I do not own Naruto
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"Yuki, I'm going to get some medicine. I'll be right back." Sai muttered, walking out of the tent he had brought Naruto and I to.
I sighed, leaning against Naruto's side. My face throbbed in pain, but at least it wasn't as bad as it was. Luckily, Naruto seemed better for the most part, and he wasn't swollen. Still, he had a troubled look on his face, one that didn't suit his usual grinning face. What upset me more was that I knew the cause of his trouble, but I didn't know how to stop it.
I sighed softly, my head dropping onto Naruto's shoulder only for me to wince in pain as the throbbing in my face seemed to increase. Naruto looked down at me, a soft smile forming on his face. "You okay, Yuki-chan?"
I blinked before smiling back at him, "Of course! It takes more than that to get to me!"
The flaps to the tent opened, three figures showed up before they walked in. Sai was first to fully show himself, and in his hands was a white first aid kit. Behind him was Kakashi and Yamato, who each took positions beside each other as they watched Sai bandage me. As I had spent most of my time healing Naruto, I ended up using more of my chakra on him, and I hadn't quite finished healing myself. It seemed that even though it's been a week since the fight with Pain, my body hasn't fully recovered and my chakra wasn't at it's top yet.
"That should do for now." Sai murmured.
"Thank's, Sai-san." I muttered.
"Oh, and Sai." Naruto said suddenly, making Sai pause while he was finishing bandaging my head. "What you did earlier... Thanks."
Sai stared at Naruto for a moment before a small closed eyes smile formed on his face. "No problem."
"Boy, they really did a number on you..." Kakashi sighed.
"Naruto-kun looked worse, I just managed to heal him better than I did myself." I objected.
Kakashi stared at me in concern, looking at Naruto the same way. "You'd better take some time to recuperate."
"We're going to see the Raikage!" Naruto and I shouted, seeming to have the same thought.
Yamato looked at us in shock, "What are you saying?! The Five Kage Summit is about to convene! It is agreed that every Hidden Village will exercise restraint in leaving their lands and conducting radical missions!"
Kakashi looked at us. "What will you do by seeing him?"
"Isn't it obvious?" I muttered, only receiving a look from Kakashi.
"We're going to convince him to forgive Sasuke." Naruto finally answered.
"Right now, you don't even have the necklace that seals the Tailed Beast! A Jinchuriki like you must not leave the village! It was bad enough that as many as eight tails transformed during the last battle! Speaking of which, where were you Yuki?!" Yamato growled.
Naruto tensed beside me as I looked up to look at Yamato. Kakashi's hand seemed to clench as he remained silent, and Sai had gone still beside me as well. It was clear that Yamato had not been informed of me. "I was dead." I answered, noticing Yamato's eyes widen before he looked away. "Sorry." I said.
"N-No..." Yamato muttered, "I-I didn't know, Yuki. I'm sorry." He turned to look back at Naruto. "I'm in charge of reconstruction, I can't be beside you the entire time. And I know Yuki can't either. Naruto, you were lucky that seal activated when it did."
"I met the Fourth Hokage." Naruto said finally, a small smile on his face. Unlike Yamato, Kakashi, and Sai who acted in surprise, I smiled. "That last time, it was the Fourth Hokage who stopped my Kyuubi transformation."
Yamato looked at Kakashi, "W-What does he mean? The Fourth Hokage passed away a long..."
Kakashi turned to look at Yamato. "There are still many mysteries to the Sealing jutsu, the Reaper Death Seal. He probably sealed his own mental energy into the sealing spell."
"That's when the Fourth Hokage told me. A guy wearing the Akatsuki mask instigated the Kyuubi incident sixteen years ago. And he was so strong, even the Fourth Hokage was almost no match for him! On top of that, he said this guy was the mastermind that was probably using Pain." Naruto explained, his eyes hardening. "If Sasuke has joined the Akatsuki, then he's also being used."
I looked down, my own memories of the last time I talked to my mother coming back. She had been trying to tell me something. "Yuki, you know I was one of the teachers for Kakashi, as well as Minato. Well, it had seemed for a long time that two out of our three students had died, but while I could see Rin and Minato I couldn't seem to find Obito." I blinked, shaking away the thought as soon as it came. 'That's not important right now... Right now I need to focus on getting forgiveness for Sasuke... And finding out who that man is.'
"Who's Madara?" Naruto asked, I blinked now knowing I had missed part of the conversation.
"Madara?" I muttered, recalling some of the history lesson from the Academy, which I had no doubt Naruto had skipped. "Isn't he the man who fought the First Hokage? And if I remember correctly, wasn't he a Uchiha? What about him?"
