Chapter seven
Skylar sat on the training hall floor while Lee was showing her how to strap her hands and legs for future references. She was trying to figure the Tsukuyomi out and why the summonings weren't affected after it had been cast a year ago. She was also wondering if Mitarashi Anko and Yamato were still alive and where they would be, perhaps they might not be under the Tsukuyomi and help them, especially Yamato's wood release.
"… Why you should keep the end tightly tucked in." Lee said as he demonstrated it. Skylar shook her head to focus back on what Lee was saying.
"Sorry, I didn't catch the first part?" Skylar said sheepishly with a smile. Lee smiled and shook his head.
"It's okay Skylar-san, it wasn't important just keep the ends tightly tucked in so they don't unravel during a fight." Lee told her and she nodded with a smile. "I'll see you later for more youthful training." He said happily as he left. She listened to his footsteps down the hall then got up herself and went for a walk. She knew she had slept for only a few hours but it seemed that a lot of them couldn't sleep peacefully with the situation they were in.
She stepped into the icy night air and saw the bright red moon in the sky with the rippling sharingan in it and sighed as she stuffed her hands into her black hoodie jacket and jumped up onto a rock and sat to watch the moon just over the water's surface. There had to be an answer as to why the Tsukuyomi does not affect people or summons now after it has been cast… It felt like something so simple but yet vital to staying genjutsu free. She began to go over what the Tsukuyomi was: a genjutsu created by an Uchiha with amazing ocular powers of the Jyuubi, the moon was created out of it's body by the Rikudo Sennin. Itachi had the mangekyo sharingan and able to cast Tsukuyomi and if she remembered that specific episode, only the person with the same blood as him AKA Sasuke could break it but is it the same thing?
She sighed as she fell onto her back and looked up at the stars. This world was still new to her and she can't solve all of their problems in one day but she felt like the answer related to both her old world and this one, the way most things were similar between them. They were all human and could die, they lived in houses, had jobs and families, they had days and nights to sleep and… Wait… Night… Tsukuyomi reflects off of the moon, which is seen at night and invisible during the day… Tobi's power isn't complete so the genjutsu was probably still weak and the red moon seemed faded during the day, the Tsukuyomi could only fully affect someone with long exposure or when it is seen during night? This could prove to be a high possibility as to why the summons aren't affected as they tested this theory near midday, it also might put them back at a disadvantage.
All of this is helpful but it still didn't explain why Skylar could break them out of it and they can't be affected again afterwards by what her father explained. Why did Skylar have the rinnegan to break it and the blue in her eyes fade away after breaking ten of them out? Perhaps it was a borrowed power like Kakashi explained. Skylar sat up again and watched the moon again, it made her eyes uncomfortable and almost like pressure was being applied to the back of her eyes, a foreign intrusion… Is this what it feels like when a genjutsu takes place? She closed her eyes and shook her head before getting into the senjutsu meditation pose as she felt the energy entering her body and calming her a little as she felt the brush across her eyelids and the coat settle on her.
The dragon embroidery shone like actual lights, a small glow of the dragons almost like they were their own beings, which they are, and alive. She concentrated and out came the dragon off of her back, blue and yellow scales glowing in the reddened darkness, opposing it.
"Why have you summoned me girl?" It asked in a deep and growling voice as it hovered in front of her, not moving it's mouth almost like it was telepathic.
"As you know, my name is Skylar Serrin… I would like to know more about you and why I can summon you." Skylar asked calmly as she sat on the ground with her legs crossed and waited for an answer.
"Very well. I know the other side of you better but soon enough you will be merged as one. My name is Seiryu, leader of the Four Gods, Protector of the East Gate of Hell and Dragon of Air. You have power to save this world and have been chosen by fate to be our summoner by our choice or not just like the Rikudo Sennin was to save the world from a beast called the Jyuubi. You summoned me first as you have a strong affinity for air and I obeyed you're other side's orders as she is powerful enough to be my avatar however, you still do not have my respect until you have shown me you can control yourself. The other four dragons obey my final orders and you are not powerful enough to override my orders." Seiryu said cockily with a smirk, if dragons could smirk. Skylar narrowed her slitted purple eyes, this one is definitely arrogant.
"So until I stop passing out and loosing control, you will not obey me?" Skylar asked as she crossed her arms.
"Exactly." He said harshly.
"Will you at least tell me about the other dragons and give me some pointers?" Skylar asked cautiously with annoyance.
