Growing together, growing apart

A/N: So, many delays, for several reasons. So, please forgive me for the long wait and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Sigh. It's also annoying when I can't seem to get any formatting to work on AFF. Oh well.

Warning: Continuing spoilers as the manga continues is always a possibility, though I'll have to do fun things with the timeline, as well as mentions of character death. Mild MPreg bashing, but all in good fun, hope it doesn't offend. There's also the introduction of an OC, simply because none of the established characters had what I wanted. I had wanted to use Juugo, but I just could not figure out his personality enough to bring him into the story in such a way. Sorry, but don't worry, I don't plan on making my OC a powerful or overly important character in this fic.

--ON WITH THE STORY—

The return trip to Konoha was both quicker and quieter. The previous evening when they stopped to rest and eat, Naruto had been talkative, complaining about how useless the mission had been, how unfair Kiri's situation was, and how he was looking forward to the upcoming Chunin exams.
Sasuke was quiet as usual. Nobody tried to include him in conversations after the first few attempts. He made it clear that he did not wish to be social. Naruto didn't try at all.

Sakura was the one who visibly showed the tension, her gaze would periodically shift between her teammates. She had attempted to talk to Sasuke, but her heart wasn't in it. She instinctually felt as though Naruto needed her more. She could tell that Naruto was hiding what he was really feeling; his cheerful behavior appeared forced to her eyes.

Despite what was said, Sakura knew that what was between Sasuke and Naruto was more than 'just sex'. As much as she would like to believe that this meant that she now had a chance with Sasuke-kun, she was getting tired of fooling herself. From what she had seen on this mission between her teammates, it was obvious they cared for each other. This left her confused as to why they were now acting as though nothing was between them.

Sakura found herself gravitating towards Naruto on the trip back to Konoha. She could sympathize with him a little and therefore, she felt more comfortable with him. She'd listen to his rants and smile faintly at his jokes. She was subconsciously supporting him as a friend; just as he would have for her earlier, if she had allowed him.

Naruto was thankful that his friendship with Sakura-chan had not been ruined and that she was now 

accepting him back into her heart. He resolutely fought down the little voice that bitterly pointed out that this was after he and Sasuke ended their relationship. He kept reminding himself that she had made overtures of friendship prior to that and was determined to not let the sadness of his current situation overwhelm him.

Sasuke noticed Sakura's unconscious support of Naruto. He was both thankful for it on behalf of his friend, and was jealous of Sakura for the attention she was getting. It didn't help to remind himself that this was a position he put himself in. He still believed it was necessary. Although, having time to think on it, and as they came closer to their village, his thoughts got more depressing. He did not like that he wouldn't be taking Naruto home with him tonight. But it was necessary, he kept telling himself. He was sure of it.

'Wasn't he?'

Upon their arrival to Konoha, Team Kakashi made their way to the Hokage Tower to turn in the mission report. Kakashi had finished it the night prior, seeing as how even he was feeling the tension cast off from the two young men in his charge and needed something to distract himself. For whatever reason, his Icha Icha didn't help as it should have. Maybe it was because he had a romance crumbling before his eyes and cheap 'love' novels just didn't cut it.

When they reported to the tower, they went to the mission room as per usual, but were instead informed to go directly to the Hokage.

While reviewing the report, and frowning at various parts, Tsunade unobtrusively observed the former members of Team 7. She was happy to note that Sakura appeared to have given up on her animosity to the two young men. That was good; Sakura is too kind hearted to hold such a nasty grudge for long. Though...and her amber eyes narrowed on Sasuke and Naruto. She figured it might be her imagination, but there seemed to be a tension between the two that she had not seen prior. She hoped Sasuke realized just how much a gift Naruto had given him and did not treat his protection with the same indifference that he seemed to treat everything else.

"Is there anything that any of you wish to add?" There was no response from the four shinobi in front of her. She observed them all closely and then nodded her head. "Very well, Kakashi, Sakura, you're dismissed."

After they had left, Tsunade turned her attention to the boys. "As you know, the Chunin exams are in a few weeks. It took awhile, but I decided on a genin to match you up with."

"What was so hard, baa-chan?" Naruto interrupted, curious.

