Chapter 3

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted as the fog started to clear. Sasuke was limping slowly towards her and the rest of them. Though he had little more than a few cuts, his muscles were still stiff from where the senbon had pierced them.

"Is it over?" Tazuna asked cautiously as he stepped forward, trying to peer through the clearing fog. "I heard a bunch of ruckuses and shouting and then nothing." He shuffled forward past Sakura, who didn't notice since all of her attention was focused on her teammate. "I-I-s that Zabuza?" He asked as he took a few steps closer. He could see Kakashi standing over two bodies and the two other ninja that showed up not far from him in the distance. "Oh my god," he whispered hoarsely as he got closer. It was a massacre. There were at least two dozen dead men not far from where Kakashi and the others were standing. The bridge was covered in a large thin layer of blood slowly pouring over the edges and into the water.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Sakura asked, stepping forward, her arms out hesitantly, unsure if she should try and help him. "I think the fights over; what happened to you?"

"I'm fine," Sasuke said shortly as he limped past her slowly. He stopped a couple of paces past her next to Tazuna as he looked over what had happened. Naruto had taken off so fast, leaving him there struggling to stand. It had taken several minutes to get over to them, and he thought more than once he'd fall on his face. Truthfully, he could use Sakura's help, but he'd never admit that to her. He could barely admit it to himself.

'What happened to Sasuke? He can barely move, but that other ninja…Naruto…seems perfectly okay.' Sakura came up next to Sasuke and looked over the bridge for the first time since the fog cleared. She admittedly hadn't seen much of Kakashi's fight and only a bit of Naruto's battle with Zabuza. Sakura felt her stomach twist into knots as she looked over all the bodies and the blood-soaked bridge. She could feel her mouth fill with saliva as the back of her throat contracted. Sakura let out a loud breath and squeezed her hands tightly as she resisted the urge to throw up. 'Is this what it's always going to be like?' Sakura closed her eyes and turned away.

Sasuke's eyes roamed over the death as the now-familiar scent filled his nostrils. He felt his heart start pounding in his chest. His hands wanted to shake, and his knees wanted to give out. Sasuke wasn't sure if it was because of the fight or something else. He could feel his heart banging in his ears as he turned his head away.

"Mom.."

"Dad…"

The screams echoed through his head and shook it roughly and screwed his eyes shut. Taking another breath, he opened his eyes again and locked them onto the back of Naruto's dark orange haori. Naruto was standing there next to another large man with long spiky white hair tied together in the back. He was also wearing a haori, but his was dark red. Sasuke focused on the dark orange haori and the familiar black swirl on the back of it until the sound of his heart banging in his ears faded.

"What the hell happened here?" Sasuke asked as he finally pulled his eyes away from Naruto's back and looked towards Sakura. Her usually fair skin was even paler than usual, giving her face a slightly green tint.

"I'm not sure. I couldn't see much in all the fog." Sakura responded as she looked back towards Sasuke. 'What happened between those three? Why is Naruto perfectly fine? Is he that strong?'

"Did you see Naruto's fight with Zabuza?" Sasuke asked as he started shuffling towards the other ninjas. 'Even if he couldn't beat him, the fact that he survived…'

Sakura walked with him, trying hard to slow herself down to his pace. "Most of it," Sakura said as she turned towards Sasuke. He didn't respond, but Sakura knew what he wanted to know. "He's strong and skilled. I couldn't imagine anyone other than Kakashi-sensei even putting up a fight." Sakura turned to look towards Kakashi and Naruto. "He couldn't beat him, though. Kakashi-sensei saved his life."

Sasuke clenched his teeth as they got closer to the group. 'I need to catch up…I can't let myself be this far behind…'

"Hey, you two," Kakashi said as he turned to look at Sasuke and Sakura. Kakashi had a shallow cut across his chest that had started to clot, and his headband was once again covering his Sharingan. "Good job, you two… it's over."

"You got yourself some decent students here, Kakashi," Jiraiya said in a booming voice. He let out a loud laugh that seemed inappropriate for the setting. "With Naruto here, trained by yours truly, of course, you guys will be the top team in Konoha."

