Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Twilight ❯ Prologue i ( Chapter 1 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Prologue part 1 Never be good enough...
It was a nice spring day at Konoha. Everything was going normally, everything was as usual.
"YOU'RE LATE AGAIN!" screeched Naruto and Sakura. Sasuke just glared his famous death glare.
"Sorry, I-" started Kakashi, but he was cut off by Naruto and Sasuke.
"Enough with your fake excuses, let's just train," said the two simultaneously, stomping off to the forest. Sakura stormed behind them, frowning.
What's up with those people, thought Kakashi. Then somebody called from behind him.
"Kakashi-sensei!" called out Hinata, halting in front of Kakashi. "Kurenai-sensei asked if I could train with your team today coz my teammates and she were called up to an important mission, but my father didn't allow me to go with them."
"Certainly, Hinata," said Kakashi. "Follow me."
They walked off into the forest, stopping at a clearing wide enough for a training spot. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were already there, all releasing their apparent frustration into a poor tree. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"Releasing frustration, frustrated." muttered Hinata, going up to the three and squeezing between Naruto and Sakura. She started punching, kicking and torturing the tree too. Kakashi raised both his eyebrows.
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Somewhere in the town
"You six, gather around," called out Gai. "Asuma and me assessed a special training for you today, practicing your hunting and stealth skills. You'll have to weave in and out of the forest, finding what is stated in the map, without getting seen by each other. If your fellow competitors see you, the alarm we've given you earlier will open and mark you out of the game. It will activate when you're all about a kilometer apart from each other. The prize is a special ninja kit you'll all want. This is an individual challenge."
"I'll make sure I win!" cheered Rock Lee, posing his pose. Then Gai mimicked his pose.
"Shut up, I'll win. I'll get that ninja kit, that's the one I've been searching for," muttered Neji.
Shikamaru was about to speak when several resounding booms from the forest sounded to the town. The people were startled, looking at the forest. The birds had flown away from a particular tree.
"What's going on there?" asked Ino, as the booms continued.
"Beats me," muttered Shikamaru. Then they decided to check it out and ran to the forest. After a couple of minutes' following the sound, they came upon the clearing where team 7 usually trains. They saw Kakashi in a corner, watching something as though he was astonished. They landed behind Kakashi and looked at the direction he was looking at.
Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto were there, pouring all their anger and frustration on the poor tree. Hinata was using the Hyuuga style against it while the other three were using resounding punches and kicks with a lot of chakra. No one ever thought that the dobe Naruto, the ice cold Sasuke and the bubbly Sakura contained so much power. Their punches and kicks made a loud booming sound every time it hits the tree. The part of the tree trunk, which was severed, was already thin. Punch. Kick. Punch. Punch, kick, kick. A few more punches and the tree groaned already.
"Uh-oh," whispered Tenten.
"What's wrong with them? Its as if they've turned into some kind of destruction machine. They must really be angry and frustrated," muttered Chouji, still munching on some chips.
Punch. Kick. Punch. Palm strike. As Hinata made the full palm strike, her chakra radiated through the tree, making the trunk considerably thinner. The tree groaned again.
"If they don't stop, the tree will fall on us," muttered Ino.
"Tell them to stop yourself, lets see if you don't get some black eyes on that 'ivory white skin' of yours, as you call it," mocked Shikamaru.
"Shut up!"
The tree groaned one last time. Then Sasuke made the finishing move, using a kick hard enough to smash a skull into pieces. The tree suddenly snapped off its base and tipped towards the audience. They jumped out of the way and so did Hinata.
There were a few moments of silence before Ino spoke up. "Whassamatter with you four? Why are you so frustrated? And taking it out on the poor tree just like that!"
"Ask yourself, Ino," muttered Sakura, stalking off, followed by Hinata who was in a trance, a deep in thought Naruto and a fuming Sasuke.
"I guess training's canceled for today." muttered Kakashi, staring off to his students.
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Sakura's POV
Am I really that weak? They say I am weak, but I never used to listen...
But maybe its already time to listen to them, maybe they're telling the truth and I just refuse to listen to them. Maybe I am weak. Too weak for the team. Too weak for my missions. Too weak for the shinobi standards. Too weak for myself. Too weak for Sasuke.
"Hey, watch where you're going, bitch," hollered the brunette girl I bumped into.
"No one blocks our path," smirked the curly haired blonde beside the brunette.
