One thing I have often seen with fanfictions, is teenagers acting very mature. It's been something I've never understood why. Teenagers are stupid, but that's not necessarily always a bad thing. Teens are supposed to be stupid. That's when you learn and mature, and you'll never learn if you don't make mistakes.
Anyway, back to Naruto. I don't want to make him some over-powered, zero personality God. I've never liked the power-scaling, particularly towards the end of Shippuden so I will try and make it less implausible.
AN: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.
The next evening
Naruto felt a hard gaze on him, "You are sure of this?"
"Hai, Professor."
The Third lit up a new pipe, an ashen look on his face.
"I have always had my doubts, but this goes beyond a mere power struggle - it straddles sedition and treachery."
"What would you do?"
He was met with a blank look. Sometimes, he forgot that the man in front of him was the Hokage first, and his grandfather second.
"We will have to deal with it best we can. I thank you for letting me know Naruto-kun, but this is something I must take care of with extreme secrecy. The less people are privy to this, the better."
He nodded, understanding that the Hokage had to care for the village first.
"If that is all, you can enjoy the rest of your day off" and with this he left the office.
Once he left, Hiruzen's face sunk further. Danzo had long since plunged into the madness, but he had foolishly believed he could channel that darkness towards the betterment of the village. How wrong he had been. If his men were involved in carrying out hits on Konoha citizens, then what else had the man sunk his claws into? Was he really even looking after the village? Or just his own selfish goals?
There would have to be a lot of changes now. This could not be allowed to continue. He would lobby, no decree that members of the regular forces be involved in night-time patrolling.
Hiruzen sighed...
He was getting too old for this.
"Hey Naruto, what are you doing here?"
The blonde whipped his head around to see his cherry-haired teammate jogging towards him, bags of groceries weighing her down.
He smiled at her.
"Hey Sakura. Nothing, I was just passing by."
"Good. Since you're doing nothing, help me carry these home."
Before he could object, she thrust the bags into his hands and started walking.
He grumbled in protest before following.
"So how's your day been like?" Sakura asked, trying to make small talk.
"Same old. Woke up early for some training, and then just decided to take a walk around town" he lied easily.
"What about you?" he asked in case she got any more curious.
"Oh nothing much. Had a bit of a lay-in today, read some books and helped my mom around the house. These groceries are actually for dinner."
Naruto found he had nothing to respond with, so he just quietly followed her the rest of the way.
Her house had a very...homely feel to it. He supposed that was true of all houses with parents, in stark contrast to the uninviting silence that permuted his orphan apartment.
He stopped at the gate, placing the groceries down and saying goodbye.
"At least come in, my parents have been dying to meet my teammates."
He raised an eyebrow at her, "And since you can't get Sasuke over, I'm the next best thing?"
She blushed, knowing this was true.
Their standoff was broken by the door opening and a pretty lady walking out.
"There you are Sakura-chan, I was wondering how long it would take you".
Looking at Naruto, she looked back at her daughter. "And who is this? A new friend? Do introduce us dear."
"That's Naruto, mama. My teammate."
"Oh yes, Sakura's told me all about you. She says you're very strong."
Now it was Naruto's turn to blush.
"Well then, what are we doing standing here? Let's go inside."
"I really should leave", Naruto started, but he was quickly ushered in by the Haruno matriarch.
"You can leave the shopping in the kitchen, I'll sort that out. Naruto-kun, what would you like to have for dinner?"
"Oh, um" Naruto fumbled.
"Naruto likes ramen mama" Sakura answered.
"Ramen it is then" her mother decided.
"I've been meaning to have you over dear, the both of you."
"Um, both of us?" Naruto questioned, wondering who this other person was.
"Yes, you and Sasuke-kun. Now go and do whatever it is kids do these days, dinner will be ready in a few hours."
"Wait but" Naruto started before he was pulled outside again by Sakura.
As they left the house he removed his hand from hers.
"Did your mother just invite me to lunch?" he frowned at her.
"She didn't invite you silly, it was an order. And what's with the long face. Mama might not be Ichiraku, but she makes great ramen."
"That's not the point" Naruto grumbled.
"Well then, what is the point?" Sakura asked.
"Forget it. Let's get Sasuke."
"You think he'll come?" Sakura asked, a hint of longing in her tone.
