A/n Another chapter for you guys; the support is really appreciated, so thank you. I received 10 reviews for the last chapter, the most I ever received for one chapter so far. It is definitely motivating to get up and write some more. Well, y'all don't want to hear from me, so let's get into the chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
P.S My Profile picture has changed please look at it for an idea of how Sasuke in my story looks. This is just her face. I found the image on google and it is exactly how I picture her, when Sasuke changes her outfit I will change the story picture to match the design idea, but again my profile picture is the best image I could find of my Sasuke's face so please check it out.
Chapter 5
Who Are You Really.
"What do you want Kakashi!" Sasuke spat at Kakashi.
"Settle down Sasuke-chan I was just in the neighborhood when I'd thought I'd swing by. No reason to be so ... aggressive."
"At least this time, I was home when you trespassed into my clan's compound. Now, what do you want?" She replied flatly.
"It's about Naruto, but if you wanted to talk at another time, I can just leave..." Kakashi said shrugging his shoulders as he turned to leave.
Is it about the scrolls?
"Wait, What about Naruto?" She couldn't contain her curiosity; she needed to see if her assumptions about Naruto being the son of Minato the 4th hokage was correct.
"How about I come in?" Kakashi was now turned to face her again.
She watched his one eye flick to her exposed skin. She glared at him turning to walk away quickly from his sight. He was getting an eyeful of her form. She left the door open when she left the front door, she assumed he'd let himself in again.
Damn pervert, he dares look at me. One of these days I'm going to get back at him for this!
She practically ran to her room, shutting the door before quickly changing. She threw on her usual nightwear: some short spandex shorts that barely stopped just under her butt and a hoodie. She paused as she went to exit the room, thinking about how Kakashi's lecherous gaze was on her a few minutes before; she went back and threw on a pair of sweatpants as well.
She exited her room and found Kakashi sitting on her couch, her front door closed. He was half-heartedly reading his perverted book. He noticed her arrival.
"Well, even your nightwear is also very ambiguous. Do you have something against female clothing?"
Sasuke scowled at him.
"Well, I usually don't wear the pants, but I see that my sensei mind has been rotted by that perverted book."
"Well, I am your sensei, and I'd like us to have a friendly relationship. I am also male and human." He responded nonchalantly.
Sasuke just narrowed his eyes at him in a deadly glare.
So, he was checking me out… I'll defiantly kill or maim him.
"What did you want to tell me about Naruto?" she didn't even try to keep the annoyance of out her tone.
She asked trying to change the subject off her appearance. But Kakashi didn't seem to want to move forward.
"You could also consider growing out your hair. It may help people identify you as female more easily."
Kakashi looked at Sasuke. She stood in front of him, arms crossed in front of her. She wore a black hoodie with the Uchiha clan symbol on the upper left breast. Speaking of breasts, if Sasuke's two teammates could see her now, the jonin was sure that they'd faint. No one on the planet could confuse the Uchiha's gender now. Her breasts were poking out from under the hoodie. Kakashi wasn't an expert in female breast sizes, like some other men, but he'd guess that the Uchiha carried at least a pair of DD. He presumed that the only way those melons were concealable was because Sasuke wore multiple layers of bandages around her, that along with her typically loose-fitting shirt helped hide those things.
She must wrap them tight; that has to hurt. Kakashi pondered.
As if confirming his thoughts, he watched her shift under his gaze slightly, rubbing the sides of her breast to relieve some unseen pain.
Sasuke wore black matching sweatpants. Her short black wild hair framed her face, he noticed it still appeared damp so it wasn't as wild as it usually would be. Her unflawed skin and perfectly symmetrical and smooth face was twisted in a hateful glare. Obviously, she wasn't appreciating his observational gaze.
He looked away from her to his book deciding not to tempt the Uchiha into violence against him.
"I didn't invite you inside for fashion tips, but I don't care if ignorant people misidentify me. Their opinions do not move me." She said coldly.
"Even Naruto's?" He watched her flinch, but her glare did not cease.
"Why are you here?" She asked again ignoring his question.
Kakashi sighed.
Tough cookie.
"Naruto mentioned that. He wanted to tell you and Sakura about his parents."
Sasuke dropped her glare and replaced it with an expressionless scowl. Sitting down on the far end of the couch, she brought her feet onto it as she turned to face Kakashi, sitting towards her sensei.
"What about them?"
Kakashi gave no visual clue as to what he was thinking and she couldn't see his eye because he was looking at his book as he talked.
"I advised him, against telling you two still. His parents had a lot of…enemies. It would just put him in more danger if it was public knowledge."
It has to be the 4th then.
"It was Minato Namikaze, the 4th Hokage, wasn't it? Naruto's father was the 4th Hokage," she spoke.
Kakashi looked at her his eye held a surprised look for a brief moment, but it was all she needed to confirm her suspicions.
"Why isn't anyone talking about that?" Sasuke said it didn't make sense to her. Naruto's lineage would make him far more important in the eyes of the village. Being related to a leader of Konoha, a hidden village, would have equal if not more perks than being born of one of its noble clans. Naruto was treated like less than dirt by not only her classmates and others from the academy but also by the villagers. The villagers seemed to detest the boy; he was only treated like that because he had no one to help him defend himself. He was a nobody to everybody. If his lineage was exposed, the shame that she was sure most of the people would feel would bring them to death.
"I told Naruto it is ultimately up to him whether or not he shares his lineage with someone, although as his sensei, I advised against it, for his protection and theirs. I will not speak on his lineage with you because it is not my place to confirm or deny your suspicion. I'd take it up with Naruto." He said shrugging before looking back at his book.
Sasuke scoffed rolling her eyes. Then why was he here?
"I can't believe Naruto is so… humble. I'd think with his brashness he'd throw it in people's faces." She thought out loud.
"Well, Naruto didn't find out about his parents until recently." Kakashi stated.
This surprised her.
Why are they hiding so much? What else is the Hokage hiding from us?
She just hummed a reply, thinking more about Naruto and his situation. A lot of things were still unclear, and Kakashi didn't really flat-out confirm her suspicion, but still, she was 99 percent certain that. Naruto father was Minato.
"I was close with both of Naruto's parents. They helped me a lot when I was your age. Naruto means a lot to me; he is the closes thing to family I have." Kakashi stated matter-of-factly.
Sasuke was surprised by this looking at Kakashi with a look. That probably matched her surprise.
He eye-smiled at her in return.
