Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Team 7's Ascension
Chapter II - Plant the Seed II
How long had she been here already? An hour… two, perhaps even three? Sakura had no clue, and she didn't care either way. Wherever she looked, century old trees were twisting and winding, whirling and swirling, melting with the mossy ground. No matter where she went, it was the same—thick foliage blocking her sight in every direction.
She didn't despair though, or maybe she did and just didn't want to acknowledge it. Still, for a person terrified by her circumstances she had a remarkably clear mind, knowing exactly what she could do. Better yet, what she should do.
Analyzing had always been one of her stronger points. Given time, she would find a way out of this predicament.
Cursing Kakashi-sensei, she tore through the underbrush, disregarding everything Iruka-sensei had taught the class about traveling in unfamiliar territory. Then she paused, gripping her hair in frustration. This wasn't the right solution, she could feel it. And it was with a startling clarity that she realized her new sensei had succeeded in his ploy—if it even was something as elaborate as that.
Doubt crept up on her like a shadow of the night, and Sakura gnashed her teeth. For years, she had accepted the role as the top kunoichi of her class without question. So what if others were better at Taijutsu? She had other areas she excelled in. Physical power wasn't everything.
Yet, surrounded by sinister forest, those words sounded empty.
She huffed and ripped the backpack from her shoulders. Kakashi-sensei had left her the bag, which meant it was a clue. And she'd decipher it as quickly as possible, because the sooner she got home, the better. After loosening the leather latch, she rifled through it and found two scrolls, as well as small note. She skimmed it, and her lips twisted into a grimace.
The purpose of the scrolls was easy to find out. They contained instructions for Tree Walking, an exercise that would help building up her chakra reserves, and a D-ranked Genjutsu. The scrawled note, however, held information she loathed, perhaps even feared to some degree.
Eight weeks, she thought, leaning against a tree, steadying her weak knees.
Kakashi-sensei expected her to live in this forest for two months. She had to provide for herself with everything necessary to survive. But, most of all, she would be alone and without help. Sakura could recall every lesson from the Academy—her attention had never wavered back then, after all.
Now that she had to use this knowledge though, she was stammering, her eyes flickering around. Terror slithered down her throat and coiled around her heart.
She was helpless now. Alone.
Again, the doubt.
Sakura clenched her fists, then pulled herself up into a standing position. Long ago, she had sworn that she'd never feel like this again. Now, Kakashi-sensei forced her to, played mind games, succeeded. She shook her head, and pink hair fell loosely into her face. She wouldn't allow herself to be played like this.
No shinobi, even if he was a Jōnin, would make her forget the oath she had taken at her mother's grave.
A few feet away, concealed by thick vegetation, Kakashi's clone watched Sakura. She hadn't said anything, but her emotions were in turmoil, that much he saw.
Well, in a few days he'd see whether she could learn the lessons he wanted to teach.
The last time Sasuke had been even remotely as angry as now, had been when someone petitioned for him to visit a therapist. And it wasn't even the method of training that currently made him furious—surviving in a forest hardly seemed like a challenge—but the indignity of just being dropped into it like a sack of rice.
Then he calmed down a bit. It didn't matter anyway. Kakashi-sensei wouldn't break him. Not after his brother had tried the same and failed.
He wouldn't be broken, least of all by this.
Sasuke crumbled the note in his hand and snarled as he thought of Itachi. His ambition, the purpose and sole goal of his existence; all of it hinged on getting as much training as possible. If this forest would help him to kill his brother, then he'd endure it.
Kakashi-sensei had thrown him somewhere into the eastern part of the forest, and he had landed in a large clearing partly covered by bushes. A stream snaked its way through the green, then vanished behind a dark tree line.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He'd become strong, stronger, and stronger still… until, finally, he had acquired the strength to obliterate his murderous brother. His quest of vengeance would end the moment he presented Itachi's head on the family altar.
Angry flames licked at his chest, but despite the dark nature of his thoughts, Sasuke smiled wistfully. The altar fitted his plans quite well. He still remembered the lessons he had taken with the other Uchiha children, learning about the traditions of their noble family—a babe, barely out of its mother's womb, baptized with the lifeblood of the greatest warriors of their clan.
Strength and courage… the holy tenets of the Uchiha—a rite of birth, the dawn of a new era, the sign of changing life.
