In The Leaves | A 'Naruto' fan story | SasuNaru

Love her, not me

The preliminaries had matches upon matches. And some people won and some people didn't. 

After the preliminary ends and drawing lots to determine the first round match-ups for the main tournament, there was a one-month period in which the remaining genin could prepare themselves. Various dignitaries were also invited to watch the main matches.

Naruto spent that night after the preliminaries thinking about his infatuation on Sasuke. 

He told himself that it was probably a phase since he was young, so he might grow out of his crush by the time they become chunin. 

And once he goes back to being in love with Sakura-he'll ask her out and show Sasuke she wants him instead. 

"But why does that sound like a lie?" Naruto mumbled. "As if...my words are a cover-up." 

~

Sasuke looked out his window and felt his neck where the mark was. "Power, huh?" 

He looked down to his feet. "Why does he want me anyway? Don't I make fun of him?" 

Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair. "He is just confused. He needs to love her, not me." 

Sasuke walked to his bed and laid back on it. His eyes staring up at his ceiling. "I like him too, but my trauma won't let him in. I can't be fooled again, not by him, Itachi, or anyone."

Sasuke sat up and clenched his fist. "I'll get stronger and kill Itachi, even if I have to go to Orochimaru." 

~

During this month, Naruto met Jiraiya, another Sannin, for the first time. Jiraiya agreed to be his sensei, and was the one who taught him most of the advanced techniques he learned during that time.

Naruto trained hard under Jiraiya, and used that month to convince himself he was delusional. 

That it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but no matter what he tried or said to himself. He was replaying that classroom incident in his mind wondering if Sasuke despised him now. 

~

The first match was Naruto against Neji. Naruto's fight with Neji in the first match of the finals was a very dramatic one. 

During the fight, Neji lectured Naruto much as he had done with Hinata during the preliminaries, telling Naruto that failures remained failures and that this could not change. 

Naruto eventually won the battle through a combination of the demon fox's power sealed within him and sheer belief in victory.

After the match, Naruto's eyes scanned everywhere for Sasuke, who was training with Kakashi-sensei still. 

But could not find him. 

"Where is he?" Naruto thought. 

The second match, which featured Sasuke versus Gaara, was moved to be the last, as Sasuke had not made it yet. Normally, he would have been disqualified on the spot, but his match had been foreseen-in fact, some of the crowd commented they had mostly come just to see him fight, Lord Third obliged to give in to the Kazekage's request to delay the match.

The match between Gaara and Sasuke came around again. This was the battle that the crowd had been looking forward to, including Naruto, who was on the edge of his seat waiting for him. 

Sasuke arrived right on time as the match was about to begin. Sasuke demonstrated that his speed had vastly increased, to the point where the sand guarding Gaara could not keep up.

Before the match could finish, a smoke bomb was set off in the Kages' box. Kabuto, who was actually working for Orochimaru, used the genjutsu to put almost everybody in the crowd to sleep, and began the attack on Konoha.

~

The invasion was defeated by Konoha, and Gaara-who had lost control of his One-Tail, was unaware that Naruto was also a jinchūriki until after he lost against Naruto, Gaara underwent a change of perspective as he and his siblings were allowed to leave the Land of Fire without any trouble.

In the end, Konoha's Hokage died protecting his village and land, whilst the Kazekage was found dead. 

The two lands signed a peace treaty and promised to come to each others aide. 

~

Naruto snuck out of the hospital to go on a walk that night, he passed by Sakura, who was out for a stroll as well. 

He wore his hospital gown and his hair was messier from constant turning in his sleep. 

"I need answers." Naruto mumbled. 

That's when he looked up to see the one person he dreaded to see wearing his bag on his back. A bag that Sasuke only wore when he was leaving somewhere. His hands stuffed into his shorts pockets and his head low. Where was he going? 

"Sasuke?"