Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Underneath The Leaves	By : ChaCha92 Category: Naruto AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 4798 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Don't own anything in the Naruto universe. Some dude in Japan does. Make no money on my stories either.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Several minutes after Tsunade dismissed them, Naruto and Kakashi exit the tower to head for home. Both silently remain lost in their thoughts as their footsteps echo sharply through the mostly empty streets. The cold, sharp temperature keeps everyone else indoors.
Shivering slightly, Naruto pulls the collar of her winter cloak tighter, prompting Kakashi to break their mutual reverie.
“You’re being awfully quiet.”
“It’s a lot to take in,” Naruto admits, sighing softly. “It feels like things are at a turning point.”
“How so?”
“Can’t say,” she shrugs, “but everything looks different with Danzo in the picture. Like finding the one, awkward piece that makes it easier to fit the rest of the puzzle together.”
Kakashi nods as they round the corner onto another street.
“Adding him into the equation is posing possible answers that make a lot of sense. It paints a disturbing picture, but seems to be steering us in the right direction.” He pauses in thought for a few beats before continuing “Although, I still think we should continue searching through the rest of the Uchiha documents instead of relying on Sasuke to dig up the answers.”
It’s Naruto’s turn to nod as their building looms into view.
“Definitely. It’s also a good distraction.” Glancing over, she notices Kakashi’s questioning look before rolling her eyes. “The investigation keeps Danzo from wondering too deeply why Sasuke is accepting his help now. It support’s the idea the teme is frustrated with how things are going. Also keeps the old buzzard from catching on that we’re onto him. If we find something good it may force him to make a move and Sasuke will be in place to counter him or dig up more evidence while he’s distracted.”
“True,” Kakashi agrees. “You know, Sasuke may not be able to turn up anything at all.”
“Yeah, but at this point it’s better than nothing,” she states as they begin climbing the stairs. “We’re running out of places to look for the answers.”
Kakashi merely sighs his agreement as silence falls over them once again until they reach their apartment. Once inside he turns to Naruto as she removes her cloak.
“I’m going to make some tea, do you want some?”
Taking only a moment to consider, she nods.
“Yeah, it’ll help me unwind before I go take a nap. I’m still beat from everything. I’m going to go change.”
“Alright,” he agrees before disappearing into the kitchen.
She heads for her bedroom. Once inside she dumps her knapsack into the corner of the room and haphazardly folds her cloak on top. Reaching into a drawer she promptly changes into a worn out, comfortable, black t-shirt she stole from Kakashi and dark orange lounge pants.
Kakashi glances over his shoulder from the kitchen when Naruto emerges from the hallway several minutes later and starts moving about the apartment tending to her many plants.
Before she moved in, he only had one plant, Mr. Ukki. As time went on, Mr. Ukki made new friends and the apartment started looking rather green and lush. He never bought more plants because he was always out on missions. Plus, he doesn’t have the green thumb she has. All the new additions served to make the apartment feel warmer, homier and more like Naruto’s home just as much as his.
However, the transition from being just his home to hers didn’t come easily.
Despite losing everything in the explosion she never once asked him to make any other changes. All he had to do was clean out the spare bedroom. It took a couple of months just to convince her to buy a new futon and dresser instead of sleeping on her travel roll and living out of her knapsack. Her argument was she didn’t plan on staying long to inconvenience him or encroach on his privacy more than she already was.
When she finally stopped acting like a guest instead of a roommate was the day she asked him if she could buy a friend for Mr. Ukki. He offhandedly said he didn’t care as long as she takes care of it. The happiness on her face made him realize she was reclaiming what she lost. She’d never admit it, but it must’ve been devastating losing everything she owned.
It didn’t take long to achieve the tropical paradise they have now. Some of the plants are recent birthday presents. The rest she purchased or made from other plants when she’d repot.
Having everything ready, Kakashi halts his silent musings and picks up the tea tray. Turning to walk out of the kitchen into the dining area, he stops dead in his tracks.
Facing away from him, Naruto bends over a palm in the far corner of the dining room. All her weight is on her right leg while her left slightly extends out behind her, elevated off the floor slightly. The loose material of her pants tightens over her backside, giving him a very nice view of her ass.
He can’t help staring until she straightens up with a grunt. Breaking free of his daze, he carries the tray over to the table and sets it down just as she turns around.
“Did you lose something?” he innocently asks while setting out their cups.
Holding out her hands, she shows a small collection of dead leaves.
“I picked up what fell behind the pot onto the floor.”
Walking into the kitchen, she dumps the debris in the garbage, failing to notice him eyeing her backside as she goes by. Then she washes her hands in the sink before joining him at the table. He’s greatly disappointed her pants loosened again, obscuring the view.
“What’ve you got planned for the rest of the day, Kakashi?” she asks, settling into the seat next to him.
“Reading on the sofa,” he shrugs. “Are you going to find Genma?”
“Nope,” she replies indifferently, sipping her tea. “I’d rather enjoy a quiet evening at home rather than deal with his ass. Especially if he happens to be in a cranky mood.”
The older jounin merely nods as he also sips his tea through his mask. Knowing her relationship with Genma is still on shaky ground he chooses not to press for more details.
“You plan on going out later?” she asks, breaking into his thoughts.
“No, I’d rather stay home.”
“We’ve turned into a couple of old farts,” Naruto quips with a smirk. “Next thing you know, we’ll be drinking prune juice and going to bed at eight.”
Kakashi chuckles and a comfortable silence falls over them as they enjoy their tea.
Minutes later a small toad poofs into the apartment. Appearing on the floor next to Naruto, it hands her a scroll before disappearing again in a cloud of smoke.
“Is it a summons?” Kakashi asks curiously as she opens the scroll.
“No,” she replies absentmindedly. Glancing up to meet his questioning gaze she adds, “Ero-sennin just sent me the latest draft of Icha Icha to edit.”
Dropping her gaze back to the scroll, she fails to notice Kakashi’s excited look.
“Looks like I’ll be editing the rest of the night,” she muses, rolling it back up.
Looking back up, she barely registers the predatory gleam in his eye. Suddenly his hand snaps out to snatch the scroll away and she barely moves it out of reach.
Kakashi lunges for her outstretched hand as she twists away. Standing up, her chair falls over as she scoots away from the table.
The two teammates silently square off. Kakashi positions himself between her and the front door, blocking any escape.
“I’m doing the editing. No one else. You’ll have to be a good boy and wait until it’s published,” Naruto smirks.
Kakashi’s glare intensifies. She’s proud she didn’t show her fear because, damn, the man can be intimidating.
“I just want a peek,” he growls. “You’re being unfair. Besides, who’s going to know?”
“I will,” she growls back. “You’re abusing your position as my roommate, trying to take advantage of the fact I edit for Ero-sennin. The old pervert trusts me not to reveal the plot to anyone, including you. You can wait until it comes out.”
“No,” Kakashi replies curtly before lunging again, tackling her to the floor.
They wrestle before he smiles smugly in triumph at pinning her down. He growls in frustration when she disappears in a puff of smoke. Hearing chuckling behind him, he straightens up on his knees and glances over his shoulder. With her arms crossed, she leans her left shoulder inside the doorway to the hallway, her arms somewhat crossed as her right hand casually flipping the scroll in the air before catching it again.
