Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Naruto: Destiny ❯ Sakura's Proposal ( Chapter 1 )

Naruto: Destiny

Original work by Kishimoto Masashi.

Fanfiction by otakufan.

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor did I take ANY part in the creation of, Naruto in either its manga or anime form. This disclaimer will apply for all chapters of this fanfic.

Warning: This story contains information, characters, and events from current (Ch. 229) and possibly future manga chapters. Chronologically, this story begins just after the death of Kimimaro (Ch. 217). After the current story arc is resolved, this fanfic will split off from the original storyline and become a Continuation/Alternate Universe. Either that or I'm reading Kishimoto-sama's mind (unlikely, to say the least). Also this will be a "manga-only" fanfic. Anything that occurs only in the anime, or is changed in the anime, will not be present in this fanfic, unless I deem it worthwhile to add.

Chapter 1: Sakura's Proposal

Naruto moved as quickly as he could in his pursuit, growing more enraged with every tree he bounced off. In front of him, as well as behind, were clear signs of another's passage: a still-shaking limb; a broken branch; even a footprint in places. Sasuke was getting far too careless. It was as if he didn't realize that he was being followed…or the fact that he was didn't concern him.

`Damn it, Sasuke!!'

Naruto forced himself to pick up the pace, a small portion of the Kyuubi's chakra leaking out to bolster his endurance.

Then, without warning, he saw a faint figure dart through the trees far ahead. An instant later the figure was gone, but it had been enough - Sasuke was within reach.

`What are you thinking, Sasuke? Are you really willing to betray us…just to kill Itachi? Is it that important to you?'

* * * * *

"Tadaima," said Ino as she walked into her house.

"Welcome home, Ino-chan," said her mother from another room. "Oh, Sakura-chan came over a few minutes ago. She wanted to talk to you."

"She didn't stay?"

"No, but she said it was urgent," her mother replied, entering the hallway from the kitchen. "Why don't you go over and check on her? I won't have dinner ready for a little while, so you've got plenty of time."

Ino flinched slightly. Among the members of the Yamanaka family, her mother's cooking was somewhat legendary.

"You…you're…cooking?!" she stuttered.

"Your father's still on his mission."

"But…you're…you're cooking!?"

"We can't eat out all the time."

Ino swallowed hard, then said, "You know, you're right. I should go give forehead-girl…I mean Sakura-chan a visit."

"Glad to hear it, Ino-chan."

"Ittekimasu," said Ino as she walked out the door.

"Be sure you're home for dinner."

* * * * *

Hinata was silent as she walked in to the Hyuuga family manor. She had probably already been noticed - it was very hard to sneak past an entire household with the Byakugan - but, as was all too common among the Hyuuga main family, if you were not recognized when you entered, then you were usually not worth recognizing.

"Welcome home, Hinata-nee-san," said a soft voice, making the timid Hinata jump slightly.

Hinata whirled around instinctively and saw her younger sister standing directly behind her.

"Ha…Hanabi-san. Please don't frighten me like that."

"Where have you been? Otou-sama has been wondering."

Hinata smiled weakly.

"I've been…training."

Hanabi smirked, and then turned away.

"There was a girl here asking for you a while ago…Haruno Sakura-san."

`Naruto-kun's teammate?!'

"She asked if you could meet with her," continued Hanabi. "She said it was urgent."

"Hai. Please tell Otou-sama that I will be home in a little while."

"Very well."

"Arigatou," said Hinata, then she turned and bolted out of the manor.

Hanabi giggled silently to herself.

"Hinata-nee-san…training…kukuku…as if it will do her any good."

* * * * *

"Kon'nichiwa, Haruno-san."

"Oh…hello, Ino-chan," said the pink-haired older woman. "Everyone's in the living room."

`Everyone?'

"Sakura-chan! Ino-chan's arrived!"

"Hai!" came Sakura's reply. "I'm in the living room, Ino-chan!"

"Ja ne," said Sakura's mother, then she turned and disappeared into another part of the house.

From Sakura's tone of voice, Ino expected to see a smile on Sakura's face, but when she walked into the Haruno household's living room she found her long-time friend to be dead serious. Sakura was sitting in a chair in the center of the room. Standing silently in the corner of the room was Aburame Shino and sitting quietly on the couch was Tenten. Shino, as always, was unreadable, but Tenten appeared rather impatient and slightly confused.

