Time That Passes By

Chapter 18 - That's How It Should Be...

Third Person's POV

Sasuke has been looking at Naruto's progress time by time. Everytime he sees Naruto's progress, he felt something in him stirred. Jealousy, anger...

'how is he getting stronger?'

'I trained way harder than he did...'

'I have to be stronger, I have to kill him...'

Those were sasuke's thought.

Mai have been watching him, especially when Itachi came to the village. He did not receive any knowledge regarding Itachi, but even so, the darkness in him is starting to grow even more than usual.

She sat on one of the branches on the tree, hiding her chakra, watching Sasuke.

'I can't tell him now... I suppose I'll have to respect Itachi's wish for now... but Itachi's making a big mistake... I hope these two boys can realise their mistakes faster before something else happen. Of course, I'll step in before anything bad happen...' Mai thought as she sighs.

Mai jumped down from the tree.

Sensing someone, Sasuke turn around, throwing kunai at Mai. Mai caught the kunai easily.

"it's just me, Sasuke" she said.

"Hn" Sasuke calmed down a bit.

"Come on, let's go for lunch, you didn't eat yet did you?" Mai said, smiling.

"No thank you, I want to train more" Sasuke said.

Mai frown for a second then sigh.

"Okay then, but don't train so hard. We have a mission later" Mai said and went off.

Lately, they have been to higher ranked missions because of the casualty happen during Orochimaru's attack. Genins are given C-Ranked or B-Ranked, or even A-ranked missions. And Sasuke has been witnessing Naruto's growth.

'it's almost time...' Mai thought.

The next day, after they returned from their B-ranked mission, Sasuke got hurt badly, he was admitted in the hospital. Thinking he was really weak compare to Naruto. Sasuke glared at Naruto when he visited full of smiles and all.

Sasuke challenged Naruto to a fight and Naruto immediately agree. They went up the hospital roof and proceed to fight. Sakura who's been watching all this time look at them, scared, didn't know how to stop them. Just as they were using their final battle move, Sasuke using his Chidori, and Naruto using his Rasengan, Sakura buck up her courage and ran in between them, begging them to stop.

Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widen, they couldn't stop even if they want to. And in the split moment, Kakashi came and grab their hands, throwing them to the water tank. The water tank got destroy by their Jutsus.

Kakashi lecture them.

It was a sad moment for them all, all of the team members. Mai who has been watching all this time jumped down just after the boys went away. She went to Sakura who's crying and bring her to a hug.

"It's okay, Sakura... it's going to be okay..." Mai whispered.

"Mai-sensei... they...they were about to..." Sakura cried.

"I know..." Mai said.

"Mai, you've been watching them?" Kakashi ask.

Jiraiya too right there, listening.