Sasuke stumbled into the room, unable to keep the guilt off his face.
Itachi was there, his respirator finally removed. In front of him, on a plastic stand was a small colorful book, with bright and somewhat suggestive illustrations on the cover.
The man gave a small chuckle, and his eyes flicked up to his brother, silently letting the boy know he was aware of his presence.
Sasuke kept his head down, still too ashamed to look Itachi in the eyes. A stroke. A stroke, and he'd been off having a pointless fight with Kiba, and for what? If Itachi had died then..
No. He didn't even want to think about that. The world couldn't be that cruel. Not even to him.
Itachi's eyes were warm, and a small smile played on his lips.
"A shame these books were discontinued. They are quite... entertaining." He chuckled again, and his eyes softened into a crinkling smile when he saw Sasuke's expression.
"Don't look so sad Sasuke. You'll end up with a face like mine." His eyes were alight at the private joke, and when the thirteen year old boy finally couldn't take it anymore, and made a choked sound, Itachi was quick to comfort.
"There, there Sasuke. I'm fine. Look at me."
Sasuke did, and saw nothing but the most Itachi's comforting gaze. And like magic, in the boy's eyes, Itachi's flaws fell away, leaving only the strong and compassionate man that lay just beneath the surface.
"Your brother won't be beaten by something so petty as this. Stronger men have tried. In fact, I feel better than I have in a long ti-" Itachi's speech was cut off by a hacking cough, which shook his thin frame far too much for Sasuke's liking.
"Ahem, yes. It seems as though this bed will continue to be my home." Itachi raised his scarred arm and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. It was one of those familiar acts that reminded Sasuke of the way his brother had been before the night. Strong, tall, powerful. Nevertheless, the man did not look particularly bothered by his loss of attribute.
"Shisui tells me your Sharingan has awoken. Is this true?"
Sasuke nodded, not trusting his voice to work. He allowed his vision to expand, and with a swirl of his tomoe, Itachi's face sharpened into a clarity Sasuke hadn't imagined possible.
It was a very unnerving feeling, watching a faded shadow of his brother's expressions before they marked his face. It was as though he were always just a second out of sync, and constantly trying to catch up with reality.
Nevertheless, it was a sharper vision than Sasuke had ever seen, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he would never forget this moment for the rest of his life.
Itachi made a contented hum. "I remember how angry you were that it hadn't awakened at the age mine did. You would pout for days." His dull eyes looked off into a corner of the room, no doubt remembering their childhood.
"I haven't gotten to use it for anything yet." Sasuke said, irritation entering his voice. Nothing except an absurdly powerful wind technique. I'm not sure I even have enough chakra for it.
"Have patience. I'm sure opportunities will arise. How are you getting along with your teammates?"
The question left Sasuke unsure of what to say. He honestly didn't know where he was with Kiba. The rest of the group; they were tolerable, but seemed content to follow whatever the general pattern was. They weren't leaders.
"We aren't working together." Sasuke said honestly. "Everyone's too wary of one another, and nobody wants to make the first move."
"Not too surprising. Inuzukas have a tendency towards more passionate personalities, and it seems this particular one has reason to hate you."
Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know-"
"Shisui tells me more than you think. I believe he thinks of you as a nephew of sorts. It's really rather amusing to see him so conflicted." Sasuke looked away, glaring and frowning a bit.
"He's... a good teacher."
"I'm sure he is. You should go see him again, now that your bloodline has awoken. I'm sure he'll have some advice for how to incorporate it into your fighting."
Sasuke nodded absentmindedly. Shisui was well known for use of the Sharingan to form his famous shunshin-based fighting style. He was a logical choice for a mentor, even if Sasuke hated the man. Did he though?
Itachi carefully turned a page of his book.
"He, Kiba I mean, said his sister was on a team with you. is that true?" Sasuke asked quietly. Itachi's eyes drifted up to some corner of the ceiling, as the man recollected.
"Yes. She was a passionate woman, but always ready to help her comrades."
"And she died that night?"
"It was an accident, and one I should have prevented. Her actions are why you are still here today."
"Kiba blames us, and I'm not sure whether he's wrong."
"It would be dishonest to say we played no part in her death, Sasuke. Nevertheless, Hana's choices were her own. I could not have stopped her."
Slience echoed through the room.
"How can I make us work together?"
"You can't." Itachi said honestly. "Cooperation is not possible without mutual effort. If he does not wish to work with you, mountains will move before he backs down."
What am I supposed to do then?" Sasuke took the chair and tugged his fingers through his hair. "Without him, we don't stand a chance."
"Kiba will make his own decisions, that much is certain. All you can do is show support, and if my intuition is correct, he will return it tenfold in time. There is no greater loyalty than that born of understanding and compassion. You are not the only one who suffers alone, Sasuke."
The words cut like ice through Sasuke's mind, and images flashed unbidden across his eyes. A boy and his dog sitting alone in the corner of a classroom, while two slitted eyes glare out through a thick coat. The pair alone on a bench, the boy eating a cheap cup of noodles while laughter and talk can be heard from where the others sit. Shouts and curses echoing through an empty academy, while misshapen and cheap shuriken spike into a wooden target.
Sasuke hopped to his feet, and flew to the door, shouting an apology behind him to his brother. Itachi hummed, and turned back to his book, chuckling softly. The boy ran, not stopping to say a word to the woman manning the reception desk, and shunshined onto a rooftop as soon as he got out the front door.
With a new purpose, the boy sped across the rooftops. He only hoped that there was still a chance to turn this around.
Kiba knew someone was following him. It was hard to put into words, but somehow he was certain. It was a prickling feeling, like an itch he couldn't reach. A painful twinge brought the boy's awareness back to his hands, one of which was wrapped in a cast.
