Way of the Ninja: Chapter 42

Chapter 42

"How is Lee-san's physical therapy going?"

Roused out of his thoughts, Neji glanced up at his younger cousin Hinata as she set down his cup and carefully began filling it with tea.  She smiled gently at him, her hands calm and steady as she prepped.  He felt a small bit of relief at this; it was a sign that she was at ease in his presence.  Neji was determined to repair the damage he had done to their relationship as a result of his misplaced anger.  This was one of the new goals he had decided for himself on that fateful day…

"Very well," he answered, nodding in thanks once his cup was completely filled.  Recalling his final bout in the chuunin exams, he remembered how all the animosity the blonde seemed to hold towards him had vanished once he conceded defeat.  It made him wonder if it all had been merely on Hinata's behalf.  Considering this, the elder Hyuuga carefully took a sip of his tea, the fragrant scent and taste of Jasmine relaxing his body and calming his nerves.  Were it not for his upbringing, he would have let out a sigh of relief; his mind had been jumble of thoughts since leaving the hospital earlier that afternoon.  "Soon he'll be able to resume his training."

Hinata's smile widened.  "He must be very excited,"

The older Hyuuga made a noncommittal sound, although inwardly he could admit to some relief.  Despite his faults, Lee was a comrade and valued member of his team.  It would good for their squad to have all of its members in peak condition once more.

His cousin finished filling her own cup, studying the light colored liquid contained within.  "I'm very glad for Lee-san," she said softly.  "I imagine he's challenged you to a match once he's given the okay?"

Neji paused, recalling his teammate's feelings on the matter.  "He wants his first opponent to be Uzumaki Naruto," He couldn't help feeling a bit of unease as he mentioned this, although he was uncertain as to why.  Surely it shouldn't matter who Lee fought against, so long as he was back in peak fighting condition… right?

Pale moon eyes blinked in surprise.  "Naru-kun?" She chuckled lightly at some particular thought; he considered asking her what it was she found amusing, but thought better of it.  It didn't matter.  Not really… "I haven't seen her in quite some time.  I wonder how she is…"

"She's in the hospital."

Hinata started in surprise.  "What?"

The prodigy blinked, wondering what had possessed him to blurt that out.  Just what on earth was the matter with him?

Oblivious to his consternation, the clan heiress let out a gasp of dismay. "T-the hospital…?  W-what's happened?  Is she all right?"

Realizing he'd caused his cousin undue distress, Neji hastened to reassure her.  Reaching out, he touched her hand gently, bringing her attention back to him.  "Calm down, Hinata-sama," he said.  "Uzumaki is just fine."

Pale eyes regarded him, worry and confusion still evident.  "How do you know…?"

Here, he hesitated.  It was true that she'd seemed relatively fine during the time he'd spent with her – in fact, had it not been for the report of poisoning on her medical chart, he would have assumed nothing was amiss – but she still hadn't been given clearance to leave when he'd left.  

"I saw her today," he admitted slowly.  "After Lee's physical therapy session."

The younger girl cocked her head in confusion.  "How?"

How?  He'd been signing out when he spotted her name on the admittance list.  Curiosity had gotten the better of him, and before he knew it he found himself just outside of her hospital room door.  Of course, he was not about to admit to this, so he chose instead to misconstrue her question.  "She was injured during her team's last mission, but she was well enough to attempt sneaking out."

Hinata giggled softly, her worry abated.  "That sounds a lot like Naru-kun,"

Neji regarded his cousin quietly for a few moments.  "You're very fond of her, aren't you?"

She blinked, flushing slightly.  "Naru-kun is a good person," she said quietly.  "She's brave and strong… she's the type of person I hope someday to be…"

"You once had feelings for her?" he asked, watching as the pale flush on his cousin's cheeks bloomed into a bright red.  

"I…I watched Naru-kun for a long time…" she admitted.  "People seemed to think that she was a bad person, but I didn't believe that was true… she was always doing nice things… even when she was causing trouble…" She remembered all the times she'd pulled a prank just to get smiles and laughter out of those around her.  "I… I then decided that I wanted to be close to Naru-kun…" She paused, fumbling with her hands in that nervous way of hers.  "I-I wanted to understand her… No matter what happened to her she always seemed to have a smile on her face… even when she was lonely…"

Naruto… lonely?  As an orphan who lived alone, Neji was certain she experienced bouts of character, but it seemed so out of place with a person she presented to the public.  Neji paused, remembering the blonde's expression when he spoke of his position as a Hyuuga Clan Branch member.