"There were several recommendations. Konohamaru, for instance, but he didn't want to be separated from his current team." Naruto nodded at that, pleased that his young friend was loyal to his teammates. "Hyuuga Hanabi was considered, she's already advanced beyond the skills of her genin team, but to be honest, with her Byakugan, I didn't want that much power on one team." She looked significantly at Naruto, a jinchuuriki with enough stamina and abilities on his own to make him a match for almost any jounin and then at Sasuke, a Sharingan user who could probably take on the rank of ANBU with little difficulty.

"What about Juugo?" The interest was almost perfectly disguised in his tone, but the question alone let the others know that Sasuke was curious as to what was happening with his former teammate.

"Shizune doesn't believe he's ready to be put into any sort of combat situation, which the Forest of Death can certainly be. He's shown improvement and will undoubtedly one day be a helpful member of Konoha. However, it is unclear as to whether he will ever be able to serve as a shinobi."

"So, who did you decide on?" Sasuke asked, accepting the verdict and relieved to hear that Juugo was healing from the trauma that Orochimaru put him through.

Tsunade smirked and rested her chin on her entwined fingers over her desk. "Her name is Daidoji Kaiya, she's been a genin for several years and has participated in the Chunin exams twice before. She made it to the preliminaries last time, but had been so injured in the second exam, she couldn't continue. I'm sure you two will do a better job of protecting your teammate than her previous team. Are there any objections?"

"Why her?"

The Hokage pierced the other blond with her amber eyes and answered his inquiry. "It was a request from several academy instructors. After her last exam, she was removed from her team and has been training with other teams as she can. Most recently, she has been at the academy and has apparently done a good job assisting with the younger students. If she passes this year's exam, then she'll likely have a job at the academy. I don't think she will ever be a squad leader, but if she does have a talent with the younger generation, she will be a welcome addition to the school."

Neither of the boys voiced an objection with her choice. Naruto would have been happier with someone he knew, but as most of the people he knew were no longer genin, that did take away most other options. For his part, Sasuke was unhappy with being partnered with a girl whom they would likely have to babysit, but he didn't care enough to protest.

"We should probably meet her and train with her some before the exam." Sasuke pointed out, it would do no good for them to be in a combat situation with an unknown at their side.

"Now that you're back from your mission, you can meet her and start your training. The Academy lets out the students in about an hour, you can go there then if you wish or wait till tomorrow to introduce yourselves."

"Yeah, okay baa-chan. What do you think?" Naruto asked, turning to Sasuke, who merely shrugged indifferently. "So, this afternoon it is."

Tsunade nodded. "Very well, if that's all-"

"Hokage-sama, I would like to speak to you in private when you have the time."

Naruto and Tsunade turned their attention to the Uchiha, surprised by his request. Lifting a brow, but otherwise not questioning his friend, the blond prepared to leave.

"Actually, Naruto, I want to speak with you now. Sasuke, I will see you tomorrow in the morning before you start training with your team." Bowing his head at the dismissal, the raven turned and left the room without another word.

Confused blue eyes turned to look at his Hokage and widened at the intensity of the stare directed at him. There were no words for several moments until the tension became too much and Naruto looked away. "What were you thinking?" she hissed at him.

Knowing what she was referring to, but deciding not to acknowledge it, he just looked at her in wide-eyed idiocy.

"Uchiha Sasuke is highly skilled; he doesn't need you to be a human shield. Shinobi, at least the ones who want to live to be Hokage someday, should not be so reckless. How dare you endanger yourself like that? How could you be so stupid?" her voice continued to rise until she was yelling at him.

"I get it, okay! Sasuke already told me what an idiot I am and I get it. I should have thought about the team." His sapphire eyes pleaded with her to understand. She did. All too well.

"After the exams, I am separating you two from performing missions together. I would separate you as teammates now if it wasn't for all the preparations that have already been done. There's only a little over a week to go and I don't have time to create two new teams. However, it's clear that you can't put aside your personal feelings while on assignment."

"I never put aside my feelings on a mission! You know that. You know I always act before I think. So why are you separating me from a teammate now?"

