The Price of a Blunder

I shook my head to dispel the memories of the Kage Bunshin dead with his feet impaled by bone spikes jutted from the ground while I kept moving, using the stars I could recognize in the clear sky to navigate the wilderness of Hi no Kuni southern border.

With a grimace, I fished out of my small bag a ration pill crafted to my specifications and a chakra pill. The first would provide my body with a shit ton of nutrients, while the latter would imbue me with some random medic's chakra, that my body would work to assimilate, thusly consuming the reserves I had just provided to it.

They tasted awful, bitter, and tangy in a way that made me want to puke even as I slowed down my mad dash across the trees, my chakra as contained as I could make it while I did my best to not leave a single track for Kimimaro, or worse Orochimaru, to follow.

The battle between the Sannin had faded away from my senses more than an hour before, just when I was starting to feel the bone-deep tiredness caused by my efforts against Kimimaro, who had reacted violently to my successful carving away of his eyes.

With my extremely well-refined chakra control, which allowed me to keep most of my energy hidden, I had run away from the Kaguya that I had successfully crippled, breathing slowly and cautiously to reinforce my body the bare minimum needed to make my escape. Using only trees, and making sure that my steps were as light as falling snow, I had immediately decided that whatever damage I had delivered to the green-eyed shinobi was more than enough.

It wasn't like my reserves would have allowed me anything more than that. I admitted quietly as I wove through the trees, feeling my heartbeat echo in my teeth to the point that it hurt.

Still, I was quiet, with the wind whipping past me, I made sure that I didn't disturb the path of a single falling leaf, I avoided animals and trails alike, not knowing what Kimimaro could be able to use to track me down. At least he followed my last Kage Bunshin.

As a decoy, I spent almost all the energy I had left to shape a copy of myself, directing it to South-West-West. Had I sent my clone to Konoha, it was possible that Kimimaro could deduce that I wasn't going that way once he dispelled it. Had I sent it North, my pursuer could have decided that I was going in the opposite direction. The Shunshin no Jutsu was a high-speed technique for straight, darting movements, something that was on my list to reinvent like Shisui Uchiha was rumored to have done for close-quarters combat.

Sadly, chakra wise it was a 'loud' technique, and the Kaguya had already given proof that he was faster than me on that kind of stretches. And so I'm left legging it the old-fashioned way.

If I managed my escape, and there was no reason to think I couldn't if I kept up my current pace, I would suddenly find myself in the position I had been dreaming about since my first appearance in the body of Sasuke Uchiha: Konoha would assume I had been kidnapped, and if I managed to remain undetected, I'd be free.

Free.

Out of the clutches of Konoha, officially in Orochimaru's hands while I'd be able to lead my life in some backwater corner of the world. It's perfect, nobody would believe Orochimaru even if he were to publicly state that I wasn't his prisoner.

I'd need to find a small village, something just big enough to provide some cover in case some shinobi passed by, to adapt some seals to isolate a room or two to keep myself hidden from sensors, and I could... I could... Do what?

Train by myself, until I felt capable enough to target Obito, and figure out some way to seal away forever the Blck Zetsu.

"It was simple. Finally, something that screamed at me and that I couldn't ignore: 'This is the right thing'." the white-haired shinobi observed his palms with that weirdly genuine smile still on his visage: "Ah, yes, something right."

I grimaced between a jump and a somersault as I thought of how Jiraya would react to my disappearing act. To not talk about Lee, Tenten, and Neji. Something Right.

The Toad Summoner's words echoed in my head like some sort of looming threat: "Fuck you, Jiraya."

When the trees completely disappeared, and in front of me there were only green plains, with blades of grass so tall that they reached my chest, I stopped for an instant, taking a deep breath to let my nervousness settle: I was in the Land of Grass.

Aware that Kimimaro or Orochimaru could start searching for me at any time, and that either could have some magic skill for tracking, I started moving at a constant pace that I could keep up for a day and a half, the info that I had taken from that genin back during my Chunin Exams enough to guide me, recognizing this or that element of the environment that pointed out the direction I should follow.

