[X] So... I guess "weekly updates" have now been translated into "whenever the author remembers that she has an ongoing fic", haha... Okay, sorry. Let's get on with the chapter! (You can holler me on Tumblr or Twitter to remind me of updates, lmao. My sleepless nights have apparently taken a toll on my fragile memory...)

Chapter 5.8

Friends.

Naruto had always called him a friend. And Sasuke also referred to him as his closest friend.

With Sakura and Kakashi, he always considered them as his precious people. They were irreplaceable, just as nobody could ever replace what his family had been to him.

So seeing her looking at him like that, like she was desperately needing confirmation from him, hurt something inside him.

In the past, he had wanted to sever ties with them. He wanted them out of his way so nobody could ever persuade him from his goal.

But that alone was an underlying fact that only they could ever be able to sway him like nobody else ever could.

He now watched as Sakura looked at him imploringly, her eyes a brighter green than what he remembered it was.

Wait. This was his chance, wasn't it?

He stared at her longer, letting her words sink deeper into his mind. She was back; what was he waiting for?

Suddenly, he felt his hands go clammy. He was still holding Sakura's fingers, which had long since ceased their fidgeting. Instead of retracting his hand back, he squeezed them slightly in a reassuring manner, causing her eyes to grow wide as they focused on him.

"Y—Yeah," he said, his voice cracking slightly. He was nervous, but it needed to be said. He looked straight into her eyes, took a deep breath, then spoke again.

"Sakura…" he said softly, his features slackening into that of a gentle expression. "I'm sorry…"

She stared at him in shock, obviously not expecting what he had just said. "…Wh—What?" She averted her gaze afterwards, her heart pounding. "What for…?"

"For…" He paused briefly, then managed a small smile. "…everything till now."

• • •

"By the way..." Tenten spoke up, snapping Naruto out of his reverie. "About that guy you defeated earlier..." She looked into his eyes. "He escaped."

Naruto didn't seem fazed. "Figures," he said. "Sasuke's opponent is gone, too. Even Sakura-chan's." His features unfolded into a grin. "Since we kicked their asses, they're not likely to come after us again."

Tenten rested her cheek into her fist, barely resisting a chuckle. "Your confidence, as always, is unparalleled, Naruto," she teased.

"Hey, I'm Konoha's #1 orange ninja, you know!" Naruto boasted, pumping his chest proudly.

"And I'm Konoha's legendary green beast!" Lee added just as proudly.

Neji resisted the urge to face-palm. "I'm with two idiots who refer to themselves as colors..." he muttered.

"Pfft," Tenten said in amusement, having overheard him. "Anyway, Naruto," she began, peering at him with a light smile on her face. "Do you remember that time when you got kidnapped?"

Naruto blinked at her. "Huh? Oh..." His face scrunched up in thought. "Y'mean that time when I was four? Or was I five? I don't really remember, but yeah!" He stared at her curiously. "Why?"

"Figures," Neji said. "You're the Yellow Flash's son. I wouldn't be surprised if you get kidnapped occasionally."

"Nah, it was only once!" Naruto told him cheerily. "After that first time, I was never kidnapped again. Maybe Dad strengthened security or something, hehe..."

Lee looked worried. "I'm just glad that nothing happened to you, Naruto-kun, and that you came back safe and sound!" he said.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, embarrassed at Lee's concern. "Nah, Dad took care of them in a flash," he joked. "It's a good thing he came for me real fast. Someone must've alerted him or something..."

Tenten grinned. "And that someone was me!" she said.

Naruto's head whipped towards her, as well as Lee's. Even Neji's gaze came to rest upon her in surprise.

"Wh—Whoa... Seriously...?! Hey, thanks a lot!" Naruto said, slapping her on the back. Tenten doubled over from the impact, but she managed to use the ground as leverage. "You saved my life... er..." He stared at her closely, dumbfounded. "Uh..."

Tenten growled at him. "Oh, c'mon, Naruto!" she said hotly. "Don't tell me you forgot what my name is!"

"Uh..." Naruto studied her seriously, nodding thoughtfully. Then he perked up, his eyes sparkling as the answer came to him in an instant. "A—ha! I remember! It's Tonton, right?!"

"Say what?!" Tenten growled. "That sounds like some pig's name! Mine is Tenten, you idiot!"

"What? But they sound so similar—"

"I won't hear any of it, you—!"

"Aaaaahhhh! Help me, Bushy Brows!"

Lee panicked. "O—Oh! T—Tenten, maybe you should stop hitting him—"

"No way!"

"Aaaaaaahhhh someone help meee!" Naruto cried out in agony as some of his hair strands were pulled out.

"Tch," Neji said, turning his head away. "So childish..."

