Growing Pains
folder
Naruto AU/AR › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
17
Views:
1,164
Reviews:
19
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Naruto AU/AR › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
17
Views:
1,164
Reviews:
19
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
VII
VII
Tsunade stood with her hands clasped behind her back, staring out at the village of Konoha. Already, villages from other lands had begun to arrive – Suna being one of the first to arrive, as Temari wanted to visit with Kankurou and Momogi – and had begun to fill up the guest residences. The genin had begun to make friends and Ino reportedly had followed Momogi around when the preliminary meetings had begun. Her ANBU were on high alert, invisible on roofs and walls, even among the people, henged as children or the elderly. Still no sign of Sasuke or this mysterious Umi, but Tsunade refused to relax. Just because they hadn’t been seen didn’t mean they weren’t here.
Tsunade finally left her office to go and greet this year’s potential chuunin and their senseis along for the ride. She also wanted to see Temari in her Kazekage get up. Gaara had abdicated to his sister once he discovered Neji was pregnant, in order to spend more time with Neji and their children. They were only toddlers now, but they were showing the spunk their parents had. She sighed and found the teams and ‘Kages waiting for her, a smile plastering itself on her face. Her words – her well-thought speech, dammit – gurgled and died in her throat when the last team arrived, a blonde little girl dragging a boy that was nearly two heads taller than she into the throng, sheepishly followed by another boy, blonde strands falling over his covered face. This commotion drew all eyes to them as they found a seat, the girl tossing her hair and frowning at the crowd.
“Sorry,” she said with a bit of attitude before a long-fingered hand pushed her down into a seat. Tsunade felt every jounin in the room tense, even those who didn’t know him, and prepare to fight a predator. And a predator he was, brunette hair pulled back into a tail, Sharingan eyes slowly swirling as he stared down at the girl, every movement calculated to the last muscle twitch. Tsunade felt a shiver run down her spine. Sasuke had grown, changed, and every line of his body proved this. He was unlike anything the other shinobi were used to, body encased in black to hide the strength he had – and his weaponry – and this is what put them on edge. He calmly looked up at Tsunade – and Tsunade alone – and gave a short bow.
“I apologize for our lateness. And her attitude.”
Tsunade fought not to stutter, and watched Sasuke assume a relaxed position behind his genin. He did nothing other than that, just stood there like a statue and waited. Tsunade fought down a shiver and coughed to get everyone’s attention back to her.
“Welcome,” she began, “to Konohagakure. You’re all here to participate in our chuunin exam. Not all of you will make the cut, but your efforts will be remembered. Now, please, enjoy yourselves. The exams will begin in three days.”
Chatter erupted around her, mostly the children, and the eyes of all jounin on Sasuke. He merely shifted, hauled up his genin, and moved to leave. Tsunade’s gaze then fell to the tallest boy, just as he glanced up. She froze and the boy dropped his gaze again, grabbed onto the blonde boy’s hand and disappeared. When Tsunade could breathe again, she finally understood why Sasuke made this appearance. He wanted to show her that Orochimaru was back in the body of a child. He wanted her to know the power he held over the village. Tsunade turned away to find Shizune and bade the woman to collect her ANBU. She couldn’t allow her village to come to harm, even if the body Orochimaru wore was an innocent child’s.
Momogi broke away from her teammates when she saw familiar blonde and bolted toward Umi. The girl turned in time to catch the brunette, both girls going down in a laughing pile between Umi’s teammates and sensei.
“Now who’s gay?” Sei asked, arms crossed over his chest. Umi glared at him and tried to kick the shorter boy, missing by a wide margin.
“Shut up!” Umi yelled, grinning. She pushed herself up, and helped Momogi up, brushing herself off. Sei only shook his head and sighed.
“You shut up,” muttered Kyo, prudently hiding behind Sei before Umi’s gaze fell to him.
Momogi tugged on her friend’s hand. “These are your teammates?”
