I know that I'm hammering hard on this fic and kind of letting go of the others, but I simply find it easier to write 'With the Eyes of God' at this point in time.
I'm not abandoning my other fics. Revolution and The Age of Men still have priority, they're planned out and I have several stuff already written. Meddling Giant is another favourite of mine at this point in time.
All my Worm fics are the ones I write most randomly, but I ain't dropping them.
Yamamoto's Infinity War is still ongoing, the same goes for Greater Revolution. The Path of Knowledge and my Bleach fic aren't abandoned either, I simply find it more rewarding to work on fics that have a larger following, also because this way I can get more feedback on the way I pace the story, in the way I build the characters, etc. etc.
As always, most of my stories are avaliable in pdf format on the site cloud9stories dot net, where you can also drop a dollar or two if you feel like it.
Obviously, by Law I cannot sell any fiction about topics that I don't own, but if a reader 'gifts' me money in order to 'encourage' me to write a particular story, or to place a certain idea in one of my ongoing fics, I'm likely to follow through, simply because those 'patrons' would feel invested in my work and motivate me much more.
Thank you for reading my work, and if you like this fic, have a tour on my profile, where there are other stories.
Nindō
The training ground 18 wasn't particularly big, nor it had some unique features that made it special in any way. It was nothing more than a crop of trees on the side of a small hill, with a course of water that ran from a rocky waterfall into a reasonably large pond.
However, in this particular day, it was the people in it that made it less forgettable than it had always been.
Under the shade provided by an ash tree, Kakashi stared blankly at the last iteration of Team 7 as each was busy performing a series of exercises he set up to better their development.
The Uchiha was performing a handstand over a rowdy stretch of water while he kept spamming Katon Bunshin, trying to work on his multitasking by giving more and more precise orders while he maintained his razor-sharp level of chakra control.
The Hyuga was waist-deep in the water, and was performing a neverending succession of open palm strikes to the mud at his own feet, thusly turning the once calm water into a turbulent pool.
Such a frightening couple. The thought was clear in Kakashi's mind. When fighting together, those two could keep up with an average jonin. That wasn't something just anyone could accomplish: it wasn't only about the individual skill level, it was in the way they naturally worked together anytime they found a way to.
Yakushi Kabuto, the deep cover spy that Danzo thought nobody knew anything about, was struggling with chakra strings. Like he always did, the bespectacled genin was quick when it came to theory, but stalled in any practical application that required some creativity to perform. Oh, after months under the toned-down routine of ANBU training his taijutsu was adequate despite his crippled hand, which was used to lure in the opponents that looked for a perceived weakness. His ninjutsu was sparse, and given the measly reserves that didn't promise to grow much more, it was for the best.
Kabuto was a reasonably competent medic-nin, no doubt one that sent regular reports on the state of the team to a superior that wasn't Kakashi. And that maybe wasn't the Hokage.
Fucking Root. Kakashi wanted to sigh in exasperation. It had been a clever move to divert the attention of the higher-ups among the shinobi population on Danzo's secret forces right after the Uchiha Massacre. After all, the fact that all the clans had been busy that night, so busy that they didn't even notice an entire clan known for its battle prowess being exterminated by a single 14 years old prodigy stank to high heaven.
There was just no way that Itachi could have accomplished his little genocide without some form of organization from the higher-ups.
So, officially the Sandaime had disbanded Root through an impressive series of suicide missions. Missions that had the benefit of showing the world the might of Konoha despite the still somewhat recent death of the Yondaime, the attack from the Kyubi and the death of one of the founders' clans.
This isn't a team. The jonin wanted to shake his head, This is a routine in which half the group only awaits the first opportunity to leave. And what does it say about me that I'm one of the two?
The truth was that Root was simply too necessary to disband. The most powerful shinobi of the Leaf were either starting to become too old, like the Clan Heads of the major clans, while the younger jonin, bar Kakashi, were not still seasoned enough to live up to the kind of force that experienced war-veterans could muster.
And for the same reason Root had been maintained, the Uchiha that unlocked his bloodline had been allowed to skip ahead, for that very motive, the Hyuga had been pushed ahead with the other prodigy, and the duo had been placed in a team together. For that reason, the Sandaim had ordered Kakashi to push the Uchiha to form his own tactics and solutions when facing the unstoppable force that was his genin sensei.
After all, not every day was born a shinobi of his talent with his singular penchant for thinking. With his naivety and his raw talent. With the determination of seeing your whole clan blown away overnight.
For that reason, Kabuto had been put on the team.
"Are we just going to pretend we weren't sent against Konoha's troops that the Hokage no longer wanted?" the Uchiha's voice stole Kakashi from his musings.
The potential of the Uchiha-Hyuga duo was simply too vast to squander by allowing them a childhood that they didn't actively seek. "Those were shinobi about to defect." Kakashi answered glibly, Fucking Root. "It was a test for you three to see how your reaction to a proper ambush."
"We almost died." was the flat reply of the Hyuga, whose face was as stony as the Hokage Mountain, "Are there any missions in which genin are required to kill Konoha nin?"
