Naruto: Ankoku za Chuusin Banbutsunoreichou! (RATED: T)

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Seth

My trek into the Naruto universe as far as fanfiction goes. All chapters will be ripped from Fan Fiction dot net.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY RELATED CHARACTERS

Summary: It has been two years since that incident, and Naruto and co. are now 17. Things have been rather peaceful, and the Akatsuki faded from the scenes to regroup. Now, the Elementals, controlled by an unknown source, threaten all that has gone right! Can Naruto stop them and their master, or will he finally be defeated?

--

The sound of swords slicing through soft human flesh was terrifying. The blood was everywhere, and the fires burning bright; endless fuel in the form of a human bodies allowing it to grow brighter, and brighter, and brighter.

Soon, the forest was set alight by smells and lights of all sorts.

Snakes… as they slithered away, the white skinned Sanin skid across the ground and looked at his opponent, whom was clad in an armor of some sort. He stood in the blaze, completely unharmed, a mere silhouette.

Orochimaru squinted his eyes. He was putting up more of a fight then that four-tailed Kyuubi. “It interests me so... Sasuke-kun… why don’t you teach this one a lesson?” Out of the flame came a white-cloaked teen, around 15 or 16, carrying a sword. His black hair carried ash and red eyes began shifting shape…

An eerie silence came over the burning forest.

In a few seconds, a void had opened within the armored one, and it would soon be compressed.

If it was human, that was. Which it was not. It shrugged its hulking shoulders and eyed Sasuke angrily, drawing a blade of its own. The two shifted into their stances and met midway, both being blown back by explosions of Chakra. Blood dripped down Sasuke’s mouth, and Magma out of the armored one’s chest, both clenching their fists and trying again.

Explosions rocked the area while Orochimaru smirked -as always- and faded away into the shadow. This was Sasuke-kun’s fight now.

NARUTO:
Ankoku za Chuusin Banbutsunoreichou!
--Darkness of the Heart of a Man!--

Chapter I:
Sasuke-kun

The seventeen-year-old blonde slurped the ramen in the bowl before him as fast as possible, leaving money and a tip slapped on the wooden table as he ran off, knocking the stool he was sitting on off balance. Swallowing the last noodle as he put on his orange and black jacket, he ran toward the Hokage’s place.

People smiled at the young man, and some chuckled. He’d come such a long way since he first started out… now he was a hero, and was hand chosen to be the next Hokage by the village leaders. He ran as fast as he could before jumping high into the air, landing in front of his destination, just in front of the monuments. “Heh. It’s been a while…” He commented. After his last mission, he was hospitalized for a month. That was unusual for him, since he usually healed within hours.

“Naruto-kun, long time no see.” Tsunade said, her hands folded before her face. “I’m sure you know this isn’t just another routine mission.” The seventeen-year-old blonde rubbed the back of his head and smiled.

“Why else would I be here? My team and I are only called for the elite missions.” Tsunade glared at him.

“Don’t get thingyy now, Naruto.”

“Baah.” He spat. Walking through the door came a pink haired girl, also about seventeen, and a green jumpsuit-clad, black haired man, about eighteen of age.

“We may have found the coordinates of Uchiha Sasuke. As you know, two years ago, you succeeded in bringing him back to the village, only to have him murder Haruno Sakura’s parents, and attempt to kill Uzumaki Naruto and I.” The pink haired girl looked to the ground, catching Naruto’s attention.

“Hey, hey… its okay.” He said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

She smiled. He was always there for her. Perhaps she should have…

“He must be killed at all costs.” Naruto then looked at Tsunade, wide eyed. He expected that command… but it still just seemed unreal to him. The black haired one nodded slowly, as did Sakura. Naruto just stood there, seemingly sad.

”I understand.” Naruto said.

“Understood!” The black haired man said, saluting Tsunade.

Sakura just stood silently, anger in her eyes. Though she wouldn’t admit it, she wanted nothing more than to kill Sasuke herself. After what he did… after what he tried to do… it was unforgivable. He was no better than the brother he so selfishly murdered. “Yes ma’am.” Shizune opened the door for the three, and looked down. So it had come to this, after all.

