Part One : Team Seven

Always & Forever

It had been a week until Team Seven was able to travel home from the Land of the Waves. Tsunami had insisted they rest, and she took care of Naruto and Sakura who had suffered the worst injuries. Towards the end of the week, Naruto was fully healed. Sakura, on the other hand, still felt weakened.

Tsunami was not a medical professional, and the village did not have any qualified doctors. They did have a horde of people with herbal home remedies, and basic healing knowledge. After the bridge incident, they had looked over Sakura because she mentioned coughing up blood. They deduced from the symptoms and level of pain she was in, that it was probably just a bruised lung.

Just a bruised lung.

Sakura figured it could be worse, it could be a punctured lung, and she would be stranded with nothing but cold compresses and jasmine tea.

As grateful as she was to be alive, for everyone to be alive. Sakura was becoming a bit bitter. The boys left her while she rested to watch the bridge be completed. Tazuna had said it would be finished today, and there would be an unveiling ceremony.

They had left her to heal, because she was too slow to dodge a kick.

Kakashi battled an elite rogue nin, Sasuke and Naruto battled a fierce adversary with a rare kekkei genkai, and Sakura had almost drowned.

She remembered wondering when someone was going to come save her, as they always attempted to do. Kakashi protected all his students with his life, there was no room for questioning that, he was a fierce and loyal sensei and family friend. If he had thought Sakura was in danger, he would've come.

Sasuke and Naruto were always protective over Sakura, she never knew a time that they didn't come to her rescue like knights in shining armor. When she was younger, she was bullied for her above average sized forehead, and her boys would scare the bullies away. No one was too scared of Naruto, other than the fact that his father was Hokage, but one look at the near emotionless Sasuke sent people running. He was quiet and reserved, but extremely protective of Sakura, Naruto too.

The only time they weren't able to defend her, was the day Sakura became friends with Yamanaka Ino. Ino taught Sakura to have more confidence in herself, to embrace her forehead, taking away any weakness. They became fast friends; it was nice to have a best friend that was a girl, because let's face it, the boys could be too much to handle sometimes.

Sakura was almost sure Sasuke or Naruto would've kept her from drowning, and her groggy mind would've waited. She had almost waited too long.

Other than the fact that Sakura felt like she almost died from something so silly, she also felt like she did not contribute much to the mission. Maybe she did protect Tazuna, but also maybe he would have been just fine without her being there at all.

Sakura felt like she was behind, she had not been taking her training seriously, she was not prepared.

Sasuke and Naruto always pushed each other to become stronger, and their families encouraged them as well. Sakura let her motivation slide, knowing that she could always rely on her boys to help her. But she was childish for thinking that, naïve.

They would not always be there.

With a heavy sigh Sakura dragged herself out of the bed she was recently confined to. Her team, Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari were at the bridge ceremony. Now that no one was there to stop her, she was going to join all of them.

Her chest still felt sore, and movement was not helping at all. But she was stubborn, and strong willed, and kept on going.

Once Sakura had managed to get outside, she was surprised to see Sasuke there. His high collared blue shirt displayed the uchiwa symbol of the Uchiha clan proudly on his back. Hands were stuffed casually in the pockets of his white shorts. He didn't even bother turning to greet her as she walked towards him. He did tilt his head slightly.

"Finally."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him, her green orbs confused. "Sasuke?"

He let out a long breath and turned towards her, pulling a wheelchair with him. His head turned to the side as he looked out onto the ocean that Tazuna's family had a perfect view of.

"You were waiting for me?" She could laugh at his feigned "non caring" display he was showing.

"I knew you were too stubborn to stay here."

A soft smile tugged at Sakura's lips. "Well, I'm fine. I'm not sitting in that thing and letting you push me around. You'll never let me live it down!" She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, turning her body abruptly, causing a wince that Sasuke noticed right away.

"Don't be annoying." Sasuke walked over to her and suddenly shoved her into the seat and made his way to the direction of the bridge.

She jumped up and hissed at the soreness in her chest and was promptly pushed back down by her shoulders.

