Hi no Ishi, Scroll One: Kannabi
Full Summary: As Orochimaru and his allies threaten to topple Konoha, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke are becoming the leaders of their generation. The question is, will they survive the Daiyonji Ninkai Taisen or end up like the previous Sannin did - broken? AU diverging at the chuunin exams. FemNaru because I can. Team 7-centric.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly.
A/N: I'm still looking for a beta. PM me if you're interested!
People prefer to believe what they prefer to be true.
- Charles Bacon
Chapter Two: New Divide
Kakashi hummed cheerfully as he reached his team's training grounds, already an hour late.
Sakura's eyebrow twitched and she shouted, "YOU'RE LATE!"
Naruto sighed in exasperation. Sasuke glared at him. Kakashi had to stifle his chuckle. "Hello team!" he chirped. "I ran into a giant green caterpillar that wanted to challenge me to a contest of wills, so I had to get rid of him first!"
In fact, it was half true. Gai had run into him and challenged him to a race around the village.
"I got three taijutsu styles for each of you to choose from," Kakashi explained as he pulled out nine scrolls from his pouch. He handed three to each of his genin. "When you're all done picking which one you want to learn, we'll work on your taijutsu until lunch, after which we'll start working on ninjutsu."
All three genin eagerly snatched up their scrolls as soon as Kakashi was done explaining and began to read.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Naruto discarded the Nanashi almost as soon as she began reading it. It focused on using the feet for attacking, but it basically discarded the use of one's hands except for blocking. That was a major weakness, in Naruto's opinion, and a waste of resources.
The next taijutsu style, the Hebi-Ryuu, focused a lot on speed and taking advantage of the weak parts of the body. It was also dangerous because it took advantage of the enemy's strength and used it against them. The whole point was to move smoothly and attack at lightning-fast speeds, just like the snake that the style was named after. Naruto kept that one within reach before she picked up the last scroll.
The last style was the Shunko. Naruto read a little bit more about it before she decided to discard it. TheShunko, while requiring the speed that Naruto had, also required devastating strength that would take months, if not years, for Naruto to develop.
'Looks like it's going to be the Hebi-Ryuu,' Naruto decided. 'The Nanashi just sounds plain unappealing to me, and the Shunko uses something I don't have, even though it does sound like a strong taijutsu style. I might be able to learn it later on.'
0o0o0o0o0o0
Sasuke went through his scrolls carefully. He had already discarded the Senkouken because it focused very little on blocking. If a faster person fought a user of the Senkouken, the user would loose in a heartbeat. The main defense was dodging and hoping you were faster than somebody else, and though Sasuke was confident that he could beat many people, he didn't really want to die because he had screwed up when he chose a taijutsu style.
The Shugoken was gone even faster then the Senkouken. It focused mostly on blocking and powerful attacks, but it was slow.
Sasuke ended up picking the Goken, one of Konoha's older taijutsu styles, because it made use of hands, feet, speed, and strength. It was less focused then the other styles he had gotten that day, and a lot more flexible.
0o0o0o0o0o0
The first scroll that Sakura read was the Tsuru-Ryuu. It relied on speed, as the main form of attacking was jumping in and preforming a few techniques before leaping out of range again. However, the defenses of the style were weak and easily penetrable. Sakura knew her strengths and weaknesses; while her speed was average for her age, and she was flexible, she wasn't particularly strong, so the fast, brutal punches and kicks of the style wouldn't suit her.
The Toute, on the other hand, she might be able to use. The beginning moves focused mostly on striking the body in its weak spots, but as the style progressed, the moves gradually became more versatile. It was also well suited to weapons and flexible enough that you could insert most types of swords into it without having to change too many of the stances.
Sakura discarded the Koryuu almost as soon as she started reading it. Not only was it old and well known, and therefore predictable, but also all of the attacks were pretty linear and easy to dodge or block if one knew what they were doing and what to expect.
'So,' she decided, 'Toute it is.'
