Back in the Days of the Genin
"Guys." The lavender-eyed boy waited for a response from his small team. There wasn't one. His leader, Uchiha Sasuke, was too focused on the path ahead, formulating ideas, plans, missions and strategies, all centered around the focal goal of destroying the leaders of the place of his birth. One of his partners was simply discussing something with a bird on his finger, probably the location of the Konoha camp.
Much to Sasuke's dismay, the Akatsuki leader Pain had already turned most of the town into a giant crater, and was only slightly relieved to learn that the people he intended to kill were still alive. So the moment a map had been drawn of the camp, he'd been planning, and planning, and planning.
"Guys!" Suigetsu persisted. The water-ninja seemed a little annoyed at being ignored by even the men of the group. The one female of their group was his least favorite of people, and the sentiment was mutually returned, so a good portion of their time was spent ignoring eachother whenever they could. Or at least Karin did her best. Suigetsu was much more satisfied with insulting her and pissing her off whenever he could. "Hello? What, am I the only one who has working ears?" He growled, unable to hold back the contempt in his voice.
"Ugh!" Karin turned with a whip of her red hair and glared sternly at the most troublesome of their group. Sasuke, who was only half paying attention, stopped just so he wouldn't lose the others. Or rather, so the others wouldn't lose him. "Could you be anymore annoying? Can't you see Sasuke needs peace to think about what to do next? What could be so important you have to interrupt him!?"
Now the snow-haired predator was annoyed. Karin and her stupid high-and-mighty way of talking to him was annoying enough, but her dumb obsession with their leader was turning this into a guilt trip over pretty much nothing. "I was going to ask if we could rest for a moment seeing as my legs are going numb but oh, I'm so very sorry that our esteemed leader apparently can't think and listen at the time! Leave it up to the queen slut here to baby the Eight-Tails killer!" Karin's cheeks turned a bright enough red to match her hair, and a tremble came over her that spoke of coming troubles for Suigetsu. But Jugo intervened. "Both of you, stop it. We don't want another fight."
Karin opened her mouth to scream at the bigger boy but Sasuke stepped in. "That's enough. We're too close to Konoha to start giving away our position. If you two don't suck it up and keep quiet, then I'll be forced to kill you both. Nobody is going to jeopardize my revenge." Even as he spoke, his face kept placid. Not even a hint of emotion; but nobody was dumb enough to believe it was an idle threat. The Uchiha genius really could kill on a whim without feeling even a bit of regret. Sure the three did serve their purposes well, but if they became obstacles, then they'd be worth more dead than alive.
The red-haired Konuichi gulped, nodding somberly as her rage was quelled. "Yes sir, Sasuke." Even Suigetsu was cowed into submission, and he wisely held his tongue. Sasuke was about the only person who could do that to him, and he was just fine with it as long as he could live another day to collect the seven swords.
They were moving again, this time much more quietly. Karin was stilled miffed about the slut comment though, and was screaming obscenities at Suigetsu in her head. Suigetsu was doing the same. Sasuke could still feel their tension, but they were at least quiet.
Only five minutes later though and he stopped once more, but this time he had a good reason. "Alright!" Suigetsu whooped and stepped past his leader to take advantage of what they'd found. Sasuke, in all his time in Konoha, couldn't recall this shack this far west of the village. The shack was made of basic wood from the surrounding trees, and looked permanent judging by the way it was securely held in the ground.
He vaguely remembered stories of an old hermit ninja that lived far west of Konoha, but it was mostly believed the old guy was dead by now. When his senses came back, he found that the shack door was open and Karin was yelling. Again. "-just barging into somebody's home! What if this place was trapped!? What if it's being monitored!? What if you just gave our location away!?"
"Well guess what ya dumb bint! Nobody's here! All that's here is a buncha food and a bed. If this was being monitored, I sure feel sorry for the poor sap sitting around here all day watching some little old wooden lean-to. Now stuff your craw, free food!" Further comments from Karin were ended when a fistful of meat was shoved into her mouth. She squeaked and twitched and shivered as she chewed through the jerky and swallowed, her eyes closed in disgust.
"Oh lord that was so disgusting… I've never eaten anything that salty before…" Qualms forgotten, she downed a nearby canteen of water to wash the salt out of her mouth.
"You're such a wimp. This stuff is awesome!" The shark-toothed boy was tearing through the jerky supply like a wildfire, whereas Karin was working on the second canteen.
Jugo had entered the cabin now, and Sasuke considered leaving them all behind. "You two need to get out now. This isn't going to be good when the owner gets back."
"Live a little Jugo. Lookit this! Free food and board! Finally I can relax." The squeaking of bedsprings were all Sasuke heard to confirm that Suigetsu was now officially on break. 'Idiots.' He thought, turning away from the cabin to keep moving. It wasn't like he absolutely needed them. Finding and killing his targets would be more difficult of course, but only marginally. He was about to step beyond the clearing when a small figure caught his attention.
