Sparks flew wildly with clashing metal, two forces coming against one another in a battle for dominance. Naruto and Sasuke dueled with their kunai knives, dancing in battle across the flat top of Lone Pine Hill. The two young chūnin came in with strong blows, the resulting clash shot their respective kunai out of their hands.

Naruto threw his fist. Sasuke caught the strike while simultaneously coming in with his own fist. Naruto caught Sasuke's fist. They caught each other. Sasuke swung his leg and Naruto disengaged to avoid it.

Naruto slid to a stop. 'So, this is what it's like to fight the Sharingan. His movements are so much more precise, he's wasting less energy and can last longer in hand-to-hand combat.' A small shiver ran through Naruto's body. 'This shivering…why am I excited?'

"Hah!"

Sasuke glared at his opponent, his cheek twitching from anger. "What's so funny?!"

"…To think, you've convinced yourself that you have the strength to beat me in a real fight."

The Uchiha boy began to snarl. His mind flashed memories of back in the academy and their first few months as Team Seven. "What did you say? Quit blabbering nonsense, you cocky son of a bitch!"

"I'm not cocky, I know the outcome of this fight already…I will beat you, Sasuke!"

"That overconfidence is infuriating! I am going to beat it out of you!"

"You're welcome to try!" Naruto created a cross hand seal with his fingers. "Tajū Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

Smoke filled the area as clones upon clones of Naruto crowded the hill, they even appeared on the lone pine tree. Sasuke scanned the clones as he waited for them to make the first move. 'Shadow clones…despite his arsenal, Naruto sticks to the same tricks.'

Clones charged from Sasuke's behind, he easily dealt with them with strong kicks as more clones came in. The Uchiha spun on his heel to punch another. He dropped to his hands and pushed up to hand-stand kick the clones in the air. It was there Sasuke realized his mistake, three clones came in low and kicked Sasuke high into the air.

"NA-RU-TO!" The clones shouted in one after another.

A fourth Naruto came flying in to hit the final blow. "Uzumaki Barrage!"

Sasuke was able to block the kick with his forearms, while creating a series of hand seals. Naruto saw Sasuke's cheeks puff out and realized what was happening. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

Fire consumed the area and burned the clones into oblivion, screaming in agony until they disappeared. Sasuke landed on the pine tree and watched as the fire dispatched the last of the clones. Suddenly, a large burst of wind erupted from the center of the widespread fire, causing the flames to disappear. The wind revealed the real Naruto standing there with his hands outstretched, obviously using his Kazakiri no Jutsu.

Naruto moved into a normal stance. "Had enough yet?"

"We've barely only begun, Naruto. Having second thoughts?"

"Not on your life, I'm trying to save you the embarrassment of losing a fight you wanted."

"The only one who'll be embarrassed is you! I'm done feeling inferior to you! It's time I finally surpass you, Naruto!"

Inferior? Is that why he wanted to fight? But that didn't seem right. Ever since they fought in the Chūnin Exams, Naruto no longer felt like he was stronger than Sasuke but that they were on the same level, especially that they were both promoted. That they were true rivals now.

"Why are you doing this?"

Sasuke smirked. "Did you know, Naruto…if two shinobi are near the same level of strength, they can read each other's mind through a simple exchange of fists? There's no need for me to answer that question. Just keep fighting me and you'll figure it out!"

Sasuke jumped at Naruto and burst into a sprint, cocking his fist back for a strong strike. Naruto ran at Sasuke, challenging Sasuke's resolve. They closed in and connected their fists with each other's faces. The resounding smack was so loud and harsh that it caused a few of the sleeping birds to awaken and fly away. The two boys remained still momentarily before they collapsed on the ground, laying horizontal to each other.

"Y'know…" Naruto began. "I always thought you and I were kinda the same, Sasuke. For a while, we were both lonely and envied everyone else who had what we didn't. It made things a little bit easier…"

"But you aren't alone anymore…the Hokage and the Sannin act more like your parents than anything else…"

"You know what having real parents is like…I don't."

Sasuke just stared aimlessly into the night sky.

"That's what this is about, isn't it? You're jealous that people are coming into my life and becoming like family while you stay alone?"

"…"

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. "Wow…I didn't think you could get jealous."

"…Shut up, dobe."

