Chapter Seven

Sasuke sat down at his seat as the class was called to order and sent a sideways glare at his hooded companion, who seated himself quietly and was still holding his head in pain. Getting Naruto to come for the genin exam had been like pulling teeth; they had gone back to dragging and holding onto doorways. And then Naruto had suddenly jumped up and rushed out of the house like the Devil had been at his heels, leaving Sasuke puzzled and agitated. And it didn't help that Sakura kept staring at him and Naruto at intervals, with a stupid doe eyed look.

He really hadn't thought that they could be separated into different teams- he'd been so into training that nothing else seemed to exist. By the way Naruto had been going on, it was unlikely that he would come back to the Academy if he was separated from Sasuke, and he didn't think any amount of verbal abuse would get him to go.

"Alright," Iruka-sensei called above the excited murmur, "when I call your names, come up front and perform the task given to you." He then sat down next to Mizuki-sensei, and the exam began. It was easy enough- all they had to do was create a henge bunshin, which was so easy it was actually ridiculous.

One by one they went through the students until his name was called, and he moved from his desk and stepped forward to perform the useless task, glancing back once to make sure Naruto wasn't having a nervous breakdown because Sasuke had left him. No, Naruto was still staring down at the desk, though it seemed that his headache was worse, judging by the fine tremble in his fingers that still cradled his head. Sasuke felt bad about that; he hadn't wanted to bash Naruto's head to knock him out, but the blond had been too crazy for him to handle all the way home without one of the many ninja on duty noticing.

Sasuke performed the the henge and bunshin, and calmly returned to his seat just as Naruto's name was called. He sat down and turned to look at his companion. Naruto's eyes were turning red and glassy, as if he had been crying for hours, and he was shaking even more- it hit Sasuke that Naruto wasn't going to go up. He was going to fail the exam by not responding.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" Iruka-sensei called, and looked up to see both boys in their seats.

"Get up there," Sasuke hissed as quietly as he could between clenched teeth, but Naruto's lips thinned and the boy shook his head minutely. Sasuke gripped his arm tightly, putting enough pressure for it to hurt, and growled, "If you don't go up there, I'll kill you later."

The blood drained from the blond's face and he looked up at him, red eyes wide, then slowly got up from the desk and quickly moved to the front. In the back of the class, Inuzuka Kiba watched as Uzumaki performed the jutsu perfectly, then turned to stare down at Uchiha. An Inuzuka had excellent hearing- better than most, and he watched as Naruto returned to his seat next to Sasuke, his shoulders even more hunched than they already were, and felt pretty sorry for the kid. He couldn't for the life of him understand why Naruto hung around such a self-righteous bastard. Half the time he was relieved that he could manage staying in the same room as the Uchiha- it was no surprise that the bastard was such a jerk to Uzumaki.

Every one was let go early to celebrate their graduation with family and friends, but Sasuke rushed them home, angry and barely in control of his temper.

"What were you thinking?! All those years of training, and you were just going to throw it away? And for what?- because you're scared?" Naruto kept his head down, not replying. "Yeah well, I guess that's no big surprise," Sasuke snapped as they passed through the compound gates. "you're middle name is probably scared, or frightened, or most likely pathetic!" Sasuke stomped into the house then spun and pointed a finger at Naruto, who jumped back. "Well I don't care how scared you are, you're going to show up tomorrow for Team placement, and the day after and so on- or so help me-" he raised his hand, perhaps to hit him, but Naruto's face was beginning to crumble, and the rage drained from his body. He took a deep breath and went back outside for fresh air.

Naruto did not follow.

--

The next day did not start well- Naruto refused to eat breakfast, instead choosing to stare at nothing with a glassy eyed disposition, and Sasuke was only grateful that Naruto didn't put up a fuss when they left for the Academy.

When they arrived, it was to the increased excitement of the passing Academy students, and quite oddly, the occasional glare from Inuzuka Kiba- which was strange- because he couldn't remember saying two words to the dog-boy...as a matter of fact, he couldn't remember saying two words to anyone other than Naruto in a long time.

