Naruto 1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything associated with Naruto. I got nothing.

Destiny's Path

Chapter One

The sun was setting over the Hokage monument and Sakura had just finished the longest day of her young life. She never thought being a ninja was easy, the teachers at the academy had often pointed out how an attitude like that would get you killed. No, she didn't think it would be easy but she didn't expect her first day to be spent chasing after her new sensei trying to get a bell off his waist. But in the end it had taught her a lot about teamwork and had, at the very least, restored her respect for her new sensei, in spite of the perverted book he read throughout the whole thing and his incredible lazy attitude.

Right now though she didn't have a care in the world. She was practically gliding home behind Sasuke. She was just watching him as he walked in front of her, silent and mysterious, and she let out a sigh without realizing it. Sasuke's shoulders tensed for a moment and Sakura also tensed thinking she had been caught admiring him. But instead without even turning around to look at her he just said, "This is my street."

Looking around Sakura realized that they were just outside the old Uchiha district where Sasuke's family used to live. The area itself was already dark to spite that the sun hadn't set yet and Sakura shivered; she couldn't imagine why anyone would live in that place. Only a few of the houses were occupied and only by people who had moved to Konoha after the massacre. She didn't know why Sasuke forced himself to live there but she found out quickly that her thoughts had taken too long and the boy of her dreams was already turning to walk away.

"You want to get something to eat?" Sakura asked quickly as she spotted a ramen restaurant that was still open a little ways up the street. She had already eaten earlier during the test but she hadn't had that much and was hoping the quiet boy would open up over a hot cup of ramen.

But he didn't even respond as he just disappeared into the darkness of the old barren street that he lived on. Sighing for a very different reason then before Sakura realized that she was still hungry, even if Sasuke had blew her off, and trudged over to the small restaurant.

Behind the counter was an older man with a rag in one hand that he was using to clean the table, a slight smile on his face that quickly widened into a large toothy grin upon seeing Sakura lift herself up onto a stole. "What would it be, young lady?" he asked in a manner which reminded Sakura of her grandfather.

"Um, you wouldn't happen to have some rice balls would you?" Sakura asked as politely as she could. She couldn't help but smile at the old man who gave off an aura of kindness.

"Now that we do have," He said as he held up a finger and turned to retrieve some of the sweet treat from the counter behind him. "I was afraid you would ask for ramen," he said, presenting the food to the starving girl, "We're just closing up so the ramen has already gone cold."

"Oh I don't want to be a bother," Sasuke said as she shifted in her seat to get some money to pay the man and just go home with her food.

"Nonsense!" he said in a hardy voice as his smile widened even more. "I wouldn't want to impose on one of our village's young kunoichi, now would I?" he said tapping her forehead protector with his finger and making her blush slightly as she felt more and more like a little girl.

"Thank you," she said as she gave a short bow and began to eat her rice balls.

Shortly after beginning her meal though a beautiful girl a few years older then herself came running up to the bar and moved behind the counter. "Father," she said as she huffed a little from her run, "The sink broke and Mother says she needs you to come home and fix it right now."

"Can't you see I have a customer?" the man said as his smile dropped a little but didn't fade.

"Sorry, but there's water everywhere and you're the only one who knows how to fix the pipes," the girl said in the most apologetic manner as she bowed slightly towards the older man.

Sighing to himself the old ramen cook looked around the empty street the ramen restaurant was on and sighed again, a little louder this time. "I hate to leave a customer all alone as she eats," he announced more then said. Thinking for a moment he looked like he got an idea and walked towards a door leading to the back of the restaurant. Opening it a little he stuck his head in and shouted, "Hey, Naruto! Could you come out here for a moment?"

The sound of dishes clattering from the back stopped and Sakura only realized there had been noise after it had actually stopped. Looking up from her meal she saw the man's daughter approach him and say, "Are you sure that-"

"Don't worry Ayame," He said, cutting her off with a wave of his hand. A few footsteps were heard and then a boy walked out from the back room, rubbing his hands dry with a dishcloth.

Sakura noticed that he was no older then herself but he seemed a bit nervous when he saw her sitting at the bar, almost like how some little kids get nervous around older kids. He wore a black turtleneck like shirt that had two large orange circles on the shoulders that stretched down the sleeves in two long orange strips. It was form fitting around the neck, wrists and waist but a little loose everywhere else. From what she could tell from behind the counter he had matching pants with similar orange strips going down the side but his most striking features were his wild strawberry blond hair and baby blue eyes. Features that were not often seen in the shinobi inhabited village.

"Yes, Teuchi-san?" he asked in a very nervous voice as he averted his eyes when Sakura made eye contact. She realized he had been looking at her since coming from the back.

"I was wondering if you could look after this costumer and close up once she's finished her meal?" the old man asked in his caring, smiling manner.

"Ah…sure," Naruto said as his nervousness seemed to increase.

"Good!" Teuchi said happily as he ruffled the boys hair and quickly lead his daughter out from behind the counter. "Please finish your meal. Naruto here will take care of you if you need anything else," he told Sakura who smiled widely and nodded at the friendly old man who returned the gesture and began to jog down the street towards his home, his daughter right behind him.

For a moment Sakura ate in silence as Naruto stood with his head down and his arms at his side, like he was in the military or something. The silence was bugging her so Sakura decided that she would talk to the blond haired boy. "So you work here?" she asked innocently as she took a small bite out of her second rice ball.

"I clean dishes in the back," Naruto said as he pulled on his sleeves, stretching the fabric more over his hands.

"Must be fun to work at a restaurant," Sakura said with a small smile as she remembered seeing how busy this ramen restaurant could get in the middle of the day, though she had never seen Naruto there. Then again this was her first time eating there so maybe he was just behind the crowd.

"I just clean dishes in the back," he said in a voice that sounded a bit depressed but that was becoming less nervous, "This is the first time I've been out here with a costumer."

"How long have you worked here?" Sakura asked as she took another bite of her rice ball and smiled slightly as Naruto shifted his gaze away from the floor but still didn't look at her.

"Since I was seven," he said with a shrug as his voice lost almost all of its awkwardness and almost sounded smooth. A bit high-pitched like a little kid's but somehow rowdier, like he was trying to sound tough.

"Wow, really?" Sakura asked when she stopped focusing on his voice and more on the words he said, seven was a young age to be working anywhere in the village. "So was that your dad and sister?" Sakura asked as she pointed her thumb in the direction the kind ramen chief and his daughter had run off in.

"You mean Teuchi-san and Ayame-chan?" Naruto said, his voice almost cracking as he raised an eyebrow. "No, they're just friends who let me work here," he said as he waved his hands in front of his face, adding with a bit of depression, "I never knew my parents."

"Oh," Sakura said as she realized she had said something that struck a nerve in the blond haired preteen. "Well my parents can be a pain sometimes," Sakura added in a carefree manner in an attempt to make light of the situation. Judging by the slightly hurt look the boy was trying to hide it wasn't working but his expression quickly changed as Sakura tipped her head slightly and showed him her forehead protector. Tapping it with her finger she said, "Maybe now that I'm a ninja of the leaf they'll show me a little respect."

Naruto's eyes widened as he leaned across the counter that divided the pair to get a closer look at a distance that made Sakura feel a bit uncomfortable. "You're a shinobi?" he asked in a voice barely over a whisper, his eyes never moving from the metal and fabric of the protector.

He may not have even been asking Sakura a question at all but that didn't stop her from answering anyway. "Yeah, I just became one yesterday," she said leaning away from him a little bit, "this morning I was assigned to a squad and everything."

"What did it feel like?" Naruto asked in the same whisper voice when his eyes locked with Sakura's as she smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "When you got the protector did it feel like a burst of happiness and joy? Like everything you had ever hoped for was all happening at once. Like you could do anything, accomplish anything. Like you were one step closer to your ultimate goal and nothing could stop you now." His voice was distant and overly excited, his eyes wide with amazement and it really didn't sound like he was talking to the person right in front of him at all.

"Kind of I guess," Sakura said as she laughed nervously a little and pulled a bit more away from the table. "I was more worried about whether or not I'd get on Sasuke's team," she said. Naruto's face fell instantly as he slowly lifted himself from the counter, "I did by the way. Get on his team I mean."

"Yeah…right," Naruto said in a low voice as he went right back into the quiet boy with his hands at his side that Sakura had just watched morph into a completely different person, "I don't know what I was thinking?"

He stood for a moment with his head down and Sakura bit her lip as she quickly realized that she had hit some kind of nerve in the boy that ran deep. Getting an idea she smiled slightly as she stuck her hand out across the counter. "My names Sakura, Sakura Haruno," She said with a smile as Naruto shifted his gaze upwards without lifting his head.

"Naruto," he said, his voice getting a little louder as he grabbed her hand and gave it a short shake which she returned full heartedly, "Naruto Uzumaki."

Sakura smiled up at the boy as she reached for another rice ball but found that there was none left. She must have eaten the three placed in front of her without knowing it while talking to Naruto and she had to admit that she wasn't hungry anymore. Without even asking Naruto took her plate and placed it on the counter behind him before spinning around and giving a slight bow.

"Thank you," Sakura said as she stood from her stool and fumbled with her purse to find some money to pay Naruto for her meal.

"Thank you for eating at Ichiraku's," Naruto said the line awkwardly, one he must of heard a thousand times but never actually gotten the chance to say.

Fumbling with the cash register as Sakura handed him her money he reached up to bring down the metal barrier used to lock up the open part of the store. "Thanks for keeping me company," Sakura said again as she walked a little ways down the street. "Talk to you later Naruto-kun," she said happily with a smile as she turned and waved at him.

