Beta-ed by Jenny-Cat-Miaow
Things as they are
Chapter 13
The black cloak and midnight mask were back, carefully applied and attached so that it wouldn't be so easy to rip the items off his body while in a fight. That was the last thing Sasuke needed . . . yet it might give him the element of surprise.
In that moment, yes.
Later, too many questions would be fired at him. Questions he couldn't answer because no one would believe the truth. Even he had trouble believing it. Besides, he didn't know how he'd ended up in this world, didn't know how to explain anything that was happening to him, only that he was here. He couldn't go back, so that left going forwards.
Now, to stop the snake summoning and to occupy the Suna-nin with something a little more pressing. . . Or, to let the snake summoning happen, and use the snakes to his own advantage. If he let them use their chakra to summon the snake, it would save him the trouble of using his own to cause the distraction. After all, he needed to be careful. He was only a shadow clone.
He'd decided that the shadow clone would be the one that no one would be suspicious about if they disappeared with a well-placed hit. If Sasuke suddenly puffed into smoke it would cause problems. If the unknown Uchiha sensei disappeared, well there was nothing new there. Just another frustration to add to the list.
With a smirk of satisfaction, the masked clone leapt away from his shadowy alleyway, Sharingan blazing triumphantly. He'd been at a level where he could control summons, perhaps even Manda, the most unyielding summon of the three Sannins'. These snakes would bend to his will with little to no effort, and take care of the Suna-nin for him. Of that much he was certain.
His only regret was that he'd never gotten the chance to attempt controlling Manda or any summon for that matter. Well now was as good a time as any.
He was fairly certain that most of the Suna-nin and Oto-nin would be more focused on his snakes than their plan for invasion. Of course there were still those that were in the arena, but there were more than enough Konoha Jonin to take care of that.
What he was more concerned about was who Orochimaru intended to attack. He didn't even know if the Sandaime was still alive or if there was Minato and only Minato.
And that was something only time would reveal. Yet, time was not a luxury he had.
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Walking through the entrance arena was amusing to Sasuke because he'd never gotten to do it the first time with Kakashi-sensei. Instead they'd gone for a flashy shunshin, used merely for the sake of saving time and intimidating their enemy. Not that Sasuke had thought that Gaara would be impressed or scared by such a thing.
He wasn't surprised to see Naruto's blond hair among those in front of him. This Kakashi-sensei was way too punctual to allow Naruto to be late.
But what hurt was the fact that Naruto didn't even bother greeting him.
In his previous reality, he'd have at least glanced at Naruto, having already acknowledged the blond as an equal at this point. But this Naruto, he didn't so much as sniff in Sasuke's direction and that was worrying. At this rate, Naruto would go to Orochimaru and no amount of words or actions on Sasuke's part would change his mind.
The frustration made the Uchiha grit his teeth and glare at the ground, unaware of his sudden display of emotion. He lifted a hand distractedly to rub at his eyebrow, trying to sooth the headache beginning to throb just behind his eyes. That seemed to happen whenever he thought about Naruto and how he was failing the blond.
He didn't need distractions, not right now.
The third round of the chunin exams was about to begin. He'd trained, he'd prepared. He had a plan and now he just had to stick to it. Well there wasn't much of a plan in place considering he didn't know why Orochimaru wanted Naruto, and he didn't know who Orochimaru intended to attack.
But he was ready. He was going to succeed. He had to.
"Round one of the Final stage of the Chunin Exam is about to start. Would Namikaze Naruto and Hyuuga Neji step forward." Itachi stated tonelessly, facing the genin from the centre of the arena. "The rest of you are to head to the waiting area over on that balcony."
Sasuke didn't wait for further instructions and rather turned towards the stairs that would take him to the balcony he hadn't stood on during the last Chunin exams he'd been to.
This time, he was going to defeat Gaara and capture him so that the Yondaime could look at the other Jinchuriki's seal and see what could be done about it. He couldn't fail this. But for now, he was interested to see Naruto's match. Just what kind of skill did the blond have?
This particular Naruto was largely a mystery to Sasuke. Heck, he even had a bloodline.
"I will to fight now!"
Sasuke's thoughts were jarred out of focus and pulled back towards the arena he'd just left.
Most of the participants were with him, aside from Naruto, Neji and Gaara.
Gaara was looking towards the Hokage, arms crossed and face set in a determined scowl. This was new. The Suna Jinchuriki wasn't usually so demanding and vocal.
Sasuke glanced at the Yondaime, noted the slight surprise on his features and even a small amount of humour. What was so funny about a homicidal Jinchuriki demanding his blood? Sasuke almost shuddered at the thought.
But Itachi was there . . .
Aniki wouldn't let Gaara kill him, even if Gaara was able to.
Right now the red head was nothing more than raw power seeking more victims to crush between the grains of his sand. There was little thought to his actions, belying the true genius that hid behind those dark ringed gazes. Sasuke knew from Kabuto's daily reports to Orochimaru that Gaara showed a potential far greater than any of the other genin at this event. That Gaara was able to calm the beast within him at his own will and was able to become the Kazekage in a very short amount of time since deciding to be the Kage of his village. He had also replaced his father at a very young age.
