The Flower at the End of the Tunnel

Chapter 12: Love

Naruto was in the hospital, turns out his new rasengan deals just as much damage to him as it did to Kakuzu. Shikamaru was also in the hospital but it was nothing serious, Ino had just visited him and they made their way to Naruto's room.

Ino opened the door and saw Naruto's arm all wrapped up.
"You idiot! You could've killed your self!" She yelled.
"Ino keep it down you're being a drag." Shikamaru said walking in behind her.
"So Shikamaru, did you kill the other Akatsuki member?" Naruto asked ignoring Ino.
"Well he can't be killed but, I buried him in the Nara clan forest so he'll be as good as dead sooner or later." Shikamaru replied, he lit up a cigarette and walked over to the window opening it, he exhaled the smoke.
"Ino I assure you I'm okay. I just can't use my new jutsu again." Naruto said giving her a reassuring smile.
"You better not or I'll personally see to you being a stay at home husband for the rest of your life!" Ino said, she didn't realise what she said until Naruto looked at her funny.
"You're already thinking about marriage Ino?" Shikamaru said still smoking out the window.
Naruto and Ino's faces turned a deep shade of pink, Shikamaru laughed at this.

...

"Why would Itachi leave clues?" Suigetsu asked.
"I don't know." Sasuke answered, he was just as puzzled as Suigetsu and the others.
They'd been travelling all over the Land of Fire for a while, Itachi was obviously trying to tire Sasuke out but it wasn't working.
Then it came into view, the old Uchiha compound. Kisame greeted them and said Sasuke was the only one who'd be aloud to enter, Suigetsu engaged Kisame in combat the Executioner's blade vs. Samehada.

"Sasuke. I've been waiting." Sharingan glared from the back of the dark room.
"Itachi, today you die!" Sasuke charged at him, blade in hand just like he did in the hotel hallway all those years ago. 
Itachi flickered from the chair he sat on, Sasuke came to a sudden halt as a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"You still do not possess the same eyes as me." Sasuke was shaking this could be the end.
"You're weak, but your eyes still prove of value to me." Itachi turned Sasuke around to face him. Sasuke broke free of his grip, Itachi slowly backed Sasuke up against the wall, Sasuke couldn't move he was in shock. Itachi reached out towards his little brother's eye and proceeded to remove it. Sasuke's screams were blood curdling, Itachi places Sasuke's left eye into a container.

"There's many things you still do not know about the Sharingan brother." Itachi stared Sasuke down as he tried to hold back the pain of having his eye removed, Sasuke managed to look at his brother with his remaining eye.
Sasuke woke up from his brothers cursed genjutsu, Itachi was still sitting in the chair Sasuke was in the same spot he was in when he entered.

"The Mangekyou has another stage?" Sasuke asked hesitantly.
"Yes. It has only been done once before, the merging of two family members Sharingan." Itachi stated, Sasuke was puzzled.
"So that's why you wanted me to come after you, just so you could take my eyes." Sasuke was furious. Sasuke flashed some hand signs and a blue ball of electricity appeared in his hand.

...

Jiraiya returned to the village but he said he wasn't staying for long. Naruto made the most of it by spending his time with him, telling him all about what happened.
"So my student has finally got a girlfriend even if you did force her to." Jiraiya said snickering.
"Pervy Sage that's not funny!" Naruto yelled, flailing his arms around.
"Naruto I'm heading out tomorrow, I want to let you know that watching you become stronger over these years has really made me happy." Jiriaya said, he knew his next mission would most likely be a one-way trip.
"You sound like your gonna die Pervy Sage!" Naruto said. They both laughed.
"Thank you Jiraiya, you've been the father I never had." Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes.

...

The next morning Naruto woke up greeted by the smell of bacon, "Why would an intruder come in and make breakfast?" He thought to himself. He walked out in his boxers, beanie and a kunai ready to attack his intruder.
"Naruto you're fin..." She was met by a half sleepy Naruto with a kunai at her stomach.
Naruto noticed what he did and immediately apologised. Ino laughed it off but noticed something, Ino glanced down to Naruto's boxers. Naruto noticed, "Shit, shit, shit WHY NOW!" Naruto bolted out of the kitchen leaving a happily shocked Ino in the kitchen.

A few minutes later a red faced Naruto walked back out into the kitchen sitting down at the table. Ino brang breakfast over, they didn't talk the whole time it was a very uncomfortable silence.
"Sorry about that Ino." Naruto said shakily.
"Why would you be sorry it's perfectly natural anyways it's not like I wasn't disappointed." She laughed at what she said, she laughed even more seeing Naruto go all red.
"I've got a free day today, how about we go do something?" Ino asked.
"Uh y-yeah okay." Naruto replied still embarrassed by her last comment.

The two showered (not together) and got dressed, Ino's belongings were starting to buildup at Naruto's place she practically lived there.
"Your hairs getting long." Ino said, she ran her fingers through his hair.
"Yeah, I should probably go get it cut soon." Naruto said, the top was a little bit longer and didn't stick up as much and his sideburns were longer as well.
"You look cute with your hair like that." Ino said then proceeded to kiss him on the nose.

...

"Sorry Sasuke... This is the last time." Sasuke was backed up against a wall his body battered and bruised, Sasuke's was mortified Itachi was so powerful. To his surprise Itachi didn't touch Sasuke's eyes, instead he gave him a forehead tap and collapsed to the floor.
Sasuke collapsed soon after the adrenaline had worn off he was in so much pain, his eyes changed from his normal Sharingan to something new. Sasuke passed out.

(This didn't happen a day after the last Sasuke paragraph, it happened the same day so technically it's a flashback but not really).

...

"Come on Naruto let's go to that shop!" Ino had dragged Naruto around for two hours from shop to shop.
"Ino ny legs are starting to give way." Naruto collapsed to the nearest chair as he walked into the store.
"You're such a baby, you know that?" Ino ran off to the dress section, smiling.
Naruto fell asleep on the chair he was pretty exhausted after all he was carrying four bags in each hand.
Ino flicked his forehead, waking the blonde boy instantly.
"Heyyy what was that for!" Naruto grumbled.
"We're going home because someone here is acting like a baby." Ino dragged him from the seat, he leaned down and grabbed the bags.

The two made their way back to Naruto's place, Naruto dropped the bags on the floor and the two blondes walked to the couch. Naruto needed to lay down so he rested his head on Ino's lap, "The best cushions!" Naruto thought to himself.
"You're such a baby, luckily for you it's adorable." Ino ran her fingers through his hair before rubbing his whisker marks, his body physically reacted to this he had a massive smile on his face.
Naruto looked up towards Ino his bright eyes observing her face, he loved every bit of her.
"I-Ino you're really stunning." Despite being a 'popular' girl she rarely received compliments this one gave her butterflies in her stomach.
"Shut up." Ino said playfully she was a deep shade of red.
"Hehe." Naruto closed his eyes and began to drift off.

...

"I can't handle this anymore, I should be happy Itachi is gone but all I feel is pain." Sasuke sobbed.
"Sasuke." An orange masked man emerged from the darkness before Sasuke
"I know the truth about Itachi and what he did." The man stated, he slid his mask to the side revealing a Sharingan alongside a scarred face.
Black flames set the man on fire as Sasuke looked at him. After about one minute the man returned, unscathed.
"He's smart I'll say that much." The masked man stated.
"The truth now!" Sasuke yelled.
"It all began..."

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Hey guys, hope you're all doing well. This chapter was a bit eh but anyways I don't think I'm gonna include a war arc it'll just take up too much time to write, I could just state the start and the end of the war. Anyways see you all next time, please leave feedback and have a good/day night.