He smiled nervously and gave a little wave as he closed the metal barrier that blocked her view of him. Smiling as she turned her smile grew twice as large when she heard from behind the metal barrier a quiet, "Bye Sakura."

The smile remained on her face for the rest of the night as she thought about the mysterious boy she had just met. In ways he was like Sasuke, she didn't know much about him but he gave off a good vibe. Maybe tomorrow she'd return to the ramen bar and try to find out more about the mysterious blond haired boy named Naruto Uzumaki.

A/N:

Well there you have, a little short but still the first chapter of my first story based on an anime. I know I probably missed a bunch of Japanese stuff and I didn't put the surnames first but I think their names look better that way and I'll rarely call them by their full names anyway.

So anyway as you've read in the story and the summary this story is about what would become of Naruto if he didn't become a ninja and what it would take for him to not be a ninja in the first place. So this story will be filled with a lot of emotion but hopefully won't become a total angst fest.

Also the story will be told mostly from the point of view of Sakura so please if you're going to flame me please don't do it just because of Sakura. I know that some people don't like her and we are dealing with early Sakura, the one that even the creator said was meant to make people angry, but she's a good point to launch the story from.

So, right, you've read this far so why not leave a review and tell me what you think. Thanks for reading; I hoped you enjoyed it.


	2. Chapter 2

Destiny's Path

Chapter Two

Sakura briskly strolled down one of the many busy streets of Konoha. The sun was shining high in the sky and the town was abundant with activity. It seemed like twice as many people were around then usual. Probably some kind of traveling sales group all trying to pawn off their 'valuable supplies' all at once. Still, it felt good to be able to just walk down the street and have every adult smile at you just because you were wearing a headband that marked you as one of Konoha's finest. Right now it only felt like she was wearing a headband, but that didn't change the admiration the acknowledgment gave her. Her very first mission had been today, though it hadn't been that exciting.

Kakashi told her and Sasuke to meet him at the Hokage tower at nine o'clock. He showed up at ten at which point they finally got their first mission. A low level D-rank; Sakura didn't expect anything more for a rookie Genin team's first mission. It involved capturing a cat for the Fire Lord's wife and it only took about an hour, tops. After handing the screaming animal back to the overly affectionate women Sakura expected to track back around to the tower and get another mission finished before noon. But instead their sensei, in all his infinite wisdom, just told them that training was from three to five that afternoon, spun on his heels, and ditched them without taking his eyes off that little red book of his.

Speaking of ditching, Sasuke had done the same for the second day in a row, leaving the pink haired kunoichi in the dust with little more then a grunt. It's not like Sakura thought by day two the boy would be fawning over her like a lost puppy, revealing his innermost feelings and breaking down in tears in her embrace but damn it that's what she wanted. That's what every girl in their class had thought would happen if they got on his team. Like somehow being his team-mate would convince him that you were worthy. He may have ditched her today but she knew she was getting through to him. I mean he had fed her when she was tied to that stump in a state of totally humiliation. That had to mean something right? God he was just so mysterious. Mysterious?

Suddenly Sakura's mind snapped to the other mysterious boy who had entered her life. She had only met the blond-haired boy named Naruto yesterday but she had been thinking about him a lot. In a lot of ways he was like Sasuke, mysterious, hard to understand at points but so clear at others. Almost like a detective novel, or maybe a romance.

That thought made Sakura stumble for a moment as she shook the thought out of her head wondering where it had come from. It was probably just that he really did bring up thoughts of Sasuke but at the same time he was completely different. Sasuke was purposely trying to hide himself away from everyone, closing his life off to the world. Naruto on the other hand had opened up, even if just a crack, to a person he had just met and didn't even know the name of. It was like he was waiting for someone to come and force him to open up, like he was some kind of energetic teen that was trapped in a depressed body. Maybe he was, but who trapped him and could Sakura really do anything about it. Maybe she could!

Sakura stopped mid stride and turned on one leg, deciding to head in the direction of Ichiraku's. She didn't fully understand why but she was pulled towards this Naruto somehow, it's not like she knew much about him. She wasn't even sure what age he was, or what part of the village he was from, or even what kind of guy he really was. But maybe he could give her some insight into Sasuke's mind and maybe he could even be a friend. He didn't seem like a bad guy and he certainly didn't seem dangerous so why not? With a smile on her face she strolled the rest of the way to Ichiraku's.

When she got there she was greeted by the owner with that big grandfatherly smile of his that forced him to close his eyes because it took up so much room on his face. "What can I get you?" he asked happily upon seeing her approach the counter.

"Actually I was just wondering if Naruto was working today?" Sakura said, a bit uncomfortable, it kind of felt like she was asking if he could come out and play or something.

"Oh, you're Sakura, now I remember," The old man said as he walked around and opened a section of the counter for her. "Naruto told me about you. He's in back but he's on break and even with all these people in town today's kind of slow," he said as he walked her the very small distance from the front of the restaurant to the back door.

"Thank you," Sakura said with a smile as she bowed slightly and walked through the door to the back. The room was very large compared to the small part of the restaurant actually used to serve people. It was a square room with about six sinks spread out on all four walls as well as piles of dishes stacked up next to each one. In the centre were two ovens, probably used in the cooking of the baked goods they kept in the front. The noodles were all clearly cooked directly behind the person serving them. Probably a technique used to calm an old paranoid ninja's nerves.

"Sakura?" a small voice said from the other end of the room that snapped Sakura out of her examination of the room. Naruto was leaning against the far counter and quickly pulled his selves down over his arms upon seeing her. "What are you doing here?" he asked shockingly as he pulled down his selves past his hands in a very nervous manner.

"Oh, I thought I'd come and talk," Sakura said as she happily strolled over to where Naruto was standing and leaned against the counter a little ways down from him. Naruto stared at her for a moment in complete bewilderment over why she would bother being there and Sakura stared back with a curious smile. He was a bit shorter then she though he was, probably because when she saw him last she was sitting and he was standing on the raised platform of the store floor.

"Ok," Naruto drew out for a second as he jumped up onto the table and bent down to talk to her.

"Don't like feeling short?" Sakura asked with a smile and a small chuckle.

"I still don't get why you're here?" the blond boy asked as he completely ignored the comment and just looked at her, though the blush on this face spoke volumes.

"What? Can't a person just come in and talk to a friend?" Sakura asked as she too jumped up on the table next to Naruto.

"I don't know," he said as he jumped down from the table and walked away a bit, "never had a friend and never had anyone talk to me for no reason ether."

"Really?" Sakura asked in complete disbelief as she too jumped down from the table in pursuit of the blue-eyed preteen. "Well then I guess I'll start," she said with a smile, "I had my first mission today. I mean all I did was find a cat but it's better then being tied to a stump."

"Wait a cat?" Naruto asked with an arched eyebrow as all nervousness left his voice and was replaced by that excited child like voice. "Why would a shinobi of the leaf have to find a cat and why were you tied to a stump?"

"It's a long story," Sakura said with a heavy sigh as she put her head down and shook it like she was remembering some horrible occurrence. "Wait a second, what did you think shinobi of the leaf did?"

"Well you should be out traveling the globe on huge adventures that change the course of the world, going from mission to mission and living on the pulse of the moment, gaining ranks and learning a new powerful jutsu everyday until you eventually become Hokage." Naruto said in one breath before nearly collapsing trying to catch his breath.

"Wow." Sakura said in a state of shock after hearing the quiet boy's sudden whirlwind of an outburst. "Well I guess some people live like that but only the famous ninja, not low level Genin like me. I mean come on, not all shinobi are famous all powerful ninja."

"Well I thought being famous was the same thing as being a shinobi," Naruto said in complete childlike bewilderment.

Sakura raised an eyebrow higher then she though possible and opened her mouth to respond before closing it and deciding to instead simple ask, "Naruto? How many shinobi do you know?"

Naruto paused for a moment and his face took on a contorted look like he was in pain, apparently he was just trying to think, but the face seemed to get the job done. "Well I know all four of the Hokage and all three of the Sannin. Oh and Kakashi, the copycat ninja and most of the Jonin like Might Guy and-"

"Let me stop you there," Sakura quickly cut in realizing the boy could go on forever naming the biggest names in Konoha. "How many shinobi have you actually met?"

"Ah…well…um counting you," he said with a frown, "one."

"Do you think I'm famous?" Sakura asked with a small chuckle.

"No." Naruto said with a pause that added to his confusion, "but you're new, I mean in a couple of months-"

"Months!" Sakura exclaimed causing the shorter teen to recoil in fear, "Try years! Decades even! There are hundreds of shinobi in Konoha alone, probably hundreds of thousands all over the world and all you can name is the top twenty or so in the history of Konoha," Sakura exclaimed before pausing briefly and adding, "…well and me. My point is you don't just become famous and explode onto the world, I mean wanting to stand out is kind of counter productive for a shinobi."

"Yeah I guess so," Naruto said in that quiet voice that seemed so far away. He turned away from Sakura towards the counter and she realized she had just dashed some kind of image the blue-eyed boy had built up in this head. It had the same effect of telling a kid Santa doesn't exist and then taking all of his presents.

"You really like this kind of stuff don't you?" Sakura asked the disillusioned boy in a quiet voice. Naruto just nodded his head as he turned towards Sakura a bit. "Well why didn't you try out at the academe?"

Suddenly all the emotion in the room just dropped and the pure angst resonating from the short blond haired boy almost made the room heavy. Sakura had never felt anything like this before; she didn't even think it was possible to send out this much of a depressed aura. "You failed the entrance exam?" Sakura asked as Naruto just stared at the ground his hands tight at his sides.

"Something like that," Naruto answered as he pulled at his sleeve nervously.

