Trigger
Chapter one: Recruiting.
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The night was silent, the moon casting it’s ethereal glow across the treetops and the cluttered roofs of Konoha. There was no movement, everyone having long gone to sleep…everyone that is, except Kakashi Hatake. The silver haired Jounin stood quietly next to the KIA memorial, absently running his fingers over his lover’s name. The marble of the memorial shown his reflection, glinting slightly in the light of the full moon. Kakashi sighed, lifting his left arm to his face, checking his watch. ‘ Midnight. He should be here any moment.’ Kakashi thought, pulling his sleeve over the black watch, resting his dark gaze on the stone once again. His finger twitched when he felt a presence nearing, but relaxed when he felt the familiar chakra lap at his own.


“ It’s nice to see you again, Sasuke.” He murmured, glancing at his ex-student. The Uchiha heir dropped down from the tree to Kakeshi’s right. Sasuke hadn’t changed much. He was about the same height as Kakashi, though nothing else seemed to have changed. Same lithe build, same hairstyle, same coal black eye’s, if not a bit more hardened.


“ Likewise.” Sasuke’s eye’s roved down the stone stopping at a familiar name. “ I was surprised that you showed any interest in my plan, let alone my side.” He said offhandedly. Kakashi chuckled, not looking away from the stone.


“ A lot has changed, Sasuke. Konaha is not what it used to be…” Sasuke looked at his sensei, noting the slightly sad tone he held. “ In all technicality, it hasn’t changed at all, and that is it’s biggest problem.”

He sighed, the feeling disappearing almost instantly. “ So,” he said, glancing at the Sharingan user, “ What is the persuading argument you have?”

“ I’m not going to try and promise you power or vengeance. That is foolish. Vengeance is nothing but a desperate cry for a purpose and power is never guaranteed. However, I can promise you will never be bothered by anyone from my circle again. You could retire for all I care. The only thing you‘ll have to worry about is getting caught in the cross-fire.” Kakashi watched his student, a slight feeling of pride welling within him at the wisdom his student seemed to finally learn.


“ You’ve done a lot of growing up I see.” Kakashi stated, smiling. Sasuke ‘hmmed’ in response. Kakeshi’s smile widened. “ Your persuasion skills have increased dramatically as well.” Sasuke looked at him.


“ Is that a yes?”


“ Actually it’s a ‘ What the hell? I’ve got nothing better to do.” Sasuke smirked. “ I must ask you, who else are you going to recruit?” Kakashi asked, just as Sasuke was turning to leave. Sasuke paused.


“ As of now… Neji. His refusal or compliance will determine who else will be contacted.” Sasuke replied, starting to walk again.


“ What about Nar-”


“ I’m not here to recruit him…” He stated sharply, cutting Kakashi off. Kakashi stared at the Uchiha. He had figured the only reason his sights had returned to this place was because of the blonde.


“ Recruits get a choice on whether or not they’re on my side. He doesn‘t.” With that Sasuke disappeared.


Kakashi chuckled softly, turning in the opposite direction to head home. Sasuke hadn’t really grown out of that rabid possessiveness all Uchiha are born with.


He glanced once more at the stone, his eye’s saddening. “ I don’t think I can take their excuses anymore. Please understand, Iruka. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t still love you.” Kakashi disappeared, hoping he had made the right choice.


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The trees sped by as I ran. I knew exactly where to find him. I had been watching him for the past month, and was disgusted to find out that his life had sunken far below that of bearable. Why he hadn’t killed himself, or everyone around him for that matter, was beyond me. Though, I suppose that’s the major difference between us. He valued life, I didn’t.


Sakura, apparently, blamed him for my leaving, and treated him like the rest of the village, as though he was something disgusting and should die. He was also blamed for the death of his sensei, Iruka. It was actually the work of some idiot ninja working for the new Hokage. His name was Ichiru something. I didn’t care. He was going to die in the next week or so, if my plan went through. This entire village would probably be destroyed. Either that or whatever and whoever was left would be under my control.