"Did you really think I'd let you stay alone, Sasuke? That pain of being alone, we both know it's too much to handle for so long. I wouldn't let you go back to that, I won't let anyone go through what we did…Just because there are two people who care for me like a child doesn't mean I'd forget about you or Sakura, in fact it makes me cherish you guys even more. You guys mean everything to me because you were the first to see me as something I'm not…"

Sasuke knew what his rival was talking about. "You're no monster, Naruto. I know a monster, you're nowhere near close to him."

"…I'm sorry about what Itachi did. We'll get him one day, I know it."

"Yes…we will."

The two young chūnin laid there on the grassy hilltop, allowing the gravity of their conversation to sink into their minds. Everything felt as it should, the balance between them was right once more.

"This fight isn't over, Naruto. We still don't know who's stronger."

Naruto smirked. "And how do you suppose we figure that out?"

Sasuke sat up off the ground. "That jutsu of yours…how strong is it?"

Naruto sat up himself. "Stronger than yours."

Sasuke stood to his full height. "I doubt that."

Naruto moved to eye level. "We'll see about that."

Executing the three hand seals, Sasuke held out his left hand and lightning began to arch from his palm. Naruto crossed his fingers and a shadow clone appeared, smacking the air around Naruto's palm until a spiraling blue sphere appeared. Once the orb was formed, the shadow clone disappeared.

"That will be quite enough!"

A third familiar voice rang over the chirping lightning as both jutsus deactivated. The two young chūnin looked up to see their sensei, Kakashi, perched atop the lone pine tree. It was an odd sight because his face was not cemented into his book.

"Kakashi sensei!"

"Kakashi…" Sasuke instantly knew this wasn't going to be good.

Kakashi crossed his arms disapprovingly. "Are you both so obsessed with being superior that you'd go so far as to try and kill each other in a fight? I mean seriously, what happened to the teamwork?"

Sasuke tried to play it off. "It was just a sparring match…nothing happened."

"That was no sparring match. I'm glad that you two were able to sort out your differences but I'm still bothered by the fact you two were actively trying to kill each other."

"We were both holding back sensei." Naruto stepped in. "We weren't fighting seriously."

"Weren't you? That Chidori was at max strength, it would've easily cut right through him Sasuke. And as for you Naruto, that Rasengan is the highest form of shape transformation. That jutsu is so tightly condensed that you'd tear through and break through Sasuke's Chidori no matter how strong it is. Now try and convince me you two weren't fighting seriously."

Neither of the two chūnin said nothing, knowing any argument they could have would not end in their favor. Kakashi let out a dejected sigh. "Look, I can't be mad at either of you two, me and my teammate did this type of thing a lot back in the day. But I'm trying to teach you guys to be better than how we used to be. I think it's time you three learned the reasoning behind my most important lesson. We'll meet at the cemetery tomorrow. Now, go home."

Naruto and Sasuke continued their silence as they slowly made their way off the hill top and began their trek back to Konoha. Kakashi waited until he was sure his two students were will out of range before he let out a whistle. Dashing onto the tree were two of Kakashi's peers, Asuma and Gai.

"Did you find any trace of them?"

Asuma nodded. "Yeah, they're here."

Kakashi nodded. "Good." The masked jōnin looked out in no particular direction. "Quit hiding, Orochimaru! We know you're out there!"

It didn't take long before two individuals to appear on the grassy hill top. One had onyx eyes, which were covered by a pair of clear, black rimmed circular glasses, and ash-grey hair that was tied in a ponytail. He wore a dark purple shirt with a high collar, a white undershirt, and dark purple pant with a white cloth waistband. His forehead protector had a sound note craved into the metal plating. The other individual highly resembled a snake with pale skin, golden eyes with silted pupils, purple markings around his eyes and fang-like teeth. He wore a plain grey robe with a black polo and pants underneath, a thick purple rope belt tied in a large knot behind his back that just touched the bottom of his long, black hair. His arms and hands were completely covered in bandages.

"…Kakashi…and here I thought I was being so sneaky…I commend you for finding us."

The three jōnin jumped down from the tree. "You've been awfully quiet lately. Too quiet for my liking." Kakashi responded, lifting his headband to reveal his Sharingan. "We figured it'd be good to tighten our security."

"Reinforcements will be here any moment…and then the jig is up for you." Gai informed, jumping into a taijutsu stance.

