"Follow the road to the sea,
Honour our glorious dead,
Over the waves march we,
Colour the Bloody Mist red,
To us belongs this new age,
Honour our glorious dead,
War to the knife we wage,
Colour the Bloody Mist red,
Deeds of our ancestors past,
Honour our glorious dead,
Join we their ranks at last,
Colour the Bloody Mist red."
- Excerpt from War to the Knife, sung by Konohagakure forces in the Second Shinobi War. The invasion of the Bloody Mist, a retaliation for the slaughter of captured Leaf ninja, was a brutal affair for both sides.
-O-
The stink of charred grass filled the clearing. Kakashi cast a discreet wind technique to disperse the smell, messing up Sakura's hair in the process. She didn't notice, too focused on the lightning dancing in her hand.
This stage of the training took place outside Konohagakure, but that was no reason to take chances. Kakashi had gathered surprising amounts of information with fewer clues to go on. And he wasn't letting anyone know about Sakura's ace in the hole if he could help it.
"You won't finish the technique today," he said, and Sakura huffed once in frustration before cutting the flow of chakra and sprawling on the grass. The wide bole of the oak tree opposite her was full of shallow scars the size of a fist, charred around the edges, and had one elbow-deep hole where Kakashi had demonstrated the completed technique. "Rest up so you're prepared for the tournament tomorrow. You don't want to show up with depleted reserves."
Although even if Sakura had no chakra whatsoever, he'd still give her even odds to win at least her first fight. There was zero give in his student. Kakashi smiled under his mask. She reminded him a little of, well, himself. Back before–
Kakashi wrenched his mind away from the dark place that was his childhood. There were birds overhead and Naruto had been back from his surprise mission in time to watch the tournament. Sasuke still spent his mornings with the Hokage and Sakura was right in front of him, sweaty and dishevelled but oh so gloriously alive. Everything was fine.
"I don't know what I'm missing," Sakura said. Her arms were covered with bandages to hide the telltale faint scarring that all novice lightning users picked up. Kakashi wasn't going to let her give away any secrets before she had sprung them on her enemies.
"Things will work out, I'm sure," he said, pulling his book out and turning a page. "I have faith in you."
He didn't have to look up to know she smiled at that. She clambered to her feet and they walked back to the village, Kakashi tilting his book a little so she could read too. "...I was really hoping to learn the Chidori and make you proud," she whispered when they were close to the gates.
"You've made me plenty proud. It took me years to invent the Raikiri," Kakashi emphasised the name, "and in a month you've got to within touching distance of managing it yourself."
Sakura smiled again and Kakashi basked in it.
"One last thing," he said, once they were past the gates and into Konohagakure proper. "You can never use this technique against a loyal Leaf ninja. Not in a spar, not in a competition, not even if it's the grand finals. It's for killing, and we don't kill our friends."
"I pinky promise." Sakura stuck out her little finger and winked. "But Kakashi, you worry too much. It'll make you old before your time. I'm not about to snap and start butchering everyone."
She turned down a side street to her home and Kakashi went to his own flat. Old before his time? He'd been old ever since he walked in on his father's–
Deep breaths, cold air pulled through the cloth of his mask, and his hand reached for the flask in his pouch but he'd left it behind that morning. It seemed a good idea at the time. Kakashi stiffened his spine and walked past his regular bar. Beads of sweat pearled on his forehead, but he headed straight home anyway.
He knew before he even entered the building. Something was wrong.
The most damning clue came as he climbed the stairs. Kakashi lived on the second floor, opposite an old lady with four cats. The stairs between the first and second floor only ever showed her shoes, which stuck to the middle of each step and were small with hard soles (Kakashi didn't leave footprints, of course).
There was a faint disturbance in the dust at the edge of one of the steps, as if a ninja had stepped there to minimise any creaking. A sloppy ninja, but still a ninja.
Kunai in hand, Kakashi crept to his front door. The handle hadn't been touched, of course. But the door had been opened – one of the hinges didn't slide all the way into place when the door was closed. Kakashi always pushed it back into its spot whenever he left in the mornings. It had fallen out again, and the top corner of the door was a fraction off from its normal position.
He could call in ANBU, but that would be embarrassing. Besides, whoever was in his home was well below his level. A silent leap let him hang from the underside of the roof.
"If you've touched my porn there will be hell to pay," Kakashi warned as he opened the door.