"Just sit." The dramatic eyeroll coming from Sasuke could be felt. Sakura sighed in annoyance, but they continued their journey in silence for a couple of minutes.

"…Thank you, Sasuke."

Saying goodbye to the bridge builder's family was bittersweet. The team had come to care for them and enjoyed their little village. It was the first time they had left the village for a mission, the first time they had stared death in the face.

Inari cried.

He cried, telling Naruto he would grow up and be strong just like him. He started out as a real brat, but Naruto had taken time to talk to him, inspire him. Naruto always had that way about him, he could come up with a motivational speech in three seconds flat, it was a part of who he was. He was always positive, and he was relentless with his goals. Never give up, stay strong, protect his friends; it was his shinobi way.

While the bridge encounter started, Naruto saved Inari and his mom from some of Gato's thugs, apparently motivating Inari to be able to defend his family. Inari had gathered the villagers to go to the bridge, to defend their village. Who would've known such a brat could do that?

Their departure was sweet, because they had been away from home for nearly two weeks. As much fun as it was to be out seeing new places, loving Konoha was not a crime. It had their families, the familiarity of their homes, their training grounds, their friends.

And above all else; Mikoto's cooking.

Also, Sakura was still being pushed in a wheelchair, on Sasuke's insistence. Sasuke and Naruto took turns pushing Sakura.

"Sakura, you are so going to owe me lots and lots of ramen for this." Naruto teased during his turn. "You are kind of heavy, you know?" He chuckled evilly to himself, before dodging a kunai that whizzed past his head.

"Hey!" He shouted.

"Oh, I'm sorry Naruto. My hand must've slipped." Sakura innocently stated, humming to herself as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Idiot." Sasuke mumbled, no doubt rolling his eyes at Naruto. The blond should know better.

"Now, now children, let's not fight." Kakashi drawled, one hand expertly twirling the kunai that was thrown, and the other hand holding his favorite book.

Once they were close enough to see the gates to Konoha, the air became a bit thicker with tension and fear.

"Oh no…" The team muttered simultaneously.

At the gate, stood a woman with a fiery red mane. Her arms were crossed over her chest. One finger tapping her bicep. Her foot impatiently tapped the ground, and a small indent revealed how long she had been standing there.

Her eyes were the scariest, an intense glare that seemed to pierce each of them individually at the same time.

Namikaze, formerly Uzumaki, Kushina was not a woman you messed with.

She stomped impatiently towards them, leaving dust in her wake.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting here?" Her voice was not louder than a whisper, but she might as well have been screaming.

"Uh…." Kakashi scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well you see, abo-"

"Hush." She whirled on him, pointing her slim fingers in his direction. "Don't you start Kakashi. I am in no mood for your excuses."

"Well I was just going to sa-" Kushina stomped her foot and glared at the silver haired sensei and he closed his mouth rather quickly.

"Minato told me all about you mission and how it went off course." She crossed her arms over her chest again and ran her gaze over the three genin who all stared at her with wide eyes.

"Now, I know how stubborn Naruto can be; but I thought better of you Sasuke and Sakura. Surely you would've convinced him that you should return home, no? Clearly your sensei," her glare aimed a Kakashi again, he put his arms up in surrender, "he can't make these judge….Sakura why are you in a wheelchair?"

Kushina's glare dropped from her face as she realized that Sakura was being pushed by Sasuke.

"Oh no reason, just a little lung bruising, probably." Sakura waved her hand dismissively and Kushina's eyes widened.

"Lung bruising? How could you be sure? We have to get you to the hospital right way." She took a hold of the wheelchair and left behind the boys quickly, Sakura taking priority.

At the hospital Rin set her up in a private room and began an examination. She took all her vitals and asked typical questions. "Does it hurt here?" "How about here?" "Any trouble breathing?"

Sakura watched as a light glow of green emitted from her hands, Rin looked at Sakura's chest in concentration. "Right now, I am just sending my chakra through your system to verify the area of injury."

After the evaluation Rin sighed in relief. "Ah, seems like it was just bruising. Luckily, you are almost healed, but let's see if I can help the process, hm?" She smiled lightly and her hands became a deeper green, and Sakura could feel the soreness easing away. The chakra was warm, it spread throughout her in an unfamiliar way, but calming, nonetheless.