My old home came into view. The darkened mansion looked creepy indeed, with it’s gray color, vined walls and severely un-kept state. I hated it. I hated it with all my heart and will always hate it. I found it strange that Naruto sought refuge from the village here, of all places, but I suppose he had no where else to go. His home had been broken into multiple times, and attacks from the villagers were becoming more and more frequent. The last place they would look would be the Uchiha mansion.


I landed on the gray roof, scowling when my foot touched a loose shingle, causing it to tumble off the roof noisily. Scaring him away would not be a smart thing to do, meaning no noise. Even though he seemed to want to see me again, the idea itself scared him more than the villagers ever would.


The house was quiet. I climbed in through one of the windows. Naruto left a few of them unlocked so he could get in without trouble. I was on the same floor as my room, where Naruto usually was. I could even see the door at the end of the hall. It was slightly ajar, the moonlight from the large window within making it’s way through the door. I crept slowly down the hall, silently daring the wood under my feet to make a sound. I pressed myself against the wall next to the door frame, leaning over to peek inside.


Under my window, the top of his head just missing the moonlight, was a his huddled form, knees pulled up to his chest in a fetal position. The mass of blonde, spiky hair drooped over his face, as if mimicking it’s owners mood. The gorgeous blue sapphires that Naruto called his eye’s were closed, much to my disappointment. He seemed to be asleep. He no longer wore that annoying orange outfit, or kept his head band on his head. He wore the chunnin uniform, and had his head band wrapped around his neck like a choker. I liked the change.


I slipped inside, walking slowly over to him, then kneeling in front of his form. I reached out and gently ran my hand over his features, tracing the whisker-like marks. I was both surprised and pleased when he leaned into my touch, sighing softly. His expression was so peaceful, a far cry from what he normally wore on his beautiful face. Waking him was not something I fancied at the moment. His face held no pain, no tears, no suffering. That was a rare sight, indeed.


“ Naruto…” I called softly, but receiving no reply. “ Naruto.” a little more force was put into my voice. He stirred slightly, mumbling unintelligible gibberish, but didn’t wake. I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. How do you wake up a Dobe? I watched him take even breaths through his parted lips. Soft kissable, never been touched by anyone but me….


Before I had time to register my thoughts, I had leaned down and pressed my lips against his. I marveled at how soft they were, bringing my hand up to tilt his face higher. He responded slowly, pressing back only slightly. My mind was a writhing pile of goo. I almost ignored the startled squeak that vibrated against my lips. I opened my leisurely closed eye’s and met those pools of blue that stared at me in utter and complete disbelief. Pulling back, the blonde let go of my cloak, having previously latched onto it.


“ Sasuke?” he continued to stare at me, though the tensing of his muscles did not go unnoticed. Not a moment later he sprung to the other side of me, darting towards the door. I shot up and grabbed him around the waist, saying softly that I wasn’t going to hurt him. He apparently didn’t believe me, because he only struggled harder. He desperately shoved at the arm that I kept firmly around his waist.


“ Let go!”


“ No.”


“ Let go…” he repeated weakly, sagging in my arms. I nuzzled into his neck.


“ No.”


“ Why not?” he whimpered, pushing at my arm with much less fervor.


“ Because I don’t let go of things that are mine.” He sucked in a breath, freezing in place. I didn’t suppress a light chuckle. “ Is it that surprising? You’ve been mine since we fought Haku, and you know it.” His silence was expected, though what he did next wasn’t. He gripped my arm and gave a hard shove.


“ What kind of delusion are you living in?” he turned his head to look at me. He was glaring, the fire in him I had assumed had been doused flaring brightly. “ I don’t belong to anybody! Especially not traitorous bastards who destroy their friends for power! Now let me GO!” he struggled furiously, reaching for a Kunai strapped to his leg.


I spun him around, ripping the kunai from his hands and flinging it into the hall. I gripped his face, forcing him to look at me.