Uchiha Nori was the scholar who had taught those lessons. He, too, would be avenged eventually.
Fitting indeed.
People always believed his ambition to only revolve around Itachi, and for the most part that was the truth. But to see his clan uplifted into the upper echelons of Konoha's power once more... that was a truly worthy goal.
Just utterly meaningless until his family's honor was restored and the traitor had been brought to heel.
For the the Uchiha to prosper, Itachi had to die.
Sasuke took the scroll that contained the instructions for a D-ranked lightning technique, and started to read. Every new way to kill his brother was a welcome addition to his arsenal.
Kakashi observed the lone survivor of the once great clan. He shook his head as the boy went immediately for the technique. There was a lot that could be taught to Sasuke, but Kakashi would only do so if he was willing to listen.
Naruto rose warily from the ground and tried to take in everything at once. Ancient old trees threw shadows that consumed his whole being, rustling shrubbery surrounded him, and unidentifiable noises assaulted his ears.
He spun around and tried to find the cause for the noise, but each time he did, another sound echoed throughout the clearing – the game began anew.
The smell of old blood filtered through his nostrils. He saw a broken kunai embedded into gnarly wood, dulled shuriken littered the floor. He saw, but couldn't comprehend.
Bile rose in his throat; the stench was overwhelming.
He wouldn't succumb to it, he wouldn't... his eyes zeroed in on a single rotting limb, nestled between large roots as if held in a deathly embrace.
Naruto vomited.
A sound, an odd whistling, penetrated his hazy mind. He didn't know what it was, but he trusted his instincts, had always done so. Naruto rolled forward and nearly threw up again, the scent of vomit clung to his jumpsuit and sickened him as he rolled through the food he had eaten hours ago.
He turned around to see what had caused the whistling noise and saw a large paw ripping out the grass, loosening the very earth of the position he just abandoned. It was attached to a magnificent beast – a bear most likely – which overtook its kind's usual size by the double.
The beast retracted its paw, then let it descend again.
Naruto wasn't fast enough, but luckily it only grazed him.
He saw the bear thundering toward him, each time it connected with the ground sounded like Kami himself walked among mortals. Panic gripped him – utter, undisguised fear surged through him. Any second now, the beast would be upon him.
His hands moved, he functioned on pure instinct, but he knew he wouldn't be fast enough.
No, he definitely wouldn't be fast enough.
Tora,
The bear was only inches away from him.
Ushi,
Its left paw rose. Naruto could smell the horrible stench of his own fear. He had no doubt the beast could smell it too.
Inu,
The fear amplified itself, but he held its gaze. If he died, he would die with both eyes open.
Mi,
Claws ripped through fabric, not bothered by the weak resistance.
"Ninpō: Kawarimi no Jutsu!" Naruto uttered in a gargled scream and vanished – spirited away through space and time.
A strangled gasp escaped him and he held his side in pain. He was right, he hadn't been fast enough.
The haze in his mind didn't subside though and he looked at his hand, couldn't believe that it was his own blood dripping from his fingers. It hurt, but not as much as the thought of being inches away from certain death.
A roar echoed through the forest and shivers wracked Naruto's body.
He angled himself to the side, painfully aware of his wound as he moved, and looked over the edge of the thick branch he had landed on.
There, a few feet below him, the beast stood on its hind legs and let loose another earth shattering roar. The log Naruto had substituted himself with was already smashed into pieces.
He wanted to run, wanted to escape the frantic harbinger of death below him... but he couldn't. His sense of self-preservation had become nearly overwhelming, yet he just ground his teeth together and didn't heed it.
"The Will of Fire, Hi no Ishi... do you know what it means, Naruto-kun?"
"Eh, you ask silly questions, Jiji! It's to protect everyone!"
"True," the wizened man answered. "But it also reflects our indomitable will. The will to stand up against overwhelming odds, despite the fear that grips us. A shinōbi with a will of steel, fire in his heart, and the determination to do right by his village shall never be defeated."
"Ne, Jiji?"
"Yes, Naruto-kun?"
"What does indomitable mean?"
The Hokage chuckled and Naruto laughed with childish glee as a triangle shaped hat was put on his head. "Someday you will learn what it means. For now though, why don't we get some Ramen?"
