Chapter Text
‘’Finally…’’ Sasuke sighs heavily to himself. Finally, some peace and quiet.
He’s walking casually down the streets of downtown Konoha, hands buried in his pockets. He’d just managed to escape from the two rabid fangirls that serve as his teammates after a long day of tedious D-ranked missions. The sun is quite low already, judging by the deep and calming shade of orange in the sky.
His brother is undoubtedly still planning the upcoming Chunin exam, and tonight is also the Uchiha clan’s weekly meeting, which means both his parents will already have had dinner and are probably heading there right this moment.
Which leaves him to wonder if he should cook something for himself at home, or simply grab something on the go.
‘’Hm…’’ He stops as he passes Ichiraku’s ramen shop. It’s not a meal he’s particularly drawn to normally, but a warm bowl of comforting noodles sounds just like what he needs right now. ‘’I guess it’s been a while,’’ he mumbles to himself and makes his way inside the stall, behind the short curtain.
He freezes and hesitates when he sees the back of the only other customer there. The bright bubbly voice, luminous blond hair and the petite stature make it evident that the other client is a girl around his age. He does not want to deal with more fawning after he had just escaped Ino and Sakura…
‘’Ah, Sasuke-sama! It’s a pleasure to have you in our humble shop!’’ Teuchi, the owner greets him with a friendly smile.
Crap… Sasuke groans internally. Now leaving would just be rude…
He holds back a sigh and forces a polite nod as he takes a spot at the counter. He takes care to leave two empty seats between him and the unknown girl and resolutely ignores her.
‘’This one’s definitely my favourite. It’s gotta be the best ramen I’ve ever had! And I’m not just saying this to get a discount or something, you know!’’ There's a little mischief in that bright voice that makes Sasuke snort to himself. She's so obvious.
‘’Glad to hear it!’’ The middle-aged man says and bursts out laughing.
‘’What can I get you, Sasuke-sama?’’ Ayame, Teuchi’s daughter, asks with a bashful smile. Before he even has time to answer, the other customer decides to make a recommendation.
‘’You should definitely get the miso ramen with braised pork!’’
Sasuke turns towards the other client with the full intention of brushing the other off, but he's stunned into silence when he sees... him?
Sasuke blinks. It definitely wasn't obvious at first, but the other customer is indeed male, despite the ambiguous outfit and androgenous facial features; flawless tan skin, bright blue eyes full of sparkle, sunshine hair framing a lovely face, a pearly-white friendly smile and, to add even more charm and personality to an already colourful person, three adorable whisker-like marks on each cheek.
‘’Oh, and if you’re hungry, I recommend an extra meat,’’ he adds with a wink that makes Sasuke’s heart actually skip a freakin’ beat.
And just as suddenly as the recommendation came, the young boy goes back to enjoying his meal. ‘’So good!'' The blond slurps another stream of noodles. ''How long have you been running this place, sir?’’
Sasuke blinks, dumbfounded, and turns back to Ayame.
‘’Uh… I’ll have what he said… With the extra pork.’’ His cheeks feel warm somehow… It’s probably just the heat of the shop, right?
‘’Coming right up!’’ Ayame replies with a chuckle.
‘’Oh, it’s been over thirty years now. I’m thinking of retiring soon, actually. I’m just staying around until my daughter feels ready to take over.’’
‘’So she’s your daughter, that’s great,’’ the young customer nods between two slurps of noodles.
His dinner’s certainly noisier than anticipated, but Sasuke doesn’t mind as much as he thought. To his pleasant surprise, the boy pretty much ignores him as much as he ignores the blond. The latter instead keeps the two shop owners busy in conversation, which in turn saves Sasuke the trouble of having to do small talk with either of them. And though the other boy is by no means quiet, his voice is clear and cheerful; not at all disagreeable to the ear.
Soon enough, he’s done with his bowl. The blond was right; it was quite delicious and satisfying. He gives the money to Ayame and gets up to leave. He blinks when he sees the boy fussing as he looks through his side-pouch.
‘’Oh no… Oh no…’’
Sasuke’s eyes widen at the hitai ate wrapped around the boy’s waist like a belt. Uzushio? Even the short and stylish hanfu the genin is wearing has whirlpool designs embroidered at the hems.
‘’I’m so sorry… I think I forgot my wallet at the ryokan…’’ He says and looks pitifully at Teuchi.
What an airhead, Sasuke snorts to himself.
‘’I-I can leave you with this as pledge and I’ll be right back with the money, I swear!’’ He continues and takes a necklace off from around his neck with a delicate blue crystal.
‘’Hm…’’ Teuchi presses lips and scratches his head uncertainly. Sasuke lets out a small sigh and walks forward. I’m going to regret this, but whatever…
‘’It’s alright, sir, I’ll cover for his meal,’’ he says and takes out his wallet again.
‘’Really?! Thank you so much!’’ The blond exclaims, eyes brightening up gratefully. ‘’I’ll definitely pay you back, believe it!’’
‘’That’s awfully nice of you, Sasuke-sama,’’ Teuchi smiles.
‘’Don’t mention it. How much?’’
‘’That’ll be seven hundred, please.’’
‘’… Seven hundred ryo?!’’ Sasuke’s jaw drops.
‘’And that’s with the discount,’’ Teuchi laughs. ‘’He did eat six bowls.’’
Sasuke turns to other genin, mouth agape, and indeed notices the six empty bowls stacked up at his seat. Where the heck does all that food go? He wonders. His eyes move onto the client himself, who’s rubbing his neck in embarrassment and smiling sheepishly.
Sasuke grumbles and reluctantly takes out the total amount. Serves me right for butting in… He sighs and hands over the money before burying his hands in his pockets and heading out.
‘’H-hey! Wait up!’’ The Uzushio-nin calls out, then quickly bows to Teuchi with the promise of coming back with friends. ‘’Hey!’’ He runs out after the young Uchiha and blocks his path. ‘’Sasuke, right? Are you busy? If you follow me to the ryokan my team and I are staying at, I’ll pay you back right away.’’
Sasuke presses his lips in annoyance and considers the offer. Wide blue eyes stare back at him expectantly, expression softened with guilt.
