CHAPTER 11: REPLACEMENTS
(Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I do own my OC's, however)
"Talking / Jutsu"
'Thinking'
'Flashback'
"Flashback talk"
"Demonic voice"
Letter / Emphasis
"For the last time, stop staring at me with those big doe eyes and learn to take no for an answer. Tsunade-sama herself has put me in charge of the upcoming Chunin Exams. If I just dropped everything and went with you, my head would be on her desk soon enough and I simply don't want that to happen. That's all there is to it,"
Being the mature young ninja that he was, Naruto crossed his arms against his chest and looked away with his nose high in the air. "Sure, whatever you say. I see what's going on. Now that you're a Chunin and Tsunade-no-baachan has you doing stuff for her, you're just too important to help your friends out, even those you haven't seen in three years. Be careful, oh Shikamaru-sama. If you stand too close to me, you might catch some of my lameness or something,"
Despite the sarcasm and the excess of drama, Naruto was genuinely disappointed. It was great to meet his old classmates after so long and he had no trouble recognizing them right away (except for Shino, but Naruto didn't blame himself for that one. How the hell was he supposed to recognize a guy who had never shown him his face? Well, he hadn't seen Kakashi's face either, but that was completely different… somehow). However, as soon as he asked them to join Team 7 in its upcoming mission, they all excused themselves saying they had obligations of their own and whatnot. Hinata was the only one who hadn't said no to him, but that was because she had passed out before Naruto could get an answer from her.
"Don't worry Naruto, I can help you out," Chōji offered as he handed his old friend a bentō box while placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Just like the rest of his peers, the son of Chōza had grown up quite a bit over the course of three years. Even though he was still on the chunky side, Chōji had grown taller and had put on some muscle, which helped conceal some of his plumpness. "Let me talk to Asuma-sensei. Once I clear it with him, we're good to go,"
"Really? Thanks, Chōji! You're the man!"
"Chōji, have you forgotten all about tomorrow's mission? Besides, even if you somehow manage to clear it with Asuma-sensei, he's still gotta clear it with Tsunade-sama. Why do I have to explain this to you?"
Chōji let out a laugh as he scratched the back of his head. "I know, I know, but I haven't seen Naruto in so long. It'd be great to go out on a mission with him like back in the old days. Even if I don't get permission from Tsunade-sama, I can at least try,"
"See, Shikamaru? You should be more like Chōji, with a heart just as big as his fat stom-"
"WATCH OUT!"
Before Naruto could finish his sentence, he was thrown to the ground by Shikamaru, who protected him as Chōji suddenly formed a huge fist. For a split second, the Uzumaki thought that Chōji was about to hit him, but his surprise only increased when instead of that, he punched and obliterated something else. Naruto wasn't able to see anything other than ink getting splattered all around them, but once his fighting instincts kicked in, he got up and started looking for whatever it was that was attacking them.
A roar was then heard, and this time, the Kyūbi Jinchūriki managed to lay eyes on the threat. It was a white beast with pitch-black outlines, as if a komainu had been drawn on paper and then brought to life. The komainu jumped and tried to land on Naruto, but was caught in midair by Chōji's gigantic hand and then squashed like a bug, spilling ink everywhere once again.
"The hell is going on?" Naruto asked, looking left and right for whoever was responsible for what was happening. "Is the village under attack?"
"No, or at least it doesn't feel like it. There would be a lot more noise and destruction if an invasion was taking place this very moment," Shikamaru replied, frowning as he caught sight of someone who was staring back at them in the distance. "However, something tells me that guy over there is the one who's causing this mess,"
Naruto sharpened his gaze as he looked at the ninja who Shikamaru was pointing his finger at.
At the end of the street, on the roof tiles of a semi-distant building, a young man had his eyes on them. His skin was so white that it made girls such as Sakura and Hinata look tanned by comparison, and there was a creepy emptiness to his charcoal eyes. He appeared to be drawing or writing something judging by the way he was sitting, but regardless of what he was actually doing, it was hard to think that another person had perpetrated the attack, for it had come from his direction and nobody else was around.
"Oi! You there, what was that for!? Are you crazy or something!?" Naruto yelled at the mysterious assailant.
"I have no idea who he is, but that's a Konoha headband he's wearing," Chōji noted. "I don't understand. Why would someone from our village try to harm one of his own?"
"Whoever he is, he's most likely acting under orders. No shinobi would be stupid enough to attack a comrade in broad daylight without even being provoked. Either that or he has lost his marbles," Shikamaru surmised, bringing his thumb to his mouth and wiping off some of the ink that had landed below his lower lip. "In any case, he's got some explaining to do. I say we subdue him and hand him over to the Torture and Interrogation Force. Ibiki-san will get this guy to talk in less than a minute,"
The Kyūbi Jinchūriki clenched his fists. Even if he was from the same village as him, there was no way Naruto was going to let that nutjob off the hook, especially since he tried to attack him from behind like a coward. Not only that, he also acted without caring the least bit if Shikamaru or Chōji got hurt as a result, and that alone warranted a serious ass-whooping as far as he was concerned. Before anything else was said, the pale aggressor dipped his brush in ink and began to draw on his scroll, alerting the three former classmates of the incoming assault.
"Naruto, Chōji, you two go get him! I'll cover you from behind!" Shikamaru ordered as he did the Rat hand sign, ready to use his clan's signature techniques. The Uzumaki and the Akimichi started running side by side across the long and narrow street, but just as they were beginning to build up speed, the stranger finished drawing and raised two fingers.
