Link to my discord server: discord/2XN2rzuFpM
/
"Yosh!" An exuberant exclamation reached my ears from the training ground I was walking to and I sighed at what I had signed up for. I was almost tempted to commit a copyright violation against Shikamaru concerning his favorite word as I walked from the streets where civilians milled about at what was around noon, to the region around the training grounds they tended to steer clear from.
My thoughts went to this morning and the last week of my life leading up to my inevitable version of Calvary I was walking straight into.
Naruko had done her usual run and went to train with Gai some, while I decided to sleep in for an extra hour and do more reserve exercises before meeting him. The reserve exercises helped center my mind due to the nature of forcing my emotions to remain steady, and I wanted some time to myself because Naruko had been pestering me for attention over the last week after I had the two of us work together to fight a dozen of her clones.
The purpose for that was to see how well we actually worked together in a fight, and by Kami and all the other gods I couldn't be bothered to know the names of it was illuminating.
We just seemed to… click. It took a little while for us to not accidentally stumble into each other or hit the same opponent, but when we managed to iron out that particular wrinkle, we were practically unstoppable. Before, I could take on at most ten of her clones if I used taijutsu alone and simply defended myself. But the two of us together, we could engage thirty of them and win.
Everything else was pretty much the same. My reserves were steadily increasing, my chakra control was more than keeping up with the growth, and my reporte of Ninjutsu and Iryo-ninjutsu was progressing.
But it still wasn't fast enough for me.
I was going to be 10 not too long from now. I needed to hit Jonin level by 11, just like Itachi. Nothing short was acceptable to me, no matter what type of swill anybody tried to feed me about pacing myself. I was already a mentally fragmented kid bordering on diagnosably insane at times, so it wasn't like I could get ment by Lucifer Beal: Hah! So naive
I took a deep breath and still kept walking, eventually getting within visual range of the grounds and seeing an orange and gold blur race towards Gai and throw a punch, the spandex clad Jonin catching it no problem.
Watching Naruko fight someone other than me was interesting, to say the least. We were almost polar opposites in every way. I was precise and economic with my movements, while she was chaotic and overwhelming. The Yin and Yang allegory was real in our case, especially since she was, what, sort of technically my sister? Who was I kidding, I had no damned clue how that worked, so I just decided to stop thinking about it.
Naruko's form was much sharper than just a few short months ago, and Gai was backing away while dodging or pushing aside her attacks with his one hand.
Activating my Sharingan, I traced the outlines of Naruko's face, spotting the same tightening in her jaw she did when she was getting annoyed.
Don't, you idiot. I thought in exasperation, already seeing an echo of what she was going to do a solid second or two before she did it.
The blonde Uzumaki overextended a punch at Gai's face and he pivoted to the side, slamming his left arm down into her forearm to shove her momentum further forward, his right then darting towards her throat and latching around her neck.
Naruko gasped and froze, her eyes widening in what almost looked like terror when Gai's fingers were gripped around her, holding her in place.
Something within me screamed to launch forward and rip Gai's throat out, but it vanished from my mind as soon as it appeared.
Said man let go of Naruko, looking at her with a concerned expression as the girl looked pale and still had her hands up to her collarbone.
"My apologies if I startled you, Naruko-san." Gai bowed his head, his hand resting on his chin. "That is a normal counter and grapple for the Goken when an opponent overextends."
There was something else to it. I swore I didn't misread how scared she was.
Villagers.
The eventuality of me getting Naruko to tell me who had hurt her was going to end with blood. Nothing mattered, not even her opinion on the matter. I was going to maim or kill someone. It was acceptable to kill anyone who harmed a little girl, especially one that was as bright and cheerful as Naruko.
Naruko blinked and nodded slowly. "It just… scared me." She mumbled, turning and spotting me.
Our eyes met and I gave a slight wave, acknowledging her without conveying any of the near homicidal anger bubbling under the surface.
Just like a light being flicked, Naruko's face brightened and she ran straight at me, catching me off guard even with my Sharingan.
"You showed up!" She squealed, wrapping both arms around me in a tight grip that had my ribs creaking.
And just like that, the tight coil of suppressed fury loosened and I felt warm all of a sudden.
"Hi to you too." I grimaced, prying her arms off of me and looking up at Gai as he walked towards me, appraising me as he did. "And of course I did. Need to make sure you didn't get lost."