"The bandits had ties with Kumo, those three shinobi you spotted in their camp where nuke-nin from Iwa, willing to sell information to Kumogakure no Sato while the sold them what they managed to steal here in Hi no Kuni." Kakashi spoke, avoiding remarking the fact that the official version of the events saw the Root members act as Konoha-nin about to join in that particular arrangement.
When he spotted the fully matured Sharingan of Sasuke, he knew that the bullshit he was shoveling wasn't being bought by the more stable of the two prodigies. It matters little that officially Root doesn't exist, it matters even less than the Hokage made a show of disbanding it after the Uchiha debacle, the only thing that matters is their usefulness. And false flag operations are better carried out by the expendable, mindless puppets of Danzo.
The jonin ignored the flash of memories that threatened to overwhelm him at his line of thought, and pushing back the image of Tenzo almost killing him, following orders like a machine, he returned his attention to the present.
Kakashi withheld another sigh. The sooner they become chunin, the sooner Kabuto can be rolled back with the spooks and I can stay away from these two. "In a couple of months, there will be chunin exams held in Suna, I'm enrolling your team."
There was a waver in the balance of the Uchiha while the Hyuga stopped momentarily, before returning to his time-consuming but rewarding exercise.
"Given your current level," Kakashi spoke as if team 7 made the reasonable questions that children their age should, "the Hokage deemed it necessary for me to get started on your primary chakra affinity, Neji, and to check Sasuke's progress on his self-study." his lone eye traveled to land on Kabuto: "Your talents are better spent in perfecting those chakra strings, they'll allow you some fearful shurikenjutsu in close quarters."
Kabuto smiled sheepishly as he cleaned off some of his sweat with a towel: "I only wish to become a better medic-nin."
While he spoke however, Kakashi took note of the absolute lack of any kind of emotion on Sasuke's face, while his three tomoes spun lazily, as if to take aim on the bespectacled spy. For the third time, the jonin held back a sigh. So you already figured Kabuto out?
Unbidden, an image of another young Uchiha with that blood-red eyes rose to the forefront of his mind. There was no mistaking their relationship, even if Itachi had favored a bit more the stern lines of his father's lineaments, the expression was very much the same. Collected, calculating, and despite what the rest of the body language and words spoke aloud led one to believe, almost soulful.
"Raiton." the voice of the youngest Uchiha in the world brought Kakashi's attention back on him, "I already know that my second affinity is for lightning, and it balances well my Katon. Since you're getting off your lazy ass, you might as well show me some different kata for both hand to hand and kenjutsu."
"You've been thinking about it." Kakashi noticed out loud, observing with interest as his students finished their sets of repetition and regrouped closer to him.
"Ideally, Neji too would develop a lightning affinity, in close quarters is by far the most dangerous, the Raikage can attest to that." the smile that the Uchiha sent the Hyuga could have sent veterans running for the hills: "Imagine a Gentle Fist with lightning armor."
Neji had stiffened considerably when the mention of Elemental Training was made, only to relax marginally when Sasuke interceded.
"It would be better if you developed different Elements," Kakashi hollowly spoke while he categorized the silent exchange between the two, "variety is a quality on its own. It will be years before you start throwing around ninjutsu, if you ever do, but you're mature enough for the training regarding the change of the nature of chakra." Hyuga pride? Could it be? He wants to show it up the Main Branch so hard that he'd use only the Gentle Fist?
The realization came suddenly, and Kakashi almost smiled at the flawless manipulation that the Uchiha had used to bring the Hyuga on the same page. Reverse Engineering and mastering the secret S-rank technique of the Raikage is even more difficult than pulling new Gentle Fist techniques out of nowhere, and the Main Branch cannot stop him, for as long as he isn't taught their secrets his training and development as a shinobi isn't under their purview.
The jonin's lone eye returned once more on Sasuke. So clever, to manipulate your friend for his own good. The silver-haired shinobi actually tilted his head at the genius genin. Will you realize that there is a line between help and control?
Kabuto finished cleaning up after himself and grabbed the few belongings that got scattered around, among them a series of scrolls that at some point of the day he had been using to study fuinjutsu, his smile suitably tight over his features, as if he was hiding the disappointment of being left out of the elemental training.
"Dismissed." Kakashi's voice rang hollowly before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, noticing with mild annoyance that the red eyes of the Uchiha were now following each movement.
"BBQ at my place tonight?" the jonin heard the Uchiha offer, "I think I've figured out the Akimichi's trick."
The Academy let out the students like it always did, at roughly 16:30 p.m.
The hours of attendance weren't chosen in order to mimic the civilians' rhythm of work, it was merely a coincidence. The most important element influencing the organizing of both the coursework and the effective hour of schooling was the optimization of the learning of the students.
The purpose of the Academy was, quite obviously, to shape children into children capable of becoming an actual genin. That meant making sure they had some skills that could keep them alive, in particular, that meant that the training the students underwent had the purpose of building from nothing in order to turn civilians into genin that could learn how to train themselves, for the number of dedicated jonin sensei was never greater than the demand.
