There are some things I would like to explain before you read this chapter.
First thing:I'm sorry about the long wait. The reason I had the first 6 chapters up in one day was because I had them ready, I just didn't know how to transfer them to story mode. (pretty pathetic right?) I just didn't want people to think I'm a speed typer, so that's that comment.
Second thing: About where I place my chan's and kun's and such. I don't really use the chan and kun except for a few characters, such as Hinata. I do use sensei, (who doesn't?) sama, and san sometimes. This is just how I do things, I'm not quite sure why, but it is. Sorry for any confusion.
Chapter 8 should be up soon but in the mean time, here's chapter 7. Enjoy!
Chapter 7:
The Information about the Element Users
The way back to Konoha was a lot more silent than it normally would be. Kakashi lead his pupils cautiously and slowly on propose so Sasuke had time to explain everything about the Element Users to Naruto and Sakura.
"Sakura didn't explain very well," Naruto complained after a while of walking in silence. "No offence, but you talk too fast sometimes."
"It's not my fault that you can't comprehend everything I say in the time that I say it," Sakura said coldly over her shoulder. "If you can't understand what I say sometimes, don't pretend that I talked too fast."
"Sasuke, I think you should explain some things to your team-mates now," Kakashi said. "Before Naruto and Sakura get into a fight like last time about fish," he added in his head.
Sasuke nodded slightly but kept his head facing the ground. "Naruto, what parts did you get?"
"That there are some people that come back to life every one hundred years and that's about it," Naruto explained, trailing off on the last few syllables.
Sasuke sighed. Explaining things to Naruto was like a chore that was never done.
"Element Users are a group of twelve or so people who come around every one hundred years," he began. "There are Element Users for the elements fire, water, earth, wind, lightning…"
"So for all of the Great Shinobi countries, right?" Naruto interrupted.
Sakura looked at him with the coldest eyes she had and inner Sakura was screaming foul words at him with every breath she had. Sasuke was actually talking and explaining things to her for once, and he just has to interrupt.
"Yes and no," Sasuke answered in a more patient tone then he thought he could use. "There are Element Users of the Shinobi Lands' elements, such as fire, water, earth, wind and lightening but also of the Samurai Lands' elements, like leaf, mist, stone, sand, and cloud. Then there are the extra elements of snow and ice."
"Sasuke…," Sakura said in a small voice. "I never got to ask, but, what can an Element User do?"
Naruto's head moved up and down so fast it was impossible to count how many times it moved.
Sasuke thought about it for a second, deciding how to phrase his words. After a while, he said: "Just as the name implies, Element Users use the element that they are assigned. The Element User of fire uses fire type… 'powers' so to speak."
Kakashi looked past his shoulder at Sasuke for a second. Sasuke knew so much about the Element Users, yet he never even gave a hint he knew about them at all until now. Funny how he's like that.
"Powers? What do you mean by 'powers'?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide with wonder. The next second his eyes were full of dirt as he fell face-first into a pile of it.
Sakura rolled on the ground with laughter, saying "Watch you feet when you walk, loser," in between snorts. Sasuke rolled his eyes and kept walking, asking himself why he bothered at all.
The next time they spoke at all was when they took a break for lunch. Sakura explained everything she knew so far about the Element Users to Naruto about ten times before he finally got it. Kakashi added the little bits Sakura left out every now and then but all Sasuke did was sit under a tree and think. He probably needed that time to think anyway, what with everything going on in his life right now. And he had to explain just about everything he knew about the Element Users to Naruto and Sakura after they started walking again. Kakashi knew that Sasuke probably knew more about the Element Users than even he himself, but how was still a mystery.
After Naruto had complained enough about ramen being better then all of the food he just had, they began to walk again, this time a little bit faster. Kakashi didn't want Koji and Tai catching up to them again since they had already caught up like, ten times now. Sasuke kept his head lowered until Kakashi told him to continue what he was saying before Naruto decided he was hungry for dirt. He nodded slightly, but kept his gaze fix with the moving ground below.
"Sasuke, you said something about Element Users having powers, what did you mean by that?" Sakura asked after she established that Sasuke wasn't going to talk unless he was asked.
Naruto started his crazy nod again but Sakura held his head still with much difficultly.
"They can use elemental attacks," Sasuke stated simply.
"But aren't jutsu like powers sort of?" Naruto asked after freeing himself of Sakura's grip. "I mean, you use fire jutsu, so does that make you an Element User of fire?
"No, not even the least bit. But jutsu being like powers is at least starting to get to the point," Sasuke muttered. "They use attacks just like jutsu, except it's not jutsu."
"You've lost me," Sakura admitted slowly. She quickly grabbed Naruto's head before he could try his crazy nod.
Sasuke made a noise that was neither a sigh nor a snort. "Don't you get it?" he asked, clearly frustrated. "They use an attack that would normally be a jutsu except for two very important factors: First, they don't use any hand signs. Second, they don't use chakra in their attacks. It just simply 'is'."
Naruto frowned. "Then how does it work? Like, how does the attack come?"
"It just does," Sasuke said in an irritated tone. He had had enough of these stupid questions. If they didn't understand, that was their problem.
Sakura sensed his frustration and changed the subject slightly. "I still don't how any of this has anything to do with Kora."
"Who's Kora?" Naruto asked. His question was easily ignored.
"The Element User of lightening is known for being pretty dim witted," Sasuke explain, starting to calm down a bit. "Each time, the people of the Village Hidden in the Clouds seem to know when they're born. This time, they just happen to be born on December 20th. That's the same day as Kora."
"So people think that she's the Element User of lightening," Sakura finished, starting to catch on. She was delighted to see Sasuke nod slightly.
"But is she?" Naruto asked, interested in whatever Sakura was suddenly interested in.
Sasuke shrugged. "No one really knows if anyone is an Element User until the year that all the Element Users turn fifteen. That's when their element symbol appears on their foreheads. That year happens to be this coming year."
Sakura scratched her head. "You speak as if the Element Users are bad. Are they?"
Sasuke stopped short in the middle of the path. His eyes were wide as if he had just seen a ghost. Sakura looked at him suspiciously and Naruto back away. He knew that Sasuke only chose to use facial expressions when he was either three things: really angry, when he was deciding who to get angry at next, and if he sensed danger. Kakashi just stood there as well, almost as if he too were frozen with Sasuke. The next few minutes went by really fast; as do all times that there is a battle between ninja of different countries.