Naruko crossed her arms and pouted, not enthused by my teasing.
"It is nice to meet you, Sasuke-san." Gai nodded in greeting after I finished the traditional task of tormenting the blonde, smiling brightly as he brimmed with energy.
He was downright shaking from holding in how fired up he was, and it was very disconcerting.
Now that I was actually focusing on Gai instead of just vaguely taking note of the spandex, bowl cut, and Jonin flak jacket, I made a few observations of the man.
One: He was one of the tallest people I'd seen, being around 6 ft. Two: The spandex left nothing to the imagination, and he looked chiseled like a marble Greek statue of a god of olde.
And three: His flak jacket was too small for him to zip up, thus the reason why it was open. His chest and shoulders were that large.
"It is an honour to meet you, Gai-san." I bowed slightly, hiding my shock at just how scary he looked after you got past the weird hair and skandex. I knew Gai probably didn't care for such niceties, but being respectful wouldn't hurt. "My… Tousan spoke highly of your skill as a Shinobi."
The brilliant luster of his smile dampened somewhat when I mentioned my father, but it returned a fraction of a second later.
"So you know of my reputation as Konoha's beautiful Green Beast?!" He struck a pose, the urge to recoil away persistent in my head.
The meanest and the greenest. Wagghh! A totally random memory of a gruff and crackly voice streaked through my thoughts, a faint smile tugging at my lips.
"A-rank Shinobi that is considered the greatest taijutsu master in Konoha's history." I replied, tucking my hair behind my ear when a gust of wind blew it into my face. "I also heard your academy scores were lackluster in comparison to Hatake Kakashi's, yet you are an A-rank just as he is."
Gai frowned for a moment, before laughing jovally.
"Do not sell my eternal rival short, young Sasuke! His hip attitude and unyouthful hobbies may be my bane, but the fires of Youth burn within him brighter than most!"
So… Damned… loud. I thought irritably, a dull throb already settling in my head from his voice.
He was even more of a loud personality than the show portrayed.
"Now Sasuke, do you wish to fan your flames of Youth as Naruko does?!" He questioned me, leaning forward into my personal space and looking at me closely.
I backed away, fighting the urge to scowl at the closeness.
"Yeah, sure." I replied, blinking slowly when I felt a chill go up my spine as Gai's entire demeanor got even brighter than ever.
"Yosh!" He shouted, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and guiding me towards the center of the training ground. "Come, let us spar to ignite the flames within!"
I was almost breathing erratically as he kept touching me, my fingers clenching and unclenching to keep myself from lashing out at him.
This training was going to suck.
/
"Keep at it, Sasuke!" Gai shouted with a near concussive boom, pushing aside my sloppy kick with his hand that had me stumbling and almost falling on my ass. "Like a blazing inferno that turns everything thrown at it into light and flame!"
I want you to die like a fucking dog. I was almost wheezing as I kept sending punch after punch after I recovered from staggering, my heart pounding in my chest and my limbs burning.
My Sharingan and innate precision wasn't enough for me to keep up with Gai, not even close. He was untouchable, even more than Kakashi was.
A jab at my face got through and my head jerked back as my face went numb, everything spinning as I tried to recover. The follow-up kick broke clean through my weak block to my sternum and forced out what little air I had in my lungs and I fell on my back, everything spinning.
Even after almost 2 months of taijutsu training with Gai, I was pathetically weak compared to him.
For a trainer, Gai was far better than Kakashi, especially for Naruko. Had the initial choice for helping a kid been Naruko instead of me, she would have struggled to keep up with Kakashi and his extreme lack in detail giving for students that didn't instinctively grasp concepts.
But, with all that said, at least Kakashi didn't try to force me to wear a fucking spandex suit while training! Stupid thing got worn once and I told Gai I wasn't wearing it again. I gave some bs about the texture making my skin crawl and how that sensation made me think of a night that I didn't like having to relive, which he quietly accepted and never attempted to have me wear it again.
I almost felt bad about lying, but I genuinely detested how I looked in it and just simply hated spandex. Cotton and linen all the way.
"Enough." I wheezed, desperately trying to stand up on my own, but I fumbled my roll to try and get up.