“ Don’t talk to me that way, Dobe.” His struggling faltered at his old pet name, but didn’t stop. Damn-it. Everything had to be the hard way with the Dobe. My hand snaked up his back, squeezing the pressure point on his neck, causing him to still for a moment. His pupils dilated and rolled to back of his head as he slumped in my arms. His head rested against my shoulder, his breath evening. I sighed, hooking my arm under his legs and lifting him up bridal style. I placed him on my old bed, watching him curl up into ball on the black comforter. ‘ Dobe…’ I thought, exiting the room. I shut the door softly.


“ I’ll be back later.” I had a meeting to get to.

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A/N: SasuNaru fluff! :3 Prologue, done, first chapter, done, second chapter, done, third being thought out. Please review. 2 Reviews before I update. I must warn you: I have a horrible tendency to slack off on my fics once I get the first or second chapter out.

“ What am I doing….” I looked up at Neji-niisan, clasping my arms to stop my trembling. I couldn’t believe what we were doing. It went against everything we were raised to do, but at the same time, it held up everything we had come to believe. It was confusing.


One week ago, Neji-niisan received a chakra sealed scroll from Sasuke Uchiha, the person we presumed would rather die than re-establish contact. Neji -niisan said the letter requested a meeting, one no one knew about but Neji. It said that Sasuke was going to take over Konoha, and wanted his help. It said he could either come to the meeting, ignore the letter, or give it to the authorities. Sasuke really didn’t care. Should he show any interest at all, he was to wait by the swing next to the old academy at half-past twelve.


Naturally, both me and Neji-niisan were stupefied with shock. Sasuke Uchiha, who had betrayed everyone, everything, for power and then ceased to exist for over 5 years, sends them a letter saying that he’s going to take over Konoha with Neji’s help? If that doesn’t kill a few brain cells, your brain dead already. Another thing that surprised me was how intrigued Neji was about this plan. He seemed to honestly like the idea. It was strange.


So, for the past week, we both had been trying to decide whether or not he should go. We looked at all the angles we could come up with. For our family, it would be bad. It would disgrace the name of Hyuuga, and un imaginable shame would be placed on him, and me for helping him, and we might be removed from the family. Another problem was Ten-ten and Lee. This would throw them both into a fit of anger and hurt. On the other hand, Konoha had changed for the worst. The newest Hokage was a bastard in every sense of the word. He was cold, and believed those who didn’t agree with everything he said should be imprisoned. There were even rumors that he had threatened the village elders into making him Hokage. Almost every time I had to report to that thing, I thought of how Naruto would have done a better job briefing, or would have come up with a better strategy. At least he would wish us luck and care if we came back.



Naruto had been hurt so much since Sasuke had left. I blamed most of the pain on Sasuke, but that wasn’t fair. It was the village that hurt Na-kun, the ignorant fools. Na-kun hid himself in the Uchiha mansion a lot. Me and Neji-niisan were the only ones in the village that knew where he hid himself. I didn’t really understand why Na-kun liked to hide there, but I had an inkling that Na-kun and Sasuke had been closer than even they themselves knew. Naruto was hurt more by Sasuke’s betrayal than anyone else, but no one seemed to realize it.


“ Hinata-chan… You can go back if you want. This is not something your obligated to do-”


“ Neji-Niisan, if I care about Na-kun and the honorable heritage of Konoha, I cannot change my mind now. Besides, if this is a trap, You will need some back-up. I doubt anyone would answer a call for help from someone who was about to betray Konoha.” He smiled softly at me.


As we got closer to the old academy, I began to grow more and more worried. Sasuke had said nothing about me coming along. There was no telling what he would do if he saw me…


Neji’s hand came to rest on my shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. I smiled up at him. Neji and me had become like brother and sister in the past two years. We had to spend much more time together, gotten to know one another better than ever thought possible. We had been put in the same chunnin division together, making it impossible for him to avoid me. We had to establish trust and an understanding of one another to gain any hope of succeeding on missions. It had done wonders for our friendship.