Suddenly, Naruto sensed something behind, his features brightening into a wide grin. Tenten, startled at this transition, instantly let go of his hair.

"Sasuke, Sakura-chan!" he called out, seeing his teammates show up from the trees. "You guys are back!"

"Yeah," Sasuke answered, bringing the fishes he caught from the river. "We should cook breakfast and head out as soon as we can. We're in an exam, after all."

"A responsible decision at last," Neji commented from his sitting position on the ground. His arms were folded across his chest, his expression remaining monotonous all throughout. "I've been listening to these three uselessly bickering, and it hurt my ears."

"Hey!" Naruto said, offended. "Tenten started it!"

"You were being an idiot," she shot back with a huff.

"You guys..." Lee tried to mediate.

"Looks like this is gonna be a noisy alliance..." Sasuke muttered to himself.

Sakura, who was beside him and heard his words, chuckled in response. "Well," she said brightly, clasping her hands behind her back, "that's what makes it lively."

Afterwards, Teams 7 and 9 cooked breakfast, with Sasuke turning the fishes and Naruto poking the firewood. Sakura distributed the canteens to everyone, Lee thanking her profusely for her kindness.

"What now?" Tenten said after they finished everything and cleaned up. "Do we split up, or do we go together?"

"We will stay together to prevent possible betrayals," Neji responded promptly, crossing his arms. "We fight together, and we help each other find our scrolls. That is what this alliance is for, correct?"

Team 7 nodded. "Then we'll start by showing you guys our scrolls," Naruto offered, taking out the scrolls they had, including the ones from the Hidden Mist triplets. Sasuke also took out three scrolls from his pouch, ones he found on the ground when he arrived to help Sakura.

"Ours should be white and green stripes," Tenten said, scanning each scroll with a meticulous eye.

"Hey, isn't that it?!" Lee exclaimed, pointing at a scroll in Sasuke's hands.

Tenten's eyes widened. "Hey, you're right!" she said, grabbing the scroll. "Yay! We finally got our first scroll!"

"So our scroll was with the enemy you guys fought…" Neji said thoughtfully.

Naruto nodded. "Seems so," he remarked as both he and Sasuke kept the scrolls they had back in their pouches. "You have Sakura-chan to thank for that."

Sakura, who had been watching from the sidelines, jolted at the sound of her name being mentioned. "M—Me?" she said, blinking in surprise.

Then a memory came back to her. A recollection of Yuka throwing her scrolls at her.

Sakura grinned. "Ah, yeah!" she boasted. "I remember now!"

"Sakura-san, you're so cool!" Lee said with hearts in his eyes.

"There he goes again…" Tenten remarked, placing their newly-found scroll safely in her ninja pouch.

"Let's go," Sasuke said, already heading for the north direction of the forest.

"H—Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto called out, running after him. "Wait for us!"

"Me, too!" Sakura added, chasing after her teammates.

"Oh great, they're already leaving us behind," Tenten muttered as she and her teammates followed along from behind.

I hope everything goes well with this exam and nobody gets hurt… she thought to herself hopefully.

Meanwhile, in an unknown location...

The sound of scraping footsteps could be heard echoing in the dark, dreary room. The lighting was dim, and the walls were hollow, letting all kinds of sounds pass through. Without turning his head to see who was approaching, the figure remained standing in the middle of the room, donning a black cloak and a pair of slippers.

"My Lord," the messenger said. "We have gained information about Konoha's current movements."

The figure still did not move. However, their voice was rough, with an authoritarian tone lacing their words. "As long as they are not interfering with our plans, they shall be left alone for the moment."

"I understand, My Lord. However..." The man swallowed the heavy lump in his throat. "We found some Konoha shinobi keeping an eye on Otogakure. A few of them almost broke into one of our secret bases, so I had them taken care of. However, I discovered that one of them had sent a message long before we disposed of him. I fear that Konoha's leader may make a move before we could go on the second phase of our plans."

"What did one of the shinobi discover?" The figure's voice was quiet and eerie.

"O—One of the hidden documents about Kirigakure," the messenger responded nervously.

Finally, the figure turned to him. The messenger staggered back in response, his eyes wide as he took in the heavily-bandaged eyes and the angry sneer.

"What was that document doing in that place?" the figure seethed. "That secret base was supposed to be empty of vital information!"

"I—It appears that Orochimaru took it," the messenger squeaked out. "He had been in the archives not too long ago in the first week that he was admitted into Akatsuki...!"

Even though he couldn't see it, he could imagine the rage that burned in the figure's eyes.

"That damn snake…" they muttered, clenching their fist at the side. "If it isn't for the fact that he's a useful ally, he'd have been dead for that atrocious curiosity of his…"

"Uh…" the messenger spoke up. "My Lord, what shall we do with Konoha now…?"