"Yes, you act with your heart, but that has never been about you not being able to function as part of the team before. It's because you're intimate with Sasuke that this happened and I am not going to risk this happening again. You have a choice; your lover or your teammate."

"Well Sasuke already made that decision!" Realizing his outburst, Naruto hung his head, fighting back the moisture gathering in his eyes. "We're not together anymore." His voice was barely above a whisper.

Tsunade's brow rose at this admission, but she remained quiet, waiting for Naruto to continue.

"After I recovered, while we were waiting for Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan to complete the mission, Sasuke and I decided that we needed to be nothing more than friends."

"You both decided this?" Her voice was sympathetic; she could tell that her 'little brother' was hurting.

There was a bitter chuckle from the blond, but it was clear he didn't want to discuss this further. "I'd like to do some extra training before the exams; do you know where Ero-Sennin is? He should have been back from his last porn gathering -" he broke off at the expression on Tsuanade's face.

"Jiraiya thinks he has found the leader of the Akatsuki. He's out right now confirming that information."

Naruto noticed the concern she was trying to hide. "Don't worry baa-chan, that pervert can take care of himself. Besides, in the last year, we've taken out several Akatsuki members, so he'll be ok."

"Even with Uchiha Itachi and the others that have been killed, there are still many threats out there, to both the village and you. Not just the Akatsuki. I'm also worried about what you told me about Kabuto trying to resurrect Orochimaru. That alone poses a significant threat."

"That damn traitor" Naruto growled, thinking of the medic-nin turned spy that he had once thought a friend. Suddenly, his thoughts turned in a completely different direction and there was a little hope making its way through him. "Hey baa-chan, you're a medic, you wouldn't happen to know any jutsus that allow men to have babies, do you?"

There was a long pause before, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, why not?"

Amber eyes lit in both amusement and sympathy as she sighed and shook her head. "The concept has certainly been discussed in the past, but quite frankly, the human body is made in a specific fashion. Jutsus can alter the body, but to both create and sustain life, that is just not something men can do. No amount of chakra manipulation will allow for a 'womb' for a baby to grow in without the actual organ itself. Even if surgical methods were used, men still cannot create the eggs to be fertilized."

"Oh..." Naruto looked dejected, before another thought occurred to him. "So me holding a demon doesn't help with that at all, huh? You know, Kyuubi making it so I could get pregnant?"

"Now you're just embarrassing yourself."

Naruto grimaced. He knew he was being foolish, but he couldn't help but hope for impossible dreams. It tore at him that he wasn't enough for Sasuke. That what they had together alone wasn't enough to fulfill all their dreams. That they couldn't be lovers and partners; and Sasuke had made the choice of what was more important.

'Sasuke's protecting him.' Tsunade thought to herself as she watched Naruto struggle with his thoughts. She knew the young Uchiha had spent years with Orochimaru, who specialized in experimentation, and Kabuto, who is an extremely skilled medic-nin. Sasuke would know that to father children he would not need to be romantically involved with a woman, wouldn't even need to have sex with one. He doesn't need to split from Naruto to create heirs. Though, it certainly does make for a good excuse. So, this only left her to conclude that the break up was for a different purpose.

She would like to believe that the Uchiha was scum, she never truly felt comfortable with a man who would, even temporarily, choose Orochimaru over Konoha. However, she couldn't help but feel that Sasuke was trying to be noble, and keep Naruto safe.

None of this was said as she had a feeling Naruto already knew this, deep down. It explained why he obviously didn't fight too hard with Sasuke about the break up. It also explained the tension that she felt between the two. Neither of them was happy with the decision. They worked well with each other. Even if they weren't teammates anymore, if a major mission came up, they would likely end up side by side, they were both filled with so much potential. It was obvious to Tsunade that these two young men had some more issues to work out before a true decision was made.

She allowed Naruto to depart without sharing her conclusions with him. What he needed to do was bury himself in training right now to forget his bruised heart; in that, he was very much like Sasuke.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Shikamaru was walking through the streets of Konoha on his way to meet Temari. She had just arrived from the Sand Village to assist with the final preparations for the Chunin exams. She would be with them for the remainder of the exams and Shikamaru resolutely suppressed any lightness in his heart he felt with this news. He felt the attraction between them, but he was not comfortable pursuing it. The age difference did not bother him as much as the question of loyalties. They were allies with Sand now, but nothing is sure in the shinobi world and he never wanted to find himself opposite her in a real fight.

