Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered ❯ The Next Step ( Chapter 18 )

 

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto ::breaks down crying::

 

Spoilers: From the manga. But you might not even realize it since I kinda changed it up a bit.

 

Chapter 18: The Next Step

 

 

One Month Later

 

Sakura and Sasuke were sitting around the dining room table. Sasuke was looking over some scrolls, and Sakura was reading some medical studies lent to her by the Nara clan. Sighing quietly, Sakura leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. So much had changed in the past month. Sasuke had taken to wearing the traditional jounin uniform. The only difference was that all of his shirts had the Uchiha symbol sewn into the shoulder.

 

His introduction into the jounin ranks was easier than expected. He fit in nicely among all his comrades. He had even been given a few solo missions.

 

She on the other hand was still somewhat the same. The only major difference was her outfit. She had taken to wearing tight black cargo pants. Even though her belt was specially made for medical nins, she still needed the extra pockets. Her shirt was now short sleeved and wine colored. She still kept her hair up in a ponytail, but now her forehead protector was used as a belt buckle. She had picked up that fashion statement from Lee.

 

Sakura glanced over at the small calendar on the refrigerator. With the exception of the last two days, the entire month is marked off.

 

“They should be coming home either today or tomorrow.”

 

Even though Sasuke doesn't answer her, she knows he's listening. It didn't take long for her to learn all his mannerisms and silences. She could tell by the way he sat, or the way he looked how he was feeling. It was all in his shoulders and eyes. As for the silences, she knew when to leave him alone, when to talk to him, and when he was ignoring her. That was all in his breathing. She knew he prided himself in being a blank canvas, so she never bothered telling him that he showed more emotion than he thought.

 

“Do you have a mission coming up?”

 

“I have this week off.”

 

Sakura knows that's his way of saying he wants to be home when Naruto got back.

 

“How's the orphanage coming along?” She's slightly surprised when he stops reading to look at her.

 

“It's good. All the staff positions have been filled and they've already started receiving applications for adoption.”

 

“Where are the children coming from?”

 

“The ninja registry. Whenever a ninja dies and they leave behind a child with no family the registry sends the information to the orphanage. The whole process was a lot easier than expected.”

 

“That's great Sasuke. I know we trained a couple of ninja's for the orphanage, and I'd like to go visit them. Where's the orphanage located?”

 

“I don't know exactly. I haven't gone yet.”

 

Once again Sakura knew what he really meant. He wanted to visit the orphanage with Naruto, and not a moment sooner.

 

Closing her book, Sakura got up and pushed the chair back in place. “I'm going to go visit Hinata. Do you want me to bring you dinner?”

 

“Doesn't matter.”

 

“Okay, how does sushi sound?”

 

“I don't care.”

 

Sakura knew the routine. Sasuke would act like he didn't care, but she knew he did. When she left the house, Sasuke was still at the table looking over his scroll. She arrived at the Hyuuga compound a few minutes later to see Hinata in the courtyard training with Hanabi. Hinata's father, Hiashi, was sitting on the porch watching. Sakura stood back and watched the training session. The match ended a few moments later with Hinata winning the match after she placed her hand over Hanabi's heart.

 

“You're improving quickly Hanabi.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Both girls walked over to where their father was sitting. Hiashi nodded toward Sakura as he spoke to Hinata. “You have a guest.”

 

Hinata turned and waved at Sakura, who finally approached her. Together the girls walked to Hianta's room.

 

“So are you excited about Neji and Naruto coming home?”

 

“Of course. I hope everything went okay. I heard Anbu training is very difficult and challenging.”

 

“They'll do fine. They're all tough boys.”

 

The pair walked into Hinata's room. Sakura took a seat on the floor as Hinata looked around the room for a shirt. Over the past month they had made it a habit to get together and talk. They found a kinship together. Their conversations usually revolved around the men in their lives. Sometimes Ino would join in and complain about Shikamaru. But that was a rare occasion, since the chuunin exams were coming up once again.

 

“You never finished telling me what your father said about Naruto.”

 

Hinata changed her shirt and sat on the floor in front of Sakura. “Well at first he was upset. He said I was too young to get married. But now, he's okay with it. He said he has to talk to Naruto.”

 

“Naruto can handle that. Have you made any wedding plans yet?”