"There is no escape for you this time, Orochimaru!" Asuma drew his chakra blades.

"Heh-heh-heh…provided you are able to stall us long enough, right? Well, it won't take me long to destroy the lot of you."

With blinding speed, Orochimaru jumped high into the air and came crashing down with a strong kick that broke the land apart. As he jumped away, Asuma weaved a series of hand seals. "Katon: Haisekishō!" (Fire Style: Burning Ash)

A chakra-infused gunpowder spewed from the jōnin's mouth and surrounded Orochimaru, he sparked the powder by striking his chakra blades against each other. The resulting explosion was sure the take down any opponent…but this was no ordinary opponent.

Tunneling out of the ground came Orochimaru, his arms swinging as if they were lifeless. He looked to his left and saw a second attack coming in.

"Dynamic Entry!" Gai was flying towards Orochimaru with great speed with his leg ready to make contact with his face. Kabuto realized this went through a series of hand seals.

"Doton: Dochū Eigyo no Jutsu!" (Earth Style: Underground Reflecting Fist)

Just before Gai could land his fast-incoming jump kick, Orochimaru disappeared into the ground. It was as if he was like a fish diving into the water. A few seconds passed and the Snake Sannin arose from the ground next to his subordinate. Kakashi noticed this and deduced what was happening.

"Doing all the work, eh Kabuto? I guess that explains all the bandages on your arms, Orochimaru."

"What are you talking about Kakashi?" Gai questioned.

"He's still feeling the affects of his battle with Lord Third. It seems Orochimaru can't weave a single hand seal, or even have any use of his arms. Stop me if I'm wrong."

Orochimaru growled. "Just because I no longer can use jutsu doesn't mean you can defeat me, I am still a Sannin!"

"Never underestimate your opponent!"

Kakashi jumped back to safe distance and began weaving hand signs. Lightning suddenly appeared around his hands. He pulled the lightning apart in-between his two hands, forming two Raikiri. (Lightning Blade) He charged with blinding speed, leaving two streams of blue light, and struck Orochimaru with one Raikiri, sending the Sannin flying high into the air, repeatedly hitting Orochimaru with that one Raikiri in a zig-zag formation until Kakashi came from above with his second Raikiri.

"Raikiri: Sōraishin!" (Lightning Blade: Twin Lightning Shiver)

Kakashi finally slammed his second Raikiri into Orochimaru and drove the Sannin into the ground, causing the ground to erupt into a large explosion. The dust settled to reveal that Orochimaru somehow dodged the attack by shedding his skin at the last moment.

"Huff, huff…" 'That was too big of a gamble…I've already used half my chakra just from one attack.' Kakashi inwardly thought.

"You're quite the annoyance…heh-heh-heh."

Kakashi turned around to see Orochimaru down on a knee, struggling to catch his breath as well. "…Clock's ticking. The reinforcements will be here any minute." 'Just using any type of jutsu wears him down…we actually might get him this time.'

Orochimaru looked like he was contemplating his options. "It seems I actually may have underestimated you, Kakashi. A mistake I will not make again! Kabuto…" The silver-haired man jumped in. "…do it."

Kabuto looked at his master in shock. "But Lord Orochimaru…you're not ready-"

"Kabuto…are you arguing with me?"

Kabuto sighed. "Very well." The teenager began to weave a series of fast-paced hand seals. A yellow aura appeared and began to surround both Orochimaru and Kabuto, as if they were sharing something. "Forbidden Jutsu: Gedō Mark: Seal!"

Suddenly, Kakashi felt an unbearable pain in his Sharingan eye that instantly dropped him to his knees. He grasped his scarred eye, trying to ease the pain. "Ngh?!"

"Arghhhh!" Orochimaru screamed in like pain, dropping to his knees as well.

Kakashi moved his hand away from his searing eye to try and open it but his eye lid wouldn't budge, it only made the pain even worse. He glared at his enemies with his one good eye. "Ngh…what have you done?!"

Orochimaru's rasp breathing quickly turned into laughter. "Heh-heh-heh-heh…your Sharingan is now useless!"

"What?!"

Gai and Asuma landed next to their comrade. Gai knelt next to his rival. "Kakashi, are you alright?!"

"What happened here?!" Asuma questioned as he stood guard over his fellow jōnin.

