The Path A Ninja Walks...
Chapter Eighteen
A Bitter Sweet Reunion
A/N: WARNING-The character known as Sage Amesawa uses a lot of profanity and colorful language as part of his "colorful" personality. Be prepared if you are sensitive to that. Please note it is not because I condone such manner of speech, and also the character does not mean to use it as a way to be harmful, it is just his personality.
"HAH! AGH! HEYAH!" Saseme's battle cries could be heard through her intense solo session at the training field. The slapping of her fists and kicks against the posts echoing with each impact. Some of which even produced a slight bit of cracking from how hard they landed. Her ankles began to chafe and blister, and her knuckles would slightly bleed as she unleashed all of the hidden rage within her of pent up emotions she dare not let anyone see...
Some however, could easily see right through her...
"Hmph...training alone, are you?" the smug break in of Neji Hyuuga's voice cut through her focus and peeled her attention away from her worn down enemy. She stopped and rested a palm against the bloodied mat, heaving heavy breaths as sweat dripped from her fringe and she shot a pair of crimson eyes in his general direction.
So that's the Sharingan...
He thought to himself as he blinked.
It seems it is not yet fully developed...but has had its practice in use...
"...What can I do for you..." she panted heavily," Neji Puke-a?"
Neji twitched as his pale eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"...You do know that your best friend shares my name, right?" he grumbled,"I don't suppose you call her Hinata Puke-a, Do you?"
"Of course not~" Saseme huffed,"Hinata-chan is a princess~"
"Oh really?" he scoffed,"And what does that make me, then?"
"Annoying~."
He rolled his eyes and sighed.
"...You know...I could say the same for you...Sashimi." he huffed as he ran his fingers through his hair.
"...So what gives?" he asked point blank,"You don't usually train alone like this unless something is bothering you." he blinked,"So...what's eating you?" he asked.
A moment of silence rested between them before he gave her a cocky smirk.
"But of course~ You must be nervous about the upcoming Chunin exams, am I right?"
"Hmph. Me? Nervous about the Chunin exams?" Saseme scoffed,"Hardly."
"Okay...so then something else is eating you..." he stated, watching her for a while. His pale eyes gaging deep into her. Studying her. Annalysing her. Reading her like a book...even without the activation of his Byakugan.
"...I see..." he stated softly,"So it is your brother then?" he blinked,"You are nervous about meeting him again...?"
As a response to his probing question, a loud crack sounded as a steaming fist now balled stuck in a hole of burning wood.
"...So that is it..." he blinked.
"...Maybe..." she muttered, gritting her teeth as she pulled her fist out of its entrapment forcefully, landing with a clap in the consuming palm of Neji Hyuuga's Calised hands.
I see...
Saseme blinked as she thought to herself.
These are the hands of the Hyuuga...
She thought.
A clan that which prides themselves in the skill of the power in their hands...
A simple tap of a Hyuuga palm into the body could be enough to permanantly end a skill of any Shinobi if done in the right manner...
She knew that better than anyone.
If one could look back on the past of her practice bouts and training with The Hyuuga Head's daughter at the Estate...
It could be said that she was bred to fight with Hyuuga...
"As you can clearly see, Saseme...the masts make not worthy opponents." Neji stated as he released her hand and positioned himself infront of her in Hyuuga stance,"...I am ready."
In a huff of fury, Saseme's eyes shot red and pierced on him with an enraged cry of pent up frustration, coming straight on for him- The moves were lightning speed, with Visual Prowess of Uchiha Versus Hyuuga. Each one able to see and read eachother's motions, matching hit for hit, sucessfully blocking. The Sharingan is able to annalise and copy an opponents jutsu and movement while the Byakugan reveals an enemy's Chakra points. Each set of eyes inhereted by ginetics, and deadly in their own right. Natural enemies of one another...
Impossible...
Neji thought to himself as the spar went on.
Her eyes...while they may not be able to copy my bloodline trait...she can still read my movement and motion!
