Naruto Shippuden: The Legendary Team

Chapter 13 - Intermission 03: Mission, Success or Failure?!

"...Can we see each other again?"

Team 7 stood near the gates of Suna, already prepared to leave. Gaara and his siblings were there to see them off.

"Of course!" Naruto responded, grinning and sending a thumbs up. "You can count on it, dattebayo~!"

"Looks like he doesn't know that you can communicate with him anytime now," Kurama told him in his mind, which made Naruto's smile grow wider.

Gaara managed a smile. "R—Really...?"

"It was nice to meet you," Temari said cordially. "I hope you have a pleasant trip back home."

Kankuro gave a half-hearted wave. "See ya."

"Well, this is really goodbye," Naruto said fondly, stepping towards Gaara and extending a hand towards him. "I'll write to you!"

There was only a brief hesitation on Gaara's part before he gratefully shook Naruto's hand, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Naruto... thank you." Gaara smiled. "Thank you... for being my friend."

Naruto's eyes widened.

Then he grinned.

"No problem! We'll always be friends!"

• • •

They left Suna almost immediately, though their pace was slow, almost lazy. The desert was as hot as ever, but they managed to cross it without any unnecessary delays.

"Oi, oi…" Naruto whispered when they finally arrived at a forest, beckoning his teammates to come closer.

Sakura, curious, obeyed. Sasuke, on the other hand, did reluctantly, somehow knowing that this was going to be another one of Naruto's lame, always unsuccessful pranks.

"What is it?" he asked grudgingly.

"Aren't you two at all curious about what's under Kakashi-sensei's mask?!" Naruto exclaimed, still whispering so as to not get overheard by their busily reading sensei.

Sakura's eyes shone in intrigue. "Y—Yes!" she squeaked out. "I've always wondered what his real face looks like…"

Sasuke sighed. "This is stupid." He had gone through this mysterious quest quite a few times before and they always didn't succeed. It was as if every deity was on Kakashi's side, not allowing anyone to see what was under that stupid mask of his. Sasuke was curious, of course, but he was not about to embark on some useless quest like that again. They would only lose face and Kakashi would always be the victor.

But Naruto was having none of it. He moved closer to Sasuke, whispering conspiratorially, "Aren't you curious at all? What if he has… a large pimple on his chin? No teeth inside his mouth? What if he…" Naruto grinned like a Cheshire Cat. "…secretly wears lipstick?"

The hairs on Sasuke's arms stood up at the ends.

"Or maybe… he's—"

"All right, fine!" Sasuke relented, still shivering slightly from the imagery. "How do we take off that stupid mask?"

Naruto grinned mischievously.

• • •

Kakashi strode down a particularly rocky path, still immersed in the contents of the page he was currently on. There was nothing suspicious in the vicinity at a four-mile range, so his posture was slack, relaxed. His students were walking behind him, seemingly having a conversation with one another.

It was nice that they were really getting along with each other; having a strong bond early on would yield impressive, long-term results. He, on the other hand, had a slightly difficult time being close to them. It wasn't as if he disliked them; in fact, he was very fond of them. But there were still some things he needed to confirm. Naruto and Sasuke were slightly suspicious, especially the latter ever since he officially met up with Team 7, while Sakura seemed normal and clueless. There was something obvious going on here, and he had to find out no matter what.

Though deep inside he knew that he was already close to unravelling the truth…

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called out, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Can you pick me up?"

"…What?" Kakashi said dumbly, his book forgotten in the midst of his confusion.

Naruto held out his arms imploringly, pouting cutely up at his uncle. "Kakashi-sensei, please? I wanna be held by you just this once!"

"Naruto," Kakashi tried gently, "you're not a child anymore. You're a genin now, and—"

"I don't care," Naruto insisted stubbornly. "Just this once, Kakashi-sensei! Please please pleeeaaaase?!" Using his ultimate weapon, he brought out his famous puppy-dog eyes, ultimately known for its effectiveness in persuasion. "Please, Uncle Kakashi?"

Kakashi swallowed, perspiring slightly. "But…"

"Me, too, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said jubilantly, smiling in an adorable manner. "Please hold me along with Naruto!"