Sakura was about to dig deeper but at that moment the intensity coming from Naruto was broken as the door to the backroom opened and the sound from the busy street outside filled the room.

"Naruto, business is picking up," Teuchi said as he put some dirty dishes on the counter in a hurry to get back to the crowd outside.

"I got to get back to work," Naruto said in a hush as he picked up the dishes and moved to the sink, turning his back to Sakura. For a moment she thought she saw tears in the corner of his eyes but he turned away too quickly.

"Oh, right," Sakura said as she moved to the door but turned back before leaving, "Talk to you later Naruto?"

"Yeah, see you later," Naruto didn't even turn around, the room more quiet then anywhere Sakura had ever been. Entering the wave of sound from outside she sighed loudly to herself once the door was fully shut.

"Sakura?" came a familiar calm voice as Sakura looked up from her sigh, "I didn't know you worked here." Turning towards the voice she saw none other then her lazy sensei Kakashi sitting in front of a bowl of ramen, a piece of which was hanging off chopsticks he had raised in the air, his mask as always firmly on his face.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura question as she moved over to where the counter lifted to get out from behind the restaurant. As soon as she raised the counter top and her view of Kakashi was obstructed there was a loud and fast clinking like chopstick to bowl. Putting down the counter she noticed that Kakashi's bowl was empty, his chopsticks still spinning around the rim. "Must you eat like that?"

"Eat like what?" Kakashi asked with a straight face and a flawless monotone as he adjusted his mask. A large man sitting in the stool next to the older shinobi got up and Sakura quickly grabbed his seat as Kakashi ordered two more bowls of ramen.

"Coming right up," the old owner said as he smiled and nodded at Sakura who smiled back at the sweat man.

"I don't work here, I have a friend who works in the back," Sakura said in answer to her sensei's earlier question, "What are you doing here?"

"I eat here," he said deadpan, "Who's your friend?"

"Well I guess he really isn't my friend, I just met him yesterday, but he seems nice and he's good to talk to. His name's Naruto."

There was a pungent pause before Kakashi asked, "Naruto? As in Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yeah!" Sakura said excitedly, "You know him?"

"Nope. Never heard of him," he said with out a single hint of change in that mask like voice, making Sakura almost fall off her stole.

After Sakura recovered from her complete shock at her teachers blunt, nonchalant actions, she stared at her bowl of noodles and began to think about the boy she had only last seen a few moments ago. "Yeah Naruto's a good guy I guess. I mean I haven't known him that long but he's so familiar and kind. Maybe I'm being a bit ditsy trusting him so fast but I just-" Sakura suddenly stopped mid sentence right as she was about to ask for advice. At that moment she heard a loud clinking of chopstick to dish and when she looked up Kakashi was gone and so were his noodles.

"And here's your bill," the owner said as he turned with a piece of paper in his hand. His expression turned to confusion that almost matched the shocked confusion on Sakura's face.

Realizing just what was happening Sakura dug out her wallet as she cursed, quite loudly, "Kakashi-sensei!"

A/N: You have no idea how sorry I am for the long wait. I mean it was so long. I was just so busy trying to get adjusted. Physics still killing me inside but I'm in no way failing and I finally got a groove going. So anyway there you have it, chapter two. Not much to say except thank you all for the reviews and please keep on reviewing, I love them. Next update will be faster, hope you've enjoyed yourself.


	3. Chapter 3

Destiny's Path

Chapter Three

It was yet another sunny day in the hidden village of Konoha and in no way had the buzzing community ever taken a chance to slow down. It was as if it was alive, everyday pulsing with life and prosperity. Although in the distance, some thick storm clouds were rising and that was never a good sign. There was this old proverb that the elderly people of Konoha always chuckled over while playing shogun. 'If it's raining in Konoha, check on your neighbour.' An old saying that basically mocked the fact that it seems every time it rains something horrible happens to someone in the village. Be it the single father down the street who falls off his roof trying to get that last tile in place or the death of an honoured shinobi. The rain always snuffs out a flame, no matter how strong the blaze my burn.

All this was the furthest thing from Sakura's mind though and perhaps that was why she had no idea what the day held for her. She didn't pay attention to superstitious things; she was much to wrapped up in her own affairs. Three weeks she'd been visiting Naruto and doing missions with Sasuke and it seemed like she was getting nowhere with ether of the shut-in boys. Sasuke was still just as moody and distant as ever and Naruto still shutdown when you mentioned shinobi and wouldn't leave the back of Ichiraku's. Plus it seemed like no one in town knew who Naruto was. Everyone her age had never heard of him and any adult who didn't just ignore her said that she shouldn't go near him ever again. Like he was some kind of dieses or something. For these reasons Sakura swallowed her pride and visited someone who just might have the answers she sought.

"…And then I decided to come here and get your opinion," Sakura finished after a lengthy description of the last few weeks. Taking a breath and swallowing loudly she looked up at her confused friend.

"Alright," said the girl behind the counter of the cozy little flower shop, "and why did you decide to come to me?" Based on the bewilderment on the pink haired girl's face she didn't know herself why so the blond kept pushing, "I mean aren't we sworn rivals for Sasuke's heart."

"Yes." Sakura said flatly, but then sighing added, "but you've always been good at this type of stuff Ino."

"Oh!" Ino said with a bit of shock that her long time friend still respected her that much after all they've gone through. The huge fights and the years of smaller ones had done their toll on the two, but it was only the last straw that finally broke the camels back. A fight over a boy ended one of the schools strongest friendships. That didn't mean the friendship still wasn't there, just faded. "Well in that case I suggest you get rid of Sasuke and marry the noodle chef."

"1: Naruto doesn't cook the ramen he cleans dishes in the back and 2: Not a chance will I give up that easy." Sakura said, her face as hard as a rock.

"Argh!" Ino moaned as she slumped onto the counter, "fine, don't listen to me. But answer me this," Ino said with a sly smile, "is he cute?'

Sakura's mouth dropped a little as she made a weird noise in the back of her throat before babbling incoherently, "Well I don't knew if…I mean I just met…and he."

"He's cute." Ino said with a large Cheshire cat smile. Sakura had just made her day with that little performance.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Sakura asked angrily as the bold rushed to her cheeks.

"I wish I could," Ino said as she leaned against the table top, her head in her hand, "but I've never even heard of this Naruto kid."

"That's just what I was talking about," Sakura said excitedly as she leaned over the counter to talk in a hushed tone that she didn't understand why she was using. "No one seems to know him besides the people who work at the ramen bar, and everyone else who's heard of him treat him like the plague or something."

"Well if it's a village wide thing then maybe you should go see the Hokage," Ino said in a half joking manner that Sakura obviously did not catch.

"Really?" she asked as she stepped away a bit, "I mean I know the Hokage knows next to everyone in the village but-"

"Next to?" Ino interrupted, " he knows everything about everyone. If something's going on with this Naruto kid, he knows what it is."

"You're right," Sakura said as she put a hand to her mouth nervously, "Maybe I'll go see him."

"Fine go," Ino said as Sakura turned and began to jog out of the shop, "But if you ever reconsider giving up Sasuke for the dishwasher you know where to find me."

As Sakura ran towards the Hokage's tower a thousand thoughts raced through her head. Why was she even doing this, she had just met the kid and now she was running around town trying to figure out who he was. Around her people were packing up and going inside as the storm clouds blocked out the sun, anyone with commonsense could tell the rain was coming but with all the thoughts of doubt in her head Sakura just raced on.

There was something about Naruto that just made her think twice. Like she was meant to know him, like something was wrong with the situation. If he wasn't such a shut-in, if he had made it into the academy, if he had grew up worth her and Sasuke and everyone else what would he be like? Why did a question like that even occur to her?

Ether way she beat the rain to the tower and raced up the stairs to where the Hokage's assistants were. The role of assistant was given to high-ranking Chunin who were close to Jonin rank. Many believed it was a role that was given out to shinobi who felt they had made it as far as they could and wanted a desk job or just an unsuspecting shinobi who the Hokage had taken a liking to. But it was much, much more then that, it was a job that brought with it a lot of honour and a lot of hard work. In case of emergence you had to be able to fend off enemies much higher ranked then you as well as put up with the literal mountains of paper work the job presented. The current Hokage mostly had friends do this kind of work for him but there were some appointed to the job, usually buried behind the papers on their desks. The current assistant was a woman with large glasses who wore her forehead protector as a necklace.

"I would like to see the Hokage," Sakura said in-between gasp as the sky let loose outside and the rain began to fall violently.

"I take it you don't have an appointment," the women said in a sweet voice as she adjusted her glasses, why Sakura didn't know, they were so large they could never be out of place.

"No," Sakura said in a deflated tone. There in a flash went any chance of seeing the Hokage in the next month.

"But…there's no one in with him now so as long as you don't intruded…" The assistant said in a slow voice as the smile on Sakura's face grew a tenfold.

"Thank you," Sakura said as she bowed and took off up the tower towards the Hokage's office. Upon reaching the door she stopped dead. What was she doing here? She was just going to walk into the Hokage's office and say 'hey what do you know about this kid named Naruto?' How random must that sound to someone who didn't live inside here head? Sakura was so deep in thought, contemplating in front of the Hokage's door that she didn't even feel the presence moving towards her back.

"Are you going to go in or just block my office door?" asked a gentle old voice. Holding her breath Sakura turned slower to look up at the imposing figure of the third Hokage, smoke rising from his ever-present pipe. "Well?"

Gasping quietly Sakura jumped out of the way and bowed as deep as she could without tipping over. "Sorry Hokage-sama."

"No need to be nervous Ms Haruno," The elderly master said as he opened his door and slowly walked inside, "Well? Are you coming in or not?"

Sakura waited outside the door for a few more moments before finally gathering up her courage and walked into the office of the most powerful man in Konoha.