Casting away my confused thoughts and feelings about my 'abandoning' Jiraya and the others that I had somewhat befriended in Konoha, I kept moving, breath controlled as the dawn broke away the night and the grass grew almost steadily taller, to the point that I had to use chakra to move at an acceptable speed.

Keeping the marshes that led towards Amegkure on my right, I kept moving South, stilling from time to time when I felt the faintest sound that didn't match the white noise of the environment.

Easily enough, I managed to sneak my way past a couple of chunin patrol groups, knowing that facing them was extremely counterproductive in terms of time, energy spent, and tracks left.

By the time the sun crossed into the second half of the sky, I was in Kusagakure proper, my armor sealed away and hair cut short. Making use of the information I had squeezed out of a genin as a general 'fuck you' during the Suna Chunin Exams, more than 6 months after the fact, underlined just the kind of joke that the Minor Villages were when compared to the Great Five.

Then again, it made sense that the 'pillow countries' between the Great Nations wouldn't be strong enough to be a threat, with the notable exception of Ame.

The village didn't have proper walls to surround it, the outskirts were simply limited by grass 50 cm taller than me, occasionally cut by a road or a trail for a patrol, only for the center of the small city to sport some more imposing buildings than the surrounding ones.

Kusagakure no Sato was situated in a relatively large and deep depression, that made it disappear just beneath the grass-covered horizon to a casual observer, besides that, the only defenses were the Kusa-shinobi.

With a Henge applied, I moved slowly across the streets, limping slightly among the bustling civilians since I looked like an old woman with grey in her hair, exhaustion making it extremely easy for me to move slowly. I need a place to crash down, and to maybe raid some supplies before moving out.

Kusa was a good place to disappear from, whoever managed to track me here should be unable to divine the direction I ran to.

Keeping up my limping act, I entered a warehouse next to a low, white building that acted as a hospital and I made my way into a niche between tall crates, unrolling the futon and falling asleep in a matter of seconds.

Maybe four hours later, at least judging from the dying sunlight outside, I immediately knew that there was something wrong.

I breathed in, cursing silently when I picked up on at least three different chakra presences nearby. It was a testament to my tiredness that it took them coming that close before I woke up.

I need to disappear. My thoughts started to race: could I run from a group of shinobi? Maybe, if luck was on my side: but escaping a single element, even on the caliber of Orochimaru or Kimimaro, was technically easier than fleeing from an organized squad.

The problem was that revealing my presence, nevermind my identity, would be like a flare for those that would start looking for a young Katon user. So I started to think, my breath forcefully even as I evaluated my options.

As I felt the shinobi surround my hiding spot, I had a revelation: I am an idiot.

There was no other explanation: a couple of days before, I had chosen to blind Kimimaro, risking myself, only to be able to escape. All of my efforts, all of my plans... they had been a useless risk.

I brought forth my chakra while my hands went through the hand-signs: Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram.

With a rush of chakra, I vanished from Kusagakure, reappearing an instant later somewhere in a Summon Plane.

And I was falling through the air, the ground an impossible distance beneath me and an outrageously tall cliff on my left.

The hospital room number 18 was quiet, lit only by a faint light as the windows were closed shut, seals present to keep the Byakugan from looking in and the acute hearing of the Inuzuka from listening in on something that shouldn't be overheard.

The reserved wing of Konoha's hospital that Room 18 belonged to was for ANBU operatives whose identities had to be kept safe. Still, the small patient in the bed wasn't an ANBU, and neither were the other two persons in the room.

Sarutobi Hiruzed puffed lightly on his pipe as he looked over the unconscious form of one Naruto Uzumaki. A frown was present on the aged Kage's forehead as he went over the next steps, a muted part of his mind lamenting past mistakes that he could not undo.

Minato had wanted his son to be seen as the hero he was: sacrificing his humanity for the Village's safety. Hiruzen had been hasty, in the uncertain hours before he resumed his post as the Sandaime, and attempted to make the Yondaime's last wish come true, only to ineffectually apply a Taboo on speaking of the fact when it emerged clear the lingering resentment, hate, and fear that permeated the Village.