After only a couple of minutes Rin took her hands away and patted Sakura lovingly on the head. "There you go! All better!" She winked at her. "I'll let you stay overnight, maybe you'll miss the rest of Kushina's lecture."

With just her chakra, Rin had healed her easily. Maybe her injury was not that bad, but it was still incredible. Sakura knew what medical ninjutsu could do, how it could save lives. She knew Rin was talented, that she had learned at a young age. Rin was sweet and kind, but her own genin team consisted of two fiery boys known for getting in trouble; Kakashi and Obito.

No doubt, they motivated her to become a healer. Sakura could only imagine the kind of injuries they sustained during the war. She thought about her own team, and how reckless Sasuke and Naruto could be. In the Land of the Waves, if Naruto had really been on the brink of death, no one would have been able to do anything. He would have bled out and died.

If they had a healer among them, like Rin, death could be avoided.

Just as Rin was almost out of the door Sakura called out for her. The brown hair girl turned towards her, tilting her head.

"Uh, medical ninjutsu, how did you learn it?" Sakura bit her lip, suddenly nervous for asking. It made sense to her to be the one who would take care of her boys, be able to heal them. She always cleaned their wounds, bandaged their cuts; but she didn't know any medical ninjutsu.

Rin walked back over to Sakura and pulled up a chair. "Well, when I was younger, the world was at war." Her eyes looked out the window in the hospital room, a small smile crossing her features. "Obito was; is; my best friend and he was always getting into trouble." She rolled her eyes a little. "Always trying to prove himself, fighting with Kakashi to be the strongest and fastest. Well, quickly I learned they were idiots."

Sakura choked, not expecting Rin to belittle them so suddenly.

Rin grinned. "They were always getting hurt. Even on simple D-Rank missions, someone would end up bleeding." She shook her head. "I decided early on, that I wouldn't let them get hurt, that I would always be there to fix them up."

"I'm glad I did." Rin continued, her smile turning into a frown. "Without my knowledge in medical ninjutsu, our team wouldn't have lived through the war. I don't know where I would be without those boys; well I guess their men now." She giggled a little and looked at Sakura. "Sasuke and Naruto are a lot like Kakashi and Obito."

Sakura sighed, smiling. "Yes, they do always end up hurt."

A moment passed.

"Do you think you could teach me?"

Rin got up and walked to the door, turning to look at Sakura with a knowing smile. "Come by in the mornings when you are free."

Sasuke had finally escaped Kushina, she was content with dragging Naruto home, promising he would never leave the house again. Sasuke sighed.

How could Kushina be so overprotective? Sure, they were just genin, but as shinobi missions could and would go wrong. She shouldn't expect them to always be safe, not like when they were kids. Sasuke knew she cared about them, but sometimes she was a little too much.

The Uchihas did not act like that, not even if they were worried. They were careful with their emotions, not letting people know their weakness. Sasuke was always coddled by his family, in an Uchiha manner of course; given sweets and toys and he was constantly harassed by aunties throughout the compound. He was cute, and now he was handsome. The attention was obvious, but it was not over the top; not like when Kushina and Mebuki attacked him. Uchihas were more controlled.

As Sasuke made his way to the Uchiha compound, a figure materialized next to him. He jumped slightly before regaining his composure.

"Obito." He nodded in greeting. e He HEhh

"Sasuke." Obito nodded back. "We have to talk." Obito began walking away from the path to the compound, Sasuke followed him, a little confused.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, following Obito as he turned another road and entered what looked like a storage building. Obito led Sasuke into a room, and once Sasuke walked in he closed the door. He formed some hand seals and touched the door, chakra rippled around the confines of the room.

"Now no one can hear us." Obito explains off handedly as he crosses his arms over his chest staring at Sasuke like he was a puzzle he was trying to solve.

