Sasuke further had become enraged the first few weeks. After he came back from being sent away, he locked away his emotions and didn’t even bother to show emotions like anger or annoyance. He just seemed to brush everything aside. It was like he completely detached himself from all of his emotions. No could blame him. He just lost his first friend and rival after losing his entire family. Without Naruto, everything seemed the same. With Naruto there were shades of black and white, without him there was only gray. Naruto was his light and without him everything was dark. Without Naruto, Sasuke was dead. Sasuke had no reason to truly get stronger; he had no one to challenge him to do so. He wasn't even able to push himself for the thought of revenge on his brother he yearned so long for. Without Naruto to tell him that he could do much more, that the revenge on the path he was walking on was not necessary, he lost the will to walk that path. It seemed that he couldn't reach for the path he was walking on, the path towards Orochimaru, without telling him not too. It was ironic that Sasuke only stopped when there was no one to tell him to stop.

Konoha underwent a change. The air suddenly seemed depressing. The town grew quiet, too quiet. Everything was peaceful, yet too peaceful. Colors weren’t as vivid and vibrant. Everything seemed duller. The clouds weren’t white, just shades of gray that hid the sun almost everyday. Birds and animals seemed to sensed this. A few animals disappeared and at one point birds even stopped singing. There was something missing and only a few people knew...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter I: A Boy Named Shin

---------------

[[He’s here.]]

>You said that the last time.>

[[I’m sure he is here.]]

>Whatever you say, otouto. Whatever you say.>

----------------

Tsunade folded her arms, rested on the desk and then rested her head on her arms. Her tall piles of paperwork were forgotten. They could wait. Right now, she was tired. She felt older then she was. Everything had changed when Naruto disappeared. Right now the Chuunin Exams, third round was taking place. Tsunade didn’t really want to watch it so she disappeared into her office with thoughts of finishing off a few papers. She didn’t get very far.

She thought back to preliminaries rounds of the Chuunin exam. Once again there were too many people to advance to the final round. As she watched the preliminaries take place, Tsunade overheard a conversation take place between Gaara and his siblings. What they said was disturbingly true. She didn’t want to believe those words, but she knew they were truth.

=Flashback=

Gaara watched the battle take place below. Lee verses some genin from grass country. He already knew that Lee would win. Lee was the stronger of the two from the beginning. Gaara had trouble with Lee and that was a lot to say. Lee would win against this weak genin. Yet he noticed that something seemed lacking. His siblings seemed to agree with him. "There’s something wrong here," said Temari.

She too was watching the battle with great care. "Something has changed," she continued. "I agree," commented Kankurro. "And I haven’t seen that loud- mouthed blond brat yet."

The three genins from Sand didn’t spot Naruto as the Chuunin exam started. They knew he couldn’t have become a Chuunin. This was the first exam since the war broke out. There was the thought that he was killed in battle, but Konoha didn’t let their genins fight in the war.

"Yeah. Didja notice that this town is dead silent or the fact that everything here seems so duller, boring, almost dead," said Temari. Kankuro nodded. They all had noticed but they didn’t know why. What had happened in this village that used to be so filled with life?

"This town has no life," Gaara suddenly said. "It’s empty and dead." Temari and Kankuro nodded in agreement. Tsunade overheard the whole thing and strangely it sounded so true.

=End of Flashback=

Tsunade thought long and hard about this. It was true. Ever since Naruto disappeared everything just seemed dead. Ever since that day, she always felt tired no matter how much sleep she got. Gaara and his siblings spoke the truth. Konoha was a ghost town. Tsunade looked out the window. Everything seemed so quiet and the sky looked like it was ready to rain nearly everyday.

Tsunade peered the window, catching something strange. The dark clouds in the sky seem to disappear. They seemed whiter in fact. Even the sun seemed to shine brighter. How strange. Tsunade wasn’t given much time to ponder at it, for at that moment, there was a knock on her door. Besides, it was probably just a trick of the light. "

KNOCK!!! KNOCK!!!"

"Come in," said Tsunade wondering who it was. A shinobi rushed in. "Hokage- sama," he started quickly. "There’s someone outside the gates. He carries no passport, no identification, or symbol of a country, but he wishes to stay in the town. His name is Shin. What would you like me to do Hokage- sama?"