Kakashi sighed, "You missed part of the conversation, didn't you, Yuki?"
I hung my head, "Yeah..."
"We think the masked Akatsuki member may be Madara. And you are correct, he did fight the First Hokage, and he was defeated. He was also the former leader of the Uchiha Clan." Kakashi said, "The higher-ups must be informed of this."
"But, Kakashi sensei." I muttered, causing him to look at me. "There's no possible way he could still be alive."
Kakashi looked at me, in a almost sad way. "In some ways, the same thing could be said about you, Yuki. If you were brought back from the dead like that, it's likely Madara found some way to still be alive. It's not conformed yet, but it is a theory." He turned to look at Sai, "Sai, could you report to the Hokage for us?"
Sai nodded without hesitation. "Yes."
Kakashi looked over to Naruto, "Naruto, what did the Fourth Hokage say to you?" Kakashi had a far away look on his face, almost like he was remembering something someone had told him. Seeming to shake off the memory he seemed to give Naruto a smile. "Fathers like to tell their sons all sorts of things, right?"
I smiled looking over at Naruto, who's scowl was slowly turning into a small smile. Then, his small smile turned into the big grin that I have grown to love. "He told me that he believed in me!" Naruto gave a closed eye grin.
Kakashi smiled, "Good! Naruto, you and Yuki will go to the Raikage." Yamato blinked and turned to yell protest at Kakashi, but was cut off by Kakashi placing his hand on Yamato's shoulder. "With Yamato and I as your escorts."
"What?!" Yamato shouted, "This is a bad idea! A-And I never agreed to this!"
"What? Can't listen to what I have to say, Tenzo?" Kakashi teased.
"Hey! You're not supposed to call me by that name, remember?!" Yamato shouted.
Kakashi held out his hands, as if to calm down Yamato. "Now, now..."
I stood up, a smile still on my face as I tucked my hair behind my ears. "Well, I'm going to go and pack. I'm sure with you guys, especially you Naruto, we will be leaving today." They looked at me as I exited the tent, letting the sunlight shine in the darkened tent. "I'll meet up with all of you later."
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Zero stood at the entrance of my tent with her arms crossed. Ichiru was surprisingly absent, my only guess as to where he was was with Kiba. However, at the moment I had to deal with my stubborn long lost cousin, who didn't seem to like the idea of me leaving.
"You're not going, Yuki." She ordered.
I raised a eyebrow, still shoving items in a small bag. "Oh? And why not?"
She seemed reluctant to speak before sighing. "Look. Since I've been here I haven't really gotten to bond with you. First the death of your sensei hits you and you completely shut me out, and I completely understand that. Then, when you're better, to some degree, you just pack up and leave for two weeks. The big fight happens and Konoha is destroyed, you show up help defeat some of the Pains, and end up with that blonde guy, which apparently according to Ino everyone had been waiting for. But, now that everything had calmed down, we still haven't really spend any time together." She trailed off, her eyes looking down to the ground.
"And to be honest, I'm a little worried about you. If anything I would want to go with you at least, to make sure you're okay, but since Tsunade-sama never made either Ichiru or I official Konoha ninja's and we are still under watch we can't leave. Especially with this new guy posing as the Hokage." She sighed.
I turned around to look at her. Her eyes were still casted down on the ground, making me sigh. "How about this, let's play a quick game of twenty questions, I leave with Naruto, Kakashi sensei, and Yamato. And when I get back, we can do this bonding thing you are talking about."
This seemed to brighten her up a bit, as she looked back at me with a big smile. "Okay!" She grabbed onto my hand and dragged me down onto the floor, where she instructed me to sit with my legs crossed. "I'll go first. Favorite food?"
I sighed, a small smile forming on my face. "Sushi, you?"
She grinned, "Same!"
"Okay, age?" I asked.
"18, you?" She leaned forward.
I blinked, slightly shocked before replying. "16."
She grinned again, "Ha! I'm older than you! Okay next question. Favorite color?"
I tapped my chin in a thinking manner before answering. "I guess blue."
"Like Naruto's eyes?" She asked, a teasing smirk on her face. My cheeks burned as I avoided her question.
"What's your favorite color?" I asked.
She paused to think about it, "I guess red.... It's a shame, really."
"What is?" I asked, tilting my head.
"I just can't seem to find anyone with red eyes, or a redhead." She sighed.
"You like redheads?" I questioned.
"I guess, but they were mainly found in the Uzumaki clan, not that Naruto seemed to have taken that part from them..." She chuckled.
Instantly a certain redheaded sand ninja came to mind, making me smirk. "I just so happen to know a redhead. He's one of my best friends too."