"Sasuke." Naruko ran up to me from where she had been spectating me playing the role of meat and Gai, a tenderizer. She reached and grabbed my arms to hoist me up from the dirt that beckoned for me to fall back down to. "I got you."
If I hadn't been drenched in sweat and ready to keel over, I might have told her to not touch me. But, I just didn't feel like it.
"I'm fine." I muttered, shrugging my shoulder roughly to make her let go. It wasn't smart, in hindsight, because the first step I took on my own had my knee buckling and I almost fell flat on my face, Naruko catching me once more.
"And you say you're supposed to be the smart one." She scowled, keeping one arm on my shoulder with a deceptively strong grip while shoving the Shinobi equivalent of a Gatorade in my hand. "Drink it." She ordered.
I gave her a subdued glare, not liking how she was almost doting on me, but more harshly. It reminded me a bit of my mother, which was very unpleasant to think about. I was supposed to be the one guiding, molding, and sometimes coercing, not her.
"Fine." I said irritably, ducking my head back and chugging the entire bottle down in a continuous gulp.
At the look of exasperation she made and her eye roll, I decided to be juvenile and very petty.
Deciding and acting upon my decision without hesitation plaguing my action, I leaned in and belched in her face to spite her.
"Ew!" She screamed, jumping away from me frantically and flailing her arms around to keep me away from her. "You're gross!" She leveled her harshest death glare she could muster at me, her teeth bared and her eyes burning with an azure fire of indignation.
Honestly, I antagonized her at times just because she had the most hilarious and adorable reactions to it. Or, I was just being a spiteful asshole with wounded pride; no idea which it was this time.
"Sasuke," Gai said, looking disappointed as he shook his head, "That is unbecoming behavior towards your friend."
"I don't like being babied." I muttered, wincing at how petulant I sounded.
"Such Unyouthful behavior." Gai crossed his arms, but didn't say anything else as Naruko looked to be the one to admonish me.
"If you're going to whine like a baby, I'm going to treat you like one, Sasuke-chan." She added the final part with a cheshire grin, making me frown.
"That won't work to annoy me." I said flatly, staggering to one of the chairs and sitting down heavily.
Much to my relief, after staring at me with a glare that promised retribution, Naruko decided to then ignore me to talk with Gai, allowing me to brood over what I'd accomplished so far.
I was going to be 10 in a month, and my taijutsu skill and fitness was much better than it was in its progression before I started training with Gai.
But that had a downside to it.
Uzumaki goddamn Naruko was even harder to fight against in pure taijutsu now because she took to Gai's training better than me in every perceivable way.
I had to always have my Sharingan active if I wanted to avoid getting bruised horribly and decisively win. Sure, I was impressed and a little proud of her for proving the bastards that hate her wrong, but it aggravated a particular thought that bothered me in spite of me knowing better.
'You are too weak to kill.'
Fuck off. My teeth and fists clenched, the latest rendition of nightmares over the last month deciding to visit me right now.
Stupid Itachi and his Genjutsu.
Here I was, Uchiha Sasuke, son of Wicked Eye Fugaku and possessing the chakra of the Sage's eldest, and I was terrified of being surpassed by a girl that didn't know how to pronounce the word chakra a year ago.
The fact that I had those thoughts, even with unmatched context and a keen desire to see Naruko thrive, concerned me about how much influence Itachi had on me...
Or Indra, if I wanted to scare myself into an anxiety attack.
Focusing on something else to get the coppery scent of my clan's blood and of dead men potentially twisting me out of my mind, I looked back at Naruko and Gai, the two having a very animated discussion.
"So opening those gate things make you stronger?" She asked excitedly, practically bouncing with energy. "Can you teach me?!"
If I hadn't been in the know about Naruko's status as a Jinchuriki, I would have been suspicious on why Gai abruptly stiffened and his face stilled.
"Opening the Gates is a very dangerous technique," Gai said somberly, a slight grimace settling upon his face, "Not everyone can do it, so you may not be able to."
Something interesting about the Sharingan, that was also basic knowledge, was the ability to see chakra while active. It wasn't as clearly defined as a Byakugan, but you could still see it.
Another interesting little tidbit was that a faint chakra outline around people, especially Shinobi, was detectable. And my clan had records and journals mentioning that lies or other types of reactions could be sometimes discerned by how the faint halo of chakra around someone would flicker.