"Hey, aren't you the weakling in Sasuke-kun's team?" snorted the brunette.
"Weakling, weakling," laughed the blonde. "Always depending on her teammates, you'll never be good enough for Sasuk-kun, so just throw your filthy drams away, littl girl!"
Th two stalkd off, laughing thir hads off.
At first I trid to ignore those two and the heart-piercing words they said. But then, I failed. Those words echoed throughout my mind all day long. It was nagging at me while I was reading that night, so I decided to give in and just sleep. I struggled hard to repress those words, eventually falling asleep. But even in my sleep they never left me. Those cruel words that shattered my whole persona.
Kakashi-sensei was looking at us strangely this morning when we stalked off. I was wondering what made the usual bubbly Naruto angry and what made the ice cold Uchiha Sasuke to burn with fury, but I never did mind, did I? I was way too preoccupied with my own thoughts. Ino yelled at us when the tree we murdered and massacred out of our pure fury hit them. But I just warded her off and stomped away sulkily.
I walked from our house to the forest to wander off again, thinking. I just ate lunch with my mom and the day was fine so I decided to get some fresh air and some space where I can think. My mom scolded me when she saw my fists. They were bleeding freely, wounded and skinned. Even though, I couldn't feel the pain, as though my thoughts and my fury numbed everything else in the world. Actually, it felt good, punching and kicking the tree, letting out my anger.
This day is fine, I thought as I walked beside a river, going downstream. If I were my normal self today, I'd be out swimming or in a picnic, or maybe training and laughing with my friends. But I wasn't, so tough luck. This day was all a blur for me. The images I saw through my eyes, they were a blur, for I never paid attention or focused. My feet were sort of carrying me away to where it goes. The sounds I heard were all jumbled up. Everything wasn't good today for me.
And here goes those words again. Annoying.
Never be good enough... Hinata's POV
I stood up from the ramen bar and paid my bill.
Why was a Hyuuga eating at a ramen bar, when her chefs at home could whip up the best ramen for her in a few minutes time? Why spend money and effort?
Because I was tired of my home. I never even thought of it as my home. It was only a house, a big house, which I will inherit. That is, if I ever beat Hanabi. Hanabi was my cousin; the same age as me, yet in the eyes of my very own father, she was better at everything. In the eyes of my father, I was vermin. I was vermin in my clan. Stupid, idiot.
"You lost again, Hinata?" boomed her father. "You are a disgrace to our clan. A Hyuuga must be a great fighter, not a wimp like you. And to think you are the heiress of this clan? Hinata."
I cast my eyes down. Hanabi was there beside my father, smirking at me contentedly. She beat me yet again. And my father was giving me a lecture, yet again. Goodness, this life is a nuisance, really.
"Hinata are you listening to me?" boomed her father once more. Something in me bubbled up and I snapped.
"No," I said in a hard, cold-as-ice tone, surprising everybody in the vicinity, namely Hanabi, Neji, my father and mother and the Elders. "Why should I listen to you? Why should I listen to somebody who does nothing but irk me and step on my pride?"
Father was taken aback with my outburst. Mother had her mouth opening and closing, not making any sound. Hanabi was standing rooted to the spot, as though a shockwave of electricity passed through her body. I rose from my bowed position and stood up with my chin up and stood proud. Neji was smiling ever so slightly. I can tell what he was thinking; he was thinking, "Finally Hinata had the courage to stand up to those idiots".
"As far as I'm concerned, father, I am much better than Hanabi," I said proudly, looking him in the eyes. "I might not be as strong as her physically but still, I am stronger than her, coz I bore through every single one of my lost battles. I know if she's in my place and she was the one defeated many times before, she would've given up long before. And you don't have to rub it in my face, I know I'll never be good enough."
I'm his own daughter, why should he be ashamed of me? I am trying my best to come up to his standards but still I don't even get a single appraisal or compliment from them, regardless of how little. It's simply unfair. Unfair. Unfair.
I look ahead and I see my friend Sakura through the trees. She's deep in thought about something. I wonder what. I remember what happened to the tree this morning and I giggled. The four of us were furious and frustrated then, I'm sure. I can see. Sasuke was burning with fury, Naruto was turning red with anger and Sakura was turning into a cold-hearted person with her frustration. I wonder what their problem is. I walk up to her and greet her.