He feels the back of his neck warm up. He looks away uncomfortably. I guess it can’t hurt to see what Uzushio’s genins look like since they’re competition… He looks back towards the boy; his cheeks tingle at the sight. He lets out a long sigh. Besides, seven hundred ryo isn’t cheap…
‘’Sure…’’
‘’Alright, let’s go!’’ He says and shows him the way.
‘’So, you guys are here for the chunin exam, I assume.’’ Sasuke says casually. He’d rather avoid small talk, but he suspects the bombastic blond will chat his ear off anyway, so might as well get some useful information out of the conversation.
‘’That’s right! How did you guess?’’ The young shinobi blinks at him in surprise. Sasuke snorts. He really is an airhead, he thinks fondly. Obviously not competition I need to worry about.
‘’Why else would you be here?’’ He says and lifts a pointed brow.
‘’I guess you’re right, hehe,’’ the other laughs sheepishly. ‘’But I could totally be here for a super secret mission or something, you know!’’ He adds with a foxy grin that is far too adorable when combined with the whiskered cheeks.
‘’Yeah, right.’’ Sasuke rolls his eyes to avoid staring at his face too much. ‘’How many teams from Uzushio signed up?’’
‘’Just mine.’’
‘’… Just one team?’’ Sasuke stops and blinks in surprise. Uzushio might not be as big as Konoha, but it’s still a fairly large village, in terms of its population, from what little he knows. There should be around a dozen participants.
‘’Yup,’’ the other genin confirms. ‘’We don’t usually participate in events like these, but Yuto-sama- ah, that’s our leader by the way- he wants to know how we compare to genins from other villages, so he sent my team to participate.’’
‘’I see…’’
Uzushio is a long-time ally of Konoha through their shared history, so Sasuke already knows it to be an extremely secretive village, but he didn’t think they were this recluse. He knows keeping their renown Sealing Art a secret from other villages is their top priority, so he supposes that’s why they don’t normally participate.
‘’Are you participating too? Are you strong?’’ The blond asks with a cheeky grin.
‘’Yes to both questions,’’ the Uchiha replies with a smirk of his own.
‘’Oh, really?’’ Naruto says tauntingly. ‘’That only means it’ll be more fun when I beat ya!’’ Sasuke snorts loudly in response. ‘’Don’t underestimate me,’’ the blond warns. ‘’I’m pretty strong too, you know! I won’t go easy on you just cause you lent me money.’’ He sticks out his tongue, then perks up when he sees their destination. ‘’Ah, we’re here.’’
Sasuke raises a brow at the sight. This is Konoha’s most luxurious ryokan. Seems like Usuzhio didn’t skimp on their team’s budget for the trip. He quietly follows the blond inside to one of the suites. The sliding door opens to a large living room where they are greeted by not one, not two, but three fair-skinned redheads. Three out of four from the Uzumaki clan? Sasuke notes curiously.
‘’Naruto!’’ The older one, clearly their sensei, calls out in a scolding tone. ‘’I was just about to send Karin to look for you. We were supposed to meet back here half an hour ago.’’
‘’Sorry, Honoka-sensei,’’ Naruto replies sheepishly, scratching the back of his head in guilt. ‘’I ended up eating a lot more than I thought. We should totally go back the four of us tomorrow!’’ He adds enthusiastically. ‘’Oh, and I kinda left my wallet here, so this guy helped me out.’’
‘’You’re incorrigible… What would your mother say?’’ Honoka sighs and rests a hand on a cocked hip.
‘’Hehe,’’ Naruto only chuckles in his defense and turns to Sasuke. ‘’I’ll be right back!’’ he says and hurries into his room.
‘’Sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for helping,’’ Honoka says with a grateful wushu salute, hands hidden beneath the long sleeves of her white and lavender hanfu. In fact, Sasuke notes, the whole team is dressed in foreign, traditional wear. There’s the other red-headed girl with glasses, sitting by the low table with a steaming cup of tea who’s also dressed in lavender, and the other boy of the team who’s silently reading through a scroll clad in dark grey and accents of black. They don’t look intimidating at all.
‘’No problem,’’ Sasuke assures.
‘’You’re an Uchiha,’’ the girl with glasses, whom Sasuke assumes is Karin, says with sharp and calculating eyes. She can see part of his clan symbol on that back of his t-shirt from where she is sitting. She takes another sip from her tea. ‘’Are you closely related to the Hokage?’’
‘’None of your business,’’ Sasuke replies coldly.
‘’Hmph…’’ Karin huffs with a frown and looks away to snob him. Rude jerk.
Naruto emerges from his room and hands him the owed amount.
‘’Thanks again!’’
‘’Um… Sure,’’ Sasuke clears his throat and looks away; Naruto’s smile is so bright, it’s almost blinding. Honoka’s lips curl in a discrete smile as she observes the pair with a pondering hand to her chin. ‘’I’ll be going, then,’’ Sasuke mumbles and heads out after a polite but quick nod.
‘’Bye!’’ Naruto waves, then sits down next to his cousin when the Uchiha is out of sight. ‘’Man, I’m stuffed. No regrets, though.’’
‘’Seems like you’re as popular as ever, even in Konoha,’’ Karin says with an unimpressed brow.
‘’Huh?’’ Naruto blinks cluelessly. ‘’What do you mean?’’ Karin rolls her eyes and smiles fondly before taking another sip from her cup.
‘’Nevermind,’’ she replies, smiling at her cousin’s frustrated pout. Honoka joins their table.
‘’Nagato,’’ their sensei calls out to the quiet boy. ‘’Come. Time to start planning.’’
-------------------------
‘’I’m home,’’ Sasuke says as he enters, not expecting a reply.
‘’Welcome home, little brother.’’
Sasuke blinks and walks to the source of the familiar greeting. He finds his brother brooding at the kitchen table, fingers linked under his nose. Sasuke lifts a curious brow and sits down with him.
‘’You look serious… I mean, more than usual,’’ he says somewhat teasingly.
‘’Hn…’’ Itachi continues to stare at the wall in front of him for a moment before slowly shifting his gaze onto his little brother. ‘’This chunin exam is suspicious.’’ Sasuke cocks his head to the side questioningly. ‘’The Kazekage plans on attending the finals… and then there’s Uzushio sending a team. A single team.’’ Sasuke snorts at the last part. The young Hokage narrows his eyes with interest.
‘’I’ve met Uzushio’s team. They don’t look like much.’’