When we were about to turn the corner of the school, we both froze. A small flicker of chakra reached our senses. It was…terrifying. I don’t think I had ever been so disturbed by a single flicker of chakra in all my life. I looked up Neji, not comforted by his set jaw and the barely there tremble in his clenched fists. I swallowed the solid fear that had lodged itself in my throat and offered a small smile to Neji-neesan. If he found comfort in the smile, he didn’t show it. He walked forward, me trailing behind him.


Sasuke Uchiha was leaning casually against the tree that held Na-kun’s swing. He wore a simple black cloak, obscuring most other clothes underneath from my sight. His face had sharpened over the years and he was much taller than me. His eye’s were still dark and cold, but they seemed glazed over at the moment. His whole appearance was to portray calm relaxation, but he simply oozed threat. I was reminded of Shikamaru-san, minus he overly apparent…malice.


“ I see you brought a friend, Hyuuga.” His eye’s flitted to me, but I stared back with confidence. My spine straitened with the chill his gaze induced. “ I certainly hope this doesn’t mean you’ve decided to try and capture or kill me…” He looked back at Neji. Even though he seemed to think we were here to get him, his façade did not falter in the slightest. Neji snorted.


“ I don’t think we are quite that stupid, Uchiha. Hinata-chan has just decided she‘s just as interested as me.” Sasuke’s eye’s looked back at me, a slight trace of disbelief flickering over his eye’s.


“ Really, now…” His eye’s asked for explanation.


“ I hate what the village has turned into. Nothing is as it used to be, but no one is protesting. Konoha has enveloped itself into silent screaming at the injustices an the hatred being thrown around, yet no one does anything to stop it. It is disgusting and insulting. I’m sick of it.” My voice had wavered slightly when I said hatred, Na-chan’s hopeless and hurt eye’s flashing across my memory. My bottom lip trembled, but I held firm. Something told me that faltering or hesitation under his gaze would not be wise.


His head tilted slightly in a thoughtful manor. “ Riveting speech. Very accurate. I figured you’d show up as well, what with the sudden bond between you two.” He pushed himself from the tree, walking up to us slowly. His manor seemed to loose a tad-bit of it’s threat, but that could have just as easily been my own foolishness. “ To be honest, I was planning on offering you a position amongst my subordinates anyway. I just had to make sure I had Neji on my side first. The chances of you or his impressive team-mates joining me when he wouldn’t do it himself are miserable, if not non-existent.”


“ True.” I said, nodding.


“ Now, to business. What exactly are you proposing?” Neji said, staring evenly at the Uchiha. Sasuke stared back.


“ “ Hostile take over”, I suppose is the best way to explain it. I plan to gather the best ninja in this village and turn them against the current Hokage. Not by force of course, they can choose to stay on the Hokage’s side if they want, I couldn’t care less. I’m just offering because I’d hate to see such talent go to waste. I‘m declaring war on Konoha.”


Neji raised an eyebrow. “ You and what army?” Sasuke chuckled. Neji and I both stiffened at the icy sound.


“ The sound, the sand, and the mist have all sworn their allegiance to me. Hows that for an army.” I couldn’t help it, my jaw dropped. Neji’s eyes bugged out.


“ But, I thought Sand was our ally?” Uchiha smirked at my question.


“ That was before I met with Sabaku.” I stared.


“ How on earth did you gain the Mist's trust?” Neji asked, my head nodding automatically.


“ That was admittedly a bit more difficult. I did the only thing those barbarians respect, killed they’re leader and appointed one of my most trusted officials to his seat. Just as I plan to do here, minus the killing. I plan to strip him of all power and imprison him, after I get him to confess to all the shit he’s pulled behind everyone’s back in a public trial.” I noticed the sadistic gleam in his black eyes. It was then that the truth really sunk in. It didn’t matter what me and Neji-niisan chose to do. Uchiha was offering us a reprieve from death, or imprisonment. He was offering us a chance to avoid a bitter and unavoidable defeat. He had too many on his side to guarantee anything but failure to all those who appose him. Neji and I could say ‘fuck you’ and go tell the Hokage the whole thing, and it wouldn’t make a smidge of difference. That’s when a thought struck me at something he had said.