"He's like a younger brother. I'd like to build a relationship with each of you in such a way. Feel free to think of me as an older brother."
Sasuke face twisted in anger at this.
"Like I'd want a brother that looks at me perversely, I don't want nor need any more brothers." She spat coldly.
Kakashi sighed at this. "Well, I am sorry. Like I said earlier, I am a healthy young man. I didn't mean any harm. You caught me off guard, so again, I apologize. I do mean it, though. I'd like all of us to get along. Even you and Sakura."
"I don't care." She replied, crossing her arms and looking away.
"Why were you so angry at Sakura?"
Sasuke ignored him. She wasn't in the mood for a lecture, and it's not as though she even understood her actions herself.
Kakashi sighed seeing he wasn't getting anywhere with Sasuke with this approach.
Okay note to self: don't mention brothers or her jealousy towards Sakura
"You were all Naruto could talk about earlier. He really admires you." he said, trying another approach to get the Uchiha to open up.
At this, he saw her look at him, her face flushed before she turned to look at her lap. In that moment, in this attire, Sasuke was, without a doubt, feminine.
"He also mentioned that you use to wear your hair longer."
Sasuke eyes flashed towards him again, her cheeks were stained pink, her shy-looking face didn't match the heated look she gave him.
"What does it matter to you? My hair it short now."
"I was curious why you would cut it."
Because I let it grow after hearing Naruto liked long hair. And cut it because he wouldn't be around to see it plus it got in my eyes.
But she would never tell Kakashi that or Naruto for that matter.
Sasuke narrowed her eyes. "Why are you so curious?"
"Can't I get to know my students?" he replied.
"Most sensei don't show up in the middle of the night for chats like this." she shot back.
"Well, I am not like other sensei." He replied, his smile evident in his tone.
She scoffed again, turning her head away from him. She ignored him for a few minutes. Kakashi seemed fine with it, just reading his book in the silence.
"I used to wear it longer yes, but I decided to cut it." She wasn't sure why she was sharing this, but Kakashi pressing, then backing off when he felt her get to upset made her realize he was being genuine and had no other agenda.
"I am aware, I am more interested in why you cut it. Naruto said it was the day after the genin exams, I find that …interesting was it because you thought it make you a more efficient shinobi."
Sasuke shook her head. "No, I used to wear it in a similar style to Neji. I let it grow because I had motivation to do so at that time. After the genin exam, I no longer had that motivation. And people still mistook me for a boy then, so their goes that genus idea of yours." She replied smugly.
Kakashi seemed to think for a moment.
So, I can assume her motivation was Naruto, she thought he failed and cut her hair in response...cute.
"I know you said your mother liked your outfit. I'm sure it has sentimental value to you. So, I won't tell you to change it, and it is perfectly suitable attire for a shinobi, I can't help but feel if you changed it, you could find a way to use your womanly charms to make you a more effective kunoichi."
She thought about this for a moment. In the academy they learned that kunoichi have certain advantages when it comes to certain missions then their male counterparts. Most of it had to do with seduction and trickery, Sasuke wasn't too fond of the idea of being a seductress, though, so she didn't favor those lessons, nor did she intend to use the methods taught to them,
"I don't see myself as a seductress."
Kakashi laughed audibly at this. "I didn't mean that, no I couldn't see that either,"
Sasuke face redden in embarrassment, and she closed her fist in anger. Was he laughing at her because he didn't think she was attractive enough to seduce her targets!
Gathering his bearing, Kakashi continued "I just meant that if you considered changing your attire, you could possibly catch some shinobi off guard. Shinobi, especially men, tend to let their guards down at kunoichi. Although unwise and sexist, it is still true. Trust me, you will need any and every advantage you get in this life, no matter how small. Plus, you may earn yourself so wanted attention."
Kakashi glanced at the clock. He had already been here for 45 minutes.
"I'll leave you be now. Thanks for the chat, Sasuke-chan. Oh, by the way, Naruto also stated he liked your hair longer, better if that helps you make your decision." He teased.
Getting up and walking out. Sasuke tried to hit him with the door because of his remark as he left but missed, and the door slammed shut behind him. She could still hear his chuckle as he stepped away from her front porch. She locked the door and walked to her bedroom, thinking about all the things that she and Kakashi talked about.
Getting into bed, she let her mind ponder as she felt fatigue slowly consuming her body,
I guess I could let my hair grow back again, and maybe consider changing my attire…I wonder what Naruto would like…
Was her last thought before her consciousness gave way to sleep.
3 weeks later
It had been three weeks since Kakashi's late-night visit to Sasuke's house. In the three weeks since his visit, Sasuke and Naruto had managed to have dinner four more times. Sasuke had enjoyed spending time with Naruto but wouldn't admit it. They had changed locations too; the last three dinners they had together were at her clan compound, where she had the right to deny any unwanted guests.
That guest was Sakura Haruno. If Sasuke could murder their teammate and get away with it, she would. Sakura had been a pest; she practically changed her entire personality when it came to Naruto now.
Since his new wardrobe change, he had been getting a lot of attention from the pink-haired opportunist, and it annoyed and angered the Uchiha to no end. The reason she and Naruto now had their weekly dinners at her house was because of Sakura.
A week after Kakashi came over, she and Naruto were discussing their next dinner plans, and Sakura overheard them. She was more persistent on joining them that time, and much to Sasuke's displeasure, Naruto was just as eager for her to join. Sakura had joined them at Naruto's place for dinner, and the Uchiha couldn't stop herself from being petty.
She had refused to cook, throwing a half-hearted excuse of not being their personal chef as the reason for her quitting. It led to an interesting event, though. Naruto had managed to convince Sakura into trying to cook a meal for them. Whatever concoction the pink-haired banshee put together wasn't even remotely edible, and this satisfied the Uchiha greatly. They ended up ordering takeout instead. Sakura flirted a few times with Naruto, who was oblivious to her attempts. Sasuke was not, though, and it pissed her off to no end that the pink-haired nuisance was gaining an infatuation for Naruto. Although Kakashi wished for them to get along, Sasuke did not like Sakura. And all her reasons had something to do with Naruto. By the end of the dinner, Sasuke's mood was completely sour. The only good thing to come of it was her inviting Naruto to have their dinners at her house from then on; she then was able to not invite Sakura, and Sakura was wise enough not to ask.
Naruto had been very tired for the past three weeks. He only mentioned it was due to training and the massive amounts of shadow clones Naruto was using because of Kakashi's guidance. He often would show up late or in a hurry to be on time to their daily meetup spot. She had been worried he was overworking himself, but Kakashi wrote off her concerns, saying he'd be fine.
