Author's Notes: To DarkRavie, thanks for staying me with me and I glad you like it. From this moment on Naruto's cheery mask with drop and Gaara will actually show emotions. My original plot for this fic will finally make itself known though in very small numbers.
To JanimeLee, thanks for your comment. I always seem to miss the minor errors and such but I'm glad you liked the way I wrote about the fighting. Yeah I was crying when I read what I did to Lee. He's weird but his heart is in the right place.
I know my OC got the curse marked but I did say Sasuke would be getting it as well. What to know what I mean? Then read this chapter and tell me what you think, m'kay? Now let's get this chapter on the road, readers!!
Disclaimer/ Warnings: From now on I will only post these on the first chapter. I don't want to fill up the chapters with these things and annoy you, the readers. Sound fair?
"Family Ties"
By: Beloved Shadow of Light
+ New Mentors +
- Sabaku no Sasori
- Sabaku no Temari
- Hyūga Neji
- Uchiha Sasuke
- Uzumaki Naruto
- Momochi Haku
- Gaara
- Shiruba
Hayate nodded to the genins who stood before him, Anko, Ibiki, and the Hokage. "To all of you who won the rights to compete in the "third round test" in the Chunin Exam... cough, one is missing but... congratulations to you all!!"
In the stands everyone watched quietly but Hidama narrowed her eyes. She was feeling torn right now, wanting to be there for her sons but her daughter was still out cold. She felt like something was nagging at her. Before she could make a decision she felt a hand clasp on her shoulder, bringing her from her thoughts.
"Where is Shiruba?" he asked.
"She's my daughter, not yours."
"The boys need you more than they need me right now."
"..."
"Where is she?"
"The hospital." Before the hand pulled off she covered it with her own, still not looking up at him. "Why do you care so much?"
"... I've been trying to answer that for a long time." Sliding his hand from her shoulder he silently walked off, hands going through the signs he slowly vanished into mist. Down below the hokage sighed as he looked over the young ninjas standing before him.
'There's three from Konoha, two from Suna, and the ones Hidama brought with her...' He sighed deeply, wondering if the young lady was alright but he was glad that his old friend kept her promise and brought the young boy back.
"Well then, hokage-sama if you would..."
"Hai..." Smiling gently he tipped his kage hat towards the young men and woman. "Well, now I'd like to start explaining the main test. As I told you before in the main event, your matches will be seen by everybody. Each of you will fight to represent the strengths of your countries. I'd like you to show off all your powers with no reserves. Which is why the finals will be held one month from now." Upon hearing this more than one person was confused by some sighed in relief. Haku was one of them has he had not fully recovered from his fight with Shino. "This break, you can say, will be for preparations."
Neji frowned and spoke up. "What does that mean?"
The sandaime took a moment to remove his pipe from his lips. "In other words... in addition to informing all the various country lords and shinobi leaders, this is the time needed to arrange for the gathering of the event... also this is also the preparation time for you examination students.
"And what does that mean?" Sasori asked calmly.
"Basically, it's the preparation to get to know your enemy and yourself. It's the time period where you will calculate your chances of winning by analyzing the data you accumulated during the trial competition. The battles up to now had you fight as if you were in an actual combat situation with the assumption of fighting an unknown opponent," he explained.
"No kidding," Naruto muttered under his breathe, glancing at Sasori.
"However," Sarutobi's voice broke through their trains of thought; "there are those who showed all that they can do already to their rivals. There are those who competed and were badly injured against a strong opponent." More than one person flinched at that, including the hokage himself. "To make everything fair, the one month should be used by all of you to advance and improve yourselves. Of course, it'll be fine to rest your body as well."
--
In a room guarded by several ANBU, a young girl lay sleeping on the bed, wires attached to different parts of her body, a mask covered his nose and mouth as she breathed deeply. Machines quietly beeped to show her heart rate but it didn't cover the sounds of several bodies hitting the floor. The door opened and footsteps quietly entered the room.