Kabuto knew his master wouldn't like this plan, but they needed to get out of here fast. He moved under Orochimaru's arm and hoisted him up. "Lord Orochimaru, your body can't take this much strain. We need to escape, reinforcements will be here soon." 'The jutsu sapped his strength much faster than I expected…this isn't good.'

"Huff, huff…Kakashi, you, too, will learn to suffer." The two Oto shinobi jumped away and disappeared into the night.

"Hey, get back here!" Asuma yelled out as he chased after them.

Gai looked over his rival. "Kakashi…what happened here?"

Kakashi kept his head down. "N-Nothing…nothing at all."

Gai looked further. "Your eye…" Kakashi was quick to lower his headband to cover it. "We need to let the Fifth Hokage take a look at this."

"Y…yeah…You're right." 'The Gedō Mark…what on earth?!'

-The following morning, atop the Hokage's Mansion-

"The Gedō Mark?!" Tsunade gasped in shock. When Kakashi came to her a few minutes ago and requested to speak in private this was not what she had in mind. She was troubled by the fact that Orochimaru made an attempt to gain entry into the village, but the memory of what this particular jutsu could do was not a pleasant memory. "That's a nasty jutsu to have cast on you."

"It is, huh…what kind of jutsu is it anyway?"

"It's one of the Forbidden Jutsus that Orochimaru created during the Second Shinobi War. It combines the power of 'seal' and 'confusion' into one technique. And both possess terrible effects…"

Kakashi was already starting to piece things together. "So…what was cast on me was…"

"The 'Gedō Mark: Seal' that wipes out your kekkei genkai ability…that's the pain you're filling in your left eye."

The silver-haired jōnin absent mindedly place his hand over his covered left eye. "Some jutsu…"

"However, it uses up a freighting amount of chakra. For Orochimaru, this jutsu is a double-edged sword…the fact he's using this technique means he must really be desperate."

A bolt of pain shot through Kakashi's eye, causing him to grab the railing to keep his balance. "Ngh…H-How do we cure this?"

Tsunade's eyes dropped in sadness. "That's…the bad news, there isn't cure I know of now."

Kakashi's heart sank into his stomach. "…Now?"

"During the war, Sarutobi sensei was deeply troubled by the technique's cruel effects. After the war, he created the 'Gedō Mark: Release' and saved countless ninja from the jutsu. He wanted to prevent future generations from using the Gedō Mark…he put the Gedō Mark and the 'Gedō Mark: Release' inside the Scroll of Seals and hid the scroll somewhere in the village."

Kakashi sensed something bad. "Where is the Scroll of Seals?"

"…I'm not sure."

"How are you not sure? I thought only the Hokage and authorized personal had access to that scroll."

"I'm starting to think Sarutobi sensei stopped trusting those around him in his final years, it would certainly explain a lot of the decisions he made. It wouldn't surprise me if he hid the Scroll of Seals away from everyone, including those closest to him."

"And the Third Hokage is dead now…meaning no one else knows where he hid that scroll."

"…I'm afraid so." Tsunade hung her head. "I'm sorry. I'll have Jiraiya do what he can when he returns but I doubt it'll make much of a difference."

Kakashi kept his expression as neutral as he could. "It's alright…thanks anyway, Lady Tsunade." The man turned to leave.

"Wait." Tsunade called out, causing Kakashi to turn back. "Avoid using your Sharingan at all costs, it'll slow the damaging effects of the jutsu." Without saying a word, Kakashi walked away. Tsunade sighed and grabbed ahold of the rail. She gripped the metal so tight that she snapped the bar clean off.

"Damn it! Some healer I am!"

Kakashi silently walked down the spiral pathway that went around the building, allowing the information to sink into his brain. He could no longer use his Sharingan…his entire arsenal of jutsu was practically useless now. He felt a shell of his former self. He hadn't fought a serious battle without his Sharingan in so long that he wasn't sure if he could anymore, he relied on it so heavily. It was his ace in the hole.

"Kakashi…"

The man in question looked up to see Gai standing in front of him with curiosity in his eyes. "Gai…did Asuma come back?"

The jōnin in the green jump suit nodded. "Yes. The trail went cold about ten miles out, he just returned not to long ago. I was coming to inform Lady Tsunade until I saw you."

"Right…"

Gai noticed the lack of emotion from his eternal rival. "Is everything alright?"