Her eyes widened as she leaned closer to me, "Is he in the village?! Who?"
"He dosen't live in Konoha. Actually, he's the Kazakage." I chuckled at her.
Her jaw dropped, "No way. You know the Kazakage? The Gaara?"
I blinked at her, "Yeah... I knew him way before he was even close to becoming Kazakage. Why?"
Her pale cheeks turned a vibrant red as she looked away. "N-No reason... I guess you could say I've admired him from far away, through pictures and rumors."
This time it wasn't a chuckle, but a full out laugh that escaped me. "Really? Are you saying you've had a crush on someone you haven't even met?"
"S-Shut up! You know, Ichiru did the same thing!" She blushed.
"Same thing?" I asked, leaning forward curiously.
"Yeah! For the longest time he had a crush on you! Ever since he saw your picture!" She proclaimed, making me blink.
"What?" I asked.
"I knew I didn't like that guy..." I turned around to see a familiar person at the tent. Naruto huffed, walking into the tent. On top of his normal orange outfit he wore a white cape with two red stripes on the bottom. He held a bag in his hand, offering it to me as he walked over to me.
I chuckled, "Don't worry, Naruto-kun." I took the bag from him, blinking at him in question. "What's this?"
He rubbed the back of his head, a small smile on his face. "Well, from what Kakashi sensei told me we are going to the Land of Iron to meet with the Raikage. And, from what I understood from Kakashi sensei and Yamato sensei is that it is covered in snow."
I raised an eyebrow, "Okay, and?"
"W-Well, Sakura said you tend to have a low immune system, and being surrounded by snow with what you wear here would get you sick really easily." Naruto said, now looking a little more embarrassed as he continued. "So, I went out and got you a coat and some other things to keep you warm. Since I want to make sure you don't get sick and all, dattebayo. I mean, if you want I can always return it or something..."
While Naruto continued to ramble I took the liberty to peek into the bag he had handed me. Inside was a light pink coat, sure to keep me warm. Along with the coat was a pair of boots, not quite like the ninja sandals I had adopted into my clothing, but it was indeed warmer and fit to work in snow. I also noticed a pair of black tights, which weren't too thick to restraint movement but also not too thin to keep me warmer. Lastly, Naruto had added a pair of black leather gloves.
What seemed to surprised me the most, other than the fact that Naruto had gone out and bought this, was that he knew my size in everything. I narrowed my eyes slightly before looking up at me, still rambling, boyfriend. "Naruto-kun?" I asked, making him stop mid-sentence.
"Yes, Yuki-chan?" He studied me.
"One, thank you for the clothes, I'll pay you back later for that. Two, I think it's really sweet that you thought of me and did this. And three, how exactly did you know my exact size, in everything?" I asked, his face seemed to go red from my last question.
Beside me Zero smirked, as if having some kind of idea. Naruto, now looking the other direction started talking. It was obvious how flustered he was suddenly as he kept muttering his verbal tick while he talked. "W-Well... Y-You see, Pervy Sage kind of taught me some little tricks, dattebayo. And one of them i-included how to guess- you know, dattebayo! So, that's how I learned your size!"
I tilted my head, "He taught you what?"
Beside me Zero snickered, "Yuki, what he is saying is that his- your teacher taught him how to interpret a woman's size. I'm guessing by staring at the person, you, Naruto was able to guess your size. Am I right, Naruto?"
By now Naruto's face was completely red as he avoided my gaze while giving a stiff nod. I nodded slowly, "Okay, I see... It's still a little weird, but I guess expected from Jiraiya sensei. Oh, Naruto-kun, how much do I owe you for the clothes?"
Looking grateful for the change of subject Naruto looked back over at me. "Actually, nothing! The person that gave me the clothes noticed it was for a female, and I guess she knew it was for you, and said it was free of charge."
Zero snorted, "I see! So the villagers really did want you two together! But to think they would give you free clothes for your girlfriend, I guess that's a thanks for helping save the village. Since you two are considered the village hero's, and now the best couple I guess."
"Best couple?" Naruto and I asked, looking over at my white haired cousin.
"I'm not saying anything more, you two!" She turned away.
I smiled, taking the new clothing and placing them in one of my bag's, along with placing a white cape over my normal ninja outfit. Unlike Naruto's though, mine lacked the two stripes on the bottom, instead it was decorated by the Okami clan's symbol. Grabbing my weapon pouch I took out three kunai's.
"You're not really going to bring weapons to meet with the Raikage, are you?" Zero sighed.
"I'm not bringing my weapon pouch, but I wouldn't feel right without any weapons." I objected, placing the three kunai's in a small pouch strapped to my thigh, making sure my skirt hit the small pouch.
