It was a few days after the Hokage had reinstated Sabuko as a genin. He spent them on more fetch quests, using his clones to maximize efficiency.
One clone read through the library daily, depending on the mission. Another studied Konoha's layout, while a few more handled the actual fetch quests.
That way, Sabuko not only earned money, but picked up all sorts of bits and pieces about the village.
'They never did say how much time passed between the Zabuza arc and the Chūnin Exams,' Sabuko thought, slurping his noodles.
"...And anyway, on that mission I decided!" Naruto said beside him, mouth full. "I'm never gonna be scared, or end up in a spot where I need rescuing!"
'Well, at least canon didn't change there.'
"I swear," Naruto shook his head, "what a coward that kid was, believe it!"
"That Inari kid you talked about earlier?"
"Mhm." Naruto turned to Sabuko. "He was such a crybaby, and a total coward!" he growled.
"I mean, his dad got killed, dude," Sabuko said. "A public execution, no less. Give him some slack."
"LIKE HELL I WILL! HIM BEING A COWARD ALMOST GOT HIS MOM KILLED, BELIEVE IT!" Naruto yelled.
'That part doesn't sit right,' Sabuko thought. 'In the anime, Inari stood up to them himself.'
Naruto stared into his broth.
"His mom needed savin', and he just cried in the corner like a baby!" His fist clenched.
"Lucky for him I woke up early that day and got there in time."
'In the anime, Naruto woke up LATE that day, 'cause he'd been training all night to beat Sasuke. Is he not as fired up about getting stronger? Did I really fuck up the timeline?'
"W-what about your contest with Sasuke, Naruto?" Sabuko blurted. "The one you were talking about earlier. You never did say who made it to the top of the tree first."
Naruto raised an eyebrow and turned to him.
"What're you talkin' about?" Naruto tilted his head. "I thought it was obvious."
"I beat his ass, believe it."
'What?'
"I got to the top of the tree way before Sasuke did."
Sabuko's mouth hung open.
'He... he beat Sasuke? THIS EARLY?!'
"Hehe." Naruto turned back to his bowl. "You shoulda seen Sakura-chan's face when I carried him back. He didn't say a word the whole way... HEHEHEHE..." Naruto giggled.
"How?" Sabuko's eyes narrowed slightly.
"'CAUSE I'M AWESOME, THAT'S HOW!" Naruto shot back.
Then he went quiet for a second, stirring his noodles.
"Honestly... whenever I got tired, I'd think about you." He scratched his nose.
"Ah... w-what?"
"Like," Naruto blinked, "Sabuko's out there gettin' his ass kicked by that bushy-brow sensei every single day, and he keeps goin' back for more, fightin' for his place."
He grinned, jabbing a thumb at himself.
"If the future Hokage's best friend isn't quittin', why should I?"
'...'
'Best... friend.'
'You're...' Sabuko looked away. 'You're the only one who can say cringey shit like that without blinking.'
Sabuko's lips twitched against his will.
'Swear to God. What a fucking nerd.' He sniffled once.
"Though I'm the one who beat Sasuke, believe it!" Naruto declared, then went back to slurping his noodles.
Sabuko looked back at him.
'But he...' Sabuko swallowed. 'He didn't get weaker because of me. He actually...'
'...got stronger?'
Sabuko's shoulders dropped.
"Oh, and that Inari kid," Naruto added between slurps. "Guess he kinda made up for it in the end. He showed up at the bridge with the whole village behind him." He grinned. "Still a crybaby, though."
Sabuko looked at Naruto, grinning with noodles hanging out of his mouth.
'It changed for the better,' he thought, swallowing. 'But that Inari kid never got his moment.'
'One good change, and something else shifts. And I can't see it coming.'
Sabuko's body shivered.
'That's what's dangerous.' He clenched his fist. 'After the Chūnin Exams, I'll cut ties with Naruto, and...'
'...'
'This is the fate of the whole world we're talking about.' Sabuko frowned. 'Why am I even hesitating, damn it? I'll have my clone harem soon.'
His shoulders slumped slightly.
'Fuckin' ninjas.'
"By the way," Sabuko said, shaking his head, "you can't really control being scared, Naruto."
"Huh? What're you sayin'?!"
Sabuko cleared his throat.
"I-I mean, your promise that you'll never be scared." He looked away. "You can't really help it. It's like promising you'll never laugh again. You'll still laugh. You'll always be scared of something. What matters..."
He looked at Naruto.
"...is what you do once you feel it."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Sabuko..."
A beat.
"You're sayin' stuff I don't get AGAIN!!" Naruto exploded. "I decided I won't be scared anymore, so I won't, believe it!"
'Ah, right. He's a dumbass.'
Sabuko just chuckled.
"WHAT'S SO FUNNY, HUH!?"
