twenty-four
Naruto bounced down the street, eyes unable to rest on one place as he took it all in. He’d landed on one of the smaller islands so he’d ditched the boat, shoving it into some foliage near the shore to start looking for the public ferry that would continue taking him to the islands further into the Land of Water. He figured it would be safer to blend in with the civilians as much as possible and an extra body on the ferry was less conspicuous than a boy sailing on his own.
He’d hiked across the island to find the only town in sight and soon lost himself amongst the people. It was way smaller than Konoha, probably comparable to the town back in Wave back before Gatō got his slimy hooks in it. It was small but it was so full of life. Colourful stalls lined the streets, with some vendors calling out their wares but most speaking with what looked like friends or family judging by the familiarity. Children ran through the streets, giggling as they weaved through the legs of the adults. There was the smell of fish but it wasn’t overwhelming and the fresh, salty air hadn’t left him since they’d boarded the boat to the Land of Waves.
The best part was not a single person gave him a second glance. He blended in perfectly with the civilians around him but Naruto knew his outfit wouldn’t have been enough to fool anyone back in Konoha. Here, no one knew he was and no one cared. He was just one more person walking through the street, minding his own business. He felt a weight leave his shoulders; it wasn’t the first time he had experienced it but he cherished it every time. Every time he left Konoha he felt lighter and every time he had to go back, he felt it settle back onto his shoulders. This time was different though. This time he didn’t have to go back. He felt his throat tighten at the thought. It probably hadn’t quite sank in yet since it had only been a few days but Naruto desperately wanted it carry on forever.
He reached the end of the street to finally see the port. He wasn’t sure which of the docked boats the ferry was so he walked up to one of the men sitting on a box nearby, cigarette hanging from his mouth.
“Hi,” he started, trying not to show his anxiety. He didn’t like unknown strangers, in or out of Konoha. “Do you know what time the next ferry to the capital is?”
The man took his time answering, looking Naruto up and down. He was older, around Tazuna’s age. The stench of fish clung to him and his grey, scraggly beard stood out against weathered brown skin. Naruto resisted the urge to check his kunai. He’d stowed a few in his civilian outfit but he wasn’t used to not having a kunai pouch. He didn’t think this man would attack him but he had long learned not to rely on such instincts. It was always better to prepare for the worst case scenario.
“Lucky kid,” the man suddenly grinned. “Leaves in five. On with ya.”
Naruto blinked, following the man’s pointed thumb to one of the larger vessels.
“Thanks,” he said, immediately stepping away from the man.
He quickly walked up to the boat, encountering a bored young man standing by the ramp. Dirty blue overalls over a grey turtleneck with dark hair down to his shoulders, he looked the image of a local fishing lad.
“One to the capital,” Naruto requested.
“Aren’t ya a little young ta be travellin’ yerself?” the man asked, his accent similar to the old man’s.
“I’m meeting my grandfather at the capital,” Naruto replied easily, having come up with the story during his many days stuck on the boat. “My father died so I have to move in with him but he’s too elderly to come to me so I’m going to him. I can totally travel on my own; it’s just a couple ferries.”
Twelve was young for a civilian so he had to make it seem like he was used to being treated like a little kid. Twelve for a shinobi was nothing. He’d graduated and started missions when he was nine and he knew Kakashi and Gai-sensei had started earlier. Civilians were so weird about age sometimes.
“You don’t sound like ya from ‘round ‘ere,” the man continued.
“Is that a requirement for boarding the ferry?” Naruto snapped back, unable to hide his irritation. Why did he even care?
“Calm down, lil guy,” the man patted Naruto’s head and it took everything he had not to break his wrist. “Just curious ‘bout the new face. Three hundred ryō for the trip.”
Naruto shoved it at him, climbing onto the boat. This wasn’t something he anticipated. On one hand, people didn’t care who he was but at the same time, he was supposed to be a twelve year old civilian. Apparently, people cared about kids travelling on their own. It wouldn’t change things for him but he needed to keep his story straight. He was sure people would care less once he got to the capital. If it was anything like the Land of Fire’s it would be too damn big for anyone to care about one kid.
He found a free spot and hunkered down, ignoring the few people milling about. He hadn’t asked how long the trip was but he supposed that didn’t really change much. He was stuck on the boat until they arrived there and there was nothing he could do to speed things up. He clutched his bag to his chest, keeping the people in his line of sight as a horn sounded and he felt the boat start to move.
He’d managed to get to the second boat at least which should keep throwing off his scent. Kakashi’s nin dogs wouldn’t be able to track him but at the same time, it was a small island. They would be able to quickly guess that he’d taken the ferry to the capital.