He would've rolled his eyes at her girlishness, but he was too busy formulating a plan to get the Uchiha to Sakura's house.
"I won't give him an option. If I'm going down, he's coming with me."
That last part stopped Sakura in her tracks.
"You make it sound so bad. All I'm trying to do is get to know my teammates better. Am I really that bad?" Sakura whispered, and he realised he'd said something he shouldn't have.
"Wait no" he bumbled, cursing his lack of social awareness.
"It's alright" Sakura said, even though Naruto could see through her act.
He kept quiet, not wanting to make things worse.
In a wordless silence, they reached Sasuke's home.
Before she rang the bell, he stopped her.
"Hey listen, about earlier, I was just being an idiot. Don't take any of it to heart."
Before she could reply, the door swung open and they were met with the ever-scowling face of Uchiha Sasuke.
Their teammate narrowed his eyes at both of them, "What do you want?"
"My mo-"
"Kurenai-sensei called us for practice" Naruto blurted, knowing there was no way the boy would agree to the truth.
Sasuke crossed his hands "We don't have practice for another two days idiot."
"We don't, but Kurenai-sensei asked if we wanted to start before. She wants to meet up outside my house."
Naruto turned a fraction towards her, appreciating her back-up despite inadvertently insulting her.
"And why your house?"
"Hell do we know. Maybe she likes the view. She just told us to come get you."
Sasuke stared at them unblinkingly for a moment, and they feared he'd seen through their bluff.
"Fine."
Something was wrong.
Sasuke couldn't exactly tell what exactly, but he had this sense he was being lied to.
Why though?
He had no qualms beginning training earlier, he'd just finished some independent work-outs.
It would be beneficial to learn alongside a tracking team, he needed those skills to hunt that man...
He looked back at his teammates, who were walking suspiciously behind him as if they were worried he'd run away.
If they continued looking at him like that he might very well go back.
Five minutes later, they reached the outside of the Haruno household, only there was no Team 8 or jounin sensei present.
He looked at them, "Well, where is she?"
Naruto looked at Sakura purposefully "Maybe she went inside to talk to Sakura's parent. Why don't you go inside and check. We'll wait outside for you."
The girl nodded her head enthusiastically before scampering in.
Naruto looked around nonchalantly, whistling a hideous tone.
That was the tell.
Something was definitely wrong.
Using what he hoped was his angriest voice he glared at the blonde, "You better tell me what's really going on Naruto."
Naruto shrunk, looking at the door as if wishing someone would walk out.
"There you are Sasuke-kun" a feminine voice rang out.
Sasuke turned to see an adult version of Sakura walk out of the door.
"Where is Kurenai-sensei?"
"Who?" the lady asked politely.
Before Sasuke could figure out what was going on, he felt a warm hand squeeze his cheek.
"You're such a cute boy. Just like Sakura's dad".
"Mama!" Sakura yelled, scandalised by what was going on.
"Oh don't worry. I'm sure Sasuke-kun has heard that from a lot of girls. You as well, considering you talk about him so much".
He could see their other teammate red-faced, struggling not to die out of laughter. He growled; Naruto was so dead.
Sasuke nearly swatted the hand off his face.
"What is the meaning of this Sakura?"
He'd feel sympathy for her if he wasn't in such an embarrassing position himself.
"What...it...means...is" Naruto answered between laboured breaths "is that Sakura's mom invited us for dinner."
"Indeed" she beamed. "There's still a couple hours left, so go and have some fun."
"Wha-" Sasuke complained, but they were ushered out by Sakura's mother.
"I'm going to kill you" he promised them.
"Maybe, but I'll see in a couple hours" Naruto said as he set off.
Sasuke stopped him "Where do you think you're going?".
"Did she pull your ears out with your cheeks? We have a couple hours before dinner. I'll be home till then."
"No you won't. You can't just trap me like this and walk away. I won't let you."
He'd see the hurt look on Sakura's face if he weren't so mad with Naruto right now.
"Fine then", Naruto shrugged "What do you think we should do in the meantime?"
"Maybe we could just walk around town" Sakura suggested.
And that was that.
Somehow, they ended up walking to Mount Hokage.
"Race you to the top!" she yelled, and started running without looking back.
She laughed when she heard the boy's protests, and even harder when she felt two gusts of wind pass her by as her teammates started competing with each other.
