"Chaos would suit me just fine."
-Yuber, "Suikoden III"
Chapter 7
Misdirection
Naruto groaned. "Sasuke... you bastard..." he murmured, pulling himself up from the wreckage of what had once been the wall of Furinkan high.
"Don't move." Akane said quietly, kneeling next to him.
"Tell that to the bastard who punched me through a wall." Naruto shot back, trying to get to his feet.
Akane decided that making sure the blonde didn't die was better than manners.
Naruto groaned as Akane pushed him back down rather forcefully. "Ranma's taking over. Look, you were hurt yesterday. And you just got punched through a stone wall!" she shouted, and stepped on his chest lightly with one foot, making sure not to accidentally show Naruto her unmentionables.
"Not so loud... wait..." Naruto paused in his complaints, catching the first part of the young woman's words. "WHAT?"
His eyes shot toward the schoolyard.
---
Sharingan crimson glared.
Metallic blue glared right back.
Sasuke spat on the ground, and charged forward, footsteps ringing across the schoolyard.
Ranma made a "tch" noise at the amateurish maneuver, sidestepped, pulling his arm backwards and bending at the elbow.
Sasuke smirked, ducking his head below Ranma's fist effortlessly. The older boy's eyes widened as a fist crashed into his solar plexus.
The student of Anything Goes Martial Arts rocked back on his heels, and his eyes narrowed. Ranma's leg came in a wide sweeping kick toward the other boy's side.
The Uchiha grunted as he deflected the kick, and, using his Sharingan, correctly predicted the older boy's next movement, sweeping a right hook through the air where he would be.
Ranma's eyes widened as the fist crashed into his jaw with a vicious crack. Did he just predict my move?
Furious at the hit, Ranma recovered quickly, regaining his balance and swinging again.
Sharingan served Sasuke again, and he turned his head aside, letting Ranma's fist miss his cheek by inches.
Once again, the Anything Goes Heir's eyes were wide with shock as the Uchiha's knee connected solidly with his gut, driving the breath from his lungs and sending a brief wave of pain over his senses.
Ranma took the momentum of the attack and went with it, pushing off the ground to land a safe distance away, wiping a bit of spittle from his lip that had been driven out with his air. No doubt about it, he thought grimly, that kid is reading my movements with those weird eyes of his.
The explanation for the advantage the raven haired boy had possessed against Naruto was clear now. Neither of them looked like close combat experts- but then again, they had special moves to compensate.
Sasuke crouched low, and kicked off, using chakra to give himself extra momentum.
Ranma gave a low snarl. He wasn't about to be defeated, and definitely not at his own high school.
Crimson energy, born from that confident certainty, began to gather around the older boy's hands, brightly fierce and visible to the naked eye.
Sasuke's Sharingan saw it before it happened, the swirling of chakra energy into the palms of his opponent, but he couldn't understand what was about to happen.
Ranma smirked. "Moko Takabisha!"
A blast of energy tore through the air, and the unexpected attack caught Sasuke off guard, the Moko Takabisha slamming into his shoulder with impressive force.
The Uchiha winced as he was literally blasted backwards, crashing into the pavement with a vicious thud, wheezing as the breath was driven out of his body, his elbows scraping against the ground.
"Can't predict that, can you?" Ranma asked darkly, smirking. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and the martial artist smirked wider. "Yeah, I figured out your trick. Pretty sneaky."
Sasuke made a "che" noise, pulling himself up slowly, brushing his shorts off. "Don't get cocky. My Sharingan can do more than predict." Slowly, like a cancer, the fiery strands of the Curse Seal spread, covering half of the pale boy's face in its wicked power.
Ranma's eyes widened.
Sasuke smirked wider. "And don't think that my eyes are the only ace I'm holding." His hands flashed in a series of seals.
Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!
Ranma grunted as he kicked off into the air, dodging the wave of fireballs that Sasuke spewed out of his mouth.
A second later, a slight breeze that drifted against his body, causing Ranma's eyes to widen in shock.
After another second, a fist crashed into his stomach, and the martial artist gave a low wheeze as Sasuke's Curse Seal enhanced fist delivered a crushing amount of force.
Now it was Ranma's turn to be hurtled backwards, crashing into the pavement with a hard crunch, rolling with the blow to lessen the impact. He coughed, tasting a bit of blood at the back of his throat.
"Ranma!" Akane shouted desperately, involuntarily pressing her foot harder into Naruto's chest.
Naruto made a low whimper. "Akane... not so hard..." he whined, but the blue haired girl didn't hear him, too focused on her fiancee's predicament.
Ranma pulled himself back up to his feet, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Well. This is getting interesting." He said grimly, fists clenching. And just a few minutes ago, Akane being mad at him was his biggest concern.
Sasuke smirked, and suddenly crossed the distance between himself and the older boy in the blink of an eye, appearing in mid air, leg upraised.