Naruto finally turned around. His face lacked the mischievous smile he'd had before when they'd both seen him. Instead, his features seemed softer and more solemn.

"Looks like we all know each other's names, but we haven't been introduced formally. I'm Uzumaki Naruto; you're new teammate. I look forward to working with you both. Feel free to call me Naruto. We are teammates, after all." Naruto gave them a small smile and bowed quickly.

"Hello, I'm Haruno Sakura," Sakura said with a forced smile. She bowed quickly and turned a bit red. "Feel free to call me Sakura."

"Sasuke," Sasuke said shortly, not bothering to bow his black eyes fixed on Naruto. "You already know I'm an Uchiha."

"Good to see you're the exact opposite of everything I've heard about them." Naruto let out a small laugh. "I heard you all are so warm and fun! Good to see you break the mold."

Sakura's eyes went wide and turned towards Sasuke, who was glaring at the blond. 'That was kind of hilarious,' she thought to herself. She turned away quickly to hide the slight smile that came over her face.

"Seems like Naruto already knows you pretty well, Sasuke," Kakashi said lightly. "We should all get back to Tazuna's and recover. We'll figure out cleaning up here later."

"I'll catch up with you all later," Naruto said as he turned towards Zabuza and Haku's bodies.

Kakashi stared down at Naruto with his one good eye a bit sadly before nodding. "I'm sure you'll be able to track us down."


"I think I'll go into town and see if I can find a drink," Jiraiya boomed and then clapped Naruto on the shoulder and squeezed it lightly. Taking a step back, he seemed to disappear, leaving behind a swirl of leaves dancing in the air gently.

Sakura frowned and opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she felt a hand on her arm. Turning to look, Kakashi was looking down at her. It seemed like he had a slight smile under his mask, and he gently shook his head. Sakura turned back to see Naruto kneeling by the bodies, his back facing her. She looked back up and nodded.

Naruto stopped and adjusted the weight on his shoulder. Slung over his left shoulder was Haku's quickly stiffening body. The stiffer it got, the harder it was to carry. He could hear the footsteps behind him stop. Turning, he saw three other copies of himself behind him. Two of them were taking Zabuza between them, and the other one had his large sword slung over its shoulder.

"I think we're getting close," Naruto said as he shifted Haku on his shoulder once again. Naruto started again through the dense woods. The large, wooded area was on a ridge that overlooked the bridge where they had fought. It was silent out now, and the only thing Naruto could hear were his and his clone's footsteps behind him. He could feel the weight of Haku on his shoulder and feel what little blood he had left in him spreading over his clothes and sinking into the fabric.

This wasn't the first time Naruto had seen a dead body, but it was the first time he'd seen something like this. Jiraiya had done everything he could to keep Naruto from seeing something like that up until now. Naruto frowned a bit as he continued his walk. He didn't know what he was feeling or if he was feeling anything at all. Numbness seemed to have sunk into his very soul after the battle. Every feeling he tried to call up seemed…artificial.

He didn't know either of them. He had fought them each for just a few minutes each. He didn't know their favorite colors, favorite foods, or what they wanted to do after killing Tazuna. Naruto didn't even know why he was doing this. Why not just burn them? Indeed that's what will happen to the rest of the corpses, most of which had been innocent men. Innocent men that one of them had killed and the other had sat by and allowed. What he was doing was almost instinctual. A nagging thought that had buried itself deep in his mind that he should bury them.

The path Naruto was walking on seemed to level out and become flat. Indicating to Naruto, he was finally at the top of the ridge. Adjusting the cold, stiff body, he continued to walk forward a bit. Soon he broke through the tree line into a relatively small clearing. Naruto looked up to see the afternoon sun shining down through a break in the canopy illuminating the clearing with beams of sporadic light. Shifting his body, Naruto lifted Haku off his shoulders and laid him gently on the ground. Naruto's clones also shuffled forward and laid Zabuza down next to Haku. His last clone set the sword against the trunk of a large tree gently.

Naruto took a deep breath and looked up at his clones. He gave them a curt nod, and almost instantly, all three disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto could feel their unused chakra returning to him. Naruto moved through the clearing and made his way to what his best estimate of the center was. Getting on his knees, he drew out a kunai and drove it into the earth. He dragged it through the hard soil loosening the dirt, and then with his hands, he scooped out dirt and tossed it to the side. Just as he started to move again, a loud clatter to his left shocked him. A large shovel had landed just a few inches to his left.

