Changes

StarsOfYaoi: this is the prologue for a SasuNaru fic, only to see if someone likes this plot; I hope people will read and enjoy. Beware it will have heavy angst later on.

 

Note: the fic is Naruto–centric mostly.

 

Takes place after Sasuke and Naruto’s fight in the Valley of End. Sasuke was rescued in this fic. So, this is an AT (Alternate Timeline).

 

……………………………………………

 

Rating: T

 

Summary: (SasuNaru, NejiShika, eventually others) Naruto is trying to forget his former team, busy in Chuunin missions. But as his past is left uncover and many of his kind start to appear, old bonds are stretched to the maximum.

 

Warnings: yaoi, boy x boy relationship, angsty, torture, and such. Mental as well. Flames will be used to warm up food. OC warning as well.

 

Disclaimer: Not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does.

 

“Talking”

‘Thinking’

–Flashbacks, memories, dreams–

 

……………………………………………

 

 

 

Normality

 

 

Prologue: Changes

 

 

No one spoke in the room as Tsunade finished her speech.

 

It wasn’t necessary to say something, the faces of the five teens were already telling both her and Jiraiya what they were thinking about the shocking news.

 

The Godaime Hokage and the Pervert Sannin stared at the faces of the five ninja in front of them seriously, for once neither willing to ruin the solemn aura, taking in their appearances. They looked so young, too young, as if they didn’t belong here but in a playground, smiling and running around, clueless. But their painful thoughts were useless now; it must have been because the two of them were old, and reacted as if they were staring at children instead of young adults.

 

Shinobi were trained from a young age to be skilled and emotionless, and Tsunade and Jiraiya both knew it; even thought they didn’t approve it, they had been through the same and were now fiercely reminded by the young teens sitting there, shocked.

 

They had it even harder, in some way. Because they grew up in a war time, when not even living was taken for granted. When no one was sure if there would be a next day. Forced to mature when they should have been learning how to live.

 

So it was stupid, how they stared at the five boys in front of them, wondering where their childhood had gone. They were shinobi. They were bound to be like this.

 

And still…

 

No one of them looked like a teen to her as Tsunade sighed, shifting the weight of her head to her hands, elbows placed on the table. Though, their eyes told her otherwise.

 

At her right, a blond boy that had never taken anything by granted; he’d fought for everything he had, to prevent others from taking his security away.

 

He had watched as everyone turned their backs on him, watched as he lost everything he gained, lost in the little game adults played to shun him out. All of this because of things he couldn’t control, be it a seal placed on him at his birth or a friend’s lust for power.

 

Naruto was no child. Not in his mind anyway, and it was clear seeing the cheerful act he put up every single day. Something that could help him accept and stand the pain he received.

 

Next was what to an inexperienced person’s stare could have appeared as an overweight teen, but that indeed had faced a hard decision concerning his life and death and had chosen the harder way to achieve a victory that would have helped his team.

 

Chouji too had his problems, hidden under an uncaring exteriority so not to be hurt.

 

The third was one people labelled as lazy and grumpy, caught in the need to keep up with a family reputation he didn’t agree on, with an intelligence that helped him develop battle strategies for a group of inexperienced ninja as if they were elite jounin, and that could help him out of any difficult situation.

 

His eyes too, were the ones of someone too old to be twelve. Shikamaru could drop his laziness anytime for those he cared for, because he knew things no boy should know.

 

Then there was the heir of the Inuzuka family. Hiding under a harsh arrogance his insecurities, because being a ninja meant to show power and determination… and any mishap could be punished hard if the mission was not accomplished. And despite his loudness, he would still work in a group treating anyone like a pack member, trusting and caring and protecting.

 

Kiba knew better than act around his duties.

 

Last of them was a pale teen with long dark hair, whose blank white eyes were fixed on her with a hollow stare. Older than the other four, he held such a coldness in his stance and soul that only Naruto had been able to warm him up enough to show his real self inside, deep hidden among the abuse he went through all his life –until he could not even think about life without saying that Fate was the one ruling it all.

 

Neji had suffered equally, and still was standing.

 

They were all still standing.

 

And Tsunade felt like it would have been easier if they didn’t, if only for her to not see their eyes. Hollow, and yet, still sparkling with life and even hope. Because they were young. The young could still dream.

 

No matter what, they still hoped. And wished. And lived on, because there was so much to fight for.

 

And that was enough… at least for now.

 

“Are you… kidding?” Naruto was the first to come out of his shock, and to the surprise of everyone else, he was not yelling… instead his voice was so low it was barely a whisper. It was like he was trying not to break the silence, as if he was afraid it would shatter and reveal to him it was just a dream.

 

Tsunade shook her head and smiled warmly at them, a forceful and strained smile, but a true one. “What you accomplished is a great feat, you fought with ninja that were at the Chuunin level, maybe even higher, and you all won… I think you all deserve this”.

 

Jiraiya nodded, for once not looking a stupid but actually serious. He was proud of them, really proud. Despite his previous thoughts, his distrust, his scepticism, he was happy he had been wrong.

 

“I agree with Tsunade, you all deserve this,” he smiled.

 

Naruto blinked, his eyes flashing with something akin to fear.

 

Two weeks had passed ever since their return from the mission that changed them, and now they were healed enough to be able to stand in Tsunade’s office, many of them still wearing the signs of the wounds they had been healed from.

 

When the Hokage had called them all in her office, the blond had known something was going to happen, but this was the last thing he would have expected.

 

“From now on, you will be considered Chuunin” Tsunade said, her tone one of finality. “And Shikamaru, since you were already one, you will be given a special mention. You are dismissed now”.

 

Naruto blinked again.

 

A Chuunin.

 

Tsunade had promoted him… all of them… Chuunin.

 

He stood up in a flash and ran away. He felt like he wanted to cry.

 

 

……………………………………………

 

 

The village was silent as he stared down from the Hokage mountain, eyes lost as they traced every street, every passage, knowing all of them, feeling oddly comforted by the fact that he could remember them anytime with no strain.

 

After exiting the Hokage’s office, Naruto was so confused and shocked he didn’t even know where he was going. He just ran, fast. He was in a dazed state, and when his swimming thoughts returned to the surface and he realized where he was, he found himself on top of the mountain, standing on Sandaime’s head.

 

This had always been his favourite spot, usually changing from one Hokage’s head to the other, able to look from up above at the life that continued below, as if admiring the fact that he wasn’t there, with all the rest of the world, but in a secret place, higher, watching.

 

This time it was different. This time, he had no relief in seeing everything go on like usual, he felt no odd sense of happiness in seeing how everything looked so normal. Naruto stared down with frantic eyes as life continued normally for the villagers, feeling somewhat left out. He felt as if no one understood the danger they had been into.

 

He felt as if he wasn’t grasping on reality at all.

 

Now that he was sitting there, feeling the breeze curl around him, the sun warming the back of his head almost comfortably, and his wounds had healed, he felt as if he knew nothing of this village anymore. It all looked so false, so… vain.

 

It looked as if he’d been away for years, instead of hours.

 

Everything was out of focus for him, when his mind was still back to the fight. Two weeks since that day, the day in which he’d seen his hopes and beliefs shatter in front of him by the sole person that had meant really something to him… and now that he was out of the hospital, as well as the other four of the rescue team, this had been his first visit to the Hokage mountain.

 

His friends were fine.

 

Their wounds had healed.

 

But for Naruto, something didn’t heal completely, if any at all.

 

The deepest wound couldn’t be repaired, the one in his soul; because after everything, he still remembered the spirited eyes of Sasuke as he stabbed the Chidori in his chest. Aiming for his heart.

 

He’d fought against his best friend that had wanted him to die. He had let Kyuubi take control of his body. He had felt like he wanted to die.

 

Nothing could be the same ever again.

 

And now he stood there, staring at the village he had sworn to protect, and it felt wrong. It was too normal. It was as if nothing had changed, as if nothing… nothing had happened.

 

He felt like he could never go back to what he was before. Not now.

 

And the news that now he was a Chuunin… he felt a step closer to his dream of becoming Hokage, but at the same time he felt he didn’t deserve it.

 

He didn’t want to be a Chuunin this way. He had done nothing to deserve it.

 

Nothing at all.

 

Naruto sighed and thought about who was now resting in the hospital… the one that was responsible for his friends’ almost death and the pain he felt. The one that, despite everything, he’d taken back.

 

Sasuke.

 

The Uchiha had been healing slower than the rest. His wounds had been even worse than Neji’s, even if not deathly, so it would take longer for him to heal –Tsunade had commented that his cursed seal had been slowing down the process too.

 

And he was guarded by ANBU, because they did not trust him anymore.

 

Naruto felt his heart clench.

 

He’d trusted the Uchiha with everything he had. He had thought Sasuke to be almost a brother to him, someone he could trust, someone that cared, even with his insults. It felt good.

