A/N: I am feeling extremely generous today... Plus i'm annoyed at the way the manga is going and why there is no new episode out this week and why there's not going to be a new chapter out next week! Okay now that my rant is over, here's the next chapter and i hope you enjoy. R&R :)
Chapter ten
They launched kunai that she deflected with the blade and narrowly missed the kick from the blue haired boy, coming in from her blind spot. She swung around 90 degrees and blocked the shuriken flying for her with her scythe and turned back in time to stop a kid landing a punch as she swung her sword out at them, making them stop and hide themselves. Skylar clipped her blade back on and swung the blades of her scythe out into a bush and she heard a familiar pop, shadow clone. She sensed some shadow clones and sent out Chidori senbons and a grand fireball to take away the hiding area and waited.
"Who are you all really, a mere genin can't make so many shadow clones and hide their presence very well?" Skylar said as they stepped out from behind a burning log and all she saw was sharingan and she was out.
"She won't remember, let's get the blood and get out of here with the scroll, Kabuto-sama will probably want her whole body anyway but if we fail, at least he'll have her blood to play with." The boy with the blue hair said as he picked her scroll from her and took three syringes of her blood.
"Skylar… Skylar!" Naruto shouted over the radio after hearing his name in barely a whisper before Skylar wouldn't respond. "Sasuke, I think something's happened which means her scroll is probably gone to, hold onto yours, I'm not failing this time around." Naruto said over the radio as he entered Kyuubi chakra mode and began searching for her.
"Fine, just be careful dobe, we don't need two injured teammates." Sasuke said back over the radio.
A flickering light woke Skylar up from her sleep and she felt awful, like almost feverish but without the actual fever. She opened her eyes to see a fire in front of her and a familiar orange tracksuit on the arms holding her as she leaned back against Naruto. She looked up at him and he smiled down at her.
"What happened, I heard you say my name over the radio and then nothing?" Naruto asked and Skylar felt at her belt to find her scroll missing.
"Those kids that challenged me earlier must have hit me with a genjutsu while I was fighting them, do one of you still have your scrolls?" She asked.
"I have mine plus the earth scroll we need, we better move towards the tower tomorrow otherwise we won't make it… Are you sure it was a genjutsu?" Sasuke asked as he moved into the campsite and kneeled down next to her and Naruto.
"Yeah, nothing touched me while I was conscious so I could only presume it was a genjutsu unless a genin had a colourless and odourless knock out gas that I highly doubt." Skylar replied.
"Then what are these?" Sasuke said, feeling her neck and she also did and felt three puncture wounds and scowled.
"No clue but I didn't get them while I was conscious." Skylar replied as she continued to feel at the marks.
"Drink this just in case, it's an anti venom in case something bit you while you were out." Sasuke said, handing her a vile of dark purple liquid. She took it, unscrewed the cap and swallowed it down the back of her throat and shivered at the bitter taste and handed the vile back to Sasuke. "Get some more sleep so it can work through properly, we'll keep watch." Sasuke assured her with a pat to her head and moved to the other side of the fire and sat down in a meditative pose.
"Now I really feel like I'm holding you two back." Skylar muttered sadly and Naruto nuzzled her neck and hugged her close.
"Don't say that, you're the one who saved the world and even rescued me a few times. You're better than you think, you just have to keep believing in yourself." Naruto said with a smile as he leaned over her shoulder and cuddled her close against his chest as his heartbeat lulled her back to sleep.
They walked into the tower within the last hour and Kakashi appeared from the scrolls.
"Yo, I knew you would make it through easily, how'd it go?" He asked.
"Both Naruto and Skylar lost their scrolls and I also got the earth scroll for us." Sasuke almost complained.
"Hey, Konohamaru won it fair and square teme." Naruto said to Sasuke.
"And you Skylar, how did you loose yours?" Kakashi asked, noting her slight pale features.
"A simple mistake and genjutsu, it was a mistake that could have gotten us all killed if we were on a mission, it won't happen again sensei." She said disheartened and Naruto wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Well then, you can proceed to the main hall for your briefing, you're the third and final team to arrive." Kakashi said and they began moving. "Genjutsu doesn't have an effect on her, she's pale and there are three marks on her neck, what went wrong?" Kakashi wondered out loud as he followed behind and stood with Ebisu and the jonin captain for the last team of what looked like twelve year olds from Ryuugakure, a new village that popped up suddenly.