Naruto sprang to his feet and flipped the kunai in his hand into a reverse grip. His muscles were tense, and his eyes peered through the trees.

"Relax," a familiar voice called out. A dark blur dropped from the trees and landed in front of Naruto. "It's just me, Naruto." Kakashi straightened himself out and looked at Naruto with his one eye. "I had a feeling this is what you were up to. Once I got Sakura and Sasuke to Tazuna's, I came back to give you a hand." Kakashi lifted his right arm to show he was holding a matching shovel.

"Thank you," Naruto said as he slid the kunai back into its holster and bent down to pick up the shovel. Naruto turned and started to shovel quietly. He could feel Kakashi move behind him and over to the other side. He too started to dig. The two of them dug in silence for a couple of hours as the birds chirped and the sun began to sink lower in the sky. Then out of the blue, Naruto heard Kakashi's voice above him.

"Interesting," Kakashi said softly from above Naruto. Naruto paused for a moment before looking up at him with a small fake smile.

"What's so interesting, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked before he turned back and kept digging. He was now being careful to avoid throwing dirt on one of the strongest ninjas alive.

"I don't know many other ninja's that would bury their enemies like this."

"They weren't my enemies," Naruto responded a bit shortly. "I just showed up, and they were attacking my team."

"Most people would see them as enemies."

Naruto didn't respond and just kept shoveling as Kakashi sat crouched at the edge of the grave he was digging. Naruto could feel Kakashi's eyes boring into the back of his head. The monotonous sound of the shovel and dirt was gone now, and all Naruto could hear was the deafening silence of Kakashi staring at him.

"They killed all those people on the bridge," Kakashi said softly.

"Zabuza killed them," Naruto said back as he kept digging. "Zabuza attacked you, and he attacked the bridge." Naruto stopped and stuck his shovel into the soft dirt beneath his feet.

"You were hired to escort Tazuna back home. When he was attacked, you decided to stay and protect him." Naruto turned to look at Kakashi with a serious face. "You made them your enemy. If you hadn't taken the job, you, Sasuke, and Sakura would be back in the village, and Tazuna would be dead."

"You don't see a problem with that?" Kakashi asked as he looked at Naruto inquisitively.

"I'm guessing that guy Zabuza killed was the one who hired him," Naruto said as he brushed his hands on his pants. Reaching over, he grabbed his shovel and jumped out the grave with ease. "He didn't seem like a good guy…" Naruto trailed off and looked over at Zabuza and Haku. "That doesn't change the fact that all these people are dead because someone else decided they knew better. That they were the moral authority." Naruto dropped his shovel down onto the ground.

"Morality isn't always subjective. Sometimes it is black and white." Kakashi said, standing and looking at Naruto with a penetrating gaze.

"Yeah," Naruto said softly as he moved over towards the bodies. "Everyone is the hero of their own story," Naruto said as he kneeled over Haku. "I know better than most what those types of people are capable of doing. These two were hired to do a job just like us, and one day we'll be hired to do a similar job. Then we'll be the ones fighting the heroes who want to protect their client. Will we still be the heroes then?"

"I don't think any of us would do what Zabuza did," Kakashi replied as he looked over at Zabuza's body. Kakashi seemed to sigh as his dark eye rested on the body.

"So you've never killed like that to prove a point? Or to put fear into an enemy? As an example of what Konoha is capable of doing? Not even as ANBU?" Naruto asked as he looked back at Kakashi for a brief moment.

"You're a lot like your him, you know," Kakashi said as he looked at Naruto, his eyes softening. Not answering Naruto's questions. "He would have buried Zabuza and Haku too."

"I'm nothing like him," Naruto said sharply. He clenched his fist as he stared down at Haku. He could feel the blood rushing to his face. "I never would have done what he did to me to someone else. Without their consent."

Kakashi's eye darted towards Naruto's clenched fist, and he could feel the young ninja tensing up. Kakashi looked down sullenly. 'Sensei…'

Naruto reached down and picked up Haku. "You mind getting him?" Naruto asked as he nodded towards Zabuza.

