Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ After the Dream ❯ Wonderful Life ( Chapter 15 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

b normal story

B flash backs (dreams)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Wonderful Life

Sakura looked at her reflection in the clear water near her hands. The sea she had visited with her parents hadn't been this clear… or maybe it was just that her mind hadn't been. The girl in front of her eyes had dark brown hair and brown eyes. Surprisingly so did the boy standing about ten feet behind her staring out over the vastness of the ocean. It had taken her an hour to convince him he needed to dye his hair as well, not to mention the contacts that he enjoyed complaining about… and the makeup to cover his whiskers. It was surprising but Naruto was even more high maintenance then her sometimes.

It was also surprising how much she missed the brightness of her teammate. The dark brown hair and eyes combined with brown clothing and the straight face he had kept on for almost a month normally dampened her mood. Although she knew it was necessary - after all she had been the one to suggest the changes - it still bothered her sometimes when she ran her hands through her hair and saw brown instead of pink. It still bothered her that Naruto looked so damn normal instead of standing out in the crowd like he always had.

She knew she was missing something and she couldn't figure out what it was. They were free. Despite the fact that she griped so much they were free. She wondered vaguely if her friends had been told she was gone yet. She had been very surprised when she didn't hear word of their disappearance or deaths immediately. They had to at least suspect something by now she thought sadly.

It was her only regret she decided. She would never regret leaving, but causing them pain wasn't something she enjoyed doing. Glancing back at Naruto again she decided it was worth it. She had lost her parents and then they had lost Sasuke. Without the hope of their teammate returning to Konoha they had no reason to stay. In fact they had even more reason to go.

Everything was hanging in the air. She had no obligations to fulfill. She had no nightmares to chase her. She had no dreams to drive her. Her life was her own. She could do what she wanted. Create a new future, new dreams, and even a new past if she had to. But it would be okay because she knew that this was the right place to be; the right place to start over.

XXXXXXXX

They had heard the news that morning when they passed through another nameless town. Apparently news was spreading like a wild fire through Fire Country. Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura… and Uchiha Sasuke were all officially dead. Konoha had caught a Sound Nin who offered proof of the three Genin's deaths. He didn't know what that proof was but it must have been substantial enough to finally convince everyone that they were really gone.

Part of him was relieved. If they had convinced Konoha that they were gone then it meant others had been convinced as well. The Akatsuki wouldn't harm Konoha. His friends would be safe at least he could continue to protect them like he had failed Sasuke.

It had taken them longer than expected to reach the shore. Partly because they were farther north then they had originally thought and partly because after nearly two weeks of traveling Sakura had finally decided that they couldn't continue as they had been. They had been hungry, tired, and not very emotionally stable considering the initial euphoria was beginning to wear off and both began to comprehend the situation. He had let her take control and after making a little bit of money working odd jobs (while in henge) they had dyed their hair and bought some new clothes.

Now just over two months later they weren't sure what to do anymore. They had left everything behind. All they had with them when they left Konoha were the clothes on their backs. Now they had nothing. They made money when they needed it but the two preferred remaining out of sight ghosting through towns during the middle of the night and such.

Here they finally were; it was December 2 and they had finally reached the shore. Of course for the most part it was cold, wet and not particularly beautiful but today was different.

Sure it was still cold, wet, and not particularly beautiful but they were there just two random teenagers that no passerby paid the least bit of attention to.

But they were there. Naruto wasn't quite sure why it was important but it was. There was something important there. Maybe it was just what the ocean symbolized. After all that large expanse of blue offered a whole new world even if it was a bit foreboding considering the ocean of trees that they were used to.

Everything was hanging in the air. He had no obligations to fulfill. He had no nightmares to chase him. He had no dreams to drive him. His life was his own. He could do what he wanted. Create a new future, new dreams, and even a new past if he had to. But it would be okay because he knew that this was the right place to be; the right place to start over.

XXXXXXXX

He had finally heard it three days ago. Konoha was taking drastic measures against Sound Territory in retaliation for the deaths of three Genin; it had been the `three' part that had shocked him the most. The memorial service for Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura….and Uchiha Sasuke was scheduled to be in a week and half. Tsunade had already enacted a number of policies to deal with Sound but he didn't care anymore. He had failed them…

He had saved his own life thinking he had done everything he could and that they would live…

They hadn't lived…

And now he was being listed among them as the deceased…

How could they count his death with theirs?