Gai's flickered.
It probably hurt him to omit information to prevent Naruko from learning something potentially very dangerous, but it was still a lie.
I immediately blinked and deactivated my Sharingan when Gai's gaze flicked over to me, before going back to Naruko.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"Oh." She said quietly, scraping her sandal against the ground as she looked down.
"But fear not!" Gai bounced back to his exuberant state and struck a pose. "I shall make you into the most splendid Shinobi to grace the Elemental nations, no matter what!"
His passion was contagious, at least for Naruko, because she grinned brightly and attempted to strike the same pose, failing horribly.
She's susceptible. I thought fearfully as I watched the blonde do that, wondering if all my progress in turning arguably the most insufferably antithetical person to my own personality into a more clinical and chilled out one was all for naught… because of a dude with a bowl cut.
Gai then dismissed us for the day, but not before encouraging us to keep up with our teamwork and prepare to spar with him against the two of us at the same time.
Naruko was hesitant to leave my side after we left the training ground, but she eventually relented when I pointed out that I needed to do some of my own training and that we were supposed to have a contest on whether my Katon Jutsu could scorch a tree better than her Futon could uproot one.
With Naruko wandering off to do more elemental release exercises, I made my way to pick up some food to fix for supper, trying to ignore everyone's eyes on me.
/
"Come on… you stupid… spoon." I kept my breathing perfectly steady as I shifted and sharpened the density of my chakra flowing through my fingers, the metal spoon between my index and thumb being squeezed in an attempt to finally pull off the first step of strength enhancement.
Training in chakra control for about 10 months now, reserve growth exercises for almost just as long, and all training led up to this. Everything depended on me managing something that Tsunade had created to become a hammer that breaks the anvil, my enemies being the anvil upon which my wrath would strike.
Konoha. The village that I was born in would not have my loyalty. I will never risk my life for the village alone.
Ba-dum. My heart pumped once.
Orochimaru, who would try and possess my body like a demented puppeteer; stealing my bloodline, my birthright, like a grasping and envious parasite. I will not die or kneel to him.
Ba-dum. Twice.
The Akatsuki. They would destroy the world that I lived in, and they would murder Naruko. Unfortunately, Naruko was my weapon against them. They can't have her.
Ba-dum. Three.
Danzo. If I had the Rinnegan by the time his death would come, I'm ripping his soul from his body… But not until I carve apart every inch of flesh while keeping him from expiring too early.
Ba-dum.
Itach-
The spoon bent under my grip, the handle warping against the scoop of the spoon as Itachi's merciless face flashed across my mind.
The broken spoon fell from my hand with a clatter as it hit the kitchen floor, my eyes impossibly wide.
I… I did it.
I looked at my fingers, then down to the bent spoon. It was still completely bent.
I did it.
"I did it!" I shouted, jumping up from my chair and laughing happily. "Yes!"
The practical part of my mind was ignored. I didn't care that it wouldn't be useful in combat until I could do it instinctively, and that I was a ways away from punching through walls or the coveted Byakugo seal. I was just happy I pulled off the first part.
It was possible. I could do this. Everything I wanted was within reach.
After I finally calmed down after jumping around in elation at my success, I rushed over to the kitchen drawers and pulled open one with more metal utensils and started at it again, closing my eyes and going through the painstaking process of calming my heart rate and my chakra flow again.
/
"Do not feel pressured by hastiness, Sasuke." Kakashi advised once more, concern leaking through into his voice, "Nobody will fault you if you're not ready just yet."
I bit my tongue to not say anything. He wasn't trying to downgrade me, he was just concerned for me in a way most others wouldn't.
Honestly, he probably saw a large part of his young personality and self in me.
It had been around two weeks since I first managed to crush the spoon, and progress had been as usual on my skills. My Ninjutsu arsenal was arguably Jonin level thanks to Kakashi, Yugao had complimented me on my kenjutsu very enthusiastically, Gai was doing his typical practice of breaking me down and building me up, and Kabuto… He had been normal. His opinion hadn't changed, he just complimented my progress as he usually did and offered some old and handwritten journals by his adoptive mother, if I remember correctly, that had colossal amounts of knowledge pertaining to safe transplants, blood transfusions among Shinobi, and things of that nature.
But that wasn't particularly important now, Kakashi was.