He clung to the ceiling as an illusory clone walked in, in case of an attack. When it wasn't torn apart by a hail of weapons he followed it through. He dropped down to the threadbare carpet and sketched a lazy salute as soon as he recognised the ninja in the room.
Kakashi hadn't considered the possibility of more than one infiltrator. A dozen ninja had made themselves comfortable in his living room. The Hokage was perched on the sofa, his two students by his sides. Asuma and Kurenai were whispering in a corner, while Guy did press-ups in the middle of the floor. Hayate, Raido and Anko sat on his back, gossiping about the cute waitress at the Owl and Oak. Shizune had cornered Hiashi and was interrogating him about medicinal uses of the Byakugan, and demanding Hinata spend more time helping at the hospital. Shikaku had poured himself a glass of water and sipped it as he watched the room.
Things must really have gone to shit for both loyal Sannin to be back in Konohagakure. Jiraiya was supposed to be in deep cover, and no formal record of his location existed anywhere in the village. Kakashi knew because he'd gone digging once out of curiosity. He'd drawn up a shortlist of likely countries – Rice and Wave were at the top, if he remembered right. And now the Toad Sage was sitting on his stained and scuffed couch, pretending not to ogle Tsunade, who for her part pretended not to notice.
"You sure know how to make an entrance. Don't worry, your porn is safe," Asuma called from his corner, and Kurenai giggled. Kakashi didn't dignify that with a reply.
"Which of you checked for traps under the doormat?" he asked a few seconds later.
After a moment's pause, Guy glanced at Raido. Kakashi flicked a pill at him. "What's that for?" Raido asked.
"There's contact poison on the mat. I figured you wouldn't want the stomach cramps and anal bleeding, but it's up to you," Kakashi said. Raido shuddered and swallowed the pill.
The Hokage rose from the couch. "I apologise for intruding, Kakashi, but it was either this or have you show up an hour late to a key meeting. Again."
Kakashi supposed that sounded fair to an impartial observer. If he kicked up a fuss about respect, he'd look like a hypocrite. Hiruzen was sneaky like that. "Make yourselves at home. There's tea somewhere, or so I've been told."
"There are important discussions that need to be had," Jiraiya interrupted. "You can have tea after we're done."
There was still a sliver of sofa to Jiraiya's left, and Kakashi flopped down on it with a sigh, deliberately jostling his uninvited guest. The other jounin stood at varying degrees of attention.
"Our spy network in the Land of Rice has been compromised by Orochimaru. Without going into sensitive details, the Leaf's information gathering abilities in that area have been compromised for a while now, and this was only discovered very recently." The Hokage's voice was strong and deep, at odds with the frail body that was sinking into Kakashi's favourite spot on the sofa. "It is unclear what his endgame is, but it seems likely for a number of reasons that it has been delayed or even thwarted entirely."
Jiraiya took over the briefing. "Orochimaru has set up several bases in Rice and filled them with recruits – mostly missing-nin and some of his experiments. We don't know how many of them there are, or their locations. We don't know what he plans to use them for. But! Things are not as dire as they sound."
He spread a map out on Kakashi's coffee table, pointing out two patches of forest.
"Two bases, here and here, were attacked. I examined the wreckage personally – whoever did it was very thorough. There's nothing useful left in either location, and few-to-no survivors. Eyewitness reports describe a tall hooded man with a six-foot sword, accompanied by an effeminate young man with long dark hair. What I'm about to tell you is an S-rank secret and does not leave this room." Jiraiya waited for everyone present to nod before he continued. "Orochimaru is a former member of a terrorist organisation called Akatsuki. Very little is known about them, but they have at least five S-rank members. Two of those are Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. I suspect they are the attackers."
Tsunade rose to her feet, coat swirling behind her like she was taking part in a street theatre. Given how fond Kakashi was of dramatics, though, he had no grounds to criticise her. "Jiraiya and I encountered Orochimaru fifteen miles away from Konohagakure, following an anonymous tipoff from inside his organisation. We engaged him but he was able to flee."
There was an audible gasp from a few of the jounin present. Kakashi exchanged a significant look with Guy. If Orochimaru was approaching the village, it meant he wanted something badly enough to come fetch it himself. He wasn't going to back off because his first attempt failed. And if Orochimaru could fend off both Jiraiya and Tsunade and then escape, then Kakashi didn't want to come within fifty miles of the man.