"Suzaku on your right arm is the Protector of Hell's Southern Gate and Dragon of Fire. Genbu on your left arm is the Protector of Hell's Northern Gate and Dragon of Water. Kouryu on the left front is the Protector of the Neatherside and is the Dragon of Lightning. And last but not least on the right is Byakko, Protector of Hell's West Gate and Dragon of Earth. We each have our own personality so don't forget that girl. I will be returning home now." He said as he climbed back into the coat and stilled.
"Well, lots of help you were." Skylar mumbled as her sage mode faded. She stood up and made her way back inside to find something to eat and began to cook chicken that she marinated quickly in some tomato sauce and soy sauce and cooked it over the gas stove.
"Smells good, is there a chance you can make one for me?" Kakashi asked as he sat down at the table, next thing he knew a plate flew onto the table with a piece of chicken, he didn't even see Skylar move. "Thanks… Is something bothering you?" He asked as he took a bite of the chicken as Skylar marinated and cooked another piece of chicken. She didn't respond and Kakashi became annoyed that she ignored his question and opened his mouth to ask again before she sat down hard on the chair across from him and dropped the plate of chicken onto the table and he felt her aura was conflicted and annoyed as she picked at the chicken.
"The Akatsuki base… Do you know where it is?" She asked without looking up and put a piece of chicken into her mouth.
"Why would you want to go there?" He asked as he pulled up his mask and she finally looked up.
"I think Yamato and Anko may still be there." She said and she heard the breaking of wood and looked down to see Kakashi's hand clenching the table and his chakra flare as electricity started to dance with the broken splinters. She looked down guiltily at her food, she had lost her appetite.
"Do you know what happened to them?" He asked with restraint in his voice.
"Yamato was connected to the Gedo statue to power the white Zetsu but Zetsu is dead and Yamato may still be in the original statue in a coma, apparently Hashirama is there too but I'm not sure, it all confused me. Kabuto captured Anko and her cursed seal was used to bring Orochimaru back… I think they are still there." Skylar said and she heard Chidori activate fully and the table break onto the floor with their forgotten food. Kakashi had his back to her and running a hand through his silver hair. She called his name with calm demand and he turned around to face her. " Sit down, I have more to tell you about… The Tsukuyomi, I have a theory about it. Tobi's power is incomplete and so he does not have the full power for it to work during the day and so it probably only affects people over a period of time at night but once they're under it, he has a more stable connection and controls them that way. The moon is faded during the day and does not have the same potency as it does at night, the summons will still have to be careful… Leading me to my next suggestion." Skylar said calmly.
"You want them to check out the base first?" Kakashi asked still in the same restraint.
"It's quicker and safer, you know that plus we need to get somewhere with our plans, they may even be forming the Force together already and we wouldn't know until it's too late." Skylar stood up and faced him calmly. She could see his jaw clenching and unclenching with his hands in fists as he stood rigidly. He powered up a Lightning Blade and was ready to strike the chair before Skylar moved and grabbed his wrist and he powered it down. "I know they are your friends and comrades that have been used but you need to reign in your emotions Kakashi before we destroy the base, it's bad enough with my unpredictability." Skylar said as she let him go. He sighed and took his lazy posture before rubbing the nape of his neck almost sheepishly.
"You're right… How are you going with that?" He asked calmly with hands back into his pockets.
"Well Seiryu is no help. He says he refuses to obey me unless I gain control which will only happen with training." Skylar said with annoyance as she stuffed her hands into her hoodie's pockets.
"I take that as a hint?" Kakashi asked with a little chuckle.
"I guess you could if you're up for it right now." Skylar challenged with a smirk and a carefree shrug. Kakashi raised his brow and his mask moved into a smirk as he began looking at the door, silently challenging her to a race. She soon took the hint and began running at full speed for the training hall but Kakashi overtook her by running on the roof and made it there first with a pout from Skylar.
"So, is that my first lesson?" She asked as she walked into the middle of the hall with her arms crossed.
"If you want it to. I'll explain…" Kakashi began before Skylar held up a hand to stop him.
"I know it all from when you trained your genin team, just give me pointers when needed." She waved before focusing on putting chakra at the bottom of her feet. She opened her eyes with determination and focus as she examined the wall in front of her and ran for it.
Kakashi watched her focus and her eyes opened with a stone dead look to them that looked pretty dangerous as she examined the wall and ran for it. She reminded him a lot of himself but also Naruto at the focus in her eyes, how they went a shade deeper when they were serious and smiled. His jaw dropped when she hit the wall running up it and onto the roof, without missing a beat then stopping and flipping onto her feet as she landed with a slight bend then up right again with an accomplished smile on her face. She turned to face him, leaning on one leg with a hand on her hip.