Kakashi pulled himself out from his thoughts and smiled softly under his mask at Naruto. He watched as Naruto gently lowered himself into the grave, making sure not to disturb Haku's body. Kakashi reached down, lifted Zabuza with a bit of effort, and made his way over to his grave.

Naruto gently laid Haku down in the dirt and straightened his body out as best he could. Naruto crouched down over the body and looked at Haku's face. Naruto sighed and pressed his fingers into his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose. After a moment, Naruto sniffed and looked down morosely.

"I honestly didn't know you at all," Naruto said softly. "All I know is that you could have killed Sasuke anytime you wanted to, and you didn't. When we fought, I could feel that you didn't want to be there. You died saving someone that you loved, and that should matter to someone. Someone should remember that. I'll be the one and carry it with me." Naruto stood and took one last look at the body before jumping back out of the grave.

Naruto looked up to see Kakashi standing there, looking at him with a gentle expression. Kakashi nodded before turning around to grab his shovel. Naruto reached over and picked up his own, and started to fill the grave. The two of them worked in silence while they filled the graves.

Naruto finished first and let the shovel drop before he started looking around a bit. Naruto found a largish rock and picked it up. He made his way back to the head of Haku's grave and set it down. He stared at it a moment before a hand-clapping his shoulder pulled him away from it. Turning, he saw Kakashi standing there with the shovels under his other arm.

There at the other grave, Naruto could see that Kakashi had placed Zabuza's sword at his grave's head. It was buried halfway into the ground.


"Let's go get cleaned up," Kakashi said as he started walking back towards the path Naruto took up there. Naruto turned and looked one last time at the graves before following behind Kakashi.

"Where do you think Naruto and Sensei took off to?" Sakura asked as she sat down at the end of the couch Sasuke was sitting on already. One of his arms had been wrapped in bandages, and a large square bandage was on his left cheek, covering a darkening bruise. He was wearing the same kind of shorts he always wore and a plain black tee-shirt. His ninja gear was all put-away, along with his shin and arm guards.

Sasuke didn't respond. Instead, he just continued to stare at the wall in front of him intently. His eyes once again black. Sakura turned away and looked out a nearby window, and hummed.

"He was a lot stronger than I thought he would be," Sakura said softly. "I saw some of his fight with Zabuza through the mist…" Sakura trailed off and looked back at Sasuke. "Kakashi-sensei said he was in our class the first year at the academy. I thought when I saw him, I'd remember him a bit more." Sakura shrugged and looked away. "I remember seeing him around when I was a kid." She stopped and looked down at the floor and frowned. "My mom and Dad used to tell me to stay away from him for some reason."

'How could someone the same age as me be so much stronger?' Sasuke thought to himself as he only half heard what Sakura was saying. 'All this time spent training so I can kill Itachi, and for what?' Sasuke clenched his teeth. 'What should I do now? Kakashi-sensei won't teach us anything good in a fight, and the longer it takes me, the stronger he gets.'

"Sasuke? Sasuke?"

"What?" Sasuke snapped, turning towards the pink-haired girl. He didn't realize he was glaring at her.

"I just asked you a question," Sakura snapped back, her face turning red as she looked away from his gaze. 'He's so damn rude!'

"What was it?"

"Do you know why my parents would have said to stay away from him?" Sakura asked again as she looked back at him. She was a little shocked that he even bothered to ask her to repeat herself. Sasuke usually didn't bother and would go back to whatever he was doing.

Sasuke frowned and looked back at the wall staring at pensively. "I don't know," he said as he tilted his head. "I don't remember him that much…back then; all I cared about was…" Sasuke trailed off. 'Itachi.'

"That boy in your class," Uchiha Mikoto said softly as she and Sasuke walked towards the Uchiha compound. "The one with the blond hair…you two should be friends." She ran her fingers through his hair gently before ruffling it.

"You mean Naruto?" Sasuke asked, looking up at his mother beaming. "Nobody seems to like him much." He said with a frown. "Why doesn't he have any friends, Mom?"

"Naruto is a special boy," Mikoto said softly. "His mother was my best friend before she died. Your father and I asked the Hokage to let him live with us, but he said no."