"Jeeze, I bet you would even go on a date with weapons." She shook her head, at the small mention of a date I felt Naruto turn to look at me.
"W-Well...." I trailed off, not able to bring up a argument.
Naruto gave a small smile, placing his arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer to him, this little action made my face flare up red. "I know Yuki-chan would, but that's okay because it's just how she is. I wouldn't have her any other way."
While Zero made a fake gagging sound I gave a small giggle and planted a kiss to Naruto's cheek. He gave me his signature Uzumaki grin, his cheeks turning a soft pink.
"Okay, that's it! You two love birds have a Raikage to get to, I don't want to get that love sickness you two have!" Zero teased. "Besides, I think your team mate is more important than staying here for any longer."
Bringing Sasuke back to thought seemed to bring a frown to Naruto's face, as well as mine. "Yeah, Kakashi sensei and Yamato sensei are probably waiting for us. Let's get going, Yuki-chan."
I nodded, turning with Naruto to leave. "Yuki." I paused to look at Zero, who seemed to have a hurt look on her face, which worried me. "Do what Ichiru and I weren't able to do. Because we failed to bring him back..." She clenched her fist.
I looked at Zero with a expressionless face, my memory being brought back to her team mate she said had gone rogue, he was a childhood friend of her as well. Only now did it strike me how similar our story's were. Just like me, Zero had a team mate who left her village, he had instantly joined the Akatsuki, but if the information was correct Sasuke was now in the criminal organization.
Before I was, somewhat, relieved that another Akatsuki member was removed. But now, after hearing how close Zero was to Deidara, I feel bad. I don't think I could handle it if I found out that Sasuke was killed, even after all that he has done. It's easy to see that Zero and Ichiru felt the same way about Deidara. Even though to me he was only a criminal, it made me realize that was exactly how other people view Sasuke.
I gave a small smile, breaking my expressionless face. "I will, at least with the help from Naruto anyway. Thank you, Zero."
She gave a stiff nod, "You really should be leaving."
I nodded, tugging Naruto along with me. The sky was starting to darken now, but even then it was still bright outside. Once outside the tent, Naruto looked at me. "What did she mean? I noticed Ichiru was hinting to something similar earlier."
I glanced back at the tent before looking at Naruto. "Well, I guess you could say they have the same probem we are having with Sasuke."
Naruto's eyes widened before he gave a look of determination. "Then I want to help them get him or her back!"
This time I avoided Naruto's gaze, thoughts of how sweet he was filled my mind before I looked back at him my gaze hardening. "We can't. You can't."
He blinked at me, "What? Why not?" He seemed like he was angry at me.
"Because, he died about three weeks ago." I said, "To be more specific, from what we all understand, Sasuke killed him. I don't think Zero or Ichiru know that part yet though."
"Sasuke..." Naruto didn't finish his sentence.
"Their friend was part of the Akatsuki." I muttered, noticing the realization light up his face before he seemed saddened.
"So, Sasuke must be like that to other people now." Naruto whispered.
"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. I'll- We'll fix it, and we will get forgiveness for Sasuke." I said, noticing the village gates come into view. Standing there was Kakashi and Yamato. "We should hurry-"
"Yuki," Naruto caught my arm, stopping me from running any further. I turned to look at him, my eyebrow raised. He swallowed, his grin on my arm starting to shake. "Dattebayo! W-When we get back, let's go on a d-d-date!"
My eyes widened as I stared at Naruto. He seemed so flustered just by asking me the question, something that would have been easier than asking me to be his girlfriend. I giggled, "Of course!"
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End of Chapter 68! I feel like such a horrible person... I know it has taken me so long to update, but I have to inform you all that I seem to be going through some writers block. I have planned for the most part what I want to do with the war, but at this part of Naruto I seem blank. So I'm going to apologize ahead for the next coming chapters that will, most likely, be my worst and thay might take a while to update. Even this chapter isn't that great, but I hope at least some of you guys liked it.
Also, since school is starting Monday I don't know how my updating schedule will be going. That is mainly because since it is my Junior year I really have to make it count, since I have been informed from practically everyone that your Junior year is the most important. That, and I am starting my Culinary (Which I am very excited for) that goes towards my collage credits that my high school offers, so I don't know how busy I will be this year. But, I will try to keep my updates to once a week, probably on Sunday, if I am more busy though it may end up being once every two weeks (With hopefully a long chapter)
I will try to update again either tomorrow or later today, but I can't promise anything because of the writers block... And that is about everything that I needed to tell you guys.
This chapter is not edited