Chapitre 8: ❈—08:: Fuel
I told Sakura and Naruto to come by at 07:00 a.m. the next morning. Sakura shows up at six.
"Sorry for being so early," the girl begins as soon as I open the door, her speech pattern sounding almost rehearsed, "I—" and then her brain short-circuits as she takes in my form; messy bed hair, sleepy face, and a shirtless physique clad only in a pair of blue boxer shorts.
"Um..." Sakura swallows, licks her lips, then swallows again. "Um..."
Her eyes fly over my body, no doubt etching it in near-sharingan level detail into her brain.
"I, um..." She's going red in the face now, most likely from forgetting to breathe, and I find myself wondering whether she's more likely to faint or rape me if I were to even hint at being romantically interested in her right now.
With a heartfelt sigh, I slam the door in Sakura's face and go in to put on a shirt and pack up my hair.
When I return, Sakura's completely red, but this time in embarrassment.
"Just get inside," I say, and she obeys avoiding my eyes.
Fuck me, I think, but make absolutely certain not to say; sure as shit don't want to give the she-wolf in heat currently in my home any ideas.
Naruto ends up being thirty minutes late, and when he finally shows up I feel a very strong urge to punch him really fucking hard in the face.
Not because he's thirty minutes late, no, but because he made me have to spend thirty more minutes than I needed (or wanted) to alone with Sakura.
Worst of all, the little shit has the guts to give me attitude for enjoying 'alone time' with Sakura, while Sakura herself becomes angry because her 'alone time' with me was now over, and I again had to play peacemaker between the two.
By the time I finally lead them to my family's training yard, I've decided that the words 'alone' and 'time' should never again be put together, and that I'm likely to kick in the throat the next person to do it within earshot of me.
"Okay," I begin, as we stand facing each other, "first we need to—"
"Oi," Naruto interrupts, "don't think you can trick me; you're not the team leader. I didn't lose yesterday, remember?"
As has apparently become my lot in life ever since the cosmic accident that gave me Caleb's memories, I restrain yet another sigh.
Sakura on the other hand, makes no attempt to restrain her annoyance.
Clearly having been aware of how she would react to this though, Naruto speaks before she can.
"Hey, I'm not trying to make trouble, but we had a deal, and I didn't lose."
This actually just makes Sakura madder, but again before she can speak, I raise a hand, silencing her.
That never gets old.
Off the top of my head, I've already come up with a way to potentially manipulate Naruto into finally giving up on wanting to be team leader, but even as I think it up, I remember Kakashi's words to me yesterday.
As much as it pains me to admit it, the jōnin was right; while genuinely getting along with my teammates will be a lot harder than using what I know of their desires and personality to manipulate them into doing what I want, it really is better in the long run.
Unfortunately, getting along with my teammates means forming emotional bonds with them, and that, well...
I hold back yet another sigh.
Damn you, Itachi.
Sensing the turn in my mood, Sakura asks; "Sasuke? Are you okay?"
I stare at the girl, bright green eyes so earnest in her concern for me.
However silly the reason for it might be, this girl would walk through fire for me.
Even Naruto, aggravating as he can be in his cluelessness and stubbornness will make a remarkably loyal friend if won over. Up to, and beyond the point of foolishness if the story is to be believed.
Rationally speaking, I am incredibly lucky; I could not have found better people to be paired with for the coming storm if I'd tried.
And yet…
I don't want to create bonds with these people…
I mean, I wouldn't mind it, but the thought of doing so terrifies me.
I can't watch someone else I care about get hurt. I don't think I could survive it.
Maybe I wouldn't be willing to admit this, even to myself, without Caleb's memories, but I do have his memories. And inaccurate as much of the information from the story is, it has still given me a perspective of myself and the world around me that I probably wouldn't have had, or let myself have otherwise.
"Oi, bastard," Naruto says, and interestingly, the term lacks the heat it usually carries, "are you okay? You're making Sakura worried."
Yes. Of course, Naruto. We wouldn't want Sakura to be worried.
I stare at my teammates; two people I really don't want to care about, but know I probably will in time—even if in just some small way—if I don't maintain a healthy distance from them.
Unfortunately, I can't afford that distance.
Loyalty needs to be earned. And while it may seem like I already have Sakura's, I can't count on her being the same person she is today in two years time.
Inevitably, she will grow as a ninja and as a person, and when she does, I can't count on being the boy she had a crush on in The Academy to be enough, regardless of what the story says.
Actually, this reminds me of something my father used to say… something that might also be able to help me with Naruto.
"What makes The Leaf strong?" I ask, and my teammates blink at the seeming non sequitur.
"What are you talking about?" Naruto asks.
"What makes The Leaf strong?" I repeat.
Naruto and Sakura stare at each other, then back at me.
"The Will of Fire," Sakura answers finally, looking at me strangely. I understand why.
Even before we joined The Academy, The Will of Fire has been drummed into our heads for years. How the entire village is like a large family unit and every Leaf-nin with the Will of Fire loves, believes in, cherishes, and fights to protect the village, as previous generations have done before them.
'The source of our strength' it's called.
"What fuels The Will of Fire?" I ask now.
Sakura and Naruto frown in confusion.
Not waiting for them to guess, I continue; "My father said it's trust.
"The village trusts us, the ninja, to fight and die to protect it, and we in turn trust the village to be worth fighting and dying for.
"Just as we protect the village, the village must also protect us, and just as we love the village, the village must also love us; it is a contract, one that only holds because both sides trust the other to uphold their ends.
"And he said that when this trust is broken, The Will of Fire becomes nothing more than mere words."
Sakura looks confused, like she's trying to understand what I mean, but Naruto seems to get it.
"People don't want to be with someone who's betrayed their trust," he says softly, shooting a subtle glance at Sakura.
The girl catches the glance, and suddenly, her expression turns thoughtful as she too begins to understand.
"Exactly," I say. "Trust goes both ways. So does loyalty, and sacrifice.
"I know I don't have your trust, Naruto; that's part of why you don't want me as Team Leader," that the other part is because he's childish and thinks he'll do a better job despite all the evidence to the contrary, doesn't need to be said.
"But that's okay," I continue, "because I'll earn your trust; both of yours."
"You don't have to earn my trust, Sasuke," Sakura says quickly; honestly. "I trust you."
I'm sure she thinks she does; but considering, if the story was right about my clan, I may end up having to face the hokage… well, I guess we'll see.
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