 

He had felt warm.

 

And now, everything shattered down. Sasuke had renounced to his life, his friends, his everything in order to succeed with his revenge.

 

The sole thought of having to see him and even having to stay in the same team with him made Naruto feel empty inside. He couldn’t… he simply couldn’t make himself meet with the Uchiha.

 

Not anymore.

 

He didn’t want to look into those black orbs and know he’d tried to kill him to progress further in his lust for power.

 

He had been weak. He hadn’t been able to stop Sasuke from leaving, and even thought Tsunade had told him about the seal, he could not meet with him again. he didn’t feel ready.

 

The cursed seal Orochimaru had placed on Sasuke’s neck, just like the one Anko had, had been poisoning his mind, pulling him further into darkness, making his anger stronger, his thirst for revenge even more bitter and painful.

 

It had been its fault if he’d tried to leave in the first place, and it had been its fault if Sasuke had tried to kill Naruto.

 

But still, the blond felt it was his own fault. He should have tried to help Sasuke. He should have tried to understand him more, to take him away from Orochimaru’s clutches.

 

And now, he felt he would die if he were to meet with Sasuke. He could not look in his friend’s eyes to see the hatred, or even the pity, or the disgust, or any other emotion Sasuke could be feeling.

 

And, even though Naruto was trying hard to deny it, he felt angry and betrayed too. Sasuke had thought he was important enough to be his best friend, but then, he’d tried to kill him because of that.

 

The seal was to blame, but the seal only amplified what Sasuke had inside. His desire for revenge was the only thing that mattered for him.

 

He felt he could not stare into the crimson eyes without thinking back to it all. The anger and the guilt would never disappear, as long as he was around him.

 

And he could not even think about seeing Sakura, either. She had been worrying over Sasuke ever since they were back, but apart a grateful thanks, Sakura had never visited him, nor his other friends.

 

Naruto knew it was not her fault, because she was in love with Sasuke, and he had accepted that, plus he was used to be rejected by people. It was nothing new, so he didn’t feel bad for it, instead he understood what she was going through.

 

And even though he had brought Sasuke back, keeping his promise to her, he felt like he’d failed as a friend, to both.

 

That’s why he too never visited any of them. He knew Sasuke would never be let out of surveillance, at least not in the first period, when they were trying to remove or at least control the seal he had. ANBU would be watching him, and Naruto was also sure they would never let the Kyuubi holder in to see the traitor.

 

He was a demon. Sasuke was a traitor. To the village elders, to have them meet in such a situation, even though he had been the one to take Sasuke back, would mean fuel rebellious instincts.

 

And for how stupid this sounded to Naruto, he could understand.

 

He didn’t visit Sakura either. She’d been allowed to see Sasuke, because she was training under Tsunade as a medic–nin to be stronger, and besides, she wasn’t a threat to the village. Naruto could see both his friends step further away from him, out of his reach, where he could not follow them, and they could not follow him.

 

Their lives were being drawn apart slowly, because of something they could not control… and yet for how painful that thought was for Naruto, he understood this was the better thing to do. He had to let go of them, and they would realize this soon enough, and let go of him as well.

 

‘I can’t face them. I know it’s cowardly, I know it’s a weakness… but I can’t. I’ve been hurt, they have been hurt. We can’t stay together anymore, for the sake of us all,’ he thought, his heart clenching painfully in his chest.

 

He would hurt them more, and they would as well. Sasuke would surely be angry for having his chance at revenge negated by someone he thought as a friend, and Sakura despised Naruto even though he’d taken her precious Sasuke back.

 

It was a vicious circle, of hurt and betrayal. If one of them didn’t break it, it would never end.

 

Blue eyes opened again, he didn’t even realize he’d closed them, and stared again below his feet.

 

He knew what he needed to do. He had to speak with Tsunade, again.

 

 

……………………………………………

 

 

Kakashi stared down at the blond, showing nothing of what he was feeling inside, but Naruto could still recognize his uneasiness.

 

It was clear, for someone that had known Kakashi for this long –Naruto knew for how much he denied it, Kakashi had let them close more than anyone else in a long time.

 

The visible eye was filled with something Naruto couldn’t really put a name on, but that felt so familiar to him it was almost painful. His fingers were clenching on the orange book so much the knuckles were white, and Naruto could see the muscles were tense and his arms rigid.

 

He’d never seen Kakashi this troubled, not in the time he’d known him, he was almost fidgeting.

 

The blond would have been amused, if he weren’t trying to hold back his own sadness. Ok, he didn’t want to see Sasuke and Sakura anymore, knowing it would be better for all the team if they were to be kept separated –after all, Naruto would not drown in depression seeing everyday his failure as a friend, and they would not be drained down with him.

 

They would surely be better off without him, not having to care anymore for him… and he the same.

 

It could seem cold, but Naruto despite the pain inside him knew he was doing the right thing. Moving on was the best thing for the three of them.

 

He had to fight hard against his heart yelling at him he was lying to himself.

 

“So… that is it,” Naruto stared hard at the ground at his feet, not able to look at his sensei’s face.

 

Kakashi felt a tug in his chest. This was not like it was supposed to be. Everything was crumbling into nothingness and he had at least to show he cared. Because up to now his pathetic attempt to look carefree and stoic had only hurt his team –the first he’d passed.

 

They were supposed to be the thing he cared for the most.

 

They were supposed to be his family.

 

And he had not been able to protect them and prevent their downfall.

 

“Naruto, it’s not like we won’t see each other again,” Kakashi forced a smile, even though the younger shinobi could not see it. “We will see each other in the village, I will visit you and I expect you to visit me as well, and… maybe you will be teamed up with me in a mission”.

 

Tsunade had accepted Naruto’s request. Usually, it had been like this since forever, a three–cell team would stay together even if one or more members turned of a higher rank –that only meant the higher rank would have solo missions as well, or be put in other teams for some time– but sometimes, things would change.

 

This was one of those times.

 

Naruto had asked to be taken away of team seven, and he’d been granted his request. He knew he had to face Kakashi and say goodbye, but he hadn’t expected it to be this awkward. He’d realized only now he cared for his sensei just as much as he cared for Iruka or Tsunade.

 

For a moment, he had the sinking feeling he was doing something wrong, but he pushed the feeling down, determined he was doing the best thing for everyone.

 

The blond teen found the courage to look up, and was relieved to see Kakashi was not angry at him. Despite his sensei didn’t pay him the attention he’d wished for, he still respected Kakashi, and admired him.

 

Kakashi was startled when Naruto pulled him into a sudden hug, and was too shocked to even shove him away. He was not comfortable with this much contact with another person –a contact that wasn’t meant to kill or harm– and he fidgeted until Naruto pulled away.

 

“I’m sorry, Kakashi–sensei… but I am happy you are not angry at me since I…” ‘since I gave up on the team’ he silently added.

 

Kakashi knew Naruto’s unspoken words and frowned. Naruto had been strong, stronger than he would have believed him to be, and he wasn’t giving up. Kakashi had long since realized his foolishness regarding the blond teen.

 

Naruto had been in need of a person to guide him, explaining and teaching him, someone that could see behind his appearance as the village’s fool, someone that could help him. Kakashi had failed as a teacher in this, preferring to him the Uchiha prodigy… that had instead revealed to be nothing but an avenger.

 

Sasuke had needed just as much attention as Naruto had, in another way, but the silver haired jounin knew he shouldn’t have preferred one student over another.

 

And now Naruto was happy because Kakashi was not angry with him… Kakashi felt bad. He knew it should have been Naruto the one furious, not the other way around.

 

“I am sorry, Naruto” he said, his voice steady and serious. “I failed you as a teacher… because I preferred the Uchiha prodigy over my other students”.

 

“No! Kakashi–sensei, you’re wrong!” Naruto shook his head and widened his eyes. “I can’t lie and say I wasn’t angry at you for favouring Sasuke over me, but I know why you did. He is a genius, someone who has great potential… I was, and still am, nothing”.

 

Kakashi’s eyes grew cold hearing such words being spoken so carelessly, as if the blond really believed that. Naruto felt worthless, even after everything he pulled through…

 

“Naruto, you have a great potential, equal to the one Sasuke has. I was wrong when judging you, and I want you to know that I am proud of what you’ve become” Kakashi smiled, his visible eye sparkling. “I am sure you will become the best Hokage Konoha has ever had”.

 

The smile he received from the blond made him feel both warm and cold inside. Naruto was thankful for his words, although he really meant what he had said, but Kakashi knew that despite everything they could say, he’d failed as a teacher.

 

Naruto still looked up at him with respect, and Kakashi had let him down too many times to count.

 

He only hoped he could remedy his mistakes.

 

Naruto was a surprising shinobi, and the copy–nin was sure he would keep on surprising them.