"Ninpō: Chōoni Giga,"
The ink on the scroll leaped out of the paper in the form of a tendril, shifting and taking shape as it fell down. Soon, the viscous liquid transformed into a stocky ogre that wore nothing but a loincloth and was as tall as a house. The ogre let out a roar and charged at them like a bull seeing red. Measuring the size of the approaching threat, Naruto immediately planted his feet against the ground, sliding forward with his knees bent until coming to a complete halt. Chōji, however, fastened his pace.
"Don't worry about me, Naruto! This one's mine! You just keep moving!" Chōji shouted.
After a few seconds of hesitation, the Uzumaki swiftly jumped to his left and landed on one of the lateral buildings, resuming his sprint across the row of rooftops in front of him. Chōji seemed confident he could take down that ink giant and Naruto had no reason to doubt him or his abilities. Besides, Shikamaru was right behind them, ready to react in case their chubby comrade got in trouble. Unbeknownst to Naruto, the lazy genius was barely keeping track of Chōji, as he already knew his teammate was about to obliterate that miscreation.
Chōji leaped into the air and performed the Bird hand sign. "Baika no Jutsu!" he shouted. In a matter of seconds, the size of the young Akimichi grew exponentially, surpassing his enemy in both height and width. Upon descending, Chōji cocked his elbow in a wrestling fashion and landed on the ogre, whose body popped like a water-filled balloon after being stepped on.
But that wasn't everything the attacker (change) had in store for them. With one last stroke of his brush, the attacker brought his next work of art to life, never losing sight of Naruto. "Ninpō: Chōjū Giga,"
Just like before, the ink squirted out of the scroll and took shape outside, forming the same Komainu creature that caught Naruto off guard. However, instead of a single Komainu, there were seven of them this time, all of them growling menacingly at the Kyūbi Jinchūriki. The entire pride took off and Naruto got ready to face them using shadow clones, unaware that there was already a shadow following him from behind. "Ninpō: Kage Nui no Jutsu!"
In the blink of an eye, Shikamaru's shadow split into several tendril-like needles that untethered themselves from the ground, stabbing the ink beasts one by one like a hot knife going through butter. Just like with the ogre, every single Komainu burst into black blood. This intervention allowed Naruto to get close enough to his opponent without giving him time to make any more drawings, jumping straight toward him while holding a kunai. "I got you now!"
CLAAANG
Despite the speed with which he moved, Naruto's attack was easily stopped by his adversary, who unsheathed the tantō strapped to his back and used it to block the kunai before it could touch him.
Now that they were right in front of each other, the blonde Genin finally had a good look at the guy's face. To Naruto's surprise, he was younger than expected, maybe even his same age. His skin tone was so devoid of color that he genuinely resembled a male geisha, only without the red lipstick and the elegant hairstyle. What unsettled Naruto the most, however, was the fact that he was smiling at him. It wasn't a toothy grin or an arrogant smirk, but rather a small and simple smile like he was daydreaming in the middle of a fight.
This irritated Naruto to no end, for not only was he being attacked for no reason, but now he was being mocked as well. "Listen to me, you weirdo! I don't know who you are or why you're doing this, but you better stop playing games already and tell me what your damn problem is!"
His aggressor remained silent and continued to smile despite everything. He didn't even seem aware that Naruto was pressing his kunai against the blade of his tantō, having little trouble keeping it away from him. "You're quite weak," he said calmly. "I bet it's because you don't have a penis,"
…
"H-H-Huh?" For a moment, Naruto was too stunned to react. Out of all the insults and offenses he had heard during a confrontation, this was by far the weirdest of them all. The flat tone of voice, the reference to his manhood, the fact that it was said with a smile, everything about it was bizarre. The Kyūbi Jinchūriki couldn't even think of a proper comeback for a remark like that, not that there really was one to begin with. "D-Didn't you hear me? I said stop playing games already!"
"As you wish. I believe I've seen enough," With his free hand, the mysterious ninja threw a smoke bomb at his feet seconds before Shikamaru's shadow could reach him. Naruto lost his balance, but he managed to jump away from the smoke and grab a second kunai. It did him no good, however, as by the time he caught sight of him, his opponent was already disappearing in a swirl of ink. "We'll meet again soon, Naruto-kun,"
|The next day, Konoha Hospital|
Upon their return to the village, Kakashi was taken to the hospital, a place he had never grown accustomed to despite the numerous occasions in which he had ended up there throughout his career. Many doctors and nurses saw him as somewhat of a recurrent guest by now, so none of them batted an eye whenever they saw the famous Copy Ninja bedridden in one of the facility rooms. In fact, they even noticed it when Kakashi hadn't been in the hospital past a certain period of time, and only then did they start to worry about him. It was kind of contradictory, but Kakashi was a special individual in his own right and the medical staff was very much aware of it.
As for the man in question, Kakashi just wasn't into hospitals. He put up with them only out of necessity, and to be fair, he did plenty of things that awarded him a trip to the infirmary, such as performing jutsus that nearly depleted all of his chakra reserves and other occupational hazards of similar fashion. One might think that a man who held the reputation of being the laziest Jounin in the village (which was nothing but a dirty calumny that Kakashi took offense to; It wasn't his fault that everyone else was so bad at finding leisure time) would enjoy spending his days of mandatory rest in bed, with qualified people that took care of him.
That was the problem in his case. After losing his father, Kakashi had been forced to look after himself by himself, and despite the regrettable circumstances that brought forth this inevitable responsibility, the young Hatake proved equal to the challenge. He remembered how fairly independent he was as a kid even before his father's passing. Whether it was hardheadedness or habit, the silver-haired Jounin felt more at ease tending to his own needs.