It was impossible to recognize any distinct scents within the throngs of people shuffling about. The village center was always a busy place, especially this early in the day. Pushing between a young couple, he made his way into a shabby market store, where a grubby middle-aged man was at the register.
Kiba barely spared the man a glance as he collected the items he'd need for this next week. Some cheap rice, several steaks for Akamaru, a carton of milk...
The assembled items eventually made their way onto the counter, while Kiba fished around in his pocket, hoping he had enough.
Brief panic filled the boy, as he found himself grasping for two more ryo that weren't there. A small grunt of relief escaped his lips as his fingers wrapped around them, finding the pair of coins in his lower pocket. The man at the counter looked amused, and chuckled cruelly when Kiba turned his back.
Feeling a mixture of hurt pride and anger at the world, Kiba growled, and stepped back out into the masses of people making their way down the earthen street. He stuffed his casted hand into his pocket, and started the walk back home, ready for this little escapade to be over.
After taking a few steps, Kiba stopped, standing still in the crowd. A moment later, he whipped around, dragging the person behind him into the alleyway. His bag hit the ground, spilling it's contents over the dirty floor, while his casted hand came back in what would normally be a fist.
"Why the hell are you following me?" Kiba demanded.
The boy pinned against the wall raised his hands defensively, evidently not prepared for this situation. His coat was thick, and a pair of round black glasses obscured a pair of sharp narrow eyes.
"It was not my intention to intrude on your privacy," Shino began, in a shaky monotone.
"Don't you people have anything better to do than mess with my life?" Kiba said, tightening his grip on the boy's neck. Shino moved to open his mouth, but a fierce push prevented him from speaking.
"Is it pity? Is that it?" Kiba roared, spit flying from his mouth. He seemed on the verge of collapse or tears, and Shino went as still as a surprised animal.
"I don't want your damn sympathy, so leave me the hell alone, Aburame." With that, Kiba pushed Shino into the crowd, where he found himself carried away through the fast moving crowd against his will.
Kiba slumped against the side of the building, covering his face with a hand.
He didn't even have Akamaru anymore. His loyal partner was yet again spending time at the Inuzuka clinic, recovering from a nearly-fatal chest wound suffered at the hands of the root agent. He'd spent hours sitting in the lobby room of what had once been a part of his home, his community, waiting to hear if his last friend in this world was going to make it.
He hadn't felt such fear since the night the Silents came to their home, one carrying a scroll bearing the Hokage's seal.
Watching his mother burst into tears was a harrowing experience for the then eleven year old boy, and the image had never left him.
Kiba took a deep exhale, and bent over to collect his fallen groceries. The milk carton had been dented, but thankfully didn't seem to have ruptured. A couple minutes later, he was was back amidst the crowd, while he made the slow trek back to his home.
Ha. Home didn't even feel like the right word anymore. Prison would fit it better.
As he moved closer towards the lower resident district, the number of people died off, until he was on his own, taking slow trudging steps into his neighborhood. The street was gravelled, and the wood of the houses was rotted and stained from the burdens of time.
Kiba felt the weight of the world bearing down on him as he walked. His mind kept running circles around the same ideas. Revenge against the blond root, questions about Akamaru, anger at his clan...
He was within thirty paces of his house before he realized Sasuke was there.
The boy stood slouched against one of the support beams on the porch, arms in pockets. The boy's sharingan was active, and Kiba could feel it tracing his every movement. The eyes of a hawk. Of a predator.
Kiba considered it a feat of great self control that he didn't attack his teammate right then and there.
"We need to talk."
His house. He couldn't even get some privacy at his own god damn house.
"Fuck off." Kiba replied eloquently, moving to step inside the house. Sasuke's arm darted out, blocking his path.
"We lost because of you."
Kiba's mind went blank, and it took him a moment to process the words he'd just heard.
"What?"
"Every time. We've lost not because of lack of ability, but because of your attitude."
Kiba still didn't believe what he was hearing. Sasuke, no, Nanashi, had the guts to come and accuse him of failing the team at his own fucking house?
This was too much.
"But we can fix it."
Kiba's eyes shot up into Sasuke's, and the hypnotic swirl of the Sharingan mesmerized him, drawing his focus ever deeper into their inky-black centers.
"Our team needs to work together for any chance at winning. If us two work together, the rest of the team will follow, I'm sure. I need you to give me a chance. One chance, to prove this will work."
"And what makes you think I owe you anything?" Kiba asked, almost unconsciously.
"Because if you hadn't destroyed our chances of teamwork at the start, we wouldn't be having this problem."
Sasuke lowered his arm, and Kiba stared blankly at his front door.
"I've called everyone together. We're meeting at the warehouse tonight at six. I want you to be there."
Kiba stood for a long, silent moment. Then, he calmly and deliberately walked up past Sasuke, and opened his front door, resolving himself to quiet indifference at the part of the world that simply wasn't making sense.
"Are you coming?"
"Go to hell Sasuke."
Kiba slammed the door behind him, savoring the look of uncertainty on his teammate's face. The small elation quickly fell, and Kiba left his grocery bag on the nearby kitchen counter, ignoring his mother's prone form with practiced ease.
Once his door was shut, Kiba fell against his mattress, too emotionally exhausted to do anything else.
As much as he wanted to deny it, the things Sasuke had said mirrored closely to his own thoughts. Kiba knew they needed better cohesion. It was the obvious problem. He just hadn't known any way to fix it.
And then Sasuke had shown up at his door, preaching the values of teamwork.
Sasuke.
Teamwork.