“Sasuke has a bloodline and talent… but you, Naruto, have something more” he concluded, ruffling the blond teen’s hair. “You work really hard” he scratched his head, his eye smiling, “maa, don’t make me repeat this ever again, it would ruin my reputation, ok?”

 

Naruto smiled broadly.

 

“Thanks, Kakashi-sensei…” and he meant it.

 

 

……………………………………………

 

 

Naruto shifted in bed, feeling the blanket rustle and brush against his skin.

 

He felt cold.

 

Turning to his left, he stared silently at the sight outside his window, admiring the night without speaking. He didn’t need to put up a cheerful appearance when he was alone, and he could relax.

 

There were moments the silence was welcomed.

 

The night was dark over Konoha, the sky of a deep blue that tinged with black, a few stars twinkling in the blanket of darkness, almost as if blinking at him.

 

There was no moon.

 

Sighing, Naruto tried to brighten himself up. That morning he would start doing missions with another group of Chuunin, he didn’t know yet who, and he was restless.

 

He couldn’t calm himself down, for how much he tried. He wanted to jump out of the bed and run to Sasuke’s hospital room, to see him, to confront him, but at the same time he didn’t want to see him ever again.

 

He wasn’t one to hold grudges like this, or to admit defeat, this simply wasn’t him, but this time it was different. Who cared about what he would or wouldn’t do? No one really was inside his mind, no one really knew him.

 

Not at all.

 

He only wanted to be recognized, but he ended up being hurt over and over, by the villagers, by the shinobi, even by his own close friends. Deluding himself had only brought more pain, and Naruto for once wanted to be selfish and think about himself.

 

He wanted to be respected, but he wanted someone that could care for him even more.

 

He ached for someone that could stare at him and walk at his side, as an equal, a friend, he wanted to be happy. Was that too much to ask for someone like him?

 

He was running away, but for once, he would not feel bad about it, he would not allow himself to.

 

The moment the sun would rise up, his new life would start.

 

Anew… without Sasuke.

 

 

……………………………………………

 

StarsOfYaoi: I wanted to try something new, plus, if I were to start writing angst now, I would have ended lost in the darkness.

 

Short, I know. But it’s a prologue. Next chapter will go further into everything, and explain more about everything.

 

Please, leave a review if you want me to continue. Any comment is appreciated.

Teamed

Thanks to all the people that reviewed me!

 

StarsOfYaoi: that’s the first chapter! I hope you will like it and please, tell me what you think of it!

 

I needed a good team for Naruto, but I also needed to have it balanced. You will see who I chose and why. There is also some Sasuke in this chapter!

 

……………………………………………

 

Rating: T

 

Summary: (SasuNaru, NejiShika, eventually others) Naruto is trying to forget his former team, busy in Chuunin missions. But as his past is left uncover and many of his kind start to appear, old bonds are stretched to the maximum.

 

Warnings: yaoi, boy x boy relationship, angsty, torture, and such. Mental as well. Flames will be used to warm up food. OC warning as well.

 

Disclaimer: Not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does.

 

“Talking”

‘Thinking’

–Flashbacks, memories, dreams–

 

……………………………………………

 

 

 

Normality

 

 

Chapter 01: Teamed

 

Naruto frowned as he entered Tsunade’s office.

 

He’d been up since sunrise, almost excited about the new life that was waiting for him from now on, and he couldn’t wait to see who he would be paired up with. That would be a fresh new start, a way to forget and start anew, and he wanted to do it well.

 

He’d wondered if Tsunade would place him in an actual group of Chuunin with a jounin, or if she would just have him in a Chuunin–only team, but he ended up realizing it didn’t matter.

 

He was going to start doing missions, real missions, not D–rank ones, and with a team… a team he would try not to hurt or mess up things with.

 

The blond bit his lip expectantly, wondering if the new team would treat him fairly or be prejudged about Kyuubi.

 

Freezing on the spot, he felt his blood turn cold at the prospect of having to share missions with people that hated him for something he could not control; surely Tsunade would be attentive on picking his team members out, but he could not refuse the fact that… if there were not free places, he would have to accept whatever came his way.

 

No matter what.

 

He wanted to start again, and he was determined in forgetting everything.

 

Lifting his hand on the handle of the door, Naruto paused for a second; the corridor was silent, no one was there, not even Shizune, and the quietness pulled something inside him.

 

He still had a chance to go back… to refuse the promotion, to refuse to be placed in another team… he could still turn and walk away and continue his life with Team Seven.

 

Naruto’s heart clenched painfully; no, there was no turning back. It was just an illusion, because nothing would ever be the same again. He had deluded himself far too much, because after the defection, the rescue, the breaking of their trust, the pain and the hurt, there was no way everything would ever return what it was before.

 

He had to accept that sometimes the only way to keep going was to change… for how afraid he could be of the outcome, if he were to refuse changes, then his dream to become Hokage would not be true.

 

He had to be strong and show the village he loved the place, and would die for them.

 

Naruto took a deep breath and pushed open the door, meeting the sight of a sleeping Tsunade.

 

Sure, that woman had a lot of work and had to stay up all night to finish it –or at least hope to finish it– but that was not the case; next to her head there were two empty bottles of sake and a cup, and by the light reddish tinge on her cheeks, the blond assumed she’d been drunk.

 

‘I wonder how could such people have turned into two of the three most powerful people of the shinobi world’ he muttered to himself, staring at the sleeping woman and mentally adding to the sight a mental image of Jiraiya peeping in an onsen. ‘One is a pervert writer, one is a gambler and an alcoholic addict, and the third…’ he shook his head.

 

Remembering Orochimaru only served him as a reminder of Sasuke’s actions, and he was determined in ignoring it.

 

“Oi, Tsunade obaa–chan!” he nudged her head. “Wake up!”

 

No reaction.

 

‘So much for being a trained ninja,’ Naruto rolled his eyes.

 

“Oi! Obaa–chan!” he yelled in her ear.

 

Her eyes opened tiredly, blinking as sleep left her form. The moment her mind registered what the blond had said, she glared in the general direction where she knew he was, and punched him on the head in an Iruka–like fashion.

 

“Hey! What did I do!” the teen groaned in pain, massaging his head with a pout.

 

Tsunade stared impassively at him, stretching her back with a few pops, “because you’re nothing but a disrespecting gaki!”

 

“Stupid old hag,” Naruto muttered under his breath.

 

But both he and Tsunade knew that there was no animosity between them; the woman was very fond of him, mostly because she could see her brother in Naruto, and it took nothing to her to start considering him like family… Naruto was just Naruto.

 

She only wanted the best for him.

 

That’s why she had accepted to take him away of Team 7; she’d seen the pain in his eyes, and despite knowing that running away was not the best way to confront what hurt him, she also knew that the betrayal had been too much for such a trusting soul.

 

He was too similar to Jiraiya in this sense, since even the white haired pervert had been deeply hurt by Orochimaru’s defection. Jiraiya too, had run away from the truth, but Sasuke had been taken back to Konoha, whilst Orochimaru had not.

 

Tsunade had only one real weakness (because she would stop drinking and gambling any time if it was for the welfare of her cared ones), and that was Naruto. She would do anything for him; even help him run until he was ready to face his pain.

 

And… she could see that he would progress further if kept away from Sasuke. It wasn’t anymore rivalry between them. Naruto would need some time, who knows how much, to accept, understand (because his heart would not let him forget completely) and confront Sasuke again.

 

The outcome, Tsunade could not know, but every battle in that sense, would make both of them grow up. And she knew Sasuke would have to digest his part of the situation as well.

 

The blond on his part, was glad Tsunade cared for him, since not many had before, and despite the way he called her, the words held nothing but affect. It felt comforting to know he had someone that would protect him…

 

Tsunade let out a yawn, before straightening up, knowing the time required a clear approach.

 

“Naruto, I called you here before your meeting with your new team mates because I wanted to make sure… is this what you really want?” her tone was serious, eyes flashing with worry.

 

Naruto smiled at her. He had long since decided his childishness was out of place in a shinobi world, and wanted to show everyone he was not just a loud blond boy, but that he was indeed a proud shinobi of Konohagakure.

 

“Yes,” he stated equally serious. “I want to grow stronger, and I can’t…” ‘I can’t do it in my old team’ he inwardly added, falling silent. His last doubt, at least for the present, had vanished in front of this office.

 

Tsunade understood the unspoken words, and smiled at him, though her smile was holding such sadness it was heart breaking.

 

She wanted to see Naruto smile, for real, not one of the fake, cheerful smiles that hid his pain; she wanted to see a real smile… but she would never force him. He would smile again, and it would be true and sincere.

 

“I see,” she smiled for him because Tsunade knew he needed reassurance from her. He was doing, if not the right thing, at least the next best choice, and in the future he would choose well. “Then I can do nothing but welcome your new team, you will be working well with them”.