If he had just gone through surgery and could barely lift a finger, then sure, Kakashi would accept and appreciate the help in those sorts of situations. But if he was able to move around and perform basic daily tasks in spite of his weary body, why shouldn't he be allowed to complete his mandatory rest in the privacy of his domicile? He'd accomplished missions in which he had to slip into enemy territory and live off the land for weeks; surely he could handle resting in his own small apartment for a few days.
That being said, Kakashi's current stay at the hospital was shaping up to be one of the worst ones he had ever gone through thus far, and there was a reason for that. A big, wrinkly, and overall unattractive reason…
"… And that concludes your checkup of the day. It seems that you'll be fully recovered in no time. Of course, that doesn't surprise me one bit. With the proper assistance, a healthy young man should have no problem getting his strength back, especially one that takes good care of his body. It's only natural for a shinobi to want to stay fit, but if I'm being honest, you're in better shape than most. I suppose you must work hard every day to maintain such a physique,"
"W-Well, thanks. You're too kind," Kakashi replied, squirming beneath the blankets of his bed as the woman at his side kept her eyes glued to him, staring at the Jounin the way a hungry dog would stare at a wagon full of fresh meat.
As per usual, Kakashi had a nurse assigned to him by the hospital to make sure his treatment went smoothly. To the Hatake's misfortune, the hospital decided to entrust this task to Aya, a seasoned nurse who for some reason was enthralled by Kakashi from the moment she first walked into the room. Short, robust, and with a wart on her corpulent nose, Aya was about as physically attractive as one of those oversized toads that Kakashi had seen Jiraiya talking to once or twice.
To be clear, Kakashi wasn't as shallow as to judge others solely based on their appearance. He had seen far ghastlier sights than that of an ugly woman, and he didn't expect every nurse in the precinct to look like a female character straight out of one of his favorite adult novels (even though that definitely would've helped Kakashi get over his aversion towards hospitals). However, Aya was so incessantly creepy and dropped so many lecherous remarks that it was impossible for him not to feel uncomfortable whenever she was around. Even the younger and prettier nurses that had taken a liking to him in the past had refrained themselves from expressing their interest so inappropriately.
"Now then, is there anything else I can do for you, Kakashi-san?" Aya asked, flapping her eyelashes so fast that Kakashi could detect a minuscule breeze touching his face. "Maybe you'd like a lower-body massage. Your leg muscles must feel stiff after lying in bed for so long. Or perhaps you need help going to the bathroom. Oh, don't be embarrassed, my patients require assistance with that all the time. As a professional, I'm quite used to it, so don't worry about me,"
'I'd sooner ask Gai to help me instead,' Kakashi thought. With him, at least Kakashi would have the certainty that he wouldn't be taken advantage of in the process. "Again, thank you, but I'm a bit tired. I think I'll just catch some sleep before lunch. Tsunade-sama said I needed plenty of rest and it would be unwise of me to go against her recommendation,"
"Ah, yes, Tsunade-sama did say that. Well, in that case, I'll make sure no one disturbs you in the meantime. Have sweet dreams, Kakashi-san, and don't hesitate to call for me should anything happen,"
Aya then began making her way to the door, swaying her hips in a way that made him shudder in disgust. She even had the indecency to wink at him before closing the door and leaving his sight for good, although it took Kakashi a bit of time before he stopped feeling as if there was a predator still lurking about. 'I swear, If I ever have that woman as my designated nurse again, I'll take a leaf out of Naruto's book and escape from this place, even if that means taking heat from Tsunade-sama herself,'
"It's reassuring to know that you're in such good hands, sensei," Kakashi, who was still skittish after dealing with Aya and her unwanted advances, didn't notice his student's presence until he spoke. Shujinko was sitting on the sill of the window, which the Jounin liked to keep open during the day. Seeing the slightly perplexed look on his sensei's face, the Ozuma was cheeky enough to make a greeting gesture with his hand just like Kakashi usually did, even imitating his voice. "Yo,"
"… Is that supposed to be me? I don't sound like that,"
"I've been hearing your voice on a regular basis for the last three years or so. You totally sound like that,"
Kakashi crossed his arms and arched his right eyebrow, keeping his Sharingan eye closed while sending a look of exaggerated disapproval with his other eye. "Well, that's not very nice. Did you come here just to poke fun at your poor sensei after all he's done for you?" 'And besides, dropping off unannounced and entering someone's room through the window? I thought that was my shtick,'
"Come on sensei, don't be so sensitive. I'm supposed to meet up with Naruto and Sakura in half an hour, but since you won't be joining us on this mission, I wanted to see how you were doing before I leave the village," Shujinko said as he got off the sill and stepped into the room, revealing a takeaway food box in his left hand. "Also, I know how much you don't like the stuff that they serve here, so I got you a little something. The lady at the reception said I wasn't allowed to bring food that didn't come from the hospital, but since I had already bought it and didn't feel like throwing it away, I decided that some sneaking around was in order. It's not like I climbed my way up to your window for fun,"
The golden-eyed teenager handed the box over to his sensei. Instead of opening it to see what was inside, he held the box close to his face and gave it two sniffs like a canine. "Let me guess: Tamagoyaki with some soy sauce, correct?" he asked, to which Shujinko nodded with an amused smile. "Thank you, Shujinko. By the way, have I mentioned that you're my favorite student?"
"I've been your only student for some time now. The competition wasn't exactly fierce,"
The pair of Jounins shared a good chuckle, enjoying a brief, but warm moment during which they felt less like student and teacher, and more like two friends. Shujinko would forever see Kakashi as his sensei, even if they both managed to live long enough to grow old, but it was nice to drop the formalities every now and then. Once the laughter died down, the Ozuma took a deep breath and adopted a slightly more serious attitude.
