Chapter Text
"Damn it!" Naruto groaned as he closed the door to one of the toilet stalls behind him. It was yet another time this week that he’d had to… "Agh…" another sound escaped his throat as he undid his pants. Why, oh why, over the last few months, had a simple, sometimes completely accidental touch during sparring sessions caused such a reaction in him that he then had to go off to some secluded spot? After all, they’d always fought each other; it was normal that they had to make physical contact in close combat. Why, when today Sasuke finally caught him, knocked him onto his back and sat on his hips, intending to punch him, did he react so strangely again? He sighed quietly as his own hand clenched around his own penis. Damn it… He really should find himself a girlfriend, as Iruka had been suggesting for some time now. Then he wouldn’t have to do it in such a hopeless and humiliating way. He was eighteen years old; no wonder his hormones were raging, but that didn’t explain in the slightest why he reacted that way to Sasuke’s touch. If this carried on, he’d have to give up these fights, for which his best friend would probably kill him or do something even worse, because with the jounin exam looming, they simply had to train. Together. There was no other option, because since the war they had been at such a high level that they could only fight each other seriously. And for a while, that’s exactly how it was. They didn’t go easy on each other, training every day, sometimes even to the point of exhaustion. Until one day, Sasuke, blocking his movements, pinned him against a tree with his whole body and smiled triumphantly. Naruto should have broken free then and smacked that smug face of his, but he couldn’t move. He stood paralysed, because he felt something... something so embarrassing that even now he’d blush at the very memory of it. He’d got aroused. That day, he’d quickly ended the sparring session with some lame excuse and simply run home. And there, for the first time, he’d done exactly the same thing he was doing now in the bathroom…
"Naruto…" A low voice echoed through the room just as the door slammed shut. "Are you there?"
Bloody hell, not him. Not him! Naruto moved his hand more vigorously, knowing full well that he was already at the point of no return. He was aware that he was about to come, so he had to get Sasuke out of there as quickly as possible.
"Go away…" He’d meant to say it in a firm tone, but instead a strange moan escaped him, caused by the wave of pleasure washing over his body. A piercing shudder shook him just before he shot straight onto the wall, and a rather loud gasp escaped his throat. Damn it... He glanced panicked at the door to make sure he’d definitely turned the lock. Fortunately, it turned out he had. He took a few deep breaths. He hoped Sasuke hadn’t heard a thing. He pulled up his trousers and grabbed the roll of toilet paper; he had to wipe the semen off the wall.
"What were you doing in there?" Sasuke stared at him with a slightly mocking smile as he finally pulled himself together and stepped out of the cubicle.
"What do you think you do in the toilet?" he grumbled, embarrassed by the whole situation. He tried to look composed, but his cheeks, which were starting to burn intensely, probably gave him away.
"Hmm…" Sasuke watched him closely. "I think…"
"Oh, shut up!" Naruto snapped and marched towards the door. This situation, all of this... Oh, for goodness’ sake! He really needs to find himself a girlfriend.
"You ran off as if something was on fire." Sasuke remarked calmly, following him. Today they’d mainly been practising taijutsu, so unfortunately for Naruto, contact was inevitable. "Too much ramen, you idiot." he added with a chuckle, watching his friend’s back.
They were in the Academy’s second building, where they could train on the parade ground. Yesterday they’d been practising with weapons; today, they were focusing on more physical combat. They needed to recover a bit after their last training session, which they’d held a few miles away from Konoha. Later, of course, they received a scolding from Kakashi, because the sounds of the fighting and the tremors could be heard even in his office, not to mention the smaller villages closest to their settlement. The villagers certainly did not appreciate the mess they had left behind.
They both regretted that for a while they had been forced to give up using more advanced techniques, but to be honest, they were also aware that it would do them good. Sasuke could still feel the effects of the Rasengan strike. It certainly wasn’t one of the most pleasant experiences.
"Are you heading home already?" asked Naruto, glancing over at him. Sasuke sighed heavily.
"We’re going to the library after training - have you already forgotten? I won’t let you cheat off me in the exam. And it’s going to be a lot more complicated than the Chūnin exam."
