The Inner Eye
Chapter 2: Lucky Sevens
I'll come out with the chapters as soon as I finish them. I can't really say when this will be, but I'll try to get faster. Any reviews are appreciated, as usual.
I don't own Naruto (or Sasuke). If I did, Sasuke wouldn't be such a jerk in the canon, and he'd pull that stick out of his ass.
Also, in the last chapter, Itachi is not female, that was a simple mistake when I confused nii-san for nee-san. He is their older brother, not their older sister.
I know this question isn't strictly related to the story, but why on earth do people keep calling the Fourth Arashi Kazama? People, the guy's name is Minato Namikaze!
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Naruto absolutely hated being in the hospital. Sure, he knew for most people it would've been necessary, considering the chakra exhaustion they'd experienced last night. However, he'd been fine as soon as he woke up; really, the only thing keeping him here was the fact that his brother was lying in the bed next to him. Even after all these years, he remembered Itachi-niisan's words, and he wasn't about to leave his brother alone in the hospital. He thought about Mizuki's death. The first kill was hard for any shinobi; he'd heard stories from oji-san about war, but hearing about it and actually experiencing it were two completely different things. He wondered how Sasuke would deal with it. Knowing him, his brother probably wouldn't show much, at least not in public. Ever since the 'incident', Sasuke and Naruto had both been a bit less open with those around them, although they still trusted each other with everything. Naruto shuddered to think of what would've happened to either of their minds had the other not been there for them.
He looked over at his brother, who was still a little pale. They'd poured everything they had into that last attack. Sasuke opened his eyes, and smiled over at Naruto. Wordlessly, he held up his hand, and Naruto high-fived him, grinning like a maniac. They heard a light knock on their door, and Naruto said "We're awake." Sakura rushed through the door, glomping Sasuke. Behind her was a tall, silver-haired man that looked to be somewhere in his early twenties. A mask covered most of his face, and is headband covered one eye. "Hello, Naruto, Sasuke. I'm your new sensei, Kakashi Hatake." Naruto smiled, but said nothing. Meanwhile, Sasuke was busy trying to get Sakura to let him breathe. Kakashi sweat-dropped. "Well, that was a warm welcome..." He shrugged. "Get plenty of sleep tonight. You'll need it for what I have planned for tomorrow. Come to the memorial stone at eight. Oh, and it would be best if you didn't eat anything for breakfast. You'd just throw it up." He left, and Sakura squealed. "Can you believe it? We're teammates!" Naruto and Sasuke sweat-dropped simultaneously. "Umm, Sakura?" She looked over to Naruto, her eyes bright with happiness. "Yes?" He chuckled. "You're choking your new teammate." She jumped off of Sasuke's bed, a look of horror on her face. Naruto chuckled, as Sasuke massaged his throat. He smiled at Sakura. "It's okay, but please, don't do that again." She giggled. "Okay, Sasuke-kun." He smiled at her, and the three genin left, leaving the smell of antiseptic far behind them.
Later that night,Naruto and Sasuke were speculating about what their sensei had planned for them. They agreed that it was probably best to ignore him about the not eating breakfast; as shinobi, they needed to be at full strength to train effectively. They also decided to bring some for Sakura, in case she listened to their sensei. Considering what she'd told them about his lateness, and his lame excuse for it, he was trying to trick them by making them think they had an incompetent fool for a teacher. They would have to be extra-careful tomorrow; if their sensei was trying to trick them already, who knew what he would do tomorrow. When they finished packing, Naruto had a pensive look on his face. Sasuke noticed, and nodded. "It's about Akari, isn't it?" Naruto sighed. "Do you think we should trust sensei with this?" Sasuke considered. "I think we should let him prove himself first. He probably knows about the fact that she's sealed within you; almost all of the adults seem to know, judging by the way they look at you. However, we don't know how he'll react when he finds out that you two are...," and he blushed, "together." Naruto smiled. "Yeah. We should wait until we know him better." Both boys lay down on their beds, each wondering what tomorrow would bring. Sakura snuggled into her pillow, thankful that she got to be on a team with the Uchiha Brothers, especially Sasuke. Ino looked up at the stars from her balcony, and hoped that Sasuke wouldn't forget her. Akari smiled in her cage. She was glad that Naruto was concerned for her feelings. In the village of Sunagakure, a new genin swung a fan at a training post, trying to forget about the monster her brother had become. several scars appeared on the post, and she wiped her brow, gazing into the shifting sands. Little did they know that someday they would be known as the strongest shinobi in the elemental nations.