"Oh Hinata. Hi," she greeted, trying to smile but failing miserably.
"You don't mind if I join you in your walk, do you?" I asked silently.
"No, not at all." she trailed off, thinking again. We walked side by side downstream, both deep in our own thoughts and miseries.
And there it goes again.
Never be good enough... Naruto's POV
I kicked a stone sadly. They went on about it again. Those people irked me again. I sighed sadly, walking through the forest with low spirits.
The usual me was bubbly, happy, over-enthusiastic, energetic and ostentatious, but today I was solemn, sad, unenthusiastic, unenergetic and silent. The usual me would be at the Ichiraku ramen stand right now, devouring 12 bowls of ramen, but today I wasn't hungry at all. The usual Naruto would be irking Sasuke right now, but today I didn't feel like it; I even felt kind towards him. The usual Naruto would be training, but today I had no strength for training. The usual Naurto would be clinging to Sakura right now, but today I felt like all the good emotions in me flew away into the horizon, never coming back.
"Naruto 'nii-chan!" called out a 7-year-old boy named Toharu. I met him recently, and he seemed really friendly, but sadly the other boys wont play with him coz he was not really that rich. Toharu was a poor boy and his parents would always fight, I heard them from my house. Toharu's house was just across mine.
"Hey, Toharu, how's it going?" I said, grinning from ear to ear. At least the children come near me.
"I was playing with my kite over there, but I couldn't get it to fly," he said. "Help me, Naruto 'nii-chan! I wanna see the kite fly!"
I smiled and took hold of the kite, walking off to the fields. I started to run fast, holding the kite up, Toharu laughing lively behind me. I let go of the kite the last possible moment, and it soared through the sky smoothly, as it went up higher and higher. I handed Toharu the roll of strings so he could control the kite. He was laughing gleefully, happiness evident twinkling in his eyes and printed all over his face.
"Toharu! There you are, you worthless kid! Didn't I tell you to do your chores!" screeched his mother, spotting Toharu and pulling on his ear, making cry out in pain. "Take that toy back and go to the house immediately! What do you think you're doing, hanging out with the Kyuubi?"
"Hey old lady! Its not right to treat an innocent child like that, ya know!" I retorted, making a face.
"What do you know? For goodness' sake, you're only a worthless ninja born to die and bear the Kyuubi! You're never gonna be good enough to be a Hokage!"
"Don't say that! Naruto 'nii-chan is a great ninja!" retorted Toharu. "I'm gonna be like him when I grow up!"
"You're not gonna be anything like him! Now go! Go!"
Tsk, tsk. How cruel life is, always tormenting me. It's hard to live a life with no parents, no family and the people afraid of you and loathing you. Sasuke and I sorta had the same kind of life, although it was a bit tough for him when he underwent the shock of having lost his family in a snap. I'm really lucky I had friends though. There was Shino, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, Tenten, Ino, Chouji, Lee, Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura-chan. They had become a weird sort of family for him.
But why do people have to say those words? Isn't me being all alone and uncared for enough for them?
I walk silently, and I see two figures in the distance, walking towards me. Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan. I walked up to them and greeted them. They seemed to have problems too. But I learned that it's better not to disturb somebody when he has problems. You just have to be there to serve as a shoulder to lean on.
"Naruto... hi," said Sakura in a tone so un-Sakura-like.
"Hi, Naruto," greeted Hinata. They both tried to smile, but failed.
They walked on, me trailing silently behind them, watching the deep recesses of the river wash downstream ahead of us.
What was my earlier question? Oh yeah, why do people have to say those words?
Ah yes, of course, such a simple answer, isn't it?
Never be good enough...
Sasuke's POV
Dammit. Dammit. Why? Why can't I be more powerful?
For goodness' sake, I've trained and trained endlessly. My life is only revolving around training and nothing else. I live for revenge. I need revenge. I crave for it. It was the only thing in my mind ever since my brother killed the whole clan. Damn him to hell. He's the raw reason why his life was just as frickin' damn good as hell right now. I hate it, hate it, hate it. I hate him. I really hate him.
To think of it, nothing else has crossed my mind other than revenge. Nothing else has crossed my emotions but hate, pain and anger. No happiness. No bliss. No peacefulness. My life is not in the least peaceful. Every night I'd dream of the same scenes. Either the night when I found Itachi looming over my parents' dead bodies, or I'd dream of my friends dying in front of my eyes.