"What's going on, Sakura?" asked Ino, suddenly concerned.

"Just sit down for a minute, Ino," replied the pink-haired girl. "There's still one person who's not here yet."

Ino sat down on the couch next to Tenten and glanced at her questioningly.

"She hasn't told us anything yet," replied the brown-haired girl, stretching.

Tenten reached into the pouch at her waist and pulled out a kunai, then started tossing it into the air and catching it by the blade between her index and middle fingers. Seemingly, this was simply a force of habit and she was quite good at it, tossing haphazardly but never missing or cutting herself.

Glancing over at Shino, Ino noticed that he was very tense, despite his apparent calm. His insects, apparently sensing the tension in the room, were moving randomly beneath his skin, occasionally visible as tiny, moving bumps on the skin of his face. The sight sent a chill up Ino's spine. She hated bugs, and working in her family's flower shop, which attracted them by swarms, didn't help the matter.

Ino shifted her gaze back to Sakura. She was strangely calm, looking a bit sad, but firm and resolute. Her eyes looked different somehow…stronger perhaps. As far as Ino could tell, there was nothing wrong with her.

`Why'd she call us over?'

Suddenly, there was a faint knocking sound from the front of the house.

"Hai," said the voice of Sakura's father and, a moment later, they heard the door open. A few moments later, Hyuuga Hinata walked into the living room.

"Shino-kun?" she said, seeing her teammate, then her eyes widened as she noticed the rest of the room's occupants.

"Would you mind sitting down, Hinata?" asked Sakura.

"Oh, hai."

Hinata moved to the couch and sat down next to Ino. Immediately, Tenten's kunai disappeared back into her pouch.

"Are we ready now?" asked Ino, impatiently.

Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"What I am about to say and do could get me in a lot of trouble," said Sakura. "I need you all to know that. If you choose to her me out, you could also be held responsible."

She looked at each of the other genin individually, making sure that each was willing to stay. When no one moved, Sakura smiled weakly.

"I guess I should start at the beginning. Three days ago, Naruto came back with the new Hokage. She stopped by the hospital and healed Sasuke-kun's arm, which had been broken."

"She?" Tenten wondered aloud.

"I think her name was…Tsunade."

Tenten's eyes grew wide, then a great smile broke across her face.

"Tsu…Tsunade-sama's come back? She…she's the new Hokage?"

"I suppose," said Sakura. "I only met her for a minute."

Tenten became ecstatic, looking as though her dream had come true.

Ino, growing rather impatient, whacked her elder across the back of the head, then said, "I don't think that's why she called us over!"

Tenten shot Ino a glare and whacked the blonde back, but neither chose to pursue the matter further.

"After a while, Naruto visited Sasuke-kun and they got into a fight on the hospital's roof. They were both serious about it…"

Sakura shuddered slightly.

"Sasuke-kun used the Chidori and Naruto used something I've never seen before. They…they tried to kill each other. I couldn't…I couldn't stop them. I even threw myself between them and they wouldn't stop. Kakashi-sensei broke them up. He saved my life…"

Ino's eyes widened at the thought of Sakura nearly dying. For all their differences, for all their fights over Sasuke, she had never wanted Sakura to die.

"Later that night, I ran into Sasuke-kun again. I…I confessed everything to him."

That last statement was aimed at Ino, for she alone knew what Sakura was referring to. Tenten and Hinata obviously didn't know what she meant and Shino probably didn't either, though it was impossible to tell.

"But it wasn't enough. I couldn't stop him. He told me I was annoying and knocked me out."

Suddenly, Ino's mind put everything together.

`He didn't…he wouldn't have…'

"You've probably already guessed it. Just over two days ago, Sasuke-kun abandoned the Leaf."

* * * * *

"Tsunade-sama, there is a guest here for you."

Tsunade looked up from her desk and yawned.

"Thank you, Shizune," replied the older woman. "Aren't you supposed to call me Hokage-sama?"

"Habit, I suppose," said Shizune, smiling.

Tsunade smiled back.

"Alright. Please, bring him in."

"Hai."

Shizune stepped out of the office and slid the door closed.