Kiba clutched at his head, trying to make sense of the world. Should he go? If he didn't, Sasuke's little group bonding session was destined for failure. The other teams were simply to strong to compete against without his help.
Growling, Kiba rolled over and closed his eyes, resolving to figure out that problem when he had some sleep on his side.
After a couple minutes, Kiba chuckled slightly.
"I called him Sasuke. Damn."
Gravel crunched under the thick soles of Shino's boots, echoing through the mostly-deserted outskirts of Konoha's main housing area. His posture was slumped more than usual, the only outward sign of the turmoil going on within the boy.
Shino was by no means expressive. Expression meant movement, and movement meant disrupting his inhabitants. Like a complicated machine, it was impossible for most to see signs of stress or overwork before he simply ceased to function.
It was one of his main weakness, the boy admitted. Still, there were many advantages to keeping your thoughts and emotions hidden, especially as a Shinobi.
Shino's walk carried him until soon the buildings around him were no longer hospitable, much less standing. Broken wooden frames and burnt wood littered the area. A relic of an event long since passed, when a great demon terrorized the city.
Danzo had seen little point in fixing it, and so here it stood. Home for those who had nowhere else to go.
A man sat slumped against a wall of a mostly-intact house. His hands were wrapped in makeshift gloves, and his face was clearly scarred along it's side. Pale grey hair hung down the side of the man's face, and two bloodshot eyes stared out blankly, oblivious to the world.
Shino walked past the man, not sparing a single glance.
He stopped.
There was a long pause, in which the two people did not move, and there was no sound but the howling of the wind.
Then, slowly and deliberately, Shino turned back, walked a few steps, and allowed a small jingle of coins to land on the wood next to the man.
With that, the boy turned back and continued his walk, not bothering to see the Shinobi Veteran pocket the coins and mutter a hoarse thanks.
His walk carried him for another half hour, taking the lesser-traveled paths of Konoha, before finally coming to a stop at a park near the Shinobi Academy. Children ran and played, while the parents looked on with amused indulgence, and chatted about nothing in particular.
Shino took a step off the road, which had become quite busy, and took a seat on one of the empty wooden benches, content to think and watch the children play.
It was a couple minutes later that a ball bounced into the busy street, and a young girl ran after it, her arm extended in a futile reach.
Shino was on her in a second, sweeping her into his arms just in time to avoid a cart thundering down the path, it's owner clearly not native to Konoha.
They rolled and landed in a heap on the other side of the road, his arms wrapped around her protectively. Her eyes were wide, and a toothy mouth hung open in shock at what had just happened.
"I'm so sorry mista." She said nervously, standing up and brushing off her dress. Shino sent her a warm smile, which while invisible, made his eyes crinkle ever so slightly around the edges. She understood.
Then, she looked down at her arm, and screamed.
A black stream of bugs were climbing over it, hundreds of tiny legs brushing her skin as they swept over her, investigating the new object that had entered their domain.
She flung her arms in the air and ran back across the road, which was thankfully not as congested as before, into the arms of several mothers ready to coddle the girl.
Shino pulled back his arm from where it was outstretched after her, and seeing the looks of distrust and hostility on the mothers' faces, got up embarrassed and continued on his way.
When he finally found himself walking towards the wooden warehouse Sasuke had said to be at, Shino was in an understandably less-than-favorable mood. Lamenting was not how the boy would have put his emotional state, but most would.
He certainly hoped Kiba was at least somewhat calmed down from their last encounter. The Aburame happened to like his limbs the way they were.
His boots gave a thunk as they touched the rotted and hollow wooden planks, while dust visibly trailed up through the air in swirls, as he observed the other occupants of the room.
Sasuke was there, at a new table, his hands spread across it's surface as he studied an open scroll. Kabuto and Sakura both sat in chairs near the left side, closer to one another then mere friendship usually accounted for.
Kiba was staring at his casted hand, not sparing Shino a glance from his position against the wall.
When the floor creaked, Sasuke's eyes flew up, swirling into the Sharingan for a moment, before settling down into their natural black.
"It's good you came, Shino."
"Is it?" The boy asked, mostly to himself. Sasuke looked surprised, but it was quickly replaced by a raised eyebrow.
"Of course. You're a valued combatant."
There was no compassion or empathy in the words. Only the slight disapproval one has when reprimanding a particularly stupid action.
Shino got the point and sat down, folding his hands over his lap.
"Nobody stands alone." Sasuke said, his voice resonating around the room. All eyes turned to look at him, with various degrees of interest.
"We're a team. We handle conflicts as a group. If we want to have any chance at winning this year, we can't afford to let the enemy dictate our interactions. Faced with organized opposition, we will lose. We will always lose."
He glanced around, meeting everyone's gaze individually. Sakura and Kabuto both looked calmly resolved, while Kiba merely looked unreadable, and Shino was unreadable.
"By the end of this month we're supposed to be able to function as a complete military squad, capable of fighting enemy Shinobi. Shinobi that will use any means necessary for victory. We have enough problems as it is without creating our own. None of us are ready for that."
Shino was surprised by the commanding tone Sasuke was using. His knowledge of the boy from the academy was... limited, but what he remembered was a quiet boy, never interacting with his peers unless it was absolutely necessary.
They were similar in that regard. He suspected Kiba was as well. For various reasons, they had all learned how to stand alone.
Now it was time to learn how to stand together.
"We weren't called for a battle today, which means Shikamaru was off fighting the others. That means, we're in last." Sasuke said.
"I wouldn't put it past them to kick us off outright, if we don't get our act together. We need a victory. Squad 11 is out of the question right now, leaving Shikamaru."