The past three weeks had been brutal for all of them, training-wise. Kakashi was a real slave driver. Sakura woke up early every morning just to be run literally into the ground by Kakashi. About noon every day started Sasuke's turn to be trained into the dirt by their sensei. Kakashi mainly focused on her chakra reserves; he'd have her go through her most powerful jutsu over and over until she was drained dry. He mentioned that the best way to increase one's chakra reserves was to completely empty it and allow her body to naturally recover it, increasing her chakra capacity bit by bit. It was extremely taxing work.
Naruto's training was more secretive; even Sakura noticed this. Naruto trained mostly after they did a D-rank assignment with Kakashi. She knew two things about Naruto's training from conversations with the blond: one, that it involved him attempting to pop different types of balls with his chakra; two, that Naruto was writing and practicing his calligraphy all day, every day, whenever he got the opportunity. She didn't know what for exactly, but whatever it was, he was really excited about it.
Speaking of Naruto, it's been three weeks since she developed her hypothesis that Naruto is the son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze, but in those three weeks, Naruto hadn't brought it up, much to her annoyance, and she didn't want to be too intrusive and raise questions from the blond that she didn't really want to answer. She was happy to know that Sakura also was still left in the dark as well. She knew more about Naruto than Sakura, at least still, and that oddly brought her comfort.
She was now sitting at their usual meeting spot in training ground 7, waiting for the rest of her team to show up. They were told to meet here today at 8 a.m., and she had arrived early as usual.
Sakura, as usual, was the next to arrive, wearing her usual red dress with spandex under it, her shinobi weapons pouch strapped to her right leg. When she approached Sasuke, she gave her a half-smile greeting her.
"Morning, Sasuke-kun," she said, not really even looking at her.
Sasuke ignored her as usual and didn't miss the annoyed look Sakura shot her way.
Their relationship had definitely become more strained. Sakura used to fangirl over her bad. Now she seemed to have found a new interest, which was Naruto Uzumaki, much to her annoyance and displeasure.
Sasuke hadn't changed her attire. It wasn't that she didn't plan to or that she wasn't going to. It was more that she seemed to be indecisive about what she should wear. Her new shinobi outfit had to still be suitable for her shinobi work but also comfortable and not ambiguous at all, as Kakashi likes to say.
She looked at Sakura again, taking in the girl's attire.
Naruto seems to still like Sakura. Maybe he likes girls in a dress?
Part of her was annoyed she was even thinking like this. None of this would matter in her fight with Itachi, but even she could see the wisdom in Kakashi's words about shinobi getting any advantage they could in a fight. She lied to herself and said that was the main reason she was considering the change.
She just found herself at a loss for style. She had worn the same clothes for years now, and who knew that changing your attire was so difficult. She needed advice but definitely was not going to ask Kakashi or Sakura for some. She'd just have to wait a little longer for inspiration.
She also had started growing her hair. Her hair grew quickly; just three weeks ago it didn't even reach her shoulders, stopping at her mid-neck. Now her hair was at her shoulders, still slightly shorter than Sakura's, but a few inches longer than what it was just three weeks ago.
Naruto showed up to their meeting spot a few minutes after Sakura. He greeted both of them with a friendly smile before taking a seat next to Sasuke. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Kakashi showed up, surprisingly close to being on time.
"Dang, Kakashi-sensei, I thought we'd be waiting for at least another 45 minute.," Naruto told their one-eyed Jonin instructor as he walked into the training field, joining them.
"I could always just go somewhere else, Naruto." Kakashi joked.
"No!" All three of his students said at the same time, none of them wanting to wait on their usually late sensei any longer than necessary.
"Alright, let's go, you three."
The three genin got up, following their instructor to the Hokage tower for another round of missions. Sasuke was internally grimacing at the thought of possibly having to find that damn cat Tora again. If that was their mission again, she might just make some mittens out of that cat.
They arrived at the Hokage tower, but the mission clerks at the first floor were all swamped with teams trying to get mission assignments. Kakashi sighed before leading his team up the stairs and to the 3rd floor, where the Hokage and a group of experienced mission clerks were located in a room, usually meant for C-rank mission assignments and higher.
Without knocking or with any care in the world, Kakashi led his team of genin into the room.
Sasuke had to keep herself from facepalming at her Jonin instructor's rudeness.
They walked into the room and were greeted by the sight of the Hokage smoking on his pipe, a stack of papers in front of him. He smiled at the three of them, his smile faltering slightly at looking at Naruto.
Sasuke turned to see Naruto giving the Hokage a heated glare before turning to stare at the wall instead of looking at the Hokage. It was obvious that Naruto had some sort of animosity towards the village leader. For what, Sasuke had no idea.
Next to the Hokage were some experienced clerks that the Uchiha wasn't familiar with, besides Iruka-sensei.
The Hokage spoke first, breaking the silence, "Hello, Kakashi. What do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"Me and my team want a mission." Kakashi said boredly, whipping out his book. He had his other hand in his pocket, and his posture screamed lazy.
The Hokage sighed. "This room is for mission assignments, yes, but only C-ranked and above missions are assigned here. You know this, Kakashi."
Kakashi just shrugged at this, and Naruto's head whipped towards the Hokage so fast, she thought it fly off.
"I WANT ONE!" Naruto said, shouting like an excited toddler.
The Hokage took a stress-relieving inhale of his pipe.
Iruka was the first to respond to Naruto's outburst.
"Naruto! Show some respect. You are in front of the Hokage and very experienced chunin. Don't be so brash!"
"But Iruka-sensei, I want a C-ranked assignment so bad. If I have to wash one more window or capture that damn cat one more time, I may just murder it!" Naruto said exasperatedly.
Sasuke saw Kakashi's eyes twinkle behind his book.
He brought us here, knowing that Naruto would complain about the D-ranked assignments! Sasuke thought to herself.
"Kakashi, what do you think? Is your team truly ready for more than D-ranked assignments?" The Hokage asked, eyeing the jonin.
She watched Kakashi shrug. "I don't know, but I do know that their teamwork has improved slightly. You never really know until you try," Kakashi responded flatly.
"I can't believe you are just ready to throw a brand new genin team into the fire like that, Kakashi! I'd expect you to be more responsible as a Jonin instructor," Iruka shot back.