‘’Is that so?’’
Sasuke tells him about his unexpected encounter with Naruto and Uzushio’s motives the blond mentioned. Itachi lets out a single, small but mocking chuckle.
‘’Foolish little brother,’’ Itachi says. ‘’You would do well not to underestimate our ally. I suspect they have an ulterior motive, and I intend to find out what it is.’’
‘I could totally be here for a super secret mission or something, you know!’ … Could it be…? Sasuke thinks, then immediately brushes the ridiculous notion away. No way.
‘’You’re just over-analysing everything aniki, as usual,’’ Sasuke retorts and crosses his arms over his chest. ‘’But… I suppose I can keep an eye on them during the exam if you want,’’ he adds and casually looks away.
‘’How generous of you,’’ the Hokage replies cynically, faint smile hiding behind his hands. ‘’I doubt they are here for something nefarious, but I do think there is more than meets the eye with them,’’ he adds more seriously. ‘’I am more concerned by the Kazekage attending the finals in person and having his youngest son partake in these exams.’’
The later statement distracts Sasuke from thoughts of blue eyes and cheeky smiles.
''The Kazekage's son?'' He repeats, intrigued. He smirks in anticipation. ''Now he should make a worthy opponent.''
Itachi narrows his eyes bites the inside of his cheek to hide his concern. He knows he shouldn't cushion his little brother; that he's only stunting his progress by being overprotective. In fact, it has caused more than a few scenes in his office, since he'd often give more dangerous missions to less capable genin teams. He also knows he shouldn't use his intel as Hokage to advantage his little brother for the exam, but he can't seem to be able to help himself when it comes to his precious little brother. Itachi also can't shake away the feeling that this won't be like any other chunin exam...
''Subaku no Gaara,'' Itachi says ominously. ''He has the kanji for Love tattooed on his forehead. He's the Jinchuuriki of the One-Tail beast. It's clear from the reports I have that he far exceeds the strength of a regular genin.'' He turns his dark eyes to his brother, who has sobered his excitement. ''It's also clear that he has little to no control over the beast's chakra. I don't know what the Sand is thinking, but that boy is extremely dangerous, Sasuke. You should avoid him if you can.''
Sasuke clenches his jaw and fists in frustration. He knows his brother means well, but part of him hates when Itachi does this. He looks down at the table and mumbles bitterly as he speaks.
''You wouldn't have to worry about me so much if you took more time to train me.''
Itachi lets the corner of his lips curl up fondly.
''I didn't have an older brother to train me, yet here I am,'' he says teasingly, earning an annoyed grunt from the younger Uchiha. ''All you need is to find something worth protecting and the strength will follow.''
Sasuke lets out a sigh, releasing the tension he had been building. As usual when it comes to Itachi, bitterness leaves way for admiration and respect.
''And that something for you is the village.''
''That's right,'' Itachi replies with a serene smile. ''But,'' he adds and pokes Sasuke's forehead. ''That, of course, also includes my foolish little brother.''
''Tch,'' clicks his tongue in annoyance as he rubs his forehead. ''Still,'' he sighs, ''I want to protect our family and this village too, yet you were already an anbu at my age. Meanwhile I-'' Sasuke looks down in shame. ‘’I haven’t even awakened my Sharingan yet...’’ He says, gritting his teeth.
Itachi lets out a fond sigh. It’s never been easy for Sasuke; living in his shadow, trying so hard to catch up to him, yet only seeing the gap increase over the years. He doesn’t know his own potential, Itachi thinks with a small smile.
''It just means you haven’t found your purpose yet. You’re still young, you’ll find it.''
-------------------------
''Nara Shikamaru, seat number twelve... Akimichi Choji, seat number thirty-one...''
Sasuke leans into his assigned seat as all participants are dispatched in the room for the written exam. He lets out a heavy sigh. It hadn't even started, yet he was already exhausted. He had spent the entire way here managing his two crazy teammates. Through whatever gossip network, the pair had found out that he was 'seen with a pretty girl entering a hotel'. It had taken all of his patience and energy to make them calm down and drop the subject, writing it off as being confused him with someone else.
''Uzumaki Karin, seat number three.’’
He looks up to see Team Uzushio enter the large classroom next. His gaze instantly focuses on Naruto, who soon feels his eyes on him and meets them. He smiles when he recognizes the Uchiha, who instantly looks away. Sasuke scratches the back of his neck uncertainly, not quite sure why he reacted like this.
‘’Uzumaki Nagato, seat number forty... Uzumaki Naruto, seat number twenty-nine.''
Uzumaki? Sasuke blinks then looks back towards the blond. Wait, twenty-nine? That's right next to-
''Hey there,'' Naruto greets him cheerfully as he sits down next to him.
''Hey...'' Sasuke greets back awkwardly, still taken aback by the new information he just learned. ''So... You're also from the Uzumaki clan?'' He asks somewhat skeptically. The whole team's from the same clan?
Naruto's eyes widen slightly at the question, then his whole demeanour shifts, going from cheerful to self-conscious. He looks down at the desk in front of him and subconsciously grabs a strand of his short blond hair.
''I know, I look nothing like the rest of my clan, haha,'' Naruto says sheepishly. Sasuke's stomach churns uncomfortably at the nervous chuckle. It sounds nothing like the bubbly laughter he had heard the other evening. ''But I really am an Uzumaki, you know?'' Naruto looks up at him again, though his smile doesn't quite reach his eyes.
Sasuke stares, throat tight all of a sudden. He doesn't like the expression on him at all. He looks away and crosses his arms over his chest, and clicks his tongue, annoyed by his own strange feelings.
''Who cares if you don't look the part,'' he throws casually. ''Blond hair's prettier anyway.''
The words are out of his mouth before he can stop them. What the hell am I saying?! He can feel his entire face heating up but he refuses to lose his composure. He glances at the other genin, who's looking back at him with wide blue eyes, and struggles internally to think of what to say to dismiss the unexpected compliment. But the words fail him when he sees Naruto's expression melt back into a sincere smile.
''You really mean that? Thanks, Sasuke,'' he says, with just a light shade of pink dusting his whiskered cheeks.
''Hn...'' Sasuke huffs, looks away and stubbornly ignores the skipped heartbeat he just felt.
