Hi everyone! So sorry for the long wait, but I made this a pretty long chapter, and I did not have a lot of time to work on it. Finished my GEs, and I'm working part-time now. With school done, I'm planning on making my part-time job a full-time job. Sadly, I did not have time for most of the summer movies, but I am so glad I got to see the Dark Knight (RIP Heath Ledger, you EARNED it). I'm also very excited about Gundam 00 coming to the states. I saw the first few episodes on-line, but nothing beats good ol' fashioned tv, and so far, the dub sounds promising (though coming from me, that is not saying much as I prefer to watch dubs).
Just a bit of a warning for this chapter: there will be a moment from another "potential" pairing that you will absolutely despise me for doing. But it's small, and I promise you it will lead to NaruSaku. But for now, I'm setting up some other things.
Krymsom: Well, if she was, that would make solving their little predicament right now a little too easy, wouldn't it?
Sdkronon: Yeah, something like that.
DanielNeives: Oh, I think you'll love this chapter as well in that case
Mrfipp: 1) Cause perverts are sinners (myself included) 2)Won't be happening, but he's an S-class criminal, so I'd imagine he could rule a village with an iron-fist if he wanted to. 3)I doubt you do have an idea of who I'm going to hook her up with, but it's revealed this chapter, so let me know if I should take that back.
Spazzgirl: Sadly, I have to agree with you on what Sakura and Moegi did. Guess I was thinking two hard on how to bring those brats together.
LoneWolfBloodStorm: Yes, you should feel sad
Untamable: It does sound like an interesting project, but I'm too busy with this story as well, and I'm considering doing a web-comic, so I have to turn your offer down. However, I want to let you know that I'm pleased you think of my writing skills in such high regard; the offer alone makes me feel damn good
H.I.M. Jon-White: I don't know when, but in that case I will give them a look. Also, I was taking "Race and Discrimination in America", and "Writing for Proficiency (shocking as it may be, I failed my General Writing Requirement back at my old school).
SakuraSH: Yes way, and if I'm interpreting your message correctly, Sakura is going to be as happy about it as you are.
Cecixx19: Um…what makes you think that? (someone bangs wall) DEIDARA!! I TOLD YOU, DRUG HER THEN TIE HER UP!! WE NEED HER!!...Um, what's that look you're giving me?
InARealPickle: She did it because it was the law, and she was afraid of what might happen if she did tell him. It will be explained better in this chapter and future ones
Kunoichibrat: Well, here it is, and just in time. Now keep quiet unless you want me to show you what I do to people who live up to the latter part of your name
Disclaimer: The odds of me owning Naruto are the same as me becoming President of the United States this November
Sakura just ran through the rain, oblivious to the feeling of her wet clothes and skin. She kept telling herself that it was just a fight, it would be cleared up. But no matter how much she did, she realized that Naruto had essentially broken up with her. After having a crush on her forever, Naruto cut any real ties with her. As of right now, they only way they would meet again would be during shinobi duties. Finally, she reached her house, and ran straight in.
"Sakura!" her mom called. "Your father has-"
She didn't stick around to find out. Anything to do with her father didn't exactly lighten her mood. She just ran straight up the stairs into her room. Finally, she calmed down a bit, and sat on her bed. Staring out the window, she began to think coherently once more. "What's wrong with me!? I've been through this before! Hell, a lot of people in my generation have had bad break-ups!! It's nothing unusual!!" But she could hardly call her bond with Naruto ordinary. No matter how it would've turned out in the future…it was a bond that was irreplaceable. She used to want nothing to do with him, and then it evolved into true friendship. And then…it wasn't romantic love. Was it? It was too much for Sakura right now. Sakura simply lay down, and pulled the covers over her, hoping to find the answer in the morning…
To the untrained eye, it looked like silhouette figures jumped from tree to tree at the speed of light. But anyone with ninja training could clearly see Hatake Kakashi and Yamato tree hopping. "This is the last area." Kakashi whispered to Yamato. They were sent late last night on a mission to scout the perimeter. Granted, chunin could do this mission, but Tsunade did not want to take any chances. She needed the best trained eyes, and the best fighters. They couldn't risk losing anymore.
"It seems clear, Kakashi-sempai." Yamato noted. "However, there's something….ominous." The clone of the Shodai Hokage motioned his head to his left.
"Yes, you're right." Kakashi growled in agreement. The two jonin flung kunai to their sides, and they seemingly stopped in mid-air. However, they did hit something fleshy.
A ninja finally appeared, seemingly out of thin air, embedded with the kunai. "Urghh!" The ninja fell from the branch, but was saved by the hard ground by Yamato's branches. The two leaf jonin jumped down to inspect his headband.
"Iwa nin?" Kakashi muttered. Doing his best to keep his emotions in check, he addressed the scout. "It's been a while since you started conflict with us."
The kunai missed his vitals, so he was in no danger of dying. "Hmph! You leaf nin are so full of yourselves! Oh, but you'll know your place soon!!" Suddenly, they were surrounded by Iwa nins!
"Oh darn. Whatever shall we do?" Kakashi said in a mocking tone, drawing two kunai in his hands.
"I have a few ideas." Yamato replied, with exactly the same thoughts.
Tsunade put the first bit of her paperwork for the day in the "done" bin. She then turned her attention to the stack that had to be done. And it was pretty damn high. She sighed in frustration. Then, a knock came on her door. More business at hand, most likely, but talking to people was much better than paperwork "Enter."
Most would expect adult jonin to enter. However, instead, 4 genin entered. Yuji Miyamoto, Iori Myojin, Tiger Jaa, and Hanabi Hyuuga to be precise. "You wanted to see us, Hokage-sama?" Jaa asked as he bowed.
"Yes, there is something very important I need to discuss with each of you." The Godaime replied. "As you know, our village has experienced a devastating attack and we are just beginning to recover. We've lost many good ninjas as well, and we are at our most vulnerable right now." Yuji had a feeling what was coming next, but kept it to himself, tightening his fist in anticipation. After all, there was no guarantee… "I want to let you know that our decision was not made out of desperation, but that we truly believed you four had the ability to meet our expectations. So…" Tsunade stood and reached behind her desk. From there, she pulled out four chunin vests. The four now former genin eyes widened in surprise. "Congratulations." Tsunade said. "I expect great things from all of you, Chunin of Konoha."
Everyone was in shock, especially Jaa, who began crying and suddenly clasped his hands in praying fashion. "Thank you so much, Hokage-sama! I won't let you down!!" Jaa put the vest on and dashed out the door, presumably to tell his family.
Iori looked at hers in wonder, then over to Yuji. For some reason, he looked…scared. Iori was about to smack him and get him to bow, when suddenly two jonin ran in. She recognized one of them as Kakashi, and both of them showed signs of an intense battle.
"Hokage-sama!" Yamato yelled. "Iwa nins have attacked!! We've eliminated their initial attackers, but there will be more! It's…war."
Kakashi reached into his blood-stained pack, and pulled out a video cassette. "They intended to leave this with our corpses." Kakashi stated, with a hint of malice in his voice. He was probably the one ninja in Konohagakure to still hold on to his hatred of the Iwa nins.
Tsunade took the tape, staring at it as if not playing it still gave her the information she needed. "Give me a few minutes." As she stood, she turned her head to the newly appointed chunin "And the same goes for you. Yamato, get Jaa back here."
Naruto groaned as he woke up, rubbing the eyes from his sleep. He went straight to bed the other night, hoping it would calm him down. It didn't; he felt as angry as ever. Sluggishly, he got up for some breakfast, most likely ramen. Before he reached the kitchen, something caught his eye. His head turned to stare at a picture of him and Team 7. He knew he should feel angry towards Sasuke, but he just couldn't. However, he couldn't help but direct it towards Kakashi and Sakura. Kakashi knew the whole time, and never told him. Sakura didn't know as long, but as a teammate he trusted her the most. It hurt him even more, knowing that, at least temporarily, some of the feelings he had for her were returned…and those secrets in the end tore them apart. Naruto was brought out of his musings when he heard a knock on the door. He hoped it was no one who knew the details of his heritage or the Kyuubi. He opened the door, and discovered his prayers went unanswered as he observed Kakashi standing in the doorway. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?" he said in the nastiest tone he could muster.
Kakashi just sighed in response. "Listen, Tsunade told me you found out. Naruto, I'm-"
"If the only thing you're here for is to apologize, stuff it up your hairy ass!"
Naruto was about to slam the door, but Kakashi caught it. "All chunin and jonin have been summoned at the tower. The details will be explained there." Kakashi's voice was calm, but carried a dangerous undertone as well.
"Forget it, I'm-"
Before Naruto could finish his sentence, Kakashi grabbed him by the collar. "Failure to show up at urgent meetings like this is considered treason. In your case, it could be much worse." Both knew what he meant by that. An out of control jinchuriki was something the council would not tolerate.
Naruto grunted reluctantly, knowing Kakashi was right. "Let me get dressed."
Sakura stepped out of the shower wearing a bathrobe and a towel around her head. She barely slept at all, yet she didn't feel tired. Unfortunately, that meant she also felt worse. She just wanted to continue to lie in bed, hoping that either the world would end or by some miracle something would make all the pain she felt go away. At the moment, she wasn't sure which she wanted more. "I've got work to do." She muttered to herself. She didn't want to go, but as a medic-nin she believed her responsibilities came first. That, and she had to make sure Tsunade was doing okay. "She has to be feeling worse than I am." Sakura reminded herself.
The kunoichi got dressed and headed downstairs. Once she poured herself a bowl of cereal, she noticed something odd. Her father was at the table with her mother making him breakfast, nothing unusual there. But he was smiling. Her father was one of the sternest men she knew, and happiness just did not coexist with him. "Father…are you alright?"
His black eyes seemed to brighten a bit and moved towards Sakura when she asked. Normally he would just ignore her."Why, this is the happiest I've been in a long time! I've arranged a husband for you!!"
Sakura nearly choked on her cereal at his exclamation. "Excuse me?" Sakura tried to hide the sudden anger she felt at being hooked up with someone she didn't even know, not to mention the fear of what kind of person she could wind up with. Not that she'd worry if he turned out to be an abusive man, for obvious reasons. "Hasn't he at least heard of matchmaking!?" she screamed inside her head. Beneath the table, she crushed her spoon.
"Yes, the fact is you've grown up." Her father replied. "Most young women in my clan were normally married at fifteen years of age. However, due to your…training…I was obligated to stand aside. Right now, I'm sure that you've had a good enough career alone, but it's time you settled down."
Finally, her mother took a seat. "Don't worry, Sakura dear. Your father assured me he has found you a good husband."
"A wealthy man." Shiroarashi replied in turn. "Part of the royal family here. You will have a good life with him, I promise."
Sakura was about to scream her lungs out, maybe even breaking a piece of furniture or two. But then, a knock at the door caught everyone's attention. "Sakura! Sakura!!"
That was Sai! Sakura got up and ran to the door. The instant she opened it, she nearly screamed "Sai! What is it!?"
"I don't know, but everyone has been summoned to the tower!"
Soon, every chunin and jonin was gathered in the meeting hall. Tsunade stood in the center of the podium, with members of the council to each side. Everyone else was seated according to rank. The four newly promoted chunin were in the back, while the ANBU was right in the front.
"I can barely see what's going on." Yuji commented. He looked to his side, saw Iori, then to his other side where he saw Hanabi, much to his disappointment. "Shiguri should be with us." He said. Even though he was the only person Shiguri formerly apologized to, to him that was enough. Besides, he was chunin level in both technique and strategy.