It was during these ruminations that a bit of orange caught his gaze. Naruto was walking towards him with his head down, obviously lost in his own thoughts. This sight alone was enough to peak Shikamaru's interest. "Oi! Naruto."

The blond head lifted and an immediate smile was on his tanned face. "Hey Shikamaru, how are you?"

"Good. I heard you'll be taking part in this year's Chunin exams."

"Yeah, I'm on my way to the Academy to meet up with my third teammate. We've got to train a bit before the exams."

Before Shikamaru could say anything further, another blond joined them. "Hey cry-baby."

"Troublesome. Temari, I told you to stop calling me that, it's really uncalled for."

"Yeah yeah" she said, waving Shikamaru off, but with a smile on her face. She had really looked forward to seeing him again. Before her face could betray her thoughts, she turned to Naruto.

"Well, if it isn't the shrimp."

"Hey! Who are you calling a shrimp?!" His face was instantly red and his cheeks puffed out comically causing Temari to laugh and even Shikamaru to chuckle a little. One of the things he liked about Naruto was that things tended to not be so serious when he was around.

Not really minding being teased and knowing there was no current basis for the nickname, Naruto let it go and smiled along with the other two. Naruto looked between them and noticed their body language. It was as though they wanted to be closer, but couldn't. He remembered a couple of times when he and Sasuke would run into each other in the village, they would tease each other, but there was something underneath it that they couldn't pursue in public.

Suddenly Naruto felt like he was in the way as he was standing there with these two.

Shikamaru noticed the look and prepared himself for some teasing about being on a 'date' like the last time Naruto saw him and Temari together. So, he was quite surprised when all Naruto did was excuse himself with a smile and saying that he had to go meet up with his team now.

The lazy genius turned his attention to Temari who just smiled at him and asked how he had been. Mentally shrugging, Shikamaru led her further into the village and they discussed the changes that had occurred since her last visit. He didn't know where Naruto's thoughtfulness had come from, but he did appreciate it.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Sasuke made his way to the yard outside of the Konoha shinobi academy. It had been years since he was last there and there was nothing preventing the nostalgia that occurred. He stood there alone, lost in his memories. He remembered being the object of most of the girls’ attention and hating every moment of it. At the time, there was nothing more important than gaining strength and he had no time to waste on people who didn’t understand that.

And then there was Naruto. Outright demanding the attention that came to Sasuke so easily, and resenting the Uchiha for it.

Not wishing to dwell on thoughts of the past, Sasuke looked around the vacant schoolyard. It appeared that the students were still inside with their lessons, but they should be out soon. Making his way around the Academy, he noticed his friend sitting on the single swing near the edge of the property.

Naruto briefly looked up as Sasuke approached him, he had been so accustomed to being alone when on that swing, and it was almost a shock to have company. With a sinking feeling, he realized that he was still alone, even with Sasuke there.

The raven then stood next to him as they watched the Academy entrance silently. A few minutes passed and students began leaving the school, chatting and laughing together. Naruto and Sasuke watched, remembering when that same innocence surrounded them; though they themselves had never experienced it at that age. Neglect and trauma had kept them both from ever truly belonging with the others.

“Want to go find Iruka-sensei? He’d probably be able to tell us where to find this Kaiya person.”

With a shrug, Sasuke followed the blond past the exiting students and into the Academy. He ignored the stares that they received and the whispers that followed their steps as they searched for the chunin. They continued down the hallways and to their old classroom when they saw a young woman entering just ahead of them.

“Here are the test results you asked for Iruka-sensei.” They heard her say as they entered through the doorway into the mostly empty classroom. Both of the male genin took in the girl who appeared only a little younger than them. She was wearing standard navy shinobi pants and a deep olive long sleeved baggy t-shirt, a weapons pouch visible at her waist and a kunai holster at her thigh. Her chestnut hair was in a tight braid down to the middle of her back. Her hazel eyes stared back at them.