Yakushi Kabuto slowly walked up to the bed and looked down at the girl. "There's such a thing as being too out-standing... and we stood out too much," he sighed softly. "We were both unfortunate to catch the eye of Orochimaru-sama..." He still remembered the way she had changed during her match with Yoroi, her speed and strength put her at a level of a jounin but the killing aura she unleashed was one that did not belong to a normal human being. Even now with her sleeping, he felt as though he was being watched and if the wrong move was made, he would be torn apart.
'Even at such a young age she not only managed to trick my master, but fought against the curse yet unleashed something none of us could have ever known.' Slowly he reached out and down, brushing his fingertips through the strands that covered her closed eyes but as he pulled back he drew a scalpel from his belt. Orochimaru's words came back to him, taunting him, saying that he could never hope to kill him. Silently he lowered the gleaming blade to the soft flesh of that unprotected throat-
"Try anything and I'll separate your head from your shoulder," Zabuza said coldly, pressing the razor edge of his sword into the side of his throat.
"... And who, may I ask, are you?"
"That's none of your concern right now. And I know... that you are no ordinary genin." Against his better judgment he lifted the sword but remained on his guard. He could--would not risk an all-out battle in this room. "What do you want with Shiruba?"
"You're so concerned about her but," Kabuto slowly turned and faced the larger man, "can you stop me?"
"Do you want to try me?" Something about the way he smirked. He had a feeling if this one had been in his village, he would have been able to trick all his classmates into killing each other until he was the last one left. But now he felt something very wrong, that this young man was following someone else's orders and not his own. "You're nothing but a pawn."
The bespectacled young man smirked, like a cat that had eaten the canary and gotten away with it. "If you capture me here, you might not be able to prove anything. I won't talk no matter what sort of torture or illusions you try on me... and I don't really like to fight. If you let me swim away it's something you'll eventually find out... so why don't you let me go this time?"
Zabuza smirked, the faint indention of his lips curled into a wicked grin barely visible through the wrappings, watching as the young man lost the confident look in his eyes. "Who said I had to bring you in alive!" he remarked, muscles tightening as he lifted his sword but he didn't get much farther than that. All it took was a flash of sunlight through the window flashing off something metal and the bastard held a slightly curved kunai with the tip bent over his partner's daughter's throat. One swift move and her throat would be stabbed, leaving her to choke to death.
"I guess, you're not going to let me go this time," he said softly. He lifted his arm before letting it drop onto the unprotected flesh but the former Kiri nin didn't waste time, turning his sword the other direction he dashed forward and used the half-moon curve in the blade to knock the kunai from his hand. Throwing his arm out of the way he delivered a vicious kick to his unprotected side and pinned him to the ground with his free hand grabbing the back of his neck. However, he realized his mistake a moment to late.
One of the ANBU with the mask of a monkey quickly jumped to his feet, racing for the door but he froze when it pushed open and found Zabuza standing there, arms crossed over his chest and eyes narrowed dangerously. "A Kage Buushin!!"
"Give it up gaki, there is no way we're letting you out of here," the clone said as he entered the room, blocking the only entrance out of the hospital room. He looked back and forth between the two, looking trapped but before they could capture him another of the dead bodies, this one wearing a cat mask, hurled several shuriken and succeeded in shattered the window. Without another thought he jumped out and as if in slow motion, fell towards the canopy of trees below. The real jounin rushed to the window and watched as he removed the porcelain mask, smirking before vanishing. The one in the monkey mask silently fell to his knees then forward onto his face, the mask cracking upon impact.
The clone frowned and moving cautiously, pulled the one with glasses onto his back and noticed a fine line of stitches coming from behind the ear and just behind his jaw line. He examined the one that just fell and noticed the same thing as well. "He stripped the skin from their faces and sewed them onto different bodies," he explained. "But if they were dead already how were they able to move?"
"I don't know but this is far from normal, even by Kirigakure's standards. Go find the old man and Hidama, tell them both what just happened." Nodding he silently left. Going over to Shiruba's side, Zabuza checked her pulse and was relieved to know that she was still alive. In a rare moment of affection he brushed the silvery strands away, resting his gloved hand on her forehead in a fatherly manner, and watched as she slowly opened dazed silver-blue eyes.