"I'll be his friend, mom! We'll be best friends just like you and his mom!" Sasuke said excitedly, jumping up in the air. "Hey, mom, do you think Itachi will be able to train me today?"

"Maybe," she said warmly as they kept walking home.

"The only thing I cared about was training," Sasuke lied, catching himself as he remembered what his mother said. "My mother said she was best friends with his mom," Sasuke said absentmindedly as he remembered his mother's words. "That's all I know about him."

"Weird," Sakura said as she looked back through the window. Sasuke never mentioned his family around her or sensei. It was the first time she'd ever even heard her teammate refer to his mother. "I think Hinata will be glad to see him," Sakura said softly, looking back at Sasuke with a smile. "I remember she used to ask Iruka-sensei about him after class every day after he left Konoha. I think she had a crush on him."

"I don't care about girl gossip," Sasuke said as he stood up and walked out the room without another word.

"Well, that didn't last long," Sakura muttered as she looked back out the window for the third time. 'Rude! Rude! Rude!'


Naruto and Kakashi spent the walk back to Tazuna's in pensive silence. Both their minds wandering after a truly horrible day. Naruto thought of Zabuza and Haku and wondered what happened in their lives to make them that way. Zabuza a ruthless killer taking jobs from men like Gato, and Haku devoted to his master, willing to die so easily. Would that be him one day? Will he be a ruthless killer or a devoted follower? What would he have become if he had stayed in Konoha?

As Naruto got closer to the house, he could see a bandaged Sasuke standing a few paces away from the front door. He was looking a bit serious and was staring directly at him. Naruto raised an eyebrow and wondered what he wanted.

"Naruto," Sasuke said sharply as they got closer. "We need to talk." Sasuke didn't bother taking his eyes off of him even as Kakashi walked up.

"I'll leave you two be," Kakashi said as he walked by them and gave them a lazy wave. "Hope the doctor is still here."

"So, what do you want?" Naruto asked as he sat down on the small wooden patio edge that extended from the front door.

"How are you so strong?" He asked bluntly, turning to face Naruto down with a steely stare.

"I eat all my vegetables and drink my milk every day," Naruto said with a sigh as he stretched his ribs with a grimace.

Sasuke responded with a glare and crossed his arms.

"I trained, just like you," Naruto said as he looked up at Sasuke with questioning eyes. "What's with the attitude? You're the one out here asking me questions. Don't act like I'm inconveniencing you."

"My mother said we should be friends once," Sasuke said as he looked away from Naruto and out over the tree line. "The last time she ever picked me up from school. She told me she and your mom were best friends."

"They could've been for all I know. I don't know much about my parents." Naruto said with a shrug. "So, is that it? You're out here interrogating me so we can be friends? Because you could…you know just act like a normal person."

"I don't want any friends," Sasuke said as he turned back to Naruto. "There is only one thing in the world that I want…"

"Let me guess; you want to kill Itachi?"

"Yes," Sasuke hissed through gritted teeth.

"Real original," Naruto muttered as he laced his fingers behind his head. "You want me to tell you how I trained so you can get as strong as me?"

Sasuke didn't respond. He just looked away down at the ground. His fists clenched. 'Having to ask for help like this…am I so pathetic?'

"I want something too," Naruto said as he stood up. "So, how about a deal?" Naruto walked away from the house closer to the tree line. He glanced at it for a moment before leaning against a tree. Sasuke followed behind him with a scowl.

"What kind of deal?" Sasuke asked a bit quicker than he wanted.

"I'll teach you everything I know, and I'll even show you a way to double or even triple you're training results."

Sasuke's eyes widened. 'Triple my training results? Does he know how to do something like that?'

"Hell, I'll even help you kill Itachi…if you want," Naruto said as he stood up and took a step closer to Sasuke. "You'll owe me, though, once you have what you want. You'll help get what I want."

"I'll kill him myself." Sasuke snapped back at Naruto as he locked eyes with the blond-haired genin. "What do you want from me?"

"I'm going to become a Kage," Naruto said as he looked at Sasuke with a small smile.

"You want to be Hokage?" Sasuke asked with raised eyebrows. "How am I supposed to help you with that?"