Tsunade stood up. What a wonderful excuse to leave the office. Besides, she was getting cramped in there. "Show me," she commanded, grabbing one of her coats. Everything seemed so tiring lately.

====

Tsunade looked at the visitor. ‘Now why is someone visiting here? All missions have been put on halt. He can’t be a genin for the Chuunin exams, it’s already started, and it’s rare for wanderers to just show up. The person had their back turn to her. All she saw was a black cloak with a black hood. "Hokage-sama," said one of the ninjas that were with the visitor.

The person looked back to see Tsunade. Tsunade was taken aback at the sharp sapphire eyes. She looked closer and saw tints of red mixed within them. A high tan scarf covered the bottom half of the face. Other then that, the black cloak hid the rest of the body and face. The person bowed to Tsunade. "It’s a pleasure to meet the Hokage on my first visit here," said the person.

The first thing that came into Tsunade mind was the person was a boy. Second thing, which stunned her, was how familiar the voice sounded. ‘It sounds so much like Naruto,’ thought Tsunade. ‘But it can’t be.’

"I understand you want to enter into the village, but carry no passport or identification," said Tsunade. The boy smiled behind his scarf and nodded. "Yes, I do. If that’s not too much trouble," he said politely.

‘He can’t be Naruto. Naruto would have called by obaasan already and the brat doesn’t have blue eyes with red in them,’ thought Tsunade sadly. Her hopes that had dashed at sound of this person’s voice, died quickly. "Shin right? Come into my office. We need to talk," said Tsunade.

Shin nodded again and followed Tsunade back to her office. It didn’t take them long to get back. Behind her desk once more and with Shin sitting in a chair in front of her, Tsunade began her paperwork once more, asking a few questions to Shin. "Why do you want to enter the village?"

Shin who watched quietly and patiently said, "I am searching for someone. I believe this person here in Konoha." Tsunade looked up from her paper work, slightly surprised at this. Why was this boy searching from someone? Was is for revenge or a missing family member/friend? "Who, may I ask," she said. There was a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. Shin laughed quietly noticing the flicker. "Curiosity often kills the cat, Hokage-sama. It's best I not tell you so you do not get mixed up in this mess. Besides, his true name is unknown, even to me," said Shin. "This man I’m searching for is very dangerous. He’s cruel, cunning, sly, smart, and will use whatever dirty tricks he knows to get the job done. No offense or anything, but compared to a lot of your shinobis, this man makes them look like children's toys. He may be in this village or he may be not. You could say he’s a killer."

Tsunade grew quiet. She thought about what Shin had just said. Was there really such a person wandering the streets of Konoha? Was this person as dangerous as Shin claimed he was? "Why are you looking for him then? You’re not a shinobi hunter are? You carry no symbol of a village," asked Tsunade. She studied the boy (teenager) in front of her. There was something about this boy, but Tsunade couldn’t put her finger on it. It was strange. It was like she knew who this boy was, but yet she didn’t know.

Shin’s sapphire and crimson eyes sparkled a bit. "You’re right. I’m not a shinobi hunter. I’m not even qualified to be one I think. I’m a wanderer, looking for a man. I don’t know for sure if he’s here or not but give me at least a month to check around."

Tsunade eyed him. With those words, this person could be suspected to be a spy. "Take off your cloak and scarf please. It’s getting annoying," she commanded. Surprisingly Shin complied. He drew down his hood and took off his cloak and then pulled down his scarf. What Tsunade saw stunned her speechless.

Underneath the black hood and tan scarf, was an all too familiar face. Spiky, unkempt yellow hair and tan skin with those whiskers that everyone hated so; Tsunade was looking at the mirror, older, image of Naruto. "Naruto," whispered Tsunade almost daring herself to say that name.

Shin looked at her confused. "No. I’m Shin," he said. 'Who was Naruto?' Tsunade sat down, that little flicker of hope dieing again. "Yes, of course. No, you just remind me of someone," she said. Shin looked at her completely confused.

Tsunade decided to change the subject there. She needed to get her mind off him. She pulled out a piece of paper, a temporary visitor’s form. "So what village do you come from," she asked. She didn’t meet Shin’s confused eyes. "I don’t know," said Shin finally answering. Tsunade frown but still didn’t look up. "Okay how old are you?" Shin’s answer surprised her again. "I think it’s 17 but I’m not too sure about that." Tsunade noted that down on the paper. "Your birthday?" Shin thought about it. "I don’t know that one for sure either, but I go by September 23rd."