The office was smaller then she thought, crowded with books and dusty. At the far end sat the Third, completely comfortable in his old dusty desk, gazing out of the large window behind him, over looking the village.

"Sir, I came to talk to you about a boy I've recently met," Sakura said, starting slow and fumbling her words, stiff as a board in front of her ultimate leader.

"Naruto, age 12, he works at Ichiraku Ramen Bar," the Hokage said without even looking away from his beloved village. By now the rain was coming down hard and it was getting as dark as night out, ran soaking the window.

"You know him?" Sakura said half question and half relieved, finally someone admitted to knowing who Naruto was. In the process of this discovery she forgot to stand straight but when the Hokage spun around in his chair she instantly straightened up.

"He talked about you the last time we met," The Hokage said as she shuffled some papers on his desk, "You've been the first person to talk to him in a very long time."

"That's kind of why I came, Hokage-sama," Sakura said as she stayed far from the Hokage's desk. She'd never been alone with him before and right now she could feel the heat from his chakra across the room, even when repressed as it was now it was by far the strongest she had ever felt. Because of this it was extremely awkward to talk to him, while she could harness her chakra well she had only average reserves. Mustering up some courage she took a few steps forward and asked what she had come to ask, "Who is Naruto Uzumaki?"

There was a long silence and Sakura began to step backwards before she heard one of the happiest, and most random things she had ever heard, the Hokage's laughter. A deep thick laugh that shook the room. Removing the pipe from his mouth he smiled widely as he stood, his height making Sakura finish that step backwards. "I've been waiting for someone to ask that for a very long time."

"Well it's just I've been talking to him and he seems nice but I don't know much about him and-" Sakura babbled as she tried to over come the very awkward feeling the Hokage's wide smile gave her. It was usually on his face whenever she saw him but she had never caused it to happen before.

"I understand Sakura," The Third said as he put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, it had the effect of shocking her into silence. After a moment's pause in which Sakura's breathing levelled the Hokage started to answer her question, "Naruto is an orphan. He's lived in the village his entire life and though he doesn't always show it he loves Konoha as much as I do and would never leave this place." The Hokage paced his office as he spoke and wound up looking over his rain soaked village.

Sakura still nervously stood behind him, her feet beginning to hurt from standing so long but she was far too interested to care. "Thank you," Sakura said with a smile that only widened when she saw the reflection of the Hokage's smile in the window. No matter how small the information was it was good to know something about him. "He's just so shut-in I can never get him to talk about himself."

"He wasn't always that way," the Hokage said as he turned to face the young girl, "No, he was quite the opposite. Do you know when he was only four; no higher then my knee, he climbed up the Hokage monument and painted graffiti on it. He didn't get any further then painting a ring around The First's eye and half a moustache on The Second. Still for a child to lug four buckets of paint up a sheer cliff while avoiding the eyes of everyone in the village is a feat for sure."

"That sounds so unlike him," Sakura said as she smiled, imaging the image of a tiny Naruto climbing up the face of that cliff, "What happened that made him change?"

At the moment Sakura asked her question a sudden bolt of lighting struck, lighting the room and casting large quick moving shadows across it. The rain began to come down faster and harder then it had before and it felt like the tall structure was beginning to shake. "I think that is a story only Naruto can tell, " The Hokage said in a monotone the polar opposite of the joyous voice he had just used. His former smile replaced with a face more stone then the one on the mounting outside.

"Hokage-sama?" Sakura asked slowly as a war of emotions passed through the Hokage's eyes, the odd silence that allowed Sakura to feel his power was happening again and she didn't like it.

"Pleas, sit down," He said as he gestured to a chair in front of his desk and sat himself down in his own chair.

Sakura mentally chastised herself for not spotting the wooden chair and slowly sat herself as politely as she possible could in front of the aging shinobi. "What's going on with Naruto?" she asked again in hopes she would get a more complete story this time.

"You like the mystery don't you?" The Hokage said with a sly grin. Sakura tried to act shocked but she couldn't even form words before the Hokage spoke again, "I may be old but I was young once. I know how the girls act around Sasuke Uchiha. So shut-in, so pulled away from society, he ignores everyone that comes his way because his past is just too dark for him to care. He and Naruto are very similar as I'm sure you've realized, if he had only went to the academy then perhaps he could have been different. Friends, role models, some kind of direction or goal for him to strive for."

"But he failed the entrance exam right?" Sakura interrupted, her intrigue forcing her to forget all manners she had ever been taught.

"Who told you that?" The Hokage asked, his eyebrow creeping up his forehead.

"No one I guess?" Sakura said reluctantly. It was a weird feeling when you figured out that something you assumed was actually wrong all along. It was a bit disarming but she was too interested to care and urged the Hokage to finish, "What happened then?"

"He was stopped." another bolt of lightning struck outside and Sakura flinched from the closeness of the blast, "That's as much as I'll say. It took a lot of courage for you to come and talk to me Sakura, use that courage to ask Naruto for the rest of the story."

"What if he doesn't want to tell me?" Sakura asked a bit mad at herself for the meekness that shined through her voice. Outside that last bolt of lightning had summoned the end of the storm and the clouds were parting, revealing the blue sky behind them.

"He'll tell you if you ask," The Hokage said with a sad smile, "He's been waiting a long time for someone to ask."

"Thank you Hokage-sama," Sakura said with a bow as she made for the door.

Walking outside was like walking into a completely different world. Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding Sakura glanced around at her town after the storm. Everything was wet but people were emerging from their shelters and began to go back to their business. The rain hadn't stopped them, just hindered them for a moment. The town always bounced right back after a storm and it was then that Sakura made her decision. She just hoped that Naruto was ready.

A/N:

Hey, you have no idea how sorry I am for this being late. Maybe this time in my life isn't the best for quick updates. Plus I had to take my computer into the shop and I forgot to save this document so I had to completely retype the first half.

Anyway, that's enough about me lets talk about you. I love you reviewers out there. Reviews just inspire me. Good, bad or just a 'cool story' is such an amazing thing. It tells me someone actually took the time to read my story and felt strongly enough about it to give feedback. So please keep on reviewing and here's hoping the next chapter comes sooner.


	4. Chapter 4

Destiny's Path

Chapter Four

Sakura raced towards Ichiraku's as fast as her shinobi legs would carry her. She didn't know why she was running; it wasn't like the restaurant was a ridiculous distance away from the Hokage's Tower. Still, her legs kept running as her brain began to stall. Her body suddenly joined her mind and slammed to a halt just a few meters away from the ramen bar she was moments earlier desperately racing towards. Stealing a glance into a store window Sakura noticed a clock that screamed at her that she only had an hour before training. Turing back to the restaurant thoughts of doubt once again clouded her mind.

What would Naruto think when she walked into the back and asked out of the blue "Hey, mind revealing you darkest secrets to me?" It wasn't like she was planning on using those exact words but still that's how it would come off no matter how she worded it. Sighing to herself she considered going home and leaving this whole problem for another day, but fate was against her.

"Sakura?" A shout came from down the street and the pink haired girl looked up to see Ayame standing at the counter of Ichiraku's waving at her.

"Hey!" Sakura shouted back as she forced a large smile on to her face. Somehow the fear still seemed to peek through though. "Is Naruto in?"

"Oh," Ayame froze for a moment, "Naruto isn't here today."

Sakura was a bit baffled at that answer as odd as it might seem. She had been going to the restaurant almost every day for a month now and Naruto was always there. She had suspected that he lived at the restaurant before he told her he didn't. Still, she didn't know where he lived much beyond that he lived somewhere within walking distance of Ichiraku's. It was amazing just how long two people you could talk to each other without actually learning anything about each other.

"Oh…well…ok then." Sakura said awkwardly as she turned from the restaurant and began to walk away almost mechanically. Her face was still frozen in wide-eyed disbelief but her mind was racing. This was a perfect opportunity, she could leave and come back tomorrow knowing that she had tried. It seemed her feet didn't agree with her head though as she found her self turning on her heels and walking back to the counter. Her body and mind hadn't been working that well together lately and it was beginning to make Sakura a little irate.

"Can you give me directions to his house please?" Sakura asked with a blank expression on her face. Ayame seemed to question the statement and bit her lip in thought as she judged what to do.

After a few moments Ayame folded, "Sure. Give me a minute." She quickly picked up a napkin and clumsily wrote directions on it. Handing it over to Sakura she smiled awkwardly and said, "Naruto doesn't really get visitors at home but then again before you he didn't get any at work ether."

Sakura didn't know if it was a complement or not but she took it as one and smiled as she took the napkin from the older girls hands. She quickly said her goodbyes and began to walk towards her destination. This shouldn't be so hard.

It wasn't long before Sakura had gotten far away from the major hub of the village. There were less people here and the buildings were in slightly worse shape but it was still within the walls of the village. The area was where most of the immigrants from other villages came to live; it was a cornucopia of different types of people all with their own unique ways. The condition of the buildings were probably because of the businesses of the people, all of them working for a better life in Konoha. Still, the further Sakura went the more the streets began to feel less like the village she had grown up in. There was no way that she was going to get to training in time now but if she worked off of Kakashi sensei's time she probably still had an hour.

Finally reaching the address Ayame had written down on the napkin Sakura stopped. It was a large run down apartment building that looked normal enough. It was painted a bright blue, most likely to attract customers with a friendly colour, to spite of this the building suffered from a lack of liveliness. People were returning from work and yet this building remained silent, like no one lived there.

Sighing to herself Sakura pressed forward and pushed through the doorway of the apartment building. The inside had the same feeling as the outside, it wasn't bad but something about it was entirely off. The main room was simple, a small hall leading to a door behind which was a set of stairs. The door was locked and looking around Sakura noticed a window behind which was a box shaped room that seemed to be where the main desk was.