Yes, I already thought of them as friends. Besides, they saved me from Orochimaru's clutches, saved me from being a murderer, saved me from my own demise. And then there was Sakura. She was special to him. He'd do anything to protect her and he'd never forgive himself if she got hurt because of him. That's why he kept rejecting her. Not now. Not today. After I kill the bastard, then I'll go and settle down with her. That is, if she hadn't given up on me yet. That's why I need to hurry and get stronger. I only have 4 more years left. Coz when I turn 16, I am free to ask a girl's hand in marriage, and I will ask her even before anybody tries to. I'll ask her the same day as her 16th birthday.
But if I keep this pace up, then I'll be all old and cranky before I defeat Itachi. I need to hurry and get strong. I need to train and concentrate.
I was walking around the old Uchiha mansion, the mansion where I lived as a child, the mansion where I grew up. I left the house since the massacre coz it relived so many memories. But tonight something nagged at me to go and get a walk around the mansion.
I was walking across the well-kept lawns, for the old gardener was way too attached to the gardens, saying that he worked there even when he was still a little boy. So Sasuke was polite enough to let him stay in the gardener's small house and pay him for keeping the house safe and tending the gardens. I am really thankful to the gardener for keeping care of the house, for I am sure that one day I'll go back here and live here with my family. I'd raise my heir at the same place all the other heirs before him was raised.
I felt another presence, a familiar presence, as I crossed the patches where mother's favorite roses bloomed. A strong dark chakra prowling across the grounds. I looked behind me. I was right. Itachi.
"Out for a little walk under the moonlight, otouto?" he smirked. I glared the hardest glare I could muster.
"No, aniki," I said, my words dripping with sarcasm.
"I see." his smirk was never erased. "Reliving old happy memories? If I were you, I'd search for the girl I'd marry so that there will be no problems later on in reviving the clan, otouto."
"I already have the girl I want, aniki," I smirked. "And you can't take her away from me anymore."
"Chill, I have no plans in taking your bride," he smirked yet again, wider this time. "Build yourself up, otouto, I will be waiting for you. You cant beat me in that state you're in. If you continue in that slacking attitude of yours, well, you'll never be good enough to beat me. See ya, otouto. Train hard and well. Then you'll know the truth. The truth about the clan's death and all, why I killed them."
"What do you mean?" I asked, but he had already disappeared.
Darn it.
Never be good enough...
I slung a kunai into the air, and it went whipping through the woods. I squinted my vision. Somebody was walking there and was about to get hit! Sakura!
"SAKURA, DUCK!" I yelled, catching her attention. She looked to my direction and saw the kunai, just in time to duck. The kunai went whizzing past her and stuck to the tree in the opposite side of the river.
Normal POV
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING, SASUKE! YOU COULD'VE KILLED HER!" hollered Naruto as Sasuke ran over.
"I was training dobe," glared Sasuke, offering a hand to help Sakura up. Sakura accepted the hand and stood up slowly, dusting her dress.
"Funny, we all ended up here," muttered Hinata. "Its as if it was planned."
"Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura with a determined look on her face. "Can I ask you a favor?"
"Hn?"
"Train me. Train me to become strong," Sakura said determinedly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"Why me? There's Kakashi," he said.
"I don't want to get help from the Jounins. They'll only refuse. Ya know what I mean."
"Oh yeah," shrugged Naruto. "They'll give you the old speech; 'You don't need to train, you're already good enough. You just don't see'. They don't understand us at all."
"Yeah, and then they say we just don't see, but they're the ones who don't see," snorted Sakura.
"But if I'm really a good fighter, how come I'm never good enough?" chorused the four. Then they all sighed.
"Actually I have an idea," Sasuke said after a while. The other 3 looked up eagerly.
"Tell, tell," said Sakura.
"I found this hidden scroll at the old Uchiha Mansion last night when I was taking a walk," explained Sasuke. "It had something about a country about twice the size of the Sound being owned by the Hyuuga, Uchiha, Haruno and Uzumaki clans. It's far too complicated, I cant explain here, or else we'll be here until tomorrow morning. The scroll is in my apartment, we could go there now and read about it."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Sakura. "Our families owning a country, that's pretty bizarre."
"Let's go!" cheered Naruto, while Hinata nodded.
They walked to Sasuke's apartment quietly, each one thinking about the same thing.