`This job is killing me…'

Tsunade yawned again, then rubbed her temple in an attempt to pacify the onset of a headache. The past few days had been extremely hectic. Between the formalities and emergencies, she had barely gotten any sleep.

`How the hell did Sarutobi-sensei do this for so long?'

Just then, the door slid open again and Shizune entered, followed by a man wearing a cloth wrapped around his scalp, with one end hanging over his left eye and a Hidden Sand forehead protector holding it in place, and two crimson stripes tattooed on his right cheek. Tsunade's mind immediately set to work, trying to identify the man. While she was certain that they had never met, she was equally certain that she had seen a file on him.

"Good day, Hokage-sama," said the man. "I am here representing the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand. My name is Baki, Third of the Nomads. I am sure Kazekage-sama would have liked to come in person, but with the current state of our village, it would have been impossible."

Within an instant, several things clicked into place in Tsunade's mind.

"Does Kazekage-dono know you're here, Baki-san?" she asked.

Baki grinned.

"My three students are the sons and daughter of our previous Kazekage. The youngest, Gaara, is somewhat of an outcast and is not well liked in the village. Kazekage-sama feels…hesitant towards him, and has attempted to banish Gaara from the village before. As such, I felt it would be best for them to train away from the village until everything calms down. We were traveling in a village near the border when I intercepted your message. Our village owes the Leaf a great debt, but Gaara owes an even greater debt to one of your Genin. While I did add my own message to yours and send it towards the village, we chose to accept the mission without waiting for the Kazekage's approval."

Tsunade smiled.

"I was wondering how you got here so quickly. Remind me to thank you, once our little crisis is over. So, where is your team?"

"The message said that you required immediate assistance, as well as told where to go and what to look for. I knew that at least one of us needed to report to you, but all of my students refused to take the job. Adamantly, I might add. They should be catching up to your team any time now."

Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise. This man had ignored procedure in the best interest of a foreign village, then sent a team of Genin to battle without supervision.

`He must truly trust them…I'd have at least sent a Chuunin with them.'

* * * * *

"Where are you going?" asked Shikamaru as his savior turned away and started making her way towards the mass of lumber that used to be a section of forest.

"I'm following my orders," replied Temari, turning back to face him. Pointing at the Sound-Nin girl buried in the rubble, she continued, "I'm supposed to bring any hostiles I encounter back to your village. Now stay here."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to bandage her wounds."

"I can help."

"You're finger is broken! Besides, I saw that shadow of yours, you pervert! I'm not giving you a chance to do that a second time!"

Shikamaru flinched.

"What?!"

"You were groping her."

"I was not!!" said Shikamaru, suddenly turning red. "She was trying to kill me!"

"And while you were holding her back, you used you shadow to get a free feel or two."

"I can't feel anything through it! It's my shadow, not a part of my body!"

"You can move it as if it were!"

"It's a family jutsu!"

"You were able to hold her still!" said Temari. "How does it work?!"

"I make my shadow corporeal and use it to apply pressure!" replied Shikamaru. "It's as effective as if it were a boa constrictor wrapped around her!"

"And how can you judge how much pressure you're applying if you can't feel your opponent through it!?!"

Shikamaru stopped suddenly, in awe. She had got him…it had happened so quickly that he hadn't seen it coming and she had trapped him in his own words. Not only that, but she had somehow forced him to waste more energy on the brief argument than he normally would, got him to reveal to her most of how the Kage Kibishibari no Jutsu worked, and made him all but admit to groping of his opponent, accidental though it was. Not even Asuma-sensei had ever managed to beat him like that before. Had it been shogi, this girl had just played a checkmate.

`She's gotten better…much better…'

"Alright, I did," said Shikamaru, finally admitting defeat. "But it was an accident."

"That's all I wanted to hear," replied Temari, with a satisfied grin. "You need to stop spouting all that crap about how boys aren't supposed to lose to girls. If it happens, just accept it and move on."

"Hey, I lost to you in the Chuunin Exam Finals."

"Says the only one who got promoted out of the whole damn tournament. You threw that match and everyone who was there knows it! I'm coming back for a rematch after all this is over. If you weren't exhausted, I'd do it now."