"Knowing the bastard, he'll stack the odds however possible. Probably too much effort to actually fight us." Kiba said. His sharp, animalistic voice cut through the air immediately, and all eyes turned to look at him.
When his teammates did not look away from him immediately, he scowled. "What? You wanted me here. I'm participating, so don't you idiots screw it up."
Shino gave a polite cough, and Sasuke continued.
"Both teams have been getting various bonuses for their victories. How were these in the last rounds Kabuto?"
"They started off as simple things, but by the end we were fighting for rights to eat. Get medical treatment. Sleep. They thought of everything they could put in our way. Every obstacle we might have to overcome on the field."
There was no joking in the teen's expression. Only seriousness. "Things aren't so bad now, but they'll get worse. Much worse."
"Assuming we aren't out of the running already." Kiba said.
"We need to use everything we have." Sasuke said, and looked pointedly at Shino. "What do you need in order to be an effective presence on the battlefield?"
"Protection, mostly." Shino muttered, his kikaichu buzzing a bit as he adjusted his posture. "Directing my swarm requires focus, and having to dodge various sharp implements gets in the way of that."
"And your drain, how fast is it? How noticeable?"
"It is a very distinct feeling. It won't take long for people to notice it. As for speed, that depends entirely on the amount of my forces I can direct to the task. With my full swarm, a person can be drained in ten seconds."
Shino leaned back, making the chair squeak.
"This would be the ideal. As it is, thirty seconds would be more reasonable, assuming I can focus on the task with only a few interruptions. I'd be mostly defenseless though."
"Don't worry about that. Kiba, is Akamaru going to be able to-"
"No." Kiba hissed.
"Kabuto, Sakura. I don't know much about your abilities. How exactly will you be able to contribute?"
Kabuto raised an eyebrow, and tilted his head past Sasuke. Before he could turn to see, the boy felt the cold prickle of something against his neck.
He tensed immediately, his eyes turning into a dark blood red, his entire body becoming taut as a rope. Sakura lowered the kunai, and took a respectable step back, scratching the back of her neck sheepishly.
Sasuke turned completely to face her, staring intently.
"How long?"
"Since I sat down." She admitted. "I didn't want to be disrespectful, but Kabuto said caution is important, even in neutral terri-"
"No, it's fine. Just... don't do that again."
She nodded, and walked back over to her chair, letting the clone shimmer out of existence.
"And you, Kabuto?"
"I specialize in medical jutsu, obviously. My role on my older team was to keep us team alive and able to fight for as long as possible." He said, regaining some of his casual demeanor.
"I'm not a taijutsu specialist unfortunately. It's never been my forte. I can use knifes with some proficiency, but mostly I rely on various poisons to do my work. If I was able to cut you, I'd win I think, but otherwise..."
Sasuke nodded, his mind already putting together the bare bones of a plan.
So it's me, Kiba and Shino as our main fighting force, with Kabuto and Sakura filling support roles on the field.
Well then, that simplifies things.
Sasuke crossed his arms, eyes narrowing.
"Shino, Kiba. We'll need to help each other this next battle if we want a chance at winning. Kiba's weakness is range,"
The boy rolled his eyes at this.
"And yours is vulnerability during combat. Together we represent a much more balanced force. It's probably why the teams were set up this way."
"And I suppose you're perfect then, Sasuke?" Kiba said. "Why don't you tell us what your weakness is, since we're apparently all pals now."
Sasuke's fist clenched.
"My taijutsu is my strongest ability right now, and I haven't specialized in it. The academy form has been working so far, but it lacks complexity, and without access to my clan, I haven't had the opportunity to learn any Sharingan-based ones."
Kiba looked a bit mollified by this, and relaxed his posture.
"What's more, I don't know many ninjutsu. My fireball technique is powerful, but I need more. The Sharingan can give me that."
"I'd offer to show you my Medical Ninjutsu, but they vary from person to person." Kabuto pointed out. "It's not a one size fits all kind of practice. It's much more subjective, relying on the user to understand the mechanics and tweak them to suit their needs. I don't doubt you could get it to work, but..."
Sasuke nodded. So that wasn't in the cards.
The sun was barely visible over the treetops now, and it was becoming difficult to make each other out in the dimming light.
"It doesn't look like we'll have time to practice," Sasuke said, glancing at the sunset, "And we'll probably have a battle tomorrow, so we all need our sleep."
The group collectively got up and followed Sasuke, as he walked over to the entrance of the warehouse. He turned back once, his black eyes sharp against the white of them.
"Remember. We're together in this, whether we like it or not."
With that, he vanished in a sudden stamp of black lines.
That's right. Nobody stands alone. Not even me.
This wasn't Konoha.
Tall, jutting peaks of dark grey rock, moss covering nearly every surface. Boulders each the size of houses laying together haphazardly, creating caves and odd twisted structures everywhere you looked.
There wasn't a tree in sight. That was the first indication. The second was that nothing in Konoha was this tall and visible. The peaks made it nearly impossible to see past a mile, leaving Sasuke wondering exactly how far away they were from the village.
He glanced down at the scroll, still clutched in his hand. Clearly it was to blame, but how?
There was a sound like a rush of wind, followed by a grunt. Sasuke glanced to his left to see Kiba appear, the boy's eyes looking around wildly taking in the change of scenery.
"The hell?" he said, spinning around in awe of his surroundings. Sasuke watched this with a sort of quiet contempt, easily ignoring that he had done the same when he had arrived.
Shino came next. There was no indication of surprise, aside from a slight stiffening when he had landed. He immediately walked over to join his companions.
Kabuto and Sakura arrived together, strangely enough, followed by the all-too-familiar Chunin proctoring the matches. He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes, and he immediately yawned when he touched down on the ground, pocketing a scroll.