Iori patted his shoulder, giving him assurance. "We'll fill him in. And we'll be sure to treat him as our equal, even if technically speaking we're his superiors now."
"You don't have to worry about filling him in." Hanabi whispered, pointing to the council. Next to Danzo was Shiguri himself.
"Figures." Yuji commented. The old man probably wanted him to observe politics right from the front.
Naruto stood near the front next to Kakashi. He clearly did not want to be there, but Kakashi figured what was on the tape might catch his attention enough.
Sakura, Sai, and Yamato were in ANBU gear, right in front of the jonin. Though in theory they were equal in rank with the jonin, more often than not they were sent on the most prioritized missions, and always the first to protect the Hokage. Though her face was masked like the others, Sakura's pink hair was a dead give away to those who knew her. Sakura glanced behind her, hoping Naruto would at least look okay. She was only met with disappointment when she got a good look at Naruto's angry face.
"We are in a state of emergency." Tsunade announced. "One that endangers us more than ever, especially due to our still recovering village. It seems that another Shinobi War has begun." The hall erupted into whispers that soon drowned out Tsunade's voice. The Hokage immediately picked up a gavel and slammed it. Silence followed. "A video was delivered to us from Iwagakure. They intended to send it with the corpses of our comrades. Fortunately, our scouts turned the tables and took it back alive. What we saw was worse than we could imagine." Tsunade motioned to a ninja standing at the edge of the stage. "Play it."
A projector screen immediately descended. The first thing shown was the Tsuchikage, sitting in his throne. But what caught everyone's attention soon after were the two men beside him. Only a few knew who they were, judging by their cloaks, and Naruto was very familiar with one of them. "That's…Deidara!!"
Deidara and some masked man with the same cloak as he sat on both sides of the Tsuchikage's chair. "This is a message to the shinobi military of Konohagakure!" the Tsuchikage nearly shouted. "For too long, we were humiliated and dishonored by those we know are inferior!! Those who by all shinobi standards should never have survived, let alone live to become on of the five great nations. But today is a grand day, delivered unto us by kami himself!! I know you were under attack and took severe damage by a mere handful of ninjas! We will give you no quarter! Not even at your best could you hope to counterattack us now!! Your obliteration will be near! Enjoy the few days you have…it will be your last, and your precious will of fire shall be extinguished!!" The tape ended there, and everyone shouted random things in response.
"Silence!!" Tsunade shouted. Soon, it was as she commanded. "The fact is we are once again at war, and Iwa has formed an alliance with the Akatsuki. We have no choice but to prevent as many as possible from entering into our territory, and train ourselves with the time we have." There was a long pause before she continued. "All ANBU except for Scarlet Dusk shall head towards the border! Jonin with teams, rise!"
The rookie 9 of the previous generation, plus Lee, rose. After a good few seconds, Naruto rose as well. "In the wake of such a crisis, I have no choice but to send your teams, chunin or not, into battle! You all have one week to train them! Use it wisely! All other jonin and chunin shall guard the village entrances until further notice! Team Uzumaki and Scarlet Dusk, meet me in my office! Dismissed!"
With that said, all the ninja leaped out to complete their assigned missions.
Soon, the people Tsunade requested to have an audience with arrived. Naruto's facial expression indicated he wanted nothing to do with her. However, it caught his attention when Tsunade asked at first for only him and Iori to enter. Shiguri, Sakura, and Yuji stood outside, assured they would have an audience with her later.
Tsunade took a seat, her manners much more business-like than usual. "Iori. I assume you've been told about jinchuriki and biju." Iori nodded slightly, looking a bit nervous at the topic that would be brought up. She heard from her sensei that jinchuriki were often frowned upon, and her father received on of the harsher treatments. "After witnessing your fight with Hyuuga Hanabi, I observed you can control the power your father has left you. However, unlike your father, or Naruto, you've obtained only a fraction of the biju's power. If Naruto has an adult demon within him, yours is juvenile and will likely remain that way. And trust me when I say that there are many shinobi that can easily deal with power at that level. You must make your normal chakra before you rely on your demon chakra. Also, you need to learn to not become too dependant on it. Though that extra chakra is more natural to you than a jinchuriki, who at some point in his life had a demon forced into him after he was conceived, it still slowly erodes your body. You need to learn to fight without it, no matter what your emotional state may be. For your own good." Iori nodded, slightly. Tsunade did notice that her face turned a bit pale as well. "Probably the revelation that something so powerful and reliable could wind up killing her." she mused. "Naruto."
Naruto didn't move, but she could tell he heard her. "I need you to train Iori the best you can. See if it's possible to teach her the Kage Bushin and Rasengan. And make sure she uses as little of that power as possible. I'll expect a full report by the end of the month."
Naruto's eyes blinked in response. "A month?"
"Yes. That's all the time I can afford to give you."
"What about Shiguri and Yuji?"
"They will have trainers that I believe will be best suited for them. Iori, you're dismissed. Naruto, I'd like to speak to you for a moment, privately." Iori bowed and walked out.
Now, it was just the Godaime and Hokage hopeful. "We lied to you, Naruto. And for that, I'm sorry. If you'll let us, Jiraya and I will explain everything later. But right now, there are more important things going on. The ninja of Earth Country are murderous; the original Tshuchikage created a totalitarian government, and since then all the succeeding Tsuchikages gained their position by deceit and betrayal. They are by far the most violent of the five shinobi nations; though the Kiri earned the title 'Bloody Mist', their brutality is known only in battle. Iwa's cruelty, on the other hand, extends far beyond the battlefield."
"Such as?" Naruto asked, his curiosity peaked a bit.
Tsunade's hands clasped tightly, and simultaneously was biting her lip. "You'll find out soon enough. But I know that what they do, you would never wish on any person. Dismissed."
The next people to come inside the office were Sakura and Yuji. Both were curious why she would talk to both of them at the same time. "I know what you're both thinking," Tsunade commented, "so let's cut to the chase. Miyamoto, do you remember how you won your match during the chunin finals?" Yuji, apparently startled, quickly nodded. "Such strength is almost impossible to obtain in one month, which means that you were using mostly advanced chakra control. Tell me, how did you learn to do that?"
Yuji stumbled with his words a bit, and then finally managed to answer. "To be honest…when Naruto-sensei was training us, Sakura-san and Kakashi-san came to visit us. I asked her how she got her strength, and I imitated it a couple of times. It was just a fluke that I managed that degree of control during my match. I haven't had much chance to try it again."
Tsunade smiled slightly. "It usually takes at least a year of training to acquire such abilities." The Hokage than turned to her apprentice. "Sakura, for the next month you will train Yuji. He has an incredible affinity for chakra-enhanced strength, so make sure he can use it to the full-extent of his abilities. Also, see if he has any potential in medical ninjutsu. Another medic would be nice."
Yuji was, to say the least, stunned. He never expected to get such praise by the Hokage. And she said he was good at something! "Dismissed." Yuji nervously walked out the doorway in anticipation, failing to notice that Sakura was not following him.
Tsunade shot a look at her apprentice, who was also stunned. "You never really got over Ryu's death, have you?"
Sakura slowly shook her head. "He was the first comrade I had the power to save, and I still failed. He wasn't a troubled person who had no one…he had a family, and I failed them as well."
"Sakura, you can't save every comrade, no matter how distant or precious, and they all have something to lose. Think of Asuma; he had been married to Kurenai for less than a year, they were expecting a child…and he was killed. Ryu lived a life that many ninja could never hope for." Tsunade continued shuffling her paperwork. "If it's bothering you that much, tell Yuji. I can't say for sure what his reaction would be, but no matter what you have to get it off your chest and tell the person it would matter most to." Tsunade stamped something a random paper. "Also, I need you to evaluate that ability he had, the potential Kekkei Genkai. I didn't want to tell that when he was around." Sakura nodded, and bowed.
Before she could leave, Tsunade asked "By the way, how are things going between you and Naruto?"
Sakura stood silent before answering. "I knew the truth about the Yodaime as well."
Tsunade frowned at the answer she received. "Naruto, just how many more people will you push away?" Tsunade tried to reassure her apprentice and said "Don't worry, Sakura. Naruto will forgive all of us. He has for so many things already; how is this any different?"
"It's the one sin that galvanizes all the other wrongs we made." Finally, Sakura walked out.
Tsunade sighed, and got to her paperwork once more. "Time for Kakashi and Shiguri."
In an obscure cottage, a figure opened his eyes. "Ohh…" Sasuke grabbed his head, and sat up. He had the biggest migraine he ever imagined possible. He couldn't think straight nor feel the rest of his body. Finally it subsided, and Sasuke began breathing regularly. Finally able to think coherently, the Uchiha took his time surveying his surroundings. It seemed to be a normal wooden cottage. Above his bed was a single bulb, flickering on and off. To his side, there were some shelves with plates. But the lack of a kitchen sink indicated that there was no running water. It was small, too; Sasuke saw only one door, and feeling the breeze coming from the cracks, he could tell it led outdoors.
"But no matter what, I will always be with you…"
Sasuke slammed his hands over his ears in an instant. Someone was singing, and it was terribly off-tune! "Oh God, I'd rather have Itachi use Tsukiyomi on me again than put up with this!!" The Uchiha groaned and reeled, trying to block the sound out of his head. Finally, the door slammed open.
"And forever moreeeeeeeeee!!"
For brief moment, Sasuke leaned forward, rubbing his temples frantically.
"Ah, you got up!"
Sasuke opened his eyes in shock and stopped moving. That had to be the same singing voice, but just talking, it sounded so sweet and cute. It made him feel…at peace. Slowly, he turned his head to the door way, and his eyes widened even further. A girl was standing in the doorway, carrying a huge fish over her back. She had mid-length hair as red as fire, and crimson eyes like his sharingan. She was also wearing a red jacket and white tank-top, with black shorts much like Sakura used to wear. Her skin was nicely tanned, and at her ankles were blue tattoos. She also wore large geta on her feet. But for some reason, what really got to him were her two scars: one straight scar across each cheek, perfectly symmetrical to each other.
Suddenly, all he saw was fish in his face. And felt it. And smelled it. Tasted it, too, and for some reason this uncooked fish did not taste as good as sashimi. "Hey!!" the girl yelled. "Just what do you think you're looking at, punk!?"
Sasuke struggled, clawing the fish away from his face and finally pushing it out of his way completely. "What the hell's wrong with you!!" Sasuke screamed, his face dripping with fish oil. If Naruto could have seen him now, the laughter would have never stopped, even if Sakura punched him a thousand times.
The girl only answered by giggling, then she got serious. "Is that the way you thank someone for saving your life? It took me a lot of work to keep you alive, and I missed a lot of sleep and meals thanks to you." she asked coldly.
Sasuke blinked at the statement. He remembered seeing someone standing over him at the creek, but his vision was so out of focus that for all he was concerned, it could've been a bear. "That…that was you?" This earned Sasuke a good whack on the head by his hostess. The missing-nin noted to himself her right was strong enough to give his own a run for his money.
"Of course, you idiot!! What the hell did I just say!?" She slung the fish on her back again, and began pulling his ears hard. As if that wasn't enough, she put her mouth to one and yelled "HELLO!! IS ANYBODY DEAF HERE!?" Sasuke fell on his back, twitching from the shock. With that, she turned around and cut the fish in half. Sasuke noticed it wasn't a knife she used, but a sword. The blade was double-edged, but curved like a traditional sword. It also seemed to be gold in color. Whether it was simply painted gold or made of gold, he couldn't tell. If it was the latter, it was a poor choice as a weapon; pretty as it may be, gold was a soft metal. It would break upon impact with another weapon. What really caught his attention though was the hilt. It looked more like it belonged on a trident, with the two sharp ends curving out like a sai. "You better be good now. I went out of my way to get wet and catch this fish just for you. But if you're going to continue to be rude, well, I think I'll just keep it for myself. It will just be more for me anyway."