Temari turned away and began to move toward the unconscious Sound-Nin. The girl, about the same age as Temari, was pinned from the waist down by an enormous log and had a trickle of blood running from her mouth, but was obviously alive. Temari pulled out her fan and opened it so that only one "star" was showing. She swung it in a small arc and, an instant later, the log split neatly in half and rolled off the Sound-Nin girl. Temari tucked her fan back into her sash then turned back to Shikamaru.

"You peek, you die."

Shikamaru sighed and turned away, letting Temari undress the girl and tend to her wounds. Then, a thought struck him that he could not answer.

`Why…does she care…?'

* * * * *

Their reactions were mixed. Hinata was surprised. Shino was unreadable. Tenten was grinning, but obviously concerned. And Ino…?

Blue eyes wide; jaw hanging loose; random twitches and muscle spasms.

Ino was in shock.

After a moment, Tenten snapped the blonde-haired girl back into reality with a blow to the head from behind.

"What the hell was that for!?"

"Just making sure you're still alive," replied Tenten with a smirk.

The two girls exchanged glares for a moment, then all attention shifted back to Sakura.

"That isn't everything, so make sure you're ready to hear it," said the pink-haired girl. "The next morning, a couple of Chuunin found me unconscious near the village gate. They woke me up and got my statement, then told Hokage-sama."

At the mere mention of "Hokage-sama", Tenten's face lit up, despite the fact that she didn't actually know whether or not Tsunade was the Hokage.

"After less than half an hour, a group had formed that was going to bring him back. It was made up of our teammates. Shikamaru-kun, Naruto, Chouji, Neji-kun, and Kiba-kun are the ones."

"Naruto-kun…Kiba-kun…" stuttered Hinata.

Behind his sunglasses, Shino's eyes narrowed.

"Well, that explains why those two bums never showed up for practice," said Ino. "I thought they were watching the clouds again."

"Also, when I went to see Lee-san yesterday, he wasn't there. The nurse said he was in surgery, but when I came back later, she said he was missing. He was at the gate with me when Shikamaru-kun's team left…I think he went after them as well."

"Lee no baka!" muttered Tenten. "That sounds exactly like something he'd do!"

"When he left, I made Naruto promise me that he would bring Sasuke-kun back. But I've been thinking on a lot the past two days and I came to a decision this morning."

Sakura stood up, suddenly determined.

"I'm going after them. I'm tired of standing back and letting everyone else do the work. If I don't do this myself, I'll spend my entire life in Naruto and Sasuke-kun's shadows. I'd already be gone, but I thought everyone here deserved a chance to come as well. This is the end of my `speech'. If you choose to come, get you equipment and meet me here in one hour or sooner if possible. If not, please don't speak of this until I'm gone."

There was nothing but silence for nearly a minute.

"I will come," said Shino.

"So will I," said Tenten, only a second behind Shino.

Hinata screwed up her own determination and nodded her head in agreement.

Ino swallowed hard, then said, "Me too."

Sakura's eyes softened for a moment as she smiled.

"Thank you."

There was a moment of silence as everyone thought of what they needed to bring.

"I'm ready to go now if we can," said Shino.

"Give me twenty minutes," replied Tenten. "My house is on the other side of the village."

"Give me fifteen," said Ino. When Sakura, knowing she lived just down the road, gave her a questioning look, she continued, "I need to think up an excuse for Okaa-san. She's cooking tonight."

Sakura visibly twitched. When they were younger, there had been several occasions when Sakura had eaten over at Ino's house. Usually her father did the cooking, but on rare occasions…

Sakura shuddered slightly. This was dragging up some unpleasant memories.

"I…I can be back in thirty minutes…" stuttered Hinata. She was obviously nervous about something.

"Alright then," said Sakura. "We'll meet here in half-an-hour. After that, we're leaving the village."

"Hai!"

At that, everyone started for the door and left the house without words. Sakura smiled again, then turned towards her room. This would be hard, but with the others supporting her, Sakura knew that she could do it.

"Naruto…Sasuke-kun…please wait for me…"

* * * * *

A noise came to Naruto's ears.

`Rushing water…? A waterfall!'

Ahead of him, Naruto could see the forest end, near the edge of a cliff. Rushing towards the cliff was Sasuke, having grown slightly larger in Naruto's sight since he had first been spotted.