Kakashi just ignored the chunin and continued reading, which Sasuke noted annoyed her former sensei greatly. The Hokage seemed to be thinking about what Kakashi had said; he turned his attention to Sakura, asking her.
"What do you think, Sakura Haruno? Would you like to take on a C-ranked assignment?" He asked kindly.
"Uh, Yes, Hokage-sama. I agree with Naruto. I also would like to attempt something more challenging."
The Hokage nodded before turning to her.
"And you, Sasuke Uchiha, how do you feel?"
"I would like a higher-ranking assignment as well." she had to admit that she too was tired of the chores they were being assigned.
"Okay, well I think I have just the mission. It is an easy bodyguard assignment that should provide your team with the change of pace they are looking for." the Hokage spoke to Kakashi.
At this, their sensei had put his book away, signifying that the Hokage had his full attention.
"But Hokage-sama, are you sure? This genin team is only three weeks old. It is far too soon for them to be given C-ranked assignments yet." Iruka argued worried about his former students.
"Kakashi is one of the best Jonin in the village, and this assignment will be far below his capabilities. I'm sure everything will be fine. Kakashi, take this." the Hokage spoke, handing Kakashi the mission profile. Kakashi took it before reading it over thoroughly.
"Your mission will be to escort the client, a bridge builder, to the Land of Waves. He isn't expecting any trouble outside of bandits and common thieves. The mission should take you about a month to complete, as you are to guard the builder until the bridge is complete. He just arrived today and is in a hurry to get back and complete the bridge. You have 3 hours to go and pack for the trip. I will have the client notified and meet you at the gates. Understood?"
"Understood." the four of them replied in unison. Kakashi turned to the three of them; Naruto was practically shaking in his pants at the excitement, Sakura seemed a bit nervous. Sasuke was feeling the same excitement Naruto felt but was hiding her emotions the best out of the three.
"I want you three to go home and pack all the supplies you will need for the journey. Make sure you pack at least 3 sets of clothes and enough food for two weeks. I will let you all decide what else you should bring. Meet me at the gate no more than 2 hours from now, got it!"
"Yes, sensei." they said in unison.
"Dismissed."
The three took off from there and out of the tower to pack for their upcoming mission. Exactly 3 hours later, Kakashi showed up at the gates with annoyed students looking at him. They had thought Kakashi gave them 2 hours because he wanted to speak to them about something before the client arrived.
Yet, he didn't show up until an hour after his time hack, which he gave to the three. Sasuke was glaring daggers at the lazy Jonin who arrived just barely on time to the 3 hours given by the Hokage.
"Well, I see you all made it on time… good, where is the builder?" He asked, ignoring the glares he received from the three.
"I don't know, sensei. He hasn't arrived yet." Sakura replied.
"Interesting." Kakashi said before whipping out his book and leaning against the wall next to the village's open gate.
They didn't have to wait too long for the client to arrive. When he did, Sasuke glanced at him through the side of her eye; he was an older man with a bit of a potbelly, wore glasses, and had a traveling pack on his back. He also had a sake bottle in his hand, which caused Sasuke to roll her eyes.
Great, we're escorting a drunk.
Upon joining their group, he spoke, "I assume you guys are Team 7 led by Kakashi."
Kakashi, hearing this, put his book away and addressed the man, "Yes, we are Team 7. I am Kakashi Hatake, the leader of Team 7. These are my genin: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki. It is our pleasure to be escorting you today."
The man took a long sip from his sake bottle, eyeing Kakashi, then Sakura, then her, and lastly Naruto. His eyes were scrutinizing them, and it annoyed her to no end.
"I pay for a C-ranked mission, and they send children to protect me. I guess my money isn't good enough for this village." the man said roughly.
Kakashi didn't let the comment bother him visibly as he replied, "Me and my students are more than capable of completing this assignment. You can place your trust in us."
The man just grunted a reply, "I am Tazuna. I assume you all are ready to go?"
Kakashi just nodded his head in reply before turning to face them.
"As of now, we are on assignment. Remember what I said during your follow-on genin examination: we will assume a diamond formation around Tazuna until we reach the Land of Waves. I will be the point man, Naruto and Sakura, you will take Tazuna's flanks, and Sasuke, you bring up the rear. Let's move out." Kakashi said, leading the group out of the gates of Konoha.
The genin wordlessly took their positions, putting Tazuna securely in the middle of the four before following their sensei.
"What did he mean by 'remember what I said during our follow up examination.'?" Naruto asked Sakura a few minutes after they departed the gates.
Sakura gave Naruto a look that said 'really, Naruto' Before replying, "I think he was referencing his first tip for us as our sensei about never dropping our guards on assignment. What do you think, Sasuke?" Sakura said, turning her head to look at her.
"That is most likely what he was referring to," she said in agreement.
"Oh, yeah, right. I forgot about that!" Naruto said, earning him an eye roll from both his female teammates.
They walked for an hour or two with Naruto, making small talk with the rest of the group, seemingly unsatisfied with their entertainment. He whipped out a scroll and pen before starting his calligraphy practice as they walked.
Sasuke knew what he was doing, having seen him practice this multiple times in the past three weeks, but couldn't help teasing the boy.
"What are you doing, pipsqueak? Writing in your diary!?" She teased from her position at the back of the formation.
Naruto just turned his head to glare at her playfully, "No, I am practicing my calligraphy."
She smirked at him in response but couldn't rebuttal before the annoying banshee interrupted.
"I've been meaning to ask you about that, Naruto. Since when have, you been practicing calligraphy?" Sakura asked
"Umm, Kakashi-sensei said it'd be easier for me to learn fuinjutsu if I had neat calligraphy," Naruto said absentmindedly.
Sakura thought for a moment, "I didn't know you were learning fuinjutsu, Naruto. That's pretty impressive Naruto." she said, offering him a friendlier smile than Sasuke appreciated.
"Yeah, it's cool, but it's pretty difficult for me right now. I can only create basic storage scrolls and a few other useful things for now. It's nowhere near as impressive as my new super awesome jutsu, though!" Naruto said excitedly. This caught Sasuke's attention; it must have been the jutsu he was learning through him popping balls with his chakra.
"So, you finally managed to learn it, Naruto?" she asked.
"Yeah, bastard, and when you finally see me use it, you will be forced to admit how awesome I am!" He said, smiling smugly at her. She just smirked in response.
"Like I'd ever admit such a foolish and blatant lie like that." she replied.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at her in response, and she had to turn her head away from him in order not to chuckle at his response to her teasing.
