Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Corpses of Children are Called Adults. ❯ part 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

"Sakura, Oi Sakura."

"Hmmm, Sasuke-kun..."

She said with a smile and snuggled closer in on herself, she's dreaming of me again. I crouched by the small fire we have manage to nurture and gave her a few more minuites.

This cave is a lucky find, but I get the feeling this had been used over and over again in the past. It's on a lee under shrubs and a massive tree, it's entrance covered with roots and tall scraggly grass, it was well camouflaged. It's near the river too which makes food and fresh water easy.

There are signs of seasonal flooding inside the stone walls, lines of mud and silt deposited or carved out by the water? I have no idea. Its big enough for 4 persons to sleep in side by side, I can stand inside it and there's about foot distance between my head and the tree roots showing through the cracked stone ceiling, some cracks are large enough to serve as vents for our fire. The floor is soft sand but the entrance is only big enough for one person to crawl out of, there's no other exits, a cul de sac so to speak.

If they find us they can smoke us out of here like rats. Thus the watch system.

We pulled lots and Sakura got second watch I pulled first watch and Naruto gets to sleep for 7 hours straight before his turn comes up. Ch, lucky bastard.

It's been a day since we parted with the others, we have the earth scroll and need the other before we can enter that tower. I am tired, I haven't recovered from...

I touched the mark that Orochimaru gave me, it dosen't hurt as much as it did when he first bit me but... I was that strong? I scared off those Sound-nins Lee couldn't defeat. Was it really because of this?

Why am I so... weak?

I really hate sitting around a small campfire, my thoughts are free to go from bad to worse!

I looked around and the flickering light of the small fire showed me the purple lumps on Sakura's forhead and bruises on her arms, her hair is a mess having been cut roughly with a kunai. She's been through hell and it maddens me that a friend of mine, a girl for that matter, was beaten up protecting me. I lifted a lock of dirty pink hair and let it go.

Lying opposite her with his feet near the exit is the other person I should not have allowed to come this close to me.

Naruto is on his side huddled close to the fire, breathing deeply and evenly like the sandy pebbly ground he was sleeping on was the most comfortable futon. No visible hurts and clean, unlike me and Sakura because we made it his turn to scare the fish for our supper.

He looks... recovered.

Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto.

What have I been thinking? This is... he is something I cannot have, something I should not have been foolish enough to indulge in.

I sat on the sand between them weary of this exam, my chakra is at an all time low and his chakra had been unstable ever since that fight with Orochimaru. I stopped my hand from touching that mark again, this is something Naruto musn't see. I... don't want him to know how weak I really am.

They say I'm strong, they say I'm good, but this survival examination had been an eye opener.

My brother survived this and was chunin at age 10. I gritted my teeth and threw a couple of twigs at the fire.

I winced and pulled my knees to my chin hiding the anger, the hate I feel for the one who took everything from me, everything!

//Run, run, live a pathetic life...//

I can do this, I can't die here, I have to focus on recovering my strength, if he can do it I can do it. I will not loose to you Itachi.

What have I done? Sakura... Naruto...

The days rest had helped Sakura's apperance, but she wasn't doing so well. She is someone both Naruto and I have agreed to protect, she is an essential part of our team.

Plus Naruto really likes her, she likes me but, I can't have any attachments to anybody because when I go after my brother I cannot be afraid to die. I must have no one so no one will mourn me, so no one will suffer as I have.

Naruto offered me his comfort and his body, something I had needed and wanted but suppressed. I had offered him mine in return. I am not ashamed of what we had done, in fact I enjoyed them very much, but... I have to let him go.

I cannot watch them get hurt, I cannot loose another person precious to me. I saw the same thing burn in Naruto's eyes when he protected me from that giant snake, he said I was a scardy cat and I guess he was right.

I don't want to die, I don't want to get hurt, but I'd rather die than see them suffer.

I want to stop this but... Naruto, I need you right now.

When did our rivalry become this... this thing we have?

What IS this thing we have? I know it's not normal, I know it's wrong but, how can something wrong feel so good? Why is it that when I'm next to him I feel everything is alright?

He makes me forget my purpose!

One last then, the last touch, the last kiss, I have to let him go if I am to become stronger, I must have no regrets, nothing to protect or worry about.

I reached over to my right and gently touched Sakura's shoulder "Sakura?"

"Hmmm, 5 more minuites mom." she rolled over.

"Sakura! It's your turn to watch." I shook her shoulder, she sat bolt upright and blinked at the dark walls of the cave.

"S-Sasuke?" she rubbed her eyes "Gomen ne, I thought I was at home." She yawned, stretched out and stiffly got to her hands and knees. I handed her the tagged Kunais and the last of the exploding notes. She crawled out quietly, with the exhaustion 4 hours of sleep cannot cure.

I picked a pebble from the floor and tossed it to the corner. The sound it made was muffled by the sandy floor but still, a shout would be carried out of here amplified because of the cave's shape.

I went over to Naruto's side and pushed him to his back. He snored and unconsciously wiped at the trail of spittle on his lips, he mumbled something about a second order of ramen before he smiled and settled back into deep sleep.

He's completely out of it.

I think now is as good a time as any to pay him back for what he did to me when I visited him in his room.