Alternatively, the coursework and the practice were planned for kids belonging to shinobi households in a way that would complement what the parents would naturally show their children. Namely, there were two days without school each week, days in which the children with ninja in their families were expected to spend more or less absorbing whatever knowledge they could from the military personnel.
In any case, the Academy students had long hours each afternoon to sharpen the skills they needed to keep up, to pursue their interests,
That an orphan and the daughter of a blacksmith could attract the interest of any ninja clan was more or less unheard of. Oh, sure, the clans and their politics pulled strings here and there when the time came for promotions, but that was only after the students had qualified themselves as shinobi, namely, that happened only when those otherwise meaningless Academy students became assets.
So, Shikamaru had arched an eyebrow even while he could perfectly perceive the trouble that would follow when he saw the Last Uchiha drop by as the students were left out in order to chat a bit with two nobodies. A chat that left the students with eager grins on their faces and raised eyebrows on the passing shinobi that had blatantly overheard the conversation.
Then he remembered, his brain clutching the tiniest bit of information and turning into a deluge of knowledge that almost gave him a headache, that the infamous Last Uchiha had been his classmate once. He remembered how the quiet and focused kid had turned into a quiet and disinterested kid after the Massacre of his family. He remembered the times in which the few mindless girls that attempted to follow him had been shooed away while the Uchiha chose to dedicate his time to a nameless kid.
Not only a nameless kid, but one that was Dead Last, and one who held no hope of actually succeeding.
Oh, Shikamaru's brain remembered even while his owner was disinterested, it remembered the whispers, the different way in which a sensei would look more carefully after the kid, as if to spot some hidden vein of potential that only the Last Uchiha had seen.
Shikamaru, by virtue of his genius, remembered that no matter how many would discretely inquire, no matter how they would analyze the nameless orphan: Rock Lee wouldn't become a shinobi. He couldn't manipulate chakra, and that was a fact. He wasn't a genius at taijutsu, and that was known thanks to the gaggle of idiots that mocked those they perceived inferior in Lee's classroom.
Yet, Uchiha Sasuke, the same kid that only tossed the other students out of the ring, never landing an actual blow, the student that had managed to haggle a sparring with the chunin Mizuki in which he revealed his bloodline, chose to deliberately spar only with one Rock Lee. A nameless orphan that... simply wasn't worth it.
Then the Uchiha was allowed to skip a year ahead, and if possible the whispers only intensified: he treated the other students with the same casual disregard he offered his previous year mates, actually fighting only against Hyuga Neji. Another student said to be a prodigy. In the ring where the students had to practice taijutsu against each other, Sasuke spoke only to Rock Lee, and openly taunted Hyuga Neji.
After some time, whispers of the Last Uchiha doing the same he had done with Rock Lee with a girl sent many fangirls in a frenzy, but they discovered that the only thing that Higurashi did with the Uchiha was practicing shurikenjutsu.
Shikamaru would have never cared about such things, the coming and going of people too dumb to see that skipping ahead only meant more work didn't concern him.
And the world had remained the same even with the absence of the Uchiha that routinely humiliated everyone in Taijutsu and Shurikenjutsu.
Then, when the Uchiha had been bumped ahead, this time along with Hyuga Neji, Shikamaru's dad casually asked after the duo. It was an innocent question, one given between a move and the following one while the father and son duo played shogi, and yet, the topic and the way in which it had been delivered forced the ever-recalcitrant younger Nara to pay attention.
There was something important about the Uchiha.
It may be something as minor as a curiosity, such as how apparently the Uchiha lived on his own in his clan's compound. A compound that was for the most part cleaned routinely by genin teams.
Since then, Shikamaru had opened his eyes fractionally in order to focus when actual information reached him: the Uchiha graduated early. The Hyuga with him, they were on a team together.
All in all, Shikamaru had no idea why such things could be remotely relevant to his life, after all, the more the Uchiha worked, the less stuff there would be for Shikamaru.
That wasn't strictly true, but the Nara was happy to dream.
Still, while he progressed along with his year mates through the coursework of the Academy at the barely sufficient pace he loved, he paid attention.
Was it any wonder that when Kiba appeared out of nowhere with Akamaru, proposing to tail the two older students to wherever they went in order to spy their 'tutoring' by the Last Uchiha, a person that the Inuzuka disliked since before the unfortunate outcome of their fighting practice, Shikamaru accepted?
Being the friend that he was, Choji tagged around.
Part of me was satisfied at the change of pace that our training promised, as well as the freedom from Kakashi that I could see looming at the horizon. From what I had been able to understand, also basing my reasoning on the information Kabuto had generously provided, the fate of a genin team was very much up in the air after one or more of its members became chunin.
If the village was at war, a different set of regulations would be put in place, if it weren't generally the chunin could start taking missions along with other shinobi, slowly going from newbie to seasoned official. In fact, chunin were expected to lead small teams on missions. The main difference between genin and chunin wasn't expressed only in terms of skills, even if the higher-ranked shinobi had learned to best leverage the basic stuff he learned as a genin.