"What's going on?" Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets and narrowed his eyes at his older cousin. He had known Obito all his life, the obnoxious boy who wanted to become Hokage, or well that's how he was described when he was younger. Sasuke remembers his mother telling him that the war changed Obito, practically overnight. He was still the positive and caring Uchiha everyone knew him as, but sometimes you could see the weight in his shoulders. As if he was carrying a heavy burden, he wasn't all smiles and jokes; often he had a piercing look and an analytical expression. Always scrutinizing, always planning, always thinking ahead.

Obito sighed. "Kakashi told me what happened in the Land of the Waves."

"So? I activated the Sharingan."

"No, he told me about the black flames."

There was silence for a moment.

"You may know already, that the Sharingan is driven by emotion." Obito paused. "That emotion could be love, hate, fear…and so on."

"Activating the Sharingan means you had an emotional or traumatic experience, allowing the Sharingan to activate to complete a goal, I'm assuming your teammates were in danger." Obito explains. "It was the same for me. You know about the Sharingan, the more you use it, the more you can see."

Sasuke knew the story of Obito activating his Sharingan when his teammate Rin was kidnapped and Kakashi found himself in danger, Rin had talked about it from time to time. How their bond as a team helped them survive the hate of war.

"What does this have to do with the black flames?"

Obito stared at him and rolled his eyes. "You're always so impatient…no matter the world." The last part he muttered so that Sasuke couldn't hear him. "That is a special ability, known as Amaterasu, it is only able to be used by certain Mangekyo users."

Sasuke stared at Obito. "Mangekyo…I've heard that before."

"Yes yes, it is an extremely rare transformation of the Sharingan." Obito's lips formed a tight line. "Only a handful of people have been known to have it throughout the Uchiha history."

"You have to suffer great loss for the transformation. On your mission, Kakashi told me there was a moment you believed Naruto to be dead. He "died" right in front of you, and you were not able to protect him."

Another pause.

"The desire to protect is strong, which activated your Sharingan. The desire to avenge was stronger, and it activated the Mangekyo." Obito ran his hand through his hair and then down his face. "But only in one eye…must be because the Sharingan is also new, I'm not sure. Never seen this before."

"Why does this matter?" Sasuke glared at Obito, folding his arms over his arms defensively. He felt oddly attacked, like his privacy was being invaded. The emotions he felt on the mission were intense, unlike any other. He watched his teammates struggle, he heard them scream, and all he wanted to do was protect and keep them alive.

When Naruto died, and Sakura's status was a mystery, something in him snapped. Thinking of Haku, of Zabuza, he wanted someone to hurt. He wanted to make them pay for touching his team. He didn't even realize what was happening, until the black flames erupted around him. They had completely melted the ice, unlike his normal fire balls that did nothing.

If his newly awakened power could protect his friends, why did it matter?

"It matters because you just became a target." Obito grabbed Sasuke's shoulders and stared at his eyes intently. "You cannot, tell anyone about the Mangekyo. I mean it."

"What's the big deal? It's just a transformation of the Sharingan, it could happen to anyone in our clan."

"Sasuke." Obito dug his fingers into Sasuke's shoulders, causing the boy to flinch. "You have to swear not to mention this to anyone. It's too dangerous. Trust me."

Sasuke stared back at Obito, searching his eyes for any clue as to what was so serious about this situation. Obito's eyes held strong, urging him wordlessly to listen to him. To trust him. Sasuke narrowed his eyes again, still confused with the situation.

For some reason, behind Obito's stern gaze, Sasuke saw a flicker of worry and fear. As an Uchiha, Sasuke prided himself on his observation skills. He didn't need the Sharingan to read movements and form counterattacks; though it was helpful. His eyes could analyze situations in a mere second, because he was always watching. His mother always told him that you could learn a lot by watching those around you.

Watch, analyze, learn, plan.

The hint of uncertainty in Obito's eyes was unusual, but Obito was close with the Hokage, and the Hokage protected the village. The village he lived in, his family, his team. He could trust him, he had to.

"Fine," Sasuke sighed and Obito walked him out of the storage facility and back home.

A week later Sakura grabs Naruto from his home in the morning, claiming they were going shopping.

"Shopping? What do you mean shopping?" Naruto tried to get away, but apparently Sakura's grip was firm as she dragged him down the street.

"Have you forgotten?"

"Forgotten….?" Naruto paused. Sakura pierced him with a firm look. "O-of course not! How could I have forgotten, we are going shopping for, well you know, for that thing." He laughed nervously. "I don't have to remind you, hehe, let's go!"

They arrived on the busy main street full of villagers. Little shops lined each side, and the neighboring streets held stores as well. Grocery, weaponry, eateries, clothing, toys, furniture, and so on. The village was alive, it was the middle of summer after all.

"Hmm, I know you have a lot of ideas, so why don't you share, ne, Naruto?" Sakura poked Naruto innocently on the shoulder. He was sweating from his forehead and it was not from the July heat.

"Uh well…" He whipped his head around frantically as they strolled down the street. He wiped his forehead. "No way my ideas are better than yours Sakura-chan." Naruto grinned at her, his award-winning dazzling grin showing off his pearly whites. In combination to his bright blue eyes, some people might find his compliment very flattering and sincere.

But Sakura knew better. Naruto added chan to her name to try and appease her. He often added the endearing acknowledgement 1) when he was being an ass, and 2) when he was trying to get away with something.

She narrowed her eyes slightly but put on a bright smile. "You're right Naruto, I do have a great idea. Why don't we go to this dress shop?" She steered him off the street and into a popular clothing store for girls. It had an array of colorful tops, bottoms, and dresses, sections for accessories and shoes and the like.

"Hmm…" Sakura picked up an especially sparkly head band with a cute little bow and shoved it into Naruto's face. "This would be perfect, don't you think?"

"It's perfect Sakura-chan! You have such great taste!" Naruto cheered enthusiastically.

A moment later he was on the ground in pain, an unnatural bump forming on his head.

"Ow! What was that for!"

"Well, Naruto-kun." Sakura placed her hands on her hips and glared at Naruto, people around her dispersed, clearly knowing to give the fuming pink haired girl some space. "You forgot what we were supposed to be shopping for. I'm not surprised." She huffed and began walking away, not waiting to see if Naruto was following her; which he was.

"It's July." Sakura was giving hints now, hoping that his brain would figure it all out.

Silence.

"Sasuke's birthday you idiot." Sakura sighed and continued walking down the main street, eyes quickly reading over the different shop names. "I thought, as his best friend you would remember." She shook her head. "We have to get something for him before the dinner tomorrow."

"Oh yeaaaah." Naruto walked beside Sakura. "I didn't forget his birthday; I just didn't remember it was tomorrow."

Sakura groaned. "Same thing."

"He's too hard to shop for. Anything he wants, he has." The blond complains, his hands behind his head as he followed Sakura down the street.

"Well, we need to find something he doesn't know he wants."

She walked into a popular weapon store and stepped around different display cases. "Weapons he has, more than he needs." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "An engraved set of shuriken would be a nice gesture…but not necessary." She walked out.

"He's not much for clothing, and he only wears dark blue and blacks."

Naruto thought it was best to just let her brainstorm to herself, and he would just agree to whatever she decided on.

"Definitely not a wallet, I think he got a new one for Christmas last year."

She entered a custom gift store full of jewelry and engraved trinkets.

"You're not going to get him a ring, are you?" Naruto chose this time to taunt and tease. He wiped his grin off his face when Sakura narrowed her eyes in warning.

"Actually, I was thinking about something for all of us." She dragged her hand on a counter that displayed some jewelry.

"That wouldn't really be a gift for Sasuke."

Sakura huffed impatiently. "It's not just about his birthday, it's about us as a team." Her hand stopped on an area with simple chains and pendants.

"I want us to be connected by something physical, you know?"

Naruto groaned. "I don't want to wear a necklace, and neither will Sasuke!"

"They aren't that bad, look, see?" She pointed to the simple chains next to an array of pendants in various sizes. One of them stood out among the others, it was small enough not to be gaudy, but detailed enough.

