Chapter three
Skylar was deep in thought as they left the ANBU Headquarters and began walking to the training grounds… Tsunade wasn't going to like what she had to say and face the elders if they were still alive. Sasuke sounded conflicted somehow and she just hoped she was doing the right thing to keep the world on track.
"Yo." Kakashi said, dropping down in front of them. "Tsunade-sama wants to see both of you." He says a bit more sternly… Skylar didn't like being summoned after being summoned by the principle or her parents or such people from her previous life, she never did enjoy following orders and rules, hell even Kakashi had a hard time getting her to follow orders most time. Skylar pushed the unpleasant memories away with a deep breath of air, gripped Naruto's hand and followed him and Kakashi to Tsunade's office. They knocked politely and called to enter and instantly Skylar tensed up at the chakras in the room and almost shrunk back behind Naruto.
"You wanted to see us Tsunade-obaa chan?" Naruto asked happily.
"The council has demanded to meet Skylar here." Tsunade said harshly. "Uzumaki Skylar you've already met Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi. And the other two are the village elders Koharu and Homaru." Tsunade said with restrained distaste. "Your story has been relayed and discussed and you have been granted permission to stay in Konoha permanently. However, the clan heads would like to meet you at some point soon. I understand that this is sudden…"
"It's okay Tsunade-sama, They have been waiting for nine months already and grown impatient especially with someone like me in the village they protect and keep their families in." Skylar said respectfully in front of the council. "However since the council is here, I have a matter to discuss concerning Uchiha Sasuke."
"There is no need for your input child." Homaru said sweetly but Skylar backed a little behind Naruto as her lips twitched to not to growl at the council elders.
"You know of my story and I know of your input to this village… All of it and with all due respect, I don't like you, your chakras are… Dark." Skylar said with a deadpan voice and the elders backed down quickly. Tsunade smirked behind her linked hands and Shikaku coughed while Inoichi closed his eyes to keep his self-control of not laughing or smirking. "Besides, this is a shinobi issue and not a village issue and I would like to talk to the Hokage confidentially as a personal request if not I will return at another time." Skylar knew she got them at that one, knowing each persons role in the village easily without outright stating it. The elders inclined their heads stupidly since Skylar couldn't see and they left without another word, Skylar letting out a tense breath she had been holding.
"Well that was easier said than done, that was one way of kicking the old butts of those two." Tsunade said triumphantly after she placed a silence barrier around the room.
"I need to sit down." Skylar said quickly with desperation as Naruto led her to a chair and sat her down in it as she buried her face in her hands and shook. Skylar had never felt such intense emotions before to rattle her up so badly. She hated those old hags since she first met them in the anime and they were even darker in real life, a government hell bent on their own ways and using any means necessary to get it. She flinched back from Tsunade trying to check her with medical jutsu and she pulled back and stood in front of her desk while Skylar calmed down. She took a deep breath and sat up again, still feeling taut with killing intent and anger.
"I'm sorry, they just seriously piss me off bastards think they can control me… No one has that right!" Skylar snarled dangerously, her eyes gaining some colour and emotion back into them with the suppressed killing intent.
"I'll keep them as far away from you as possible… Now what's this about Sasuke you wanted to talk to me about?" Tsunade asked with a triumphant smirk still on her face.
"Itachi didn't kill his clan because he was twisted but rather he was forced to by Danzo and those two elders, Hiruzen had no choice but to agree, it was a secret mission he failed by leaving Sasuke alive." Skylar began and the smirk fell from Tsunade's face. "After Sasuke killed Itachi, Tobi picked him up and manipulated the truth to bring Sasuke on his side, he helped Itachi to kill the clan that night, if not, the Uchiha clan was going to have a coup on the village and take control after being the ones blamed for the Kyuubi attack, a sharingan seen in it's eye. Tobi killed Minato and Kushina that night and he took control of Akatsuki, carrying on Madara's plans, as you know…. Here." She said getting up and whipping out her I-pod and began to show the relevant videos with Naruto's help to Tsunade with Shikaku and Inoichi watching over her shoulder. "This should be all the proof I need to help Sasuke out and get him back within the shinobi system of Konoha, this should be enough to clear him as well with the other nations and I'm willing to confront them about this and myself to take Kabuto and any other threat down." Skylar said determinedly and left a shocked and stunned Tsunade, Inoichi and Shikaku throw orders around quickly.