Tsunade bit her lip. Okay this was getting really confusing. "Okay then. Full name." Shin paused. "Truthfully?" he asked. Tsunade looked up at him that time. "Yes," she said. Shin chewed on his lips as well. "I go by Shin, but my real name is also unknown." Tsunade’s frown grew bigger. "What do you mean by all these unknowns, not sure, and I-don’t-know, phrases," she asked.

Shin hesitated. "I really don’t know," he said. His expression grew very serious. "You see Hokage-sama. The reason why I’m after this man is because he stole something very important to me. What he stole, Hokage-sama, was my memory." Dead silence engulfed the room quickly.

====

Meanwhile

====

Sasuke watched the fight down below. No signs of interest or boredom were shown. He just seemed to stare. The fight continued onward.

Down below, Kankuro and Lee were fighting. Sasuke was pretty sure Lee would win. After all Lee was the faster of the two and there’s only so much that Kankuro do with his puppets against Lee’s speed. This battle would be over soon. At least, that’s what Sasuke thought. His battle for this round had already happened. Sasuke, of course, advanced. Now he was just waiting for the next round to occur.

Sakura watched her teammate from the audience. Once again she had failed to advance to the third part. She bit her lip. There was that look in Sasuke’s eyes again. That look of a boy who was lost. She had only seen it a few times, but lately it had came too often. Sakura was worried. She had already lost Naruto, she didn’t want to lose Sasuke too. She just hoped Sasuke didn’t do anything stupid.

Sakura looked up. Tsunade was back from wherever she had left. Standing next to her was a person she had never seen before. The person was wearing a black cloak and high auburn scarf that covered his face. Sakura frowned. Who was the person? She saw no emblem of any village. The Hokage would not just let anyone into the village nor would she let just anyone stand by her during the Chuunin exams, where the risk of being assassinated was higher. She wondered who that person was. It must be someone important to be sitting next to Tsunade during the examination. ====

Shin looked down below. So this was a Chuunin Exam. If he remembered correctly this was the first Chuunin Exam that was being held ever since the war broke out all over the place. ‘So this is how the shinobis advances to the next level. Always wondered how they determined that,’ thought Shin.

Shin watched the battle with interest. This was the first time he got to watch a ninja battle up close. He had watched the war from afar. It was little too bloody for his taste. This, however, was very interesting and exciting too. Shin considered himself lucky that the Hokage was nice enough to allow him to watch with her. She seemed like a nice person.

‘Eyebrows is pretty good. Fast too. That other guy is too, but not good enough. Eyebrows will win,’ thought Shin. He paused. Somehow the nickname he gave the boy in green and bowl haircut seemed familiar. He didn’t know why though.

Shin turned his attention back to the battle just in time to see Lee kick Kankuro across the field. All previous thoughts disappeared from his mind. Then Shin happened to look down.

=====

Sasuke looked up. There was someone sitting next to the Hokage. He frowned. It wasn’t any of the Kages from the other countries. So who was it?

Then that very same person looked down, straight at him. Sasuke blinked as he locked eyes with the person. Obsidian black met sapphire blue and crimson red...

Somewhere in his near empty heart, Sasuke felt something. He wasn’t sure what the feeling was but it felt good. Sasuke didn’t know how to describe it. It was like he felt his heart begin to beat after so long of being frozen.

=====

Shin blinked as felt his own heart begin to beat faster. What a strange feeling. Did he know who this boy was?

Shin chewed on his lip, almost drawing blood. Who was this boy? He needed to know. "Hokage-sama," he asked quietly. Tsunade looked towards him. "Yes?" Shin pointed to someone down below. "Who is that boy?" he asked.

Tsunade looked down. A small piece of hope flared within her. "That’s Uchiha Sasuke," said Tsunade quietly. She looked to see what kind of reaction Shin would have. Shin looked back down. "Uchiha Sasuke huh," he whispered to himself. There was a small smile on his face. There was something about that boy that Shin liked.