"Forgive me if I'm coming off as pushy, but given that I don't have much time, I'd appreciate it if I could ask you about something and receive a straightforward answer in return,"
Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Well, seeing as you brought me snacks and I have nothing better to do, I suppose I can't say no to you. Alright then, ask away,"
"Back when we ran into the Akatsuki, you made use of a strange jutsu at some point. You called it Kamui, and with the Kamui, you managed to slice Deidara's arm off from afar. I forgot some of it, but when you explained to me the simple version of what the Kamui is, I remember how you said it was a jutsu that derived from your Sharingan," Shujinko said, and Kakashi nodded his head as a way to ratify his student's words. "I'd like to know more about it. How can the Sharingan give you such an unbelievably powerful ability like that? Is it a jutsu anyone with a Sharingan can master?"
Letting out a sigh, Kakashi left the box of tamagoyaki on the nightstand and got into a sitting position without leaving his bed, getting himself comfortable before starting a conversation that promised to be both long and dense. "First and foremost, you must understand that not everything of what I'm about to tell you is factual or corroborated by evidence. There are some things that I'm sure of, but others are mere conjectures of mine based on personal experiences, and I might not have the answers to all of your questions," the silver-haired Jounin began to say. "Now, in order for you to understand what the Kamui is, we have to take a step back and talk about where it comes from,"
Shujinko raised his eyebrows ever so slightly. "Where it comes from?" he asked as he pulled out a chair and took a seat, for he had a feeling that this was going to take a while. "You said it yourself, sensei. It derives from your Sharingan,"
"Objectively speaking, yes, that is indeed the case. However, there is an intermediate link between the Sharingan as you know it and the Kamui. This link is what you may describe as the next stage of the ordinary Sharingan: The Mangekyō Sharingan,"
000
As he made his way to the rendezvous point where Naruto and Sakura were waiting for him, Shujinko's brain was still processing the information that Kakashi had disclosed. It was fair to say that he had ended up learning a lot more than what he had originally intended to when he decided to pay his sensei a visit, and although this knowledge undoubtedly benefited the young Jounin, it didn't make it any easier to digest.
Prior to this meeting, the Ozuma used to think that he was quite familiarized with the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan, having seen firsthand what people like Sasuke, Itachi, and Kakashi were capable of. In fact, during his three years of training, he often requested his sensei to use the Sharingan on him, hoping to learn how to counter someone who could predict his every move, copy any of his jutsus, and place him under Genjutsu with a single glance. It was grueling, bitter work, but with time and persistency (as well as a few tips that Gai was kind enough to give him), Shujinko's understanding of the Sharingan eventually reached a point where he believed he knew practically everything there was to know about said Dōjutsu… up until today, that is.
'The Mangekyō Sharingan…'
Shujinko had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that there was an upgraded version of the ordinary Sharingan and that his very own sensei had somehow unlocked it. According to Kakashi, the Mangekyō not only maintained the same abilities as its predecessor, but it also gave him access to a new one. In the case of the Copy Ninja, it was the Kamui. With the Kamui, Kakashi was able to create a barrier space around any target within a reasonable distance. That space barrier was akin to a portal that pulled and suctioned matter, which was how Deidara ended up losing his arm without him being able to do anything about it.
Of all the jutsus he had learned, practiced, researched, witnessed in action, and simply heard of, this one was perhaps the deadliest amongst them as far as the young Jounin was aware. Compared to the Kamui, techniques such as Naruto's Rasengan, Sasuke's Chidori, and Shujinko's own Kazekiri were like child's play. Regardless, Kakashi explained in no uncertain terms that neither the Kamui nor the Mangekyō Sharingan came without risks. A single use of the Kamui consumed a substantial amount of chakra, which could go up depending on the size of the target and how much of it Kakashi intended to absorb. Furthermore, utilizing the Mangekyō Sharingan always caused a great deal of physical pain, to the extent that not even Kakashi's body could handle it past a certain point.
"It seems you have learned a great deal about the Mangekyō Sharingan from our brief encounter. I did not expect any less from you, Kakashi-san,"
"Believe me, that's not the only thing I've learned. I wonder, Itachi… How much damage has it already been done to your eyes?"
That fragment of the conversation between his sensei and the fake Itachi made a whole lot more sense now. While they were discussing the topic, Kakashi admitted that the vision in his left eye worsened every time he employed the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, which was why he was so hesitant about using it. Upon hearing this, Shujinko realized that the Kamui wasn't just an almighty technique that had its own onerous drawbacks. It was a Kinjutsu, one that deteriorated Kakashi's ocular globe and that would eventually cost him half of his sight.
'There's no doubt that Itachi possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan, which means he's been going blind ever since he acquired it, but what about Sasuke?' Shujinko wondered, feeling uneasy just thinking about it. If his former comrade had somehow managed to awaken the same eyes as his brother, then he was an even bigger threat than what Shujinko already imagined him to be.
"Huh? What in the…"
Upon arriving at the building where the members of Team Kakashi were supposed to meet, Shujinko immediately recognized his two teammates outside. What surprised him, however, was seeing Naruto pointing a kunai at another guy that was there, who was also ready to unsheathe a blade of his own. Sakura's body posture seemed to indicate she didn't know what was going on, and although Shujinko was even more clueless about the situation, watching people with their weapons out was rarely a good sign of anything.
The Jounin raised two fingers and performed a swift Shunshin that took him to the middle of the scene, placing himself right in front of Naruto. "Shujinko!" Sakura shouted, slightly taken aback by her friend's sudden entrance. Naruto was caught off guard by this as well, but not enough to lower his kunai or forget about who had caused him to draw it in the first place.