Slowly he climbs to his feet. Before he fully stands she darts down the hallway to the safety of her room. Even if he dares to trespass there, she can escape out the window.
What she doesn’t count on is something blocking her doorway. Startled, she looks up at Kakashi grinning smugly through his mask. Narrowing her eyes, she doesn’t turn around at the sound of his clone dispersing in the living room.
Every step he takes forward, she steps back. Like a lion stalking its prey.
“You’re not getting a peek,” she growls, refusing to back down.
“I can help edit,” he cheerfully offers as they continue towards the living room.
“As if,” Naruto snorts. “You’ll hog the draft for hours and I won’t get any work done on it.”
“You’re just being mean by not sharing.”
“Someone has to be the responsible adult.”
Kakashi makes another a grab for the scroll. Holding him back with one hand, she extends her arm, twisting her torso away in an effort to keep the scroll out of reach. Taking shameless advantage, he tickles a particularly sensitive spot on her ribs. Unable to withhold her shriek, Naruto instinctively drops her arms close to her body, bringing the scroll back within reach.
Grappling for dominance, both fall into a tangled heap back onto the floor. He continues tickling her with one hand as a distraction while trying to wrest the scroll from her with the other.
Finally, he succeeds, cackling evilly while holding the scroll triumphantly out of her reach. Lunging up, Naruto makes a last ditch effort to snatch it back, yanking on his arm. In a blur of motion, he flips her onto her stomach and sits on her back, deftly pinning her down.
Ignoring her indignant squawks of outrage he grins down at her wriggling form.
“I’d be remiss in my duty as a faithful fan of the Icha Icha series by not perusing this sacred draft and giving an honest assessment of the content,” he declares loftily.
Still struggling to get up, Naruto glares over her shoulder.
“You’d be remiss by not handing the damn thing back! You’ll take so long I won’t get it to Ero-sennin in time to meet his deadline. How faithful will you feel if the book doesn’t get published and the series is cancelled ‘cause we missed the deadline?”
Kakashi frowns in concern.
For all of a minute.
“I read fast.”
Growling, Naruto twists around, lunging upward again and causing Kakashi to lean backwards. Wrapping her hand around the scroll she deftly twists it out of his grip. Using her momentum against him, she shoves the silver-haired jounin onto his back. Quickly scrambling to her feet, she makes a break for it.
Not one to be deterred, Kakashi lunges to grab her waist. Pulling her down again they resume wrestling over the scroll.
Gaining the upper hand, Kakashi pins Naruto to the floor again. Sitting on her hips he pins both her hands above her head with one hand.
“You’re being a dishonorable ass not giving it back!” she snarls.
“All is fair in porn and war,” he declares, smiling smugly through his mask.
“It’s erotica,” Naruto snaps, “And it’s ‘all fair in love and war.’ Not applicable to porn or erotica!”
“Doesn’t matter. I still win,” Kakashi replies cheerfully as he kisses the scroll in his hand.
He halts in his gloating when he feels her tense up underneath him. Glancing down, he notices her terrified expression.
“Are you okay?” he asks, frowning in concern.
Her breathing is shallow, almost gasping as she breaks out in a cold sweat.
“Get off,” she manages in a panicked voice.
Complying, Kakashi immediately shifts off to her side and helps her into a sitting position. Nudging her legs up into a bent position, he maneuvers her into resting her head on her knees.
“Breath slow, Naruto,” he coaches. “Slow and deep.”
Gradually her breathing evens out. After several minutes he relaxes a little.
“Are you okay?” he asks again.
“I’m fine,” Naruto mumbles into her knees. “Sorry ‘bout that.”
“What that was about?”
Raising her head, she manages a weak smile.
“The way you were sitting on me and how you angled your head reminded me of the night Mizuki-traitor attacked me.”
When Kakashi cocks a brow, she sighs heavily. Briefly closing her eyes, Naruto pushes her hair off her face with a shaky hand.
“I’m sorry. It hit me so fast it felt like I was back there again.”
“A flashback,” Kakashi states matter of factly.
Naruto sighs again with a nod then opens her eyes.
“What happened?” he prods. “I know Mizuki tricked you into stealing the Forbidden Scroll and Iruka saved you from being killed by him. What else did the traitor do to cause such a strong reaction?”
Hugging her knees, Naruto looks away.
“After I failed the genin exam the third time, Mizuki-traitor said I could still graduate. My make up test was to steal the scroll then take it to an abandoned shed in the forest and learn as many jutsu as possible. He and Iruka would meet me there when my time was up then I could show what I learned. If I did good, they’d graduate me.”
“I did as he said. When I got to the shed and opened up the scroll I was pissed. The first damn jutsu was the fucking Kage Bunshin,” she growls in annoyance.
Kakashi chuckles at her surly expression, remembering it was because she couldn’t do a regular Bunshin that she failed that last genin exam.
“As usual your stubbornness carried you through to learn a jounin level jutsu when you weren’t even a genin,” he grins.
“Damn straight,” she declares proudly. “I was beat by the time the traitor arrived. Didn’t even notice when he got there until his shadow fell over me. He was still acting all friendly, asking if I learned any jutsu. I said hell yeah and jumped up, ready to show him. That’s when he got a strange look in his eye.” Naruto’s eyes lower with her voice. “Next thing I knew, I was on the ground. He sneered there was one other requirement I had to fulfill then he started yanking down my jacket zipper.”
She pauses to take a slow, deep breath.
“I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but he was starting to scare me. Just as he got my jacket open I snapped back to my senses and kneed him hard in the nuts. I tried making a break for it, but didn’t get far before he tackled me. I tried pushing him off and hitting him, but I was really tired. So I started screaming and yelling.”
Finally meeting Kakashi’s inscrutable gaze she shrugs.
“Next thing I knew the bastard disappeared off me and Iruka was bending over me, asking if I was okay. When I said yeah, he started fighting with the traitor. And it looked like Iruka was going to totally wipe the floor with that asshole, but Mizuki-traitor lucked out and nailed him to the shed with shuriken and kunai. He stopped to gloat and try freaking me out further by blabbing ‘bout the Kyuubi.”
Rolling her eyes, Naruto shakes her head.
“I called him a moron ‘cause that was old news. He got really pissed and tossed a giant shuriken at me. I couldn’t get away fast enough. Iruka knocked me down and took it in the back. Then I got really pissed and created a ton of Kage Bunshins to beat the crap out of the prick.”
Kakashi chuckles at the malicious glint in Naruto’s eyes.
“The traitor learned the hard way not to mess with Iruka while you’re around,” he lightly teases.
“Hell yeah,” she grins. “Iruka saved my ass in more ways than I can even begin to tell, so there’s no way I’m letting anyone hurt him.” Becoming serious, she adds, “When you pinned me to the floor right now, the light hit your hair just right. That’s sort of how Mizuki-traitor looked when he pinned me down and I just freaked. I’m sorry,” she finishes quietly.
Reaching out, Kakashi tucks a red strand behind her ear.
“Don’t apologize. I’m the one who should apologize. I would’ve been more careful if I thought our horsing around would trigger a flashback.”