0o0o0o0o0o0
It took about twenty minutes for his genin to decide which style they wanted to use. "Okay!" Kakashi chirped, clapping his hands together. "Tell me which style you settled on, and then we can start working on your taijutsu."
"I decided on the Goken," Sasuke replied immediately.
"I chose the Toute," Sakura answered.
"Hebi-Ryuu," Naruto said simply.
Kakashi nodded idly. 'Good. They all seem to have chosen something that will supplement their body types and existing fighting styles well. They seem to understand that, at least.' "Now, every taijutsu style uses something all three of you need more of – strength," Kakashi said as he pulled out a scroll. "To be the most effective in taijutsu, you must have at least a decent amount of muscle." The jounin unsealed three sets of wrist and ankle weights, each weighing four pounds. "Put these on and do five laps around the village. Meet me back here when you're done."
Naruto's eyebrow twitched. Sasuke winced slightly. Sakura sent Kakashi a disbelieving look. "But Sensei…" the Haruno said, whining slightly.
When Kakashi spoke again, his voice was harsh. "Sakura, we are shinobi. We do not waste time with whining, because when we waste time, the chance that one of our teammates will die on a mission goes up. I will not discriminate against you because you come from a civilian family, but I do expect you to pull the same weight as your teammates. If you are not willing to pull that weight, you are free to resign as a shinobi whenever you want. You will take your training seriously or some day, somebody will die."
Sakura looked down at the ground, properly cowed. "Hai, Sensei."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Get going!" Kakashi said. Sasuke gave him one last glare before all three of them left, Naruto and Sasuke vying for the lead.
Kakashi would definitely be lying if he said he wasn't smirking sadistically under his mask when his team returned. He had them go through several strength- and speed-building exercises such as push-ups, punches, jump rope…damn, now he saw why some jounin actually enjoyed taking on teams; it was amusing to watch them suffer.
Wow. That had sounded kind of...what was the word he was looking for? Anko-like? Ibki-ish? Crazy? Insane? Probably all of the above. Maybe he had been spending too much time with Ibiki and Anko. Or maybe sadism was just something that happened when spent too much time as a shinobi. Or maybe it had something to do with ranking...? That was entirely possible, seeing as how most chuunin were perfectly normal, but jounin…well, that was another story entirely. Kakashi thought of Gai and shivered.
The ringing of an alarm clock interrupted Kakashi's thoughts. "Time for lunch!" Kakashi called to his students. Almost instantaneously, all three of them lay down, breathing hard. "You know, if you lay down like that, you're going to get cramps," Kakashi said idly.
Naruto grimaced as she stood up. "You're paying for lunch," she muttered.
Kakashi shrugged. "Sure. Where do you three want to go?"
"Ichiraku Ramen," was Naruto's immediate response. The blonde sent a glare to her teammates that clearly said, "Say no and I will shove a kunai so far up your ass you'll be able to taste it."
For some reason, Kakashi didn't doubt that she would do it. Clearly Sakura and Sasuke didn't doubt it either, as neither of them protested, though Sakura looked ticked off. Actually, so did Sasuke if the slight twitch in his right eye was anything to go by.
"Ramen it is," Kakashi conceded.
0o0o0o0o0o0
"Sakura, you need to eat more," Naruto said, sounding faintly concerned.
Sakura just frowned and twirled the noodles around with her chopsticks. She wanted to go on a diet so that she would look better for Sasuke-kun, but she was hungry. She glanced quickly at Sasuke, who was sitting beside her, before saying, "It's fine. I'm not hungry."
Naruto sighed before leaning in to Sakura's ear. "Look, I understand that you have a crush on the Uchiha. But no boy is worth starving yourself over. If he cares that much about your figure, he doesn't deserve you," whispered Naruto. "Beneath that obsession with Sasuke and your fiery temper, you're a good person. Besides, you'll be able to do more training if you eat more food. And the more one sweats while training, the less they bleed during battle. I'd prefer not to get myself killed covering your ass. I'm pretty sure Sasuke wouldn't appreciate that either."
Sakura grimaced as she saw the truth in Naruto's words. But still, ramen wasn't exactly the healthiest food in the world.