"I've put thought into this," I replied, closing my eyes slowly and opening them, my Sharingan taking in the minute details of what little of Kakashi's face was visible, "I won't be afforded time when threats appear. I have to be strong enough to protect my fami-" I abruptly stopped as my throat suddenly tightened and my eyes burned, my skin itching almost painfully.
That was the reason I had originally wanted to awaken my clan's dojutsu; protect my family and everyone I loved. But they were gone, all of them.
Kakashi could have been blind and seen my reaction, his visible eye tracing along my face.
"You're scared that you won't be able to confront what was done to you head on, but you still want to go along with it."
I nodded shakily, my heart racing.
"Why?"
This was something private to me. It honestly was the prime reason I didn't want to destroy Konoha that wasn't related to my disdain for killing innocent people.
"Konoha is all that's left." I murmured, my mouth dry as I burned with discomfort from revealing this. "So long as I live and Konoha lives, my clan is still alive."
Thinking that made me ashamed, because it was the only reason I had any neutral feeling for Konoha instead of hatred. Ironic, that the very thing that my clan was murdered for, and my family destroyed, was also the only fragment of an institution I could look to and see something that was my legacy.
Kakashi's gaze softened and he started to lift his hand like he was about to pat my shoulder in a comforting manner, but he paused, before reaching up to his Hitai-ate.
Thanks for small mercies.
"Remember, it's just me." He said steadily, lifting it up the rest of the way and revealing his left eye, blood red and three tomoe spinning lazily as I looked upon another Sharingan for the first time since Itachi tortured me.
My breath caught and I fought the urge to flinch away, but it wasn't as bad as I had feared. The urge to look away frantically was also there, but I crushed it down as I clenched my fists and tightened my jaw.
"I'm okay." I said, hating how uncertain and weak the words sounded as they left my mouth. "I'm okay."
Kakashi blinked and stood up straight, having been stooped down for my sake.
A flash of raven black hair went through my mind as he towered over me, the full moon bathing everything in a pale light as I screamed out in anguish.
'Tachi, why?!'
I didn't realize I had just bitten completely through my tongue with my canine until I tasted blood, but it pulled me out of the haze.
Kakashi, if he noticed something, didn't mention it. "Keep your Sharingan active and watch how I perform Genjutsu on a clone." He instructed, making a cross sign to form a clone.
The construct took a few steps and turned to face us, my eyes tracing along Kakashi's body until I closed in on how the chakra on the left side of his skull crackled in an unstable halo that bulged minutely.
I simply nodded my head, not trusting myself to speak as the pain in my tongue really kicked in and I could taste blood even more prominently.
Kakashi then tilted his head and I saw his chakra shift in density, before shooting from his eye and striking his clone.
Kakashi's chakra intertwined with the clone's, but it lost the different 'tone' to it within a second or two and became indistinguishable from the clone's.
"Did you see how your chakra is supposed to invade the target?" Kakashi asked, signaling the clone to pop.
The clone complied and popped, making Kakashi's face twitch when he got back the experience of putting an illusion on himself.
I still remained silent, but nodded an affirmative.
A sigh came from my silver haired instructor, his eye lid closing to obscure his Sharingan. "Heal your mouth, I can tell you bit it."
The moment he finished the sentence, I spat out a near mouthful of saliva and blood onto the ground, my hands forming the necessary hand seals so I could heal it.
A few seconds and a pair of glowing green fingers massaging chakra into my tongue later, the puncture sealed shut completely and I ran my tongue along my teeth to try and get rid of the weird sensation.
"I could tell you were uncomfortable," Kakashi said simply, his body language not conveying anything in particular, "Do you think you can handle it still, or wait for another time?"
Again, I didn't like being denied this, doubly so because I knew Kakashi wasn't doing it to be an ass. It was just to help me, or least what he thought was helping.
"I can keep going." I replied stiffly, setting my feet in place. "Show me more, please."
Kakashi remained in place for several seconds, not saying a word.
After evidently finding whatever he was looking for, he broke the silence. "If I see you struggling, I will wait for other times to show you the basics. This isn't easy and you're fighting uphill, rather impressively." He added the last part absentmindedly.
I nodded my understanding, expecting that from him.
"So, ways to creatively use ocular Genjutsu include…"
/
"Are you alright, Sasuke?" Kabuto asked from next to me, his eyes darting from my shaking fingers to my squinted eyes.