Ranma crossed his arms to block, just as the Uchiha's leg crashed into his arms, sending him careening backwards, barely holding himself upright under the force of the blow as his heels rocked back.
Even as Ranma pulled his arms back as he regained his balance, Sasuke was already at terminal range, appearing just in front of the older boy, fist raised, his whole body moving to put its weight behind the blow.
The martial artist winced as the younger boy's fist crashed into his jaw with devastating force, knocking Ranma down, rolling across the paved schoolyard and onto the grassy lawn.
Ranma pulled himself up.
And he was pissed.
Sasuke appeared in front of him, fist raised once again to deliver yet another punishing blow.
Not this time you son of a bitch, Ranma thought angrily, bringing his own fist to bear in the one technique he was sure those eyes couldn't track.
"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"
Sasuke's Sharingan barely caught the movement of the fist coming towards him before he felt the impact of one, then two, then suddenly he lost count as blow after blow rained down upon his mid section, driving the breath from his body.
Ranma's eyes narrowed, pulling his arm back a little farther before delivering the last punch, sending Sasuke flying backwards to land on the opposite side of the school's grassy lawn with a hard thump.
He panted slightly, the exertion of having to put so much speed and power into the Chestnut Fist draining him extensively.
Sasuke glared with his Sharingan eyes, letting the Curse Seal markings fade away, not wanting to risk damaging his body. What was that just now? The speed of his fist increased impossibly- I couldn't even keep up with these eyes. The Uchiha was angry, and a little bit afraid. Naruto's impossibly fast movements before were easy to track- that last attack of the older boy was too fast for Sharingan.
Sasuke spat on the ground, a bit of blood mixing with his spit from the punches. He didn't want to be hit like that again- his body was tiring and the injuries from his battle with Naruto, while not lethal or dangerous, were draining his body nonetheless.
Noticing Ranma's panting, sweating face, the Uchiha made his decision. I'll wear him down from a distance, and finish him when he tires.
Smirking, Sasuke moved his hands in the set of seals for a Grand Fireball-
When a voice broke the tension like thunder. "RANMA SAOTOME PREPARE TO DIE!"
Ranma groaned and leapt backwards, just in time to avoid-
A red bamboo umbrella, that smashed upon the ground as though it were a hammer.
"Ryoga! What did I do!" Ranma demanded, glaring at the newcomer with annoyance.
The young man looked about the same age as Ranma. His dark yellow, long sleeved shirt had beige cuffs and a beige lining around his neck. His dark pants had a sort of white crisscrossing netting around the ankles, and on his black haired head he wore a yellow, black spotted bandana. On his back was a traveling pack, obviously well used.
The newcomer narrowed his earth brown eyes, and bared his fangs (both Naruto and Sasuke seemed surprised by that little quirk, but no one else seemed to notice).
"Ranma! How dare you fight someone else when it is I, Ryoga Hibki, who will put you in your grave!" the fanged boy snarled, pointing his umbrella at Ranma as though it were a sword.
Sasuke made a low, annoyed sound. "Oi. We were in the middle of something." He snarled, glaring with his crimson eyes at the older boy.
Ryoga glared back, meeting the Sharingan's glare with defiance in his own brown eyes. "Hey, back off! Ranma's mine!" he shouted, now pointing the umbrella at Sasuke.
Ranma stared. He felt like he was a piece of property to be fought over...
Which, come to think of it, was how he felt most of the time anyway.
Akane, idly, glanced at her watch.
And screamed.
"OH MY GOD! RANMA, WE'RE SO LATE!"
And before the martial artists or Sasuke could protest, Ranma was grabbed by the wrist bodily and literally dragged off to class before he could get a word in.
Of course, Akane's fears would be assuaged once she realized everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch the fight, including the teachers.
However, her true motive had been accomplished, as tensions seemed to diffuse with her interference, leaving a bewildered Ryoga, an annoyed Sasuke, and Naruto, who simply stared at the whole mess unblinkingly.
As Sasuke watched, Naruto made a low cough, diverting the Uchiha's attention back to his original target.
Naruto sensed the sudden killing intent rising off of his teammate and raised his hands defensively. "Damn it, just hold on!" he snarled. "We don't even know how we got here! We should at least hold off until we get back!"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed and his mouth set itself in a thin line. The blonde was right, much as he hated to admit it. "Fine." He spat, glaring at the blonde as his Sharingan faded away, returning his eyes to their normal obsidian. "But don't think this changes anything."
The message was clear, as much as Naruto didn't want to accept it.
You're not taking me back to the Leaf.
Naruto's own eyes narrowed.
"Fine."
But don't expect me to give up.
---
Apprehension filled Sakura's heart as she walked slowly into the Hokage Tower, trying to look as calm as possible, lest she betray the inner hesitation in herself.
I'm going to train under the Legendary Sannin's kunoichi. I'm going to be stronger, she repeated constantly, trying to use it as a confidence boost.