What Sasuke hadn't agreed with was the amount of time it had taken for Suna to choose a new Kazekage in the first place. Konoha had moved swiftly and even they had taken almost a month to secure their fifth Hokage. Gaara had still had to prove his loyalty to the Suna people and win their affections.
Still, the genin was not the Kazekage and somehow it was up to Sasuke to fix that.
He had to be the positive this world needed.
Eyes still watching the Yondaime, Sasuke took note of the foul chakra lingering in the man next to the blonde. Orochimaru, it would seem, was taking his chances and going after the blond. A brief scan of the crowd told the Uchiha that the Sandaime was not among the civilians. That meant one of many things.
The Sandaime was no longer alive.
The old man was taking his retirement seriously and was not in the stands. However this one seemed unlikely as the retired Shinobi would no doubt be interested in an event such as this one.
Sarutobi was with his annoying grandson, Minato having warned the old timer about the impending invasion.
The possibilities were endless, but Sasuke was leaning towards the first. One of the two Hokage had to have fought and sealed the Kyuubi. Minato was still here. So logically that left Sarutobi.
But why was Orochimaru going after Minato?
Sasuke frowned deeply, eyes flashing in anger as he tried to understand. Minato had always been a topic of disdain for the Sannin and all that Sasuke had ever managed to learn was that Orochimaru felt Minato to be too inexperienced for the position of Yondaime.
Would Orochimaru have stayed in the village had he been chosen as the next Hokage? That was hard to be sure of. There was some measure of persuasive hold within Orochimaru's psyche, of that Sasuke had already guessed. But the price Orochimaru was willing to accept in order to be persuaded was too high for any sane person to give. Sasuke did not yet understand what price would sway the snake but he knew, by judging on the lengths the sanin was willing go to, that it would not be trivial.
Yet, on some level Sasuke also understood that Orochimaru had never truly cared to become the next Hokage. He had been too deep into the darkness already by that point. By making him Hokage it might have delayed his complete renouncing of his humanity for the sake of his own pursuits.
Sasuke huffed in defeat, wishing that he was more like Itachi and able to match the sheer genius the other Uchiha possessed. He looked towards his brother, wondering what the other would do about Gaara.
Itachi was looking towards the Suna boy and regarded his determination to get what he wanted with a bland uninterested gaze.
He knew that Gaara was serious in his demand, and he knew that his younger brother was very much able to win the fight but he wasn't sure about the smidgen of unpredictability involved when it came to Gaara's reaction to losing said fight.
As an unstable Jinchuriki it was safe to say that the boy would explode, but could the reaction be contained and dealt with taking into account the invasion? Gaara after all, was meant to be the ace. The wild card whose only purpose was to cause as much destruction as possible. Itachi couldn't help but wonder if they were supposed to trust this other masked Uchiha.
Could he be trusted?
"And why should I grant your request Gaara of Suna, when your fight is scheduled to be the second one? You'll get your chance soon enough." Minato replied, standing up and addressing the glaring genin as though he were an equal.
This type of treatment seemed to confuse Gaara for a moment but he recovered within seconds, turning to look at Sasuke. "Because you gave him what he wanted."
What Gaara did not say was that he gave Sasuke what he wanted even though his reasons were illogical. Naruto and Sasuke would fight eventually. Whether it was in the first round or the last, it would happen. If Minato could grant Sasuke's request on such illogical standards, then he could grant Gaara's based on the same reasoning.
Sasuke kept his gaze on the Yondaime, watching as that amused gaze deepened, turned thoughtful. "Alright." Minato stated with a wide smile. "I can't argue with that." Minato's eyes found Sasuke's and sharpened, a gaze that said without words, "Can you do this?"
Sasuke nodded once and shunshined into the ring. He could feel the gaze of a thousand people on him, all around the arena, silent and wary. He was Uchiha Sasuke, Jinchuriki to the Kyuubi, pariah of the village and outcast of the esteemed Uchiha clan.
Naruto growled lowly in annoyance before stomping off to the balcony, Neji following indifferently. But Sasuke noticed an almost visible relaxation in the Hyuuga's features. Was he scared of Naruto?
"Introducing, Gaara of Suna and Uchiha Sasuke of Konoha." Itachi stated coolly, eager to get on with the exams without further interruption.
"Isn't the Kyuubi brat Uchiha Itachi's brother?" One spectator whispered to another in several places around the arena. The replies were varying but none were positive.
"That Gaara kid looks like he could take on Itachi himself."
"It doesn't matter that the Kyuubi brat comes from the Uchiha clan, I heard he's a joke."
"What a disappointment for Konoha and the first fight at that. I was looking forward to Naruto-kun's fight."
A hundred different murmurings of prejudiced words from people who didn't care for the outcome having already decided upon it within their limited minds. Sasuke ignored it. He heard it all, sensitive hearing picking up on far more than what he had ever wanted to know, but he ignored it. He had to.
Part of him ached even more when he remembered that his Naruto had suffered through all of this.
He did notice a slight lull, an odd space of inactivity within the stands and his eyes instinctively travelled there.
Uchiha. Watching silently and coldly. The crest of the clan displayed proudly above their seats, just as it adorned the back of Sasuke's clothing. He could see the disgusted glare some of them gave him for that fact alone. But he was an Uchiha, he had the right to bear the red and white crest with an honour only an Uchiha could feel.