I was most assuredly not alright. Nightmares had plagued worse than usual last night, and some extremely strong coffee was the only reason I was functional enough to train my Iryo-ninjutsu right after what I had just finished doing earlier today.
I had spent the better part of two hours of today constantly hitting Kakashi with Genjutsu after Genjutsu that he helped me craft, only for him to force my chakra aside within half a second. They were rudimentary and abysmal my the standard I wanted, but I had to start somewhere.
But wait made it worse was that the tenketsu that funneled chakra into my eyes weren't as finely developed as the ones in my fingers or arms, so most of the foundational training Kakashi was having me do was the most barebones ocular Genjutsu being cast from my eyes on repeat to expand the tenketsu so I didn't hurt myself when using complex illusions.
And it had the side effect of giving me a killer headache and photosensitivity.
"I'm fine." I lied easily, successfully reattaching the femoral nerve after doing the same with the connective tissue on the dog's recently severed leg.
"Hmmm," Kabuto furrowed his brow, electing to not respond to that as he inspected the dog, "Well, it seems you successfully reattached a full limb this time."
I smiled weakly, cutting the flow of chakra to my fingers and I pulled them away, flexing them to get the tingling sensation out.
My focus for now was almost exclusively battlefield healing to both protect my squad and myself, but also so I could match Naruko's healing to keep up with her in the event of a serious fight.
"I know I left scar tissue along the ligaments and surrounding muscle." I muttered under my breath, clicking my tongue at the imperfection in my technique.
Kabuto snorted at what I said. "You turned ten just three days ago, Sasuke. You reattached a limb to almost full functionality, and it's not difficult to clear up or mostly remove scar tissue for a fully qualified Iryo-nin."
Even with him putting it like that, I still wasn't convinced.
"Not good enough." I shook my head, running my fingers along the unconscious dog's side gently. It really was a cute dog. This Shiba Inu reminded me so much of a popular one from the other world that it was a little unnerving.
"Heh, trying to figure out how to surpass Tsunade-sama?" Kabuto let out a faint laugh as he asked that, but I didn't respond to the question.
Everything I said was going back to Orochimaru. I had to play things safe.
"Just wanting to be the best I can be." I gave a generic reply, not saying what my actual thoughts were as I went through the painstaking effort of scanning for scar tissue potentially being wrapped around the tendon sheath on the dog's lower leg.
What I really wanted was to mimic some of Orochimaru's ideas and sculpt myself into a near demigod with medical knowledge and physical improvement. Had someone like Jiraiya, Itachi, or what I was beforehand been capable of or willing to augment themselves like Orochimaru did, they'd be almost unstoppable.
Just a boost from Uzumaki blood alone would be incredible, not to mention the other Kekkai Genkai that had interested the wayward Sannin.
Dead Bone Pulse, Crystal release, etc. So many.
"Hmmm," Kabuto hummed, still looking at me curiously, "Did you finish reading the newest book I loaned to you?"
"Yes," I nodded, not looking up while I was focusing on my task. It also had the other benefit where I didn't have to move my eyes too much. "Interesting topics about epigenetic drift through one's children."
Because of chakra, non-genetic traits that were induced by lifestyle choices could actually be inheritable to some extent, unlike how it worked in my 'original' world if I remembered correctly. From somewhat larger reserves, a more malleable chakra network, or just 'simple' reduced likelihood for hereditary diseases, the Shinobi lifestyle improved the health of one's furure children and built an inheritable foundation for a healthy body.
But the part about exercise and exertion helping to deactivate some negative genetic markers in a man's semen was definitely a weird thing to read at night, and have it burned into your memory banks thanks to the Sharingan.
"You…" Kabuto paused, before laughing lightly. "Why am I not surprised that you actually managed to understand what epigenetic means and how it translates to health?"
"Because you are in awe at my peerless brilliance?" I raised a brow, deciding to humour Kabuto and not be as insulated as I was. It would benefit me if he thinks I'm starting to open up, albeit slowly.
"Heh," He snorted, adjusting his glasses minutely, "I wouldn't necessarily say peerless. There are two Shinobi in Konoha that were better from what their records on Iryo-ninjutsu show."