"Look, I don't care if you have a crush on Sasuke." Naruto's voice was colder this time. "What I do care about is if that crush gets in the way of my survival. This team's survival. I won't tolerate you weakening yourself or others for some stupid crush like you did in the Academy. You're a shinobi Sakura, so start acting like one."
Sakura's rage bubbled to the surface, but as her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched, she realized that Naruto was right. 'As it is, I'm kind of getting in the way,' the Haruno thought. 'And Naruto's right; now that we're shinobi, we really could die. And if their deaths are my fault…' Sakura swallowed as she glanced at her teammates. 'I don't think I'd be able to live with myself.'
Even after only a day and a half of being with them, the thought of having one of her teammates die made Sakura's heart ache.
A steely shade of determination entered Sakura's eyes. 'I won't be weak any longer!' she decided. 'None of them are going to die if I have anything to say about it!'
Sakura smiled at Naruto, wordlessly thanking her, before digging into her noodles with renewed fervor.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Kakashi lead his three genin back to the training grounds after they were finished eating. Once they were there, Kakashi gestured for them to sit in the central clearing. They did so, and Kakashi followed suit. "Okay, so this afternoon is going to be about ninjutsu. As you probably know, most ninjutsu consist of manipulating one of the five elements," Kakashi said as he pulled out a scroll that had a diagram of all five elements drawn on it. "These elements being, of course, fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. However, each of these elements are weak to one element and strong against another. For example, a wind technique colliding with a fire technique of the same level will only be absorbed by the fire and make it larger. Likewise, water will douse fire. However, if the fire technique is of a higher level then the water technique, it will be the water that is rendered useless.
"So the weaknesses and strengths go like this: Fire is weak to water, but strong against wind, wind beats lightning, lightning is stronger then earth, and earth defeats water. It's a circle.
"Each shinobi is aligned with one of these elements. This is called an affinity. For example, I have a lightning affinity, which means I have an easier time using lightning element techniques. However, through extensive training, a shinobi can use more elements then that. This process takes several years for most people even when working with their affinity, so it's basically impossible for a person to learn to control all five elements through normal means.
"Each of these elements is more common in their own country. For example, fire is common here, in Hi no Kuni, while water is more common in Mizu no Kuni. This is caused by genes because elemental affinities are at least partially genetic. For example, the members of the Uchiha Clan tended to have a fire affinity. But it's not completely genetic because I knew one Uchiha who had a water affinity. Another who had a lightning affinity."
By this time all three of the genin were listening raptly. "Anyway, the whole point of that speech was to give you at least a basic background in elemental affinities. Next, we use this," Kakashi said before pulling out four slips of paper, "to figure out your elemental affinity."
The genin stared at him blankly.
"This paper is made out of trees grown on chakra," explained Kakashi. "As such, they are very sensitive to chakra. All you have to do is channel your chakra into the paper and it will reveal your affinity. If it is lightning, the paper will crinkle. If it's water, the paper will become wet. If it's fire, the paper will turn to ash. If it's wind, the paper will be sliced in half. If it's earth, the paper will crumble and become dust."
"Wait, Sensei, you said you were a lightning type, right? Could you show us?" asked Sakura curiously.
Kakashi eye-smiled before holding up a single piece of paper between two fingers. A second later, the paper crumpled.
"Wow," Sakura murmured. "Can I try?"
Kakashi handed her a slip of paper wordlessly. As soon as Sakura channeled her chakra into it, the paper burst into flames.
The Hatake raised his one visible eyebrow slightly. 'That's a pretty strong fire affinity,' he noted. "You have fire, Sakura," Kakashi said. The Haruno practically beamed.
Kakashi handed a piece of paper to Naruto next. The blonde immediately channeled her chakra into the paper to see it crumple up until it was almost half the size it had been before. "Lightning," proclaimed Naruto.
'That's another strong affinity,' Kakashi thought. 'What's next? Two elements?'
