4
C-Rank… SIKE N*BBA YOU THOUGHT
The two teams and one client walked in relative silence. I say relative because Naruto couldn't keep his fucking mouth shut for two minutes. I massaged my temples and sighed.
"Naruto…" I said exasperatedly.
"Yeah?" he asked immediately, shutting his mouth about whatever useless topic he was rambling on about and looking at me.
"Can you please shut the hell up?" I asked amicably.
"HAH!?" he responded right away. "You wanna go, teme?"
Oh, this idiot. I swear I'm gonna actually throttle him. "No, ya idiot," I said. "I just want some silence so that I can think about some things," I pleaded.
"What things?" Naruto asked, scrunching his brow.
Uh… What do I say? What can I possibly say to make him quiet?
"Things like why Itachi killed my whole clan."
All the shinobi's eyes shot towards me for a second. As I expected, this was quite a heavy topic and even Naruto knew not to make light of it.
"O-Oh," he said, looking downtrodden.
"Yeah…" I said expressionlessly. "Don't worry about it too much, though. I'm mostly over it. I just don't understand my brother's reasons." I looked over at Naruto and smiled. "How about you help me think, hm? I know for a fact that you usually think outside the box."
"Uh…" Naruto gaped before his brain finally caught up to what I was saying. "Y-yeah! Sure! I'll help!"
"Awesome!" I said far more cheerfully than I should've. Heh, it was so much fun creeping them out. "Now, I'm assuming you don't know what happened, right?"
"Uh-huh," Naruto agreed.
"Alright, so basically, I was going home from the academy, right?" As I began, Kakashi, Sakura, and the entirety of Team Gai also listened in attentively. "And I entered the Uchiha clan district at night and like, all the lights and everything was off, so I was like 'oh everyone is asleep', but then I realized it was too early for that which made me confused." As I talked more, the memories came back to me. "Ah, shit," I cursed clutching my head as a sharp headache hit me.
"Sasuke/Sasuke-kun!" Naruto and Sakura's voice called out at the same time as they rushed to me.
"I'm fine. Just a light headache," I said, waving their concerns away. "Anyway, as I was saying, I kept running through the clan district and when I turned a street, all I saw were bodies lying left, right, and center. I checked each and every one of them while running to my house. Everyone was dead," I paused after that, a heavy atmosphere settling on the group. "I made it to my house and opened my parents' bedroom door and… all I saw was Itachi standing over my parents' dead bodies. I, like the dumbass I was, tried to rush him and push him away. He kicked me away all the way to the wall and strangled me while he looked into my eyes with his sharingan."
"Oh, you mean that special eye like you have?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Yep," I answered. "Except, his was even more special," I said, making Kakashi also look at me with a raised eyebrow.
"How?" Naruto continued his questions.
"Well…" I trailed off, thinking how best to explain it. I guess it'd be best to just explain it to him as clearly as possible, right? I mean, I know that I'm supposed to keep this a secret so that I can have an advantage in fights but these are my comrades… so no point, right? "Do you know how the sharingan works?" I asked him to which he quickly shook his head. "How about you, Sakura?" I asked.
"Not really, Sasuke-kun," she said, also intrigued.
"Okay, so basically, these eyes," I said, activating them on reflex, "are also known as the eyes that reflect the heart. Every time I experience an intense emotion, I will... I guess you could say 'unlock' one more stage. You with me so far?"
"Uh-huh," Sakura replied chipperly.
While Naruto scratched his head. "So… like you have to be really, really, sad?" he asked.
"Yep. Or happy, or angry, or literally any emotions as long as it's so strong that it'll affect my brain in a drastic way."
"Oh," he said, nodding.
"Yep. So, first there's one tomoe, then two, then three in each eye. There are two types of abilities. One of the eyes is the 'Perceptive Eye' and the other is the 'Hypnotic Eye'. The Perceptive Eye can see chakra, copy movement, give photographic memory and the Hypnotic Eye is mainly used for genjutsu but also sometimes it can…" I paused for dramatic effect. "Predict the future," I said, waving my hands dramatically.
"HUH!?" Naruto, Sakura, and Tenten shouted in disbelief.
"That is an unfair advantage!" Lee also shouted from somewhere.
I chuckled at their reaction. "Okay, well not exactly, but I've still gotta figure that part out," I said, not wanting to give too much away. "Anyway, the sharingan that my brother had was a different kind. It was a level above the fully mature sharingan."