But their hard disapproving gazes made him uncertain. He had a lot riding on this day. He'd made too many promises with little to no proof that he'd be able to succeed. He wasn't his sixteen year old self anymore. He was someone else, perhaps even something else.
Sasuke forced himself to face the Yondiame once again so that he could bow in respect, Gaara doing the same for his false father.
He didn't have time for distractions. He had a plan that he needed to stick to. Clearing his mind of all thoughts other than the events of this day and what he had to do, Sasuke's focus zeroed down to his current objective – Gaara.
He had years of training with Orochimaru. He was an Uchiha. He was a prodigy in his own right. He had to do this. He WOULD do this and nothing was going to stop him.
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Orochimaru regarded the two genin below him with some interest. The Suna Jinchuriki sure was an interesting one. All of his data suggested that the boy was an underlying genius, spoiled by the maddening ravings of the beast poorly sealed within him. Kabuto had even suggested that Gaara-kun had the ability to be a very effective tool, but lacked the motivation to be more than a cold, easily enraged monstrosity.
Basically a child continuously throwing a tantrum.
He didn't have time for children throwing tantrums.
Yet, he felt that Naruto-kun was perhaps just that.
All his data up till a month ago had pointed to Namikaze Naruto being the most effective host. With the Uzumaki chakra capacity, their adaptability and penchant for picking up jutsus at alarming rates and his father's intelligence, Naruto-kun was as good a candidate as an Uchiha. The difference however was that Naruto-kun did not have the handy little Sharingan.
He did have something else, something a little different. Like all of Orochimaru's waiting hosts, they had to possess that something extra that made them valuable to the sannin.
Naruto's damaged past made him easy to lure, to mould and shape into the perfect vessel.
Obviously he'd have preferred an Uchiha, but that clan had caught onto his intentions and had implemented a seal much like the Hyuuga's. Just not as cruel. With the aid of the accursed Yondaime, they were able to protect their coveted eyes.
All of them, except the Jinchuriki boy.
Sasuke Uchiha was protected by his status as a Jinchuriki. There was no room for Orochimaru with that demon sealed within the child. So the Sharingan was out of his grasp and he had to punish the man who'd done that to him.
Namikaze Minato.
And what better way to do that then to take everything that was precious to him.
Still, Uchiha Sasuke was a mystery at the moment. A wild card that was creating a gap in his plan. One he did not need.
All previous data suggested he was nothing more than an idiot outcast, with too much to prove and not much to prove it with. Yet the second round of the exams said differently. The brat had managed to surprise him, his anger and intentions.
That gaze of pure hatred for a Shinobi he, for all intents and purpose, should not know anything about. It haunted the Snake's thoughts, played on his plans and flirted with his desires. So much raw potential. Watching those matches in the preliminaries . . . oh he was giddy just thinking about it.
Yet he could not have Sasuke. He was untrained, useless when it came to his Sharingan which according to his data had not yet been awakened. Data he was starting to question for he was sure he'd seen a flash of red during those two fights in the preliminaries.
Sasuke was also the most heavily protected of the two. The Uchiha would be searched for far more viciously than Naruto should anything happen to either of the two. Strange as that was. A village such as the Leaf could not afford to lose their only Jinchuriki. It would make Konoha much too inviting to her enemies.
And Sasuke's loyalty to the village was infallible. He would not be turned away from the Leaf. Not like Naruto who would come running to him willingly. That was all too clear in the bow he gave to his Yondaime, low and respectful. A gleam of unconditional love could be seen in those contrasting dark eyes. Something that one had to have a special knack for noticing as it was clear that the Uchiha boy was strangely distracted and as such the love he showed was an unconscious action. A true emotion.
So, this match would be an interesting one. He'd leave the invasion for now; wait till it was the middle of the match perhaps, when a winner was clear. Then he'd give the signal.
So little Sasuke-kun, show me what you can do . . .
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Sasuke turned away from the Yondaime after the blond had nodded in acknowledgement and turned towards the Uchiha. Hard disgusted scowls were sent in his direction, some indifferent gazes and even some baleful glances.
But he found the eyes he knew so well, could trace them in his sleep, and met that unreadable expression without flinching. Fisting a hand and placing it above his heart, a dare in his eyes, challenging his father to stop him.
Sasuke bowed low to the Uchiha clan head, giving way to a custom that he had never gotten the chance to perform. He did not lower his gaze, a challenge and a way of showing his true Uchiha nature. A prideful one, as they were all to have.
A flurry of disagreement rose through the Uchiha's section in the stands. But Fugaku said nothing.
Sasuke smirked slightly, straightening and facing Gaara once more.
To acknowledge the Clan Head was a tradition as old as the Chunin exams. Meant to show that the clan head was an almost equal importance to the participating genin as the Hokage.
Itachi nodded once and Sasuke readied his stance.
"Begin." Itachi stated calmly. Sasuke just managed to catch a confusing glance shared between Itachi and the Hokage. It was almost a disapproving pout. Itachi coughed very quietly and looked away. Sasuke was sure there was a slight pink tinge to his older brother's cheeks but he didn't have much time to analyse the strange interaction.