No, the main difference laid in tactical planning and specialization. Once the chunin perfected his specialization and rounded out his other skills to acceptable levels, he could apply for tokubetsu-jonin. And once the special jonin truly became dangerous in different fields, being acceptable in all standard shinobi arts while leveraging his knowledge and ability to cover his lacunes, he could apply to full jonin.
From there to jonin-sensei... well, it wasn't clear. Teaching wasn't something that relied only on the knowledge of the sensei-to-be. Being approachable was a part of it, being capable of framing concepts and ideas in terms understandable by a genin team was another.
Sure, there are exceptions. I thought as I checked over the firepit that I had used several times since its construction to hold different BBQs. My mind flashed at Kakashi, that apparently had finally been ordered to actually teach us.
He could have shown me the Chidori in half a second, and then let me to actually learn it. Instead, he had talked about actual Elemental Training. Which meant that the mind-dulling, endlessly-boring, never-ending task of burning a leaf for an undetermined amount of time, or heating up tea at the perfect temperature, or any other of the countless tasks I forced myself into in order to master my Katon affinity would have to be repeated for Raiton.
I collected the ashes and the muck left by the older fires into a plastic bag and carried it over the inner courtyard of my house, where I mixed it with damp dirt and settled it in shallow trenches next to the vegetables that I was growing.
My fingers trailed over the lush leaves of the tomatoes while I considered the implications of the C-rank my team had been sent to accomplish. More than a simple test of skill, this was a test of... loyalty?
I wanted to scoff while I returned to the park next to my house and used a minute Katon manipulation to get the fire going: "They haven't even bothered pretending that it wasn't a clean-up mission."
And that told me more about my position in Konoha than anything else I ever accomplished under the 'tutelage of Kakashi: the fact that the Higher Ups didn't bother hiding the less PR friendly side of the Hidden Village from my team could only mean that the Hokage himself, who no doubt followed closely my career and approved of each task, was reasonably sure that my opinion of my home city wouldn't change.
Which implied that my feelings for Konoha were already at an all-time low or that I simply didn't care about killing people.
I shivered at the memory of my hands tearing lives apart as they had been trained to do, the mindless sequence of actions that tore through the opposing forces. I don't care simply because I didn't know them? Because at the beginning they were opponents and later I correctly identified them as Root?
That the Hokage would so brazenly show me the darker tasks of being a shinobi was...
I kept working in silence while Kabuto and Neji appeared, both of them quickly setting up a shogi board. Neji was irked that his genius couldn't overcome Kabuto's skill, while the latter likely felt some measure of reassurance in being able to outshine either of his teammates in any field without giving away his role as super-spy.
I had no doubts that there were more or less accurate psych reports about each of us, and I feared that mine either told of a mindless killer or of someone that genuinely didn't care about the fate of fellow Konoha-nin as long as he didn't know them personally.
I could guess that Neji's report talked about his issues with his family, and about his casual disregard about anything that hadn't forced its way into his life. Namely me.
My eyes briefly flashed to the Hyuga, who was engrossed with his losing game against our resident medic-nin: he wasn't a particularly complex person. He hated the Main Branch of his family as a result of the death of his father, and took it out on Hinata and Hanabi when he was allowed to spar with them.
From time to time he would appear in the morning with tight lines on the sides of his eyes, and I knew that the Caged Bird Seal had been used on him the night before.
I'll need to talk with him. If it was because he was only ten, or because of the way he had been raised, he simply couldn't find a worthy target for his anger. What benefit did it bring to hammer on the Main Branch the way he did? What kind of target did he hope to accomplish by using his hate as fuel to go on and push the limits of what he knew?
He simply lacked direction. He lacked a solution that to me appeared quite obvious: find a seal-maser to undo the mark on his head, or at least find a way to keep the Main Branch from casually inflicting debilitating pain on him, and then fuck off, letting the Hyuga go on in their ways. After all, which loyalty did he owe to a village that sacrificed his father?
I sighed as I started throwing the food over the slab of volcanic rock that I used to cook, my ears had picked up the excited and heavy pace of Lee coupled with the almost jittery skipping of Tenten.
So much of his identity is tied to being a Hyuga. I thought bitterly as I greeted my other two friends with a casual wave of my hand, knowing that my kind of troubles shouldn't be thrust onto their shoulders, if only because they were as young in their minds as they were in their bodies.
If Itachi managed to kill all of our clan, could I kill all of the Main Branch? The thought slipped to the forefront of my mind as I started giving out the first pieces of food that had been cooked. Then revulsion met me and the smell of cooking meat immediately brought forth the memory of the shinobi died to my fire-natured bunshin, which had cooked them alive.
I swallowed hollowly before I forced myself to gulp down the half-chewed pork chop I had been munching over, using the nearby water to drink it down. Letting my hands do act on their own, I opened a beer I had purchased and poured it over the meat cooking on the slab of volcanic rock, letting it grant more taste to the meal.