~ "I what it's like… better than you think…" ~

He'd spent an afternoon with her and yet hadn't thought to ask her what she meant by that.   In fact, he hadn't asked her much of anything, if he were to be truly honest with himself.  When he'd arrived at her room door, it had been his intention of finishing the conversation they'd begun that day.   Instead, they'd spent it trading stories about past missions and training tips  - granted, the blonde had been more on the receiving end in that regard.  However, despite failing to accomplish his goal, Neji couldn't say that he regretted it.

Still, being the type of person he was, Neji did not like being kept in the dark.  If there was a mystery or puzzle in front of him, he resolved to figure it out as quickly and efficiently as possible.  Uzumaki Naru was more than just a puzzle, and definitely an unknown entity he wished to identify.  There was way more to her than just the bumbling prankster who defaced monuments in broad daylight for fun; he'd come to realize that the moment he felt her fist collide with his chin in the middle of a crowded stadium.  That was not to say understanding came with this realization, of course.  Although he'd admitted defeat, he still wanted to know what it was that made her so resilient, what it was that drove her to keep going – and ultimately succeed – when the odds were never in her favor.  

Most of all, he wanted to know what it was about Uzumaki Naru that made her so interesting.

Neji paused at this, recalling Hinata's words.  She, too, had wanted to understand the blonde.  Her desire to learn more about the blonde had eventually turned into somewhat of an infatuation, although it seemed to evolve back into platonic feelings once she learned the blonde's true gender.

At that thought, an image of the blonde entered his mind; she was attired in soft white silk, her blonde hair soft and glowing…

"Neji-niisan?"

He stilled, wondering what had possessed his thoughts to take such a turn.  Perhaps it was due to the fact that he still had the photos in his possession.  Originally he had intended to go with Tenten's suggestion and show them to Lee prior to his surgery.  However, he'd decided against it at the last minute.

Tenten had looked as though she wanted to question him, but she didn't.  Instead, she'd shrugged and said, ~ "I gotta give Sakura credit for being so clever…" ~

He'd frowned at this.  ~ "What do you mean?" ~

A smirk had spread across her face.  ~ "Well… it's clear that Lee and Naru hit it off pretty well at the Exams.  Sakura probably figured that if Lee could see how pretty Naru could be he'd turn his affections to her instead." ~

Rather than dwell on it for too long, Neji turned his attention back to his cousin.  "Yes, Hinata-sama?"

"Do you suppose Naru-kun is truly alright?" She began wringing her hands once more.  "Did she seem normal to you?"

Neji wasn't sure the term 'normal' could be applied to the little blonde.  In their few interactions, she'd been anything but.  Still, not wanting to worry his cousin unnecessarily, he closed his eyes with a heavy sigh.  "Don't worry, Hinata-sama," he said.  "I will stop by to check on her once I finish assisting Lee with his physical therapy tomorrow."

Hinata blinked in surprise at this.  He could have very easily offered her some generic platitude.  Instead, Neji was actually offering to visit Uzumaki Naru in the hospital?  Again?  Sensing there more going on than her stoic elder cousin was willing to admit, she bit back a knowing grin, smoothing her expression into a grateful smile.

"Thank you very much, Neji-niisan."

The older boy nodded, setting down his empty cup.

As per custom, Hinata lifted the ornately painted carafe, refilling his cup slowly.  Although her outward expression remained calm, the young Heiress giggled inwardly to herself.

'Naru-kun… it looks as though you're getting through to him after all!'

--

If there was one Hagane Kotetsu hated, it was paperwork.  It was dreary, dull, and time consuming.  If he'd known that most of his chuunin duties would have included pushing paper to and from the Hokage tower, he would have opted to become a bartender instead.  He could make a mean tequila sunrise

"Aaaghh… this is ridiculous…" he grumbled, clutching his most recent workload as he carefully made his way down stairs leading to the Administration building's exit.  The box he held contained numerous folders the Hokage had requested to be brought up from Archives.  The task had proven to be easier said than done.  "Whoever came up with the organization system down in Archives needs to be drawn and quartered!  It took seven hours just to find these two boxes!"