"Which one is that?" Naruto asked, voice filled with awe.
"It's called... the mangekyou sharingan," I said. Now I had the full attention of everyone in the group. "My brother told me that…" I started but once more a piercing headache slammed into me like a tank using a nitro boost. "AHHH!" I screamed as I fell to my knees, clutching my head. My head throbbed. The pain felt like someone had plunged a knife into my skull. All I knew was pain at that moment.
Distantly, I could make out Naruto and Sakura calling out my name. My eyes were clenched shut, tight enough for me to start seeing stars and outer space… Wait, no. That wasn't space! That was black spots! I was going unconscious! Shit! I felt pathetic! How the fuck was I gonna let myself be controlled by someone else!? I pulled my lips back into a snarl and opened my eyes. The pain all but ignored through sheer willpower. I could feel the power of the sharingan coursing through my veins as it activated. My fist clenched, hard as a rock and slammed into the ground. The other followed suit. My eyes were practically drilling holes into the ground with how hard I was staring in concentration. "Hoo," I exhaled and stood up shakily. I looked around to gain some sense of balance and saw that my teammates were surrounding me, ready to catch me if I fell. Even Kakashi was behind me, ready to administer whatever first aid he could with his sloppily copied iryojutsu.
"I feel like I just got hit by a tank with nitro boost," I said, trying to relieve some tension with humor. Sadly, my dumbass forgot that tanks and nitro boost didn't exist in this world.
"Huh? Like… a tank of water?" Naruto asked confusedly from beside me.
"Uh…" I said, still trying to shake off the phantom pains from my head. "Yeah. Yeah, that."
"What's a nitro boost?" Sakura asked from the other side of me.
"Just something I once dreamed off," I said, waving away her concerns.
"Do you need medical assistance?" Kakashi asked from behind me.
"Nah, I'm blessed. Thanks though," I answered. I was sure I'd be okay. "Continuing where I left off," I continued, "my brother told me that I'd have to hate him a lot for me to get those eyes and be as strong as him and that accumulating hate was the only way to-," and then I blacked out. Last thing I remembered was falling back and Kakashi catching me gently.
Huh… Even though I was an asshole to him, he still acted professionally. This guy's a really great shinobi.
...
"Oh, god…" I said as my eyes slowly fluttered open. From the bouncing sensation I felt, I knew I was being carried by someone. My eyes opened a bit more and silver hair came into view. "Oh, wassup Kakashi? How's life?" I asked.
"Not too bad right now, to be honest," Kakashi answered, playing along. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel fine for now," I said, leaning my head on his shoulder. "But right before I passed out, it felt like someone shot an arrow through my head. You can put me down though. I can walk."
"Hmm," he hummed and came to a stop, halting the rest of the party too. Kakashi lowered himself and I stepped off on wobbly legs.
"Thanks," I said.
"No problem. Do you think you can continue or should we cancel the mission?" Kakashi asked, genuine concern in his voice.
"Nah, I'll power through it," was my reply.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out and ran towards me with Naruto right behind her.
"Hey, teme, you okay?" Naruto asked.
Man, I've gotta make him stop calling me that.
"Yeah, I'm good, more or less. Anything cool happen while I was out?" I questioned.
Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other before Naruto spoke up. "Well… we got attacked by two ninjas."
I smirked and looked back at Kakashi. He stared back at me for a second before sighing. "I don't know how you knew," he said with a sharp look, "but you were correct. The client was lying about the mission rank. It has officially been upgraded to a B-rank and we have been given permission to continue."
I sighed. Of course, we had. Why did I even hope that we'd get called back? "Oh, well," I said with a shrug. "Nothing we can do now but follow orders, right?" I turned back to my teammates.
The confused look on their faces made me want to laugh my guts out. Why the fuck were these two so cute, dammit!? Naruto nodded slowly and Sakura replied, "yeah…"
"Anyway, we'll make camp here tonight," Kakashi said to the rest of the group that had halted.
As the tents were being set up and the fire was lit, Kakashi called on our team. He pointed at Naruto and me. "You two, go into the woods and try to find some food for the rest of us." Then he pointed at Sakura. "Sakura, you go start setting traps with Tenten around the perimeter."
