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Filling the Void	By : rachmax007 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1114 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
Disclaimer: Mphhh
hmmph mph mmhmmhmph. Chibi still has duct
tape over her mouth, courtesy of Sasuke in the previous chapter. (Sasuke:
You should know what that means. Sasuke
points to chibi�s sentence above.)

~*~

A/N: (Naruto: Eh? �Nee-chan
has duct tape over her mouth� Naruto
removes it carefully.) Thanks, Naru-chan! I wuv you sooooo much! (Naruto: I
wuv you too� Naru-chan takes out a
present in orange wrappings. Happy Birthday, �Nee-chan!!)Chibi and Naru-chan hug each other. Sasuke
activates the sharingan. Chibi gives Sasuke a really evil smile. Ne, Naru-chan, since it was my birthday a couple of days ago, and
you just had yours 6 days ago, why don�t you call Gaara and Neji? Invite
them over for a slumber party� We�ll have lots of ice cream, my treat! Naru-chan jumps for joy and runs to the
phone. (Sasuke: Damn you, bitch.) Chibi
sneers at Sasuke. Your fault, bastard.

It�s so fun to tease
Sasuke! Hmmm�. I should do this more often� Chibi
grins. Anyways, I�m on a roll! This chapter is extra long� Heehee! Have
fun!

~*~

Filling the Void

~*~

Chapter 9: Jealousy

~*~

No!

Sasuke silently
screamed as the two unknown shinobi picked Naruto to be their next target.

He had to do something!

It was a very good
thing he was a born genius, as he pulled out a pair of kunai and intercepted
the foreign nins� attack. After pinning the chains securely to a tree, Sasuke
launched himself in the air and delivered simultaneous kicks to their heads.
The two were stunned. A kid managed to do
that to them? But experience taught them not to give in to their surprise.
One tried to go for the blond again. The other, for the girl and the old man.

Sasuke�s body was in
autopilot mode. He moved to save them�Sakura and Tazuna�realizing only at the
last second that he had left Naruto to fend for himself. He braced himself for
an attack that never came. Kakashi had grabbed the enemy with his right arm.
The other guy was already unconscious, carried by his left.

Hmph. Show-off.

But even if this was Sasuke�s
opinion of his sensei, he was glad and relieved that the man had come through
for them. Naruto was safe. They were safe.

Kakashi apologized to
Naruto for not being able to come to his rescue sooner, and complimented
Sasuke�s work.

�Hey,� the dark-haired
genin called the attention of his rival. He had to make sure he was okay.

�You alright,
scaredy-cat?�

~*~

�Naruto, I�m sorry I
didn�t save you immediately� I got you injured� I didn�t think you would freeze
like that,� the jounin apologized.

He continued, �Anyway,
nice job, Sasuke� Sakura too.�

The blond was still in
shock.

I couldn�t do anything�

It was also his first battle! Wasn�t he scared
at all?

He looks as if nothing happened� Not a speck of
dust on him!

He even� saved me.

�Hey,� a voice
startled him out of his thoughts, letting him numbly focus on his teammate.

�You alright,
scaredy-cat?�

He couldn�t speak. His
emotions mixed within him, confusing him as to how to react to that simple
question. He loathed himself for freezing up. Guilt ate at him for being a
potential liability. He resented his rival for being able to do something he
couldn�t. He hated him for crushing what was left of his pride. Yet he was
thankful to him for saving his life.

He vaguely heard Kakashi
corner Tazuna about the current situation and explain how he escaped the
earlier attack.

He was drowning in his
darkness�

�Hmmm� Maybe this is
too much. I guess we should return to the village to treat Naruto��

A bright light shone
through the sea of black in Naruto�s mind. A fire in his being rekindled as he
realized what they were talking about.

He grabbed a kunai
from his holster and stabbed his injured left hand.

He didn�t register the
looks of utter alarm the others had for his unexpected action.

Why is there so much of a difference?

Why am I always� Dammit!

He didn�t want to
continue that particular thread of thought. It was painful enough as it was.

I should be stronger by now�

He remembered every
grueling day he trained so much for. Every jutsu learned. Every exercise
completed. Every mission accomplished.

I�m not going to need saving ever again.

Such a firm stand.

I�m not going to be afraid and try to run.

Such a determined
statement.

I swear it on this pain in my left hand.

Such a willful spirit.

�With this kunai, I�ll
protect the old man!� He declared defiantly, �We�re continuing the mission!�

He looked at them, as
if daring them to go against his decision.

~*~

Kakashi smiled at the
display. Naruto had grown so much. He felt pride unlike any other, knowing that
his charge would someday be as great as, if not greater than his deceased
teacher.