Kakashi's eyes almost bugged out of their sockets. "Eh?! You too, Sakura?" He then stared at Sasuke hopefully, knowing that he would never ask for something so embarrassing as this.

Unfortunately, Sasuke was gazing at him closely, his arms also stretched out expectantly. "...Just this once, Kakashi."

How the boy managed to sound so calm and nonchalant about it while still sporting an obvious humiliated blush on his cheeks went beyond Kakashi's comprehension.

But — oh, gawd — they were so cute!

"C'mon, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto pleaded. "We're not gonna be seven years old forever, you know!"

Kakashi's mind spun. This was the most ridiculous request he had ever gotten from his team. What on earth did he do to deserve this? He had never really held children before; that time with baby Naruto only happened once and never happened again. But now his three genin students were asking him to carry them in his arms. What was he supposed to do?

"…A—All right," he conceded hesitantly, slowly hoisting the three of them in his arms. "Just this once."

Sakura squealed in delight, wrapping her arms around Kakashi's neck. Naruto laughed happily, grabbing at Kakashi's vest, while Sasuke merely contented himself with folding his arms across his c.h.e.s.t.

Ahh, so cute, Kakashi mused to himself as he gazed at his small, innocent students.

It was then that Naruto spoke up.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei," he said, "what's under that mask of yours?"

Sasuke and Sakura not-so subtly stared at their teacher's face, waiting for his answer.

Kakashi sweatdropped. "Uh… why do you want to know?" He was starting to regret picking them up.

"We're curious!" Naruto grinned. "Can we please see your face, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi pretended to look thoughtful. "…No."

Naruto was not deterred. "What? Yes? All right!" he cheered, making a quick grab for the mask.

His movement caused a chain reaction. Sasuke and Sakura grabbed Kakashi's arms, impeding his movements, while Naruto, who was conveniently at their middle, gleefully snatched the material.

Kakashi's eyes were wide in horror. Cute, but very dangerous students, indeed!

"A—ha!" Naruto said triumphantly, sailing the cloth over his head. "Now let's see what you look like — HUH?!"

Kakashi laughed chirpily. "Ahaha… Well, behind that mask is… another mask!" he revealed cheerfully.

Naruto growled. He snatched the mask again, only for another mask to be revealed behind it. The same was said for his fifty-sixth attempt.

"HOW THE HELL DO YOU HAVE SO MANY MASKS ON YOUR FACE, KAKASHI-SENSEI?!" Naruto cried out in frustration, horror, and awe.

Kakashi laughed. "Well, you see, I—"

"AUGH! I GIVE UP!" Naruto said in defeat.

Sasuke and Sakura deflated in disappointment.

Kakashi moved to set them down, but all three refused, even Sasuke. Kakashi could not find it in himself to deny that even the quiet Uchiha prodigy looked incredibly cute with his stubborn, pouty expression and doubted that Sasuke himself realized what he was doing.

"No! We won't walk by ourselves unless you show your face!" Naruto declared adamantly, gripping Kakashi's shoulders like a lifeline. Sakura did not even loosen her grasp around Kakashi's neck. It even resulted in an awkward tangle of limbs, but both did not mind. Sasuke was the only one who didn't grab anything, but even his stance was guarded.

"…You do realize that you three are heavy, right?" Kakashi deadpanned.

"You're an elite jōnin." To his surprise, it was Sasuke who spoke. "You can handle carrying three seven-year-olds at once." Sasuke eyed him almost mockingly. "Why? Can't do it?"

Naruto internally cheered, hysterical laughter threatening to break out of his lips. 'Sasuke's really getting into this! Hahahaha!'

"…" Kakashi heaved a long, heavy sigh.

This was going to be a long day.

• • •

"I'm bored~" Naruto complained, leaning the back of his head against his folded arms. The movement was naturally going to cause his balance to reduce since he was just being carried, but Kakashi adjusted his arm grip and position on the boy so he wouldn't fall off.