He had betrayed them for power and then saved his own life when he could have done more for them…

And now he was being counted among them…

He wasn't worth the same as them…

He didn't deserve to be remembered as part of the team he had failed.

Ever since he had heard confirmation of their deaths he had been traveling blindly. He hadn't really noticed but he must of have been heading South because here he was on Dec. 3 at the shore. He didn't know why he was there his body had seemingly moved on its own like that time it had jumped in front of Naru… definitely not a train of thought he was going to focus on at the moment.

Sasuke glanced around the beach, which was rather empty; there were maybe four other people roaming the beach most likely villagers from the nearby towns. He didn't care anymore. Part of him wanted to just go turn himself into Konoha where he at least had a chance of regaining something. At least there he would have things to remind of his teammates not to mention Kakashi-sensei was there. Out here he didn't know what he would do.

XXXXXXXX

Two days later Sasuke found himself walking through Himakan, a small seaside town. He happily - well as happily as he was capable in his currently foul mood - noted that no one was sparing him a second glance. He had dyed his hair a month ago and bought less conspicuous clothing. Now he just looked like most of the other random teens walking around even if he did appear a bit wearier then the others.

“Sorry,” he muttered to the brunette he had just run into. She barely spared him second glance as she continued walking with her companion.

The memorial service was in six days. If he were to be honest a part of him - much larger than he would admit even in the privacy of his own mind - really wanted to go. He needed to know others felt as much loss he did. He needed to know that Sakura and Naruto wouldn't be forgotten as two random Genin. He needed to say goodbye.

But he knew he couldn't go. Even if he made it in time, which he probably could, he would never be able to make it through the ceremony without looking suspicious.

Sasuke sighed and glanced around the village once more before heading out. If he hurried he could be at the next town in two days maybe he would find something there.

XXXXXXXX

Part of him liked this town; no one had given him a second glance the entire time they had been ambling about. Part of him - a very large majority - hated it; it was empty. The people here all went about their business occasionally discussing the problems with Sound, but other than that they seemed oblivious to everything that went on around them. They were just like the villagers back home.

He grimaced a bit when he thought back to Konoha. Their memorial was in about a week and he really didn't like thinking about everyone he had left there; unless he was thinking about the sanctions Tsunade passed to deal with Sound. Nobody would have expected such a smart move on her part. Other than that he couldn't focus on them. He couldn't think about Iruka and Anko considering how often the psychotic bitch had talked about him. He felt pretty bad about Genma; they knew he had lived but still…

Then there were the other Rookies. He didn't know when or how they had learned or even what they had learned, but by now they knew he and Sakura were gone. He just hoped Tsunade and the others had kept quiet about the Kyuubi; he didn't want them to look down on him after his death, at least not for that as a reason. He really didn't know what he would do if Konohamaru found out.

He glanced over at Sakura when he felt her stumble a bit and barely heard the mumbled apology from the boy who hit her. Sakura shrugged it off and continued walking so Naruto continued as well.

He really didn't like this town. Whatever he was looking for definitely wasn't here. Maybe they could make it to the next town within a day or two.

Maybe it was there.

XXXXXXXX

“Oi, dobe,” Sasuke said snapping Naruto out of his daze. Naruto looked up panting slightly; when he saw Sasuke at the edge of the clearing, he rolled his eyes and went back to punching the training log.

“Dobe, what the hell do you think you're doing?” Sasuke asked again.

“Training,” Naruto responded.

“You were supposed to meet us on the bridge a half hour ago,” Sasuke said.

“Yeah well if Kakashi-sensei can show up three hours late then I can show up two and a half hours late and still be there before him. That way I can train longer,” Naruto said shocking Sasuke with the statement's logic.

“Yeah, well…” Sasuke started trying to figure out what to say, “Sakura was getting worried so she sent me to see if you had slept in.”

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the lame finish. “Whatever, go back to the bridge I'll be there before Kakashi-sensei comes,” Naruto said turning back to the training log. He really didn't want to spend more time in the open village then he needed to.

Sasuke seemed to be in deep thought for a moment before a smirk formed on his face. “If you come back to the village now Sakura and I will treat you to ramen later,” he said slyly.

Naruto immediately froze; when he turned around he was grinning widely. “Well why didn't you say so before?” he asked motioning for Sasuke to lead the way.

They reached the bridge five minutes later only to find Sakura fidgeting a bit. Naruto glanced around but didn't see Kakashi-sensei so either the man was hiding or Sakura was just acting oddly. When they walked up Sakura immediately smacked him over the head.