Tsunade sat down in her chair with a pale face… How could she have been so blind and knowing that Kakashi, Naruto and Yamato had been told the truth as well by Tobi. Since no harm was done while Sasuke was apart of Akatsuki, the other Kage's didn't have a leg to stand on however this made Skylar's situation more difficult now, the other Kages won't take her lightly and see her as a threat rather than the person who saved their world. She needed to focus on one task at a time right now.
"Now that, that's out of the way, the reason I summoned you here Skylar was because of your abilities… I can now look into your eye problem and possibly fix them so you can see again and after the skill you showed yesterday, I want to offer you a place among the shinobi of Konoha… Your rank will be chunin and you'll be placed with a team as soon as possible." Tsunade said with a smile. Skylar looked down and kept her face blank as she stood up.
"I decline the offer but thank you." She said sadly and with a flash of red she was gone. Naruto and Kakashi blinked with confusion, why would she decline?
"Why would she decline? I thought this was her dream now? You two will be talking to her later but as for now, Naruto, you and Sasuke will be reinstated with your previous ranks of genin." Tsunade said with an evil smirk… You could hear Naruto yell out 'NO' from all the way across the village.
Skylar had flashed to the memorial stone, having placed a senbon there when she visited with Kakashi one day he dragged her out with him, not knowing when or if she could use chakra again. She knew that after the previous days exercise it was if she could still use chakra, the feels of it seriously damaged her and not even regular chakra exercises Kakashi had given her worked, she still couldn't control it. She could still become a ninja but would be more of a liability and danger to her team than help in certain situations.
The heartburn feeling, knowing it was her chakra coil was still burning every time she used chakra and she quickly found out that nearly everything she did used the damn stuff and she wondered how Lee did it. She rubbed at her chest as she felt the burning from earlier intensify and she groaned uncomfortably as she rested against the stone. She felt Naruto's senbon fly but she refused to answer it at the moment as it continued to keep flying and she groaned again as the pain intensified, even sensing chakra hurt, even her own.
"God dammit Naruto, stop it." She said in a hushed whisper. The senbon flew faster now and Skylar groaned as she flashed back to him to be caught in bridal style by Naruto who was grinning, back in Tsunade's office, Shikaku and Inoichi having left and Sasuke now standing there.
"You don't look to good, why didn't you respond earlier?" Naruto asked calmly.
"Has it ever occurred to you that I flashed away to get away and that I would have come back when I wanted to?" Skylar asked rhetorically as Naruto placed her legs on the ground but supported her by her waist as she staggered slightly.
"I'm booking you into the hospital for a while to see about your chakra coil and eyes and Naruto has to leave again for a while." Tsunade said sternly and Skylar sighed as she leaned back against Naruto and closed her eyes tiredly out of habit. " Sasuke as for your living arrangements, I'll have to book you into a hotel for now." Tsunade said tiredly as she stood up and began leading the group to the hospital with Skylar being carried by Naruto again.
"There's an apartment next to Skylar's that's just become free, he could live there saying I live a few floors up and Naruto lives a block away, it would be perfect." Kakashi suggested.
"Alright then, I'll sort that out straight away… Shizune, make sure that is completed straight away." Tsunade said to the poor woman with a harsh tone and she squeaked and ran off to complete it. Skylar giggled in Naruto's arms and Sasuke hn'ed with a smirk at the fumbling woman. Tsunade took Skylar from Naruto and placed her in a wheel chair and chased the three away while she completed her analysis on Skylar.
"So, how about we grab Sakura and grab some ramen like old times?" Naruto suggested with a grin and Kakashi and Sasuke followed the blonde to find their teammate.
Skylar could feel Tsunade's chakra poking around inside her eye and her wrists and head were bound down so she didn't interrupt or pull away from her. She flinched and Tsunade stopped and sighed with some relief.
"Well the good new is your actual eye ball isn't damaged, just it's inner receptors and a small but complicated surgery can fix that but if something were to go wrong we could transplant a new set of eyes into you simply… As for your chakra, I could see the strain and the fluctuations as you flashed out, when did that start?" She asked.