When Sasuke channeled chakra into his paper, it immeadiately crumbled into dust. And was that a little bit of ash..? "Sasuke, can you hand me the dust you created?" the jounin asked.
Sasuke shrugged and tipped his handful of dust into Kakashi's gloved hand. Kakashi sifted through the dust and face faulted when he saw that Sasuke did, indeed, have two elements, even if the fire part was much smaller then the earth part. "Well, Sasuke, it would seem that you have two affinities. My best guess is that your earth affinity is your natural one, but your constant use of the Uchiha fire techniques altered the makeup of your chakra slightly."
Sasuke smirked cockily when he heard the part about two elements. Kakashi could practically hear the thoughts of superiority running through the younger shinobi's head. "However, both Naruto and Sakura have stronger affinities, even if it is only to one element," Kakashi remarked in an attempt to deflate Sasuke's ego.
At that, Sasuke's smirk turned into a small scowl.
Sakura looked as if she wanted to say something in Sasuke's defense, but glanced at Naruto before closing her mouth. Kakashi filed that away for later as he wondered, 'Did Naruto say something to Sakura?'
"I brought a few D-Rank techniques for each element for you guys to work on. You'll start with those and then work your way up the scale," said Kakashi as he pulled out a scroll and unsealed three others from it. One was brown, the other orange, and the last pale blue. Kakashi saw Sasuke's scowl at the mention of "D-Rank" and explained, "Don't look at me like that, Sasuke. You already know two C-Rank fire techniques and I'll accept that. But you won't get special treatment from me because of that. I don't care if you're considered a genius; all three of you are on my team and it's my job to make sure all of you succeed. We will start with D-Rank techniques and work our way up, and that's final."
Sasuke grimaced before snorting and sticking up his nose slightly. Kakashi would have rolled his eyes at the Uchiha's childishness if he had less control over his actions.
"Each of these scrolls have two techniques in them belonging to your element. By the time training is over, I expect you to be able to use at least one of them easily. Sakura, the orange one is yours. Sasuke, you have the brown one. Naruto, take the light blue scroll," Kakashi ordered. "Get to it!"
The genin quickly snatched up their respective scrolls before spreading out beginning to read.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Sasuke was already slightly irritated when he began reading his scroll. How dare that man call himself a sensei if all he would teach was D-Ranks, which everybody knew were practically useless? If Sasuke had been somebody with less emotional control, he probably would already have katon-ed Kakashi lazy, perverted, ass. As it was, Sasuke had to struggle to calm himself and his chakra so that he wouldn't accidently blow something up. Well…maybe accidently wasn't the right word.
Sighing in frustration, Sasuke forced himself to relax and read the techniques Kakashi had given him. There was Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu and Doton: Jimen Bara.
Sasuke frowned. 'Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu is the technique Kakashi used on me during the bell test, but I didn't see any seals. Is it even possible to preform a technique without seals?' he wondered. 'It's definitely worth looking into.'
He wouldn't be able to practice Doton Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu properly without a willing partner, so Sasuke quickly wove the seals for Doton: Jimen Bara and slammed his hand into the ground.
The ground molded up into small spikes, but Sasuke grimaced when he realized they weren't exactly sharp. They were more like miniature stalagmites then thorns of any sort.
Fuck.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Sakura opened her scroll happily, but deflated almost as soon as she read what her techniques were.
Katon: Karui Yakedo focused heat into the user's hand, causing whatever they touched to burn upon contact. However, it could only be maintained for a small amount of time before it started to burn the user. Katon: Chou formed a small butterfly that could be controlled until the chakra that formed it ran out. It could be used as a signal or to set something afire from a distance.
'I have to master these if I'm ever going to be able to use higher-level fire techniques. Everything starts at the base before going up,' Sakura reminded herself. That in mind, she turned to a nearby tree and formed the seals for Katon: Karui Yakedo.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Naruto's hands flickered through the seals for Raiton: Denkyuu and quietly muttered the name of the technique. Her mouth twitched up into a confident smirk as a large orb of white electricity flared to life in her hand. Raiton: Denkyuu was pretty easy to master, but then again it was a D-Rank.
