The Dreamer

"And so it ends." The young blonde man looked down upon his student. He'd almost made it. Satoshi grabbed the staff of sakura wood off his back and jumped down, landing on the floor of the arena that had held the final stage of the Chūnin Exams for over ten thousand years.

He helped the dark haired boy up and tapped his bleeding left arm with the chakra infused wood. The blood drained back painfully into the wound, which slowly began to close. The Uchiha would not feel the pain of it. Opposite him, Satoshi noticed Yukiko attending to her own student. Satoshi had known her since they had been kids. She'd been in his graduating class and, like their students, they had fought in the exam finals. It was a match that had almost killed Satoshi, with the Uchiha and Uzumaki bloodlines flying all over the place.

And that was his daughter she was tending. He stood up and slung Tetsuo across his back. He'd need something to get rid of the pain of the memory. Tetsuo had met the spirits during his dash through the forest of death. Satoshi knew they'd given him something. They gave him his staff, and Kami knew he would never have survived half his battles without it. But he would have had a thousand less nightmares each day.

He left Testuo in a private room of the Hospital. He'd have the Hokage attend to his memory problem soon enough. For now, he needed to give his students an update on how Tetsuo was doing. They were waiting anxiously for him at the entrance of the arena. He shunshined in, as was traditional for most.

"He'll be fine."

Yuji sighed in relief. He usually talked all the time, but now all he could do was be happy. He had a bandage around his head that was framed with pale green hair. His usual uniform of an ANBU shirt and trousers seemed rather wrinkled and the glove on his left hand, the mark of an Isai, seemed to possess a gritty quality, the beautifully linked mail covering much duller than usual.

Suzume remained silent. But by the way she had stopped tugging at her dress, and had let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding told another story. Satoshi wished he could encourage them- he'd been in just as much and far worse besides- but he didn't know what to say. When Touched by the spirit, the world may take a thousand paths. There was no telling what, when he woke up, Tetsuo would be like. Whatever it was, it would definitely change Team 0.

Another early morning. Satoshi had been beside his dear Megami every night. He had a meal brought in thrice a day. He had not stood from his position since he'd arrived here. Being the Hokage's husband certainly had its advantages. Tetsuo was in the same room as Megami.

Uzumaki Haruko was what one would call a typical Tsunade. She was the greatest medic alive- her twin sister had left and joined the now thriving group known as the Kyokujitsu, whose goal it was to bring back the Juubi. Being the Hokage's spouse- and of course a renowned Seal Master and the brother-in-law of one of their members- Satoshi was heavily involved in the fight.

He heard a groan, the tinniest, next to him. Megami was waking up. He quickly leaned over his daughter, watching carefully as she opened her eyes and pulled a lock of red hair out of her scope of vision. As she saw she didn't seem to capture the moment. Then the excitement kicked in. "Dad!" She threw her arms around him, and Satoshi couldn't have been happier.

"What's all this racket?" The door had swung open and a nurse had come in. She froze, a little shocked that Megami was already moving her arms so wildly. They'd almost been sliced to bits by bolts of electricity. The nurse ran over and began checking up on Megami, making her perform several exercises with her arms. Satoshi walked across the room towards Tetsuo. He was startled to see that he was awake. Breathing, alive, but as silent as a corpse. He turned his head and looked at Satoshi. "What happened?" he asked quietly. His voice was weak from disuse.

"You survived."

Tetsuo looked back towards the ceiling. "I've been Marked. I shouldn't be alive."

Satoshi remained silent for a moment. "You are. And, hopefully, when it's all over, you'll grow into a content old man and be pleased to have survived."

Tetsuo's eyes briefly flashed red. He lifted his left arm and pulled back the sleeve. On the inside of his forearm, there was a Mark, like a tattoo, bluish silver in colour. It was the crude image of a beast with it ears and paws. It had ten tails, five on each side that curved upwards and met above its head, pointing towards Tetsuo's palm. It shimmered like a crystal in the early morning sunlight.

Satoshi patted his student on the head. Tetsuo hated that. But it was one of the ways Satoshi showed his tough love for his most sensitive student. "We'll make it. You'll make it. Trust me."

The corners of Uchiha Tetsuo's mouth perked up slightly. That was a good sign. "Sure thing, sensei."

"So is she doing fine?" Haruko stamped another of her documents and began reading another anew. Unlike her nine hundred or so predecessors, she had no qualms with doing paperwork. Satoshi nodded.

"She's great. And no scarring. You taught them well." Satoshi commended.

Haruko shrugged. "They learnt hands-on, so doing hospital jobs is no problem. And Tetsuo? No signs of depression?"

Satoshi sighed. Tetsuo was an orphaned Uchiha. He lived with the Nara, which was why he was named such. He possessed a large amount of intelligence- he lacked a slight degree of confidence though. It had been the case since he was a little boy, growing up among wise men. He still trained with his kin on occasion. "Hardly. He's just in that phase of almost giving up."

Haruko sighed, taking a sip of the steaming hot sencha that always sat on her desk. Hokage were the epitome example of stress. "When will it end, Toshi? How many years have we tried and failed to reclaim our land from the demons?"

The Elemental Nations had been split apart when Konoha had first been betrayed by the Earth, during an attempt to rid the world of the Biju. The nine demons had refused into the Juubi. The process had split the world in two, and now that had become the land of the Demons. Now their land and a good amount of Kaminari no Kuni was on the other side of the Crystal Sea.