A blast of sand shot at him and he shunshined to the other side of the arena, gone before the sand even had a chance to touch his shadow. Thank you Cousin Shisui . . .
Sasuke took note of Gaara's general mental state. Calm for the most part, with only the slightest hint of excited madness catching the sunlight and reflecting in the turquoise depths.
Sasuke hadn't even changed his stance, hands remaining relaxed by his sides with his body slightly turned away from Gaara. It was an age old stance from his previous genin days. The only difference was that his hands were not buried in his pockets.
He realised that it was up to him to change this Gaara's mind. The Sand's friendship would only benefit the Leaf. So keeping his gaze with the Suna Jinchuriki Sasuke took a careful step towards him, being sure to watch the amount of chakra moving towards the sand at his feet just as much as the chakra in the gourd upon Gaara's back.
"You won't win this fight, Gaara." Sasuke stated simply, with a surety that caught the red head's attention.
"Oh? And what makes you so certain of that?" Gaara almost smirked but the urge to glare was stronger. He had more power. He had the ability to crush this genin whenever he felt the need to do so. He was just toying with this 'Sasuke' fool.
"Your eyes, I've seen that same look before, so many times that it's as familiar to me as looking in the mirror." Sasuke continued, choosing to move to an almost unrelated topic deliberately.
All the while he took careful steps towards the Suna genin, keeping Gaara's gaze on his eyes so that he didn't decide to attack. Hopefully. Sasuke was only working with half his chakra and he was well aware that any major disruption on his side would dispel his clone. And he was equally aware that his clone's dispersion would affect him in very unpleasant ways, ways that he could not afford in this fight.
He still had to fight Orochimaru after all.
"What are you talking about?" Gaara demanded, his patience wearing thin. Sasuke saw the tiny bead of sweat, a sign that he was rattling the Jinchuriki but he knew that it wasn't enough, not yet.
Sasuke grit his teeth as he was forced to throw his body to the side, landing on the palm of his hands and springing into the air to avoid the volley of sand that was shot at him. He had forgotten Gaara's tendency to expect answers while attacking at the same time.
Or perhaps he just didn't want to know what answers Sasuke would give.
A cheer from the crowd as the fight seemed to begin, unaware that Gaara was murderous enough to crush them all. Sasuke didn't dare spare a glance towards the Uchiha, knowing that it would cost him.
Sasuke landed on his feet easily enough only to be forced into the air again, dodging small bullets of sand as Gaara's face remained deceptively expressionless.
Sasuke narrowed his gaze in annoyance, stepping right and left as the ground he'd just vacated was bombarded with sand bullets creating small craters in the arena floor. As the next volley came towards him, Sasuke sprang forwards rather than backwards, twisting in the air and landing a solid blow across Gaara's face. The wall of golden grains meant to protect the red head only shot up after Sasuke was already on the other side of the arena, watching the Suna Jinchuriki carefully.
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Kakashi watched the match with an analytical mind, already noting the improvement Sasuke's month with the other three Uchiha had done for the boy.
This theory of an Uchiha sensei wasn't making much sense to Kakashi the more he thought it over. Sasuke's fighting style from the spar in Wave and in the preliminaries pointed far more to an arrogant Shinobi who'd trained themselves. But that would clash with their reports of Sasuke before graduating from the Academy. That Sasuke could barely throw a kunai straight ten times in a row let alone train himself in taijutsu. It wasn't impossible, but it led to the formation of a great number of bad habits.
And this Sasuke hadn't had many.
But he had had some and those had been ironed out. His stances were stronger, his attacks more chakra conservative. He was faster, probably thanks to Shisui and his kicks connected more viciously, thanks to Obito.
"He's no Itachi, that's for sure. But he's something special all on his own." Obito noted, leaning on his forearms which were balanced on the railing. "I might even go so far as to say he surpasses you, Kaka."
"I wouldn't be adverse to that." Kakashi hummed, keeping his gaze on the match. Sasuke moved very quickly. In fact on that alone, he had already won the match. Gaara's main strength was his sand. It was his only strength.
But it was his greatest weakness as well.
Because his sand protected him from everything, he had never trained. He knew nothing else. And the sand itself was very limited as the boy saw what he could do currently as all he needed to ever do. He didn't see the need to learn anything new or different.
His biggest flaw.
So effectively, all one needed was to be faster than Gaara's sand. And Sasuke had known that from the start of the exams. Not once had he shown an ounce of fear towards the Suna boy. Even Naruto had kept clear of the Jinchuriki. But not Sasuke.
Sasuke had almost looked at the boy with pity, as if he'd known that Gaara was a Jinchuriki, known more about the boy than anyone else did. Could they sense each other?
Down in the arena, Sasuke had just delivered a devastating blow to the Suna boy's head. Silence filled the arena as Gaara's head snapped backwards, the wall of sand shooting up seconds too late as he stumbled. The look of pure shock on his face also suggested that he did not feel the pain of blow, too consumed with the fact that Sasuke had managed to land a blow on him at all.
But Sasuke wasn't smirking and Gaara wasn't bleeding. A blow like that should have caused blood, even if it was just a scratch.
Once again, Kakashi got the idea that Sasuke knew something more.
As Gaara straightened his neck to stare with wide eyes at Sasuke, the right side of his face crumbled away only to reveal another face?
