Heroes [Naruto]

31 ; ACCEPTANCE

"That was a boring mission," Ushio commented, easily keeping up with the three ninjas' speed.

"Well, if it was anyone besides a Feudal Lord and a princess, it would be an easy C rank," Kotetsu said simply.   

"Well, whatever, it was good being out of the village for a while," she grinned widely, and Izumo threw an arm around her shoulder.

"Great way starting out your career as a Chunin, whining your ass off."

"Would you rather it if I cut off one of your chakra points permanently?" she asked with an innocent smile, making him freeze.

"Why, why, of course not, lovely Ushio-sama!"

"Shut up," Ibiki snapped. He was a tree ahead of them, keeping his distant from the bratty idiots, as he put it. Ushio pushed harder at that particular jump, landing next to him. "What is it, Ushio?"

"Ibiki-Legend, do you hate me?"

He looked at the small girl next to him, who was watching him with her bright hazel eyes. The darkness around them made almost everything disappear in the almost pitch black surrounding under the trees, but her light red hair stood out.

"You're annoying." he stated simply, "but you're a good kid, and a good ninja. Can't really hate you, actually kinda like you when you shut up."

Her whole face lightened up, a huge smile taking over her lips. 

"You won't hear another squeak from my lips until we get to the village, I swear!"

And he really hadn't. 

Ushio stayed silent the whole way back to the village, even going as far as ignoring Izumo and Kotetsu as they had a ridiculous fight over which Ramen was better. And that really made Ushio suffer from a short PTSD moment of each time Naruto's spoke about Ramen too much.

"Izumo! Kotetsu! You're replacing us at the gate in a few hours," Suzume yelled at the duo, as Anko ate a dango.

"Well, now that they're back at the village, I'm off." Anko announced, "Tsunade-sama told me to get to her office when Ibiki get back."

"Wait,am I supposed to stay here alone?!" the black haired Chunin yelled as the Jounin walked off, following the team.

The report about the mission was smooth, and Tsunade already followed it up with new missions for the four to do the next day. Ibiki and Anko would leave together in five hours (the look of despair and distress in Ibiki's eyes was so clear it almost made Ushio laugh. Almost), Kotetsu and Izumo were back to the Gates, and Ushio was to teach at the Academy until eleven a.m., when she'd get a new mission, with Kakashi, who was supposed to come back around then.

"Dismissed,"  she told the four, that went their separate ways.

►

"Heyooooo," Ushio cheered as she walked into Sasuke's hospital room. "No one would tell me where yall were, and I overheard some nurse talking 'bout an Uchiha in room 526," she shrugged. 

Sasuke raised his dark, cold glance to Ushio, before surprise took over his face.

"The Chunin flak jacket?" he wondered, making Ushio glance at her clothes. She went home when Tsunade sent her off, but once she heard from her mother that her friends were at the Hospital, she rushed out again, forgetting to change.

"Oh, yeah... Shikamaru and I were promoted a few hours ago," she shrugged. "It's really troublesome, to be frank." She plopped down on his bed, and he raised a weary glance towards her. "What? Do you not enjoy my lovely company?"

"I don't remember you quite so frank," he pointed out.

"Well, that's gonna sound creepy as hell, but..." Ushio laughed. "Before we were put on the team  together, I always used to think about you as my future husband-" his face paled- "Embarrassing, I know!" she laughed, waving it off. "But it's funny. The longer I've spent with you, the less I saw you as a person I'd like to marry, as a person I'd like to fall in love with. I know you probably like me as a teammate, but I love you, Sasuke, as a friend."

He stayed silent as he watched her.

She laughed, "see? It sounds creepy! But, I really care about you Sasuke. I know that Itachi-sama's killed your whole family and clan-" he flinched- "and I know that I, as a person who's lost no one important to her, have no right to even speak, but... You've got new people who care for you now, and I know it's not enough, but I'd like it if... maybe you coulda think of us as close enough friends... to help you heal the pain."

"Orochimaru's..." Ushio's eyes snapped to him, "he's chosen me. He's given me the opportunity for power."

She stood up, within a second grasping Sasuke's shoulders. "Sasuke, that's important, you've met Orochimaru?"

"At the Chunin Exam." he said flatly.

Her eyes roamed over his face, and words streamed out of her mouth so quickly he could barely grasp it. "Sasuke, I know this sounds tempting, the power he's giving you, but trust me, I know Orochimaru's chakra better than you think-- I'm an experiment by him, and I can tell you this much. You're wrong about..." the words choked in her mouth, "and Orochimaru could grant you power even I can't begin to think of, but beware, the power will be dark, and you'll use the Sasuke we love."

"I need--" Ushio stopped him with her hand, making him pause as he saw the look that crossed her face. It wasn't defeat; it was much more. It was a sad acceptance.

"I know you want to be stronger, Sasuke. And I know that if you decide that power is what you're looking for, at any cost, you'll leave and we won't be able to stop you, but... Sasuke, please remember that everything's not what it seems... 

"And that we'll always love you."