Walking up to it Sakura saw a man behind a small counter. He had his feet up on a table and his pant legs were rolled back a little revealing that his right leg was a fake. He had some stubble on his chin and an eye patch over his left eye, his other eye was shut, and he was fast asleep. Sakura quickly noticed that hung on the wall behind the man, like a medal, was a shinobi headband and suddenly his injures made perfect sense to Sakura.

Gathering up some courage Sakura reached out and rang the small bell that rested on the desk. At the sound of the bell the old shinobi bolted upright with a kunai in hand as he wildly glanced around for some hidden assassin. Finding only a small genie he sheepishly smiled and set down his weapon. "Sorry about that," he apologized as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "what can I do for you little lady?"

"Um…which room belongs to Naruto?" Sakura asked, never having visited an apartment building she didn't really know the etiquette for getting in. In fact this didn't even seem like an apartment, more like a hotel or something.

"You mean Uzumaki?" The old man said as he raised his voice to a high questioning tone. "Why?" He asked and suddenly Sakura felt a lot more afraid of the old legless shinobi, his charka levels rising to a level that said, 'No lies.'

"H-he's my friend," Sakura stammered as she took a step away from the man. Suddenly her conversation with the Hokage came rushing back to her. He knew Naruto and he knew that people hated him; it only made sense to have a guard. Most apartments didn't have a desk clerk; this one had an old, but still very strong, shinobi on hand. He must have been hired by the Hokage to screen anyone who wanted to get into the apartment. "I'm Sakura." Sakura added quickly hoping her name would be recognized.

Examining her with his good eye the man exclaimed "Oh!" and the mood returned to normal in the hall as the man dropped from his defensive stance. "My name's Daisuke, the Hokage mentioned you." He said with a smile as he extended his right hand for Sakura and she noticed that his hand was also a prosthetic. Smiling in return Sakura took it and shook it awkwardly. "Naruto is up on the fifth floor, number eleven," Daisuke said as he sat down with a loud 'humph' and after pressing a button there was a loud buzzing noise from the door. Sakura smiled and pushed through the now open door into Naruto's building.

Walking up four flights of stairs Sakura came to a door that had a big red five on it and opened it. Walking into a hallway she began to count rooms as she approached number eleven. The hall was dead silent and Sakura realized that no one else must live on it. Why Sakura didn't know, while a distance from the city hub it was nowhere near a desolate area and the view from the windows on the higher floors would probably be nice. Finally coming to the room marked with an eleven Sakura breathed in then out.

Here she was, standing in front of Naruto's door ready to talk to him, ready to hear everything there was to hear and learn everything there was to learn. She had been doing this all day and she was so close, all she had to do was raise her hand and knock. There was no one else around for this step though. No Hokage to ask her if she was going into his office or not, no Ayame to spot her down the street, this was her hurdle to leap without them lifting her over it. Collecting herself she raised her hand to knock, she had rung the bell downstairs by herself she could do this too. Her fist connected with the door and the single knock seemed to ring out into the silence like an explosion.

"Who's there?" came the shaky voice of Naruto from behind the thin layer of wood that Sakura had just triumphed over.

"It's Sakura," she shouted back and waited for a response. It felt like she was staring into the abyss during the three painful seconds of silence. Then there was a noise like something falling followed by feet running along a floor and more things falling.

"Give me a minute," Naruto yelled after a particular loud crash. Sakura's nervousness all drained from her in that one instant and she laughed. This was by far the most ridiculous thing she had every done and she just couldn't hold it in anymore. When Naruto finally opened the door the sight of Sakura bent over in a full belly laugh greeted him. "Um…are you alright, Sakura?"

Looking up as she wiped a tear from her eye the colour drained from her face and suddenly the situation didn't seem that funny anymore. Naruto donned a fresh black eye and a bruised check, which distorted his face and made the blue of his left eye seem so much brighter then usual as it peeked through the swollen socket.

"Naruto, what happened?" Sakura exclaimed as she raised her hand to Naruto's wound. He flinched back instantly and Sakura pulled back her own hand out of the shame of her stupidity. "Can I come in?" she asked as she noticed the look on his face that shouted that he didn't want to talk about it.

"Sure," the blond haired boy said as he moved out of the way and ushered her inside his home. It wasn't much. Just a big room really. At the far end under a big window with thick blinds was Naruto's bed and closer to the door was a full kitchen, which judging by the dust wasn't used often. There was a hall that leads to a bathroom and a closet and besides that nothing but dirty clothes and a few stools at the kitchen covered the room's floor. No pictures or knickknacks, nothing that said a young boy lived there.

"Just some thugs. If you're wondering," Naruto said suddenly and Sakura spun to face him, snapped from her daze of admiring the room. "Some of the people around here think it's funny to beat me up when ever they see me."

"Why would anyone every do that?" Sakura asked, her voice pleading as her eyes filled with sorrow at the defeated look on Naruto's face.

"Lot's a reasons. Most of them aren't true," and then suddenly Naruto's voice sounded much older, "one is."

It was then that Sakura noticed Naruto. He was playing with a glass on the counter and his eyes looked very sad as he moved the very small amount of liquid around the bottom of the cup. He wasn't wearing his regular turtleneck but was instead wearing an orange open sweater, which hid his arms just as well as his turtleneck, but the black tank top he wore underneath revealed the top of his chest. On it the skin was pale and distorted. It was raised in odd places, red and badly burnt.

"Oh my god, did they do this too?" Sakura asked as she reached out to touch the burns on Naruto's chest. Her hand just grazed them but he flew backwards, tripping over a stool and falling onto the kitchen floor. Using his feet he pushed himself away from her and into the corner, raising his legs to his chest in defense. "I'm sorry-" Sakura began, but she was cut off.

"No, it's alright," Naruto said as he un-tucked his legs and stood awkwardly, taking a moment to zipper up his sweater. "The burns are from…a long time ago." Naruto once again got that old look in his eyes and Sakura felt like crying as he asked, "What did you come here to talk about again?"

"Well…" Sakura paused, here she was having all these things presented to her, all these reasons for wanting to know who Naruto was and she was still having trouble asking. It was the wording, what could she say to not sound offensive. What could she do so that she didn't make him feel awkward and force her to leave? "I spoke with the Hokage today," she began with just the slightest shake in her voice, "he told me some stuff about you, but not much. I was just wondering what you could tell me?"

The look on Naruto's face was unreadable but clearly shocked. He seemed to shake himself a bit as he righted the stool he had tipped over and took a seat. Sakura quickly sat down across from him as he stammered, "I-I-I'm not sure what you mean?"

Sakura bit her lip as she looked into the helpless blue orbs of the blond haired boy across from her. Even with the bright sunny sky outside Sakura could have sworn she heard the same lightning from earlier as she asked, "Why didn't you go to the academe?"

"I did. Once," Naruto said in a very small voice as he began his story. "I was five and it was the first day of school. I remember being so excited because the Hokage said that I was guarantied entrance. I even tried to jump along the rooftops 'cause I had seen some ANBU members doing it early. I slammed face first into the wall of the building I was trying to jump to and spent the rest of the way rubbing my noise."

"When I got there this crowd was gathered outside and they all looked angry about something. A man named Iruka was trying to calm everybody down and I didn't know what was going on so I walked up to him and pulled on his pant leg. Nether one of us got the chance to say anything because someone else shouted, 'There he is!'"

"Then came the pain in my side from where someone kicked me. After that it was just pain, coming from all directions. Someone told me that some people tried to break it up but some of the people in the mob where high ranking shinobi so the whole thing just turned into a riot with me in the middle. The last thing I remember before I blacked out was someone saying they were going to, 'burn the thing out of me', then nothing."

By this point Naruto was in tears but they didn't seem to affect his voice or body in any fashion. He kept talking and looking down as if the tears didn't exist, like they were normal. Sakura on the other hand was breaking down from the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I woke up in the hospital about three months later. The doctors all said it was a miracle I was alive and that all my injures healed super fast-" for the first time the tears affected Naruto as his words caught in this throat, "-accept these."

Naruto pulled back the sleeves on his sweater and underneath Sakura saw what Naruto had been hiding. His arms were horribly burnt. The skin raising and falling in odd patterns where the flesh had been destroyed years prior. "Oh my…" was all Sakura could say as she stared at the pink mutilated flesh.

"I tried to go again," Naruto began to talk and Sakura pulled herself away from his arms which he folded close to himself. "I didn't tell anyone. I just wanted to go so bad that I decided to try again. When I got there this crowd was outside. It was just parents dropping off kids but I couldn't tell the difference and I ran home screaming. I've never gone back since."

"Naruto-" Sakura began but was cut off by Naruto who turned his back to her as he spoke.

"It's not all bad," he said in a very small voice, "the Hokage found me a job and he gives me enough money to pay for this place. It's not like I don't have anything."

Sakura stared at Naruto's back for a long time after that. Nether said anything and the only movement between the two was when Naruto pulled his sleeves back down. After what was at least a minutes Sakura spoke. She choices her words carefully, speaking slowly and deliberately, she didn't want to mess up what she was saying. "What if you didn't have to go to the academy?" Naruto turned around at that. His mouth was open but he didn't make a sound, he just looked at Sakura, his eyes showing confusion, shock, and a little bit of hope. "What if someone trained you and you just took the test to become a genin, like me? Would that work?"

When she finished she studied Naruto's face long and hard. He was in a state of shock, his face still unmoving from what it had been seconds earlier. He didn't move for a while but then he slowly closed his mouth. His eyes began to water as a small smile touched his lips. His head slowly began to shake up and down as the first tears began falling from his eyes. He flew across the room and engulfed Sakura in a hug as she too began to cry and let loose a little laugh which Naruto returned as his smile turned into a huge grin.

