Better to Reign in Hell than Serve in Heaven

Better to Reign in Hell then Serve in Heaven

Chapter 9

School of Broad Side of Barn

Naruto cursed as he threw the burning jacket away from his body leaving him with the black turtleneck that was far more practical for dodging fireballs. He had been lucky the first time Sasuke had thrown a fireball in his direction. He had barely gotten out of the way as he was stalking Kakashi. It was after the fifth fireball directed at him without Kakashi around that Naruto realized that Sasuke was obviously under a genjutsu that was making him believe that he was Kakashi, and that Sasuke was clearly taught to use fireballs on the assumption of that the bigger it was the more likely you are to hit the broad side of a fucking barn.

It was the last attempt that actual did damage though he was still fine, he was going to have to find some way to repay that kid from earlier now that he could not give the jacket back. The garment was no longer on fire but was hardly a jacket either as what was left would not even be useful for scraps.

Naruto had had enough of this game of tag. He had allowed it to go on as much as he did so that his clones could get in place. While he personally was made to look like Kakashi by the genjutsu, his clones had no such obstacle. It made it overly easy to get them to search for the other and banish the jutsu by forcing their chakra into his body while he covered for them by keeping Sasuke’s attention.

He felt his shadow clones’ memories come back to him as obviously Sasuke was a rather sore loser and disliked finding out he had been tricked. It was good enough for Naruto that he was no longer under attack though now he had no clue to where Kakashi was. This was obviously what the ninja has been aiming for when he had put the genjustsu on his team mate.

While Kakashi was completely hidden from his senses he could on the other had detect Sai who was fairly far out of the way. He figured if Sai was there then so would his new teacher. He did not bother hiding himself as he moved towards the others, he did grin when he could tell that Sasuke was shadowing him and attempting to stay hidden from him. The boy was not so good to be able to do that. While he did have fairly good control of his chakra, he still leaked and it was enough that Naruto would have been able to pinpoint him in a heartbeat.

Then again he could hardly say he was any better which was why it was better to just be out in the open. Hopefully it would mean that Sai would not take him for the enemy.

~*~

Kakashi watched the two student leave heading in the direction where Sai was placing traps. Normally the plan would be a good idea; head for the source that is known for either extra protection or to give aid if necessary. Unfortunately Sai was no more a team player then Sasuke and the blonde would find that he might have a bit of difficulty getting to Sai.

He stood from his seat in the tree as he put away his book. He supposed he gave Sai enough time to prepare his traps. It was so nice of Naruto to offer to find them for him. Kakashi could only smile as he made his way slowly through the trees being sure to follow the path the two before him took.

~*~

“Are you sure you have a dick?”

“What is with you and your obsession with dicks? Just because you’re the biggest prick around…”

Naruto found his next words cut off as Sai forced his lips against the other in what Naruto supposed to be a kiss though it was more a forceful pressing of lips together. It was perfectly clear to Naruto that Sai… did not kiss. Naruto almost wanted to laugh at his situation. He had followed the trail up to a clearing and when he had jumped from his position down to the ground he had unfortunately released a trap that was currently dangling him upside down from the tree.

“Learned that from one of your books?”

“Yes, it mentioned that, once practiced, the technique can make a person speechless.”

Naruto watched as Sasuke came out of hiding to confront the others. Lovely we were all together again and actually talking somewhat civilly…. so why the fuck was he still hanging from the fucking tree? It was true he could free himself after all it was just a bit of chakra induced rope but it was the principal of the thing. You did not leave your teammate strung up to dry… Though apparently that was how the two worked as he watched them bickering on how Sai’s books were inaccurate.

Naruto could tell this was going to take a while so simply pulled himself up to an upright position and used a kunai to cut the rope while he poured his chakra into one spot of the rope to allow it to be cut. Once the rope was cut, it was quick work to get the rope off his leg and to use the left over rope to shimmy up the tree. Below him the two were still going at it having not once registered the fact that Naruto had freed himself… then Naruto saw it.

He moved without thinking as he pushed both of the boys out of the way even as the rain of needles fell to the ground were they had once stood. Rather then stand by and wait he went straight for the point at which the attack had come from. He had found his sensei again.