When the three genin reached the memorial stone, their sensei was nowhere to be found, so Naruto unpacked the sleeping bags he and Sasuke had sealed along with other supplies in some storage scrolls they found in the basement. He tossed one to Sakura, who simply shook her head, a bemused look on her face. The three enjoyed a restful nap. Two hours later, Kakashi arrived to see his new students asleep on the ground. He sweat-dropped. Using a small water jutsu, he directed a small portion of the river to smack the three genin in the face. They awoke spluttering to see their sensei standing over them, chuckling at the looks on their faces. "Well, looks like you came prepared. I'm guessing you ate breakfast, too?" Naruto and Sasuke smirked, while Sakura's stomach gave a loud growl. "Very well then, don't say I didn't warn you. Today's exercise is a test, to see if you are worthy of being my students. If you fail, you'll be sent back to the academy, and you'll have to try again next year." He saw their shocked expressions, and he covered his ears, while counting silently in his head. 3... 2... 1... "WHAT??!!" "Kakashi-sensei, we already took a Genin Exam!" Kakashi sighed. "Sakura, that was only to find those who might have a chance to become genin. After that, it's your sensei's choice whether or not to teach you. Some make you pass another test, some don't. You guys just got unlucky." He gave his signature eye-smile. "Moving on. Your test is to grab these two bells from me. You have", and he looked over to the clock he'd set on the memorial stone, "two hours." "But Kakashi-sensei, why are there only two bells?" He smirked. "Because one of you has to go back to the academy. There were too many graduates this year." He checked the clock. "You now have an hour and fifty-five minutes. Begin!" The three genin vanished into the trees, taking their equipment with them.
After about fifteen minutes, Kakashi was curious as to why they hadn't attacked him yet, and decided to investigate. Coming across a clearing, he spotted Sakura sitting on the ground, munching on a rations bar. Perching in a tree, he began thinking about how best to test her, when suddenly he heard a kunai whooshing towards him. He dodged, and it narrowly missed his backside. he turned around to see Sasuke smirking at him from a nearby branch. He smiled back. "Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that, Sasuke." He heard a loud snort from the direction he'd been facing previously, and he saw Naruto holding the kunai that had narrowly missed his backside. Attached to it were the bells, along with a small patch of his pants. He thought about it for a second, before the lightbulb went off over his head. "You covered the blade of that kunai with adhesive, didn't you?" Naruto grinned. "That's right, sensei. Didn't you read our file?" Kakashi groaned. He had, but he hadn't believed most of it. The Uchiha Brothers were known as the worst pranksters in the village; three of their four teachers had been driven to early retirement because of the boys' antics. In their 3rd year, it had gotten so bad that many of the students bet each week on exactly which shade of flourescent pink the teacher's hair would be at the end of the day. Their final prank before they left the academy had been knock Mizuki out with ground-up sleeping pills in his coffee. When he finally came out of the teacher's lounge, his face was covered in kabuki make-up, his nails were painted bright purple, and he was wearing a pink tutu. Kakashi sighed. "Well, they did work together..." Naruto landed on the branch right in front of him, knocking his sensei off. "What was that you said, Kakashi-sensei? Oops!"
