes.
"I don't think this is working." Sakura said as she got up after the fourth match.
"You are doing great, Sakura-chan, really. Already you have improved tons, so don't give up now!" Naruto encouraged her. "Teme, since you were watching, tell us what you saw."
Quit telling me what to do, dobe. Sasuke thought to himself, but chose to swallow his pride and settled for a silent glare that Naruto blatantly ignored. He would have said these things to her anyway, after all.
"Sakura, you need to continue to work on your form, your footwork, and build up your overall strength. Once you do those things, everything else will naturally fall into place."
Sakura nodded with each suggestion, tapping her chin and looking up in thought.
"And stop going on those useless diets!" Naruto jumped in. "You are already really pretty, you know!"
Sakura raised her eyebrow at Naruto.
"Naruto, are you seriously trying to lecture me on what I eat?" Sakura scoffed, putting her hands on her hips.
"I'll eat more veggies if you eat more meat. And eat more in general. You can't get stronger if you keep starving yourself, you know."
"I do not starve myself." Sakura protested, red rising in her pale cheeks.
"Oh yeah? Then why do you skip meals?" Naruto countered, leaning forward.
"Wha- how- why would you think I do that?" She demanded, crossing her arms tightly.
Naruto blinked in a second of silence before shrugging. "I dunno, I heard some girls talk about dieting and skipping meals, and thought that you did it, too."
"Well, I don't."
They stared at each other, Sakura's cheeks becoming pinker by the second.
"Good." Naruto said with an awkward nod. "Okay, we are going to try again, but this time, I just want you to try and land a punch on me. Duck-butt over there can nicely call out tips in the meantime."
Sakura huffed in annoyance, but agreed. For the next long while Sasuke watched as Sakura tried to land a punch. Naruto blocked most, and dodged the ones he couldn't. Sasuke would step in every once in a while, to fix something — Her form, Naruto's footwork, the way she jabbed, and even the way she dodged. She adjusted with each correction, improving with each adjustment.
Truthfully, she really wasn't that bad, it's just that compared to Naruto… Sasuke frowned.
"Naruto." Sasuke said. "Spar with me."
"Yes please!" Sakura panted before collapsing on the ground.
"Alright." Naruto shrugged, not showing any signs of fatigue.
They got into position, and Sasuke studied his opponent. Naruto's form was deceptively casual, naturally giving the appearance of several openings Sasuke could take. Had he been a less experienced fighter, Sasuke probably would have fallen for them.
Not wanting to give Naruto the upper hand, Sasuke struck first.
Naruto ducked to avoid a blow to his jaw, not wasting any time to throw an uppercut. Sasuke blocked this, and pulled his knee up with a satisfying thud as his knee came into contact with Naruto's abdomen.
Naruto grunted, skidding back to just before the line. A feral grin swept across Naruto's face before Sasuke was dodging and blocking a series of punches— twelve feet was not enough space! — barely managing to keep himself in the circle. A quick glance to his side, and Sasuke saw that he was less than half an inch away from losing.
"That all you got?" Naruto teased as he tossed another punch.
"Hardly." Sasuke smirked, before sweeping Naruto's feet from under him.
Perspiration began to bead around Sasuke's forehead as the two sparred. Heh, Sasuke inwardly chuckled as Naruto's fist pounded painfully into his torso. Naruto is actually almost a match for me; how refreshing. Few people could fight with the level of unpredictability that Naruto brought, and had the dobe been faster, Sasuke suspected he'd be in trouble.
Even so, Naruto still wasn't at the strength his older self would later boast, and Sasuke was still leagues ahead of the blonde.
Naruto flipped to avoid a kick from Sasuke — but he was ready for it. Launching himself up, Sasuke kicked Naruto up in the chest, and then kicked the blonde again right out of the training circle. With a satisfied smirk, Sasuke watched as the dirt flew up beneath Naruto when he fell.
Sasuke landed heavily, crouching and drawing quick breaths. Spitting out the blood in his mouth, Sasuke watched as Naruto got up.
"Not dead last, maybe," Sasuke panted as he stood up. "But I'm still better than you."
"Nah, that was a fluke." Naruto grinned, wiping blood away from his mouth. "Sakura-chan, did you get all that?"
Sasuke turned to their pink-haired teammate, who was staring at them both with wide eyes. She looked back and forth at her teammates, the color drained from her face.
"I… I think I need to go find Kakashi-sensei."
"What?" Naruto asked, straightening himself up. "Why?"
"Because…" Sakura said as she stood up on shaky feet. "I just do. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Uh, okay." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "See ya."
Sakura walked away slowly, and the boys exchanged glances.
"What just happened?" Naruto asked Sasuke.
"I think we should stop for today." Sasuke said instead of answering.
Why Sakura did anything was of no business of theirs, and it did them no good to speculate her actions.
"What, now that Sakura-chan's not here you're not interested?" Naruto asked, his voice a little hard.
"No," Sasuke hissed between gritted teeth. "But it is getting dark and I need to get some real training in. In the meantime, work on your speed and practice using your unpredictability to your advantage."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Real training? Heh, alright; well while you get your 'real training' in, I'm gonna find me some ramen with Iruka-sensei."
Sasuke frowned; he wasn't sure he cared, but as Naruto walked away, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if he had offended Naruto somehow. Oh well; he can get over it, Sasuke decided as he made his way back to his apartment.
Cold silence greeted Sasuke as he walked in, and he let out a rare sigh that wasn't out of annoyance. It's okay, Sasuke told himself as he grabbed his sword. It won't be silent for long.
Author's Note:
I think Sakura was a heavily neglected character before Shippuden, which always frustrated me. As such, I am definitely not letting her stay on a team with a couple of powerhouses without getting stronger along the way. Her improvements will be slow, but steady. My goal is to realistically get her to a place where she can take on tougher opponents without much help from her teammates.
Also, I hope y'all are enjoying the story so far! I plan on posting one chapter per week – either on Saturday or Sunday – so be on the lookout for those. Leave your thoughts in the comments (they inspire me and help me to know what I'm doing well/need to improve on), and have a wonderful rest of your day!