--
"Now then... I'd like to dismiss you now but there's something that has to be done for the finals before I can do that."
"C'mon! Some of us have places to be!" Naruto complained and while he wanted to train, he, Haku, and Gaara wanted to see how their sister was doing.
"I understand, Naruto. But there are pieces of paper inside of the box that Anko's holding. I need each of you to take one piece," he explained.
The second examiner from the exam stepped forward with said box, smirking as though trying to intimidate the young genin. "I'll come around, so wait your turn!" she snapped. Sasori said nothing as he reached into the box, moving his fingers between the slips of paper. "Only one now!" she snapped once more.
"I heard your leader the first time but I suppose men enjoy your large mouth for other purposes than merely yelling at young children," he said calmly. Anko bristled but as she opened her mouth to berate him the two scorpions hissed and raised their tails, daring her to try anything. Scowling she held the box out to Temari. So it went down, everyone picking a piece of paper until there was only one left. Neji smirked over at Naruto as he read the number on his piece.
Sarutobi nodded to Anko. "All right, you all took a piece. Now then, I'd like you to tell us that number on that paper in order, starting from the left." He nodded to the large man in the black trench coat who nodded back and stepped forward with a pen and clipboard.
The redhead held up his piece of paper to show him. "Number 4."
"I have 5."
"7."
"Hn, it's 2."
"It's 8."
"6."
"... 3."
Ibiki nodded as he wrote it all down. "That would mean that the girl is number 1."
"Hai. All right then, now I will reveal to you the final tournament!!"
"Nani!?"
"That's what we drew numbers for?"
"Now Ibiki, show them the match arrangements.
"Hai..." He flipped the clipboard and showed everyone who they would be paired against in the final match, one month from today.
Shiruba vs. Sasuke
Gaara vs. Sasori
Naruto vs. Neji
Haku vs. Temari
'...'
'So I'm fighting against her.'
'Gomen Hinata-san...'
'Nani? The finals are just a regular tournament?'
'... Sasori...'
'... Perfect.'
'Kuso, I know Haku wanted to fight that teme Hyūga...' Naruto looked over at his opponent and growled low in his throat, resisting the urge to pounce and claw his eyes out. 'I'll make him pay, from both of us.'
"Well then, you're free to start strategizing or resting as you like. But before I dismiss you all are there any final questions?"
Haku blinked but slowly raised his hand. "Hokage-sama, may I...?" he asked softly.
The old man smiled gently and nodded to him. "Hai?"
"I understand that this is a tournament and only one can become the winner, but do that mean that only one person can become a chunin as well?"
"A very good question, but iie. The chunin exams do not only work that way. There will be judges, including myself, the Kazekage, lords of various countries that will make mission requests and other ninja leaders, who will be watching the final test. Throughout the tournament, these judges will be evaluating your abilities... those judged to have the necessary qualities of a chunin will be able to become a chunin, even if they lose their first match."
"Then, that means that it's a possibility that everyone here will become a chunin?" Temari asked.
"Hai. But, there is also the possibility that no one will become a chunin! To advance in the tournament means that you will have more chances to appearl to the judges. Do you understand?"
The dark eyed boy from Nami no Kuni slowly nodded his head. "Hai... it makes absolute sense."
"Well then, arigato for all the effort you exerted for these trials. You are all dismissed until a month from now." The genin bowed (well all save the two from Suna) and slowly walked away but in the stands Zabuza was speaking with Hidama. Her eyes grew large and nodding she jumped to the ground along with him and they quickly made their way towards the hokage.
"Sarutobi."
He tunred, looking up at the pale woman and the masked man. "Hai?"
"We have a situation. Shiruba was just attacked and the ANBU I had assigned to protect her are dead. All from a single man."
"Nani?? How did this happen!? Is she alright!?"
"She's still alive but this man, he was one of the genin that quit before the preliminaries. I'm not sure how he did it but he not only managed to cut off the skin of the ANBU's faces and sew them onto different bodies to throw me off but he also managed to bring them alive long enough to make his escape," Zabuza quickly explained.
Ibiki frowned and searched through the papers for the information. "Yakushi Kabuto. This would have been his fourth time taking the chunin exams and just like last time he gives up before the tournament starts."