"As if I’d cheat off you!?" Naruto, though still embarrassed by the situation, reacted to such blatant provocation as he always did - with a shout. What on earth was that stupid Sasuke thinking, anyway? Did he really reckon he’d want to cheat off him? If he had to cheat off anyone, it’d be Sakura-chan. Oh, that’s right! She always knew the answers to all the questions on tests, so that option suited him better. Not that he didn’t believe in his own abilities, but…
"Sasuke-kun, Naruto!" a cheerful shout greeted them the moment they reached the library and opened the door. Sakura was standing by one of the tables, waving from behind a pile of books. Next to her, sitting on one of the chairs, was Hinata, who at that moment blushed quite deeply. It was obvious that they weren’t the only ones who had thrown themselves wholeheartedly into preparing for the exam.
"Na… Naruto-kun," Hinata stammered, closing the volume she was holding as soon as they approached them. She also muttered an almost inaudible greeting to Sasuke.
Naruto glanced over her shoulder. "Methods of Combining Chakra and Their Effects," he read the title of the book she was still holding. It actually piqued his interest. After all, he himself combined his powers with Kurama; perhaps it would be worth finding out a bit more on the subject. He was just about to ask if he could borrow it when his gaze was drawn to a basket standing under the table.
"Food!?" His eyes lit up. He was hungry; half a day on the training ground had taken its toll.
"Just keep it down." Sakura put a finger to her lips. Right, there was a strict ban on eating in the library, after all. "Help yourselves," she whispered.
Naruto was the first to pounce on the basket, but when he saw what was inside, his face turned almost green. They were nutritional pills. The very same ones Sakura had fed him during training a few years ago. He still remembered their disgusting taste to this day.
"I just thought you might need something to give you a boost. I heard you’ve been causing a bit of a ruckus lately," she laughed softly.
Naruto felt sick... No, he definitely wasn’t going to eat that. But… He smiled maliciously. Take that, you bastard. Choke on it. For today’s humiliation! he thought, taking one of the pills and popping it into the mouth of the surprised Sasuke.
Before he could pull away, he swallowed that disgusting black pill. He grimaced at the unpleasant, burning, bitter taste. He coughed, but it was drowned out by Naruto’s laughter.
"Shut up, or someone’ll come in here!" Sakura hissed, but her gaze quickly shifted from Naruto to Sasuke, who was pulling an even more twisted face than usual.
"Got any water?" he asked, and Sakura immediately handed him the bottle of juice she’d brought along with the pills.
"Not nice, is it, you bastard? Fancy trying another one?" Naruto was laughing his head off, though a bit more quietly now.
"Watch out, or I’ll feed it to you! Then you’ll run off to the bathroom again!" he growled, once he’d pulled away from the bottle. "What is this? Disgusting."
At the mere mention of the bathroom - or, more specifically, what he’d been doing in there - Naruto blushed even more than Hinata had when she’d seen him a few minutes earlier. He felt like grabbing that bastard and beating him so badly he wouldn’t be able to get back on his feet. And then use some technique on him that would keep his mouth shut for a good week, because he’d end up in hospital. Of course, he was well aware that Sasuke wouldn’t let him get away with it and they’d most likely end up in that hospital together, but what harm could there be in trying... It didn’t matter that after all that, Kakashi would personally kill them both, because the library would probably be reduced to rubble…
"I tried to improve the taste, but these ingredients…" Sakura, seeing just how much Sasuke disliked her nutrition pills, tried desperately to explain.
She used to make them mainly for Naruto, and he’d never complained about them or criticised them. She’d thought he’d simply got used to them and that they weren’t that bad. But apparently not. In that case, she’d definitely have to try harder. Sasuke might well think she was a poor cook, given that she’d served him something so awful. And right now, she couldn’t afford to embarrass herself in front of him in any way. After all, she was still hoping that eventually she’d get more attention from him. Because for almost two years, since the end of the Great Fourth Shinobi War, nothing had changed. Both Sasuke and Naruto were so focused on fighting and training that it was as if the whole world had ceased to matter to them. And for the time being, there was no sign of any change in their behaviour. To be honest, Sakura was a bit jealous of Temari, who, even though she was always nagging her boyfriend, seemed genuinely happy with him. Oh, and even that pig Ino. She’d seen her with Sai once; they were kissing. Then she found out they were a couple too. Her friends were slowly starting to settle down, and she was the only one still stuck in a state of waiting. Although, no, not just her. She looked at Hinata sitting next to her, who was gazing at Naruto with a dreamy look.