Behind him he heard the squawking of his team mates returning to their feet but his attention was fully on the foliage before him that was hiding his teacher. He frowned as he could not find his teacher… there was not trance of him at all. Turning back to see how his new partners were dealing he place his hand on the ground a left behind a small present just incase he was wrong.

Scratching his head he gave the other two a large smile trying to make light of the situation. After all it was quite clear that they were going to have to work together though currently Sai and Sasuke seemed to ending their conflict in a shared silence and were not even willing to look at each other. Did either of them really think they could catch anyone like this?

“Any ideas? Obviously the solo act is not working.”

“Maybe if you did not get in the way…”

“I was not the one throwing fireballs at an illusion.”

Another time Naruto would have loved to wipe the look of superiority off of Sasuke’s face. It was as if the other believed that by looking like he had a stick up his ass, that people would be fooled into thinking he was perfect. Sai was obviously used to the act and was smiling like an insane person that was almost worse then the Teme. This team was definitely going to be interesting.

“He’s below you, Boss!”

Hands broke through the surface of the earth and grasped the blond by the ankles before pulling him down to the ground to find it turn into a puff of smoke. As the smoke settled the only people left were Sai, Sasuke… and a small orange toad.

~*~

“You can summon his toads?”

It was a statement more then a question as Kakashi found himself being eaten alive but the damp walls of a toad’s stomach. A place he would rather not have to experience again especially when the one to put him there was standing in front of him with a cocky grin. It had been a matter of luck that Naruto had been able to trap his teacher, without the call from him friend Gamakichi he would never have had the time to summon his capture toad and was sealed the moment that Kakashi had grabbed a hold of him and pulled. Naruto only had to push with his teacher and force the two of them into the stomach of his toad.

“I picked up a few tricks from the Ero-Sennin.”

Naruto made quick work of removing all three of the bells from Kakashi’s waist and pocketing them before releasing the jutsu so the two of them ended up facing his other two team mates. Naruto tossed two of the bells over to Sai and Sasuke only to realize too late that they were simple rocks and he turned to look at Kakashi who held up the two missing bells.

“I’m not letting them go that easily. You’re welcome to leave though since you got a bell.”

“Thanks but no thanks, I’m not going to abandon my team now.”

Kakashi only smiled as he disappeared into smoke. Naruto look at the other two with a big grin. It was clear both were amazed that he had been able to get a bell before them and was very damn driven not to lose to the other.

“Ready to work together?”

~*~

It took longer then Naruto believed it would to finally get both the others to agree to work together. After Kakashi had left them on their own again, the two would not hear of working together in their need to prove they were better then their teammates even though Naruto had gotten the first bell.

Sai finally agreed to the arrangement once Naruto helped remove him from his own trap. This had been an ingenious invention that would have worked had it not been for the fact that Kakashi used Sai’s own ink creations against him to dislocate the socially inept boy from the surrounding area causing him to fall back and landing in his own trap.

Sasuke was a harder nut to crack but had given in once Sai started commenting on his lack of skills. That had led to an argument that ended with a sulking Sasuke that was then willing to work in a team though the tensions could have been cut with a knife.

Capturing Kakashi was the easy part after all that was over though Naruto expected that the Jounin was just tired of the day’s events and went easy on them. Of course he did not mention that to his teammates who were acting so proud of their accomplishments even though on the outside it appeared that Sasuke used a cool exterior with a smug look showing his enlarged ego. Sai on the other hand seemed more relaxed then ever and did not even make a rude comment… for a couple minutes.

Naruto could not help but continue the mood and shout in happiness with a large grin on his face. Even if their success was given to them, Naruto felt he could learn a lot from both his new teacher and his partners.

Both his teammates seemed to excel in the areas that he himself was incapable of handling due to the complications of the Kyuubi’s chakra. It would mean that he would be able to rely on them for the necessary Genjutsu when facing enemies and use them himself to expand his capabilities in developing counters for such attacks.

“So dickless…”

“Its Naruto, you better remember that name, I’m going to be the next Hokage!”