What was this about?
It was a nice spring day at Konoha. Everything was going normally, everything was as usual.
"YOU'RE LATE AGAIN!" screeched Naruto and Sakura. Sasuke just glared his famous death glare.
"Sorry, I-" started Kakashi, but he was cut off by Naruto and Sasuke.
"Enough with your fake excuses, let's just train," said the two simultaneously, stomping off to the forest. Sakura stormed behind them, frowning.
What's up with those people, thought Kakashi. Then somebody called from behind him.
"Kakashi-sensei!" called out Hinata, halting in front of Kakashi. "Kurenai-sensei asked if I could train with your team today coz my teammates and she were called up to an important mission, but my father didn't allow me to go with them."
"Certainly, Hinata," said Kakashi. "Follow me."
They walked off into the forest, stopping at a clearing wide enough for a training spot. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were already there, all releasing their apparent frustration into a poor tree. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"Releasing frustration, frustrated." muttered Hinata, going up to the three and squeezing between Naruto and Sakura. She started punching, kicking and torturing the tree too. Kakashi raised both his eyebrows.
---------
Somewhere in the town
"You six, gather around," called out Gai. "Asuma and me assessed a special training for you today, practicing your hunting and stealth skills. You'll have to weave in and out of the forest, finding what is stated in the map, without getting seen by each other. If your fellow competitors see you, the alarm we've given you earlier will open and mark you out of the game. It will activate when you're all about a kilometer apart from each other. The prize is a special ninja kit you'll all want. This is an individual challenge."
"I'll make sure I win!" cheered Rock Lee, posing his pose. Then Gai mimicked his pose.
"Shut up, I'll win. I'll get that ninja kit, that's the one I've been searching for," muttered Neji.
Shikamaru was about to speak when several resounding booms from the forest sounded to the town. The people were startled, looking at the forest. The birds had flown away from a particular tree.
"What's going on there?" asked Ino, as the booms continued.
"Beats me," muttered Shikamaru. Then they decided to check it out and ran to the forest. After a couple of minutes' following the sound, they came upon the clearing where team 7 usually trains. They saw Kakashi in a corner, watching something as though he was astonished. They landed behind Kakashi and looked at the direction he was looking at.
Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto were there, pouring all their anger and frustration on the poor tree. Hinata was using the Hyuuga style against it while the other three were using resounding punches and kicks with a lot of chakra. No one ever thought that the dobe Naruto, the ice cold Sasuke and the bubbly Sakura contained so much power. Their punches and kicks made a loud booming sound every time it hits the tree. The part of the tree trunk, which was severed, was already thin. Punch. Kick. Punch. Punch, kick, kick. A few more punches and the tree groaned already.
"Uh-oh," whispered Tenten.
"What's wrong with them? Its as if they've turned into some kind of destruction machine. They must really be angry and frustrated," muttered Chouji, still munching on some chips.
Punch. Kick. Punch. Palm strike. As Hinata made the full palm strike, her chakra radiated through the tree, making the trunk considerably thinner. The tree groaned again.
"If they don't stop, the tree will fall on us," muttered Ino.
"Tell them to stop yourself, lets see if you don't get some black eyes on that 'ivory white skin' of yours, as you call it," mocked Shikamaru.
"Shut up!"
The tree groaned one last time. Then Sasuke made the finishing move, using a kick hard enough to smash a skull into pieces. The tree suddenly snapped off its base and tipped towards the audience. They jumped out of the way and so did Hinata.
There were a few moments of silence before Ino spoke up. "Whassamatter with you four? Why are you so frustrated? And taking it out on the poor tree just like that!"
"Ask yourself, Ino," muttered Sakura, stalking off, followed by Hinata who was in a trance, a deep in thought Naruto and a fuming Sasuke.
"I guess training's canceled for today." muttered Kakashi, staring off to his students.
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Sakura's POV
Am I really that weak? They say I am weak, but I never used to listen...
But maybe its already time to listen to them, maybe they're telling the truth and I just refuse to listen to them. Maybe I am weak. Too weak for the team. Too weak for my missions. Too weak for the shinobi standards. Too weak for myself. Too weak for Sasuke.
"Hey, watch where you're going, bitch," hollered the brunette girl I bumped into.
"No one blocks our path," smirked the curly haired blonde beside the brunette.