Naruto's cobalt blue eyes narrowed and he zoned in on the beast that still ravaged the forest beneath him.
Indomitable will, eh?
The pain in his side had receded to a dull throbbing, he noticed and glances curiously at his wound. Kyuubi's healing powers sure were working fast. Still, as good as fast healing was, it wouldn't do him any good if he died within one swipe of those massive paws...
Then again, and despite the knowledge that he would most probably die if he engaged the bear in close combat, he didn't have much of a choice.
His efficiency with shuriken wasn't anything to brag about, and he doubted that they would do much against a being of that size anyway. Even his beloved Kibakufudas, which always made him shout with delight, weren't a viable option.
There could be all manners of other beasts lurking in the shadows. He had enough problems with just one, there was no need to invoke the wrath of dozens of others.
The backpack was, curiously enough, undamaged and he guided his hand into it, searching for some tools he could use... shuriken, kunai, everything necessary to take down a hostile shinōbi, but nothing that would really help him right now – at least, if only thrown.
Naruto frowned. There was only one way to resolve the problem: either he, or the beast had to die.
In close combat...
He shuddered, but quickly steeled himself as the revelation that he could very well die if he engaged the bear nearly sent him back into panic.
No, he had to face it. He had to emerge as the victor... that, however, didn't mean that he had to take the bear head on.
The villagers and his peers had often called him a moron – maybe they had been right in doing so – but, to his limited understanding of the world, a moron only remained as such if he didn't learn from past mistakes.
Strike and kill in one swift move...
Perhaps it was a fatal mistake not to have a plan beyond a simple surprise attack from behind, but it was all he could think of, all he could do.
Naruto climbed down, being as silent as possible, and moved onto another branch – seven, maybe eight feet above the beast. He took a deep breath and his hand curled tightly around the silent smoke bomb hidden in the fabric of his jumpsuit.
The bear didn't know what happened, nor did it care... with strength from years of hunting, it thundered toward the place where the bomb had landed and smoke rose from the ground.
There it was... the chance he had been waiting for.
Naruto leaped from the branch and sailed through the air; a kunai was firmly gripped in his hand. The fraction of a second it took to bridge the distance between them felt like eons. Yet, no sooner had the thought crossed his mind did he hear the oddly satisfying sound of metal sinking into flesh.
His kunai penetrated the thick neck of the beast deeply, and he yanked it around for good measure. It was a moment of judgment – either he would win with his desperate gambit, or the beast would simply buck him off.
Then... finally... incomprehensible grunts of pain escaped the bear as it moved around, unable to grasp the futility of its actions.
Suddenly, it stopped moving. Grunts became exhalations of laboring breath, and a puddle of blood extended from under its massive frame, flowing freely through the grass and extending far beyond its form.
Green became red.
Exhausted as he was, Naruto managed to roll to the side and away from the dying bear – he rolled until his eyes pierced the foliage marred sky.
He had won.
He was victorious.
Naruto turned his head toward the beast – the victory became hollow.
He saw the dulled black eyes of his opponent, the force of life slowly leaking out of them... and he wondered, would this always be the price of his success – death?
Kakashi, who had watched the bout of mortal combat anxiously, calmed himself. This was exactly the reason why he had thrown his charges into the forest in the first place. Of course, it was worrying to see one of his Genin came that close to the shinigami's realm, but he stayed his hand.
His sensei's son would either learn, or perish in the process.
Her legs were tired, but she ran as fast as they could carry her. Breathlessly, she cursed as another vicious plant slashed at her knees...
After two weeks of searching the part of the forest her sensei had thrown her into, Sakura still hadn't found a place where she felt even remotely comfortable or safe.
It was ridiculous.
There had been a geography class when she was still an academy student – definitely happier times – and she, eager to prove herself, had taken on an extra assignment to categorize the various training fields of the village. It had taken a few moments, but buried deeply under her visions of Sasuke, she had finally found the relevant information she needed – the mind map of Ground 44.
She cursed some more.
Kakashi, that utter bastard – and may the shinigami reap his soul – had thrown her into the worst part of the forest.
This had to stop... somehow.
For nearly fourteen days she had been constantly on the run, and each time she felt her breaking point approach a new threat suddenly showed up and actually broke it, forcing her to overcome her limit.