"…Yeah. Everything's fine, I was just informing the Hokage on the situation."

Gai nodded. This was odd, Kakashi wasn't usually one to be so cold. It had been a long time since he had hidden himself away and Gai was not about to let it happen again. "Meet me at the Memorial Stone…I need to talk to you."

"Not today, Gai. I'm not up for another round…besides, I'm meeting with my team today."

"Then come find me when you're done. I'll be waiting."

"…Sure."

-With Orochimaru and Kabuto, somewhere in the Land of Fire-

Orochimaru breathed heavily as he rested against a tree, Kabuto scanning the area to make sure they had not been followed. He was able to lose their pursuer some time ago but he wasn't ready to say they were home free just yet, tracking ninja and ninja hounds were no doubt looking for them.

"…Heh-heh-heh-heh…I never thought it would zap so much strength from just one use."

Kabuto turned back to face his master. "Yes, it was a miscalculation." 'That jutsu almost killed him in his weakened state…if we hadn't escaped when we did then there's no telling how bad he'd be right now.'

"That damn Third Hokage…it's all his fault. I wouldn't be suffering like this if he hadn't sealed my arms." His heavy breathing turned into laughter. "No matter, I'll proceed just as soon as I recover some of my strength."

"But Lord Orochimaru…your body can't handle the stress. We need to return to my lab, and I need to create a new, stronger medicine."

"I already told you, didn't I?" Orochimaru glared at his subordinate, causing Kabuto to physically finch. "I just need to endure until my arms are healed. I will not be denied!"

Kabuto sighed, it wasn't strategically sound for them to go charging back towards the village by themselves. Their plan called for devastation on Konoha but the two of them wouldn't be enough, at the very least they would need a team. He swallowed in preparation for what he was about to say to his agitated master.

"Lord Orochimaru…the two of us alone won't be enough to cause the havoc we need for Tsunade to bend to your demands. We'll need others. Summon the Sound Four."

The Snake Sannin growled in annoyance that Kabuto questioned his decisions further, but he couldn't deny that bringing those four would be beneficial. Their skill sets were enough to challenge any shinobi of Konoha could throw at them, plus it would lessen the strain on him as well.

"Fine…Bring me the Sound Four."

-With Team Seven-

"So, what's this about sensei?" Sakura questioned. "Why did you have us meet at the village's cemetery today?"

Kakashi looked over his young team, nothing seemed out of the ordinary from yesterday's 'kill or be killed' fight between Naruto and Sasuke, who were both still nursing dark bruises on their cheeks. He closed his book and placed in his back pouch, trying to hide the fact his left eye was in great pain.

"There's no hiding went down last night, we don't need to discuss the details of that. But there something that needs to be said." Naruto noticed that Kakashi's voice sounded different, almost husky. As if he was trying to cover up something. "We are a team, no matter if two of you are chūnin or not, and we will continue to be a team throughout the rest of our shinobi careers. Actively trying to kill a comrade is something I will not stand for, and neither will the Hokage. Both of you should be thankful Lady Tsunade is allowing me to handle the situation. I have no doubt there would have been serious consequences if this went to the council."

Both Naruto and Sasuke looked away, knowing full well how lucky they were to keep their rank and their occupation as a shinobi. Sakura looked her teammates concerningly, she was just as guilty as them. She made no effort to try and convince Sasuke not to challenge Naruto and she practically begged Naruto to do something about Sasuke. She wouldn't have been surprised if she was brought in to receive the same punishment if this had gone to the council.

"But like I said last night, I can't be all that mad that you two fought. Me and my teammate did the exact same thing…which brings me to why I called the three of you here. Follow me."

The three shinobi looked at each other confusingly before shrugging their shoulders and following their teacher through the cemetery. They passed by countless stone tablets that were embedded into the ground, each with a different name of some one who had died. Off in the corner of the cemetery was a kunai-shaped black structure that was connected to a small field.

"This is the Memorial Stone." Kakashi said as they approached the structure. "The names of those who gave their lives in the name of Konoha are craved into this stone."

Sakura looked on in amazement, she knew this stone was here but the seriousness of what it stood for rocked her to her core. Sasuke hid his emotions about being here but felt similarly. Naruto had been here countless times, reading the name of the Fourth Hokage and wondering why he had chosen him…until he learned who the Fourth Hokage really was.