Sakura just observed the two. Sasuke had been more and more mean to her, and he would always come to Naruto's defense no matter what. She noticed in these past three weeks. Sakura stopped insulting Naruto after almost getting punched in the face by her crush for insulting him. The two had grown obviously closer so quickly it surprised her. She felt left out, honestly.
She thought that Sasuke would have hated being on a team with someone like Naruto, but it seemed to her that Sasuke was more annoyed by her than Naruto most of the time, which she still couldn't wrap her head around. Sasuke never expressed too much interest in Naruto or anyone back at the academy, but now it seemed that Naruto was definitely the boy's favorite teammate. Sasuke's sudden kindness towards Naruto made Sakura take a step back and reevaluate her opinion of the blond. When she did that, she noticed that Naruto was extremely hardworking, honest, and caring. Even though he was not the smartest boy, he had a dedication and a hardworking nature that she believed was the reason Sasuke liked Naruto because Sasuke himself had always been a hard worker, even at the academy. He trained hard, and that motivated her to try her best in the academy in order to get his attention. Couple that with how they both had a hard childhood, like Kakashi-sensei mentioned, it made more and more sense what Sasuke saw in the blonde.
"Have you ever been outside the village before, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked, aiming to join the conversation and perhaps bond a little with Naruto.
"No, I haven't. What about you?" Naruto asked her, not looking up from his scroll.
"No, I haven't either. It's kind of nerve-wracking leaving the protection of the village. What about you, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, turning towards Sasuke. Sasuke just shook her head in reply, not bothering to answer verbally.
Kakashi spoke up, aiming to reassure them, "You all don't have to worry about anything. There is no shinobi combat in C-ranked missions. The most you all will have to concern yourselves with would be bandits and thieves that will be no problem for you three."
Sakura was relieved by this knowledge, and it brought her a sense of comfort.
"How long till we reach the Land of Waves, sensei?" She asked.
"It should take about 2-3 days on foot at this pace." Kakashi answered.
She nodded her head, mentally preparing herself for the journey ahead.
I am down for a simple introduction mission like this. Sakura thought.
They walked for another 3-4 hours before Sasuke noticed something strange. They were walking on a dirt road, and she saw ahead of them two puddles of water, but the rest of the road was completely dry, and it hadn't rained in Konoha for weeks. So why were those puddles there?
She looked at her two teammates; Naruto was too engrossed in his calligraphy practice to notice it. Sakura, although not distracted by anything and properly scanning her sectors, didn't seem to notice the puddle as they passed.
Kakashi had turned his head down to glance at the puddle but didn't give her any indication that the puddle was indeed out of place.
Maybe I am trying too hard and looking too deep into it, she thought as she passed the puddles, giving it one more look before turning her head away.
Right as she did this, she failed to notice the puddles move and two figures form from them. She barely even saw the two flashes from each peripheral as two shinobi moved at high speeds past her and flanked the group's sides, headed for Kakashi.
Before she could shout a warning, she looked on in horror as the two shinobi with what appeared to be linked chains stabbed their Jonin Sensei in each side with their kunai. She watched as the blood fell from Kakashi's wounds, and he let out a painful gasp before falling to the ground.
The two shinobi turned, looking at them menacingly.
"One down, 3 more to go."
Now that they were facing them, Sasuke got a good look at the two. They both wore similar clothing; one had a brown shirt with his shinobi tool belt wrapped around his long shirt at his waist. His headband was one of a Kirigakure shinobi; his left arm held a gauntlet with a chain attached to the other shinobi, who wore a similar outfit except he donned a black cape over his shoulders. And his wrist gauntlet was on his right hand.
They took off in a blur towards Naruto, who she looked at, and he seemed frozen in place, his eyes glancing from Kakashi's fallen body to the two shinobi charging at him.
Idiot, move!
Sasuke knew that if Naruto didn't move away from their attack, he was as good as dead! Why wasn't he moving? The two shinobi were fast, but Kakashi-sensei
was faster; Naruto should be able to keep up with their movements!
She panicked and moved before thinking through her actions. If the two of them were backed up by more shinobi, then her leaving her team's rear undefended would cost them dearly. But her body moved faster than her mind. Sharingan activated, she could see everything clearly as if the two shinobi were moving in slow motion to her.
Sakura had quickly placed herself between the attackers and Tazuna, who was looking rightfully scared. Sasuke knew that if these two could take Kakashi-sensei out so quickly, she didn't stand a chance, even knowing this she couldn't stop her body from moving to help Naruto.
She managed to intercept them right before they made contact with Naruto. She tossed her Kunai at their linked chains so hard that the force of her throw sent them flying back, and the connected chain pinned them to a nearby tree.
She positioned herself between the attackers and Naruto, who was still frozen in fear. She felt so annoyed at Naruto at that moment; her words came out harsher than what she had intended. She had meant it as a joke, but it came out way crueler than she intended.
"What, Naruto, you scared? Don't tell me you're nothing but a scaredy-cat!" She spat, looking over her shoulder at him.
Now, actually being able to see his face, Sasuke could confirm that Naruto's expression was definitely one of fear. At hearing her words, though, his face twisted into one of shame, guilt, and sadness. She internally sighed, not intending for her words to be so offensive to the boy but didn't have time to think about it. Her opponents had detached themselves from their connected chains and were rushing at her from either side.
Damn it, I must protect those two, she thought. But in the back of her mind, she knew that she didn't stand a chance. That she would die here, but if she died, she'd go out swinging and hopefully give Naruto and Sakura a chance to escape and survive.
She was surprised when the two split up; one passed her by, headed for Sakura and Tazuna, and the other headed for Naruto.
Dammit, they are going for the bridge builder! She thought, but she knew that with Naruto's condition, if she didn't help him, he was as good as dead. That being said, Sakura had way worse chances of surviving in a one-on-one confrontation than Naruto!
Who do I help? She didn't think she would be able to cut them both off in time. She couldn't risk throwing a kunai either because Sakura might be able to dodge, but that would put the bridge builder in a bad position.
She ran as fast as she could, trying her best to intercept the one headed for Sakura and the bridge builder. She was putting her faith in Naruto's ability to defend himself. All she had to do was incapacitate one of them quickly then help Naruto immediately.
I'm going to be too late. This thought made her heart sink... as she realized that she was in a lose-lose situation. She wouldn't be able to save either of them.
They are both going to die!