 

“No. I want to make those decisions with Naruto.”

 

Before Sakura got a chance to speak Hanabi threw the door open. She was out of breath from running, and had a huge smile on her face. “Neji just got home!”

 

All three girls ran out of the room and into the courtyard. Sure enough Neji was standing there talking with Hiashi. He was in his Anbu gear. His hair was longer than it was before. He had it tied back in a low ponytail. In one of his hands he held his mask.

 

Sensing the girls presence, Neji turned. He said something, but Sakura didn't hear it. She turned and ran out of the compound. For the life of her, Sakura couldn't remember ever running so fast. In seconds she was at her front door. Somehow she managed not to rip the door off its hinges as she opened it.

 

Standing in the living room was Sasuke talking with Naruto and Lee. Both were in their Anbu gear. Naruto's hair had also gotten longer. It was still shaggy, but tied back. Lee also let his hair grow, but he has his braided. Naruto had his mask placed on the side of his head, while Lee had his hanging from his waist.

 

“Hi Sakura.” Naruto said as he smiled at her.

 

Lee took a step toward Sakura and opened his arms. “Sakura.”

 

The words weren't out of Lee's mouth before Sakura was rushing toward him. She jumped up throwing her arms and legs around Lee. Lee wrapped his arms around her in return.

 

“Sakura, don't squeeze me so hard, you'll break me. Wait, Sakura are you crying?”

 

Sakura doesn't answer him, but Lee can feel her tears on his neck. Turning back to Naruto and Sasuke, Lee opens his mouth to say something, but Naruto interrupts him.

 

“Go ahead.”

 

Smiling, Lee turned and walked down the hall to Sakura's room. Naruto and Sasuke in return sit down on the couches.

 

“How was training?”

 

“Hard. I'm happy I went through it with Lee and Neji. We really helped each other out.”

 

Sasuke couldn't help but feel jealous at Naruto's companionship with Neji and Lee. But at the same time he felt guilty over feeling jealous. It was the same wave of emotions he felt when Naruto received his promotion letter. This time though, Sasuke remained calm on the outside. He would not worry Naruto with his insecurities.

 

“Have you been assigned a squad?”

 

“Yeah, tomorrow we're having a meeting and we get to meet them.”

 

“That's good. Are all three of you all in the same squad?”

 

“No, they separated us.” Sasuke was barely able to keep a smile from breaking through at the news. “Enough about me, what did you do? I see you changed your wardrobe.”

 

“A few missions, nothing major. Later today I want us to visit the orphanage.”

 

“Okay that would be awesome. I'll go after I go see Hinata.”

 

Sasuke nodded as Naruto got up and grabbed his bag. Sasuke watched as Naruto walked down the hall to his room. His attention was drawn away from Naruto when he heard a small knock at the front door, which was left open. Hinata was standing in the doorway.

 

“He's in his room.”

 

With a small nod Hinata walked into the house and toward Naruto's room. Ever since their talk on the beach Sasuke wasn't quite sure how to act around Hinata. Things were awkward between them. But still, Sasuke had to suppress a smile when he heard Naruto yell her name. She made Naruto happy, so Sasuke had to try his hardest not to make his unease ruin their relationship.

 

Sasuke got up from the couch and shut the front door. He stayed there for a moment. He suddenly felt very alone. He remembered when Sakura told him to find someone to love. Maybe he should find someone. Maybe if he had someone he could be happy again. Wait, but he was happy. He was happy Sakura had someone, and he was happy Naruto had someone. He was back home where he belonged. He had strong people to train with and protect. He also had people to protect him. He didn't need someone to make him happy, he already was. It's just hard to be around two lovey dovey couples who are doing god know what in their rooms.

 

Sasuke turned when he heard footsteps. Sakura and Lee walked into the living room. Both looked a bit flushed, and overly happy. Sasuke walked away from the door and headed toward the kitchen. He stopped just as he was about to enter the kitchen.

 

“At least you're quiet.”

 

Immediately Sakura's face turned bright red. “Sasuke…we didn't….I mean..”

 

Sasuke only smirked and walked in the kitchen. When he returned to the living room, Hinata and Naruto were now sitting with Lee and Sakura. Naruto motions Sasuke to join them. For the next half hour the group does some catching up, well more like Sakura telling gossip.

