Darkest Before Dawn

The In-Between Period

   Word had spread quickly about the contestant that plowed through the first portion of the Jounin Exams like it was nothing more than a child's game. When Naruto had caught wind of it, he immediately stopped what he was doing and confronted Sakura on her front porch.

   "Sakura-chan! My tou-san told me that you were the one who completed the test in fifteen minutes! Is that true?!"

   She nodded.

   "Really?! You're so cool, dattebayo! When I took the test, it took me an hour and a half and teme took fifty minutes! You really need to tell me how you did that!" he exclaimed. Naruto looked at her expectantly with shining blue eyes. She tried to resist his puppy stare, but she relented.

   "Alright, alright." she sighed, "Come in, I just made some cake."

   Sakura stepped aside and let him in. Once Naruto stepped through the threshold, he looked around the two-story house in wonder. Just then, he realized that he never once had been in her house when they were younger, and after a few moments of looking around, he was kind of glad that this was his first time here.

   The house was painfully empty. There were couches, chairs, tables, and a TV as well as a fully stocked kitchen, but it was void of any sort of personality. The furniture was gray and the walls were white. There were no pictures at all, and really, this place looked more like a hotel room then a normal home. Sakura was cutting a delectable piece of chocolate cake in the kitchen.

   "So, what did you want to talk about?" she asked as she placed a slice of cake in front  of him.

   "I wanna know how you figured out that test so fast! Tou-san said this year it was a genjutsu that you had to... die... in, and he was sure that it would take a long time for everyone to figure out. You didn't let them kill you, right?"

   "Of course not." Sakura said, popping a piece of dessert in her mouth. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.

   "I killed myself."

   He choked. Before he could send her his barrage of concerned questions, she held up her hand and explained herself.

   "Listen first, Naruto." she said, "When I was a rogue for five years, I did plenty of jobs for Amegakure. There, I was able to pick up a couple of techniques from the locals. One of them specifically was the genjutsu used in the exam, Daaku Yuuyo. The only way to dispel is was to die, so I did it."

   Naruto grew silent.

   "... Oi... Sakura-chan?"

   She looked up.

   "What is it?"

   "What happened to you?"

   She sighed softly and averted her eyes. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but the sound of the door opening was a welcome distraction. Both Naruto and Sakura stood and walked to the living room.

   "More people, Sakura-chan?! Who the hell is this one?!" he shouted, pointing towards the doorway, "And why is he not wearing a shirt?!"

   "Like that's your fucking business, blonde and bitchy." the stranger snarked, carelessly tossing his pack onto the couch. Naruto growled.

   "I don't need the both of you scrappin' in my house, you got that? I already had to deal with another fight not too long ago." Sakura warned, glaring at the two. The stranger raised his hands up defensively.

   "Alright, alright, chill. I'll leave Little Miss Sunshine alone."

   "Hidan."

   "I'm done!"