Out of nowhere, a flash of movement came into her vision. She recognized the white hair of her sensei immediately, and before the other two shinobi could react, Kakashi single-handedly grabbed each of them in one arm, smashing their heads together, knocking them out before he held onto their unconscious bodies, one in each arm.
He eye-smiled at the three of them as Sasuke came to a sliding stop in front of them, and just as suddenly as the battle started, it was over.
"Good job, Sasuke. Great reactions, even better decision-making. It seemed that you were onto these two from the start." Kakashi said to her.
She just huffed and turned away, but she was happy at the compliment. When she turned her head, her happiness faltered at the shocked and sad look on Naruto's face. Sadness really didn't belong on the blond's usual happy and upbeat face.
"Sakura, also good decision-making. Immediately going to protect the client, very sound as I have always known your basics are solid. Way to not get wrapped up in the heat of things around you and putting the mission first," Kakashi said, earning him a giggle of appreciation from Sakura.
Kakashi turned to Naruto, who still hadn't moved from his spot. He was staring at Kakashi with a slightly hopeful look, but everything about his posture screamed that he knew he was useless to his team just then.
"Naruto, you performed the worst. I'm disappointed in you, frankly. Even if they managed to catch you off guard, and even if one of your teammates falls, never forget your assignment and, most importantly, know that inaction will lead to you and your teammates' deaths. I'm sorry for not helping you before you got injured, though. You should be careful; the Demon Brothers of the Mist are known to use poison." Kakashi said sternly, eyes narrowing at Naruto, who had his eyes cast down in shame.
Sasuke felt bad for Naruto at that moment but didn't know what to say to make him feel better. She noticed that Naruto's hand was bleeding; he had been injured in the altercation.
Damn it I failed to protect them! I'm still too weak!
"I'm so happy you're alive, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said with tears rolling down her eyes.
Kakashi just eye-smiled at her.
"I am okay, Sakura. Sorry I took a little longer to help you all, but I wanted to see who these two were targeting." he said, pausing to look at Tazuna.
Tazuna was standing there in shock. A lot of the events happened faster than his eyes could track.
I'm grateful to be alive, he had to admit that both the Uchiha and his sensei were good. Even Sakura had moved to defend him. His eyes moved to the blond, who was just staring at his teammates with a distant look in his eyes.
I was useless! I was too afraid to move. I couldn't do anything…
His eyes drifted to Sasuke, who had his hands in his pockets casually having a conversation with Kakashi and Sakura as if nothing had happened.
At feeling his gaze, Sasuke glanced at him and smirked before turning to help Kakashi tie the two shinobi to a nearby tree.
That damn smirk! That bastard thinks he's better than me... Wasn't he scared? His first battle just like mine, and he showed no fear at all? He saved me like it was nothing and didn't even get his clothes dirty!
Sasuke noticed Naruto staring at her; she turned to him with a small smirk pulling at her lips, he looked deep in thought, so she figured she'd pull him out of it the best way she knew how.
"Hey, Naruto?" she said to him. His eyes seemed to focus on her, so she knew she had his attention.
"Are you hurt? Scaredy-cat?" She teased, just like earlier she meant it as a joke, a little barb like they always did. This time she wasn't in the heat of the moment either, so it came out more neutral and playful more like she meant it earlier. Naruto didn't pick up on her tone, though, like he usually did.
She saw him clench his hands, and his face twisted in anger and rage; his body convulsed with the intensity of his emotions. What he did next surprised everyone. She watched him whip out a kunai before stabbing it in his cut. Looking at her with a sort of manic crazed look she had never seen on him before, he shouted at her.
"I swear by this wound and the blood that falls from it. I, Uzumaki Naruto, will never be afraid to move and help defend my comrades again! And I never go back on my word because that's my NINDO, my Ninja way!"
Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna looked at the boy in shock.
Sasuke was shocked by the action; she turned her head to hide her smirk.
Wow, that was actually pretty cool.
Sakura was looking at him impressed.
That was pretty cool, Naruto!
Kakashi was the first one to speak after Naruto's declaration, "Yeah, that's pretty motivating and all, Naruto, and you may have helped stop the poison from spreading, but now you'll be at risk of dying due to blood loss if no one tends to that!" Kakashi teased the boy.
Naruto screamed, "AHAAA! WAIT, I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"
Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna immediately sweat-dropped.
Way to ruin the moment. They all thought at the same time.
"Sakura, do you have bandages?" Kakashi asked her, and the pink-haired girl nodded in response.
"Good, patch Naruto up real quick." he replied, and the girl moved to Naruto to bandage his hand. Kakashi noted that when he looked at Naruto's wound, the Nine-Tails was already in the process of healing the boy, but his teammates weren't aware of the monster he held inside, and it was better to be safe than sorry. Turning his attention to Tazuna, he said,
"We need to talk." The bridge builder was noticeably tense at this.
"The Demon Brothers of the Mist are two missing-nin from Kirigakure. They are in our bingo book as wanted criminals. If we knew that shinobi of their caliber were hunting you, this mission would be a B-rank mission at the lowest, more than likely an A-ranked mission," Kakashi said, gauging the man's reaction, which he noted was not surprised.
"And based on your reaction, you knew shinobi were hunting you yet you lied to the Hokage and your mission clerk. Why?"
Tazuna sighed; he was busted and might as well come clean.
"The bridge I am building is important. That's why!"
"Not more important than my team. You have 30 seconds to tell me, or I will leave you here with those two." Kakashi said, pointing at the unconscious Kirigakure shinobi.
"Okay, okay, the bridge I am building is important to the economy of the Land of Waves. My village is small, so we do not have shinobi or anyone for that matter protecting us. A man named Gato is a ruthless businessman who has tons of mercenaries and shinobi mercenaries backing him. They have used their strength to bully our village for years. We are forced to listen and abide by them because Gato's business is responsible for all the trade imports and exports. We can't get basic things such as food without his approval. That is no way to live, so we saved our money for years in order to build a bridge that would allow us to not rely on Gato so heavily. He is out to kill me because of this, and we could only afford the cost of a C-ranked mission. I was hoping to get an experienced chunin group, but here we are."
Kakashi stopped to think about what the man said. Sakura and Naruto had joined him and Sasuke in questioning the bridge builder. Sakura had a pitiful look on her face, Naruto seemed itching for a fight, and Sasuke was hard to read at best; she looked half-heartedly interested in the man's story.
"You lying has put my team at risk. I don't care about the Land of Waves enough to risk my team's lives," Kakashi said flatly.
"But we had to. I am sorry!" The man said, begging for forgiveness.