His fellow chuunin Kamizuki Izumo let out a loud yawn as he trudged down the stairs behind him.  "I know, it's a real mess…" he agreed.  "But all the same, let's just get those over to the Hokage before she has us drawn and quartered!"

The bandaged ninja ahead of him grimaced.  "I tell ya – that lady's a real slave driver!  Makin' us dig through old dusty archives all night long!"

"Orders are orders," Izumo replied.  "Besides, it's not like you had any other plans."

Kotetsu jerked and then scowled over his shoulder at him.  "That's totally not the point!"

Izumo only laughed as they exited the building, making their way down the paved path that would lead them towards the Hokage Tower.  They continued to trade jokes and insults until Izumo came to a sudden stop in the middle of the path.  

Kotetsu very nearly walked right into him, coming perilously close to dropping his box.  Fortunately he recovered quickly, regarding his companion in curiosity.  "Oi, what's the matter, Izumo?" he asked.  "Why'd you stop so suddenly?"

A frown was fixed across the brunet's face as he gestured to a point in the distance.  "Look over there – by the trees."

The spiky haired chuunin followed his prompting; in the distance, a figure was laid out on one of the many benches lining the paved pathway.  "Mannn, looks like somebody else had a rough night." He mused.

Izumo was inclined to agree with him; after all, who would choose to spend their night sleeping on a stone bench?  Those things didn't look all too comfortable.  Venturing closer to wake the person up and send them on their way, the words died in his throat when he realized it was a young girl in a red dress.  A very familiar young girl with pink hair.

Kotetsu came to a stop beside him, his eyes widening in disbelief.  "Oh crap…"

--

Tsunade hated paperwork.  It was boring and tedious; pages and pages of documents spouting the same thing over and over in more words than absolutely necessary.  And the only thing worse than having to read the blasted things was the fact that she had to sign everything!  In triplicate!  And for what?  All to prove that she had read them – and not tossed them out the window like she wanted to.

"Ridiculous…" she muttered irritably.  If she had known becoming Hokage would involve her being strapped to this god forsaken desk to be buried underneath a never-ending pile paperwork…

~…You still would have done it…~ an annoying voice in her head intoned – more than likely her conscience.  ~ Anything to keep their dream alive…~

At that thought, her eyes crossed in irritation.  "Kami, I'm goin' soft…" Recognizing that a break was in order, the Godaime no Hokage pushed away from her large oak desk.  Rising to her feet, she stretched her arms out over her head, working out the kinks in her neck and back as she did so.  However, before she could take a single step away from her desk, the large doors of her office opened, revealing two of her harried-looking assistants on the other side.

Judging by their expressions alone, the Slug Mistress knew she wasn't going to be getting that break anytime soon.

'Oh shit…'

--

Shikamaru didn't dislike being a chuunin, really.  He was proud that his skills had earned him an increased rank.  He wasn't the most motivated ninja out there, but he was more than willing to put his skills to use towards the betterment of the village.  But why… oh why did he have to do so at 6:30 in the morning?

"I told you before, Shikamaru," his mother, Nara Yoshino, explained tersely as she placed his breakfast in front of him.  "Your father has a mission later on today, so this is the only time you'll have to train with him today!"

The newly appointed Chuunin glanced over at his father, who was quietly sipping his coffee as if nothing was amiss.  "Hey…" he whispered.  "How can you stand being married to such a harsh woman?"

Nara Shikaku glanced up from his coffee, smirking at his son.  "There are times when your mother's very gentle," he replied.  "And there are those times when she smiles at me…" He trailed off, his smirk widening into a grin.

Shikamaru regarded his with disbelief.  'Completely whipped…'  A loud yawn escaped his lips as he turned his attention back to his breakfast, poking absently at his egg with his fork.  "So troublesome…"

The Nara matriarch fixed him with a stern look.  "You're a Chuunin now, Shikamaru!" she exclaimed.  "It's your duty to be ready to serve at a moment's notice!  How are you supposed to do that if you're asleep in your miso?"

He snorted, inwardly rolling his eyes.  Really, who was going to call him to duty so early in the morning?  Before he could voice the comment aloud, and no doubt earn himself a slap to the back of his head – a courier bird flew in through the open kitchen window, touching down softly on the back of the one of the chairs.