�Naruto, it�s good
that you�re releasing the poison� But any more and you�ll die from blood loss.�
He crouched before his student, his eye curving in an amused manner as the
blond panicked.

�NOOOOO!!!!! THAT�S BAD!!!!! I CAN�T DIE FROM
SOMETHING LIKE THAT! SAVE ME, SENSEI!!!!!�

�Come here�. Let me
see your hand.�

Kakashi took the
proffered hand. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the cut was already in
the process of healing. His surprise did not go unnoticed by Naruto.

�Anou� Will I be okay,
sensei? You�re making such a scary face��

Kakashi took out some
bandages and started to wrap the wound.

�Don�t worry, you
should be fine.�

It must be the power of the Kyuubi�

It was then that
Tazuna finally decided to confess to his dishonesty. However, the gravity of
his need had overshadowed his sense of ethics. He forced them to protect him, using
his daughter and grandson as weapons for the emotional blackmail.

They continued on
their way, riding a boat through the water that separated the islands of Water
Country.

Kakashi sighed. From
here on they would be facing tougher opponents.

He just didn�t know
how right he was.

~*~

I didn�t mean to sound like that�

He had been brooding
since they arrived in a safe zone. Uchihas tend to be like that.

Truly, he regretted to
call Naruto a scaredy-cat� Especially when he saw the hurt it caused the other
boy. But there was no other way! He was never good with these things, even if
he was a genius. He wanted to think it was their special language: something
that only the two of them could understand, its meaning lost to others.

Ah, no matter. What�s done is done. The dobe
bounced right back, anyway�

Speaking of which, the
said dunce inched closer to the sleeping jounin. Probably to try and have his
curiosity satisfied. That mask had always annoyed the hell out of Naruto.
Sasuke frowned at the sight of the bandaged left hand.

He knew he wasn�t
supposed to feel angry at Kakashi. The man saved their lives! But he couldn�t
help it�

Images of Kakashi
taking Naruto�s hand and bandaging it with tender
loving care made his pulse quicken.

He tried to think of
other things. He was developing a twitch in his left eye.

He smirked in
satisfaction in the knowledge that it was him and Naruto who saved the jounin
from being trapped so pitifully in the water prison.

He had been so surprised
at the ingenuity of Naruto�s quick thinking. Once again, the blond proved his
worth to them. Sasuke couldn�t be more proud.

However, this led to
another memory: the death of Zabusa at the hands of that mysterious hunter nin.
Naruto had demanded to know his identity, not caring that the said nin was not
an enemy. It puzzled Sasuke to no end how Naruto could care so much about a
person who almost killed them all. The loudmouth had protested about how a mere
kid not so different from himself managed to kill such a strong person as
Zabusa.

At that point, Kakashi
had explained about a truth in this world� while putting his hand on Naruto�s
head and patting it.

Sasuke never missed
the slight blush on his teammate�s face.

He bristled. Kakashi�s
hand lingered there more than necessary.

He could�ve taken that gloved hand back sooner!

He frowned as he
remembered the event.

And now, he felt like
lashing out, as Naruto crawled on top of Kakashi, trying to take the mask off.

Get off him, Naruto!

Sasuke�s fists
clenched and unclenched, the image before him screamed of wrongness! It
would�ve been better if he were the paralyzed one in that situation!

��

Sasuke�s face was
almost exploding with blood at the less decent thoughts. It was a good thing
nobody was paying attention to him. A heavily-blushing Uchiha was just unheard
of.

~*~

Sakura quietly sat on
the wooden floor, restless at the events that took place just a while ago.
Everything was happening fast�way too fast, in her opinion.

Sensei still can�t move�

They had faced Zabusa,
the Demon of the Hidden Mist. He was a nukenin, and a strong one at that, if
their jounin instructor�s current state was any indication.

The two had engaged in
an intense battle, with Kakashi winning just barely. It was a good thing that
hunter nin came and finished things off.

At least that Zabusa-guy�s already gone� Of
course, it was all thanks to Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke and Naruto, too.

The addition of her blond
teammate was somewhat forced, but she begrudgingly admitted to herself that
Naruto�s plan had gotten them out of the pinch. What if he hadn�t thought about
that particular strategy? She shuddered at the thought. It was not a pretty
idea. They would�ve been cold corpses by now, rotting in dry pools of their own
blood.

Sasuke-kun was
amazing, of course. Why shouldn�t he be? He�s a genius. He had executed the
plan with as much finesse as expected from a prodigy of his clan.

What she failed to
understand, though, was how the two boys worked together at that time; how they
understood what was to be done; how they seemed to move and think as one.

But she needn�t dwell
on that. They were safe. That�s all that really matters, right?

She looked at the
team. Sasuke was behind her, brooding as usual. Kakashi was still asleep,
taking a well-deserved rest from the beating he got earlier. Naruto was�

What is he doing?