There was a black haired woman sitting at a desk, idly scratching off something on a piece of paper.
"Um... Excuse me... are you Shizune?" Sakura asked quietly.
The older woman looked up, and smiled gently. "Yes. And you must be Sakura Haruno. Follow me." She stood up, motioning for another woman to take her spot.
The pink haired girl followed willingly, a step behind Shizune.
After a moment, Shizune spoke. "You know, you're very lucky. Tsunade-sama hasn't taken on an apprentice in a very long time."
"Re-really?" Sakura said quietly, privately amazed that a legend like the Godaime would even bother with a kunoichi like her. "Who was the last one?"
Shizune smiled. "Me."
Sakura's step faltered for a moment, but soon she regained her balance. "What... what was the training like?" she asked shyly.
Shizune smiled a little wider, gentler. "I think yours may be different than my own. I apprenticed to Tsunade-sama for medical training. I don't posses the same combat skills that she does."
"Combat skills?" Sakura asked, bewildered.
The medic nin just kept smiling. "You'll see. Here we are." She said, stopping in front of a door. "Tsunada-sama will be waiting for you in here most days."
Sakura looked at Shizune, and then at the door.
Shizune chuckled slightly, patting the girl on the shoulder. "Don't be afraid, Sakura."
Swallowing, the pink haired girl took a determined step forward, and opened the door.
---
"Kabuto." The Snake Sannin hissed quietly. His face was still wrapped in bandages, much to his own annoyance. It would take time before this body would be able take on his appearance once again.
The silver haired spymaster knelt, waiting for his master to speak again.
"Sasuke has not come." Orochimaru murmured, and there was a dangerous river of fury boiling beneath his placid tone.
"Shall I dispatch teams to search for him?" Kabuto asked politely.
Orochimaru paused, and shook his head after a moment. "I want you to gather information, Kabuto. Tap every connection you possess, and follow every lead. I want every rock overturned, every idea pursued. Is that understood?"
Kabuto understood, both the order and the reason why.
The Sound, for all its incredibly talented ninja, was still much smaller than the Leaf. The loss of the Sound Five hadn't helped this problem any as well. While the ranks were being replenished as new missing nin arrived, the problem remained.
"It shall be done, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto bowed, and exited the room.
There was work to be done.
---
The room Sakura entered was obviously a private lounge area for the Hokage- there were a forest green couch in front of a table, and farther back was a larger table with a cloth wrapped bundle on top. Against every wall was a bookshelf.
The Godaime Hokage was waiting on one of the couches, lounging about with a cup of sake in her hand, despite the time of day. "Come in, come in, we don't have all day." The blonde said, motioning with her free hand.
Sakura nodded, shutting the door and hurrying to stand in front of the Hokage.
"Don't look so stiff." Tsunade murmured, sipping her rice wine slowly. Sakura relaxed slightly, but was still tense.
"Now then, first, I need to make some things clear." Her large brown eyes seemed to pierce through the young girl. "This is going to be hard work. From now on, report to the Hokage Tower every day. You have to follow my instructions carefully and without question, and until I say you can, never try any medical jutsu without my supervision. Doing so could get you killed."
She took another sip from her cup. "There will be days when I'll be too busy to train you personally. On those days, I'll leave instructions with Shizune on what you will do."
Pausing, the Godaime set her sake down slowly. "Before we start, I want to ask you something. Why do you want me to train you?"
Sakura paused, exhaling slowly as her fist clenched tightly. "I... I can't keep watching their backs anymore. I was useless, not even able to stop Sasuke-kun. I'm only ever able to be a burden to my friends."
She looked up at the Godaime, her emerald eyes glistening. "I don't want that anymore! I want to be stronger! I don't ever want to feel as helpless and lost as I do now!"
Tsunade smiled.
"Good answer."
---
Kakashi sighed, crouched high up in the shadowy branches of a tree. It hadn't taken him long to find out where the missing nin from the Hidden Mist were, thanks to a few preliminary reports and some question and answer processes with local villages.
It seemed they were taking a mostly forested route, doing their best to stay as far away from any Leaf patrols as much as possible.
However, Kakashi knew the terrain much better than the missing nin, and had quickly tracked them down, a few days away from making it into Rice Country.
At the moment, there were two young chuunin acting as rear guards for the group, trailing some distance behind the others, wielding long wooden staves. Neither one of them looked to be paying much attention to their surroundings as they laughed and joked- a fatal mistake.
Two more chuunin, an older male and female, were walking up ahead, seemingly more alert than the two rear guards. At the head of the group was a fifth figure swathed entirely in a black cloak- age, rank, and sex were completely unknown.
The one in the black cloak was a nagging concern, but Kakashi pushed it aside. They weren't far from the border to Rice Country, and if he waited, it was possible they'd detect his presence. Still, engaging them now might be dangerous- there was a small brook that was within range of water jutsu.