They drew numbers for the final matches and Skylar got unlucky number eight, meaning she had to fight an extra match and her two opponents were the two boys from the squad that took her scroll. Match one Naruto versus Konohamaru, match two Moegi versus Udon, match three Sasuke versus Seiku and match four was Skylar versus Akino and match five is the winner versus Kyo. Like usual, the matches would be held one month from then and they we all dismissed.
"Well done you three, you definitely deserve to be here." Tsunade came up to them to congratulate them.
"Thanks Tsunade-obaa chan!" Naruto said happily.
"Get checked up at the infirmary on your way out." Tsunade said as she waved and left.
"Dobe number two, infirmary now." Sasuke ordered and pointed in it's direction, Skylar crossed her arms and pouted.
"No, I feel fine… I am fine, I don't need to go to the stupid infirmary… Hey!" She shouted as she was thrown over Kakashi's shoulder and he suishinned her into the infirmary and dropped her on a bed.
"It's not possible for you to fall under normal genjutsu." Kakashi stated which shut Skylar up quickly.
"What do you mean?" Skylar asked with confusion.
"The Tsukuyomi never affected you and neither have any of my genjutsu I have ever tried on you before however… There is this one…" Kakashi said more to himself than Skylar who was watching him pace the infirmary.
"Kakashi, what's going on, I've seen the way all the other ninja have been acting, something is going on that you're not telling us." Skylar said with frustration. Kakashi paused his pacing and turned to look at her and then sighed and sat down next to her.
"You obviously know of the chunin exams that took place just after team 7 became genins… Well, Kabuto's following the same tradition. During your examination, he broke into the restricted jutsu section and took nothing and we're taking it as a threat that he can get what he wants when he wants and we've been put on high alert… Now, what happened and why do you think it was a genjutsu?" Kakashi asked.
"I saw my opponents appear and next thing I knew, I was loosing consciousness… There…" She began and scowled as she thought and Kakashi waited patiently. "Almost like a painful pressure behind my eyes and my body felt heavy and numb, I remember that I had the same pressure behind my eyes when I stared directly at the Tsukuyomi, that's why I thought it was a genjutsu." She explained.
"I want to try something then and it will hurt a lot, just bare with me." Kakashi asked as he pulled up his hitai-ate and opened his sharingan, forcing Skylar to look into it. The pressure began behind her eyes and then on her temples and she started flinching away but he grabbed her wrist and held her there as she began to whimper in pain as it dug harder behind her eyes and into her temples. She gritted her teeth and felt nauseous and began loosing consciousness and it all stopped and she was lowered gently onto the bed they were sitting on.
"What the hell was that?" She hissed tiredly and with anger at Kakashi.
"A forbidden genjutsu used by Uchihas and can only be used by the sharingan. With a lot of chakra placed into the technique, it enters the brain and control is taken from you and given to the caster as long as they have enough chakra, they can do what they like. Unless there's something missing, you were definitely placed under that genjutsu… I'll think it over just get some rest, you're looking a bit pale." Kakashi said with a smirk to his voice at the end.
"Shut up, that anti venom Sasuke gave me such a floaty feeling and it hasn't gone away but Sasuke said it's normal so I guess I'll have to deal with it… Can I go home now? I seriously want a nice warm shower after five days of being out here." Skylar said, grabbing Kakashi by his shoulders and flashing them home before getting a bit dizzy and falling onto her bed, holding her head.
"I'll make some food you can have later, whatever you ate during the time in the forest was probably not pleasant so go get a shower and some rest and you can eat later, you did well Skylar." Kakashi said, ruffling her hair with a chuckle and closing the door behind him. Skylar stripped down and relaxed into a bath for a while when Kakashi knocked and called that food was ready and if she wanted to eat then or later and she chose the latter. The food definitely had a much better taste to it after five days of eating tasteless things around the forest. She got up and headed to her room and there was a knock on the door and she sighed and gave Kakashi her best puppy eyes she could.
"It's alright, I'll get it, just go and relax for a while." Kakashi said, smiling and waving her away as he got up and answered the door. "Yo Naruto, what can I do for you?" Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Is Skylar here, how is she? Is she okay? Can I see her?" Naruto began throwing questions out.
"She's in her room sleeping, maybe you should come back later Naruto, you should get some rest too, I don't think Konohamaru is like all other genins you could have faced." Kakashi said gently and he saw his face fall and felt a little guilty.
"Yeah, you're right sensei… I'll see you later." Naruto said with a smile and ran off again and Kakashi sat down in the lounge again and began thinking.