Kakasi rubbed his head. He couldn't believe he'd fallen for such a simple trick; he hadn't thought that the three would work together, thinking that the two boys, being Uchiha, would see their third teammate as inferior, and not bother working with her. He watched as Sasuke and Sakure kissed each other fiercely, and smacked himself in the forehead. Well, at least he knew they'd work together... He stood up, dusting off his pants. "Excellent teamwork. You all pass." Sasuke smirked. "That was the purpose of the test all along, wasn't it? To test our teamwork?" Kakashi sweat-dropped. Was it really that easy to figure out? He must be losing his touch... He sighed. "Meet here at ten a.m. tomorrow for your first mission. Dismissed." And he vanished in a puff of smoke. When Naruto was sure Kakashi was gone, he let Akari out, and the four of them celebrated loudly, not noticing that he'd hidden himself in a tree. His visible eye widened when he saw her; he'd have to ask the Third about that later. There was little point in raising a fuss now, as they were celebrating their first victory as a team. Besides, she looked harmless enough.
Down in the clearing, the genin and Akari were celebrating fiercely. He made a mental note to never let either of the boys get a look inside his Icha-Icha books. He grinned as he sped towards the Hokage Tower to make his report. He certainly got an interesting group this year...
Sarutobi looked down at his crystal ball, and sighed. Things just got a whole lot more complicated. He heard a light tap on his window, and he motioned for Kakashi to come in. "Hokage-sama, team seven passed my test. However-" Sarutobi cut him off. "Yes, I know. I was watching you." Kakashi nodded. "Do you know what that was?" Sarutobi sighed tiredly. "I have a suspicion... that that was the Kyuubi." Kakashi's eye widened. "But how?!" The Third shrugged. "I suspect you'll have to ask Naruto that. However, I believe that only a small fraction of the Kyuubi's power was released; otherwise, it probably would've gone on a rampage. From the looks of things it... no, she, is only as strong as Naruto himself. Bring him and his teammates to my office tomorrow morning, at eleven. And Kakashi, for once, don't be late." Kakashi sweat-dropped.
When Kakashi arrived at ten fifty, he got three peeved glares from his students. Seemingly ignoring them, he announced, "There's been a small change of plan. The Hokage wants to talk with the three of you, and especially you, Naruto." He pointed at his pupil menacingly, and Naruto paled. He knew about the crystal ball that the old man used to keep an eye on the village. Could he have been discovered? He smacked himsef in the forehead for forgetting about that yesterday. But Akari-chan had been so happy... His eyes acquired an unfocused look, and Sasuke, noticing the signs, had to smack his brother in the back of the head to get him to follow them to the Hokage Tower. When they arrived in the Third's office, his eyes bored into Naruto, his expression unreadable. After a while, Naruto sighed. "Very well..." He opened his mouth, and red chakra streamed out, taking the form of Akari. She smiled at the Hokage innocently. "Greetings, Hokage-sama." He flinched. "I suppose that you are the Kyuubi?" She wrinkled her nose. "That is my title. My name is Akari." He raised an eyebrow at this. "Would you care to explain exactly why you attacked our village?" This tie, she was the one to flinch. "Madara-teme..." Sarutobi was shocked. " Madara... Uchiha? How is this possible?" She lowered her head in shame. "That damn Mangekyo Sharingan. It grants him immortality, as well as extremely powerful hypnotic powers... powers strong enough even to control myself. The Third nodded. He'd been hearing rumors exactly like this about the Mangekyo even before he'd become Hokage. He looked towards the genin. "Well, then, it would seem I have no choice... but to ask you to become a Leaf Shinobi." He smiled. "It would make it a great deal easier to send you on missions as a part of team seven, and someone as powerful as yourself would be a welcome addition to the forces of the Hidden Leaf."
Akari's expression was one of complete shock, followed quickly by one of pure joy. She wouldn't have to hide any more, and she could fight again! Grinning like a... well, like a demon, she asked, "What's my background?" He smiled, and handed her a folder of papers, with everything filled out except for her name. He handed her a pen, and she signed 'Akari Myobu'*.
After they had completed their various D-rank missions for the day, Kakashi gathered team seven at their training field.
