Summary: We often search for something that is right before our very eyes.
Warnings: Contains language and minor violence. This will also contain YAOI (boy/boy relationship), so if this is not your cup of tea, I suggest that you hit the back button immediately. You have been warned, so please read with proper discretion.
Disclaimer: I wouldn't resort to fanfiction writing if I owned Naruto in the first place. This was written for the sole purpose of personal enjoyment, and no profit was ever made.
A/N: The plotline will not necessarily follow the canon, so count this as semi-AU.
The first time Sasuke ever laid eyes on Naruto he thought, What a total idiot.
Sasuke had been told that he passed the genin exams, and that he should wait for further notifications regarding his new team. Every student who passed in the academy were initially placed in a team composed of three members and would be training and performing missions under the supervision of a jounin.
He was never much of a team player, Sasuke mused, but knew that he didn't have much of a say on the matter. Besides, he needed all the training he could possible get to hone his skills-- and ultimately, avenge his fallen clan. All he needed was a one-track mind, one driven by the desire of exacting retribution against his cold-blooded murderer of a brother. He would do anything to achieve that goal.
But.
The notifications came as they should, and he took in the written information with a mixture of boredom and indifference. Team Seven it mentioned, and he would be teaming up with Sakura Haruno and Uzumaki Naruto. Sakura was already a familiar name to him. She was known as one of the top students in the ninja academy, having passed all her exams with flying colors.
However, it was the other name that distinctly caught his attention. He remembered conversations he had overheard about a boy named Naruto who was a pure rascal and did nothing but cause trouble. The boy who had the audacity of defiling the monuments. Sasuke had the feeling that that Naruto was the same one on his team.
His suspicion was confirmed the day he formally met his team.
Sakura was tolerable, he decided, although he felt slightly uncomfortable with her not-so-subtle attempts to catch his eye. She had this tendency of fawning over him, which served nothing but only irk him because if there was one thing that Sasuke truly valued, then it would be his personal space. He would rather prefer be left severely alone, and it would be pointless to bother him, especially if the matter held little significance. Unfortunately, Sakura didn't appear to be bothered by his indifference, making Sasuke wonder if she was just plain oblivious to his glares or if she was deliberately ignoring it.
Naruto, on the other hand, was a different matter. He was loud and obnoxious, and was too proud for his own good. He talked too much. Too brash and uncouth, Sasuke added to himself.
The way Naruto handled himself made Sasuke wonder if he could bear with him for the rest of their training.
Probably.
"--And then someday, I'll become the next Hokage and--"
Probably not.
"Moron," Sasuke muttered.
There was a miniscule pause.
It was then that Sasuke wondered if it was wise to blurt out the first thing that crossed his mind. Sure, Naruto acted like a complete retard, but it was not Sasuke's habit to initiate something that would inevitably lead to a petty fight.
Too late, he realized, because Naruto halted his rather animated ramblings about his dream of becoming the next Hokage, and then turned to look at him. Blue eyes glared at him like newly-sharpened kunais, and if looks could kill, Sasuke would now definitely be in six feet underground.
"What did you say?" Naruto bristled, his voice rapidly warming with anger.
"Moron," Again, Sasuke wondered why he even bothered repeating it, like he was actually looking forward for a fight.
And it was undoubtedly immature, what with him provoking Naruto, but the sudden rush of triumph that he had felt was welcome and refreshing. He had finally gotten Naruto's sole attention.
Right from the start of their meeting Naruto had pointedly ignored him, and instead, did his best to impress Sakura. It was rather obvious that Naruto was smitten over their female teammate, his cheeks reddening when talking to her. Under normal circumstances that would suit Sasuke just fine. In fact, he would have preferred to be left alone.
But apparently, Naruto did not count under those normal circumstances.