“You baka!” she screeched before stomping her foot and turning around so that the two boys were watching her back. “Sasuke-kun shouldn't have to waste his time looking for you just because you feel like being irresponsible,” she added loftily. Sasuke suppressed a snort when he saw Naruto mimicking the pink-haired girl; luckily she didn't turn around quick enough to see it.

“So why were you late?” she finally asked pretending not to be curious. Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head.

“He was training,” Sasuke stated causing Naruto to scowl at him.

“You were late for training… because you were training?” Sakura asked.

“Well the way I see it we lose three hours of training time because Kakashi-sensei's always late,” Naruto stated looking a bit affronted.

Sakura shrugged unable to find any holes in his logic and after that the three lapsed into silence. Two hours later they were still silently waiting for their sensei.

“That's it!” Naruto shouted. Both Sakura and Sasuke snapped their heads up and paid attention to their teammate. “He has gone too far this time. He's almost three hours late and now we've wasted an entire morning,” he shouted angrily.

“What else did you expect?” Sakura asked incredulously.

Naruto glared and grumbled while scuffling his feet. After a moment the grumbling stopped and Sakura and Sasuke knew they were in trouble when Naruto grinned thatgrin. The one that said, `I'm going to make a lot of trouble for someone else and then laugh at them'. “Let's hide and then see what he does when he arrives and we aren't here,” he said still grinning.

After a moment of thought Sakura actually shrugged and agreed. “It's not like we have anything else to do,” she offered turning to Sasuke; Sasuke nodded as well.

“Good we can hide under the bridge,” he said. Sasuke nodded after a moment but Sakura looked at him incredulously. “How are we supposed to do that?” she asked. Naruto fought the urge not to roll his eyes at her. “We use chakra to stick to the underside,” he said as if it was the most obvious solution to their problem, which technically speaking it was.

Sakura looked at her teammates in disbelief. “It could be another hour before he shows up, maybe even more, we can't hold our position that long,” she said.

“Sure we can,” Naruto said simply before hopping up onto the ledge. Sasuke followed a moment later and the two walked down the side of the bridge. Sakura rushed to the side just in time to see the two disappear underneath. After a moment she sighed and followed. Those two were so dead if she fell in the water.

An hour and half later Kakashi still hadn't shown up and Sakura was really low on chakra. Just as she was about to mention her predicament they heard voices on the bridge above.

“Kakashi isn't this where your team meets?” Naruto's eyes widened when he recognized the speaker as Sandaime. “Oh shit,” he whispered. Apparently the other two had recognized the voice as well considering their widening eyes. Actually Sakura was really starting to look sick; he glanced over and noticed Sasuke watching her as well after a moment he activated his sharingan and studied the girl. Naruto watched in confusion as Sasuke's eyes widened and cursed. He figured out why a moment later when Sakura squeaked and her footing slipped. Both boys immediately reached out and grabbed her before she could hit the water. They breathed a sigh of relief before a hand grabbed their shoulders. Without thinking both released their footing and all three tumbled into the water.

“Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto growled looking up at his grinning teacher.

“It's good to see you three working on your chakra control,” Kakashi replied grinning widely at the three.

“You're late!” Naruto and Sakura shouted and the masked Jounin.

“Well you see… I had to meet with Sandaime to discuss the mission to wave country,” he said nonchalantly.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke looked at each other before shrugging and swimming over to the shore. “Eh?” Kakashi mumbled when he noticed the three ignoring him. “You mean you actually believed me for once?” he shouted to the three as the walked up onto the bridge.

A moment later Naruto poked his head over the banister and said back, “We heard you speaking to him on the bridge.”

Kakashi's smile fell slightly. He always did enjoy their little yelling matches in the morning. Oh well! He thought pulling out his book and walking back up to stand on the railing near his students as Sandaime discussed the mission with them. He wasn't surprised when Naruto didn't mention the Kyuubi, but all three seemed quite proud of the work they had done. These three were going to be great Shinobi one day.

XXXXXXXX

December fifth and Sakura no longer knew what they were doing. As far she was aware neither did Naruto. That just arrived in town an hour ago. The town was called Hek… no, Hara… no, something that started with an H. She didn't know why they were there. She had just followed Naruto when he picked the road that lead North and now he they were in some town that she couldn't remember the name of.

Not that she really minded. No one spared them a second glance as they walked about. It was first time they had taken their time walking through civilization as she was actually enjoying herself. She paused and stared at one of the shop's windows when she saw the picture frames on display. The sample photo displayed three teens with an adult; she had to fight the urge not to cry when she was suddenly reminded of Team 7's team photo.