“But it wasn’t your fault,” Naruto insists. “I was having fun until that happened. If anyone’s to blame, it’s that worthless traitor.” Sighing wearily, she adds, “It was bad timing. I’m sorry if I freaked you out.”
“I said don’t apologize,” he gently admonishes her, pulling her into a hug, which she gladly returns.
After a few minutes he releases her and hands her Jiraiya’s scroll.
“Mizuki took the fun out of it for the moment,” he explains at her baffled expression.
“For the moment?” she asks, quirking a brow.
“Of course,” he grins through his mask. “I’m not giving up on sneaking a peek.”
“In your dreams,” she snorts. Smiling softly she leans in, kissing him on the cheek. “Thank you.” At his questioning look she explains, “For saving my ass again during the mission and for putting up with me.”
Before he can respond, she climbs to her feet. After picking up the overturned chair, she starts cleaning up the tea things.
Kakashi gently grasps her by the shoulders and steers her towards her room.
“I’ll clean up. You need to take a nap; it’s been a stressful week.”
She starts to protest when he unceremoniously shoves her inside her room and firmly shuts the door on her. Staring at the closed door, Naruto debates on being stubborn and raising a ruckus. Instead she looks down at the scroll in her hand. Making a decision, she hides it before settling down in her futon for a nap.
Before drifting off she silently thanks the gods for sticking someone like Kakashi in her life.
Sasuke is the first to admit he’s not much of a people person. Opting to be deliberately anti-social most of the time. It’s simply the way he is and makes no apologies for it. His solitude is simply his time to think and meditate.
Unfortunately, most people don’t seem to get this no matter how taciturn he acts. He really wishes they would catch the hint when he wants to be alone, especially pink haired teammates who have known him for years.
Sighing inwardly, Sasuke appreciates that Sakura is fairly quiet as they leave the tower after giving their reports to Tsunade that morning. He just prefers to be walking home alone to spend the rest of the day thinking.
“Sasuke?” Sakura’s hesitant question prompts him to glance at her sidelong. “Would you like to join me for tea?”
Inwardly sighing again, Sasuke resumes looking forward. She sounds like she did when they were on Team 7, constantly begging for a date.
“No thanks,” he declines succinctly.
Out of his peripheral vision he notices her disappointed look, which she tries to play off.
“Oh. Okay. I just thought it’d be nice to unwind with a nice cup of tea before heading home,” she explains with a forced smile. “It would’ve been great if Naruto and Kakashi could’ve joined us, but it looks like they’ll be with Tsunade-shisou for a while. I’d go find Ritsu, but he’s out on a mission.” Her smile turns shy and sheepish. “I just thought you might like to join me before heading home.”
Sasuke remains inscrutable while inwardly cringing at his mistake. He rejected her invitation out of habit, completely forgetting she’s in a relationship. Attempting to save face, he shrugs nonchalantly.
“I don’t feel like going to a teahouse and wanted to warm up with some tea at home. You’re more than welcome to join me.”
“That sounds much better than a teahouse,” Sakura smiles brightly. “Thanks, Sasuke.”
Sasuke returns her smile with a slight one as they continue together toward his home. Once they’re inside, it doesn’t take them long to settle in the dining room. After a couple awkward starts, Sakura manages to start a genuine conversation.
He’s surprised to discover that having tea with her is quite enjoyable thanks to her quick wit and interesting views. While they talk, he briefly wonders why he hadn’t ever noticed before realizing he never spent any time alone with her since returning to Konoha. Kakashi and Naruto are always around whenever he has any interaction with Sakura. Plus, he’s been focusing his attention on Naruto more than anyone else.
Mentally he acknowledges he’s been avoiding Sakura as much as possible. He remembers all too well her behavior when they were genin teammates. Granted, she became less annoying as time went on, but she was prone to frequent fan girl relapses.
Now he wonders if he might’ve misjudged her. He still doesn’t fully trust her because of her antics in their youth. However, now he can admit she’s matured.
“Isn’t it great our team is back together again, Sasuke?” Sakura asks breaking his reverie. “It’s like we have a second chance to do things right this time.”
Nodding, he sips his tea before replying.
“We’ve all grown and changed.”
“Especially Naruto,” she points out. Pausing, she reaches for a rice cracker and takes a bite before continuing. “I never imagined how much that lovable goof would change. And not just becoming stronger, either. Yet, as much as she’s matured, she’s still the same.”
At Sasuke’s confused look, Sakura smiles fondly.
“Despite everything, Naruto hasn’t grown bitter or jaded.” Sighing softly, she admits, “I envy Naruto for that. It’s partly why I distanced myself from Kakashi and Naruto. I let the bitterness at my own weakness drive me away from those who mattered most. Naruto always believed we’d get you back and I felt like a failure for giving up like that.”
Sasuke lets the silence stretch out for a few moments.
“It was my decision to leave,” he reminds her.
“Yeah,” she nods. “But if we’d truly been teammates I should’ve been able to convince you to stay. I could’ve helped you find another path to achieve your goal. That’s what teammates and friends are supposed to do.” Sakura sighs heavily. “It took a long time to accept my failure and focus on improving. I couldn’t face Kakashi and Naruto as equals until I did that. Naruto never gave up, so how could I give up so easily?”
“No matter how badly someone shakes Naruto’s beliefs, she still grows in knowledge and strength,” Sasuke muses quietly, surprising himself just as much as Sakura.
“Especially when you’re the one shaking those beliefs to the core.” When Sasuke visibly bristles she challenges, “You can’t deny it, Sasuke. And I’m not condemning you. I don’t agree with your choices, but I understand it’s what you had to do. However, you challenged Naruto’s belief system. Instead of caving, she used it as her driving force to improve because, and you should be honest about this, if she couldn’t meet you on the same level, blow for blow, you wouldn’t have listened to her.”
The silence stretches out until Sasuke grudgingly nods in agreement.
“It doesn’t hurt that Naruto turned into such a knockout,” she smirks before giggling at Sasuke’s gobsmacked expression. “C’mon, Sasuke. Did you really think no one noticed how you’ve been looking at her? She’s no longer your annoying tomboy rival.”
Grunting in annoyance, Sasuke scowls off in another direction causing Sakura to laugh uproariously. When he glares back, she grins.
“I’m your teammate and been around long enough to know exactly what you’re thinking.” Her grin shifts to a rueful smirk. “Well, it’s mostly been misses than hits, but your feelings for Naruto are pretty obvious.” She leans across the table and gently clasps his hand. “It’s okay. I’m not going to torture you about it.” Her grin turns wicked as she mischievously adds, “Much.” Ignoring is deepening scowl, she gives his hand a reassuring squeeze before releasing it. “You really should let her know how you feel.”
“It’s pointless because she’s dating Genma,” Sasuke sullenly admits.
“So?” At Sasuke’s confused look she rolls her eyes. “In case you’ve been too busy brooding to notice, Naruto and Genma’s relationship isn’t exactly rock solid. I don’t mean to be skeptical, but they’re not going to be together for much longer. Just come right out and tell her because one thing that absolutely hasn’t changed about the baka is she still doesn’t know the meaning of subtlety.”
Sakura is surprised when Sasuke busts out laughing. She honestly thought he was incapable of laughing.