''Alright, everyone quiet while I explain the rules. My name is Morino Ibiki and I'll be your proctor.''
Sasuke manages to take his mind off the blond next to him and listens to the proctor. He narrows his eyes at the unusual set of rules as papers are being passed down to them by different chunin sentinels.
''... Begin.''
Sasuke flips the sheet over and reads over the first question. Huh? This is... He frowns then moves onto the second, then the third... What the... I can't even begin to answer any of these... He thinks, dumbfounded. Wait, ordinarily, if someone's caught cheating once that's grounds for dismissal right there, but they're only deducting points instead... His eyes widen in realization. Oh, I see…
Well, for once he’s actually glad he’s got Ino and Sakura on his team. He’s positive the pink-haired girl can answer most of these, if not all, and Ino’s got the perfect technique to relay the answers to him. He discretely looks over his shoulder towards his teammates. As expected, Sakura’s furiously writing on her exam. He then finds Ino, who gives him a cheeky smile and a wink. Urgh… Sasuke cringes and his eyebrow twitches. Damn it…. If only I had the Sharingan… He never once thought he’d willingly let that girl into his mind… Well, he sighs to himself, I guess it can’t be helped…
Before long, he notices Ino laying down her desk while ‘Sakura’ reads over her answers attentively. He suppresses a sigh and concentrates, bracing himself for Ino’s impendent arrival. He closes his eyes, entering his mindscape like he had practiced with the Yamanaka before, which took the appearance of the familiar Uchiha compound. It was a tranquil Zen garden with small pavilions surrounding it labelled after different aspects of his life: Family, Training, Mission, Team…
‘’Sasuke-kuuuun!’’ Ino calls out enthusiastically from behind him. Sasuke fights the urge to groan once again. He turns to the platinum blond and gives her a stern look.
‘’Just make it quick.’’
‘’Leave it to me!’’
Ino giggles and takes over her teammate’s body. She quickly scribbles down the answers on Sasuke’s sheet. Once she’s done, she puts the pencil down and fights the urge to squeal as she cups her -or rather Sasuke’s- own cheeks. Kyaaaa! I’m touching Sasuke-kun’s face! Ha! Take this, Billboard Brow! She looks over at her pink-haired teammate and smirks at the absolutely murderous glare Sakura is giving her. She snickers to herself as she thinks. Well, since I’m done, surely there’s no harm in taking a tiny little peak in Sasuke-kun’s mind. They’ve all been teammates for months, now. If she takes a look at the ‘Team’ pavilion, maybe Sasuke’s feelings towards her have evolved? She reverts back into Sasuke’s mindscape.
‘’It’s so nice here, as expected of Sasuke-kun.’’ She sighs dreamily at the calm and clean atmosphere. ‘’Alright, let’s see… the Team pavilion is-… Huh?’’ Ino blinks as she notices a new pavilion she hasn’t seen before. She reads on the wooden sign above the paper sliding door. ‘’Love?!’’ Her pale blue eyes grow wide as saucers. She clasps her hand over her mouth and rushes over to it, looking anxiously over her shoulder. ‘’J-Just a tiny little peek,’’ she tells herself and swallows thickly, heart pounding against her chest. She slides the door open just an inch. A soft breeze emanates from it, carrying Sasuke’s impressions with it.
Small… Cute… Blond hair… Blue eyes…
‘’What are you doing?’’
Ino slams the door shut and manages not to scream. She turns to see her teammate approach with a raised brow.
‘’N-Nothing! A-Alright, I’m done, so I’m going to leave! Bye, Sasuke-kun!’’
Sasuke blinks; his teammate is gone before he has time to say anything. He shrugs and takes back the control of his body.
Back in her own seat, Ino’s entire face is a bright shade of red. She’s fidgeting and muffling her own squeals, earning a curious look from the neighbouring shinobis around her. Oh my god, oh my god! A blue eyed blond? It’s got to be me! I can’t wait to slam that in Sakura’s face!
Sasuke opens his eyes and looks down at his exam. It’s all filled up with Sakura’s answers. He smirks triumphantly. At least sometimes the girls are useful.
''Urgh... I hate written exams,'' Naruto groans to himself, hands gripping his hair as he rests his elbows on top of the desk.
Sasuke lifts a curious brow and glances over his neighbour. Did he not figure it out, yet? Sasuke snorts. He really is an airhead.
''What am I gonna do?'' Naruto frets under his breath. ''I'm cooked.''
The worry in Naruto's eyes makes Sasuke's heart sink. The smirk is wiped clean from his face and instead replaced with an irritated frown. Get a hold of yourself, Sasuke reprimands himself in his head. It's his problem if he's too stupid to pass.
But Sasuke can’t help but steal glances at the blond. He grits his teeth, annoyed that Uzumaki’s pitiful expression is somehow messing with his head. He tries to fight against the uncharacteristic urge to help the other teen, and after wrestling with himself for a bit, he sighs in defeat and discretely glides his paper under his arm towards his seatmate.
‘’Hey,’’ Sasuke whispers, but avoids looking at the blond as not to raise suspicion.
Naruto blinks. He looks down at Sasuke’s exam, then at the genin himself, eyes wide with disbelief.
‘’Just make it quick,’’ Sasuke says after glancing briefly at him, cheeks warming up again at the sight of those bright blue eyes.
Naruto’s heart flutters. He really is a nice guy, he thinks fondly. Does he always help everyone like this? He wonders idly. Can such a kind person really be a ninja? His expression softens, then he looks down at his own blank sheet of paper.
‘’Thanks Sasuke, but...’’ Naruto whispers, earning a curious look from his neighbour. ‘’I don’t need to cheat to pass. I’ll do it with my own strength.’’
.... Eh?
Sasuke stares at Naruto’s beautiful smile in utter disbelief. He blinks once, twice, then slowly turns his face the chalkboard at the front of the room. He buries his face in his palms, feeling his entire face heat up. Is he for real? How can someone so dumb be a ninja?! And why do I find that so fucking endearing?! Am I sick? Do I have a fever?
‘’Alright, brats! Time for the tenth and final question.’’
Sasuke is broken out of his inner turmoil by Ibiki’s booming voice. He barely listens as the proctor explains the weird rules to the final question; his mind is still grappling with his own unexpected feelings. He even starts wondering if this whole exam isn’t just one giant genjutsu prank his older brother’s pulling on him.