“You coming?” she heard Naruto ask a few feet ahead.

“Yeah,” she said turning away and following him. As they walked, she briefly caught a glimpse of the boy who had run into her earlier; he appeared to be heading out of town. She turned around to find Naruto staring out at the road leaving the village.

“You ready to move along?” he asked wearily turning to face her.

Sakura glanced back at the small town before replying, “Yeah there isn't anything here.” Naruto nodded not surprised in the least that the girl was looking for something as well. With a sigh the two headed out hoping to reach the next town along the coastline within the next two days.

XXXXXXXX

The next evening Sasuke was ready to collapse. He had been moving ever since he had left Himakan; now he was tired, more than a bit hungry, and growing more irritated by the minute. Also growing by the minute was the amount of time that had passed until their memorial. He looked up at the moon and realized it would be full the night before the memorial; he hated full moons.

He let his composure slip for just a moment and punched the closest tree. He watched in annoyance as tree's shallow roots allowed it to be torn from the ground after just one punch. More frustrated than before, Sasuke set off again only to finally collapse at the base of tree about ten meters from the one he punched down. “Damnit,” he growled out but instead of getting up and going on he allowed himself to slowly fall into what he knew would be a restless sleep.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto and Sakura had been traveling for over a day. They had rested for about an hour the night before but had been moving steadily since then; Naruto was pretty sure that they would make it to the next town sometime the next afternoon. As it was nearly dark out the two were moving much more cautiously through the woods as they went. They had heard of bandits in the area and although there would be few bandits that would pose a threat to them they still wanted to err on the side of caution.

As night fell Sakura noticed that Naruto appeared on edge; he continually glanced from side to side and paused erratically seeming to listen for something she couldn't hear. The fourth time he paused Sakura sighed exasperated with her teammate. “Naruto, what are you doing?” she said.

Naruto's response was to point his finger a bit off to the left of where they were standing. She followed the direction he was pointing but all she could see was a tree lying on its side. “What?” she asked.

“Wait here,” Naruto said as if answering her question. A moment later the blond was gone. She assumed he was heading off to check out the area around the tree but to her it simply looked like it had been uprooted, most likely during a storm. “Baka,” she whispered affectionately when she saw him reappear next to the tree.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto crept up to fallen tree he noticed that it had rather shallow roots which would have made it easier to uproot. He was about to turn back, feeling more than a bit silly, when he noticed an area of the trunk had been hit with something. Normally this wouldn't be odd but the splinters made it look like someone had punched the tree… very hard. He looked a bit closer and was unnerved when he saw blood on several of the splinters, “Wet,” he mumbled when he touched it.

He glanced around once listening carefully after a moment he thought he heard breathing and took off in that direction. Barely ten meters away he spotted a figure hunched over at the base of another tree. The figure looked to be about his age but in order to make sure that it wasn't a threat he quietly crept forward through the canopy of trees.

Once he was in the tree above the figure he quietly crept forward until he was just above it. He listened carefully and wasn't surprised to find the breathing patterns soft and steady: sleeping. He was about to turn back when his foot slipped a bit snapping a branch. He held still and sighed when the breathing didn't change. Unfortunately the figure below him must have heard because he slowly opened his eyes.

Naruto watched barely breathing and praying that the figure below him wouldn't look up. His prayers were never answered and a moment later the boy on the ground jumped up staring at him wide-eyed. The two stared at each other for a moment before Naruto's eyes widened and he lost his grip on the tree falling on his ass as he hit the ground below.

XXXXXXXX

Sasuke cursed mentally when he finally realized what had woken him. He had foolishly fallen asleep and dropped his guard completely; so completely that someone had managed to sneak up to within five feet of him. He was shocked when the boy suddenly fell out of the tree still staring at him like he was seeing a ghost. He quickly scooted away but Sasuke could only watch in confusion as the boy's breath began coming quicker. Sasuke's breath caught in his throat when the other boy finally looked him in the eye… with bright blue eyes. They didn't turn away until another presence entered the clearing.

XXXXXXXX

Sakura was relieved when she noticed Naruto begin to turn back when all of sudden the blond disappeared. When he didn't reappear next to her within a minute or so she grew concerned and took off in the direction of the tree. She arrived at the tree just in time to see Naruto fall out of a tree about ten meters away staring frantically at another boy.