"Yesterday, my coil burns all the time when I unconsciously activate my chakra. I've been trying to fix the problem but I just can't, the coil is a delicate part of my body and if I make one wrong move, I'm dead… My chakra just refuses to be controlled even though there's so little of it now… It's so frustrating." Skylar explained and Tsunade wrote down notes quickly.
"Have you tried basic chakra control exercises?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes but they have been slightly modified to suit my conditions since I channel natural chakra right away once I start the exercise." Skylar explained.
"Alright then, you'll be staying in the hospital while I prepare for your operation and in the meantime I'll have an academy instructor come by everyday and help you to get your coil back into order… Is there anyone specific you request?" Tsunade asked, switching into medic mode easily.
"Can I have Umino Iruka… I'd like to get to know him since he has been close with Naruto for a long time." Skylar asked.
"Alright then, I'll be back a little later with Iruka to introduce you two and to check up on your eyes, you're going to be here for a while so get comfortable." Tsunade said as she left. Skylar 'humphed' and took out her I-pod for music and fell asleep quickly.
Skylar woke up to people in her room and kept her eyes closed and her breathing deep to listen to who it was.
"I don't want to see her getting pregnant." A voice said slightly amused.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto whined out in outrage and then she heard a slight thump and Iruka laugh.
"You know, it's not nice to talk about someone behind their back in front of their face… It's nice to finally meet you Iruka-san." Skylar said with a smile as she opened her eyes.
"You too Uzumaki Skylar… Sorry, did we wake you?" He asked with his kind voice.
"No not at all but my ears were burning. I thought you were leaving again Naruto?" Skylar asked.
"Yeah I am but only tomorrow morning so I better get home just now and get some sleep… I'm leaving you in Tsunade-obaa chan and Iruka-sensei's capable hands and I'll be back to see you again soon enough and staying permanently this time. Be good." He said taking her hand and kissing her on her forehead before leaving. Skylar sighed sadly but then put a smile on for Iruka.
"So… Charka exercises, what will we be doing?" Skylar asked.
"Well we'll be working on your coil development like if you were a child and see how it goes from there plus Tsunade-sama and Kakashi-san have asked me to give you a basic education on how the village works and certain situations, so the next few months will be fun, we'll start in the afternoons and work to the evening since I have the academy to take care of. I'll also be giving you little spot tests that you can answer verbally to make sure you take this seriously to be a shinobi of the village." Iruka explained and Skylar groaned.
"I just got out of school dammit…" She whined and Iruka laughed before it went silent for a while.
"Naruto's special… And I don't want to see him hurt…" Iruka began as he put his hand on her bed and looked down.
"I know he is." Skylar said.
"He's been through a lot and he doesn't need to go through anymore heartache and…" Iruka continued to ramble before Skylar grabbed his hand tight, looking him in the eyes as close as she could by his voice and took on a serious look.
"I won't hurt him, I know what he's been through, you don't have to worry Iruka because I really care for him and I give you full permission to have my head if I do something to hurt him." Skylar said with a smile at the end and Iruka sighed and squeezed her hand back.
"Thank you and I'll hold you to that promise… Now do you want to get going on your first lesson?" Iruka asked happily and Skylar groaned again and shoved a pillow over head.
Tsunade rushed in a few hours later with a very worried Iruka right behind her and explaining the situation. Skylar had the blanket throw off and clawing at her chest and ribs as she arched off of the bed and her eyes shut tight as she held back screams of agony through her clenched teeth. Tsunade began strapping her arms down as Shizune and Sakura rushed in to help her but they soon found out there was not much they could do but give her painkillers and numb the area and treat the scratch marks she left on her skin and Iruka was asked to go home and not worry because she would be fine, even though they didn't know themselves.
"I've never seen something like this before and I don't know what to do." Tsunade expressed to her two students as she examined the now sleeping Skylar.
"It was a wonder how she even healed her chakra network but its useless without her chakra coil being able to work properly." Shizune said now holding Tonton in her arms.
"Master… May I please have a look, I'd like to try to do something to help I'll do whatever it takes for Naruto and for Skylar. May I have full access to all medical information, even the forbidden?" Sakura asked carefully but with determination shining in her emerald eyes.
"Not even Shizune has access to those however… I will study them with you, sometimes a different view on things helps and you can also help me with her eyes… Shizune, we'll need constant coffee, sake and snacks!" Tsunade ordered as they left to begin their research.