She reached the top some 15 minutes later and stopped for breath. Her chest was on the brink from laughing and running, and she saw the boys leaning against trees.
"So who won?"
"Who do you think?" Naruto smirked.
"I think Sasuke-kun" she lied easily, and giggled at the outraged expression on Naruto's face.
"You cheated" Sasuke accused him.
"I did not. I went from a shortcut."
"I didn't know there was a shortcut?" Sakura asked; "Why don't you take us there?"
"It's secr-".
"Yes" Sasuke agreed, surprising her. "I want to know this shortcut of yours".
The smile on Naruto's face dimmed slightly, and for a moment she thought he would say no.
But then he turned around and told them to follow him.
Naruto wasn't sure about this.
By taking them to this place, he was giving them a glimpse into who he was, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that. Not that he didn't trust them, but someone as smart as them could very easily figure out the surveillance potency of such a place. And if they could figure that out, what was next?
He knew Sasuke already suspected many things since their team was formed, and as good-natured as Sakura was even she would want answers at some point.
They arrived quicker than he would have liked.
"Wow, this place is very beautiful Naruto" Sakura gushed.
"And to think you've been hoarding it to yourself all these years" Sasuke scoffed.
"How often do you come here Naruto?"
"Often. It's very peaceful."
"And it gives a live view of most of the village" Sasuke observed.
Naruto tensed for a moment, thinking Sasuke was onto something, but then the Uchiha turned around and examined the place.
"Nobody ever comes along this path. Far as I know no one else probably knows about it."
"Who made it then?"
"The sculptors of the mountain perhaps? A secondary path to ground in case of a landslide."
Sasuke looked at him, "You've given this a fair bit of thought."
"I've been up here a fair many times."
Thank Kami Sakura interrupted at that point.
"Hey guys, it's getting late. We should head back for dinner."
The way back was uneventful. Most of the shops were closing down, and the cold wind surrounded them in a cloak as they quietly went back to Sakura's place.
Sakura's mother was waiting for them at the entrance. She greeted them warmly and took them in.
Almost immediately he was struck by the scent of an appetizing dinner. He fought the urge to run away. The last time he'd been in such a place was the last day of his parents' lives.
"The washroom's just over to the right. Go freshen up and we'll have dinner."
Dinner consisted of ramen, and grilled fried rice. He saw the anticipation build up on Naruto's face, and he almost rolled his eyes at the blonde's juvenility.
He looked down at his plate and swallowed the rice.
An involuntary sigh came from his mouth.
It was just like mother's.
His eyes remained closed, trying to rein in his emotions.
It was the simple things that always got to him: homemade food, a mother nursing her child, a father buying his child ice-cream, or a brother carrying his younger on his shoulders - simple gestures that served to remind him of what he'd once had, and had been snatched from him.
He felt a warm hand rest on his shoulder, "Are you okay Sasuke-kun?"
It was Sakura's father.
"Yes sir", and with his best imitation of a grateful smile he half-lied, "It's that this food is very delicious. I was just taking the time savour it."
His teammates looked at him in disbelief, no doubt having not seen him smile in years.
It mattered not.
In another life, they could have even been friends.
But that was before.
Now his heart was only filled with the dark flames of vengeance.
He couldn't remember the last time his stomach was so full.
Maybe when he was five and Ichiraku had given him a free coupon for the day.
Sasuke excused himself and left quickly. He'd been generally surly the whole time, mostly keeping to himself and giving short answers to Sakura's parents questions.
That left him alone with Sakura as she walked him out.
"Thanks for dinner."
"You should thank mama for that."
"Remind me to get a bouquet for her next time."
Sakura smiled at him coyly, "Maybe you can get some from Ino's shop."
"What are you getting at?"
"I saw how you two were looking at each other that day."
His cheeks flushed, "What! No! There was no looking at anyone."
"You don't need to hide from me. Girls sense these things."
"There's nothing to hide or sense."
"Okay. Guess I'll just ask Ino then."
"No!", he almost shouted.
Seeing her amused face, he tried to salvage the situation, "I just don't see the need to start rumours when there's no basis."
"Sure there's no basis. Then you won't mind me talking to Ino. Unless you're jealous of me spending so much time with her."
He tried his best not to rise to her bait, and replied flippantly, "Do what you want. I'm out of here."