Kakashi pondered on how long he should wait.
It turned out that he had waited too long.
The two chuunin rear guards suddenly dissipated in a puff of smoke.
Bunshin Jutsu! Kakashi cursed, hearing the sounds of the real rear guard chuunin charging up at him with their wooden staves, bringing them down to strike.
The Copy Ninja blocked both attacks simultaneously, crossing his arms and grasping both staves in his hands.
The Hidden Mist missing nin's eyes widened.
Kakashi pulled, yanking both of the wooden staves brutally out of his opponent's hands. In a single movement, he uncrossed his arms and smashed the weapons into his enemy's faces with a brutal crunch.
They toppled out of the air, to land on the ground with a sickening thud.
The blank look in their eyes made it clear they were dead.
Kakashi felt a small bit of regret before he tossed the staves away, leaping out of the tree in time to avoid a barrage of senbon needles, thrown by the female chuunin.
The male chuunin's hands flashed in a series of seals. "Suiton: Suikodon no Jutsu!" the Hidden Mist missing nin shouted, and a burst of powerfully propelled water rocketed out of the brook.
The technique smashed into Kakashi- who transformed into a log in a puff of smoke.
"Replacement technique!" the female cursed, before she paused in shock, slumping downwards in a spray of blood as Kakashi finished swiping his kunai across her throat.
The last chuunin's face was burning red, and he looked absolutely murderous. "You bastard! I'll kill you!" he roared, eyes bulging out of their sockets.
Kakashi frowned. The man wasn't too dangerous- what worried him was that the cloaked figure hadn't made a single move the entire battle.
There was no more time to dwell on that as the chuunin began a set of seals. Before he could complete them, however, there was a sudden spike of pain in his chest and he looked down to see the kunai sticking out of it, as well as the Copy Ninja's arm holding the weapon.
"Yuki-sama," the chuunin breathed harshly, blood pouring out his mouth as he stared pleadingly at the cloaked figure. "Please, forgive us..."
The man slumped over, dead.
The cloaked figure stood still, even after all that.
Kakashi wiped his kunai against his vest slowly, staring at the figure.
After a moment, the cloaked one took off the hood, revealing the face of a young man at least half a decade younger than Kakashi. His hair were raven dark, and his eyes were a cold, obsidian black to match. The features were somewhat familiar to Kakashi, a feminine quality to the aristocratic face.
"I've killed your teammates." Kakashi murmured, waiting to see what the younger man would do.
The young man shook his head, and smiled emotionlessly, without any depth at all. "They were not my friends. They were my retainers, Sharingan Kakashi."
Kakashi wasn't surprised the man knew who he was. "That chuunin called you Yuki. From the sounds of it, you're not like the others." He said evenly.
Yuki shook his head, still smiling without feeling. "No, I'm not. I suppose you can say I'm... different." As he finished speaking, the Mist missing nin removed an ornate dagger from within his cloak- the handle was made of leather, the hilt decorated in some shape that was too indistinct for Kakashi to see.
"I am Yuki Arashi, Copy Ninja, last survivor of my clan." The young man said quietly. "These ninja around me were the last ninja loyal to my clan."
Kakashi heard a few things about the Arashi- mostly that they were masters of water jutsu in the same way that the Uchiha had specialized in fire, only to a greater degree. They had, like most Hidden Mist Clans, been mostly wiped out during the Bloodline Purges.
In fact, the Arashi's amazing abilities with water sounded like a boy from a mission to the Wave, not too long ago.
"Tell me something... what are the chances that you had a young boy in your clan by the name of Haku?" Kakashi asked quietly. He had gotten the name from an oddly morose Naruto, after the mission to Wave Country.
Yuki's face seemed taken aback for a moment, before returning to its cold impassivity. "I did hear a rumor back in the Mist about a bastard child who was lost..." he paused, considering the question, before making a thoughtful face. "So, it appears that the rumor that there were others of my clan alive,was true after all."
"Not anymore." Kakashi said softly. "I killed him."
Yuki's face didn't change. "So I heard." He nodded impassively. "I also heard you were the one to kill Momochi Zabuza of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist." The young man shifted his stance, holding his dagger like a sword, pointing downwards at an angle. "Which is why I'm going to honor you with the powers that made my clan feared."
Kakashi removed the forehead protector covering his Sharingan. "I'm touched." He said mockingly, crouching low, readying his kunai.
Almost immediately, the Copy Ninja felt the temperature begin to drop, the air becoming thicker, harder to breathe in. Almost unbelievably, small flakes of snow began to fall, even though daylight shone bright and fierce.
"This is my Bloodline Limit's true force." Yuki said quietly, holding his stance.
"Did you know that there is water in the air we breathe, Kakashi?" the Leaf jounin didn't answer, but the younger man didn't seem to care. "My mastery over water is so great, I can even control that water in that atmosphere."
