Pairing: NO PAIRING for now! I'm not going to keep repeating this, guys! It's not because Shikamaru blushed as TsuNaru talked to him, that suddenly everyone is turning gay!
AN: Some people asked me to stop bashing Sasuke and Sakura… I don't think I am bashing them. At least I don't mean to… They were simply lousy team-mates in the beginning of the manga and anime. Just like Kakashi was a lousy teacher until at least Shippuuden, and by then he technically wasn't their teacher anymore…
Also, I try my best, but fighting scenes are a weak point of mine…
This chapter is the first chapter that stayed very close to the content of the original story, so to those of you who have read that, this will be very familiar.
Also paradoxreader: Since you weren't logged in, I have to answer your review here: I agree about what you said about Iruka and I am quite curious myself how this will evolve. ;-) About Hinata, you are probably right, I tried to find a way to have her work with the story, but I created a completly different story instead. I've long wondered what to do with that, but for now, I'm keeping that for myself. Maybe when this story is done, I'll make a whole new Tsuna-is-reincarnated-as-Naruto story, but for now it'll have to wait. I have plans for the Bijus, it'll all start in the chapter after this one.
I hope you all enjoy the chapter!
A Rain in Wave
Tsuna had watched the circus before him in silence. He didn't know how, but somehow they had gotten a C-rank mission. Sakura had snapped earlier today. In the middle of the Hokage's office no less…
Tsuna supposed he could understand where the girl was coming from… Training with Gai and Team 9 the day before had been brutal. Especially since it had somehow shaken their sensei awake and he was starting to train them as well. They had just gotten back from some one-on-one sparring sessions that their sensei had overseen. She had been dirty and sore after the first session. Sasuke sure hadn't gone easy on her… and when it had been Tsuna's turn to fight she had thrown a tantrum. He still cringed as he thought back to it. She sure could scream… His fight with Sasuke on the other hand had been great fun.
It seemed however that one day, and another training session with their sensei (this time working on their stamina) had done nothing to calm the girl down. She was probably desperate for something new to do, to break the pattern that was being created. It was like watching an accident happen. Tsuna was staring at the ranting with wide eyes. He knew he should probably interfere, but he couldn't help but stare.
"No! We've done enough of those missions! I'm tired of babysitting kids and weeding gardens! Or even worse, chasing that damned cat! We've had to collect it three times already! Three times! In as many days! We've been training really hard! Too hard! Give us something better! " She yelled at the Hokage.
Iruka-nii frowned angrily at the girl, while the Hokage raised an eyebrow at her.
"Mah, mah, Sakura." Kakashi urged the girl to calm down.
Sasuke sighed in irritation.
Tsuna had to stop himself from mirroring him. True, they had been doing a lot D-ranks, and she was right, they had ended up with the catch-Tora-chan mission already three times this week and it was only Thursday...
And Tsuna was very glad that Kakashi finally seemed to have taken his job somewhat seriously. The man was obviously awkward and not sure how to treat them, but at least he was trying now.
"I believe that's quite enough, genin Haruno." Interjected the Hokage sternly. Sakura immediately fell silent and watched the old man with wide eyes. as if she only now realised what she had done. "I understand that you are feeling frustrated, but do not forget who you are talking to."
She gulped. Everyone focused on the Hokage. The man studied Team 7 with narrowed eyes. "What do you think, Kakashi? Is your team ready for a C-rank?"
Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I do believe we'd be able to handle it."
The leader studied his jounin carefully. Iruka-nii pursed his lips, but didn't say anything.
"Very well. Team 7 will accompany Tazuna-san home to Wave country and will provide security on their way there. You will leave tomorrow." The man allowed with a resigned air. "You're dismissed."
Wave?
Tsuna hung back so he'd be the last of his team to leave the office. Just before he would pass through the doorway he turned back. "Hokage-sama, may I have a moment of your time?"
"How can I help you, Naruto-kun?" the Hokage asked with a gentle smile, as if their last talk hadn't throw Tsuna's life upside down. The heavy atmosphere from a few moments before seemed to disappear with the blink of an eye.
"Seeing as my team is heading to Wave, I wanted to ask for permission to visit Uzushiogakure after our mission is complete." He held his breath as the Hokage studied him. Iruka-nii straightened and watched them with cautious eyes. Tsuna had talked about his wish to visit Uzushio with the man, and so Iruka knew what this meant to him.
"Have you found time to read those scrolls yet?" the Hokage asked, dodging the immediate question.
Tsuna nodded. "Yes, sir. It explains some things, basics mostly, but it would be helpful to get more information. I planned to request your permission after our first C-rank mission, but I had not thought that would be today. However, Wave is very close to Uzushiogakure. We wouldn't have to make a long detour."
The Sandaime narrowed his eyes and studied the blond intensely. "I'll send a note to Kakashi. I'll grant permission, however he'll have the final call. Once your mission is complete, Kakashi will be the one to decide, depending on how the mission went and how your team behaved."
Tsuna smiled at the small victory. "Thank you."