"Hai, sensei!" Naruto and Sakura both chorused enthusiastically, whereas I replied with a more laid-back, "Aye, gotchu."
I started to walk off with my new best friend before stopping suddenly. "Yo, bossman," I called out and Kakashi looked at me with a confused face. "We got attacked by enemy ninja earlier, right?"
Kakashi nodded slowly. "Yes, we did."
"Right," I said. "So what if we get attacked again in the woods? By someone stronger this time?"
Kakashi eye-smiled. "I trust you to be able to protect yourself. And besides, Tazuna said those two were the only ones who were after him."
"..." I stared. Genius ninja MY ASS! Is this guy a fucking idiot!? Or does he just not give a damn about us? I tried to stay as calm as possible. "Okaaaaay. But he lied once, so what makes you think he won't lie again?"
Kakashi opened his mouth, then closed it, trying to think of an answer. "You know what," I said, waving his off. "Never mind. Forget I asked." No point in dragging this out. "Naruto," I turned to him. "Can you please send out like twenty to thirty shadow clones to scout and stand as sentries around us?" I asked.
"Uh…" he said, glancing at Kakashi who was now looking at me with bored eyes. "Sure."
"Great. That way if one pops because of an enemy attack, you will know and can then tell us," I explained."
"Huh?" he asked. "How would I know?"
I turned to him. Did this idiot really just… OH WAIT! He didn't know about this ability yet! I turned back to Kakashi with the most 'bro what the actual shit is wrong with you?' face ever. "Are you fucking serious!?" I asked, bewildered.
"What? Serious about what?" Naruto asked from beside me.
I ignored him. "You never told him about this broken-ass cheat!?"
"Oi, teme! What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto yelled and I continued to ignore him.
Kakashi scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "Well, I never got the time to. Plus, I didn't think he'd need it."
OH YOU'VE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME RIGHT NOW…
I turned my face into a completely understanding expression. "Oh, tch- of course. My bad, boss! That makes complete sense!" I put both my hands on my head. "You didn't have the time to say, 'oh hey Naruto, whatever your clones learn, you also learn'. Shit, bro! Ugh… I can't believe I didn't think about that. You're absolutely right. No time. Definitely. I understand, eh. Mans be real busy tryna avoid black cats, and helping old women with groceries and shit, and… what else was it? Cute girls stopping you? Bro, real shit, forgive me, yeah? Big bossman don't got no TIME, yo!" I said to Naruto as if explaining something mind-blowing.
I turned serious again. Damn, someone give me an oscar, yo! My acting skills were off the chart. At least, if I say so myself.
"Honestly, sensei," I said. "At this point, I feel like I'd be a better teacher than you are."
Kakashi looked at me with his one emotionless eye. Naruto looked at me, then Kakashi, then back to me again. From my peripheral, I could see Neji and Gai-sensei observing us also.
Finally, after a long minute, Kakashi sighed. "I'm sorry, Naruto, for not teaching you about this," he apologized.
"I-It's okay, sensei," Naruto said with a wide smile. "You were busy. No problem!" he gave a thumbs up.
This guy… He really was way too kind for his own good.
Kakashi immediately got to explaining the uses of shadow clones while I left to hunt some game.
...
"Motherf-" I almost cursed as I stubbed my toe on a tree branch… AGAIN. Now… how was I supposed to 'hunt' again? Am I just supposed to see a chicken and run after it? Hmm… This was a real problem. Especially since I was a vegetarian in what would now be considered 'my past life'. Not that I had any qualms about killing or anything.
I concentrated and tried to bring back some memories about how to hunt from Sasuke's Academy classes… and… nothing. I came up empty. Screw it. The only thing I could rely on now was my training from when I used to be in the cadet program.
Let's see, how did it go again?
… Nope. Nothing again. Do I just… look for animals and chase them? Can't be that bad of an idea, right?
...
"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! BAD IDEA! VERY FUCKING BAD IDEA!" I screamed as I ran for my life like Goldilocks with three bears hot on my heels.
"HEEELP! NARUTOOOO! KAKASHIIII! SAVE MEEEE!" Yes, I know I probably sounded like a little girl. I don't care. I just wanna survive. SHIIIIT. Screw it! They ain't coming! I gotta do something myself. But what the hell can I even do!? Wait… Is it possible to use techniques and stuff? Like, it should be possible to kill a bear if I use some Katon jutsu on it, right?
