One Change: Chapter 10 – Meeting
The next chapter is already typed and I'll be ready to post as soon as I'm done editing!
Good news! I've officially finished year 12 and now it's summer so I'll have much more time to write and hopefully make marked progress with this story. I doubt I'll be able to finish it in just in just 6 weeks because I have a lot planned for it, but I hope to get a fair amount done!
Thanks to: Silverwolfighter00, DeadlyNightshade(anon), Guest, Yuki'sAngel(Anon), Uchiha Tsunako, Analelleand for reviewing!
Standard Disclaimers Apply.
10: Meeting
Later the same day:
Sakura didn't quite know what to make of the Nara family. She'd heard that they were a clan of formidable shinobi but they seemed a little too laid-back to even be shinobi in the first place. Nara Yoshino was nice enough, quiet and somewhat reserved, she seemed to be the epitome of 'house wife' but Sakura had seen the way she shot narrow-eyed glances at her son and husband when she thought she wasn't watching.
Nara Shikaku was possibly the most laid-back shinobi she had ever seen, for somebody who was supposed to be formidable, the man looked as though he was about to fall asleep. Sakura wasn't even sure where Shikamaru had gone, as soon as they'd entered the house he'd disappeared back out the door and she hadn't seen him since.
It was slightly awkward sitting on the couch waiting for Yoshino to re-enter the living room from the kitchen while Shikaku was practically asleep beside her with his head resting on the arm rest. The bright voice of the Nara Matriarch startled Sakura out of her contemplative musing.
"How are you? May I call you Sakura-chan?" Yoshino Nara asked, placing a tray down in front of the rigid girl, having frozen the moment that she realised there had been somebody behind her and she hadn't even sensed her. Forcing her muscles to relax the girl nodded stiffly while pulling her lips up into a strained smile.
If she the Nara family was expecting a smiley little girl with no worries in the world then they had another thing coming.
*One Change*
Assured that Sakura would be fine for now, Itachi made his way back towards the Uchiha compound with the intention of confronting his father about his behaviour. Having known Sakura for almost 2 years now he was aware of how fragile she was and how strong she pretended to be. His female student was devastated about the way she had treated the Uchiha matriarch and he was furious to learn that his father had gone as far as banning the 11 year old from the compound to prevent her from apologizing to his mother. The man claimed that he had his wife's best interests at heart but Itachi knew that the man was just angry that his prodigious son had been lumped with the responsibility of taking a genin team, an occupation that he believed was below his son's abilities.
The compound was mostly deserted but that wasn't surprising seeing as the clan would be in the middle of a clan meeting right about now. What was more surprising was the fact that he could see somebody in the distance, the person had to be an Uchiha because nobody outside the clan was able to enter the compound while a clan meeting was in progress.
Moving closer Itachi identified the person as his older cousin Uchiha Obito, the man had been on a mission until recently, escorting a team of Genin in the place of their hospitalized sensei.
"Obito-san, may I inquire as to why you aren't present in the current clan meeting?" He asked, watching the man's face twist in what he could only imagine was faint amusement.
"Maybe it would be more relevant to ask you the same question Itachi-san, after all, if I am not mistaken then the clan is currently discussing your unruly pink-haired student." It was said with a definite tone of underlying amusement regarding the issue.
Freezing momentarily, Itachi thought about the new information that his cousin had provided. What business did the clan have with his student? Surely she hadn't done anything bad enough to warrant an official meeting in her honour. This was probably his fathers doing, the elder had taken an immediate dislike to the girl and was doing everything in his power to remove her from their lives completely.
Nodding sagely to the older Uchiha, Itachi bid him goodbye and turned to leave the compound completely. It seemed he wouldn't be able to speak with his father in any degree of privacy right now so he would occupy his time by seeking out Shisui for a training session while awaiting his genin team.
*One Change*
If she'd learned anything in the past few hours, it was that Nara Shikamaru found everything to be too troublesome. She wasn't sure what could be so fascinating about watching the clouds but the boy could quite literally do it for hours.
Still uncomfortable with the situation, Sakura felt bad for Yoshino as she'd tried her best to make the younger kunoichi to feel at home. It was difficult to convince herself that the foreign nin meant her no harm. As bad as she felt, she was still relieved to realise that she would have to leave shortly for team two's daily training session.
Vaguely, she recalled Itachi mentioning that they'd be doing something a little different today and she was curious to see what exactly he had meant by that.
Telling her temporary guardians that she was leaving and that she'd be back in a few hours, Sakura stepped out of the compound and shunshin'd to training ground five... and right into the chest of Uchiha Shisui, who looked equally surprised at her sudden appearance. The surprise didn't last long though as the wide eyes and gaping mouth quickly transformed into a smirk and eyes that glittered with amusement.
"Well... I'm used to all the girls throwing themselves at me, but I think this is the first time a preteen has done so", the smirk never left his lips and his spoke and Sakura felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment as she tried to pull away from him and turn her back. He obliged her struggling and let her go, grinning at her very apparent embarrassment.
Sakura let her eyes dart around the training ground until she found what she'd been looking for, Itachi-sensei was standing a few feet away smirking to himself. The pout found its way onto her lips naturally and she put her hands on his hips in hopes of showing him how little she impressed with the situation.