"They’re nutrition pills," she explained, seeing that Sasuke wasn’t entirely convinced. He was eyeing the basket suspiciously, as if he were at the very least considering using Chidori on it.
"Nutrition pills?"
"They give you energy. Naruto used to eat them when he was training, so that…”
"Hey, bastard, have you seen this book?!" shouted Naruto, handing Sasuke a volume from the shelf. Sakura shot him a sharp look, annoyed that he’d interrupted her conversation, because Sasuke was already interested in something else.
"Ninja Couriers: From Messengers to Trained Envoys" he read the title and frowned. "So you don’t want to be Hokage anymore?" he asked amusedly, looking at his blushing friend.
"You bastard!" Naruto grumbled, feeling like smacking him with the book he was holding in his hands. Why did he always have to embarrass him in front of Sakura? He wanted to say something else, but just then Sasuke picked up a large, red-bound volume from the table.
"I’m afraid we’ll have to deal with this now," he said, showing him the title, only to hear a groan in reply.
The library doors opened and Temari, Ino and Tenten walked in. Naruto quickly stood up and pulled three extra chairs up to the table, inviting the girls to sit. They often studied together, though when more people turned up, they had to push the tables together, which the librarian didn’t particularly like. She always complained that the library wasn’t a place for socialising. He squeezed back into his seat, but before he could sit down, the door opened again and another person entered the room. And not just any person, but their current Hokage, Hatake Kakashi.
"Hokage-sama," several people said, so he returned their greetings and walked over to their table.
"I thought I’d find you here; something that would have been unthinkable in the past, wouldn’t it?" Kakashi laughed at the look on Naruto’s face. Immediately, however, his gaze fell on the cover of the book Sasuke was holding. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and gave him a questioning look, but Sasuke merely shrugged and, with a slight nod of his head, pointed to his friend. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, but decided not to comment on it.
"Come with me, Naruto," he said, beckoning him over with a wave of his hand and heading for the exit. Naruto merely cast a fleeting glance at Sasuke, whose eyes at that moment spoke of a murderous intent for leaving him here alone with all these women, and followed the Hokage.
Kakashi looked at his former student. He’d seen him very rarely of late, because ever since Naruto and Iruka had literally buried him under a mountain of books, he’d been devoting all his time to study and training. Kakashi, as the Sixth Hokage, was well aware that after the war, many shinobi, given their tactical and combat skills, should have been promoted to jounin long ago, but the final decision rested with him, and he had decided against it. Mainly because it would have been very unfair to Naruto. He was a key figure in the war, possessed unrivalled skills, but unfortunately, had significant, very significant gaps in his knowledge. That is why he decided that everyone, without exception, would sit the jounin exam and would have to pass it to be promoted.
He walked up to the door of the classroom, which was already empty at this hour, and opened it, gesturing to Naruto to come in. He leaned against the desk himself and pointed to the chair opposite him.
"I wanted to ask how you’re getting on? I’ve heard that lots of people are helping you with your studies."
"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "Tenten’s been showing me different types of weapons recently, even ones I didn’t know existed. Hinata told me about her clan and the capabilities of the Byakugan. Did you know, Kakashi-sensei, that with this Byakugan, they can see through clothes? I mean, that’s what I think, because when I asked Hinata about it, she ran off, so... Oh, and Lee showed me a few tricks in hand-to-hand combat. Useful, I must say. But Sakura-chan helps me the most. She explains all those medical techniques. It’s just that sometimes, when I find it hard to get my head round it, she smacks me on the head." Naruto laughed, finishing by listing on his fingers just a few of the people he was truly grateful to for their help.
"And Sasuke?" asked Kakashi, narrowing his eyes.
"Sasuke? Well, Sasuke a little bit too. We often study for exams together. It’s just that he usually acts all clever and always decides for himself what we’re going to read." Naruto grumbled. All right, he knew that bastard was a bit smarter than him, but only a bit. He could manage without his help too.
"Naruto, weren’t you supposed to be studying genjutsu today?"
"Yeah, we were, why?" Naruto thought for a moment. "Earlier it was generally about eye techniques, so that’s the next topic we should get on with."