“Lee-san,” Shizune began. The black haired boy looked back at her. “Gai-sensei says to bring it. He says you may need it for this mission.” He stood still for a moment and nodded.

“Yes ma’am.” And he left. When she was sure they were gone, Shizune approached Tsunade, an eerie silence falling upon the room.

“No matter how advanced the mission… Naruto and Sakura never should have been assigned.”

“I don’t care, Shizune. They were the only shinobi left unassigned, and we must hit now. We won’t get another chance, and, being former teammates, they stand at least a small chance. They should know his basic battle patterns.”

“…” She was silent for a moment. “I am sorry I questioned you, Tsunade-sama…” She was still unsure, however. This may be too personal for them.

--

“Ah, Sasuke-kun, its almost time for another body transfer. I didn’t like that stunt you pulled last time…”

“You just better thank the heavens I decided to reverse it.” The snake shinobi laughed.

“I’m sorry, YOU reversed it? You forget who tapped into your feeble mind.”

“The only reason you’re still around is because you can teach me. So I suggest you do so, pawn.” Sasuke spat at Orochimaru, turning away and sharpening his blade.

“Tough talk from one who fell to an elemental. I was able to stand against it with ease, and you fell in two hits. You have much to learn before you DARE call me a pawn.”

Sasuke was silent, and ceased what he was doing. But after a moment of silence, he returned to sharpening his blade. Orochimaru laughed and walked out, leaving the teenager to his blade. He still had much to learn.