A Hyuga coup. I refocused my mind, carefully avoiding the absolute lack of disgust I felt at the idea of casually murdering the members of the Main Branch capable of using the Caged Bird Seal. Hinata is the next in line, and she's kind of a letdown until the magic fuckery of Shippuden, isn't she?
Even as I smiled and weaved around the impromptu spar that Lee had forced on me, casually correcting his stance and commenting on the strength of his blows, I considered a potential way to accomplish it. It would be done only when Neji was ready to take over. Not that I understand the interest in leading a group of people.
That meant that he had to be old enough to be taken somewhat seriously by the other clans. So when he hit 15 years of age at the earliest, and he would need someone to actually show him how to be a politician. Only the fact that the Uchiha was a clan of One kept me from being involved in that shit. I had appointed a clever enough man at the bank to follow my guidelines, and I checked on him regularly.
Not that I'll be able to bolt with all of my clan's money when it's time to defect. I shrugged off a kick from Lee that made my teeth rattle and made a note to stop directly blocking the martial arts enthusiast.
"Did you invite other children?" Neji's voice distracted me from my musings and I had to move jerkily on the side to avoid a solid punch from Lee.
"What?" I ducked under a sweep, noticing with a certain satisfaction that Lee had grasped the concept of 'not stopping fighting until the fight is actually done', without hesitation, I slapped aside the following punch, twisting out of the way of the following elbow aimed at my nose, and simply tapped, a bit forcefully, the martial artist on the throat.
As he coughed lightly in and conceded the match, I turned where Neji was pointing at even while his eyes didn't leave the shogi board for an instant.
"I have to deal with this, don't I?" I sighed as chakra briefly flooded my body, granting me the inhuman speed necessary to freak out the potential intruders.
I didn't have to look for long.
Two hundred meters within the Uchiha compound, a place that was off-limits and clearly delimited by small walls, a trio of Academy students were trying to be stealthy. What the fuck?
I frowned while I appeared in front of their crouching forms, my eyes turning red and tomoes spinning lazily as I stared them down: "You're either lost or suicidal."
I never quite got grasp of the whole 'killing intent' thing, but a frosty tone of voice was enough to temporarily cower the Nara, Akimichi, and Inuzuka that were once my classmates. Even before they could answer, I had taken their measure: they were less than fodder. Oh, maybe the Nara could figure something out and avoid being killed by a determined civilian, but the others were too open, too slow, and simply... too young.
I could see it in the way they shifted their feet in order to regain their equilibrium, I could perceive it in their wide eyes, and in the unmistakable cold sweat that immediately appeared on their temples.
They had scampered a few meters back, the Inuzuka crouching forward with his dog softly placed on the dirt, as if he was about to attack. The Akimichi was stiff as a board, while the Nara was doing his best to avoid giving away the instinctive reaction of a kid caught doing something he shouldn't.
"You!" the Inuzuka actually snarled, "Fight me, bastard! You think that only because..."
The other two academy student squawked, Choji more than Shikamaru, when their companion fell asleep mid-rant.
"Why are you here?" I repeated, my tone losing a bit of its coolness and becoming simply annoyed.
"You... you..." the Akimichi started stuttering while the Nara took a shaking step forward, his fist clenched and a heavy frown on his face.
I could easily guess what Choji was trying to ask: "Relax, he's just sleeping, I can't kill people just by looking at them." Yet.
"Who cares!" Choji shouted, his wide, terrified eyes turning back on mine: "There's an Akimichi cooking a BBQ! I CAN SMELL IT!"
What the flying fuck? I sighed briefly, not hiding my annoyance at their presence in the slightest. But I might as well check if my cooking is on par with his family's, after all, once I bolt from this place I'll be on my own.
"You know what?" I turned my back on them, ignoring the whimpering dog of the Inuzuka, "If you want to check my cooking, I expect honest feedback, Akimichi."
Shikamaru glanced, still flabbergasted, at the Uchiha who was having a heated conversation about seasonings with Choji next to the firepit where the admittedly mouth-watering meal was being cooked. It just... didn't make sense.
The wooden *clack* of one of the pieces being placed on the Shogi board made he return his attention back to the game, his eyes briefly looking at the trap that the bespectacled genin was preparing before focusing on the wound openly visible on the ninja's hand.
"You're distracted." Kabuto voiced with a faint amusement present in his tone, "Haven't you been taught that not focusing on the game is disrespectful?"
Shikamaru moved his pice without even blinking, maintaining his attention spread over the several unknowns surrounding him.
From the prodigious Hyuga, to the genius Uchiha, to the third member of their genin team, back to the asleep Kiba propped up against a tree, and then again at the other two Academy Students that he had heard so many whispers about. As Shikamaru had done up to that point since he had been quickly introduced to the others present, he ignored the half taunt of the bespectacled spy, simply rallying his brainpower in order to figure out what could be so important about the Uchiha to make Shukaku Nara, Jonin Commander of Konohagakure no Sato, ask his son for information.
"How..." the Nara gulped, grabbed his bravery with both hands, and asked: "How did it happen?"