Kakashi sighed, a small sweatdrop forming at his temple. 'He's being too carefree with himself…'

"So, Kakashi," Sasuke spoke up, his tone even. "It slipped my mind, but I don't remember asking you how you got that Sharingan."

Sakura jolted in surprise. 'That's right!' She immediately turned to Kakashi, eager for his response. It was completely rare for someone outside of the Uchiha Clan to have a Sharingan. Perhaps it was a transplant?

"Ah, this?" Kakashi said nonchalantly, yet there was an underlying softness and something rueful hidden in his tone. "It was given to me… by a dear friend. Your father, Fugaku, allowed me to have it despite a few protests from his clan members. He wanted to respect the honour of the Uchiha who gave it to me."

Sasuke went silent.

"Who was your friend, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked tentatively.

Kakashi sent her a small smile. "His name was Uchiha Obito. He was my former teammate. Before he died, he entrusted his Sharingan to me." He let out a somewhat nostalgic sigh before setting the three of them down. "Anyway, let's rest up here. I'll go check around the area once more. You three stay here, all right?"

• • •

When Kakashi left, the three of them were left to their own devices. Naruto approached Sasuke while Sakura was reading another scroll.

"I still say we go with it!" Naruto insisted passionately.

Sasuke tried his best not to cringe. "And I'm saying this again," he deadpanned. "It's a bad idea."

"Aw, c'mon! What have we got to lose?"

"I won't lose anything," Sasuke said simply. "You, on the other hand, will lose your life after this if she finds out."

Naruto swallowed at that, his imagination taking him places. "B—B—But it's worth a try, right...?"

• • •

"Sakura."

Sakura turned around, her eyes wide. "...Sasuke-kun?" she said, surprised.

Sasuke, with his hands inside his pockets, tried not to show how uncomfortable he still was with Naruto's idea.

That idiot better be the only one to face the consequences after this...

"...I need to show you something," he finally said.

Sakura blinked. "Show me something...?" she repeated. "What is it?"

Sasuke beckoned her over. "Come with me."

Sakura, still a little confused, followed after him, lagging behind. She wondered what he was going to show her, and at the same time, she felt a bit fl.u.s.tered that Sasuke himself was attempting to spend time with her. It felt a little like a dream.

Sasuke led her to an area not too far away from their original position. It was surrounded by what seemed to be one of the largest and thickest trees, their dominating heights blocking the sun, thus making the vicinity a lot dimmer than normal. She backed up a bit because of the compressed space, but swallowed back her tiny fear and trusted Sasuke.

When he stopped and turned around to face her, she was suddenly aware of how close they were. He had never been this close to her physically before, especially when he was the one initiating it. He had always kept her and Naruto at a somewhat impersonal distance apart even though all four of them, including Kakashi, had always been together these past few months.

Sasuke took a deep breath before speaking. "Sakura," he said in a low tone of voice. "I... need to tell you something."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat and she swallowed. Suddenly, all she could see was Sasuke.

"Y—Yes...?"

Before Sasuke could open his mouth, however, a figure in a black coat swooped down from above, landing behind him. He wore an ominous-looking mask that immediately reminded her of scary bonfire stories and horrifying monsters hiding under her bed.

The figure gave an evil, completely eerie grin.

"BOO!"

And Sakura's world instantly faded to black.

"..."

Finally, Sasuke spoke. "You didn't have to wear a mask like that and scare her out of her wits so much that she fainted," he said flatly.

Naruto gulped, hurriedly taking off said mask from his face. "I—I just thought it would be a more effective scare!" he said. "...A—At least she was shocked! Maybe now her memories will come rushing in! Right?!"

Sasuke placed a hand over his face and tried not to groan. "...Where in the world did you get that ugly mask from, anyway?"

"Hey!" Naruto said, sounding offended. "It's not ugly! And it's Kankuro's old mask! He gave it to me the day before we left Suna!"

"...I'm not even going to ask why he has that kind of mask in the first place..."

At that moment, Sakura stirred. Naruto hurriedly hid the mask behind him and Sasuke tried his best to look casual.

"Wha..." She clutched her head. "What happened...?"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. "D—Don't tell me... You're back...?!"