Chapter End

So… my first trek into the Naruto universe. I’m a big fan and can probably beat you at Naruto trivia, but don’t read the manga. I only read the Obito saga, since it wasn’t animated, so I don’t know much past where Shippuuden is right now, but I will try to keep the facts as straight as possible. Please R&R!

~~~

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or the line from “The Scarecrow”, which is by Avantasia.

Note: I will be going by Celsius, not Fahrenheit.

Chapter II:

Naruto-kun

There was no doubt. He wasn’t just some goofy kid dreaming on being Hokage anymore, not some annoying immature child bent on looking for trouble. As hard as it was to believe, Naruto Uzumaki had grown up. At times, it was as if he was someone completely different. “OW!! OW, OW, OW, OW, OW, OW, OW!! I’m gonna kill that damn raccoon!”

Or not.

Sakura chuckled. She was really taking a liking to the boy she saw so annoying just four years ago. They’d grown closer throughout the years, and she had a front row seat in watching him grow in power and skill. He never gave up. Never. That was just the way the boy worked… once he started something, he never gave in. He always worked at it until it was perfect. He was already at least half the speed of Lee when he removes the ten-ton weights from his legs, and was just as strong as she was! He was taking more after Minato than anyone ever would have thought. It was becoming clear that he was destined to become Hokage…

The blonde walked toward Sakura, rubbing his arm where the raccoon had bit him, and chuckled. “Two hours earlier and I’d be worried about rabies.” He thought aloud.

Sakura smiled. He always made her laugh. Truth was, the two had gotten closer since he returned with Jiraiya… a lot closer. Strangest part was, -at least to Sakura it was strange- she liked it. She liked him.

--

Naruto looked inquisitively at Sakura, raising an eyebrow. She’d been quiet since they left. That wasn’t normal. “Sakura-chan… what’s wrong?” She just continued in silence for a moment before saying, “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Of course, Naruto didn’t believe her. He knew something was up, because she was always nagging. That, he could count on. But he didn’t say a word. He knew it’d probably be best to just leave her be. He didn’t want to pry in too deep if something serious was up. “Okay guys, we’ll make camp here. Soil’s not too rough, and it isn’t an open area. We’ll be harder to spot.” Lee stated, taking the large backpack from around his shoulders and gently placing it on the ground. The two just nodded. There was no arguing with him, anyway.

A few hours later, Sakura had already turned in, and Lee was doing cartwheels, creating a seven hundred foot circle around the campsite. He was on lap sixty, and claimed it was part of training.

So Naruto was alone by the fire, just staring deep into it while warming his hands from the cold. The goal was so close… “Naruto-kun?” The blonde turned his head to see Sakura emerging from the tent, rubbing her right eye while the other adjusted to the light of the fire.

“I thought you were asleep.” He said, turning his head back to the fire.

“I couldn’t. I tried, but with Lee making so much noise…” She motioned to the cartwheeling boy who at this point had some tears rolling down his face and was shouting something about making Gai-sama proud. The two sweat dropped simultaneously and shook off the somewhat disturbing feeling that came over them.

“Heh. That’s Lee for you… always the weirdo.”

“He just likes training hard. He does it in a weird way… but when training with Gai of all people, its no surprise.”

“Yeah.” Naruto laughed, and looked up at the stars. There actually was a small clearing in the tree branches; maybe about a hundred feet or so in size, so he could get a good look at the sky, and he had to admit it was peaceful. Holding himself up from falling with his hands, his eyes seemed to twinkle. That’s how you knew he was happy, which was more and more often these days. Sakura smiled. She was now in the same position as Naruto, and glanced over at him with her eyes, before looking back to the sky. Such a peaceful sight…

“Naruto-kun,” Sakura began. The blonde looked over at her curiously.

“What is it, Sakura?” She opened her mouth to say something but was then hit by a spinning green blur. It looked just like a Nascar spinning out after hitting a wall. She looked up as if to ask “WHY?!” before being hit by the blur.

Of course, it was Rock Lee, dizzy and unconscious. He never did know when to quit. Naruto quickly moved him off of Sakura and pulled her up off the ground. “Maybe its time to turn in…”

“Yeah.” She agreed, wiping dirt from her pink pajamas. She still wore a lot of pink, it seemed. Just like old times, Naruto thought.

--

“Rise to fame, time will come! Make your claim, time has come… for the crow to fly away!” Lee sang as he marched on in head of his two allies, as always.

“Lee! Wait up!!” Naruto called as he ran ahead, Sakura two feet behind him. As he finally caught up, panting and sweating a bit, he began to wonder why they were teamed up with him. Not exactly the best of ideas… but, there was a chance that another Konoha ninja would meet up with them along the way. Tsunade had said another team was finishing off a mission about half way to their destination. “Where exactly are we going again?” Naruto asked.

“The Hidden Village of Grass. Reports of Sasuke battling another ninja alongside Orochimaru came from there, then continued to the Forest Village. We lost contact with the Forest Village soon after, though. So that’s our best bet.”

“So basically, enter Grass Village, question, move on quickly to Forest Village, and begin looking for Sasuke aimlessly?” Naruto asked.

“No. We won’t be searching aimlessly. It’s said that Sasuke was beaten pretty easily and was wounded. There may be some people who saw which direction he went, since Orochimaru had left him to fight alone.” Lee commented, eyes closed. “In fact, we should be coming upon the Village of Grass within the next hour. Maybe we can get some actual food, then.”

“RAMEN!!” Naruto cried out.

--

As the three made it into the village, a sweet smell and the warmth of the sun, no longer hidden in the cool forest, greeted them. Though it was a little over 29 degrees, a cool wind, blowing freshly cut grass before them, took the edge off of it. “Been a while since I’ve been to this village.” Naruto commented. He’d been here only once before, and that was when he was investigating Akatsuki Member “Zetsu”, who had supposedly returned to the village briefly. The mission was a failure, but Naruto did manage to find out what Zetsu was doing, and defeated him later.

The villagers looked at the squad, smiling. “Ah… assigned to this mission too?” An old lady asked. Naruto nodded. At least she remembered him. “Oh… Zetsu was here again last night. He was sneaking around also looking for Sasuke-kun.” The blonde raised an eyebrow.

“I thought I…”

“No. It seems he is still alive… or someone disguised as him came creeping through here, unknowing of his death. Who really knows? It was dark.” Naruto nodded and scanned the area. As peaceful as ever…

“So the punk is back…” A deep, burly voice called. It was strong enough to send shivers down any spine... and Naruto’s was no exception. “Its time we finish what was started.”

END CHAPTER

Cliffie!

