The apartment was a real mess; there were empty ramen cups everywhere, the curtains where closed and the laundry hadn't been done in a week. All the carpets were wrinkled on the dusty floor and three bags of garbade were waiting next to the doorway to be taken out. Even though it seemed like no one hadn’t been there for months, there was a boy sitting on a bureau next to the unmade bed. He was sitting there just in his boxers eyeing the wall in front of him. The little light that made it through the curtains was dancing on the wall making ugly shadows on the white coating. In the boy’s mind the shadows looked like needles or other pointy and deadly objects. He shuddered at the thought of a sword piercing a sad man.
He guessed it was the third night since he heard the news about the death of his master. He felt tired, sad and for once in his life he wanted to rest. The boy with spiky blonde hair and thin whiskers on both of his cheeks was usually one of the loudest; he was always smiling and acted dummy, but never he gave up hope. He was supposed to be the sunshine in the rain. But he wasn’t today. He hadn’t been himself for weeks. The two biggest losses of his life kept wandering in his head and he couldn’t stop listening to the voice of desperation. He wanted to believe in being the saviour, but he couldn’t save his friend and wasn’t there for his master when he needed him. He wasn’t able to do anything. Uzumaki Naruto felt lazy.
*
“Naruto! Open the door!”
Naruto lifted his head suddenly. His glance had wondered without noticing to the floor, but now he could see the ugly shadows again. Slowly he rose from the bureau and almost fell because he had been sitting on his legs and couldn’t feel them. He leaned to the wall for a moment before walking towards his front door. Someone was banging the wooden door and yelling for him outside. Naruto opened the door and had to hid his eyes from the sunlight. When he opened them again, he saw Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji staring in front of him. Naruto himself hadn’t noticed, but his hair was messier than ever, he had dark shadows under his blue eyes and he still wore nothing but boxers.
“Hey guys... What are you doing here?”
“We wanted to invite you for ramen... Man, you look horrible. What happened?”
“Nothing”, Naruto muttered and then forced a smile on his face. “Come in, come in, I’ll change and then we can go.”
He moved out of the way and let his friends inside the apartment. When they were in he closed the door after him and ran to his bedroom twisting the carpets even more. “Change..?” Chouji repeated slowly but didn’t ask more when Shikamaru rolled his eyes lazily next to him and looked at the closed door of the bedroom that now held the blond hidden. They waited in silence and noticed the mess and fusty smell that floated in the room. They looked at each other knowingly once in a while, but didn’t ask Naruto. They both had had the same experience after all.
A few minutes later Naruto came back wearing a black t-shirt and orange shorts. He had done something to his hair but the shadows under his eyes still remained dark and visible. “Let’s go then”, Shikamaru nodded and was first to step out of the door Naruto and Chouji coming after him.
On their way through the village they talked about everything and nothing at all, mostly about how boring their missions had been lately and what they would order at Ichiraku’s. As they passed by the flower shop they heard a familiar voice.
“Naruto! Shikamaru! Chouji! Hey!”
Sakura ran out of the shop with Ino. Both girls were smiling and waving for them to wait, and the boys stopped and waited for them to catch up.
“What are you guys up to?” Sakura asked. She had roses in her hands; apprarently she had been helping Ino with the shop. They had become rather close and spent a lot of time together. Sakura nodded with a smile first to Shikamaru, then Chouji and then her gaze moved on to Naruto. She and Ino gasped. “Naruto! You look horrible! Are you okay?” Sakura hugged him tightly against her chest and felt guilty for not visiting the boy lately. She had discussed his current situation with Ino who had told her to let him deal with it alone. And Sakura knew her friend was right. She had never lost anyone like that... and even if she had she would have a family behind her all the times. Naruto was different from her and she understood that Shikamaru and Chouji where the best ones to help him right now.
Naruto tapped her on the shoulder and smiled a little. “It’s nothing, Sakura-chan... I just haven’t slept very well.”
She bit her lip. “Naruto, I –“ She happened to look at Ino who shook her head sadly. “I just... If you need anything, just tell me and I try to help.”
Naruto smiled. “Yeah, I know. I’m fine.” He tossed his hands into his pockets and started to swing on his heels. “Hey hey, we’re going to eat some ramen! Wanna come?”
The girls looked at each other and then nodded. “Okay, we’ll just close the shop for a while.”
They told them to wait outside and went in to clean up for a bit. Naruto then turned to face the guys. “Hey.. Now that Sakura-chan is coming – would you guys go home?” He grinned. “It’ll be a date!”
“Sorry, Naruto, but it doesn’t work like that tonight. I have something we need to talk about”, Shikamaru said and looked serious. Chouji nodded beside him. “And I’m hungry”, he adeed, looking deadly serious.
Naruto sighed but didn’t continue. He turned around and saw the girls coming back already. They took off together, laughing and smiling and talking, but they all kept giving Naruto worrying glances in secret.