"I," Sabuko declared, looking up at the ceiling of Ichiraku's stand, "LOVE ICHIRAKU'S, NARUTO!"
"YOU'VE LOST YOUR MIND!!" Naruto snapped. "BUT I LOVE IT MORE THAN YOU, BELIEVE IT!"
'Ahh... whatever. I'm too tired to think right now.'
---- LATER ----
"So that's how it is," Sabuko told Lettuce over dinner. "The Hokage made me a genin without a team. But only if I make chūnin at the next exams, whenever those are."
Lettuce looked down. "I see. Then I suppose you get to stay here a little longer."
Sabuko scratched his cheek.
"I mean," he started, "at this point, it's fine if you don't wanna keep me here. Right now, I could—"
"Nonsense." She cut him off. "I made a promise. So you get to stay."
Takos was completely quiet.
Soon enough, they finished eating.
"Sabuko," Takos said, walking up to him. "Wanna go for a walk? It's been a while."
'Ah,' Sabuko thought, his eyebrows shooting up. 'It has been a while since I hung out with him.'
"Sure." Sabuko followed him outside.
Takos led him into the nearby forest.
'He's unusually quiet. Is he mad again?'
'!!'
Takos threw a punch. Sabuko caught it instantly.
"Hey! What's the—"
A kick slammed into Sabuko's calf.
'Grgh...!' Sabuko leapt back before Takos could follow up.
"What's the big idea, you fag?!" Sabuko snapped.
"I'mma..." Takos clenched his teeth. "I'MMA BEAT YOUR ASS RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, YOU BASTARD!"
'FUCK!' Sabuko glanced down at his calf. 'Didn't see that coming... shit, it hurts. Nothing like Guy-sensei's hits... but still. Fuck. Guess I never really trained my body, besides dodging and the occasional hit.'
He shook his head.
'That aside...' He looked up at Takos. 'What's HIS deal—'
A kunai flew at him.
'!!!!'
Sabuko's eyes went white.
The Mist ninja. The throat. The blood.
He slipped past the kunai and bolted forward, tackling Takos to the ground.
"AHHK!!!" Takos yelped. "FUCKER!!"
'Don't let him use jutsu. Don't let him hit.' Sabuko pinned Takos' arms down with his knees.
"GET... THE FUCK OFF ME... YOU WEAKLING...!!" Takos shouted, starting to shove him off.
'He's physically stronger. I knew that. Doesn't matter. Make clones while I've got him pinned.' Sabuko formed the hand seal.
Eight shadow clones burst into existence.
"!!!" Takos clenched his teeth as one pinned his arm. Another, his leg. Another, his other leg. Another, his other arm. Another, his head.
The other three simply stood and watched as Sabuko straddled Takos' chest, pressing his own kunai to his throat.
Takos froze.
"Hey." Sabuko glared down into his wide eyes. "Care to explain why you just tried to kill me, before I slit your fucking throat, you little fucker?"
Takos' breath stilled.
He sniffled.
Sniffle.
"You..." He sniffled again. "Why..."
'?'
"Why you!? WHY... WHY YOU?!" Takos cried, tears spilling down his face. "IT'S NOT FAIR!"
"I WORKED HARD TOO!" he shouted. "I TRAINED HARD TOO!"
"WHY DO YOU GET TO STAY A GENIN?!"
"The fuck you mean?" Sabuko's grip loosened slightly, though he kept the kunai close to Takos' throat. "You're a genin too, retarded fucker. You wanna rob that from me or someth—"
"ME AND KOKO GOT PULLED OFF THE FIELD, YOU BASTARD!!" Takos shouted.
"What?" Sabuko said. "I don't get it. How's it my fault you suck?"
"SHUT UP!!!" Takos screamed himself hoarse. "SHUT UP!!!"
"SHUT UP!!" he repeated. "SHUT UP!!"
"SHUT... SHUT UP!!!"
'...'
Sabuko blinked several times.
'Haaah...'
"Keep him pinned." Sabuko pulled the kunai away from Takos' throat and stood up.
"Like hell we'd let him go," all the clones said in unison.
Sabuko sat down on the grass a few meters away, eyes narrowed, still gripping his kunai.
A few minutes passed. Takos' sniffling filled the air.
A few more minutes, and it died down a little.
"Care to explain how it's my fault now? And why you tried to kill me?" Sabuko narrowed his eyes. "My dad pay you or something?"
"Always," Takos growled. "YOU ALWAYS think everything's about you. You stupid fuckin' BASTARD!!" he spat.
"You just said it is," Sabuko muttered. "Cut the shit. I'm not letting you go until you tell me why you tried to kill me."
"WHO THE FUCK TRIED TO KILL YOU!? JUST SHUT UP!! JUST SHUT UP!!" Takos screamed. "FUCKER!! JUST KILL ME IF YOU'VE GOT THE BALLS. FUCKER!!"