"He claimed that he was being targeted by Akatsuki and others, and offered to give us a dossier of information about his former allies. We think this is an attempt to turn two of his foes against each other; once the dossier arrives we will know more." Tsunade swept her gaze across the room. "I want to highlight how dangerous Orochimaru is, since some of you won't have met him before. Anything suspicious, no matter how small, should be reported directly to ANBU."
There was silence for a few moments as the news was digested. Then the Hokage spoke. "While this is heavy news, take heart from the fact that Orochimaru's plans are likely in tatters. With this Akatsuki on his trail, together with continued pressure from the Leaf, he is in a poor position indeed. His failed assassination of the Kazekage has won him few friends in Sunagakure, and hurt his aura of strength, which will hamper his recruitment efforts. With luck we can finally end the threat he poses, once and for all. Dismissed."
As soon as he finished, Anko pulled the curtains aside and opened the window. She leapt out onto a rooftop, not meeting anyone's eyes. The other jounin filed out of the front door behind the Hokage and the two Sannin. Guy alone stayed behind, dark eyes sad.
"Look. I know you, Kakashi. Why did you make up that story about contact poison?"
Kakashi sighed. "How else was I going to convince Raido to accept a laxative?"
"Why?" Guy asked, and the sorrow in his voice caught Kakashi off-guard. "There are so many people you could choose to be, so why choose this?"
"They came into my home, Guy. The Hokage was trying to make a point, and I hope I'm wrong about what comes next, but someone has to pay for today." Kakashi scowled under his mask. "It took a lot of restraint on my part to let Hiruzen off with a warning."
Guy was open and vulnerable, like the big fool that he was, and Kakashi couldn't meet his eyes. Damn the man for knowing about the one thing Kakashi struggled with – sincerity. "Will you ever change, Kakashi? Will you ever trust anyone?"
"Nope. That's why I didn't warn Anko about the itching powder on the curtains before she hopped out the window." With that, Kakashi put his feet up on the coffee table and started leafing through a magazine that was lying around. Guy took the hint and left.
That was when Kakashi noticed that Tsunade had stolen his booze stash.
-O-
The day of the tournament brought grey skies and the distant rumble of thunder. Kakashi felt the coming rain in his bones, and smiled. Surprises like poor weather often helped the more creative ninja. He was looking forward to watching his little monsters in action.
The stadium was filling up fast, but there was reserved seating for the teammates and teachers of the competitors. Given the lack of a need to rush, Kakashi had a leisurely breakfast before finding a spot beside Guy. Naruto and Lee were sitting further along the same row, giggling to each other.
Below them was the competitor's box, already three-quarters full. Sakura waved at him and he winked back, then searched for his third student. The Sand ninja were present, and so were Tenten and Neji.
Kakashi frowned when he saw both Sasuke and Ino were missing. There were ten minutes before the opening ceremony, and they both needed to be here. Kakashi wondered if perhaps he'd set a bad example for his students, with regards to punctuality anyway.
"Looking for me?" Asuma asked, dropping into the empty seat to Kakashi's right. "Or perhaps someone else? Don't worry, I brought your student along, as well as my own. Found the pair of them tucked away in some bushes, talking."
Sasuke scowled as he marched to his seat and Sakura looked like she'd been slapped. Ino was entirely carefree, whistling to herself as she leant on the railing above the arena.
"Don't you want to greet your dear old teacher?" Kakashi asked. "You've been gone for almost a month."
"Hey," Sasuke grunted and kept walking.
"So they were in some bushes. How very odd," Kakashi said to Asuma, amused. He knew Sasuke would be able to hear them, if only barely.
Asuma nodded. "Close by the stadium, though. I think they would have made it in time, but only just."
"Their fires of youth burn hot," Guy supplied.
Sasuke's ears were flaming red by this point, but Kakashi couldn't resist one last comment. "There's nothing wrong with practicing seduction techniques on colleagues. Perhaps they were following yours and Kurenai's example?" Asuma flicked the dog-end of his cigarette at Kakashi, frowning, but Kakashi caught it and tossed it into a nearby bin. He smirked under his mask. "You shouldn't litter, you know?"
As the competitors filed down the stairs to the arena, ready for the grand opening, Asuma made his way to the other end of the row of seats. He made himself comfortable beside Kurenai, who'd somehow talked her way into the box.