The dagger the Mist missing nin was holding began to glow an otherworldly white, stretching forwards, into the shape of a katana's blade. The distinct sound of water freezing over was audible as the blade came to life.
His eyes seemed to glow against that ethereal, pure white luminescence. "This is my favorite technique, Sharingan Kakashi. My Koori no Yaiba, sword of ice."
The ice sword's luminescence faded away, save for a few wisps of misty ivory that wrapped around the blade. It was hard to tell what was colder- the blade, or the eyes of its wielder.
"And now, you die."
---
"The technique I'm going to show you is one of the most advanced medical jutsu there is." Tsunade began, her tone serious as she met Sakura's eyes unflinchingly. "I don't expect you to be able to master it for a while, but all medical ninjutsu is very advanced to begin with."
She motioned Sakura over to the large table at the back of the room. When the girl was close, the Hokage pulled off the cloth, revealing a large, brown scaled fish swimming inside of a tank. Without a word, the Godaime grabbed the fish in a blur of motion, pulling it out, onto a large scroll with numerous markings written in various patterns.
The fish made a few helpless movements, struggling to breath.
Sakura wrinkled her nose at the smell. Tsunade didn't seem affected at all.
"Watch what I do." The Godaime said quietly, placing her palms over the fish. "Shosen Jutsu!" her hand began to glow a bright, emerald green, and suddenly, audibly, the fish gasped.
Sakura's eyes widened. She's keeping the fish alive on land with that technique!
Tsunade released the jutsu. "Now, the first thing you need to do is focus your chakra into your hand."
"Like the tree climbing exercise?" Sakura asked intelligently.
The Hokage nodded. "Yes. After that, you focus the chakra outward, into the injury, much like you would do with your legs in battle." She paused, and glanced at her new apprentice with an unreadable look. "However, the amount of chakra required for this is much too great for you at the moment. We'll need to work on that." Tsunade pursed her lips, and Sakura felt ashamed.
The Godaime sighed. "It's not your fault. If anything, Kakashi should have been trying harder to work on that deficiency." Sakura looked down at her feet. Tsunade felt her lip curl upwards, ever so slightly. "However, I want you to try this technique anyway. Get a feel for it."
Sakura's eyes widened. "You... do you think I can do it, Tsunada-sama?"
The Hokage nodded. "From what I heard from Kakashi, your chakra control is practically jounin level. You might not have enough chakra to heal more than a paper cut, but the more you use this technique, the better your chakra reserves will be."
Sakura nodded, feeling a bit of pride that her chakra control was so high, and even more proud that people like Kakashi-sensei and even the Hokage had heard of it.
Tsunade stepped backwards, motioning for Sakura to try.
The pink haired kunoichi placed her palms over the fish. Come on... focus the chakra into your hands... and then outward, into the fish...
"Shosen Jutsu!"
She felt sweat roll down the side of her face, and her body began to shake with the effort.
Sakura felt a bit of desperation. She did not want to mess up on her first day of training- what if the Godaime decided that she wasn't worth the effort?
Naruto wouldn't give up. The thought came to her almost randomly, but she understood it with complete certainty. He hadn't given up on the goodness in Sasuke, hadn't given up on her even when she hadn't acknowledged him. He was out there, somewhere, still fighting to bring Sasuke back and keep his promise, no matter what the cost.
Her eyes narrowed, and a determined spark drew strength from that idea.
If Naruto was fighting with all his heart and soul for her, she would make certain she was worthy of that effort.
Tsunade smiled, sensing the inner strength that this girl was exuding.
Sakura's palm began to glow a faint emerald green.
"Stop." Tsunade said quietly, and Sakura released the jutsu, panting, gasping for air. "That was very good for a first try."
Very good was an understatement, the legendary medic thought to herself. She grasped the idea almost instantaneously. She has real potential.
At first, the Godaime had simply taken the girl on as a whim, as an idea that, with the rest of Team Seven already so influenced by the Sannin, perhaps it was fate that she have this girl. It had been a mixture of pity and sympathy that she had taken the girl on.
But now... now she was starting to see that there was something truly special about Sakura Haruno, and that, given proper cultivation, would blossom the girl into a legend of her own.
Tsunade banished the thoughts for the moment, and motioned for Sakura to follow her again, as she started toward the door. "Come." She ordered. "We're going outside for a while."
---
Kakashi leapt away, just in time to avoid the swing of Yuki's Koori no Yaiba. As he did so, though, he felt a sudden, fierce chill pass over his body, as though a blizzard had struck him.
What was that-
The Copy Ninja had no time to think as Yuki moved again, equaling his speed, coming down with a hard slash downward.
Kakashi dodged to one side, noting that the ground where he had been had frozen over from the attack. With a grim look, he hurled his kunai, aiming for the missing nin's head.