Naruto felt the Kyuubi release a pulse of chakra into him, then he increased his pace. Just as Naruto broke the forest line, he saw Sasuke jump over the edge of the cliff. As Naruto reached the cliff face, noticing that it was in fact the head of a giant stone sculpture of a man, he could see Sasuke running up a second sculpture across the gorge.

Quickly, Naruto took in his surroundings. At the bottom of the gorge was a river, which rushed over a cliff at the twin sculptures' chests to fall at their feet. The sculptures themselves were obviously meant to be ninja, but Naruto didn't recognize the faces. Of course, he was fairly occupied at the moment.

Suddenly, Sasuke reached the top of the cliff opposite Naruto.

"SASUKE!!!"

* * * * *

`Byakugan!'

Hinata shuddered slightly as her field of vision expanded. It was an uncomfortable sensation that most of the Hyuuga clan got used to early in life. Hinata had never managed to do so.

She was standing on top of a building just about a hundred meters from the manor. As she had just now remembered, today was the day of an important clan meeting, so most of the adult clan members were out.

Hinata narrowed her vision and increased the distance. At her best, she could scout up two and one-half kilometers ahead, but most clan members, including Hanabi and Neji, could do four. It was yet another reason that the clan treated her as inferior.

Hinata shook the thoughts from her head and concentrated on the task at hand. Using her Byakugan, she scanned over the interior of the manor, mentally planning out her path. She wanted to get in and out again without anyone noticing. There was going to be enough trouble to deal with after they got back. She didn't want any now.

`Let's see...'

In the western wing of the manor, there were two clan elders, a pair who had been retired from clan politics for years and no longer went to the meetings, and no one else. The eastern wing, which housed Hinata's immediate family, was completely empty, except for Hanabi, who was in her room, down the hall from Hinata's.

Hinata took a deep breath. Hanabi was the only one she needed to worry about. If she was quiet and cautious, there would be no problem.

Hinata closed her eyes as she deactivated the Byakugan, pulling from her memories thoughts of the only person who had ever inspired courage within her.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata mouthed silently.

Suddenly, a different, much more recent, image appeared in her mind. It was Sakura, standing determined in her living room.

"I'm tired of standing back and letting everyone else do the work. If I don't do this myself, I'll spend my entire life in Naruto and Sasuke-kun's shadows."

Hinata's eyes opened wide as she came to a realization of her own.

`I can't do this for Naruto-kun…It…it has to be for me. If I don't stand up and make myself change now, I will only be proving the clan right.'

Hinata looked up to the sky and smiled, then returned her attention to the manor, something in her eyes different than it had been before.

"Naruto-kun, don't leave me behind…" she said. "Just give me a little while longer. I'll catch up…"

* * * * *

At first, there was nothing but blackness. Then, after a while, he felt a rocking sensation, not gentle but rough, and the sense that there was something wooden underneath him.

After a few more minutes, he began to smell something.

`Blood!?'

There was no mistaking it. The scent of blood was thick in the air…his own blood, as well as the blood of the two men he had been fighting. Beneath the blood's odor, however, there was another scent…no two others. The first was human, though he couldn't decide on where he knew the scent from. And the second…was…

`Akamaru!!!'

Kiba awoke with a start, his eyes snapping open. After a moment, his vision focused and he was able to see. Then a searing pain shot through his body.

"Aaarghhh!!"

"You shouldn't move around to much," said a familiar voice.

Kiba looked up as the pain began to subside to see Kankurou walking just a few steps ahead of him. Looking down again, Kiba realized that he was draped over the shoulder of one of Kankurou's puppets…the more lethal one, Karasu. On Karasu's other shoulder, held in place by its right arm, was Akamaru, still unconscious.

"Wh…where are we…?" asked Kiba.

"We're on our way back to your village," replied the Sand Genin. "But I'm trying to retrace your steps so we can find your comrades. Apparently your Hokage wants to question these guys that you're fighting, too. I'm supposed to bring as many back as I can, alive if possible. It's a good thing for those two that Karasu's weapons weren't poisoned."

Kankurou indicated his other puppet, Kuroari, which was walking along behind Karasu.

"Baki-sensei made us leave for here too quickly. I didn't have time to grab my real poison. Instead I brought my training poison. The best that'll do is make you numb and knock you out for a while. And I used most of that on you while stitching up that wound."