He startles when he hears Naruto’s palm slam onto the desk in front of him. He looks at the blond, who is now standing up and looking at the proctor in defiance.
‘’I don’t care if I stay a genin my whole life! I, Uzumaki Naruto, will become the greatest Sealmaster of all time! Believe it!’’
Shit... Sasuke stares at the boisterous blond, heart fluttering in his chest. I... I think I have a crush on that idiot.
-------------------------
Turns out his brother was completely off the mark; it wasn’t Uzushio or Gaara Sasuke had to look out for, but some creepy snake guy.
‘’Aaaahh!’’ Ino clenches her temple and screams in terror and pain. Blood trickles down from her nose as takes a few shaky steps back.
‘’Ino!’’
Sakura catches her rival when she faints. Whatever she saw in that Hidden Grass ninja’s mind had been dreadful enough for the Possession jutsu to completely backfire.
‘’Sakura, take Ino and get the hell out of here. I’ll hold him back while you escape,’’ Sasuke says as he stands guard in front of his teammates, shurikens at the ready between his knuckles.
Sakura’s eyes brim wit tears. She barely has the strength to hold herself up. She’s injured and exhausted. She knows she must listen to him to survive, but...
‘’I-I can’t leave you, Sasuke-kun!’’ She protests, tears streaming down her face feely. ‘’You can’t face him alone! You’ll-!’’
‘’Just go!’’ Sasuke throws his weapons, trapped with explosives, towards the giant snake who’s charging at them for another attack. The snake slithers out of range to avoid the blows, giving him and his teammates a few more seconds to spare. He turns around to face the pink-haired girl. ‘’Do you want to die here?!’’ Sakura gasps and stares, wide-eyed. Sasuke looks equally battered up and his leg is still bleeding from the stab he inflicted himself earlier. ‘’Take Ino and go!’’
Sakura sucks in a sharp breath. The fact is, she’ll only be a burden to Sasuke. He probably has better odds of surviving if he doesn’t to waist energy trying ro protect both her and Ino. She nods through her tears, picks up her friend and rival, and rushes as fast as she can into the forest, away from the fight. Maybe... Maybe she can find other Konoha nins to help?
‘’How noble of you. You truly are the Hokage’s little brother. A shame though that you are so weak in comparison. What a disappointment,’’ the enemy ninja laughs mockingly and sends his snake after him.
Sasuke grits his teeth and pushes through the pain to take off in the opposite direction of his teammates. He jumps from one tree branch to another, narrowly avoiding a poisonous bite as he lures the creature away.
‘’Is this all you can do? Run away?’’ The attacker calls out with a wicked smile. ‘’Don’t tell me… You haven’t awakened your Sharingan yet? Hahaha! What a joke.’’
‘’Shut up!’’ Sasuke growls and lets his emotions get the better of him. He turns around, riled up by the provocation. He means to invoke a Fireball jutsu, but the summoned snake gets to him faster. The young Uchiha only manages to jump away from the attack. He throws his wire to a nearby branch and swings himself out of range of snake’s tail hit.
‘’Urgh,’’ Sasuke grunts in pain as he lands on the ground. His injured leg shakes slightly and he falls to one knee under the weight and pain. He looks over his shoulder and his eyes widen in panic when he sees the large, open maw of the snake, charging towards him to swallow him whole.
‘’Sealing Art: Great Heavenly Gates!’’
Sasuke watches, stupefied, as giant red Torri gates fall from the sky, trapping the snake beneath them. The beast is completely immobilized, just a few feet in front of him. The creature hisses and squirms, but cannot moved from its prison.
‘’Looks like we made it just in time!’’
Sasuke’s wide eyes shift to the source of the bright and cheery voice. Naruto is standing proudly on top of a thick branch, hands still set in the Ram hand sign.
‘’What?!’’ Orochimaru growls under his breath. How can a genin perform such an advanced sealing technique?! Yellow eyes narrow dangerously at the newly arrived pair: two boys; a redhead and a blond. He frowns at the Hitai-ate they are wearing. Uzushio? The undercover Sanin clicks his tongue in annoyance. Now of all times they decided to partake in the exam. This might complicate things, but it’s too late to back out now. He grinds his teeth. No matter; they’re still genins. I’ll just kill them here and now.
‘’Naruto!’’ Sasuke cries out to the young blond. ‘’Get out of here! He’s too strong, you can’t beat him!’’
‘’I’ll be the judge of that, thank you,’’ Naruto huffs with a pout.
‘’I’m not joking! Listen- no, Naruto!’’
The blond grins and takes out three strangely-shaped kunais from his weapon pouch and throws them at the Grass nin. The latter easily avoids them, scuffing in contempt.
‘’Such poor aim you- what?!’’ The blond disappears from the tree branch faster than Orochimaru can blink.
‘’Gotcha!’’
The Sanin in disguise doesn’t even have time to turn around. The blond Uzumaki is already right behind him, swivelling from his position to gain momentum for a powerful kick in the ribs.
‘’Argh!’’ Orochimaru is knocked off from his own perch and falls onto another branch bellow, barely catching his fall, landing shakily on his feet. How?! He looks over his shoulder, wide-eyed, and notices the kunai planted on the tree behind Naruto. The weapon has a seal marked on its handle. Yellow eyes widen in recognition. I see... That must be his son, then... His lips curl up and he laughs with renewed excitement. This fight is becoming a lot more interesting, all of a sudden. I can’t underestimate that genin. I won’t make that mistake twice. He licks his lips with his long, wide tongue, eyes fixated on the blond.
‘’Ew...’’ Naruto cringes in disgust at the sight.
‘’How is he so fast?’’ Sasuke mutters in awe under his breath. He blinks when Naruto’s male companion lands next to him and helps him to his feet.
‘’We met your teammate on our way here. Karin’s with them,’’ Nagato tells him calmly and hooks Sasuke’s arm around his neck for support. ‘’She’s a medic. I’ll take you to her.’’ Sasuke’s eyes widen.
‘’No, we can’t leave Naruto with him!’’ The Uchiha moves Nagato’s arm away and turns towards the fight.