"And it didn’t occur to you that Sasuke, being a member of the Uchiha clan, has already mastered these topics to perfection and doesn’t need to learn any of this at all?" Kakashi smiled, which was perfectly visible even beneath his mask.
Naruto looked at him in surprise. What? Well... Well, yeah, after all... He remembered all those days when they’d sit, sometimes late into the night, in the library. The others had long since gone home, but Sasuke wouldn’t let him leave. Not that Naruto listened to him, of course, but the word loser coming from that bloody bastard’s mouth settled everything. Because he wasn’t a loser, after all, and he had to prove it every single time. Sasuke would then smile a little ironically and shove another book under his nose. He’d lean over the text himself and, pointing out certain sentences with a pencil, explain them to him with almost angelic patience. He’d explain it as if he’d known all this for ages and was already familiar with it! How could he not have noticed this before? So what did that mean? It turned out that Sasuke was spending time on him that he could, after all, have used to learn something completely different?
"Er... well... sort of…" Naruto ran his hand through the hair at the back of his head. "Right, well, he helps me more than a little." he laughed, trying to hide his embarrassment. Honestly, he hadn’t noticed it before. He’d thought Sasuke was dragging him along to the library because he didn’t want to study on his own or worse - in the company of girls only.
"In that case, I’m glad you all get on so well. You, Sasuke, Sakura and the others. After all these years, it’s nice to see." Kakashi sighed, remembering their whole history. But now things were as they should be. "Since everything’s going well and you don’t need any extra help, go back to the others; I’ve still got a few things to sort out," he said, stepping away from the desk and, a moment later, leaving the classroom.
Naruto returned to the library and found his friends at a table. The girls were sitting by the window, leafing through some scrolls; Hinata was writing something on a piece of paper, and Sasuke... was sitting to one side, talking to Sakura, who was leaning over him and pointing to a passage in the book. She kept glancing from the text to him, blushing slightly. Sasuke seemed to be explaining something to her, but from the look on his face, it was impossible to tell whether he looked more impatient or irritated.
"Are you all right, Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata, who was the first to notice him. Sasuke and Sakura looked at him too.
"Sure, Hinata," he laughed and walked over to his chair. Immediately afterwards, with a decisive movement, he picked up a large red tome and placed it in front of him. And to think that just half an hour ago he’d been grimacing at the thought of having to read it at all, because the book was not only terribly thick, but also written in small print. "So, you bastard, shall we get on with this genjutsu? Unless, of course, it’s you who needs a lesson from Sakura-chan now," he asked, though he knew full well that in this case, it was he who was explaining things to her, and not the other way round.
Sasuke was too proud to ever ask her for help, even when he didn’t know something. He remembered their first tree-climbing training session. Sakura turned out to be much better at it than they were, because controlling chakra came very easily to her. He asked her for advice then, and after that he did much better, which in turn annoyed Sasuke. Because clearly, it was that very pride that prevented him from approaching their teammate and asking for a tip. So imagine Naruto’s surprise and astonishment when he finally came to him with it. Ah, what satisfaction he felt then…
"Chapter Two: The Basics of Illusion Techniques," said Sasuke, finishing explaining something to Sakura and turning towards him.
Once again, he focused all his attention on him and… Was it just Naruto’s imagination, or had the irritation vanished from his face? He smiled slightly as he opened the book. Sure, he still couldn’t be bothered to plough through the pages of that tiny print, but now something was different. Now he was aware that Sasuke had really devoted a lot of time and energy to him, without ever showing the slightest sign of impatience, so he had to try harder. No, he didn’t have to. He wanted to try harder.
Temari left the library fairly quickly, and although she wouldn’t say where she was going, everyone knew she’d arranged to meet Shikamaru again. Their relationship was a bit unusual, but it had its charm. They were a perfect match, as Sakura and Ino once remarked when they were talking about them. After the Great War, they began seeing each other more often, having buried the hatchet for good. Because, after all, Ino had found herself a boyfriend. Sai always looked very much like Sasuke to Sakura, but he wasn’t him. Paler, dressed differently, with that strange personality of his, he could only be a replica of him. To Sakura, Sai was just a teammate, so she was aware that even if something more were ever to happen between them, she would see him only as a fake Sasuke.