"Sakura, not that you've arrived I can tell yo and your teammates about the training session I have planned for today. If you recall correctly, I told you yesterday that today's training would be a little different. Today you will be training with team 9. Led by the Jounin Maito Gai, they are also Genin rank although they graduated just recently from the academy. I want to see how you do in a Taijutsu orientated spar. I am not saying that Ninjutsu or Genjutsu are prohibited but you would do well to remember that sometimes you will have to fight without the aid of chakra."
For the first time, she noticed the group of Genin standing to the western side of the training ground. They didn't look particularly threatening but the boy with the brown hair was trying, his eyes narrowed into what she assumed was supposed to be a fierce glare. The group consisted of a Jounin with short black hair who appeared to be wearing... spandex off all things, Sakura recognised him as Gai-sensei. Then there was a young boy whom she could have sworn was a clone of the eccentric teacher, they were practically identical apart from height, The next was the boy who'd been glaring at her earlier, he was slightly feminine looking but it was his eyes that drew Sakura's attention. They were lilac and lacked any visible pupil, they were also still narrowed into a threatening glare. They would probably intrigued her more if she were not already used to seeing Haruki's Byakugan. The last member of the team was an unassuming looking girl with brown hair that was pulled into twin buns atop her head, there didn't seem to be anything extraordinary about her.
For a moment nobody spoke, whether for lack of things to say or the awkward atmosphere that had begun to permeate the training grounds. It was Gai-sensei who eventually broke the awkward silence.
"Okay my youthful students, today we have been challenged by Team 2, led by the ever youthful Uchiha Itachi! While also genin, his youthful students have been Genin for over a year now so make sure to watch your backs! This spar will be primarily Taijutsu based but Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are allowed. Due to the fact that they also have a Doujutsu user, the Byakugan will be permitted. Go forth and display the power of your youth!" Watching the man explain the spar to his team, Sakura was glad that she had such a calm and composed sensei.
With nothing else left to be said between the two teams, all six Genin dropped into their Taijutsu stances, ready for the spar to be called. Sakura's mind was already running at extreme speeds, trying to calculate the best and fastest way to end this spar and come out the victor. Itachi-sensei said that this was a Taijutsu spar but the way he also mentioned Ninjutsu and Genjutsu gave Sakura an idea. The rest of the ninja on the field would begin with Taijutsu as they had been instructed so Sakura would have a tactical advantage if she were to start with Ninjutsu or Genjutsu.
With her mind made up just as Shisui called the start of the spar, Sakura was already making hand signs, Ram-Snake-Tiger, and slamming her hands into the ground. "Suiton: Kokuu no Jutsu!" she exclaimed, knowing that the black rain would not harm any of her opponents but severely damage their visibility and evasiveness. While they were momentarily stunned, Sakura was already making her next set of hand signs, her plan working just the way she had hoped. The next jutsu was whispered in hopes that nobody would notice her casting the Genjutsu. "Magen: Kasumi", straight away she saw Haruki and the other Hyuuga's eyes snapped in her direction, their respective Byakugans activated.
It had been a long shot to hope that the Byakugan wouldn't see through the Genjutsu but the illusionary mist seemed to be further confusing Shin and the other two Genin. With her cover blown, the long haired Hyuuga quickly engaged her in a close-combat Taijutsu spar which forced her to lose her hold on the Black Rain Jutsu. The Hyuuga was fast but Sakura had practice combating the 359 degree vision of the Doujutsu and was able to avoid most of his blows. Striking the boy hard in the solar plexus, Sakura took the opportunity to jump completely out of range and begin the hand seals for her next jutsu.
"Suiton: Mizu Hari!" She didn't stop to see if the jutsu had taken effect though, instead proceeding straight into her next set of hand signs. "Fuuton: Kamikaze!" A great gust of wind erupted suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere and every stopped what they were doing to watch with awe as the water needles from the previous jutsu solidified within the harsh wind to become razor sharp ice crystals.
It looked as though the jutsu was going to hit the younger Hyuuga, and if it did then it would cause a large amount of damage. Quickly, Itachi stepped into the fight making lighting fast hand signs of his own. "Katon: Goka Mekkyaku!" the large blast of fire destroyed the ice crystals immediately and the spar was instantly called to a close.
"Sakura, since when have you been able to manipulate wind style chakra?" Itachi asked calmly, he was gazing at his only female student with undisguised interest in his eyes.
Sakura hesitated to answer for a moment, but none of the adults present seemed to be particularly angry. "I've always been able to Itachi-sensei, I just like to use Water because it's my primary chakra type." A furrow appeared between the girls eyebrows before she spoke again, "But what was that? I've never heard of Ice-style jutsu before."
Itachi thought for a moment before answering, "usually, it would be impossible to use Ice-style jutsu. I've only heard of it being used as a Kekkai Genkai. We will have to research this more, for today training is over, I must go and speak with the Hokage. Be back for training at the same time tomorrow." and with that Itachi-sensei disappeared completely.
As Sakura was returning to the Nara's that evening, she thought of what she had just discovered. Was it possible that with this new found ability, she would be able to grow stronger and finally get justice for her fathers wrongful death?
Okay please don't kill me! I know this has taken forever but I've had a lot going on, I had a wedding to go to and then I got my AS results which were less than satisfactory so I've been studying a lot. Next chapter should be up soon!
I know that in canon it is impossible to create Ice-style jutsu but I'm working off of the same principle that allows Yamato to use Wood-style jutsu. If he mixes Water and earth style chakra in order to make wood style then I think you should be able to mix Water and Wind style to make ice.
Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought. What could be improved, what you liked or just any general questions! :)
Sei x