Kiba reached his hand down to his side, feeling the now closed gash.

"D…doumo," said Kiba. "But that attack of yours was vicious. Even if it wasn't poisoned, they can't still be alive."

Kankurou grinned, then made a motion with his hand. Instantly, Kuroari halted in its tracks. After a moment, no longer hidden by the puppet's noisy movements, Kiba began to hear a scratching sound, then a slight knocking from within.

"A normal human would be dead, but with their abilities, I'd be rather disappointed if they were. Any good ninja should have been able to keep from being mortally wounded. That's why the blades are supposed to be poisoned. By the way…"

Kankurou turned to look Kiba in the face.

"That wound didn't look like something those two would have done. What'd you do, stab yourself?"

"Hehe…"

"Never mind. I don't think I want to know…"

Kiba's nose suddenly picked up something.

"Oi, Sand-guy!"

"The name's Kankurou…"

"Whatever, you're going the wrong way."

"Huh?"

Kiba pointed to the left.

"Our scent's coming from that way. If we follow it we should find where we split up with one of the others."

Oh, alright."

Kankurou made a few motions with his hands and his puppets changed their direction.

"That nose of yours must come in handy."

"Yeah…"

"Tell me. Was the guy with all the bugs in your group?"

"Shino? No. Why?"

Kankurou smirked.

"He owes me a rematch."

* * * * *

Ino had been standing outside her house for nearly five minutes, struggling with several small decisions that she knew she had to make. Firstly, she wasn't sure what equipment she needed to bring. She didn't exactly "excel" at using anything in particular, but likewise she wasn't too bad at anything either.

Secondly, she couldn't decide on how to deal with her mother. She had thought of simply sneaking in, grabbing her stuff, and sneaking out again, but then she remembered that her mother was a retired ANBU. While she didn't look or act like it, Yamanaka Haruko was a very accomplished ninja…one that Ino could not simply sneak past.

And then, finally, there was the big decision: should she show up? To say that Ino was afraid of what they were about to do would be a vast understatement. She was terrified. This wasn't simply staying out late against her parents' permission, or disrespecting the Hokage. She could get away with those.

What Ino had promised to do was leave the village without permission from the village elders, which fell just short of full-fledged abandonment. If something went wrong or they took too long to accomplish their goals, they could be labeled as Missing-Nins. Ino was beginning to wonder if Sasuke was worth that risk.

But Sakura had already said that it was their choice to come. She undoubtedly would leave after the agreed meeting time, whether anyone was with her or not. Was her friendship with Sakura, and possibly Sakura's life, worth staying?

And that was without even thinking of Shikamaru and Chouji. The lives of her two teammates could be in danger. Could Ino really sacrifice them, just to keep herself safe?

And then, of course, Sasuke was important to her, as well as to many other girls who were still in the Academy, but he was far dearer to Sakura. Ino had known for a long time that her own love for the raven-haired boy paled in comparison to Sakura's, but that had always inspired her to try harder.

Now she was beginning to wonder if it was right to try to take Sasuke away from her best friend.

Ino swallowed hard once, then looked up into the sky. By going, she put herself in great danger. By staying, she could lose almost everything that she held dear. It felt like she was, once again, sitting in Room 301, staring down Morino Ibiki and wondering if she should give up on being a Chuunin for the next six months.

"No matter what the danger…there are missions you can't avoid."

Ino smiled as she recalled Ibiki's words and made her decision. This was one such mission.

To back out now would make her unworthy of taking the Chuunin Exam ever again. Not legally, of course, but spiritually. To back out now would turn her into a coward in her own mind, and she knew that she would never be able to overcome it. It would ensure that she never make Chuunin.

`Arigatou, Ibiki-san. You're creepy, but you make a lot of sense.'

Now full of determination, Ino opened the door to her home and entered.

"Tadaima."

* * * * *

Hinata was silent as she slipped down the hallway. With her Byakugan, she was keeping a close watch on Hanabi, who was still in her bedroom, while drawing closer to her own room where she kept her equipment. Hinata's quiet nature helped her greatly at this, her footsteps not making a sound.

