rocklee!
Do you guys want to go have breakfast together?
Ch00ji
I'm here already
Shikamaru
no im staying in bed until practice
Neji
I'll go with you Lee.
rocklee!
Yes! I will save you a spot! :)
Sakura Assistant Coach
@Shikamaru DO NOT be late guys.
Shikamaru
when have i ever been late
Sakura Assistant Coach
Where is Naruto? @NARUTOUZUMAKI
Shikamaru
on pitch
The dew of the morning grass left Naruto's socks soaked beneath his cleats. He was panting, skin hot and already sweating despite the morning chill leaving Konoha still and stiff. He rolled his ankle, gritting his teeth through a shock of pain when he moved it a certain way. The ball he'd kicked in a clean arc sat in the goal, shining wetly from the dew.
Naruto had been out there for more than two hours already, getting up before the sun and heading to the pitch as it made its ascent. He grabbed another ball from the metal cart he'd pulled onto the pitch with him, remembering Kakashi's words.
You're a forward. Don't make me regret it.
He rolled the ball up onto the top of his foot, and tossed it up to dribble it from knee to knee. The image of Sasuke's dark eyes and cocky smirk flashed in his mind.
We'll see on the pitch.
With an involuntary grunt, Naruto kneed the ball high into the air and jumped to kick it at the goal with a force that flattened the grass and made the ball whistle through the air. With an unceremonious rubbery sound, the ball smacked against the metal frame of the goal and bounced harmlessly away. Naruto gritted his teeth and tried not to scream in frustration. Why am I so nervous?
"Naruto?" called a voice off to his side, and he turned to see Sakura, standing just outside the pitch bounds with her clipboard in one hand and a small towel in the other. She was wearing her puffy red jacket, the one that practically reached her ankles and made her look tiny.
"Hey, Coach," Naruto called back, praying she hadn't just seen him completely miss an unmanned goal. He jogged towards her.
"Shikamaru said you'd be here. How long have you been out here?"
"Few hours." Once he got close enough, she tossed him the towel. He dabbed it on his face and neck gratefully, beginning to feel the chill of his damp skin against the morning cold now that he'd stopped moving so much.
"Well, good. I needed to talk to you." She looked up at him, a serious expression on her face. "It's about Sasuke."
"Yeah, what about that asshole?"
She glared at him. "You need to step off."
Naruto stared at her incredulously. "I need to step off?"
"You're fucking with the team chemistry," she said. Naruto was taken aback at the expletive; Sakura rarely used cuss words. "If you really want to be a forward during the tournament, you and he will be on the front lines together. That means working together. Or at the very least, passing the fucking ball to each other."
Naruto tried to come up with a witty retort, but he couldn't. It was true that when it came to either passing the ball to Sasuke or keeping it himself, he usually didn't pass it. And more often than not, he lost possession of the ball because of it.
But, on the other hand … Sasuke was just such a dick about it. He prickled with irritation again as he remembered Sakura's reaction to Sasuke's question last night. Even tough, no-nonsense Assistant Coach Sakura was flustered like a schoolgirl by the pretty-boy's nonchalant act.
Naruto swallowed some choice words and weighed his options. It was either he agreed to work together with Sasuke on the front lines and get the chance to finally score some goals for the team, or risk being put in the midfield and probably never get the chance to score at all. Not with Lee and Sasuke as strikers, anyway.
It didn't help that Konoha hadn't won a tournament since Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, transferred. Everyone was now pinning their hopes on his next-of-kin, and since they meshed about as well as oil and water, Naruto was the one who usually got blamed for messing with his rhythm. Naruto, an orphan, had no real family in Konoha; without a legendary parent or sibling, no immediate connections to anyone in the village, it was easy to point the finger at him. When Sasuke's teamwork was criticized, it was an insult to a whole legacy.
Sasuke glowed on the pitch, but Itachi Uchiha had sparkled. The force of his kicks was known to blow players back. He'd been famous, most of all, for his long-distance kicks, able to score goals practically from halfway across the field. Not to mention, he held the record for the most goals scored by a Konoha FC player in a single season, with 48 goals. It'd been his last season before he left, and no one was even close to beating it.
If Coach Kakashi meant what he'd said, and he'd really put Naruto in as a forward, he'd have a chance not only to bring home the gold for Konoha for the first time in five years; but he may also have a chance to be talked about in the same breath as the most legendary player in the history of the club, Itachi Uchiha himself.
"Fine," Naruto muttered. "I'll pass the fucking ball to Sasuke. If he's open."
"Good," said Sakura, and jotted something down on her clipboard. "I'm matching you two up during drills."
"Wait, what? Sakura, no–"
"You two will make a good team." The words came out as a warning, not a statement.