"You should have thought about that before—" Kakashi was cut off by Naruto.
"I say we help him!" Naruto shouted.
Kakashi looked at Naruto questioningly. "Are you sure, Naruto? We may come face to face with more threats. You may not get out of the next encounter with just a flesh wound. Your lives are at risk!"
Naruto fixed him with a determined stare. He noticed Naruto's gaze shifted to Sasuke briefly before returning to his. "I don't care! We can't just leave him to die! I want to help, no matter the cost!"
Kakashi sighed before turning to look at Sakura. "And what do you think?" he asked her.
"Well, I understand it's bad that Tazuna lied to us and the Hokage, but I understand his reason, and I can't blame him. As long as you're with us, Kakashi-sensei, I believe everything will be okay," she said, offering a weak, unconfident smile. Kakashi nodded, turning to his last student.
"What about you, Sasuke?" She just shrugged at him in response.
"I don't really care what happens to him, but I do want to see this through to the end."
Kakashi thought for a moment or two more before turning to Tazuna.
"Well, today's your lucky day. You better make sure you thank my students because they likely just saved your life." Kakashi said, turning to walk away.
"We will continue the mission. Assume the diamond formation around the client; we are a few hours away from the halfway point, where we will stop to rest for the night."
He bit his thumb and placed it on the ground, summoning one of his dog summons. He heard the 'cool' gasp from Naruto at this. Ignoring his students' surprise, he wrote a note to the Hokage, updating him on the information he received and telling the Hokage the location of the Demon brothers. He gave it to his ninja hound and watched as the dog took off back towards the village.
They walked for about 5 more hours and managed to reach the halfway point right before sunset. He had his students set up camp and told Sasuke and Naruto to go into the woods looking for firewood and food. He knew a pond was nearby that they hopefully could get some fish from. An hour later, Naruto and Sasuke came back with something much bigger than a fish, a doe.
"Great find!" Kakashi said to the two. Naruto had a huge grin on his face, whereas Sasuke had a confident smirk.
"Alright, you three, skin the deer and prepare it for supper."
Naruto looked at him confused before glancing at Sasuke. She noticed his confused look and facepalmed.
"Let me guess, you don't know how to skin a deer?" She asked him.
Naruto shook his head in response, and Kakashi almost chuckled when Sasuke called Naruto 'useless.'
Sakura went and joined Sasuke and Naruto in skinning the deer, apparently, she didn't know how to do it either. Their shouts and arguments that ensued brought a smile to his face.
An hour later, the group had eaten dinner, and Naruto had impressed his two female teammates by storing the rest of the cooked deer away in a sealing scroll.
"I didn't know you were able to seal away such a large item!" Sakura said, impressed.
Sasuke was also looking at the blond curiously. She also was under the impression that only smaller items could be stored away like that.
"Usually, you're right, Sakura-chan, but I'm pretty cool since I have a lot of chakra. Kakashi-sensei said I'd be able to store a lot of things most shinobi couldn't do!" Naruto replied with a smug look on his face.
Sasuke rolled her eyes at the two's interaction, crossing her arms as they spoke to each other.
Kakashi checked his wristwatch; it was about time they headed to bed.
"Alright, let's all get some sleep. Sasuke, you take the first watch, then Sakura, then Naruto, 3 hours' watch between you three. Remember, we are on assignment and have already been attacked once. Douse the fire and keep on alert. Goodnight." He got up and entered his tent.
Sasuke watched as Naruto and Sakura listened to their sensei, putting out the fire before telling her a brief goodnight before disappearing into their respective tents.
She looked around for a good vantage point, finding a suitable climbable tree. She climbed up a few feet so she had a better line of sight on potential attackers. She pulled out one of her kunai and a sharpening kit, as she absentmindedly sharpened her ninja tools.
She didn't know how much time passed, but she had to guess it was an hour and a half before she saw rustling in Naruto's tent. She watched as he slipped out of it, looking around their campsite for something, then started scanning the trees, till his eyes locked in on hers. He gave her a big smile before jogging over to her tree. Before she could ask what he was doing, he climbed the tree not using his hands like her!
He walked right up the side of the tree, stopping on a branch to her right at the same height.
"Hey Sasuke, I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd join you!"
"How did you do that!" She asked him, slightly amazed.
"Huh, do what?" Naruto asked her, confused.
"You just climbed the tree without using your hands. How did you do that?"
Naruto shot her a sheepish grin at this.
"You can't climb trees using your chakra, Sasuke?"
Sasuke shook her head, and Naruto laughed at her, which earned him a heated glare from Sasuke. But his laughter seemed to make him laugh harder!
"I never thought the day would come where I knew something you didn't! Kakashi-sensei taught me this like two weeks ago. It helped me master my new jutsu. You can climb trees with your chakra if you flow it to your feet. It gets tricky, though, because it has to be perfectly even in order to stick. Too much chakra, and you will fly right off; too little, and you won't stick and will crash to the ground."
Sasuke listened intently; she would have to get Kakashi-sensei to teach her that immediately. No way was she going to let Naruto be better than her at anything!
They fell into a comfortable silence, just listening to the sounds of the night before Naruto broke the silence again.
"You know, you were pretty cool today." Naruto said, not looking at her. Sasuke looked to her right at Naruto, who had a distant look on his face.
"It must be nice to be good at everything all the time." he said sadly.
Sasuke's face softened at this; she offered him an excuse, "Well, I was lucky enough to be raised in a clan of shinobi. It's in my blood, unlike you, pipsqueak." she teased.
Naruto rolled his eyes at her before his face became sad once again. "What is it like… having parents, I mean?" Sasuke froze momentarily at his question. Painful memories of her childhood came crashing into her mind. She pushed it away, though, and tried to just focus on Naruto's question.
"It can be frustrating; they have lots of rules and always make decisions for you, and you always feel as though you will never accomplish enough to make them proud. But at the same time, you know that they will always be there for you no matter what, that they have your back and wish nothing but the best for you." she said softly.
Naruto was looking at her as though he was imagining what she was saying; he seemed unable to truly comprehend it, and it made her sad to know he would never really understand.
Sighing, she said, "It's probably a foreign concept to you, never having known your parents, but parents are like your biggest support system, but also your biggest hindrance because they worry about you constantly."
They fell into silence at this; Sasuke started to reminisce about all the fun she had as a kid with her mother and father. She almost didn't hear Naruto when he spoke next.