"Oh cool. Sand armour. That kid really does have an impressive defence system. Wonder why he had a sand suit if he's supposedly never been hit though." Obito mused, tilting his head to the side.
"It's impressive that he is even wearing the sand armour. It has a high chakra cost."
Kakashi looked towards the Suna genin, noting that it was the male that had spoken. "I suppose that you also realise that your teammate has lost this fight." Kakashi commented, waiting and watching for the reaction.
"Not really. Gaara tends to be at his best when cornered." The girl replied bitterly, looking down as she spoke. Perhaps thinking of previous occasions. "Yet I get the idea that in this fight, the Uchiha has the upper hand. But I also get the idea that you don't trust your own genin." Temari turned a narrowed gaze towards the two jonin.
"A sharp genin." Kakashi noted with a hint of amusement. "But I wouldn't call it distrust. See, the Uchiha is our Jinchuriki, just as Gaara is yours. We keep this much of an eye on him because he is an asset to the village that wouldn't serve us well to lose, don't you think."
He didn't need their enemy thinking that their strongest asset was also one of their biggest headaches at the moment. So in situations such as this it was best to bluff. Bluffing only worked if there was a hint of truth anyway.
Playing a game of politics with a genin was beneath him, but these genin were trained on a level much higher than that of normal genin. They had possibly been denied their promotion to chunin countless times due to their younger sibling.
Temari and Kankuro, perhaps the only teammates Gaara would hesitate to kill, even if it was only for a second. Still, two genin that had been trained to survive their brother's wrath. But they would lose their fights.
That much was certain. The data suggested that they had gotten the least compatible fighting partners for the final round. The data showed they would lose. But they didn't know that.
That was something Kakashi had analysed for himself.
He saw the male, Kankuro, frown upon learning that Sasuke was Konoha's Jinchuriki. "Why is he so calm?"
"Because he has a better seal." Obito replied sadly, eyes watching Gaara. "And I don't think the Kyuubi mutters murderous things to Sasuke all day."
"Enough." Baki stated tonelessly, giving Kankuro and Temari a glare. The two shuffled under the cold stare and moved away from Kakashi and Obito.
Kakashi didn't mind. He was more interested in the match anyway.
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"I see in your eyes you know what loneliness is, true loneliness. You understand that it is the most painful form of suffering there is in this world. As I said before, we have the same eyes. Eyes with a hunger for power, full of hate. The same as me. Eyes that seek revenge against those who made you so lonely. Eyes that burn to see tham all dead! . . . it's all in your eyes."
Those were the words Gaara has spoken to him so long ago.
Sasuke had never expected the other genin to interrupt his training for the final round of the chunin exams. So when the red haired genin had showed up in the middle of the same nowhere that Sasuke and Kakashi had been training in, he was more than a little surprised. It had really brought home just how bloodthirsty Gaara was, how little authority meant to him.
"You want to prove that you exist, and that no one can take that away from you. You want to show the world that you're not something to be ignored." Sasuke stated quietly, as Gaara stared at him with disbelief. "Your eyes tell me that. The same eyes that I see in the mirror every day."
Gaara's expression changed to an angry sneer. "No, those are not your eyes. Those are his eyes." Gaara jerked his chin towards the balcony where the other genin waited with their sensei.
Sasuke turned his head towards the balcony, even though he already knew who Gaara meant.
Naruto.
So being Sasuke just wasn't going to get through to Gaara. No.
He had to be more than himself. It was time to think like Naruto. And it was a good thing no one could read his thoughts because he himself wanted to bang his forehead into the stadium wall just for thinking this in the first place.
The slight shifting in the sand beneath his feet was his only warning. Sasuke was forced to spring onto the wall in order to avoid the fountain of sand that rocketed towards him. He knew that his Bukijutsu would be of no use against Gaara. Chakra wire with shuriken and kunai wouldn't work on his sand defence.
He couldn't use kenjutsu either because he didn't have his chokuto. He would have to find Kusanagi sometime later. Besides, it wouldn't help much either. Not with how Gaara fought now. It was too unrefined. He just lashed out, throwing out attacks because he had a buji supplying him with chakra. He didn't have to be careful or calculating because usually he was fast enough to kill his opponent before they got too creative.
Taijutsu and ninjutsu were his only options.
"You and I are more alike than what you'll admit, Gaara, and you're not going to win this fight. I can't allow that." Sasuke stated loudly enough for the other genin to hear him over the distance. "I have too much to fight for."
"If we are anything alike, then the only thing you have to fight for is to prove your own worth, your own existence. There is nothing else to fight for." Gaara yelled just as sand was sent towards the wall.
Sasuke sighed before disappearing from sight, the sand colliding with the wall hard enough to dent and crack it. The only evidence of where the genin had gone could be seen in the way Gaara's sand armour crumbled to the floor grain by grain as Gaara stood in wide-eyed wonder until the Suna genin was doubled over clutching at his stomach and gasping for breath. It was quick, but it wouldn't do the job.
"How?" Gaara wheezed with wide eyes. "How are you able to move so fast?"
"Because I have something to fight for. Something I don't ever want to be taken away from me." Sasuke replied, staring down at Gaara sadly. Think Naruto . . . "I know what it means to be truly lonely. I know what it's like to have everyone ignore you, to shut you out and to treat you as though you're worse than the dirt on their shoes. I know what it means to be like you."
