Naruto Uchiha {On Hold}

Chapter 19 (Naruto)

The stupid tree climbing exercise. Doesn't Kakashi Sensei realize Sasuke and I already mastered that? I used this when I painted the Kage faces. And I can walk on water too.

"Stupid training we've already done," I complain to Sasuke as we sit watching Sakura practice. I guess she wants to be able to do it without a running start.

"I should have realized," Kakashi Sensei says from behind us. "Your level of jutsu requires the chakra control Sakura is learning now. Sometimes I forget that your more advanced than the usual Genin."

"It's just, we mastered this ages ago, Sensei," I complain out of bordem. "I want to learn more jutsu."

"I know, Naruto, but there isn't much I can teach you at this point. I helped you learn my Sensei's jutsu, but I didn't truly teach it to you."

That's true. I already understood the technique, I just needed help understanding how to choose my marker. It needed to be something I felt strongly about that didn't match my father's, and revenge on Itachi was the only thing I could think of. I have to avenge the family I had.

"We should go watch over Tazuna while Sakura trains," I decide. We are supposed to be protecting him, and we can't risk being away from the client for too long.

Kakashi Sensei agrees, and I grab Sasuke's hand so that I can use the Flying Rajin to get us there faster. Every time I use that jutsu, I feel closer to my father who I never got to know.

We've been waiting for Sakura and Kakashi Sensei to return for a few hours. She really is determined to catch up us, isn't she?

"Sasuke," I turn to my brother. We've been sitting on the roof of Tazuna's home for a while to watch for signs of any enemies. "Do you think I'll need Kurama's Chakra for us to defeat Zabuza?"

I've been worrying over this since Sensei confirmed what Sasuke and I feared. Zabuza is still alive. I can only control so much of the fox's chakra before its anger takes over, and Sasuke has to try to suppress it. Since he obtained the sixth tomoe, the third one in his left eye, he can see the demon fox in my mind and force it back into its cage, but the last time that happened, I almost killed him.

"I don't know, Naruto," he responds. "How much of its chakra can you control now?"

"Three tails."

I feel embarrassed by my lack of progress in that area. Complete control over the beast's chakra has to be my goal, but at what cost? I tried to raise the power to four tails, and lost control. I hurt my brother in the process, and when I was back to being myself, I thought I had killed him. I unlocked the same stage of the Sharingan that Itachi used to kill the entire clan because of that incident, but it wasn't worth the fear that I could have lost my best friend, my brother.

"Controlling the third tail is hard, though," I add. "If I keep it up too long, the fox's hatred takes over and forces the fourth tail to emerge. I lose control. I can't risk hurting you again."

"If you have to use it, only release one tail." He's looking off into the town. If I didn't know any better, I would think he was simply looking for enemies, but Sasuke is reliving that day. "In a battle, I can't focus on you and the fight. Stay at a level that we know you can control."

My brother takes his arm to wrap me into a half hug. He knows that I'm reliving that day too.

"I don't blame you for what happened, you know."

My eyes immediately shift back to him. "If my will was stronger, it wouldn't have happened. My experimentation with the chakra is to blame. You almost died, Sasuke. I thought I'd killed you."

"Don't beat yourself up so much, little brother." He laughs. He's trying to get me riled up to change the subject. He knows I hate when he calls me that.

"I'm only two months younger than you, Sasuke."

"Two and a half, little brother." He's really laughing now. "Don't worry, I won't call you that in front of Sakura."

Sakura. If he wants a change of subject from me almost killing him, then he'll get it, but not the way he expects.

"Have you talked to her yet?"

"I talk to her all the time," he tries to deflect, pretending that he doesn't know what I mean.

I realized not long after he admitted to liking her that I was never really interested in Sakura. What I really wanted was for Sasuke to acknowledge me outside of the secrecy of the house, and fixating myself on the girl who seemed most genuine in their declarations of love for Sasuke seemed to be the best choice, I guess. When I'm near Hinata, though, I  feel complete, unlike how I feel near Sakura.

I've found, since I gave Sakura up, that my fixation has shifted to Hinata Hyuga, but I doubt a girl like her, from such a powerful clan, would want anything to do with a guy like me, the class clown, the one everyone hates because of a demon that was sealed away in my body.

"You know, Sasuke, I don't have feelings for Sakura anymore," I want him to understand that there wouldn't be any problems if he did ask her out. "I don't think I really ever did."

Well, I struggled with ideas for this chapter. I wasn't sure if Naruto was going to talk to Inari yet, but I finally decided that he isn't ready.