The bespectacled genin's expression soured a bit as he lifted his crippled hand, the scar tissue over the missing fingers made it look like leather that had been badly cut: "It is even less polite to ask after a shinobi's wounds. It brings forth bad memories you see..." he moved a rook, preparing a defense that would be a nightmare to dismantle.
Shikamaru grimaced at the frown on his opponent's face, but he didn't look away, even if he gulped nervously while he moved his own piece on the board, the wooden *clack* resounding loudly in his ears.
"My first team met an opponent that..." Kabuto glanced at the board from his scarred hand, considering his answer to Shikamaru's move, "I aspired, even then, to be a med-nin." the tone of the genin turned unbelievably flat, not a hint of his thoughts on the matter could be grasped from his words, "This meant that as long as my team won a fight, I could patch them over, but I was..." the reticence built like a stone wall with every word that left his mouth, "I was weak, because I didn't give it my all, I was useless, because I didn't..."
The bespectacled genin took a deep fortifying breath after his broken answer, apparently focusing all of his attention on pushing back those memories, then his eyes found Shikamaru's, and the academy student's breath hitched at how hollow they were: "I know what you're asking, and why you're asking it... The only suggestion I can give you, is to push yourself. To the limit, and beyond it." the gray-haired ninja glanced at his teammates, "Learn from me, push yourself. They learned that lesson far earlier than me, but I cannot say that the trauma was any different..."
After that, either of the two players said another word, dedicating themselves to the game.
And finally, after another flurry of moves that the academy student didn't focus that much on, Shikamaru found a way out of the situation, and with a brief, inner whisper of elation, he caught it. "Well, this has been nice," Shikamaru spoke as he checkmated his opponent, "but we'd better get going before we're too late for dinner at our homes..."
"Oh, I tasked an ANBU looking over the compound to deliver a message to your families, there are always a couple of them looking over my house at night, you see." the Uchiha interrupted his admittedly weak excuse, "Unless your parents jump here in person, or the ANBU deliver a message from them, you're free to stay for the full length of the dinner. Besides, I'd like a match at shogi against the infamous Nara myself." the smile of the red-eyed devil wasn't reassuring at all, even if from the arched eyebrows of Neji Shikamaru could tell that it was an unexpected development.
Soon enough, Choji had been instructed in how to look after the cooking meal and warned against stealing pieces before everyone was ready to partake in the dinner.
Shikamaru's eyes roamed briefly over the other people present: the bespectacled genin was looking after the martial arts enthusiast with a Healing Palm technique, apparently the Academy Student had stressed too much the ligaments of his left leg, while the Hyuga was mockingly forcing Tenten to perform better and better attacks by flicking her out of position. A poke here, a shove there, Neji was moving slower than the Academy student, exploiting mercilessly all the holes in her defense.
Then the Uchiha sat on the other side of the board, his blood-red eyes studying the Nara as if he was an interesting piece of meat that he wasn't sure how to cook.
"Why haven't you awoken Kiba?" Shikamaru asked as he moved the first piece on the board, at this point almost openly fishing for information.
"I don't like him."
The answer was so blasé, so immediate, that Shikamaru almost lost his rhythm, "Why?" pieces were moved on the board as fast as the two could move without using chakra to enhance their movements, and at some point, the Nara realized that the Uchiha wasn't losing. What?
"You're good at Shogi." Sasuke admitted in a mocking tone, "It's a pity that you've chosen a shinobi career..."
"What?" Shikamaru asked out loud, resting his eyes once more on the black-haired devil, who smiled.
"I have nothing against the Inuzuka," Sasuke smiled at how Tenten had apparently decided to cuddle the eager Akamaru, "they're companionable enough I suppose, but Kiba is fucking annoying, and I bet he's the one that proposed to come here."
Shikamaru blinked in surprise at the apparently baseless accusation of the Uchiha
"I've asked Kabuto-san about..."
"I heard." Sasuke nodded even while a mocking smile blossomed on his features.
"And you agree?"
"With his suggestion?" the Uchiha tilted his head curiously as he brought his chin to rest on his closed fist, giving him an air of deep thinker that was somewhat ruined by his unnerving smile, "I don't think he understands enough of me or Neji to say those words..."
Shikamaru nodded, his attention returning to the board only to snap back at his host: "... but," he continued, "If I don't do everything I can, what will happen at the next tragedy?"
"You...!" Shikamaru hesitated: "You... you expect something like that to happen again?"
"What do shinobi do, if not to propagate violence?"
"And your solution is to..." Shikamaru never got to finish his question as the Uchiha started laughing.
"Solution?" once again, the smile of the Uchiha turned into something deeply unsettling, "Whoever said anything about me solving this thing? I only ride the crest of the wave, but I guess... what is the point of being alive, if I don't even try?"
The young Nara frowned at the answer, his hands coming together forming a small ball of sorts, the tip of each finger pressed against the counterpart while his eyes turned to the board, looking like he wanted to lose himself between the pieces, looking for meaning in answers that meaning didn't have.