As he moved and swung she would dodge and miss and he would do the same in reflection.
Astounding...she is getting faster as I do...
He could feel himself almost losing breath.
It would seem that perhaps she too...is a genius...!
With a thrust forward she bent backwards, placing both hands on the ground to allow her to swing her body in order to connect a kick to his hip, knocking him off balance.
"Ngh!" he let out a pained grunt as that was not a gentle land on his body.
To think...this is her now, before even having fully developed into her own birthright...
He blinked.
Imagine once she full on masters it...she will be a force to be reckoned with!
truly worthy...
With both Genin now panting and out of breath, each one dropped to their backs in the grass, calling a truce to end the session then and there.
"...You're getting better at being able to read my movements, Saseme." he stated softly,"Your eyes may not be fully developed just yet..." he stated,"But they are coming along nicely..."
Saseme...
That was the first time she had heard him use her name properly...bringing just a little bit of color to her otherwise pale cheeks.
"...Hmph." she answered him with a scoff, to which he replied with a smirk as his byakugan revealed to him that she was actually pleased-
Though her pride would never allow her to thank the likes of him~
"...It's...complicated." she said softly,"These... emotions I'm feeling..." she turned her head away from him as she spoke,"I...am unsure of how I feel about my brother..." she blinked,"And More so...I am unsure of how I will react once I do finally see him again."
She had been making a great effort to avoid Sasuke as often as she could.
As far as Saseme knew? Sasuke has yet to have even figured out that his twin sister had returned home...
And she wanted to keep it that way while she figured this out.
"...I see." Neji said softly,"...It seems you are lost, wellowing in your own darkness." he said to her,"...Now that is a feeling I am all too familiar with myself."
"...What can I do about it?" she asked.
Neji shrugged.
"I'm afraid that is a question I can not answer for you, Saseme." he said calmly. Repeating her name a second time, making her heart flutter in her chest...
"It is up to you to wellow in your darkness... or come out of it..." He closed his eyes,"As for my case...I am already too far inside of it." he said,"All I can tell you, Saseme, is to deal with it, as it comes..."
They layed alone together in their silence for moments longer before she finally caught wind enough to rise and dust herself off.
"I feel filthy..." she muttered to herself in disgust,"Maybe I should just...spend a little time with Hinata." she said,"It's been longer than I meant for it to be...perhaps her light can help me figure out a way to illuminate my own shadows..."
Neji twitched.
His cousin, Hinata, was never a favorite topic of his to discuss...
But she was, however, Saseme's closest friend in the village, and so-understood and knew her best.
"...Suit yourself then." he huffed and rose,"I will not be joining you."
"I don't need you to." she muttered,"Still...I'd be careful running off...best hope Lee doesn't find that you had been training without him."
Neji smirked.
"I should say the same for you." he chuckled,"He'd be just as mad at you as he would of me if he knew we sparred without him."
She left him with a smirk, treading slowly through the worn down grass of the field. Stopping short at the fence of the entrance, she rested her palm on the post and called back to him without a glance.
"Hey...Neji?"
The Hyuuga stopped short and granted her a backwards glance.
"...What is it?"
And after another seemingly long moment of silence between them, Saseme finally managed to release the words "Thank you." from her trembling lips.
"Hmph..."Neji scoffed to himself, letting a small smile shape his mouth once she was gone,"...Good luck."
XXXXX
The road to the Hyuuga estate was far from peaceful as a disturbing scene blocked her path along the way.
Is that...Kankuro?
She blinked.
He seemed to be holding up a kid by the scruff of his neck.
"What the hell is he doing!?" She let out a huff, ready to stomp over to his direction but stopped herself after having sensed a weapon, ducking quickly out of cover only find out that it was just a pebble.
Someone stopped him...with a pebble?
She blinked.
"You're a long way from home and you're way out of your league." a cocky voice sounded from above where she hid. And in the shade of a tree at an all too familiar face on a limb.