This had to be illegal.
Sakura slumped back against the tree, carefully holding her balance between the branches. She forced herself to keep her eyes open at all times – it had only taken one fall a few days prior to show her that sleeping on a tree wasn't as easy as she had been led to believe.
Her control, at least, had given her an edge when it came to avoiding some of the ferocious predators on the ground.
Sakura's thoughts went back to her two teammates and she sighed. She wondered how they were doing... if only she had their reserves, staying alive would become that much easier.
A dull roar that echoed through the forest sent shivers down her spine. She knew the roar well... too well in fact. Sakura looked down at the blood soaked bandages around her left leg. The monsters inhabiting this training ground were terrifyingly bloodthirsty.
She had learned that firsthand on her second day.
She took another deep breath and grabbed a few small branches to support herself. When had she eaten the last time... or, for the matter, slept? No answers were forthcoming and she knew that she had to make her way out of this particular part of the forest soon – at all cost.
Providing for herself, she mused. Now, didn't that just sound much easier in theory?
The real life however, as she now came to learn, was quite a bit more difficult. She gathered her strength, jumping from branch to branch, and wondered if this was how Sasuke and Naruto must have felt, being orphans and having no one to assure that their basic needs were met.
Kakashi chuckled softly as he cut off his chakra from the technique he had used to emulate a lion's roar. Sakura's stamina still wasn't up to snuff and it wouldn't do for her to become lazy...
Tora, Inu, Ushi, Mi – Tora, Inu, Ushi, Mi – Tora, Inu, Ushi, Mi
His hands flew through those seals over and over again, and without gathering any chakra.
The Kawarimi was one of the basic techniques taught by the academy; it was used by every shinōbi who had the experience of seeing his own blood being spilled. It was arguably one of the most underrated techniques.
Even though every graduated Genin could use it, most scoffed at the mere thought of needing it to evade an opponent, and most died as a result of their ignorance.
Through its mastery the Kawarimi granted life, whereupon the failure of its use sealed death.
Naruto tore a chunk out of the freshly cooked meat that he had grilled over a small pit. Some things, mostly those he had disregarded as inconsequential during his academy days, made more sense now that he had to use them in order to survive.
He stared absent minded into the fire – all of his thoughts circled around his fight with the bear.
For the first time in years, Naruto entertained the idea that maybe – just maybe – he had underestimated the life of a shinōbi. He wanted to forget the battle. He wanted to bury himself in his old delusions of greatness.
He found, he couldn't.
It was branded into his mind: the fear, the panic, the hesitation, the success – all of it.
The simple fact remained: he owed his life not to the deception of a smoke bomb, nor to the unrelenting metal of a kunai... even the sudden determination that had gripped him wasn't relevant.
He owed his life to a technique he had grossly misjudged in its value.
Kawarimi – what an odd little Jutsu.
That was why, after two weeks, he still sat under his self-made roof of bearskin and wire, and sped through the seals of the substitution technique over and over again. Never again would he let himself be caught out like that, unable to escape as quickly as possible.
The next time something happened, he would be ready.
It took twelve years of his life to make him understand, but now he knew – the basics were important for a reason.
Naruto ran through the seal sequence again, before stopping and taking out a kunai from his backpack.
It was curious, he thought. If somebody would have told him that he would favor an exercise like tree walking over a new Jutsu when he still had been in the academy, he would have laughed at them.
After focusing chakra to his feet, Naruto ran up the tree, passing branches by the dozens... however, as soon as he felt his control slip he left a deep gauge and pushed himself away from the tree, letting himself fall backward.
Tori, Inu, Ushi, Mi...
"Ninpō: Kawarimi no Jutsu," he whispered.
An instant later, Naruto found himself crouching next to his camp and watched how the piece of wood he had substituted himself with lost its fight against gravity. With practiced ease, he snatched it out of the air and put it into the small pit.
Naruto looked up to the mark he had left on the tree. Then, he seated himself next to the fire.
This would take some time...
He resumed his staring contest with the violent dancing flames.
Time, he mused. He had been lonely all his life, but then at least he had been able to talk to someone without feeling like a loon – even if it wasn't reciprocated. Now, however, he hadn't talked for over two weeks and wondered whether it drove him insane or just calmed him down.
It was, in all probability, the former, he supposed.