"From what you're describing, it sounds like he used the Shikon no Jutsu. It's a technique that allows the user to make the dead seem like they're alive and allows their bodies to move around to act as a diversion," Anko said with a frown. "But why go after some girl?"
Sarutobi ignored the comment and nodded to them. "I would like to see her for myself."
"I'll be waiting." With that Zabuza dispatched into mist, leaving more than one person surprised at the clone but before they could go anywhere three young voices stopped them.
"What happened to Shiruba-ane?" Naruto demanded.
--
Sasuke said nothing as he began walking back to his home, idly kicking at the stray pebbles. His match would be fighting against the one known as Shiruba and while part of him was excited about fighting a powerful opponent, he was beginning to doubt himself. He still remembered the way she killed those three nins from Otogakure with no sign of mercy whatsoever. She looked like some cornered and crazed beast, her eyes unhuman. If it hadn't been for those two she called brothers she might have turned on them. And then during the preliminaries she showed her ture colors, that mark she received in his place growing and filling her with such powerful chakra. If he had been bitten instead, he would have been the one to have been granted that power. Power to kill that man!
'I have worked so hard and to have it taken from me by some girl? Iie, I don't care what it takes but I will gain the power to kill him. No matter what!' he thought angrily to himself.
"Is that how you truly feel?" a voice called out to him.
The young genin jerked his head up, wondering where the voice had come from but the people around him were talking to others or walking right past him. Grunting he continued his trek home, stepping past the walls that surrounded the Uchiha compound but taking several steps he frowned and whirled around to find a man dressed as a jounin leaning against the wall, waiting for him.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded angrily. No one was allowed to enter the compound, no one but an Uchiha and as it were he was one of the last surviving members.
"Uchiha Sasuke... I heard what you said..." the man replied back, smirking from his spot.
"I said nothing."
"You desire more power, power to kill someone you hate... to avenge your family... am I right?"
"H... How do you know... about that...?" he asked, feeling a cold sweat forming.
"I know a great many things, Sasuke-kun... and I know how ti give you the power you crave..." His eyes slide open to reveal luminous yellow eyes with a thin sliver of a pupil, ensnaring him into a hypnotic gaze. Pushing off the wall he walked slowly towards the young man, silently settling the genjutsu around them to make it appear as if night had come several hours earlier. "You were there to witness the gift I meant to bestow on your during the exams... that girl has no idea what she is refusing but you, you said you would do anything for that kind of power..."
His words were like poisoned honey, enticing him to swallow it down even though it would be a slow yet sweet death. He told his body to move, to run away or try to attack this stranger but he could not get his body to move! His heart beat painfully in his chest, threatening to break free as the man stopped in front of him. He could now see him up close, black hair set loose down his back, the hitachi ties around his forehead but it bore a music note on the polish metal, a symbol he had seen on those that the girl, eliminated, in the Forest of Death. A pale hand reached out and gently tilted his head up, making him grind his teeth tightly together.
"You... can give me power... enough, so I can kill him...?" he managed to choke out, feeling his chest constrict as he forcsed the words past his lips.
"Hai... all the power you could ever dream of having... and all I ask of you is one thing..."
"Name it." A chill crawled up his spine as soon as a smirk touched those lips.
"Your loyalty..."
'Loyalty?' He had thought he would ask him something more, he wasn't sure what bu something else but if that was all he wanted then he would give him his loyalty. He hadn't realized he had given his answer until he felt fangs break through the skin of his neck, causing him to gasp in pain/pleasure. It was as though he had pierced him with a sharp dagger wrapped in the finest silk. Once the fangs pulled out he felt pain coursing through his body, lightning suring through his viens and relentlessly pounding away at his heart. He remembered crying out in pain, stumbling from the man but before he knew it his world went dark and he fell back into a pair of arms. He could hear yelling, footsteps rushing, the air moving around him that it took him a moment to realize he was being carried. After that all he knew was darkness.
--
"Are you sure I can't change numbers?" Shiruba asked for what felt like the hundredth time.