Yuki disappeared, moving rapidly, holding his Koori no Yaiba to one side, prepared to slice once again.
Once again, the Copy Ninja leapt away, this time sending a barrage of shuriken for a counterattack.
Yuki's eyes narrowed dangerously as he dodged the shuriken, his free hand moving into a one handed seal. "Sensatsu Suisho!" seemingly out of nowhere, hundreds of needles formed out of ice appeared, and shot toward the Copy Ninja.
Kakashi wasn't worried, however, having seen the technique before. He kicked off, high into the air, just as Sasuke had done against Haku (he refused to think about the boy any farther, though), letting the needles crash down upon empty space.
Yuki charged again, swinging his ice sword downwards. Kakashi narrowly avoided the blow, but, as he did so, felt that same brutal coldness sweep over his bodily. Only by sheer instinct was the Copy Ninja able to put some distance between himself and his opponent before the cold became too much.
As Kakashi stared at the frozen weapon, understanding came upon him. "Your weapon's name isn't just for show. It really is a sword of ice, and any contact or even coming close to it is hazardous." He said slowly, without a question in his voice.
Yuki stared, though there seemed to be some dark amusement in his midnight eyes. "You really are a genius, aren't you, Kakashi?" he said rhetorically, bringing the blade to bear. "But it doesn't matter. My sword has never been bested."
Kakashi smiled grimly, underneath his mask. "Well, if that's the case... I'll finish this now." His hands moved through a pattern of seals he created himself, before his left hand gripped his right hand at the wrist.
Yuki's eyes narrowed as blue chakra surrounded Kakashi's hand and the sound of a thousand birds chirping began to fill the forest like an otherworldly chorus.
Kakashi smiled grimly. "Since you have shown me your best technique, I'll honor you with my own original technique then." The chirping sounds increased.
"Chidori!"
In a flash, he had crossed the distance separating himself from his enemy, hand radiating loose bolts of chakra, destroying the ground it passed over as the chirping sounds continued.
Yuki's eyes remained impassive.
Kakashi, entering terminal range, slammed the Chidori into the younger man's chest.
---
The Godaime led Sakura out to a large training field not too far away from the Hokage Tower. The area, unlike Team Seven's, was near barren, and consisted mostly of dirt and a few wooden training poles at the far end of the training ground.
"Sakura. Medical ninja's top priority should always be keeping the other members of the team alive." Tsunade lectured calmly, placing her hands on her hips. "Attacking is something a medical ninja should consider a secondary priority. Why do you think that is?"
Sakura thought hard for a moment, before coming up with an answer that was literally taken from a textbook. "Because medical ninja are support first and foremost. Their priority should be medical support, not attacking."
Tsunade nearly snorted, remembering that particular passage from the Academy's section on medical ninja. She made a mental note to get that changed.
"Wrong!" she snapped.
Sakura flinched, hoping she hadn't offended the Godaime.
Tsunade's eyes softened, and she sighed, looking downwards. "Attacking is secondary because evasion is a medical ninja's top priority. We, and yes, that means you will be a medical ninja, Sakura, are not focused toward combat. But more importantly, think about this." The Hokage's mouth was set in a thin line, and her eyes seemed to drift back into the past.
"If you were the medical ninja on your team, and you were to die, who would be there to save the lives of your team?"
Sakura looked downwards. "I understand, Tsunade-sama."
The Hokage's lip curled upwards again. "Good. Now, I am going to attack you with full force. You must evade my attacks to the best of your ability."
Sakura's eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly. She wanted to protest, she really did. She had heard of Tsunade's legendary strength- she'd be killed!
But she remembered the Hokage's words. Don't question.
She crouched down. "I'm ready, Tsunade-sama."
Despite herself, the Godaime smiled at the girl's determination, and shrugged off her green coat, letting it fall to the ground. "Very well then."
In a blur, Tsunade charged forward, fist upraised for a brutal downward blow.
Sakura forced down her panic, keeping her calm as she kicked off using chakra, putting some distance between herself and the Hokage.
"Not fast enough!" Tsunade said harshly, even as her fist slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash of dust and debris, turning the ground into a massive crater that ended just in front of Sakura.
The pink haired kunoichi's eyes widened and she kicked off again, not wanting to fall into the crater.
Once again, the Hokage lunged upward, fist raised again for the same movement.
After five minutes of dodging and jumping away from the Hokage's ridiculously overpowered attacks, Sakura understood that there was no way she'd be able to keep this up any longer- her chakra reserves had reached their limit and now she was barely running on adrenaline.
Her fears came to a head when the last, far too close attack from the Godaime toppled her over with the sheer force that the Hokage struck the ground with.
Tsunade smiled, raising her fist once again, and both kunoichi knew that the young girl would not be able to dodge.
Sakura closed her eyes, preparing for the inevitable blow.
Instead of the painful, crushing force she was expecting, however, she felt a light pressure against her forehead.