 

Naruto’s eyes tentatively searched in hers, trying to find some clue on his new mates, but Tsunade shook her head, “they will be here any time now…”

 

That moment, there was a knock on the door, and she smirked, “come inside”.

 

Naruto gulped. He could hear some footsteps approaching, and he breathed in and out once before turning to see who would be his companions from now on.

 

What he saw shocked him.

 

Totally.

 

“Naruto–kun! We will be showing our youthful flames together now!”

 

“Hn…”

 

“How troublesome…”

 

Naruto blinked.

 

Of all the people he would have thought, these were… well, not at all contemplated.

 

In front of him stood three of his friends, and the blond could do nothing but feel a tug in his chest at the sight.

 

The first one was Rock Lee, still dressed in a green spandex, still with giant fuzzy eyebrows, with a smile that could rival with the sun with its brightness. He was standing proud and defying, pointing his thumb upwards and his eyes were flashing with happiness and determination.

 

The second one was Neji. That could have been a good sign, since the Hyuuga and Lee worked well together and knew much of each others’ style. Neji was still wearing one of his clan’s clothes, refusing to wear the Chuunin’s vest over it (but that was to be expected). His long hair were tied up in a lose ponytail, and though his expression revealed nothing, his eyes were warm instead of cold like before.

 

He looked happy to see Naruto.

 

The third one was the most unexpected of the three, and it was Nara, Shikamaru. As usual he was slouching, had a bored and tired expression, a frown, and the typical face of one who was annoyed with the entire world. Naruto couldn’t but smile at him.

 

“You guys?” his blue eyes were widened in shock, and stared at each of them surprised; finally snapping out of his trance, he turned to a smiling Tsunade, and tried to suppress the urge to hug her.

 

A heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders the moment he’d seen them.

 

“Lee, are you a Chuunin?” Naruto turned again to the spandex–wearing teen, who simply smiled at him even more brightly.

 

“Tsunade–sama said my fight and my skills proved indispensable, despite my impossibility to use my chakra, and she said I deserved to be a Chuunin as much as you guys!”

 

Naruto felt warm inside. He had always believed Lee would made a great shinobi, despite his problem, and he knew he would manage everything, because he respected Fuzzy Eyebrows, and he had a determination that was just like his own.

 

Then the blond frowned. Had Tsunade put them together only to give him a team that would not judge him? What about the balance of the previous teams? What about Shikamaru’s, what about TenTen?

 

He needed to know the reasons behind this choice.

 

“Why?” he asked her.

 

Tsunade smirked knowingly, before pointing towards Shikamaru, who looked ready to pass out right then and there.

 

“Your friend here will be happy to explain, I am sure”.

 

Shikamaru glared at her (he spared no one, not even the Hokage) and straightened up, popping a few bones of his back as he did so.

 

“What Tsunade–sama is trying to say” he muttered, his hands on his hips, “is that she wanted to put together a good team that would be able not only to work together, but also to be strong. Normally a team of Chuunin would not be a good choice, but she knows our strengths and our weaknesses and decided basing on those that we would be perfect”.

 

Shikamaru yawned again, pointing towards Lee and Neji.

 

“Lee is our speed. No one would be able to beat him into it, and he is also immune to Genjutsu because his chakra patterns are blocked and unreachable. That means Genjutsu can’t affect him because they usually trigger chakra circulation, that he has not” Lee smiled sheepishly, but this time, his weakness had turned into strength.

 

Naruto smiled back.

 

“Neji has a useful bloodline, that helps him keep an eye on his surroundings, on the chakra patters of any enemy ninja, and his fighting style has a good range. He is trained on many Genjutsu and Ninjutsu, and his knowledge on illusions is useful”.

 

Neji’s eyes narrowed slightly but he nodded without saying a word.

 

“As for you Naruto, you are the pure strength. You have a poor use of Genjutsu, but your style of fighting is direct and powerful, that means you are perfect for straight attacks, and your chakra reserves and stamina are high enough to consent you to fight for a long time without getting tired easily” Shikamaru smirked at the offended glare he received when he spoke out of Naruto’s weakness with Genjutsu, but the blond had to admit that Shikamaru was right about that.

 

“And you?” the blond asked with a frown.

 

“I am a strategist, as you all noticed during our mission together. I can analyze my surroundings, prepare traps on any territory because of this, analyze battle strategies, and give a back support by using my Kagemane jutsu, immobilizing the enemies with it… it’s more of an infiltration quality, which is a helpful trait in a team like ours” he concluded.

 

Naruto blinked. If it came to him, he wouldn’t have put together such a team because, face it, he was not an observer like Shikamaru.

 

The lazy teen had indeed worked out their weaknesses and strength together, and now that he thought of it, Naruto saw just how good of a choice that would be.

 

Lee would be on the first line in case of illusion based attacks, giving Neji the time to dispel them; Neji had a good sight but it tired him out easily, and that’s when both Shikamaru with his blocking technique and Naruto with his stamina came into the play.

 

They were not experienced like jounin could, but they had managed to beat the sound five (the four plus Kimimaro) that proved they could work together flawlessly.

 

They knew and trusted each other, knew what to watch out for and what prevent when in mission, and of course worked well together.

 

Naruto could see the skills Tsunade had, because not only she had put him in a team that would not question or judge him, but also a team that could actually work out.

 

He smiled brightly, mentally thanking the old hag.

 

“I won’t give you a mission for the present time,” she said then, her hands on the desk in front of her. “I bet you have a lot of things to talk about, since now you are going to be team mates. Come here after lunch, and you will receive your first mission”.

 

All of them nodded together and Lee, Shikamaru and Neji walked out of Tsunade’s office; Naruto lingered for a moment, and seeing the three were out of range, he turned towards the Hokage and in a flash he hugged her.

 

Tsunade had barely the time to brace herself from the hit, and it lasted only a second; the moment she blinked, Naruto was already waving at her and exiting the room as well.

 

But she had heard his words when he was hugging her.

 

“Thanks…”

 

“No problem, gaki,” she replied with a smile. She just hoped for him to be happy.

 

 

……………………………………………

 

 

“Naruto–kun, are you happy? I can’t wait to get our first mission already!”

 

Naruto turned to Lee, beaming at him and lifting his thumb as well, “of course I am excited too! I can’t wait to get started!”

 

He felt better now, because he had three companions he could trust with his life, and he would go far with them, he was sure of that.

 

Suddenly, but not unexpectedly, Naruto’s stomach grumbled.

 

“Heh, sorry guys, I didn’t eat this morning” Naruto laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

 

Neji, Shikamaru and Lee all stared at him, but their eyes were not shocked. They could understand what he went through.

 

After Sasuke’s defection, it was obvious that Naruto would be uncomfortable about him. That and his sudden promotion were surely why he’d asked the Hokage to move him out of Team Seven.

 

Knowing this, it was obvious he would have been afraid of who would be his new comrades.

 

“Well then, what about we go eat together?” Shikamaru proposed, yawning. “Walking around at this hour, much less waiting up to noon for our mission, would be too troublesome, ne?”

 

Naruto beamed at him, and before any of them could even think about complaining, he was already pushing them all towards Ichiraku ramen.

 

Neji sighed inwardly, his eyes turning towards the hospital where Sasuke was still held in. his hatred for the Uchiha had increased a lot after their rescue mission and what he’d heard about the battle at the Valley of End.

 

The Uchiha had tried to kill Naruto, and to Neji it didn’t matter his mind had been poisoned by Orochimaru’s cursed seal, it was still his fault because he’d let his revenge and his hatred control him.

 

To him, Sasuke was at fault.

 

Naruto had helped many people after all, Neji was one of them, and he would do anything to give happiness to the person that made him realize he had a chance in life too.

 

He would protect Naruto at any cost.

 

Even from Sasuke… especially from him…

 

 

……………………………………………

 

 

The silence in the room would have been deafening and unsettling for anyone else, but for the figure that was on the bed, it was nothing but comforting.

 

Time was like moving slower inside the hospital room, curtains closed, a cool comforting darkness enveloping everything so he could no longer distinguish one shape from the other; night and day were moving around him but he didn’t care, people came, people talked to him and cured his body, but all the time Sasuke merely remained there.

 

Motionlessly, looking at the ceiling above him.

 

Everything was in a daze ever since he could remember, from Tsunade–sama entering the room and helping some of his wounds to heal, to the questioning, to the ANBU guards sealing the room with him inside.

 

He could see some of the sealing papers move without any breeze to touch them at the corners of the room.

 

When did this happen? When did this start?

 

Sasuke had no answers, no good ones at least; he could remember everything he’d done, everything he’d said, but it was like a distant memory.

 

He could recall what the Hokage had said to him, that the curse on his neck had altered his brain processing, making it easier for the darkness Orochimaru had implanted in him to grow and feed off his desire of revenge.