~~~

Chapter III:
Return

“So the punk is back…” A deep, burly voice called. It was strong enough to send shivers down any spine... and Naruto’s was no exception. “Its time we finish what was started.”

Naruto jumped up and turned to the large burly man in the shadow. Could it really be…? “No way… Goro?” Slight shaking occurred as the eight foot tall, four-and-a-half foot wide man ducked through the doorway to approach the blonde. His shirt was an old, stained, white T-shirt, with a pair of dark blue pants. His hair was a thick and dirty black, and he had a soul patch and thick mustache to go along with it and his tan-ish skin.

He grabbed Naruto, picking him up, and looked in his eyes saying, “We never did decide who could eat more ramen.”

Sakura and Lee nearly fainted, the massive anime-like sweatdrops oh-so apparent after that comment. The large man then let Naruto down and laughed. “Its been what, a year and a half? You don’t look like you’ve been eating much…” He said, poking the boy’s stomach.

“I wish I could say the same for you…” He muttered beneath his breath. He had to be at least five hundred pounds; twice what he was last time Naruto saw the man.

“I heard that, you know.”

“Oh yeah. Guys, this is Goro. He and his brothers have a higher sense of hearing, sight, and smell then even Kiba… so careful what you do and say around him. And careful what you…” Of course, it was too late at this point. “…Eat…” He ended as Goro tackled Lee and stole his sandwich, nearly crushing him in the process. “He likes pickles and sauerkraut.” Naruto rubbed his temples. Well, it seemed Lee and Goro had the same tastes.

“How much longer must we wait?”

“Not long. Be patient, young one.”

“But why? I want blood! It’s been soooooooooo long…”

”Hm, hm, hm! Thirsty for more of “The Crusades”, are we?”

“Lord Reginald!”

“Yes, yes. We all know who I am. No need to exclaim my name to the heavens.”

“You startled me…”

“The young one has a point. It has been too long since our bloodlust has been fed. Ekkehardt should be back with some bodies soon…”

“So just a little longer?”

“Of course, young one.”

“Okay…”

The village was dark, and relatively silent if you ignore the crickets’ endless chirping. Yes, it was peaceful. It always was here.

Or, at least it USUALLY was.

Tonight had potential to be a rough one, however, as a man in that familiar cloak passed from rooftop to rooftop. He wore a strange mask, which had many rings in a swirl leading to one single eye on the right, with no apparent hole for the left. Clicking was heard as he tested out his left arm, moving it up and down after pausing for the moment on a small house’s rooftop. “No doubt they’re here for it too…” He told himself. “I do hope we meet up.” Yes, the house he was atop sheltered Lee, Naruto, and Sakura, all sound asleep.

Or so it seemed. “Tobi.” The cloaked, masked man turned to see Naruto. He was still dressed… he guessed he never got to sleep.

“And here I thought I was all alone.”

“The Akatsuki is over. I let you live out of mercy… despite what the others think. Now I suggest you leave.” The blonde commanded, tightening his headband and shifting into his fighting stance.

“I was just about to. I’m guessing we’re both after them, then.” Naruto was silent. “Oh? You don’t know? Well then… I guess this will be an easy mission. Farewell for now, my friend.” He said mockingly, seeming to fizzle out of existence.

Naruto stood straight again, undoubtedly relieved.

“Naruto-kun?” The boy turned, a bit startled, and saw Sakura rubbing her eyes. She was in her pajamas and tired, and seemed to have just gotten up on the roof via the stairs, and she was also rather confused at the sight of Naruto still awake, and up here of all places.

“Sakura-chan… you should be asleep.”

“I thought I heard talking. Was someone else up here?”

“No.” Naruto was a good liar. Sakura could usually tell if someone was lying or not… but he was an exception. She trusted him, however. You had to trust your teammates.

“Okay…” She said. She walked toward back to the staircase to see Naruto was already there. She’d forgotten how fast he was, and lost her footing, startled. However, he caught her in his arms and helped her up.

“Let me take you back.” He said smiling.

She nodded.