For some reason, it annoyed Sasuke that Naruto had barely acknowledged him, like he didn't give a damn that he was Uchiha Sasuke, last living member of the elite Uchiha clan. And even though names held little significance to him now, Sasuke was used to people treating him with some sort of respect-- in fact, his very last name commanded it before.
He was never ignored.
"Why you--"
Naruto was already poised on pouncing, his eyes that were once filled with mirth and mischief now screaming with loathing. Sasuke figured that since he started all this, he might as well finish it. However, Sakura chose that precise moment to halt their impending fight.
"Naruto, don't!" Sakura almost yelled. Her words had instantaneous effect; Naruto dropped his stance and then adopted a look that was a cross between sheepish and apologetic. However, that look was only directed to Sakura, for when Naruto turned to glance back at Sasuke, the venomous look returned to full force.
"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?" Sakura asked worriedly.
He had to snort on that. "Like the idiot could have given me even a scratch."
The reaction from Naruto was automatic.
"How dare you--"
"Naruto!"
"...bastard."
It struck Sasuke that the fact that he could push Naruto's buttons with such ease was slightly amusing. Never mind that it was outright petty and childish; he couldn't care less what other people think. Sasuke never delved much on why he was actually doing it, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he was just bothered --and to his surprise, envious-- that Naruto was very much open with his emotions.
Naruto could express his feelings freely; he would laugh outright whenever he's happy, just as the same as he'd rant and fume when angry.
They say that the eyes are the windows to one's souls-- Sasuke couldn't have agreed more on that as he observed Naruto. Not long ago, as Naruto spoke in his carefree manner, his eyes held that merry glitter in them. And after Sasuke had provoked him, Naruto's eyes burned with such anger that it was impossible to ignore.
It was then that Sasuke realized, that this was the first time he had actually taken his time to observe someone.
Weeks passed. Sasuke had developed an uneasy camaraderie with his team, and though he would never admit it out loud, he actually found himself growing accustomed to their company. Even Kakashi, the jounin-in-charge who seemed to have an obsession towards perverted books, seemed to grow on him. Several missions here and there, and as time slowly passed, Sasuke began to feel that he could trust them.
Among his team, it was Naruto that Sasuke had given a large portion of his trust.
True, they were rivals, yet in essence, they were still teammates. They would insult, bicker with one another. They would compete at almost about everything, but in the long run, would readily aid the other in times of combat.
Sasuke gave them his trust-- something that he had never allowed himself to do before. He ignored his instincts telling him fiercely that it was the amount of trust given to someone that makes every form of betrayal all the more painful.
...who would have thought back then that the one to deliver his entire family's demise would be his very own brother?
It was another unanticipated curve when all that he had planned out in the beginning was to become better and kill his brother. He never expected that being with the team could change so much in him.
Sasuke remembered their mission before-- protect Tazuna on his way back to Water Country.
Battered and worn-down, he had readily offered his own body as a human shield against Haku's needles-- all for the sake of protecting Naruto. The action was impulsive, nearly costing him his life. He could remember the intensity of the pain as it rendered his body motionless as well as the sheer agony that threatened to drive his mind to the verge of overload.
Naruto then rushed to him, his face contorted in a mixture of anger and disbelief. "Why did you do it?", he had asked, and Sasuke racked his mind for a plausible answer but could only come up with, "I don't know. I really don't know." He passed out after that.
I really don't know...
His words then held some truth in it, because all that Sasuke knew at that time was that he was in pain and the possibility of dying was very likely, and that he may never be able to avenge his family.
But then, he also realized that perhaps, it was all worth it.
That perhaps, Naruto was all worth it.
Sasuke was drawn out of his thoughts by Naruto's voice, calling him below his perch on the tree.
Tch. What are you doing? Thinking about that dobe again...
"Sasuke!"
Something small and round was flying swiftly to his direction, but before the object could reach its destination, Sasuke caught it nimbly with his palm.
An acorn.
He cast his nastiest glare towards Naruto, who only returned it with an infuriating smirk. "What now, dobe?" He enunciated the last word clearly, knowing full well how Naruto would react to the insult.