 

His whole body hurt; he’d strained it by fighting with the level two of the curse seal, knowing he was testing his limits a little too much, and now he had to take the backlash…

 

If he had the strength to, Sasuke would have hit his fist on the wall next to the bed. How? How could he have been so foolish? How could he have let the darkness corrupt him?

 

Was he that weak?

 

His only goal, ever since he could remember (he refused to remember the past before the massacre, it would only make him feel more pain in his chest than he already felt) was to get revenge on the man he once called brother.

 

His entire life had been rotating around this goal, making everything move in the back, disappearing away, not to be looked at again anymore; he’d never had friends, he’d never had free time, nor smiles to spare, no good times after his family had left him with a burden he himself had put on him.

 

He’d trained hard, trying to prove to everyone he could be just as strong as the person he wanted to kill, but in the end, only deluding himself.

 

Had his foolishness really reached such levels he thought he could have been able to defeat Itachi like this?

 

Where did his rationality go then?

 

He was twelve.

 

A kid, and yet, already a man, for his past, his present, his future and his decisions in life made him grow faster than needed.

 

But Itachi was more experienced, advanced. A genius. Deluding himself into believing he could kill Itachi like this… he really was nothing but a fool.

 

He would grow stronger and beat him with his own strength, no matter how many years he would have to wait… there was no need to hasten things up, since he believed no one would ever be able to kill, or even harm Itachi.

 

He was the one that could do that, and Itachi in some way had known.

 

But right now, Sasuke was nothing.

 

He’d let his revenge take over on his life, but this was not the right way. He would never get stronger like this, that’s why he’d been falling behind lately, because he’d seen he wasn’t progressing and he was unhappy about it.

 

He was not a genius. He just worked hard, practicing up to perfection. But it would take him years to be strong enough to get to Itachi knowing he actually had a chance.

 

That’s why, when Orochimaru had offered him immediate power, he’d accepted without thinking back. Of course. He hadn’t wanted to wait and he’d lusted for power.

 

But he’d been wrong.

 

He would get no satisfaction in killing Itachi with a borrowed power, because it wouldn’t have been his… and Orochimaru had offered him something to gain something back –his body.

 

Sasuke couldn’t but shudder realizing he would have given the Snake his body only to kill his brother.

 

Where had this insanity come from?

 

This was not him.

 

And he had to stop avoiding to think about the other one he’d hurt in the process, as well.

 

Someone who had believed in him and had not renounced in being his friend not even when others did, who had trusted him, helped him, saved his life many times and in the end, took him back, knowing what Sasuke was doing was his worst decision.

 

Naruto…

 

The mere name brought a pain in Sasuke’s chest he had not imagined he could feel.

 

Naruto was his best friend.

 

And he’d wanted to kill him only to obtain something that would not allow him to kill Itachi, but that would make him just like him.

 

Sasuke had to admit to himself that the curse had only made his real thoughts stronger. Because he really had felt he was weaker compared to Naruto, because he could see the blond moving away from him.

 

But what he hadn’t seen was the way Naruto would always turn back and smile, offering Sasuke his hand.

 

They were rivals, friends, team mates, and family.

 

Sasuke had broken all of this because of revenge.

 

Naruto had never looked down on him with pity. He had always looked at him friendly.

 

‘How could I have been such a stupid? I turned down my only chance at return normal again… I went deeper into my darkness, believing I could finally have my revenge… that my hatred would be enough to make me win, that just because I am in the right I would get justice. Life is not like this, life is unfair… a child alone can’t beat a powerful and grown man’.

 

He’d been proud.

 

He’d been cold.

 

He’d been stupid all this time.

 

Refusing to live, doing what his brother had wanted from the very start –ruining his life with his own hands.

 

Oh, he still wanted to kill Itachi, to revenge his clan, but he knew he could not allow that to ruin his life, because one day he would be strong enough. But not now.

 

He was still young, he had much to learn… he had to let go of the hatred that had ruined the only relationship worthy the time…

 

Hatred would not help, not at all.

 

Sasuke let his tired eyes trail down his body as he traced the wounds he had, wounds that were hard to heal due to the curse seal on his neck, flaring painfully every now and then (Orochimaru knew he’d failed…), wounds that had been placed upon his body not out of hatred, but out of care…

 

Naruto had cared enough, the stupid blond had ignored what others would have accepted (that he was lost, and would never go back) and had fought him with all he had, to take Sasuke back.

 

Sasuke was back.

 

But in returning, he’d lost something important, something too precious.

 

Naruto’s trust.

 

What was his pride confronted to his friendship with Naruto, something that ran so deep not even hatred stopped the blond from saving him?

 

Naruto had never come to him, but Sasuke could understand. It hurt, but he could understand. Even Naruto’s never ending patience and carefulness was bound to snap… and he’d made it snap.

 

Was he even worthy trying to get it back?

 

Because the truth was, Sasuke wanted badly for Naruto to forgive him. He wanted to be friends with the blond again, because Naruto had been the only light in his darkness, even with his cursed seal hurting him.

 

He’d admitted Naruto was his best friend. The only one he’d told many things, the only that could understand him.

 

And he understood Naruto.

 

He’d finally realized what made Naruto different, and why everyone hated him, and he still thought Naruto was what he was –a loud, blond, pranking–lover, idiot.

 

His friend.

 

Despite demons, hatred and revenge.

 

He would do anything to gain Naruto’s trust back, and this time Sasuke knew it would be all in his hands.

 

Naruto would not give him another possibility, not this time. He’d gone too far to turn back, but somehow, Sasuke knew he had to get Naruto back in his life like they were before.

 

Because Sasuke was selfish, and he wasn’t going to renounce to Naruto’s friendship, he needed it. He’d been the only one to see him for what he was, and not because he was an Uchiha.

 

Sasuke wowed again, over and over, that he would mend things, and never ruin their friendship again.

 

There had to be a way.

 

There had to, and he couldn’t wait until their team reunited again.

 

 

……………………………………………

 

 

“So, if you are with me now, what about your teams?” Naruto asked, biting his lip. The thought returned to him full force now that they were out of Tsunade’s office, and he wanted to know.

 

“TenTen decided she would get some training from her dad, since her family masters weapons, and Gai–sensei decided to take another genin team this year” Neji replied looking at the blonde. “He still will train us whenever we want”.

 

“Of course! Gai–sensei is the best teacher we will ever get, and he is eager to look upon our growing with a burning flame!” Lee added, his respect for his teacher was similar to the one Naruto had for Iruka (but Naruto would never admit that… besides, he would never walk around dressed like Iruka–sensei…).

 

“Chouji asked for a place at the academy” Shikamaru revealed.

 

That shocked Naruto so much he almost tripped on a rock.

 

“What?!” he could not imagine Chouji teaching, not at all.

 

“Well, he won’t be teaching, he is still too young,” Shikamaru rolled his eyes. “But he will help around for a while. He will also do solo missions, or with Asuma–sensei and the other Chuunin”.

 

“What about Ino then?” Naruto questioned.

 

“Ino… well,” Shikamaru scratched his nose. This was indeed troublesome.

 

He didn’t want to remind Naruto of his old team, because by the looks of it the blond was trying hard to not think about his two ex–mates, but he needed to know.

 

“Since you are with us, the teams needed to be redone… and she got assigned for a while to Kakashi–sensei, as new member of Team Seven” he mumbled.

 

Naruto fell silent.

 

So Ino would be joining Sakura, Kakashi and…

 

“I… I am happy for her, then” Naruto forced a smile. “But I don’t think she’ll get along with Sakura at all!”

 

Neji glared and stepped towards Naruto, blocking his path.

 

“Don’t force a smile, not one like this” he growled. “There is no need for fake smiles with us”.

 

Naruto blinked, and saw both Lee and Shikamaru staring at him, and Neji too.

 

He was already worrying his new team members, and friends. He’d promised himself he would not be an annoyance, and there he was, already moping around.

 

What a stupid thing to do.

 

Besides, they cared for him.

 

“Yeah,” he murmured, glancing at the ground.

 

The next second he stared up again, his eyes brightening up, “let’s go eat ramen now!”

 

“Naruto!”

 

Naruto smiled brightly as he spotted his old academy sensei, Umino Iruka, walk towards him with a big smile on his face.

 

“Iruka–sensei!”

 

A second later, despite the odd looks he received from his team (he would get used to call them team now…) Naruto jumped on Iruka and hugged him senseless.

 

He was glad he could see his mentor before his first Chuunin mission, because he wanted a good advice from him before actually starting off.

 

Iruka was part of his life, like a father (as he’d admitted once…) and he would never back off from his advice.

 

“I heard of your promotion” Iruka smiled warmly down at him, aware of how strange both looked to the blond teen’s friends, but finding out he couldn’t care less. He was used in Naruto’s acting and he liked it himself, it was warm and affectionate. Shikamaru, good of your special mention”.

