Note: A short, silly moment in the lives of Team Sasuke.

Summary: Sometimes, Team Snake is far more like Team Seven than Sasuke prefers to admit.

The More Things Change

A Naruto Oneshot

by Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)

Kakashi once warned Sasuke that he could never really escape his first team, no matter how hard, fast, or long he ran.

Sasuke hadn't believed him then. Now, he's just in denial.

It happens while Suigetsu and Karin are arguing, as most things of note inevitably do.

Sasuke wishes it didn't, but it does.

Karin dodges a particularly sloppy punch from Suigetsu (Sasuke knows he could easily cause her serious injury if he'd connected, just as Sasuke knows that Karin knows that Suigetsu isn't really trying, this time).

Suigetsu doesn't manage to dodge the return punch (because avoiding Karin's punches always leads to her screeching, and Sasuke has sworn to bottle Suigetsu up, turn him into shampoo, and give him to Karin as a gift if that should happen again within the next two weeks), and winces as Karin's fist crashes into the top of his head.

For an instant, Suigetsu is a whiny, blue-eyed blond, and Karin's red hair is pink, her green eyes flashing with righteous fury as she shakes her deceptively powerful fist at him.

Though Sasuke knows over twenty simple ways to dispel such an illusion (none of which assume that he is merely hallucinating or daydreaming), he follows none of them. A second later, Suigetsu and Karin leap apart as a brace of shuriken slams into the ground between them.

"Stop it," Sasuke says simply, allowing enough annoyance to slip into his voice so that they know he is officially upset with them.

Karin is full of apologies, practically grovelling at Sasuke's feet (which only makes him angrier), while Suigetsu sucks his teeth and wanders away, hands laced behind his head (which, naturally, worsens Sasuke's mood further).

Meanwhile, Jugo sits by calmly, his eyes shut as he communes with the various wildlife that has settled all over him. And though Sasuke knows the two men are nothing alike, his rage grows as he imagines a little orange book poking out of Jugo's pocket. The momentary serenity is the same, at least.

It is then that Jugo opens his eyes, stands, and walks toward them. He stops beside Karin, and wordlessly places a flower in her hair, carefully adjusting its position several times before returning to his original spot. Karin's expression is blank, and she is, for once, too distracted by her confusion to throw herself at Sasuke or offer him praise.

For the first time, Sasuke considers that maybe his current teammates being a bit like the former ones is not entirely a bad thing.

At least, he feels that way until ten minutes later, when Suigetsu races back into the clearing, throwing bits of himself at Karin and laughing as they explode like water balloons on impact.

Sasuke sighs, motions to Jugo, and pulls himself to his feet. They both know it will be a very long day, because nothing short of both their Cursed Seals can pull Karin off of Suigetsu once he's gotten her hair wet. Again.

Endnotes: I kept forgetting to post this, it's been done for ages now.