"See you in training."
"You most definitely will."
Yamanaka Clan Compound
'Spooky Geezer' - that was what everyone called her. Now, Ino understood that nickname had been well deserved.
Her mother had always warned her not to come here, telling her that nothing but conspiracy and drivel came out of Yamanaka Inoa's mouth.
There was not much left of her by this point. Even with a double layer of clothes, it was very easy to see the bones poking into her flesh, and her features were gaunt and tired. Her presumably once light-blonde locks had faded into wispy white strands. A pair of glasses hung above her nose, and a musty smell permeated across the cabin.
It seemed old age had addled her senses, as the door had been unlocked and Ino had spent a full two minutes at the doorway; before she cleared her throat to announce her presence.
Inoa almost fell off her wicker chair, startled at the sound of another human being. She looked around before realising there was only once entrance, and narrowed her eyes at Ino. "What have we here? The precious clan heir uplifting this old woman with her presence. I'm surprised Inoko allowed you anywhere near here."
Ino bit her lip, struggling not to take the bait. "I don't need my mother's permission."
The old woman gave her a wry look, "So your mother does not know that you are here."
Ino decided to cut to the crux of the matter; "You must help me."
She recoiled at the wrong choice of words. Almost immediately, a force entered this haggard woman. If it weren't for the fact that her knees were as brittle than glass, Ino was sure she would've chased her down and screamed at her until she turned deaf.
"I must? I must do nothing to help you. Your family has done nothing but cast me out of the clan, and there is no force alive that could force me to help their spawn."
Ino put her hands up in surrender, trying to think of a way to fix the situation "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant to say. I apologise for offending you."
"That won't change my mind. My answer is still no."
"Can you at least hear me out. Then make up your mind."
At the lack of reaction, she continued "Something strange happened to me a while ago. A boy in my class was doing something stupid, and I tried to stop him. When I grabbed his collar, I felt this force seize me. It was like I was trapped inside this dark place, and all I kept thinking about was what if I?"
"Died?" the woman guessed.
"Yes" Ino nodded.
Inoa sit still for a moment, as if contemplating her next move. She could see a fiery look in the woman's eyes, and if it weren't for the decay of age she was almost smiling in relief.
"Lock the door."
Ino followed the lady's instructions and settled near her.
The old woman looked at her sternly "What I'm about to tell you must never go outside these walls. I mean it. From this point on, you're going to learn about something no one else has known for the past twenty years."
"I'm sure you've heard the saying 'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility'. That's only half the quote. With great power, also comes great catastrophe. Such a great power was once possessed by some of the Yamanaka Clan."
"What power was this?" Ino whispered, almost breathless with anticipation.
"I'm getting there girl. When you mentioned going into the darkness, that's when I knew it had returned. The first in generations. But this comes at a great cost."
"What is the first in generations? What power are you talking about?"
"Tell me, were you using any chakra when this happened?"
"No. But what does that have to do anything with that?"
"It has everything to do. If you were not using any chakra, how did you get inside his head?"
"But I didn't-", Ino stopped mid-sentence, remembering the incident: those titanic eyes that scared her to death.
'She had gone inside Naruto's head'
"How?" she breathed.
"Mind-walking. Or rather, telepathy."
"But that's impossible. That just happens in stories and books".
"And how impossible are shinobi, girl? How logical is anything about our way of life? Control of the elements? Manipulation of shadows? Crossing countries in a second? Just like them, this too is real; only exceedingly rare, if not extinct."
"How does it happen? Can I do it again?"
"Careful there, you don't want to be greedy. This power has caused untold strife in the past. I'm not aware of the specifics, but from what I can recollect in its initial stages the ability manifests during intense emotional upheaval, and there is very little rhythm to its appearance. Some even exhibited telepathy once and then never again. Pray that you are the latter."
"Why? Isn't the ability to read someone's mind a good thing. Won't it be useful in interrogation?"
"If only things were so simple. It takes a great toll on the mind to communicate with another wordlessly. This skills requires years of training before going anywhere near a live brain."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, it takes great skill and precision to enter someone else's mind without using chakra, and there is great peril in doing so."
"What is that?"
"Not having a way out."
At Ino's horror-stricken face, she nodded.