Kakashi took the opportunity to catalogue the other people sitting in the reserved area. Shikamaru and Choji had found a quiet spot and were sharing a bag of crisps, and the Sand instructor basked in a rare moment of sunshine, eyes closed. They had a lot of privacy compared to the rest of the stadium; the roar of the crowd was deafening, and civilians and ninja alike sat elbow-to-elbow. The Hokage's box was crammed with dignitaries, including the Kazekage, who was no doubt crowing about his children all qualifying for the tournament.
"Oh, they're starting," Naruto shouted and Kakashi leant forward, eye narrowing.
"Same rules as we agreed on?" Guy asked.
Kakashi nodded. "One point for each win by one of our students, one point for winning the tournament." He was more interested in what was happening on the arena floor than bickering with Guy.
The rest of the new chunin were making their way back to the stands, leaving Sasuke and Neji alone on the arena floor. A thin rain, the kind that went straight through coats and clothes and left everyone wet and miserable, was starting to fall. Apart from the shallow pool to the west, and a few sparse trees at the northern edge, the arena was a featureless plain of dirt.
"It has been a joy to watch Neji flower these past weeks," Guy said. Kakashi ignored him. He was trying to read Sasuke and Neji's lips to find out what they were saying.
This will be a nice warm up, Sasuke spat, eyes narrowed.
Neji, on the other hand, was the picture of serenity. It would have saved you some time and effort if you'd just stayed in the hospital next to Naruto.
"Oh, that was a mistake," Kakashi whispered.
Beside him, Guy winced. "I will concede that Neji needs to work on his people skills."
The show continued. Sasuke snarled at his opponent. You're a stuck-up brat with no idea of the stakes in ninja life, and I'm going to teach you the hard way that stirring up feuds wherever you go is a losing strategy.
Those eyes of yours still see nothing, Neji replied, sneering. You are fated to lose. Your bonds make you weak; a trusting ninja is a dead ninja.
It's always nice to hear a foe openly admit to something you only suspected about them.With that, Sasuke had apparently decided the conversation was over. He drew and unfurled a scroll, slow and deliberate. Neji formed a hand seal and activated his bloodline. Whatever he saw must not have been threatening, because after that he watched without moving.
A press of his palm summoned the spear Sasuke had bought before the Chunin Exams. "Is he still using that?" Guy asked.
Kakashi shrugged. "At least he's stopped with the swords. Sasuke wasn't well-suited to them. He's pretty handy with his spear though, to be honest."
"We'll see."
Both jounin leant forward, keeping a close eye on their students. A bit of rivalry didn't worry Kakashi overmuch, but he'd take Sasuke to one side after the tournament was over and make sure there wasn't any lingering bad blood. Sometimes the best way to settle a feud between comrades was to beat it out of each other.
What a happy coincidence that they were facing each other in the first round.
Sasuke twirled his spear around, showing off, then tossed it to one side. Kakashi missed what he said next, but Neji's face darkened in anger and he leapt forwards. Sasuke formed the same set of hand seals as he'd used during his fight against Lee. This time, though, the wind that sprang from his lips was tighter, more potent – and much more efficient.
Hiruzen's work, no doubt. Kakashi frowned. It wasn't the direction he would have chosen to take his student in. Wind was a powerful element and the Hokage could use all five chakra natures with ease, but Sasuke would gain more immediate power from focusing on his fire techniques.
The blast of air sliced across the field, twenty paces wide and as tall as a man. Neji leapt high over it, taking no chances.
Sasuke sent a hail of shuriken at Neji, who twisted out of the way despite being in mid-air. He deflected the last few with a kunai. Sasuke grinned and pulled on the thin wire that was attached to a handful of the shuriken, and they flew at Neji's back.
"Nice trap," Guy said. "It won't work, though."
There was a shimmer in the air as Neji pushed a solid wall of chakra out of his body. He twisted and the chakra moved with him, deflecting the shuriken away and tangling the wires. Sasuke wouldn't be able to use them again this fight, although Kakashi knew he'd have more wire stashed somewhere.
Sasuke was left with about thirty paces' distance between him and his opponent. It was enough to keep Neji from engaging him in hand-to-hand combat, but it left Sasuke with limited options of his own. More wind techniques were unlikely to have better success than the first, and Sasuke was too close to set up any traps. Not that they would work against the Byakugan, of course.
It appeared that Neji had come to the same conclusion. He settled into a defensive stance, happy to wait for Sasuke to try something else. Given the likely hand-to-hand advantage Neji had, it made sense to stall, and keep any advanced techniques for later fights.