Finally, she reached the door to her bedroom. Sliding it open, Hinata slipped inside and deactivated her Byakugan to focus on the task at hand. As quietly as she could, she began gathering her weapons and scrolls, and stuffing them into her belt pouch. After a moment, Hinata found a jar of healing salve that she had made recently.

`I might need this.'

Hinata picked up the jar and found a place for it in her jacket, then resumed her search for equipment. Just as she stuffed her final kunai into her belt pouch, things turned for the worse.

"What are you doing, Hinata-nee-san?"

Hinata turned around to see Hanabi standing in her doorway and silently wished that she had never shut off her Byakugan. Her younger sister was even quieter than she was.

"Ha…Hanabi-san…I was just gathering some things."

"You were acting as though you did not want to be caught," replied Hanabi.

"I was…" Hinata started. "…There is somewhere I need to be…"

"Haruno Sakura-san?"

"Hai."

"What are you planning to do after that?"

"N…nothing…"

"There are others going with you, correct?"

"Iie…"

Hanabi's eyes narrowed.

"Kindly remember that I have the Byakugan as well. I can tell when you are lying."

"Nani?" asked Hinata.

"The eyes are the window to the soul. With the Byakugan I can see that more clearly than most. When you lie, you eyes reflect your insincerity. Or perhaps you did not know that…"

As Hinata stared wide-eyed at Hanabi, she could almost see the silhouette of their cousin Neji standing behind her.

"I…I have to go, Hanabi," said Hinata.

"You know that I cannot let you. Otou-sama would want to know what you are doing. As do I."

Hinata remained silent, then, her eyes determined, she started to walk forward. Hanabi stood her ground firmly, but within her eyes was a hint of nervousness - Hinata was, after all, her elder sister and Hanabi held a degree of respect for her because of that, in spite of their differences in talent.

Hinata walked right up to her sister and smiled sadly.

"Gomen nasai, Hanabi-san."

Hanabi's eyes went wide as Hinata planted her palm hard into the younger girl's stomach, then Hanabi slumped over unconscious. Hinata laid her gently on the floor and turned to leave.

"Good night, Hanabi-san. I will explain everything when I get back…Gomen."

* * * * *

"Ino-chan, dinner will be ready in a few minutes!"

"Hai," replied Ino from her bedroom, quietly gathering equipment into her belt pouch and backpack. As she finished, Ino moved everything into the hallway by the front door, the entered the kitchen.

"Oi, Kaa-san? I've just remembered something…"

"Hmm?" replied Ino's mother.

"Sakura-chan wants to go out tonight…do you think it's too late to just make dinner for one?"

"Well, I wish I had known this earlier…but I guess I can put the leftovers in the fridge for later."

Ino shuddered at the idea of eating reheated Yamanaka Haruko food, but held her face and smiled.

"Arigatou, Kaa-san."

Ino turned to leave.

"Where are you and Sakura-chan going?"

Ino paused and turned to face her mother again.

"We…don't know yet…"

For a brief moment, Ino's blue eyes and Haruko's brown eyes met, then Ino's mother smiled.

"Do what you have to, Ino-chan…"

With that, Ino's mother returned to the kitchen, leaving her daughter alone in the hallway.

"H…hai."

* * * * *

Sakura heard a light tapping coming from the front door. She stood up quickly and walked to the door, then after making sure that her parents had not heard, she quietly opened the door.

"Yo," whispered Ino.

Sakura gasped, as she had not expected Ino to be the first to return, then smiled at her long-time friend.

"I thought you said…"

"It didn't take as long as I thought it would," said Ino. "Besides…"

Ino placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder and smirked.

"…You might `accidentally' leave early. There's no way in hell I'm letting you have Sasuke-kun all to yourself."

For a moment, the two girls glared at each other, as they always did when Sasuke was involved, then Sakura broke into a smile, leaned forward, and hugged Ino tight.

"Arigatou, Ino-chan," she said, starting to tear up. "I…I'm glad you're coming with me…"

Suddenly, they heard a slight noise coming from inside the house. Sakura pushed away and Ino promptly vanished.

"Sakura," said the pink-haired girl's mother, appearing from another part of the house, "who was that at the door?"