He tried to shake the negative thoughts. He was okay. He was getting further and further from Konoha and soon he would be in the Land of Water capital where he could get so lost that he would never be found. He could just become one of many and it was everything he ever wanted. Just a little bit further to go.
“Wonderful form, Lee! The Power of Youth shines brightly within you!”
“Gai-sensei!”
“Tenten, your tanto technique puts all others to shame! So elegant!”
“Thanks, sensei!”
“Neji, your clan taijutsu is glorious! Your speed increases every day!”
Neji nodded at him.
“Now, we end with twenty laps around Konoha!” Gai announced.
“Yes, Gai-sensei!” Lee answered with enthusiasm, the other two genin quickly following him out of the training grounds.
They were ready. Holding them back for the chunin exams last year had been the correct decision and his team had bloomed wonderfully. He had every confidence in his team and knew they would have done magnificently if he had entered them last year but holding them back, allowing them to work on their skills and become even stronger meant that they would be leagues above any other genin team who had graduated after them. The experience of regular missions alone would stand them in good stead when they were promoted to chunin and Gai was happy to send them off into the world, sound in the knowledge that they were as prepared as he could possibly prepare them to be.
Had Naruto been placed on a team when he had been assigned to Gai, he wouldn’t have hesitated to put forward his former apprentice. Naruto had been ready for the chunin exams since his first year as a genin but Gai had done the same with him as he had done for his genin team; holding him back only a year to give him the best possible chance. The issues that had come up each subsequent year had been out of his control and he knew the Hokage had been deliberately holding Naruto back from his attempts at promotion. He did not know why but he just had to have faith that their leader was doing it for Naruto’s sake.
He was still firmly of the opinion that Naruto was one of the best genin in the village and the Power of Youth shone brightly within him. He was privileged to be able to claim he was one of Naruto’s teachers. His student would reach every goal he set and accomplish whatever dream he desired. He knew not everyone in the village could see Naruto’s hard work and not all appreciated Naruto’s refreshing direct approach but Gai knew that it would not be forever. It was only a matter of time before everyone saw what he did; a wonderful young boy who worked hard, with a sharp wit and a kind heart.
Kakashi may enter them into the chunin exams this year. Naruto’s teammates had only been out of the academy for a few short months, but Gai had heard nothing but wonderful things about Uchiha Sasuke and he had seen Haruno Sakura working hard on her own in different training fields. Lee was quite taken with her but had not wanted to interrupt her training so had vowed to win her over with hard work of his own. Gai was so proud of him. Kakashi was a fantastic teacher so they would probably be ready for the chunin exams and his rival was very much of the school of ‘the best teacher is experience’ so Gai had very little doubt about his entering of his genin team. The two recent academy graduates would also have Naruto in their corner.
His student may still be struggling with the concept of teammates but Gai knew Naruto could do anything he put his mind to. He would trust in their skills and if became too much for them, he would step in to protect them. He pretended to care little for other people but Gai knew that was just a shield to protect himself from the harsh criticism of others. He wished Naruto would allow himself out of his shell a little more but that sort of thing could not be forced. His student had already come so far from when he had first graduated and Gai knew he would just continue to grow and flourish and bloom into the Springtime of his Youth!
He couldn’t wait to see his students in the chunin exams! It would be an honour to see his team to compete against his rival’s team too!
He would have to speak with Kakashi when they returned from their mission. Kakashi’s team had been granted their first C-rank but they should be back well before the exams. He could also see if Naruto wished to spar! He had not wanted to interfere with Kakashi’s teachings, especially with how new the team was, but it had been months and they had even had a C-rank. Surely it would not be overstepping to invite Naruto for a spar. He would have to ask his rival. He wanted to see how far Naruto had come with his own eyes.
Naruto had informed him of his lessons with Hayate to master the Uzumaki clan blades he had received in the capital. Genma had also informed him of Naruto’s new affinity for fūton after having heard from Asuma at one of the bars. Naruto had picked up so many wonderful skills since he had left Gai’s care and he could not wait to see them! His taijutsu would be something to behold!
He could not stand still anymore. He raced off in the direction of his students. He could not slack off either! He would have to keep training hard and challenging himself so he may pose not only a challenge to his beloved rival, but also to his wonderful student! He eagerly anticipated their return!
Sakura walked just behind her teacher, following the dirt road back home. It felt like it had been both ages and no time at all since they were last on this road going to the Land of Waves. Her first C-rank had not gone at all like she’d been expecting. It had been terrifying at first, between the Demon Brothers and Zabuza, but it had ended anticlimactically, with someone taking out Gatō without them. They’d spent a few days just helping out with the bridge-building and making sure no left over thugs decided to try their luck but nothing had really happened; then Naruto’s clone had popped and everything had gone sideways.
