Another Take (A Naruto Fanfiction) (Complete)

Ch. 35: The End Of The Beginning

"Deep," I teased. Then I grew more somber. "... What about Naruto?" This was said in little more than a whisper, considering I wasn't sure Sasuke wanted to hear this question.

Sasuke's eyes hardened. "Like I said, I will sever all my bonds." Then he looked at me. "Including the one with you."

My eyebrows raised in comic disbelief. "We have a bond?" I asked, faking surprise. But seeing as it received no response from the Uchiha, I dropped the facade. "Don't worry about it," I said dismissively, finally turning away from Sasuke. As I started to walk away, I turned my head and called one last thing over my shoulder. "The moment you walk out of the village gates, you are no longer a part of Team Seven. You are simply another missing-nin of Konoha."

Third POV

Sasuke stared after the retreating figure of his teammate, watching as her ponytail bounced against her back as she jumped onto a rooftop. He reached a hand back, and felt the small bump that was the pouch she'd given him.

Then the Uchiha sighed. Now was not the time to dwell on everything he was leaving behind. Now was the time to focus on the future. And his future was revenge.

======

Shikamaru was rushing around town with Naruto, an activity that had many civilians wondering what had gotten the usually-lazy genin to be in such a hurry. But like always, there was a reason for his actions.

The Nara had been tasked by Lady Tsunade to gather as many genins as he thought were necessary, and form a team designed to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto had already insisted on joining the team, and now Shikamaru just needed a few more people.

First stop: Choji Akimichi.

It didn't take long to convince the large boy to come, but it did take a few minutes to convince Naruto. Next they grabbed Kiba and Kouta, who were out early walking their respective partners. Kiba informed them that Shino was out doing something with his father, and was therefore unavailable.

Moving along, Shikamaru's next choice was Neji, who was out early training with Aoi. The one-eyed boy was still recovering from his match with Kiyomi, and his arms were a bit weak. So he was focusing mainly on using his legs, and the attacks were devastatingly strong. Shikamaru grabbed both boys. Lee was nearby, but was unable to come along due to his surgery that was scheduled for later that day.

Now with a team of seven, Shikamaru assumed that was more than enough people for this retrieval mission. But as they were all heading towards the gate, they came across Asami, who was already aware of her friend's situation. She agreed to come along, and now there were eight.

"Alright, time's up," Shikamaru said, yawning slightly as he surveyed his rag-tag team. "There's eight of us, meaning we've got a team of five and a back-up team of three. Asami, Aoi, and Kouta; you're the back-up team. Rest of you, we're the main team."

"Wait, wait!" Naruto suddenly yelled, bouncing on his feet. "What about Kiya-chan? Shouldn't she be a part of this team too? She's got as much of a right as I do!"

"Well-" Shikamaru began, but he was interrupted by the person they were speaking of.

"Sorry Naruto, but I'm not coming," the brown-haired girl said, speaking up from atop a nearby building. She'd noticed Shikamaru's gathering of people, and had inferred that they were going to track Sasuke. But it wasn't her place to join. She'd said she wasn't going to stop Sasuke, and she meant it. He may have severed their bond, but he was her friend. She would not force him to do something he didn't want to. And if that was returning to Konoha?