"Next lesson please sensei." She said and Kakashi's jaw was still on the floor. Everything Kakashi threw at her, she accomplished with flying colours like she was already a ninja. She had stamina as much as Naruto has and she just wouldn't stop or stay down when something backfired or she slipped and fell. Skylar was having the time of her life as she trained and was beginning to think she was born to be a ninja like her father mentioned, she would fit in better here.
"So what's next? Ooh, I need training in seals! Please, please, please Kakashi?!" She begged on her knees in a good mood and a grin with her hands clasped together in front of her chest.
"Does your energy never end?" Kakashi said with tired amazement. He slumped with a sigh. "Fine, but there's one more jutsu I want to show you… Naruto's favourite shadow clone jutsu." Kakashi said as he held a finger up. Skylar literally did a back flip with a whoo hoo then jumped onto the roof and stood ready with the seal.
"Shadow clone jutsu!" She said with an excited shout and out popped ten shadow clones before they disappeared and she fell from the roof. Kakashi jumped up and caught her then landed and tripped and fell on his butt with Skylar still safely in his arms.
"I was hoping you'd finally run out of energy with this one but still, ten clones when you're this tired? She's another Naruto… Speak of the devil." Kakashi mused to the unconscious girl before he saw Naruto walking calmly towards them. Kakashi lay her gently onto the floor before taking Naruto's offered hand to stand up.
"My ears were burning… So how's her training going?" Naruto asked as he picked the unconscious girl up and began walking with Kakashi.
"Amazingly fast, she's accomplished everything on the first or third try and continued to get up except this last one." Kakashi said as he stuck his hands into his pockets.
"What was that you were teaching last?" Naruto asked with a smirk, thinking it was the wall climbing exercise.
"The shadow clone jutsu, she made ten too before she passed out." Kakashi said then moved to catch the unconscious girl before she dropped from Naruto's arms.
Skylar woke up with an annoyed groan, waking up from chakra exhaustion felt horrible, almost like when you wake up with a hang over with sore muscles without the nausea. She definitely over did it but it was a lot of fun to learn all of those things. She lay there and thought about them.
The wall walking exercise was… weird, your body wants to fall back to gravity and it took a lot of leg and stomach muscles to keep upright. The water walking exercise was weird as you had to keep a constant flow of chakra to your feet and you bobbed up and down with the water almost like you're on a boat. The replacement technique was like being pulled in different directions but then landing up in a bush, hidden. The clone jutsu was just easy and really not anything special but the transformation jutsu was kind of cool, you still felt like yourself but you took on the outer appearance of that person and turning into Kakashi felt weird but strangely cool. He taught her about the different bombs you could also get and the explosive tag and taught her how to activate them and how it works. Last but not least… The shadow clone jutsu made you feel like you are splitting up the more you concentrate on it until there is nothing left to split to make another clone and it exhausts you. She also learned to run like a ninja and how to add chakra to them to make her faster.
Skylar immediately knew she had a bigger chakra supply than most ninja as she remembered making ten but it was nowhere near as much as Naruto probably has. Skylar noticed Sakura sneak in and turn to close the door quietly.
"Hey Sakura." Skylar said casually. She jumped and turned around with her back against the door and a hand to her chest, breathing a bit faster than usual.
"Jeez Skylar, give me a heart attack why don't you… How you doing?" She asked with a smile as she moved to sit down on the bed next to her with a smile.
"I'll be fine soon, chakra exhaustion isn't nice but I suppose it's not suppose to be." Skylar said with a smile. Sakura reached into her pouch and pulled out a biggish ball wrapped in foil and unwrapped it and Skylar dreaded this, it was one of Sakura's soldier pills that Naruto and Sai tried and nearly threw up after eating them.
"I know they taste bad but this will get you up and going quickly, here." She said and passed it to Skylar who held it and studied it with a fearful look. She swallowed and stuffed the whole thing into her mouth and shut her eyes as she chewed and swallow as fast as possible. It really was disgusting, it tasted like dirt and that dry and old bone smell after a dog has chewed on it for a long period of time. Skylar gagged a few times and shivered at the disgusting taste and finally managed to swallow it and stretched her mouth into a frown and shivered one last time at the after taste.
"Wow… That really was bad, sorry." Skylar apologised with a sympathetic look.
"It's okay, I know after trying one myself but there is only so much you can do on limited resources and without compromising the nutritional value of the other ingredients. Anyway, I came here to see if you're fit for a meeting that's been called right away, Kaka-sensei has new information for us." Sakura informed her. Skylar sat up and already noticed the difference, she felt almost completely fine except for maybe still a bit tired still but it was understandable. Skylar got out of bed and grabbed some clothes and headed for the bathroom and had a shower.