Naruto glanced quickly at her second technique and committed the essentials of it to memory. The second technique was Raiton: Raisentan, which allowed lightning chakra to settle in the edges of a weapon, giving the victim an electrostatic shock when they touched the weapon.
Naruto quickly wove the required hand seals, picked up a kunai, and murmured, "Raiton: Raisentan." The edges of it flared a pale blue for a moment before electricity surged up through her hand. "Shit!" she hissed as she dropped the kunai. Naruto shook her hand as if that would help get rid of the tingles running through her hand and forearm. Naruto frowned and reread the scroll to see if she had missed something and then rolled her eyes when she saw that you had to coat your hand in chakra lest you be shocked. 'Observant, much?' she thought sarcastically before preforming the seals again.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Kakashi smiled cheerfully when all three of his genin finished their techniques a good hour and a half before the deadline. "Congratulations, you three. I'll bring another D-Rank and a C-Rank technique for each of you tomorrow," said the silver-haired jounin.
"Sensei, what are we going to do for the rest of our time?" asked Sakura. "We still have a while before training's over."
Kakashi let out a small humming noise. Sakura's tired but satisfied expression reminded him of her low stamina. 'Hmm…With Naruto's taijutsu style, she'll need more speed and strength, Sakura needs more stamina, and Sasuke needs more strength to utilize the Goken properly. So that means…'
Kakashi's eye curved up into a crescent before he had his genin put on their weights again and continue their training from that morning. He barely resisted snickering at their groans of annoyance.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Later that night, Naruto was in the library, searching for one particular book.
"Ah, Naruto-chan!" a feminine voice called cheerfully.
Naruto turned to see a woman with spiky purple hair tied up into a ponytail and pupilless light brown eyes grinning at her. A half-eaten stick of dango stuck out of her mouth.
"You're not supposed to be eating in a library, Mitiraishi-san," Naruto commented dryly as she continued her search.
The purple-haired woman smirked and shimmied up to the blonde genin, a movement accentuated by her mesh shirt and short orange miniskirt. "Aww, you're always so cold, Naruto-chan," she whined. "Just call me Anko, will you?"
Naruto had met Anko several years ago when Itachi had been chatting with his ANBU teammates. They had talked briefly and were now vaguely familiar with each other.
"I heard you made genin," Anko said, slightly more serious. "Under Kakashi of all people, too! He's as lazy as they come, but he has high standards."
Naruto nodded idly. "This is true," she agreed.
"Of course, now that you're a genin, it means that I can teach you!" Anko chirped. She looked as if she was about to sentence Naruto to death-by-bear-hug, but restrained herself.
Naruto raised a single delicate eyebrow. "Excuse me?" she questioned.
"Well, Academy students aren't supposed to be taught by shinobi not their parents. Something about 'immaturity' and 'not being able to handle advanced techniques.' Of course, this excludes clan techniques. See, I wanted to take you in after that…incident, but I couldn't apprentice you."
Naruto's eyebrow went higher. "You wanted to take me on as your apprentice," she stated flatly.
"Yup! You had always shown an interest in poisons, and that's my specialty. Also, even though you hide it, you're a real softie underneath that prickly shell of yours, so you'd do well as a field medic. I know a little about iryoujutsu, enough to get you started."
'I suppose no harm can come of it,' Naruto thought before she shrugged. "I accept," the blonde said.
If it was even possible, Anko's grin widened. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"
With that, Anko bodily dragged Naruto out of the library and towards the Shi no Mori, the source of most of Konoha's herbs. Thus began Naruto's introduction into the subtle art of poisons and medicine.
0o0o0o0o0o0
When Sakura got home, she ate dinner silently before walking upstairs to the room beside her own. It had been her grandmother's before she passed away ten years ago.
Sakura's grandmother, Haruno Mihu, had been a jounin and a powerful kunoichi in her own right. The stories her mother had told her had been what inspired Sakura to go to the Academy to become a kunoichi, although she had forgotten about that almost completely when Sasuke appeared. She had only remembered because of what Naruto had said to her earlier that day at the ramen stand.