All was silent for a moment before Iruka stood up from behind his desk. “Naruto! It’s good to see you, did you just get back?” Concerned brown eyes took in the slightly tattered form of his former student, the normal orange jacket were nowhere to be seen and a black and orange t-shirt had taken its place. His mission bag was still slung on his shoulders.

“Um…yeah, we did.” Bringing a hand up to scratch behind his head, the blond looked down at himself and mentally cursed himself for not going home and cleaning up first. Oh well, so much for making a good first impression.

“You’re alright?”

“Of course Iruka-sensei! As if anyone could hurt the Great Uzumaki Naruto!” With his own good guy pose, he assured the Academy teacher.

Sasuke watched their former sensei take in the blond and knew he didn’t believe that everything was fine. He also knew that Naruto didn’t appreciate it when people pushed into things he wished to keep private, especially as there was a stranger in the room.

“Hn. As if there’s anything great about being a dobe.”

“What was that bastard?”

“Do you need me to repeat it?”

“Geez, if you’re just going to be a prick, why bother opening your mouth?”

“And if you’re just going to be an idiot, why bother doing anything?”

“Do you want to take this outside, asshole?!”

Iruka, effectively distracted from whatever he was about to ask Naruto, shook his head in despair. “Are you two ever going to learn to get along?”

Naruto turned a foxy grin to his former instructor and shrugged while Sasuke merely smirked before directing his attention to the girl who had made herself comfortable leaning against the wall with her arms and ankles crossed.

Noticing his look, she deemed it safe to join in. “Oh by all means, please continue. I was becoming quite amused.”

“Don’t encourage them!” The poor scarred teacher looked like he was about to throw up his arms in exasperation. Naruto was hyper enough on his own, but it looked like the other two weren’t interested in helping keep the knucklehead serious and focused.

Remembering the fourth individual in the room, Naruto bounced over to within a few feet of the wide eyed girl and loudly proclaimed, “Hi! I’m Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage!” His grin was blinding.

Recovering quickly and with a smile, maybe not as bright, but no less welcoming, the young woman stood up from the wall and boisterously introduced herself. “Hello Naruto-kun, I’m Daidoji Kaiya, your new teammate and future Chunin. Nice to meet you!”

If possible, Naruto’s smile widened further. Well, that had been unexpected. He was used to people either snapping at him or laughing at him when he gave a greeting like that. He liked this girl.

‘Great, another idiot.’ Was Sasuke’s thought on the introduction. That was, until she turned her attention to him. With a polite smile, she bowed her head slightly in respect. “You must be Uchiha Sasuke. I look forward to working with you.”

For a moment, he had been about to write her off as another idiotic fangirl, but quickly re-evaluated. Her performance to Naruto and then himself had been almost tailored to them individually. Bright and eager, then reserved. Welcoming and polite. ‘She’s either studied us, or is adaptable to the personalities around her.’

As she met his eyes with no hesitation, he knew that she had allowed him to read her objectives. She had certainly made them clear. Announcing herself a future chunin, she was placing her trust in her future teammates and then solidified it when stating that she would work with them. Maintaining eye contact, he nodded his head once, just enough to make his own intention clear. ‘We’ll see how you do.’

Her smile growing brighter, she returned her attention to Naruto. "So, would you two like to join me on the roof so we can get to know each other a bit? That way, we don't continue to bother Iruka-sensei."

"Oh no! It's no trouble if you all would like to stay here." Iruka honestly looked as though he couldn't decide which he would prefer; he needed to get some work finished so he could leave, but he also hadn't seen Naruto in weeks and he wanted to know what exactly happened on that mission that had the blond looking the way he was. Iruka couldn't put his finger on it, but Naruto seemed almost...dimmed.

"Nah, we don't want to be rude and keep you from finishing your work." Naruto gestured to the desk covered in scrolls. Before turning to leave, he bestowed yet another glittering smile. "However, if you want to meet for ramen tomorrow evening, we could do that."

"I'd love that Naruto." Iruka seemed pacified with that arrangement; he could get his work done then interrogate, err...catch up with the blond tomorrow.