Sarutobi did his best to ensure both the kid's safety and his chance to have a childhood, which was one of the stronger reasons that more clearly defined the why behind the idea of a Village. So the Sandaime had kept some form of distance from the kid, he had kept the then-unstable Kakashi from Naruto, knowing that a blatant connection would easily make the wrong kind of people link the blonde newborn to the late Hokage.

When the Uchiha had graduated, Hiruzen pulled Kakashi out of ANBU, and threw him at the prodigies' team in order to shock him out of the black-ops he had been drowning in since the death of the Yondaime. One of the reasons behind that choice was to 'soften' the young man before granting him his lingering wish of taking care of Naruto, at the same time using the promise of teaching to the Uzumaki to push the Copy-Cat to actually apply himself to the training of both Sasuke and Neji.

Hiruzen was a planner, one used to adapt to the ever-changing circumstances. And so, even as a part of him sincerely regretted what he was about to order, his voice was steely, his eyes flat, and his still vast reserves of chakra controlled.

The Sandaime Hokage turned to the other shinobi present in the room, the ex-ANBU's lone eye focused as if he was fighting for his life while he listened to the ruler of Konohagakure no Sato.

"I did all that was possible to grant him a normal childhood," Hiruzen took a deep breath through his pipe, his shoulders relaxed as he didn't let even a hint about his emotions shine through, "but that ship has sailed. His attempt to graduate early hospitalized three chunin and wounded two newly minted genin."

"I've been debriefed, sir." Kakashi replied tonelessly as he abandoned his classical slouch in order to stand upright.

"True," the Sandaime nodded slowly while he turned his head once more to observe the unconscious Jinchuriki in the hospital bed, "but the Clan Heads were sharply reminded that any of their heirs could be wounded in the same way, to not speak about how the civilians will react to seeing him walking around. And there are... other elements that I must consider."

After a couple of seconds in which the silence hung heavily in the room, the Hokage resumed his speech: "That chakra was unmistakable, he made contact with the Kyubi, and he must be trained. But it is clear that the regular forces will now no longer be an option."

The Sandaime offered a thick folder to the Jonin, who accepted and opened it quietly: "Plans were made immediately after he was revealed as a Jinchuriki with that kind of extraordinary seal. I hid them as soon as they were presented to me, but now... I have reviewed them, now that we need Naruto trained."

"You're giving him to me then." Kakashi's eye returned to Sarutobi, who arched an eyebrow.

Almost tauntingly, he pulled the pipe out of his mouth and used it to gesture a circle in the air: "I promised you that he'd be your student if you trained the Uchiha and the Hyuga, the circumstances have changed, so he won't be part of a regular genin team, but as long as you meet the requirements of that program, you'll be free to choose both the methods and... the other details."

"Understood." Kakashi's eye scanned through the documents in his hand, "Will I be the one to explain his new circumstances?"

"No," the Hokage's expression became a tad more empty: "he still wishes to be Hokage, and he won't need a particular motivation to apply himself. Obviously, I don't have the time to personally survey most of his training, but once every couple of months, I'll observe. And given his chakra reserves, which promise to only grow with time, it'd be a pity to waste his resources only for your kind of summons, no offense, and the major contracts tend to be exclusive."

"The Monkey Summons?" the one-eyed shinobi leafed quickly through the folder in his hands, "They aren't mentioned here."

A light shrug was all that the Hokage let slip through: "We'll see. You can leave now, I'm about to wake him and... explain the new circumstances, as well as to offer specialized training."

"Offer?" the question slipped between the silver-haired shinobi without his full consent.

"I'll frame his options so that his choice will be to jump at the occasion." the Hokage turned towards Kakashi one last time, "report tomorrow in room 3 at the ANBU Headquarters, dismissed."

"Understood."

In perfect silence, Kakashi left the room while Hiruzen Sarutobi walked right next to the hospital bed and prepared himself for one last heavy conversation.

AN

Someone pointed out that Sasuke could have escaped by reverse summoning himself: he could. That was obvious. But that kind of clear thinking under the kind of pressure that someone like a healthy-Kimimaro can exert isn't something that an SI with so little experience can achieve.

And the explanation to cover for that plot-hole is that sometimes, everyone can make a blunder.

Back to the Naruto-subplot: I'll limit myself to these half chapters to survey pivotal moments.