"An update to your mission, Shika-kun?" Yoshino asked, glancing at her husband as he opened the missive scroll attached to the bird's leg.  "Are you being deployed earlier?"

"Nope," Shikaku answered, holding the parchment out for their son to take.  "It's for Shikamaru."

He blinked.  "Me?"

The elder Nara nodded.  "You're to report to the Hokage tower immediately," he answered.  "Looks like you have a mission after all."

The younger Nara blinked, casting his steadily cooling breakfast a baleful look.  "So troublesome…"

--

When the Godaime no Hokage had explained to him what his mission was, his immediate thought was to whether or not this was some sort of joke.  He knew better than to ask of course – especially with the stormy expression on her face – but the very thought was ridiculous…

Uchiha Sasuke… AWOL…?

Of course, no sooner had this thought come to his mind, Shikamaru recalled the incident where he'd been tasked to go after their class's #1 Rookie when he'd gone off in pursuit of that crazy Suna-kid in the midst of an invasion.  

'I'm startin' to think there's really something wrong with that guy…' he thought to himself.  Why on earth would he just up and decide to run off with one of the village's most dangerous S-Rank criminals?  It didn't make any sense!

"You have your mission," the Godaime announced.  "I want you to assemble a team and retrieve Uchiha Sasuke as quickly as possible."

"Okay," Shikamaru nodded.  "Then I'd like to request any able-bodied Jounin or Chuunin that are avail—"

The Slug Sannin was already shaking her head in the negative.  "There are no chuunin or jounin available," she explained.  "Every able-bodied ninja above chuunin-rank has already been assigned missions."

The shadow user balked at her.  "So I'm supposed to carry out an A-rank mission with only genin?" he exclaimed.

She nodded grimly.  "Make sure you choose wisely," she cautioned.  "Sasuke is not alone so expect a combat situation."

Shikamaru bit back a groan, his mind already fast at work calculating multiple scenarios.  It wasn't looking  good – not at all.  "So troublesome…"

"It can't be helped," the elder kunoichi murmured.  "Assemble your team and be ready to depart in 30 minutes.  Time is of the essence!"

The young chuunin snapped to attention, nodding in understanding.  "Understood,"  With a quick bow, he turned to exit the office.

"Oh, and Shikamaru?" she called.  The boy turned, brows raised in curiosity.  "I have a suggestion for someone you may want to include on your team…"

--

Although Shikamaru could only recall one prior occasion when he'd been to the apartment building in which he stood, he could remember the incident quite clearly.  Several years ago, Naruto had somehow managed to foist a gigantic old house plant off of one the teacher's at the Academy. The thing had looked so sickly and frail, almost as if it were on its deathbed, but the hyperactive blonde had been absolutely convinced it could be saved.  Morbidly curious if such a feat were even possible - at the time he hadn't even known the prankster was interested in plants - he grudgingly agreed to assist her and Chouji in carrying it home.

Admittedly, he'd had a bit of an ulterior motive as well.  He'd never been to the blonde's  home before, and was a bit curious as to what it might be like.  Of course, upon their arrival to her humble abode, he found himself not all that surprised by what lay inside.

Of course, not that the same could be said this time around.

Once the Hokage had suggested adding Naruto to his retrieval team – which he had assumed she would – Shikamaru had immediately set off for her apartment, his mind running through the different ways to break the news to her.  Sasuke was her teammate after all, despite their differences he was absolutely certain she would not take the news of his defection well.  By the time he'd reached her door, he'd had the entire conversation entirely plotted out – taking everything the blonde might throw at him into account.  Unfortunately, once her door opened before him, the ever-calculating mind of the genius slacker went completely blank.

While he knew that Naru was a girl - really, it had been months since the Chuunin exams - it was always something that had been tucked away to ponder over later. Of course, there were always subtle reminders: her hair, how she seemed to calm down a bit, the way she walked - it was obvious to him that the blonde he and Chouji had skipped many a class with was female...