"Great! Your treat. Ja!" And before the poor man could blink, the hyper genin was gone in a flash of orange. With an incline of his head in farewell to the chunin, Sasuke followed his teammate from the room, his face as impassive as usual.

"Was there anything further you needed before I got started with my new team, Iruka-sensei?" The academy instructor found himself facing his temporary assistant once again. He had been surprised by her behavior with Naruto as she is usually more reserved with her generation or her elders. Though, with the children, she would be as warm and open. Iruka frowned inwardly, he didn't like the idea that she thought of the young man as a child. He held himself back from saying anything though; he had enough experience to know not to make assumptions based on appearances.

"No, that's fine Kaiya. Go ahead and get to know them, you'll find them an interesting pair to work with, I'm sure." At her look of confusion, he just shook his head and smiled kindly. "Good luck on the exams."

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei. Have a good evening." Bowing slightly, she made her way to the roof to become acquainted with her new teammates. She could only hope that they would be better than her last.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Once out of sight of the others, Naruto let his smile fall. As he climbed the stairs he berated himself for not cleaning up and getting a better grip on himself before seeing Iruka or meeting Kaiya. He had shown more than he wanted to; he knew he was going to be in for some firm questioning the next evening. At least he would get free ramen out of it.

As soon as he was on the meeting area situated on the roof of the Academy, he found himself hit by nostalgia yet again. Looking over at Sasuke, who had silently joined him, he offered another smile, as if sharing something special. "You know, the last time I think I was up here was when Team 7 met together for the first time."

Sasuke found himself lost in those sapphire eyes as he remembered that meeting; his aims for revenge, 

his distaste for teamwork, his apathy for the village, and his refusal to allow himself to become close to his teammates. Those past feelings, that he still was unsure if they were right or wrong nearly overwhelmed him at the moment. However, this time would be different. He had one strong friendship and was willing to give this new person a chance to earn his respect. He knew both his circumstances and himself had changed. He also acknowledged that the man in front of him had been a large part of it.

Catching where his thoughts were going, he took a quick step back to create some distance between them. He hadn't even noticed when they had gotten close to each other, nearly touching. He hardened his heart to the look of sadness directed at him. 'This is for the best.'

Sensing the approach of the new girl, Naruto masked his feelings, planted a grin on his face, and made himself comfortable on the balcony rail. He laughed inwardly at the fact that he just took Kakashi's old place. Sasuke stood to the side of the steps where they had all sat as children.

Naruto took the opportunity to closely watch the girl as she passed through the doorway and proceeded to sit on those same steps. He had not missed the exchange between her and Sasuke in the classroom. He knew some unspoken conversation had happened, he just did not know what it was.

He didn't see anything particularly noteworthy or special about her. Usually genin tend to have more distinctive clothes, but some, like her, choose to wear more utilitarian clothing. Except Ino, he knew very few of the females who reach her age that keep their hair that long, but she also chose to keep it confined. There were no distinctive clan markings or jewelry. Except her hitai-ate, which was worn around her neck, she seemed as though she could blend in to anything. As though she'd rather not be seen. He was reminded of Hinata with that thought. Although this girl did not strike him as ever being shy.

Naruto instinctively liked her, but didn't know why beyond his usual attempts to be friendly with everyone. Orochimaru, the Akatsuski, and various other murdering psychopaths not included.

However, he was not one to debate such things for long, so chose instead to inwardly shrug and get to know the girl. "So, tell us about yourself?"

"Well, what do you want to know?" Her expression was friendly and open, as though she had nothing to hide. Naruto knew well how to make that face, he'd done it most of his life.

With an evil grin, he responded as his old sensei had done in the past. "Well, tell us about your likes, dislikes, and goals for the future."

"I like strawberries, I don't like onions, and my goal is to pass the chunin exam."

"What about after that?"

"I'll decide on my next goal after I accomplish that one. So, what about you?"

"I love RAMEN! I hate the time it takes to cook ramen. And my goal is to be the next Hokage." Naruto couldn't help the real smile that came to his face as he realized that he had given a shortened version of the first time he answered that question.