"Did he tell you anything about this information?" Skylar called from the shower as she shampooed her hair.
"He wants to go on a mission to the old Akatsuki base, he says Captain Yamato might be there. He sent Pakkun out earlier and confirmed the base's location north of Hi no Kuni. That's all he said." Sakura shouted back. Skylar scowled as she finished up and got dressed in the navy blue shorts and navy blue long sleeved top with her black hoodie and wrapped her shins and hands and forearms, placing her weapon pouches on and rubbing her hair dry as she returned to her room to find Sakura still calmly sitting on her bed. She raised an eyebrow at her as she looked her up and down.
"You really need a new and personalised style." She said and Skylar nodded in agreement before hanging her towel up and they walked together to the meeting. They arrived in the same little room Skylar explained her story and she stood in the back corner and waited with her arms crossed and her one leg bent to rest her foot against the wall.
"I sent Pakkun on some recon after I learned some news. He went to the old Akatsuki base and I think we might have found Yamato and Anko." Kakashi explained quickly as he sat on a chair and leaned over the back as he was sitting backwards on it. The room erupted with questions and confusion and Kakashi let it for a while before calming them down again.
"What do you mean you think you might have found them?" Sasuke questioned from the other corner of the room.
"Pakkun found their scents down there but he needed to report back and couldn't get any deeper as there were traps and secret doors and passages. I want to send two teams to find them as they were both big contributors and victims from this war plus two extra people will give us four four-man teams." Kakashi explained further.
"Why did you even go back to search that base and where else have you searched?" Shikamaru suddenly asked.
"There was one advantage to watching you through a show… You also know the bad guys moves too." Skylar piped up as all eyes turned to her and back to Kakashi who nodded.
"Right, she told me this and I had to think it over. I haven't searched anywhere else, is there anywhere I should Skylar?" Kakashi questioned. Skylar looked down and closed her eyes, was there anywhere else? They all watched her pointing and mouthing things as she scowled and remembered all of the countries, seeing if there was something she missed.
"Right now, I can't think of anything I've missed but Sasuke should know about Anko being there, am I right?" She questioned harshly and looked towards him across the wall from her.
"I had more important issues to deal with right then." Sasuke said back defensively.
"Oh right, like resurrecting and questioning the previous Hokage's, what did happen to Orochimaru anyway?" Skylar questioned as everyone watched on with questioning gazes. Skylar saw his jaw clench. "And your little ambition about being Hokage… Forget it, you lost that right the day you left Konoha for Orochimaru." Skylar spat hatefully but she just couldn't stop, it felt good to put the bastard in his place. She ducked just in time to miss his Chidori spear, which was where her head just was, and his sharingan was blazing with the eternal mangekyo sharingan. Everyone watched on in shock except Kakashi who sat calmly and Naruto who was angry but couldn't decide who to stop. His spear began to move downwards for her and she twisted and ran on the wall with a burst of chakra and grabbed his neck and slammed him against the wall while grabbing and stilling his wrist with the lightning spear. The wind reacted to her will instantly stopping any attempt for his Chidori Nagashi.
"Your ambitions and goals have always been childish and never assessed properly, you are rash, hot-tempered and selfish and put everyone in danger all the time. I don't care who, what or how powerful you are but I will not stand by and watch you hurt anyone anymore, especially since I know your secrets." Skylar whispered the last part in his ear after speaking in a harsh, cold and commanding tone, still holding him between her windshield and the wall. She pulled away slowly from him and noticed the red and purpling marks on his neck and wrist that didn't move as she stepped away and left, with him hiding his shameful eyes in his hair, for the door.
"Where are you going?!" Naruto asked angrily. Skylar barely looked over her shoulder back at him with harsh eyes that even made Kakashi flinch.
"To cool off, get someone to heal Sasuke." She said before facing forward again and walking off. Everyone seemed to let out the breath they had all been holding, including Sasuke who seemed to gasp and slide down the wall with Sakura and Ino rushing for him, checking his neck and wrist.
"She seems a bit unstable to me." Kiba said with slight anger to his voice as he leaned against the adjacent wall to Sasuke.
"No, that was a very ANBU protocol tactic. She immobilized him perfectly, stated his flaws, calmed the situation and stepped back cautiously, ready to defend herself again. And if I studied her properly, I would say she's the most stable out of all of us here." Sai stated in his usual voice. Kakashi had found the whole situation amusing really but he knew this was serious and would cause problems if it wasn't sorted out soon.
"Sasuke." Kakashi called warningly and he looked up with dark circles under his eyes while Sakura and Ino finished up with his healing. "You better sort this out soon so we can accomplish our mission, she's on your team." Kakashi said smoothly before getting up and leaving. Gaara moved next to Naruto to console his confused friend.