-o-o-o-
They had left Konoha the next day. It was supposed to be a simple escort mission but his intuition had been playing up ever since they walked out of the village. Kakashi had just finished answering Sakura's questions as the feeling intensified.
"You alright there, Naruto?" asked their sensei. "You seem a bit skittish."
"Something isn't right." The blond muttered.
"Hn." Sasuke raised a cautious eyebrow at the blond. He looked sceptical, but still walked a bit straighter.
Tsuna bit his lip, but continued to warily watch his surroundings. He knew better than to dismiss his hyper intuition after all. It was a habit that Reborn had beaten into him, quite literally.
They passed a puddle on the ground, in the middle of the road, and all hell seemed to break loose.
The first few seconds passed almost like in slow-motion. Everything in Tsuna was screaming for him to move, to do something. Anything! It was like a red alert was going off in his head. Feeling eyes on his back he turned his head around, just in time to see two shinobi emerge from the small pool of water.
He moved as they did. He reached out and pushed Kakashi out of the way as the two moved around his sensei, a spiky chain ready to envelop the older man.
However, seeing as Kakashi wasn't there to intercept the chains, they continued on, barely missing Tsuna as Kakashi had grabbed him after being pushed.
The others turned back at the first sign of a commotion.
"Now, now." breathed their sensei, put out, as if this was a minor inconvenience.
Tsuna eyed him briefly with a raised eyebrow, before he focused back on the enemy.
The two shinobi rushed forward, completely ignoring Tsuna and Kakashi.
"Kyaaa!" screeched Sakura in shock.
Sasuke surged forward. He threw a shuriken and a kunai, accurately pinning the chain to a tree. He kicked both of them in the face at the same time. The chain was released, freeing both shinobi.
Seeing that Kakashi wasn't moving, Tsuna rushed to help his team-mate.
He ran forward to intercept the fastest of the two enemies, giving Sasuke time to pursue the other. Sakura jumped in front of their client but Tsuna was faster. He kicked the shinobi harshly in the side, sending him tumbling away from the battle.
Sensing both Sasuke and Kakashi more than seeing them with his back turned, he rushed forward to continue his assault. If Reborn has taught him one thing, it was to not show any mercy, and to not underestimate your opponent. Before the guy could get up, he harshly delivered a blow to a pressure point in his neck, rendering him unconscious.
He breathed a sigh of relief before he turned back to his team. Their client Tazuna had staggered back in shock. Sakura was shaking with wide eyes, clearly going into shock. Sasuke was frowning at him, though Tsuna couldn't make out if he was worried about him or angry with him. Kakashi on the other hand, had the other ninja in a choke hold and was studying Tsuna intently.
"Finally decided to help out, sensei?" Tsuna asked with a light frown.
"Mah, mah, you and Sasuke seemed to have everything under control." The man smiled.
Tsuna eyed the man sceptically and he saw Sasuke mirror him. Kakashi approached them and he quickly bound the two men together to a tree.
"Tazuna-san, we need to have a little talk. These are missing nin from Kiri. Chuunin rank and above ninja who are known to continue fighting no matter what. These two were clearly targeting you. You registered this mission as a C-rank, meaning bandits and thieves at the most. Shinobi are not included in that. This mission has become a B-rank mission – above what rookie genin are supposed to be handling. Care to explain yourself?"
The man started sweating at Kakashi's narrowed eye.
"Ano, sensei..." Sakura hesitated, "Shouldn't we be heading back? I mean, you said it yourself, this isn't a mission for genin, so..."
Tsuna frowned. He looked at their third team-mate, only to see that Sasuke was standing next to him. The raven threw him a calculated look.
"Hmmm." Kakashi mused. "Maybe it is a bit much, but you guys managed this better than I thought you would."
Sasuke snorted but didn't say anything.
"Sensei, saying something like that doesn't really reflect well on you, especially since you left us to deal with it on our own." Tsuna dead panned.
"I'm sorry I scared you, Naruto-kun." The man smiled.
Tsuna raised an eyebrow at the man.
"Let's keep going." Sasuke said suddenly while he threw Tsuna a weird look. "These two weren't much of a challenge."
Kakashi stroked his chin. "Hmm, Sasuke wants to continue and Sakura wants to head back. Seems like we're at a stalemate. What do you think Naruto?"
Tsuna shifted nervously at all the attention. "Well, it's difficult to say, sensei. I guess it depends..."
"On what?" Kakashi asked gently as he smiled at the blond.
"Are you going to abandon us like that again?"
Kakashi grew serious. "No, I wanted to know who they were targeting. I would have intervened if it looked like it was going wrong."
Tsuna nodded. "Then I guess it depends on what Tazuna-san can tell us about the situation. We still don't really know what awaits us."
With that the shinobi turned back towards the poor bridge builder, who nervously took a step back.
-o-o-o-
"Get down!" Kakashi yelled at his students as he tackled Tazuna to the ground.
Tsuna had acted without thinking and he wasn't sure if he had responded to his sensei or his instincts suddenly screaming at him.