Her own.
Her eyes widened as she took in the familiar visage,who had not yet caught wind of her presence...
"Sa...su...ke..." she spoke out the name in a whisper, keeping herself in hiding as she watched the scene play out and listened in, as Kankuro made threat to her brother, ready to take him on then and there.
"So... my comrade is right, then?" said Sasuke, as he referred to Sakura down below who looked up at him with swaying pink hair and hearts in her eyes.
Hmph...Sakura Haruno...
Saseme grumbled with her thoughts.
Sharp as a tack but a fool in love with my brother...
Just like every other stupid girl of my generation...
She rolled her eyes and watched carefully as her twin brother leered down at Kankuro from his pedestal,"You're here from the Land of Wind?"
"Hmph...yeah that's right, we're from the Hidden Sand Village." said Kankuro,"What about it!?"
"Then tell me something..." Sasuke said sharply as he sat upright,"...Do you know of a girl by the name of Saseme Uchiha?"
A soft gasp escaped from Saseme as her dark eyes widened.
Sasuke...
She blinked and narrowed her eyes.
So you do think of me after all...
Do you, brother?
"Hmph." Kankuro smirked,"Maybe I do maybe I don't, what's it matter to you, punk?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed with a twinge of anger in this reply.
"Huh? Saseme Uchiha?" Sakura blinked.
"Who's that, Sasuke?" asked a doofy looking blonde.
I'm offended, Naruto...
Saseme twitched as she remained hidden in the shadows of the tree.
We used to play together and cause trouble all the time when we were little...Jerk.
Her eyes had shifted up to her brother who hid his eyes in the shadow of his fringe.
"Saseme..." he responded sharply,"...Is my sister."
"SAY WHAAAAAAAAAT!?" Naruto and Sakura both gasped, seemingly shocked by this news until something dawned on Sakura.
"Hey, wait a minute..." she stated softly,"Come to think of it...I think I do remember Saseme..." she blinked,"Though...We never really saw much of her...Figured she dropped out or something."
"She didn't drop out." Sasuke snipped,"You didn't see much of her because she was in another class above ours."
"Ooooh I get it." said Naruto as he folded his arms in his orange jumpsuit and gave a eureka moment nod.
"So she's your OLDER sister then...?"
"AS IF!" Sasuke snapped,"I'M the older one, you got that!?"
Yes of course...
Saseme heaved a silent sigh.
Because 3 minutes makes such a difference...
"3 MINUTES IS LIKE 3 YEARS IN TWIN TIME, YOU GOT THAT!?"
"Hold on, TWIN!?" Naruto groaned," As if ONE Sasuke isn't bad enough, now you're telling me there's TWO of you!?"
Man what a pain...
Saseme twitched as she listened in.
I almsot feel sorry for what my brother has to deal with...
"Wooooooow TWO Sasukes~" Sakura giggled and swooned in her own love sick fantasies of Twin Sasukes.
"Uhh...you DO know that his twin is a GIRL...right?" Kankuro blinked,"...Not that I'm against a little girl-on-girl action~" he joked,"I just wanted to make sure we had that clarified..."
"Ugh, Kankuro, you're disgusting!" Temari huffed from behind him as he laughed jokingly.
"Hey, what can I say? I'm a guy!" he shrugged,"Any guy would be crazy not to want a piece of that action~"
"...And any guy who would want a piece of that action so to speak would be no better than a pig." muttered the blonde sibling in annoyance,"...Brothers..." she huffed,"...Am I right, Saseme?" the sand kunoichi snickered, referring to the girl who she knew was hiding in the shadows...
"What!?" Sasuke twitched,"So you DO know her!" Sasuke snapped. To which Kankuro leered back and gave him a cocky smirk.
"I'm sorry...know WHO now~?"