She hadn’t really understood Kakashi-sensei at first when he’d told her what happened. She’d been convinced that he was just trying to get out of the boring bridgework but she’d never seen Kakashi-sensei so serious before. It started to sink in when they’d told Tazuna-san that they had to leave. It became real when they’d started their journey back to Konoha without Naruto.
Sakura knew about missing nin. It was impossible not to know as a kunoichi and the Bingo Book was full of them. There had been a few lectures about them back at the academy so Sakura also knew that they were not as uncommon as people liked to believe. At the same time, they had been an abstract concept. She knew they were criminals that had abandoned their village but they were from other villages or before her time. Defecting from the village was a well known crime, but she’d never dreamed that someone would actually do it. She couldn’t even fathom doing something like that. Her family and her team and her friends were in Konoha; why would anyone ever want to leave?
She had never imagined that it could be someone she knew. She knew Naruto hadn’t gotten on with the villagers but she’d didn’t think it was enough to make him leave! Maybe if he was a bit less abrasive and made an effort, things would have been better and he wouldn’t have felt like he had to leave? At the same time, there was something about Naruto that Sakura knew she was missing. He was hard to get along with but people’s reaction to him had always seemed a bit extreme. She’s seen it on D-ranks and had never managed to figure it out.
What was going to happen? Naruto was technically a criminal now? But what if he had a really good reason to leave? Naruto had never liked her but he was still her teammate. She wanted him to acknowledge her but he couldn’t do that if he was out of the village or in jail. There had to be more to this. This couldn’t be the way things were from now on.
They were moving quicker than they had when they’d had Tazuna-san but it wasn’t up to speed with a normal shinobi pace, not with Kakashi-sensei’s condition. They had set a brutal pace when they’d first reached the Land of Fire but they hadn’t been able to maintain it. He’d left his crutches back in the Land of Waves and Sakura knew that he’d had to have had an unhealthy amount of soldier pills at this point.
Sasuke-kun hadn’t said anything since they’d left the Land of Waves but neither had Kakashi-sensei, really. There was some weird sort of tension between them. They hadn’t shared a single word since their discussion after Naruto’s clone popped, not even when they’d stopped to camp for a few brief hours. Sasuke-kun had been sullen and didn’t respond to Sakura when she’d tried to break the uncomfortable silence. That in itself wasn’t that unusual as Sasuke-kun was the strong, silent type but there was just something off about him. Sakura had been watching him for years and while she knew there was a lot about Sasuke-kun that she still had to learn, she knew when something wasn’t right.
She wondered how he felt about Naruto’s departure. They had been training partners and had known each other for what must be a while now. He had to be affected by Naruto leaving. She tried to imagine what it would feel like if Ino left the village and it was horrible. It would feel like a hole in her life that she wouldn’t be able to fill. It would also feel like a stab to the heart; Ino would have chosen to leave her.
Naruto chose to leave them. He didn’t think his team was worth sticking around for and that hurt a lot more than Sakura had expected. She had put in so much effort, had taken his harsh criticisms and abrasive comments and had turned them into motivation and was actually seeing results, and Naruto wouldn’t even be around to see it. Not that she needed his approval, but she wanted to at least prove him wrong; maybe even knock him on his backside just once to see his face. The team felt wrong without him.
“What’s going to happen?” she asked, unable to keep turning things over alone in her own head. She was driving herself nuts. “To Naruto, I mean.”
“The Hokage will send shinobi to get him back,” Kakashi-sensei answered shortly.
Sakura could see the sweat on the exposed parts of his face. He had been pushing himself so much, she wondered what would happen to him when they got to Konoha and the adrenaline and soldier pills wore off.
“Then what happens?”
“I don’t know,” Kakashi-sensei replied, but there was a hesitation. “That would be for the Hokage to decide.”
He was lying and Sakura didn’t like it. Kakashi-sensei hadn’t been acting like himself since Naruto’s clone disappeared and there hadn’t even been a glimpse of his orange book. Naruto was gone and Kakashi-sensei was all wrong and Sasuke-kun was super down in the dumps and Sakura felt like things would never be normal again. It didn’t feel like her team anymore. She’d always felt like the odd one out but she’d take that feeling over what was happening now.
“He’ll be chained to the village forever if they don’t kill him,” Sasuke-kun finally spoke up.
“He’s just a genin though,” Sakura pointed out. “Why would they care so much?”