Sasuke crouched down until he was level with Gaara, inwardly hoping his words were reaching the genin but also dreading that this was too easy, that the emotionally driven explosion was still eminent. "I won't lose to you Gaara. I will fight to improve myself because I have precious people that I need to protect. People that acknowledged my existence. And I can't let you hurt them. I can't let anyone hurt them."
"What do you mean?" Gaara asked, eyes growing wide with confusion. Was the idea of acceptance so foreign to him?
"A person is at their strongest when they have something precious to protect." Sasuke stated. "My purpose is stronger than yours. But you can be acknowledged too. You can be like me. It's not easy and it won't work at first, but if you stick to it, get strong enough to protect those precious to you, then people will acknowledge you, they'll accept your existence."
Sasuke darted backwards to avoid the wall of sand rushing towards his stomach. He might have taken care of Gaara's sand defence, but Gaara still had a lot of sand at his disposal. So long as he kept out of its reach, he'd be fine. The problem was, keeping up this speed was draining his chakra. He only had half of it to begin with.
"I live only for myself, I love only myself!" Gaara yelled, raising a hand to direct the sand rushing towards Sasuke's every position at alarming speeds.
Sasuke grunted as he landed rather clumsily next to the stadium entrance, and used the slight indentation the closed door created to dodge the volley of sand sent his way.
"If you live like that!" Sasuke yelled back, not able to peak around the wall to see if Gaara was still listening to him. "In the end . . ."
Sasuke closed his eyes and focused on the raging chakra of the one tailed beast, shunshining right next to Gaara. He swung his leg around, connecting it with the back of Gaara's head. The sand the Suna nin had been directing trickled from the air and back to the floor, Gaara's eyes wide and his lungs temporarily still.
"You'll still end up being alone." Sasuke finished, eyes focused on the Suna genin and nothing else. He couldn't afford to mess this up.
The sounds of shifting grains was strangely far too familiar to the Uchiha genin as he darted away from Gaara just in time to see the red head's ultimate sand defence form. The ball of sand too hard to punch or kick through. Taijutsu was out.
Sasuke sighed as he watched the ball thicken and harden, placing a hand on his hip as he concluded that taijutsu was definitely out, leaving only ninjutsu. His words might be reaching Gaara, might not, but that was something only time would tell.
He knew from experience that the ball would change from defence to offence more quickly than one could change direction in mid-air. Those sand spikes caused far too much damage for him to allow being hit just once. Using a direct attack wouldn't even crack the dome, assuming he could get through the spikes fast enough, which he could. It was getting away from the spikes.
Theories ran through his mind, ones where the sand wrapped around his foot or his hand if he attempted to hit the ball, only to be following swiftly by a crushing defeat . . . quite literally.
Sasuke didn't need to run up the arena wall in order to build speed for his Chidori. Not anymore.
The hand signs were second nature to him . . . ox, rabbit, monkey. He was so well versed in this technique he didn't even need to do the signs. He remembered all of them though, the ones that were needed when he first learnt this jutsu: Moneky, Dragon, Rat, Bird, Ox, Snake, Dog, Tiger and lastly Monkey.
He was better now. But he used the hand signs all the same, not wanting to alert curious eyes to his proficiency in an A-rank jutsu he shouldn't even know existed.
Gaara's sand eye swirled into life, grain by grain and Sasuke smirked directly at its completed form before placing his hands together. Ox, rabbit monkey.
"You know Gaara, sand is earth and earth is weak to my main affinity." Sasuke stated casually before the sound of a thousand chirping birds burst to life throughout the stadium.
.0.0.0.
IMPOSSIBLE.
Hatake Kakashi watched with a wide eye as his once lost technique glittered in the hand of a twelve year old Uchiha. The hand signs, the confidence . . . it all pointed to a proficiency with a forbidden jutsu that the boy should not know, yet did.
"Obito –" Kakashi managed to choke out. But the Uchiha did not reply, staring with just as much of a wide gaze at Sasuke that he was using.
"Sensei?" Sakura questioned, eyebrows furrowing together in concern. "What's wrong?"
"That jutsu Sasuke is using is considered an A-Rank forbidden jutsu known only by three people. Uchiha Obito, Namikaze Minato and Hatake Kakashi." Naruto replied tonelessly. "It was suggested in the report about the jutsu's first use that it would be beneficial to an Uchiha or a Hyuuga. The Hyuuga angle wasn't taken seriously since they have their own fighting style and don't deviate from it."
"An Uchiha was never considered because the jutsu is a dangerous one, too powerful. Also, an Uchiha had not been born that had a lightning affinity either." Kakashi finished. One had not born that Kakashi had considered worthy was a better option.
"Why is it forbidden?" Sakura asked, looking from Kakashi to Naruto.
"I am the creator of the jutsu. I was trying to emulate the Rasengan but I could never perfect that jutsu. So I created one that I considered just as powerful. The drawbacks however, is that the jutsu is a jab type attack and requires high speeds in a straight line."
"Tunnel vision. Leaving the user open to attacks that they cannot defend themselves from. But this is not the case for an Uchiha with a Sharingan. Their dojutsu would allow them to see the attack coming and therefore react to it." Naruto finished.