Then there had been the photos from Sakura.  Seeing the normally rough and tumble blonde decked out in such elegant finery – her hair shiny and soft, her cheeks rosy and eyes bright – made Shikamaru realize that not only was Naruto a girl, but a very pretty one at that.  Once he'd shuffled through all the photos Ino had received, he'd managed to comfortably come to terms with that.  However, that uncomfortable notion had been once again made more obvious by sight of her standing in her doorway with sleep tussled hair, wearing nothing but a ridiculously large t-shirt.

A t-shirt that hung precariously off of her small frame, revealing one deceptively slim shoulder exposed.  For some reason this made Shikamaru very, very uncomfortable.

Oblivious to his consternation, blue eyes still bleary from sleep blinked owlishly up at him.  As per her custom, it took several seconds for her to actually acknowledge who was standing in front of her before she actually responded, "Shika...maru...?"

He shut his mouth with an audible snap, drawing his eyes away from her shoulder to her face – why had he been staring at it anyway? – with a put out frown. "Do you always answer your door this way?" he muttered.

The blonde blinked and then made a face. "I don't usually answer my door at..." She paused, glancing over her shoulder at a clock on the wall. "7:00 in the morning... What's up...?"

He wished it was her drooping sleeve, but he wasn't about to mention that.  Thoughts like that would get him nowhere... especially with what he was about to say.

"We've got a mission," he murmured softly. "The Hokage told me to round up a team and leave as soon as possible."

At the mention of a mission, the blonde perked up, those blue eyes of hers becoming more alert. "A mission?" she asked. "What are we after?"

Shikamaru tensed, bracing himself. "It's Sasuke," he muttered, watching the girl instantly tense. "He's gone."

The blonde froze.  "Gone…?" she echoed.  "What do you mean gone…?"

"Gone as in left the village," he explained.  "Sometime last night.  Hokage-sama has ordered me to assemble a team and go after him."

"Go after him…?  I don't understand!" Naruto dragged a hand through her messy blonde locks.  "Where has he gone to?!"

"Otogakure," Shikamaru answered grimly.  The blonde's expression blanked; she didn't understand.  "That's where Orochimaru is…"

That did it.  "Son of a bitch!" the blonde exclaimed fiercely, slamming her fist against the worn, door frame.  "I'm going with you!  When are you leaving?"

Shikamaru paused half a second, regarding the way she seemed to be buzzing with anger.  "As soon as possible."

--

Naruto dressed in record time and before long they were sprinting through the village in search of more genin to add to their team.  Their trek lead them through the merchant square to one of the large residential areas.

Judging by the direct route the shadow user seemed to be leading them on, Naruto assumed he had a specific genin in mind.  "So who is it were looking for?" she asked.

Shikamaru smirked at her.  "Akimichi Chouji, who else?"

She faltered.  "Chouji…?  Are you sure?" The Akimichi boy was her friend, but she remembered how frightened he been when faced up against oto-nin.  Would he really be up to this task?

"Yeah," he answered.  "Me an' Chouji are teammates; we know each other's strengths and weaknesses, so we work well together."

Although she still felt a bit doubtful, she didn't object.

When they arrived at his home residence, Shikamaru reached into his pouch and pulled out a bag of chips.

Naruto stared.  "Um… Shikamaru…?"

"They're potato chips," he answered.  "Barbecue flavored."

Her brow ticked.  "I can see that…" she muttered.  "What the hell are you doing?"

"Eating them," he responded, as if the answer were obvious.  He held the bag out for her to start eating as well.

"And *why* are we eating them?" she asked.

Shikamaru smirked.  "Just watch," Between the two of them the bag was quickly emptied, and before long they were down to one last chip.  The blonde stared at him, waiting for him to eat it.  Instead, he only grinned.

"Shikamaru… what the--?"

"HOLD IT!" The front shoji to the Akimichi residence slid open with a bang, and a figure burst out and snatched the potato chip out of his grasp.  Sliding to a stop in the early morning light, he held up his trophy exultantly.

"HA!  The last potato chip is mine!" the boy crowed, before popping it into his mouth.

The newly appointed chuunin merely smirked.  "'Mornin', Chouji."

Naruto stared at the two boys, her expression incredulous.  'There's gotta be a better way of waking up a deep sleeper…'

"So," Chouji grinned.  "What's up with you two?"

"We've got a mission," Shikamaru.  "You're coming along, so suit up."

"A mission?"