"Is somebody you know on here, sensei?" Sakura questioned.

"…Yes. My entire genin team is craved here." All three looked at their sensei in total shock. "Teamwork is the most important thing out in the field…because when shit hits the fan your team is all you have out there. You have to rely on each other and keep each other safe. What most people don't understand about being in a team is you aren't just fighting for the village…but you're fighting for them too. You end up fighting for your team more than your home because they become like family to you…and you never abandon your family. Those who break the rules are scum. But you know what? Those who abandon their comrades are even worse than that."

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke allowed the words of their sensei to sink into their minds, all seeing just how important this meant to him and the reasoning behind it. They all looked at the black stone with a new perspective on what they were as a team and who they were to each other.

"Now, I don't want to hear or see anything more about these types of fights between you, or any other comrade. I will not stand for it. Understand?"

The three young shinobi nodded their heads in complete understanding. There were not about to disobey their sensei, especially when it came to something like this that meant so much to him.

"Good. Now, Lady Tsunade might have a mission for us here soon. I'll put out the details when I get more info, the day is yours. See ya around." Kakashi waved lazily over his shoulder as he walked away from his team.

-Hours later-

"You're late as ever, Kakashi."

After hours of wandering aimlessly through the village, Kakashi finally was able to find Gai in one of the training fields that were inside the village walls. He waited in a tree until Gai was finished with his team training before he made his appearance known.

"…Sorry."

The two said nothing as a gust of wind passed between them.

"Is your eye feeling better, Kakashi?" His rival continued his silence. "Hey Kakashi…?"

"I'm sorry, Gai…"

Gai narrowed his eyes as he continued to try and read his rivals inner thoughts, which was not an easy thing to do. "…I see…" He moved into a fighting stance. "Let's fight!"

"Huh?"

"There's nothing like exercise when you're feeling down! Sweat your cares away!"

Kakashi remained stoic. There wasn't much else Kakashi could do to get his point across to Gai except to relay it in a fight or a battle of some sort. "This might be the last time I'll be able to fight you Gai."

Unexpectedly, Gai smirked. "Hmph…That doesn't sound like the Kakashi I know. I won't go easy on you."

"…That's fine."

-Ichiraku Ramen-

"That…was some heavy stuff." Sakura said as she looked down at her bowl of ramen. Team Seven wasn't sure what do after what they had learned from there meeting with their sensei, so they found themselves at Ichiraku to discuss things amongst themselves.

"I never would've guessed that Kakashi's entire genin team would be dead." Sasuke added. "It sheds some light on things about him."

Naruto finished the noodles in his mouth before he spoke. "You guys are speaking like our whole team dynamic changed. Nothing's changed, we just have a new appreciation for each other. That's all."

Sasuke looked beyond the pinkette that sat between him and Naruto. "What are you talking about, dobe?"

"We've already had that bond that Kakashi sensei talked about today. The fact we know why he holds teamwork above any other thing he could teach us doesn't change much…at least for me anyway. I already saw you guys as family before today." Naruto slurped up another large amount of noodles.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sakura conceded. "Still, it's sad that he's the only surviving member of his genin team. I can't imagine how that feels…but I'm glad he was able to make it through all of it and become our sensei. I honestly wouldn't want anyone else to be our teacher.

Sasuke smirked. "I'll agree to that." He brought the last little bit of noodles to his mouth with his chopsticks before sliding the bowl away. "Alright, I'm going to take off. I need to run a few errands if we'll be going on a mission soon." The Uchiha teen stood from his seat and left the restaurant. "Later guys."

"Bye Sasuke."

"See ya teme." Naruto called out as he lifted his bowl to Teuchi so he could have another bowl.

Sakura stirred her broth with her chopsticks as she glanced at her blonde teammate, taking in his new look as a chūnin. His overall outfit hadn't changed, he simply wore the unzipped chūnin flak vest over his unzipped orange and blue jacket. But what caught the pinkette's eye was the emerald necklace hanging around Naruto's neck, the very same necklace that the Hokage wore.

"Is that Lady Tsunade's necklace, Naruto?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Baa-chan gave it to me as a gift for making it to chūnin. Did you know it was the First Hokage's?"

"You're kidding?!"

Naruto grinned. "Nope! It's even worth some money. I think she said like three mountains worth of gold or something like that."