Sasuke decided it might be best not to answer, and simply got out of the bed, indicating that he would join her and behave…whatever that would mean in her mind. "Hey, hey!! As much as I appreciate the view, you might want to consider putting on the pants I left you on the table!!"
Sasuke froze. "Wait…pants?" He looked down, and realized he was indeed naked. Not in his underwear type naked, he was literally in nothing but his birthday suit. "AHHH!!" Due to his panicked state, it took him a while to locate the item that was left for him. He was so preoccupied, he didn't notice the girl behind him lick her lips. "S-Sorry." He stuttered, more humiliated than any of the few losses he suffered.
"Well, a little fan-service more than makes up for your stupidity. Better than Icha-Icha for Girls!" Sasuke felt his heart rate quicken. It did that several times before; as Orochimaru's apprentice, he was thrown into battle several times and felt his fear change the way his body felt. No matter how much he killed his emotions, he always had some fear going into battle. That was simply an accepted contradiction in the ninja world, and was proven to be a life-saver in dangerous situations. But this was different. He felt jumpy for reasons he couldn't understand.
As he fastened his pants, a fire started going underneath the stove. "You're lucky I found you. You were dehydrated, bruised, and exhausted. Your chest was full of water too. I couldn't quite remember what they did in CPR, so I stuck a portable hairdryer in your mouth and smashed your chest with a rock."
For a minute, Sasuke just stood there frozen, shocked at what even Naruto would call sheer stupidity. "Then again, I'm still here. That's all that counts." Finally he bowed and said "Thank you." Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he did that. "And I'm sorry for my rudeness." The Uchiha doubted he ever said that in his lifetime.
The girl's stern expression softened slightly, and then she nodded, accepting his apology. After sitting together in silence for minutes, the girl pierced the fish and lifted it off the grill. "Get the plates." Sasuke just sat there, for some reason stunned at being given an order. "WELL, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!" she yelled. Sasuke immediately jumped up and ran to the cabinets. Getting two plates, Sasuke handed one to her, and sat down with his.
The girl threw the fish off the sword, and began slashing through the air at an incredible speed. Sasuke was amazed. Even with his sharingan, it would be hard to trace the sword's path. Soon, pieces of meat flew to his plate, as did pieces for herself. "Ikamadstu!!" she shouted. Then, to Sasuke's astonishment, she woofed down her entire bowl in less than a second. "Hey, you've barely touched yours." The girl commented, her mouth still full and with pieces of food around lips.
"This girl is a pig!!" Sasuke commented to himself. Suddenly, a handful of meat was shoved into his mouth.
"If you want me to feed you, just that one time, and that's it!!" she shouted. Sasuke spat out the food coughing. Finally, he took his chopsticks and began to eat normally. "Note to self: Act as normally as you can around this weirdo."
"So…" the girl started, "…may I ask just where you're from, and why you looked like you were on the run?"
Sasuke nearly choked on his food again. Just how was he supposed to answer THAT when he's wanted for terrorist acts!? Clearing his throat, he began to answer. "Well, I was from Konohagakure…but the truth is, I've lived most of my life elsewhere. I was just there recently…and, well, I've done something I shouldn't have."
The girl's face seemed to have went transparent, and then she muttered "I see.." She drank a cup of water and then smiled. "Well, whatever it is, I'm sure you're sorry about it, so I guess all we can do is move on!!"
Sasuke fell on his back at her exclamation. "Excuse me!?" he demanded.
"Well, you ARE sorry, aren't you!? Then there's no need to scold you about it!" the girl exclaimed, smiling as though it were no big deal.
Sasuke sat right up and yelled "Waitaminute, you don't even know what I did!! For all you know, I could be a psychopathic killer who's plotting to do a bunch of things beyond your worst nightmare!!"
The girl just smiled and said "If you were, you'd be dead already."
Sasuke nearly dropped his jaw at that statement. She said it without thinking, with the utmost confidence, and without the slightest bit of fear. "What kind of cruel joke is this!?" Even though she apparently had some skill with a blade, Sasuke could not imagine being defeated by this girl.
"So, do you have a place to stay?" the girl asked as she tossed her plate into the sink without looking nor shattering the plate.
Sasuke looked away, and outside a window, staring at the full moon. "I don't have anywhere I belong." he replied.
"Well, it looks like we'll be roommates!" Sasuke nearly face-faulted again at that statement.
The Uchiha darted his head back and fourth inside the room. "Um…I'm sorry if I misunderstood, but I don't see an extra room anywhere."
"This entire room is my home. I didn't think I'd have guests, so I made it just big enough for one person." The girl replied in response, unusually cheerful at the prospect of sharing her only room with a boy.
Sasuke stood up, and began to walk away. He wasn't sure if he could take spending the night with this crazy girl. "Um, thank you for the extremely generous hospitality. But I think it's best that I-AUUGGGHH!" Sasuke stumbled after feeling a sharp pain in his sides. Before he could kiss the floor, the mysterious girl ran up to him and caught him with lightning-fast speed.
"I forgot to mention you hit a couple of very sharp rocks on your way down from the waterfall. You were bleeding pretty profusely when I found you."
Sasuke looked at his sides, and saw she wasn't lying; his sides were red, like the skin was ripped right off. There were also stitches embedded in his flesh. Crudely made, but it looked like they were enough to save his life. Sasuke wasn't so sure he wanted to ask what she used or how she did it though, if her story of giving him that most unusual method of CPR was true. Sasuke groaned "Point taken." The girl helped him up, and walked him to the bed. "Thank you. I'm sorry to trouble you with taking your only bed."
The girl eased him onto the old mattress, and chirped "Nothing to be sorry about. I've been sleeping next to you the whole time you were unconscious. I wouldn't sleep on the floor for anything!"
Sasuke's eyes widened in utter shock, which he didn't think was even possible at this point. "Wait…we've…been…sharing the SAME BED!?"
"Yes."
"BUT I'VE BEEN NAKED THE ENTIRE TIME!!"
The girl waved her hand as if it was not big deal. "So what? I wasn't touching you down there." The girl giggled, clasping her hand over her mouth and narrowing her eyes. "Would you like me to? I'm sure I can-"
"No thanks!" Sasuke shouted. Not only was this too quick by most perverts standards; if her medical skills were that fucked up, he did NOT want to explore her sexual skills or desires.
The girl huffed and mumbled "You're no fun." Taking out a shuriken, she threw it towards the light switch, and the room went dark. Finally she collapsed on the mattress, right next to him just like he said.
It was probably a good five minutes, maybe even ten, before Sasuke asked "Your name…what's your name?"
The girl opened her eyes, and took a moment to answer. "Gaikai…Gaikai Midoriiro."
Without turning, the rouge nin replied back. "I am Uchiha Sasuke." It probably wasn't the smartest move given his current predicament, but it probably wouldn't matter much anyway; if she was a hunter-nin or a bounty hunter, she would've either taken him to Konoha or kill him by now. The question in his mind now was what was he going to do when he recovered? He couldn't stay; he knew he could not possibly have reached the border yet, and he couldn't put this girl in danger, even if she did seem like a capable fighter. Once he did find a place where he was safe, what would he do then? Repentance was the word that rang in his mind. But how? Would he simply wander alone, never hurting anyone again? Would he go fight in a war he deemed a noble cause? Both solutions were too easy, and could easily be corrupted. He thought his quest for revenge was noble, after all. "And look where that got me." Sasuke continued to brainstorm, but nothing came to him. Soon, his thoughts became distorted and confused, and he drifted off into sleep…
Deidara looked out the window, observing life in Iwagakure. Life was always very strict and regimented; it seemed even more so now. "If these morons only knew how easily they can overthrow their own Tsuchikage." He mumbled to himself. That actually didn't sound like a bad idea; he would have to give it a try once he caught the nine-tails. Though he was leaning towards killing Mutsuguro himself, trying to galvanize the people into overthrowing him sounded fun to.
"Deidara-sempai, shouldn't we be hunting the Kyuubi?" Tobi asked, staring blankly at the halls across from him. That was all he ever did.
"Tobi…I told you already, we are to wait for further orders." Not that he disagreed with that statement; he would much rather blow things up, and teach that annoying brat a lesson. Hidan just kept to himself, and quite frankly, Deidra liked it that way. It still didn't do anything to alleviate the boredom though. "I suppose I can practice my jutsu on…"
Finally, someone opened the door and stepped inside. "Um…Deidara-sama?"
Deidra turned around to see a rather plain looking woman in the entrance. She wore a standard Iwa style kimono, but what made it stood out from the rest was a patch, shaped like an icicle. Looking at her light brown hair and gray irises, his suspicions were confirmed. "Perfect." Deidara thought. "I should have known Mutsuguro-chan was too cowardly to come here and see me himself. Anyway, what do you want!?"
The woman stepped back at his exclamation, fearful of the now former S-class criminal's wrath. "Um…I was ordered to inform you that your students have been located."
"Where are they?" Deidara asked, suddenly interested in the information she held.
"At…at camp 192C!"
Deidra smiled wickedly. "Guard duty? I figured those kids would've been in jail, given my former status." Deidra walked towards the doorway, and as soon as he passed the woman, he stopped. "By the way…I couldn't help noticing…you're an Ainu, aren't you?"
The woman quivered at his statement, but knew she had no choice; she had to answer him. She saw what happened to those before her when they failed to even answer a question. "Y-yes sir, I am." Deidara smiled wickedly, perhaps even more wickedly than any of the Akatsuki or Konoha nin seen him. The woman calmed down slightly…then screamed in pain as her arms were blown off.
Tobi turned around in shock. No one could tell what was going on through his mind due to his mask. But it was clear that the sight of the women writhing on the floor, missing 2 of the most important limbs, bleeding, and making the effort to scream but have nothing come out, was disturbing to him. "Deidara-sempai…why'd you do that!?"
Deidara simply giggled. "Oh, it's nothing to concern yourself with, Tobi. This has been going on for a while now." Deidara opened the door and shouted to the guards "We've got a cripple here! Dispose of it!" The guards walked in with their kunai drawn…and put and end to the poor woman's life.
A young man, probably no older than fifteen, sat on a barren field. He was enclosed in what seemed to be a prison, but he was not a prisoner; he was the guard. And he was bored out of his mind. His hair was black and long on both sides, the bangs turning downward on each side. It was hard to see his eyes because of this, but there was one thing on his face that was worth noting: his scar. Across from his lips, two hideous scars were formed, forming an extended frown. No one dared ask how he got them. "Pfft. This is so depressing. Maybe I should get one to escape…"
"Oh, I assume you're going to kill one of them right there and then? Free vacation, right?"
If one could have seen them, the boy's eyes lit up. He turned around slowly, and smiled, contradicting his scared frown. "Deidara-sensei?" the boy chimed.
Deidara just chuckled "I see you haven't changed a bit, Koungaseki. Except you're taller now." The two just stared at each other for the longest time. Deidara was "Where are the others?" Deidara asked.