From the clock on the wall Sakura realized she had already missed training completely but she didn't care. The mystery of Naruto wasn't quite solved yet but Sakura had bigger things to worry about. Naruto was ready to open up and truly reach out for his goal. The only thing she cared about now was whether or not she was ready to help.

A/N:

Right, okay…it's super late. It's so late it isn't even late anymore now it's just being revived from death. Seriously, I am really sorry but I had to give up fan fiction for a while. It had nothing to do with wanting to give up the story or quitting I just needed to focus on other things. So once more I apologize deeply for the EXTREME lateness of this update.

Also, I would like to thank you all for reviewing and for all those returning I would like to personally thank you for sticking with the story all this time. Right, so please review and I will try my absolute hardest to get the next update out within the month. Thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

Destiny's Path

Chapter Five

Sakura and Naruto sat in front of the Hokage like two nervous children about to learn if what they did was right or wrong. The Hokage gave no sign of what he was thinking. He just observed them both out of the corner of his eye and smoked lazily on his pipe.

Sakura was more nervous then she had ever been in her life. Today she had visited a person she had once called her 'eternal rival', had a one-on-one meeting with the Hokage, found out where Naruto lived, found out about his past, asked him if she could train him, and now was asking the Hokage permission to do so. It was safe to say it had been a full day.

Glancing over at Naruto she saw that he was just as nervous as she was. He had pulled his legs up into himself a little and was attempting to pull down both of his selves at once. Giving the impression of a person attempting to disappear into himself.

The Hokage took his pipe out of his mouth with a loud popping noise and pointed the tip at Naruto. "Naruto, I have offered you tutors before. Some of the best tutors this village has to offer."

"Yes, Hokage-san, but those people always said I had to go to the academy."

The Hokage's pipe went back into his mouth and he began to smoke again. Smoke rings filled the small office as a few more painful moment dragged on. Another loud pop and this time Sakura had the pipe pointed at her.

"Miss Haruno, you are aware that Genin do not have the authority to train shinobi hopefuls."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I wouldn't be training Naruto though, merely be guiding him as he figures things out on his own. As team-mates may help each other."

The Hokage smiled slightly and took a long puff on his pipe. Blowing out a few rings he shifted his eyes from one to the other. "That is a sneaky way of getting around village law, Miss Sakura."

Sakura blushed slightly and shifted a little in her seat. She did not dare look up as long as she knew the Hokage's eyes were on her. The Hokage's next words seemed to fill her with daring though.

"Even so, village law is village law and to become a Genin villagers must attend the academy. I am sorry."

"It's alright, Hokage-san," Naruto said as he stood and began to leave, "Thank you for your time."

Sakura quickly glanced between the two men and felt all the hope in her washed away. Naruto was stalking out the door with his head down; on his way to return to the life he didn't deserve. The Hokage watched him go, a grim expression on his face as he smoked out of the side of his mouth.

Bowing deeply in a rush Sakura got up to follow Naruto and attempt to comfort him. Before she reached the door though she and Naruto were both stopped by the unmistakable tone of the Hokage's voice.

"But…if a villager was friends with a shinobi…and said shinobi allowed this villager to watch her…or him…train…well what he picked up could not be helped."

His words were slow and measured and made Naruto and Sakura both turn to listen. He sat without showing much emotion or concentration. Taking a puff of his pipe every few words as if he was discussing an interesting fact with some old friend. Though his next words were what shocked them the most and seemed to be said much faster then they were.

"In fact, even though as Hokage I could not endorse it, this shinobi could even give the villager advice on how to pass the test to become a Genin. Which, if I am not mistaken, a student can take early with the teacher's permission. Why, he…or she…could even take it on their very first, and indeed what would become their last, day. As long as they passed."

Both Naruto and Sakura just stood as the Hokage closed his eyes in delight and puffed some more on his pipe in an absentminded way. Sakura had never thought of half the things the Hokage had just said. She couldn't believe that he had come up with it all in such a short, almost instantaneous, amount of time. Then again maybe he didn't. Maybe he had been saving this plan for just this moment.

Glancing at Naruto Sakura could not tell if he was thinking something similar to her revelation. His face looked rather blank as he stared at the Hokage with his mouth slightly opened, his eyes the widest Sakura had ever seen them. The Hokage just kept smiling as if no words had just passed his lips.

After a minute Naruto's eyes began to water and he chocked out a very horse, "Hokage?"

"Why one could probably even follow a Genin team around as long as the Jonin-sensei did not object he could do it for any mission within the walls of the village."

Naruto ran back into the room and stood in the exact centre facing the Hokage. He stood very rigidly and wiped his eyes with his sleeves before bowing as low as humanly possible. "Thank you, Hokage-sama!" he practically shouted.

The Hokage made no sign that anything had happened but he did open his eyes to meet Naruto's. "I haven't done anything." He said but he nodded slightly to the crying boy who nodded back before wiping his eyes again and turning to leave the room.

Sakura watched as he passed her and looked back at the Hokage. He nodded at her as well and Sakura gave a quick bow before running from the Hokage's office, down the stairs, and out into the sunlit village. That's where she found Naruto, sitting on the sidewalk and smiling down at his feet.

"Naruto?" Sakura said cautiously as she walked up behind him.

He looked up at her with a smile so bright it reviled that of the setting sun. Setting sun? At this point Sakura was extremely late for training and had no excuse that would satisfy Kakashi-sensei. Maybe if she still showed up now she wouldn't be punished as much.

"Naruto, I have to go," Sakura said quickly as she looked in the direction of the training grounds. Naruto's face dropped slightly but the smile refused to fade. "We'll begin tomorrow, ok? Bright and early at training ground six."

Naruto nodded and Sakura took that as a sign to take off. Waving behind her as she went. The distance between the Tower and the training grounds seemed like nothing as Sakura kicked into a speed that she didn't know she had.

Landing in a field she found Sasuke standing there alone. Gripping her chest she tried to cache her breath and panted, "Did I miss training?"

"You're late." Came a voice from behind her and Sakura spun to see Kakashi standing with his little book in his hand.

"You just got here?" Sakura said as she looked around as if for an answer which simply was not there.

"That doesn't mean you're not late." Kakashi said, not even looking up from his book. Pushing past Sakura he stood between her and Sasuke and began telling them what they'd be doing today.

Sakura listened but began to fume as she was given extra laps because of her lateness. But even Kakashi couldn't ruin this day. Nothing could ruin this day.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sakura awoke around six o'clock the following mourning. Yawning loudly she dragged herself out of bed and got dressed. Today was a very special day and she didn't want to waste any time. Leaping down the stairs five at a time Sakura grabbed some toast and raced towards training ground six.

The sun was just raising and Sakura smiled as the light hit her face. Leaping from building to building Sakura saw a few people were setting up outside for a long day of trade. Some looked up as she paced and stopped what they were doing to wave. Sakura's smile widened and stayed that way till she reached the grasses knoll of the training ground.

Naruto was already there, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. He seemed to be on red alert. Looking around every few seconds. Maybe he thought if someone saw him they would make him leave.

Frowning slightly Sakura waved in greeting, "Naruto!"

Naruto shot up instantly and raced over to Sakura to greet her with a low bow, "Is it time?"

"How long have you been here for?" Sakura asked as she rubbed the back of her head in embracement. No one had ever bowed to her before.

"Just since three. You said bright and early." Naruto said with a curious expression on his face.

"Yeah, I did." She said with a nervous chuckle, "But for future reference that usually means five to seven."

Looking around Sakura wondered what she should do now. She always paid attention in class and aced everything she did but she never had to teach anyone. Where do you even start? Her own taijutsu was not very good and though her charka control was excellent her reserves were pretty low. How many times would Naruto need to be shown before he got something?

"Well I guess you should know the basics first." Sakura announced aloud, "What do you know."

"Not much," Naruto admitted quietly as he studied his shoes, "just hand symbols and some pretty basic taijutsu."

"That's good!" Sakura said as she clapped her hands together, "hand symbols are some of the hardest things for hopefuls to learn. I know when I tried them at first I always got confused and looped my hands into knots."

Naruto giggled a little and added, "me too."

Sakura smiled to herself. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. "Let's see some of that taijutsu."

"Hai!" Naruto yelled as he ran over to a nearby tree. Being here since three he must have had ample time to prepare. The tree itself had a warn out trunk, students must have already used this tree as a beating post before and Sakura wondered if Naruto had done any training with it before she arrived.

His Taijutsu was all right, not good, but all right. It was a bit sloppy, at points looking like he was tripping over himself to land the next blow on the old tree. Besides that there was not much more she could say about it. It was like nothing she had every seen. Twenty percent basic, eighty percent improvising and invention. Naruto had obviously been doing this for a while and even more obvious, he didn't have any help.

"Alright that's enough," Sakura called out after a few minutes, "It was alright but you need some serious help with your form."

Sakura couldn't think of anything else to say. Kakashi always knew just what you were doing wrong and could give you a forty page explanation on how to correct it, even if he usually just said two words and kept reading his stupid book. Sakura on the other hand couldn't think of where to start or what should be changed. It would have been a great help if she were any good at taijutsu herself.

"OK, have you every tried charka training?"

"Not really," Naruto said as he looked down at his hands. The blond haired boy obviously didn't think very highly of his chakra and Sakura could only assume he didn't have much of it. It took years of training to build up good-sized reserves.

"Well let's start with a basic estimate of just how high your reserves are. You see at the academy part of the entrance exam is to prove you have enough chakra to do all the jutsu. So first pump as much of your chakra as possible into your hands."