The Nara boy explained the details of the mission to his teammate, much like he had to the blonde.  The Akimichi boy's eyes widened in surprise.  "Sasuke…?  Wow… I never would'a guessed."

Neither Naruto or Shikamaru commented on that.

"So," the boy went on.  "Who else are you adding to the team?"

"How about Shino?" Naruto suggested.  "He's pretty strong, plus he's a good tracker."

"Hate to break it to ya," The three young ninja turned, spotting Inuzuka Kiba as he walked towards them.  Akamaru was perched atop his head, his little tail wagging in greeting.  "Shino's out on a mission with his dad." He paused, a feral grin spreading across his face.  "Me an' Akamaru would be more than happy to go along though."

"Arf!"

"You're sure?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, I heard the details," the wild boy answered.  "Sounds like you're gonna need every bit of help you can get."

"Fair enough," the chuunin responded, turning back to the others.  "Hurry up and get ready, Chouji," The boy nodded and retreated back into his home to get dressed.  "We've gotta get moving."

"So it's just gonna be the five of us?" Naruto asked.

"Unless we come across any more takers on the way to the village gates," Shikamaru replied.  "We don't have a lot of time – we have to catch up to Sasuke before he crosses the border."

"Why's that?"

Shikamaru frowned.  "If he crosses over into Sound, he's as good as lost to us."

--

"Are you sure this is wise?"

Lee paused in his trek down the stairs, turning his attention to the taller boy assisting him.  "Absolutely," he said.  "Soon I will be given the go ahead to resume my training.  I need to rebuild my endurance as quickly as possible."

Neji regarded the other boy briefly before nodding his head in acquiescence. "Very well,"

The pair continued their trek in silence before the recuperating taijutsu master spoke again.  "Is there something troubling you, Neji-kun?" he asked.

"No," the Hyuuga boy responded.

The dark haired boy was silent a few moments.  "I see," he began.  "I assumed you might have been upset that you were not the person I chose as my first sparring partner once I am back up to full strength."

Neji inwardly rolled his eyes.  "It does not matter to me who you choose to fight," he said.  "So long as you are able to perform your duties as a member of Team Gai."

"Of course!" Lee agreed.  

"Although…" Although he could feel his teammate's questioning glance, Neji kept his gaze straight ahead.  "I am curious as to why you chose Uzumaki to be your first opponent."

"Because of a promise," Lee answered.

"Hn?"

"Have you forgotten?  That moment during the first round in the Chuunin Exams?"

He remembered her standing there in the middle of the floor, eyes sharp and bright with righteous anger at the injury that had befallen her classmate.  However, when the time had come for him to fighter, her expression had changed to that of excitement.

~ "Hey, Lee!  I'm lookin' forward to facing a fellow Genius of Hard Work in the Finals. So good luck!" ~

The blonde had acknowledged him as a fighter of considerable strength.  She'd believed in his abilities and had looked forward to testing them against his own.

And then he'd lost…

"I was told that I would never be a ninja again…" he murmured quietly, remembering the desolation he'd felt at the prognosis.  He'd felt as if his life was ending.  "And yet she still believed in me."

~ "You're an amazing ninja, Lee.  You've worked so hard to reach your level despite all the odds against you.  You can't give up now, you just can't!" ~

~ "Just be strong, don't doubt, and have faith in yourself.  It may take a while, but you can do it!"  She grinned.  "Rock Lee will be a ninja again - believe it!" ~

Lee smiled faintly in memory.  "And what's more, she helped bring Tsunade-sama back to the village," he said.  "Were it not for her, I would never have been able to receive the operation, let alone survive it." He paused, closing his eyes.  "For that, I owe Naru-san a great debt… That is why I wish to show her… that her belief and dedication were not in vain.  That I, Rock Lee, will become the great Green Beast once again!"

"I understand."  Lee blinked, glancing over at his teammate curiously.  "Or rather… I believe I am…"

Silence fell between them once again, punctuated only by the sound of Lee's crutch occasionally tapping against the stone steps.  "There is something I have been meaning to ask you…"

Neji glanced at the other boy.  "Yes?"

"When you fought Naru-san…  What was it like?"