Before he could receive an answer, Koungasenki grabbed on of the prisoner's hats, and tossed it. "Quick! Go get your hat!" The prisoner did as he was told, and dashed for it. "Escapee!" Koungaseki yelled. He retrieved a kunai and nailed the poor man in the back of the neck. "Finally, that should earn me a vacation from this dump." The teen said nonchalantly. He turned to face his sensei once more. "Let's get this reunion going." Koungaseki led his sensei inside the bunkers.
"So, it has the effects you've promised?" an old Iwa nin asked.
"Yes." A young girl in her teens replied. She wore a chunin vest, her hair was purple, and styled in a manner similar to Ino's. Her lips were a glossy green, and her eyes were a crimson red, and those who knew her felt that no matter what, she never looked happy, even when she smiled. "Soon, you can take the women with absolutely no resistance. In fact, they will enjoy themselves as much as you and your men will. May I suggest taking the rest of the prisoners to see what you do to their wives behind closed doors? "
"Excellent. A method where we can enjoy physical pleasure for ourselves and effectively crush the spirits of our prisoners at the same time. Well done. We expect even more new super narcotics from you soon."
At this the young woman scowled. They've been working her to the bone, and even though they say she did a great job, they wanted her to do more immediately! "This was supposed to be the part where you say 'Take the rest of the week off!'"
"See you tomorrow." The old man replied before turning away.
"You won't." She made a hand sign, and the commander immediately froze. He began gurgling incoherently, and then went limp. "You should have known that having me prepare your tea as well was a mistake. I wonder what species your mind shall regress to?" Then, he seemed to come to, but instead of the predictable response, he began to hunch over, and knuckle walk. Soon, he began making sounds like an ape. The girl laughed at the sight of her superior behaving like a monkey.
But then a voice brought her out of her joy. "Aww, so familiar. I still remember all the times you tried to use those on me, Genkakushoujou."
The girl turned around in her seat in shock, and saw that behind her was her old sensei. "Deidara-sensei! But you're a missing-nin! An S-class criminal!"
Deidara chuckled, and wiped his hair. "Well, I found a way to come back."He tapped his new headband, an Iwa headband with no scratch to cross out the symbol.
OOH-OOH-OOH!!" The old nin's behavior was becoming more and more hyper, causing Deidara to grit his teeth. The old man was banging his fists, swinging from the roof…and Deidara did not even want to know what that smell was. Not only was it even more annoying than putting up with Tobi…it was pretty sad to see a grown man in a respectable position behave like that.
"Where the hell is San!? Somebody kill that fool already!!" Deidara yelled, unable to take anymore of the sad sight in front of him.
"Done." The man froze as he stood to beat his chest, and immediately began to melt. As he melted, another young man was revealed behind him. His hair looked like Playdoh , with each part of his hair a different color, his eyes were pure gold and lacked pupils, and intricate tattoos covered his skin. Their also seemed to be a metallic looking backpack on his back, and from it two tubes ran right into his arms, and his hands had holes, dripping some sort of acid.
But what stood out most to Deidara was the jonin vest he wore. "San! It's been so long!! And you're a jonin!! It's nice to know that this village still does promote people who actually deserve it!!" Deidara patted him on the back like he was a father happy to see his son, although San remained unemotional. Nothing could be closer to the truth; San was Deidara's prized student. He was the only one that Deidara believed understood what art really was.
And this made Koungaseki and Genkakushoujou jealous to no end. They were brought out of their angsty stupor when Deidara turned around and said "Okay, kids! We're at war with Konoha right now, and there is a very special person I want you all to meet!"
Iori woke up to the sound of something banging on her door. She struggled to get her eyes open, and finally sat up.
"Iori! It's time!" her sensei's voice yelled through the door.
Iori kicked off the sheets and cried "Alright, alright! I'm coming!" She was already dressed, and was especially glad she packed the night before; she couldn't possibly manage to get all of her camping gear ready when her whole body was half-asleep. That's right, camping gear. They weren't going back to the training spot where Naruto got her team ready for the exam finals; they were going to train in one of the village's training fields. Naruto said that because of the war, they could and had to be ready to be called at an emergency's notice. As Iori strapped her pack on, she thought back to yesterday. Naruto seemed unusually angry. Not at her (at least she hoped not) but at something. It bothered her, and not just slightly. It seemed to affect him tremendously. She noticed that he seemed to be having trouble speaking with the Hokage, as well as his old teammates. She hoped that whatever it was, that it would all blow off soon.
Before she could ask herself if she should ask, the door was slammed open by Naruto.
"What are you standing there for!?" Naruto asked, clearly irritated.
"Coming, coming!"
After they set up camp, Naruto began the training session. "Okay, Iori. I want you to make a bushin."
Hearing this, Iori began to sweat. "Um, sensei, I think you should know…"
"JUST DO IT." Naruto replied sternly. He knew just what the problem was, but still, he had to see it in order to teach her properly.
Iori complied, and made the hand signs. "Bushin no Jutsu!" In a poof of smoke, a standard bushin formed. Naruto inspected in thoroughly. It was just barely passable; though it was standing, it was ghastly pale, had skin folds that a girl Iori's age shouldn't have, and it was ridiculously thin. How the clothes stayed in place was a mystery to him, and it was one he was content not to find out. Naruto turned to the real Iori, who understood the question he was asking in his head. "Iruka-sensei said it was good enough for battle; he figured in a high stress situation, a ninja wouldn't take time to look at the differences."
Naruto nodded slightly, partially agreeing with what she told him. "Okay then. Iori, do you know the difference between a normal bushin and a kage bushin?"
Iori thought about it for a minute. "Um…one's better?"
Naruto just frowned at the statement that. "Well…that's true, but it doesn't mean a thing to me if you don't understand it. The normal bushins rely on a small amount of chakra, and as a result, are not the best diversions. Normal bushins can only follow the same movements as you, and they're not solid. Not only can you not attack the enemy with bushins…you can't use them for defense either. But…" Naruto formed the seal and formed a Kage Bushin. It immediately ran behind Iori and locked her in a full nelson. "That's where the Kage Bushin comes in. Though with the right tactics it's a good battle technique, it was originally used for scouting. It can do other things as well, but first, I need to teach you how to do it."
Naruto dispelled his Kage Bushin, and Iori was released. The girl was clearly not convinced that it was something she could use. "Sensei, I have enough trouble with the bushin as it is. How can…"
Naruto then made different hand signs, the ones for a normal bushin. Suddenly, the ground was littered with malformed bushins. Iori could tell by the look in his eyes that it was no ploy to motivate her; he really gave it his all to do the technique properly. "It's a problem I have to. Our inability to create proper bushins is due to our massive amounts of chakra. The normal bushin relies more on precise chakra control as opposed to the chakra itself. Naturally, the more chakra one has, the harder it is to control…"
"And therefore, the Kage Bushin, which relies on far more chakra, is better suited for us!"
For the first time in a while, Naruto actually cracked a smile. "Wow, she's actually getting it." Naruto walked to a tree, and sat down. "Okay then. Get to work. Just remember, even I had to work really hard to master it."
Iori, smiling and free from any doubts, formed the seal, and poured her chakra into it…
Yuji made his way to the training ground Sakura had picked out for them. For some reason, he found it a bit awkward to be training under his sensei's girlfriend. It was probably just the foolish but very real fear of being known as a boy who trained under a girl. It may have been puberty, which he would never tell anyone, or he would never hear the end of it (and he might risk getting killed by a certain jonin and new chunin). Probably a bit of both, he told himself. He was told by Sakura to not bother waiting for her, just come straight into the forest. He just hoped over the gate, and ran in. Once he got to a clearing, he decided to call out her name; he really didn't feel like waiting. "Sakura-sa…Sakura-sensei." Yuji reminded himself he would have to call her that from then on. He knew Sakura's bad side, and although he anticipated that he might be on the receiving end from some of it, he did not want to risk making her blow her fuse completely, no matter how absurd the matter may appear. Suddenly, some whizzing noise caught his attention. A kunai was coming from him at an angle…and nailed him right in the foot. "AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!" Yuji rolled over frantically, gripping his ankle and crying in pain.
Finally, his new sensei came down from the trees. Sakura was wearing a standard jonin vest, since right now there was no need for her ANBU clothes. "Well, that's kunai one, kekkei genkai zero." The kunoichi said to herself. Sakura walked over, and sternly said "So far, I'm very disappointed in what I just saw. You were just promoted to chunin; you should have known damn well that this REALLY is no longer a game." She grabbed Yuji's ankle, pulled out the kunai (earning another scream from Yuji) and began healing it. Yuji panted, trying to shake the pain off. "Well, we have several things to accomplish this next month. Right now, I'm just going to focus on one. Are you aware of the possibility that you may have inherited a kekkei genkai from your father?" Sakura asked bluntly.
Yuji just stared for a moment before answering. "No…if he did, I'm sure he would have told me about it…although I've heard his friends telling him that he had reflexes no ninja could possibly have."
It was a good enough answer for Sakura. "That's it. We didn't understand how it worked back then, but we have reason to suspect you may have it: hyper-reflexes. Your father was believed to have inherited a mutation, creating a new kekkei genkai. Right now, I'm going to evaluate that." She had Yuji's full attention now. "I am going to attack you with everything I have. Fists. Shuriken. Slugs. Even traps. I'm going to use them all against you. And your job is to dodge them all."
Yuji gulped in fear. As good as he wanted to be, it was suicide to do jonin-type training right now!! Couldn't she have made some sort of training regimen that would condition him for this sort of thing!?
"And for every time you get hit, I will heal you. But once you recover, I will double the amount of shuriken I used, I will come down on you with my fists harder, I will summon more slugs, and I WILL make the traps more dangerous." If the statements before didn't turn Yuji ghostly-white, that one did. "Prepare yourself…" Sakura leaped up, and crossed her arms, her hands revealing kunai. "…Now!"
She threw them, which Yuji immediately ran away from. Though he dodged the ones that were aimed at the area he was just in, a few nailed his shoulders. "Not good enough, Miyamoto!!"
More kunai where headed his way, but this time Yuji was ready. At the last second, he saw a tall, thin sapling. He grabbed it and swung his body around, avoiding the kunai. Then, Sakura was right in his face, preparing a powerful round kick. "OH DEAR KAMI NO!!" Yuji just barely rolled away in the nick of time, as evidenced by the sound of a tree falling. Yuji immediately took to the trees, hoping to find safety there. Suddenly something emerged from the branch, bearing a toothy, caustic mouth. Yuji screamed and fell to the ground, and he realized too late it cost him. Sakura followed through with an axe-kick to the ground, but Yuji managed to turn away and avoid the impact directly. However, the shockwave and debris sent him flying. "Oh Kami, why did I have to agree to this sort of-" Yuji turned his head towards the trees, and his eyes widened immediately. There were explosive traps on the trunks! And judging by the way they were burning…he'd say he triggered them. A series of explosions followed, starting fires and causing trees to fall.
For a good while, a smoke cloud covered the forest floor. But then, Yuji leaped from the cloud and touched down on the branch of a tree that managed to survive the destruction. The new chunin was panting, but otherwise he was unharmed. "I gotta get myself together. She's going to attack me at anytime." He pulled out a kunai, and got ready for the next attack.