"All of it," Naruto asked nervously as he began to flex his fingers slowly. Sakura nodded and Naruto's face became very serious as he concentrated hard on his hands. After a few moments he said, "That's the best I can do. It's hard to get it to go where you want it to."

Looking at the small boys hands Sakura though they had a slight glow but it must just be the raising sun playing tricks with her mind. No Genin's hands had every glowed with charka before. No one had that much.

"Alright, now just put you hands on mine," Sakura said as she placed both her hands in front of her, palms up. Naruto looked between her hands and her face and gulped. He must have been nervous to hold hands with a cute girl like her. Yeah, what else could it be?

Naruto's hands only touched her'' for the briefest of moments but it felt like she had been stabbed through both hands by a red-hot iron. She pulled them away faster then she though possible and held the injured appendages close to her.

"I'm sorry!" Naruto shouted as he looked down at his offending hands and shoved them into his pockets as if to silence them.

"No, it's alright," Sakura said as she looked at the red palms of her hands, "I just didn't see that coming."

Looking up at the devastated Naruto Sakura saw a bit of hope in his eyes and smiled. The kid had enough chakra to rival a Hokage so surely this was going to be a lot easier then she could have ever thought it would be. Boy was she wrong.

Naruto spent much of that mourning learning how to channel chakra. Or at least that's what he was supposed to be doing. The truth was he kept losing control of it. Sometimes there was too much, others too little. Sakura couldn't make heads or tails of it. What could possible cause such a strange amount of chakra to pump through a boy who had no control over it?

Finally, deciding to call it a day, Sakura told Naruto to, "just keep practising." and left to meet up with the rest of Team Seven. The rest of the day was a blur of missions and training.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

That evening Sakura realized just how much the extra training sessions were going to be taking out of her. After afternoon training she hadn't even had enough energy to make a feeble pass at Sasuke. The loner didn't seem to miss it and stalked off down his street as Sakura made her way to Ichiraku's.

"Some ramen please." Sakura asked as she lifted herself onto a stool. Ayame smiled at her as she went to retrieve the food from behind her. "Is Naruto in?"

"Naruto isn't back yet," the older girl said with a bit of a confused look on her face as she presented Sakura with her ramen, "he said he'd be training with you."

"He isn't back yet?" Sakura questioned as she looked in the direction of the training grounds. Inspiration flooded the girl's mind and with a quick payment for her untouched ramen she began to race for the training ground.

She reached it in a matter of moments and saw Naruto there but did not approach him. Instead she hid behind a tree and watched him for a few moments. He was right where she left him. Standing next to the old tree and trying to pump the right amount of chakra into his hands.

He'd focus, thrust his hands into the old tree's worn bark, and then do it again and again and again. Over and over with no end in sight. From her spot behind the tree Sakura could see his hands were bleeding and the frustration on his face was intense but not once did he even hesitate. He was devoted to getting it right, no matter how many time it took or how much his hands hurt.

Suddenly a wave of resolve washed over the pink-haired kunoichi. Naruto had been there all day working on the same thing over and over and if Sakura was going to train him she had to be just as devoted. Starting tomorrow the training really began. And if Sakura had her way, and if she could get enough help from her friends, Naruto would be a shinobi by the end of the year.

A/N:

All right, it's a bit late. No real reason except for my own inaptitude at meeting a deadline. Right, so sorry for that but by this point you all probably already know that.

Not much to talk of this time around.

Of course thank you all very much for your reviews and please leave some more for this chapter. Knowing what you think is the most important thing to me.


	6. Chapter 6

Destiny's Path

Chapter Six

In the hidden village of Konoha at any given time there are roughly a hundred Genin. This number includes rookies, younger teams, those who have yet to pass a Chunin test, and those who retired without ever gaining ranks. From that hundred only half will go on to be Chunin. Those fifty people include teachers and older teams. With all these numbers there are still roughly only twenty Jonin, including special-Jonin. There is also a wide array of unranked shinobi or ones whose ranks have been hidden such as those of the ANBU and the Hunter-nin branch of that origination. There is of course only one Hokage.

Though they all are more then just numbers, they are shinobi of the leaf. They have names and stories and are all willing to sacrifice themselves for their village. The have hearts and souls and will fight until both give up if need be. That is what being a shinobi of the leaf is all about.

Of course out of all these shinobi's names and ranks, out of all of their stories only a few ran through the head of Sakura Haruno as she paced her bedroom floor. Today was her day off. Kakashi had asked her and Sasuke to only train on their own today and to report to him tomorrow to get back on schedule. Off days were required for a good shinobi. It gave them time to focus their energies, maybe build up some chakra or recover from some nagging injures.

For Sakura this should have been an excellent time to begin Naruto's second day of training. But Naruto still had a job at Ichiraku's to up hold and Sakura still needed some time to think. Yesterday she had made a promise to herself and to the world that she would make Naruto into a Genin. Now all she had to do was find out how one did such a thing.

During her sleepless night she had decided that she would need help. That point was one she was absolutely clear on. She had no way to tame the wild chakra that flowed through Naruto and she couldn't make his taijutsu any better then hers, which was sadly sub-par compared to her test scores. Help was what Sakura needed but from who she still could not decide.

The Hokage had made it clear that he was ok with her training Naruto but he had also made it crystal clear that it should be kept secret. But if Sakura was going to get help she needed to share the secret with someone. She couldn't just ask the Hokage to help. Though she was sure he would he was both too busy and she was too nervous.

Finally, after much thought and so much pacing she was dizzy, Sakura figured out who to ask for help. It was a perfect choice in her mind and would help Naruto control his chakra. Though she still had no idea how to help him with his taijutsu she was too excited about her choice not to act and didn't even bother walking downstairs instead just leaping out of her open bedroom window.

Racing towards her destination Sakura quickly realized she didn't have one. Not all Genin got the same days off and even if they did they do not all gather in the same place. Sakura began to panic and race to random areas of the village like a bee going to every flower in a field. Through some stroke of luck this random frantic searching actually paid off in the form of a girl sitting under a tree a little bit away from the noise of the village.

The area was quiet and no one came near it that often. The only reason Sakura had even checked there was because she knew from years ago that it was one of the few places in the village where quiet could be found on a busy day. She had gone there countless times with Ino to talk about what was going on in there lives. But that was long ago and now the area's lone occupant was a shy indigo haired Genin.

"Hi Hinata," Sakura greeted cheerily as she approached her and bit her lip slightly as she watched the girl jump at the sound of someone's voice.

Hinata Hyuga. You wouldn't know from looking at her but she was the heiress to the mighty Hyuga clan. But anyone who had gone to school with her just knew her as Hinata, the lonely girl who sat in the corner and was the only one in the class not to have a crush on Sasuke. The truth was because she was too shy to ever be mean and because she had never liked the class hot-throb everyone in class liked her and often told her things they wouldn't tell others. Her shyness kept her from telling anyone else and this made her the perfect secret keeper. But that wasn't the reason that Sakura had chosen her to help train Naruto, merely a bonus.

"Hello Sakura," Hinata said very quietly as she began to push her fingers together. She looked up for only the briefest of moments to confirm whom she was talking to and then disappeared behind her long bangs. She was most certainly the least outgoing girl Sakura had ever met. She was quiet when she stated school and instead of growing out of it like most did she just sunk into herself to the point she was almost mute. From what Sakura heard she never had anyone who inspired her to come out of her shell.

"I was wondering if you could help me?" Sakura said as she tried to maintain a casually tone. She flopped down beside the quiet girl and winced when Hinata seemed to tense up.

"What do you need help from me for?" Hinata said as if to chastise herself and she tripped over her words in a way that told Sakura that she didn't like talking.

"Well I have a friend," Sakura said as she mentally slapped herself for being so generic, though technically true, "he has some trouble with chakra control."

"You are better at chakra control then me." Hinata interrupted quickly as if to squash the issue before she was proven to be good at something.

"Well I did better on the tests but those eyes of yours would make it a lot easier to teach him," Sakura said, revealing the reason for her choice of Hinata. The Hyuga eyes which could see chakra. You had to actually know Hinata to find out she had the technique, she made eye contact with no one after all, but Sakura knew she had the gift and that it could help.

Maybe she could find out where all this chakra was coming from and to help Naruto train it. Sakura needed Naruto to release the chakra before she could gage if it was the right amount but Hinata could do it without it ever having to leave Naruto's body. She could help him get the amount just right and then hopefully, once he gets a feel for it, he could do it on his own.

"I do not think so," Hinata said simple as she stood and Sakura's face fell, "I am not very good at training myself let alone others. Perhaps you should talk to a Jonin."

"But I need your help!" Sakura shouted, as she stood as well, afraid the girl might run away. "You wont tell anyone that you're helping and your eye really is the best way to help someone."

Hinata stood very still for a minute and Sakura hoped she was thinking about her offer and not a way to escape. "I do not know…" Hinata said after awhile, obviously at a lose for words.

"Just meet him. Just come see how much he wants to be a shinobi and then you'll see how much your help would…well…help!"

Hinata did not move again for a long time. Finally the wind swept the trees and blew the clothing of the two girls and Hinata nodded; a very slight nod that Sakura wouldn't have noticed if she weren't staring intensely at the shorter girl.

"I will go and met this boy," Hinata said in the formal manor she always used. For a brief moment Sakura wondered if she was so formal because she was afraid to speak any other way. Of course Sakura didn't really care as she was too excited to care and quickly took off in the direction of Ichiraku's without making sure Hinata was behind her.

Luckily Hinata was behind her; keeping pace a few feet back with her head down. Sakura wondered how she saw where she was going but quickly lost that train of though as she reached the quaint ramen bar.