She opened her eyes to see the Godaime smiling at her with amusement, as her finger pushed gently against Sakura's forehead.
"Gotcha." Tsunade chuckled, winking at the girl.
Despite herself, Sakura gave a sigh of relief, feeling the sweat rolling down her body.
"You know," the Godaime murmured thoughtfully, "This is a situation I remember being in before... with Naruto."
Sakura blinked. "What?" she said blankly, staring.
Tsunade chuckled again, rolling her eyes. "That idiot boy challenged me to a fight because I insulted the Sandaime and the Hokage title."
Sakura blinked again. "Wait... but you're the Godaime now." She stated, baffled. How could someone who didn't like the Hokage's possibly become one?
The Godaime merely smiled mysteriously. "Naruto has a way of making people change their minds, from what I hear." She said quietly, looking away from Sakura.
Sakura nodded, remembering her talk with the very much reformed Gaara of the Desert and the seemingly much less murderous Neji Hyuuga, both of whom had been rather psychotic pre-Naruto. "Yeah... he does." She looked down, somewhat ashamed that she had thought of herself better than him for so long.
If anything, he was a far greater person than she could ever hope to be.
The Hokage brushed herself off, picking her coat up from the ground. "That's all the time I have for today, Sakura. Come back again at the same time." She paused, and glanced back at her pink haired apprentice. "But before we end today's training, there's something I want you to do after you rest a bit."
Sakura looked up at her, confused. "What is it, Tsunade-sama?"
Tsunade walked over toward the wooden training posts, with her apprentice following close behind.
"When you train against these posts, I want you to focus your chakra into your fist." Tsunade began, glancing at her apprentice to make sure the girl wasn't too tired to pay attention. "When your fist connects, release that chakra all at once."
Sakura nodded, gathering the information and memorizing it. "Is that how you're able to do so much damage, Tsunade-sama?" she asked quietly.
The Hokage nodded. "My strength isn't reliant on muscle, but chakra control." She replied, moving her head slightly so that her pig tails swished back and forth as she stared at the pink haired kunoichi with a serious expression. "Sakura, if your chakra control wasn't as good as it was, I wouldn't even consider teaching you this. It requires chakra control at a level most people would never even come close to reaching."
Sakura smiled at that.
Tsunade smiled back for a moment, before it faded and she turned away. "Now go and get some rest for awhile. If you can, try what I've asked you to do."
As the Godaime walked away, back toward her apprentice, the smile returned.
She's got a long, long way to go. But damn it, I'm going to make sure she makes it.
"Well, well, now look who's picked up an apprentice." Jiraiya murmured, chuckling to himself as he leaned against a tree, idly glancing up at the Hokage.
"Well, I couldn't let you one up me, could I?" Tsunade said lightly. "But enough jokes." She said, her tone darkening. "We need to talk, seriously this time, Jiraiya." The warning in the tone was clear.
The Toad Sannin nodded, knowing now was not the time. "I can guess. You want me to search for Naruto." He said quietly, resting against the tree a bit more.
"That's right." Tsunade said quietly. She leaned against a tree opposite of Jiraiya's, looking away, toward the stone faces of the past Hokage. "Naruto is important to the future of the Leaf."
"Important to you too." Jiraiya said flatly.
The Godaime shot him an infuriated look. "Don't give me that. You care about the boy too, don't try to lie to me." She snarled scathingly. "You wouldn't take any old kid on to be your apprentice without liking them."
Jiraiya shrugged. "I never said I didn't like Naruto. Fact is, he's so much like the Yondaime and like me that I can't help but love him and hate him at the same time." He murmured, looking downwards.
"It's about more than just how much that boy means to us, Jiraiya." Tsunade muttered, frowning deeply. "I haven't told anyone else, even Shizune..."
She bit her lip, and looked downwards, as though fighting some sort of inner turmoil.
"There are people on the council putting pressure on me. Some of the people there have always been against Naruto's existence. They want me to declare both him and the Uchiha missing nin and send hunter nin or even ANBU after them."
Jiraiya wasn't really surprised. "I figured this might happen. They see this as an opportunity to finish the Kyubi off once and for all." He said softly.
"Damn it!" Tsunade swore, fist clenched tightly. "Those bastards have no idea. I would rather die than ever set the ANBU after Naruto."
It wasn't an idle threat, Jiraiya understood. His fellow Sannin had taken a sword through the heart for the boy. It had been Naruto who brought her back to the Leaf, Naruto who turned the gambling wanderer Tsunade into the Godaime Hokage.
The Hidden Leaf owed Naruto their Godaime. It was just that simple.
"I'll see what I can find." Jiraiya said quietly, nodding his head.
"Thank you." Tsunade whispered sincerely.
---
Kakashi cursed as he let the Chidori dissipate away, the sounds of the birds fading. At his feet was a pile of mostly evaporated water. Some of it was still evaporating on his hand.