The Marked were chosen by the spirits of Sages past to go to the island. But so far, only the Ichibi and the Nibi had been exterminated for good, turned into the chakra of bloodlines. Tetsuo could end it all by choosing to defeat the combined threat of the Juubi. It had barely been weakened by having its first two demons wrenched out of it.

"I know. But we just have to keep on trying. Tetsuo will be the one to succeed."

They met under Satoshi's favourite tree on a Saturday morning. They had all fully recovered. All three of them were chūnin, and they all seemed quite fine. Satoshi wanted them to relax, but still learn a little. So he decided he'd teach them things that took little energy.

"So. Tetsuo, I want you to read this poem and rewrite it perfectly fifteen times." He handed the silent Uchiha a scroll. "Yuji, you're on sealwork." He gave Yuji a sheaf of tags and a brush and ink.

"Suzume...I think you should work on your chakra capacity." Satoshi had had a simple way of increasing capacity and control. Chakra weightlifting. He gave her two weights to put on her wrists and told her she could do whatever she wanted for the time being. He sat under a tree and watched them, twirling the staff in his hand. The day passed quickly. Tetsuo was already smiling more, and the rest seemed quite motivated too. Just a few more weeks...

Beep. Beep. Beep. Be- Satoshi slammed his hand into the alarm clock, silencing it. He sat up and yawned. Mission day. Monday was always mission day for team 0. It had been three weeks. Their strength was returning, but they were a little far from being able to set off. A mission would have to determine if they were ready.

He showered and got dressed, taking an instant ramen with him and eating it on his way. He would be a few minutes late. The streets were already bustling with people going to various places and on various tasks. The tree where they always met wasn't far from the old Team 7 bridge. That was why he saw who was sitting there as he passed by. Nakamura Keisuke. He was one of the ANBU who he had served with a few years ago in his youth.

Keisuke looked up and saluted when he saw Satoshi. He returned the gesture. Satoshi's students were waiting patiently for him under the tree, which had begun to shed its leaves. Satoshi took out the mission scroll. He hadn't opened it himself.

"B-rank. Up for it?" They all nodded, determined to test their skills. "We're going on a diplomatic sort of mission. First we clear up a string of murders and then we have a chat with the Kazekage. Pack up for long term and meet at the north gate."

The gates of Konohagakure had changed just as much as the rest of the world. They were now of a metal extracted from a comet, with the kanji of the village etched in large grooves across it encased in smooth ruby. Guards stood at either end and there were whole battalions on top of the wall, pacing with vigilance. The group were about ready. Before they went through, Satoshi spoke to them.

"Whatever we may face between here and the Sand could range between minor bandits and an A-Rank nukenin. Keep your guard up, and don't hesitate to stop if you feel something is wrong. Ready? Move out!" They jumped up into trees and began hopping from branch to branch, landing easily and comfortably on the rough, monstrous trees.

"All clear." Tetsuo breathed, not daring to speak too loud in the open space. He could see no one ahead of them up to half a mile. They were right next to a ravine, and even the sound of their feet seemed to carry itself to the bottom like a heavy weight.

The team trudged on in silence. So far, only a single bandit claiming to be the crime boss of the Wind Country had challenged them. Otherwise, they had been left alone. Satoshi noticed that Tetsuo barely slept, but seemed to have enough energy.

As the sun sank that day and the other two set up camp, Tetsuo was layering genjutsu and Satoshi was placing seal traps around the area, as was customary. "Do you sleep well?"

Tetsuo didn't seem to have heard him. Satoshi was content to wait for a response. "I have...dreams. I hear voices. They keep telling me to watch the skies. So I do that. Every night, with my Sharingan." He paused, scratching a symbol into the ground and hovering his palm over it. "Sometimes I see things. I saw you and Hokage-sama once. You were dying and she was trying to save you. A spirit that looked just like you was watching. He had bright blue eyes. He turned around, he looked right at me. And he said...he said..." The Uchiha sniffed. He seemed like he was about to cry. Satoshi remained silent. "'Will you save your master, or bring back what you most wish for?'"

Now Satoshi understood. Foresight. He sighed. "Listen, Tetsuo. Sometimes...we're forced to choose. Save your friends or save your goals? I faced that choice once. And you know what I did? I tried to save them both. That's how I got this staff." He traced one of the many intricate lines in the wood with his fingers. "And when they spoke to me...they said I had the Mark of a Hero. I chose to do what I could to save what I could. If I'd chosen to save my goals over my friends, I'd be a lonely man in chains. If I didn't always pursue my goals and help my friends at the same time, I'd be a human without initiative. A zombie.

"What makes us human is how we choose, what we choose, and when we choose it. It gives you that burden that makes you more than just flesh and bone. I know that, when this time comes, you'll save us all. Because you'll have the Mark of a Hero, and choose what's right." Tetsuo nodded. The determination was back in his eyes. And he was smiling.

Yuji and Suzume returned a few minutes later, done with their little scout. They noticed the content air that hung over the camp fire. Yuji looked very confused. "What happened?"

"Hmm?" Satoshi had been deep in thought. "Oh, we're just enjoying the fire."

Suzume was not confused in the slightest. Being a girl, she'd have gotten the message.