Pale moon eyes widened in surprise at the question, and several moments passed before the boy could formulate an answer.  He remembered the look on her face as she stood over him.  "It was like…" Those blue eyes stood out in his mind.  "It was like waking up…"

'Neji…' As they reached the final step on the staircase, Lee stared at his teammate in disbelief.  He hadn't expected the Hyuuga to answer, let alone in such a way.  Had their fight had such an impact on him?  Before he could open his mouth to ask him, however, a flash of orange caught his eye.  "Naru?"

Uzumaki Naruto, accompanied by Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Inuzuka Kiba (and Akamaru) running by them.  At the sound of her name being called, the blonde looked up, her eyes widening in surprise as she skidded to a stop.    "Lee?" she blinked.  "Lee!" She ran up to him, a wide grin threatening to split her face in two.  "The surgery worked?"

He nodded, grinning back.  "Very well," he answered.  "Soon I will be able to resume my training."

"That's so great!"

"Naruto…" Shikamaru called out.  "We gotta keep moving."

Neji watched the grin slip from the blonde's face, replaced by an angry scowl.  "Something has happened?" he asked.

"It's Sasuke…" she answered.  "He's gone."

"Gone?" Lee echoed.

"Sasuke has left the village," Shikamaru answered.  "Hokage-sama has ordered us to track him down and bring him back.  We need any able-bodied genin available – there's no telling what we're gonna run into."

Lee froze; there was no way he could go.  Once again he would have to watch while others moved forward while he stayed behind.  'Will I ever be able to catch up…?'

He took a deep breath, before turning to his teammate.  "You should go with them, Neji-kun," he said.

The Hyuuga glanced over at him.  "Are you certain?"

He nodded.  'I would only hold you back…'

"Okay then," Shikamaru replied.  "Let's get a move on to the gate."

The others nodded and took off.

"Neji," Lee called.  The Hyuuga stopped, glancing back at him.  "Look after her?"

Neji nodded.  "I will."

--

"Alright, guys!" Naruto crowed as the group made their way to the large gates at the front of the village.  "Let's get a move on!"

"Easy," Shikamaru grumbled.  "We're not just rushing out there without a plan.  Since this is a rescue mission with a high probability of an ambush, we need to proceed in a formation that will ensure that we're able to react to any sort of attack."

"What did ya have in mind?" Kiba asked.

"We'll use a single-line formation," the Chuunin answered.  "You and Akamaru will start us off."

The dog ninja blinked.  "Us?"

Shikamaru nodded.  "You and Akamaru are no doubt very familiar with the forest terrain surrounding the village and with your keen sense of smell you should be able to track Sasuke's scent.  What's more, with two sets of eyes you'll better be able to spot anything that comes at us head on – including booby traps."

Kiba nodded.

"I'll be taking the position behind you," Shikamaru went on.  "I can give orders on the situation from behind Kiba and anyone behind me can see my hand signals."  He turned to the blonde beside him.  "You'll take the third position, Naru.  You can react quickly to changes in the situation, so you'll be able to provide support to those in front of you and behind you.  The fact that you've got use of Kage Bunshin is another plus.  

"Following behind Naru is Chouji.  I know you don't have the speed, but you've got the strength and the hitting power that'll come in handy.  If there's a skirmish, Kiba and Naru will create the opening and then you'll swoop and finish the job.  Got it?"

Chouji nodded.  "You can count on me, Shikamaru!"

His teammate nodded back, turning to the newest addition of their group.  "The final position will be filled by Neji," he explained.  "It's the most difficult position, but with your Byakugan, you'll be able to detect anything or anyone attempting to attack us from the rear."  

'Amazing…' Lee awed as he approached the group.  'He was able to come up with a formation suitable to the group's individual strengths so quickly…'

"Now before take off," Shikamaru went on.  "I just wanna make something clear – Sasuke is not my friend.  Hell… I can't even say that I like the guy."

The others gawked at him surprise.  

"Still, he's a shinobi of the Leaf… and we take care of our own.   If we have to risk our lives to get him back, then so be it." He regarded the others with a serious expression.  "You guys may think I'm lazy, but I'm letting you know now that I'm in charge of this mission.  Your lives are in my hands, so I'm gonna make damned sure we all make it out of this in one piece."

The others nodded resolutely.

"Very well," Neji said.  "We should do a weapon check before we head out."

"Agreed," Shikamaru murmured.  "Everybody take your weapons out."