"It was a water clone." The Copy Ninja murmured, cursing his luck. Most people would not have been able to pull of a Bunshin that quickly- but that Bloodline Limit...
Kakashi frowned. It looked like he was going to have to be chasing the missing nin awhile longer. Without hesitation, he placed his thumb in his mouth and bit down, hard enough to draw blood.
As the blood welled up from the wound, he slammed his palm down, onto the ground.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
In a burst of smoke, Kakashi's Ninja Dogs appeared. Pakkun, ever the questioner, walked over to his master. "Who do we gotta track, boss?" he asked quietly.
"There should be six scents here. Four of them belong to the bodies, one of them is mine, and the last one is the one you need to track." Kakashi murmured. "Now go."
The dogs left, all except Pakkun, who glanced at Kakashi. "You alright?" the summoned dog knew how bad Kakashi could get with guilt trips sometimes, and having two of his students missing couldn't help their master any.
"I'm fine." Kakashi said quietly.
Both of them knew he was lying.
Author's Notes
Techniques
Moko Takabisha (Fierce Tiger Ball)- A blast of ki powered by Ranma's pride and confidence.
Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu (Fire Release- Art of the Phoenix Flower, the Touch-Me-Not)- A burst of multiple, smaller fireballs sent at the opponent.
Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire Punch)- A series of punches so fast that they can look like a single strike. Gets its name from the training style, involving pulling Chestnuts from a fire without being burned. Often called the Chestnut Fist.
Bushin no Jutsu (Clone Technique)- A basic ninjutsu that creates a clone of the user that disappears when hit. However, it is not real, and can do no damage. Mainly a distraction technique.
Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique)- Attacks the enemy with strong bursts of water.
Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique)- A basic ninjutsu in which the ninja quickly replaces themselves with a nearby object- usually a log- in order to avoid attacks and cause confusion.
Koori no Yaiba (Sword of Ice)- Bloodline technique in which the user freezes the water in the air around the blade, creating a sword of ice that can cut through mostly anything. Also leaves bad frostbite from glancing blows.
Shosen Jutsu (Mystical Palm Technique)- By concentrating chakra into the hand, the user can focus that chakra into injuries and heal them. This also has, as shown by Yakushi Kabuto, the ability to be focused into a chakra scalpel which can sever muscles and arteries.
Sensatsu Suisho (A Thousand Flying Water Needles Of Death)- Freezes water into the shape of sharp needles, which home in on an opponent from all directions. Haku first performs this with a one handed seal, using a large amount of water. Yuki performs this with just the seal and no body of water, since he is able to pull water from the atmosphere.
Chidori (Thousand Birds)- A-level ninjutsu technique. The user grabs their wrist, and focuses chakra until it becomes visible, usually as blue lightning. It's used as a swift, powerful finishing blow that requires a great deal of speed and the Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye) to complete. It gets its name from the chirping sound it makes when it strikes.
Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)- This technique binds the user with a contract, seal, and the user's blood to an animal. Once bound, the animal can be called upon by the summoner for tasks or for battle.
... Alright. I get it, people. You're upset that Naruto seemed to be 'beaten' so easily, and is only using Kage Bunshin. You've even started saying how many other people think so.
So, in the interest of enlightening the masses, here's a good tip.
Sasuke's Mature SharinganNaruto's Kyubi chakra without a tail.
Sasuke with Sharingan, therefor Normal Naruto.
Watch or read the fight between them at the Valley of the End.
Get it? Let me extrapolate if you don't. Naruto's normal level is NOT equal to Sasuke's Sharingan. He just doesn't have the speed or the strength as he is now to compete with Sasuke's eyes. It's that simple. You can whine all you want, but Naruto is still never going to touch Sasuke without the demon fox... at least not yet, anyway.
If the fight had gone on, yes, Naruto would have come back with a vengeance. He always does. And yes, Rasengan would have come into play sooner or later.
But if the fight had gone on, this story wouldn't be the same. I'm not letting them get at each other's throats until they're good and ready..
For the purposes of this story, chakra is basically ki. They're both life energy, in a sense.
Yuki Arashi is an Original Character created by me for Kakashi's filler arc. Yuki's name means snow, and Arashi means storm. Basically, snow reminded me of Haku, so that's why I ended up picking it. Besides, I couldn't help the idea of playing around with Haku's bloodline ability a bit more.
I had absolutely no idea what jutsu Sakura was using to keep the fish alive in canon, so I went with the only medical jutsu shown so far in the series. The scene where Tsunade lectures Sakura is a modification of a manga flashback- the scene is done earlier in this story than suggested in the manga.
This chapter, surprisingly, is very Team Seven oriented. I rather liked it. Very little Naruto, but he got the spotlight for the beginning of the story, and Sakura hasn't had nearly enough attention till now. Don't worry though. He and Sasuke'll be back in force next chapter.