When everyone settled, Iruka-sensei pulled out a list and cleared his throat. "I'm going to first call out a Team number, then three genin who will be in that Team. Don't bother asking me to change the Team later- it's not happening. Alright, for Team 5-"

The names and Teams were called out, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino, were put together as Team Eight, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji were Team Ten. Ino looked downright enraged when this was announced, but the highlight of the event was that Haruno Sakura was put on Team Four, with two boys he wasn't familiar with. The girl looked absolutely crushed.

"For Team Seven, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Yoshina Kaori," Sasuke gave an audible sigh of relief, and glanced at Naruto, whose lip was bleeding- but the blond was clearly relieved. All that drama for nothing!

Then he frowned. Who was Yoshina Kaori?

--

Hatake Kakashi stepped into the Uchiha main house and crinkled his nose at the strong cleanser scent that assaulted him and promised a maniacal headache. The Hokage moved to the living room and sat down with a sigh, eyes moving around the room. To Kakashi, it didn't seem like the residence of two, practically unsupervised children- but more like the house of an obsessive neat freak. He wandered through the rooms, stopping in what appeared to the boys' room, though there was only one bed- perfectly made. He paused in the middle of the room and stared down at the pillow that sat in the corner.

"That's where Naruto resides," The Sandaime's voice came, and he glanced back at the older man. "He doesn't sleep very often, so he apparently has no use for a bed."

"Hmm..." was Kakashi's most intelligent reply. He'd read up on both boys, what Umino Iruka had written, the Hokage himself had written. It seems Uchiha Sasuke was the best thing to happen to Naruto, who was apparently a borderline schizophrenic, a condition that gave him pause as his eye fell on the newspapered windows. Before Sasuke, Naruto barely ate, slept, or left his apartment unless it was to get cleaning supplies. Sasuke had not only gotten him to eat, but to venture out and join the Academy- well truthfully, as the Hokage admitted, Naruto had been forced to go. But he was a bit healthier, and was at the top of his class, and was around people.

Iruka's report said something different though. Sasuke had completely shut down once he and Naruto returned to the Academy, both were extremely antisocial, seeming, and this was what Umino-san had written 'as if they had retreated into their own little world'.

Kakashi was left feeling like he wasn't sure he could deal with both boys.

"Putting them on a Team will remind them of the world- and others," Sandaime assured, and he only sighed and shook his head.

"I'll try my best." And his best was all he could give.

--

Yoshina Kaori was one of those goth girls, who wore too much eye liner and black lipstick, and was apparently fond of fishnet anything. Her hair was cut in short spikes, and she looked at both boys with bland brown eyes and a few bruises on her face. She wasn't very popular with the other to be kunoichi, and she sat a seat away from Naruto as they waited for their very late sensei. All the other children, and even the sensei's had departed, leaving the three of them alone in the classroom.

Sasuke leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling. He wasn't sure how much trouble Kaori would be, if she would hold them back, or inadvertently push Naruto back into his shell, but he was grateful that in the three hours in which they waited for their sensei, she had said nothing. This was good- if it had been Sakura, he would have likely been telling her to shut up. But Kaori only picked at her cuticles and looked at them from the corner of her eyes- and he noticed Naruto was doing the same thing to her, clearly unhappy with her presence so close to him- even if there was a full empty seat between the two.

The door slid open, and a silver haired jounin entered, one eye covered with his hitai-ate and the other open and disinterested. The rest of his face was covered from nose to neck in black cloth, and he wore standard ninja attire. "You Team Seven?" he asked in a lackadaisical manner.

"Yes," Kaori mumbled, she had a rather pleasantly rough voice, and Sasuke thought it very bizarre that he had noticed this.

"Meet me on the roof," the jounin replied, then poofed away. Sasuke sighed and pushed himself to his feet, heading for the door with Naruto at his heels. When the three arrived, the jounin was sitting comfortably on a lounge chair, an orange book in his hand. They sat across from him on the ledge of the building and waited until the man put the book away and looked at them.

"So...I'm Hatake Kakashi- you can call me Kakashi-sensei. Let's start by you telling me what you're likes and dislikes are, hopes, dreams, etcetera etcetera..." He pointed to Kaori first.