Naruto flushed. "I can't–I won't–I can't drill with him. Don't make me drill with him!"
But Sakura had already turned and was briskly walking back inside the building. Her phone was pinging and she was holding it to her ear and chatting with someone on the other end. "And put that cart away before practice!" she called to Naruto, her back still to him, and disappeared inside.
Naruto let himself fall backwards onto the grass with a groan.
Much to Naruto's dismay, Sakura made good on her promise immediately.
An hour later, the Konoha teammates were on the practice field, a large plot of green divided into sections by thick, white paint lines on the pitch. Goals, training posts, and hurdles were lined up methodically between the labyrinthine lines.
The sun was fully risen now, and its heat had sizzled away the cool morning dew to beat down on the Konoha teammates' backs. They sweated, they panted, and they drilled.
Lee was weaving through posts, going faster than Naruto had ever seen anyone weave. His orange practice bib was practically a neon streak in Naruto's peripheral vision. Neji and Choji were doing penalty drills. Choji was crouched low to the ground in front of one of the goals. Neji would be his most formidable opponent, which is why Sakura had paired them together.
Coach Kakashi and Sakura were off to the side, in the middle of a heated discussion. Kakashi's arms were crossed as he leaned down closer to her; Sakura was using her pen to point at players. Naruto saw her point directly at him and say something zealously into Kakashi's ear. That chick is going to get me kicked off the team.
And across from Naruto was Sasuke, standing impatiently with his hand on his hip. He was wearing one of those wire zigzag headbands male athletes sometimes put on to keep his longish hair out of his eyes, but it made him look even more like a girl than he usually did. A spare strand of raven hair that hadn't been caught in the headband fell across one of his eyebrows. Naruto flushed as Sasuke twisted his mouth at him.
"Are you even awake, Uzumaki?" he said, gesturing to the ball at Naruto's feet.
"Yeah, yeah…" Naruto balanced the ball on his foot and kicked it up, juggling it on his knee for a moment before kicking it back to Sasuke.
Like second nature, Sasuke bounced the ball back to Naruto on his head. This time, Naruto bounced it against his chest in a short arc before kicking it back to Sasuke.
"Is this supposed to be doing anything for us?" Sasuke muttered.
"Shut up. Kakashi told us to do passing drills." Kick.
"We have bigger problems," Sasuke said as he kicked it back. "You should be working on your aim."
Naruto bristled and bounced the ball back at Sasuke with his head. "Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah. You know, the little round thing goes in that big square thing over there." Sasuke pointed to one of the practice goals.
Kiba and Shikamaru, who were stretching nearby, snickered shamelessly at the conversation, not even trying to hide their eavesdropping.
"Yeah?" said Naruto, gritting his teeth and feeling his face getting hot. "What else, you bastard?"
"You're not supposed to use your hands," said Sasuke. He was smirking now as he passed the ball back, taunting Naruto with a gleam in his dark eyes.
"Oh, I'll use my hands," grumbled Naruto to himself, indulging in an extravagant, two-second fantasy involving tackling Sasuke and punching his lights out. He settled for a fast, but not violent, pass back to Sasuke. "Once this tournament is over, I'll definitely use my hands."
All things considered, Naruto had actually managed to complete a few drills with Sasuke without tearing his head off. He was about to be impressed by his own restraint when the Uchiha golden boy wound up for the next pass and sent the ball whistling towards Naruto, catching him off guard. Naruto had milliseconds to react, blocking the ball with his shin and feeling warm, sharp pain bloom there. Anger boiled in his blood.
"Hey!" Naruto demanded. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Just checking you were paying attention."
"You–you–!" Naruto wracked his brain for a word, but something came out before he had a chance to think it through. "Usura-tonkachi!"
At the creative insult, Sasuke's face contorted into a tapestry of utter shock and confusion. Next to them, Kiba and Shikamaru exploded into peals of boisterous laughter, falling onto each other with delight. They were still trying to compose themselves when Kakashi approached.
"I hope it's still funny after five laps," he said to the boys. Kiba and Shikamaru groaned their protests and set off into a lazy jog, but Naruto could hear them still laughing as they went.
"Naruto," said Kakashi, though his usually comforting voice sounded like a stern warning. "Should I even ask?"
Naruto took a deep breath, remembering that his position as a forward was at stake, before answering. "All good, sir."
"Hmm." Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "You, Sasuke?"
Sasuke lowered his head, his cheeks flaring red. "Yes, sir. All good."
Kakashi shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know, I used to train a couple of boys who were fighting over the same girl," he said, "and even they had better chemistry than you two." He looked at both of them, faces hot with embarrassment. He placed a hand on the top of Naruto's head and his voice softened.