" I did the only thing those barbarians respect, killed they’re leader and appointed one of my most trusted officials to his seat. Just as I plan to do here, minus the killing.”


“ You killed Orochimaru, didn’t you?” He turned his cold gaze to me. I noticed the way his jaw set, just like Neji’s when he was nervous, but the Uchiha seemed angry. “ You keep referring to yourself, but, Orochimaru wouldn’t allow you to do something so drastic, would he?”


“ No, he wouldn‘t, because he‘s a worthless coward. I crushed that miserable excuse for a being as soon as I got that seal off of me.” he spat bitterly, like merely saying his name left a bad taste in his mouth. Neji moved in front of me, blocking me from his murderous gaze.


“ What do you plan to do with the residents of Konoha, and the elders? I highly doubt they will be willing to give up their home.” Sasuke’s eyes slipped back into they’re cold, bored stare.


“ None of them will be harmed. I guarantee it. The only thing truly hostile about this take over, is it will require us to force our way into the city. Other than that, things will be dealt with peacefully. No one will be actually removed from the city, except the Hokage. He will be dealt with in the sound.”


“ If everything’s going to be done peacefully, why not just try and get the Hokage removed within our laws? Why take over?” He smirked.


“ The Hokage isn’t the only thing that needs to be dealt with, and besides, if I don’t do it now with a good reason, I’ll take over later because I’m bored.” The fact that he could actually do that disturbed me much more than the smirk on his face ever will. The arrogance reminded me of the old Sasuke of team 7. I guess he hadn’t been completely stamped out, had he? “ So, what say you?” Sasuke pulled out a scroll, unrolling it and handing it to the Hyuuga. Neji-niisan looked at me questioningly. I nodded slowly back.


“ Uchiha, this better not be a load of bullshit…” Neji-niisan threatened, pressing his thumb against the binding scroll. A small thumb print became visible in black ink almost as soon as Neji-niisan pulled his finger away. I did the same, ignoring the slight searing sensation it left on my thumb. Neji-niisan handed the scroll back to Sasuke, his gaze level with Sasuke’s. Sasuke only smirked.


“ Welcome to the ranks.” He bowed, before disappearing. Neji gave me a worried look, his jaw setting.


“ Lets hope this wasn’t a mistake.” I looked back up at him and smiled.


“ I don’t think it was.”


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A/N: Now that the second chapter is out, there will be a little waiting time, unfortunately. All of this was done in the span of two nights. Literally. I slept until the sun went down and stayed up all through the night. People are starting to think I’m a vampire. Haha Anyway, just hang tight. My lack of things to do in general has been pushing my writings. I have 2 other stories I’m working on, one of which you guys will probably see in a couple weeks. Depends on how my motivation holds out.

When Naruto awoke, the fist thing he noticed was the strange comfort he felt. The bed he was on was soft and had a spicy scent to it that reminded him of someone very close to him. Then his mind started whirring back up to speed, jumpstarting the slew of memories from earlier that night. He bolted up right, frantically searching for any sign of Sasuke’s presence. The only thing that indicated another had been present, was the shut door.

He calmed down some when he realized Sasuke was no where to be seen. Kyuubi had been quiet up until this point, choosing to let her kit calm himself on his own. To be honest, she felt furious. Sasuke had returned, and in the single moment it had taken Naruto to realize who it was sitting in front of him, his mind had ceased proper function. He had acted purely on instinct, and all it had done was get him into trouble. She had begged her kit to let her out, but he was to far gone in his own blind panic to listen to a single word she said. Not only did he kiss and claim ownership of her kit, he overpowered him and knocked him out. Who did he think he was?!