Sobering he admits, “She probably won’t be interested in dating me after everything I’ve done.”
He’s stunned when Sakura reaches out and smacks him across the head.
“You’re being more of a baka than Naruto ever was!” she yells. Calming down a little, she points out, “You won’t know until you ask. Another thing that hasn’t changed is her honesty. Besides, it’s better to know than wonder, right? It’s also not like she’s got another guy waiting in the wings either, so you don’t have to worry about competition.”
At Sasuke’s arched brow Sakura rolls her eyes again and blows out a frustrated breath.
“C’mon! Besides Genma, Naruto has only dated Choji and Neji.”
“I know that,” Sasuke glares before reluctantly admitting, “I thought there’d be guys lining up to date Naruto.”
“Good point,” Sakura acquiesces with a nod. “But Naruto being the Jinchuriki really puts a damper on her dating scene.” Holding up a hand, she counts off on her fingers. “Most guys are either loathe to date the demon vessel or are wary of her. Then she’s suspicious of any guy expressing interest because most either just want bragging rights on bedding her and surviving or they want to try and kill her.”
At Sasuke’s shocked look Sakura sighs in exasperation, feeling all this should be obvious.
“Okay, there was only one guy who tried to kill her, but needless to say she became wary afterward.”
“I hope the bastard was caught and punished,” Sasuke growls.
“Oh, he probably was more than happy to end up in custody once Naruto was done with him,” Sakura smirks.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Sasuke’s curiosity gets the better of him.
“How did Naruto end up dating Choji and Neji?”
Sipping her tea, Sakura sets down her cup.
“Naruto was hanging around Choji and Shikamaru when Choji complained about Ino ragging on him to go on a diet. She said he’d never get a girlfriend unless he was thinner. Naruto being her usual self said she didn’t care if he was thin or not, so she’d be his girlfriend.”
“Just like that they started dating?” Sasuke asks, incredulous.
“Are you really surprised?”
“No, but Choji’s priority has always been food, not dating.”
“Apparently, not as much as everyone thought,” Sakura shrugs. “Choji was Naruto’s first boyfriend and she was his first girlfriend. Although they shared some interests, like eating, they still didn’t have enough in common to keep the relationship going. It was more a learning experience for them. Neji, on the other hand, was a big shock.”
“I bet,” Sasuke comments. “He was just as bad as I was toward girls.”
“That’s the truth,” Sakura grins. “No one ever thought he’d ask Naruto of all people out. We all thought he’d think it beneath him to date the girl who kicked his ass in the chuunin exams.”
“She must’ve made more of an impression on him than anyone thought,” Sasuke smirks.
“She must’ve,” Sakura nods. “Naruto was a good influence on Neji, getting him loosen up a little, but it wasn’t enough. He was still way too stiff to keep up with her carefree way. Didn’t help that most of those stuck up Hyugas of the main family already disliked Hinata being friends with her. Naturally, they didn’t approve of their relationship, so Neji and Naruto decided it wasn’t worth the grief and broke up.”
“How do you know all this if you distanced yourself from Naruto?” Sasuke asks, eyeing Sakura shrewdly.
“Ino,” she replies easily. “Naruto did tell me more details when we became friends again.” When Sasuke nods in understanding, she continues. “Genma is Naruto’s most complicated relationship to date. They hadn’t interacted much since he proctored her match against Neji in the Chuunin Exams. Then they happened to be at the Zodiac at the same time one night. Naruto was there with the rest of the rookies and went to the bar to order more drinks.”
Sakura pauses as Sasuke pours more tea into her cup. Nodding her thanks, she takes a sip before continuing.
“Anyway, Shigure teased Naruto because she said, ‘We’d like another round.’ Being his typical smartass self, he asked, ‘What’s with the ‘we’? Do you have a mouse in your pocket? Not one to be outdone, Naruto shot back, ‘You’re just jealous because mine is bigger than yours.’ That got everyone within earshot laughing. She was standing next to Genma when all this happened. He liked her attitude and started flirting with her and soon they started dating.”
Pausing again, she takes another sip before adding, “Yet for all the drama he’s put her through they haven’t slept together.”
At Sasuke’s quirked brow, Sakura shrugs.
“Naruto won’t admit it. She says she doesn’t kiss and tell, but we all know she’s still a virgin.”
Picking a bad time to sip his tea, Sasuke begins choking at that statement. She ignores him since he’s already recovering and wiping off the spray.
“It’s probably a good thing considering all the trouble she has with Genma,” she reasons. “Besides, Naruto’s rather clueless about those things.” At Sasuke’s incredulous look, she rolls her eyes again. “Contrary to popular belief, Jiraiya-sama did not educate Naruto that way. Tsunade-shisou would’ve killed him. I figured it out when Naruto and I were hanging out with Ino and Tenten not too long ago. We started talking about our sexual experiences and Naruto turned so red I think she may have ended up scarred for life.” Briefly pausing in thought, she adds, “Though, that may have been more from Ino sharing far too much information about her escapades with Gai, than anything Tenten and I shared.”
Sasuke pales.
“That would scar anybody.”
Sakura grimaces and nods in agreement.
“Anyway, I doubt Naruto would turn you down.” She sighs wearily at Sasuke’s stunned look. “C’mon, Sasuke. You two have known each other for years. You’ve seen each other at your best and worst. Despite everything, you two still have a strong bond and a deeply rooted friendship. You can’t ask for a better foundation to build a relationship.”
Falling silent, Sasuke contemplates her words. Deciding she’s tortured Sasuke enough, Sakura glances out a nearby window.
“I should probably be heading home.”
Rising to his feet to help her up, Sasuke escorts her to the front door.
“Thanks for joining me for tea, Sakura.”
Smiling fondly, she leans in and kisses him on the cheek.
“Thanks for inviting me in.”
He frowns when her smile drops as she sighs.
“What’s wrong?”
Startled, she blinks at him before smiling sheepishly.
“Sorry. I’m still feeling wound up from the mission. I thought I’d relax after having some tea, but it really didn’t help. I don’t really want to go work it off at the training ground, but since I don’t have access to my usual outlet I’m going to have to.”
“What’s your usual outlet?” Sasuke asks out of curiosity.
Blushing furiously Sakura quietly replies, “Ritsu.”
It takes a moment to realize what she meant before he starts blushing himself.
“Sorry!” she apologizes quickly, waving her hands in the air. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you! It’s just…” She trails off before sheepishly admitting with a shrug, “Having sex is a great tension reliever after a hard mission than tearing up the training grounds. I don’t end up so exhausted. It’s the better option since I’ve got a shift at the hospital in the morning.” Still flushed, she bows, adding, “I’m sorry for over sharing like that. Thanks again for the tea, Sasuke.”
Sasuke eyes her for a moment. He can’t deny this particular topic is awkward, especially since it’s with his former, number one, fan girl. However, Sakura’s recounting of Naruto’s dating history and her suggestion he actually has a chance with the dobe aroused him.
“Um,” he begins awkwardly. “I’m not too embarrassed. I’m not new to the idea of releasing mission stress with sex. I’m still feeling anxious with nervous energy from the mission as well,” he reluctantly admits.