"Um...I'm Yoshina Kaori. Hi," she introduced, giving Naruto and Sasuke a small half hearted wave. "I like writing and photography. I don't like to shout or argue." She blinked at Kakashi-sensei, who smiled cheerfully behind his mask., then pointed as Sasuke.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I like very few things, I dislike many things, I have no hopes or dreams...but I have a certain ambition-" His dark eyes seemed to smolder. "To kill a certain man."

"I see," Kakashi muttered. He looked at Uzumaki, who didn't seemed to care or notice Sasuke's words, for he was too busy staring at Kakashi's legs, and he resisted the urge to glance down at himself to see what the kid was staring at- but mostly because it wasn't an interested stare that the boy was giving, but an empty one, the kind devoid of thought, when your eyes just needed to rest on something. "And what of you?" he asked the blond, but Uzumaki remained staring at his legs until Sasuke nudged his leg with his own, and the blond looked up at his face with darting blue eyes. Still he said nothing.

"Naruto likes to read," Sasuke supplied for him with a shrug, and they lapsed into a momentary silence.

"Okay," Kakashi stood up. "Tomorrow at seven, will be my test to truly see if you are worthy of the genin title. Come- bring what you will, but don't eat breakfast, you're likely to throw it up." He gave a lazy wave before poofing away.

Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Let's go, we got some training to do." Naruto nodded, and both boys headed for the door.

"Um...see you guys tomorrow," Kaori called faintly, and Sasuke glanced back and gave a small nod before they returned to the compound.

--

When Kakashi showed up to the Academy, he was surprised to see only Yoshina standing out in the field, picking at her cuticles and looking out of place.

"Where are Naruto and Sasuke?" he asked, and the girl frowned up at him.

"You're all late. I thought we were supposed to show up at seven," she muttered, then turned as Sasuke and Naruto approached, the dark haired boy looking peeved while the blond simply looked miserable. Kakashi immediately noticed the katana strapped to their backs, and was curious to see that while Sasuke's was the usual hilt upward at his shoulder, Naruto's katana was hilt downward, at his hip and the tip at his shoulder. Interesting. Umino's reports spoke nothing of weapons beyond the shuriken and kunai, and he wondered if both boys could actually use the blades.

They followed him out to Training Area Five, which was a wooden area, and stood around him as he produced a clock and set it down beside a tree.

"The object of this test is for you to capture these bells before that clock timer strikes twelve," he shook the two small bells hanging from his hip. "There are only two bells, as you can see, so that means one of you will be sent back to the Academy." Sasuke's eyes narrowed, Kaori swallowed nervously, and Naruto looked glassy eyed and indifferent, as if he didn't care about the outcome. "And just to let you know, this has a sixty-six percent failure expectancy, so, I imagine you all will be failing. Feel free to attack me at any time with the intent to kill, because anything less will get you back at the Academy." He pulled out his book. "You may start...now."

The timer pinged, and he watched as all three children disappeared into the surrounding trees. He could sense both boys nearby, and Kaori farther back. For thirty minutes both boys moved through the trees, apparently unsure of when- or how to attack, and most likely wondering when he would do so. Then there was a rustle, and out leaped Sasuke, blade unsheathed and going straight for his head. Kakashi parried and pulled out his kunai, letting it clash with a ring against the blade, sparks flying as the steel glided against each other. There was a presence behind him and he leaped into the air, looking down to see Naruto's blade cut across where his legs had been.

These boys could use those katana!

He kicked Sasuke from him as he landed and punched Naruto in the chest, knocking both boys away. Sasuke landed lightly on his feet, crouching low with his katana pointed away from him, but Naruto staggered back, giving a wheeze and rubbing his chest. A whiff of sulfur came to him, and Kakashi looked down to see an exploding tag attached to his behind. He kawamari'd away just as the tag exploded, showering splinters of wood everywhere and forcing the boys to cover their faces. Up in the trees, he created a Kage bunshin and sent it after Kaori, who was hovering nervously in the trees, looking for a way into the fight.