Shikamaru's brain ran forward, leaving logic and aware, conscious thought far behind as it produced jumps in intuition and deduction that taken together were like comparing a mountain to an anthill: "You just... don't care about..?" the Nara understood what the Uchiha had been saying, and he even understood the implication that Sasuke disliked the perceived meaninglessness of the whole matter. "No..." the academy student spoke as he analyzed and went over his exchange with Sasuke: "... you think that there is no point in trying to solve this?"
"I already told you," the mocking tone of the Uchiha made Shikamaru rise his head from the board, meeting a couple of lazily spinning Sharingan over a wide smile, "You're good at Shogi. It's a pity that you've chosen to play shinobi."
With the sound of cracking glass, Shikamaru's vision seemed to shatter in fragments, quickly revealing that the Uchiha was seated at the table, eating with gusto along with the other people present for the BBQ.
And Shikamaru was left almost shivering in the understanding that he had been absolutely helpless since the moment Sasuke landed his eyes on him when he entered the compound.
I was weak, because I didn't give it my all, I was useless... Kabuto's words rang in the Nara's head, and the academy student found his hands clutching into helpless fists even as he rose, any thought of eating wiped away from his mind as he staggered towards the table, his mind numb at the understanding that any word said by Sasuke could have been a simple rouse, because the Uchiha apparently enjoyed 'playing ninja' more than Shoji.
Everyone had made their way back to their respective homes before the sunset could completely plunge Konohagakure no Sato in the half-light provided by the cold street lamps. The Academy Students had been the first to go, followed by Kabuto and finally Neji once we exchanged a few words on the expectations for our training in the next months.
Still, after having summarily cleaned up the park, I remained outside, enjoying the simple pleasure of a full stomach and the echoing praise of the Akimichi, who still thought that his parents were better than me. The little shit.
The skyline of the city looked almost black since it was cast against the sunset, which painted the clouds in colors varying from bright orange to almost purple. Even the constant breeze that always made the trees in the Hidden Village rustle had somewhat quieted down, and as a result, there were fewer leaves randomly moving in the air.
Then I heard it: an almost deliberate step that echoed over the gravel of one of the roads that crossed my compound.
Immediately, I flickered there, only to openly grimaced at the presence that I hadn't sensed in any way until that moment: "I need to force Kakashi to teach me how to spot a fucking trail..."
"That's a very unyouthful way to say it!" the happy, deep voice of one Maito Gai boomed in the empty park where I had my BBQ.
Wearing deep green spandex and a jonin vest that he couldn't hope to close because of his way to large shoulders, the fitness-obsessed ninja was staring at me with a wide smile, his powerful arms crossed on his chest.
I ignored the light scolding of the man I hadn't met until today and frowned: "How long have you been watching?"
"Since you put the young Inuzuka in an illusion!" the jonin nodded seriously, "I was running on my hands from roof to roof when I spotted the three academy students trying to sneak in your compound, and I felt..."
"That the ANBU on watch couldn't stop me quick enough if I went mad and followed Itachi's steps?" I abused the name of my murdering 'brother' to push the jonin on the back foot, even if his only answer was to laugh loudly.
"I must remind you that shinobi of the Leaf aren't to attack civilians!" 'Unless the mission tells you to' went unsaid, "And even if young Inuzuka is a cadet at the academy, you...
"Given the fact that he tried to sneak in private property and challenged me on some bogus reason I didn't care to listen to," I interrupted Maito Gai with no hesitation, "I'd say that he has to thank me for the free Genjutsu training that I've offered him. The same goes for the Nara, he thinks that because he's smart, he's better than what he actually is."
"I want to ask you, Sasuke-kun..." the jonin spoke calmly, his voice relaxed as his eyes roamed over my form, as if to discern a hidden meaning beneath my skin: "What is your Nindō?"
"Nindō?" I replied, flabbergasted by the question that came out of nowhere, a flash of 'I'll never give up!' trademarked by Naruto appearing in my eyes before I forcefully shook away the image: "What kind of conversation is this?"
"You are stronger if you follow your Nindō." the Maito Gai explained with a serious nod, "What makes you, yourself? What do you desire above anything else? When you act in harmony with your Inner Path, you'll be better."
"You mean stronger?" I deflected tentatively, with a faint smile that felt fake even to me.
"If being stronger is what is required of your path, then yes." the teacher tilted his head sideways: "If your Nindō requires you to be kinder, that's what you'll become."
I frowned heavily at the man: I expected many things from him, brutal training, subtle interrogation, but sure as hell I hadn't been looking forward to a philosophical line of inquiry. "This is why you're here? To ask after my beliefs?"
The jonin shrugged, and I didn't miss how the jonin vest struggled momentarily to not rip under the pressure exercised by his insanely strong shoulders: "Being defensive is a good thing when guarding information against the enemy." he remarked quietly, and I was forced to gulp down my scathing remarks.