He doesn’t mention he’s been plagued with the memories of lying next to Naruto in the cave and all the fantasies born of such close proximity.
“I used Karin a couple of times, but stopped when she started becoming clingy,” he explains. “I resorted to strenuous workouts afterward.”
Contemplating Sakura as she considers his words, he wonders if he’d have the same problem since she’s a former fan girl. However, unlike Karin, she’s in a serious relationship.
“Sakura,” he breaks into her reverie. “Is it possible for us to be friends with benefits?” At Sakura’s puzzled look he sighs. “You obviously care for Ritsu a great deal and are committed to your relationship. However, you need some release just like I do.” When her eyes widen slightly he quickly adds, “It’s not something we’d have to do more than this once. We can both walk away without feeling guilty. We’re both adults needing a simple stress reliever.”
She mulls it over before asking, “No strings attached?”
Sasuke nods, repeating, “No strings attached.”
“Isn’t it ironic?” she smirks. “I would’ve killed for the opportunity to have you when we were younger. Now that we’re older and I’m no longer chasing after you, we’re actually going to do the deed.”
Flinching as if slapped, Sasuke begins to apologize.
“I’m sorry, Sakura, I didn’t mean…”
“Don’t,” she cuts him off, holding up a hand. “We both need this and can walk away without regrets. We’re using each other for the same ends, so there’s nothing to apologize for. I just find it ironic how things have come full circle.”
Sasuke smirks before turning and leading her to his bedroom. They barely step through the doorway when he grabs her by the shoulders and pins her to the wall, sealing his mouth over hers. Returning the kiss with equal ferocity, Sakura buries her fingers into his wild hair. He presses his body flush against her, pushing her flat against the wall.
Battle scarred hands aggressively exploring her body. Soft mewling resonates deep in her throat each time he roughly massages her breasts through her clothes. Unable to stand it, Sakura clutches his hair and pulls his head back. Desperate green eyes bore into confused black.
“Can’t wait,” she gasps. “Hard fuck. Take our time afterward.”
“You sure?” Sasuke frowns.
“Yeah,” she nods, swallowing hard. “Please.”
Nodding, he leans in for another lusty kiss. His hands drop down to loosen his pants while she pushes down her net shorts from under her skirt. When he’s free, he breaks off the kiss to reach for the shorts midway down her thighs to pull them all the way to the floor so she can step clear.
Without wasting time, he reaches under her thigh to lift her up. Her legs automatically wrap around him. Clutching him with her left hand, she reaches down for his cock, giving a firm tug that earns her a pleasured grunt.
“I need it rough,” she gasps as she guides him into her.
The moment his tip penetrates her entrance, he moves her hand out of the way to slam hard into her, causing her to arch her back and her head to slam into the wall.
“Yes!” she cries while his mouth latches onto her neck. “Hard!”
Sasuke slams into her, letting his need take over. Idly he notes he’s enjoying driving into Sakura. Karin never liked it rough and preferred more foreplay without any kink. He eventually realized that’s why she became so clingy. She viewed their fucks as making love when he didn’t. To her dismay he stopped using her altogether and resorted to using any available and willing female in Sound. Probably because of her insane strength Sakura can handle him being rough and he suspects she probably wouldn’t have any problem with indulging in any kinkiness.
With her leveraged against the wall and her legs firmly clamped around him, Sasuke reaches with both hands to roughly loosen her top, exposing her bra. Tugging down on the cups, he exposes her breasts. With her fingers buried in his hair she tugs hard and cries out when his mouth latches onto her left breast while he roughly molests the other.
Sakura reaches down between their bodies. When she grasps his balls, he cries out against her breast then resumes his pleasurable attack while she caresses and massages him. Deciding to return the favor, he stops molesting her breast to reach down and dig between them for her clit, causing her to arch again with a shriek when he roughly tugs.
“Ah, ah, I think I’m gonna…” Sakura rasps before crying out in pleasure.
Sasuke’s only response is to continue slamming hard a few more times until he gasps his climax. Slowing down he thrusts into her before coming to a complete stop. When he regains his senses he gazes into her eyes.
“That was pretty good,” she smirks. “I’m game for more.”
“Only ‘pretty good’?” he arches a brow.
“Do you honestly think that’s enough after the mission we just had, are you?” she arches a brow in challenge.
“Not really,” he admits with a smirk. “I guess we need to work it out some more then,” he suggests with a leer.
“Fine by me,” she grins, dropping her legs as he pulls out.
Taking her hand, he pulls her over to the bed, wondering if he could get away with discreetly using Sakura while he works on wooing Naruto.
The late afternoon sun filters through the windows, casting warm hues and soft shadows throughout the apartment. Kakashi is stretched across the sofa reading when he hears Naruto emerge from her room to head into the bathroom.
Her panic attack dominates his thoughts for most of the afternoon. He finds her version of Mizuki’s attack rather insightful because there’s a lot more to the story than she shared. She doesn’t remember, but he was there for most of it.
The incident occurred during his last days as an active ANBU and he was part of the squad searching for her. If he didn’t know better, he would’ve thought everything happened in one night when it was over two nights.
Naruto’s version certainly highlights a lot. As much as she cares for her precious people, she still hides a lot from them, deluding them into believing she’s content and happy. Granted, he knew from the beginning she hid behind a cheerful façade, but thought it only masked the superficial pain and hurt. He was certain she accepted and moved on from her past, glossing over the new hurts to keep from getting dragged down by them. He believed all this until she moved in with him and he started seeing the truth with startling clarity.
Obviously there’s a lot regarding the Mizuki incident he isn’t aware of. Naruto certainly won’t share more than she already has and will stubbornly refuse to reveal more than necessary either because she doesn’t want to face it or doesn’t know how to deal with it. So out of habit she’ll shove it aside in an effort to function.
Appearing from the hallway, Naruto acts like nothing has happened. Peering over his book he watches her briefly disappear into the kitchen for a glass of water. Feigning inattentiveness when she returns he tracks her as she moves to the bookcase out of his line of sight. The way he’s sprawled across the sofa puts it right behind his head.
He listens to her poking around before several sheets of paper block his book to dance in his line of sight. His dark grey eye widens when he realizes they’re Jiraiya’s Icha Icha manuscript.
The sheets disappear when he reaches for them. He grunts when a heavy weight suddenly lands on his chest. Startled, he gapes into laughing blue eyes as Naruto effectively pins him to the sofa with her body, completely unaware of the precariousness of the situation. However, he’s more than aware.
“I have a proposition for you,” she declares, prompting an arched silver brow. “Ero-sennin never gives me enough time to edit. Too much time spent on research,” she snorts, rolling her eyes. “This time he procrastinated more than usual and I have to really hustle to get it back in time. I should’ve read his message better before taking a nap ‘cause I have to send it back before tomorrow night. So, here’s the deal.”
Shifting she rests her chin on her fist, making the situation even more uncomfortable for Kakashi as her body presses further into his.
“You can read the manuscript, but only if you help me edit. I’ll read through first and give you the pages once I’m done. You’ve just got to catch whatever I miss. I usually read through it a few times to catch all the goofs, but there isn’t enough time. If we’re lucky I might get to read through it a second time once you finish your part. But,” she pauses to raise the index finger of her other hand to emphasize her point. “If you’re going to help, you have to do a good job or the deal’s off.”
