AN: Please excuse the length of this chapter. I wanted to do one of a proper length but couldn't think of how to smoothly transition from Bridge to Chunin Exams so please excuse the filler. That being said I actually do like quite a few things in this chapter so not a total waste of time. anywho I promise the next one will be up to snuff. as always please enjoy.
Sasuke awoke with a start and in a cold sweat. Taking deep breaths he forced himself to calm down before he got out of his bed and headed over to the nearest sink. Splashing some water on his face Sasuke took a moment to look at his reflection in the mirror Sasuke noted the bags under his bloodshot eyes, his normally pale skin had even less color than normal, his hair was a complete mess, though judging by a few comments he overheard Naruto saying that wasn't anything new.
"My hair does not look like a chicken's ass." He muttered as he splashed more water onto his face. Taking another look, Sasuke was forced to add, "Though I do look like hell."
With a wary sigh Sasuke looked out the window and saw that the sun hadn't even risen yet. Scowling, Sasuke returned his attention to the mirror, with his Sharingan activated. "These awoke when my family and clan was killed" He focused his chakra to his eyes and willed them to change. He watched as the three tomoe that circled his pupil stretched into three long, intercepting ovals, turning his eyes into scarlet stars. "And these awoke when I thought that Naruto had been killed. Why does the sharingan seem to get stronger whenever I lose something I care about?"
Sasuke stared at his reflection, at his Mangekyo Sharingan. They looked so different from his brother's three pronged shuriken. Taking a deep breath Sasuke focused on the mirror in front of him. With his sharingan he memorized every little detail he could about it. Once he was sure that he'd had it all memorized, Sasuke punched the mirror. He felt the reflective glass crunch under his fist as cracks spread across the plane. Immediately Sasuke focused his chakra to his left eye and tried to force time to reverse itself like it had on the bridge just a short month ago. Like then Sasuke felt a great strain on his left eye as he watched the cracks retreat back under his fist. When Sasuke removed the hand from the mirror he was pleased to note that the mirror appeared just as it had before he punched it. The pain behind his eye lessened as he released time from his hold, and raised his hand to gently massage the sore organ.
"What's the catch?" Sasuke found himself asking, "There's got to be a catch besides a sore eye ball." Sasuke wished that he could look up the info he needed at Konoha's great library, but the Uchiha Clan had been very particular about what info about their clan was made available for the general public, chief among them the sharingan. And sadly Itachi seemed to take it upon himself to burn the archives kept within the Uchiha Compound itself so no dice there. That left just one person in the whole village he could turn to.
"Kakashi." Sasuke whispered as he let his eyes shift back to their normal sharingan.
"What do you mean we won't be doing any missions for a while?" Naruto loudly demanded once Kakashi had told the group of genin that they would be taking it easy for a bit. "Come on I've been itching for a new mission ever since we left the Wave Country!"
"Funny, I was looking forward to some relaxation." Sakura chuckled to Sasuke as Naruto got into a heated argument with Kakashi, well heated on Naruto's half. Kakashi as usual was thumbing through his book, calmly shooting down all Naruto's hopes. Sakura frowned slightly when Sasuke made zero effort to even acknowledge she had said something. "Are you ok Sasuke? You've been acting odd ever since we got back."
This time Sasuke looked at her, his eyelids half closed over his eyes. "I'm fine, just haven't been sleeping well."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Sasuke shook his head, "Sorry Sakura, but I don't think you'll be able to help."
"Then what about Naruto, or Kakashi-Sensei?" Sakura offered, slightly hurt that her crush didn't think she'd be of any help.
"I was actually going to talk to Kakashi later today." Sasuke admitted.
"That's good." Sakura said just as Naruto and Kakashi finished their own conversation.
"Alright then Kakashi-Sensei, if we aren't going to be doing any missions, then what are we going to be doing?"
"I'm sorry to say that I've neglected your guys' training as of late." Kakashi started, "So for the next two weeks I've decided to devote myself to improving your skillsets and teamwork. Our little mission to the Wave Country was a bit of a wake-up call for me I'm afraid. I won't be able to be by your guys' sides all the time and need to know that you can take of yourselves." With that Kakashi made two shadow clones. "Now then Sasuke, Naruto, each of you go off with a clone and start your training. Sakura you'll stay here with me." All three of his students nodded and Sasuke and Naruto both departed with their clone teachers. Leaving Sakura alone with the real Kakashi.
"What are we going to be doing sensei?" Sakura asked, eager to learn some more. "Are we going to keep working on my genjutsu?"
"No I've decided to spend some time working on your taijutsu skills." Kakashi stated while sliding into his starting stance. "So show me what you've got."
"You looked like you wanted to speak to me about something Sasuke." Kakashi stated once they arrived at their training spot. "I'm all ears."
Sasuke nodded before taking a deep breath. "Kakashi I need you to be honest with me. How much do you know about the sharingan?"
Kakashi shrugged, "No more than you I imagine. It gives me greater perception, and enables me to copy my enemy's movements and jutsu. It's handy for getting off a quick genjutsu, and I have a feeling this is exclusive to me, takes a great toll on my chakra reserves. Why do you ask?"