“Defecting from the village is a crime, no matter the rank,” Kakashi-sensei cut in harshly.
“We know the village has it out for Naruto,” Sasuke-kun snapped back. “They don’t want him there and they don’t want him to leave. It’s so fucking stupid.”
“I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself when we get back to the village.” Kakashi-sensei actually stopped in the middle of the road to glare at Sasuke-kun. “You’re on thin ice as it is and the last thing we need is you being arrested too.”
Why would Sasuke-kun be arrested? Sakura tried to dampen the alarm that shot through her, her pulse skyrocketing. What had happened? Sasuke-kun couldn’t be arrested!
“Why would Sasuke-kun be arrested?” she blurted out, her wide-eyed gaze switching between the pair desperately.
“Don’t worry about it, Sakura,” Kakashi-sensei blew her off and she couldn’t help but snap.
“Don’t worry about it?” she snarled, stopping dead in the middle of the road. “My teammate is gone! He has defected and no one will tell me how or why or even talk about it! You and Sasuke obviously know something but you won’t tell me! I’m a member of this team too and I am fed up of you brushing me aside like I’m stupid or I can’t handle it! Naruto is difficult and grumpy and condescending and an amazing shinobi and he’s my teammate! I deserve to know things too!”
She roughly wiped away the tears as she glared at the pair. It wasn’t just Naruto who looked down on her; they all did, even Kakashi-sensei. She knew she was the weakest but she was still a member of this team and should be treated as such. She didn’t always know if it was because she was behind them in training or if she preferred books or if she was a girl but she was sick of them treating her like she wasn’t worth a thought. She put in as much effort as the boys and while yes, she wasn’t at the same level yet, it should still be recognised and acknowledged. She tried her damn hardest and right now, she didn’t care if that was enough for them. It was enough for her.
“Sorry, Sakura,” Kakashi-sensei apologised. “I didn’t realise.”
“Why would you?” she spat, her anger driving her words. “You barely acknowledge me unless it’s to send me running or on a D-rank. I don’t matter as much as the boys.”
She didn’t know how long this had been building and she didn’t know why it was coming out now. There were much more important things, like getting back to Konoha and Naruto leaving, but she couldn’t help it. She had this well of anger and spite and hurt and she didn’t know what to do with it.
“That’s not true,” Kakashi-sensei insisted. “You matter too, Sakura.”
She just couldn’t bring herself to believe him.
“Whatever,” she swallowed the lump in her throat. “We don’t have time for this. We need to get back to the village.”
She couldn’t deal with this right now. This was bigger than something that could be figured out in the middle of a dusty road with one of her teammates missing. They would deal with this whole ‘Naruto’ situation first and see what happened, but she knew things couldn’t continue like this. She was a part of this team and it was about time they all started acting like it.
“Team Seven have just returned.”
“Why did you feel the need to report this?”
“Uzumaki Naruto did not return with them.”
A pause.
“What is his status?”
“They are trying to keep it quiet but there is word that he has defected from the village. The Hokage has sent the ANBU out.”
“Has he defected to another village?”
“Unknown at this time.”
“The Uchiha?”
“He returned unharmed.”
“What is Team Seven’s likelihood of entering the chunin exams?”
“Low. They are down to a two-person team and it is unlikely that they will be entered upon retrieval of Uzumaki Naruto. They may add a member of the genin corps to allow Uchiha Sasuke to sit the exam but with only a couple of weeks until the participants start to arrive, they will not qualify.”
“So Uchiha Sasuke will not be participating in the chunin exams.”
“No, master.”
“This may change my plans.”
“Will the attack still go ahead?”
“I have already done away with the Kazekage and prepared Suna for the battle. It will weaken Konoha even if we will need to access the Uchiha by another avenue. It may also provide the distraction and privacy I need to gift the boy the seal.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Approach the boy. Begin to plant the seed in his mind. His teammate has left the village which may have an effect on him; we must try to lure him willingly.”
“Of course, master.”
“Inform me of new developments in regard to Uzumaki Naruto. He may not be as valuable as the Uchiha but the Kyūbi would be an asset we cannot dismiss. The Akatsuki may already know he left the village.”
“Yes, master.”
Another pause.
“You have done well. Your time in Konoha will end with the attack so gather as much information as you are able. Do not disappoint me.”
“Of course, master.”
The summoned snake burst in a cloud of smoke, ending the correspondence. Kabuto pushed his glasses back into place as he rose from his seat. He could not fail his master. He needed to speak to Uchiha Sasuke and get to the bottom of the mystery of Uzumaki Naruto’s disappearance before the chunin exams and Konoha’s downfall began.