"Sasuke's hot headed and Skylar is fine, they'll work it out Naruto, for the world." Gaara said calmly.
"I was angry that Sasuke attacked her but what she said also made it difficult for me to tell… I… " Naruto began but he clenched his jaw and clenched his fists.
"Like I said, they need to sort this out." Gaara said calmly before patting his back and returning to his room. Others seemed to file out too and Naruto helped Sasuke up and back to his room with the fussing fan girls behind him.
Kakashi followed the chakra signature calmly as he strolled down the halls, grinning that Skylar had subdued Sasuke so easily when he failed to so many times before. He knew she was stable and fine and she only acted out in defence and questioned why Sasuke failed to mention all of this before. He stopped and watched, Skylar was sitting in a corned with her knees bent up to her chest and her hood covering her face in a dark corner of the training hall.
"You shouldn't be ashamed, you only defended yourself." Kakashi said as he moved to sit next to her, she just shrunk back into her hood more. "And you were right to question those things, he never mentioned them before." He added.
"Why do I hate him so much?" Skylar questioned weakly with a whisper. Kakashi raised his eyebrow at this.
"Perhaps it's like you said, you know his secrets." Kakashi said and Skylar's head snapped to look at him. "I'm the great copy ninja, I won't miss something I can lip read." He said with a shrug. He saw a small smile pull at her lips and eye smiled. "Sasuke's an ass and a difficult person to like but maybe the more you get to know him, the better you'll get along or find out you really hate him." He said and he thought he heard a small laugh escape her lips.
"If I don't learn to control my mouth then my mind will become just as weak…" Skylar recited to herself and Kakashi's eye widened and her eyes met his and she smiled. "So, you remember it still huh? What Minato said to Obito on that dreaded mission. But then again, it's difficult to forget something like that." Skylar said sadly as she looked back out across the training hall. "So you want to rescue Yamato and Anko huh?" She asked, changing the subject. "It's understandable, they are your friends after all and we need all the help we can get anyway, what's your plan?"
"Two teams. Team one will be Kiba and Akamaru, Hinata, Sai and Sakura and the other will be myself, Naruto, Sasuke and you. You probably can pin point where they are if there are jutsus placed so the byakugan can't see through them. The first team is search and rescue and the second is collateral damage if we come across the enemy." Kakashi explained and Skylar nodded.
"Let me know when it's going to happen, I don't think is should join the meeting again. I'll be in my room preparing and resting from chakra exhaustion after those damn clones." Skylar said standing up and leaving with her hands in her pockets. All the way back to her room she felt uneasy, like someone was following her so she wasn't surprised when she just closed her bedroom door and punched the wall with frustration that someone knocked at her door. She raised an eyebrow when she opened the door and there stood Sasuke, stoic as usual.
"What is your problem with me?" He straight out asked.
"You're more of an idiot than Naruto." Skylar flat out said and Sasuke scoffed but kept quiet. "Sure, you were only eight years old when your life took a drastic turn but I know you're not that stupid Sasuke. How your brother acted before hand and what he said to you should have made you question this further and maybe you could have seen the truth. Because of your own cowardice of not wanting to remember that night you became defensive which showed to become arrogance and so you hid behind that shell, not wanting to get close to anyone in case they hurt you again like Itachi did. You think you think things through properly but actually your just as rash as Naruto is and it shows you out to be a danger to yourself and your team even if you subconsciously try to protect them but you play everything off coolly and it pisses me off." Skylar stated calmly with her arms crossed and leaning on one leg. Sasuke had his eyes hiding behind his bangs and his fists were clenched and his body began to shake and Skylar took a deep breath, ready for him to attack her again. But instead she found herself in a hug… Sasuke was actually hugging her? And her shoulder felt wet as his arms and body shook and Skylar smiled as she had finally cracked through to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and rubbed his back as she leaned her cheek against his hair.
She felt a presence coming up and swung them in a circle and closed the door. He finally raised his head but didn't meet her eye with a stoic expression but it looked cute with his face and eyes red. She smiled and pulled the sleeve of her hoodie over her hand and wiped at his face gently as his eyes continued to water and tears fall over them. She took his hand with hers and pulled him with her and she sat on her bed and moved over and patted the bed next to her. He looked at the spot on the bed then back at her smirking face and she waited patiently. He smirked and blushed a little as he sat down and they both took their shoes off and Skylar wrapped her arms around his shoulders and fell to lie down while she ran a soothing hand through his hair and he began to cry again and flipped over to hide his face between her and the bed while she comforted him.