Sasuke's memories popped up as I tried to think of a jutsu and I swiftly ran through some hand seals: Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger! I jumped in the air while twisting. "Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" I yelled out and blew balls of fire out of my mouth while aiming at the bears' heads. I hit two fire balls on each bear's head. I've always had the best aim so no surprise there. What did surprise me though, is how easily the bears went down.
As I walked over, I got a clear look at them. Of course, objectively speaking, it's not that surprising that two fireballs to the face would down a bear, but… I dunno… I guess I just expected them to be a bit stronger than normal bears.
Alright, so I had killed three bears. What now? Uh… Do I, like, cut off the arms and stuff?
Just as I was pondering over what to do, Naruto burst through the foliage. "Sasuke! Are you okay?" he shouted, surveying the surroundings.
Aww, he was worried about me! I'm so happy! "Yeah, I'm fine, more or less. Just needed some help with the hunting, but I'm good now," I answered.
"Oh, okay," Naruto said.
"But I do still need your help. Do you know how we're supposed to make this," I said, gesturing to the dead bears, "edible?"
Naruto looked at me as if I grew another head. "We dismantle it!"
"Yeeeeeaaah, about that," I said scratching my cheek. "I didn't exactly pay attention in that class. Can you teach me?" I asked. Of course, that was a lie. But I knew that it'd make him feel less inferior and boost his confidence.
"Sure! Here, watch!" he said cheerfully and got to it.
...
When Naruto and I arrived back at the campsite with the food, it looked like the rest of the team had already set up the tents and whatnot for the night. "Hey guys! We've got bear stew for dinner!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically.
"Don't shout, Naruto," I said. "Anyone in the vicinity would be able to hear us. We want to keep our presence minimal," I admonished him without letting the others hear. At least, I hoped, but I'm pretty sure Kakashi and Gai had probably heard me.
"Huh? But this isn't a stealth mission," he tried to argue as we kept walking.
"Yes," I explained, "but it's still good practice to try to be as stealthy as possible. We are shinobi, after all. We work in the dark." Yeah, yeah, I know how cheesy that sounded but he's thirteen years old, dammit! How else would I explain it best to him!?
"Oh… I guess that's true," he replied while making his usual thinking face.
As we finally came to the small campfire, Tenten, Sakura, Gai, and Lee smiled brightly and said their thanks as they received the meat and started preparing it to be eaten. Neji, on the other hand, kept his stoic persona and tried to act as edgy as possible. Stupid-ass stuck-up dickhead.
Everyone sat around and did their own thing, waiting for the food to cook. Kakashi read his book, Tenten practiced a kunai trick with her hands, Neji meditated, Lee tried to make Sakura like him, Sakura tried to beat him off, Gai did some one hand pull-ups from a tree branch above, and Naruto, Tazuna, and I sat around with nothing really to do. I kept myself occupied by watching Tenten's cool trick and Sakura trying – and miserably failing – to beat Lee off.
And in that very moment, my genius brain did what it usually does and came up with a genius idea. I looked over to Naruto. He seemed to be in deep thought, but I decided to call out to him. "Ay bro, you bored?" I asked.
"Huh?" he said, looking over to me. He pointed to himself. "Are you asking me?"
I blinked.
He blinked.
"Who was I looking at when I asked the question?" I asked.
"Uh… me," he said.
"Then obviously I was asking you!" I said. "Anyway, are you bored?" I asked again.
"Yeah, kinda," he said.
"Alright, then let's sing a song!" I exclaimed.
Naruto – and basically everyone else – looked at me as if I was dumb. "What song?"
"It's called…" I paused for dramatic effect. Naruto and Lee leaned in in anticipation. Sakura and Tenten looked on in confusion. Neji had veins popping out around his eyes. Kakashi and Gai watched in amusement. "The Campfire Song Song!"
"... HUH?" Everyone said at once.
"Trust me. You'll get it once I start—" I tried to say but was immediately interrupted.
"Actually, Sasuke," said Kakashi. "We need to keep a low profile, so I don't think it'll be a good idea for you to sing."
Well… he had a point. "Yeah, I guess you're right," I said.
It would've been super cool if he had let me sing though.
Been a while since I updated, eh? Lol.
Leave some reviews ples.
P.S. To everyone who is suffering in any way because of this pandemic, I hope y'all make it through.