"No, not Hokage. You see, something was taken from my family a long time ago, and I want it back." Naruto said as he rubbed his nose. "You're going to help me become Uzukage."

"Are you serious?"

"Very," Naruto said firmly as he reached out his hand. "You will help me rebuild my village, and once we've done that, the Uchiha will call Uzushio home. Your clan will protect it from then on out."

"You're asking me to betray Konoha? Just for some training?" Sasuke asked. His eyes were boring into Naruto's.

"Think of it as relocating," Naruto said with a shrug. "Ninja's move to other villages all the time. Besides, The technique I'm going to show you will change the way you train for the rest of your life. Not to mention the status you'll have in my village. With an Uchiha and me, no one will ever attack it ever again."

"What makes you so special?"

"Not much, honestly." Naruto shrugged as he sniffed and looked off into the trees. "I'm just the last living Uzumaki, trained by one of the strongest ninjas alive, and to top it off…. I'm the container for the Kyuubi."

"What?" Sasuke took a step back and looked Naruto up and down. "The Yondaime killed the Kyuubi when it attacked the village."

"Did he?" Naruto asked as he lifted his shirt. He molded some chakra, and instantly black ink rose to the surface of his skin like a stain in reverse. "Or did he seal it into a newborn because regardless of how strong he was, he had no hopes of killing the most powerful demon in the world?"

"That's why they all hated you," Sasuke said as he stared at the seal on Naruto's stomach.

"Yeah," Naruto said shortly. "That's why they all hated me, and their hatred is the reason I left the village. It's the reason I'm going to rebuild my village and make sure no one like me is ever treated that way ever again."

"Deal," Sasuke said shortly. He lifted his hand and held it out for Naruto.

"Just like that?"

Sasuke didn't respond; he just met Naruto's gaze and kept his hand outstretched. Naruto reached out and grabbed his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"The first lesson," Naruto said as he released Sasuke's hand and took a step forward. "Keep you Sharingan active all the time. Your body will adjust, and the longer you keep it active, the less chakra it will use. Not only that, the more chakra it uses now, the better it'll help build up your reserves." Naruto walked past Sasuke without saying another word and into the house, leaving Sasuke standing next to a tree staring at the house.

'I'm going to kill you, Itachi,' Sasuke thought as he molded what little chakra he had left and redirected it to his eyes. He could feel his eyes burn as the Sharingan activated and the world around him became sharper. 'Whatever it takes.'


"Finally," An elderly man thundered as Naruto entered the home. "I've been waiting for you for hours now." The man was small and had dark grey hair cropped close to his head. He was wearing a white overcoat and dark pants with a cream-colored shirt. "Come here into the dining room."

Naruto followed him into the dining room, where he found Kakashi sitting in a chair reading a familiar orange-colored book.

"You too, huh," Naruto said with a chuckle. Kakashi looked up at him and let out a hum as he flipped the page.

"Your sensei, you, and the little pink-haired girl got lucky." The man grunted as he shuffled around to a large open black bag. "You and the other boy, though…." He trailed off as he pulled out a couple of jars of creams and other ointments. "Take your shirt off," he grumbled as he shuffled back to Naruto.

Naruto shrugged off his haori and pulled his long sleeve black shirt off with a wince. Setting both garments over a chair, and looked down and grimaced. Large green and purple bruise had spread from his ribs and over part of his chest.

"Kids as weapons," the old man grumbled as he dug some of the ointment out of one of the jars and started to layer it onto Naruto in a thick layer. "I can't believe your ribs aren't broken," he said shortly. "Your bruises already seem to be healing too. Did you have a medic-nin look you over?"

"I'm an Uzumaki," Naruto said shortly as the man put the jar down and started to wrap bandages around his chest. "These will all be healed up by tomorrow."

"Uzumaki, haven't heard that name in a long time." He looked up at Naruto with a hint of sadness. "I remember what happened to them. Horrible." He took a step back and looked over the bandages. "Well, that should last until the morning, and it will help with the pain."

"Appreciate it, Doc," Naruto said as he pulled his shirt and threw his haori over his shoulders. "Is there somewhere I can get cleaned up at?" Naruto asked, looking at Kakashi.