His bunshin hopped down from the tree and approached her; the girl pulled out a kunai and threw it at him. The bunshin slapped it away and leaped forward, throwing a punch, which the girl dodged, then blocking her kick. The girl put up a decent fight before she was knocked into a tree, giving out a cry before losing consciousness.

Sasuke and Naruto, who had been in the small clearing, conferring with one another silently, looked up at the sound of her cry, then looked at each other. Sasuke's lips thinned and he pointed two fingers into the brush, and Kakashi watched as Naruto flitted away in that direction, surprisingly quick and quiet. These two were very interesting! Sasuke hadn't told Naruto to run toward Kaori's cry, but to go around it, lest he fall into traps.

Taking this opportunity, Kakashi dropped from the canopy before Sasuke, and the boy immediately sheathed the blade, instead attacking him with taijutsu. He put his book away so he could engage the Uchiha properly and take stock of his skills; Sasuke had decent taijutsu training, a little better than average, and he was surprised when the boy shouted, "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" The Uchiha blew a billow of fire towards him, causing him to smile as he drew his hands together.

"Doton: Shinjuu Zanshuu no Jutsu." He sank into the ground, moved under where Sasuke had landed, and pulled the boy into the earth until only his head remained above the earth. He emerged from the ground and studied the Uchiha, who looked both surprised and disgruntled before he poofed away into the trees and awaited Naruto's return, watching as Sasuke struggled to pull himself from the dirt but not able to move.

Quite suddenly Naruto appeared from the copse of trees surrounding them, leaping over the brush and taking a few light steps into the clearing, katana in his right hand, before the blond froze, his hood far back enough on his head to show his features properly. The boys' face was thin, with high cheek bones and no baby fat, with three whisker marks on each side of his almost hollow cheeks. His eyes were puffy and red rimmed, with dark shadows underneath, and his face seemed frozen as he stared at the almost submerged Uchiha. Sasuke grunted, blushing, before asking gruffly, "Did you find Kaori?"

Naruto opened his mouth, closed it, then asked in a cracked unused voice, "Are you dead?"

Both Kakashi and Sasuke frowned.

"Would I be talking to you if I was dead?!" Sasuke snapped incredulously, and tried to struggle. "I'm stuck. He used some kind of earth jutsu on me. Help me out." Naruto stood where he was for a moment, staring at the Uchiha before moving forward and crouching by his side. He dug his fingers into the earth and made a short, half hearted attempt to dig Sasuke out before he gave up.

"I don't know any Doton jutsu Sa-" Kakashi chose to make his move then, appearing behind the blond. As if sensing him, Naruto unsheathed his blade, swinging it around and miraculously missing Sasuke's head, but Kakashi grabbed his wrist, fingers digging into the bone as he simultaneously grabbed Naruto's other arm and held it behind his back. The blond's hand spasmed and released the katana at the same time the timer gave a ping of finality.

All three said nothing, frozen in that state, until Naruto's head moved, and Kakashi noticed that the hood had fallen back and he could see all of Naruto's hair, which was a pale yellow, and strangely enough, layered in different lengths. A blue eye peered back up at him from under uneven bangs, and he realized he still had the blond within his grip. He blinked down at the boy, staring into that one blue eye, and realized that Naruto was waiting for him to inflict pain- there was this level of expectancy about that gaze.

He released the boy with a sigh, and watched as the blond cradled his wrist, on his knees next to Sasuke's head. Both boys said nothing.

--

Kaori sighed, stomach aching with hunger but knowing she would get nothing as she was tied to a wooden pole, and Kakashi-sensei had said she wasn't allowed to eat. No wonder he had asked them not to eat- how sinister! But she was grateful, because he had said he was going to give them a second chance before he had disappeared off. She glanced sideways at Uchiha Sasuke, who looked to be mulling over the entire battle, though she hadn't seen much of it at all. She'd never been particularly good at fighting, which was why she had joined the Ninja Academy in the first place- to better herself.

Something touched her leg, and she turned to see that Naruto was offering her his lunch, his hood hiding more than half of his face.

"That's okay, I can handle it. I'm not that hungry."

Naruto's hand didn't move, and she jumped as the ropes tying her to the pole loosened, and she turned to see Sasuke put his kunai away.