He pulled her close, his arm around her neck, and walked downstairs with her. Lee was asleep, and the area dark and quiet, so finding their way around would definitely be difficult… but not impossible. Naruto guided Sakura through the darkness --unsuccessfully on his part, tripping over at least four tables-- and made it to her bed several bruises later.

“You okay?” She asked. Naruto laughed a bit.

“I’ve broken my ribs, legs, arms, fractured my spine, broke my jaw, and took I don’t know how many punches to the gut. Of course I’m okay!” He exclaimed silently. She couldn’t help but smirk. “You need to get some sleep. Its 2:00 AM.”

“So should you, you know…”

“Yeah, yeah.” He said. “It’s been harder for me to sleep the past few days though… the dreams won’t end.” He said, the end part of the sentence being rather silent.

She heard what he said, but decided to leave him be. She knew how hardheaded he was. He wouldn’t let her help. “Well, I guess I will get back to bed… I suggest you do, too.”

“Maybe.” He said, falling into the chair and looking up at the ceiling. “Maybe…”

END CHAPTER

Short? Yes. Late? Somewhat. Pleasing? I hope so. Review!

~~~

Note: Story now rated for language, violence, and some mature subjects.

Chapter IV:

Serenity

Tic, toc, tic, toc, tic, toc, tic…

Naruto awoke feeling something on his lap. He looked down to see that Sakura had, at some point in the night, climbed onto the couch and fell asleep on him. He smiled, gently lifting her off and laying her back down onto the couch, covering her with a small red blanket.

Clad in a black T-shirt and his orange pants, he climbed back up to the roof and sat on the edge. He lit a cigarette and sucked in the mixture of cool air and smoke through his nose, the sun just then rising above the mountainous horizon.

He grinned.

He loved multiple day missions, what with the constant traveling to new places, and all the sunrises upon endlessly changing landscapes. It made everything seem not so bad, like the world wasn’t always in his hands…

A sigh.

He scratched his face, making more of a rubbing motion across his chin than a scratch, and yawned, hearing the sound of bare feet against rough concrete and dirt behind him. He already knew whom it was, just by feeling the presence, the aura given off.

Sakura stood behind him, the same blanket he put on her now resting on her shoulders like a bit of a cloak, and serving as some feeling of warmth in the cool summer morning in the Village of Grass. She was clad in nothing but an old tank top and pajama-style shorts, the blanket, which barely passed her thighs, keeping her comfortable. “You know how I feel about you smoking… just because I’m not around doesn’t mean you should do it.” She said, rubbing her right eye with a slight smirk.

Naruto’s grin faded for a moment, then returned. He then turned to face Sakura, throwing the cigarette to the ground and rubbing it into the dirt on the roof. He then walked forward toward her a bit, and stopped a few feet from her, the same sound of bare feet on dirt coming from him. “There you go. I don’t really see what the big deal is, Sakura-chan. I mean, it keeps me less stressed; it keeps me calm. I can’t help it on such beautiful sunrises, anyway.”

She shook her head. “You didn’t have to put it out, but thanks anyway; I know what those things do to your lungs.”

Naruto’s new grin grew to a smile, and he rubbed the back of his head. “Leave it to a medical-nin to make you feel bad of your habits.”

The two laughed, and looked at each other for a few seconds, before Naruto broke the newly fallen silence. “We should head in. Lee usually wakes up about now, and we might as well head out while its calm.”

Sakura nodded. “Yeah. I’m still kind of surprised you get up earlier than him… I mean, he’s always up at 6:00 AM for training in Konoha, and at 5:30 AM on missions.”

“Bah. I enjoy sunrises almost as much as I enjoy sunsets. They signal the beginning of one day, and the end of the moments past leading toward the new light, the undetermined and ever-malleable future.”

“Heh… Poetic.” Sakura said, half-knowing she actually said it aloud rather than in her mind as originally planned. Naruto approached the young woman and once again wrapped his left arm around her neck lightly, pulling her closer as they started down the stairs to their floor of the small hotel.

Upon entering their room, they noticed Lee was gone. Probably out running laps around the town… they both chuckled at the thought. Naruto sat down on the couch, taking a deep breath in and letting a loud, relaxed sigh out; such a peaceful morning. Suddenly, the boy felt someone sit next to him.