 

Lee smiled and started saying something about youth, whilst Shikamaru and Neji merely nodded in greeting. They remembered Iruka since they had both had him as a teacher at the academy as well (even the Hyuuga, one year older than the others, had him).

 

Naruto smiled again at Iruka, “we’re going to have something to eat before we get our first mission,” he explained his teacher eagerly. “But when I return I expect you to offer me ramen to celebrate!”

 

Iruka had a battle inside. For once, he was glad Naruto was so eager and happy (it had been too much since he’d last smiled this sincerely) but on the other part, he feared the offer. He would spend all his pay on Naruto’s ramen!

 

Naruto looked up at him expectantly and Iruka groaned inwardly –he could not resist this look. He was happy when Naruto was happy.

 

“Yes, I will… but be considerate of my salary!” he tried to add.

 

Naruto wasn’t really listening after the ‘yes I will’ so he just sighed and shook his head.

 

“Naruto, I have to go now,” he said, realizing he was going to be late for the morning lesson. “I know you’ll do your best in this mission, so good luck to you all!”

 

With that, he walked away, with a smile on his lips. He wanted to see Naruto happy, and seeing him this excited made him remember the first day he became a genin.

 

He would be doing fine, just fine, he thought.

 

 

 

……………………………………………

 

StarsOfYaoi: thanks for reading this, and if you liked, leave a comment here! :)

 

I don’t like Sasuke’s part a lot, I may reserve the chance to go back and change it one day.

 

Review?

Reveal

Note: a somewhat dull chapter. please, bear with me, the action will come soon enough. And tomorrow I will also post WR.

Thanks to all the people that reviewed me!

StarsOfYaoi: I am glad you all like this fic, there will be a lot of angsty on Naruto’s part, and it will be also Sasuke’s fault. But don’t think this will be rushed with Naruto crying out his love for Sasuke or the opposite. I love IC–ness. And I hate what goes on under “I don’t love him, but even if I do, he doesn’t love me” bull–shit crap.

……………………………………………

Rating: T

Summary: (SasuNaru, NejiShika, eventually others) Naruto is trying to forget his former team, busy in Chuunin missions. But as his past is left uncover and many of his kind start to appear, old bonds are stretched to the maximum.

Warnings: yaoi, boy x boy relationship, angsty, torture, and such. Mental as well. Flames will be used to warm up food. OC warning as well.

Disclaimer: Not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does.

“Talking”

‘Thinking’

–Flashbacks, memories, dreams–

……………………………………………

Normality

Chapter 02: Reveal

Naruto was silent and uncharacteristically concentrated as he read twice the mission’s details of the scroll Tsunade had handed to them; Neji had been the first one to read it, since he was the older one and for now, he would be the leader of the team.

After all, he was the most qualified to take up that position, and all the others agreed on that without any objection.

Now the newly formed team (they still needed a name, and Neji didn’t accept Naruto’s suggestion to label it ‘Ramen’) wore their Chuunin jackets, though it clashed horribly with Naruto’s orange outfit. Neji was the only one without it, because his clan demanded him to look cool and that damn vest was not cool at all.

At least Lee looked just a little more green than usual…

Unknown to Naruto and Lee, Shikamaru and Neji were determined in forcing them to change their clothes in the near future. If they were to take on missions seriously, they could not allow such shiny colour (orange), that was easily spotted, and about Lee… well that was pure sense of fashion.

The mission was a middle C–ranked one, nothing too hard on their part especially since it was their first one, but a good way to start as Chuunin. The team would have to move to the Kaze no Kuni to intercept a secret scroll from a group of Ame nin; the scroll was important, and a small group of nins from Kusa no Kuni (the Grass Country) was chasing it.

The missing–nins were not particularly strong, but Amegakure had grown weaker in the last few months, since the death of the Country leader by the hands of the Kusa nins, and had required help from Konoha.

Amegakure and Konohagakure had never really been allies, many years of animosity had kept the two villages in a constant state of tension; but after the latest Chuunin exams and the Oto nins’ attack on both Konoha and Suna, that tension had turned into a need of stability.

Ame was not a pacific country on the inside, and the growing contrast with Kusa only caused major damage on the already troubled land. Seeking protection from a strong country, the Country leader had asked Konohagakure for help.

Unfortunately Konoha was already doubling its normal work because of the death of Sandaime, and even if now the Godaime Hokage was doing a great work, slowly but surely raising Konoha to its full power once again, there were many things that could not be prevented.

Kusagakure had declared war against Ame, and with an assassination had gotten rid of the Country leader.

Such news had arrived to Konoha in no time, but the situation was unsure in the Village of the Leaf as well, mostly because of the sudden and unexpected attempted defection of the last Uchiha (that had been hastily hidden to the villagers, and to most of the shinobi as well in fear that the news would spread to other countries) to Orochimaru.

Now that the situation in Konoha was slightly better, Tsunade had decided to intertwine a relation with Ame, where the council and the clan leaders were already working for the new Country leader’s election, and get the Grass country (that was relatively small and weak compared to the Hi no Kuni) to lower their lust for power.

Of course of the four teens of Naruto’s new team, only Neji was aware of the current uncertain situation in the Ame no Kuni, mostly because Hiashi had taken his nephew’s training under his tutelage, and was treating him like family and not like a slave anymore.

That meant Neji was now more informed on the politics of Konoha with its allies and enemies, included Amegakure and Kusagakure.

The Ame nins would be meeting Naruto and his team in the Kaze no Kuni mostly because it was a neutral territory (Ame and Konoha’s countries were separated by none other than Kusa no Kuni) that had no relations with either Grass nor Rain, and because the type of landscape was unfamiliar to the grass nins.

“So… we have to find a group of Rain shinobi and take a scroll from them?” Naruto scrunched up his face and closed his eyes, resembling vaguely a fox. “I don’t find this a hard mission!”

“Amegakure is in a war against Kusagakure, and Grass nins will do anything to get their hands on that scroll,” Tsunade explained, her face showing nothing but seriousness. “I am certain you will protect it, and I am sure you will make sure to come back unharmed as well”.

Neji stepped forwards as Naruto passed the scroll to Shikamaru and Lee, and nodded with a determined expression, white eyes darkening slightly; the Hokage shared a look with him, knowing he was aware of the danger, “We won’t fail the mission, Tsunade–sama” he stated.

Tsunade smiled and nodded to the young teen.

The four straightened, and turned away, ready to start their mission, but before they could get out of Tsunade’s office, the blonde suddenly cleared her voice and bit her lip.

“Naruto, come back here for a moment, I need to speak to you” she said. The three remaining boys looked at the two, but Naruto motioned them to go.

“I’ll be there in a moment,” he assured them, smiling brightly.

He’d noticed Tsunade was not smiling anymore, and he had the feeling it concerned him.

The door closed, and he flopped down on the seat in front of the desk, blue eyes blinking at the Hokage curiously.

“What, Tsunade obaa–chan?” he asked, trying to lighten the sudden tension in the room.

“Naruto, I want to be sincere with you about your promotion, because I know you deserve the truth” she started. Her eyes were sad, but determined as well, and Naruto nodded. “The Elders’ council was against it,” Tsunade sighed and leaned on her hands, watching Naruto’s reaction. “But I refused to listen to them”.

At first, Naruto’s first reaction was to jump up, eyes widening in shock, but then he thought about her words and realized the meaning.

The council did not trust the demon holder with more power than he already had. Naruto knew that he’d been allowed in the academy because Sandaime had ordered the teachers, but they had never helped him in any way, refusing to explain to him the basics and the lessons if he were to not understand, this way preventing him for two years to pass the exam.

Now that he knew about Kyuubi it was easy to figure out why, but at the time, he’d simply lost two years (he’d started the academy two years before the others of his age because otherwise he would have been alone all day in his apartment, and unknown to the blond, Sandaime had already prevented five assassination attempts on him).

Naruto was not stupid. He could see why the council would not want him to get more power in the ninja rankings, because of his demon; they all believed him to be the demon.

But to know that Tsunade had forced it out of them, standing at his side, made him happy inside; he knew what it meant, to have the Hokage disagree with the council, but he felt glad she supported him.

“I was not the only one to stand by your side,” Tsunade’s face turned into a small smile, seeing Naruto’s grateful eyes. “Jiraiya, too… and the head of the clan families defied the elders of the council as well”.

Naruto’s eyes widened in shock –the clan leaders had wanted him to be Chuunin?

Even though Naruto wasn’t really interested in Konoha’s politics, he knew that if he wanted to become Hokage he would have to know everything about them; as it was, he knew that the village had two councils –the Clan council and the Elder council.