"I know we didn't really get a chance to do this yesterday, so why don't we tell each other something about ourselves? Even if you know each other well already, it'll give me a better idea of what kind of..." He glanced nervously at Akari, "people you are. I'll go first, to give you an idea of how it's done. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I have many likes, including sparring and annoying my self-proclaimed 'eternal rival', Guy." Naruto interrupted. "Yeah, but what's the guy's name?" Kakashi looked at him warily. "Guy...?" Naruto groaned. "Yes, the guy! What's his name?" Kakashi smacked his own forehead. "Look, kid, I don't know what his parents were thinking, but his given name is Guy." Naruto's face fell. "Yeah, but what's the guy's name?" This time, Akari smacked Naruto in the back of the head. "It was funny the first time, Naruto-kun, but it's getting old!" He rubbed his head, scowling. "You could've just said that..." She grinned impishly. Kakashi sighed. "Moving on, I don't have many dislikes, other than loud noises, and anything relating to the word 'youth'. Your turn, blondie." Naruto grinned. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I like Akari-chan, training with my friends, and ramen! I don't like people who hate me and Sasuke because of Akari-chan, and my dreams are to restore the Uchiha clan, and someday be Hokage!" Akari was upset at this; quickly, he realized his mistake, and hugged her tightly, comforting her with his warmth. Kakashi nodded. This was about what he'd expected from the boy. "Sakura, your turn." She smiled. "I'm Sakura Haruno. I like Sasuke-kun and Ino-chan, and I consider Akari to be one of my best friends. I also like training, and hanging out with Sasuke-kun and his brother. My dislikes are people who hate Sasuke-kun, and Naruto, and people who don't work for their dreams. My dreams are to be a strong kunoichi, and to help Sasuke-kun revive the Uchiha clan, along with Ino-chan." Kakashi's eye widened visibly at this, but he knew about the Clan Restoration Act, so he didn't say anything. "Now you, dark one." Sasuke smirked. "My likes are my brother, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, and training. My dislikes are people who are biased against us, and fangirls. Especially fangirls." Kakashi chuckled at this. It was a well known fact that the brothers had had fangirls chasing after them practically since they entered the academy. "My dreams are to become one of the strongest shinobi ever, and to restore the Uchiha clan."
"Wonderful. Well, starting tomorrow, after our missions I'll train the..." He glanced over at Akari, and she shook her head. "three of you. Today you have the day off, so that you can memorize Akari's cover story. Besides, I bet you wouldn't mind some 'alone time'..." He winked at Naruto and Sasuke, who both turned bright red. He left them to study the documents inside her folder. Apparently, she was found unconscious just outside of the village gates a few days ago, abandoned. It said she'd been tested by the Hokage personally, and that she was more than capable of carrying out the duties of a genin. She chuckled at that understatement. According to the files, she had a kekkei genkai that granted her quick healing, and larger than normal chakra reserves. They all laughed at that one. The documents listed her as living under the hospitality of the Uchiha clan.
The next day, they showed up two hours later than they were supposed to, and Kakashi arrived a few minutes later. He glanced at his students expectantly. "Aren't you mad at me for being late?" Naruto smirked. "Nah, we just got here a few minutes ago." Kakashi sweat-dropped. They finished their D-ranks for the day without much difficulty. There had been one case where they were assigned to capture a cat named 'Tora' that could've been annoying, but Sakura solved the problem by buying some catnip from Ino's shop, and using it as bait. It was really kind of sad that no one had thought of it before. After giving the poor cat back to the Fire Daiyo's wife, team seven leaped ot the window, bouncing from buiding to building to reach their training grounds. When they arrived, Kakashi faced his students. "Alright, before I can teach you anything, I have to know what you can do. What's your strongest move?" Sasuke and Naruto smirked simultaneously. "We've created our own, a collaboration jutsu." They were speaking in perfect synch, as if to illustrate their point. Kakashi twitched. "Okay, I appreciate the teamwork, but could you not do that? It's really creepy." Naruto chuckled. "This, from a cyclops?" Sasuke merely smirked. Kakashi sighed. "Alright, just show me." Sasuke grinned. "I hope you don't have any attachment to that training post! Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Naruto focused his chakra into is palms before pushing them out, yelling, "Wind Style: Kamaitachi!" The fireball spun into a whirling mass of flame, and the two shouted, "Collaboration: Spiral Flame!" The training post was destroyed, along with the next three trees behind it, and the fourth tree was singed, with cut marks all along the middle of the trunk. Kakashi looked over at Akari accusingly, and the look on her face said, 'Who, me?' Sakura chuckled at their sensei's surprise. She'd seen the move before once or twice, but they'd never managed to focus it to that extent before. She speculated that it had something to do with Mizuki trying to kill them.