"My sister!" Sasuke huffed," Saseme Uchiha... she was taken from this village...to yours." he stated,"Last I heard she was proceeding her training in The Village Hidden in the Sand...Now..." he glared daggers at Kankuro who held a sneer of amusement,"...I want to know where she is...NOW."
"Hell if I know~" Kankuro shrugged,"I'm not her damn keeper..." he sighed,"I can tell you this though...she left the Village Hidden in the Sand a long time ago..." he stated.
"Say what!?" Sasuke blinked.
"Yeah...she's been back in Konoha for quite a while now..." said Kankuro,"...You mean...you seriously didn't know that~?"
Sasuke's eyes widened.
Saseme...has been back in the village this whole time?
He blinked.
And...I didn't know about it!?
"Wooooow." Kankuro snickered,"I mean, I know you two didn't exactly leave off on the best of terms but...to think she's been so close to you all this time and you were none the wiser!?" he laughed,"That's sad...some 'big brother' you are~"
"Why You-" As Sasuke prepared to charge in for a punch a sudden shout from the brush startled him into submission.
"THAT'S ENOUGH, SASUKE!"
He froze in place as the voice cut through him to the bone and he could feel the rising and falling chill on his spine as Saseme...his beloved other half, finally stepped foot out of the shadows, leaving a chilling breeze behind her as she passed him by... to Kankuro.
"...You're annoying." were the words she muttered in her brother's ear as she walked passed him, and his eyes went wide.
"Ahhh hey Saseme~" Kankuro snickered,"Bout time you came out of your hiding spot over there...how long have you been spying on us?"
"Long enough to know that you look pathetic, picking on little kids, Kankuro."
"Ulp..."
"Oh you saw that~?" Temari chuckled.
Sasuke stood frozen. Watching as his reflection spoke to the shinobi before them as though they were all good friends.
This whole time...
Saseme has been hiding just beneath my feet!?
He blinked.
How...?
How did I not sense her!?
"Woooooaaaaaahhhhhh~!" Naruto spoke out in awe,"It's uncanny!" he said,"There really ARE two Sasukes!"
Saseme twitched and shook her fists as she spoke her mind.
"I'M SASEME, YOU DUMBASS!" she huffed.
It's crazy...
Sakura thought to herself.
Look at the two of them...they look just LIKE eachother!
She blinked.
You can tell just by LOOKING at them that they are definitely related...
"Waaah- never mind-" Naruto gulped,"This one is scarier..."
"UUUGH, I OUGHT TO BEAT YOU INTO NEXT MONTH!" she huffed and quickly shook off her frustrations turning her attention back to Kankuro
"As for you..." she said to him,"You do know he's not gonna be happy about that..." Saseme said firmly,"I hope you're prepared..."
"Yeah, yeah." Kankuro shrugged,"Good thing you showed up...I was about ready to waste your dear brother, for you..."
"...I highly doubt that." Saseme glared.
"Whaaaat~? Why nooooot~?" Kankuro whined playfully,"I thought you didn't like him~" he decalred with a smug smirk toward the Twin, stunned into silence...
"Weather I like my brother or not is irrelevant..." she said firmly,"He is my brother and any personal matters between us I will handle with him myself."
Sasuke twitched as he hung his head a bit, taking that sting to the chest.
"Fair enough..." Kankuro shrugged with a sigh.
"Besides...I would be more concerned with yourself if I were you." she stated,"For wasting my brother would mean that I would have to waste you myself...that is if he doesn't get to you first~"
And as though on cue, a raspy young voice sounded from above them.
"Kankuro..."
The hissing call of his name was enough to make him shiver as he moved his eyes slowly to meet with Gaara, who stood hanging upside down from a tree branch.
"...You're an embarassment to our village." he hissed,"Had you forgotten the reason we came all the way here...?"
"U-uhh...y-yeah-I know! I know!" Kankuro stammered trying to defend himself,"B-But they started it! See-Here's what happened-"
"Shut up." Gaara gruffed and lowered his voice to a hissing whisper,"...Or I'll kill you."