Something flew over them. A huge sword lodged itself in a tree. A strangely clothed shinobi was standing on top of it. Tsuna watched him with wide eyes. Were all shinobi this dramatic?
"Well, well, if it isn't the Hidden Mist's missing-nin Momochi Zabuza." Commented Kakashi lazily. "Everyone get back, this one is on a whole new level."
Tsuna took a step back towards their client.
"It will be a little tough, unless I use this…" started Kakashi as he lifted his headband from over his left eye.
"You must be Sharingan Kakashi." Stated the ninja as he looked down on them. "Sorry but that old man is mine."
Sasuke startled.
"Surround and protect Tazuna. Do not enter the fight. That's the teamwork in this situation." Kakashi commanded.
What followed was… Well it started as an awesome fight, even Tsuna could admit that and he had seen some awesome fights in his last life. Zabuza had used a jutsu to summon thick mist and both him and Kakashi had shown a masterful control and use of clone jutsu. After that, however, Kakashi had easily gotten caught in Zabuza's water prison. Which, if he had to honest, quickly killed any awe he might have held towards their sensei.
Zabuza created another water clone which he send after the genin.
"Hehe, wearing forehead protectors and acting like real ninja." sneered the clone. "But you know what? A real ninja is someone who survived numerous brushes with death. Basically, once you're good enough to be listed in my books, then you can start calling yourself a ninja. You guys shouldn't be referred to as ninja."
He disappeared, only to appear again before Sakura, kicking the girl harshly in the face.
"Sakura!" Tsuna ran towards the girl to help her back up. Her nose was clearly broken and she bleeding all over the place. He could already see the beginning of bruises forming around her eyes and cheeks.
"You guys!" Kakashi screamed with an undertone of panic in his voice. "Take Tazuna and run away! You have no chance of beating him! As long as he's keeping me trapped in this prison he can't move! The water clone cannot go very far from his real body. Just run away now!"
'A bit late for that, sensei.' Tsuna thought as he grit his teeth. 'Like we would outrun a jounin…'
"Like I'll let you." Sneered the clone. He rushed towards Sakura again. The girl screamed in terror and flinched away from him.
"I won't let you lay a hand on her." Tsuna snarled.
She blinked in shock. "Naru-to?"
Tsuna had intercepted the clone. He had grabbed the man's fist mid-strike. The clone jumped back in shock. Flames burned brightly on Tsuna's forehead and hands.
His team-mates watched him with wide eyes.
The man sneered. "Those flames are a fancy trick, kid, but that's all they are."
"We'll see." He rushed towards the clone, who didn't try to dodge but simply raised his sword to the boy.
Tsuna however, could remember all the sparring sessions he had with Takashi and even Squallo, and dodged without a problem, grabbed the clone's arms and flared his flames brightly, soaking the clone in Sky flames.
The clone screamed as the flames slowly turned him to stone. It was too slow, so Tsuna punched the man with all his might in the chest. The stone shattered and the rest of the clone dissolved back into water. He studied the puddle of water and the debris briefly. Sensing no danger or chakra he turned back to the original.
"Would you mind releasing our sensei? I've grown a bit attached to him." Tsuna's eyes were blazing orange as he stared at the real Zabuza.
"Hm, cheeky brat." Grunted the Mist nin, almost amused after a moment of stunned silence. "Ninpo: Kirigakure no jutsu."
A thick mist once again appeared, obscuring their vision.
Tsuna jumped back towards their client. He nodded towards his team-mates, who had done the same thing. Sasuke looked determined, if a bit unnerved. Sakura looked scared out of her mind, her face still covered in blood and bruises.
Not being able to see anyone in the mist, Tsuna closed his eyes and completely opened up his other senses in the hope of figuring what was happening.
He moved without realizing. Zabuza burst out of the mist, sword thrust forward. Tsuna managed to push aside Tzuna and Sakura, but didn't manage to dodge quickly enough. He went down, biting his lips in pain and clutching his side.
Sasuke reacted quickly. "Katon: Gokakuju no jutsu!" A huge fireball hit the enemy and Zabuza dissolved into water once again.
Tsuna trembled as he got up and resumed formation.
A few moments nothing happened.
"Heh," Zabuza smirked. "Not bad, brats."
Tsuna thought - they needed to continue fighting now, no stalling allowed. Who knew how much time their sensei had before he drowned?
Tsuna knew he could use his flames to fly, but he hadn't tested that technique yet in this life. Reborn would find a way to kill him over different dimensions if he thought to try it out now. Never try out new techniques on the battle field. They could save your life, but they could also get you killed.
Sasuke stood closer to the edge of the lake.
They made eye contact and nodded at each other. Tsuna ran towards his team-mate, who grabbed him and launched him at the missing nin. Somehow Sasuke had known what he wanted him to do without them having to talk it though. Maybe this team would work out fine in the end. When he got within range, he tried to punch the man hard in the face.
Zabuza hit him in the head before he could land the hit and Tsuna's eyes closed as pain erupted in his head. If his arm had been a few inches longer he would have succeed. Still, his flames should have done some damage… He felt himself fall, but before he could reach the water he was gently grabbed. Someone held him close, standing on the water, still within reach of Zabuza and Kakashi.