Sakura… and she’d laid her head on his shoulder. He smiled at her, rubbing her back a bit and pulling her a bit closer. Afterward, he looked down and kissed her head lightly, forcing a blush on her face. She didn’t exactly know what it was for, and decided not to look up and show that she was blushing… though he was blushing a bit also. She sighed. She didn’t really want this moment to end, and neither did he.

--

“He has returned.”

“How unfortunate. Reginald won’t be happy.”

“Ekkehardt has just returned, Ami, Joseph.”

“Has he brought any bodies?”

“No. He was actually wounded. Seems this Uchiha has gained it.”

“This will certainly be troublesome… he is supposed to be unbeatable! But if Uchiha Sasuke…”

”Quiet! Not one more word! It burns my ears!”

“Yes, Reginald-sama… Ami out.”

“Hmph. And we consider ourselves GODS? You better fix this, Reginald. Joseph out.”

“Oh no worries my children… I will fix these troubles after the show…”

--

“Thank you Mai-san!!” Lee called, tears rolling down his face as he violently ate his breakfast, Naruto and Sakura drawing back in fear. Finished five seconds later, Lee bowed to the old woman who served as the cook of the hotel and looked down toward Naruto and Sakura, the two just finishing their breakfast. “IIYA!! Always finish your food completely! Its priceless energy!” Lee exclaimed as he pointed to the crumb left in Naruto’s bowl.

The blonde looked strangely at Lee. “Okay…?” He slowly reached in, picked it up with his index finger and thumb, and ate it. Lee nodded.

“Now, we must set out.”

“Who made you team captain?” Naruto asked, slowly rising up.

“…Right. Well, we still need to leave as early as possible.”

“Point taken. Arigato, Mai-chan.” Naruto bowed, soon followed by Sakura.

“No problem! I’m happy to serve Konoha’s greatest ninjas.” She said with glee.

Lee was the first out the door as always, walking at a fast pace toward the forest. The target location was approximately 100 Kilometers into the large forest, which would be the center. Naruto soon followed with Sakura by his side, never straying too far from the blond boy.

“Naruto…” Sakura began. That light kiss was still fresh in her mind, and she was kind of confused. Was that just a kiss? Did it have any real meaning?

The boy raised an eyebrow, turning his head a bit toward Sakura while the two were still walking. “Yes, Sakura-chan?” The girl blushed, not realizing ‘till then she’d spoken aloud. She immediately forced back the blush and shook her head.

“Nothing, never mind.” She said, regaining her composure. He smiled. She was beautiful… though he could never say it to her aloud, he wanted to, and did it regularly in his dreams. Of course, in his dreams they were both naked, but… his mental point still stood. He then looked back in front of him, realizing they had just entered the large woods.

--

Naruto yawned. So far, there was nothing. No traps, no enemies, not even charred wood. He was beginning to wonder if the information was correct or not.

Then, he saw sunlight. Was it the end of the woods? No… couldn’t be. And it wasn’t. The three stood in awe at the massive area before them. It looked like a natural clearing at first, but when they looked closer at the ground and the trees nearby, there was ash and soot everywhere, as well as charred rocks and steel. The strangest thing however was the grass, which was twisting into a single point on the left, similar to the design on Toobi’s mask. “This wasn’t natural. If it was, everything around would be burned, and the rest of the forest would probably be affected, not just a three hundred foot area.” Sakura commented, looking around.

Naruto looked up, throwing a kunai directly behind him, barely missing Sakura and Lee. It was then that something caught the kunai and held it between two fingers. It was thrown to the ground afterward and a man dressed completely in black stepped out, its face concealed in pure darkness. No light would ever clear it… “Turn back.” He said.

“Who are you?” Naruto commanded an answer from the man, who moved as if chuckling under his breath.

“Serenity owns you.”

“Wha…?” Naruto asked, confused. The man chuckled beneath his breath again and shook his head. Removing his hood, the face of a brown-haired, blue-eyed, 20-year-old man would be looking back at him.

