THE WILL OF FIRE: 2. The Phoenix (A Naruto Fanfic)

The Phoenix, Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

I was just cleaning up my house a little when Naruto dropped by. Ever since the Five Elements Seal’s been placed on both of us we had a little trouble sensing each other’s emotions.

“Can we talk?” he asked, making himself comfortable on my sofa.

“Might as well,” I said and climbed of the ladder-I was in the middle of getting rid of some spider webs. “How’ve you been? I heard you made it to the third round!”

“Yeah it was really awesome!” he said with a huge grin, swinging back to his usual Naruto mode. “You should’ve seen Kiba’s face! He was soooooooooo angry!”

“Well congrats! I’m gonna buy you something as soon as I have the time.”

“Nah, you don’t have to. Besides, I should be buying you something! Congrats on becoming a Jōnin!”

“It’s no big deal. And I really wish it could’ve happened any other way.”

Uncomfortable silence fell over us. I returned to the webs and muttered, “Besides, Sakura wouldn’t want you hanging out with me.”

“Sakura didn’t see what I saw.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, when I got knocked out…I sorta…somehow got sucked inside your head. And I was stuck there until you collapsed.”

“Well, that’s…unusual. How much did you see?”

“Well, pretty much your entire fight with Orochimaru and your…”

“Was it bad?” Sasuke hadn’t given me a straight answer and I hoped Naruto would. But judging from the look on his face, that wasn’t going to happen.

“It was pretty bad.”

I sat on the sofa next to him and we both just stared into nothing. All kinds of possibilities raced through my mind.  

“Anyway, today is a special day!” he said, suddenly standing up. “I’m treating you to Ichiraku’s to celebrate!!!”

Turns out that the only time Naruto Uzumaki offered to treat someone to ramen, he actually didn’t have to. The Old Man Ichiraku (Naruto’s nicknaming was starting to rub off on me) heard I got promoted so the ramen was on the house.

“Say, say, Lily,” Naruto said, after he confirmed that the second round was on the house, too. “I think you should help me prepare for the last round.”

“I was thinking the same thing. But I’m still trying to figure out what to teach you.”

“Well, you could always do inside my head and give me pointers during the battle.”

“That’s cheating. I don’t support cheating.”

“Well, what can you teach me? Something that doesn’t involve our twin powers because that, in your opinion, is cheating.”

“It is cheating.”

“Well, whatever. I just need to get stronger!”

“I’m trying to think of something I could teach you but all I can do right now is unload a bunch of wisdom on you, but it won’t do you any good.”

“C’mon, there’s gotta be something!”

“What do you want me to do!? We probably don’t even have the same chakra properties despite being twins, and I’m not the one to teach you summoning…that’s it!”