Naruto drew out her weapons pouch, opening it up to reveal the numerous bombs, paper tags, and wire spools contained within.  Neji and Shikamaru continued to discuss strategy, but her mind was miles away.

'Sasuke really left the village…' Her hands trembled as she clutched the straps of her pouch tightly.  'How… Why would he…?' She shook her head.  'Why would he go to him?  Why would he betray the village?'

Images of the Snake Sannin flashed through her mind's eye, and she felt a sharp rush of anger.  

~ "He's gonna come back…" ~ Sakura had whispered in fear.  ~ "He'll come back and try to take Sasuke-kun away-" ~

'No…' Naruto thought savagely to herself.  'I won't let him get a hold of Sasuke!'

"Wait!  Naruto!"

The blonde glanced up along with the others, spotting the pink haired kunoichi jogging towards them.

"Sakura-san…?" Lee called out.

"Neechan…?"

Shikamaru let out a sigh.  "I'm sorry, Sakura," he murmured.  "But you can't come with us.  You gave it your best shot, but Sasuke wouldn't listen to you." The girl flinched, but he pressed on.  "Now it's up to us to bring him back – by any means necessary."

Naruto frowned at his words.  "What does he mean?" She glanced back at her fellow kunoichi, her gaze questioning.  "You tried to stop Sasuke…?"

Sakura looked away, guilt in her eyes.

The blonde stared.  "He hurt you…" she whispered.  "Didn't he…?"

Tears gathered in the other girl's eyes, but she didn't answer.

"Sakura-san…" Lee began.

"Damn it…!" Naruto snarled, clenching her fists at her sides.  The old anger and resentment was returning once again.  Here was a boy who could have anything he wanted, be anything he wanted… the entire village idolized him, and yet he was going to throw it all away!

'That stupid, selfish, arrogant, son of a bi--!'

"Naruto…" Sakura called out.  The blonde glanced up at her, stilling at the tears threatening to run down her cheeks.  "Please… I'm begging you… Please bring Sasuke back…"

The other kunoichi reared back in surprise.  "Wha--?"

"I tried…" Sakura went on.  "I tried to get him to stay… but he wouldn't listen to me… I couldn't get him to see…"

There was something in her eyes, something the way she spoke…  Naruto was no expert, but somehow she knew.  "You told him your feelings…" she murmured.  "Didn't you…?"

"I couldn't reach him…" Sakura sobbed.  "I couldn't save him…" She glanced up at Naruto, her green eyes pleading.  "The only one who can… is you."

Naruto blinked.  "Me…?"

~ "But I can't do anything… Every time, it's been you by his side... fighting the enemy... it's your strength that's..." ~

~ "I know, but… I know there's more to him than that.  He acts so cold, but I've seen moments where he was gentler… kinder…" ~

~ "I know deep down he's really lonely.  It's not fair that he should have to become an Avenger… he shouldn't have to push everyone away just to achieve his goal! We're his teammates aren't we?  We're supposed to help each other!" ~

~ "I know you and he don't get along very well – for whatever reason – but… we have to look out for each other… all three of us." ~

The pink-haired girl grasped her hand, squeezing it desperately.  "Please, Naru… Please bring Sasuke-kun back to me!"

There was a brief stretch of silence before the blonde spoke.  She was recalling that time at the inn, where Sakura had spoken of what it meant to have a crush.  

~ "Well... let's see... You meet someone who you think is interesting... whether you think they're brave, or smart, or kind... you like spending time with this person and you're happy, excited, whenever they're near.  You want to do whatever you can for this person to keep them happy... because when they're sad, you're sad too..." ~

How could a person feel so strongly for someone, when it seemed clear that those feelings weren't returned?  She hadn't really understood it and she certainly didn't now, but what she did know was the girl's feelings were strong.  As her friend, she couldn't let them be destroyed; not by Sasuke, and certainly not by the likes of Orochimaru.

For someone she cared about to lose someone precious to them… She couldn't – she wouldn't allow it.

"Sakura," she called out.

The pink-haired girl glanced up at her in surprise.

"I'll bring Sasuke back home to you," she murmured quietly.  Lifting her head, she fixed bright blue eyes on her teammate.  Raising her arm, she gave her a thumbs up as she loudly exclaimed, "That's a promise of a lifetime!"

~ End Chapter 42