"We'll work on it," he sighed.
rocklee! created the group secret ninjas of konoha!
secret ninjas of konoha!
6:11 PM
rocklee!
Guys you have to come quick!
rocklee!
The players from Sunagakure have already arrived!
NARUTOUZUMAKI
Seriously????
NARUTOUZUMAKI
How do they look??
Shikamaru
what we're still at the gym
Shikamaru
lee where are you
Shikamaru
also what is the point of this group it only has three members
rocklee!
It is a super secret group
rocklee!
Sakura must not know
(NARUTOUZUMAKI & Shikamaru liked this message.)
NARUTOUZUMAKI
Where are you???? I'm coming right now
rocklee!
I am hiding near the alley by the entrance of the gym
rocklee!
They are checking out our fields, come quick!
They have a new starlet, Neji had said. Apparently, we can't take any chances with him.
The Sand Village's new rookie looked like a star indeed. His green eyes, ringed with intense, black eyeliner, and his hair, a fiery brick red, stood out against his porcelain white skin … though nothing stood out quite as much as the red-ink tattoo over his left eye, which read 'love' in kanji. His brows were shaved, giving his face an air of alienlike beauty. His clothes were simple, clean-pressed, but fashionable: wide black trousers and an expensive-looking buttoned maroon shirt with a high collar.
Naruto had never seen anyone so cool in his whole life.
"His name is Gaara," whispered Lee to a dazed Naruto and Shikamaru. "Neji told me."
The three were huddled in the alleyway, in Lee's hiding spot. From here, there was a clear view of Konoha's training pitches, and the three visitors from the Sand Village seemed to be appraising the fields in quiet discussion.
Along with Gaara came two others: a woman with dirty blonde hair, wearing a pale purple off-the-shoulder dress, and a man, who wore black clothes similar to Gaara's but who had striking purple marks across his face, and a headdress that covered his hair.
"They have some weird tattoo trends in Sunagakure," whispered Naruto.
"You're one to talk, Whiskers." Shikamaru pinched Naruto's cheek, hard.
"Quit it, Shikamaru! I was born with these."
"What about the one on your–"
"–Quiet," whispered Lee. "We must observe them."
The three boys stared at the three visitors for a moment, but nothing seemed to be happening. The Sand Villagers talked quietly amongst themselves, Gaara nodding and pointing at the fields every once in a while.
"They're not doing anything," said Shikamaru.
"They will be our most formidable opponents," whispered Lee darkly. "Gaara is like the Sasuke of the Sand Village."
Naruto groaned. "Not you, too."
"Get over yourself, Naruto," Shikamaru said, pulling hard at a tuft of Naruto's yellow hair. "I hate Sasuke too, but you don't see me complaining about him all day. You got what you want, you're a forward now. So shut up already."
Naruto grumbled his assent. Shikamaru was right, as much as he hated to admit it. Years of begging had finally opened an opportunity for him to be on the front lines of his home team in a prestigious tournament. The thing was, getting along with Sasuke seemed so impossible. He would have to find some way – any way – for them to work together, even begrudgingly. His entire career depended on it.
"And who is she?" Shikamaru nodded towards the woman.
"I do not know."
"Don't you guys think she's kind of…?"
Naruto and Lee both looked at him quizzically.
"Nevermind," said Shikamaru. "Wrong crowd, I guess."
The sun was setting fast, and the sky was darkening above them, giving way to gently twinkling stars. Their days went by both too fast and not fast enough, spending long hours in grueling practice and sweating under the sun, going home, sleeping, and waking up to do it all over again. Moments to themselves were rare – reserved only for Sundays, and not even then – and the three boys took a beat to enjoy the stillness and feel the satisfying aches in their muscles from a hard day's work, even in this bizarre situation.
In the distance, the visitors from Sunagakure exchanged some final words, turned, and began to walk away.
"They're leaving!" hissed Shikamaru. "This was such a waste of time."
But Naruto's gaze remained fixed on Gaara, a lean, sleek figure in the distance. Konoha's most formidable opponent in the tournament. Defeating him while playing as a forward – especially if the deciding goal was Naruto's – would do wonders for boosting his position and respect as a player. If Naruto managed to get past the Sand Team's defenses and strike, perhaps people would truly, finally, see him for what he already knew he was: Sasuke's equal.
In the distance, the two visitors from the Sand continued walking, but Gaara trailed behind and eventually stopped for a long moment. Naruto's breath caught as the rookie turned and seemed to stare directly into his eyes. Naruto was so far away from him, and the light was so low, it was absurd to think Gaara could actually see him … and yet, the young man seemed to hold his gaze for a long moment before turning back around and walking off into the night.
Notes: