Rating: Err…over Pg-13 but under R for the moment.
Pairings: Sasunaru.
"It's amazing how incredibly the same and different they were."
Kakashi
"The top and the bottom yet somehow they always were best together in the middle."
Iruka
"Some could see it. Others couldn't. They were together what everyone wishes they were."
Sakura
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"Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were the strongest ninja's this village had ever seen. When the two were together, and they weren't fighting against each other, nobody stood a chance."
"Then how'd they die Iruka-sensei?" A short blonde haired boy asked from the back. Hair untamable, and eyes the color of the sky, revealing everything and nothing when you looked in them.
Iruka looked like he knew something he wasn't supposed to tell. You could rather tell the answer he was about to give wasn't what he really, what he was supposed to tell you.
"Uchiha Sasuke died as he lived. Bravely. Uzumaki Naruto died as he lived. Alone. Sasuke died protecting Naruto in Naruto's arms. Naruto was enraged with the death of his…partner, and used his…powers to defeat those ninja's, which were attacking the village. Naruto died shortly after he killed the last of the ninjas."
What Iruka has chosen not to say in the end was that Naruto and Sasuke had been lovers, and Naruto the nine-tailed demon fox. More importantly, he let them believe Naruto had been killed fighting the enemy, and in most manners of speaking – he had. Naruto survived the fight. He lived for about a week without Sasuke before he finally found a way to die himself. The true way of his death was unknown to all, he was just found at Sasuke's grave, dead. Those who Naruto had an idea though. He just simply stopped. Stopped living.
Iruka looked at the group before him again. They were older this time. However, their lives were no easier then before. It was hard watching the reincarnated group, knowing they had too much left to suffer through. Iruka could only watch Naruto grow up again, still an orphan, and still alone. Fate had not been any easier on Naruto this time around. He could only hope that Sasuke had been reincarnated as well after all, because Kami knew Naruto needed him. He hoped that Sasuke might even bring a certain white haired ninja with him when he came. Because Kami knew, Iruka missed him. It was then he realized, he was still supposed to be teaching the class!
"Naruto was particularly good at transformation techniques, oddly, the harder the technique, the easier it was for Naruto to do it. Does anyone know how to do one?"
'I wonder when Naruto will remember. Or if he even will. For my own sake, I hope he does. For his own though, I hope he doesn't. Just don't let him do it alone if he does.'
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It was later that day that Naruto knocked on Iruka's door. Iruka had a sense of foreboding, and it was right.
"Am I named after Uzumaki Naruto?"
"Hai."
"I am Uzumaki Naruto, aren't I?"
"...Hai."
"And you really are Iruka-sensei, aren't you?"
"Hai."
"Can we go for ramen now?"
"You know Naruto I was beginning to wonder why even though I make the same amount of money I did then I had a lot more of it. Now I remember why. Hai, let's go."
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It was three bowls of ramen (for Naruto) and an hour and a half later that they spoke again.
"What do you remember Naruto?"
"At the moment, not much. I'd had glimpses before today, but when you talked about me, I knew it really had happened. It's not fair, I never did get made Hokage."
"No, but you were happy. Before…"
"Before I killed myself? I remember that pain. That I remember. But…Sasuke, I don't remember him at all."
It was then that a raven haired ninja walked in the shop. His hair was longer then the average male's, but it wasn't length by far.
"Iruka, I take that back."
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"This is your new classmate, Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke, why don't you tell the class something about yourself?" Iruka said.
"I think that pink haired girl in the back has a big forehead." And with that, he took a seat. Iruka up front was shaking his head, but a small smirk peeked through.
'Same old Sasuke.'
Every girl in the class had tried to shove the person sitting next to them out of their seat. The girl Sasuke had actually insulted earlier was where Sasuke actually ended up sitting.
"I'm Sakura." She introduced herself eagerly; apparently not caring at all at Sasuke's only spoken words so far had been in fact to insult her. Sasuke, being himself, just ignored her. He sat watching when Iruka began teaching class, explaining another technique to them all. He realized that he'd known this particular Jutsu for awhile, he allowed his eyes to wander.
Most everyone was paying attention, although the girls kept looking back at him. Though there was one other kid who looked almost as bored, and like he'd been through this all before and was merely amusing the sensei by being here. It was when he looked over that they locked eyes and something happened.
"Naruto, you dobe. If you make us late again you will be target practice tonight."
"Like you could or would hit me Sasuke!"
"It wouldn't take much encouragement at the moment!"
Sasuke shook his head. 'What the hell was that?' He looked back over at the blonde again; he was the same as the Naruto boy in his dream. When their eyes met again there almost seemed to be a flash of recognition in his eyes, but when he looked again, it was gone. He had to find out more about this kid.
"Hey Sakura, who's the blonde kid over there?" He asked, watching as Sakura looked over his shoulder at where Sasuke was looking.
"Oh that's Naruto. I'd ignore him if I were you. He causes nothing but trouble."
A wave of anger found itself rolling through Sasuke. He felt angry with a girl for saying something about a kid he didn't even know. It was almost…protective.
'Why am I having these feelings?'
However, over the next few weeks, it was like a battle between Sasuke and Naruto on who would shock the village more. Sasuke and Naruto competed for the best ninja in class, and Sasuke saw none of what people had originally said about Naruto.
It was one day at Iruka's that things would finally be set on course for the future.
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