'I don't want to bring any more shame to the name of the Haruno,' thought Sakura. 'Naruto was right; my affection for Sasuke-kun has been blinding my ambition to become a jounin like Mihu.'
Mihu's room was practically empty; Sakura's parents had only kept Mihu's weapons and scrolls when they discovered that Sakura wanted to be a kunoichi. A plain tatami mat covered most of the floor and bookcases lined the room. Most of them were full of scrolls containing Mihu's personal notes. In the center of the room was a glass case holding Mihu's pride and joy: the pair katana known together as the "Futago no Guren." They were slightly shorter then most katana, but their quality could be seen in the faint blue gleam of the steel. Their hilts were red and their guards silver. Haruno Mihu had been a weapons specialist; she had been known to use at least ten different weapons with skill that still formed the basis of legends. The story of the Crimson Lady was still told in hushed tones in Iwagakure to that day.
Sakura opened the case silently and slid the swords into their sheaths. A white ribbon curled at the base of the glass case, and Sakura used it to attach the katana to her back. Then she picked out a single scroll from one of the many shelves; it read "Toute: Twin Swords."
A determined smile touched Sakura's face and she began to read eagerly.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Glossary
Hi no Ishi – Will of Fire
Kannabi – Where the Gods Do Not Help
Daiyonji Ninkai Taisen – Fourth Great Shinobi World War
Nanashi – Soft Foot
Hebi-Ryuu – Snake Style
Shunko –Flash Cry
Senkouken – Flash Fist
Shugoken – Guardian Fist
Goken – Strong Fist
Tsuru-Ryuu – Crane Style
Toute – Knife Hand
Koryuu – Old Style
Hi no Kuni – The Land of Fire
Mizu no Kuni – The Land of Water
Iryoujutsu – Medical Techniques
Shi no Mori – Forest of Death
Guren no Futago– Twins of the Red Lotus
Jutsu List
Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu
English: Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique
Rank: D
Classifications: Ninjutsu, Supplementary, Short-Range
Description: The user conceals themselves underground using chakra and, when they sense their opponent above them, they reach up and grab the opponent's ankles before burying them in the ground up to their neck. After this, the user uses chakra to get aboveground once again.
Doton: Jimen Bara no Jutsu
English: Earth Release: Ground Thorns
Rank: D
Classifications: Ninjutsu, Offensive, All Ranges
Description: After the necessary hand seals are preformed, the user slams their hand on to the ground or stomps their foot down. An area of land forms thorns or small spikes. It is basically a ninjutsu that creates makibishi out of the land itself.
Katon: Karui Yakedo
English: Fire Release: Minor Burn
Rank: D
Classifications: Ninjutsu, Offensive, Short-Range
Description: After the necessary hand seals are formed, the chakra in the user's hands heats up, causing whatever they touch to char or burn slightly. It can only be used for two minutes before the control provided by the hand seals wears off and the heat begins to burn the user's hands.
Katon: Chou
English: Fire Release: Butterfly
Rank: D
Classifications: Ninjutsu, Supplementary, All Ranges
Description: A butterfly created of fire is formed out of the user's chakra. The user can control it until the chakra that forms it runs out or it is dismissed. When the technique disperses, it does so in a harmless puff of orange flame.
Raiton: Denkyuu
English: Lightning Release: Light Bulb
Rank: D
Classifications: Ninjutsu, Supplementary
Description: After the hand seals are completed, an orb of glowing white electricity will begin to hover above the user's palm. It lasts as long as there is chakra to fuel it.
Raiton: Raisentan
English: Lightning Release: Lightning Tip
Rank: D
Classifications: Ninjutsu, Offensive, Short-Range
Description: Lightning chakra is guided to settle in the tip or tips of an electricity-conducting weapon. The chakra causes the area to glow a pale blue and leave a trail of pale blue light as it moves through the air. The edge of the weapon will cause an electrostatic shock to anybody who touches it.
The title of this chapter is New Divide by Linkin Park