“Baka, how does he always manage to get himself in trouble,” she whispered as she walked to the clearing. She noticed that both boys were simply watching each other and grew a bit annoyed that Naruto seemed so frazzled for no reason.

“Naruto, what are you doing?” she asked looking between the two. When the other boy heard the name he swiveled around to stare at Naruto. “Naruto?” he whispered in disbelief. Naruto swallowed thickly and continued to stare at him, “Sasuke,” he finally whispered just loud enough for both of the others to hear.

Sakura's eyes shot open and she frantically looked between the two. That couldn't be Sasuke; Sasuke was dead the memorial service was in just five days and he was listed among the deceased. The boy in front of them had dark brown hair and black eyes. The boy in front of her was… alive; he couldn't be Sasuke. Sure she and Naruto were still alive but that was just luck that Sound chick had almost had them if Naruto hadn't saved them; Sasuke wouldn't have been able to fake his own death. But Naruto had said Sasuke and Naruto tended to be a really good judge of people, even random strangers; if he said this was Sasuke then… this was Sasuke.

Sasuke had faked his own death…

Just like she and Naruto had…

The memorial service for Team 7's three Gennin was being held in five days and here they were together and alive. Sakura's breathing quickened and she did the only thing she could in such a situation…

She fainted.

XXXXXXXX

The two boys just stared at each other after Sakura came into the clearing. After she said Naruto's name Sasuke's eyes had widened as full comprehension dawned on him, but still neither could make a single move as they continued to process the situation. They were both brought out of their dazed mindsets when the sound of a body hitting the ground caused the both to look towards Sakura. “Shit,” Naruto hissed instantly moving to her side. When he realized she had just fainted he sighed and stood back up to stare at Sasuke.

Sasuke could only continue to stare as Naruto checked on the now brown haired girl. He waited as Naruto stood hoping the other boy would speak first giving him some sort of cue as to how to act. Unfortunately Naruto seemed to believe that collapsing back onto the ground in a fit of laughter would be a more appropriate reaction. Sasuke watched as Naruto's desperate laughter filled the clearing completely unsure of how to act in the current situation.

After several minutes the Uchiha grew desperate and walked over to stand in front of the former blond. When Naruto failed to respond to his presence he nudged the boy in the side with his foot. Naruto looked at him inquisitively but continued to laugh only serving to annoy Sasuke further. “Why are you laughing?” he finally asked utterly confused and on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Naruto paused for a moment to look up at Sasuke before he began laughing again. In between giggles he managed to gasp out a number of phrases, “I am so close… to believing that I have gone… completely insane.” Sasuke looked down at him still confused. “What were the chances… that all three of us… survived and then… met up here almost three months… later…” he explained trailing off into more laughter.

Sasuke finally sighed before collapsing down next to Naruto. After a moment of intense thought he looked at Naruto hopelessly for a moment before a small grin etched itself onto his face. A moment later Sasuke joined Naruto in laughter. The two eventually lapsed into silence as they waited for Sakura to wake up.

When Sakura finally woke up three hours later both boys were sleeping peacefully. She glanced around for a moment in confusion before the night's earlier events came back to her. She looked over at the two and smiled a bit before shrugging and lying back down.

Team 7 slept peacefully that night finally realizing what they had been looking for. They had found each other.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto was the first of the three to wake up the next morning. The sun had barely risen when he shot up and looked around frantically trying to remember why he had been fast asleep on the ground. After a moment he glanced down at the other two and breathed a sigh of relief; it hadn't been a dream after all.

After several minutes of watching his teammates Naruto grew bored and began wandering around waiting for the other two to wake up. He was perched among the top branches of one of the trees when Sasuke found him an hour later; Sakura was still asleep.

“Naruto,” he said as he jumped up onto the branch next to the blond. Naruto turned to look at him but remained silent. “What happened?” Sasuke finally asked startling Naruto a bit.

“Let's wait until Sakura gets up before we go into that,” he finally responded. Sasuke thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. The two lapsed into silence for several minutes until Naruto spoke again, “Was she telling the truth?”

“Who?” Sasuke asked as minimally as possible.

“That Sound Nin she said… she said you knew about the Kyuubi,” Naruto said refusing to look Sasuke in the eye.

Sasuke stared at Naruto for a minute before reaching over and smacking the blond in the head. Naruto regained his balance before turning to glare at the stoic boy next to him. “What was that for?” he shouted.