Naruto's smirk immediately dropped and then turned into a scowl. "Bastard," he muttered, followed by a series of mumblings that were no doubt obscene in nature. It was obvious that he was trying to reign his temper. "Kakashi-sensei asked me fetch you and Sakura-chan."
"What for?"
Naruto shrugged, "something about our new mission, I guess."
Sasuke came down the tree in one fluid motion, brushing off the dirt on the back of his pants. In a split second, he threw the acorn back to Naruto. However, the blonde was caught off-guard with the action, causing the acorn to hit him square in the forehead.
"Ow! That hurt!" Naruto tried to glare at Sasuke, but it was a rather futile attempt since Sasuke had already walked past him.
"Well?" Sasuke asked, giving Naruto a sidelong glance. "What are you waiting for?"
Sasuke walked silently along with his team, hiding his boredom and mounting irritation. It was very hard. Their mission, one labeled as class C, involved them posing as bodyguards. They were quite apprehensive about it initially, what with their near-fatal encounter with Zabuza and Haku as they escorted Tazuna, but the Hokage assured them that the mission was a different case.
This time, they were merely tasked to accompany a merchant on his way towards another village. The man feared that robbers and bandits would attack him in the forest, so he had asked for some assistance.
Sasuke cast a furtive look at his team. Sakura was chatting amiably with the merchant, listening intently as he discussed the good qualities of porcelain and other high-priced goods. Kakashi was just behind them -- and for once, not reading his perverted book-- walking in silence but would comment from time to time regarding their conversation.
And Naruto...
"I'm hungry," Naruto said, making another nuisance of himself as he whined all throughout the trip.
The boy had been pretty vocal in expressing just how bored he was about the mission, although Sasuke had to agree on that. The mission was indeed, very dull.
--but the constant whining was now starting to get on to his nerves.
"You can eat all you like when we reach the village," Kakashi assured him patiently, like a father would to a child.
"How far is the next village anyway? We've been walking for almost three hours now!"
The jounin merely placed his hand atop Naruto's head and ruffled the already unruly blonde hair. "Patience, Naruto. A true shinobi must learn how to practice patience."
That effectively silenced Naruto for a while which in itself, was quite a feat. But not long after that, the blonde began his obnoxious chatter once again.
And it irritated Sasuke more, because not only was the mission practically useless for his training, but he was stuck with the idiot who was not helping the matters any. In fact, it only increased his aggravation tenfold.
Sasuke was about to snap at the idiot to shut his mouth, when Kakashi beat him to it.
"Stop," Kakashi ordered sharply. He was looking around the forest suspiciously, and in turn, Sasuke tried to listen for even a small rustle of movement among the trees.
It then occurred to him what was wrong; it was all too quiet.
The forest was too quiet.
"What's going--" Naruto barely had the chance to finish the sentence when three kunais suddenly flew out of nowhere, embedding itself on the ground where he initially stood. The aim had been accurate, and if Naruto didn't stumble back due to surprise, then it would have been surely fatal.
The four of them now tensed in preparation; Kakashi ordered Sakura to protect the merchant at all cost, while Sasuke and Naruto warily looked around the dense greenery for any sign of their attackers. Sasuke had a brief sense of déjà vu when he remembered about a supposedly harmless Class C mission that turned out to be otherwise. And as much as Sasuke loathed to admit it, the three of them were not yet fully experienced in the field of combat, and whatever skills they may have right now might be useless should their attackers turn out to be stronger than the likes of Zabuza and Haku.
There was movement on the bushes, and Sasuke steeled himself for an impending attack. He clutched his own kunai tightly, ready to strike.
It happened too quickly. A set of shuriken was on the air, and he dodged and deflected each one. He gave a quick glance at his teammates, checking if they were unharmed. They were all alright, although he noticed that Naruto had a small wound on his face when he narrowly dodged a shuriken headed at his way.
