Chapter 2: The Phoenix
The Phoenix represents Rebirth—Sun, Time, Resurrection and Life
in Paradise, something we all crave after a cloudy day.
Team 7 walked down the path, surrounding a young brunette who was wrapped with chains and chakra suppressors were tattooed onto his body. They've been walking for 6 hours straight in silence, which surprised no one, really. Naruto has gotten quieter over the years, and with Sasuke around—who barely speaks anymore—it was so very painfully quiet.
Sakura glanced over to Naruto. Yamato had told her about the possibility of him being blind. She couldn't see how or why, because he was perfectly fine with fighting. But it can explain why he can't even learn taijutsu. He needs to see a demonstration and he needs eyesight for that. Yamato also asked for her to ask him some questions. It can be anything regarding the subject of his blindness, was what the captain said.
Mentally preparing herself, she finally cracked the question. "Naruto, are you blind?"
An unnoticeable smirk appeared on their captives face. So this is the gaki...
He 'glanced' at her. "What makes you ask that?"
"Well...i-its just..." she stammered. "Um...how should I put it?"
"Sasuke pointed out that you might have some kind of disability because you were always leaning on things in the village," Yamato stated. "I was starting to notice it, too, so I decided to come along on this mission. I mean, I have no intentions of prying, so you don't have to dig so deep."
"I lost my sight when I was three," he explained. "Sasuke, your brother helped me cope till he killed everyone and left."
"I guess that explains why he came home so late on the weekdays," he mumbled. "You were hogging him."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "The jealous type, I see..."
"I am not jealous," Sasuke protested.
"Then why are you saying that I was 'hogging' him?"
"Because...because...um..."
"Exactly."
"Okay, quit it you two," Yamato gently scolded. "Other than us, who else knows?"
"Itachi, Shikamaru and Gramps Sandaime," Naruto replied. "But he's dead; so I wouldn't count him anymore. Shikamaru is the only one who knew when I enrolled into the academy."
"He's a lazy ass with a sharp mind," Sakura muttered. "That's like trying to use a dull kunai and a sharp shuriken as weapons."
The blonde chuckled. "That's agreeable."
"...So...was it weak eyesight...?" Sasuke questioned hesitantly.
He slowly shook his head. "My blindness is the result of the villagers hatred. They attacked me thirteen years ago and damaged my eyes to the point of where even the Kyuubi couldn't regenerate the wound. And since Granny Tsunade wasn't around, I went completely blind."
Everyone fell silent, the air feeling heavier than before.
"We should stop," Naruto said.
Sakura glanced at him. "Why? I don't feel tired."
"Well, for one, the person we're escorting is panting like a dog, and Yamato's feet are dragging," he pointed out. "Not to mention, Sasuke looks like he's about to collapse from exhaustion. And also, I'm getting hungry and it's sunset."
Sakura glanced at everyone. She saw Yamato dragging his feet, Sasuke was slightly falling behind and their captive was panting like a dog. She frowned. Why did Naruto notice and not her? Sighing, she stopped. "I think I gained a new ability today."
Yamato glanced at her. "And that would be...?"
"The legendary power of obliviousness."
"Hyouton: A Thousand Mirrors!" a young child exclaimed. Walls and walls of infinite mirrors surrounded him and his ANBU sensei via Red.
Red nodded his approval. "Impressive, gaki. There are at least ten or so walls worth of mirrors."
The gaki shook his head, a grin on his face. "Nope—only five."
Red glanced at him, his brow raising in surprise. "Even more impressive. The angels make it look like there's ten. It could be useful in the future to deceive your enemy."
"I'm not the deceiving type, that's the problem," the gaki pouted. He crossed his arms. "But this is all I can really do without collapsing from chakra exhaustion."
"Well I'm still impressed—I mean, with your disability you can really deceive your enemy," the ANBU captain stated. "They'll underestimate you for being blind and being a gaki. You can easily strike someone down using A Thousand Mirrors and not to mention, you can greatly confuse them."
The young boy grinned in excitement. "I really am awesome!"
Red smiled and nodded. "Not to mention, I hear that the Hyouton is a rare kekkei genkai."
"What's a kekkei genkai?" the boy questioned.
"It's a special power that can't be copied and often you can never learn it," Red explained. "Your Hyouton was most likely inherited by your father because I heard that he had the wind and water affinities. He probably created it and you inherited it."
The gaki stared in surprise. "So your Sharingan is a kekkei genkai only the Uchiha's have?"
The ANBU captain nodded. "It is indeed. And unless I have the affinities of water and wind, I can't use Hyouton."
"Awesome!" the boy exclaimed. He jumped up in down, bumping into a wall. "Ow..."
Red rolled his black eyes, helping the kid up. "I guess we still need to work on your sense of direction."
The blind gaki nodded. "Okay. But I need to get going—my caretaker won't be very happy if I stay out for too long. See ya later, Itachi sensei!"
It was cloudy outside, the sun peeking through and streaming down on the village everyone once in a while. The clouds were darkening and it looked like a heavy downpour was about to come.
Yamato sent a report on their possible delay because of the heavy clouds. It disappointed Tsunade. She wanted them to be back before the week was up. She had a mission perfect for Team 7 and wanted them back ASAP. She gave Naruto permission to use a certain technique he learned from a certain someone if the rain ever does come.
But the fact that the gaki was blind since he was three really shocked her. His eye pupil's were damaged to the point of where even she would have difficulty healing if she was still in Konohagakure thirteen years ago. The Chunin who did it was demoted and arrested for murderous intentions by the Sandaime and he was found dead two years after that.
It turns out Itachi did it in defense of Naruto. But Tsunade couldn't blame him. She would have probably done the same. As punishment he was merely demoted to Jounin for about a year or two. But he took back his title as ANBU captain after that within two months.
Tsunade also noticed that he repeatedly was dropped off at the hospital because he was often coated in a thing layer of ice. She was also shocked that he inherited a kekkei genkai. It was the Hyouton. He got it from Minato, which also shocked her. She didn't think he could preform the Hyouton.
But then again, he died at a young age. All she knew about him was that his affinities were water and wind, and that he invented Rasengan. Not to mention he made the Flying Thunder God Technique, but that's all Tsunade knew about Jiraiya's apprentice.
Tsunade paused for a second when she saw a bird soaring above the Hokage Monument in a splotch of sunlight, it's feathers shining like orange flames. When she looked closer, it consisted of red feathers and a white bosom.
What kind of bird is that? Tsunade wondered. When she blinked, it disappeared—as if it was never there in the first place. A flaming bird in the sunlight...
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