The two councils had separate meetings, but once in a while, if It concerned things that had to be decided with impartiality, they would meet up together; the family clan heads were members of the first council, whilst the second council, controlled by the elder villagers and shinobi, made decisions regarding strictly the village’s internal politics.

Both worked for the welfare of the village, but they still were under the direct control of the Hokage.

“Naruto, you don’t know it yet, but you’re not alone anymore. The head of the Hyuuga has respect for you after what you did for his nephew and his daughter, and the head of the Akimichi, the Nara and the Inuzuka also respect you, mostly because their sons are your friends”.

Naruto blinked. This was unexpected, to say the least; he’d grown to be hated by everyone, and to see the parents’ hatred turned to the children. He’d met people who did not hate him only when he entered team seven, but he would have never believed the head of the clan families would stand for him against the council elders.

He knew that his friend’s fathers were part of the oldest family clans of Konoha, but he’d never realized just how influent they could be, if their grouped decisions could overcome the Elders’.

“You have all of us at your side, and those old gits have no right to step on you because of what they think” Tsunade’s eyes flashed with rage. “Though, it’s up to you now. They accepted your promotion, but they demand you to show your loyalty to Konoha, and that you have no intentions to destroy or betray it”.

Naruto smirked, “they fear I will go, meet up with Itachi, and then join in Akatsuki?” he let out a small laugh, but the serious expression of Tsunade did not falter, making him sober up again.

“No, they fear you will lose to Kyuubi, because you don’t have a good control of your chakra. The clan heads suggested you to be trained for that, and of course, this was what I was waiting for –Jiraiya is the one that will take this role”.

“Ero–sennin?!” Naruto was shocked.

The prospective of train under that man was both something he could look forwards to, and dread; he was aware that Jiraiya was strong, after all he’d trained the Fourth, and had been under Sandaime. But he was a pervert, before everything else.

“You can go now, Naruto,” Tsunade smiled slightly at him. “One last thing. If you want to see if your friends trust you, try confiding in them first. If you were to use Kyuubi’s chakra in a battle, without them knowing what you host, this will put all of you in danger”.

Naruto nodded and left.

……………………………………………

The window of the Hokage’s office opened without a sound, and a shape slipped in, standing against the frame and covering Tsunade’s view of the Mountain; the blonde let her eyes trail to the man before letting out a small sigh.

Both knew Naruto had a long way to go, and that probably he would change to adapt himself to the challenges, as he was finally going to meet the worst aspect of being a shinobi, but both were sure Naruto would never get back of his word.

“So… he’s finally going,” Kakashi commented, staring lazily at the woman, his eye trailing towards the Hokage mountain a second later.

His voice was calm and collected and his only visible eye revealed nothing of his inner thoughts, but Tsunade was a medic nin. She could read posture and muscles and the barest flicker of an eye, and she knew Kakashi was not as calm as it would seem.

As a teacher, he cared for his students, but he’d been deprived of one and despite his faults, Kakashi had been a good sensei; he had his share of pain and sorrow, and had lost twice someone who was important for him…

“Yes,” she replied evenly. It was not her business to pry into Kakashi’s life, despite her position. “He’ll be good, he still doesn’t know how many care for him… not even my words can break through his carefully placed mask, because it’s not me the one that can show him the truth”.

Kakashi pulled out his orange book apparently from nowhere, and busied himself in it; anyone looking would have grimaced at this sight, and would have called him a pervert… but his eye could not really see the words on the paper. Everything in the book blurred away, and he could not concentrate.

He had a mask as well, and it wasn’t the one covering half of his face. He could understand, he saw and noticed and still he’d failed.

“He refused the only one that can help, because he’s also the one who caused him the majority of his pain,” he reflected. The past was making its way in their present, but all of them were already aware of that.

Tsunade nodded.

“Their friendship is stronger than this, they need to recover it, but Naruto needs time. He’ll come back, or at least he’ll accept the fact, but I can’t tell how much this will take”.

Kakashi curved his eye in a smile, even though it wasn’t entirely sincere, and shrugged.

“I just hope that friendship is mutual” he muttered.

Tsunade grimaced as Kakashi poofed away.

Slowly, she pulled out of a secret compartment of her desk a small bottle and a small blue cup, decorated with a black dragon all around its shape, and poured some of the clear liquid in the cup, sipping it slowly, savouring the burning sensation of the alcohol in her throat.

Rubbing the spot between her eyes with two fingers, Tsunade eyed the photos on a shelf next to the window; some of them had a thin layer of dust on them, but they looked cared over.

Clear eyes stilled on a particularly young face that was smiling towards her, and with a sigh, she dawned her sake.

……………………………………………

“I am glad we have some missions all together, this will let us create a bond!” Lee smiled at the other two teens who were next to him in front of the Hokage tower, then, he frowned. “I wonder why Naruto–kun asked for a Team change anyway…”

Shikamaru groaned, but he was asking himself the same question; though he was aware of the sudden tension between his blond friend and the Uchiha, he didn’t know what had happened during the two’s confrontation, at the Valley of End.

It had been Kakashi the one that took both home, and even though their condition wasn’t the best, Shikamaru knew the real wounds had been mental, at least for Naruto; the blond took the meaning of friendship in a much deeper way than any other person and probably he felt not just betrayed by Sasuke, but also guilty.

Naruto deserved better than what he had. Shikamaru was Naruto’s friend, and Lee and Neji as well. They would care for him. All of them remembered when Tsunade had called them and told them they would be teaming up with Naruto.

Shikamaru hoped he would be able to forget Lee and Gai’s goodbye… even though both said they would still train every free day.

Neji moved his head to the left, sensing Naruto run up to them, and nodded towards the others, signalling they could start up for their mission.

As the blond teen approached the group, he motioned for them to stop and wait for him, his face seeming troubled; Lee blinked, noticing something was bothering his new team mate, and decided to cheer him up a bit.

“What does–” he opened his mouth but felt a hand close it up, and glancing on the side he noticed his rival Neji shaking his head at him.

Lee frowned, not understanding why he had to shut up, since he only had wanted to cheer up Naruto. The blond boy didn’t seem to notice their behaviour, but put up one of his usual smiles and waved at them.

“Are you ready to go, Naruto?” Shikamaru asked him, deciding they would just have to wait for the blond to reveal them what was bothering him.

“Of course!” he beamed.

‘I think Tsunade is right…’ inwardly Naruto shuddered. He had an obvious problem with telling his new team about Kyuubi, mostly because he wasn’t sure of what would be their reaction, but he knew what the old hag meant.

If he were to use Kyuubi’s power during one of their missions, even changing appearance (he was aware of how he appeared because he felt it), his team would be shocked and maybe do something that could put all of them in danger out of fear or surprise.

Besides, he tried to reassure himself, if they were his friends, they would not care… much. they would… understand…

Neji stepped at his right, locking eyes with him “anything you need, you can rely on us” he said levelly, then stared in front of him. “We are team mates and friends, you are not forced to face everything alone”.

The Hyuuga knew how important friendship was, and he had to thank Naruto for that; now he wanted to help Naruto just as much as the blond had helped him. Facing everything by himself would only hurt him.

Naruto blinked, stunned; he’d acted as usual, but they had noticed. It had never happened before, with his old team. Sakura would have snorted and called him a stupid, Kakashi maybe would have noticed, but would have said nothing because it wasn’t his place to intervene, and Sasuke… he would have snorted in disgust.

Not that Team Seven didn’t care, Naruto knew that because they had helped each other in a lot of situations… and he cared for them deeply…

But no one had ever… no one had ever noticed, no one had ever offered him to share his troubles.

Naruto smiled. He felt he’d made the right decision.

……………………………………………

They moved swiftly through the forest, following a scheme Shikamaru had explained in a couple of seconds; all of them were determined and ready to fight off anything that could come their way, and they had complete faith in their companions.

First was Lee, because being the faster one among them could run ahead and scout back to the group; a green blur among the leaves and the trees, Lee moved without strain nor hesitation, slowing down every once in a while to report to his friends.

Second was Shikamaru, who kept an eye on the surroundings for any kind of trap (the dangers were not just from the Kusa–nins, but also from random lower ninja, thieves or bandits), tense and brain spinning.

Third was Naruto, for obvious matters, and he was busy focusing on his pace, trying to not think about what he had to reveal to his friends. He knew he should be paying more attention to his surroundings and that this was not professional for his first mission as a Chuunin, but he couldn’t help it.

Neji was the last one, switching his Byakugan from activated to dormant every now and then due to the chakra waste it required.

They were not used to move without a Jounin sensei, but the fact that they were all friends helped them a lot and put them at ease; without even noticing, they communicated with small hand signs and glances, and continued moving towards Kaze no Kuni.

For the first day, since their departure from the village until evening they moved flawlessly and silently, surprisingly enough since two of the team were known to be anything but quiet –but then again, many things were different when in mission.