Kakashi mulls it over for a few moments.
“I thought Jiraiya didn’t want anyone else seeing the manuscript.”
“Who’s gonna tell?” she asks, arching a brow.
“Some might attempt to use that for blackmail.”
A sweet smile spreading across her lips belie the malicious glint in her eyes.
“If someone snitches me out to Ero-sennin, he won’t have me edit anymore. Not that I’d mind,” she shrugs. “The books are so boring to begin with. But that means there won’t be more chances to read the latest Icha Icha before it’s published.”
Kakashi stares in abject horror.
“I’ll help.”
“Good,” she chirps, playfully flicking his nose before getting off to stand next to the sofa and handing him the papers. “I’ve already gone through the first chapter. You can go over it while I make dinner. Take your time ‘cause I still have to go over the next chapter.”
After a moment’s consideration, Kakashi makes a counter offer.
“I’ll help with dinner so we can maintain an even pace editing and I won’t get so far ahead of you.”
“Sounds good,” Naruto nods in approval before heading into the kitchen.
After a quick, simple dinner both settle down in the living room and start editing Jiraiya’s draft in earnest.
Originally, Naruto starts out on one end of the sofa while Kakashi stretches out on the other. When he tries propping his feet onto her lap, She shoves them off in annoyance only to have him repeat the attempt. She then tries tickling him before resorting to trying to sit on his feet. It degenerates into a pseudo-wrestling match between her and his feet in which he comes out the winner when he shoves her to the floor.
Annoyed, Naruto concedes defeat rather than waste anymore time fighting with him. So while he claims the entire sofa, she claims the kotatsu, finding it much easier to work off it.
A couple of hours later Naruto notes how much progress they’ve made.
“Maybe we should start waving early Icha Icha drafts in your face, Kakashi, ‘cause then you won’t be so lazy and might be on time,” she quips.
She laughs at his glare, earning a forceful nudge in the head from his foot.
“Less talk, more work,” he huffs.
“I am working. Look how far ahead we are,” she grins, gesturing at the stack on the table where she’s been laying the finished chapters until he can take his turn.
“I’m surprised you managed to get so far ahead of me,” he comments.
“Not hard,” she snorts, rolling her eyes. “There isn’t a lot of variation when it comes to Ero-sennin’s writing style. The stories change, but his basic style and format is pretty standard. He also repeats the same mistakes, so those are easy to spot,” she explains, looking back down at the page in her hands.
“What takes longer are the improvements and suggestions I make.” Shaking her head she places the sheet she finished reading face down onto the pile and picks up the next one. “Ero-sennin brags his books are extraordinary, but sometimes his sex scenes are pretty dull, so I have to liven them up.”
Kakashi blinks at her in surprise.
“Good point. Now that you mention it, some of the sex scenes I’ve read so far are mediocre.”
Naruto nods.
“Right now I’m just going through the grammar and spelling. After you’re done, I’ll redo the boring parts.”
Both continue working in companionable silence for a couple more hours until a heavy weight falls against the side of Kakashi’s stomach. Glancing down, he sees Naruto is fast asleep. Sometime earlier she adjusted herself to lean against the sofa and rest her elbow on the cushions so she could prop her head on her hand while reading. Her head slid down onto her bicep and rolled against his torso while the pages she was reading rest in lax fingers on her lap.
Smiling in amusement he considers waking her. She wanted to progress as much as possible on Jiraiya’s draft tonight. Instead, he decides to let her be. Whether she admits it or not, she’s still recuperating and needs the rest.
Several minutes pass before Naruto starts mumbling incoherently. At first he ignores it, but starts paying more attention when it sounds urgent and desperate. He watches her brow furrow as her head starts rolling back and forth against her bicep.
Kakashi begins to worry when she mutters repeatedly, “Stop it!” and “Let go!”
Knowing it’s normally not a good idea to wake any shinobi from a nightmare, he chances it since Naruto’s is growing progressively worse.
Readying himself, Kakashi sits up and gently shakes her shoulder while firmly calling, “Naruto.”
Without warning her head shoots up. Her eyes are wild and disoriented as she frantically looks around. Blinking repeatedly in confusion, her breathing and heart rate slows as she relaxes upon recognizing her surroundings and runs a shaky hand through her hair.
“Are you okay?”
Taking a slow, deep breath she smiles.
“Yeah. It’s just a nightmare.”
“Sounded too vivid for a nightmare, Naruto,” he points out. “It seemed more like you were reliving a bad memory.”
“Nah, just a nightmare caused by Ero-sennin’s bad writing,” she plays off with a shaky laugh.
Reaching down, Kakashi clasps her wrist and lifts it into view between them.
“If it’s just a simple nightmare, then why are you shaking so badly?”
Staring at her shaking hand for a moment, Naruto swallows thickly and looks away guiltily.
“It’s nothing,” she mumbles. “Just something stupid I’ve gotten over.”
Kakashi startles her when he slides down onto the floor next to her. Clasping her face in his hands, he forces her to look at him.
“Don’t shut down. It’s not stupid if it affects you this much. Don’t become like me. You need to let it out to move on or risk getting stuck in the past.”
Stunned, Naruto stares until he pulls her into a tight hug. He holds her for several minutes while she struggles to control her breathing.
When she finally pulls back, Kakashi keeps one arm draped around her shoulders, holding her close while his other hand clasps hers in her lap.
“It’s bad enough I lived it,” she begins quietly, unable to meet his gaze. “But I don’t want to remember. Talking about it makes me remember.”
Kakashi releases her hand to reach up and gently grasp her chin to force her to look at him.
“It’s obvious other things are causing you to remember, isn’t it?” he asks, gazing intensely into her eyes. Reluctantly she nods. Breaking the silence again, he adds, “You were reliving the Mizuki incident.”
Naruto gapes at him before nodding.
“There was more that happened than what I told you,” she admits hesitantly.
Seeing the look in his eye, she takes a deep breath and picks up from when Mizuki found her.
"When the traitor pinned me down, he pulled down my pants and underwear and lifted my shirt to touch me. I tried keeping his filthy hands off me, but the asshole was really hurting me. When I yelled and screamed, he clamped his hand over my mouth and nose. I couldn’t breathe. Said he wouldn’t dream of defiling himself with demon filth. Then he beat me until I blacked out.”
Naruto’s gaze dropped when she started speaking. Raising her eyes to look at Kakashi’s impassive face, she continues.
“When I woke up, I was tied up. He said I should get used to it. I demanded to know what the fuck he was talking about. He just laughed and called me stupid, saying he could kill me, but that it only gives him bragging rights. If he’s going to profit from the Forbidden Scroll, then he might as well profit from me, making sadistic pedophile very happy when I’m sold on the black market. I started struggling even more and he just threw me to the ground.”
Pausing, Naruto takes a deep, shaky breath.
“The next time I woke up, I was in a small, dark, stinky room. It smelled like livestock, so I was probably in a barn or something. There were three other girls there. My clothes were gone and I was wearing a sack dress. It wasn’t long until we were dragged out before a crowd of people. They forced us to stand on a crate to see if anyone would buy us. No one bought the other girls and their throats were cut. When it was my turn, one loser stepped forward and offered 50 million ryo.”