======

As predicted by Sasuke and Shin, Lee had won the fight. Kankuro put up a good fight, but in the end he was knocked unconscious. Lee trudged his way back up the stairs, looking tired and beat. Neji was there to help his friend. The boys had grown closer after Naruto disappeared.

The next round was between Gaara and Kiri, a short blue haired and pale blue-eyed shinobi from Mist Country. Kiri was the only member of his team to make it to the finals. During the preliminaries he overpowered Sakura easily using his Unsanmushou no Jutsu, which also was his main Jutsu (like Naruto and his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.)

Unlike Zabuza’s Kirigakure no Jutsu, this jutsu enabled the user to completely to vanish into the mist instead of covering the user. The Byakugan and Sharingan would have a hard time following him because the body becomes exactly like the mist. From there it’s just a matter of attacking. Because the body is almost like the mist itself, the user can attack from all side at once. Attacking the mist directly does nothing at all. But there is one weakness.

Gaara looked at his opponent. This fight wouldn’t be as hard as Uchiha or Uzumaki, but he knew this opponent was also someone not to be taken lightly. Gaara had seen Kiri’s Unsanmushou no Jutsu during the preliminaries. A very tricky and sly jutsu. Uchiha would have no problem. One of his fire attacks would burn the mist away thus hurting Kiri who was the mist itself.

Kiri studied Gaara closely. ‘This boy is strong,’ thought Kiri. ‘But I should be able to take him down. His sand attacks won’t have any effect on me.’ Kiri sweated a bit. This boy was also the same boy who killed his preliminary opponent in over a span of 3 minutes. 2 minutes to let his opponent attack him, 30 seconds of taunting and the remaining 30 was to kill. Gaara’s first opponent also happened to be Kiri’s friend and teammate. ‘I will avenge my teammate, Gaara of the Sand,’ thought Kiri.

Gemna, who was again refereeing, started the match. Neither boy moved at first. They just seemed to stare each other down. Kiri decided to make the first move then. "Mizu Bunshin No Jutsu!!"

Instantly there were 10 copies of Kiri surrounding Gaara. ‘So he didn’t use Unsanmushou,’ thought Gaara. The Bunshins attacked. Just as quick as they had appeared, the copies were gone as Gaara’s sand protected him. Kiri bit his lip. So this was the absolute defense he had heard about.

‘Damnit, this isn’t good. I need the same speed as that Lee kid to get past though these defenses. Throwing kunais wouldn’t work either. His sand just defends against anything. Even if I do use Unsanmushou against him, there’s no guarantee that I can get pass his defense. I’ll just be using up my Charka,’ thought Kiri bitterly. Gaara just stared at him. ‘He’s going to Unsanmushou next,’ thought Gaara. He was right.

"Unsanmushou no Jutsu!!" A mist appeared onto the field. Gaara still didn’t move. ‘The only way to beat this guy is to completely destroy the mist. That way it insures a world of hurt. Sabaku Kyuu and Sabaku SouSou won’t work unless it can wrap around him. So I can either wait for him to burn out his Charka or just smother the mist,’ thought Gaara. He grinned. He may not be as bloodthirsty as he was before, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t torture a few people.

Gaara started to perform that hand seals for the jutsu and forces his Charka. "Ryuusa Bakuryu!!" Lee’s eyes widened as he heard that. He knew that Jutsu. From nowhere, tons of sand appeared. Gemna wisely got out of the way. Soon the field was covered in sand. Kiri was buried underneath. Gaara stood there, unharmed. He looked towards Gemna, waiting for him to declare the match was over. Gemna did that.

"Winner, Gaara," he said.

====

"That boy had to cover the field in sand, didn’t he," asked Tsunade to herself. Shin just stared in wonder and slight shock. That was a fairly interesting fight. Ah, who was he kidding, that fight was wonderful, brilliant. Shin enjoyed himself.

"Hokage-sama, what would you like to have done? The sand that Gaara has filled the stadium with will take awhile to clear away," asked one of the shinobis who popped himself up to the Hokage. Tsunade thought about. She didn’t really want to wait for them to clear away the sand. That could take days and they still had to find that mist shinobi who was buried underneath all that sand. "Inform everyone that the Chuunin Exams will be postponed until the sand is cleared away," said Tsunade. The shinobi disappeared to his Hokage’s bidding.