Naruto was creeping
closer to the jounin, hand outstretched to the other�s face.

Ah, I see.

For the longest time,
the three genin had been itching to know just what was under the mask. Not that
Sasuke would ever admit to that as openly.

She waited with bated
breath as the trembling hands moved closer� and closer and�

�KYAAAA!!!!� Naruto and Sakura screamed.

�Oh, Kakashi-sensei,
you�re awake,� Tsunami, Tazuna�s daughter just entered the room.

�Idiot, what are you
doing?! We were so close to seeing his face!� Sakura hissed.

~*~

Kakashi had enough strength
to sit up. Something was pestering him. There was a feeling of unease; of
something that he should know, yet he didn�t.

Zabusa!

He paid no heed to
Sakura, who was yelling at Naruto for one thing or another.

He�s still alive. Shit!

He wasted no time in
informing the team about the situation. Shock was apparent in everyone�s faces,
but he had no doubts it would dissipate soon enough.

The jounin�s mind was
racing with all the possibilities, until he settled upon the idea of teaching
them how to control their chakra. He sighed.

That is, until I can stand and walk� Maybe
tomorrow.

The next day, Team
Seven woke up early to receive their training. They walked through the forest
and stopped when they came to a portion where the trees were tall enough. He
turned to his team.

�Now, I�m going to
teach you the tree-climbing exercise.�

As expected, all three
genin poured all their efforts into the task, especially Sasuke and Naruto. It
would be impossible that they wouldn�t, not after Kakashi riled them up a
little.

He smirked. A little competition never hurt anyone.

Sakura had completed
the challenge first, seeing as she has the most understanding of the concept.
Also, compared to the other two, she had the lowest chakra reserves. It would
only be fitting that she would have the best control to be able to utilize that
small amount of chakra to its fullest potential.

She took a rest and
observed the two boys who were still going at it. She seemed to be in awe of their
seemingly inexhaustible stamina in the way she was looking at them.

Naruto cursed under
his breath when he fell again, and made his way to where Sakura was sitting.
The girl looked like she was expecting him to complain and rant away. To be
perfectly honest, Kakashi thought the same.

But alas, they had
been proven wrong by the Number One Most Surprising Ninja of Konoha. Naruto had
actually asked for help.

He�s going to get stronger and stronger�

Naruto was taking in
everything that Sakura was saying, nodding at the right places to indicate that
he understood.

But just how strong?

The teacher knew the
blond had so much chakra potential. It was possible that the said potential was
even higher than his own.

I�m really looking forward to this.

After a while, he took
his leave, taking Sakura with him. He knew the missing nins were still
recuperating and wouldn�t launch an attack so soon. Knowing this, he sent
Sakura to protect Tazuna at the bridge. He, on the other hand, had to go and
have as must rest as he can. He had to be in shape to be able to protect the
team.

He had vowed to
himself never to let that incident
happen again.

~*~

�You�ll catch a cold, sleeping like this.�

That was how Haku met
Naruto. They chatted for a while, then the blond helped him get the medicinal
plants he was looking for.

�Why are you
training?�

�Because I want to be
stronger!� was the automatic answer.

The pretty boy
giggled. �But you already look plenty strong.�

�No!� came the vehement
protest. �I want to become even stronger!�

Haku was silent for a
short while. �Why is that?�

�So I can become the
best ninja in my village and make everyone acknowledge my strength!!! And right
now, I need to prove something to someone.�

This sparked the other
boy�s interest. �Is that for someone else, or for yourself?�

The fox-boy looked
confused. �Huh?�

Haku giggled. The kid
was cute.

�Hey, what�s so
funny?� he seemed to take offense.

�Do you have someone
who is important to you?�

Flashes of Haku�s childhood played in his mind. The
painful past, the salvation, the promise of a bearable future.

Coming back to
reality, he noticed the other boy still didn�t get it. He didn�t know why he
was even doing this.

�When a person has
something important to protect, that�s when they truly become strong.�

He didn�t know why he
bothered to keep this boy alive.

The blond seemed to
understand, looking like he was remembering things.

�Yeah! I understand
that very well!�

Haku smiled back. It was
then he realized why.

It�s the innocence� The light exuded by that
smile. How I wish I could have been�

He turned to leave.

�You will become
strong. Let�s meet again somewhere.�

Oh, he definitely knew
where. Even if he was drawn to that shining person, he had someone else now.

Zabusa-san is all I have. He�s all I can have�

�Sure!� the blond
waved.

�Oh, and by the way,
I�m a boy��

�EEEEEEHHH? NO WAY! YOU�RE CUTER THAN
SAKURA-CHAN!!!�

He chuckled and
started to walk away. He didn�t miss the presence of the other Leaf genin. He
could practically feel the heavy glare sent his way.