It was hard to say exactly when the Silent arrived, because of the way Sasuke's eyes seemed to slide over the person, barely paying it any attention. It was only through conscious effort that he was able to look directly at the figure, which tilted it's masked face a fraction in his direction.
"Alright, looks like you're all here." The Chunin glanced at his clipboard, and made a beckoning motion to the Silent, not even looking as the figure appeared at his side.
"Here's the rundown. Squad Eight is already set up over past those ridges there," The man said, pointing vaguely to the east.
"You guys are going to start on a white platform over there, and the match will begin when the marker goes off, yatta yatta yatta, you get the drift. Now, if you would..."
As one, Squad Seven found themselves transported to their starting location, the world briefly lighting in a mess of swirls and lines before they touched solid ground again. Sasuke's head spun as it tried to right itself, his eyes focusing on the ground in an attempt to steady his view.
Sakura's arrival was a bit more messy. She fell to the ground, clutching her stomach as she fought for control over her senses. Kabuto was quick to run his chakra-coated palms over her back, relieving the pain.
Kiba rolled his eyes at this, and Shino busied himself with quieting his swarm, bringing the loud buzz down to a more comfortable hum, after they both got to their feet.
They were barely all together before lightning struck, illuminating their vision in a sudden crackle of light, as it struck down from the masses of grey clouds half a mile in front of them.
Sasuke glanced around at his team, taking in Shino's resolute nod, Sakura's determined expression, Kabuto's confident grin, and Kiba's tight snarl.
Their eyes met for a moment, before the pair both turned to look across the mountains.
As Kiba bent down into his four-legged stance, Sasuke brought his hands together for a Shunshin, And Shino powered his legs with Chakra, he knew.
This time, things were going to be different.
Sakura flinched at the small sound her foot made as it shifted a piece of gravel. She froze, standing perfectly still, hoping, praying that they hadn't heard her.
They hadn't.
Tenten and Yoroi stood next to each other, both looking vaguely annoyed. Together, they were on a flat area on top of one of the massive boulders. Moss covered the ground except for various patches, and the wind howled around them.
Sakura assumed this was her saving grace.
"Damn. It's impossible to see anything out here." Tenten complained, lowering her eyeglass. Yoroi gave a grunt, and took a short hop off the rock, calmly walking in a seemingly random direction.
"Hey, wait!" She called after him, waving her arm. "Didn't you listen to the kid? We're supposed to stick together!"
"You're taking orders from that shrimp?" Yoroi asked, the contempt radiating in his voice. While his face was invisible behind the black glasses and face-concealing cloth, it was not hard to visualize his mocking grin.
"Ha. I'm tired of listening to his prattling. Besides, it's not like any of these kids are gonna be a challenge for me."
He turned, and vanished in a shunshin, just as Tenten reached our her hand in futility. She cursed loudly, and sat down, crossing her arms.
While she muttered under her breath about, "Stupid, no good idiot boys", Sakura crept up slowly behind her, drawing a kunai as she did so.
It took enormous self control to keep her breathing steady; to not gulp or make a sound as she approached the enemy Kunoichi. She readied herself, preparing to swing, and dropped the jutsu that had consealed her presence.
Tenten wasn't sure what the slight, almost unnoticable rustling sound behind her was, but she hadn't come this far by sitting around and thinking about such things. She whirled around, and froze in shock as the kunai burrowed deep into her chest.
Sakura leapt back, arming both her hands with shuriken, while Tenten coughed miserably, looking down at the fast-growing stain of red soaking through her white clothes.
"C-Coward..." She managed to say, before falling to the ground, the stained clothes fluttering as their inhabitant suddenly disappeared.
Sakura let out a sigh of relief, and fell down, taking a sitting position. She had attacked someone. Stabbed someone. Practice with Kabuto was one thing, but to actually have hurt someone like that...
She felt queasy. This was nothing like what she had imagined from how the Academy was described. She'd been so excited when she'd first joined, the encouraging flyers and Danzo's sweeping speeches echoing in her mind.
There was nothing exciting about this. They were learning how to kill each other, by whatever means necessary.
Her shaking back under control, she made to get to her feet when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She gasped, unable to react before the blow struck her in the back, knocking all air out of her lungs.
Sakura was barely sucking in breath before a kick caught her in the stomach, throwing her several feet into the air before she landed on her back with a painful thud.
She laid there, gasping for breath, unable to see through her sudden tears. A dark blur knelt down in front of her, putting a large, green-cloaked hand on her neck.
Yoroi bent down close, his hot breath blowing through the cloth into her ear, grinning widely underneath it.
"Now then. This is the part where you tell me what your friends are doing."
Kiba felt the rush of wind over his skin in full detail, just as he felt the rock beneath his feet, and could smell the cascade of scents in the air.
This was what it meant to be alive. He could feel parts of his mind activated that had simply lain dormant before, not possessing purpose in day-to-day life. Now, he was awake, and the whole world lay in front of him like an open book, ready for him to soak it all in.
His superior eyesight easily let him focus on the horizon, the passing ground beneath his feet, and his companions on either side. Sasuke ran along side, albeit much slower, bursting forward in short powerful strides to keep pace with his teammates. Shino clearly was having difficulty keeping up with them, but had so far managed to not fall too far behind.
Kiba slowed his pace, letting the panting boy make up ground. Seeing Kiba do so, Sasuke slowed as well, until they were all running at an even pace with one-another.
"This battle is going to be difficult," Sasuke shouted, over the howl of the wind as they ran.
"Shikamaru will be using the Byakugan to keep an eye on everything around him. As long as they're together, we can't take him by surprise."