"Indeed. I have read accounts of telepaths being stuck in someone else's brain, their bodies mere physical shells. And what will the body do without the soul? It will perish."
Ino sat still for a moment, taking in everything.
One thing still did not add up.
"How do you know all of this?"
"Because girl, I'm just like you".
Realisation struck her like a thunderbolt when she realised she'd heard Inoa in her head.
"You're a telepath too!" Ino gasped with wide eyes.
"And the only one for generations, until yourself." Drops of liquid relief fell from her eyes, as finally she was not alone.
Her face tightened again.
"You must tell no one of this. Not even your parents, and absolutely not anyone out of the clan."
"But"
"No!" she rebuked Ino forcefully. "You do not understand. This power is a blessing as much as it as a curse. In the past, it brought the Yamanaka Clan great havoc. I will not be the woman who did not learn from history. Promise me girl, that this will only remain between us. Or you will be on your own from this point on,"
"Fine", Ino relented, "But only for now. I am going to find out what happened the last time, so that history won't repeat itself."
Inoa looked at her sadly, "My silly girl, history always repeats itself."
Two days later - Training Ground 12 (I realise most of the genin teams don't have actual numbered training grounds, so I'll mostly be making up random numbers for them)
She was looking forward to this.
Before the start of the genin squads, they'd all had a wager to see whose team would be the best.
And if she were honest, this team had the highest potential.
A jinchūriki, a dojutsu wielder and the smartest kunoichi of her generation - Team 7 certainly had a high ceiling.
What intrigued her however, was not their power, but their teamwork.
Kakashi had told her as much. The two boys were far above fresh genin, and Sakura could blossom into a fine kunoichi if she put her mind into it.
But their teamwork was slightly lagging.
That much she could surmise from Kakashi's daily report logs.
She smiled - there was still something her team had over them.
She could feel three figures walking to her from behind.
"Good morning. I believe introductions are in order. My name is Yuhi Kurenai - jounin sensei of Team 8. I look forward to working with you."
Not that it wasn't easy to figure out one from the other. They looked and talked so differently she had some difficulty believing they were a team.
"Where are you team sensei?" the pinkette asked.
"I've asked them to come a bit later. I would like to first assess your skills myself."
Seeing there was no objection, she explained - "I have set up a task for you. To your right, there is a stack of bricks. You are to move them to the very end of the ground, from where they will be taken by the orphanage for repair works."
"I sense a 'but' coming" Naruto guessed.
Kurenai nodded, "Indeed. You only have an hour, and you are prohibited from using any chakra. To help, there's three shovels and wheelbarrows by the side. Oh, and you only have an hour to complete the task. Remember, you are a team. See you soon."
And with that she shun-shined away.
"Better get moving."
And with that they sprinted towards the bricks.
He had a feeling they weren't being told the entire truth.
But he pushed those to the side and began hauling bricks.
He saw Sasuke and Sakura do the same, and everyone went about the task solo.
They did this for ten minutes, until they all noticed the same things.
"Is it just me or are the bricks not getting any lesser?"
"I see that as well" Sakura agreed. We've moved a considerable amount to the other side but there's still the same amount here."
"What if it's a genjutsu?" Sasuke asked.
They tried dispersing it, but when they opened their eyes again there was no change.
"Hold on, let's try this differently" Sakura suggested.
"How?"
"Instead of moving the bricks individually, why not do this as a team?"
"That is what we're doing" Sasuke said.
"Not really. We're just moving the bricks by ourselves instead of working together. If we formed a chain and moved them it could work."
"What's the guarantee if we do that it will work?"
"I think that's the trick. Remember Kurenai-sensei said we were a team before leaving. I think she's trying to see how we work as a team."
Naruto looked at her in a different light.
He smiled encouragingly at her, "Good work Sakura".
She beamed at him and they tried doing it her way.
Unfortunately, the result was still the same.
The number of bricks was staying the same.
Just when they were about to quit, they felt a rustle of leaves behind them.
"That's enough for now."
They all sighed in relief and dropped their shovels.
"So then, what did you learn?"
"The importance of teamwork" Naruto spoke up, but then he revised his answer.
"That is, Sakura did; and then she taught us."
"Is that so, kunoichi Haruno?"
"Yes" Sakura answered, her cheeks slightly flushed from the praise.
But that still didn't answer one question.