The circular pendant was a dark gun metal with three stones evenly spaced around the edges. The chains came in a variety of metals, but there was a matching one that Sakura thought would be perfect. She called over an employee and asked to see the pendant. She flipped it over in her hand, it was the size of a coin, the front had the stone and the back was blank.

"See, it's nice." Sakura placed the pendant in Naruto's hand, forcing him to look at it.

"Actually…I kind of like it." Naruto admitted as he admired the simple little thing.

"Great!" Sakura turned towards the employee. "Can we get this with custom stones? I need three identical ones by tomorrow."

The employee raised an eyebrow. "By tomorrow, that's pretty short notice…" He tapped his fingers on the counter. "But it is doable. What stones were you thinking?"

Sakura smiled as she looked at Naruto who shrugged his shoulders, letting her choose whatever she wanted. "Hmm, what about rose quartz, sapphire, and citrine?" Pink for me, blue for Sasuke, orange for Naruto.

"Alright, come by tomorrow afternoon and they will be ready, I'm assuming you want the matching chain?" Sakura nodded. "Anything on the back?"

"No thank you, no words needed."

Sakura and Naruto left, Naruto happy to go home and eat some ramen, and Sakura smiling like an idiot because she was so excited for her little idea.

The Uchihas had a lot of traditions they upheld.

They took pride in their tea ceremonies, in their multi-day wedding ceremonies, their elaborate birthing ceremonies, and of course coming of age ceremonies.

In the Uchiha clan, boys and girls became men and women when they turned twelve. This is the typical year they would graduate from the shinobi academy and officially enter the workforce. This is the year they officially start making themselves known to the world, proudly showing off the prestige that is an Uchiha.

The Uchiha were proud.

Being one of the founding clans of Konoha, the Uchiha always held themselves to a high standard. They had an image to uphold, a reputation to maintain.

Sasuke was proud to be an Uchiha, but he felt that a lot of their traditions continued mainly to show off. Shoving their as old as time ceremonies down people's throats to force them to notice, notice that they were still there, that they would always be there.

Regardless, he let his mother dress him in a traditional formal kimono. She had the article of clothing specifically made for him, nothing too crazy. It was mostly a dark navy blue, with hints of charcoal gray in places such as the collar.

"You're so handsome," Mikoto gushed as she smoothed out the fabric gently. Brushing off nonexistent dust from his shoulders. "Such a fine young man you will be."

"Mother." Sasuke groaned, the attention was nice, but he felt like he was about to be a prize paraded around his compound. Coming of age ceremonies was one of the only times the Uchiha invite the village to come and enjoy festivities with them, usually a private people. But this was more of a bragging event that another one of their own was becoming a grown adult.

Mikoto shoved Sasuke gently. "Oh hush, let your mother have some joy in her child, hm?"

Sasuke sighed in resignation. If it weren't for his mother, he wouldn't bother with much of anything. But, as it stood, he would do whatever his dear mother requested of him. He let her lead him out of their home and to the common area of the compound. There were stations set up for food and beverages, the Uchiha were good hosts after all.

It was summer, the sun was still in the sky even though the time was nearing six at night, that didn't stop decorations of lights stringing around trees and walkways. There were lanterns with lights, pretty summer flowers, and a lot of people.

Sasuke was miserable.

Or, he should've been. Except, as he stepped out in front of the crowd of people that bowed to honor the prestigious Uchihas, Sasuke saw pink and yellow.

Sakura was bowing politely, and her hand pushed Naruto into his own polite bow, no doubt she had to force him to behave. She rose and sent Sasuke a bright smile, full of happiness and endearment for her friend. She was wearing a pink and white kimono, decorated in the most predictable pattern of Sakura blossoms. Naruto was wearing his favorite color, orange. There were hints of blue and red as well, pretty typical for Naruto.

Sasuke couldn't help the tugging at his lips, especially when he saw Naruto snap straight up and huffed at Sakura. He gave Sasuke a grin and gave him two big thumbs up. Sakura smacked his hands, Naruto pouted, and the two began a glaring contest. All in a few moments as Sasuke paraded in front of people he really couldn't care less about.

Those pink and yellow haired idiots were annoying. But they were Sasuke's idiots and having them there was enough for Sasuke.