It was quiet around him as if someone had hit the pause button. A calloused hand gently cradled his face and lifted it.
"Naruto!" Yelled their sensei in a panic.
Dazed, he opened his eyes.
He gasped and tried to push the man away.
"Stop squirming, brat." Grunted a new Zabuza clone.
Both the clone and the original eyed him strangely.
The man gently flickered his fingers through the flames on Tsuna's forehead.
Tsuna's eyes widened. The Kiri ninja didn't get burned. What? Could this mean…? What did this mean?
"Huh." Breathed the original. "Who would have thought…"
"Zabuza! Your fight is with me! Leave my students alone!" yelled Kakashi furious.
Zabuza snorted. "This fight is over, Hatake. I have no reason to fight you anymore."
The silence that fell at that statement could almost be heard.
"W-what?!" Sakura screamed hysterically through her broken nose.
Kakashi sounded stunned. "What is the meaning of this?"
The clone who held Tsuna flickered briefly. Tsuna was gently hoisted up and cradled bridal style in the original missing nin's arms.
Tsuna hissed as the wound on his stomach was jolted. The adrenaline was fading fast and he tried desperately to maintain his flames now that the exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him. He was still bleeding.
"Damn it." Cursed Zabuza as he saw the blood. "Haku!"
Another ninja appeared a few feet away from them, but Tsuna wasn't paying much attention.
"Now, Hatake, I'm going to let you free, you'll behave and we'll get your student somewhere safe to get treated. Do you know of a place-"
Tsuna didn't hear the rest. His dying will mode finally left him and he immediately fell unconscious.
00
When Tsuna woke up, his whole body felt sore. He didn't even need to open his eyes to know he had overdone it… Training with Iruka-nii was one thing, and sure, it helped with his taijutsu, but he hadn't kept his flames active this long yet. Not in his new body and certainly not in a real fight.
He opened his eyes. He blinked a few time to clear his vision. He was laying on a futon in what looked like an empty room. He closed his eyes again briefly and took a deep breath as if it could chase away his fading headache.
"How are you feeling, Naruto?" asked Sasuke next to him.
Tsuna shifted, trying to see his team-mate, only to groan loudly from the pain in his abdomen. That was pain worse than the one lingering in his brain.
"Stay still, I'll get the others."
Tsuna didn't hear him leave.
"Naruto?" asked Sakura hesitantly as she entered the room. Kakashi and Sasuke followed her.
He opened his eyes again and tried to smile at the girl. "Good morning."
"Afternoon, actually." Smiled Kakashi as he sat down next to them. "How are you feeling?"
They sat around him.
"Like someone tried to cut me in half." Tsuna tried to joke half-heartedly.
"You've been unconscious for two days." Sakura bit her lip. "We were worried."
"Giving enough time, you'll make a full recovery. So no worries." Smiled Kakashi again.
Tsuna sighed in relief. "That's good."
Sakura held a cup with a straw at his lips. "Thirsty? I've brought you some water."
Tsuna carefully sipped a few times. "Thanks."
He studied his team for a few second. Sakura's nose seemed completely fine, so…
"What happened? Where is Zabuza?"
"Ah," Kakashi started with a sigh. The man scratched his gravity-defying hair. "Good question. I have no idea."
"What?" He asked incredulously. How lax could the man be? Wasn't it standard procedure to keep a close eye on an enemy?
Sasuke rolled his eyes at the silver-haired man. "Zabuza stopped the fight suddenly. He hasn't explained why."
Sakura nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, and he had an apprentice hidden away. Haku healed my face! After he helped you of course. See!" She angled her face closer so he could see.
Tsuna looked a bit uncomfortable. "That doesn't really explain anything…"
Sasuke grunted. "Zabuza said he'd explain once you woke up."
This was like pulling teeth… "Yes, and where is he now then?"
Kakashi smiled at him. "Dealing with Gatou."
Tsuna needed a second to register that. "Okay. Why?"
"No idea." Kakashi smiled happily.
"And you just let him?" Tsuna asked incredulously. This was one of the strangest conversations he had had to date.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed a bit and lost their laughter. "One of my clones is with him, and his apprentice is under surveillance in this house. I'm not that careless, Naruto-kun."
"It is very confusing, sensei." Sakura admitted. "He attacked us, threatened our client and tried to kill us and then suddenly he's saying he'll kill Gatou because he doesn't want to hurt Naruto. It's just strange."
"He's strange, that's for sure." Sasuke muttered, almost too quiet to hear.
"I'll explain it now if you want." Zabuza entered the room, a younger man following behind him.
Tsuna turned around and had to swallow a shriek. The man was covered in blood.
Kakashi didn't seem surprised to see them but Sasuke and Sakura were startled.
Zabuza sat down at the foot end of the bed/futon and Haku (the young man who Naruto assumed was Haku) stood behind him. The younger of the two smiled at Naruto.
"How are you feeling, brat?" asked Zabuza.
"Sore." Tsuna watched the two with wide eyes.