The attacker-- whoever he was-- preferred to do his assault from afar. They had to think of something. Fast.
Another rustle was heard. But before Sasuke could fully turn, he was knocked by an invisible force, pushing him too fast before his back finally connected to a tree rather painfully. His eyes widened in surprise; he never saw a limb or anything at all, but the impact of the attack was solid. Like a punch to the gut.
Just who were they up against?
Sasuke immediately stood up again, maintaining his stance. He noticed that brunt of the attack was directed at the four of them-- instead of the merchant. Normally, hired killers go directly for their target-- not for the bodyguards. It seemed almost as if--
--they were the target, and not their client.
But why?
An indent appeared on moist ground before him. Footprints. Almost in slow motion, Sasuke allowed his chakra to flow to his feet, and then jumped. From the corner of his eye, he saw a small tree snap in two as it took the blow that was initially aimed at him.
He landed a few feet away from his team, his back pressed on a rather large boulder on the side of the forest.
It was all too quiet once again. Sasuke could hear rapid pounding of his heart-- all from the exertion and, to his surprise, the slight fear that was starting to grow within. The danger of their mission was all too real, and he didn't know what the outcome would be. If they'd even end up alive or not.
Sasuke heard Naruto yelp in surprise; another wave was sent, hurling the blonde a few good distance before he maneuvered himself and used a hand to anchor himself to the ground while the other clutched his kunai.
Their attacker then revealed himself; clad in black robe-like clothing, he had kunais strapped to his thighs. His face was covered with a white-colored mask, giving him the appearance of an Anbu. Sasuke couldn't make out the village he came from; he couldn't see his hitai-ate or any indication.
"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto shouted, creating two clones of himself before propelling towards the stranger. Unfortunately, frontal attack proved useless; every strike was parried and it didn't take long before a swift kick tossed Naruto to the ground, his clones disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Sasuke saw the opening on their enemy's stance. He jumped once again, using chakra to give him more leverage before he threw a fuuma shuriken towards the attacker. The masked stranger parried the shuriken; he thrust his hand and just as the blades were about to hit him dead-on, the shuriken was deflected, the lethal blades swirling dynamically through the air.
Having anticipated this, Sasuke swiftly rushed to deliver a powerful kick to his side. The masked stranger, caught off-guard after deflecting the shuriken, didn't have the time to dodge the kick. The sheer force of the attack had him rolling to the ground before disappearing once again among the bushes.
But then--
"Sasuke!" Kakashi shouted.
The attacker appeared behind him, performing various hand seals in rapid succession. A ninjutsu.
He remembered his brush with death when he fought Haku. That had been too close. Too close. What if he wouldn't be able to make it this time? What if--?
And then the chakra was released. Sasuke could almost see it. It headed straight for him, leaving somewhat a distortion in the air at its wake. It felt too surreal. Everything was in slow motion.
He willed himself to move.
I don't want to die...
He wondered what would happen if he died then and there. How would they feel? Would anyone shed tears for him?
Would Sakura cry again, like she did when he almost died before?
Would Kakashi feel sorry that he lost a student?
How about Naruto? Would the idiot--
He could hear someone calling his name. There was a flash of orange and yellow, and then Sasuke was pushed aside.
Naruto.
The invisible force hit Naruto, sending the blonde flying before he hit the boulder behind with a sickening thud. Naruto's eyes widened as though shocked, before he crumpled to the ground in an unconscious heap.
Sasuke stared at his fallen teammate, disbelief etched on his normally stoic features. Why would Naruto--?
Why did you do it? Why?
In an instant, Kakashi vanished from his place, moving so fast that Sasuke didn't even saw him move. All he could now hear was the rattling noise of steel as weapons clashed.
There was a blur of movement from his right.
Then in front of him.
And then he heard a pained gasp.