Naruto fell out of bed and grabbed the blanket to cover himself.
"Geez Skylar, don't just flash in like that." Naruto complained as he relaxed a few days later.
"Sorry but I heard you were looking for me after the exam, sorry, I was still feeling a bit tired and I've been a bit sick after the anti venom but now I'm here." She said with an innocent shrug and a smile. Naruto sighed and stood up to throw his blanket back on his bed and began looking for clothes while Skylar waited and watched. "Want to do something with me today?" She asked suddenly.
"Of coarse, what do you have in mind?" Naruto asked as he pulled on his orange pants.
"I don't know, something mindless maybe?" She asked, avoiding the real answer and Naruto noticed and sat on his bed with his black t-shirt and orange pants on. He gestured for Skylar to sit next to him with a stern look. Skylar knew she gave it away and that she will be forced to talk it out and walked slowly next to Naruto and sat down as his arms wrapped around her.
"You know you can't avoid the everything all the time, what's wrong?" Naruto asked as he nuzzled her neck and waited for her answer.
"How did you handle being sought after by the Akatsuki?" She asked after a long pause with a timid tone.
"This is about Kabuto?" Naruto said and she nodded stiffly. "He won't get you." Naruto said defensively, making Skylar look at him with an open expression and his eyes softened. "You need to trust in your comrades, we'll protect you, you're not alone anymore like you use to be… It's hard, I know but you can at least trust me, in Kaka-sensei because we care for you no matter what." Naruto said and she wrapped her arms around his neck and clenched her fists in his shirt and he rubbed her back and held her.
"Thank you." She said and then in a flash of red, she was gone. Skylar ended up in the training grounds and pulled out her five senbons and began practising, moving quicker each time, she needed to get back to her peak like before and sitting and crying about it wasn't going to do anything and Naruto's reassurance helped her believe in herself again and push harder like he did each time, he was her inspiration and her hope for the future.
A few hours later a hard and dull thud could be heard after Skylar lost concentration and slammed into the ground on her back with a failed Hiraishin. This was her limit, far from what it use to be. At the summit, she could barely hold sage mode and because of these limits she can't do everything she use to be… It's like being able to do an equation with guidance and finding it easy but when you do it on your own, you just can't get it.
"Screw it." She said, standing up with wobbly legs. "I'll just have to adopt Guy and Lee's way of doing things." She flashed home and grabbed her old weights and flashed back to the training ground and put them on and began with the Hiraishin again.
Naruto was looking around with his hands in his pockets, he had no missions for one month because of the exams and he found it a little boring… Skylar had flashed out to go and do something, Sasuke was off being emo, Kakashi was being his usual perverted self and his team was off on missions and their own things: Sai and Yamato have ANBU and Sakura has the hospital. Sure, it's not like he misses the situation he was in before like the war but he just misses the action and just because he's powerful it doesn't mean he gets those sorts of missions… Being a genin still gets him maybe B-rank missions because of his teammates and being sought after by Akatsuki. Even though Kabuto was still out there, he wasn't after him but one of his loved ones and he was feeling useless and was beginning to understand how his friends felt when Akatsuki was after him… Frustrated.
He noticed the change in scenery around him and followed the sounds of explosions carefully. Training ground seven on the river flowing through it was Skylar with a water whip, destroying trees and rocks but it looked more like a dance like usual. She was moving with it as an extension to her body like it was suppose to be used. Naruto sat to admire her, her complicated foot placements on the balls of her feet, the muscles along her legs straining and defining her shape, the sway of her hips to allow the whip perfect room to strike behind her, the muscles on her stomach twisting and contracting with each demanding movement, the muscles on her back waving like the water with each outstretch of her arms, the soft and flow like movements of her arms hands and fingers like the wind, her neck twisting around to keep her self balanced and away from dizziness and the look on her face of pure bliss and peace with a small smile pulling at her lips and her red hair flaring out and around like a veil with each movement.
"She's almost like a picture isn't she." Sasuke said, standing next to Naruto with his eyes on Skylar with his arms crossed.
"She's more than a picture, she's perfection at it's finest." Naruto said with a smile and a blush and Sasuke laughed silently at his friend.
"You may want to catch her." Sasuke said suddenly, Naruto looked at him with confusion then back to Skylar who dropped the whip and her legs buckled. Naruto got up like a shot and caught her. Naruto looked back to where he was sitting and Sasuke was gone ands he looked down at the girl in his arms who seemed to be a bit angry as he helped her to stand up again. But she just kept sinking into the water so he held her around her waist with one arm.