Sakura's jaw hit the countertop, theoretically of course. Three mountains of gold?! How was that even possible?! "That's…some gift for being promoted to chūnin. You and Lady Tsunade must be really close if she gave you such a valuable necklace."

Naruto fiddled with the emerald necklace as he recalled memories of his first meeting the woman all those years ago. "Baa-chan's saved my life twice now…she's the closest thing I've had for a mom."

Sakura felt no need to comment further on Tsunade's mothership on Naruto, she had seen it in full to believe it. "Will your heart problem come back again?"

Reaching for his bowl of fresh ramen, Naruto stopped momentarily before setting the steaming bowl down. "…It shouldn't…so long as I don't use Tojin."

Sakura raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Tojin? What's that?"

"Remember that sword I had when I fought Gaara?" Sakura nodded in remembrance. "That's Tojin. The best way I can describe it is as a spiritual sword that I bonded with."

"How does one bond with a sword?" Frankly, Sakura was having a bit of trouble wrapping her head around the fact there was such a thing as a spiritual sword but, then again, there were giant beasts of chakra sealed inside people…so a living sword wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

"I, uh…had to fight it."

Sakura looked at her teammate incredulously. "You fought a sword?"

"Well…I fought the guardian who protected Tojin. I had to prove my worth to Tojin."

"Okay…I feel like we got a bit off topic. What's Tojin have to do with your heart condition?"

Naruto's expression turned more serious than usual. "Tojin is an extremely powerful weapon, as you saw, but there is a massive tradeoff. What fuels Tojin's power is the user's animalistic intent and lust for blood, or feral. And since I'm the Kyuubi's jinchūriki my feral merges with his, and I can't control that. The feral and surge of power are just too much for my heart to handle and it causes the cancer to come back….Baa-chan forbade me from using it anymore."

Sakura wasn't sure what to say about any of this. Naruto held a power like this was crazy for someone their age, she was pretty sure he could take on their entire graduating class at once and win. But she held a sense of relief that there was this tradeoff, as screwed up as that sounded, because she didn't want to see Naruto go on an uncontrollable rampage and possibly die because his heart couldn't take the strain.

"But I'm not going to let this stop me, I'll still become the strongest and prove to the village that they were wrong about me…with or without Tojin!"

Sakura smiled softly. She honestly enjoyed seeing this side of Naruto, it felt like a treat. He was normally so profound and meticulous that it gave the impression that he didn't have a 'nice' side to him. It was such a breath of fresh air to see Naruto act more their age, without a care in the world. And the fact it was mostly around her, and those he cared deeply, made her feel special to him. She reached over and placed her hand over Naruto's, causing the blonde to stop and look at Sakura.

"I know you will…and I can't wait to be there to see it."

Naruto turned his hand over and held Sakura's hand within his. He wasn't sure where his relationship with this girl was going, it was odd really. Sakura had a near complete devotion to Sasuke when their team first formed, giving Naruto the impression that he never had a shot with Sakura if he ever developed feelings for her, but that devotion had practically disappeared in recent memory.

Had Sakura forgotten her feelings for Sasuke? Naruto didn't know. Understanding a woman's feelings to someone was not a part of his knowledge, but Naruto knew when someone either liked or disliked him. He had learned to pick up on subtle bodily movements and mannerisms from his isolation and dealing with angry villagers. Obviously, holding hands was a very strong indication of affectionate feelings towards someone…but to what end in this case?

Naruto figured only time would tell.

-With Kakashi and Gai-

"Argh! Blast it! I lost…" Gai huffed as he pushed himself off the ground. Kakashi had outsmarted him fair and square, victory was his.

"Whew…" Kakashi breathed, that round was a lot closer than he would've liked.

"That's fifty wins and fifty loses. It's anyone's game!"

"Yeah…"

Gai stood from the ground and stretched a bit before he turned to leave the area. "I'm not the type to leave things hanging like that. We'll settle this sooner or later. You got that? This isn't over!" The man jumped away.

"Gai…"

Kakashi collected himself and dusted himself off from his friendly bout, he honestly felt a little better. That fight showed him he was still capable of handling himself in a real fight, to an extent. A dire situation that called for his Sharingan would not be something he could handle. He hoped he wouldn't be put in a situation like that for a while…