“For thinking for even a moment that anybody who knew you would think any differently about you because some demon was stupid enough to get sealed inside of you,” Sasuke said completing one of the longest sentences Naruto had ever heard come out of the other boy's mouth.

After a minute Naruto rolled his eyes and turned away with a small smile on his face. That was how Sakura found then half an hour later when she climbed up the tree. She perched silently on a branch a bit below them and waited to be acknowledged. When the two boys shuffled around on the branch a bit making more room for her she grinned and hopped up to sit in between them.

“So… how did you get away?” she finally asked glancing at Sasuke.

He hesitated for moment studying the two before finally answering simply, “I created a clone and hid it a distance away. When she used a Katon that would have finished me off, I used kawarimi and switched with it. She didn't notice the difference.”

Naruto's stifled laughter caused Sasuke to look at him oddly but the former blond could only shake his laugh. Instead Sakura explained. “We did the same thing. Well Naruto did; I was almost unconscious at the time,” she added meekly.

“A normal Katon?” Sasuke asked.

“Nope,” Naruto said turning to the other two with a slight grin, “she summoned this giant dragon to deal with us.”

“She summoned Hiryuu…” Sasuke said in disbelief.

Naruto bobbed his head acquiescence. “It was so cool. After she left there was like a sheet of glass covering the entire beach because of the heat,” he added. Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's antics but Sakura seemed to genuinely enjoy his upbeat attitude; he'd have to ask about that later.

After that the three once more lapsed into silence no one wanting to bring up what actually needed to be brought up. Sasuke grew restless after sitting around in silence for nearly half an hour. He had been sitting in the same tree all morning and wasn't used to remaining in one place for so long. Sasuke finally decided to stretch his legs and stood up catching Naruto and Sakura's attention; without hesitation he allowed himself to fall forward until he was standing upside down on the branch he had been sitting on. A moment later Naruto's grinning face was next to his; he could vaguely hear Sakura grumbling about the two until and he crooked his neck to watch as she cautiously climbed down the trunk of the tree to join them.

“You know Sakura it would have been a lot easier if you had just swung down,” Naruto said smirking at her.

“Shut up Naruto,” Sakura whined, “I don't know how you two can do that. I'd get sick if I tried it.” Naruto continued grinning at her. “I should warn the two of you that my chakra reserves haven't increased that much so no hanging here for hours got it?” she said looking at them seriously. Naruto attempted to school his face and nod seriously but for the first time since they had left Konoha he was unable to stop smiling and he wasn't quite sure why.

Words once again failed Team 7 as they continued to hang upside down on the branch. Sakura vaguely noticed that sun had climbed its way into the sky signaling that it was nearly noon and the three had yet to really settle anything… or eat she thought regretfully. Glancing quickly at both boys she decided it was up to her to break the ice. “So, we're going to stick together right?” she asked hesitantly looking between the two. Both boys stiffened slightly upon hearing her question and Naruto glanced cautiously at Sasuke from the corner of his eye; Sasuke noticed this and took it as his cue to speak. “We're sticking together,” he said plainly. Sakura nearly sighed in relief and Naruto's smile looked a bit less strained. She was about to say something when they heard voices nearby.

“You sure you heard them here,” a rather ugly looking man with tattoos and an eye patch asked walking into the small clearing they had been in. All three teens quickly scanned the ground making sure they had left no signs that they had been there the night before; luckily they hadn't.

“Yeah I'm sure Waraji. I heard a couple of voices and I swore I saw some little girl here this morning,” another man said walking up next to him. Sakura's eyes widened when she realized they were talking about her; Naruto and Sasuke could only look at her in horror when they realized that hadn't sensed anyone near enough to actually see their teammate while she had still been on the ground. Naruto's eyes widened further when he recognized the two talking.

“Well no signs of `em now Zouri,” the first man said gazing around. He quickly turned to go leaving his companion behind to continue to study the clearing. Ten minutes later the man was still standing below them and Sakura was beginning to grow tired; they had been hanging there for almost three hours and she was running desperately low on chakra. Naruto and Sasuke both reached out to steady her but when she slipped five minutes later a small squeak alerted the man below to their presence.

“Shinobi, eh?” a voice said below them. The three looked down in horror to find the man standing below and looking up. “You're not wearing forehead protectors, but you all look too innocent to be Missing Nin,” he said causing both Naruto and Sasuke to choke back laughter. “You're friend there especially,” he added eyeing Sakura. Naruto and Sasuke felt her hands clasp their arms tighter. “So what are you doing all the way out here in our territory?” the man finally asked, “if you answer politely I'll be nice.”