"My my, if it isn't the littlest brat of the Uchiha clan. Never thought I'd lay my old eyes on your lot again." Standing at roughly waist height, its face hidden behind a matted sheet of gray hair and body in a brown robe, was a tiny little man. "Mmm, such ferocious eyes. Haven't seen a pair so intense since the head of the Hyuga clan. What brings you out to see these old bones?" He had a voice like sandpaper, obviously caused by years of inhaling smoke. His voice should have been gone, but some sort of medical ninjutsu must have been keeping them clean.
Sasuke kept quiet for the moment, considering what he could do and whether this old thing was trouble or not. He was far too old to be formidable in Taijutsu, though he could have compensated with a combination of ninjutsu and genjutsu. The latter wouldn't work against Sasuke and the former was probably no match for his Chidori, but if it was flashy enough, it could bring unwanted attention from the very people he was hunting. For now, he'd remain peaceful. "I was looking for the Konoha encampment."
A laugh that hurt his ears erupted from the tiny thing's choked throat before settling into a wheezing cough. The old thing took a few moments to catch his breath before speaking. "Well if you want to find the citizens of Konoha, you're a bit far west. You're nearly stepping into Hidden Mist territory!" The man stood… Or hunched or whatever there for several moments in silence before speaking once more. "What's your game, boy? Konoha's not that hard to find, 'Hidden' Leaf or not."
Sasuke stood in silence, unsure of what to say next. The mysterious hermit was said to hold some legendary ninjutsu, one that nobody's ever seen before, and one Sasuke had a feeling he didn't want to be on the end of. "I'm trying to stay off the main route. I have a very important message for the Hokage, and I fear assassins may be looking for me. If I take a longer, more indirect way, I have a greater chance of survival."
The old man shook his head and began to hobble past him. Sasuke noted how slow he was, how he seemed so very stiff and tense. Definitely not a Taijutsu specialist. He began to hum rather loudly. A nasally, rather off-key tune that made the genius wince. "What are you doing?" He asked, and the old man turned to face him, an inch away from his shack.
"Well I'd figured I could help you out some. I gots a map stowed in here that shows some routes into Konoha that don't use the main road. I'm not one for being seen either ya see, so I gots to sneak in somehow." Sasuke was half tempted to stop the man from entering his own home and finding the three intruders, but then he figured they could use it as a lesson in discipline. "What in the lord's-… Who're ya?"
Three pairs of eyes turned towards the old male. Karin gulped the water in her mouth, Jugo stopped trying to convince the two to leave, and Suigetsu cracked open one eye to stare at the man. "Are ya'll eatin' my food!? What devilry is this!? I'm gone for half an hour and lookit this!"
Suigetsu yawned and laid his head back down. "Cram it old man. We're just a group of hungry, tired ninja and you're just a walking skeleton with some hair on you. Now go away." "Such insolence! Why if my cane wasn't broken I'd have both your knee caps right about now! All three of ya!" The little thing actually began to tremble. He was angry, that was obvious, but nobody seemed impressed.
Karin rested her hands on her hips and glared at Suigetsu. "Told you this was a bad idea!"
"And you still went along with it." Jugo reminded her. Of course, at the very same time he was holding a half-eaten apple. One he didn't pick from a tree or the ground.
Suigetsu snarled a bit and sat up to slide off the bed. He pulled off the sword he took from Zabuza's grave off his back and readied it. "Why don't you two quit your complaining. I'll take care of this old bastard and then we can do whatever the hell we want here." In a flash he had stepped forward and thrust the oversized katana into the old man's body, which promptly turned into an old wooden crate he'd been standing near. "The hell?" Suigetsu turned his head around, only to be met with the old guy's foot. He flew into the wall and cracked his head against the wood with a groan.
"Hah! Serves you right!" Karin mocked, before doubling over as a liver-spotted fist collided with her stomach. Jugo wisely deduced he'd be next, and decided to make his move first. His fingers grew brown and hard as a natural armor appeared on him, and he slashed at the hermit. The man was already gone.
Sasuke sat quietly outside, listening to the commotion and moving only a little to the side as Jugo was launched out the wall, flying inches from Sasuke's body. In the next moment, both Karin and Suigetsu were tossed outside and the tiny man in brown walked out, fists clenched in rage. Though he couldn't see his face, Sasuke guessed that it was probably twisted in anger. "And I'm supposin' that these three belong with you, brat? Or are these the terrible assassins you fear so much!?"
"They are my subordinates, yes." Sasuke stood up and drew his sword. "But you are now in my way. Give me the map so I can get to Konoha." He ordered, but the man shook his head, sending his wild mane of hair flying.