"There wasn't anyone," replied Sakura. "Probably a kid playing a prank or something…"

"Strange…I could have sworn that I heard voices. Maybe your father left the television on…"

As Sakura's mother disappeared into another part of the house, Ino dropped down from her hiding place, a conveniently shadowed area of wall just above the Haruno family's door. There was nowhere to grip, but for most ninja that wasn't a problem.

"I'm really glad Asuma-sensei taught us that tree-climbing technique…" she said.

"I hate having to lie to them like that," said Sakura. "I think Kaa-san's getting a little suspicious, so I can't let anyone come in right now…would you mind getting everyone together when they arrive, Ino-chan? And keeping them out of sight? I'll be out in just a minute."

"Hai."

Sakura closed the door and walked silently down the hallway to her bedroom, not saying a word to anyone. After closing the door, Sakura took a deep breath, then strapped on her belt pouch and shouldered her backpack, both already packed.

Finally she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and scribbled out a quick note to her parents.

"Gomen nasai, but I have to do this."

Sakura walked over to her bedroom window and opened it. After another deep breath to help clear her head, she climbed through.

A few moments later, Sakura had circled around to the front of the house, careful not to alert her parents or the neighbors. When she arrived, Ino, Hinata, and Shino all stepped out from their hiding places.

"Where's Tenten?" Sakura asked.

"She's hasn't shown up yet," replied Ino.

"How long does she have?"

"It's been the full half-hour," said Shino.

Sakura sighed.

"I hate to even suggest that she might have turned us in, but given the danger of being caught, we have to leave without her."

"Um…actually…" stuttered Hinata, the veins around her eyes pulsing slightly, "she…she's just…"

"Out with it, Hyuuga!" said Ino, impatient.

"She's trying to say that there's no need to wait for me any longer," came a familiar voice from behind and above. "I'm right here."

Everyone looked towards the source of the noise and saw Tenten standing on top of a building nearby. This, however, was not the same Tenten that they had met with before, nor was it the same Tenten who had been in the Chuunin Exam. This was a Tenten decked out for war.

Tied to her waist were a pair of wakizashi, three belt pouches, and no less than six scrolls, and strapped across her back was a full-sized katana.

"I told you that my house was on the other side of the village," said Tenten.

"You didn't tell us that you were bringing a fucking arsenal!" replied Ino.

"I'm a weapons specialist…what did you expect me to bring, a shuriken and two kunai!?"

"Stop it now!"

Everyone turned to Sakura who was suddenly looking much more serious than she was before.

"We are going to be traveling together, and possibly fighting together. We don't need to be fighting amongst ourselves. Save it for when we get back."

Everyone's eyes widened at this. Silently, Tenten dropped to the ground and walked up to join the rest.

"We don't have time to wait for dark, so is everyone ready to go now?" asked Sakura, looking relieved that Ino and Tenten hadn't started anything.

The other genin nodded their heads in agreement.

"Then let's go."

Sakura turned and started in the direction of the village gates, and the others quickly followed. Almost by instinct, everyone allowed Sakura to have the lead. At the back of the pack were Ino and Tenten.

"Oi, did Sakura just give us orders?" asked Ino.

"Yeah…if she gets stronger, she'll make an excellent Chuunin," replied Tenten.

"…"

"…"

"You didn't bring that much to the Chuunin Exam…"

"Yeah, and we all remember how well my fight turned out because of it."

"I don't think more weapons would have done much to that Sand girl."

"Oh, shut up."

* * * * *

End of Chapter 1.

* * * * *

Author's Notes:

This is my first Naruto Fanfic, so please be considerate when reviewing. I've had variations of this idea floating around in my head for a while, but I never could write anything before Kishimoto put up another incredible chapter, making me want to wait and see what he'll do next. I'll probably end up doing that (in a way) until the current story arc is resolved, but I'll try not to.

I'm going to try and not focus too much on any one character, because they're all going to play big roles in the story, but some chapters may end up being Sasuke-centric or Naruto-centric, etc. I'll try to tone down the OOC-ness, but the characters will be growing a lot, so it may not be possible.

There will be a little romance in future chapters, but no Yaoi or Yuri pairings. (Sorry Narusasu fans…I'm not against it, I just can't write it.) You'll find out who's involved in due time.

Until next time, otakufan.

P.S. I'm a VERY slow updater. It could be a while until you see Ch. 2.