"Hold on, what about the bricks? No matter how many we moved, the same amount was always there. What did you do?"
The jounin performed a hand-seal, and suddenly the bricks disappeared.
Sasuke looked very angry with himself, "But we tried dispersing it. How did we fail?"
"Strong for your age though you are, you are still genin. You have a long way to go before you can counter my genjutsu."
"Oi, who are you guys!?".
Everyone turned around to see a trio coming closer.
"Nice to see you too Kiba" Naruto greeted.
This for some reason made him flinch. She would make sure to ask her genin about that later.
"Greetings" Shino replied stiffly.
Well, at least he spoke up.
The worst though, was Hinata.
Her already low self-confidence was even for some reason even lower today, and she shyly positioned herself behind her two teammates.
"Don't tell me you already forgot Kiba-kun", she chastised him; "I told you Team 7 will be training with us for a while."
He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, and as she had learned - his form of apology.
"Anyhow, not that we are all gathered, I don't believe introductions are in order. I'm sure you were all friends from the academy."
At everybody's uncomfortable expressions, she almost winced.
It was going to be a long day.
That evening
"That will be all for today" Team 8's jounin mercifully announced.
"You are all free to go now. I expect everyone to be here sharp 8 AM tomorrow".
"Why so early?" Kiba whined.
"You guys are lucky. Kakashi-sensei starts training at 5 AM everyday."
"Perhaps I should do the same..."
"No no, that's okay. I'll be here 8 AM sharp" and with that he darted off with his dog.
She smiled at him, and later turned to the rest.
"Have a lovely evening."
Everyone made their own way home.
He decided not to.
There was something he had to do before.
Mount Hokage
Something about this place had aroused his curiosity.
From below, try as he might Sasuke was not able to find this place.
And now, that he was up here, he could see everything. Only some of the reserved training grounds were unseeable.
It was strange. Naruto didn't seem like the sort of person to idly gaze around; he wasn't a Nara.
He was...Naruto, for a lack of a better term.
A person of action.
And such inactivity was unlike him.
"What are you doing here?"
He almost whirled around and launched a kunai. Instead, he slowly wheeled around and addressed his teammate.
"I could ask you the same."
"Like I told you, I always come here."
"To sightsee."
"To relax. You should try it some time, maybe you'll finally stop being such a moody bastard."
"You're not exactly the beacon of optimism either" he snorted.
"Is that all? You can leave then."
"I'll leave when I feel like it."
He saw the blonde narrow his eyes at him, and felt a vague feeling of...fear?
"What is it you really do here Naruto?"
"What is it to you?"
"I thought teammates weren't supposed to keep any secrets?"
"Maybe in story books. Here, in the real world, in our world; a shinobi always has secrets."
"One day I'll find out who you really are."
Naruto cocked his head at him, "Before or after you kill Itachi?"
"Do not take that traitor's name!" Sasuke snapped back.
"Is he a traitor?"
"How dare you!?" Sasuke fumed.
"I dare, because our sensei once told us to look underneath the underneath. It would do you good to follow that principle."
"That is my own matter, and it has nothing to do with you."
"And this has nothing to do with you. Do not look any further Uchiha. You will not find anything. And if by chance you do find something, you won't like it. Now leave."
There was something in his tone that compelled Sasuke to listen.
"I'll see you around Uzumaki."
"Not unless I will it."
Konoha Jounin Headquarters
Today had been...interesting.
She didn't want to compare, but she could see the only thing her team had over Kakashi's was their superior teamwork.
As things were, if it came to combat her team would lose heavily.
But that did mattered little to her. Hers was a tracking unit, and she didn't want her genin to become all-powerful at the expense of their lives, like Team 7's sensei.
Kurenai mulled over what to write, spinning in her office chair.
She was perched at her desk on her cubicle, which every jounin received as a gift. On her right was Asuma's, which was filled with files and memorabilia. It made her miss him, silly as it was.
To her right, was Kakashi's - which had so much dust it gave the impression he never used it - which he didn't
Kakashi had asked her to maintain daily logs for his team as well, from how they were performing to their general conduct.
Sakura had fared quite well in the conduct department. An eager student who was willing to learn and form bonds with her colleagues.
Sasuke was the opposite. His performance was top-notch, but his conduct was far from satisfactory. He never spoke unless spoken to, and always spoke the least amount possible to answer her questions.