Eight empty ramen bowls were piled on the table. Chouji was eating his fourth while the others where talking about missions and Ino was lecturing Chouji. “You always eat too much... You’ll get sick one day you know!”
“But if I don’t eat enough I won’t be able to use Baika no Jutsu! I’ve told you!” And so they continued with their usual topic of argument, while Shikamaru turned to Naruto. “Listen up, Naruto. I am sorry to bring this up now, but I have to say this. It’s about Sasuke.”
Ino stopped her lecture. Chouji stopped eating, a half eaten piece of chicken on its way to his mouth. Sakura and Naruto stopped laughing. The atmosphere changed in a second Shikamaru had said Sasuke’s name. The man who made their dinner seemed to notice that since he turned quickly around. “Ayame! It’s time for us to take the orders!” he yelled and disappeared outside the restaurant. Shikamaru took a sip from his tea before continuing. He knew the subject was a taboo around Naruto and Sakura but he couldn’t help it.
“I heard from the Fifth that a spy from our village had seen Sasuke leaving the Hidden Village of Rain a few days ago with an Akatsuki member. There had also been three other people with him, but the spy couldn’t identify them. The Fifth knows who they are though, and trust me when I say that they’re all very skilled and dangerous.” He paused for a moment and looked uncomfortable before continuing: “I’m saying this as your friend... It’s troublesome but you must give up on Sasuke and protect the future of Konoha. He isn’t the friend you once knew, he is a missing-nin who worked under Orochimaru for years until he killed him. He let prisoners, maybe even criminals free, tried to kill you guys more than once, killed his brother and is now working with Akatsuki. He’s probably going to attack the village and you can’t be spacing off because of him anymore.”
Sakura looked terrified and tried to say something but she wasn’t able to. Naruto rose from his chair and said with a shaking voice: “Sasuke is... He is... my best friend. I’ve been after him for three years and nothing can stop me from trying to bring him back. I’ve been training to get stronger.. Risked my life more than once for him.. Got motivated because of him. Because I believe in him, I know how he felt! He is just like me so I have to be the one to save him. And even if you can’t support me, I don’t care. I promised.” He tried to smile at Sakura for courage, but he failed. Sakura rose from her chair too. “Naruto, it's okay –“
“I’m going home.”
And with that he left leaving his friends looking after him. Then Sakura turned to Shikamaru. “I know you said that for his best but he doesn’t want to hear more bad stuff about him. Thank you anyway, guys.. Ino. See you later.” She smiled sadly and took off as well. Shikamaru sighed and Chouji said quietly: “Well.. That went well.”
Ino frowned.
Naruto was lying on his bed listening to the rain dancing on the window. His clock said it was two in the morning, but he didn’t feel tired at all. Memories of his friend and his teacher sailed around his mind and moved on to the next like photographs in a photo-album he had forgotten a long time ago. He remembered how he had felt jealous of Sasuke because he had had all the attention... but in the end he just wanted to be like him, wanted him to acknowledge him. He remembered how Jiraya had teached him Rasengan, how awesome his toads were and how sickening perverted he was. He remembered how he was teached about genjutsu and how to deal with it. It hadn’t worked with Uchiha Itachi though but that was just because he had been a bad student and couldn’t control his emotions well. Then his mind traveled back to Sasuke completing the circle once again. “Sasuke, you bastard. You wouldn’t want to attack the village, right?” he mumbled against his pillow. A voice in his head said “yes” but he ignored it. He sat up on his bed and made his mind.
*
The sun was rising upon the Hidden Village of Konoha kissing the streets and houses with its warm lips. The shops weren’t open yet, it was quiet and peaceful. Even though the rain had stopped hours ago, the flowers on window boards or in front of the buildings glittered with raindrops. A mild wind blew transporting fallen leaves over a certain street and continued through dark hair. Pale hands raised to take off the leaf that had got stuck into her hair, and she smiled shyly. Hyuuga Hinata would’ve thought the day was perfect unless she didn't have to leave for a dangerous mission. She decided to hurry and soon landed in front of a dark wooden door. She knocked a few times and grew a little nervous when no one opened. She gave it another try, but when there was no answer she decided to take things into her own hands; it was an emergency after all. She found a window close enough and blushed. Peeking wasn’t very polite, but that would be better than looking through the walls with Byakugan. After glancing a few times left and right to make sure her father or cousin wasn’t around, she peeped carefully through the window. Hinata blushed again.
Naruto was sleeping on his back on the bedcover legs and arms spread wide open. The black t-shirt he wore the day before was thrown casually onto the floor, but the orange shorts were still somehow on. He looked a little flushed and he was drooling in his sleep, his hair was messy and some bangs were covering his eyes. Hinata eeped and was ready to leave, but she made herself to remember why she was there. She reached her hand out and knocked. Naruto sat up so quickly she thought it wasn’t even possible. He looked shocked, but soon calm enough to notice her. He smiled immediately, though she saw right through him, and walked to the window to open it for her.