Sarutobi just shook his head. "You know I can't do that so why do you keep asking?"
"Because I can."
Haku giggled softly as Naruto grinned large enough to split his face. The family was happy that their sister was alright though they were given quite the scare. Once the doctors had been notified that she was awake they had her moved to another room. The first thing she had asked when she had settled into her new room was for a box of sweet, cream-filled pastries and several orders of fried dangos. Then she asked how the rest of the matches went and was told of the final round. Needless to say Neji and Sasori earned another enemy who would have been more than pleased to personally introduce their heads to their asses.
"Okay now, I got a question. How we gonna train?"
"We haven't decided yet but we need to be careful. Kabuto had a reason for coming after you, Silver, and who's to say he won't try it again," Hidama pointed out.
"True but now that he failed he won't be revealing his face so soon. Ibiki and Anko have already warned all available shinobi in the entire village. Nothing much we can do," the hokage sighed.
"No use in trying to flush him out, we'll just be wasting our resources as well." Before anyone could speak up they felt a presence coming. A second later one of the ANBU entered the room in a small poof of smoke--only to suddenly get hit in the stomach with a metal stool.
"Haven't you heard of knocking!? I could have been naked for all you know!!"
"You missed his head," Gaara said emotionlessly.
"I'm not ripping out the needles only to get poked again." Said young girl refused to let go of the sheets as she held them beneath her chin and she was wearing an over-sized shirt instead of the ridiculous hospital gowns but she had always valued her privacy more than anyone, even among her family. She looked around and was about to hurl a bedpan when the hokage stood from his seat.
"What is it?"
"Hokage-sama, Uchiha Sasuke has been attacked. Hatake Kakashi had brought him here, to the hospital, and has requested to speak with you immediately," he said, keeping a wary eye on the patient in the bed.
Sarutobi frowned deeply and nodded to him. He winced when the bedpan hit him in the back of the head as he prepared to leave the room, via the door this time, with a threat of to knock before entering a lady's room or else. "Something is not right... I must go."
"Be careful." With a nod he silently left. "Shiruba, get some rest. The doctor said if things look good you should be released tomorrow afternoon."
"Whoopie. One more day of food a starving pig wouldn't eat." Hidama left as well.
Haku slowly stood, smoothing the faint wrinkles on his clothes from sitting. "I hate to do this but I would like to see how Hinata-san is doing," he said softly.
"Hai hai. Tell her I hope she gets better and that I wish I could have seen her fight. Maybe she can teach me a thing or two." He smiled and nodded before leaving as well.
"Aah! Well I guess I'll see if I can see what happened to Sasuke. It's not like him to get attacked in broad daylight like this!" Waving to his siblings and jounin Naruto left, walking down the halls with his hands in his pockets. Truthfully he was worried. First the genin that helped them in the forest tried to kill his sister while she was out, then his teammate gets attacked in broad daylight and actually gets injured? Something was not adding up and it was making him very nervous. Growling softly he clenched his fists in his pockets, trying to figure it out as he pressed the button for the elevator. When the doors opened with a ding he stepped in, briefly nodding to the nurses already in the small room and pressed the floor he wanted.
However, the nurses took one look at the marks along his cheeks and their attitudes turn for the worse. He could hear them whispering about him, calling him names and saying how they thought he was finally dead, and why hadn't the hokage done something to get rid of the pest. Sure he tried to ignore them but they weren't bothering with keeping their voices down; in fact, they were making sure he could hear every nasty word they were talking about him. The longer he listened the more agitated he was becoming until he just couldn't take it. His floor lit up and the doors opened with a ding but his anger was being held back with barely the smallest amount of control. Growling deep in his throat he punched the control panel hard enough for his fist to sink in. sparks issuing and tearing frightful screams from the witches behind him. The lights flickered, the women huddling as far away from him as possible. He could smell their fear but he just stormed out of the small room, marching over to the desk.
"Where's Uchiha Sasuke's room?" he asked. The head nurse didn't even look at him but he knew he heard him and he could smell the hate rolling off him. Little by little he was losing his hold on his rage and therefore, pounded his fist on the desk, causing a heavy spider-web crack to form, and locked eyes with the terrified medic. "Where's Sasuke's room?"