"Hey, aren't you the weakling in Sasuke-kun's team?" snorted the brunette.
"Weakling, weakling," laughed the blonde. "Always depending on her teammates, you'll never be good enough for Sasuk-kun, so just throw your filthy drams away, littl girl!"
Th two stalkd off, laughing thir hads off.
At first I trid to ignore those two and the heart-piercing words they said. But then, I failed. Those words echoed throughout my mind all day long. It was nagging at me while I was reading that night, so I decided to give in and just sleep. I struggled hard to repress those words, eventually falling asleep. But even in my sleep they never left me. Those cruel words that shattered my whole persona.
Kakashi-sensei was looking at us strangely this morning when we stalked off. I was wondering what made the usual bubbly Naruto angry and what made the ice cold Uchiha Sasuke to burn with fury, but I never did mind, did I? I was way too preoccupied with my own thoughts. Ino yelled at us when the tree we murdered and massacred out of our pure fury hit them. But I just warded her off and stomped away sulkily.
I walked from our house to the forest to wander off again, thinking. I just ate lunch with my mom and the day was fine so I decided to get some fresh air and some space where I can think. My mom scolded me when she saw my fists. They were bleeding freely, wounded and skinned. Even though, I couldn't feel the pain, as though my thoughts and my fury numbed everything else in the world. Actually, it felt good, punching and kicking the tree, letting out my anger.
This day is fine, I thought as I walked beside a river, going downstream. If I were my normal self today, I'd be out swimming or in a picnic, or maybe training and laughing with my friends. But I wasn't, so tough luck. This day was all a blur for me. The images I saw through my eyes, they were a blur, for I never paid attention or focused. My feet were sort of carrying me away to where it goes. The sounds I heard were all jumbled up. Everything wasn't good today for me.
And here goes those words again. Annoying.
Never be good enough... Hinata's POV
I stood up from the ramen bar and paid my bill.
Why was a Hyuuga eating at a ramen bar, when her chefs at home could whip up the best ramen for her in a few minutes time? Why spend money and effort?
Because I was tired of my home. I never even thought of it as my home. It was only a house, a big house, which I will inherit. That is, if I ever beat Hanabi. Hanabi was my cousin; the same age as me, yet in the eyes of my very own father, she was better at everything. In the eyes of my father, I was vermin. I was vermin in my clan. Stupid, idiot.
"You lost again, Hinata?" boomed her father. "You are a disgrace to our clan. A Hyuuga must be a great fighter, not a wimp like you. And to think you are the heiress of this clan? Hinata."
I cast my eyes down. Hanabi was there beside my father, smirking at me contentedly. She beat me yet again. And my father was giving me a lecture, yet again. Goodness, this life is a nuisance, really.
"Hinata are you listening to me?" boomed her father once more. Something in me bubbled up and I snapped.
"No," I said in a hard, cold-as-ice tone, surprising everybody in the vicinity, namely Hanabi, Neji, my father and mother and the Elders. "Why should I listen to you? Why should I listen to somebody who does nothing but irk me and step on my pride?"
Father was taken aback with my outburst. Mother had her mouth opening and closing, not making any sound. Hanabi was standing rooted to the spot, as though a shockwave of electricity passed through her body. I rose from my bowed position and stood up with my chin up and stood proud. Neji was smiling ever so slightly. I can tell what he was thinking; he was thinking, "Finally Hinata had the courage to stand up to those idiots".
"As far as I'm concerned, father, I am much better than Hanabi," I said proudly, looking him in the eyes. "I might not be as strong as her physically but still, I am stronger than her, coz I bore through every single one of my lost battles. I know if she's in my place and she was the one defeated many times before, she would've given up long before. And you don't have to rub it in my face, I know I'll never be good enough."
I'm his own daughter, why should he be ashamed of me? I am trying my best to come up to his standards but still I don't even get a single appraisal or compliment from them, regardless of how little. It's simply unfair. Unfair. Unfair.
I look ahead and I see my friend Sakura through the trees. She's deep in thought about something. I wonder what. I remember what happened to the tree this morning and I giggled. The four of us were furious and frustrated then, I'm sure. I can see. Sasuke was burning with fury, Naruto was turning red with anger and Sakura was turning into a cold-hearted person with her frustration. I wonder what their problem is. I walk up to her and greet her.
"Oh Hinata. Hi," she greeted, trying to smile but failing miserably.