 

After looking at the time, Hinata starts to get up. She tell the group that her father wants to hold a small party in honor of Neji and that they're all invited. After saying her good-byes Naruto turns to Sasuke.

 

“I'll go change and we can go.”

 

Five minutes later Naruto is in a jounin uniform and walking down the street with Sasuke.

 

“So, how is the orphanage?”

 

“I don't really know. I haven't gone to visit.”

 

Naruto nods, but doesn't say anything else. Sasuke pulls out a sheet of paper and looks at the address he was given.

 

“The orphanage should be down this street.”

 

When they turned the corner and they saw a cul-de-sac with three large buildings, one on each side of the street and one at the end of the street. Walking toward the building at the end of the street they noticed that at the top of the building it said “Konoha Orphanage”. The “O” in orphanage was actually a spiral insignia with the Uchiha symbol at the center of the spiral. When they enter the building they notice that there is a large reception desk. The woman sitting behind the desk smiles at them and quickly picks up the phone. She tells them to have a seat and that someone will be with them shortly. A few minutes later Hijiro is walking up to them.

 

“Sasuke, Naruto. Welcome.”

 

“Wow Hijiro-san the place looks amazing. Can we have a tour?”

 

“Of course.”

 

He leads them down a hallway and up to the second floor of the building. When they reach the second floor the are immediately taken aback by what they see. The floor is actually one huge room with a lot of desks and a lot of shinobi's walking around.

 

“These are all chuunins. They look through all the records sent to us by the Ninja Registry. They sort through the information and pick out the children that need families. We've decided that any child without a living relative who is under the age of seventeen will go through the orphanage. We don't take rank into consideration though. They also go through all the applications sent in by both individuals and families. You would be amazed at the number of people who want to adopt.”

 

“How are the children and applications broken up?” asked Sasuke.

 

“The chuunins here are broken up into small groups, and each groups is assigned a specific age group or a specific type of application. Those assigned to children go and find the child and check on their well being. If the child has nowhere to live we bring them here. If they have a place to live, we maintain it. For those assigned applications, they investigate the applicant and conduct interviews. All interviews are done in small groups to get a better range of opinions on the applicant.”

 

Naruto walked toward a desk and asked the nin to explain what he's doing.

 

“Oh of course Uzumaki-san. I just received the name of three children who have just lost their guardian.”

“How?”

 

“Well…” the nin quickly shuffled some of the papers on his desk before continuing, “their mother died a few years ago. Their father died last week while on a mission. Even though the oldest child is seventeen, he is unable to support his younger siblings. We're going to look for a family willing to adopt all three of them.”

 

“You don't want to separate them, good.”

 

“Thank you Uzumaki-san.”

 

“Naruto, come. Let me take you two to the dormitories.”

 

Hijiro led both Naruto and Sasuke back outside the building and toward one of the buildings flanking the street. Inside the building there was a small reception area, with a circulation desk in the middle. On each side of the reception area was a small hallway. Behind the desk were double doors.

 

“Those two doors there lead to the cafeteria. We serve food all day long. All the children have to do is walk in. The hallways lead to the living areas. Each floor is divided into sections. Each section shares a common living area. Each room has it's own bathroom, bed, desk, and dresser. Siblings are either placed in the same section, or in the same room depending on what they want.”

 

“What about their education?” asked Sasuke.

 

“They have a choice of the academy or regular schooling.”

 

“Who watches them while they are here?” Naruto asked.

 

“Each building has a jounin supervisor. Within each section there are chunins that live within that section and take care of the children. In the other building is the nursery for the babies and toddlers. The chunins there receive extra training. But all the chunins and jounins working here are trained as teachers and lower level medical nins.”

 

“Do they go through the programs supervised by Da ... er I mean Iruka and Sakura?”

 

“Yes.”

 

With that the trio walked out of the dormitory and into the middle of the cul-de-sac. There were children playing in the street now and a few nins were supervising them.

 

“How long are the children here before they get adopted?” asked Sasuke.

 

“The younger the child the faster they get adopted. The older the child the more difficult it is to get them adopted. Siblings are also difficult. But so far, the average has been a month. With more time I can give you positive figures.”