A wry smile crosses her lips.
“Who would’ve thought I’d be worth that much. Even now, the bounty on my head is only at 20 million ryo.”
Noticing Kakashi’s frown and continued silence, she sighs heavily as her gaze drops again.
“Mizuki-traitor demanded his cut of the sale and as they argued all hell broke loose. Next thing I know, a couple of ANBU start fighting with the guards and everyone else is running for the exits. Iruka came out of nowhere and grabbed my arm, fighting off a couple more thugs. Mizuki-traitor grabbed me again and took off. He eventually stopped and pinned me down by sitting on my hips, holding both my hands down above my head with one hand. He said he’d make me suffer and pressed a kunai between my legs. I didn’t want to find out exactly what he’d do, so I struggled, slicing my thighs up pretty good.”
She takes another, deep, slow breath before continuing.
“Iruka showed up and knocked the traitor off of me. After checking my wounds he pointed where I should run to meet up with the ANBU squad. I tried to escaping like Iruka wanted, but Mizuki noticed and threw several kunai at me. Iruka knocked me out of the way and got nailed. Mizuki-traitor then blabbed about the fox being sealed inside me.” Naruto smirks, adding, “Needless to say, he was really pissed when it didn’t have the expected impact ‘cause I already knew. That’s when he threw the giant shuriken at me, but I couldn’t get my body moving and Iruka knocked me down taking it in the back.”
Naruto runs a shaky hand through her hair.
“Seeing Iruka injured made me snap. I don’t even remember creating all those Kage Bunshins, but I remember the desire to kill. Ironically, the traitor was the one to break me out of the killing haze, rambling he’d die with honor ‘cause he showed everyone what a monster I am.”
Pausing, she sighs wearily.
“Although he deserved to die, that stopped me. If I killed him, I’d be exactly what he was saying, a monster. As often as people called me that, I’m not. I’d just beat up his ass, so I didn’t have to kill him, but he kept daring me. So I settled for kicking him hard in the nuts, causing him to pass out. I checked on Iruka. He was alive, but unconscious. After that, I don’t remember much, not even returning to the village.”
Throughout Naruto’s story, Kakashi holds her, remaining silent and patiently waiting for her to speak when she’s ready.
“Iruka always said Mizuki-traitor changed me,” she states quietly. “And he’s right.”
Kakashi pulls back a little to look at her incredulously.
Closing her eyes, she shrugs in his embrace.
“To keep everyone from worrying, well, actually to keep just the Third and Iruka from worrying. They were the only ones who cared about me at the time. Anyway, I went back to being as loud and obnoxious as before. The difference was before I wanted people to acknowledge me. After Mizuki-traitor I didn’t like anyone noticing me. But if I didn’t continue like that, Iruka and the old man would think something was wrong. I just became more cautious. It was easier to play up being naive because no one expects much from an idiot. That worked to my advantage, as no one knew what I’d do next. Made me realize the benefit of living down to other people’s expectations.”
“That was probably the one good thing to come out of the whole incident. Your unpredictability makes you a formidable shinobi,” Kakashi states, speaking for the first time since she started her story.
“I almost didn’t become a ninja because of it,” she admits, shocking Kakashi. Reluctantly she adds, “Even though Iruka passed me, I refused the headband. Mizuki-traitor proved what an idiot I was to think of becoming a shinobi, much less Hokage.” “Honestly,” she shrugs. “No one wanted to see me graduate. I wasn’t the smartest, or the strongest, or the most talented student. Even if I hadn’t failed the exam, Mizuki-traitor proved I couldn’t trust anyone. He was my sensei, someone I was told to trust and respect and, if I had passed originally, he would’ve been a comrade. Yet he betrayed me without batting an eye. If everyone hated me as much as he did because of the fox, how could I trust anyone? And you have to trust your comrades out in the field or you’re just digging your own grave.”
With a reluctant sigh, Kakashi nods.
“You’re right, you have to trust and rely on your comrades. Did you still have those feelings when I tested Team 7?
“Pretty much,” she readily admits. “It was hard trusting anyone, even people I’ve known for years. Who else hated me behind a smiling face? The old man insisted I get therapy, but I just told the shrinks what they wanted to hear or annoy the hell out of them to distract them from making me talk about Mizuki.” A fond smile spreads across her face. “I never could fool Iruka. He kept after me until I admitted I didn’t want to be a shinobi anymore.”
“Then the big jerk refused to let me give up so easily. He refused to understand giving up wasn’t easy, just logical,” she explains with a heavy sigh. “When it came to your test I had really hoped you’d fail us.”
Fixing her gaze on Kakashi, she watches the shock spread across his face.
“I wanted to go back to the academy and then drop out. I know, I didn’t get the point of the test was teamwork, but I was relieved at how hard you made it. The better the chance we’d fail. That’s why I was such a retard during the whole thing, challenging you to fight and trying to steal the bento boxes. I figured sooner or later I’d succeed in pissing you off,” she smirks.
“There was no way in hell I’d grab a bell and wasn’t bothering to try, but I had to keep up appearances or the old man would find a way to make me a shinobi. The old coot was devious and could make anyone do something they didn’t want to.”
Kakashi couldn’t resist grinning, not denying her claim.
“I was so relieved when the timer went off and none of us got a bell. Although, I wasn’t happy about being tied to the post. Reminded me a little too much of Mizuki,” she glares at Kakashi in irritation.
“I didn’t know,” Kakashi replies.
“I know,” Naruto grudgingly admits, her gaze drifting to the side.
“You seemed ecstatic when I passed the team,” Kakashi points out. “Were you really upset instead?”
“Nah,” Naruto shrugs. “By then I was mostly happy to pass. Even though I really wanted to fail, there was still an annoying part of me that didn’t want to give up.” At Kakashi’s knowing smirk, she rolls her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. My nindo and all that shit. But, at that point it wasn’t my driving force. I really wanted to quit so maybe I could fade into the background. The village would forget about me and maybe I could live a normal life without anyone trying to kill me anymore.”
A soft smile graces her lips.
“You were the one who really changed my mind y’know.” At Kakashi’s confused look, she points out, “When you said those who don’t support their comrades and abandon them are lower than trash. Then Sasuke offered me part of his bento, which prompted Sakura to actually give me a bite of hers. For a moment, you guys showed me that not everyone was like Mizuki. I thought becoming a ninja might still be worth a shot.”
“Do you think you made the right choice?” Kakashi asks.
Without hesitation Naruto nods.
“I won’t deny it’s been tough at times, especially when Sasuke took off to Orochimaru, but it’s been worth it. Even with the old prunes on the council giving me a hard time lately I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
“What about becoming Hokage?”
Naruto falls silent for several moments.
“I’m not sure about that anymore,” she reluctantly admits. “It’s hard chasing that dream when there are some pretty influential people working just as hard to keep me from it. I’m tired of fighting for it. I don’t want to disappoint anyone and I don’t want to break my nindo, but it’s exhausting.”
Kakashi tightens his hold on her.
“As long as you’re still willing to fight for it, I’ll be there to help, as will everyone else who believes in you.”