"What are we supposed to do then?" Kiba yelled back over the screeching wind.
Even from the side, the Inuzuka's eyes picked up on his companions confident grin. "The Byakugan runs on chakra. He can't maintain it indefinitely. When the girl runs out, they'll be just as blind as we are. When that happens, it'll still be a tough fight, but at least it'll be an even one."
Kiba found himself with a sort of grudging respect for his teammate's logic. He hadn't considered that aspect of the Hyuuga bloodline, but now pointed out so clearly, it was hard to not see the obvious solution.
"So we wait until they run out?"
"Shikamaru's too paranoid. He'll make sure she can still use it somewhat, but he'll be forced to either start traveling, or have her shorten her range. Either way, it prevents him from setting up traps."
Kiba nodded, not that either of his companions could tell through his wolf-like leaps. It was strange being so comfortable around Sasuke and Shino. He'd gotten so used to their smells he could barely notice them without thinking about it.
He missed Akamaru. His faithful companion was expected to be back in combat shape tomorrow or the day after that, but still.
Kiba growled under his breath. That blond bastard was going to pay for what he did. For now, the only path to that end was one with Sasuke at his side.
A fair trade, in the boy's eyes.
Shikamaru cursed, clutching his face with a hand. Chouji's hand froze mid-grabbing a chip, and he paused to look over at his childhood friend.
"Is the headache back?"
Shikamaru nodded, but groaned. "That's not all. They should have come in range by now. It's been nearly an hour, unless..." The Nara's sharp eyes closed in frustration.
"This won't be as easy as I thought."
"What should me and Hinata do?" Chouji asked, sparing a glance at where the young girl was dutifully watching the area around them.
"Until we get information from Yoroi and Tenten, we can't make any moves. I'm not sure our group would win, given the state we're in, if we fought them head-on."
He grimaced.
"Go prepare the kawarmi targets." With that, the boy leaned back further against the mossy rock, closing his eyes.
"Troublesome."
Shino dodged just in time to avoid a handful of shuriken, and sent out another spray of Kikaichu towards where he hoped Shikamaru was.
At his left, Sasuke was battling with Hinata, the pair of them weaving around each other in a battle of dojutsu. The former Uchiha always seemed just out of reach of the girl's paralyzing attacks, and she was clearly losing ground.
Shino's eyes flicked back over to Shikamaru, who was managing to avoid the cloud of bugs marking his death. The Aburame closed his eyes in concentration, bringing both his hands up to direct them to their target.
A horrible, grinding sound shocked the boy out of his focus, and he turned to see Chouji barreling towards him, sending small stones and moss flying in every direction. With all the force of a battering ram, the boy rolled towards his target, perfectly on course.
Shino vaguely hoped that it would not be too painful before they pulled him out, and felt a pang of guilt that he had not been able to contribute more. When it had been a few seconds, and he still had yet to be ground into paste, he opened an eye hesitantly.
Kiba stood before him, a clawed hand outstretched and holding back the massive form. The ground shook as the grinding torrent that was Chouji failed to gain any momentum on the boy.
Shino could only stare in amazement as his teammate roared, and broadened his stance, as he was slowly pushed back by the overwhelming force before him.
"GET SHIKAMARU!" The Inuzuka yelled with all the force he could muster, and Shino nearly fell over himself in his rush to turn back towards where his swarm hovered in the air.
Shikamaru had used a series of substitutions to avoid the deadly cloud, leaving a trail of previously-hidden logs behind as he avoided the Kikaichu in a deadly dance. The boy's sharp eyes glanced over, and seeing Kiba's situation, sent two pincer-like shadows to intercept the Inuzuka.
A sudden flashbang sent Shino spinning away dizzily, and not for the first time, he was glad that his glasses were designed to block most light from such things. Not even opening his eyes, he swept his hands in a series of complex movements, sending the Kikaichu buzzing angrily after the young Nara.
Within the course of a few seconds, nothing was left of the boy except for some tattered clothes and a large chest cast.
Shino felt a hand on his back, and suddenly, his faded and blurry vision sharpened back into it's regular clarity. The constant pressures and strains at his joints slowly began to lessen, and the sudden relief sent his mind into disarray.
When he turned back, a very exhausted-looking Kabuto stood there, panting and with the appearance of being ready to keel over. The teen gave small smile and a simple thumbs up, evidently too tired to do much else.
The young Aburame nodded and turned back to the fight, where Kiba and Sasuke were alternating attacks on Chouji, who was slowly but steadily weakening, despite his reinforced body. A flick of his wrist had the Kikaichu flying back towards him like black streaks of light, and within a moment, he was complete again.
He barely spared a moment before he was sprinting towards his companions.
Sasuke watched, with no small amount of satisfaction, as Chouji's clothes fluttered to the ground. He grinned, and ran a hand through his hair. It was over. They'd won.
His content expression fell into a slight frown. While it was true their team had never won before, he'd assumed the battle would be over when all the enemies were defeated, meaning...
The most reasonable explanation was that Sakura had failed to get one or both of them.
He was roused from his thoughts by the sound of screeching metal, and with a turn, his Sharingan spotted the unmistakable form of a massive flying Shuriken, It's circular arcing shape nearly as wide as he was.
Before he could even manage a shout, Kabuto, who had also turned at the sound, violently exploded in a shower of fabric as the blade tore through his form like tissue paper.
Sasuke let out a curse, and turned around on his heel, his Sharingan scanning around desperately, straining to find the smallest hint of their attacker.
It didn't take it long.
Yoroi walked slowly towards the group, chuckling loudly. His hands came together in a slow, mocking claps, and even under the face-concealing cloth, his satisfaction was obvious.