Hn�

And he instantly knew
why the dark-haired one acted in this way.

Time to get back to Zabusa-san�

~*~

It was early. That much
was evident. The sun had just shown itself over the horizon, marking it a new
day. The ninjas in Tazuna�s house were up, having been used to it. Kakashi was
nursing a mug full of steaming coffee while Sakura and Sasuke finished up their
breakfast. It was silent. Naruto never came back the night before.

�I�m taking a walk,�
Sasuke announced, not waiting for acknowledgement.

He briskly walked back
to the area where they trained, eager to get there. With luck, he wouldn�t find
that annoying person talking to his Naruto.

His Naruto. His.

To say that Sasuke
felt threatened by the other guy�s presence was an understatement. He himself
heard the words that poured out of Naruto�s mouth the day before.

Cuter than Sakura-chan, huh?

Everyone in Konoha
knew of the blond�s, in his opinion, unhealthy fixation on the Haruno girl. To
hear something like that from the loudmouth was reason enough to feel
territorial. Besides, the boy they met yesterday had really been pretty.

Upon his arrival, Sasuke
looked around. No sign of Naruto. His heart felt like bursting now.

Did he meet up with that guy?

�Oi, Sasuke-temee!�

He sighed in relief
before looking up. Eyes widening in amazement, Sasuke almost smiled. Naruto was
on a very high branch, waving at him. Instead of replying, he channeled chakra
down to his feet and started to climb a tree beside Naruto�s.

A couple of hours
passed, and the boys saw the other half of the team walking below them.

Naruto, the
attention-grabbing prankster that he is, pulled out the kunai his sensei gave
him and threw it down. Both looked up and were pleasantly surprised to see
Naruto so high up in the tree. Sasuke chose to keep silent and out of sight.

�LOOK AT HOW HIGH I CAN CLIMB!� he announced to the world.

He stood and wobbled
dangerously. He let out a yell and fell. Sasuke was sure his heart stopped
beating for a moment. Naruto ended up sticking to the tree upside down.

Sasuke sighed. Dobe.

�Just kidding! Haha! You
fell for it!� yet another prank delivered flawlessly.

�YOU SCARED ME, YOU IDIOT!� Sakura yelled back.

Sasuke silently
agreed.

�Stop showing off!�
Sakura was pissed, indeed.

Just as the words left
her mouth, Naruto fell for real. This time, Sasuke was ready. He dove and
caught the blond�s left foot while doing short work on sticking his feet on the
underside of the branch.

�You moron.� Stop scaring me.

�Sasuke!� Naruto
grinned.

~*~

Kakashi watched the
exchange.

Oh, there�s definitely something there�

Kakashi had a
beautiful evil grin. Too bad no one could see it.

�Hey guys, come down!�
he called them.

When they did, he
complimented them, �Good work. When we come back to Konoha, I�ll treat you to
some ramen.� He watched his black-haired student�s left eye twitch.

Somebody�s jealous�

�YAY!!! I LOVE YOU, KAKASHI-SENSEI!!! YOU�RE THE BEST!�

Kakashi felt the wind
get knocked out of him at the sudden hug. Iruka had told him Naruto packed
quite a glomp. He never believed it until now.

�Hehehe,� he laughed,
patting the little blond head. He glanced discreetly at Sasuke.

Heehee! Looks like he�s gonna bitch anytime
now�

As most students say,
teachers were the masters of torture.
Kakashi didn�t feel the need to disappoint.

He was released from
the bear hug, and he bent to Naruto�s level. He placed his hands on the genin�s
shoulders and smiled. Though it couldn�t be seen, it was heard in his voice.

�It�s okay, you guys
deserve it.�

Naruto smiled at him
beatifically.

He could�ve sworn Sasuke
was turning green from trying to hold back from doing anything.

Maybe he went too far.

Oops, my bad.

~*~

A/N: Thank you all for
the continued support! I love you! Chibi
glomps reviewers with so much force. Chibi stands and looks at the heap.
Oops� Sorry� It runs in the family� Chibi
grins.

Oh, I just want to
announce something� For half a year now, there�s this plot bunny hopping around
in my head for a new story for Naruto� I just didn�t know how to start it back
then� So I just let it hop endlessly. I�m fixing it up right now, and I�m
halfway done with the first chapter. If you�re interested, check out my profile
page in the next couple of days or so� It�s a humor fic with lots of crack.
Hehe. There�s no way I�m telling you the title. It would spoil the surprise. Chibi grins evilly.

~*~

Replies:

Jadejj: Yup, it�s safe to assume that� I
hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for the review!

YJ: Thank you! I�m glad you liked it� I
hope you enjoyed this chapter, too!
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Filling the Void