'...'
Sabuko exhaled. 'I'm getting nowhere with this brat.'
He glanced at one of his idle clones and signaled it over.
Then he whispered something in its ear.
Sabuko slipped behind a tree while that clone stayed put. Then he dispersed every clone but that one.
'He's too worked up to notice the swap.'
Takos looked up and saw Sabuko standing alone.
"Alright," the clone said. "I dispersed them all. Now tell me why you attacked me."
'If he's up to something,' Sabuko thought from behind the tree, 'or if he tries to kill me, I'll know.'
"Stupid fucker," Takos growled. "You really thin—"
"JUST TELL ME."
"..."
Takos stayed sprawled on the grass, limbs spread out.
"Bolo-sensei told us..." Takos closed his eyes. "...that we're not fit for field duty. After just a few missions."
Sabuko kept quiet.
"That... that fucker." Takos bit his lip. "That piece of shit... he told us you were the only reason we passed..."
Sabuko looked down.
"Koko-chan just accepted it." Takos' voice softened. "I begged him not to do it."
"...And now you..." He hiccuped. "You... I tried. I asked a bunch of jōnin how to get better, like you did. I tried... EVERYTHING... because..."
He threw an arm over his eyes.
"I hated you." He sobbed. "I hated how my own mom treated you better than me."
"And now," He wept harder. "I have to tell her I got pulled off the field..."
He growled again.
"WHILE YOU. FUCKING YOU." He clenched his teeth. "You're on your way to becoming a fuckin' chūnin!"
Behind the tree, Sabuko went still.
'My own mom treated you better than me.'
'...'
His father's words came back to him.
WE'LL MAKE ANOTHER BOY WHO WON'T BE A FAILURE LIKE YOU!!! YOU ARE DISOWNED FROM THIS MOMENT FORWARD, YOU HEAR!!?
Crickets filled the silence between them.
'Guess it's time, then.'
"Don't worry," Sabuko said from behind the tree. In the clearing, his clone vanished in a puff of smoke. "I'm moving out today."
He stepped out from behind the tree.
"..." Takos didn't even react to the second swap. Sabuko sat down on the grass beside him and looked up at the night sky.
"You'll be homeless," Takos said. "Just kill me and take the house and my mom for yourself, or something."
"Stupid cunt," Sabuko chuckled. "That's not how this works."
"Like hell it's not."
Silence again.
"I don't think I ever told you my dad adopted another kid the second I left, did I?"
Takos' eyes widened, and his head snapped toward Sabuko.
"You're kidding me," Takos said.
"Nope." Sabuko shook his head, staring at the grass. "He did."
"..."
Silence, and a cold wind blowing past.
"Guess your mom never told you that part. You can ask her after today." Sabuko looked away.
"She's not replacing you with me or anything, you dunce." He sighed. "She just felt sorry for a charity case."
"..."
Takos looked back up at the sky.
"You said you're moving out. Where to?" he asked.
"I was gonna tell you two over dinner." Sabuko exhaled. "I've got enough money from missions to rent a small place. Turns out minors in this world can rent if they've got the cash."
"What?" Takos raised an eyebrow.
"You get the point." Sabuko shook his head.
Then he lay back on the grass beside Takos, looking up at the night sky.
"I have to make chūnin," Sabuko went on. "If I don't, I lose my genin status too. Then I can't take missions, and I can't pay rent. I'm not doing it to steal your family or anything."
Takos blinked.
"I... um. I mean, I'll feel like shit if you move out because, um. Just now, I..." Takos mumbled.
"Well, you should. 'Cause now I'm dead set on it," Sabuko shot back. "Like hell I'll live with someone who tried to kill me."
"Y-YOU FUCKER! I WAS ABOUT TO BE NICE TO YOU!" Takos shouted.
"Hahahaha..." Sabuko laughed quietly.
"No, but seriously." Sabuko's eyes softened as he looked at the stars. "You were the first one who saved me, y'know?"
Takos went silent.
"You had every chance to screw me over," Sabuko said with a smile. "And all you wanted in exchange for teaching me the ninjutsu I desperately needed was for me to stay out of your way with the girl you liked."
Takos let out a chuckle.
"And then she wasn't even our team leader," Takos said. "Man, what a loss."
"Pfft," Sabuko scoffed. "Like it mattered to you. You went right after Koko."
Takos laughed louder.
"You never did tell me what you said that made Koko so distant afterward," Sabuko said.
"Man, whatever! Like..." Takos looked away. "I said she's... um. So cute, I'd totally make her my girlfriend, even if I can't have Yūhi-chan."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sabuko burst out laughing. "I'd have filed a restraining order against your tactless ass."
"SHUT UP! I'm a catch, y'know?!" Takos shot back. "It only makes sense that I... pfft... hahahaha..."
They both laughed for a really...
Really long time.