“Thanks, Kakashi,” Naruto smiles warmly. “That’s why I haven’t given up.” Glancing over at the pages on the kotatsu, she sighs tiredly. “We need to get back to work.”
Eyeing her critically, Kakashi points out, “It might be better if you get some rest tonight. You look exhausted. We can get back to this tomorrow morning. Unless you’ve got some more deep, darks secret to share.”
“Not any I’d ever willingly share,” she firmly states, causing him to arch a brow. Before he can respond, she shakes her head. “I’d rather continue working on Ero-sennin’s manuscript.”
“We’ve made excellent progress. There’s no need to rush,” he tries reasoning again.
Naruto gazes intensely into his eyes.
“I don’t want to deal with that memory any more tonight. It woke me from my nap. If you want to turn in, fine, but I’m not.”
Seeing the determined set to her eyes, Kakashi sighs and nods. Short of hitting her with another sleep jutsu, which she wouldn’t appreciate, there’s no changing her mind. Squeezing her shoulder, he climbs to his feet.
“I’m making some tea. Would you like some?”
“Sure,” she readily accepts with a smile. “I’ll keep working in the meantime.”
It’s well after midnight when Naruto drifts off again. She was leaning against the sofa again when her head lolls off her arm against his side.
She’s already three-quarters of the way through the manuscript and far ahead of Kakashi. Not that he’s a slow reader. He could’ve easily kept up if he wanted to. Instead, he focused on keeping a close eye on her, making sure she’s okay both emotionally and physically.
Watching her sleep he debates on carrying her into her room and settling her in her own futon for the night, but ultimately decided against it. He wants to be close by in case she has another nightmare about Mizuki.
Sitting up, he gently eases Naruto down and stretches her out across the sitting pillows she spread out across the floor earlier. He considers lifting her onto the sofa, but she murmurs and shifts in her sleep when he moves her. He ultimately decides not to risk waking her.
Gathering up all the stray pages of Jiraiya’s manuscript, Kakashi stacks them neatly on the kotatsu. Turning off most of the lights he leaves a small lamp on in case of another nightmare. Finally, he stretches out on the sofa to get some sleep.
Sleep doesn’t come easily. His mind swirls with all the new details he learned, incorporating them with his own memories of the Mizuki incident.
Kakashi always knew she was sensei’s kid. Over the years he frequently checked on her even if his own grief prevented him from getting close. The anxiety he felt when she was abducted the first time had him crawling out of his skin. He was obsessive about finding her to the point the Third had to order him to get some rest and sleep. It drove him crazy not knowing where she was and he didn’t think he could take it if she turned up dead. He was ecstatic when Iruka found her. Afterwards, he kept a closer eye on her during his off-duty hours, especially when he couldn’t get the Third to assign him to her guard detail.
Things were different with her second abduction. Once his squad returned to Konoha after finding her and Mizuki, as much as he wanted to he couldn’t continue being involved. The Sandaime needed him out on a couple more missions while she recuperated. The Sandaime caught him up on some of it when she was assigned to his newest genin team.
Because of Iruka’s injuries, the Sandaime had to give the genins an additional week off. This delay gave Naruto a chance to recuperate. She had to undergo therapy for some time afterwards and Kakashi kept certain days clear for her during those early days of Team 7.
Until tonight, he never knew exactly what Mizuki had done to her and thought therapy was merely a formality. By all appearances, Naruto seemed okay. He wasn’t aware of the lasting trauma the traitor inflicted. He did have his suspicions, but assumed they were accumulated from experiences over her lifetime.
Thinking back, he recalls her a subtle wariness of the rest of Team 7, especially towards him. Naruto may not always be good at reading underneath the underneath, but the girl knew how to bury herself under many layers.
Mentally kicking himself, Kakashi sees all the signs he easily dismissed as being part of a quirky, outspoken, attention seeking personality, particularly during the first few days of that infamous escort of the bridge builder Tazuna.
Naruto kept her distance physically from everyone. While he, Sasuke and Sakura stayed close to the client, Naruto walked ahead or behind the group. Never did she walk or stand close to them except when they were attacked or there was a team meeting. She always volunteered for the first watch when they’d camp.
He recalls noticing how tired she appeared. When he asked her, she brushed it off as excited to be on her first big mission to sleep right. Berating himself, Kakashi realizes he shouldn’t have let it go at that. He assumed that since she was so outgoing, if she had any personal issues, she’d let him know.
With some reluctance, he realizes she couldn’t.
She had little difficulty interacting with her two teammates. Nor did she have a problem being alone with them even if she was wary of them.
Yet, she gave Tazuna and himself a wide berth and always seemed uncomfortable around them, either individually or together. Kakashi knows he didn’t exactly make himself very approachable. Hell, he was still adjusting to having a team for the first time ever. Besides, Tazuna may have been a grandfather, but the old man was a crotchety old bastard.
However, as their jounin sensei, and main proponent of looking underneath the underneath, he reluctantly admits he failed miserably with her. It’s clear now she wasn’t ready for that mission, not in the sense of being in constant, close proximity to people she didn’t trust yet. She wasn’t sleeping well because she was scared to lower her guard and kept her distance while they traveled in case she had to make a break for it if attacked by anyone in their group.
Putting all the pieces together, Kakashi is surprised Naruto didn’t suffer a nervous breakdown. Yet she impressively held it together, even convincing him to continue the mission after the demon brothers’ attack. Perhaps all of them pulling together to fend Zabuza off the first time is what finally convinced her they were a team and she could trust them somewhat because afterwards she seemed more relaxed around everyone, especially him.
Looking down at the redhead’s peacefully sleeping form, he wonders how scared she was of him during those early days. Because his hair is silver like Mizuki’s, was she reminded of the bastard every time she looked at him? If so, it must’ve been truly hellish to see him every day during training and missions.
He can’t help but be impressed at her tenacity and bravery facing him like that and pulling her weight to make the team successful. He simply failed to truly appreciate how extraordinary she is because no one else would’ve been able to survive and adapt like she has.
Yet, never in a million years would he have guessed she wanted to give up on becoming a shinobi for any reason. If anyone else told him that, he would’ve hit the floor laughing. However, she revealed that painful, closely guarded secret herself and only because she knew he wouldn’t let it go this time. He can’t reconcile that notion with what he’s always known about Naruto.
At least, he thought he knew her.
Whether he has any culpability or not, he feels guilty for everything she’s endured. Anyone else in her shoes would’ve broken. Yet, she perseveres and thrives. Reluctantly, he admits he shouldn’t be surprised even she has moments of self-doubt. He also wonders how many other dark memories haunt her dreams.
As if in answer, Naruto shifts in her sleep. Her brow furrows as her incoherent mumbling increases in volume. Shifting onto his side, Kakashi alternates between gently combing his fingers through her hair and caressing her cheek, repeatedly murmuring in soothing tones she’s safe and to relax. After a couple of tense minutes, Naruto calms down with a heartfelt sigh and drifts back into a deep sleep. He continues tangling his fingers in her hair, watching her breathe in and out softly for a little while longer before settling back onto the sofa.
Deciding he needs to pay Iruka a visit in the morning, Kakashi finally drifts off to sleep.
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Underneath The Leaves