Little did he know, Sakura was in a tree behind him. But Sakura wasn't interested in attacking; rather, she was analyzing everything she saw. And in all honesty, she was VERY impressed. Even a taijutsu master like Lee would not have come out of such an ordeal unscathed. While Yuji had a poor start, his reflexes heightened tremendously as the battle went on. She was beginning to believe he really did posses a kekkei genkai…and she had a theory on how it was triggered. "I need more evidence though." Sakura pulled another kunai and began her next attack…
Naruto blocked a strike from Iori. And then leaped straight up to avoid a leg sweep from another. The only thing to save Naruto from an air side-kick from yet another Iori was a cross-block, and the jonin nearly panicked when he felt another version of his student land on his shoulders and press a kunai to his neck. Instinctively, he crouched down and threw her into her counterpart, dispelling them both. To finish things of, he side-kicked another Iori, but this one went down with the thud instead of a brief explosion of smoke. Having lost her concentration, the other bushin was immediately dispelled. Naruto had to smile. In five days, Iori mastered the Kage Bushin. She couldn't do nearly as many clones as Naruto; only three. And all she really did was try to dog-pile on him. But he did the same thing when he was her age. In time, she would learn better tactics; many of which had to be learned on the battle-field. Naruto felt it was time for Iori to learn his signature move. Naruto grabbed her wrist and helped her up. "Good job. I think it's time we started to learn the Rasengan."
Iori's face lit up with joy. She had seen her sensei do it and variations like it several times. She always wanted to learn it, and now she believed there really might be a god! Though her hand-to-hand combat skills were good, and that she appreciated her summons, she believed she really needed an actual ninjutsu type move. "Great!"
"Alright then. There are two steps you need to accomplish before you can even begin and try to form the Rasengan. First, let me demonstrate." Naruto held out his hand, and formed a Rasengan. "Now tell me what you see."
Iori didn't even inspect it; she just answered "It's a ball of chakra. Anyone can see that."
Naruto narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Look HARDER, Iori." Although Naruto liked the idea of working with a young girl that was similar to him, he could see why all of his teachers got annoyed with him quick.
Iori rolled her eyes, and leaned closer to get a better look, expecting in all honesty to arrive to the same conclusion. However, she leaned too close, and was blown away into the hill. "NOT THAT CLOSE!!"
"So, it's chakra that's swirling into the shape of a ball?" Iori asked, trying to confirm what Naruto told her.
"That's right. How else do you think it got its name?" Iori gave him a look indicating that she was peeved at his statement, and Naruto decided to move on. "Okay. Anyway, the first step is to learn how to swirl your chakra. And to do that…" Naruto handed her a water balloon. "…you have to swirl the water in this balloon until it pops." Naruto took out another balloon, and made it burst without any visible physical method.
Iori just looked at the balloon, then him, then back to the balloon. The look on her face told him that she felt like she was being mocked. Suddenly, she transformed and unleashed her jinchuriki powers, blowing up the balloon and soaking them both.
"Okay then…let's try that again, only this time, NO DEMON POWERS."
Sakura cocked back a fist and struck. Yuji managed to dodge to the side, but just barely; his cheek still received a nasty gash. Even so, Yuji's reflexes were easily on par with a jonin's…and they seemed to be getting faster! Yuji doubled around Sakura with a spinning backfist, aiming for the back of her head. Sakura rolled away, leaving Yuji's fist to shatter nothing but a tree trunk. This week, Sakura decided to actually spar with Yuji, and hone his own monstrous strength. He had a fairly decent amount of chakra, and his control of it was incredible! Sakura cart wheeled back again to avoid being nailed in the gut by a side fist, reminding herself to watch out for his exotic taijutsu. It wasn't perfect; in fact, it was still very much novice, but with practice, he would get it right. Sakura counterattacked with an axe kick, and missed Yuji's head! Or at least that was what it seemed she was aiming for; her foot created a massive creator, sending debris flying in the air. She then threw a straight punch, smashing through a piece of flying earth, intending to surprise the chunin and knock Yuji out. Yuji caught her fist in the nick of time, but the force pushed his feet into the ground, imprinting a nice pair of footprints into the earth. Sakura punched again, but Yuji caught that one as well! The two were caught in a power struggle, and neither one budged. However, Sakura knew if she continued like that, she would lose; she had to break the struggle right now! She let go, using her momentum to make Yuji fall towards her. She then sprung back up, delivering a chakra-enhanced elbow into Yuji's sternum, sending him skidding across the training field at high speed.
Quickly, Sakura reached into her pocket, and pulled out her stop-watch. "Ten minutes. I thought so." She was beginning to notice certain trends in Yuji's abilities, and like any good scientist, tested her hypothesizes, just to be sure. After recording it mentally, she followed the trail made by Yuji's body. After half a kilometer, she found him, unconscious, his body lying in a way that he shouldn't have been able to make it without breaking a few bones, and was twitching as well. It wasn't the first time he wound up in bad condition; he got hit at the end of each sparing session, and he was hurt badly by her strength each time. Quickly, she knelt down and immediately healed his ribs. Normally, she would only use enough chakra to begin bone growth and set them in place; it was a strategy used by medic-nins both to conserve chakra for battle and to attend to more needy patients. It was different at this moment, however; she was training Yuji for war, and he had to be in prime condition each session.
Besides, she always ended the training at this point, and she was on leave from the hospital, even in emergencies. She could use up all of her chakra with no foreseeable consequence in the future. "Good job, Yuji. You've got a lot of potential, and I'd say you're living up to it better than even your sensei could imagine."
Having his chest restored, Yuji took in a deep breath. "Thank you, Sakura-sensei. But do you have to be so rough!?"
Sakura smirked at the reply and answered "I still remember the time my shishou landed a complete combo on me. She completely shattered my jaw, causing me to lose 20 teeth, dislocated my knees, gave me a severe hernia, and nearly broke my spine. And she was so caught up in the moment that she instinctively nailed me with kunai, each wrapped with explosive tags. All I remember at that point was being set on fire and feeling pain like I've never known before; the nurses said that it was only thanks to Tsunade-shishou's superb abilities that she managed to restore me unscarred."
A long silence came between the two, obviously Yuji realizing that he was getting off easy. "I…see." Yuji got up and brushed himself off. "Seriously though, you're a great sensei. I feel like I've been learning so much, and that you're helping me to become the ninja I want to be."
For some reason, this struck a cord with Sakura. She immediately recognized it as the pride a teacher felt, the happiness of having been able to help a young one find his talent and give him his own path. Sakura always wondered how it felt, and now that she had…she could understand why some ninjas like Iruka-sensei were proud of their job. "Thank you, Yuji. That's…nice. I expect to see you here same time tomorrow." Yuji bowed, Sakura bowed back, and leapt away, having gained his energy back. Yuji's progress made Sakura excited, and her first instinct was to tell Naruto. But then she thought back to his scathing remark. She didn't hate him for it; she sympathized with him completely. But this rift between them…it couldn't go on! Somehow, she had to make him understand, or at least make amends…
"AAAAHHHH!" Iori once again formed a ball of chakra in her hands, but it was unstable. Energy kept leaking out. She continued pumping more of her chakra into it, but she was losing more than she could contain. "Oh come on, stay with me, you piece of shit!!" Suddenly, the chakra exploded in her face, sending her flying backwards once more. Iori groaned in frustration. "This sucks."
Naruto looked at the scene before him. Truthfully, he was impressed. Iori was getting the chakra control part of the Rasengan faster than he did. Probably because while she still had a large amount of chakra, it was not nearly as much as his and as a result, could control it better. He even believed that for Iori, use of a Kage Bushin wouldn't be necessary. Taking his attention off of her temporarily, he looked at a checklist he had. On it was a list of things they had with them, plus some reminders. Looking up from it, Naruto shouted "Tell you what, why don't you take a break? Our supplies are running low. I think I'll go into town and stock up."
"Feel free to go, but I'm going to keep at it!!" Iori yelled back, concentrating the chakra in her hand once more.
Naruto just had to smile at that; he would've done the same thing at her age. "Suit yourself." The jonin took off into the village, the determined yells of Iori fading in the distance.
Tsunade was rubbing her temples furiously. The war had been going on for a little more than two weeks, and already things were going very badly. Quite a few ninja had been killed already; a prospect that was never easy for her or any Hokage that came before her to accept. The reason for the losses as of now was that they were going at it alone; the enemy was already attacking them, and they had no choice. They had to start defensive lines now for immediate protection. Fortunately, Tsunade received word that several smaller shinobi villages within fire country have agreed to be allies with Konoha. Still, it would not be enough to win this war…
"Hokage-sama! The Kazekage has arrived!"
Tsunade's face lit up immediately. Suna was the one village they needed! In addition to being the shinobi capital of another one of the five great nations, she could always count on the Kazekage! "Excellent! Send him in!"
There was a moment of silence between her and the guards. "Well…to be honest, we would. But technically speaking, he's not here."
Tsunade, rather impatiently, asked "I beg your pardon?"
"We see him off in the distance, and it appears he's chasing somebody. Wait…isn't that Shikamaru?"
Before she could ask what the hell they were talking about, Shikamaru sprinted into her office, faster than she had ever seen him run before. "AAAHHHHH!! Help me!!"
"Sabaku Kyuu!!"
Shikamaru was immediately caught in a wave of sand, and landed on the floor face-first. Moments later, the Godaime Kazekage, Gaara, stepped forward. Like Naruto, he had continued to grow in the past three years. His hair was quite a bit longer, although not too terribly long. He was also much taller than before, probably as tall as Jiraya. And it would take a very observant shinobi to notice, but under the robes, Gaara was significantly more built than before. She had a suspicion as to why an individual like him would start focusing on taijutsu, but for now, it was not important.
"Please, you f-I mean, Kazekage-sama!" Shikamaru shouted, although it showed more frustration than fear. "You know I would never disrespect your sister!!"
Gaara's face, normally impassive and emotionless, scrunched up in anger. "I think we should prescribe something for that attitude of yours!! But what…oh yes! Sabaku Sousou!!"
Before he could even begin the jutsu, Tsunade ran in the middle, and with a super-strong chop, broke the sand apart. The two kages stared at each other for the longest time; the guards were worried that the two would get violent. If so, not only would the alliance be broken, but Konoha would then have to put up with one more enemy.
Finally, Tsunade broke the silence. "Kazekage-sama…as glad as I am to see you, I cannot ignore the fact that, just a moment ago, it looked like you were about to kill one of my most valuable ninjas. Would you care to explain?"
Gaara's face softened, and returned to normal. Taking deep breath, he began to explain. "Though I told both you and the Suna council that my intentions for coming here was to discuss the war and alliances, my real intention was to visit my sister. I was…worried sick about her since you gave word that she was badly injured during a surprise attack here. Though I did not lie to you or the council, I used this opportunity to make sure she's alright. And what do I see?" Gaara's face twisted in anger again, and accusingly pointed a finger at Shikamaru. "This…PARASITE!!...violating my sister!!"
Shikamaru, still more annoyed than afraid, retorted back "If I was 'violating' her like you claim, don't you think I would have been the one on top!?" Suddenly, a blunted kunai struck Shikamaru right in the forehead, causing him to grab it pain.
"Shikamaru, you DO NOT give details on that sort of thing!!" Temari, her hair undone and clothes wrinkled, walked in. Before she said another word, she jumped up and whacked her younger brother across the forehead.
"Ahh, it's just as I thought." Tsunade's suspicion was confirmed; under normal circumstances, his sand would have protected him. But that's when he had Shukaku…
"AND YOU!!" Temari yelled at her "younger" brother. "I'm a grown woman!! I don't want your 'protection', and I certainly do not need it for relationships! I'm fully recovered, and I was in TOTAL control of everything!!" Temari's mood suddenly changed. She placed her hands on her hips, and smirked at him. "Besides…if you kill someone here, Konoha will then have TWO enemies. A certain someone you know from here would not appreciate it, now would he?"