After the traditional ceremony, where the Uchiha elders drawled on about a young man's duties to his clan and the history of such ceremonies, the celebrating began. Guests ate food and drank among each other. People struck conversation with one another and enjoyed the beautiful summer night.

Sakura dragged Naruto to Sasuke as soon as he was free from the formalities of his birthday; greetings others, thanking them for coming, etc. She held a small wood box in her arms and was smiling happily.

"Sasuke!" She called and waved at the boy excitedly. "Come here, Naruto and I want to show you something!" She watched as the stoic boy walked to them, hands normally stuffed into pockets hanging by his sides. The sun was going down now and everywhere light hit had a warm glow.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked bored as he stopped in front of his friends, teammates, family. He wouldn't show it often, but he cared about them, and he was content to be surrounded by them.

Sakura beamed at him, eyes bright, an impossible emerald green that contrasted with her pink locks. She shoved a box into Sasuke's chest, which he grabbed awkwardly. "We got you something!" She smiled at Naruto and he nodded his head and grinned his own eyes just as bright as Sakura's.

Sasuke opened the small wood box, and inside was a simple chain with a round pendant. It had come out better than Sakura had expected, or when she picked it up, she didn't realize how much she was going to love it. Her hand flew to the chain on her own neck and she pulled out her own pendant that was concealed by her kimono moments ago.

"Look, we all have one." She pointed to Naruto's neck where he had also decided to show off his own pendant necklace. The three stones glimmered beautifully in the warm glow of the descending sun. Colors of pink, blue and orange were an odd combination but seemed perfectly unperfect next to each other on the round pendant.

"It is so that we will always know, that we are friends, the three of us together. Always and forever." Sakura released her hold on the chain and grabbed her boy's hands, linking them together happily.

"It was Sakura's idea, you know how she gets, couldn't really say no." Naruto sheepishly explained.

"Hn." Sasuke smirked and took the pendant out of the box and put it on without argument. Naruto was right, you couldn't really say no to Sakura. She was stubborn, and downright scary if you got on her bad side. The boys would wear anything to make sure she wouldn't get angry at them, anything to appease her.

But Sasuke and Naruto both knew that they didn't need to be scared into wearing the silly pendants, because a part inside of them liked them. Liked the idea of being linked together symbolically by something that didn't mean anything. It was silly, but it was sweet.

Outside of Konoha, in a cluster of trees that provided shadows to the already darkened night, a man stood against a tree. His arms folded over his chest as he waited. His fingers tapped impatiently on his arm; he had been waiting far too long.

He had no patience for waiting for people, especially people beneath him. It was irritating, infuriating. Crickets chirped around him, frogs croaked in the distance, the warm summer wind rustled trees; all of these noises just added to his agitation.

A twig snapped in the distance, letting him know his waiting was over.

"I hope you haven't been waiting too long." The new arrival drawled, his voice an annoyingly high-pitched tone that sounded sickly sweet.

"Ah, you decided to show." An annoyed response, unfolding his arms he strode towards the man he had been waiting for. "Let's keep this short, hm? You already wasted enough of my time."

An amused chuckle. "Ah yes, we shall." He leaned casually against a tree and grinned. "Have you finished the preparations?"

A grunt.

"He will be there? You're sure nothing could go wrong?"

"Do I look like a fool? I've planned this thoroughly."

The man licked his lips in excitement. An evil smirk spreading across his lips. "No, you are no fool. As you know, neither am I."

"The Chunin Exams offer a distraction, you'll have no problem procuring your target." He narrowed his eyes. "Don't forget our deal."

Another amused chuckle. "I won't dear friend, we both will get what we want, all in due time."

"Ah."

The men turned and walked away from each other, and disappeared as if they had never been there.

A/N: Hey everyone, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think, any helpful criticism is always appreciated. Questions, concerns, etc. Not to mention you keep me motivated to continue writing!

This chapter is more of a filler before we get to what everyone knows is coming, the Chunin exams. How will they fair in a world where everything is different? Stay tuned, I have tons of plans!

Thank you ~