At a certain point, one hour after the sun had fallen behind the line of the horizon, Neji lifted his right hand slightly to signal the rest of the team to stop, moving in front of everyone else with a swift jump; Shikamaru, Naruto and Lee stopped and grouped near their leader, who nodded once to tell them they would stop here for the night.

“Shikamaru, where are we approximately?” Naruto cracked his knuckles, feeling rather contented for their fast pace.

“We should be halfway through, we’ve been moving fast and found no problems until now,” the Nara replied, munching on his lower lip. “We should get some rest, and take turns awake in case someone approaches”.

The rest of them nodded, and fifteen minutes later they had camped for the night; none of them had brought a tent for obvious practical reasons, but all of them had a sleeping bag. Neji suggested to place them to form a circle around their fire camp, that way they would be protected and control around them without fear of being attacked by behind.

Whilst Lee arranged the fire with some sticks he’d collected, Naruto was busy placing around a few traps (after all he was the prankster of Konoha, and his knowledge of traps was huge), his thoughts still fixed on what Tsunade told him.

The moment all of them were together in front of the cracking fire, Neji sighed –the matter couldn’t be avoided anymore.

“Naruto,” he started, eyes serious and concentrated. “You’ve been unfocused all day. Care to explain why?” he hadn’t meant to sound this harsh, so he decided to go for a more personal approach. “We’re worried about you, Naruto, and you can confide in us”.

Naruto bit his lip, knowing they had noticed his behaviour and silently blaming it on himself. He was in a mission, and he needed to speak with them…

He’d been stupid thought, he should have told them before the start of their mission, so if they had some problems they could have rejected his presence in the team…

And yet, they deserved to know. Now, when things were not that bad, and they were still near Konoha.

“I need… I need to tell you all something but I fear about what you’ll think of me afterwards…” he started, his voice trembling slightly as he fidgeted, not sure of how to break the subject. He wasn’t good with subtlety.

“Naruto–kun, if that’s what will help you relax, tell us,” Lee smiled brightly at him, confused by his behaviour, a little bit worried, but also curious.

“How troublesome…” Shikamaru muttered, rolling his eyes.

Naruto swallowed hard, this would be the first time he told someone of his burden and of his inner strength. “I…”

‘Hell with it all,’ a part of him scolded him. ‘Just tell them already! It’ll be easier!’

“I am the vessel of Kyuubi no kitsune!” he yelled, his voice echoing through the meadow, the name falling on his ears like a dead weight.

For a second everything was silent, and Naruto shut his eyes close, heart thumping madly in his chest. Now that he’d said it aloud, the words hung on his head and he felt both lighter (as if a weight had been lifted from him) and anxious.

“I understand if you don’t want me on this mission anymore,” he stammered, not looking up but frantically waving his arms around, moving backwards from his sitting position next to the fire. “And if you want me to move from your team to another I won’t…”

“Naruto–”

“… I won’t oppose to that, and if you’re disgusted because I didn’t say anything before…”

“Naruto–”

“… and if you don’t want me to I will never speak with you again and–”

“Naruto!”

Naruto’s mouth snapped shut as he forced himself to look at the three teens. He didn’t even realize his hands were trembling, but a deep fear of rejection and hatred was clenching his chest painfully.

“Naruto, it’s ok, I already knew” Neji shook his head slightly.

“I do too,” Shikamaru blinked tiredly and yawned.

Naruto was left speechless by that.

Many thoughts raced through his mind, preventing him from voicing them aloud, confusing him even more.

‘They already… how? Why? Why aren’t they rejecting me? Did they know from the start? Why didn’t any of them speak? Why isn’t it bothering them?’

“I… you… how… when…” Naruto closed his mouth once again.

“Did you think I wouldn’t recognize the chakra you used at the Chuunin exams?” Neji’s smile was faint but it was there. “It wasn’t that hard to realize, at least not with a bit of thinking”.

“Thinking is what I do all day, and you are a really interesting topic to ponder on” Shikamaru smirked at the dumbfounded expression of the blond.

“But then… why are you still…” Naruto shook his head, his words were failing him.

“We never told you because we were waiting for you to tell us by your own will” Neji shrugged. “It was not our place to tell everyone after all”.

“And you’re ok with that?” the blond was completely shocked.

Lee blinked confusedly at the other three.

“Why wouldn’t we be ok with it? It’s not like being the host of a demon would make you any different to us! I admire your burning flame, Naruto–kun! Such show of youth and determination! Up against everyone else!” he would have started ranting, but Neji once again placed his hand on his mouth.

“If that’s what bothers you, Naruto, then I think you have nothing to worry about. We are friends, no matter what”.

Naruto felt a tug in his chest, once again he’d underestimated his friends and once again they showed him their care.

And once again, his smile was just as bright as the sun.

……………………………………………

“Hey, Ino–pig!”

The blonde’s left eye twitched slightly, as she turned towards her best friend aka worst rival Sakura, grimacing as she stared at her.

Sakura was smiling, and waving at Ino with bright eyes; knowing her, she probably had left Sasuke moments before and was too happy to care about anything else.

Ino was a bit angered by this.

She and Sakura had never really been close friends, but their friendship was a good one, and their name–callings were just a way to express it. But then, they had been separated by Sakura’s sudden crush on the Uchiha heir, to which Ino answered in her own way, as she too had fallen for the brooding dark haired boy.

But after Sasuke had tried (unsuccessfully) to defect, and was brought back by Naruto, Ino had opened her eyes to the painful truth. She would never interest the Uchiha enough to get his attentions, and the only thing he cared for was revenge.

She had always been a practical girl, and not one to follow blindly on a stupid crush to the point of obsession, that was why in the last few months she had settled her aim on something that was hard on its own, but at the same time completely different.

Whilst her crush for Sasuke slowly vanished, and her mind started seeing how much time she had wasted on the Uchiha, she had also started to see how foolish she was, and how foolish Sakura still was.

The pink haired girl wasn’t getting any stronger, fussing all day over Sasuke, who on his part merely acknowledged her, but nothing more than that; she had forgotten to train, and she had forgotten her other team mate.

Naruto was the one who constantly improved. He had defeated Sasuke… or at least allowed Kakashi–sensei to take him back to Konoha.

And Naruto was the one who asked the Hokage to change teams now that he had been appointed Chuunin.

Sakura was delusional in many ways, but Ino had always thought she would place friendship above anything else.

She wasn’t.

She was placing her crush above everything else.

And Ino didn’t like this. She was ready to bet her allowance for the next ten missions that Sakura knew nothing of Naruto’s decision or promotion.

But foolish and blind or not, the pink haired girl was her friend nonetheless, and she would act like a friend no matter what.

“Sakura!” she waved slightly at her, waiting for the girl to catch up with her.

“Ino–pig, it’s been a while!” Sakura had a satisfied expression, happy she could brag with her rival and friend about all the time she was spending with her Sasuke–kun.

Totally oblivious to the frown on the blonde’s face, Sakura smiled brightly and intertwined her fingers behind her back; it had been a very wonderful day for her, she’d spent all that time tending to Sasuke, and even though he had never even looked at her, nor responded to her chatting, she was sure it was mere shyness.

She knew Sasuke didn’t want anyone to enter his hospital room, but she always entered no matter what.

Ino stared at her. She looked happy. Maybe she could just wait to see if she would snap out of her crush by herself, or if she would get hurt by it; Ino couldn’t do anything, she would risk their friendship and she didn’t want that.

“Say, big–forehead, have you seen Naruto lately?” she asked.

Sakura blinked.

Now that she thought of it, she hadn’t seen Naruto at all ever since he and Sasuke came back. She was feeling a little guilty, but that way he would not interfere while she tried to win Sasuke’s heart.

Besides, he was fine, he was always fine. He’d always been fine.

“No, but I heard he got out of the hospital” she smiled. “Ino–pig, where were you going?”

Ino sighed. It wasn’t her place to tell Sakura about the changes in the team dynamics. She would realize that soon enough.

“I was going in the training area, want to join big–forehead?” she asked, hoping she would; a good sparring was what she needed now.

Sakura thought about it. She had been missing training, but Sasuke–kun was worthy it.

But a little bit of training would not hurt her, would it? It would relax her a bit, so she would be refreshed when she got back to Sasuke the next day.

“Sure! I’ll beat you, just like I am beating you for Sasuke–kun’s heart!” she smirked confidently.

Ino sighed, but followed her friend to the training area.

……………………………………………

StarsOfYaoi: so that was the third chapter. satisfied? No? will get better lately on.

Review?

Oh, I was wondering, would you like–accept–tolerate some yuri in this fic? It would not be InoSaku though… please, let me know. Also, you may have noticed I tend to appreciate Ino more than Sakura. Damn true.

But I won’t make Sakura a weeping girl. She will just need some time to realize her mistakes and childish acting.