Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Just the Three of Us ❯ Farewell for Now ( Chapter 5 )

A/N: Like I promised, the 5th chapter of Just the Three of Us. If you're lost on how old they are, they are now 13 years old in this chapter. Enjoy! -listening to Jikan yo Tomare by AZU feat. SEAMO- Hee hee hee!

 

 

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Disclaimer: I own no one. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

 

 

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Chapter 5: Farewell for Now

 

 

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The day was chilly, the wind blowing harshly making the leaves dance in air. The sun was gone, grey clouds hiding its presence. Four souls trudged through the weather, staying close to each other. Hoods hid their faces, the capes flapping behind them. The tall figure saw a hotel up ahead, urging the others to make a run for it.

 

The door was slammed open, the guests directing their attention to the entrance. Shivering, they entered after one of them closed the door. Removing their hoods, four different hair colors were shown, blonde, black, silver, and pink.

 

Slowly, the others returned to their previous activities, gathered around the fire. Sighing, Kakashi went to the front desk, getting two rooms. He and the boys would share one room, and Sakura would have one for herself. Naruto and Sasuke started to protest, Kakashi remind them that she was a developing girl, and they were growing boys. That said, they reluctantly agreed.

 

Sakura happily received her key, hopping up the stairs to her assigned room. They heard her sing “bath time” with each step, knowing exactly what she was about to do. Faces red, they slapped themselves and decided to gather around the fireplace like everyone else.

 

“Argh, I hate winter!”

 

“Hn. Be glad it didn't snow yet.”

 

“That's the only good part! I wanna have a snowball fight!” Everyone stared at Naruto, slightly irritated. “Eh heh…”

 

“Hn. Idiot.” Naruto leered at Sasuke, sticking out his tongue and pouting while rubbing his arms. Later in the day he stopped, eyes looking up the stairs. Kakashi was right, Sakura was starting to blossom into a pretty girl, which means they had to defend their treasure more than ever.

 

 

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Naruto flexed his hand, gritting his teeth. He stared at the cards in Kakashi's hand, trying to decide which one to pick. Watching Kakashi's face, he saw his eye widen. Smirking, Naruto snatched the card and…got a joker.

 

“Ah! You tricked me!” Sasuke and Kakashi chuckled at his behavior, Naruto absolutely sucked at card games. They were in their room, sitting on one of the beds. So far, Kakashi had 2 cards, Sasuke 4, and Naruto, well, not a pretty sight. Whenever he went, he either picked a card he didn't have a match for, or the joker.

 

“Naruto, I can hear you from my room.”

 

“Sorry Sakura!” Their rooms were next to each other, so she could hear every single whine and complaint. This meant that so could the other guests. So she had to warn him each time, so they wouldn't get kicked out for disturbance.

 

“Naruto, why don't you just give up?”

 

“No way Sasuke.” After only a few minutes, Kakashi was free and Sasuke had only one card left. And seeing Naruto's changing face, he picked the right card. That only resulted with his yelling, thus Sakura slammed their door open.

 

“Keep. The. Noise. DOWN.” She had on a mud mask, her hair in curlers. She did NOT look happy.

 

“S-sorry S-Sakura…” With a humph, she slammed their door shut, Naruto shaking in fear.

 

“You are such an idiot.”

 

“Why I outta-“

 

“Don't you DARE Naruto!”

 

“Yes Sakura…”

 

“Now, that's better.”

 

 

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The weather outside had gotten worse, a blizzard forcing the small “family” to stay at the inn. Many gusts huddled by the tiny fire, trying to keep themselves warm. Cuddled under a blanket, they rubbed their hands as they started to go numb. Some people had frostbite, screeching when their black feet were revealed.

 

The inn was running low on rations, hoping the blizzard would break soon. Food came in smaller servings, to prolong until it was all gone.

 

Everyone jumped as the door slammed open, three figures quickly stepping in and forcing the door closed. They shook off the snow, taking off their cloaks as they argued amongst themselves. There were 2 men and 1 woman.

 

One man had long white hair in a ponytail, almost to the ground, his clothing very flamboyant. The other man had pale skin and snake-like eyes, long black hair covering his face, his attire a simple white with violet. The woman had her blonde hair in two tails, her hazel eyes piercing the men, having a jacket and pants.