It was a jutsu he'd heard discussed many times. His father, Obito and Kakashi never grew tired of the possibilities of such a jutsu.
But how did Sasuke know it?
"Sasuke seems to think that taijutsu is no longer an option." Obito commented, breaking out of his daze and turning towards Kakashi. "I didn't teach him that. But considering his evaluated potential and his progress up till now, it can be assumed that he created the jutsu himself."
"What are the chances of creating the exact same jutsu?" Kakashi challenged, raising his visible brow.
"Well the jutsu itself isn't complicated. It's just lightening concentrated into the palm of one's hand." Obito shrugged. "You're not the only genius out there Kakashi-kun and Sasuke does know that earth is weak to lightning."
"I guess we'll just have to ask him." Kakashi muttered, looking away.
.0.0.0.
Clone Sasuke dodged away from the kunai being sent his way and landing next to the sannin he hadn't expected to see. The white hair and the odd attire were off putting but the suppressed chakra and clear skill made it easy for Sasuke to know that this was Jiraiya.
The man who had trained Naruto.
Somehow, Sasuke doubted the same offer would be extended to him this time around. Not unless some miracle happened. Or they decided he would open up to the sannin more than he would to the Hokage.
"So you're that mysterious Uchiha everyone is talking about." Jiraiya hummed, watching the snakes' rampage through the Suna nin ranks. He wouldn't say it out loud but he was impressed with the Shinobi's tactics. He didn't take it personally when he didn't get a reply. He didn't expect one.
One thing that did bug him was the fact that this was a clone. It was in the way the chakra moved. Why send a clone? To avoid capture? That would be a reasonable move, but a dangerous one.
"The snakes are early. That was my doing. I couldn't afford to wait. I wish to have this done with." Came the toneless statement and Jiraiya tilted his head in interest. So this kid knew what Suna and Oto had planned.
Two shuriken were thrown effortlessly, knocking oncoming kunai so that they reversed their course and were sent straight back to their Oto owners. Not an ounce of chakra was expended that didn't need to be used. This was a smart one.
"I happen to know a lot of things, but I don't know a thing about you." Jiraiya decided that being direct was the best approach. The masked Shinobi looked towards him, Sharingan spinning lazily.
"I don't imagine you would." The Uchiha replied with the barest hint of amusement. "I'm new to this world."
New to this world? What? The world of missing nin?
That wouldn't make sense considering an Uchiha with his skill wouldn't have been hidden long enough to reach this Shinobi's age which was anything to late teens, perhaps early twenties. The Uchiha wouldn't have let him leave in the first place.
"And I plan to make my mark." The Uchiha stated with a finality that meant Jiraiya wasn't getting anything more out of him.
.0.0.0.
Sasuke rushed towards Gaara's sand dome, Chidori ready and waiting. He already knew that this attack was effective, even at the lower power it had been when he'd first learnt this technique. He was better at it now. He knew a lot more about it.
The sand spikes were predictable, so much so that he could use them as steps to the centre where he thrust his lightning encased hand into the dome. The feeling of hot wetness was instant and unmistakeable. It only touched the tips of his fingers but it was enough for him to know that he'd gotten his intended target, just like the first time.
But before the sand could dissolve around him, before the Suna Jinchuriki could becoming nothing more than a rampaging racoon on the loose, Sasuke changed the way his chakra flowed.
"Chidori Nahashi." He stated tonelessly more out of habit than anything else.
The lightning in his palm exploded outwards, but it didn't go far. It couldn't. Not trapped in Gaara's dome. Instead the excessively high temperatures of the attack, the pure power of Hatake Kakashi's technique destroyed the sand, changed it.
Sasuke pulled his arm out of the hole he'd created just in time to avoid the red, molten liquid that was quickly cooling to a murky caramel brown. Agonised screaming could be heard coming from inside the dome, muffled but distinct all the same.
"What have you done to my sand!?" Was about the only thing that Sasuke could make out other than the rage, pain filled promises that Gaara was going to end his life as excruciatingly as possible.
Gaara would be of little use to Orochimaru's invasion now. He was too injured, his mind too scattered.
The hole in the dome was the weakness and Sasuke swung a solid blow towards it, shattering the newly created glass into a thousand glittering pieces. Gaara, huffing heavily and close to blistering from the heat of being encased in a glorified oven glared at him with the slightest hint of fear.
Sasuke offered his hand to the Jinchuriki, not expecting him to take it.
"It's almost unbearable, the feeling of being all alone. But I have people who acknowledge me now, who saved me from my loneliness. And I will fight to protect that no matter what. That is why I will continue to fight you. I won't stop, even if I have to kill you." Gaara still didn't take his hand. "But I don't want to kill you. I'd like us to be friends instead." This time Sasuke offered a small smile.
"Real strength is not what you have when fighting for only yourself. When you have something precious that you want to protect . . . only then can you become tuly strong." Sasuke took Gaara's blotchy hand in his, subconsiously noting how pale he was in comparison to the Suna boy, "If you don't like your destiny, don't accept it. Instead, have the courage to change it to the way you want it to be."