Kaiya was nodding, not surprised by his response. She tilted her head to the raven and raised an eyebrow. "And you?"

His expression not revealing anything but boredom, Sasuke met her eyes and held them. "You know my name and I don't feel like sharing my likes or dislikes." He did not see a reason to pretend to share when no real information had been given by anyone else.

"You really don't have to be such a bastard."

Sasuke just shrugged at his friend. "My interests are not relevant."

Naruto hopped off the banister to stand in front of the young Uchiha. "Would it hurt you to just be nice?"

"You never know." Both boys turned to face Kaiya, surprised by her interruption. "How about we do discuss something relevant then? I've taken the Chunin exams twice and both times the format was the same. First test judged information gathering skills as well as loyalty to your team or village. The second was a team survival test and the third was individual combat. It was not necessary for a person to win in the third competition as long as the genin showed chunin level abilities." She couldn't help feeling a little smug by the looks on her new teammates' faces; she wasn't sure if they were impressed or just surprised by her observations. "Have you noticed anything different in your experience of the exams?"

As Naruto looked more confused than anything else, Sasuke decided to answer for them both. "That was the setup of the exams that Naruto and I took 3 years ago."

"Do you anticipate any problems?"

"Not for me. I can use my Sharingan to get information from other examinees as I did the first time."

Looking sheepish, Kaiya admitted "My former team didn't pass the first exam on our initial try. I managed to bluff my way through the exam the second time. I doubt I could do it again." Facing Naruto, she continued. "Do you already have a plan to get through the first exam?”

Naruto did not look confident, but still pasted on a huge grin. “I’ll figure out something.”

“Idiot. Your idea of ‘information gathering’ is to beat it or yell it out of someone. You didn’t answer a single question the last time. If neither of you have the inherent skills to get the answers, you should plan a way to work together.” Sasuke broke off what he was saying when he realized he had just advocated teamwork. ‘Damn dobe. What has he done to me?’ he thought with an internal shudder.

The blond seemed to share his surprise as he stared wide eyed at his friend. “Who are you and what have you done with the bastard?”

“Hn.”

Naruto continued to eye him suspiciously for a full minute while Sasuke resisted the urge to throw a kunai at his friend. Blue eyes squinted as they took in every inch of the Uchiha before him, ostentatiously looking for any indication that this was a henge. A dark eyebrow began to twitch. A mouth began to open to question him further when he was interrupted by a hissed warning. “Dobe…”

“Just checking.” Chuckling at being able to rile the other up so much, he turned his attention back to his new teammate who had merely watched their exchange with a smile. “Do you have any ideas on how we could work together on that test?”

Shaking her head, she answered with a negative. “I don’t know what you’re good at or if we’d be good together for this at all. Do you have any particular skills or talents?”

Not used to being asked this, Naruto took a moment to think before answering. “I have a lot of chakra, so my stamina is awesome. I can make kage bushins.” Kaiya interrupted him before he could continue.

“Kage bushins?” Though Naruto was surprised by this question, Sasuke understood her confusion. It wasn’t unusual for a genin without special training to not know of this technique, as it is a forbidden jutsu.

“Solid clones. Instead of a regular bushin that’s used for distraction, a kage bushin is capable of combat.”

“Wow, that’s impressive. Are there any other advantages to them?”

“Yeah, when a clone disperses, I gain any knowledge that they obtained.” Blue eyes widened as Kaiya began to look excited. “How will that be helpful in the test?”

“I’m not sure, but it opens up some possibilities.” Looking off to the sky and noticing that dusk was approaching, she stood up. “If you don’t mind, I need to run some errands this evening. Will you be free to train until the beginning of the exams?”

The both nodded and Naruto continued. “Do you want to meet by the bridge near the training grounds tomorrow morning at 8?”

“That sounds fine. See you then.” With a smile and a short bow she was gone, leaping to the roof of an adjacent building.

Sasuke gained the blonde’s attention just as he had been about to make his own, rather hasty, exit. “I have my meeting with the Hokage in the morning, so I will meet up with you two at the training grounds after.”

“Okay, no problem.” This time, it was Naruto’s turn to stop the other from leaving. “Um…what do you need to talk to the old hag about?”