Sasuke frowned at Kakashi's basic answer, "That's all you know about it? Nothing about advance uses of the Sharingan?"
Kakashi shrugged, "I'm sorry Sasuke, but the Uchiha weren't exactly keen on teaching an outsider the ins and outs of their most heavily guarded secrets, even me." Kakashi noticed Sasuke's tired visage suddenly grow even more tired. "What's wrong Sasuke?"
"Back on the bridge, when I was fighting Haku. Something happened to me when I thought Naruto had died." Sasuke started allowing his eyes to shift to their mangekyo sharingan form. Kakashi stared at the strange eyes. "My sharingan evolved to their next stage."
"And you thought maybe I knew something about it." Kakashi supplied, "I'm sorry Sasuke but everything I know about the sharingan is either from hearsay, legends, and my own experiments with mine."
"I understand." Sasuke said solemnly.
"Was there something else you wished to discuss?"
Sasuke sighed, "I haven't been sleeping well lately."
"Nightmares about your first kill?" Kakashi ventured a guess. The look on Sasuke's face told him he'd been right.
"Every time I close my eyes I see Haku's face, smeared in his own blood." Sasuke stated, "In my sleep I relive the moment I stabbed him in the throat over and over again. Sometimes I dream that I'm the one who killed my clan, each of them a stab to the throat like him."
"There's an old saying, 'You'll always remember your first kill'. Tell me something Sasuke, are you going to forget Haku?" Sasuke shook his head. "And you shouldn't, you also shouldn't forget how killing him made you feel. Judging by what you're telling me, you don't like the feeling of taking someone's life correct?" Sasuke nodded, "That's good, but you also have to come to terms with the fact that as a shinobi, you are expected to kill if you have to. Doesn't mean you have to enjoy it."
"Who was your first?"
Kakashi paused, "I never learned his name, he was an Iwa shinobi during the Third Shinobi War. He killed my best friend and I killed him in retaliation. Something else we have in common eh. I remember feeling hollow afterwards though, unlike Naruto my friend didn't wake up."
"I'm sorry. Who was he?"
Kakashi sighed, "Obito Uchiha, the man who gave me my sharingan."
"So Naruto before we begin why don't you show me what Asuma taught you about Wind jutsu." Kakashi said while pointing at nearby tree. "Take that tree down with your wind claws."
Naruto nodded before he cast the jutsu. He was pleased to see his claws were perfectly straight with no jaggedness to them. They also extended a full six inches past his fingertips. With his fingers now a series of razor sharp wind blades Naruto slashed at the small tree and smiled as the tree offered the resistance of warm butter.
"Very good." Kakashi praised as the tree toppled over. "Asuma taught you well."
"Oh and he had a message he wanted me to give you." Naruto smile widened.
"And what would that be?"
"Next time train your own damn student." Behind his mask Kakashi smiled.
"Yeah that sounds about right."
"Speaking of which, what are you going to be teaching me now? A new mega powerful wind jutsu?"
"Actually I was gonna start teaching you about genjutsu." Kakashi corrected "Or in your case how to break them." Kakashi felt the disappointed look on Naruto's face was priceless. "There are two ways of breaking an opponent's genjutsu should you ever find yourself ensnared by one. The first method is to cause yourself physical pain. This will snap you out of the illusion but as you can imagine can be rather counterproductive."
"And the second way?" Naruto asked.
"To overwhelm the enemy's chakra with your own." Kakashi stated. "Now I know any explanation I give will likely go over your head." Kakashi was rather amused by the bulging vein on Naruto's temple, "So I'll have you learn how in your preferred method." Kakashi lifted his forehead protector away from his sharingan. "Through trial and error."
Naruto had enough time for a single curse before the genjutsu took him.
"Lord Hokage will see you now."
"Well it's about bloody time." Senkai muttered as she stood up. Her three chunin bodyguards all rose with her and made to enter the Hokage's office.
"Just with you ma'am." The Konoha chunin informed her, "Your escort will have to wait out here." Senkai ran her fingers through her red hair before she turned to her guards, all of whom possessed the same color of hair.
"Well you heard the man." She said casually, "Go on back to the hotel I won't be long." The three chunin all bowed before they departed. "The whole, entire clan to pick from and he sends me with those sticks in the mud." Senkai lamented to chunin who was holding the door for her, "Thank you."
Once inside Senkai looked around the office with an inquisitive eye. Everything was neat and in their proper places, completely the opposite of her own office back home. The Third Hokage sat behind a desk stacked with paperwork, a wizened, grandfatherly smile on his face.
"Sorry for making you wait for so long." He apologized, "I'm Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage of Konoha. To what do I owe the pleasure miss…?"
"Senkai Uzumaki. I'm here to discuss Uzushio's participation in the upcoming Chunin Exams."
The Chunin Exams approach and Kakashi must get his students ready for them as genin from other villages all flock to Konoha. Next Time: Strangers in a Foreign Land.
AN: Shameless self promotion oncoming please ignore if uninterested. I've started something of a new series call Reincarnation Cycle. In it I'll be writing short stories, about 10 or so chapters each, about the incarnations of Indra and Asura prior to Hashirama and Madara. Feel free to check it out, first chapter's already up. Please R&R.