"You might as well eat it, he sure won't."

She carefully took the lunch from the blond with a blush. "But Kakashi-sensei said that you guys weren't allowed to share with me," she nervously but hungrily dug into the meal as Naruto buried his hands into his sweater pockets, but not before she noticed the angry bruising around his right wrist. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed Naruto's arm. "That looks bad," she said just as Naruto jerked his hand back from her and stuffed it back into his pocket, his face stiffening with disgust. "Sorry..." she muttered in embarrassment just as a gust of sand blew toward them, and they froze as Kakashi-sensei appeared before them.

He looked pissed.

"YOU," he bellowed, and Sasuke and Kaori blanched at his expression. Naruto just stared down at his own knees. "Pass!" His face went from anger to cheerful mellowness.

Kaori swallowed. "I think I peed myself."

Sasuke sent her an amused look before looking back up at Kakashi-sensei. "How did we pass? We haven't done anything yet."

Kakashi smiled at him. "Ninja who don't follow the rules are trash," his smile faded as he looked them in the eye, minus Naruto, who was still staring at his knees, "But ninja who don't take care of their team mates are worse than trash." He beamed again. "So I'll see you all tomorrow at the bridge," he turned away with a wave. "I've got to go register you all. We'll start missions tomorrow."

Sasuke got to his feet and dusted himself off- Naruto was already standing, and seemed anxious to leave.

"Thanks for the food, Naruto. It was real nice of you-"

"No need to thank him," Sasuke cut in. "He really wasn't going to eat that." He glanced at the box container of food then nodded at Naruto. "Come on, we got training to do."

"Um, maybe we could train together," Kaori suggested, but the boys were either too far away to hear her, or had simply ignored her, which wouldn't have been much of a surprise- most people did.

--

Their first mission was cleaning someone's yard, which was full of leaves and weeds, and though they clearly had no desire to do something so menial, they shut their mouths and grit their teeth, and did the mission. Except for Naruto, who took to cleaning the yard with a fervor that startled Kaori and made Sasuke roll his eyes. The way Naruto went at those leaves, it was as if he'd been raking them for years, and he went at it with a single-mindedness that bordered on villainy. He was truly in his element.

Most of the D-rank missions consisted of labor, picking up groceries for an old woman, delivering merchandise to a house, painting a fence, (Naruto was real good at this), and other dull chore-like duties. Every other day, Kakashi-sensei would take them out to Training Area Four and train with them. He was teaching her better taijutsu and some strength training, and what she learned she used against Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke always kicked her butt, but Naruto was completely frustrating because it was clear it was all he had to stay within two feet of her. They managed some pretty lousy sparring, with Naruto mostly evading her every move. The only time she actually saw him in action was when he fought Sasuke, because he was also leery of Kakashi-sensei. He didn't seem to want to go anywhere near the man unless Sasuke took him aside and said- what she imagined- were some very unfriendly words, judging by the pallor of his skin by the time he approached Kakashi-sensei.

But she was getting better, and Sasuke wasn't as mean as she thought he was, and Naruto, she imagined was simply shy. Very shy. Extremely shy. Okay, maybe ridiculously shy, but there was still something about him...

--

"How's that team of yours?" Sarutobi Asuma asked as they sat down for the evening, sake pouring into their cups. Yuuhi Kurenai sighed and took a sip of her wine and rubbed the back of her neck.

"They've got promise. Kiba's a rash one, and quick to action, but he's got strength and potential. I've no doubts about the Aburame's- Shino will do quite well. It's little Hinata that worries me."

"What's the matter with the Hyuuga child?" Maito Gai asked, pouring more sake into his cup with a shiny grin. Kurenai rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Don't get me started on the Hyuuga's. I shouldn't have to say much- you have one."

Gai grinned in reply.

"How's yours Asuma?"

Asuma took a swig of his cigarette and gave a lazy smiled. "They're as expected- you know," he waved his cigarette hand, "the whole, Yamanaka-Nara-Akimichi team. I think it'll work just as well as the previous one." He turned to the very quiet Copy-Cat ninja. "And what of you Kakashi? How's you're Team?"