‘ It’s okay Kyuubi, we’ll deal with him when we find him.’ Naruto said quietly, standing up. He walked slowly over to the full length mirror off in the corner near the bed. His reflection was a very good resemblance to what he felt on the inside, which he normally did his best to hide. Dark circles under the eyes, deep set frown, not to mention the emotional exhaustion showing through his eyes. All in all he looked something like Gaara, only with less “ evil scariness”, as Naruto so literately stated.

BAM

Naruto Whipped around, instinctively reaching for his kunai pouch, only to find it empty. ‘ Shit, that’s right! Sasuke threw it into the hall…’ He could hear loud footsteps running their way up the steps. He took a precious moment to identify the chakra coming off the person, but was horrified to find it was Sakura. ‘ No! If she sees me here…!’ He dove across the room, throwing open the window and darting out into the early morning air. He tore through the thick forest separating the village from the compound, not stopping for anything. He knew he had a few scrapes already from the smarting branches, but he would go through a brick wall if it kept space between him and his old team-mate. He hated facing her almost as much as he did facing Sasuke. The hate she looked at him with…

‘ WATCH OUT!!!’ He swung to the side just in time to barely dodge a large tree, throwing himself off balance and hitting the ground with a roll, slamming into another tree trunk painfully.

“….Ow.”

‘ Ow indeed.’

‘ Shut it.’ Kyuubi snickered despite herself. Naruto may be smarter than most thought, but intelligence had nothing to do with being a klutz. ‘ Why do you think Sakura was at Sasuke’s house?’ Naruto asked, trying to ignore Kyuubi’s insistent snickering.

‘ You know, she may have picked up on Sasuke’s chakra, or yours, for that matter. How should I know the inner workings of a bitch’s mind…’ Naruto smirked,
‘ Oh, don’t you say a word, blondie.’

‘ The best part is, I don’t have to.’ Naruto snickered at the Kyuubi’s warning growl, standing slowly and patting the dirt off of his uniform. He stretched slowly, sighing contentedly at the pops from his back. Forgetting to stretch when you first get up is very unwise for even the most powerful ninja.

‘ Well, think of it this way: if she was looking for you, there’s nothing you can do about it. She would have already sensed you and known you were there. Now, if it was Sasuke she was after, then I highly doubt she’ll tell anybody he’s around, for risk of the Hokage sicking the ANBU on her precious Sashy-poo.’ Kyuubi put her ears back and batted her eye-lashes in a mock fan-girl swoon. However disturbingly accurate the face was, Naruto still laughed, launching himself back onto the tree branches, deciding to go home and grab some money for breakfast.

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I sat up slowly, the early morning rays of sunlight braking through my partially closed blinds. The room was bare, lacking in anything other than a dresser and a nightstand next to my double bed next to it. The dresser had multiple picture frames resting on it’s smoothed surface, most of which I couldn’t see from the sun’s glare on the frame’s glass. The nightstand had a small lamp, my latest volume of ‘ Icha Icha paradise’, and a small picture frame with my most valued picture in it.

The picture depicted me, standing in my uniform, reading my little book, with Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke in front of me, looking happy. Even Sasuke had a small smile cracked across his pale face. Next to me, stood Iruka. My beautiful Iruka, looking all for the world like the father he was to Naruto, his left hand placed on the blondes shoulder, holding him still for the picture.

“ Okay, Naruto, over there with Sasuke. No, no, on his left. Not that left the other left!”

“ But sensei, I wanna be next to Sakura-chan!”

“ Okay, okay, Naruto, in the middle. Sasuke, a little to the right. Naruto, no rabbit ears! Sasuke, no hitting. Naruto, stop fidgeting. Okay, here it goes. Smile big, everybody!”

I laughed softly at the memory, reaching for the picture. Everything was so… oddly right back then. By no means perfect, but, better than now. Iruka gone, Naruto in pieces, Sakura… well Sakura, and Sasuke planning for a war. I let my head fall back, resting it on the headboard of my bed, sighing. Nothing is right anymore, not even me. I ran my fingers slowly through my hair, remembering the day I was told of the “ accident.”