"I have something I want to tell you, "He said, looking at her. When she turned to face him, she was surprised by the seriousness in his eyes. She swallowed deeply as she held his gaze, admiring how handsome his eyes and face were in the moonlight.
"I found out who my parents were three weeks ago." he said, not breaking eye contact.
Is this it? Will he finally tell me?
"How?" she asked; this she actually didn't know, so she wouldn't have to pretend to be surprised.
"Before our first mission, I went to visit the Hokage. He told me who my parents were; they were really important people. Kakashi-sensei has advised me not to tell anyone or too many people because they could have enemies all over. It could be dangerous to know who they are." he said softly, still holding eye contact, gauging her reaction.
Is he seeing if I'd be too scared to know? As if nothing will scare me away from you, Naruto.
She blushed at her own thoughts, looking away briefly before realizing if Naruto was testing her, she had to maintain this eye contact. So she brought a determined look to her face before returning her eyes to Naruto, hoping it was dark enough to hide her blush.
If Naruto noticed her strange behavior, he didn't say anything, just stared at her.
"Who were they?" she asked tenderly, her care obvious in her tone.
Naruto took a deep breath before saying, "I'm not lying, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't laugh, but the Hokage told me... My father was the 4th Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and my mother was his wife, Kushina Uzumaki."
He said, pausing to gauge Sasuke's reaction. Naruto couldn't sleep; his mind was wrapped around his first combat scenario he had earlier, and Kakashi and Sasuke's words. How could he bring himself to say he was the 4th Hokage's son? The 4th Hokage was held as a hero. He was popular amongst every shinobi, young and old. They would expect his son to be great, not some coward who had a demon sealed within him.
He had to talk to someone about this, and the only people he felt close enough to talk about this with were Kakashi, Iruka, the Hokage, and Sasuke. He wasn't speaking to the Hokage still, angry about him holding on to his secret for so long. Iruka wasn't here. He wasn't trying to wake up Kakashi-sensei just to talk, so that left Sasuke. Although the boy would still be his first choice anyway, Sasuke, although was a dickhead, they had grown to have a sort of understanding that Naruto didn't think was possible three weeks ago.
Sasuke's face remained neutral; she didn't seem to disbelieve Naruto, but she also didn't look surprised either, which Naruto found odd. He half expected the Uchiha to try and tease him for saying such a thing, that's why he asked for him not to, but his reaction was calm, which was unexpected.
"How does that make you feel, knowing who your mother and father were?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto shrugged.
"At first, it made me really happy. I was angry too, at the Hokage for hiding it from me for so long," Naruto said, his voice trembling slightly as he held back tears. Sasuke, if she noticed, didn't say anything and just sat, waiting patiently for him to continue.
Taking a steadying breath, Naruto continued, "I'm still happy, you know? Now I know that I wasn't abandoned and that my parents loved me. They just didn't survive the Nine-Tails attack. But after today, I question if I'm really their child. My father was a genius; everyone knew that. Reading the scrolls he left behind for me, I can tell. He talks about things that make me have to get a book to even begin to understand. My mother was the same way; she was so good at everything like you. Then there's me, a failure who flunked the shinobi academy three times, then today, I was too scared to move. What would they say if they heard about this? I should be ashamed. I am ashamed of myself." He said, voice shaking as a few tears fell from his eyes.
He had to sniff in order to keep the snot from falling down his face.
He saw something white in front of his face in Sasuke's hands. She was handing him a tissue.
Naruto took it, wiping his face and nose, but refused to meet Sasuke's gaze. He felt her looking at him, but he couldn't find the bravery in his heart to look at her back. They were silent for a while before Sasuke spoke.
"I think they would be proud of you," she said softly.
Naruto's eyes shot up at this as he looked at Sasuke, who was giving him a smile. Naruto's heart raced as it always did, seeing Sasuke's genuine smile.
"You have been through a lot. Only someone as strong as you can go through the things you have and come out of it with a smile on your face. Remember when you painted the Hokage monument the day of the genin exam?" she asked him.
He nodded his head.
"Well, that day was a bad day for me... I often have nightmares, about what my brother did to my clan. That night I had a terrible one and had been up all night, I cried. I was sad, but you know who made me feel better?" She asked him.
He just shook his head.
"It was you, Naruto. As I walked to class, I saw what you did, I also saw the smile on your face as you were being chased by Iruka-sensei and the other shinobi. You made me smile that day. You have made me smile before, but that day I thought nothing could make me feel better, but you did. You gave me the strength I needed to smile because, if you had the strength to still smile after never knowing kindness and the love of family, then I knew I too would be able to smile again, and I was right. You have made me smile a lot more since then. You are strong and brave, Naruto; don't forget it," she said, smiling at him.
She didn't know what he was thinking, but his face flashed through a series of emotions before he smiled at her brightly. His smile still made her heart skip a beat and her blood rush. It was his real smile, not the fake one that he often gave people, but this smile could warm her heart in the coldest of winters.
"Thanks, Sasuke!" he said with a smirk.
"Don't mention it…" Before she could finish, he spoke.
"Really, don't. I know, I know; wouldn't want to ruin your reputation by letting people know you actually can be nice, huh?"
Sasuke blushed because he finished her sentence, before giving him a playful punch on the arm. "Be careful, Naruto, or I'll punch you off this tree!" she joked.
They both laughed, but their laughter was interrupted by Sakura.
"Sasuke? Naruto? What are you two doing?" she asked.
Sasuke decided to ignore her as she hopped out of the tree, followed by Naruto.
"Hey, Sakura-chan, I was just keeping Sasuke company. Time for your night watch?" Naruto asked, his demeanor a complete 180 from a few moments ago.
"Yeah…" Sakura said, looking back and forth between the two.
Sasuke just rolled her eyes; she could see the wheels turning in Sakura's mind. She decided to leave before Sakura asked more questions.
"Goodnight, Naruto." she said, walking off.
"Night, Sasuke!" she heard Naruto yell off after her.
"Well, Sakura, I'm going to get some shut-eye before I come to relieve you. Night!" Naruto said before disappearing into his tent.
Leaving a confused Sakura behind.
Really, what is going on between those two? Sakura pondered, but then she shook off the thought, focusing on the task at hand—keeping watch for the safety of her team.
A/N And that's all folks, a longer chapter than last because I owed you all that, I have gotten one beta reader so far so hopefully that increases the quality of the chapters but it could lead to slower updates as we learn to work together. Still if anyone else is interested please let me know to help them with the workload. Other than that, I really hoped you enjoyed this until next time!