Just as sudden, the jounin reappeared holding the still struggling stranger in a steel grip. There was a wild scuffle, before Kakashi's hands went up the man's neck and then snapped it. It was a sickening sound, and not long after that, the man fell lifelessly to the ground.
Finally. It was over.
There was a moment of exhausted silence, and Sasuke took his time to assess his surroundings. Their client sat in one corner, obviously shell-shocked by what happened. Kakashi disappeared under one of those bushes, disposing the body of their attacker.
"Sa-Sasuke?" Sakura broke the silence as she hovered beside the still unconscious Naruto. "It's Naruto. He's--"
There was something in her voice that made Sasuke frown, something that he couldn't quite place. For some reason, it sounded almost akin to... panic.
"Oi dobe," Sasuke nudged Naruto. There was no reaction. "Wake--"
Sasuke faltered when something caught his attention. He reached a tentative hand on the back of Naruto's head, his heart beginning to pound furiously in his chest.
It came out bloodied. Naruto was bleeding.
They were ninjas. They had missions, and getting wounds and injuries was nothing unusual for them.
In his short lifetime, Sasuke had seen so much blood, yet none affected him as much as this. He turned the blonde to his side, meriting a shocked gasp from Sakura. For the very first time, Sasuke felt slivers of panic rise up to him, and it almost overwhelmed him because he wasn't used to feeling like this and he shouldn't be feeling like this in the first place.
Naruto's blonde hair was now streaked with an alarming amount of red-- too much-- and almost on their own accord, Sasuke's hand reached to check for a pulse, unconsciously releasing a sigh of relief when he found one. Fast and thready, but there.
"Get Kakashi-sensei," he told Sakura. The girl nodded and scurried off to find the jounin, probably still too shaken to argue or say anything at all.
Leaving him with Naruto-- who was still motionless and unconscious and probably in pain as he lay on the ground. All in his effort to try and save him.
The first time Sasuke ever laid eyes on Naruto he thought, What a total idiot.
But now... he wasn't sure what to think of the boy anymore.
The first rays of light pilfered across the shoji windows, rousing Sasuke from his mild sleep. It was a rather peaceful morning, the kind that he rarely had the chance to savor.
They had arrived at the village a few hours after the sun had set. Their trip had been painfully quiet; they were all worn-down after the ambush in the forest added to the fact that Naruto was still out cold. Thankfully, their client had been gracious enough to provide them with a place to stay and some food, and then called for a healer.
Sasuke brought himself to a sitting position, the tatami mats squeaking their protest at the sudden shift of weight. Across the room, Sakura was still sound asleep, her arms curled in a makeshift pillow. Kakashi was probably awake by that time already since the jounin was nowhere in sight.
A soft groan from his right brought Sasuke out of his musings. Naruto was waking up; the blonde first licked his parched lips before slowly, ever so slowly, his eyes opened.
And then there was a frown.
Naruto eased himself to a sitting position, looking confused. Sasuke would have found Naruto's facial reactions rather comical, but after the confusion turned into something that was very much similar to fear, he knew that something was amiss in the situation.
"Naruto?" he asked.
Naruto started, as though surprised at his presence. His knuckles, Sasuke noted, were turning white as he clutched the edge of the comforter in a tight grip.
"Sa-Sasuke?" his voice was a harsh whisper in the silence of the room. "I-I can't see you."
"What do you mean you can't see me?"
"I can't see."
tbc.
Well, I guess that's it for now. Err. This chapter's probably awkward and all that. I cannot write battle scenes to save my life, although I did my level best. Hope this wasn't disappointing or anything of the sort.
I also hope that I didn't make Sasuke and Naruto wimpy (or not much anyway), but it must be taken into consideration that they are still genins in this fic's timeline.
Also, we all know that Naruto could heal himself pretty fast because of the demonic powers of kyuubi. However, I don't think that Naruto would heal that fast, considering the damage he took from the attack. And besides, this is my fic. Teehee
With that said, thanks for reading!