"Good. You're on the mend but it'll take a while." The man nodded.
Tsuna eyed the man warily. "You're covered in blood."
"Just a minor disagreement with Gatou and his men, but that can wait. More importantly, little Uzumaki prince, tell me: How did you end up in Konoha?"
"What?" Tsuna asked stunned. A minor disagreement? The man looked like he had slaughtered half a dozen of people. And the look on his face reminded him of HIbari after a good fight… And what was that about Tsuna being an Uzumaki prince? How did the man know he was an Uzumaki in the first place?
"Prince?" Kakashi interrupted sharply.
Zabuza shrugged, while he looked Tsuna straight in the eyes. "Of course. It took me a while to recognize it; the Uzumaki have very distinct colouring after all. But those flames of yours? Something like those hasn't been seen since the fall of Uzushiogakure in the Second shinobi war. What do you know about them?"
"S-some." Tsuna stuttered, feeling uncomfortable with the lie. Still, he wanted to know what the other man knew about flames.
"Are they a bloodline?" asked Sasuke, suddenly interested.
"Yeah, and why didn't you tell us you could use something like that, Naruto?" asked Sakura, slightly reproachful. She fidgeted next to Sasuke as if she had trouble restraining the flow of questions she actually wanted to ask.
"It's mentioned in my file." Muttered Tsuna softly, but he wasn't sure if anyone heard him. Only Kakashi's sudden twitch made him suspect the man had heard what he said.
"It's clan business, girl." Said Zabuza with a sneer. "If he doesn't want you to know, he's not obligated to tell you anything."
"Clan? What clan? Naruto is an orphan." Replied the girl indignantly.
Sakura had never been good at being denied knowledge. Still, Tsuna winced at the reminder.
"What clan?" asked Zabuza stunned. He turned towards Kakashi. "They don't know? What do they teach you brats these days."
Kakashi frowned and turned towards his students. "Didn't you learn about Uzushiogakure at the Academy?"
The three genin shook their heads. Kakashi sighed, looking troubled. "I'll have to mention this to the Hokage. Uzushiogakure was a hidden village in the Land of Whirlpools. Its ninja were renowned for their fūinjutsu to the point that it led to their destruction in the Second great war. The Uzumaki clan was the founding clan of the village, like the Senju and Uchiha are for Konoha."
"Really?" asked Sakura with wide eyes.
"Of course. Our Shodaime Hokage was married to an Uzumaki princess after all."
"The Sandaime is aware Uzushio isn't taught about at the academy. We've talked about it." Tsuna asked in a small voice.
Kakashi's eyes softened. "I'm glad you had someone to talk too."
"Most Uzumaki are dead. There weren't any known survivors when the village fell," Zabuza commented, "and yet here you are."
"Here I am." Repeated Tsuna.
"Alright but how did you know Naruto is an Uzumaki?" asked Sasuke with narrowed eyes.
"The flames." Shrugged the man again. "My sensei had them as well. In another colour mind you."
"You were trained by an Uzumaki?" asked Tsuna feeling light-headed. What were the odds?
"No way. No Uzumaki would ever step foot in Kiri." The man snorted. "Not after Kiri raided their village to the ground."
"So it's not a bloodline?" asked Sasuke sharply, trying to understand.
Zabuza scratched his head with a sigh. Haku giggled behind him. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."
Haku wasn't fazed by Zabuza's gruff attitude. "You're being adorable, Zabuza-sama."
Tsuna couldn't help but snort as Zabuza threw his companion a Glare™.
"Do you want me to explain, kid?"
Tsuna tilted his head. He wasn't sure what the missing nin meant…
"To your team-mates?"
Ah, so that's what he meant. Tsuna nodded. Anything to help him through a disastrous explanation of his flames. Flames weren't… easy to explain, and with his lingering headache he was very glad someone else volunteered to do it. "It's fine." His team-mates seemed pleased with his answer.
"Now, I don't know the details. My sensei only briefly explained it after all. Everyone has flames."
"What?" exclaimed Sakura in shock.
"No, let me finish my explanation first." She was cut off by the gruff man. "Every human has flames. You can compare it to chakra, everyone has it, but very few people can use it. Chakra is easier to access, with the right training everyone can learn how to use it. Flames are more complicated. You can compare it to a bloodline in the sense that special circumstances are needed for them to activate. From what I understand there are different types of flames. Each type has it's unique colour and characteristics."
"What circumstances are needed?" asked Kakashi intrigued.
"There are two possible ways, each as unlikely to happen as the other. It could be activated the way other bloodlines get activated, under the right circumstances, most likely while cornered or almost dying in battle. Most people who try this method die, so I wouldn't recommend it." The man shrugged again. "At least that's how the rumours go."
Tsuna blinked. That made sense. In his old world the total percentage of the human population that could use flames was about 5%, if he correctly recalled what Reborn had told him. Also battle situations weren't required to activate flames for the first time. Your determination, or dying will as Reborn had called it, had to be strong enough to break them free. Simply not wanting to die wasn't enough… If it was, Reborn never would have had to use those special bullets in the beginning of his training as Vongola boss. Regret and determination had to be balanced very carefully in one's emotional being for it to work.
