Rokudaime

The Plan

By Alden Hawke

Note: This is set a year after Sasuke left in the manga, except This is AU, in which he didn't.

Prologue - Trouble!

...

"This is your fault, Kakashi-sensei! Iruka-sensei! If you hadn't... if you..." Ino's tearstained face, pointed fingers and angry glares had surprised the two as they had sat down to talk over lunch, under an umbrella in the rain.

"Ino, I didn't-"

"What do you think I did? Pushed their lips together?" Both were left sputtering. After all, it had been a complete surprise, and they'd know Ino would be affected.

Sasuke had chosen Sakura.

Sakura had again been demanding his attention. "Why don't you listen to me?" she had screamed at him. And he had turned, looking annoyed, raised a hand to her mouth... And pulled her into Konoha's most romantic kiss ever. And Ino had walked in at that moment.

She'd ben devastated. It had been yesterday, and she'd just left her room for the first time since last night. To come blame their teachers.

"Like hell you didn't! Obviously Kakashi didn't do it, of course..." Ino said, implying something that the Jounin teacher did NOT like.

"What are you saying, Ino?" he glared at her, forcefully.

"Oh, did I strike a nerve? Isn't it true that Sakura's always been the... favourite?" Ino gave a small, teeny-tiny smile behind the hand raised to her lips.

"Ino, that is a comment we could have been left without," Iruka said coldly.

"Iruka, every comment you say could have been left without. That's why you failed the Jounin exam... oh, how many times?" Ino looked at him challengingly, her voice almost a snarl.

Iruka looked mad, and Kakashi looked worse. If anyone knew how people ticked, and what buttons to push, it was Yamanaka Ino.

"Anyways, I have things to do without spending my time with a perv and a screwup. Good day!" Ino walked slowly off.

"Ino."

"Yes, Kakashi-san?"

"..."

She was gone.

~~~

Naruto sat on Sandaime's nose, on the Hokage monument, staring at Nidaime's nose at had to use every ounce of control left in him to keep from bashing it off.

Naruto and Sasuke had always seemed similar, and Naruto always managed to keep up. Sasuke's Sharingan, Naruto's Kage Bunshin. Sasuke's Chidori, Naruto's Rasengan. Sasuke's popularity, Naruto's growing reputation.

But now... Sasuke had Sakura, and he had no-one. That damnedly perfect Sasuke, always getting everything... He saw his parent's die, and everyone loved him. Naruto never even has any, and he's hated. No... that's not why...

Kyuubi The reason he was strong. The only reason. He felt so... fake, like he didn't actually DO anything himself...

That nose was looking might annoying right now...

~~~

"Nidaime's NOSE!? His NOSE, Naruto!?" Iruka's voice shuddered throughout the village, as Iruka confronted the boy outside his apartment.

"Just a stupid slab of stone..." Naruto grumbled.

"NOT a stupid slab of stone! A monument to his BRAVERY! And HONOUR! and LEADERSHIP!" every yelled word was punctuated with a whack over the head. Iruka sighed. "Naruto, you smashed a national monument...they might... they might even take away your Geninship for this... Can't you see, you could be back to the-"

"I don't CARE! None of this should've happened... I shouldn't even've graduated in the first place...." Naruto looked down.

"Naruto, I don't graduate kids for no reason! You're being foolish!" Iruka yelled.

"It's the stupid fox, all the stupid fox..." Naruto muttered.

"Naruto, I didn't graduate a fox. I graduated Uzumaki Naruto. If that's not good enough..." Iruka disappeared. Naruto entered his apartment and fell on his bed, immediately asleep.

~~~

Ino was in her bed. If you saw her pillow, you'd though she's been washing it, and it was drying. The whole thing was tearstained.

Her mom appeared at the door,her voice shaky, "Ino, honey... A Jounin, one of the teachers came by.... he wants to talk to you-"

"I don't want to talk to Kakashi!"

"It's important... It's about a... punishment... for something..." Mrs. Yamanaka twiddled her thumbs, hoping her daughter would tell her why she was in trouble with a Jounin.

"I'll go later..."

"He wants you in ten minutes..."

Suddenly, a figure whizzed past her, it was her daughter. "Bye mom! It takes ten minutes to get there!"

~~~

Ino entered the office. Kakashi's office.

There was a coat rack, and it held two sopping wet coats. She recognized Kakashi's from that morning, but one was unfamiliar...

She almost recognized it...

Naruto was sitting in a seat in front of Kakashi's desk. Ino'd never seen him so disheveled. He was in a loose black t-shirt, and green shorts. His hair was surrounded by a red headband. This was a shock to Ino, who'd never seen him in anything but orange, mostly. She hadn't been sure if he'd HAD other clothes...

But the most shocking thing was his attitude. She;'d never seen semi-hyper, happy-go-lucky Naruto so... down... It showed her for the first time how people seemed, and how they were. Naruto had been hurt by what happened too.

She took the seat beside him.

~~~

Naruto looked over at the person who'd sat beside him. After only seeing Ino with her best casual clothes, ponytail, and sort-of-hyper fangirl grin, it was odd to see this wet girl, wearing too-big clothes and hair brushing her shoulders, untied. It hit him hard.

"I-I-Ino? But... Why are you here?"

"I could ask the same for you, bucko. What's my punishment, perv?" She turned to Kakashi.

Kakashi cleared his throat, rather forcefully, and Naruto looked curious. What had happened between the two? Kakashi then responded, "You are to keep off the missions for four weeks. Same with you, Naruto."

Which caused Naruto to sputter. "But... you're going to kill me! They're my only source of income! I'll starve!"

This clued Ino into Naruto's tough life, living alone in an apartment. 'It must be tough... What did he do?'

"No, you won't. You'll be living in Mrs. Yamanaka's spare room. She has already agreed."

"WHAT!?!" Both genins shot up, out of their chairs, glaring at Kakashi's. He grinned behind his mask.

"I knew you'd be glad. Naruto, as we speak, Iruka is moving your stuff out."

~~~

Ino sat on her bed, looking up at the ceiling, wishing for Sasuke to return to his choosing, instead of being Sakura's boyfriend. Then grumbled about Naruto moving in.

The two had got home an hour ago, and they felt worse than ever about it. So, Naruto went to bed, and Ino went to her room, to think.

'Naruto... can't do anything! I'll be surprised if he even showers! Eww... That's disgusting...'

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