“Then would the next Hokage like to join us for dinner.”

“Your treat?”

“I’m sure Sasuke will pay the bill.”

Naruto looked to Sasuke who simply grunted and headed to another direction from the dorms that they had been on their way back to. Sai followed the brooding boy pulling Naruto behind him.

“That’s his way of agreeing. He does not like showing off his generous nature, Naru-chan”

It was then that Naruto gave up on getting Sai to use his name properly as it was clear that it was not happening anytime soon. It was also rather apparent to Naruto that neither actually considered the other a teammate but rather a rival. This was definitely going to be an interesting team.

~*~

A tree rustled out of place as a figure removed himself after the new Genin team had passed by. The bi-colored eyes followed the blonde haired teen as the group headed towards the civilian part of town.

“Yet more interesting once again.”

“Pure luck. Though the elder brother would be interested.”

“He would be good to keep an eye on.”

“Something more powerful then that maybe. A lesson should be in store.”

“A lesson then. One he will not forget soon.”

~*~

Teuchi was more then happy to see his newest employee as he entered the establishment with a large groin on his face dragging a couple of ninja behind him. After all Naruto was more then happy to sang high the proposed dinner and herd his teammates over to the one place in town that he knew would serve him exactly what he wanted to eat.

The owner found the blonde even more energetic and free as he watched the animated way the boy talked to his friends. It also was nice to see the mask completely off his face not to mention wearing clothes that actually flattered him for a change. Teuchi had not wanted to bring up the sad state of disrepair that Naruto’s clothes, knowing that the blonde had little in the way of actual money.

But seeing him in his element was a treat not just for him but for everyone around the blonde especially those that were regular customers that had yet to see the boy without his mask on. The boy even made a habit of flowing off to one table or another to chat with regulars who were all too curious about his new status and were all too open with their congratulations at his rise to Genin status.

Naruto soon had other things to keep him occupied with as his first bowl of ramen was set down in front of him and vanished into the black hole that was the ninja’s stomach. Naruto continued to consume a huge amount of ramen even after both Sai and Sasuke were full. Sai kept ordering more for the blonde while Sasuke just stared on as the food disappeared.

“Naruto, I thought you would be here celebrating.”

The newest team member of Team 7 seemed to disappear from his spot on the stool and rematerialized attached to a Jounin that both Sai and Sasuke knew all too well. He was always about the Hokage Tower when they went in for missions and debriefing. Neither really knew what he did exactly only that he commanded a lot of respect from the people that worked in the tower with him.

“Genma, good to see you! Where is Hayate?”

“At our desk working on your special mission.”

“Special Mission?”

Both Genma and Naruto turned to Sasuke as he interrupted their conversation. Had Naruto not clearly heard the other’s query he would have never suspected the boy as said a word as he busied himself with staring at the forgotten bowl of ramen obviously not wishing to be the center of attention when he obviously did not know what was going on or why Naruto seemed to be friends with a Jounin level ninja.

Naruto took no mind at the interruption and beamed his smile at his teammate as the next second he completely forgot about incident as Genma pulled the other off to get a better look at the two Genin that completed his team. Naruto would be the first to admit they needed work but then Naruto never gave up on something when he had his mind on it and knew they would fall together in the end. He just hoped that fall would not be off a steep cliff.

“Yep, Naruto agreed to take a special mission for us. You guys will probably be involved as well considering that it is a B level mission with chances of becoming an A class one.”

Naruto felt the stares of the two raven haired boys at Genma’s explanation. He had expected as much when he heard Genma’s words knowing full well that Genin rarely even received C class missions. While it was the first time he heard the news he quickly squashed his surprise so that only his joy at being given the honor of getting a special mission was evident on his face. He did not know how the Ero Sanin would take the news but he trusted Genma and Hayate to be subtle or at least able to hide him from his teacher’s wrath if things went south.

“By the way, where is the mask today? I thought only a privalaged few got to see you face.”