In a bush a nice distance away from Naruto's camp, Kakashi crouched and observed the boy, lazily patting a tiger's head.
Solitude, Sasuke decided was a curious thing...
It had been one of his deepest wishes to be left alone, to simply vanish from the public eye. He hadn't succeeded, of course, but he still felt that his one-line responses and general rudeness gave him a nice illusion of it at least.
Was solitude really that good though?
Sure, he had been annoyed by nearly everyone who talked with him – or tried to – but hearing voices that didn't belong to his dead family had given him an odd sense of normalcy. It was what he missed now... what he started to appreciate just now, on the dawn of his third week away from the village.
Sasuke hadn't talked for weeks. That, however, wasn't a problem. He was used to it.
No, the problem was that just hearing his own laboring breath while he tireless worked to get the technique right affected him in ways he hadn't thought possible.
Worse, he simply couldn't understand why he felt this way.
Braving the forest was by no means an easy task for the Uchiha prodigy – definitely not as easy as he had anticipated at first. Not that he felt like a real prodigy with the shadow of his brother constantly looming over him...
Still, it wouldn't be the forest that broke him, he knew. It was the emotion he had expected the least...
… loneliness.
Then again, he didn't believe that just yet. He was an Uchiha and had his pride.
Sasuke stared at the scroll that contained the information toward mastering the lightning technique; he sighed after another failed attempt. Perhaps he should learn the control exercise first? With a grunt he opened the other scroll and skimmed it, immediately after glancing at the few trees that were growing proudly in the clearing.
He would bear the silence as long as possible... and, if he really was in danger of going insane, he would just have to look for his loud mouthed teammates.
Kami, even a moron like Naruto would be a welcome break to this damned monotony.
Kakashi was disappointed after witnessing Sasuke's last failed attempt at the lightning Jutsu. His eyes started to gleam however, when he saw the boy skimming through the other scroll.
Finally...
Faster. Faster. Faster!
Naruto ran as fast as possible, vaulted over a fallen tree, and came to a skidding halt. His lunges burned, but he ignored the painful sensation and looked over his shoulder. He paled, and continued his sprint... farther and farther away from his camp.
This wasn't what he had in mind for his last two weeks in this forest; not at all.
How the hell did it even happen?
"Suitōn: Semei Mizushuuha!"
Naruto raced through the necessary hand seals and spat out a small, condensed stream of water. He hoped that it would deter the beast pursuing him – at least for a moment.
The large tiger, however, dodged to the right and evaded the stream completely. There was a short lull in the battle, when their eyes met – cobalt blue and charcoal black. Then, the gigantic tiger roared once and began the hunt anew, racing after the Genin, always just a few steps behind.
Naruto had unarguably the largest reserves among his peers and even his superiors. Yet, after three days of constant substitutions and copious usage of his new water technique, he felt that even his vaunted reserves slowly dried out.
His brow furrowed as he ran through the forest, the tiger hot on his heels. A few days ago, the forest had seemingly awoken from a deep slumber. Before then, it had been dangerous, no doubt. Now, however, it was downright murderous.
Without any warning, every damn animal had suddenly started to hunt him with reckless abandon, bringing even him to the point of total exhaustion.
This thrice-cursed place quickly went up to number one on his shit list.
How many of those beasts had he killed already?
Naruto found that he didn't know, and it didn't seem to matter anyway... for each killed one, at least two took its place.
He propelled himself away from a tree, avoiding the silvery drop of a giant spider, and jumped back on the ground. This place was enough to drive any shinōbi insane.
His instincts screamed at him. He dove to his right, tumbling a bit, and barely avoided a large paw.
"... really?" Naruto asked incredulously, after setting eyes upon the humongous bear that had joined the tiger.
"Ninpō: Kawarimi no Jutsu," he uttered quickly between labored breath.
It wasn't enough, and after nearly 72 hours of running around like a madman and flinging techniques through the air like candy, his reserves had finally run out.
He paid for it, dearly.
Blood soaked through the ripped fabric of his jumpsuit, coloring it red.
Naruto looked around with one hand pressed to his abdomen and saw that many more beasts had joined the tiger and the bear in their hunt. Now, they were just waiting for the right moment to pounce...
He snarled and gripped a kunai firmly with his free hand. His eyes were narrowed into thin slits.