Orochimaru is already charging back at high speed, aiming at Naruto with a punch. The latter teleports to one of the kunais he threw before his enemy can land a hit. When he reaches his destination however, his wrists are caught in an iron grip. Naruto gasps and looks over his shoulder; Orochimaru emerges from the tree, while the other, a clone, disappears in a puff of smoke. Piercing yellow eyes have a glint of glee in them.
‘’No point in being fast if I know where you’re going, boy,’’ the snake chuckles and pulls out his abnormally long tongue to stroke a whiskered cheek.
‘’Get that tongue off me, you creep!’’ Naruto struggles into his opponent’s grip, trying to break free.
The sight makes Sasuke’s blood boil. He reaches into his pouch for a weapon, but Naruto’s teammate acts before he does.
Nagato extends his arms and long chains bring out of his sleeves towards the enemy. Orochimaru grunts in frustration. He can’t let himself be caught by those chains. He pushes Naruto out in front of him, lands a vicious kick into the blond’s back and uses the leverage to propulse himself out of the chain’s range.
‘’Ahk!’’ Naruto cries out in pain and falls off the tree, head-first towards the ground.
Sasuke sprints towards him as fast as he can and jumps off a nearby trunk to gain height and momentum. He catches the blond mid-air and pulls him close with a solid grip around his waist and knees. He lands safely on the ground, ignoring the pain in his injured leg. His heart skips a beat when surprised blue eyes open and blink up at him.
‘’Nice catch. Thanks,’’ Naruto says, expression melting into his usual friendly smile. Sasuke’s throat tightens, as does his grip on him.
‘’You need to get out of here. This guy clearly is no ordinary genin.’’
‘’But-’’
‘’Water Style: Sea Dragon!’’
Nagato’s jutsu plows through the branches in its path, charging straight at Orochimaru. The figure standing there is another a decoy; a clone that takes the damage, allowing the real Orochimaru to sneak behind the young redhead.
‘’Nagato!’’ Naruto cries out and struggles out of Sasuke’s grip to rush to his friend’s help, but it’s already too late. The Hidden Grass shinobi has his victim trapped in what seems to be a genjutsu; the Uzumaki is completely petrified and unable to speak or move. Orochimaru then kicks the unconscious genin out of his way.
Naruto acts quickly and performs a rapid series of hand signs and bites his thumb before slamming his palm on the ground. He summons one of the medium-sized frogs for help. The latter jumps to the other Uzumaki and straddles the boy on its back.
‘’Get him somewhere safe,’’ Naruto instructs his summon.
‘’Aye, boss!’’ The frog salutes his master and hops further into the forest.
Those naive fools... Always putting the safety of others above themselves, Orochimaru grins and doesn’t waste the given opportunity. He swiftly throws a rain of kunais while the blond is distracted.
‘’Watch out!’’ Sasuke panics and sprints in Naruto’s direction. He knows he won’t be able to make it in time to get them both out of the damage area, but can still prevent the blond from getting injured. He flings himself forward and tackles the smaller teen to the ground, shielding the blond beneath him with his body. ‘’Urgh...’’ Sasuke winces, grunting in pain as he feels the blades either grazing him or planting into his flesh.
‘’S-Sasuke!’’ Naruto’s eyes widen in horror. Confusion stacks on top of worry when Sasuke lets out a small sigh of relief as he looks down at him. The Konoha nin puts a warm hand on his cheek.
‘’Thank god...’’
After making sure Naruto isn’t injured, burning rage ignites in the pit of Sasuke’s stomach. He shakily gets up to his feet, dragging a still-shocked Naruto up with him. He then reaches behind himself to pull out the four kunais that found purchase in his back and leg. Though the wounds sting, they are not deep and the absolute fury he feels makes it easy to forget the pain. He turns around to face Orochimaru, pouring all of his murderous intent into his glare.
‘’Oh?’’ Orochimaru chuckles, gleeful. ‘’There they are... Yes, those are fine eyes indeed,’’ the man sneers with renewed excitement.
‘’I’m going to kill you,’’ Sasuke growls through clenched teeth and bolts up towards his enemy. The Uchiha can feel it; the power, the speed, the precision, the acute vision... He’s finally awakened his Sharingan!
He engages the Grass-nin in another round of taijutsu, and the difference with his earlier performance is like night and day. He can see perfectly through all of his enemy’s moves and easily evades each attack. His own offensive techniques are far more efficient too.
Orochimaru is caught off-guard by the sudden and drastic improvement. He gets caught in Sasuke’s wired shuriken technique, which traps and ties him to the tree trunk behind him.
‘’Awesome!’’ Naruto cheers in awe, then breathes out in admiration when the Uchiha blows a massive fireball at his target, engulfing the Grass-nin entirely in scorching flames, even eating through the wood.
I definitely got him this time, Sasuke smirks in triumph, though he is sore and out of breath.
‘’I’ve seen enough.’’ Both Sasuke and Naruto’s eyes widen. They barely see the face coming out of the dark smoke from the fire attack. Orochimaru’s head stretches out from his neck, disgustingly long, like a serpent’s. The man opens his mouth wide and, even with his Sharingan, Sasuke doesn’t have time to move out of place. Orochimaru bites down the Uchiha’s neck, who cries out in pain. ‘’You’ll make a fine spare, hahaha!’’ Orochimaru says mockingly as he pulls away, head disappearing back into the smoke.
Naurto rushes to Sasuke’s aid, who’s fallen to his knees and clutching the bite wound with his hands.
‘’Arrgghh... Urghhh...’’ Sasuke grits his teeth; the pain is unlike anything he’s felt before. It spreads into his entire body and poisons every pulsing vein. Cold sweat trickles down his forehead. The pain is so overwhelming, and when combined with his exhaustion and previous wounds, he can feel his own consciousness slipping out. Though his vision is blurry, he recognizes Naruto landing next to him. He grabs a fistful of Naruto’s clothes and holds onto him for dear life. I have to hold on, Sasuke wills himself to stay awake. He cannot afford to pass out while there is still danger around them and leave Naruto alone against that monster.
‘’Sasuke...’’ Naruto says worriedly. He puts his left hand onto the Konoha-nin’s shoulder to stabilize him, then takes out a three-pointed kunai with his right one, bracing himself for a possible attack. He observes carefully as the smokes dissipates. When it does, there’s no one there. ‘’...Where?’’ Naruto frowns and looks around frantically.