“Yeah,” Umi grinned. “My best friends in the whole world, too. This is Kyo – he never looks up so don’t get offended – and this is Sei. Guys, this is Momogi.”
The boys gave a soft hello and Umi turned up to look at Sasuke, blinking. “Sensei…?”
Sasuke sighed. “Don’t destroy anything, all right?”
Umi grinned. “Promise!”
Finally, Sasuke nodded and Umi grinned, turning to Momogi. The brunette matched her grin and the two bolted away, laughing wildly, no doubt ready to destroy something despite orders. Sasuke set his hands on his hips and sighed, shaking his head in defeat. Kyo tugged on his sleeve, a comforting gesture even though it did little good to set the brunette man at ease. Sasuke cracked a helpless smile at his two genin and rubbed Kyo’s head.
“Let’s go get something to eat,” Sasuke finally said. “Then we’ll go train you two.”
“Umi’ll miss out.” Sei replied. He paused, then nodded. “Okay.”
Sasuke gave the boys a short smile. “Take Kyo and go find a place then.”
Kyo frowned. “You’re not coming?”
“I’ll catch up.”
Sei shook his head in not-quite confusion and took hold of Kyo’s hand, tugging the taller boy away from their sensei, distracting the taller with a barrage of questions about what he wanted to eat. Sasuke turned then to look up at the silver-haired jounin balancing too easily on the roof of the building beside him, staring down at him like a hawk. Sharingan met Sharingan as Kakashi stared at Sasuke, the silver-haired jounin beginning to tense the longer the staring match continued. Sasuke shifted once and felt his Sharingan slowly change, the tomoe coming together in a spoked triangle and spinning like a wheel in a hypnotic circle.
“We’re here only for the exam.” Sasuke whispered. “We mean no harm.”
When Kakashi blinked, Sasuke was gone as if he’d never been standing below. He was left, though, with a feeling of satisfaction that he’d determined Sasuke’s presence in Konoha. When he went to make his report, he was confused by his mixed feelings, yet he couldn’t help but say that Sasuke’s true intentions were harmless. What had Sasuke done to him?
Tsunade stood with her hands clasped behind her back, staring out at the village of Konoha. Already, villages from other lands had begun to arrive – Suna being one of the first to arrive, as Temari wanted to visit with Kankurou and Momogi – and had begun to fill up the guest residences. The genin had begun to make friends and Ino reportedly had followed Momogi around when the preliminary meetings had begun. Her ANBU were on high alert, invisible on roofs and walls, even among the people, henged as children or the elderly. Still no sign of Sasuke or this mysterious Umi, but Tsunade refused to relax. Just because they hadn’t been seen didn’t mean they weren’t here.
Tsunade finally left her office to go and greet this year’s potential chuunin and their senseis along for the ride. She also wanted to see Temari in her Kazekage get up. Gaara had abdicated to his sister once he discovered Neji was pregnant, in order to spend more time with Neji and their children. They were only toddlers now, but they were showing the spunk their parents had. She sighed and found the teams and ‘Kages waiting for her, a smile plastering itself on her face. Her words – her well-thought speech, dammit – gurgled and died in her throat when the last team arrived, a blonde little girl dragging a boy that was nearly two heads taller than she into the throng, sheepishly followed by another boy, blonde strands falling over his covered face. This commotion drew all eyes to them as they found a seat, the girl tossing her hair and frowning at the crowd.
“Sorry,” she said with a bit of attitude before a long-fingered hand pushed her down into a seat. Tsunade felt every jounin in the room tense, even those who didn’t know him, and prepare to fight a predator. And a predator he was, brunette hair pulled back into a tail, Sharingan eyes slowly swirling as he stared down at the girl, every movement calculated to the last muscle twitch. Tsunade felt a shiver run down her spine. Sasuke had grown, changed, and every line of his body proved this. He was unlike anything the other shinobi were used to, body encased in black to hide the strength he had – and his weaponry – and this is what put them on edge. He calmly looked up at Tsunade – and Tsunade alone – and gave a short bow.