"What's going on here?" the young Jounin asked, hoping that his presence would discourage both parties from making a move. He directed his gaze at the other individual, and while Shujinko didn't know the face of every single person from his village, he was still a bit surprised that he didn't recall ever seeing this guy before, especially since he was acquainted with most ninjas who were about his age. "And who might you be?"
"I'll tell you who he is! He's a dangerous lunatic who has it out for me!" Naruto replied as he took a step forward, only for the Ozuma to grab him by the shoulder and pull him back using the minimum amount of force that was necessary. "I was talking to Shikamaru and Chōji the other day when this bozo showed up out of nowhere and tried to attack us for no reason!"
"Is that true? You started an unprovoked fight with my teammate and our friends?" Shujinko asked, receiving nothing but silence on behalf of the milk-pale teen, who had yet to let go of the handle of his tantō. At this point, Shujinko was about to reach for his kunai, since it didn't seem as though talking things out would get them anywhere. "I'll take that as a yes, then. Whatever your intentions were, you do realize there are consequences for what you did, right? No one ambushes his fellow comrades like that and gets off scot-free,"
"Now, now, this is no way to begin our first day together,"
From behind one of the pillars of the building entrance walked out another ninja, one that Shujinko also failed to recognize. It was a man who was about ten years older than him, maybe more, with short brown hair and big eyes shaped like almonds. He wore the standard Konohagakure shinobi uniform, though instead of a regular headband, he donned a happuri with the symbol of Konoha at the center of the forehead. He seemed friendly enough, or at least he didn't look like he was there to create more problems.
Naruto, who was already upset and agitated, didn't take very kindly to the stranger's intromission, "Hey mister, do us a favor and take a hike. This is none of your business,"
"I beg to differ. Please settle down and listen to me," the man said calmly, though the tone of his voice lacked even a hint of hesitation. "My name is Yamato. Tsunade-sama asked me to fill in as captain of your team while Kakashi-san is at the hospital. Having made that clear, I'd appreciate it if all of you could put away your weapons, and if you don't want to agree to such a simple request, then consider it an order from your captain. That goes for you too, Sai,"
The quiet young man now identified as Sai did as told right away while Naruto was more reluctant about it. He exchanged glances with Shujinko and Sakura, and the two of them gestured for him to comply, which he ultimately did. Once Naruto placed his kunai back inside its holster, Sai closed his eyes and gave them a smile that could only be described as fabricated, as if he was trying to imitate a facial expression he had recently just discovered. "Good morning, Naruto-san, Sakura-san, Shujinko-san. My name is Sai. I am pleased to make your formal acquaintance,"
The three former classmates looked at each other in confusion, feeling disconcerted by Sai's sudden change of attitude more than anything else, although his creepy smile definitely didn't help. Feeling that the atmosphere around them had gotten a little less antagonistic, Sakura decided to speak up. "Well, now that you've introduced yourself, would you care to explain what happened between you and Naruto and what made you do it? I think we all deserve an answer for that,"
"Most certainly. You see, I already knew that Naruto-san and I would be teaming up, so I wanted to test his skills by inciting a confrontation. That was the only reason behind it," Sai replied. "I apologize if the altercation was too much for Naruto-san to handle. Had I known beforehand that I was dealing with a cockless weakling, I can assure you that I would have gone easier on him,"
…
"THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY!?" Naruto bellowed, jumping and kicking the air while Shujinko and Sakura did their best to restrain him from behind. "LET ME GO! I'LL TURN THIS BASTARD INTO A BLOODY SACK OF MEAT! ONCE I'M DONE WITH YOU, I'M GONNA SWEEP THE FLOOR WITH YOUR PALE ASS, YOU DAMN JERK! GO ON, MAKE A MOVE, I'M RIGHT HERE!"
…
…
…
After ten minutes of struggling, pulling, and hurling insults and death threats at the top of his lungs, Naruto finally calmed down enough for Shujinko and Sakura to unhand their friend, though they could still feel the rage oozing out of his body like heat from a radiator. Knowing the kind of temper he had, it was naïve to think that the Uzumaki wasn't going to let his emotions get the better of him a second time, which was why the golden-eyed teen preferred to stay close to his teammate in case another murder attempt ensued.
'What's this guy's problem?' Shujinko thought, glancing in Sai's general direction with a frown. He couldn't find an explanation for why would somebody behave so impolitely toward Naruto while acting as if he wasn't aware of what he was doing. It was hard to tell what was going on inside his head when that weird smile of his kept getting on Shujinko's nerves, especially since Sai refused to drop it despite how awkward it came across. Furthermore, his choice of words when berating Naruto was both strange and inelegant, to say the least. 'I mean, cockless weakling? Who even comes up with something like that?'
Yamato, who had remained silent for the duration of Naruto's outburst, cleared his throat loudly enough to gain everyone's attention. "Alright, it appears that some of you started out on the wrong foot, but we shouldn't let that stop us from getting along. Let's try this again, shall we? I am Yamato, Team Kakashi's provisory captain. What are your names?"