I stood quietly in the waiting room of the Hokage tower, watching Naruto fidget in his seat nervously. For once, I knew how he felt, feeling the itching urge to pace welling up inside me.

“ The Hokage will see you now.” The ANBU soldier said, giving a curt bow, indicating for us to follow him. Naruto stood, jogging to come walk by my side. I saw he was trembling.

“ Ah, welcome. Please, have a seat.” The Hokage said as we walked in, the doors closing behind us. He was leaning against the front of his desk, his thin face grimly set, though his dark grey eyes showed dislike the moment they landed on Naruto. Naruto kept his head down. “ Now,” he said as we sat down, “ No doubt your wondering why you were called here? Well, there has been a terribly unfortunate accident.” the sorrow his voice portrayed did not reach his face, causing me to narrow my eyes.

“ What kind of accident.?” I asked slowly, not liking where this was going.

“ Well, during the recent attack on the outskirts of town, I’m sure you’ve heard about, your friend, um-” he looked down at a paper next to him on his desk, “ -Umino Iruka, was on guard duty that day. The attackers ambushed him and his guard partner. His partner is in critical condition.” My eyes widened, Naruto froze.

“ W-what about Iruka-sensei?” Naruto asked, stuttering under the Hokage’s cold gaze.

“ I am so sorry, but when back-up arrived, Iruka had already been killed.”

It was like I was dipped in a vat of liquid ice. My insides froze, my expression turning to one of horror. I vaguely heard the chair next to me scraping loudly on the wood floor, followed by pounding footsteps; Naruto running from the room, but my mind had ceased all movement. Not single thought went through my head, just those words repeating themselves over and over.

“ I am sorry for your loss.” I stared at him, this....thing as he looked at me with such an apathetic face that I wanted nothing more than to punch him. His voice held no real sympathy, neither did his eyes. I slowly stood, uttering something, I didn’t know what, and walked out of his office. I walked out of the tower, walked out of the city. I walked all the way past the training grounds, right to the outskirts of Konoha’s territory. I walked to the edge of the great lake that stretched all the way out to water country, dropped to my knees, and screamed.

I didn’t remember how long I had just stayed there and screamed, but according to some of the other ninja, I had been gone for roughly a week. No one could find Naruto for weeks, not until he showed up to the funeral with the Hyuuga‘s, looking almost as bad as me. It was just me, Naruto, a few of Iruka’s students and some of the people from his chunnin division. I took my mask off for the first time in public in ten years that day. Iruka had preferred it off, like I preferred his hair down.

After it was over, I pulled Naruto from the others, asking how he was. Iruka was the only person he had ever had that was always there. I could only to vividly understand what he felt. He just gave me a look that I swore was worse than any amount of tears I had ever seen shed. I wasn’t able to offer any kind words or comfort, because I was having enough trouble keeping from falling apart on the spot myself. I just stood with him for awhile. I think he understood what I had been trying to do, because he turned to me and smiled.

“ I’m glad he picked you. Your really loved him, just as much as I did.”

Even though the smile he had offered was empty, his words weren’t. It was surprisingly comforting coming from him. I suppose it was because I knew he understood. He felt just as bad as I did.

Now the time has come to fix things. His death could have so easily been avoided. Better training, more people, better alert system, so many ways it could have gone better. It’s been driving me crazy knowing it could have been prevented. I sighed again, throwing the blanket off of me and placing the picture carefully back on the nightstand. I slowly pulled my uniform on, deciding now would be a good time to visit the memorial.

Stopping to run my finger along the frame for a moment, I grabbed my book, turned and left, quietly shutting the door behind me.

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A/N: Oh god. I had to stop about five times to wipe away the tears. It made me so sad. I feel miserable right now. Terribly miserable. Well, hopefully I keep this writing spree going, cause I’ve never cranked out so many chapters so quickly in my entire life.

Just so you know, the next chapter will be much less serious. It’s from Sakura’s view, so it should be terribly fun to laugh at, at her expense of course. ;)