"Not bad. I'd say the little twerp needed a lesson in humility." He said smugly.
It took Sasuke a moment to realize who the teen was talking about, but when he did, his eyes burned even more intensely.
"You didn't help your own teammates?"
"Why bother?" he replied simply. "Besides, you're all tired out, without Kabuto to come and save you."
Sasuke gritted his teeth, and took a stance, but detected movement out of the corner of his vision. Shino had raised both his hands, and the buzzing of his Kikaichu was loud enough to drown out even the wind now.
Yoroi crossed his arms.
"You got lucky once kid. It won't happen again." the teen said with certainty.
"We outnumber him three to one!" Kiba growled, glaring at his teammates each in turn. "What the hell are you waiting for?"
Not giving them time for a response, he sprinted forward on all four limbs before leaping into the air, arcing down towards the teen with his fist already cocked back for a devastating attack.
"Wait! He's trying to-" Sasuke barely managed to shout before Yoroi brought his hands out from under his armpits, revealing two lit explosive tags on each of their palms.
The explosion sent Kiba rocketing back into one of the nearby rock pillars, and when his back caught a sharp outcrop, he vanished in a puff, his clothes falling silently to the ground.
Around where the explosion had taken place, the moss had turned a deep green, while the rocks had turned a darker shade in various small splatters.
"Water Clone." Shino noted.
Sasuke grimaced, and nodded. Shino brought his hands up once again, and a black ring of tumbling insects surrounded them, forming a protective barrier of sorts. His Sharingan picked out the small forms, the small sets of wings and spindly limbs, but he focused his eyes on scanning the horizon instead.
They stood there for several seconds, on edge for another attack. When nothing came, Their stances loosened ever so slightly, but Sasuke was back to being as tight as a whipcord when he felt something. An almost unnoticeable tremor under his feet.
"Jump!" Sasuke yelled, and they both took off into the air, barely missing the next explosion that obliterated the dark stone they had been standing on.
Before they even could touch the ground, two more giant Shuriken came hurtling towards them, curving around and crisscrossing to pierce the Sasuke from two angles.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and Sasuke became aware of everything. Every muscle, every tendon in his body, as well as the world blooming in color around him. He saw his own red eyes reflected for an instant, on one of the faces of the polished steel Shuriken.
Calm, focused determination stared back, and in that moment, he knew what he was going to do. Sasuke dodged the first, weaving out of it's way by twisting through the air itself.
When the second approached his arm reached out, fingers grasping the massive spinning blade by the center. Even with all his chakra reinforcement, the sheer momentum of the thing threatened to twist his wrist straight off.
With pure, complete focus, he tugged, pulled the shuriken out of it's trajectory with an arc, his entire body spinning in the air as he gripped it like it was his own weapon, and released it where he wanted it to go.
Shino had been tackled to the ground, the same moment the two Shuriken had appeared. Yoroi had Shunshined over to him in a flash, and yanked him painfully to the ground.
He lay choking, his two arms desperately trying to pull off Yoroi's green-cloaked hand, as it drained the boy of his essence.
The blade carved through Yoroi, causing his false body to shower Shino in a spray of water. Then, Sasuke touched down on the ground once again, his eyes burning from the limits he'd pushed them to.
With a couple of hacking coughs, Shino got to his feet.
"Thanks." he managed hoarsely.
Sasuke nodded, and brought his hands together in a seal, preparing for a Shunshin.
This had to stop. At this rate, Yoroi would be able to continue attacking from the shadows, never taking any damage himself. While he doubted the older boy had enough chakra to produce too many more water clones, they only had to get lucky once to win.
The solution was obvious. They had to draw him out.
Sasuke flew upward in a blast of air, exiting the tunnel-like technique high in the air. His Sharingan scanned everything in his sight, looking, searching...
Yoroi grinned from his hiding place, seeing his prey isolate himself in the air.
"You're making this too easy kid."
Sasuke caught his opponent with his eyes just a moment before he arrived. Under the close inspection of the Sharingan, the teen was not invisible during the technique, but still blindingly fast.
Even with his bloodline, it was borderline impossible to track.
Sasuke gritted his teeth, and prepared himself. He had no idea whether his remaining chakra would be sufficient for the technique. He didn't even know what would happen if the Sharingan had copied incorrectly, or if it had missed something in the moment.
After all, he hadn't seen any hand-signs. Could he copy seal-less techniques?
Yoroi's outstretched arm, glowing a blinding green, was barely a foot away, and approaching. Sasuke pulled within himself, willing the technique to come to him.
The image of blond hair covered by a polished white mask flickered into his mind for a second.
And then, the world disappeared in swirling rush of wind.
The sound sent his Kikaichu into disarray, and had him taking an involuntary step back. It had been barely a second after his teammate had flown into the air, when a massive, spiral of wind had surrounded him, seemingly by impulse.
Had he not seen something fly backwards with all the force of a cannon, Shino wouldn't have guessed that Yoroi had been there at all. It had been so fast.
After the technique fell away, Sasuke seemed to hover in the air for a moment, before he slowly but surely began to fall, his limbs flaying wildly as he tumbled down. Realizing his partner might be injured, Shino called up what little was remaining of his swarm, and took a flying leap into the air.
He caught Sasuke around the stomach. It was anything but a graceful save, and Shino nearly toppled forward from the momentum when they both landed on the ground again. He stood for a moment, panting, before setting the boy down, and collapsing himself.
Sasuke was out. That much was obvious. Shino's heaving chest kept him too occupied to speak. His lungs still burned from his near asphyxiation at the hands of Yoroi.