His hands shook as he flipped through a small stack of papers next to him, eyes darting up to the enraged blonde and down as the written words. He was shaking so hard he forced his hands down to steady them. "S-Sasuke-sama is not being allowed any visitors at the moment."
"Nani!? I'm his teammate and you're saying I can't even visit him!?" he demanded angrily, not caring just how loud he was being. "I know the hokage is with him right now so give me the room number!!"
"I-It's hard to e-e-explain, but... but..." He watched in horror as those brilliant blue eyes slowly began to blue into bloodied fire red, shaking so hard at the vicious growl emanating from his throat. He knew his co-worker next to him was just as terrified and try as they could, could not move away form the blonde.
He couldn't believe this. Hai, his mother told him what to expect when they decided to come back, that while people may have thought him dead but no one could forget the blue-eyed blonde with the whiskered scars along his cheeks, the demon fox in human form. He dug his hand into the desk, tearing it up like a cat scratching up an expensive leather couch but quickly pulled back on his emotions when he felt the chakra presence oh-so-slowly make its way towards him.
"Naruto, be quiet inside the hospital." Kakashi said in a soft of sigh that hinted at his disappointment in him, his student. Slowly he walked up to the front desk, both hands in his pockets. "If you're here to see Sasuke you can't, but he's alright."
"Meh, he better not die yet. Domo, I also came looking for you," he said, looking up at the jounin with a dead serious expression. "Kakashi-sensei, I want you to train me for the final match. Onegai! You know I'm fighting Neji and I need some serious training if I'm to beat that guy!" Somehow a part of him knew it was useless but he had to ask anyway. Maybe he would finally agree!
"Naruto... gomen but I can't." For a brief moment he saw the flash of hurt in his student's brilliant and flawless blue eyes, knowing deep down he would do him anything he asked just to make the hurt go away. He reached out to ruffle the unruly blond strands but was surprised when his hand was ruthlessly slapped away.
"Don't touch me," came the growled warning. "I knew you were gonna say that; I know you're gonna train just Sasuke but--I was hoping you'd finally teach me something useful. Kami, maybe I am a fool for believing you cared about me!"
"Naruto... I do care-"
"Iie, you don't!! All you ever cared about was Sasuke this and Sasuke that, always about Sasuke. Sakura, gets more attention than me and all she does it fawn after him like some love-sick puppy. He could kick her into a pig pen and she'd thank him for the honor of being touched by his foot," he snarled angrily. Sure he had cheered her on during the match but he was sick of putting on this false-cheery mask of his. "You never cared about me at all and you never will."
"That's enough, Naruto. Hai I'm going to train Sasuke but I already have another instructor to teach you, he's much more reliable than me! I had to pull a lot of strings and call in a favor for him to agree on taking you on." But instead of seeing a happy student he saw a fierce and broken look; it tore at his heart deeply.
"You hypocrite... you can take your offer and shove it, Hatake!!" the blonde yelled with such venom the nurses and doctors in the halls jumped and pressed themselves into the walls, forcefully trying to melt into the walls. Still snarling Naruto turned angrily but ran into a hard body, stumbling a bit. "Move, asshole!" he said angrily, looking up to see the impassive face of Momochi Zabuza. He groaned inwardly and watched as the large hand slowly reached down, making him flinch as he reflexively closed his eyes tightly, expecting to be hit but instead he jumped when the hand gently rested on his head. Opening his tearing eyes he looked up at possibly the only man who was the closet he had to any kind of father-figure.
"This is a hospital, Naruto. If you want to yell then drag the person outside and let it out," Zabuza explained to him. He didn't remove his hand as he looked up at the copy nin, hatred and disgust filling his dark eyes. "Since you're not man enough to teach your own student what he needs to know then I'll be teaching him. If it takes a demon to teach a demon, then perhaps it takes a bitter, no-good, heartless loser to train another." Without another word he let his hand move down to between his student's shoulder blades, gently pushing him along as they headed for the exit. Naruto looked over his shoulder one last time at Hatake Kakashi, a large tear filled with bitterness and betrayal streaking down a whiskered cheek as he looked away.
