Juxtaposition

A/N: Blah on this whole chapter. It’s important to set up things for later, and it connects to chapter four, but I’m pretty unhappy with it. I already wrote it from scratch three times, and I wasn’t willing to do a forth (though I might in the future, if I become more inspired for it). So… just blah.

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Sakura walked beside Naruto down the streets of Konoha, directing them both towards her house. The streets bustled with activity, but no one was really paying attention to them much, so she let herself relax and act more naturally for a short time. Every once in a while, she would catch an adult staring at her with a furrowed brow or nasty look. It was greatly unsettling, but she reminded herself that dealing with this unfounded anger was everyday life for Naruto, and she had better get used to it.

On Naruto's sixteenth birthday, Tsunade had announced to the village and country that Naruto was the legitimate son of the Yondaime, Konoha's Yellow Flash. The announcement of Naruto's genealogy was an enormous shock to many, especially the older generation that had loved the Yondaime yet hated Naruto. While it had caused some people to mitigate their view of Naruto to merely apathetic, there were still those who clung to old grudges. How they could reconcile their love for a man and their bitter distrust towards his progeny was beyond her, but the distrustful stares from many a random person was evidence enough that they could.

Naruto waggled his eyebrows as he walked beside her. “Ne ne... what did Sasuke say after I mentioned our 'date'?”

Sakura growled. “Not much. I cleared it up with him, and told him we were just hanging out. Don't be such an idiot... that could have really screwed things up.”

Naruto looked hurt. “Hey... I was looking out for the mission, ya know? If we were dating, it'd give us lots of excuses to be alone, away from people who might figure out our secret.”

“You mean if we were pretending to date.” she clarified, bristling.

“Whatever.” he pouted.

She shook her head. “We're just going to keep living our lives. Or rather... keep living each other's lives. Don't try and change anything, okay?”

Naruto nodded solemnly. “It's going to be really neat to have parents. I've lived alone for...” He shrugged, squinting. “My whole life.”

“Having parents isn’t all its cracked up to be. My parents are...” She scratched her head, taking a breath. “Well, them and I don't get along very well. They're pretty old fashioned, and they keep urging me to get married and quit being a shinobi. It's… annoying.” That was one of her smaller issues with them, in truth. But it seemed like a good place to start.

“Don't you get along with your parents?”

“They provided me with everything I needed growing up, and I guess they're decent people, but lately they've been just sort of falling apart. And they've been taking it out on me.”

He considered carefully. “I wouldn't care what they did. Just the novelty of having someone in the same house as me would be nice.”

“Maybe you wouldn't mind, but I really hate being yelled at over nothing just because _they_ have problems.”

He shrugged. “If you feel that way, you could just move into an apartment. Why don't you do that?”

Why indeed? There were many times she had considered it, and longed for the independence it would bring. Money was usually her excuse to herself, but it was a poor one. Even though she personally wasn’t rich, she knew her sensei would probably give her a loan or even a place to live, if she asked. Being taught by the Hokage did have advantages.

And it wasn't as if either of her teammates lacked for money either. Sasuke inherited the entirety of the Uchiha fortune and estate, which people guessed made him one of the wealthiest individuals in all of Fire Country. The Uchiha Clan was still the contractual owner of many businesses and properties throughout Konoha and beyond, and with Itachi branded an S Rank felon, by law, all of that defaulted to Sasuke.

And Naruto wasn't doing badly himself. After acknowledging Naruto's ancestry, Tsunade had constructed a vault for Naruto, deep inside the Hokage Mountain, which contained all of the Yondaime's belongings. If Naruto ever needed money, all he had to do was auction off a single item from the vault. The Yondaime had been respected and loved inside of Konoha, but outside of Konoha itself, the people of Fire Country practically revered the Yondaime as a god. Giving up a necklace, a shirt, even a copy of a book the Yondaime had once read... and Naruto would have enough money to buy a small village. But Naruto never had, instead he used it as a place to retreat and meditate before missions.

Naruto's question hung in the air, unanswered. He nudged her with his elbow and repeated himself. “Have you considered moving into an apartment?”

Taking money from either of her teammates wasn't an option. From Sasuke, the money would be given in pity, and from Naruto, it would feel too much like him trying to buy her love. So instead she had stayed at home with her family, dealing with them through good times and bad. They needed her help to cover the bills, after all.

“Because I like being home, I guess.” It wasn't exactly a lie, but it felt like one.

Sakura brought him into the smaller sized house, her announcement of her arrival echoing off the walls with no response. “Good… no one’s home. This should give you a chance to adjust before anyone comes home.”

After a whirlwind tour of the house, Sakura began an hour-long lesson in hair treatment and cosmetics that both intrigued and bewildered Naruto. He listened studiously as she explained each of the multitudes of bottles in her vanity cupboard and their various uses. Sakura was naturally beautiful, but there were still a few things she did on occasion with makeup. And her hair was her pride and joy, so she forced Naruto to learn her exacting regiment. Then, with Naruto settled in, she bid him goodbye until they met at the bridge tomorrow morning.

She walked out of her own house with a determined stride. Now, she had a certain Uchiha to find.