AND BACK AGAIN [ NARUTO ]

[ 20 ] kakashi-sensei

previously. . .

Sasuke blinked and opened his eyes to the training field. The memories faded as Naruto gently withdrew his hand, but tendrils of the voice--his voice--trailed behind.

He wasn't sure when Naruto left him alone, or how long he stood there. His mind was a million miles behind, trying hopelessly to catch up to everything, so he stayed put.

Eventually, Team 7 found him standing in the middle of a crater, absolutely dumbfounded. Sakura glanced nervously at his cursemark and Naruto pestered him uneasily about making a mess of their training field while Kakashi led them back to the village.

What did it all mean?

///\

"Our thanks, Naruto-san, Hyuuga-san." An elderly man bowed his head as far as it would go. His wife clung to his side, watching as a pair of jounin took their son away on a stretcher.

Naruto put a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "No problem, Ojisan! Your son is pretty strong, he'll definitely recover with the Hokage's help."

With a final 'thank you,' the couple retreated to the other shinobi on the scene to answer questions. Naruto watched them go, forcing his smile to last. They were a sweet couple from what he'd gathered, considering they were allowing themselves to get within five feet of his whiskered face in this timeline. He wasn't Konoha's Hero here, son of the great Yellow Flash, head of the war.

Their openness with him was refreshing, but the feeling drifted away all too quickly.

Naruto was frustrated. When he thought about the people still suffering in this village and his lack of leads, memories of his training flashed through his mind. Like trying to pop a water balloon with chakra for the first time or absorbing nature energy without turning into a frog, a burning impatience bloomed in his chest. Once upon a time, he had to learn the rasengan in three days to bring back Konoha's newest Hokage and train for Sage Mode to save his home. Now he was carrying similar burdens but with no one to guide him. Who was doing this?

Akatsuki, a voice in the back of his mind whispered.

But what am I supposed to do about it? He couldn't just track down every member of the scattered group in hopes of finding one that was controlling villagers. Every member of that twisted group had their own motives, he wouldn't know where to start.

It might be easier if this had actually happened in his past.

Naruto had to fix this. Like Tsunade-baachan said, "every second we let infected villagers run around we endanger innocent people a second more." Time was ticking, and it was Naruto's job to defuse the bomb.

"Yo, Naruto!" One of the jounin held up a hand. "We're heading out, Hiroto said he's got the report!"

Naruto nodded his thanks and waved goodbye as a team of medic-nin rushed off with the latest victim's unconscious form. He felt the tensing of muscles beneath his hand and realized it was still resting on Hinata-chan's shoulder. When he removed it, she didn't even stutter an awkward acknowledgment or duck away or anything, she just kind of stared at the ground.

Naruto followed her gaze to see the remains of the paper bomb he'd once again taken out of range earlier in the scuffle. Was she scared? No, she'd been helping evacuate the area and hadn't been anywhere near the explosion. Plus, they'd taken down a few victims together already and it wasn't like she didn't use her own paper bombs in training.