Kakashi had left the memorial stone earlier than usual just over a month later. Sasuke was busy settling into his new apartment, Sakura was mainly at the hospital, Sai had been keeping ROOT under control since Danzo's death, Yamato was… Where was Yamato? Skylar was in the hospital and Naruto had taken off again. Kakashi began walking slowly to the hospital while reading his usual stuff and humming a tune he couldn't quite place but it was pleasant so he kept humming it anyway.
"Yo Kakashi, my Eternal Rival, what are you up to this most youthful day?" Guy asked as he slung an arm over Kakashi's shoulders with Lee and Tenten coming up on the rear and following their sensei.
"Hm… I was going to visit Skylar, I'm sure she would like some company in the hospital again, it seems they make her uncomfortable." Kakashi said coolly as he continued towards the hospital.
"Yosh, we shall visit our most promising protégé." Guy exclaimed happily as he unhooked himself from Kakashi and walked next to him with Lee and Tenten talking behind them. They walked up the stairs and down corridors and Kakashi kept his eyes on his book, he opened Skylar's door and walked in with Guy and his team and put his book away as he walked up to the side of her bed where Iruka was sitting.
"Kakashi-san, Guy-san, Lee, Tenten, what are you guys doing here?" Iruka asked happily.
"We came to visit our most youthful friend Skylar to keep her company for a while." Lee exclaimed happily and Iruka just smiled.
"Her condition is getting better with the experimental treatment on her chakra coil and they're still planning her eye surgery, only time will tell." Iruka said, turning back to her.
"How are her chakra exercises?" Kakashi asked as he moved to lean against the windowsill.
"She's still showing signs of discomfort but her coil is building up nicely and hopefully ready for duty as soon as her eyes are healed, I can't wait to see how powerful she is." Iruka said excitedly.
"I suggest watching her, not even I can beat her when she's close to her peak condition but I might be able to now, I doubt she'll have the same monstrous power as before." Kakashi said sadly.
"We got along pretty well too when I met her and I can't wait to test my skills against her and maybe become friends." Tenten said happily.
"What did Tsunade-sama say that happened to put her in this state?" Lee asked, not knowing the full story.
"When the rinnegan appeared, it almost seemed to rip her whole chakra network and force her coil to overproduce chakra in a short amount of time, almost burning it out, she's lucky to be in such a stable way." Kakashi explained.
"She's an Uzumaki, we doesn't go down easily." Naruto said from the door and everyone's faces lit up.
"Naruto-kun, it is good to see you back so soon." Lee exclaimed excitedly.
"Tsunade-obaa chan said she will be performing a five hour surgery on her tonight with a five man team of herself, Shizune, Sakura-chan, Ino and Hinata. They think they might have found a way to sort her coil out for good this time and her eyes at the same time." Naruto said, trying to keep a grin off of his face.
"It's good to have you back so soon and that's great news… Why are you back so soon?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I brought Captain Yamato back, he was in a bad state, Kabuto got to him but he said something about him being tainted or something but he was pretty beat up by the time I put the pieces together to save him." Naruto said with a scowl.
"So he's already making a move huh?" Skylar asked sleepily as she sat up with a yawn and stretching. "Thanks for coming to visit everyone, I really appreciate it. Oh and make sure Anko's not in any immediate danger, it's very unlikely since her curse mark disappeared after the last time Orochimaru was resurrected."
"Anko's fine, I've just been on a mission with her and we came across Kabuto but he ran quickly when he saw me." Sasuke said, steeping into the room as well. Sasuke now wore the same outfit that he wore during the war, a grey coloured high collared short-sleeved shirt and his regular back pants with the rope sash with a Konoha hitai-ate tied around the right sleeve of his shirt.
"So, I'll be up and going soon after tonight huh, good to hear cause we need to end this before it gets any further again, who knows what a twisted mind like Kabuto's could be doing at the moment." Skylar said with concern, staring down at her blankets.
"Alright, all of you, stop speculating and go and rest, things are about to get a bit hectic again and we need to prepare for the surgery." Tsunade snuck up behind them and chased them out.
"Yosh, we must get back to our youthful training." Guy said.
"I'm sure Sasuke and Naruto won't mind joining you, I'll even come too, I've been sitting around for too long and my joints are acting up." Kakashi said, stretching like an old man as they all moved off to the training grounds.