Kankuro gulped.
"Ahh-right...you're right." said Kankuro,"Sorry
Gaara...I was totally out of line..."
"...And Saseme."
The Uchiha girl gulped and slowly tured her attention to the desert brunette who was clearly unamused.
"...Yes...Gaa-chan?"
"...You're late."
She twitched a bit to shake away the chills as she hung her head and nodded.
"Y-yes...I...I'm sorry." she said softly.
"I don't want your apologies." said Gaara, with arms folded,"...just don't let it happen again."
"...Yes, Gaa-chan..." she said softly,"...Understood."
This guy...
Sasuke thought to himself as he took in the sudden presence of the new shinobi he had yet again failed to sense.
"...I'm sorry." Gaara said as he turned toward Sasuke,"...For any trouble he caused."
He has an evil look in his eye.
Even Sasuke was chilled by this desert Genin's presence.
He then dissipated into a swirl of sand and posed himself between Kankuro and Saseme.
"Let's go." he said firmly, gesturing that he meant for Saseme to follow too,"We didn't come here to play games."
"All right, sure." said Kankuro,"I-I get it..."
"Yes, Gaa-chan...right behind you."
Sasuke twitched as he watched his sister follow him so obediently.
What gives!?
He thought to himself.
"Sa-Saseme...wait!" he reached out to grasp her shoulder only to be met by her intense Sharingan stare that froze him in place.
Th-the Sharingan...
He thought to himself.
So it awakened in you too...Saseme...
"Don't...touch me." she growled, and deliberately avoided his contact.
"Daaaaaaaaamn~" another familiar voice broke through the tension like a bunch of fire crackers to mix things upin the middle of the pow-wow. "You know...for a girl who plays with fire~ she sure handles her twin brother with ice!" he laughed.
"W-Well..." Hana huffed, trying to catch her breath after trying to keep up with Sage,"...While I can see that they are siblings..." she said between breaths,"...However, I'm not seeing the twin aspect."
"What the hell are you talking about!?" Sage blinked,"I mean...I knew you were a dumb bitch...but a blind bitch too!?" he stated,"You can tell just by looking!"
"I'm not dumb OR blind!" Hana huffed in annoyance,"There's a clear differance between them."
"...You mean what's between their legs?" Sage blinked.
"Uh, NO!" Hana huffed this time while rolling her eyes,"It's clear to see that HE'S really hot...where as SHE'S really not~!" she smirked.
Saseme rolled her eyes as Hana finally caught her breath and took in the company that Saseme was keeping.
"YOU GUYS AGAIN!?" she huffed as she pointed at the Sand Shinobi,"What are YOU doing here!?"
"Pipe down, Hana..." Saseme muttered,"They are here for the Chunin Exams...same as us."
"I see..." Hana blinked,"So you mean to say that other village's Genin will be entering for the Chunin Exams too..."
"Wow~ so cool!" Sage beamed.
Saseme!?
Sasuke blinked with his thoughts.
...So you're taking the exams too...?
of course you would be...
"...Who the hell are THESE idiots...?" Sasuke asked with a twitch as he took in Hana and Sage.
"Yeah no kidding." said Naruto,"Talk about annoying..."
"Those idiots are my team mates." Saseme stated,"Which makes them my idiots...so back off."
"Awwww~ I knew you loved us, babe~" Sage grinned as he threw a playful arm around her shoulders, very much not to Gaara's taste as the annoyance of their presence was becoming apparent not only on him but everyone else around them as well.
"As for you dude.." Sage blinked as he motioned toward Gaara,"I guess it's lucky you're an old friend of hers or something, because if I talked to a bad bitch like Saseme with that tone YOU used...she'd kick my fucking ass."
"...A good dog knows better than to bite its master." Gaara muttered.
"What was that!?" Sasuke huffed.
Dog? Master? Just who the hell is this guy...
"...Say what now?" Sage blinked. It seemed he was just as confused as Sasuke was.