Before the figure could reply, another person came into the shadows beside the messenger, effectively scaring the latter at how unexpected his arrival was.

"I say we go with Phase 3 right now, my Lord," he urged with a malicious smile curving his lips. "This is our chance while they're busy hosting a silly exam for little kids."

"It's too soon," the figure declined with disinterest, fingering one of the bandages wrapped around their eyes.

"The sooner, the better," the mysterious man prodded. "All recruitments have been completed and at your disposal. I took care of loose ends thanks to your abilities, my Lord."

"You seem eager to make a move on Konoha," the figure remarked in a lazy drawl. "Those four are of no threat to us yet, seeing as they're currently weak and helpless in their young bodies." A sinister grin curved their lips. "We can crush them when we have the perfect opportunity."

The man growled, seemingly unsatisfied by this decision. "My Lord," he tried one last time. "Hear me out. They need to be eliminated at all costs while it's this early!"

The messenger slowly backed away, realizing that he was now being ignored. This seemed to be a dangerous conversation, and it was something that he needed no part of.

The figure turned to the man, seemingly thoughtful. "Let me hear your proposition, then," he challenged. "I will not let my plans which I worked hard on to be ruined just because of your measly grudge towards a bunch of useless kids."

"They regained their memories!" the man exclaimed in a snarl. "Even the Kyūbi itself!"

"…!" The figure turned to him fully, his attention now focused on him. "Do you have any proof?" they demanded.

"A few of my spies have been monitoring them all throughout the years," the man said, his tone becoming more confident by the minute. "And they discovered that Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto have been making plans to build allies from their own village as well as to Suna. The Kazekage has already dedicated himself to the peace treaty with Konoha. The other nations, namely Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure, are on the low at the moment. Obito is already heeding your plan while he is at Kirigakure. However, the Mizukage seems to be resisting his control. "

"The Mizukage…?"

"Karatachi Yagura," the man informed.

The figure's hooded expression seemed displeased. "Is the Mizukage a possible threat to our pla—" Suddenly, they collapsed to the ground, clutching their head in agony. "Aaargh!" they cried out, feeling like their head was being stabbed multiple times.

"My Lord…!" the man said in concern, attempting to run towards them.

"…Stop," the figure demanded. "Don't come near me…"

The man obeyed.

After a few minutes, the figure seemed to regain their composure. Heaving a sigh, they turned to the man.

"The voice is calling out to me…" they said. "It's angry."

The man could only stare in confusion. "My Lord?"

The figure went silent for a moment, then spoke again.

"The voice has spoken… we shall now do something about Indra and Ashura's reincarnations."

tbc

[X] Note[1]: I used the "they/them" pronouns for the mysterious figure in order to obscure their identity or gender. Also, Uzumaki Naruto was used here on purpose.

[X] Note[2]: For the Guest who reviewed Chapter 18 on August 26, since you are anonymous, I can't PM you my response, so hopefully you will be able to see/read this so I can clarify what you commented.

Nohara Rin entering the Academy at 3 was taken from the info I gathered from Seelentau's Naruto Timeline. You can look it up on Google to confirm this. Since Kishimoto's timelines are sometimes contradictory or seems farfetched, I could not just assume things without researching about it, so I used the data from that timeline in order to build the plot. And kids don't have a set graduation date in the Academy. They can graduate after four years, five, six, or seven years. They can only graduate when they're already capable enough. Also, as for your last questions, I have a reason for the early graduations for each of them. The real plot hasn't really started yet, so I understand that it might be annoying and confusing for you as a reader. The tension between all five nations is there; I just did not place it in the story just yet. Suna is only the tip of the iceberg. And Naruto fixed it overnight because Rasa, based on the Fourth Great Ninja War, actually cared for his children, and he had a backstory of his own which I used to my advantage. Minato being the Hokage is a lot different from when the Third was in charge. Minato is in the bingo books. The Yellow Flash. He's feared by shinobi, and he is also a reasonable man with a better mind for politics because he takes his responsibilities seriously. Not that Hiruzen was slacking off from his duties, but he's too soft-hearted compared to Minato. Since Minato became Hokage at a young age and much of his reign wasn't really showed in the manga, I took creative liberties with him based on his cold battle attitude.

I hope this clarified your doubts. And perhaps next time, you could be a bit more civil with what you say when you didn't even have the response you needed yet. This is the internet; there are real people behind the screens. I am perfectly okay with constructive criticism and doubts about my fanfic, but only if they're presented politely without any aggressive attitude. I am willing to talk and clarify things as long as both of us respect each other.

I hope you have a good day, and I do mean this.