"Thanks… Can you help me back to shore, I've got to see Iruka." Skylar said tonelessly. Naruto walked her back to ground but didn't let her go as they continued to walk to the academy. The kids were all playing outside since it was break time and Skylar smiled as she watched them playing ninja and other games as she passed them by. Naruto watched her face with fascination as they passed the kids by and then one bumped into them and fell backwards, landing hard on the ground. Skylar instantly was down on her haunches and wiping the kids tears away and talking soothingly to him and he was nodding and wiping his own tears away and she helped him up as she stood up and picked him up and placed him on her hip and the kid rested his head on her shoulder and kept his arms around her neck. She took Naruto's hand and continued down the halls to Iruka's classroom.
Naruto couldn't keep his eyes off of her during and after the entire incident he felt his chest warm and burn and he felt like he wanted to cry with the sudden overwhelming feeling. The way she carried the kid and soothed him quickly was amazing and the way she was talking happily with the kid made him grip her hand tighter. They stopped at the infirmary and she put him down carefully and she talked to the nurse and ruffled the boy's head as she returned to Naruto's side and they walked out, hand in hand. He yanked her back against a wall and kissed her, pushing up against her and pushing the small of her back against him with both hands as she wrapped her hands in his hair. He nipped at her bottom lip, making her gasp and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue in and it met hers and felt amazing as they slipped around each other, caressing as she pulled his head closer with one hand and his hips closer to hers with the other gripping the belt loop and waist band. The clearing of a throat next to them was missed by both of them.
"Naruto, I will make you explain to my students what you two were doing if you don't stop this now before the break bell rings." Iruka said, the slight killing intent, making Naruto pull away unwillingly, Skylar trying to stop him by nibbling his bottom lip and reluctantly letting it go the further away he pulled. He let go of her thigh he had pulled up along side his and shivered as it ran back along his leg as she put her foot back down on the ground and buried her maroon face in his neck as he avoided Iruka's look with a blush and rubbed his neck sheepishly with a grin.
"Sorry sensei, I guess we got a bit carried away there." Naruto said, panting slightly.
"Sorry Iruka." Skylar said, pulling away from Naruto and pushing him away gently by his hips, her head still lowered with an embarrassed smirk as they both faced him.
"So why did you choose the academy of all places in the village you could have chosen like I don't know… Maybe your own BEDROOMS!" Iruka scolded and Naruto grinned sheepishly while Skylar smirked, both with red blushes.
"Well I was actually coming to talk to you about a question when we bumped into a kid and I carried him to the infirmary when it all kinda started… Sorry Iruka." Skylar explained, finally able to meet his eyes.
"It's fine but remember, if I catch you again, the threat still stands for both of you… Now, what question do you have for me?" Iruka asked with his usual kind and caring smile.
"I've been doing my exercises and training for as long as I can but I'm just not improving, I can still only just hold sage mode, use Hiraishin for three hours straight, four rasengan or four Chidori with maybe one or two other techniques. My physical strength is getting back to usual but not my chakra levels, is there anything else I can do?" Skylar asked.
"That's still impressive but I can see you're still bothered by it. I don't have any other exercises I could give you but the leaf exercise… Try doing that and lifting it and lowering it using your chakra at the same amount of power without increasing or decreasing the amount of chakra you're using. Try talking to your friends for ideas, perhaps their clans have other methods… I must get back to class now, be good you two." Iruka said with a smirk as he left.
"So what got you in such a frisky mood?" Skylar asked Naruto as she hooked her arm around his waist and he did the same with his. He grinned and pinched her ass, making her yelp in surprise and blush.
"You, you're so addicting." Naruto growled in her ear and squeezed her closer. Skylar bit her lip from his breath washing over her skin and his hoarse voice and held him closer from stopping her legs from buckling again, still being tired from training. She pushed him playfully and smiled at him.
"At least it wasn't Kakashi finding us." She said and Naruto shivered.
"Yeah, I don't want to think what he would have done to me if he found us first… So you're still battling with your chakra?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's way better than after what happened but still not right, I've taken Guy and Lee's thing about training and been working like that but I feel stuck in a rut." She said with a concentrated frown.
"I'll help you anyway I can and I'm sure Kaka-sensei will too and even Sasuke… Don't be afraid to ask for help." Naruto said encouragingly.
"Thanks… Want to go back to the training ground?" Skylar asked and with a nod from Naruto and a flash of red to the training grounds, they began an all out battle.