 

At this, Kakashi gave a small wave to the three. Catching the greeting, they waved back, particularly staring at the 3 teens within the blanket. The trio stared at the strange adults, wondering about their sensei's action, their question soon answered.

 

“So the rum's true than. You're taking care of 3 little brats.”

 

“Well, I wouldn't exactly call them brats.”

 

“Kakashi-sensei, who are these guys? And why'd Grandma call us brats!?” Naruto was now nursing his head.

 

“The name's Tsunade you little twerp.” Without any further interruptions, Kakashi cleared his voice.

 

“Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, these are the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.”

 

 

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The trio sat on Sakura's bed, Kakashi kicking the boys out to have an “adult” conversation. Naruto was throwing a fit, only calming down when Sakura threatened to bop him on the head. It worked every time. Although, Naruto was never the type to behave.

 

“Who the heck to they think they are, lounging in as if they're the strongest people in Japan!”

 

“Naruto…did you forget? Kakashi-sensei told us months ago, right Sasuke?” Naruto only pouted, mumbling that Kakashi didn't say anything, waiting for Sasuke to explain.

 

“Hn. The Sannin are legendary shinobi in the leaf village, possibly as strong at the Hokage, or even stronger. They earned the hermit status to freely roam wherever they please, which means they're not restricted to stay in their home village like most shinobi are.” He looked over to Naruto, shaking his head when he saw the blank look. Sakura gave a sigh, deciding to make it easier to understand.

 

“Basically, they're so powerful they're like superheroes, going to whoever needs their help.” At that, Naruto's eyes sparkled.

 

“Really? That's awesome! Too bad that they're jerks.” Sasuke and Sakura sighed, shaking their heads. Naruto was surely an idiot, a disrespectful idiot. If the Sannin had heard that comment, he'd surely be dead, if he was lucky, in a hospital for a month or so. But that was Naruto, the idiot, while Sasuke had the skill, and Sakura had the intellect. And Naruto had…charisma.

 

“Naruto…”

 

“Hn. He's not worth it. Let's go have lunch.” They stood up from the bed, Naruto off in his own world. It took him 5 minutes to realize they were gone.

 

“Hey! Wait for me!”

 

 

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In the other room, Jiraiya was using all his strength to hold Tsunade back. Apparently, they heard Naruto's insult. She wanted to slap him into next week.

 

“Let me go Jiraiya! That brat is gonna pay!”

 

“Calm down Tsunade, he's just a kid.” After several minutes of yelling and struggling she finally calmed down, continuing their discussion.

 

“So, you were saying Kakashi?” He cleared his throat, book put away. He straightened his back, the lazy look in his eye gone.

 

“Each of these three kids has unique traits and abilities, specializing in their own area. Naruto has plenty of stamina and chakra to spare, not to mention he comes up with the craziest ideas. Sasuke has skill and strength, studying his enemy before making the next move. Sakura, her mind is sharp and her chakra control is perfect, not wasting a move or time.” He looked at them, seeing if they had questions. With the silence, he continued. “As for weaknesses, Naruto absolutely cannot do genjutsu, and doesn't think before he acts. Sasuke prefers to work alone and tends to get cocky. Sakura doesn't know many jutsu and isn't a very good fighter either.” Again, he stopped. This time, the Sannin appeared to be deep in thought. At that, he inwardly smirked.

 

“Well Jiraiya, doesn't this sound familiar?”

 

“I suppose it does. And with the way Kakashi's staring, I think we all know what he means.”

 

“I guess you want us to personally train the brats, don't you?” There was his oh so famous smile of his…kinda.

 

“Why, yes. Yes I do.”

 

 

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There was a loud crash, the guests jumping from their warm spots. One of them was screaming, hot cocoa on his pants. The noise continued, turning into stomps and yelling that grew closer. Eventually, the adult shinobi walked down the stairs, Tsunade coming up with every insult possible, Kakashi trying to persuade her to change her mind.

 

“Come on, it won't be-“

 

“NO!”

 

“She's a really-“

 

“NO!”

 

“It's only for-“

 

“I SAID NO!” She slammed her palm onto a table, emphasizing her no. Defeated, Kakashi joined his students, eying the hot cocoa with whip cream.

