|| Discontinued || True Strength | Naruto Fanfic

Chapter Twelve

And I'm back with another chapter!! Also, I drew that pic up there ^^

"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them."

—The Hunter Ninja—

Sakura finished the task before Sasuke did, much to his displeasure. Kakashi sent her to the bridge so she could watch over Tazuna, going with her because he was bored.

Naruto and Sasuke were left in the forest alone, Naruto training his taijutsu against a tree as Sasuke continued working on his chakra control. Naruto would glance at the raven every once in awhile when he heard his impatient grumbles as he fell to the floor, only managing to get up half the tree each time before his control slipped.

The blonde hacked away at the tree, the only noise in the area coming from each hit he landed and each tumble Sasuke took. Moments passed before Sasuke groaned loudly as he laid on the  flattened grass.

Sasuke didn't like what he was about to do. He was never one to ask for help. He was always able to do things himself, but he was getting desperate. It had been about an hour since they started their training. Sakura finished in the first ten minutes and Sasuke was still struggling. He didn't like Naruto, the loud, obnoxious, dead-last (though he didn't exactly believe that anymore) kid that always sat in the back of the academy class. His grades were low and everyone seemed to dislike him. Sasuke saw him as lower than him, just another person in his life.

But when they were put into the same team, Sasuke started seeing more than just the blonde idiot that was always loud and careless, but cunning and skilled. It was obvious that Naruto was smarter than he showed to be and Sasuke couldn't help but be a bit awed and jealous. What confused him was why he decided to hide that.

Sasuke forced himself to his feet and walked over to Naruto.

As Sasuke approached him, he noticed the dents in the trees and saw how the blonde wasn't using any weapons or jutsu- just his bare strength. His jaw clenched in his mouth. "Is he actually stronger than me?"

Naruto stopped when he sensed Sasuke coming up behind him. He dropped his fist and turned to face the Uchiha, sweat dripping off his body.

"Yes?" He asked, slightly breathless from his taijutsu training.

Sasuke looked away in embarrassment, his cheeks dusted red. "I... um..." He swallowed his pride and peeked at Naruto. "Do... Do you have any advice on... how to do this..?"

Naruto stayed silent for a moment before turning his head and clasping a hand over his mouth. He shook with laughter he refused to let go. The sight of Sasuke looking so meek and defenseless made him choke on his breath. But then again, he also found it... kind of cute.

Naruto found his bearings and managed to still himself after Sasuke's glare, which wasn't as harsh as usual. He coughed behind his hand to clear his throat before smirking up at the raven.

"So the oh-so-powerful Uchiha has come to me, of all people, for help, is it?"

Sasuke sneered before forcing his lips down into a tight line. "Yes," He said through grit teeth, making Naruto's smirk deepen. "Could you please give me advice?"

Naruto grinned and sat down, motioning for Sasuke to do the same as he pulled out a small scroll from his weapons pouch. Two water bottles poofed into existence and he handed one to Sasuke who stared a bit in awe.