"You don't mind if I join you in your walk, do you?" I asked silently.
"No, not at all." she trailed off, thinking again. We walked side by side downstream, both deep in our own thoughts and miseries.
And there it goes again.
Never be good enough... Naruto's POV
I kicked a stone sadly. They went on about it again. Those people irked me again. I sighed sadly, walking through the forest with low spirits.
The usual me was bubbly, happy, over-enthusiastic, energetic and ostentatious, but today I was solemn, sad, unenthusiastic, unenergetic and silent. The usual me would be at the Ichiraku ramen stand right now, devouring 12 bowls of ramen, but today I wasn't hungry at all. The usual Naruto would be irking Sasuke right now, but today I didn't feel like it; I even felt kind towards him. The usual Naruto would be training, but today I had no strength for training. The usual Naurto would be clinging to Sakura right now, but today I felt like all the good emotions in me flew away into the horizon, never coming back.
"Naruto 'nii-chan!" called out a 7-year-old boy named Toharu. I met him recently, and he seemed really friendly, but sadly the other boys wont play with him coz he was not really that rich. Toharu was a poor boy and his parents would always fight, I heard them from my house. Toharu's house was just across mine.
"Hey, Toharu, how's it going?" I said, grinning from ear to ear. At least the children come near me.
"I was playing with my kite over there, but I couldn't get it to fly," he said. "Help me, Naruto 'nii-chan! I wanna see the kite fly!"
I smiled and took hold of the kite, walking off to the fields. I started to run fast, holding the kite up, Toharu laughing lively behind me. I let go of the kite the last possible moment, and it soared through the sky smoothly, as it went up higher and higher. I handed Toharu the roll of strings so he could control the kite. He was laughing gleefully, happiness evident twinkling in his eyes and printed all over his face.
"Toharu! There you are, you worthless kid! Didn't I tell you to do your chores!" screeched his mother, spotting Toharu and pulling on his ear, making cry out in pain. "Take that toy back and go to the house immediately! What do you think you're doing, hanging out with the Kyuubi?"
"Hey old lady! Its not right to treat an innocent child like that, ya know!" I retorted, making a face.
"What do you know? For goodness' sake, you're only a worthless ninja born to die and bear the Kyuubi! You're never gonna be good enough to be a Hokage!"
"Don't say that! Naruto 'nii-chan is a great ninja!" retorted Toharu. "I'm gonna be like him when I grow up!"
"You're not gonna be anything like him! Now go! Go!"
Tsk, tsk. How cruel life is, always tormenting me. It's hard to live a life with no parents, no family and the people afraid of you and loathing you. Sasuke and I sorta had the same kind of life, although it was a bit tough for him when he underwent the shock of having lost his family in a snap. I'm really lucky I had friends though. There was Shino, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, Tenten, Ino, Chouji, Lee, Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura-chan. They had become a weird sort of family for him.
But why do people have to say those words? Isn't me being all alone and uncared for enough for them?
I walk silently, and I see two figures in the distance, walking towards me. Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan. I walked up to them and greeted them. They seemed to have problems too. But I learned that it's better not to disturb somebody when he has problems. You just have to be there to serve as a shoulder to lean on.
"Naruto... hi," said Sakura in a tone so un-Sakura-like.
"Hi, Naruto," greeted Hinata. They both tried to smile, but failed.
They walked on, me trailing silently behind them, watching the deep recesses of the river wash downstream ahead of us.
What was my earlier question? Oh yeah, why do people have to say those words?
Ah yes, of course, such a simple answer, isn't it?
Never be good enough...
Sasuke's POV
Dammit. Dammit. Why? Why can't I be more powerful?
For goodness' sake, I've trained and trained endlessly. My life is only revolving around training and nothing else. I live for revenge. I need revenge. I crave for it. It was the only thing in my mind ever since my brother killed the whole clan. Damn him to hell. He's the raw reason why his life was just as frickin' damn good as hell right now. I hate it, hate it, hate it. I hate him. I really hate him.
To think of it, nothing else has crossed my mind other than revenge. Nothing else has crossed my emotions but hate, pain and anger. No happiness. No bliss. No peacefulness. My life is not in the least peaceful. Every night I'd dream of the same scenes. Either the night when I found Itachi looming over my parents' dead bodies, or I'd dream of my friends dying in front of my eyes.