My brow furrowed slightly at that, not expecting him to respond seriously. Tsunade would be an obvious one, but the other…
"Who other than Senju Tsunade?"
Kabuto smiled slightly, almost like it was an inside joke.
"Even if he is a traitor, Orochimaru," the gray haired teen enunciated the name, "Was only ever surpassed in knowledge of the body by his teammate."
I blinked slowly, not knowing why Kabuto was working that angle. There was a reason he mentioned Orochimaru.
"But I think you already knew that." Kabuto said thoughtfully, tapping his fingers against the table.
I didn't look at him, but I may as well be from how little I was getting done with the dog. "Why, in your mind, would I have acted like I didn't know that?" I asked quietly, suddenly on guard from what the veritable snake in the grass just said.
Kabuto just shrugged.
"I think you're worried that your curiosity will be mistaken for something nefarious, so you're downplaying what you know or are fascinated with."
My movements stilled as he finished saying that, my eyes still on the dog that was struggling to keep its gaze focused from it being heavily drugged.
"You would be wrong." I replied casually, concealing how on edge I felt at his probes. It was even worse because that was 100% what I was doing, especially to conceal it from Sarutobi.
"You're a smart kid, Sasuke." Kabuto stated flatly, "It doesn't make sense to me why you're uncomfortable about learning. What are you scared of being compared to, Orochimaru?" He asked further, making my jaw clench as I finally looked straight at him.
That really aggravated me. Being compared to the grasping snake, even indirectly, disgusted me to a visceral degree.
Stepping away from the table, I stared directly at him.
"I would advise that you not make baseless statements, Yakushi." I said coldly, almost gnashing my teeth as he took a step back at my glare.
A worthless and rootless teen that clung to those fucking glasses like a frightened child was trying to elicit some type of reaction from me, and it worked in spite of myself.
"I'm," Kabuto started to say, but he stopped partway, "I didn't mean any offense, Sasuke."
I shook my head, causing him to frown.
"Don't care, don't bring it up again." I said shortly, looking back down and willfully ignoring Kabuto now while I went back to cleaning up the dog's leg.
An awkward silence fell across the room, and it continued after I finished my task.
Once I cleaned my hands with antiseptic as a precaution, I turned on my heel and walked away, not even giving a farewell to the teen who had been assisting me in learning Iryo-ninjutsu for almost a year now.
Whatever Kabuto was fishing for, he probably got, much to my chagrin.
I don't care. I thought to myself, making my way out of the hospital and through the village streets to get back home. I'm killing him when I have the chance.
With that pleasant thought, I swung by the market real quick to pick up some fresh meat and some fruit for supper, being sure to get a little extra in case Naruko swung by like she usually did to surprise me.
/
"Sandaime-sama." Gai bowed his head respectfully, his hands clasped behind his back as he straightened up after the act of deferment to his superior. "You wished to be informed of young Sasuke and Naruko's progress?"
"Yes, is there anything new as of late?" The aged Hokage asked, setting his pipe down after taking a long drag from it.
The taijutsu master nodded his head.
"Young Sasuke is very driven at being the best," The Jonin stated, a subdued smile upon his face, "But what is most surprising is how well he and Naruko fight together."
"Hmmm?" Hiruzen peered at his subordinate with a curious expression.
"I have no doubt that Sasuke and Naruko could defeat any Chunin in Konoha, and likely be able to escape many Jonin when working together." Gai elaborated, his foot flexing quickly as his inborn exuberance started to be stoked by bringing it up. "I've seldom seen such excellent teamwork."
Hiruzen silently pondered what that would mean for the future, the gentle flame of relief sinking into his bones as his mind supplied him with the logical reaction.
I had already been nearly certain that Sasuke and Naruko will be assigned to Kakashi's team when they graduate, and the third teammate will be the one that best compliments them.
This was simply a reassurance that his initial idea was sound, but the additional information on their competence was an added bonus.
"Is Naruko still taking to your training better than Sasuke?"
Gai nodded.
"Sasuke-san's form of taijutsu Uchiha use is not as well suited for me to assist him with." The man frowned for a moment, furrowing his brow. "I can teach him how to obscure or lessen weaknesses in the Interceptor form, but I can hardly teach him how to maximize his precision. Kakashi can though."
As expected. Hiruzen smiled slightly, having already received the normal monthly debriefings from Yugao and Kakashi.