Sakura's eyes grew wide as her vision focused on him. "...Naruto?" she uttered in surprise.

A wide grin stretched across Naruto's face and he cheered, flailing his arms in the air in his excitement. "Oh yeah! I did it! Sakura-chan's back!"

Sakura, despite herself, giggled slightly. "Naruto, what do you mean by..." Suddenly, she caught sight of the overly familiar-looking mask in his hand.

Naruto stopped his movements when he sensed a tense silence in the air. "What... What's wrong, Sakura-chan...?" he asked hesitantly, seeing the dark look on her face.

"...Hah..." Sakura took a deep breath before slowly cracking her knuckles. "...so you're the one who scared me half to death, huh...?"

"Wh—Wha...?" Naruto perspired excessively.

Sasuke watched with mild amus.e.m.e.nt as Naruto met his doom.

[Plan A, failure.]

• • •

"What's that scroll you're always reading?" asked Sasuke.

Sakura glanced at him in surprise. "Oh, this?" She giggled nervously. "Um... it's nothing important."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything more.

Naruto, however, despite the previous incident, was not to be deterred. "Hey, let's play a punching game!" he suggested.

"A... what?" Sasuke said, dumbfounded.

Sakura, still sore by Naruto's 'prank', only frowned in response.

"The one who punches the hardest wins!" Naruto exclaimed, gesturing towards the trees.

"...What's the point in that?" Sakura said.

"The winner gets treated by Sasuke!" Naruto said cheerfully without thinking.

"...Does that mean I treat myself if I win?" Sasuke deadpanned.

Naruto waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you want! C'mon, let's do it!"

Sasuke g.r.o.a.n.e.d. He's not even trying to be subtle at all.

Sakura hesitated. "I'm not good at anything physical, though..."

"You can do it, Sakura-chan!" Naruto encouraged before facing the tree before him, drawing back his fist with a challenging smirk. "Imma go first!"

When Naruto's fist collided with the trunk, he managed to make a medium-sized dent.

...with a small help from Kurama, but nobody needed to know that.

"Beat that, Sasuke!" Naruto said smugly.

"Hmph," Sasuke said before conjuring streaks of lighting in his hand and punching the tree with it, creating a hole.

"Wha — HEY! That's cheating!" Naruto complained.

"You never said we can't use any jutsu," Sasuke said nonchalantly, a smirk of his own curving his lips. "...dead-last."

'WHY YOUUU—!' Naruto had fire in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Sakura was still hesitating in front of her own tree.

"I... can't do it," she said.

Naruto went towards her immediately. "Sure you can, Sakura-chan!" he said, positioning himself before her. "Look, you do it like this," he added, facing the tree and about to draw back his fist.

'C'mon, Sakura-chan! Remember!'

Naruto continued on without thinking, "Just pretend the trunk is Sasuke's ugly face and—"

Suddenly, a small fist sailed past his head, hitting the tree with raw brute force and missing the side of his face by mere inches.

"What did you say about Sasuke-kun's face?" Sakura said sweetly.

[Plan B, success?]

• • •

"Still not giving up yet?" Sasuke asked with a wry smile on his face, trying to hide his amus.e.m.e.nt at Naruto's haggard-looking expression.

Naruto scowled at him. "No way! Plan C will have to wait till Konoha! Sakura-chan then won't know what hit her!"

"Either way, you'd still be dead."

While Naruto and Sasuke bickered, Sakura, who noticed their argument, shook her head and went back to her scroll. Kakashi, on the other hand, sighed at his students' behaviour.

He supposed that this was normal, after all.

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Meanwhile, in a mysterious hideout…

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"Do they remember?"

"I am not sure. The girl seemed to have no idea. I tried to permanently incapacitate her, but Uchiha Itachi interfered."

"Hmph. You probably released killing intent. You have always been sloppy."

"…"

"Are you sure they won't be getting in our way?"

"The spies I placed in Konoha are still observing them. They didn't report anything suspicious."

"They are hailed as part of the talented generation. They can sense your 'spies' if you are not careful."

"…I will be careful."