When the crunch of sandals sounded next to his ear, he didn't even turn his head.
"A wind technique huh? Must've picked it up from the blonde one." Mizuki idly commented, mostly to himself. A pen twirled around his finger, and he rummaged around in his pocket for a couple seconds.
Then, he pressed the scroll into the Aburame's hand, charging it with a bit of chakra, and not reacting with the least bit of surprise when the boy suddenly disappeared.
He walked over to Sasuke and did the same. His work done, he groaned and reached upwards, his back cracking noisily for a second as he did so.
"Perhaps this year won't be quite so boring after all." He muttered, before he too felt the familiar tug of the summoning scroll, and vanished into the void.
Sasuke stared in disbelief at the package laying outside his door. He was clothed in simple black silk pajamas, reflecting sharply against the moonlight entering through his open window.
There was a note on top, with a simple Kanji printed on it's face. The ink was barely dry, the edges still not quite dried out.
Root. The character was unmistakable. It was the mark he saw on the chests of the mysterious warriors that were the Silents, and now it faced him again.
Curiosity quickly overtook caution, and he carried the box over to his bed, kicking his door closed with a foot.
It was heavy, and a slight clank of metal against metal could be heard when he set it down. He pulled open the top, and carefully removed it's contents, laying them out.
It was all dark grey, from the wristguards, each containing a plate of metal underneath the cloth, to the cloak, which was a material that felt far heavier than it had any right to be. Pouches and hidden metal plates were everywhere.
The undergarments were black, and accompanying them was a black, pull up mask. It was simple black cloth, meant to come up to just beneath his eyes, and it connected seamlessly with the neck of the undershirt.
Sasuke didn't hesitate a moment before he threw off his clothes, which ended up in a much more unkempt pile then they had been in the last two years. After a few minutes of frantic, but of course dignified scrabbling with the clothes, he finally got a look at himself in the mirror.
Sasuke froze at the image. He was the spitting image of his brother, and with the mask covering his features, he was hardly distinguishable at all, aside from the few spikes of hair that valiantly refused to be tamed, near the back of his head.
He sat down on his bed, looking down at his gloved hands. He had even had that cold look. Itachi had eyes like that, not long after joining the Silents.
Sasuke didn't want to think about those days. Itachi was back. His cold exterior was gone, leaving the brother he had grown up with.
Yet, with all his will, he couldn't fully silence the fear that one day, he would switch again. That the cold face and emotionless eyes would replace his brother's kind expression.
Would he become like that, following in his brother's footsteps?
A sudden rap at his window startled him, and he whirled around to see the crouching figure of Shisui, on the rooftop outside. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but the Uchiha Captain raised a single finger, before beckoning the boy forward with a quick curl of his hand.
He stood up and turned, sprinting across the rooftops.
Not sure what else to do, Sasuke took off after him.
The moonlight covered their travels. Sasuke had to keep at his very fastest, and even then Shisui's dark figure seemed to grow further away. The white and red fan of the Uchiha fluttered brilliantly on the man's cape, and Sasuke focused on that, allowing the rest of the world to melt into obscurity.
He didn't know how long they ran, but he'd have guessed at least half an hour. More than once Sasuke had found himself lost, running hoplessly in circles before that fan would appear once again.
Now, he was exhausted. Shisui had disappeared from sight, and the urge to simply fall down and let his legs cease their endless burn was overpowering.
But the red caught his eye, and looking down, Sasuke saw the Captain sitting calmly in the center of a training field: a green grassy plain surrounded by trees.
Sasuke came to a stop several yards in front of the man, and within the span of a few seconds, doubled over. His heart seemed to be trying to burst out through his head. Nothing was audible through the thunder of it's rapid beats.
The urge to move overpowered him, and he worked his legs desperately, ignoring the burn. Anything, anything was better than this.
It was a full minute before his body was back under control. He struggled to his feet, and glanced one again at Shisui.
The man hadn't moved an inch.
Sasuke took a step forward, and suddenly, the Captain was on his feet, arms poised in a stance. He slowly and deliberately brought a single finger up to his head, tapping just next to his eye once.
On a hunch, Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and easily let his body meld into a shape mirroring Shisui's.
And like that, they began to dance.
The man started slowly, with seemingly unimportant movements. He brought his arm up, and Sasuke's followed. He twisted to the right, and once again it was copied.
Then, Sasuke felt his own chakra well up, and knew what was coming.
Sasuke found himself carried through Kata after Kata, blurring between them with the incredible combination of the Shunshin and the Sharingan. Movement after movement engraved itself into his mind, and slowly pieces of training began to accumulate in his head.
The Captain did not run through complicated techniques or moves. He simply showed how to transfer between them, with a blinding speed that made him impossible to track. Sasuke's own body stretched and tugged, exhausting the smallest muscles in his back and legs, Chakra enhancement be damned.
He brought his arm forward in a punch, using the smallest burst of chakra to power the muscle, just like the Shunshin worked. A kick. A block. A combination of attacks. Each one engrained not as a single unbreakable pattern, but as individual movements. Even through the exertion, Sasuke knew that he was being given a repetoire of knowledge to draw from, free to combine without needing to do things in a particular order.
Sasuke diligently followed the man's movements for ten minutes, before finally it was too much. His Sharingan faded, the chakra needed to power in no longer available. The last chakra enhancement drained from his body, leaving only the pain and ache behind.
Shisui merely watched, and gave the boy a curt nod before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
Several minutes later, Sasuke Nanashi began the slow, painful trek to his apartment, barely able to focus on the ground in front of him.
Conflicting thoughts about his teacher echoed in his mind the whole walk back, and it kept with him well past the rising of the sun the next morning.