"Sakura can show you," Kakashi said as he flipped a page in his little orange book.

"Kay," Naruto hummed as he left the dining room the way he came in, only to run directly into Sakura.

"Oh-Naruto!" Sakura said loudly in surprise. "I didn't realize you were back." She backed up a bit and smiled at him. "I was just going to see if I could help Tsunami with dinner."

"Actually, can you show me where the bath is?" Naruto asked as he stretched a bit. "I could use some cleaning up."

"Uh yeah, it's down the hall and to the left?" Sakura said, pointing towards the bathroom.

"Thanks," Naruto said as he smiled at her and started down the hallway.

"Uh Naruto," Sakura said quickly. Naruto paused and looked back with a polite smile. "I-I was wondering…I don't remember you much, and I'm sorry for that…but…I was wondering…do you know…." Sakura trailed off, and her face turned red.

"Do I know what?" Naruto asked and turned around completely to face her.

"Do-do you know why my parents didn't like you?"

The smile faded from Naruto's face to be replaced with a melancholy look as he looked at Sakura.

"Nobody liked me," Naruto said softly. "There was a reason, but I don't want to get into it right now. I'll tell you soon, though." Naruto watched as she looked confused for a second and then looked at him questioningly. Naruto would tell her now…but he honestly had no idea how she'd react. Naruto could tell right away all Sasuke cared about was power…for better or worse…if Naruto could help him get stronger, Sasuke wouldn't care about the Kyuubi. Sakura, however, Nauto had no idea how she would feel about it. "You're my teammate, and you deserve to know. So, I will tell you, I promise."

Naruto turned and started to head towards the bathroom again. Leaving Sakura wondering what it could be, and before she could stop herself, she asked him another question.

"Have you ever met Tsunade-sama?"

"That old drunk?" Naruto asked with a deep laugh. "Yeah, I've seen her a couple of times. Usually trying to run away from her bookies."

"Her bookies?" Sakura asked her face in shock at how Naruto was addressing her hero. Tsunade the Namekuji-hime.

"Oh yeah, she's a notorious gambler," Naruto said with a laugh. "This one-time Ero-sennin and I were dropping by to see her. We looked all over this village for her. We kept running into people she owed money to, left and right. We ended up finding her at a casino, one town over 1,000,000 Ryo in the hole. We had to drag her away from the table while Ero-sennin settled her debt for her. Then she got drunk and went on a rampage over a lost bet destroying half the block."

"Ero-sennin?" Sakura asked softly, her eyes wide at the story. 'She sounds… awesome! Actually.' She was still kind of shocked to hear about this living legend in such a personal way.

"Oh yeah, he's a huge pervert," Naruto said, rubbing his upper lip under his nose with his finger. "He's the one who writes the book Kakashi-sensei is reading." Naruto crossed his arms and made a thoughtful face. "You're kind of cute, you know…I'd stay away from any public bathhouses or hot springs whiles he's around."

'W-what?" 'Jiraiya-sama a pervert?' Sakura's head was spinning at all the information she was getting from Naruto. Two of the strongest ninjas alive, a pervert and a gambling drunk. 'Did he just say I was cute?' Sakura's face turned red, and she looked away. "Thanks, I guess," she muttered.

"He usually doesn't spy on people our age, but you could end up being a casualty of circumstance." Naruto turned and started heading towards the bathroom. "Anyway, I'm going to go get cleaned up. If you want to join me, I can tell you more stories about Ero-sennin and Obachan. You can wash my back." Naruto said with a laugh.

"What?!" Sakura asked loudly, her face turning bright red. 'He's a pervert too! Just like Jiraiya-sama!'

"Relax I was only joking," Naruto said as he dodged the fist that flew at him with ease. "I'll see you at dinner."

"That better have been a joke!" Sakura screamed as she shook a fist at him as he walked away. She turned away, her red. 'Still better than another Sasuke, I guess." She thought to herself as she made her way into the kitchen.


"How are things back at that house?" Jiraiya asked as he took a sip of warm sake. He set the small cup down gently and looked over at Kakashi.