"Is that all?" asked Shin. He looked at Tsunade to see her shaking her head. "No, it’s just the beginning. That boy covered everything in sand. It will take awhile for them to move the sand out of here. They still have to find that mist ninja who is buried underneath that sand. Besides, why are you worrying? You’ll be here for the next month," said Tsunade. Shin smiled and Tsunade grinned.

Then she stood up. "C’mon. I will personally show you the place you’ll be staying for the next month, but first we have to get permission." Shin looked at her confused. "Huh?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


An Immortal Time


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes I regret it. I really regretted it. I knew what his life was like and I knew what was in store for him in the future. Yet I took him for granted. I didn’t see who he was and who he was trying to be until it was too late. I will always regret the fact that I took him for granted.

That’s the problem with being a Slatrommi. After awhile, you begin to take things for granted. Being ageless and timeless, things begin to slip the mind. The fact that –I- had all the time in the world, whereas he was limited to a mortal’s lifetime never dawned on me. The realization hit me hard when it did. They say to realize the value of a year, ask a mortal who failed to advance to the next level. To realize the value of a month, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby. To realize the value of a week, ask an editor of a weekly magazine. To realize the value of an hour, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet. To realize the value of a minute, ask a person who just missed saying goodbye to loved ones leaving for a trip. To realize the value of a second, ask a ninja who just avoided death. All of these saying are true, but when time means nothing to you, you begin to lose sight of what time is.

I met him when he was a mere child. I had heard the whispers in the wind that my friend, Kyuubi, had been defeated by a mortal and sealed into a stomach of another one. I set out to find the truth. When I came upon the truth, what I found was not my friend. Instead I found myself looking into the sapphire blue eyes of a child. He didn’t know it, but with my friend sealed inside of him, he had been granted with the Demon Eyes. He could see me whether I wanted him to or not.

I didn’t understand. It had been years since a mortal had been able to defeat a demon or a Slatrommi. Nowadays, such a thing is unheard of. Yet before me was a mortal child who had no idea of what was inside of him. As I peered into his life I realized that he had no idea of what was inside of him and those who did, hated him. At that time, I was angry for two reasons at two different sources. It was never directed at him of course. I was angry at my friend for acting so foolishly and stupidly. (Sometimes his antics never cease to amaze me). I was also angry at the mortals for mistreating a boy who had no idea what burden was, but seemed to sense it.

As I silently steamed, he tugged on my robe. At the time I had forgotten that he was still there. I can still hear the first words he spoke to me. “Are you my okaa-san?” (I don’t look that old, do I?) Yeah, well, that was the first time in a long time that a mortal left me speechless. Of course I tend to forget things like that, so I ended up hitting him on the head lightly, taking what he said as an insult. Surprisingly he didn’t react like how I thought he would. Unlike most mortal children, who would have broken down crying after being hit, he just rubbed his wound and said, “What did you do that for!” Perhaps some of Kyuubi’s habits were rubbing off of him cause even then he had also never ceased to amaze me. Thus began my awkward relationship with the little boy who happened to have my friend sealed inside of him. Strange, ne?

But I forgot what his life was like. I came and went as I pleased. I still had a duty to perform; I could not always linger nearby. I never realized that he enjoyed my company so much. After all, all we did was fight. “Oi, that’s my piece of meat!” “Too bad, brat.” “Why I…” “You’ll do what, Naruto? You forget I’m stronger than you.” “Just you wait. I’ll become stronger than you one day.” “Oh? You forget you’re several million years too young to beat me.” I didn’t realize at the time that I too enjoyed those times. They say with age comes wisdom. If that is true, then why was I so blind?

I did notice something, however. A trait thought long to be lost. It could be because of Kyuubi or could not be. I wasn’t really sure how, but I saw it. This little boy possessed a lost skill, the skill of the magic. I suppose I should explain. Magic is divided up into three major categories: Nature Elemental, Emotion Elemental, and Cosmos Elemental. Emotion Elemental Magic had been lost for ages, becoming a natural part of immortals and mortals alike. Thus this magic is rarely mentioned anymore. The magic of Nature and Cosmos Elementals remains within the immortals, but such skills had been lost from the mortals. The Jutsu that the ninja perform are merely incorrect forms of magic. Nature Elemental Magic is based off of things found in nature such as fire, wind, water, ice, and earth. Cosmos Elemental Magic are things that are unexplainable or found in space such as light, dark, peace, chaos, moon, sun, and stars. My powers are Cosmos based, though I have been able to tap into Nature type spells, but only the most basic and simple ones.