“Hinata! What brings you here? Do you wanna tea or something? I’m not sure though if I have any...” he muttered more to himself than to her, but Hinata shook her head.
“T-there’s something I need to t-tell you”, she said her face as red as the pillows on Naruto’s bed. “I just c-came from seeing the Hokage and she said I’ve got a mission.”
Naruto looked confused. “Okay... Good for you Hinata! But.. What does it have to do with me?”
“I... I just.. Well. Naruto-kun, we got assigned for a mission t-together!”
The Fifth hokage got sometimes really impatient. She was tapping her painted fingernails against her desk so hard that the high pales of important papers fell to the floor, where her assistent Shizune tried her best to pick them up. “What the hell is taking him so long...”
“Maybe he lost something, Tsunade-sama?”
“No. I know him well enough to tell that he’s just sleeping or something. That lazy bastard...”
Shizune got nervous as well. If the things didn’t go just like planned, Tsunade wouldn’t remain that nice for her either. She lifted the papers back to the desk and gave Tsunade a large cup of tea. “They should be here in a minute, and if they don’t I’ll take care of it, Tsunade-sama. Don’t worry. And please stop making nasty holes to the desk...”
Tsunade glared at the steaming cup of green tea, then lifted her eyebrows at Shizune but stopped looking so impatient.
“Yo.”
Tsunade turned around in her chair to meet Hatake Kakashi sitting on her window board. The mask hid his face like usual, but from the way the mask curved and from the fact that his eyes were closed, you could tell he was smiling. “Don’t just ‘yo’ me there you lazy-ass! You’re late!”
Kakashi’s eyes flew open. “Sorry sorry, I run out clean underwear so –“
“Please don’t tell me more, Kakashi-sensei!”
All the three of them turned their head to see who was standing on the doorway. Sakura was there carrying a portfolio on her other hand while the other was like glued to the doorhandle. She was smiling for a moment before coming in and placing the portfolio on the desk. “Here are the details for the mission you asked, Tsunade-sama.” She bowed and then turned to leave the room after waving hello back to Kakashi, but Tsunade said: “Please stay, Sakura. I’ll tell you soon what you need to do.”
“Yes, Tsunade-sama”, she answered and tried to close the door behind her, but before she could do anything, Hinata came in with Naruto, who had put on his usual orange-black jumpsuit and was wearing his forehead protector. On his right pocket, though no one else knew it, he always carried the old head protector of Sasuke as a memory of the ghost of the boy he once knew.
“Sorry we’re late, baa-chan. I didn’t know I had a mission today...”
“You didn’t, but now you do. We have to wait for a certain person to come back from his mission though before we can –“
But before she could finish, they heard a low ‘poof’ and Yamato appeared in front of her desk. “Sorry if I’m late, Hokage-sama.”
“Good! Now, listen up everyone!”
Everyone in the room tensed up in excitement, but no one was as enthusiastic as Naruto. “Hurry up, hurry up baa-chan!”
After giving her most dangerous glare for Naruto, she continued in a proper tone: “As some of you may know already, I sent a spy to the Hidden Village of Rain a while ago, and he came back telling me that he saw Uchiha Sasuke there along with a few members of Akatsuki. We don’t know what he’s up to, but Jiraya once warned that if he ever were to team up with Akatsuki right after killing his brother, he would come and try to get revenge from here too. I wouldn’t tell you the reasons for this even if I knew something.”
Naruto squeezed the forehead protector in his pocket angrily but didn’t say anything.
“Naruto”, Tsunade said and didn’t continue until she got his attention, “I know what you’re thinking, but listen first what I’ve got to say.” She paused for a moment. “Jiraya spent a huge part of his life gathering information on Akatsuki. Information that has helped ninja all around the world. Information that has helped other jinchuuriki. He risked his life for it, and died because of it. Don’t ruin it by screwing up! Did I make myself clear?”
Everyone else expect for Tsunade, who was giving him the look again, looked at him anxiously.
“Yes.”
“Very well. Haruno Sakura! Hyuuga Hinata! Uzumaki Naruto! You three work under the orders of Hatake Kakashi and Yamato, and aim to complete your mission which is to find Uchiha Sasuke and find out what he’s planning! Do not let him see or know about you, and attacking him or any Akatsuki with him is absolutely forbidden!”
“Yes, Hokage-sama!”
“You will start your mission tomorrow! For now, dismiss!”
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Story notes: This is my first Naruto fanfic, so please be gentle. This is going to be NaruSasu fanfic, even though there won't be much romantic interaction between them.
I support the love triangle theory, which means that the "order or crushes" goes like this: Naruto -> Sakura, Sakura ->Sasuke, Sasuke-Naruto. There won't be NaruSaku or SasuSaku though. Maybe hints.
Chapter notes: There you go! Don't worry if you find this boring, the story will get better... And I promise there'll be some NaruSasu.
Chapter end notes: Feel free to say if you noticed any mistakes in grammar or spelling! English it's not my native language, you see.