"Not on your life! For this… This tomfoolery I'm going to teach you four a lesson." He brought his hands together to form a seal. Sasuke flashed forward, sword aimed for the man's heart, but a weird sensation fell over him. He turned his head left and right, noting how everything around him… Slowed. It was like he was running through water, and a feeling of fright fell upon him as the man before him made many many more seals, unhindered by the ninjutsu cast over Sasuke. He squeezed his blade tightly in his hand, and his eyes changed to form the Mangekyo Sharingan, but before he could do anything… Before he could set the man ablaze in an unquenchable fire, the hermit finished his seals.
Before the ninjutsu took effect, he could see some of the facial hair on the old man move upwards in a devilish smile. "See ya, brat." And the world around Sasuke fell.
It started as a small ripples in the area around him, but everything started to ripple and wave around like a heat wave. His body felt like it was stuck in a tight tube, unable to move, and then everything went black. He turned his head. He saw his three companions, all unconscious, begin to disappear by turning completely white and then being absorbed into the black. When they were all gone, the ninjutsu that slowed him seemed to have disappeared, and he landed firmly on nothingness. He looked all around in the blackness, and for a moment he felt very very small…
And then the black flashed white, and he felt like he was being thrown through the air at top speed, and then there was a loud crack right by his ears and he blacked out.
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Sasuke's eyes opened slowly. His head was throbbing, his body felt a little achy, and he really didn't want to move. But he did anyways. He sat up with a jolt and panted loudly, staring at his own lap as his thoughts and memories caught up with him. The old man's jutsu… Whatever it had done, he had to admit, it worked perfectly as a distraction. He looked up, his eyes furrowed in anger, trying to find the man but…
He wasn't there. Neither was his old shack. He clenched his teeth angrily. The man had impeded his quest. Who knew how long he'd been out!? "Karin." He called out. "Find the old man." He waited for a response but was met with none. He remembered they'd been unconscious, so he turned to wake up the red-headed girl, but was shocked to find her, along with Suigetsu and Jugo, gone. Had the old man taken them? If so, why had he not taken him as well? Was this some kind of trick!?
Sasuke stood. He knew the hermit probably took them to Konoha for imprisonment, and they knew his intentions with the village, meaning if they were caught, they'd know exactly what Sasuke was up to. He had to act now. He rushed eastwards, seeking out Konoha, and in no time he saw the tall gates of the village. He knew the place was a crater, yet the walls somehow still stood, and he thought about merely climbing over the walls but the guards on top caught his attention. Quickly he hid and considered his options. He had to calm down and think about what to do.
Hiding behind a tree, he focused. He couldn't rush. He couldn't jump over the walls with the guards, and even without the guards it would be a ridiculous mistake. He was so frustrated that he nearly exposed himself. So he sat, and ran situations through his mind. He'd use a technique he learned from Orochimaru. He summoned a very small, tiny little white snake, one that he could see through its eyes.
He released the little creature onto the ground, and it slithered to the gate and through a crack too miniscule to really care about. What Sasuke saw was shocking.
Konoha wasn't a crater anymore. Konoha stood, alive, colorful, not a single bit of it out of sorts. Konoha was a village once more. Had he been out so long they could have rebuilt it? The thought sent shivers down his spine, as he knew this could destroy his plans… But if that was true, wouldn't he have the effects of nature on him? He was essentially clean except for the dirt on his back from laying down. A single leaf was in his hair, rather than a large batch of them. A scarier thought occurred to him. He would have been found and taken in by that time. Sure he was off road, but the chance of being found was high, especially with the Hyuga keeping a vigilant eye on the country during such a tumultuous time.
Panicking quietly, he willed the snake to move further into the village, when something caught their eye. The Ninja Academy. He eyed the sign and noted how worn it looked… It was impossible that so much time had passed for the sign to wear away. As he stared, as he thought, a voice caught the little snake's ears. A very familiar voice that made him clench his teeth as a new possibility was revealed to him. The snake slid to the wall, and using his chakra he helped the snake crawl up it and to the window that revealed his old classroom and he peered in.
The very first thing he noticed was Naruto standing at the front of the class, being yelled at Iruka. But what truly shook his core wasn't seeing either on of them… It was seeing himself sitting calmly at his old desk… His twelve year-old self sitting, watching the whole thing without even a hint of amusement. His real eyes widened. The blue shirt with the tall, upturned collar covering his mouth, and the large Uchiha symbol on his back. It was unmistakable.
His twelve-year old self… Four years ago… Not even a week before passing the academy and becoming a ninja. Something came to mind. Something about the legend of the old hermit at the edge of Konoha. Something about a jutsu he developed. A legendary ninjutsu nobody had ever seen before… Developed by an old hermit sitting at the very edge of the fire country…
His twelve year-old self… Four years ago… Sitting in his old classroom… Watching a young Naruto… And a long-haired Sakura sat by his side. A long-haired Sakura… Long-haired… This couldn't be… This was impossible…
The old man… Could his Jutsu have sent him back?