“Serenity owns you, Naruto Uzumaki, keeper of the “dreaded” Kyuubi.” His voice held a tone of sarcasm as his throat spat out “dreaded”, which made him grin a bit. “But don’t look so surprised. We own everything.” Naruto glared at the man.

“Who are you?”

“But a mere messenger. We are willing to extend your pathetic life a year… perhaps let you mate and have a small life. The only condition is that you must stay out of our way, you stupid animal!”

“Animal!?” Naruto was about ready to rip this guy’s head off, but restrained himself. He wasn’t that stupid little kid anymore… life as a true shinobi hardened him, educated him in the price of making such a Genin mistake.

“I have no need to explain us to the likes of you. Just stay out of our way if you value the ones you love.” With that, the man faded away. Not like other shinobi… he just disappeared. Even his chakra simply vanished, which was strong enough to give him an eerie glow and make Naruto sick to his stomach. Sakura looked at Naruto concerned. His fists were tight and he was clearly gritting his teeth, trying to keep his anger down.

A hand.

As the blonde looked over his right shoulder, he’d see the pink haired girl’s hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” Naruto exhaled.

“Yes, of course. Don’t ask such a silly question… he’s just another shinobi. Probably just another remnant of Akatsuki trying to fuck with my head a bit.” She looked even more concerned. He was lying. But, she let it be. He could take care of himself now… he had changed a lot. Sometimes, she thought, for the worse. Though she wouldn’t admit it back then, she loved his carefree and kind nature back then. Now he was generally so serious and cold, and was truly afraid to love. She didn’t like it… but she knew he did care deep down, somewhere. When she was around, he showed emotion, as if to prove to here that he could still feel. He’d become that kid again, to an extent. He knew she feared his other side… especially in battle. In battle, he terrified her. He made her heart skip a beat, her eyes quiver with sheer fear. He was so focused on killing… no emotion, no games… just like him.

“Serenity.” Lee said. “Another misguided organization?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Naruto spat. “If it is, I’ll tear it down.” Sakura wanted to shake her head. He was still as motivated as back then, at least… but she knew better to compare the two Naruto’s. He meant it.

“You’re not God, Naruto-kun.” Sakura said. “One man can only do so much… don’t chase shadows. You and I both know you can’t take down an organization like Akatsuki alone, you…” It was then that she was cut off.

“I don’t care. I will protect Konoha no matter what,” He closed his eyes. “He threatened those I loved, he threatened my village. I won’t let innocents die for me.” She stared at him.

“Naruto-kun…” He stopped.

“I… I’m sorry. I just… got lost in the past for a bit…” He smiled. “Back on our current mission, now. Until “Serenity” is tied in with Sasuke-kun, they aren’t to be pondered over.” He looked over at an area of broken twigs and branches. “It won’t go for long, but we know he was wounded, meaning the battle here was pretty big. We know the opponent is a Fire type and skilled to hurt him, and judging by the snake burned on the ground, Orochimaru was with him.”

“That bastard… he just doesn’t die, does he?” Sakura lowered her head.

“Chances are it’s a misguided Kabuto, thinking he’s Orochimaru.” Naruto said. “Remember when we last encountered him?”

“Yeah… that was actually kind of funny.” She laughed.

“Anyway… we’ll follow his trail until it disappears. With any luck, we’ll get a general direction. There’s supposed to be a small, unnamed village about one hundred kilometers in that area, anyway. So we’ll have a place to spend the night.”

“Right!” Lee enthusiastically yelped.

“Okay.” Sakura nodded, following the blonde as he walked down toward the rough path.

END CHAPTER

New direction. With the recent events in the manga, a few things may change though with the lack of updates recently, most changes I might not even be aware of and a few character personality changes. The next two chapters won’t move the plot much, but actually focus more on the character development of Naruto and Sakura. With my new direction, Naruto will be very deep and different compared to the one we know today, and I will explore more of Sakura’s feelings toward the new Naruto, and the feelings she’s having now about him… possibly some more fluff like in the beginning of this chapter, too ;3

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