She was now sitting opposite her friends, glancing at them every now and then. This time, she didn’t want to give up either and stay until the very end, so she could later go home with them. Naruto lived closest to the library, so afterwards she could walk on with just Sasuke. She tightened her fingers around the leather cover of the book. She felt a pleasant tingling in her stomach at the very thought that she might spend even just those few minutes alone with him. She was nervous; she still couldn’t talk to him freely, because every time it seemed to her that she’d said something silly, that Sasuke wasn’t listening to her... But she hadn’t lost hope that she would eventually break through that hard shell, just as Naruto had done. She had to believe it.
"I know you can already break out of illusions," Sasuke said calmly as Naruto began to protest, shouting that he wasn’t at the Academy anymore to be taught the basics. "But can you cast one? Exactly," he sighed quietly, seeing his expression, and turned the page. "Thanks to Kyuubi, you could learn one. You know that genjutsu is your weakest point and…"
"What do you mean?! You’ll never trap me in your Sharingan’s genjutsu, you bastard! Or any other treacherous illusion!" shouted Naruto, shifting in his chair impatiently, as if he already wanted to challenge Sasuke to a fight. "That Pervy Sage showed me everything and..."
"Shut up." Sasuke snapped, tugging at his sleeve as Naruto had already managed to get to his feet. "I want to teach you a technique. It might come in handy for the exam."
"You’re underestimating me, Sasuke!" Naruto broke free and stood facing him with a truly devilish grin on his face. "I know one brilliant illusion technique, in which, I’ll bet you anything you like, I’m better than you!"
"Naruto, don’t be silly, when it comes to genjutsu you’ve always been a bit of a idiot." said Sakura, turning towards him. She was a bit annoyed, because clearly her plan was going to fail, since Sasuke was planning to take Naruto off for some more training. Damn it, and she’d thought that since Ino, Tenten and Hinata had already gone out too, everything would go her way.
"But I’m a master at this technique!" laughed Naruto, forming a hand seal. "Oiroke no Jutsu!" he shouted, and in the spot where he had been standing, a seductive, sexy blonde appeared.
It was clear that Naruto must have practised this technique very intensively, because the girl was beautiful and had downright perfect curves. And then there was that long, light hair, which most of his female friends could only envy. Simply perfect. Every bloke who saw this technique would get a nosebleed. The blonde gave a wink and looked flirtatiously at Sasuke. Well, not everyone, though. Because he didn’t even flinch when the female version of Naruto bestowed upon him her charming smile, the one that made men fall at her feet. Instead, he put on the most bored expression he could muster.
"Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura leapt up from her chair, grabbed a book, and smacked him over the head with it. He groaned loudly and reverted to his true form. With slight consternation, he noticed that she’d chosen what was probably the largest and heaviest volume of all those on the table. Did she always have to be so brutal towards him? She’d never used violence against Sasuke, and yet he deserved it far more. "And you want to become Hokage? With such stupid and childish behaviour? Besides, that’s not genjutsu, it’s ninjutsu, you moron!" Sakura wouldn’t let it go, so he got hit with the book a few more times.
"I just wanted to show that bastard that I can... Ouch!" Naruto stepped back from his furious friend, who had clearly made it a point of honour to hurt him a bit more. Well, obviously, all those injuries from training with Sasuke weren’t enough, were they? Okay, Kurama healed them quickly anyway, but what was meant to hurt still hurt. He took another step back and, tripping over the corner of an old, curling carpet, bumped into one of the bookcases, landing along with a few books on the floor.
"What on earth is going on here?" The librarian, alerted by the screams, appeared literally right above his head. He was quite an unusual sight now, because not only was he lying in a rather strange position, but on top of him lay several volumes that had fallen from the shelves. "Uzumaki, you again? Not only do you always disturb the peace here with your shrill voice, but now you’re wrecking my library. There’s always some trouble with you!" She also looked at Sasuke and Sakura. "Get out of here, now!" she snapped, pointing them towards the door.
Naruto got to his feet; he’d been told off when he tried to put the books back, because, according to the librarian, he’d just end up mixing them up anyway, and then he left with his friends. They all knew that the woman’s anger would have passed by tomorrow and they’d be able to come back here without any trouble - after all, it wasn’t the first time they’d been thrown out - but for now they preferred to get out of her sight.