"And the other way?" asked Sasuke almost eagerly.
"It's easier the other way." Zabuza nodded. "But the chances of succeeding are about as high as the first method."
Sasuke deflated.
"It's also more time consuming. One of those types of flames are different from the others in the way that they attract the others to themselves." Zabuza struck a thinking pose. "I believe they were called Sky flames. People with those flames 'attract', for lack of a better word, people with the other types of flames and form a bond with them. This bond makes it possible for those others to activate their own flames but it's still not guaranteed."
"What kind of bond?" asked Kakashi curiously.
Zabuza shrugged. "That depends on the individuals, I think."
"Family." Said Tsuna, joining the conversation for the first time since the start of the explanation.
Zabuza raised an eyebrow. "Really now? I can live with that."
Tsuna gave the man a small uneasy smile.
"What do you mean by that?" Kakashi glared at the man.
Zabuza ignored him and didn't break the eye contact he had with Tsuna. "During the fight, I don't think you were consciously doing it, but you reached out to me."
He placed one of hands on his chest. "I can feel it – the bond and your flames." The man grinned arrogantly.
His face turned pale as Tsuna gasped in shock. He hadn't realised he had reached out to the man.
Zabuza shrugged in a what-can-you-do way. "It's not something permanent. See it as a chance, an opportunity for a bond to grow."
"I know what it means. You're not the first I bonded with." Said Tsuna confidently as he raised an eyebrow at the man. He was not some ignorant child after all. "Why are you so interested in such a bond?"
Zabuza smirked, delighted to see the kid grow some sort of backbone.
"Hatake said you're required to stay here until that bridge is build, so we'll have time talk. We'll see. There is no hurry. You get better first." He deflected the question.
The man awkwardly patted Tsuna's knee. Tsuna narrowed his eyes at the ninja.
"So wait, Naruto has these special flames?" asked Sakura with a frown.
Tsuna eyed the girl, not sure where she was going.
"Sure, those orange flames you saw, those are Sky flames." Zabuza warily eyed the girl.
"Why Sky flames? It seems like a strange name… Why aren't they blue then?" interrupted Sakura them.
"The name has nothing to do with the colour, little girl." Scowled Zabuza.
Sakura flinched away from the missing nin. The man was scary after all. Still, she straightened, took a deep breath and spoke shakily. "I just want to understand."
Tsuna admired her guts. This mission seemed to be a real wake-up call for the girl and he was thankful she didn't seem to immediately relapse in her fan girl personality.
"You don't have to understand." replied Kakashi gently. "If what Zabuza said is true then this is all Uzumaki clan business."
She bit her lip, but didn't reply.
"You involved us in all this." Sasuke frowned, surprisingly supporting the girl. "It's only natural we ask questions." He had been very quiet since the beginning of this conversation. Tsuna wasn't sure what that was about.
"Maybe, but you don't want people to stick their noses into Uchiha clan business do you?" asked Kakashi. "We are a team, so some knowledge is required, but we don't need to know all the details."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his teacher. "Speaking of Uchiha clan business, I think we need to have a conversation about that eye of yours, sensei."
"Of course we will, but-"
"I still don't understand?" muttered Tsuna softly.
They all turned back to look at him, but Tsuna was lost in thought.
"Why would my flames reach out to you? Why not anyone else? I-" he stopped talking abruptly.
Zabuza sighed. "No idea. I only know a little bit because of my old sensei and he wasn't very forthcoming with the information." He shrugged. "What makes Sky's reach out to some people and not to others? Why me and not your sensei or someone else in your team? Why someone who was supposed to be your enemy?"
Tsuna frowned. He tried to remember if Reborn had ever mentioned anything about that. The at-the-time-baby had chosen Tsuna's family almost entirely by himself. Tsuna never had anything to say about that, but the people he had chosen... In the end, both Tsuna and his elements had gained something by becoming family. They had all been lonely, one way or another. Tsuna had never had any (real) friends, same with Hayato and Takashi. Kyoya hadn't wanted any friends, but seemed a bit more laid back after becoming a guardian. Or at least as laid back as Kyoya could be... He never would be a fan of crowds, but he had grown very protective of their family... Or just of Tsuna, if he had to be honest. Ryohei had needed some people to understand and treat him like he was normal, not some sort of weirdo. Same for Lambo, who just wanted someone to love him for who he was. Chrome and even Mukuro had been lonely, the older one lashing out after all the injustice done to both of them.
So why did his flames reach out to Zabuza. Why not someone else? Or had they reached out? And had Tsuna simply not realised? Apart from the bond he had with Iruka, obviously.