"Saseme, let's go!" Gaara snipped,"...There are matters we need to discuss...and I'm losing my patience."
"Uh...r-right..." Saseme gulped as she released herself from Sage,"How about over barbecue?"
Gaara stopped for a moment as he seemed to ponder the idea.
"...Fine." he said firmly.
"All riiight~" Sage said as he hung on Kankuro's shoulders,"Barbecue with the crew~ how fun!"
"Geez, this guy..." Kankuro muttered,"We go on ONE mission together and suddenly he thinks we're friends."
"It will be just us." Gaara hissed as he glared daggers at Sage,"Not you."
"Right~ Old friends, you probably wanna catch up, I get it~" said Sage as he released Kankuro and backed away slowly.
"Uhh...yeah. Sure." Kankuro muttered with a scoff as he turned to leave with his siblings, Saseme in toe.
"Ah...Saseme...hey...wait..." Sasuke tried to speak out to her but at the same time he felt awkward too, as though wondering if he even deserved to...
His gaze narrowed into something fierce, a combination of anger and curiosity about the boy whom dared refered to his sister as a dog to him as its master. And as to why she obeyed him so...obediently. As though he truly was "her master".
"Hey, YOU!" he called out,"Identify yourself!" the three Sand Shinobi stopped, and Saseme glanced back toward her brother that called them.
"Who? Me~?" Temari giggled with a slight blush.
Annnd another one has a crush...
Saseme sighed.
"No...him." Sasuke said, focusing his intense gaze on the Genin in the middle who Saseme followed in tow,"...The guy with the gourd on his back..."
Saseme gasped softly, along with the other two sand siblings who then turned their gazes to their little brother, awaiting his response.
"...My name is Gaara. of the Desert." He blinked, as he slowly turned toward Sasuke,"...I'm curious about you too." he said softly,"Who are you?"
"...I am Sasuke... Uchiha." said Sasuke as he shifted his gaze to his twin who remained silent between them,"...Though I kinda get the feeling you may have known that already." he stated.
"...My matters with Saseme are with Saseme herself." responded Gaara,"...I've little interest nor do I care to know about her past life..."
"Past life!?" Sasuke huffed. Though Gaara had already lost interest.
"Saseme...We're going on ahead." he said firmly,"Don't be late."
"...Right..." she nodded, and the siblings took off, leaving her to tend to her brother.
"Saseme..." he said softly,"I..."
"...I've nothing to say to you." she said firmly, and just as quickly was gone in the shadows of the Sand Genin.
Saseme...
He thought to himself.
...Do you hate me still?
The boy stood silent in the wind of the dancing leaves, both intrigued by the opponents to come, and disconnected, with the damaged rift between he and his sister that only continued to grow.
Sasuke...
Sakura sighed sadly as she watched his back while he gazed off into the direction his other half had parted from him in.
"Hmph...talk about a cold~" Naruto snickered,"Your sister wants nothin' to do with you!" he laughed,"Even your own TWIN thinks you're a jerk! HAHAHAHAHA!"
"NARUTO!" Sakura raged, giving the blonde a good knock on the head.
"Oooow~ What gives, Sakura!?" he mumbled.
"You don't know their circumstances." Sage snapped, with an intense glare darkening over his blue green eyes,"So what right do you have to make fun of any part of it!?"
Sage...I've never seen this in you before...
Hana blinked, taken back by the fact that even happy-go-lucky Sage could lose his temper.
Saseme...
Sage sighed as he glanced over to Sasuke, who seemed to scream meloncholy in his aura, not that he'd ever show this weak side of him in such an obvious state. Sage just happened to be good at reading people.
Something is eating you, Saseme...
Sage blinked.
It's eating you up inside and you're falling into a pit of despair...
...I wish you would talk to us about it...as your friends.
He sighed as his blue-green gaze hung heavily in the direction she headed off in.
We...are friends...right...Saseme?
To be Continued