Sasuke started forming hand seals. "That's Sasuke's fireball technique!" Naruto shouted to Lee from a few seats down. By the looks of things they'd become firm friends over the last few weeks – Kakashi wondered what exactly had happened there.
On the seat beside him, Guy's eyes narrowed. Kakashi could feel the man's muscles tense. "You won't need to step in. Sasuke knows better than to torch a fellow Leaf ninja. It won't be hot enough to cripple or kill."
"Of course," Guy said, but he didn't relax.
The fireball, no larger than a man's head, soared over the field and Neji used the same defensive technique as before. It splashed against Neji's spinning chakra shield and was deflected into the ground around him. A burst of steam came from the wet soil. It was followed by another fireball, and another. What was Sasuke up to? He had to see that he wasn't able to break through. Neji could see any incoming attacks thanks to his Hyuga heritage, so the fires weren't even setting up a smokescreen.
Guy scratched his nose. "I'm not sure even I would have thought of that. Sasuke's trying to bog Neji down. Every time he turns, he softens the damp earth under him a little more. And eventually Neji will get dizzy as well. That's when Sasuke will make his move."
"It's a poor strategy," Kakashi disagreed. "Sasuke is burning through his chakra reserves too fast. If he keeps this up for another minute, he'll be out of the fight. Neji simply has more stamina. I wonder if this is desperation rather than strategy."
Down below, Sasuke finally stopped throwing fireballs and switched to shuriken. Neji blocked them with a kunai as he stalked towards his foe. Rather than let Neji get into range, Sasuke backed up, moving towards–
"He wants his spear," Kakashi told Guy. "But I don't know how much it will help. If Neji gets past the speartip, he's going to be in trouble. A baton or club would work better."
Once Neji saw Sasuke's goal, he picked up the pace. By the time Sasuke had recovered his weapon, the two of them were almost in touching range.
"What is he doing?" Guy asked. Sasuke had pulled the spearhead off, leaving him with a wooden shaft about as long as he was tall.
"This ought to be interesting. I wonder if Hiruzen had a hand in this," Kakashi said. "He must have done – who else would have trained him to use a staff?"
Despite the whirling staff, Neji was surefooted as he strode into melee range. Wherever the staff went, he was already moving away. Sasuke struck at his legs, but he hopped and sidestepped and the wood never touched him.
"Does Sasuke not have a Sharingan?" Guy asked. "Or why isn't he using it?"
Kakashi shrugged. "It uses a lot of chakra; he might not feel like he needs it yet."
After a few seconds, Neji had found the pattern to Sasuke's attacks. His footwork was still impeccable but now he started weaving counterstrikes in, aiming for Sasuke's arms. Sasuke gave ground, backing towards the pool of water.
Walking backwards over wet terrain was risky – there was always the slight chance of slipping or stumbling. In a fight that could spell disaster. Kakashi frowned. "Sasuke must have another plan. A solid month of training with a staff isn't enough to keep up with a taijutsu specialist."
Guy shook his head. "That's not a month's worth of training on display. Sasuke learned something else as well during that time."
There was a flash of red in Sasuke's eyes. His staff moved faster, blurring as it swept through the spaces Neji tried to move into. They were at a standstill, now. And then – Kakashi could see the way the fight moved, he knew Sasuke was going to connect first.
Neji saw it too. He pushed out his spinning chakra shield again and Sasuke's staff was thrown back. This time, though, the technique reached farther out. Sasuke tripped as his leg was wrenched to the side and Neji leapt at him, palm aimed straight for his heart. At the last second Sasuke managed to put his staff in the way, and Neji's hand slammed straight into it.
And straight through it. The middle of the staff split apart, leaving Sasuke holding two pieces of wood and scrambling away from an angry Neji.
"This might be over," Guy said. Privately Kakashi agreed, but he wasn't about to admit it.
They watched as Sasuke fended off Neji's attacks with the two sticks of wood. It wasn't going well. Neji landed a light touch on Sasuke's forearm and Kakashi winced. It wasn't a crippling blow, but another of those and Sasuke would struggle to use any ninjutsu.
Sasuke formed the bird seal and for an instant he was wreathed in wind chakra. It give him a burst of speed, and he broke contact with Neji. Once he was a few steps away, the technique flickered and died.
"Wind chakra for speed – that's an advanced application," Kakashi said, nudging Guy with his shoulder. "Shame he couldn't hold it, though."
Guy shrugged. "I'm impressed he was able to use that at all. Neji's not happy about it, though."