He thought about his precious people. The only one in this lifetime he could tentatively call precious was Iruka-nii. They had been training together for a while now... and the man had helped him when he needed it, had comforted him with his shock after finding out about the Kyuubi… the man had been a god-send these last few months. But his bond with Iruka-nii was obvious, they had both felt it click into place the moment Iruka-nii had touched his flames. He hadn't really talked to Iruka-nii about it. He hadn't thought it needed to be spoken about, it was a bond they both knew was there. Tsuna had never thought others would be able to become Active but if Zabuza was telling the truth about his sensei, and his knowledge of flames made that most likely, than he wasn't the only one in this world who could actively use his flames. Others could learn to as well…
Iruka-nii was a teacher, and a good one. He cared about kids, and more importantly he cared about Tsuna. Tsuna didn't care if that was selfish or not. With time, and if Tsuna allowed it, Iruka-nii could be Family, even a guardian if they both wished it. There was already a very firm basis for such a bond, and now… This opened possibilities he hadn't allowed himself to think about. He'd need to talk to Iruka-nii as soon as he got back.
He glanced at Zabuza and saw the man studying him with raised eyebrows.
He turned away and studied his team. Logically they were top candidates as guardians, but Tsuna knew that his flames weren't likely to reach out to them—at least not now, with the team dynamics as they were.
Sakura had never paid him any attention. She had been so focused on Sasuke all the time that she had been very hurtful. He wasn't sure she had realized it, but he didn't think he'd feel very comfortable around her for a while...
He winced as he looked at Kakashi. The man had been doing his very best to avoid spending any more time with him than was necessary. It hurt. It still did. Tsuna had reached out to the man, wanted to ask him for training, for anything... And maybe Tsuna had reached out to bond to the man, but he wouldn't be able to consider Kakashi family after that. Not immediately any way. And only if the man changed the way he treated him… The constant rejection had hurt.
And Sasuke… As Naruto he had always wanted to be Sasuke's friend. Mostly because the boy was also alone and Naruto had thought that could bring them closer. He was selfish that way. Huh, maybe even then his intuition had acted up... But the Uchiha was so standoffish, so arrogant and had always brushed him off as if he was invisible. Although, Tsuna had to admit that Sasuke's attitude had changed since he had stayed behind to train together. Sparring against Lee and Tenten had brought them closer and the boy seemed to take him more into account now. So maybe? He wasn't sure… He studied the boy intently, making the Uchiha raised an eyebrow in question. Tsuna shook his head. He didn't think he'd mind, actually, bonding with Sasuke…
Maybe Tsuna's flames had already tried to reach out. More than he was aware…
He closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt his flames inside him. They felt weak, almost feeble—he really had overdone it earlier—but he could feel other types of flames if he reached inside them. They were barely there, and if he hadn't been looking for it, he never would have known.
Mist, Rain and Storm flames.
The purple flames gently washed over him, relaxing him until he felt almost boneless. Iruka's face briefly flashed before his closed eyes. The man grinning as he teased a blushing Tsuna, like that day after graduation and the team announcements.
The blue rain flames were violent, lashing out blindly around them but they calmed down as soon as Tsuna focused on them, gently touching them with his own flames. They shivered and the blood lust seemed to diminish. They... there wasn't another word for it, they seemed to bask in his attention, almost preening. Strangely enough those aggressive flames immediately reminded him of Squallo.
"Oh wow, didn't see that coming." A deep voice said from right next to him.
Tsuna opened his eyes almost lazily. Zabuza was sitting next to him, with Tsuna almost on his lap. He was leaning against the man, and couldn't bring himself to mind at all.
He felt overwhelmed by all this information and the realizations.
"Naruto?" asked Kakashi warily. "Everything all right there?"
Tsuna turned towards the man.
Kakashi was crouching, alert and watching Zabuza suspiciously.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Tsuna sighed and snuggled into the almost-hug the missing nin was giving him. Zabuza's arm tightened around his shoulders.
"Maybe we should leave them to rest." Haku suggested with a grin.
"I'd rather stick around, just to be safe." Kakashi replied coldly.
Tsuna eyed his teacher, who was glaring at the other adult in the room.
He felt comfortable like this, but how would this look to someone who wasn't flame-active and had no idea what was happening here?
"Is there something to eat?" he tried to break the tension.
Sakura stood up. "I'll go tell Tsunami-san you're awake. She made some soup for when you woke up." and with that she practically fled the room.
"Tsunami-san?"
"Tazuna's daughter." grunted Sasuke. "We're in his house. His grandson lives here as well. The little brat's named Inari."
"Sasuke." reprimanded Kakashi lightly.
"Hn." he grunted.
Tsuna blinked. Alright then... Good to know.
Kakashi turned towards the blond. "Do you think you're well enough to go downstairs to eat?"
Tsuna shrugged. "Maybe not quite yet." He closed his eyes again, even as Kakashi insisted Zabuza put him back on the futon and he manhandled the man to take him downstairs. He was alone again in the room.
He still needed to take a closer look at those Storm flames, even if he could take a guess. He repeated the same process. He gently touched the prickly deep red flames. They felt nervous, and unsure. As if their owner was doubting himself. They shied away from his touch, as if unsure of their welcome. He tried again and they tentatively reached back.
Sasuke.
So he had reached out to his team-mate. He wanted to smile. He focused on his flames and tried to convey all the emotions he had and hoped to develop for his team-mate through their fragile bond. Hope, warmth, friendship, family…
The door opened again not long after and someone stumbled inside.