 

“Kakashi-sensei, why was Tsunade-sama so angry?” He patted Sakura's head, giving a sigh.

 

“I asked for something, and she said no.”

 

“No to what?” This time he looked at all three of them.

 

“For them to be your senseis.”

 

“WHAT!?” They abruptly stood, Naruto's jaw dropping, Sasuke's eyes wide, Sakura speechless.

 

“But…but YOU'RE our sensei!”

 

“Yes, but I can only teach you so much. The Sannin are far more compatible, and would have more luck unlocking your true potential.” They just stared at him, unsure of how to reply. “Jiraiya and Orochimaru seem to be okay with it. But if Tsunade doesn't agree, they won't go against her.”

 

“So…we'll still be your students?” He only shrugged his shoulders, taking out his favorite book.

 

“For now, yes. But the blizzard won't be breaking for a while, so she might change her mind.” With that, they drank in silence.

 

 

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Two more days passed, the blizzard getting weaker. But they still stayed, just to be on the safe side. The trio noticed how the Sannin's eyes would be watching, observing their movements. Naruto was very annoyed by it, making a face whenever he caught them. Sasuke just ignored them, giving them the cold shoulder. As for Sakura, she showed them complete respect, trying to make the boys apologize every time that they were rude. She was doing so right now, Naruto showing his chewed food and Sasuke sitting further away.

 

“I told you to knock that off!” She punched Naruto, who bit his tongue and threw Sasuke back to his former seat, hurting his back. “If you continue to act this way I swear once we're outta here no more ramen or tomatoes for a month!”

 

That caught the Sannin's ears, watching the facial expressions on the boys. Naruto was completely horrified, pleading for his ramen. Sasuke's eyes were wide, his face paler than a sheet of paper. Tsunade smirked at Sakura; she knew how to handle them well.

 

“All right, I've made my decision!” Tsunade stood up, a smug expression pointed namely at the boys. “I'm taking Sakura under my wing.” The two boys dropped their jaws; Sakura was getting taken away from them. Before they could retort, the other two Sannin stood up and stared at the two boys.

 

“Well Orochimaru, I guess I'm stuck with this lil' guy.”

 

“It seems so Jiraiya. Then I'm left with this strong boy here, hmm?” Sasuke and Naruto stared at each other. They did NOT like this one bit.

 

 

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The sun peeked over the clouds, the air still. Snow fell off the branches off trees, birds chirping as they flew overhead. Seven particular people stood in front of the inn. It was time to say their farewells. Although they were reluctant to say it.

 

“It's not as if you're never going to see each other again.”

 

“But Kakashi-sensei, we've…never been apart from each other like this before.” Sakura was right.

 

“Yeah…this feels weird.” Kakashi sighed, patting each teen's head.

 

“It's only for two years. Two years isn't going to kill you.” To them, it felt like twenty.

 

“Come on already! We don't have all day!” Sighing, they all faced each other.

 

“Naruto, Sasuke, I'll be fine. I've heard the Tsunade-sama is the best medic-nin in Konoha and also a powerful woman. Jiraiya and Orochimaru are also powerful with their own skills, so PLEASE treat them with respect.” Naruto eyed Jiraiya wearily.

 

“But Sakura, I caught him peeping whenever Grandma was taking a shower. Twice” A vein popped on both females.

 

“JIRAIYA YOU IDIOT!” The girls left, stomping away as their anger fumed. Jiraiya looked at Naruto while nursing his wound, than at Sasuke who was watching her face away.

 

“Better say your farewells. Two years is still a long time.” At the, Naruto cupped his mouth.

 

“SAKURA!” Pausing, she turned. “GOOD-BYE!” Smiling at Naruto, she waited for Sasuke. He hesitated, instead reappearing in front of her and giving her a peck on her right cheek. He quickly disappeared, along with Orochimaru. Naruto saw this, pouting until he ran over to peck her on the other cheek with a huge grin, running back to Jiraiya. “SEE YA!”

 

 

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A/N: Yeah, I made Orochimaru anti-evil. Yay for no evil! I didn't want Sasuke to become evil, nope. Hope you don't hate me for that.