"Ozuma Shujinko,"
"Haruno Sakura,"
"Sai,"
"… Uzumaki Naruto,"
"Excellent. Now that we've all introduced ourselves properly, allow me to explain in detail what our mission is about. We've been made aware that there's a spy amongst Orochimaru's collaborators. There's no way of knowing how long this arrangement has been going on, but this spy has been supplying intel to the Akatsuki through his contact in the organization, the now fallen Sasori. Sasori was supposed to meet this spy at the Tenchi Bridge in a few days' time, but given that he's not around anymore, we can go in his stead. This is a golden opportunity to acquire information regarding the Akatsuki and Orochimaru, one that we cannot let slip past. If we're lucky, we might even discover where Uchiha Sasuke currently is. Our orders are clear: We must capture and bring Sasori's spy to the village alive,"
|Five hours later|
Shujinko had always enjoyed traveling through the countryside, especially whenever he got the chance to simply walk at a comfortable pace, fill his lungs with clear, pure air, and take in the sights around him before he inevitably passed them by. The territory of Hi no Kuni was home to a rich ecosystem predominately occupied by forests, but that didn't mean there were only trees, trees, and more trees for miles on end. If you knew where to search for them, or if you went looking around long enough, one could find vast rivers full of game, mountains that took your breath away, and valleys that were little less than hypnotizing.
During the missions in which he had to make his way across dull prairies and stale meadows that offered no sceneries worthy of a painting, the brown-haired teen made the most out of these situations by chatting with Kakashi on the march. He would ask him questions, make a handful of observations, and just say whatever he wanted to say. His sensei was more of a listener than a talker, and during their training sessions, he generally avoided discussing topics that had little or nothing to do with what they were doing. But when they were on the road, Kakashi seemed to experience a slight adjustment of attitude that made him more open to dialogue. Through these instances, Shujinko had gotten to know him better over the years, which was more rewarding than gazing upon any landscape he could encounter.
All in all, unless he was in a hurry or in another situation that required him to act fast, the Ozuma appreciated the time he spent outdoors, time that he used either engaging in meaningful conversations or admiring the surrounding views…
…Unfortunately for Shujinko, he couldn't do either of the two on this occasion, mainly due to the ongoing bickering between his teammates.
"The next time you stare at me like that, I will punch you square in the face," Sai said all of a sudden.
"Oh, really? Go ahead and try it. I'll just punch you right back and knock your lights out," Naruto replied without skipping a beat, glaring daggers at him. "Also, the only reason I'm staring at you is because of how stupid you look. Other than that, there's nothing special about you, nothing at all,"
"Looking stupid is preferable to behaving stupidly. You are living proof of that,"
"And you're a lousy creep who can't keep his mouth shut,"
Shujinko let out a tired sigh without even bothering to conceal it in the slightest. Rather than being on a highly important mission, he felt as though he was on a camping trip joined by a pair of obnoxious brats, namely Naruto and Sai. The only sort of interaction those two were capable of sharing was limited to derogatory remarks and menacing warnings, and they had been going at it for hours now. At this point, the brown-haired teen had given up on trying to start a normal conversation with Sakura and Yamato, for every time he did, it always got interrupted by one of his male companions talking crap to the other.
"Naruto, stop paying attention to Sai. Just ignore him and focus on the mission," Shujinko said, hoping that his words wouldn't cause his teammate to grow more frustrated than he already was. "Once we're back in the village after completing our assignment, you two can duke it out and punch each other to your heart's content. Until then, we need to stick together as members of Team Kakashi. Isn't that so, Sakura?"
Just as the student of the Godaime Hokage opened her mouth to reply, she was vehemently interrupted by the Kyūbi Jinchūriki. "That's right Shujinko, you said it yourself!" he exclaimed as the squad came to a halt. Yamato, who was at the forefront of the group, turned around to see Naruto with a nasty scowl on his face, pointing his index finger at Sai. "The members of Team Kakashi have to stick together, which means this weirdo can go pound sand. I don't care that he got assigned to our team. We didn't need his help when the Akatsuki kidnapped Gaara, so why would we need it now?"
"Because that's what has been decided. It begins and ends there," Yamato interjected. "Listen up, everyone. I may not be your sensei, but as the captain of this team, I demand you put a stop to this nonsense. Sai, I ignore what is it that compels you to antagonize Naruto, but it serves no purpose and it's not appreciated, so give it a rest already. And you Naruto, have you forgotten everything that Kakashi-san has taught you? Being able to cooperate with others in your team isn't just a skill, it's a necessity. I refuse to believe Kakashi-san never told you this. Now lose the attitude and start showing the conduct that any student under his tutelage ought to have,"
The Uzumaki scoffed at that as he continued glaring at Sai with eyes full of disdain. "Give me a break. This guy is just a replacement, a substitute for somebody else, and a lame one at that. Our real teammate is and always will be Uchiha Sasuke, not this douchebag who's nothing like him!"
…
"… In that case, I am glad," Sai responded, narrowing his eyes just a tiny bit while his facial features hardened, though his lips were still twisted in the same enigmatic smile as ever. "I am glad that you do not perceive me the way you perceive Uchiha Sasuke, the backstabbing cockroach that abandoned our village for his own selfish motives. The fact that you seem to condone his treachery is beyond me, but nevertheless, I have no desire to be viewed in the same light as your former teammate, a rotten and detestable piece of trash,"
"That does it! You're getting your ass kicked here and now!" Shujinko was ready to intervene, but Sakura reacted first. She placed herself in front of Naruto with her back turned to him and her arms spread out, stopping him right in his tracks.
"Naruto, that's enough. We don't have time for this," the kunoichi said. "The mission comes first, and all this in-fighting isn't helping us in the least," Naruto stared at the Haruno with a look of utter bewilderment. Even Shujinko was fairly surprised himself, for despite how much Sakura had grown and matured since her Genin days, he knew how much pain she had to put up with after Sasuke left, and the wound certainly hadn't healed yet. "Sai, I'm asking you to please forgive Naruto. It hasn't been easy for him to get over what happened with Sasuke. He doesn't know you all that well, so he just said too much,"
"Do not worry, it is of no importance," Sai assured her.