The two immediately teleported to one of the blonde's favorite perches but he couldn't hold it in anymore. Naruto finally just broke down silently, trying desperately to wipe away the falling tears and cover up the hurt in his heart. He didn't know why it hurt so much but it did; his own sensei only cared to teach the precious Uchiha. Kami what a fool he was! And now here he was showing how weak he was in front of one the strongest ninja he knew. "Z-Zabuz-"
"That ass had it coming to him, though I wouldn't have minded if you had hit him," he interrupted gruffly, looking out of the village below. "Doesn't matter where you go people will always judge you by looks alone. Makes me glad there are still those that continued to call me the Demon of the Bloody Mist." He didn't look at the blonde but he knew that if he did he would see the same small boy asking his sensei if he had proved he was strong enough with his hands stained with blood. The only difference was he wasn't going to leave this boy alone.
"From this point on I'll be training you non-stop. We'll only stop long enough to eat and rest so you don't get sick. I'm not going to go easy on you and if you fall you better get back up on your own. I won't be taking any missions until after the exams are officially over just so some half-wit to screw everything up."
The blonde could only blink. This was a lot more than he expected! "What about everyone else? They're gonna need training too."
"They are going to find their own method of training but Hidama and I will be checking in on everyone's progress every now and then... if you don't want my help, I won't force you to take it."
Did he really want this? Running his sleeve over his eyes Naruto nodded. "You better teach me everything you know, mummy man." He got a light smack in the head for the remark but smirked when the hand ruffled his hair.
"Tears aren't a sign of weakness, Naruto... they're a sign of humanity. People think you're the Kyūbi but they're just being bigot fools. They don't realize that you're the only thing keeping them from getting killed right on the spot. No matter what anyone says you are Uzumaki Naruto and will always remain as such."
"... hai... I get it... arigato... Zabuza-sensei." He gave his mentor a sincere smile, one he used to reserve for his okaa-san; deep down inside he felt the fox behind the barrier purr in content and agreement. This was a new chapter in his life and no way in hell was anyone going to take it away from him.
--
For once in his life, Maito Gai was quiet, the usual fire of youth he talked about non-stop was gone from his eyes, he refused to do his so called 'nice guy' poses, or even challenge his 'eternal and hip' rival to a ridiculous challenge. He sat at the bedside of his student, watching as he slept quietly. He couldn't accept the fact that he could never achieve the dream of being a taijutsu specialist, of proving that hard-work could surpass genius. He had taught the boy everything he knew, pushed him so hard but in the long-road it seemed to have done him no good. He resisted the urge to cry and said nothing as he heard a gentle knock on the door.
The handle turned, the door silently pushed open to allow the visitor in and close the door softly. The person silently stood at his side, looking down at the young genin. Pale blue eyes watched sadly as the medications ensured he wouldn't feel any pain as he rested.
"You've taught him well, Gai."
"... hai... but it, wasn't enough..." he said sadly, knuckles popping at he squeezed his hands tighter together.
"If either you or Lee knew what that boy was capable of, would he have still fought him? Would you have allowed your team to take the exam?"
"..."
"Think about it. Unlike what that Hyūga thinks, I do not believe that neither destiny nor fate is written in stone. There are many paths set before us but it is our choice in the end to decide which one we will take."
Gai didn't say anything but the woman had a valid point. In the beginning, he knew the consequences of teaching his young prodigy of what he knew, that one day there would be someone with the skills to defeat him, to end up with injuries this severe but seeing his student rise above in such little time and with such dedication that rivaled his own? His confidence grew too much too fast and now, they were both bearing the pain of it all. Still, even now he knew that he, nor Lee, would ever regret a single moment. He chose his path, and he would help him reach the end for as long as he was able to.
He resisted the urge to choke back another sob and instead let it go. Even with the heels of his hands pressing painfully into his closed eyes they still fell. He wasn't aware of how long he had cried for but when he finally calmed down he was handed a bow of tissues. "Arigato," he said a bit hoarsely and wiped at the tears and blew his nose and tosses them into the waste bin that had been set down next to him. Through it all the pale visitor was quiet and patient and for that alone, he was grateful.