He's not an idiot. I realized, how could I not? It wasn't the first time that I actually forced myself to recognize that I couldn't bet on actual people to follow precisely canon when I murdered it by skipping ahead of my peers. He was interrogating me? If so, why? Maybe he already had his eyes trailed on Rock Lee, and my interaction with him had stoked some curiosity in the fires of his 'youth', maybe I was just unlucky, maybe it was a set-up trademarked by Inoichi Yamanaka.
What do I desire of my own life? I asked myself, my eyes falling on my hands as if seeing them for the first time. Hauling my ass away from Konoha before being killed in the bullshit that would follow, becoming strong and capable enough to survive on my own, killing Kabuto just to be sure. That translated in a training routine, that I followed religiously, but... what then? Itachi's eyes to become bullshit-tier, Good Game no Rematch.
If I manage to run away, what do I do then? I wondered. I could keep training on my own once I figured out a safe way of doing so, but... chakra was cool, obviously, it was fucking magic, but dedicating myself only to that seemed... well, meaningless. Everyone dies. I reminded myself. What do I want my life to amount to?
I could research immortality as a side project, it was as interesting as anything else that could be accomplished with chakra, but it felt... almost like living each day waiting to die. It was... Naruto needed Sasuke to save the world, didn't he? Fuck. I grimaced as another goal slotted itself into place: stopping the end of the world. I only needed to steal a couple of Biju, did I not? I sure as hell wasn't going to try my luck against all the badasses of the Elemental Nations.
"I made you think." the jonin spoke, "Good."
My eyes snapped back at the jonin in front of me, and another question blossomed in my mind: 'Why is he actually here? And why confront me about something as whimsical as a Nindō?'
While I contemplated the possible answers to my self-imposed questions, I let the Sharingan come forth, and the world assumed slightly purple tints while I took a blatant measure of the man in front of me.
"I wouldn't know about a Nindō..." I replied honestly, then I assumed a taijutsu stance that was the bastard son between Gentle Fist and the sheer amount of improvisation that I had built through the years, "But a spar would help me in any case..." Who cares about the philosophy of random ass murderers? I only care about becoming strong.
I'm blatantly going to copy all the taijutsu I can observe. I thought with a wide smile, I knew it, Gai knew it, and from his almost feral smile, he didn't care. Probably Kakashi threw him at me in order to improve my taijutsu. I realized when the jonin didn't object to my aggressivity.
"Who am I?" I felt my heart double its rhythm as my muscles started burning oxygen at a higher rate, "I am the one who is going to win."
And if victory in my head didn't even remotely look like something any other person in the elemental Nations could imagine, well, that wasn't my problem.
Gai managed to get out a most youthful 'Yosh' while he assumed a Taijutsu stance of its own, and then I engaged.
AN
I'm going to skip a much of the training montage as I can because, as always, it's boring. However, I hope that I managed to sneakily imply what the Hokage knows and doesn't know, as well as why Danzo would toss a random number of perfectly good operatives into death with no apparent gain for Konohagakure.
Opinions?
BBQ:
I find it a good enough set to do some characterization and to introduce new characters. I played a bit with changes in perspective, how did it work?
This isn't the first ripple that our MC caused, obviously, but it is the first direct action of someone not directly involved that causes repercussions: Shikaku Nara is a fucking smart cookie, on that we agree. And as I've written, Sasuke's actions are closely scrutinized, both by those tasked to do so, and by anyone with eyes to see.
Is it any wonder that the MC taking interest in a random civilian or two would cause curiosity in any who would see? Rumor mills start with far less.
So Shikaku casually asks his son for what little he knows about the strange Sasuke.
And Shikamaru's ears perk up when there is shit being flown around. Having the Jonin Commander ask after a year mate is a warning signal.
So, Kiba never digested that he's fucking low on the power ladder, because that's just how he's portrayed in the manga (and who was he going to ask to join him? From what I remember, Naruto is still a social outcast (they're only 9), the girls don't work for obvious reasons, and Shino is creepy), Shika takes advantage of the opportunity, and Choji tags along.
I hoped to portray the kind of example that the MC is for the two other kids he has any kind of willing relationship with, and I'm not spending thirty chapters of genin training with no drama.
Instead, we have a little sequence of dominoes here, from the MC's success in Sasuke's body to curiosity all around etc. etc.
As for why would the MC allow in the nobodies from the Academy? When your eye allows you to copy perfectly something, I'd guess that any mundane skill grows boring pretty fast, and Sasuke is kind of always trying to keep his mind off from the fact that he has to murder his way to the top. In a kitchen, copying perfectly works only if you have perfect copies of everything, from ingredients to cooking utensils etc.
So cooking is a kind of challenge that doesn't involve violence, and I've already shown at the previous BBQ that it calms the MC, making him feel somewhat normal.
Med-nin:
If the only thing necessary to be a medic-nin was chakra control, then everyone would be able to heal, if only a little. Given the fact that it's considered a profession so rare that Tsunade declares that a med-nin cannot join actual combat, I can't exactly let the MC learn it too. He already had his shounen moment in the previous chapter by figuring out the shunshin.
And Yeah! Random Maito Gai, opinions?
All in all, what do you think of the chapter? Let me know!