Gaara's face twitched. He then muttered several incoherent mutterings, none of which he completed. Tsunade saw this in large families all the time; it was a simple sibling argument. Eventually, he gave up, and finally muttered "I wasn't REALLY going to kill him." Gaara turned toward Tsunade and bowed. "My apologies, Hokage-sama. Perhaps it is best that we forget my rude behavior for now, and move on to more important business."
Tsunade nodded, and said "Apology accepted." She gestured with her hand "Please, have a seat."
Sakura sat in on her bed, facing the mirror. It wasn't a day off, but she still had time before Yuji's next training session. She had to do something first; she had to confront Naruto about their relationship. She had practical reasons for doing it now; if she did not take care of it now, it would stay on her mind during training, and therefore she would not be able to teach Yuji as effectively. At least, that's what she told herself. Maybe it was just an excuse. Regardless, she began rehearsing.
"Naruto…Yuji is doing well. VERY well. With his training, I mean, and…shit. That will never work!!" She continued to practice in front of the mirror, trying every intro she could think of, but nothing came out right. It wasn't long before she gave up, and she sat at the edge of her bed, crying silently. Then, unconsciously, she began to speak out loud
"Please, Naruto. Don't do this. It was wrong of me to hide your true heritage from you. I know that now. I was afraid. But I don't want what happened now to break up Team 7 forever. No…it's more than that. You're my best friend, and so much more. I…" The last part was coming out, and even though she was by herself, a part of her did not want to hear her say it out loud. Barely above a whisper, she spoke it. "…I love you."
Saying out loud, even to her reflection in the mirror, freed Sakura in a way that she could not describe. And it was all true; she realized she loved Naruto with all her heart. He was always there for her, he cared for her more than anything in the world…and for years, without her knowing, she wanted to return that love. Sakura stared at her reflection, and despite her red eyes, could not help but smile at herself. She ran out of the house, determined to tell Naruto how she felt. No matter what happened, she had to let him know her true feelings…
Hinata figured she should be relaxing, given the fact that the academy had closed down. But instead, the war had made her the errand girl for the Hokage. Though it did annoy her to some degree, she acknowledged someone had to do it, and most of her comrades had been given more important jobs. That was another fact that annoyed her, although it was nobody's fault; she was considered too weak to depend on in battle. She could be sent to the frontlines if the war got really bad…but to wish for that would mean sentencing a good number of her comrades to death. That was something she would never want, and though some of her higher-ranking peers might laugh at the idea, she would give her life to prevent that. As she entered the street, she bumped into someone. Someone familiar. "Shino-kun!!"
"Hinata…how've you been?" Shino didn't change much over the years, but now, in battle, he wore a complete shade and cloth mask over his face. From what she understood, he was now using insects that even he had difficulty controlling, which from what she heard from his father secreted a toxin that no one in the Abumare clan could stand, and now he had to protect himself.
"Is it going well out there?" Hinata asked, truly hopeful the war would come to an end.
Shino barely nodded, but she caught it. "No. They will most likely have to send almost every available shinobi they have to the front. Pray it doesn't come to that." Shino never expressed much emotion, but he considered Hinata to be the sister he never had. Even though he felt bad for Hinata not obtaining jonin rank, in some ways, he was glad; the way things were right now, he would've feared for her life if sending her out happened. "Listen, I've already reported to the Hokage. She wanted me to find you and let you know she needs this week's documents."
Hinata nodded and replied "Yes, I was on my way over there right now."
"Very well. I don't have much time; I just came back for food and weapons. I'll be going back out by tonight probably. I'll tell Kiba you said hello." With that, the two former members of Team 8 went their separate ways.
"Perhaps it was a mistake to go down here myself." Naruto muttered. He couldn't lie; he couldn't get over the fact that the village never told him who his father was. Camping on the training fields had given him a much needed relief. But now, to come back into the village, and to see everyone simply go about their lives without paying him any heed…it bothered him to no end. "Best get to the store and get out." he reminded himself.
Sakura ran through the streets, determined to look for Naruto. Eventually, it occurred to her that Naruto would go to the extreme and camp out on whatever training field he was assigned. He did it during his elemental composition training; he had even more reason to do it now.
"Hey, Sakura!"
Sakura turned around to see Chouji, wearing full armor. Even though he was ready for battle, it seemed all he was doing at the moment was casually strolling down the street, munching on a bag of potato chips. "Chouji! How's it going?" Sakura shouted back with almost fake enthusiasm.
Chouji's face grimaced in anguish at the question. "Not so good. The war is getting really ugly right now. Ino broke a leg while on a mission. She's fully recovered, thanks to Hokage-sama, but she forced her back to the front again. I'm…" Chouji paused, looking sideways and trying to choose his words carefully. "…I'm worried." Sakura could tell what he really wanted to say was 'angry', but they both knew Tsunade had valid reasons to put her back into the line of fire almost immediately. Chouji wouldn't dare say anything ill about the Hokage during desperate times.
"Listen, I'm sorry to bother you, but by any chance have you seen Naruto?" Sakura asked, not wishing to waste anymore time.
Chouji's eyes lightened up at the sound of his name. "Yeah! I saw him walk down the street that way!" he exclaimed, pointing towards downtown. "But for some reason, he looked upset. Sakura, do you happen to know anything about it?"
Sakura's head hung down in shame. "Yes…it's my fault he's that way." Her head then rose, and she sprinted in the direction he pointed. "But I'm going to set things right!" she shouted.
Without a sideways glance, Sakura sprinted towards downtown. Chouji, though not fully understanding the situation, knew exactly what to say. "Good luck!!"
Naruto got out of the grocery store in as quickly as he could. Emotionally, he was still a wreck. Naruto briefly checked his grocery bag, making sure he got everything he wanted. He got lots of ramen, mostly for himself. He took the hint from his last team's training trip that they did not like to eat it on a long term basis. So, for Iori, he got some fruit and meat cubes, along with some oatmeal. "Okay, now to get some weapons. It's amazing how many of those we can waste at times." Naruto towards the weapon shop, not looking where he was going; his eyes were on the list, reminding himself of everything he needed. Suddenly, he bumped into someone. The first thing Naruto saw were stacks of papers flying everywhere, and then the person crouching down to get them.
"S-Sorry!"
That voice…it sounded familiar. Naruto crouched down, and immediately recognized her. "Hinata?"
Hinata looked up in shock, and her face went so red Naruto worried for a second that her skin disappeared. "N-Naruto-kun!! It's b-been a while!"
Naruto helped her gather the papers, and handed them to her. As he helped her up, he replied "It has. How's Neji doing?"
Hinata's head hung low slightly. "Not well. He has not adapted very well to a forced retirement in the slightest. Ninjutsu is the only thing he's ever known; how can he hope to find happiness now?"
Naruto's head turned away, too scared to face the Hyugga. "It was my fault. That fight back then…I should have been the one, but I took him up on his offer when he insisted I go to help my students while he fought the Raikage. It should have been me…I defeated him in the end anyway." Naruto then faced her and bowed to Hinata. "Hinata, I'm sorry."
Hinata was a bit shocked at the gesture. She knew Naruto to be brash, confident…but never apologetic "Y-you have nothing to be sorry about, Naruto-kun!!" she assured him, clutching the papers tightly, still feeling unexpectedly nervous. "Neji-nisan made his choice that day, and he doesn't blame you at all for what happened to him!!"
Naruto stood straight, and gave her an uneasy look, despite the smile plastered on it. It was the kind of face one showed when he was ashamed of something, even after being told he was not to blame. From there, nothing more could be said about the subject. Almost unconsciously, the two walked together down the street.
"Perhaps he's heading my way. This could be a good chance to…" The first thing that immediately came to mind was a date. She didn't expect much to happen…but it was a tempting fantasy. However, she quickly pushed it to the back of her mind. She knew Naruto was dating Sakura now; he always had a crush on the pink-haired kunoichi since the academy opened. She felt happy for him now, to get the girl of his dreams. And she was quite a girl; Sakura had abilities Hinata could never hope to attain. In many ways, she thought of her as her own heroine, if she had to choose one. While she annoyed Hinata to no end with her baseless crush on Sasuke back in the day, now Hinata wished to have her confident and outgoing personality. Overall, it was impossible to hold a grudge against Sakura now.
"So, Hinata…did the old hag send you out into battle at all?" Naruto didn't like the idea of seeing his friends go out to war, but it was reality now, and being part of Konoha's military force, they had to do it. He hated the idea of it even more considering his now strained relationship with the Hokage…
"No….in some ways, I'm both glad and angry at that fact."
"Huh?"
"Well, even though I will gladly carry out my duties as a shinobi…I hate fighting. I don't like hurting other people, and I know this sounds cowardly….but I don't want to be killed myself."
To her surprise, Naruto smiled good-naturedly like he always did at that statement, scratching the back of his head like it was no big deal. "Pretty much everyone here feels the same way. You've got nothing to be ashamed of, so long as you don't abandon your precious people." Truthfully, Naruto was beginning to question what a truly precious person was. But he would not let Hinata hear about that; whatever issues he had with the village, he would not force them upon the former rookie 9 he was once apart of. Minus Sakura, they had nothing to do with the elders' and Hokage's decision.
"O-of course, Naruto-kun."
"I get the part about you being happy about not fighting, but what about the part about you being angry?"
Hinata averted her gaze and stared at the ground as they walked down. "Hokage-sama didn't send me to the front because she thinks I am unreliable. Naruto-kun…" She faced him now, tears falling down. "It hurts so much when you've worked so hard to prove yourself to everyone, and yet you're still viewed as useless!"
Naruto's mouth almost opened agape in response to her proclamation. He knew too well what that was like; he struggled his whole life to catch up with his peers. After he came back from training, he worried that his former classmates were still way ahead of him. There was a point in time where Jiraya had to explain to him that his classmates' abilities only made them look like they surpassed him, but in truth in improving the techniques he already had, he could still beat them. "Hinata, I know that feeling like you never will. No one ever acknowledged me back then. But now…" Though the black-haired kunoichi could not tell, he put on a fake smile; for her sake. "…I must be worth something to them if I've come this far!"
Hinata seemed to calm down a bit at the statement. "O-of course. How stupid of me. I know it was difficult for you back at the academy too. I saw you struggle, and…and I'm sorry I didn't help you before."
"Oh, don't worry about it." Naruto replied, grinning as usual.
Hinata looked away, and smiled slightly. If there was one thing she would always love about him, it was the fact that he would never let past sins get in the way of forming bonds with those around him. The two continued walking down the road. "As upset as I am with the Hokage not sending me into battle with Kiba-kun and Shino-kun…I don't blame her. My skills have not developed past high chunin level. As it is right now, she has to send the best in to insure the war will end. By the time she really does have to rely on ninja like me…it will mean that things have gotten really bad. Even so…" Her voice lowered to above a whisper, and her hands clutched the papers tightly. "…I really hope she would at least give me a chance. That's all I want."
Naruto sympathized with her. He really did. "I guess, at least until I figure out what to do with the rest of my life, I'll follow that same nindo I have been for years. Just one more time." Without any warning, he delicately cupped Hinata's chin.
The kunoichi immediately turned red again in reaction to his touch. "His hand…it feels nice…"
"Hinata…" Naruto began, his voice unusually serious. "…I know it hurts when you want to be part of something big but no one wants you around. But believe me…everyone gets a chance to prove themselves. I just know you'll get yours. Remember when you fought Neji?"
Hinata nodded slightly, preferring not to remember the fight, especially when the relationship between the two cousins improved so much. Besides…she lost that fight.