 

Naruto and Sasuke listen as Hijiro continues to inform them. When he's done both Naruto and Sasuke are more than happy with the progress of the orphanage.

 

“Hijiro-san I must say I'm really happy with the way things turned out. This is better than I ever expected.”

 

“I'm glad. Sasuke and I worked hard on it while you were gone.”

 

“Sensei!”

 

Naruto and Sasuke turn to see one of their former students running up to them.

 

“Naruto-sensei! Sasuke-sensei!”

 

The young boy runs and gives Sasuke a huge bear hug. Naruto laughed at how uncomfortable Sasuke looked. The boy let Sasuke go and quickly threw his arms around Naruto's waist.

 

“Thank you so much!”

 

Naruto ruffled the boys hair and smiled when the boy looked up at him. “Thank you for what?”

 

“For everything!”

 

Hearing his name the boy hugs Naruto one last time and runs off. They watch as the boy runs up to a older male shinobi standing at the gates. The man quickly picked up the boy and placed him on his shoulders before walking off.

 

“He's just been adopted.” Naruto and Sasuke could hear the smile in Hijiro's voice as he spoke. They quickly said their good-byes and started their walk home.

 

Both Naruto and Sasuke walked in complete silence, each stuck in their own thoughts. Seeing their former student express so much joy over having a family was simply overwhelming.

 

“Hey Sasuke, have I thanked you yet?”

 

Sasuke smiled at the question. He already knew the routine that came along with the question.

 

“No you haven't.”

 

“Well thank you.”

 

Sasuke was so stunned he stopped walking. That was the first time Naruto had ever thanked him for anything. Well at least verbalized his thanks.

 

“Why did you say that?”

 

Naruto stopped walking when Sasuke questioned him. “Am I not allowed?”

 

“You've never said it before.”

 

“You've never deserved it before. But this time, I don't know.”

 

There was a pause in the conversation as they both digested just how large of an impact seeing their student had on them.

 

“He seemed happy didn't he Naruto?”

 

“Yes he did. I wish I was that happy at that age.”

 

“Are you happy now?”

 

Naruto simply smiled at Sasuke. Of course he was happy now, but saying so would be too easy. Instead Naruto walked up to Sasuke, punched him in the shoulder, hard, and took off running toward the house. Sasuke could hear Naruto laughing hysterically as he ran. With a smirk Sasuke chased after Naruto.

 

Sasuke didn't want to lose Naruto in the crowd, so he jumped onto the rooftops to get a better view. Naruto on the other hand continued to run down the street. He wanted to make sure he was the first one home, so he picked up speed when the front door came into view.

 

As quickly as he could Naruto threw the door open, but when he turned to close it he stopped when he saw just how close behind him Sasuke was. Instead Naruto ran into the house. Sasuke ran in after him, and quickly dropped down and attempted to kick Naruto's feet out from under him. Naruto jumped and while in the air turned his body so he could stick to the ceiling using chakra. From his position on the floor Sasuke looked up at Naruto. He quickly stood and back flipped in an attempt to kick Naruto. This time Naruto jumped from the ceiling to a nearby wall.

 

Sakura walked out of the hallway just in time to see Naruto jump from the ceiling to the wall.

 

“What the hell are you two doing?!”

 

But instead of an answer, both of them ignored Sakura and continued to jump and kick. Not one to be ignored, Sakura walked up to Naruto grabbed him and threw him out the open front door. Naruto flew out the door screaming the whole way until he hit a wall. Sasuke was so stunned that he didn't even realize Sakura had grabbed him as well until he too was flying out the door.

 

From inside the house Sakura could hear both of them yelling and groaning from the impact. She walked out of the house and was about to yell at them for being reckless when she saw just how ridiculous that looked. They were a tangle of limbs. She couldn't tell where which arm and leg belonged to whom. So instead of yelling she burst into laughter.

 

Sasuke instantly got annoyed when he heard Sakura laugh. He was about to express his annoyance when Naruto nudged him. Sasuke turned his head and saw the evil smirk Naruto had on. Instantly understanding the meaning he returned the smirk. Both turned their attention to Sakura, who had noticed the change in them. Sakura reached back and shut the front door, without taking her eyes off Naruto and Sasuke. As soon as the door was closed she took off toward the training grounds. Although she didn't check to see if Naruto and Sasuke followed her, she could sense them behind her.