Kakashi, who had been staring at the table top, frowned without looking up. "Quiet."

"Huh?" was Gai's confused reply.

Kakashi looked up from the table into their interested faces. "I must have the quietest Team in Konoha history. They don't converse with one another, they don't fight or argue, they just train and do the missions."

"Wow," Kurenai couldn't imagine that kind of silence, not with Kiba's big, boisterous mouth. And Asuma had more than a mouth with Ino in his Team.

"And Sasuke and Naruto keep showing up late, everyday."

"And that's apparently saying a lot, since you're never on time," Asuma commented.

Kakashi sighed. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but..." and here he almost flinched. "My Team is lacking that...burning flame of youth."

"OF COURSE!" Gai all but shouted, and the other two ninja sent dark glares Kakashi's way, "YOU MUST GUIDE THEM TOWARDS THE FLAME! FOR THEY ARE THE NINJA OF TOMORROW. THEY ARE-" The three groaned as Gai went on into his inspirational speech and downed their drinks quickly, and refilling their cups just as fast.

--

Kakashi watched as both boys approached the section of the bridge in which both he and Kaori waited, he had been reading while she had been snapping shots of the water below with an expensive camera. Today there was no mission for the Team, and he had an intent to find out why the boys were actually later than he was- it was just unnatural.

"Sasuke," he gestured for the boy to come forward, and he moved away from the others. Sasuke shoved his hands into his short pockets and waited for him to speak. "Why are you guys so late all the time?"

Sasuke scowled up at him but didn't comment that he too, was always late. Instead the boy sent him a speculative look, then shrugged. "The routine's all screwed up, and we have to be here earlier than we're used to."

Kakashi raised a brow and waited for the boy to elaborate. Sasuke sighed and rubbed his neck in frustration.

"Naruto works on routines- you know, do the same thing everyday, at the same time," He looked up at the jounin, and Kakashi nodded in understanding. "I guess he feels comfortable knowing what to expect. But now, everyday is different and it's freaking him out."

"And that's why you both are late in the mornings? Shouldn't he be used to this routine by now?" he glanced over to see Kaori talking to the hooded blond, who just stared at her with his usual glassy eyes.

Sasuke shrugged. "Well, it's because he's spending more time cleaning in the morning. It's taking him longer because he's upset."

Kakashi suddenly remembered how clean and spotless the Uchiha main house was. Naruto cleaned that whole place every morning? An idea came to him, and he gave a small smile. "Alright, let's go."

They headed to Training Area Four which was more of a field of sparse grass, and as they approached, he called Naruto over to him and had Sasuke and Kaori spar. Naruto stood in front of him and waited, eyes resting on his shoulder and not on his face.

"I'm going to show you a jutsu that will be most helpful to you," he made the seals as he spoke, "Kage bunshin no jutsu." The shadow clone popped into existence next to Naruto and patted him on the shoulder, making the blond jump and stare up at it in surprise. "These shadow clones are solid, and are a great help in a fight, or in reconnaissance, or...I don't know, a helping hand when you're cleaning- or something like that." He canceled the jutsu and showed Naruto the seals again. Naruto tried the jutsu twice before he got it correct, and stood next to his clone, who looked just as miserable as its creator. Then the clone popped away and the blond turned and looked directly at him, and to his complete surprise, the boy's lips turned up in a small smile.

"Thank you," the boy rasped, eyes showing his complete gratitude, and Kakashi was actually embarrassed as the boy scuttled away and showed Sasuke the jutsu. He expected the Uchiha to look jealous, or immediately want a jutsu of his own, but the boy merely sent him a grateful look, and while Naruto practiced making more than one bunshin, he continued to spar with Kaori.

And Kakashi was surprised at how content he felt, in that moment.

--

The next day both boys were there when he showed up, and Sasuke wasn't in a sour mood, and this continued on for the next week, until it wasn't they who were late, but Kaori. Except not only was she late, she didn't show up at all.

"I think she's sick," Sasuke commented, and Kakashi was inclined to agree. They decided to not take a mission, and instead they trained, and later went home.

But Kaori didn't show up the next day either.

TBC

Kaori is clearly the deadlast in this fic