She saw a lot of his sensei in him, and as close a friend he was, Kakashi was not and should not be a role model to follow.
Naruto was a puzzle - his performance was as good as Sasuke's, yet his behaviour was a bit better.
Not that she was praising him. He too mostly kept to himself mostly, and spoke only a bit much than the Uchiha. She surmised it was the result of him being a pariah in the village; and she did not have it in her heart to hold his lack of healthy communication against him - it simply was not his fault.
She finished writing her report, and closed the file.
As she left, it struck her that Naruto and Sasuke were not so different.
Both had suffered from loneliness in their own way.
The only difference was that Sasuke used it fuel his darkness, whereas Naruto did not know what to do with his.
She would try her best to help them.
Kami knows Kakashi could not - he was a lost cause by this point
Some things required a woman's touch.
A few hours earlier: Hi - Kaze border
The heat of the desert sun parched the sand and baked their skin, and Kakashi prohibited himself from taking off the bandages and wiping away the copious amounts of sweat forming on his face. They had just passed the border into the Land of Wind, and immediately he could see why Suna was in such a precarious state.
On the other side of the Border, lush forests invited any voyagers; whereas on this side endless swathes of scorched earth glared at them, almost in a sign of foreboding, warning them that no pleasures lay ahead.
'Well, it certainly fits the theme of our visit', Kakashi mused to himself.
Few greetings had been exchanged between anyone, and bar a quick wink from Asuma of all people he had not even looked at another member of the entourage.
When they had stopped to swap their horses for camels, Asuma had whisked him to the side.
Initially he tried to maintain his cover, "Can I help you good sir?"
"Cut the crap Cyclops."
"Is my camouflage that flimsy?" he had frowned.
"I wouldn't call dying your hair and wearing make-up camouflage Kakashi" his colleague snickered.
He crossed his arms together with all the petulance he could muster, "Why are you here?"
"In case you don't remember, I was once a member of the 12 Guardian Ninja. When the Old Man approached the daimyo with his proposal, the daimyo specifically requested that I be amongst the princess's guard. Besides, my presence makes this venture seem more legitimate, and you guys can be free to do whatever it is you're going to be doing."
"How could you tell who I was though?"
"An ordinary chef doesn't constantly scan his environment unless he's in a kitchen; nor do they keep such a tight posture.. Keep your eyes up ahead and relax a little, or otherwise any chunin could see through you. And you have a bandage on your face - specifically where you have your mask on. For a member of an entourage from the Leaf, that would be very coincidental."
Kakashi nodded his thanks and they carried on.
Asuma was right though. He wasn't good at being a chef. Heck, he wasn't good at anything apart from being a shinobi. He pushed those thoughts away. Now was not the time to reflect on the disappointment that was his life.
He looked down to see his mission partner, sitting right in front of him.
Apparently there had been a mix-up, and one less camel was allocated for their trip. Since they officially were husband and wife, they were expected to share.
Not that that was a problem. Shinobi had no sense of shame or awkwardness. He had seen his colleagues in various states of undress many more times than he could count during missions, but they were trained to put the mission over everything else.
Even a raging boner.
He was going to have to ask Guy for meditation tips.
Before you ask me, yes Kiba did also feel it. However, he only felt a vague sense of danger or fear, whereas Ino almost saw the nine-tails itself. I never liked that the Senju, Uchiha and Uzumaki got all the best abilities, so I'm going to be introducing abilities for other clans as well.
But it won't just be abilities for the sake of the plot. I've been doing my best to research, and these won't be mindless power-ups, but powers that come with a cost.
Naruto does not know the truth about Itachi - he's just saying that to stop Sasuke snooping around. I know that's very cruel of him, but he's not a happy-go-lucky guy here. He really does not want his truth getting out, at least not before he is ready for it.
Who do you think would be a good pairing for Hinata? I haven't thought of anything for her yet, and I'll be open to any suggestions if I can incorporate them into the story.
And, if Sasuke does come across as very downcast and melancholy, it's because I'm trying to stay as canon with the characters as much as the story will permit. I will have character-building for him, and I hope you will like his journey.
P.S - Sorry if the title's a bit lame. I had a hard time thinking of one and in case if you haven't noticed I don't really care too much about the chapter titles.