Three, perhaps even four...
Yes, he could take four with him to the Shinigami if they decided to attack.
Naruto chuckled. It sounded desperate, maybe even a bit insane. He wouldn't make it easy for them.
Never let it be said that Uzumaki Naruto was easy prey...
He noticed the tensing muscles of the beasts and readied himself. One way or another – it would come to an end soon.
A few white spots danced in his vision. Then, a blur appeared next to him. Naruto felt himself being grabbed at his jumpsuit and felt cold air on his face. The beasts rapidly became just small dots.
Suddenly the movement stopped. He glanced down, and saw that he was half-sitting, half-leaning on a thick branch. Naruto turned around, looking at the savior he had expected the least to help him out of his plight.
Warmth spread through his chest. "It feels like years," he muttered barely audible.
The pink-haired girl offered him a tense smile, but continued to look around anxiously. Her clothes – once products of the highest quality – were torn in many places, and her face was matted with dirt and dried blood.
It made her green eyes stand out even more than they did before.
"Do you know what the hell's happening, Naruto?" Sakura asked in a low whisper.
He shrugged, ignoring the pain that lanced through his body. "No clue," he bit out. "I was training when they attacked... I've been running ever since."
"Same as me then," she groaned. "We have to find Sasuke."
"The Bastard?" Naruto asked, looking skeptical. Then he noticed how childish that actually sounded regarding their current circumstances, and quickly amended, "Fine with me. You know where he is?"
Too tired to even bother with correcting Naruto on his choice of a nickname, Sakura answered, "No, I don't... anything's better than this though. I'm scared, Naruto. I... I don't think we can make it out of here without the three of us together. This is insane!"
"Agreed," Naruto said.
Then, he heard the sound of pincers clicking against each other and frowned. "They've found us... we have to move, Sakura."
"Where to?" Sakura asked.
"Away," Naruto answered. "Doesn't matter where, just away from here."
He righted himself and stood up, noticing how the pain had lessened significantly. Even his reserves, which had been completely empty – bar the amount his body actually needed to survive – were now somewhat filled again after the 20 minutes respite Sakura had bought him.
Not to his usual ridiculous degree, but one or two Kawarimis felt doable again.
Three days later, the tired duo stumbled upon a devastated clearing. It was littered with fallen trees, some of them burned until they became black, crushed rocks and debris, as well as dozens of dead animals.
They cautiously approached the middle of the place and surveyed the damage done to it.
"Well... Bastard's been here. No doubt 'bout that."
"The forest is a favorite for the Chūnin exams. This doesn't mean Sasuke was here," Sakura replied and gestured toward the burned trees.
"Chunin exams? Eh, never mind," Naruto said and crouched next to the carcass of a dead tiger.
A few footprints were visible in the dirt. "Look, the body isn't rotting... and these footprints were made with sandals – they aren't too old either. Bastard's been her, definitely."
"Footprints?" Sakura asked. "Since when can you track?"
It was hard to suppress years of habit, Sakura found. Curbing her automatic response of insulting the blond shinōbi wasn't easy, but she tried to make the effort to be a bit nicer to him. Over the last three days Naruto had saved her life quite a few times, just as she had saved his. It made all the difference, to actually see him defending against lethal attacks – fighting back to back.
Naruto had earned a reprieve of her sharp tongue.
In the academy, the concept of brothers and sisters in arms had come up frequently... but, besides her romanticized image of Sasuke saving her, Sakura hadn't attributed to much importance to it. Now though, she understood the idea behind it much better.
She finally understood that surrounded by constant danger and the threat of death they were all the same in the end – brothers and sisters in arms, shinōbi of Konoha, leaves of the mighty tree.
"Tracker? Don't know 'bout that. I had to learn it though... would've starved otherwise," Naruto answered.
"Starved?"
"Believe it," Naruto muttered weakly and chuckled when he saw her frown. "I didn't find a stream nearby... had to hunt these bear things for food," he elaborated.
"Ah, that explains... wait, no water? How did you survive without drinking?"
Naruto scratched his head. "Sensei gave you a Jutsu too, didn't he? And the control exercise, of course..."
"Yes, but that doesn't explain it. I got an illusion technique."