Sasuke hurled another gust of wind at Neji, who rolled leapt back as soon as he saw the hand seals. He dodged the technique easily, but it had opened up more space between the two chunin.
"I can't get over what an odd pair of elements that is," Kakashi said.
Guy nodded. "Fire and wind. Still, that's a strong combination once Sasuke's got a bit more control. And the necessary chakra capacity, of course."
"Wind is the hardest element for him to learn right now. He only had a fire nature at the start of the Chunin Exams, after all – fire counters wind. What's Hiruzen up to?" Kakashi didn't expect an answer to that question. The motive of a Hokage, even at its most innocent, was a closely guarded secret.
Neither fighter looked pleased. They'd been forced to pull out techniques and tricks they were hoping to save for later rounds. Kakashi supposed that was the inevitable outcome when the best students from two consecutive graduating classes ended up in the same bracket. Still, he had to hand it to the Hokage – this was a hell of a statement of strength, especially to open up the whole tournament.
"Looks like some more bickering," Kakashi murmured to Guy.
You won't win, you know that, right? You're fighting for yourself. I'm fighting for my friend, Sasuke shouted, hidden by the roar of the crowd.
Neji spat on the floor. Hypocrite. My team-mate was eliminated by you. Your team-mate was eliminated by me. Where's the difference?
I'm not angry because Naruto lost, I'm angry over the insult you gave him. Sasuke looked up at the spectators; his eyes passed over Kakashi but stopped further down the same row. I fought Lee with a spirit of friendship. We respect each other. You respect no-one, and so no-one respects you.
Keep your opinions out of matters that don't concern you. If Neji was angry before, this was an entirely different beast.
"I don't think a provocation like that will help Sasuke," Guy whispered.
Kakashi nodded. "Sasuke's a very emotional kid. I don't think this is some advanced strategy; he's just pissed off."
Reaching into his pouch, Neji took a single threatening step forward. He hurled a smoke bomb at the empty space in front of Sasuke, then formed a ram seal.
"Sasuke's elemental techniques are impressive for a chunin," Guy told Kakashi, pride evident in his voice, "but Neji has worked on muscle enhancement. I recommended he try to keep it as a surprise for the finals; I suppose that's out of the window now."
Kakashi shifted in his seat. "He won't be able to enhance his entire body. Let me guess – he's going to enhance his legs to get in range, then enhance his arms to overwhelm Sasuke's defence."
"Neji isn't one for complex strategy. Fewer moving parts means fewer things can go wrong. Or so he thinks, anyway." Guy watched as Neji broke into a run, faster than before.
Sasuke had backed away from the smoke cloud but he wasn't ready for Neji to come charging through so fast. He covered the distance too rapidly for Sasuke to do more than call up wind chakra around himself. The broken bits of staff were tucked in Sasuke's belt; he drew them a split second before Neji reached him.
Both combatants were wreathed in chakra. Neji's arms whipped forward faster than muscle alone could move them, but Sasuke danced away from the first two hits, red eyes glaring. Neji closed in, eyes flashing with something past fear, past rage, past anything human. He lashed out again, this time four blows in rapid succession. They all missed Sasuke's flesh. One was turned aside by the lengths of wood Sasuke held, but the force of the blow turned an inch of the staff piece into a cloud of splinters.
"Beautiful taijutsu," Kakashi complimented Guy. "Look at that controlled fury."
Guy nodded. "Sasuke has improved a great deal since the Chunin Exams. See the way he's dodging; hitting him is like trying to catch a falling leaf. The hand moves the air moves the leaf, and Neji's fingers close on nothing, over and over again."
"You can see the influence the old monkey's had on him, although I'm not sure when Sasuke became familiar with the Gentle Fist style," Kakashi said. He and Guy had sparred with Hiruzen in the past, and knew a little about his personal taijutsu.
Strike after strike was turned aside at the last second. The veins on Neji's head were bulging with the strain; Sasuke's splintered shards of spear-haft had about a foot of wood left each. Sasuke pulled back, almost running flat-out, but Neji kept close, lashing out again and again. Sixty-four! he shouted, the words almost obscured by the spittle flying from his lips.
"I didn't know the Hyuga clan teach that particular technique to the branch house," Kakashi said, shocked.
Guy snorted. "They don't. He recreated it on his own."