Both teens wait for a tense moment, expecting an attack from anywhere around them... but none comes.
‘’I think he’s gone,’’ Naruto says tentatively.
Sasuke doesn’t have the strength to speak. He grits his teeth and knows if he lets any sound escape his lips, it’s only going to be a cry of pain. But looking everywhere carefully with his Sharingan, he comes to the same conclusion as the blond. He doesn’t feel the strange shinobi’s heavy killing intent nearby either. Whatever the man wanted from them, it seems like he got it.
Sasuke looks up weakly at the blond’s worried face. Now that danger is no longer imminent and that he is assured of Naruto’s safety, he finally allows the iron grip on his consciousness and the blond’s clothes to loosen. The Sharingan vanishes and tired dark eyes close as darkness takes over.
-----------------------
‘’I’ve never seen a curse mark like this.’’
Sasuke frowns and squirms slightly as he gradually wakes up. The girl’s voice is somewhat familiar, but he can’t exactly recall who it is.
‘’This isn’t Uzumaki-style fuuinjutsu, but it’s far too advanced to be the work of a mere genin, especially from Hidden Grass. This makes no sense.’’
Another familiar voice. A boy, this time.
‘’That guy gave me the creeps! We should talk about it to Honoka-sensei when we get back.’’
Sasuke’s heart flutters. Now that voice he definitely recognizes. His eyes flutter open. He’s still in pain, but it’s dull this time, and only seems to come from his neck injury. He doesn’t feel any pain in his back or leg.
‘’Oh, he’s waking up.’’
Sasuke’s blurry vision clears. He blinks several times and finally sees the three pairs of eyes staring down at him; all three Uzumakis.
‘’Sasuke!’’ Naruto’s face brightens up with a smile of relief, which is like a balm to Sasuke’s soul. He tries to sit himself up but is roughly pushed back down by the red-haired girl.
‘’Stay down, you fool. I’m still trying to heal ya!’’
‘’Don’t be so rough with him,’’ Naruto protests with a pout.
‘’Just be grateful I agreed to heal him,’’ Karin huffs as she resumes her jutsu.
Sasuke grunts in annoyance and wants to tell her off, but he doesn’t even have the strength to speak. He sighs in defeat and instead fixates his eyes on Naruto in order to improve his mood. It works wonderfully; his frown melts away and his features relax. He truly is a sight for sore eyes.
‘’There,’’ Karin says after a short moment. ‘’The girls, Nagato, and now him... I’m beat,’’ she sighs tiredly. She sits back and relaxes against a tree and wipes a drop of sweat from her forehead.
‘’Thanks, Karin,’’ Naruto smiles gratefully at her.
‘’Yeah, yeah...’’ Karin dismisses her cousin. ‘’Next time, just don’t get us involved in a mess that has nothing to do with us, why don’t ya.’’
Naruto rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, then perks up when Sasuke tries to sit up again. He helps him do so and puts a hand on the Uchiha’s back.
‘’Thanks,’’ Sasuke manages to say in a raspy voice. He winces in pain and instinctively puts a hand on his neck injury. Seems like the Uzumaki girl hasn’t healed everything.
‘’That creepy guy marked you with a curse,’’ Naruto explains when he sees the confusion on Sasuke’s face. ‘’I think I might be able to remove it, but it’ll require a ritual, and this isn’t the best time or place to do it.’’
‘’A curse mark?’’ Sasuke frowns in confusion. Then, he suddenly recalls his teammates. He looks around and spots the two girls still unconscious on the ground. He can’t see any injury on them and they seemed to be in much better condition than what he last remembers. The remaining bits of brain fog dissipate from his mind and previous conversations finally registers into his brain. He looks at Karin and offers a small but grateful nod.
‘’Thanks,’’ he says simply.
‘’I only did it cause Naruto asked,’’ Karin replies with a pointed brow and crosses her arms over her chest.
‘’Fair enough,’’ Sasuke snorts in reply. He turns his attention to the blond. He means to give him a stern look, but can’t seem to keep it up for long when it comes to Naruto. ‘’You shouldn’t have helped me... but thanks anyway.’’
The blond only gives him a cheeky grin in reply, to which Sasuke rolls his eyes but chuckles fondly.
-------------------------
‘’This is orochimaru’s work,’’ Itachi says solemnly.
‘’Orochimaru?’’ Honoka repeats with a raised brow. ‘’The Legendary Sanin who went rogue?’’ The Hokage nods in confirmation.
It’s the four of them; Itachi, Sasuke, Honoka and Naruto, as well as two Anbu guards, in a private pavilion of the Uchiha compound. The elimination preliminaries were dealt with directly after the Forest of Death. They have two weeks now before the final tournament, which should hopefully give the Hokage some time to investigate and prepare.
This exam is only getting more troublesome as time passes. He clenches his fists in anger. His little brother is sitting on the floor with his shirt off; the Uzumaki team leader just finished studying the curse mark.
‘’He said I’d make a nice spare,’’ Sasuke informs them. ‘’He seems interested in the Sharingan. He might come for you, aniki.’’ This earns a dark grin from the elder Uchiha.
‘’Good. I hope he does. I’ll make him pay for this,’’ Itachi swears, then turns to his two guests. ‘’Can you remove it?’’
Honoka smiles and turns to her student.
‘’This little knucklehead here has apparently been thinking about how to do it. He’s showed me the ritual he wants to use and I approve of it. I think it’ll work.’’ Her blond student smiles back at her proudly.
‘’Show me,’’ Itachi demands. Honoka looks back at him with a stern look.
‘’No,’’ she replies firmly. ‘’We don’t share our secret techniques so easily, Hokage-sama. Not even with our allies.’’
‘’If you’re going to perform a high-level ritual on my little brother, I want to know what it is.’’
‘’With all due respect, we are doing this to help your little brother, sir. If you’d rather we don’t do anything...’’ She trails off, but Naruto grabs her attention by tugging on the sleeve of her hanfu.
‘’Sensei, please...’’
She presses her lips in annoyance as she lets herself be manipulated, again, by that pitiful kicked-puppy look. She lets out a sigh of defeat.
‘’Fine... But I want those Anbu out. And no Sharingan.’’
Itachi smiles and nods in agreement. He sends his guards to stand outside the room. Honoka then gestures for Naruto to demonstrate his design. The four of them gather around a large scroll and calligraphy supply the little blond summons.