"Genjutsu, huh? I'm sure that came in handy... sensei gave me a nifty water Jutsu. Not really destructive, but it sure helped with drinking."
Sakura became silent and eyed Naruto with a contemplative look. If Naruto really hasn't had water around him... but that didn't make sense. She had read once that it took insane amounts of chakra to use water techniques without a source of it nearby.
An amount that no Genin should possess – hell, the Nidaime Hokage was the only one known for such a feat, and the man had reserves equaling those of a Biju, according to the legends.
Had Naruto done the same as the Nidame?
If he did indeed, then it would call everything into question she knew about the blond.
"Well... that's good I guess," she said, still not sure if she wanted to believe Naruto capable of such mind numbing feats.
A kunai whizzed through the air, passing her inches away from her face.
Sakura turned around and came face to belly with the largest bear she had ever seen; the kunai firmly lodged between its eyes. The blond's accuracy had improved as well, she noticed.
Naruto was about to pull his weapon out of the beast, when he suddenly threw himself to the left, dodging an attack from another monster.
Sakura's eyes met his for a short moment and then, without further thought, they sprinted away from the clearing... following the obvious trail Sasuke had left.
"Kuso!" Naruto cursed. "We have to find the Bastard like real quick... that was my last kunai. I've got nothing left now."
"Right. He can't be too far away."
They jumped through the trees for half an hour before they finally found him...
Sakura gaped, not quite comprehending what she saw.
Naruto laughed loudly, completely ignoring the seriousness of the situation.
"This... damn, why didn't I bring my camera?"
"How... why?" Sakura asked weakly.
Naruto shrugged, and continued snickering. "No clue, but it sure as hell looks funny."
It did indeed, at least to them.
Sasuke sat on a wooden float – a haphazardly looking construct, really – in the middle of a large river. Sharp rocks protruded from the swirling water and anchored the float with a few wires.
Kami, Sasuke looked pissed.
"Hey, Bastard!" Naruto shouted gleefully. "What the hell are you doing on the river?"
Sasuke looked up from his brooding and was surprised to see his teammates standing a few feet away from the riverbank.
"Moron? Sakura?" he asked, a bit of hope creeping into his voice – a strange sensation for an Uchiha on any given day. "You made it?"
"Obviously. Give us a second and we're with you."
"Wait!" Sasuke shouted.
"What is it?"
"You see the dead tiger to your left?" Sasuke asked and pointed into the vague direction. "Bring it here if you can... I'm starving."
It took a lot for the Uchiha to admit to that...
Soon enough, all three Genin of Team 7 were huddled together on the float. It was cramped, but although they had mostly hated each other just weeks ago, none of them complained about it. None of them dared to break the fragile bond of camaraderie that had suddenly sprung up between them.
Given enough time... perhaps, it would even grow as hard as steel.
"Ne, Sasuke... why are we sitting on a float?" Sakura asked.
"They can't swim," Sasuke replied and pointed to the large amount of beasts that were now prowling alongside the riverbank. "Only thing to worry about here are some of the large snakes that can."
"Large snakes?" Naruto arched his eyebrows. "What'cha doing against them?"
Sasuke smirked and lifted his hand – arcs of lightning were racing across one of his fingers.
Sakura frowned. "How did you keep yourself from being electrocuted?"
"Just had to keep the float dry... coated it in a layer of chakra every time I had to use the lightning."
"Makes sense," Naruto muttered.
The idea and execution of such a plan showed Naruto, once again, why the Uchiha was hailed as some kind of prodigy. Curiously enough, thinking about it didn't sting as much as it used to...
Concealed by a strong Genjutsu, Kakashi watched over his charges. For the first time since he met them, he smiled.
Now they've got it...
He patted a pocket on his Jōnin vest where three empty vials were safely secured. Granted, spraying their clothes with the strongest animal pheromones known to man – while they had slept of course – might have been a bit much.
Then again, he had been desperate. After 42 days they still hadn't found each other, so he had to act somehow.
In the end, his gamble payed off.
Kakashi still had much to teach them – to each of them, as well as to the whole team – and now that at least a tentative bond existed between his three Genin... well, he was sure that it would make his plans a lot easier.
AN: Well, that's chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed it.
Used Jutsu:
Ninpō: Kawarimi no Jutsu - E Rank: Substitution/Replacement