Sasuke was still improving at kenjutsu with a steady pace, the barest beginnings of a preference in style being noted by Yugao. The boy, like many Uchiha, favoured precision and speed, mainly relying on stabs and very tight flourishes that suited their clan well by dissecting minute openings.
Unfortunately, she would need to be sent back out on ANBU duties, a few threats arising near the Land of Steam that needed investigating.
Thinking of that, Hiruzen made a mental note to have Yugao ask Sasuke if he would be fine with Hayate filling in for her; Kami knew the man needed purpose after the damage done to his lungs sidelined him.
But Kakashi's report was an interesting one. In it, he put, very bluntly, that Sasuke's illusions had the fragility of a cracked window that had taken one too many strikes when he was trying to use them. Genjutsu had been torture for the boy to implement, but he had forcefully made them work, albeit only minor ones that adjusted the targets equilibrium or slightly shifted their vision to disguise a punch or a kick to the face as a throat shot.
Ninjutsu was the most incredible in progress, thus rather uneventful. Intelligent like his brother, motivated, excellent chakra control, and a good grasp on what he could do resulted in Sasuke being comfortably Jonin level in his reporte of Fire Jutsu and his Raiton was Chunin level.
His taijutsu was in a similar tier as Ninjutsu in improving sharply, but was still second to the latter branch of Shinobi skills.
"And how is Naruko faring?" Hiruzen asked, a brief undercurrent of apprehension striking him from what had transpired over the last few months that had slowly made the girl uncomfortable and oftentimes adversarial with him whenever he would take her to Ichiraku's.
He didn't even know what he had done wrong! He had hesitated on telling her about Kushina, which her irritation was understandable. But the tension had still been there just a few days ago, and it was rather disheartening to him.
"She takes to the Goken amazin-" Gai began to say brightly, but a raising of Hiruzen's hand stopped him in his tracks.
"Not how her training is going," Hiruzen clarified, sighing and removing his hat to comb at his hair uncomfortably, "How is Naruko?"
Realization dawned on Gai after the girl's name was stressed, a shadow seeming to flash across his visage.
"She is… delicate." Gai eventually said after a long pause. "I have noticed that she does not react positively if Sasuke or I touch her from behind. There is something about being surprised, along with being grabbed, that bothers her."
Likely a holdover from when she was attacked. Hiruzen pressed his fingers against his brow, silently cursing at the circumstance.
"Is she… receptive to you as a teacher?" Hiruzen asked slowly.
Gai nodded, his smile returning to his face.
"Tell me more of what you are teaching her." Hiruzen instructed calmly, which Gai heeded.
Naruko had the energy and motivation to be an outstanding kunoichi, and Gai had been encouraging her to be ever optimistic and bright about things.
She was receptive, but Sasuke had not been in the slightest. If anything, it was almost like he put up with Gai's exuberance for only two reasons, those being training in taijutsu and because it made Naruko happy.
Hiruzen was tempted to be concerned about Sasuke when Gai had finished saying that, but a bright and cheerful friend had a habit of drawing traumatized and damaged prodigies out of their despair.
After Gai finished debriefing Hiruzen on everything pertaining to Naruko, he dismissed the man and gave him leave to do as he wished for the rest of the week, wanting to show how grateful he was to arguably his most dangerous Jonin currently in Konoha.
After he left the room, Hiruzen reclined slightly in his chair, putting his pipe back into mouth as he picked up a letter he had received from the capital of Hi no Kuni, frowning at the wax seal.
There was a custom Fuinjutsu seal on it that he had personally made, and only a few knew about it.
"Ah, Asuma." Hiruzen sighed in realization, noticing the extremely faint flourish on the top left section of the seal that his son had never succeeded in clearing up.
The old man gently pressed his thumb into the seal and pulse chakra into it, a faint puff of smoke coming from it as the actual letter came out, the word Tousan written in his son's handwriting being on there.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he opened the first letter his son had sent to him in months, the message not even needing to be particularly positive to bring a silver lining to his day.
/
End chapter.
This was mostly just a way to bridge a gap in time moving forward and to give a summary on Sasuke and Naruko progressing. Next chapter will have a little bit more of that, but it'll also have another surprise that I'll be experimenting with.
Anyway, that's about it. Hope you enjoy and have a great day!
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