 

When she reached the training ground she quickly moved to the opposite side of the clearing so she could see them as they entered. Sure enough a few moments later Naruto and Sasuke jumped into the clearing. All three of them spaced themselves out evenly.

 

“Do you two have weapons?” When both Naruto and Sasuke shook their heads, Sakura smiled. “Well neither do I. Three on three?” This time she was answered with smirks. “Oh this should be good.”

 

Sakura reached into her pocket and pulled out her fingerless gloves. As soon as they were on she cracked her knuckles. Naruto made sure his hair was tied back properly and his headband was tight. Sasuke simply cracked his neck and waited for the other two to get ready.

 

All three stood stock still for about five seconds before all hell broke loose.

 

--

 

A knock at the door distracted Tsunade from the huge piles of paperwork she had to do. Much to her surprise and relief Shikamaru walked in.

 

“Shikamaru, I have to apologize for sending you to the Sand when it turned out to be unnecessary.”

 

“I wouldn't say that. I didn't find out anything on the Sound, but I did get a lot of information on Akatsuki.”

 

Tsunade sighed heavily as Shikamaru took a seat.

 

“Shizune, make sure we are not disturbed.” Tsunade called out. With a nod, Shizune shut the door, leaving the Hokage and Shikamaru alone.

 

“Okay what did you find out?”

 

“The group tried to kidnap Gaara just as I was arriving. Luckily Gaara was able to fight them off. There were a few nin's killed though. So we spent the next few weeks trying to track them and gather information. In our search we ran into Jirayia, he should be arriving here soon with his own set of information.”

 

“So what exactly did you find out?”

 

“The group kidnapped someone from the Mist and attempted to extract the demon sealed inside them. They succeeded and tried to re-seal the demon within one the members. They failed and the member died.”

 

“How do you know this?”

 

“We found the Mist nin. He was barely clinging to life. He looked horrible. He told us everything. The night before he died he asked Gaara to take him home. Thankfully he died peacefully in his sleep.”

 

“How did they extract the demon?”

 

“We don't know. The nin said when he woke up it was gone. We don't know how long the process takes or where they did it. I did find out that they are looking for people they think will help with the re-sealing. My guess would be medical nins or nins who specialize in chakra paths.”

 

“Why them specifically?”

 

“According to the Mist nin the member of the Akatsuki that died, died because his body couldn't handle the demon chakra. It was just too powerful for his paths. The chakra paths burned and squeezed the life out of him.”

 

“Serves him right. Do you think increased guards and announcing it to the shinobi's will help?”

 

“Can't hurt. Although I would keep a close eye on the very talented since they are possible targets.”

 

“Agreed.”

 

“Do you need me to write up the plans for it?”

 

For the first time since Shikamaru walked into her office, Tsunade smiled. “No. Go home, take the week off.”

 

Shikamaru reply was a heavy sigh. He got up sluggishly and started for the door. As he walked out Tsunade heard him say, “Ja ne.”

 

--

 

“Where are they?”

 

For the fifth time Lee knocked on the front door of the Uchiha house. Sakura had told him to arrive at the house around 3pm so they could all go the Hyuuga compound for Neji's party. But she wasn't here. It was very unlike her to be late, or forgetful. Lee was seriously getting worried. He was seriously considering breaking into the house when he heard laughter. Turning he saw Naruto carrying Sakura on his back and a slightly limping Sasuke walking next to them. All three looked tired, dirty and slightly bruised.

 

“Sakura, you're getting soft.” Naruto would have laughed at his comment had Sakura not pulled his ear.

 

“Shut up.”

 

Sasuke simply ignored them. He was tired, really tired. It had been a long time since he's had a training session that intense. Naruto had most defiantly improved. So much so that at one point he had to double team with Sakura against Naruto. Everything was fine until Sakura signaled the end of their double team when she poked his ribs, tickling him. He seriously had to get his revenge for her discovering his one ticklish spot. He was brought out of his thought for revenge when he heard Sakura speak.

 

“Lee I'm so sorry. I completely lost all track of time. Were you waiting long?”

 

“No it's okay. You look like you had fun.”

 

Smiling Naruto set Sakura down. She quickly opened the door and was about to walk in when Lee picked her up and carried her to her room. She was yelling at him the whole time. Twenty minutes later all four of them left for the Hyuuga compound.