"To many that battle might have been a failure. But trust me, it wasn't. It's still too soon to call it a victory or defeat. The real battle was not against Neji, but against everyone who ever doubted you."
Hinata was struck by those words, and truthfully it made her feel a bit better. She didn't get it entirely, but she got the drift of what he was saying. "So…does that help make you feel any better?" Naruto smiled. Unexpectedly, Hinata dropped her stack, the papers miraculously staying in place, and caught him in an embrace, catching the jinchuriki off guard. "Hinata, what are you…" Before anymore could be said, the kunoichi kissed him on the cheek….
Unknown to either one of them, Sakura watched the whole thing from the other side of the street. Sakura didn't scream or march over; she simply froze. It was like a knife to the gut; for the first time in their relationship, whether as friends or lovers, a huge rift formed between them.
And now that rift seemed to have severed the bond they shared. Sakura knew Hinata always liked Naruto, but she could have never imagined an outcome like this! "Then again…it could just be a work of karma." Sakura shunned Naruto, like most everyone else, when she was young. But Hinata always saw that inside of him was a true shinobi. Sakura guessed that it was some divine punishment for contributing to the loneliness Naruto felt. Without a second thought, Sakura ran in the opposite direction, unable to take the sight before her.
As soon as Hinata released Naruto, she just stared at him in shock, then fright, and Naruto did the same. Realizing what she had just done, Hinata quickly turned around, blushing furiously. "Oh no…what have I done!?" It was probably long enough for most people to lose patience, but after a good five minutes, Hinata turned around and to her relief, saw Naruto was still there. Quickly, Hinata bowed apologetically. "Naruto-kun, I'm so sorry!!" She rose, but couldn't look him in the eye. "I-I know you're dating Sakura-san, and I don't want to get between you two."
Naruto blinked at the statement, and for a moment, felt a feeling of warmth at the mention of Sakura's name. Quickly, and with more effort than he thought was needed given the circumstances, pushed it into the back of his mind. Chuckling a bit uneasily, he said "Oh, don't worry about it. You just caught me by surprise, that's all."
Hinata gave a slight smile in relief, then took a good look at her watch. Her eyes widened in panic as she realized what time it was. "AHH! I was supposed to be at the Hokage's ten minutes ago!!" Quickly, she bowed to Naruto again. "Thank you, Naruto-kun!! What you said made me feel so much better already!!" With that, she practically sprinted down the street towards the Hokage tower.
Naruto sighed, and gave himself a small smile. "She is pretty cute. I bet she'll make someone very happy someday." For some reason, that small chat he had with Hinata made him feel better as well. It wasn't anything Hinata said or did that made him happier than he had been for quite sometime; it was just the fact that Naruto found someone that he had no reason to be angry at. After hanging on to the anger of being kept secrets from for so long, he now felt that he could at least manage it better. "Even if I can't forgive…Tsunade and the others…for those in this village, those who are truly good and have never done anything to hurt me…for them, I will fight." Naruto, more focused and sure than he had felt for a long time, focused once more on getting to the weapon shop.
"Rasengan!!" As Iori shouted the technique, she rammed the sphere into a rock and pulverized it completely, dust and its scattered remains flying in the air. It was their final day of training, and Iori had finally been able to use the Rasengan.
It was an impressive feat, and Naruto couldn't be prouder. However, he wouldn't consider it mastery; right now, it took her too long to charge it up. Under the right circumstances, she could use it in battle…but the battlefield never gave one the right circumstances. After he advised using a kage bushin to help, Iori tried, but she could not focus her chakra on two different techniques at once. "Well, even if she wouldn't be able to use the jutsu, the kage bushin and her biju powers should help enough." As Iori panted, Naruto walked up to her and firmly patted her on the shoulders. "Great job , Iori!! You still have things you've got to work on with that jutsu…but for now, they're going to have to wait." Iori turned to face him; her face showed that she appreciated the complements, but at the same time was disappointed that she did not really master the jutsu. "Don't worry, Iori. You ARE getting it, you WILL get it. Whatever you do though, don't write this technique off; an opportunity might arise to use it."
Iori then gave a full smile, but it still contained some sadness. "Thank you sensei. This is the best birthday present I've ever gotten…though granted, I haven't received any in a long time too."
Naruto's eyes widened when she said that. "T-Today is your birthday!?" He received the papers with their personal information, but Naruto obviously didn't look at them hard enough! Nearly flailing his arms in panic, he grabbed her arm and began to jog with her out of the training grounds "AAHHH!! I'm so sorry, Iori!! C'mon!! It's still a reasonable hour!! We can go out and celebra-"
"Thanks, sensei!!..." Iori nearly screamed, and pulled her wrist away from him "…but I prefer to be alone tonight." Iori walked away from the stunned Naruto with her head down, and hands behind her back.
Naruto could not believe what she was saying. He never really had many good birthdays either, but ever since he became a part of Team 7 and met Jiraya, that changed. Naruto still remembered when Jiraya gave him a present on his thirteenth birthday; he was so clueless that he didn't even know people were supposed to get presents on their birthdays. Naruto gripped her shoulder, and nearly shouted "What the hell are you talking about!? You turn 13 today!! Why in the world would you be sad on your own birthday!?"
Iori turned around, and looked at Naruto with a face that had no happiness whatsoever. "Today is also the day my father died."
Stunned by the streak of bad luck Iori had her whole life, Naruto let her go. He simply watched as she disappeared from sight, feeling completely helpless to do anything about it.
"Come on, it'll be my treat." Sakura said to Yuji, not even looking his way. Even she had to admit that since the shock of seeing Naruto and Hinata together, her training regimen was getting much harder. But Yuji still managed to improve, and it was the last day. Truthfully, she felt he had done a great job. He got the super strength down pat; it had to be another part of his kekkei genkai, because no genin had chakra control like he did except for those in his immediate family. He learned some medical jutsu, but for some reason it looked like it would take him just as long as it had her to master those abilities, and the war had no place for amateur skills. Since focusing on medical ninjutsu in this short time period would be a waste, she simply gave him lessons on basic first aid.
She looked back to Yuji, who was holding his arm in exhaustion. He also ditched his glasses for some contact lenses, via her recommendation. She felt it was only proper to give him a reward to being this dedicated, and on his last day too. So, she took him to her favorite restaurant. "Is this place any good?" Yuji asked. "I hope it has a lot of meat, cause I think your workouts have made my metabolism jump through the roof."
For what was supposed to be a celebration, Sakura sounded pretty gloom. "I'm sure they'll have plenty of things to your liking." With that, Sakura strode inside.
"You know, for wanting to treat someone, you don't look too happy." Yuji commented.
"Ikamatsu!!" Yuji shouted on his SEVENTH meat lovers special.
Sakura only stared in shock as Yuji gulped it down as if he was starving to death the hour before. His body didn't seem to be gaining any weight either. "What we would have given back then to learn his secret." Sakura thought, thinking back to the times when Sakura and Ino took dieting to the extreme. She then looked inside her wallet and then panicked. She could still pay for him…but then she would be flat broke.
"Oh man, you weren't kidding Sakura-sensei!! The beef here is fantastic!!" Yuji enthusiastically pushed his plate forward and yelled "More please!!"
Without warning, Sakura slammed all of her money on the counter and yelled "Keep the change!" as she dragged Yuji out sprinting.
"For such a little guy, you sure eat a lot." Sakura muttered.
Yuji scratched the back of his head , slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, I get that a lot." Unconsciously, the two stopped in the street, looking at the night sky. "You know, Sakura-sensei? I've been waiting for a chance to prove myself to everyone. At first, after being promoted, I thought this war would be the perfect opportunity to do that. But just within the first few days, a cousin of mine came back…dead. I've been hearing rumors that already, so many are being hurt so bad to the point they have to retire. I wanted to show everyone how strong I really can be…" Then he looked at Sakura, troubled. "…but to do so, do I have to count on the tragedies of others to occur first? As ninja, aren't we simply waiting for someone to suffer so we can make ourselves useful, for better or worse?"
Sakura was stunned by the wise-sounding words Yuji spoke. Turning away slightly, she answered "I never really thought about it like that. But I'm sure that you're thoughts have some merit."
After another moment of silence, Yuji turned around and bowed to Sakura. "Sakura-sensei, I know I've said this a million times…but thank you. I've learned things I could have never imagined, and I feel I can call myself a true shinobi now." Yuji rose, and smiled at Sakura. "I hope we both make it out alive of this; especially for Naruto-sensei's sake."
Sakura forced a smile in response and replied yes. She had to admit, Yuji became the little brother she never had. But the truth was, even with all this, she wasn't happy, even though she knew damn well she should have. As Yuji started to walk down the street, something snapped in Sakura. "Naruto and I might be separated forever because I was too afraid to tell him the truth." She clenched her fists and thought "I won't make the same mistake again." She ran towards the chunin. "Yuji!! Wait!"
Yuji stopped, and turned with a confused look on his face. "Huh? What is it, Sakura-sensei?"
Sakura glanced behind her, trying to think of the best way to put it into words. "To be honest, Naruto and I had a big fight. It's all because I kept something secret from him when I know in my heart that I shouldn't have." Yuji was then giving her an even more confused look. "And I don't want to keep secrets from you. Yuji: I accompanied your father on his last mission." Upon hearing this, Yuji's eyes widened in shock. Sakura proceeded to tell him everything that happened on that mission gone bad.
The entire time, Yuji's face was unmoving. When her story finally ended, Sakura finally said "Yuji, I'm so sorry. I failed you before I even met you, and I failed my duty as a medic nin. I'd like for you to forgive me…but I won't blame you if you decide not to. I…I just hope that everything I have taught you will not only enable you to survive, but to protect the lives of those precious to you as well. And for what it's worth, you've got more talent than you…or anyone you've ever known…has given you credit for." With that, Sakura bowed this time, and turned away.
For a good minute, maybe even less, she walked down the alley without a thought in the world, undisturbed. Suddenly, two arms wrapped around her waist. Just by feeling the size of them, she knew it was Yuji. For the longest time, the young one held her; it was not a romantic embrace like she had been receiving recently from the boy's official sensei. It was more like…she didn't know. From a sibling, perhaps? That was her best guest. Even though it wasn't as comforting as her now ex-boyfriend's hugs were, it still managed to get the job done. When Yuji released her, she turned around in shock to find him crying. "T-Thank you, Sakura-se…Sakura-neesan. I'm glad that the last comrade my father could spend his last mission with was you. And you have no idea how long I've waited for him to tell me that."
Sakura didn't want to tell him that she wrote he and his mother; it was obvious from the start that he had no knowledge of any such letter. Just as long as she got the message across. With that, Yuji took to the rooftops. Sakura, despite the depressing situation she put the both of them in, had to smile. She had found one more precious person to protect…and this time, she would NOT fail.
Sakura made her way towards the Hokage tower, several things on her mind. It felt good…really good, to be thought of as an older sister to someone. However, what should have made her happy did little to help her forget the pain of her break-up. "Now is not the time. Tomorrow, I go to the battlefield. I need to stay focused if any of our own are to be saved. Besides…I need to tell Tsunade everything I've learned about Yuji." As she made her way up the stairs, she began hearing something from Tsunade's office. It sounded like…shouting. As she walked closer, she began to recognize the voice shouting. "Father!?"