She lifted the counter without asking as she had done countless times before, the only difference this time being Hinata's whispered plea of, "I do not believe you are allowed to do that."

Sakura didn't hear it though and just greeted Ayame who was working that day before heading right to the backroom, Hinata following close behind. Naruto was working at the sink the furthest from the door. Something seemed different about the backroom on this day and it didn't take Sakura long to figure out what. Naruto actually looked happy as he worked, doing a sort of dishwashing dance, and the emotion worked to lighten up the room.

"Hinata, I'd like you to meet Naruto Uzumaki." Sakura said as she waved her hand toward the blond haired boy.

Naruto jumped at the sound of someone's voice and instantly pulled down his sleeves as he turned. He seemed relieved to see Sakura and puzzled to see Hinata. Realization of what Sakura had said visibly dawned on his face and he smiled sheepishly as he gave a little wave. "Hey Hinata," he said in the laidback manner he used when he was happy; a tone that made Sakura smile.

"Hi." Came a shocked whisper from beside Sakura and this caused her to look down instantly. She was shocked to see that Hinata not only had made eye contact with Naruto but also now seemed unable to look away. She was also a little shocked to see how pretty Hinata was under her bangs. She hid behind them so much it was a shock to see them brushed away from her pale face.

Naruto had obviously noticed and smiled wide as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Hinata finally seemed to snap back into reality and blushed extremely red. She lowered her head at such an angle Sakura thought she would snap her neck and began pushing her fingers together so hard they looked like they might break.

Sakura smiled but inside she felt a slight pain in her chest that she could not place. There was no way she was jealousy of little Hinata because that would imply that she liked Naruto. Sakura's mind stopped for a moment but then she shook herself out of it. There was no way. Besides, Hinata may not even like Naruto; she did just meet him after all. For some reason this thought gave Sakura some hope.

All of this eternally struggle went unnoticed in the real world and Naruto was left to look in-between his frozen friend Sakura and this new shy girl. "How's it going Sakura?" he asked after a minute of waiting.

Sakura snapped out of it and remembered why she was there. "Oh right. Naruto this is Hinata and she's going to help you with your chakra control. Right Hinata?"

"Alright," Hinata said very quietly before saying a bit louder, "I mean, yes I will be assisting you Naruto-kun."

The honorific came as a shock to Hinata, who blushed, and Sakura, who felt that weird pain again. Naruto didn't seem to notice and just smiled.

"Cool. You're a Hyuga right? I recognize your eyes. They're awesome. I've read all about them in history books." Naruto said in a rush as he crossed the room and stood right in front of Hinata. "You're going to use them to see my chakra righ-"

Naruto cut himself off and seemed to pull back a little as his smile dropped. He looked like he was about to cry and then said to Sakura, "Are you sure it's ok to tell people what we're doing?"

Sakura was about to respond but Hinata spoke instead. " I am a very good secret keeper and would tell no one."

"You promise?" Naruto asked and Sakura thought she heard some fear in Naruto's voice. What was he afraid Hinata would see if she caught a glimpse of his chakra.

"I promise." Hinata said and she once again looked up to stare into Naruto's eyes.

Naruto smiled, his million-dollar smile, and gave Hinata a low bow. Hinata didn't seem to know what to do and gave a weird, jerky bow in return. Sakura smiled, all thoughts of jealousy that may or may not be there forgotten. Naruto was happy and Sakura finally had a way to help him with his lacklustre chakra control.

I took at least an hour for Sakura to explain to Naruto and Hinata what days they would be training together and how they would be doing it. Luckily Hinata's team had just done a big mission and would be taking a break from the field for a while. This gave Sakura plenty of opportunities to set up training sessions between the three preteens. Naruto wanted to get started today but Sakura had more to do and half of the time she spent there was trying to convince Naruto to let them leave. Finally the fifteenth call of Teuchi to "Get back to work already!" did it and the two girls rushed out of the back room as Naruto sulked.

Hinata remained quiet throughout the rest of the meeting; nodding or confirming things in as little hushed words as possible. Usually this wouldn't be odd at all because she never talked much but after her first meeting with Naruto that seemed to have changed. Now though as the two left the back of Ichiraku's Hinata seemed to be back to normal, if not more quiet, and her fingers had been pushed together for so long Sakura though they may be stuck.

"So then you're ok with all this then?" Sakura asked as she walked out into the afternoon sun. She had arrived in the morning and had forgotten how long a day was.

Hinata gave a curt nod and walked beside Sakura, not because they were walking together but merely because they were both going the same way.

"Good," Sakura said with a smile. She continued walking beside Hinata in silence and kept glancing down at the silent girl. Back at the bar something had happened to Hinata. She was still shy, still quiet, she was most definitely still the same girl but something had changed her just slightly. She talked more, even if it was only a little bit more, and she was more open, just a little more. Sakura could find no reason for this change beside the fact that Naruto was there.

Suddenly Sakura began to remember how Naruto used to be before they had started talking. How he was quiet and awkward. He had been almost like a guy version of Hinata, if not a bit less shy to begin with. Now he was outgoing, happy, and rambunctious. The catalysis for change with him was her; maybe the catalysis for Hinata was Naruto.

Looking down at the purple haired girl again Sakura meant to ask 'Do you like Naruto?' instead what came out was, "Now I just need some help on his taijutsu."

Sakura was so busy mentally slapping herself that she barely heard Hinata's whisper of "Rock Lee."

"Who?" Was Sakura's initial response to Hinata's suggestion. She thought she might have known someone by that name, maybe she had only heard about him in passing somewhere.

"He is a skilled taijutsu genius. He is on my cousin's Genin team. I heard him speaking negatively about Lee to Father." Hinata said in her quiet, cut-off manor. She seemed to flinch when she talked about her father and Sakura couldn't help but frown.

"Come to think of it I may have heard of him," Sakura said as she racked her brain, "Wait! Isn't he the one who passed the Genin test on taijutsu skill alone?"

"I believe so." Hinata said and without saying goodbye turned down a street different from where Sakura was going. Obviously she hadn't had enough conversations to know how to end one. Sakura waved after her but the small Genin never looked back as she walked.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Later that day Sakura found herself at a training ground where older shinobi usually trained on their off days. Sakura's hope of finding Rock Lee had paid off as she watched a lone boy working out amongst a sea of training dummies. He moved from one to the other like the wind. Quickly landing a dozen blows on one dummy before effortlessly moving to the next. Sakura watched him from a distance with awe as he finally stopped after delivering a blow that caused the stuffing to explode from the offending dummy.

"Rock Lee?" Sakura asked as she approached the older boy, she hoped that this really was Rock Lee and not some Jonin.

He turned around with a bright smile on his face that nearly blinded Sakura. His thumb out in front of him giving a triumphant thumbs-up as the sun seemed to sparkle off his white teeth. "That's me!"

Out off all these sparkling overdramatic actions Sakura spotted just one thing, "Eyebrows." Thick caterpillar eyebrows that rested under the boy's bowl cut.

Lee's smile dropped enough for his eyes to open and they instantly sparkled with extreme devotion when he saw Sakura standing there. He instantly ran over to her and got on one knee. He took one of her hands in his and looked up into her eyes with no lacking supply of confidence. "What is it you desire me to do oh sweet lady."

"Um, hi," Sakura said as she yanked her hand from the boy's grip, "my name's Sakura."

"Sakura." Lee practically shouted as he stood again with his eyes sparking so much Sakura though she was seeing stars. "A proper name for a beautiful flower as you. Let's go out together."

"No." Sakura said rather abruptly as she stared at the weird boy in front of her. The question had come out of nowhere and Sakura had no other answer for the taijutsu expert. "I would like your help though?"

Lee looked depressed that his offer had been met so coldly but he seemed to be redeemed when she asked him for his help. "Anything for you Sakura. I'll race around the village a hundred times, or fight off an army of warriors, all for you."

"Well, you'd have to keep it a secret."

"If it is a secret between you and I then I shall keep it until the flame of youth in me has long since died out."

Sakura wasn't sure what that meant but he sounded trustworthy so she pressed on. "I was wondering if you could help me train a friend. He's not very good at taijutsu and nether am I so I was hoping you know anything about teaching."

"Within a week he shall be the best taijutsu expert in the village's history. That is beside Guy-sensei." Lee said as he once again took up hi triumphant pose.

"Great!" Sakura yelled. Even if this boy had weird eyebrows and a weirder outlook on life he was a great taijutsu artist and Naruto would do great under his training. "It's getting a bit late though so I don't think you'll be able to meet him till tomorrow. Could you come to training ground six tomorrow mourning? You can start training then."

"Yes! I shall be there at six o'clock, after mourning training with Guy-sensei." Lee said and he happily smiled that eye-blinding smile.

"Great, see you then." Sakura said as she walked away. She looked back and saw Lee giving her the most exuberant wave Sakura had ever seen. She gave a smile one in return out of embarrassment only to watch Lee's wave become even more energetic. Tomorrow was the day.

A/N:

Longest chapter yet and; dare I say it, out ahead of schedule. Yes, I started this the second I finished the last chapter so I hope you've enjoyed it.

Well then, I added some new characters to the mix with this chapter and I hope they're welcome. With Hinata I was especial trying to show how Naruto's absence has affected the world. You'll see some more of that in the next chapter too.

Anyways on to reviews.

Radioactive-man, all shall me answered in time when it comes to your question. Kokuou no Shin'en, as you've seen in this chapter you're going to have to wait for any kind of reassurance. Besides, it's always more interesting to leave things unknown till the very end, it keeps people reading.

So please, keep reading, and when you're here leave a review. I love reviews so very much and enough of them will help get chapters out quickly.

Thank you.


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