"Good, I'm glad to hear you say that…"
…
WOOOSH
Sai jumped back, a reaction caused by Sakura attempting to hit him out of the blue. She would've succeeded had it not been for Shujinko, who saw the Chunin curling her hand into a fist seconds before she tried to throw a punch. Shujinko got behind her and countered the attack by locking his right elbow pit with Sakura's while grabbing her left wrist with his free hand, denying his female teammate the use of her arms. "The hell do you think you're doing, Sakura? Are you out of your damn mind or what?"
"Let go of me!" the pink-haired girl protested, but even when Naruto chimed in and demanded him to unhand Sakura at once, the Ozuma refused to listen to them. He felt bad for what he was doing to Sakura, a person he was close to, yet he was far more ashamed of the disgraceful behavior that his two friends were displaying during a mission and right in front of their team captain no less. Sai remained as quiet as a rock throughout the altercation, watching Sakura with great interest as she struggled to break free of the Jounin's grip.
Fearing that his grasp might slip at any moment, Shujinko spun around while holding Sakura until the two of them were facing the opposite direction and then released her. The kunoichi stumbled for a bit before she regained her balance and turned around, now standing next to Naruto. The students of Jiraiya and Tsunade were angry as well as dumbfounded by what Shujinko had done just now, unable to understand how could he defend Sai and his big mouth after the way he had insulted Sasuke.
"Sai, if there's anything you wanna say right now, shut up and wait until we're finished here," Shujinko ordered, glancing over his shoulder at the social misfit behind him. His gaze then fell on his other two teammates, who were taken aback by the severity of his countenance and the intensity of his glare. "Naruto, Sakura, I don't know what's causing you to act this way, but I shouldn't have to tell you not to behave like this during a mission, let alone an S-rank one. It's unacceptable, and frankly, I'm disappointed. Sai being an asshole doesn't mean you get to pick up a fight with him or anyone on your own team. Now knock it off, because Yamato-taicho and I are sick of this stupid squabble you have going on,"
Shujinko's reprimand was met with no immediate response. All eyes were now on him, including those of Tenzō, who wanted to check how this interaction in particular went. Prior to being assigned to this mission and receiving the codename 'Yamato', Tenzō had already heard of Shujinko due to him being the student of none other than Hatake Kakashi. After he became a member of ANBU, Tenzō spent years working under the leadership of the feared Copy Ninja, for whom he still had a lot of respect. Therefore, instead of intervening right away, he decided to wait a little longer in order to see how much the boy took after his sensei.
It wasn't long before Naruto found his voice again. "Unacceptable? You siding with that blanched turd, that's what's unacceptable!" he retorted as his eyes clashed with Shujinko's like sapphires against yellow tourmalines. "How can you defend him? Didn't you listen to what he said about Sasuke?"
"I sure did, and guess what. Sai can have his own opinion on the matter whether you like it or not. So what if he thinks poorly of Sasuke? Is that so outrageous? It's not as if Sasuke deserves to be praised for what he did,"
"That might be true, but even so…" Sakura made a fist and pointed at Sai with her other hand, snarling like a stray dog. "… This guy has no business whatsoever badmouthing Sasuke-kun! He wasn't there when Sasuke-kun left the village or before that happened, so he doesn't know what drove him to make that decision or what he means to us! That's why I refuse to put up with any remarks this jackass makes about him, no matter how many times he flashes that stupid little smile of his! I won't take it, not from him!"
"Fine, then take it from a member of Team 7, somebody who was there from the beginning," Shujinko raised his tone while resentment seeped into his voice. He could feel his heart beating faster than normal, so he took several breaths to calm down. His teammates had already shown quite a lack of emotional restrain in this mission and Shujinko didn't want to imitate them. "It's an undeniable fact that Sasuke abandoned Konohagakure and went to Orochimaru searching for power. That makes him a rogue ninja, a criminal, and a traitor. He knew what the consequences of his actions would be and he accepted them. As his teammate, I admit that what he did hurt me deeply, but that doesn't stop me from seeing his actions for what they really are. What keeps you from doing the same?"
Naruto was seething with ire, so much so that he could feel the veins on his temple growing thicker, palpitating underneath the cloth of his headband. Being paired with Sai and dealing with his hostile, creepy attitude had already drained him of his patience. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to knock his teeth off. Shujinko preventing Sakura from decking the bastard only contributed to the Uzumaki's annoyance. Mission or not, Sai had crossed the line with those comments he made about Sasuke, referring to him in such derogatory terms.
But seeing Shujinko, his own teammate, sticking up for Sai and hearing him call Sasuke things like criminal and traitor was more than what Naruto could handle. It hurt and angered him in equal measure. What irritated Naruto the most was that, as a member of Team 7, Shujinko did have some authority to speak on the matter, which added more salt to the wound that Sasuke's departure had opened. Yes, it was wrong of the Uchiha to leave the village. He committed a stupid and selfish mistake, but that didn't make him a monster or a being full of evil. It made him a friend in need.
"Hate me if you want, but Sasuke is neither a comrade nor a teammate of mine anymore, and he's certainly not my friend," Shujinko declared with finality, and although he felt he had said enough, he decided to speak his mind one more time as to erase any remaining doubts. "Just like we are nothing to him, he is nothing to me now. Nothing,"
"That's it!" Naruto shouted as he began to approach the Ozuma with visibly aggressive intentions. "I'm done listening to this crap!"