“Well you see…”

Naruto then went on to recount his morning bath and its interruption by the female ninja population and had the customers of the ramen shop laughing with his antics and performance as he showcased himself as a tragic hero more suited for fairytales. His tale ending with the rescue from his state of nudeness by the kindness of his angelic savior that gave him the clothes off his back and saved him from his plight though he did leave out his encounter with Zetsu. He did not want to go into that aspect of his morning until he could figure out more about the strange man if you could even call the creature a man.

The ending on his performance was received with great applause that filled the entire store as the customers thanking him for the unexpected entertainment.

“Done making a fool of yourself?”

Before Naruto could make a comeback at the antisocial teen, Sasuke suddenly found a sword at his throat. Naruto’s eyes followed the path of the sword and up the arm to a rather grim face and came in contact with a pair of familiar sleep deprived looking eyes. A happy sound came from Naruto as he latched onto his new target whose arm never wavered even with the added weight.

“That’s my new team mate you know.”

“Then he should take this as a lesson on being civil.”

“Please excuse him. This is just his way of getting attention.”

Hayate removed the sword even though he did not like the playful sarcasm in the other boy’s voice. Diplomacy seemed to no longer be a required course in the academy. A smart ass could be a one way ticket to disaster especially when dealing with uncertain allies. He had little hope for his favorite blonde’s new team. One was purposely hurtful to make himself feel batter and the other seemed to find awkward situation amusing. It was like asking to be killed. A small tan hand on his arm soon made him move his attention back to the only important member of the Genin team.

“Seriously you worse then the mother hen.”

“Has he spoken to you yet?”

“No, he has a stubborn streak in him though.”

“You get it from him.”

“I guess…”

“He will come around eventually.”

They smiled at each other knowing all to well that Naruto was taking things a lot better now then he had last night after Iruka left the shop. Hayate had entered to shop to congratulate Naruto on being made Genin to find the boy sobbing on the ground. He had made quick work to piece together what had happened and made further efforts to cheer the boy up before leaving once again knowing that Naruto needed time alone.

The hurt was still there but the boy was in control and he did a damn good job of hiding his sorrow which in Hayate’s opinion made him even more venerable to attacks from his peers who did not know what the newest Genin was dealing with.

Hayate then turned his attention on Genma who was trying his hardest to hide behind the stacks on ramen bowls Naruto had gone through. It was quite clear that the other was agitated with the ninja for a reason.

“You’re needed back in the office.”

“I was there all day.”

“Work is work. There is no rest for us. We can rest when we are dead.”

All three Genin watched in amusement as Genma was quickly silenced from any rebuttals as Hayate grabbed a hold of his friend’s ear and pulled him up and away from the store heading back to their office. In truth Hayate would normally had been a lot more gentle had he not already been annoyed by Genma elongating his ten minute dinner run into a hour long chat session with their Naruto. The three left behind could only look at each other with faces that showed amusement, detachment, and embarrassment.

“Interesting friends you have there.”

“I’m just lucky that way.”

“You call that luck?”

“Stop being so jealous, Sasuke. Maybe Naruto can help you get your own special mission.”

“I don’t need that idiot’s help to do anything.”

Sasuke found himself blanking at the next few seconds of his life and knew only as he got his vision back that his back and face stung in pain and that two very angry blue eyes stared at him as the “idiot” spoke in slow soft tones that could be heard by everyone in the store as silence descended on the place after Sasuke had literally be flown across the room from one of Naruto’s punches that had landed directly on his forehead were a nice bruise was already forming.

“Get that damn stick out of your ass, Sasuke. Consider this lesson number two on being civil. I doubt you will survive lesson three.”

Naruto left without a backwards glance leaving Sai to clean up the mess and take care of Sasuke. Naruto felt guilty the moment he left the shop but knew better then to go back inside with his emotions running so wild tonight. He understood that Sasuke was just vesting his frustration. It was clear that the boy had his own problems and that he was not actually meaning to remind Naruto of the day he rather forget being mocked and tortured by a mob. It hurt all the same though, how could it not when the boy that just wanted acceptance had once again been rejected.

A/N

Your probably all thought I had died or something. I actually did not expect to be back and writing fan fiction again for another month but things are finally starting to look up for me and I am willing to start up again.