 

--

 

The party was great. The atmosphere was laid back but welcoming. As it turned out, Lee and Naruto were also celebrated since they too had made Anbu. Neji didn't mind sharing the spot light. In fact Neji actually tried to convince Naruto to announce his engagement. It wasn't until Sakura and Lee joined in that he finally caved. Much to his surprise not very many people were shocked at the news. Kiba actually had the nerve to yell, “About time!”

 

After all the congratulations and announcements had been made everyone broke into small groups. The conversations were light. Naruto was talking with Shikamaru and Kiba, well more like irritating Shikamaru. When Naruto and Kiba wanted to they could be the most annoying people ever. As Naruto was laughing at one of Kiba's dirty jokes, Hiashi approached him and told Naruto he wanted to talk to him alone.

 

Sakura was having girl time with Hinata and Ino when Sasuke tapped her on the shoulder. Sakura followed his gaze just in time to see Naruto walking off with Hiashi. Sakura turned to see that almost everyone saw Naruto walk off with Hiashi. All conversations came to end. Sakura could only hope Naruto hadn't done anything stupid.

 

--

 

Naruto remembered this room clearly. It was the same room Hiashi had taken him to when he first started dating Hinata. And just like before, Naruto and Hiashi are sitting on their knees facing each other. The silence was making Naruto nervous, so nervous he decided to break it.

 

“You wished to speak to me about something Hiashi-sama.”

 

“Do you remember what we talked about last time?”

 

“Hai.”

 

“Hinata told me what happened at the Tea. Did you send her away to protect her or because you felt she could not handle it?”

 

“I knew I would not be able to fight at my full potential if I was worried about her. It was not a decision based on her talents, but my fears.”

 

“Did you know there are many versions of fear?”

 

“There are?”

 

“Yes. There is the fear of failing, the fear of letting go, the fear of being alone, the fear of being afraid and many others. These fears can be noble in nature, or they can be selfish fears.”

 

“I understand.”

 

“You, Naruto, had a different kind of fear. You feared for your loved ones. This is a very unselfish fear.”

 

“I have those other fears as well.”

 

“I know. I have one now. I'm afraid of letting go.” At this Naruto felt his heart drop. Was Hiashi not going to let Hinata marry him? “Letting her go to you does not lessen my fear.”

 

Naruto didn't care if he looked disrespectful anymore when he got up on one knee and leaned forward. “I can assure you I will continue to take care of her. Hiashi-sama I -”

 

“That's not what I meant Naruto. I have someone else to worry about now. Since you are joining the clan, and will be my son-in-law I will have to worry about you now.”

 

Naruto was left completely speechless. “Hiashi-sama, I…”

 

Deciding to cut Naruto some slack, Hiashi smiled and changed the subject. “So tell me Naruto, have you two decided where you will live once you are married?”

 

“Well to be honest we haven't really talked about it. But I don't plan to live with Sakura and Sasuke. I think we need more privacy than that.” Naruto couldn't help the blush that crossed his face.

 

Hiashi on the other hand laughed at Naruto's bashfulness. He understood what Naruto was getting at, since he too at one time was a newlywed. “Hinata can live off the clan grounds until she becomes head. What about her name, will it change?”

 

“I don't want her to change it, but she insists.”

 

“You are quite a man Naruto. It does not matter to us, so whatever you two decide we will honor.”

 

“Are you approving of the marriage then?”

 

“I only wish that Hanabi finds a man as honorable as you Naruto.”

 

“Thank you Hiashi.”

 

 

I am so sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. Really I am sorry.

 

Okay enough of that. I changed their appearance once again. I can't help it. What did everyone think of the orphanage? If you've ever lived in a dorm you totally understood the way it's all organized.

 

For all of you who were wondering where the Akatsuki were. There I found them.

 

I'm not really happy with this chapter I wanted to make it longer, the only problem was that if I did it would have been monstrously long and my beta would not have been happy with me. (^_^ beta) So instead some of the good stuff will happen in the next chapter. I might even have a lemon in the next chapter. ::gasp:: I know, I'm scared too.

 

Lastly on the 11th I will be graduating from college so I'll have more time to write and put my education to waste.