"Careful there, Uchiha-san. Let's get you resting." He heard Haku say. Tsuna jerked upright in shock, ignoring the pain that flared through his abdomen.
Haku was supporting his raven haired team-mate as they stumbled into the room. "Bring him here." Tsuna croaked hoarsely.
Haku looked up with wide eyes. Something shifted in his eyes as he looked from Tsuna to Sasuke and he nodded in understanding.
Sasuke seemed to out of it to notice what was going on. Haku set the boy down on the futon next to Tsuna and Tsuna turned towards the boy. Sasuke looked at him with half-lidded eyes. The boy looked as if he had been drugged and Tsuna feared he might have overdone things earlier. Sasuke groaned, closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Sakura's POV:
She wasn't sure what to think anymore. When her team had been announced, Sakura had been ecstatic. She was on a team with Sasuke-kun! Sure, she had to take Naruto on as well, but she could live with that. Ever since he had gotten hurt in class, the blond had acted different, but she hadn't paid too much attention to it. He was finally leaving her alone after all. So it was good news all around. She'd thought that would have given her the opportunity to make some progress with Sasuke-kun!
But the last few days had been eye-opening. First, she had thought her daily routine would change when she got a team, but Kakashi-sensei didn't seem to be too interested in them. They did a few D-rank missions a day, and then she was free to do as she pleased.
She bit her lips as she laid a damp compress on Naruto's forehead. There wasn't much she could do beside dampening the cloth every once in a while. Haku, the ninja who had appeared after Naruto had collapsed in their enemy's arms, had healed most of the damage her team-mate had gotten during the fight. It had been him that had discovered Naruto had been cut in the chest by Zabuza and under Kakashi-sensei's watchful eye the nin had healed most of the damage. Naruto would feel sour and would most likely have a killer headache when he woke up, but he would be fine otherwise, and after that he had healed her nose.
She bit her lips again. Even now, hours after everything had calmed down, and most of the people inside Tazuna's house had gone to sleep, frustration was threatening to overwhelm her. Bitter tears had been waiting, ready to spill over ever since they had arrived at the house but she stubbornly refused to let them.
She had done nothing, had been completely useless. In both fights, actually. Not just in the last one… The thought had slammed into her not long after the last battle, once the adrenaline had died down.
She had been the top kunoichi of their graduation class, and she was very proud of that! There were two clan heiresses in their class after all, and she had managed to outscore them both. It wasn't a small feat, even if it was something that wasn't important in a ninja's career in the long run. Still, she had been so proud of herself. However now she realised, nothing in the Academy had prepared her for situations as the ones Team 7 had faced on the road.
Looking back, she could grudgingly admit that Team 7 had had two days of real training before this mission. The day they trained with Team 9 and the day after, when Kakashi-sensei finally seemed to take an interest in them. Or had he simply not wanted to look bad after they had had a taste of what other jounin could teach them? It sure seemed that way, because looking back, Naruto had often enough tried to ask their sensei for training…
She cringed as she thought back to the tantrum she had thrown in the Hokage's office. It had seemed perfectly fine at the time, even if their leader did reprimand her for it. Looking back, she realised she had gotten arrogant. Arrogant, and annoyed that their sensei made them train that hard. Made her sweat, hurt her muscles and even made her pass out. Two days had been more then she could bare and she had thought to get away from that by asking (or rather demanding, she now realised) a mission that would take them away from the village and training for a while…
And then first their fight with the demon brothers, and later on Zabuza… She knew that the last fight could easily have killed them all. Maybe not their sensei, but Sasuke, Naruto and her? They had obviously been outmatched. If Zabuza had tried a little harder, or if those weird flames of Naruto's hadn't latched onto the missing nin… They would have died.
She eyed her team-mate again, took the compress and wrung it out in the bowl next to her. There was a lot she didn't understand about those flames and the abrupt end of their fight with Zabuza. She hoped Naruto would wake up soon, so she could ask him about it. She had always been very curious and eager to learn, so this situation hit all her buttons.
She steeled her back, determination shining in her eyes. She would need to do better, grow stronger! She would find a way to contribute to her team and support her team-mates! Maybe she could look into medical jutsu when she got back to the village… Or, since they were stuck here until that stupid bridge was build, she could ask Haku if he'd be willing to teach her a bit? If this mission was anything to go on, both her teammates and sensei were the type to rush headfirst into a fight. This wouldn't be the last time they got hurt, she wasn't naive enough anymore to believe otherwise. She needed to get stronger, to help support them, to carry her weight on this team, and Why wouldn't she be able to heal their injuries as well? Tsunade-sama of the Sannin had been able to do both, so why couldn't she?
TBC
Sakura's POV gave me some trouble, still… I hope you liked the chapter! Leave me a review on the way out, please ;)
A note of warning, I'll be out of the country at the end of the month and I have no idea if I'll have access to the internet. So it's possible I won't be able to update before the 4th of June... My apologies in advance if that is the case...