“We're not in anyone's territory,” Sasuke responded cautiously he glanced over and noticed that somewhere along the line Naruto had used a genjutsu on his eyes to make them brown and if the blond had thought of it then Sakura would have as well.

“Yeah ya are. This territory belongs to the Yozoku and you three are trespassing,” he said smugly.

“If this territory belongs to anyone other than the nearest town then it belongs to Konoha,” Sakura responded back.

“Ah, so you three are Leaf Nins. I'm surprised you're out here right now, most of them are holed up dealing with their little tragedy,” he quipped back. The three teens stiffened slightly and Naruto whispered, “His partner's gonna come back soon.”

“Then again I was happy to see those brats go. They messed up a real good job we Yozoku had going and now we've had to resort to this to have fun,” he said regretfully. Sakura and Sasuke were trying to figure out what was going on but Naruto was just getting pissed off. This ass had been the one to threaten Tsunami and Inari; he didn't know how he had regained his freedom not even a year later but he definitely didn't deserve it. “They worked for Gatou,” he whispered to his teammates. Sasuke and Sakura looked back down at the man in horror. “Shit,” Sasuke whispered.

“Well, you gonna answer my question?” the man asked.

“Zouri, what the hell are you doing?” the other man asked walking back into the clearing. Naruto and Sasuke slowly lowered Sakura onto the branch below before righting themselves and hopping down next to her.

“I found our speakers,” Zouri responded pointing up. Sakura crouched down trying to steady herself on the branch; she really shouldn't have pushed herself so hard she thought as she stared at her teammates.

The other man walked over to stand next to him glanced up looking at the three curiously. “So you did. Keep them here; I'll go get the others,” he said walking away.

“We have to get out of here now,” Sakura whispered. Naruto and Sasuke nodded slightly continuing to watch Zouri cautiously.

“So since you won't answer my other question tell me this, what are your names?” he said tauntingly.

Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other once before turning back to Zouri. “Maki,” Naruto responded. Zouri smirked and turned to Sasuke and Sakura. “I'm Chi and that's Haru,” Sasuke responded ignoring Sakura's confused gaze.

“What clan are you from? Judging by appearance I'd say you're all related,” he said trying to keep the three teens occupied. He was starting to get a bad feeling from the shortest one in the group.

“Chuuin,” Naruto responded without hesitation causing both Sasuke and Sakura to look at him oddly.

“Hmm… looks like your brother and sister didn't want you to tell me that,” Zouri said with amusement.

“It doesn't matter; we're the only ones left,” Sasuke responded quickly.

“Hmm… how unfortunate,” Zouri replied snidely. Sasuke glanced at Naruto once and that was all the two need before they dropped to the ground next to him. “I see you two are going to cooperate,” he replied.

“Not a chance,” Naruto replied before striking out the samurai in front of him. Zouri's eyes widened when the smallest boy lunged at him; he was even more shocked when the punch landed.

“You're good brat,” he said turning to look at Naruto, which unfortunately gave Sasuke his back. A moment later Zouri was lying unconscious on the ground. Naruto nodded once to Sasuke before jumping back up and helping Sakura down.

“We need to get out of here before the others come back,” Naruto said when they landed beside Sasuke.

“Yeah, you want me to take Sakura?” he asked glancing at her in concern.

“Nah, I got her,” Naruto responded.

“Then let's go,” Sasuke replied taking off. Naruto followed quickly.

Ten minutes later twenty men entered the clearing shocked to find it empty with the exception of their unconscious companion. “What the hell happened here?” Waraji said, “They were just a couple of little brats. I want three of you to follow after them; the rest of us will wait until Zouri wakes up to find out what happened.” Three of the men broke off from the group and headed in the direction Team 7 had gone.

XXXXXXXX

He glanced behind them once. He knew they were being followed but they weren't any immediate danger. Sasuke glanced at Naruto once before returning his eyes to their path. It was a bit unnerving to glance at the boy who looked very little like the blond he knew but it was undeniable that it was Naruto.

Sasuke didn't know what to think anymore. Everything had happened so fast and now here he was with Naruto and Sakura running from the bandits left jobless after Gatou's death. Not only that but he really had no clue what was going on. It was like things had just gone back to normal. They were Team 7 again; the same antics, the same interaction, the same… everything. He didn't understand it.

He had never imagined that he would find them alive, not once Konoha had declared them dead, but… now even if he had he never would have imagined this. He never would have believed that it would be this… this easy to get back with them.