Sasuke watches curiously as Naruto begins to write the intricate symbols on the paper. His cheeks warm up slightly. Naruto makes a very pretty picture like this; sitting in seiza, holding his long sleeve with one hand as he paints with the other, expression calm and focused. The movements are swift, confident, and elegant. Clearly the result of years of dedicated practice.
‘’I see,’’ Itachi says, impressed. ‘’Even the characters you use are different... I understand now how you’ve been keeping your art such a well-guarded secret.’’
Sasuke blinks at and actually looks at the design instead of its artist. His brother’s correct. Even though they look somewhat similar to regular Kanji, he cannot even begin to make sense of what’s written. Honoka smirks at the Hokage.
‘’You need not worry, even if you can’t read it. Naruto’s design is unusual, but ingenious and quite safe,’’ she says and points out to the different parts as she explains. ‘’Curse marks are heavy in Yin energy. These characters will heighten Sasuke’s natural Yang energy to fight against the spread of the curse and draw it back to its original point. They’re spread into five branches, anchored in each of the five elements, which makes the purification seal stable and strong. Once the curse is properly isolated, he will release it.’’
‘’Shouldn’t you be the one to perform it?’’ Itachi asks the kunoichi skeptically. The latter smiles and ruffles the blond’s hair.
‘’Naruto is more than capable of performing it. Plus, it’s his design, so he should do it.’’
Itachi nods and keeps his expression neutral. It’s the first time he sees Uzushio’s art so close. If this is what genins from their village can do -unmake a powerful curse from a legendary Sanin that even he cannot release- then he is glad they are on Konoha’s side.
‘’Very well.’’
Naruto proceeds with the preparation of the ritual. He draws the circular design for Sasuke to sit in the middle of and lays out the candles at the end of the five elemental branches. Honoka and Itachi stand at the end of the room and observe quietly as he does. Once Sasuke has taken his place, Naruto finishes painting the design directly on his skin, starting on the back, then finishing on his chest. Sasuke smirks when he sees Naruto’s embarrassed blush.
‘’What are you so flustered about?’’ Sasuke teases. The blond stutters as he pouts.
‘’I-I just haven’t done something like this before, okay?’’ Blue eyes glare up at him, but aren’t particularly menacing combined with that adorable blush. ‘’Don’t talk if it’s just to say something useless. I need to concentrate,’’ the blond mutters as he continues painting.
Sasuke smirks but decides not to tease him further. Instead, he takes advantage of the proximity to inspect the lovely features closely. This angle makes the blond’s long lashes particularly alluring, and the messy strands of hair practically tickle his chin. He’s tempted to bury his nose into them and inhale, but holds himself back. He tightens his hands into fists to ground himself.
Itachi, for his part, raises a curious brow at the rather intimate scene. He’s never seen such a look in his brother’s eyes... Then he recalls Sasuke telling him he had finally awakened his Sharingan during his fight with Orochimaru. Itachi thought it might have been from being under such immense pressure and danger, but could it actually be...?
Foolish little brother... You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, do you? Itachi thinks with a mix of pity and worry.
‘’Alright, I’m done,’’ Naruto smiles as he finishes the last stroke on Sasuke’s ribs. He looks up at the Uchiha and freezes at how closes their faces are. Sasuke’s dark eyes are fixed on him. The intensity of his look suddenly makes him feel self-conscious. He looks away, a little flustered and confused, then pulls back to get up to his feet. I need to focus on the ritual, Naruto shakes his head and brushes the embarrassment away. ‘’This is probably going to hurt pretty bad, so... Sorry,’’ he tells Sasuke sheepishly.
‘’I’ll manage,’’ the other replies simply and offers the blond a small, reassuring smile.
After receiving a nod from both his sensei and the Hokage, Naruto takes a deep breath and performs a long series of hand signs.
‘’Sealing Art: Five Elemental Purification.’’
Naruto places his palm on top of Sasuke’s curse. The markings around it on Sasuke’s skin and on the floor flare up in a bright blue colour, now infused with Naruto’s chakra for activation.
‘’Aarrgh!’’ Sasuke’s entire body tenses. The pain is intense; exactly like the one he felt when he was first cursed by Orochimaru. However, contrary to what happened in the forest, rather than the pain stemming from the mark and then spreading out into his body, he feels the generalized pain drawing back and shrinking into the mark, just like Naruto’s sensei explained. He feels Naruto’s warm and soothing chakra fighting back against the poison-like sensation under his skin. He grits his teeth to hang onto consciousness, cold sweat dripping down his temple.
After what seems like an eternity of agonizing purification, the curse is finally isolated into its original mark. Naruto removes his palm, giving the young Uchiha a short moment to catch his breath... but that is only the first part of the ritual.
Naruto looks down at his left hand and quickly bites onto his right thumb to draw the Uzumaki clan crest in the middle of his palm with blood. He then concentrates a large amount of chakra into it, until a bright blue flame flares up at its centre.
‘’Release!’’
He shouts and packs the flames onto Sasuke’s curse mark. The latter lets out another loud scream, then clenches his jaw close to try and contain the noise. He growls and grits his teeth, trying to maintain some semblance of control. He knows fire, he knows its burn... but this is nothing like it.
Smoke starts to emanate from the mark. As the curse is removed, a single white snake slips from underneath Naruto’s palm and quickly tries to make its escape. Itachi instantly throws a shuriken to stop it and pin it to the floor. It wriggles and uselessly tries to escape. Itachi narrows his eyes and activates his Mangekyou Sharingan. With a single look, he burns it to ashes with his Amaterasu.
The ritual is complete.
Naruto pulls his hand back and holds his breath as he waits for the smoke to clear. Once it does, he sees Sasuke’s skin uninjured and clean of any mark. He lets out a sigh of relief and lets himself fall into a kneeling position, exhausted.
Sasuke is similarly drained. He’s breathing heavily, but the pain is completely gone now. He turns around slowly to face the Uzumaki. His heart flutters again at the tired but proud grin the blond is giving him. He stares, in awe and at loss of what to say. Clearly, those weren’t empty words when Naruto said he planned to become the greatest Sealmaster.
Sasuke is forced to admit; the boy is far more than just a naive idiot with a pretty face.