"Mokuton: Shichūrō no Jutsu,"
Before the Kyūbi Jinchūriki could get close enough to even touch Shujinko, the earth beneath their feet suddenly started trembling. Seconds later, several pillars of timber sprung up from the ground and moved around them rapidly, adopting a rectangular shape. By the time they realized what was going on, every member of Team Kakashi except for Yamato ended up trapped inside a wooden cage like inmates in a jail cell. Under the impression that this was an enemy ambush, Shujinko moved to the center of the cage and tried to spot the caster of the jutsu, only to find Yamato standing outside holding the Snake hand sign.
"Sorry for doing this, but since you're so adamant about behaving like children, I have no option but to treat you as such and put all of you in timeout. There are a few things I'd like to make clear to you, so settle down and be quiet,"
Shujinko let out a shaky sigh, feeling a whole lot calmer now that he knew this was all Yamato's doing and that they weren't in any real danger. With his body and mind no longer in alert mode, the Jounin finally noticed something that would've otherwise caught his attention from the beginning. 'Mokuton? That's no ordinary Ninjutsu,' he thought as he went to grab one of the pillars, checking its density. 'Doesn't feel like normal wood. It's more solid. This Mokuton is probably a Kekkei Genkai like the one Haku had, but if so…'
"I'm well aware of what happened between you guys and Sasuke. You have my sympathy for that. Even so, this is a mission we're on, and from what I've seen so far, we might as well call it quits right now since you can't seem to get your act together. Don't forget this is the Akatsuki we're dealing with. There's no point moving forward if our teamwork is this deficient, but fortunately for you, I believe in second chances," Yamato said. "As the captain of this team, here's my proposition: We can return to the village and have Tsunade-sama send another team in our place to do the job, or you can put your differences aside and do whatever it takes to make this work. Now then, what will it be?"
The stern way in which Yamato was talking to them, coupled with a demonstration of force, was enough to get Naruto and Sakura to listen to him. The threat of canceling the mission, thus denying them the opportunity to learn where Sasuke was, made them swallow their anger. Even if Yamato was bluffing, which the Ozuma doubted that he was, they didn't want to risk getting sent back to Konohagakure with their hands empty. As for Shujinko, he had no real reason or motive to find Sasuke when his objective was to capture Akatsuki's spy, but he was determined to see this mission through to the end, so there was nothing he wanted to argue with his captain about. Sai appeared to be fine with everything, probably because he was too oblivious to realize he was the one who was getting Naruto and Sakura riled up in the first place.
The expression on Yamato's face grew softer once he noticed his underlings had cooled off. "Since I'm feeling generous today, let me sweeten the deal. There's an inn on the wayside not far from here, a big fancy one. It even has hot springs that are excellent for washing off one's hours of travel. If you promise to cooperate with one another from here on, we can spend the night there instead of camping. Naturally, as your senior, I'll cover the expenses,"
… Well, Shujinko wasn't going to say no to that.
After a brief moment of consideration, it was unanimously decided that they would continue the mission under the conditions that Yamato had imposed. Yamato undid the jutsu and Team Kakashi was on its way once again, surrounded by awkwardness and animosity, but at least without making any further scandal. As they were walking, Sai looked at Sakura, who was with Naruto a few feet apart from him.
"That smile of yours from earlier… I must say it had me fooled,"
Although the Haruno was planning on giving Sai the cold shoulder, his comment was too strange for her to brush off. "What do you mean?"
"Right before you attempted to hit me, you were smiling. It looked quite genuine, so I fell for it. According to a book I once read, a smile can be used to express affection and to make those around you feel assured, but it never occurred to me that a smile could have other applications as well, even a fake one. It is a tool more versatile than I first thought. For some reason, it seems that I cannot get it right whenever I try to smile, but I will bear in mind what you have just shown me,"
"… Whatever,"
Aaaaaaaaaaand that was chapter 11. Hope you all liked it.
Boy, it sure has been a while, hasn't it? As I previously explained, the reason why it has taken me so long to update this story is that I basically had to start all over again when I struck a major writer's block. Alas, chapter 11 is finally here and the Tenchi Bridge arc has officially started.
I do hope you enjoyed Kakashi's scene in the hospital with the creepy nurse, as well as his student-sensei moment with Shujinko right after. He's been training him for over three years now, so it only makes sense that their relationship has become warmer and a bit less formal.
Since this is Sai's introduction, he obviously needed to have his fair share of screen time in this chapter. Not gonna lie, writing him is a bit of a pain in the ass due to how repetitive his social ineptitude comes across. I hope I get better at it because he's gonna be very present in the next chapters. Also, I would like to know how my interpretation of Yamato's character was. I think I portrayed him accurately for the most part while also giving him a bit more dialogue.
To me, the highlight of this chapter was Shujinko's public denouncement of Sasuke, letting everyone in his team know that he has cut ties with him. It always pissed me off how triggered Naruto and Sakura got whenever somebody brought up what Sasuke did. I'm not saying that Sasuke had no motives to leave the village nor am I trying to bash his character, but I don't recall Naruto or Sakura ever even acknowledging the fact that Sasuke did a bad thing. They occasionally remind me of those parents that see nothing wrong with their obnoxious mess of a child and that will lash out if anyone dares to point out their kid's flaws and misbehavior.
Glossary:
Ninpō: Chōoni Giga – Ninja Art: Super Demon Scroll
Baika no Jutsu – Expansion Jutsu
Ninpō: Chōjū Giga – Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll
Ninpō: Kage Nui no Jutsu – Ninja Art: Shadow Stitching Jutsu
Shunshin no Jutsu – Teleportation Jutsu
Mokuton: Shichūrō no Jutsu – Wood Style: Four Pillar Prison Jutsu
Don't forget to Review, Favorite & Follow
Ja ne!