Why weren't they angry with him? Why weren't they suspicious of him? Why did it have turn out this way? Why were they always the ones forced into these situations?

XXXXXXXX

Couldn't his life be easy just once? Sure he was happy they had found Sasuke and he was happy Sasuke was with them again. He was happy Team 7 was together again. He was happy, really happy for the first time since they had left Konoha. He had been relieved after they left but never happy. But why the hell did he feel like pinning Sasuke to a tree and beating the shit out of him.

The bastard had left; not that he actually blamed him but still it had been the other boy's choice. He glanced once at Sasuke and saw him watching their backs. So that hadn't been his imagination… wonderful. That meant they were being followed by some of that man's friends… and Sakura was out of commission.

This would be fun.

XXXXXXXX

Rin walked up to the Nami household for the second time in two weeks. Rishito was standing silently behind as she moved up to knock on the door. Before she had the chance one of Mitsutori's cousins opened it and ushered the two in saying, “Senma-sama is waiting for Rin-san; Rishito why don't you come with me for a bit.” Rin looked at the girl in shock before taking off down the hall.

She ran into Mitsutori and Senma's son outside Senma's door. “What's wrong?” she asked.

“It's nothing serious, but Senma has a fever and won't be able to travel with us,” Mitsutori responded calming Rin down a bit. Rin glanced curiously at the man and they both understood the question. “Senma told him,” Mitsutori answered.

Rin nodded. “Are you coming with us then?” she asked.

“No, I'll be staying with Senma,” he replied. “However, she wanted to speak with you before you left,” he added ushering Rin into the room.

“Ah, thank you Sho,” Senma said when the two entered. “Would you excuse the two of us for a few minutes?” she asked him. Her son, Sho, nodded and turned back around to leave.

“I'm sorry Rin-chan; I wanted to go with you but…”

“You shouldn't travel in your condition,” Rin said finishing the elderly woman's comment. Senma smiled a bit and nodded. “He didn't take it very well,” Senma finally said pointing to the door her son had gone through. “He was so upset that we hadn't been able to do anything and now we've lost our chance,” she added shaking her head sadly.

“I'm sorry,” was all Rin could say bowing her head. “Did you want Mitsutori and I to speak with the Hokage?” she finally asked.

“No, once I'm feeling better we'll all get together and talk. Hopefully Kakashi-kun can come with you then; the girls here really do miss him,” she said teasingly. Rin smiled in response but the smile faded as she continued to watch Senma. “Come now Rin you should frown so much,” she Senma said, “but I do believe that you and Mitsutori need to get on the road.” Rin nodded and stood to leave but Senma grabbed her hand. “I have several things for you to take with you,” she said pointing to a small wrapped pile in the corner. “And place a flower for Sho and I, if you can.” Rin nodded agreeing to the old ladies request.

Before she exited Senma called her back once more. She turned around smiling at the playful old woman. “Take this as well,” Senma said handing her slip of paper. “It's for you, Kakashi-kun, and that nice young gentleman Mitsutori told me about. She said he lost his younger brother, one of Naruto's teammates.”

Rin took the slip of paper looking at Senma in confusion. “Alright,” she finally said turning to go with her hands full. “I'll come by as soon as I can afterwards,” she added as she left.

She barely heard Senma whisper, “You have nothing to be sad about,” before she closed the door. That night when she, Rishito, and Mitsutori stopped at the inn she opened the note. “Kakashi's going to kill me,” she whispered as she folded it away and went to bed.

XXXXXXXX

Though their dreams may be dead, Team 7 is together again. As long as they are not forgotten they will never truly be gone. Their fires will not die, they will protect the village giving much but gaining little. New dreams and destinies will be forged in their wake; the spirit of fire will not die out.

Agent's Spil: The flashback is supposed to be the day before Kakashi tells them about the Chuunin Exam. This means it would be right after they returned from Wave Country. It isn't necessarily from one point of view just something that all three might remember.

Quick note about identity and appearance: All three dyed their hair a dark brown (coincidence) when they are in a town they wear contacts but when they meet in the woods they aren't wearing them hence the whole (really cheesy) recognizing the eyes and sich.

Waraji and Zouri do not belong to me; they are Gatou's samurai bodyguards in the wave country arc.

The names they decide on are Chuuin Maki (Naruto), Chuuin Haru (Sakura), and Chuuin Chi (Sasuke) just in case you missed it above.