Taking a deep breathe he stood and looked at the woman standing behind him from the corner of his eye. "Hidama-san... Lee would thank you for your words of encouragement and concern, were he awake right now, but what can I do for you?"
"... The same training you gave to your students, I would like for you to teach my son." If he was surprised at the mention of her having a son much less children he didn't show it so she continued. "I have a terrible feeling... that he will be forced to face the one that defeated Lee. He is powerful enough on his own but he lacks no taijutsu skills whatsoever and his speed is one of the worse I've seen."
"I see... why not ask one of the other shinobi of the village?"
"Because the skills that he needs to learn can only be taught by you and you alone. And I know that you won't hold it against him for what he is."
"You mean... Konoha's own Jinchuuriki?" he asked softly.
She slowly shook her head and instead went to the door and silently opened it. Standing outside was a young boy with hair the color of blood, skin pale and flawless as his mother's, emotionless jades orbs surrounded by rings of black, and carrying a gourd over half his height and more than twice his weight on his back by a single strap. Motioning him to enter the boy approached the man and silently looked up at him, giving Gai a clear look at the scar of a red "ai" gracing his brow. Hidama silently stood at their sides and gently squeezed the boy's shoulder.
"This is Sabaku no Gaara, Suna's very own Jinchuuriki of the demon Shukaku. And one my precious sons."
--
Sasori said nothing as he gazed out of the window of the hotel room he and his team would be staying in for the next month. Though he didn't say anything he missed the hot deserts of Suna. But here in Konoha, it felt strange but the feeling only increased as he thought back to his match with that boy. His speed was outstanding, his attacks powerful like an unseen storm, it was something about him that made him stand out from the rest but the bond between him and his mentor was one he had not seen during his life. To have that much compassion between the two...
A parent's love.
"Akasuna no Sasori." He slowly turned and blinked in surprise when he noticed a stranger was standing in the middle of the room, wearing a heavy coat with a high collar. The fabric was a deep, almost forbrooding black, imagine of heavy red clouds outline in white floating over the material. The shadows of the room hide the person's face and shoulder from view but he didn't waste anytime as he sent his scorpion to wrap the stranger within its powerful tail.
"Have you come to assassinate me as well?" he asked calmly but the figure didn't so much as flinch.
"I have come to offer you a position."
"Position?"
"Hai. My leader has been keeping an eye on you for a very long time and he believes that your skills would be beneficial to our cause. What we can offer you, is a home where you will not be hunted like an animal nor treated with less respect than that which you deserve."
"I see... what makes you think I will not kill you where you stand?"
"Do as you like but before I die I would like to give you a gift on the behalf of my leader." He was suspicious but more curious than anything else. Silently he released the stranger and stood as he walked towards him. Now he took a closer look and was slightly taken back.
The stranger was a woman with soft blue hair falling loosely around her face, the length hidden by her coat's collar with a white rose holding some of the strands back. Her eyes were the same shade of blue and her lips were painted a deep red. Silently she placed a wide silver ring in his palm with a black kanji "tama" upon the red stone. He looked at it briefly but was taken back when she silently wrapped her arms around him and held him in a caring embrace.
"No one should go through their life surrounded by those that fear and will to kill you," she said softly. "When you are ready to give your answer, merely put on the ring and I will come." Slowly pulling back she walked into the shadows of the room and vanished like the morning mist. Sasori stood there for a long time, the ring clutched so tightly in his hand he felt the kanji try to imprint the symbol forever into his palm.
Author's Notes: There we go! How does everyone like my little twists? I had to have Sasori join Akatsuki and no the girl is not an OC. If you kept up with the manga you'd know who she is but not everything is so black and white. I have a lot more tricks up my sleeves. And yes I had Naruto drop his mask and yes I had Gai learn about Gaara's demon. Why? Because Gai is one of the ultimately few people Hidama trusts. He's excentric but he's not stupid. Here's another chapter to call close. Enjoy and please, leave a review!
Akasuna no Sasori: "Scorpion of the Red Desert" (this is Sasori's official title)