As powerful as the move was, it completely exhausted the boys, so they sat with their backs against a forest giant, watching Sakura demonstrate her genjutsu, which made Kakashi thing that his Icha Icha was replaced with a gay novel. He passed out, and Sakura sweat-dropped. When he woke up, he tested them on their knowledge of the basics, and, once the boys had recovered, he had them spar each other so he could see what their taijutsu was like. He found it satisfactory for new genin, though he did say that he would bring weights for Sakura tomorrow, as her speed was a bit lacking. Privately, the two boys thoght that he was just trying to get back at her for the genjutsu she'd pulled. Meanwhile, Akari sat in a nearby tree watching, an amused expression on her face. The Uchiha left for home with identical pleased expressions on their faces.
Weeks passed, and though their taijutsu did improve, they didn't actually learn much from Kakashi. Instead, if they had a question, they would usually ak Akari, or consut one of the scrolls in the clan library. At night, the two boys would light a lamp, and read the 'secret' scroll Mizuki had found. It contained the favorite techniques of many of their ancestors, as well as more recent ones. They even found two that Itachi had put there himself, the Shadowclone, and the Exploding Shadowclone. They began learning those, and had mastered the normal Shadowclone in a few days. The exploding clones were a bit trickier, though. They kept detonating either immediately after they were summoned, or not all. Sasuke had better luck with it than Naruto, so they figured that it was because of his better chakra control. Nevertheess, they both pushed each other to the limits, and advanced rapidly. Already at the top of the academy when they graduated, they were well on their way to becoming chuunin, at least combat-wise. Sakura wasn't doing too bad herself. Although she'd hated wearing the weights the first day that Kakasi had punished her with them, she realized that they were a valuable tool to improve her strength, and she took to wearing heavier and heavier weights. Her medical training was going well, thanks to the near-endless jutsu scrolls in the Uchiha library, and Akari's advice. Since the Kitsune could see chakra, she could tell the girl when she was using too much or too little. After a month and a half, they were easily the strongest of the Rookie Nine. Ino still came over often for training, and she was almost as good as Sakura at medical jutsu, and had also begun wearing weights. this, combined with the family jutsu she was learning, made her a deadly opponent to face, in pretty much any situation. They always completed their missions quickly, and efficiently, but inwardly, they were spoiling for action, and it showed. Things came to a head when team seven showed up at the Hokage's office for their daily assignment.
"Let's see... you can weed a yard, walk a group of dogs, or take trash duty in the river by the West Gate." Naruto growled. "Oji-san, these missions are way below our skill level! Don't you have anything we can do that doesn't involve work that could be done by civilians anyway?" Kakashi sighed. "Although he should probably show a bit more respect, I have to agree with him. These three are definitely strong enough at least for a C-rank mission." The Hokage rubbed his temple. "Very well. It just so happens that we've received a mission that would be perfect for you. Your mission is to escort the client to the Land of Waves." He looked to his assistant. "Send him in." A minute later, the door opened, ad in waked an old man with a sake bottle in one hand. "You call these runts ninja?" Kakashi sighed, and grabbed both boys collars to prevent the from killing the man. "Don't worry, I am a jonin, ad more than able to deal with any bandits we might meet, even if they should fail. The man didn't look very happy about this, but he shrugged. "Whatever. I am Tazuna, bridge builder extraordinaire! I guess you're the best I'm gonna get... meet me at the gates in an hour."
"Naruto! Sasuke! Our job is to protect the client, not kill him!"
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As always, any reviews are deeply appreciated. Thanks for reading!
*Myobu are the sacred kitsune that guard the shrines of Inari (Shinto Fox Kami). It seemed fitting.