The dormant power I found sleeping inside him was Nature Elemental based. Mostly fire type. Figures, Kyuubi was always a bit of a pyromaniac. While I am not exactly skilled in that area, I taught him all that I could to bring out that potential. Even then, I seemed to have just brushed the top of the hidden potential that was locked inside him. As a mortal he was strange. As a ninja he was an idiot. Yet his style was unique and different. For a mortal he was strange, but he had heart. As a ninja he was an idiot, but he was still a force to be reckoned with. He was creating his own way of life. There was more to him than met the eye.

So I watched. I watched him grow stronger with each day as he strode towards his dream of becoming Hokage. He learned things faster than a normal mortal and was actually pretty smart underneath that thick skull of his. He grew not only in strength, but as a person as well. He began to see the world around him and how harsh it could be (not something to be showing a twelve year old, but he had to learn). Also, he learned that the world can be kind. It was amazing to watch him grow.

Then when he graduated from the ninja academy, he met his first friends. They were classmates, becoming teammates, who didn’t really like each other. His teacher was strange too. However, I felt reassured after I checked to see whom each of them was. They would get along just fine. (Mother confirmed it for me) It may be a bit rough in the beginning, but it seemed it would work out.

When he wasn’t on missions or training, I was teaching him all I could in my free time. I still didn’t noticed what he hid from me. Age does not bring wisdom and sight. I always look back to see myself scolding him when he did things he shouldn’t be doing, like goofing off when I’m trying to teach. “Naruto! Stand Still! Do you want to learn or not?” “I do.” “Then stop goofing off. Playing pranks on me isn’t going to help!” “Geeze, Hotaru, lighten up!” I looked into the mind of a mortal once. They knew each other. What ran through his mind shocked me but I knew it was the true.

‘I had told him to stop acting like a kid; to act like what he was, a professional ninja. I had forgotten that he was never able to be a kid. I had forgotten that those snatches of time when he acted foolishly and carelessly were the only times that he could be a kid.’ (1)


I was so stupid to never recognize that. Before me was a child with no childhood, parents, or friends. I failed to acknowledge it when I knew it. (I’m starting to notice that I’m thinking like that mortal above (2)) While I let him think of me as family (I refused to let him call me mother), I never took it seriously. He did left me speechless when he called me, ‘Onee-chan!’

Ignorance is bliss, but being ignorant can only go so far. Can ignorance be so blissful that you couldn't see what was important; the very thing right in front of you? Perhaps being a Slatrommi is a curse and not a blessing. While one can see the world transform and evolve, one begins to forget. Forget things that are important and begin to take them for granted. However, you learn something new everyday, no matter how painful it may be.

When THAT happened, I wasn’t there. I should have been there, but I wasn’t. I felt that something was wrong, but easily disregarded it, thinking it was nothing. I am the biggest fool there is out there. You know that? I’m stupid, foolish, naïve, blind, ignorant, and the biggest idiot there is to exist in the world, past, future and present.

Whew. That felt good to get off my chest. But yes, I’m a fool and an idiot. I found out moments too late. While the power of time was at my fingertips, I can’t turn back the clock of time. It's too late for that. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. Time is something that can only be watched and managed, but never can someone turn back the clock or turn it forward. I supposed Uncle drilled that into my head many times. (3)

However, I suppose I’m lucky. It seems mother has given me another chance. I will not let go of this chance so lightly. While it is not as I wish it would be, it is better than anything else that could have been offered. At least this way he doesn’t suffer completely. My… friend… no that’s not right… my otouto, he’s alive yet he is not as I remember. But I guess it is the thought that counts. After all, I could have been leading him to my gates. I should be grateful with what I have.

“Otouto,” I called out to him.

“Huh? What did you say Hotaru?”

I felt a smile tug on my face. “That’s how I’m going to call you from now on.”

“Oh. Can I call you Onee-chan?”

