Rock Bottom - A Team 7 Story [Completed]

Chapter 28 - Multiple Directions

"Sakura-chan! We're back 'ttebayo!" Naruto yelled as soon as his sensei and pink haired teammate came into view. When she heard the energetic blonde, Sakura groggily opened her eyes and sat up.

"Took you long enough." Kakashi said, not taking his eyes off of the book in front of him. '

"Hn, at least we're here." It was at that moment that Sakura noticed that her two teammates were holding hands. With a smirk, she stood up.

"Yeah, how about you two sit down?" The kunoichi pushed the two boys onto the couch, forcing them to get uncomfortably close to each other before sitting next to them with a badly hidden grin.

Then there was a long silence, everyone was waiting for someone to say or do something. Finally Kakashi spoke up. "Now what?" His students wordlessly asked him to continue. "I mean," The masked jounin chortled slightly. "I don't know, I guess I'm so used to seeing a mob petitioning for our death every Tuesday. What are you all gonna do now?"

The three genin thought for a moment, before Sakura giggled. "That's a good question Kakashi-sensei. Up until now our lives have basically revolved around Konoha," the pinkette's expression turned slightly solemn, "I guess that the peace and quiet might be nice for a change, but even after leaving Konoha, I still have so many questions I still need answered. For instance, I still don't know what happened to my parents." Sasuke and Naruto nodded in understanding, and then the ravenette spoke.

"Something Itachi said in the Root Headquarters is still bothering me, I'll go pay him a 'visit' soon." Kakashi shivered at the ex-Uchiha's menacing tone.

"There's another voice in my head dattebayo! But it won't tell me it's name like Kurama did." Sasuke and Sakura both looked at Naruto and then exchanged glances of exasperation. Of course Naruto had another voice in his head. "But it only seems to wanna talk to me when I'm alone..." The jinchuuriki's teammates didn't push the subject, it was Naruto after all.

"You all want to go in different directions huh?" Kakashi wore a barely noticeable sad smile. It seemed as if his team, no, their team, was splitting up. Sakura hummed in confirmation with a nostalgic smile, as if she was remembering all of her memories with the team she basically grew up with.

"I won't stop you three, but I do recommend that you ask Gaara to promote you to at least Chunin before you go off." Naruto turned to look at his two teammates, silently asking them, "What are we waiting for?" with his bright smile.

Wordlessly, the three of them stood up and filed out of the house Gaara gave them, leaving their sensei sitting on the couch, thinking about how much his three genin had grown.

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"But you just got here!" When the three of them informed Gaara of their situation, it was Kankuro who started crying crocodile tears, making Temari smack his shoulder. Gaara however, calmly ignored his two bickering teammates.

"Go get a vest from that cabinet over there, and make sure to send us a report every month. Just so we know you're not dead." The team 7 genin looked at the redhead in confusion.

"That's it 'ttebayo? You're not gonna test us or anything?"

"You fought against the Sannin...and weren't getting your asses completely handed to you. I say that's at least Jounin material, but start small eh?" Kankuro said with a smirk, having instantly recovered from his previous crying session.

After the three of them selected properly fitting chunin vests, Gaara dismissed them, telling the new Chunin not to do anything that will make Suna look bad. The Team 7 Chunin were currently walking down one of Suna's blazing hot streets. And although the heat was uncomfortable, the atmosphere between them was not.