This time, she ran into the office without asking the guards' permission; she didn't need it anyway, as being the Hokage's apprentice did have certain privileges. The instant she flew the doors open, she found them: her father, Shiroarashi, looking furious, and Tsunade, sitting in her chair with a cool demeanor. But Sakura knew Tsunade long enough to recognize the fury beneath her eyes that was waiting to be unleashed. "How dare you do this!?" Shiroarashi yelled. "What business does even the Hokage have to meddle in my own affairs!?" Her father slammed both of his fists right at the front of Tsunade's desk, abandoning the cool and emotionless demeanor he was usually known for.
Tsunade, however, was unresponsive; she simply stared forward, her hands folded underneath her chin. But Sakura could tell that underneath the calm eyes, her master was furious. Tsunade had enough to deal with already, as the war was taking a huge toll on their soldiers. Sakura could only guess what this was about, and when Tsunade spoke, it was confirmed. "With all due respect, Haruno-san, I cannot afford to have your daughter shipped off to the other side of the country and settle down. She is the best medic this village has ever seen next to me, and a capable fighter. And both are in very short supply right now. But if it will appease you, I will give you two choices: one, you can go ahead and proceed with the marriage you have planned from your daughter. And then, supposing we win this war, when the families of those who lost their lives demand an answer for why their loved ones were not could not be saved, I can simply tell them that Haruno Shiroarashi made my best medic a bride, and that I respected his wishes. I'll certainly take a lot of blame myself, but you'll definitely get your fair share. A share I think will be too much for an 'honorable' man like you." Shiroarashi's eyes widened at the statement, then proceeded to grit his teeth even more. "Then there's the second option: put the wedding on hold. I'm sure your daughter will make it out okay. Besides, she's much stronger than you have EVER given her credit for, and if it's scars you're worried about, well, I'm sure this baron she's engaged to is aware that his bride to be was a KUNOICHI." The two just stared each other down; one was ready to explode, come up with any excuse. The other was prepared for a physical confrontation, and knew she had her guest trapped in terms of rationality.
With a forced snort, Shiroarashi banged her desk once more and took off. "I should've known to jump ship when a sentimental woman was chosen as leader of this village." Sakura felt like she was stabbed, even though the comment was not directed at her.
Tsunade didn't visibly react, but she truly contemplated snapping the man's neck at that moment, even in front of his daughter. "Honestly, Sakura, I don't know how you put up with that asshole!!" Tsunade shouted, throwing her arms up in the air.
Sakura, slightly embarrassed, muttered "You get used to it…although you never learn to like it."
Tsunade sat back down, and rubbed her temples again. She had been doing it a lot lately, and what infuriated her to no end was that she had no remedy for it; even she knew it was psychological. "First, business. What do you have to report from your training session with Yuji?"
Sakura straightened herself out, and began her report. "I have analyzed Yuji's unusual reflexes, and I believe I have sufficient evidence that it is indeed a new kekkei genkai. During our sparring sessions, I have paid close attention to certain patterns in the way he responded to my attacks. First off, he must be in an adrenalized state; if he is calm, he will not sense danger like expected, though he otherwise has the awareness of the average chunin. Also, once the kekkei genkai is activated, it will only last for ten minutes; after that, he's back to normal. I have also observed that when his sight, hearing, smell, and touch is blocked or weakened, the kekkei genkai is neutralized. Finally…I think his extraordinary chakra control may be part of the kekkei genkai itself. I don't have sufficient evidence…just a hunch, and for that I apologize." With that, Sakura bowed.
Tsunade, still unmoving, said "Very good. I'll be sure to make a note of that and inform Yuji. Now…" Tsunade stood up, and walked towards on of the book cabinets. After some searching, she finally pulled out a huge book, and heaved it onto her desk. "…let's see what we can do about this bullshit marriage of yours." Sakura wanted to say something, but she couldn't. "Some marriages like these work out well, but I know it's not and never was for you."
As she opened it to flip through the pages, Sakura then muttered "Shishou…you don't have to.."
At this Tsunade stopped, and gave her a look that was both sad and furious. "Do you know what you are saying!? You're about to be married to a complete stranger!! Why shouldn't I help my da- my apprentice!?"
Sakura stuttered around for a few seconds before finally bluttering out "Naruto found somebody else, okay!?" Another moment of silence. Tsunade was saddened at the idea of Naruto, after being devoted to Sakura as long as she knew him, moved on."Shishou…I discovered the secret of Minato Namikaze when I was fourteen. For four years, I kept that secret from Naruto. I knew all along in my heart it was wrong, but I was too afraid to tell him. It was partially because I figured that if everyone, including you, approved it, that I should trust you and the council. I'm not blaming you…I'm blaming me, not thinking for myself and hiding something important to the most important person in my life. And I blame myself for looking through things I wasn't supposed to in the first place. If he's found happiness elsewhere now,what right do I have to beg him to even be friends with me!? I don't blame him for the way he feels, shishou. He was alone for so long, and he can't handle the fact that he should have been loved by the village from the very beginning. If I were in his position, I would be just as angry as he is now."
"And what the hell does THAT have to do with you getting married against your will!?" Tsunade yelled angrily.
Sakura simply replied "It's no more than I deserve; Naruto had his world turned upside down, and I guess I'm willing to accept the same for myself. Besides….who knows, it might become the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"Sure, like you would want to spend the rest of your life as a subordinate both culturally and legally, to only speak up when you agree with him, to be forced to do chores and activities deemed fit only for women over what you love and truly meant to do….yeah, it sounds like the arrangement you've been waiting for since you were twelve years old." Tsunade continued to flip through the book, determined to find some loopholes. "Mark my words, I WILL break this engagement, Sakura. If you still want to get married to this baron, then I will not stop you; I will at least take comfort in knowing you truly chose to do that at least."
Tsunade didn't even say goodnight; too much was going on through her head. The war was bad enough. Then the girl she considered to be a daughter got hitched to a part of the royal family. Sure, she had seen wealth that even she envied. And though she did not want to generalize, having seen some couples live happily like in the fairy tales, the general trend between couples of the nobles was one based around dominance and status, not equality and love. Worse still, Sakura was actually considering it!! Even if she broke the engagement, she could do nothing to stop her if she wanted! "Naruto…please let it all go…"
The following morning, Naruto walked with Iori to the tower. Though they had grown close, something grew between them. Every time Iori asked about Sakura or the village, Naruto would do everything he could to get her to drop the subject. The similar experiences they shared drew them together, but whenever Iori tried to ask him about his personal life, he acted like he would try to force themselves apart. It bothered her to no end. She KNEW something happened between Naruto and the Konoha government, as well as Sakura. She decided to wait it out, seeing what would happen. It may not be the best decision, but she figured that if that didn't work, somebody would find the correct way. Finally, they arrived at the tower.
When Naruto opened it, he saw Tsunade in her seat as usual. Standing across from her were his other two students. But what really caught his attention was the man standing next to her. For the first time in a while, Naruto's expression turned into genuine happiness. "Gaara!!"
The Kazekage, unemotional as ever, nodded in acknowledgement. "How have you been, Naruto?" The two kept in touch, but this was the first time in three years that they saw each other face to face.
"I should ask…HOLY SHIT, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?" Naruto pointed a finger in amazement at Gaara's height and build, stating "Y-YOU'RE HUGE!!" Naruto always bragged about how the one edge he had over the Kazekage was his taijutsu, but now it looked as though he may have to consider taking it back.
Gaara, impassive as ever, stated "Well, the council agreed a kage should be adept in all areas of combat, and feeling taijutsu was my weakness, I have trained hard to improve upon that." It was the most subtle way for Gaara to tell Naruto that without Shukaku, he had to rely more on his fists than sand. Clear that Naruto didn't get the hidden meaning behind that statement, Gaara continued. "Iwa as been as much an enemy of Suna has it has Konoha. Should Konoha be wiped out first, they will come after Suna next. Therefore, it is in our best interest to join forces and minimize casualties for each of us, as well as combine to make the most efficient attacks."
Naruto nodded in something of an agreement. His bitterness towards Tsunade was still affecting his judgment. Then he remembered his promise to himself after his meeting with Hinata. "Okay then. I won't let either of you down." He said, in an unusually calm tone. Naruto then looked at his two students, who he hadn't seen in over a month. "I take it the training you two received was worthwhile?"
Yuji nodded, a bit hesitantly, and Shiguri exclaimed " Your sensei was a pain in the ass. But, for what it is worth, he taught me a few things worth using."
With that, Naruto was about to order his team to move out. Then, something started to nag at him. Looking at Gaara, he realized he was the best person to talk to. "Guys…Hokage-sama…could you leave me and Gaara alone for a moment?"
Gaara knew something was wrong immediately. Naruto never addressed ANYONE politely. He heard him be affectionate with one person, but that was it. But he was a friend, and he knew whatever it was, it had to be between them. Gaara turned to his fire country counterpart, and asked "Hokage-sama, with your permission?"
Tsunade nodded, but before he stepped forward, she slipped him a piece of paper. "For Naruto's eyes only." She whispered.
With that, the two jinchuriki (or to be accurate, former and current jinchuriki) stepped outside.
"Gaara…you know that your dad was the Kazekage right?"
"Yes."
"And that he put that monster inside of you by sacrificing your mother."
"Yes."
Naruto took a moment to get his words right. He felt so certain asking him before; why did it not feel quite as right now? "How did it feel, knowing that your father did these terrible things to you, and how the village treated you even though you were his son?"
Gaara took a minute to think about that. He knew the difference between what one felt on the surface and what one truly felt from within. At least, nowadays he did. He remembered back in his youth how sure he was that he hated everything and felt nothing but anger; but in truth, what he really felt was sadness, and simply wished to be loved. "Truthfully, Naruto, back then I believed I did hate them. I truly did hate my father for what he did to me. But that's in the past. My father got what he deserved, and the people of Suna, except for the council anyway, have learned from their mistakes. Holding a grudge now is pointless. They proved that to me, when you and Chiyo-basama saved me. Never in my life did I imagine anyone coming to save and mourn me."
Naruto took in what Gaara said. It still wasn't quite the answer he was looking for. "Then what am I looking for?" Naruto thought to himself. Naruto sighed and said "Thanks for trying to help anyway, Gaara. I better get going."
As he turned to leave, Gaara grabbed his shoulder. "Wait. Tsunade-sama wanted me to give this to you."
Naruto turned around, and a letter of some kind was placed in his hand. He looked at it, afraid of what was inside. "What's in it?" Naruto asked, deciding it might be better to ask someone.
"She said it was for you, and you alone to look at." Gaara replied.
Naruto looked back at the letter, and stuffed it in one of his vest pockets. "Good luck with everything, Gaara."
"Same to you."
With that, Naruto got his team together, and they headed out towards the main gates. Unknown to any of them, an ANBU was watching them from afar. An ANBU with pink hair. Though Sakura was crying silently beneath her mask, she made no motion to stop him, even for a moment. Once Team 12 passed the gates, Sakura took off, almost perpendicular to them. Little did the two members of Team 7 from the past know, their destinies would only be intertwined again. Kizu, watching from atop Danzou's roof, would make sure of that.
Next chapter, Naruto and Sakura go to war!! The blond jinchuriki faces off against Deidara. Naruto's team gives him an advantage…until Deidara brings out his own! Plus, how will Sakura's friends react to her engagement? Also, Sasuke begins his journey anew with Midoriiro.
I would also like to add something about the Ainu in this story. They, nor Iwa's policies against them (which you will learn more about in the future), are not an accurate reflection of the real people and their history. I'm simply using the word to apply to another group of people I'm essentially making up, and I chose to use the Ainu as a base because they are one of Japan's few ethnic minorities who lived in Hokkaido long before they did.
Midoriiro Gaikai-Emerald Ocean