Yes, I already thought of them as friends. Besides, they saved me from Orochimaru's clutches, saved me from being a murderer, saved me from my own demise. And then there was Sakura. She was special to him. He'd do anything to protect her and he'd never forgive himself if she got hurt because of him. That's why he kept rejecting her. Not now. Not today. After I kill the bastard, then I'll go and settle down with her. That is, if she hadn't given up on me yet. That's why I need to hurry and get stronger. I only have 4 more years left. Coz when I turn 16, I am free to ask a girl's hand in marriage, and I will ask her even before anybody tries to. I'll ask her the same day as her 16th birthday.
But if I keep this pace up, then I'll be all old and cranky before I defeat Itachi. I need to hurry and get strong. I need to train and concentrate.
I was walking around the old Uchiha mansion, the mansion where I lived as a child, the mansion where I grew up. I left the house since the massacre coz it relived so many memories. But tonight something nagged at me to go and get a walk around the mansion.
I was walking across the well-kept lawns, for the old gardener was way too attached to the gardens, saying that he worked there even when he was still a little boy. So Sasuke was polite enough to let him stay in the gardener's small house and pay him for keeping the house safe and tending the gardens. I am really thankful to the gardener for keeping care of the house, for I am sure that one day I'll go back here and live here with my family. I'd raise my heir at the same place all the other heirs before him was raised.
I felt another presence, a familiar presence, as I crossed the patches where mother's favorite roses bloomed. A strong dark chakra prowling across the grounds. I looked behind me. I was right. Itachi.
"Out for a little walk under the moonlight, otouto?" he smirked. I glared the hardest glare I could muster.
"No, aniki," I said, my words dripping with sarcasm.
"I see." his smirk was never erased. "Reliving old happy memories? If I were you, I'd search for the girl I'd marry so that there will be no problems later on in reviving the clan, otouto."
"I already have the girl I want, aniki," I smirked. "And you can't take her away from me anymore."
"Chill, I have no plans in taking your bride," he smirked yet again, wider this time. "Build yourself up, otouto, I will be waiting for you. You cant beat me in that state you're in. If you continue in that slacking attitude of yours, well, you'll never be good enough to beat me. See ya, otouto. Train hard and well. Then you'll know the truth. The truth about the clan's death and all, why I killed them."
"What do you mean?" I asked, but he had already disappeared.
Darn it.
Never be good enough...
I slung a kunai into the air, and it went whipping through the woods. I squinted my vision. Somebody was walking there and was about to get hit! Sakura!
"SAKURA, DUCK!" I yelled, catching her attention. She looked to my direction and saw the kunai, just in time to duck. The kunai went whizzing past her and stuck to the tree in the opposite side of the river.
Normal POV
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING, SASUKE! YOU COULD'VE KILLED HER!" hollered Naruto as Sasuke ran over.
"I was training dobe," glared Sasuke, offering a hand to help Sakura up. Sakura accepted the hand and stood up slowly, dusting her dress.
"Funny, we all ended up here," muttered Hinata. "Its as if it was planned."
"Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura with a determined look on her face. "Can I ask you a favor?"
"Hn?"
"Train me. Train me to become strong," Sakura said determinedly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"Why me? There's Kakashi," he said.
"I don't want to get help from the Jounins. They'll only refuse. Ya know what I mean."
"Oh yeah," shrugged Naruto. "They'll give you the old speech; 'You don't need to train, you're already good enough. You just don't see'. They don't understand us at all."
"Yeah, and then they say we just don't see, but they're the ones who don't see," snorted Sakura.
"But if I'm really a good fighter, how come I'm never good enough?" chorused the four. Then they all sighed.
"Actually I have an idea," Sasuke said after a while. The other 3 looked up eagerly.
"Tell, tell," said Sakura.
"I found this hidden scroll at the old Uchiha Mansion last night when I was taking a walk," explained Sasuke. "It had something about a country about twice the size of the Sound being owned by the Hyuuga, Uchiha, Haruno and Uzumaki clans. It's far too complicated, I cant explain here, or else we'll be here until tomorrow morning. The scroll is in my apartment, we could go there now and read about it."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Sakura. "Our families owning a country, that's pretty bizarre."
"Let's go!" cheered Naruto, while Hinata nodded.
They walked to Sasuke's apartment quietly, each one thinking about the same thing.
What was this about?