"Not too bad, actually," Kakashi said as he looked over at Jiraiya. The two of them were in a small bar a few miles from Tazuna's home. "Naruto and Sakura seem to be getting along, and Sasuke…well he's Sasuke, but he seems not to mind Naruto."

"That's good," Jiraiya said, lifting his cup to take another sip.

"I get the feeling he doesn't like Konoha much," Kakashi said as he set his arm on the bar and rested his chin in his hand. "He got pretty upset when I mentioned his father."

"Yeah," Jiraiya muttered as he grabbed the long-necked flask on the bar and refilled his cup. "He doesn't want to go back, and I can't blame him." Jiraiya took another sip and stared off at the front of the bar thoughtfully. "He needs to form bonds in Konoha," he turned to look at Kakashi. "That's an essential part, Kakashi. He needs to form bonds with the people there, or else he'll never have any real loyalty to the village.

"You say that like you're worried he'll betray it."

"I don't think he'll betray it, but I don't think he'd save it. I don't think he'd fight for it or the people there." Jiraiya finished his cup in one gulp and set it back down. "He's only doing this because I'm making him. I told him I wouldn't train him anymore until he's a Chunin."

"He's not far off," Kakashi said softly. "If he took the exams tomorrow, he'd probably pass from what I saw."

"He's going to want to take them too," Jiraiya said, turning back and giving Kakashi a meaningful look. "The exams are coming up soon, and he'll want to take them. Sometime between now and then, we need him to have a reason to be loyal to the village."

"Are you planning on taking him back once he passes?"

"Not right away. Things are going on out there, Kakashi, and I need to figure out what it is." Jiraiya refilled his cup. His cheeks had taken on a slightly rosy hue. "There are whispers of a group out of mercenaries out there. Gaining power and making millions on bounties. They're trying to fund something big. Orochimaru was a part of it for a while, but he left after Uchiha Itachi joined." Jiraiya gave Kakashi a meaningful look.

"Itachi, huh?"

"Yeah, and the others are all as strong as him, or at least close enough." Jiraiya took another sip. "It'd just take just two or three of them to wipe out a village. I need to figure out what they're doing. I'll join you all on the trip back, but after that, I'll have to leave again."

"What about Naruto's training?" Kakashi asked as he turned, stretched his arms, and crossed them in front of his chest. "What should I do about that?"

"There isn't much left if I'm honest," Jiraiya muttered. "I taught him how to train with Shadow Clones a year ago, and his progress has skyrocketed. I tried to get him to sign a contract with the Toads and teach him the Rasengan. He wasn't interested in either." Jiraiya took another sip. "He doesn't want to learn any of Minato's techniques. Not even the Rasengan or the Hirashin."

"He hates him that much?"

"I don't even know if you could call it hate. It's more like disdain. I tried to tell Naruto that Minato had no choice…but he's a stubborn kid like his mother.

He does know a bit of nature transformation. He's pretty much mastered his wind affinity. He's been working on water recently. He knows the theory behind shape transformation as well. Whatever you want to teach him, feel free to. I'll have to spend my time away coming up with a training regimen for him. His taijutsu could defiantly use some work, and he's useless at genjutsu because of the fox."

"Speaking of…can he use it?" Kakashi asked softly, bringing his head in closer to Jiraiya.

"A bit," Jiraiya cleared his throat and poured the last of the sake into his cup. "He doesn't like using it, though. It's like Minato's techniques…he…"

"He wants to rely on his own strength," Kakashi said as he turned away and looked at the row of bottles in front of him. "He doesn't want to rely on his father's strength or the Kyuubi's…he wants it to be his own person."

"Well then, now that you're all caught up, I'm going to go find a place to sleep for the night. We have a long day tomorrow." Jiraiya got up and set some Ryo on the bar. "After we get back to Konoha tomorrow, he'll be all yours."

Kakashi watched as Jiraiya left and stood up himself. As he left the bar and stopped to look up into the sky. 'Minato-sensei' Kakashi thought as he stared at the stars with his dark eye. 'I'll do my best to help him, I swear.'

A/N: Well that's chapter three. Hopefully, you all enjoyed it. It sets up a bit of what's going to happen next in the story and what Naruto's goals are (for now). Please leave a review and let me know what you think! I'll try and have chapter four up later tonight!