My smile grew. “Of course.” He may not remember from before, but this time I’ll make sure I am there whenever he needs me. In a way that’s all I can do. I just hope that Shin will remember who he was so I can apologize. I have a feeling that will happen, but who am I to predict the future? I cannot foresee what will truly happen tomorrow, merely predict the upcoming day. Even mother’s predictions (who’s predictions are truer than mine) don’t always come to be. As the saying goes, ‘Forget about the past, it’s history. Don’t think about the future, it’s a mystery. But enjoy the gift of today, that’s why it’s called the present…’


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Owari


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(1) Taken from QianYun’s story ‘To Act As A Father’. (From Jiraiya’s POV)

(2) QY commented that her story ‘To Act As A Father’ and this sounded alike. (Seito: Look at what you’re doing to me QY! QY: Mwuhahaha and I get to see this first cuz I'm her beta reader! Just felt like saying that...)

(3) Time is another Slatrommi. A Male. Hotaru considers him as an uncle. He is not time itself, just someone who watches and maintains it.

It doesn’t take a lot of noise to make a sound proposal

-Fortune Cookie

&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&

Interruptions

&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&

It was a bright and beautiful day at Konoha: the sun was shining, birds were singing, people were chatting. Gossip was usually the main thing everyone was talking about. Mothers darted about shopping, trying to take care of the day’s errands before the day was over. Children, those too young to go to school, were running through the streets, laughing and playing. The older children who were stuck in school were silently wishing they could be outside. Shinobi came and went, going to on with their missions or just waiting around until they were called for one.

At the moment, an off-duty blond-haired, sapphire blue-eyed shinobi was waiting for his boyfriend. Uzumaki Naruto had actually been waiting for over two hours. In about five minutes, it was about to be three. Mentally, Naruto growled. Kakashi-sensei’s lateness must be contagious. Sasuke was never late.

Ping!- Right on the three hour mark, Uchiha Sasuke appeared. Naruto growled. “You’re late,” he said.

Sasuke looked like he had ran all the way to get here. He was, of course, armed with a valid excuse. Of course, when someone has Kakashi as a teacher, it’s always hard to make that excuse sound valid. “I know,” said Sasuke, panting slightly. “I got dragged on a last minute mission.”

Naruto frowned. “You’re sounding a lot like Kakashi-sensei.”

Sasuke could only mentally sweat drop. In a way, it was true. Even the timing was like Kakashi-sensei. Maybe Kakashi-sensei’s lateness was contagious. Great, what a way to start the day: getting your boyfriend mad at you.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” asked Naruto. He was still waiting to find out why Sasuke was making him wait.

At the age of twenty six, both Naruto and Sasuke did a lot of growing up over the past twelve years. The threat of Orochimaru and the Akatsuki had pass, though the latter was still a big problem. Naruto and Sasuke continued to grow stronger, matching each other in strength. At the moment, both were jounin rank shinobi, but that still didn’t stop them from hanging out with their friends and former sensei. If anything, the bond between the two grew stronger with each passing day. It was no surprise to see them always together, hanging out, training, or eating together. To find Naruto, look for Sasuke and vice versa. Thus, to many delights (and to some heartache), it was no shock to find out that Sasuke and Naruto got together by the time they turned nineteen. So five years later, they were still going out. Now, everyone was waiting for one of them to pop the question of marriage.

Sasuke looked Naruto in the eye. “Yeah, about that,” started Sasuke. He didn’t get to finish his sentence before he was glomped by a blue haired chick.

“Sasuke-kun!” cooed the girl.

Sasuke twitched and Naruto looked like he was ready to throttle the girl. “Get off Mary!” shouted Sasuke. Argh! What was with this girl! Didn’t she know he already had a boyfriend!

Mary leaped off Sasuke’s back as Naruto glared at her. Mary Sue, jounin rank, a genius and she was only at the mere age of sixteen. Blue hair, pink-eyed, she was one of the most beautiful girls in all of Konoha. Yet she wasn’t too bright. She insisted on trying to get a date with Sasuke even though everyone in the ENTIRE village knew that Sasuke and Naruto were a couple.

“But Sasuke-kun,” started Mary. She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence as Sasuke grabbed Naruto and quickly left. “Sasuke-kun?”

&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&

“Okay… I think we lost her,” said Sasuke.

Naruto nodded. “So now what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Yeah. You know how we’ve,” started Sasuke again. He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence before he was interrupted again.