Gaara's eyes were wide, his breathing laboured but a sense of peace was almost wiggling it's way into the Jinchriki's pale gaze. Sasuke pulled the Jinchuki into a hug, mindful of his injuries. "And when you find others that acknowledge you, when you become the next Kazekge, we'll stand together and face those who rejected us. But we'll be stronger than them. We'll be strong enough to protect them from anything. That is my dream . . . Gaara-kun, to be the Kage of my village and protect them all."
Sasuke pressed two fingers to the pressure points on Gaara's neck, leaving him to the world of sleep. A world the boy didn't often get to experience.
Hopefully, Minato-oyaji would be able to fix that. Gaara deserved better.
Sasuke balanced the unconcious Jinchuriki's weight and took him over to Itachi. "Please make sure he is treated well, Aniki, he is my friend." Sasuke stated carefully, looking to the side so that he didn't have to face the wounds that he had inflicted upon the Suna nin.
"I see." Itachi placed a hand on Sasuke's head and ruffled his hair affectionately. "I'll make sure he has the very best help." A signal was sent and two medics rushed into the arena, carefully loading Gaara onto a stretcher.
"Winner Uchiha–" Itachi began but was interrupted by an explosion large enough that it shook the ground, cracking the one side of the arena wall.
Sasuke's eyes immediately went to Minato where four shadows rushed into formation before the blond could realise he was in danger.
The barrier . . .
Sasuke's eyes grew wide as he watched the barrier encase the Yondaime, trapping him with Orochimaru. Kabuto's jutsu took effect in seconds, tiny feathers that weren't really there fluttering all through the air and sending the audience to sleep. All but for a trained few Shinobi who were helpless to watch their Hokage's predicament.
Sasuke's heart began to race, that headache he'd been ignoring since the second round coming back full force as his chakra spiked. The disturbance was enough to dispel his clone. A rush of memories, information and confusing moments lived in the same time frame but in two different places.
A burst of chakra to his eyes, a swell of emotions with a single thought.
Minato-oyaji, no!
Red changed to black as a six pointed star bloomed from the centre, like a fatal wound near the heart.
.0.0.0.
"You know what I like about this barrier, Minato-kun?" The Yondaime Kazekage said conversationally, but the blond was starting to understand that this was not the Kazekage at all. He'd known that from the start but in the Shinobi world, acting too soon was just as surely a death sentence as acting too late.
His ANBU lay lifeless around him, not even on par with the four Shinobi who had cast the jutsu that now encased the two of them.
"You can't use your famous Hiraishin technique to escape it." Orochimaru chuckled, the skin of the Kazekage's face peeling away to reveal a far more feminine face, the face of a genin that hadn't made it to the second round due to being dead. "You're trapped here until I let you go . . . if I let you go."
.0.0.0.
The Uchiha in the Chunin exams.
For those of you wondering what happened to the Uchiha in the chunin exams, because sadly I forgot to include that part when I published the chapter, I decided to add it here. Sorry about that. . . . . So all of this is kind of like a flashback.
"Shisui." Minato stated sharply, distant eyes showing that the Yondaime was very much lost in thought. So much so, that he didn't use the Uchiha's ANBU code name.
"Hai, Hokage-sama." Shisui replied bowing low.
"With Orochimaru lurking in the Forest of Death, I need you to pull all the genin teams with Uchiha on them. The last thing we need is for that snake to get hold of the Sharingan." Minato ordered, eyes shifting to hard cold discs of steel. "Besides, Fugaku would tear me a new one at the next council meeting. After what happened with Sasuke . . ."
Shisui looked down as Minato's words trailed off. Yes, Sasuke was a sore topic for the Uchiha. But there was nothing to be done about that now.
"Do you not have faith in your seal?" Shusui asked in curiosity, tilting his head slightly.
"It's not that. The seal works. But I don't need Orochimaru getting hold of a young Uchiha, one who is susceptible to testing, breeding and who knows what else." Minato trailed off with a suppressed shudder, not wanting to actually think of the number of possibilities. "Besides, just because he can't have the Sharingan doesn't mean he won't try get it. We don't need innocents dying for his fruitless cause."
"Hai." Shisui stated sharply before shunshining out of the room. The Uchiha on the genin teams pulled from the forest would be upset, but it wouldn't be long before news of Orochimaru's involvement spread to the Clan Heads.
Therefore, they'd get over it. They'd just be petulant brats for the better part of the next six months till the next chunin exam.
Too bad they didn't know about the preliminaries just before the third round. With so many power players in this year's batch, there was sure to be an intense preliminary round.
Oh well. It was days like these were the ANBU operative was more than a little glad he didn't have any younger siblings. They'd be pouting around the house for weeks.
"Karasu. Your assistance on this mission is much needed. We don't have a lot of time as you will be needed for the preliminaries." Shisui stated roughly as he passed the shadowed alcove where the younger Uchiha stood.
"Hai, Hayabusa-taichou." Itachi replied before following the other ANBU.
Hayabusa, Falcon. That was his code name. A code name that meant swift and deadly. But for now, it was just a recall mission assuming they didn't run into Orochimaru. No one dying today. Hopefully. But that Suna Jinchuriki was a whole other matter. . .
"Let's get this over with. Those genin aren't going to be too happy about this." Shisui sighed before leaving his thoughts for later and focusing on the mission at hand.