Neji's hands were a blur, and now some blows were slipping through Sasuke's guard. He took a strike to the stomach and another to the leg. Kakashi struggled to see the individual hits without using his Sharingan. What kind of hell had Guy put his student through, for him to learn or invent this technique?
As the very last strike came for Sasuke's face, he fell. Kakashi's breath caught in his throat – had Sasuke taken too much of a beating? Then he flipped back into a handspring, his foot coming up and catching Neji under the chin. There was a spray of blood as he bit his own tongue, and Sasuke used that brief moment of shock and disorientation to get some distance.
Neji struggled to his feet, a trickle of red running down his face. His face was set in an impassive mask that would have made Hiashi proud. Kakashi squinted to make out every detail of his face. Neji was at an awkward angle for reading lips, but Kakashi was an elite ninja and very invested in the unfolding drama. So that's the power of the Sharingan. I see now why the Uchiha were once considered the equal of the Hyuga Clan. You are skilled, and you have inborn gifts, but it is not enough.
Why boast of your clan if you hate them so much? Or is your only problem with the Hyuga that you are at the bottom of the pile, and not on top and pissing down on your relatives? Sasuke said.
Kakashi wasn't sure if Sasuke was buying time to catch his breath or not. Either way, Neji was happy to argue rather than fight. Skill, not luck, should decide who is in the Main Branch. The same blood runs in my veins as in Hinata's, but I am stronger by far. Everyone knows, and yet it's treated as something shameful.
Neji's shouting didn't quite reach the spectators, a fact that Hiashi would be very glad about, Kakashi guessed.
Sasuke wasn't impressed by that particular argument. You carry the same blood, and yet you were so very eager to see that blood spilled. Given half the chance you'd cut her yourself, wouldn't you?
She's a burden. A burden on me and on the rest of the clan. Saving her is what got my father killed. Neji knowing about the Kumogakure affair was a surprise. Kakashi and Guy exchanged significant looks.
Your father died for her and you'd let that sacrifice be in vain. The legacy given to you is that of a protector. Do you know what my family legacy is, what role I've been given? Do you want to swap places?
The Uchiha dying doesn't excuse that Hinata took half my family away! Neji had tears sparkling in his eyes.
You've no idea how lucky you are to have even half a family left, Sasuke spat, and this time the bone-deep weariness under the anger slipped out.
"What a pair of students we have," Guy said. "Are we truly such poor teachers that these issues must be aired in the middle of a tournament?"
"I wouldn't worry too much about it. New chunin are all a bit high-strung. They'll have settled down in a week or two and keep all their pain inside where it belongs," Kakashi replied.
Down in the arena, Sasuke formed the hand seals for his wind technique one last time. Neji had settled back into a defensive stance. Once the wave of air left Sasuke's lungs, Neji leapt over it. He was tired and expecting another hard fight afterwards; he would pass a mere foot above the technique.
Kakashi watched as Sasuke bared his teeth. His hands were still forming the final seal for the technique, and a twitch of his wrist curled the edge of the wind up, clipping Neji's ankle and dragging him down into the main body of the air current. He left a groove in the wet earth as it carried him the length of the arena, stopping at the far wall.
The impact broke Neji's collarbone with a sickening crack.
Sasuke grinned in triumph.
And Neji collapsed face-first on the ground.
"I call the first match of the Chunin Tournament for Sasuke Uchiha!" the referee shouted, and the crowd went wild.
Kakashi nudged Guy. "Well worth the price of admission, wouldn't you say?"
"One point to you," Guy said, not meeting Kakashi's eyes, then vaulted over the railing to see to his student.
Sasuke made his way back to the competitors' box. Kakashi flashed him a thumbs up and he smiled before sitting beside Sakura. It would have been easy to listen in, but Kakashi decided to offer them some privacy. He shuffled over to see what Naruto and Lee thought.
"We must redouble our efforts so that we may prove our own strength is worthy of protecting our teammates," Lee yelled, standing up and forming a fist. He thrust it into the sky. "I will prove my shining youth is the equal of any bloodline!"
"That was so cool! Neji was all like pow-pow-pow with his hands going so fast but Sasuke just dodged it all like fwoosh," Naruto waved his arms around as he shouted at Lee, "and then he just hit him with his wind thing and that was it."
After some deliberation, Kakashi flicked Naruto on the nose. "I suppose at least it proves you were watching the fight," he said.
Naruto rubbed his face. "It was really good! I wanna learn all that stuff that Sasuke did!"
"I'm sure you'll get the chance," Kakashi said, amused.