He had been embarrassed to ask, and he knew that he was invading Sasuke’s privacy, but he had just become so used to them sharing their thoughts with each other. He regretted asking when he noticed how uncomfortable Sasuke looked as he tried to decide how to answer. His chest hurt when he saw those onyx eyes go cold.

“It’s personal.”

“Oh…ok. Sorry.”

“Goodnight dobe.” Without another word, Sasuke was gone in a blur.

“Goodnight.” Naruto said softly as he looked in the direction of the Uchiha district sadly. “This is pathetic. I miss you already.” He quickly made his way to his apartment, too tired to stop by Ichiraku’s that evening. He was emotionally exhausted and his body had still not completely recovered from the damage it had sustained.

As he strode through his front door, he toed off his shoes and threw his mission pack onto his table. Once inside, it was as though his energy had just drained from him and he sluggishly went about heating up water for his dinner which would consist of ramen, of course.

As he waited for the water to boil, he pulled out his clothing repair kit. It just didn’t sound manly enough for him to call it a ‘sewing kit’. Setting aside scissors, a needle, and orange thread, he withdrew his damaged jacket from his pack.

Hearing the whistle from his kettle alerting him that the water was boiling, he opened a ramen container, and poured in the water. After enough time to allow the water to be soaked up, he ate his meal without tasting the food.

When he had finished his dinner, he kept himself occupied with repairing the tears in his jacket, his stitches small and neat. He was so meticulous that it was difficult to see the damage once he had completed his task. Naruto rubbed his tired eyes and aching hands when he was done. He scowled at the darkened sky and the stars visible through his window. It hadn’t been enough to exhaust him right to sleep, he was still awake enough to think, and that was not something that he wanted to do.

Mentally preparing himself, he removed his clothing so he was just in his boxers, and then made his way to his bed. With a sigh, he slipped between the sheets and closed his eyes.

XxXxXxXxX

Sasuke stood in his bedroom staring at his bed which was still rumpled from that morning, several days ago, when Sakura had walked in and disrupted their privacy. He looked around his room and though he could not see many obvious influences of Naruto in his home, his presence was still there.

‘Maybe it is because we’ve screwed on nearly every surface in this place.’ That thought made him even more anxious as he settled himself in bed and tried to sleep.

Unfortunately, sleep evaded him as his thoughts were plagued by Naruto; his smiles, his touch, his smell…and his body, torn and bloody and turning ashen. With a moan he buried his head into his pillow as his fluctuating resolve had again been strengthened. This didn’t help him to sleep though as he had grabbed the pillow Naruto generally used and he was assaulted by his ex-lover’s scent.

XxXxXxX

Naruto was tossing in bed, half-asleep and tormented by thoughts of his former lover. With his eyes closed, he could almost feel the man beside him and his body reacted to the imagined proximity. 

Without conscious thought, his hand trailed along his chest, caressing softly before circling a pebbled nipple. Panting lips opened to form a name. “Sasuke.”

Pale hands ran along his body, paying attention to his nipples and lavishing them with soft swipes and gentle tugs before gaining in intensity, becoming almost harsh in the pulls and twists before a hand traveled down along a chiseled abdomen. Fingers twined with sable curls before taking the rigid flesh in hand with a gasp from pink lips.

Sweat dampened and darkened golden spikes as hips began thrusting into a fisting hand. Up. Pressure increases with a squeeze from a hand. Down. Soft caress mixed with the taunt of danger from nails against the sensitive velvet of the hardened manhood. Breathing quickly, mixing with pants and moans.

Now both hands are busy between the milky thighs. One quickly stroking the leaking cock that ached for the attention of another, while the other rolled his balls and massaged the flesh behind. Images of blond hair and blue eyes and masculine lips playing behind closed lids as moisture slickened the increasingly tense body.

The movements were erratic now as completion approached. Eyebrows furrowed as onyx eyes were imagined looking up from where a mouth was busy engulfing him again and again.

Almost there…just a bit more. Yeah, like that. Oh yeah…

Twin cries, separated by roads and buildings, called into the night.

“Sasuke!”

“…Naruto.”

--

TBC