“I apologize for our lateness. And her attitude.”
Tsunade fought not to stutter, and watched Sasuke assume a relaxed position behind his genin. He did nothing other than that, just stood there like a statue and waited. Tsunade fought down a shiver and coughed to get everyone’s attention back to her.
“Welcome,” she began, “to Konohagakure. You’re all here to participate in our chuunin exam. Not all of you will make the cut, but your efforts will be remembered. Now, please, enjoy yourselves. The exams will begin in three days.”
Chatter erupted around her, mostly the children, and the eyes of all jounin on Sasuke. He merely shifted, hauled up his genin, and moved to leave. Tsunade’s gaze then fell to the tallest boy, just as he glanced up. She froze and the boy dropped his gaze again, grabbed onto the blonde boy’s hand and disappeared. When Tsunade could breathe again, she finally understood why Sasuke made this appearance. He wanted to show her that Orochimaru was back in the body of a child. He wanted her to know the power he held over the village. Tsunade turned away to find Shizune and bade the woman to collect her ANBU. She couldn’t allow her village to come to harm, even if the body Orochimaru wore was an innocent child’s.
Momogi broke away from her teammates when she saw familiar blonde and bolted toward Umi. The girl turned in time to catch the brunette, both girls going down in a laughing pile between Umi’s teammates and sensei.
“Now who’s gay?” Sei asked, arms crossed over his chest. Umi glared at him and tried to kick the shorter boy, missing by a wide margin.
“Shut up!” Umi yelled, grinning. She pushed herself up, and helped Momogi up, brushing herself off. Sei only shook his head and sighed.
“You shut up,” muttered Kyo, prudently hiding behind Sei before Umi’s gaze fell to him.
Momogi tugged on her friend’s hand. “These are your teammates?”
“Yeah,” Umi grinned. “My best friends in the whole world, too. This is Kyo – he never looks up so don’t get offended – and this is Sei. Guys, this is Momogi.”
The boys gave a soft hello and Umi turned up to look at Sasuke, blinking. “Sensei…?”
Sasuke sighed. “Don’t destroy anything, all right?”
Umi grinned. “Promise!”
Finally, Sasuke nodded and Umi grinned, turning to Momogi. The brunette matched her grin and the two bolted away, laughing wildly, no doubt ready to destroy something despite orders. Sasuke set his hands on his hips and sighed, shaking his head in defeat. Kyo tugged on his sleeve, a comforting gesture even though it did little good to set the brunette man at ease. Sasuke cracked a helpless smile at his two genin and rubbed Kyo’s head.
“Let’s go get something to eat,” Sasuke finally said. “Then we’ll go train you two.”
“Umi’ll miss out.” Sei replied. He paused, then nodded. “Okay.”
Sasuke gave the boys a short smile. “Take Kyo and go find a place then.”
Kyo frowned. “You’re not coming?”
“I’ll catch up.”
Sei shook his head in not-quite confusion and took hold of Kyo’s hand, tugging the taller boy away from their sensei, distracting the taller with a barrage of questions about what he wanted to eat. Sasuke turned then to look up at the silver-haired jounin balancing too easily on the roof of the building beside him, staring down at him like a hawk. Sharingan met Sharingan as Kakashi stared at Sasuke, the silver-haired jounin beginning to tense the longer the staring match continued. Sasuke shifted once and felt his Sharingan slowly change, the tomoe coming together in a spoked triangle and spinning like a wheel in a hypnotic circle.
“We’re here only for the exam.” Sasuke whispered. “We mean no harm.”
When Kakashi blinked, Sasuke was gone as if he’d never been standing below. He was left, though, with a feeling of satisfaction that he’d determined Sasuke’s presence in Konoha. When he went to make his report, he was confused by his mixed feelings, yet he couldn’t help but say that Sasuke’s true intentions were harmless. What had Sasuke done to him?