Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
-A Testament of Things that Never Will-
"You have until noon," Kakashi said as he eyed the potential Genin. "Go."
He watched, slightly disappointed, as the three kids vanished into the surrounding forest. He had been hoping that they would have worked together at the beginning and he was shocked at the level of naivety they demonstrated in their attempts to hide from him. He was a Jonin and it was insulting to think that they, fresh Genin, had even the smallest hope that they could hide from him.
He had been an ANBU Captain, for Kami's sake, and the only reason he was even the potential Jonin-sensei of this squad was because of the Uchiha. Apparently, the Shinobi Council thought it would be prudent if he, supposedly the only one left in the village that knew how to use the Sharingan, taught Sasuke how to use his family's eyes. Kakashi, knowing a thing or two about the Uchiha clan, knew that they taught their kids how to use it starting at the age of four. This meant that Sasuke already knew how to use the eyes he just hadn't unlocked them yet.
Kakashi shook his head at the unintentional stupidity of the Shinobi Council. He knew they meant well but what made them think that the Uchiha had done things differently than any other clan out there?
He rubbed his head. Enough thinking about why he was there, sufficent time had passed for the Genin to start feeling like they had hid from him. He had done this little test before but that was with teams that Hokage-sama had told him weren't ready for the shinobi life. He was supposed to fail them and he had started to become known for failing teams because of it. He didn't mind as it would make for a good laugh when he finally did pass a team.
He jumped into the trees, following Sakrua's obvious trail. Ladies first, he figured. Kami, he was such a gentleman. He found the girl under a bush, staring out into the clearing. She was muttering to herself and Kakashi had to question the quality of shinobi the Academy was producing if this is what they deemed as the top kunoichi.
Deciding to have fun with her he flared his chakra slightly and cast a genjutsu on her. He watched, a giddy smile on his masked face, as Sakura heard something coming from behind her and when she looked she was presented with Kakashi's masterpiece. He had taken advantage of the girl's obsession with Sasuke and showed her an image of the boy, covered in terrible wounds and even a few kunai still lodged in his flesh, stumbling toward her.
"Sakura," the pseudo-Sasuke stammered. He clenched his teeth in pain and dropped to the forest floor.
"Sasuke!" the pinkette screeched as she rose and took a shaky step toward the boy.
The boy coughed, blood staining the grass, and said, "Where were you? I called for you, but you didn't come."
Tears streamed down Sakura's face and she wrapped her arms around herself. "I-I didn't hear you."
"This is your fault. You should-" he coughed. "You should...have...co-" The pseudo-Sasuke collapsed fully to the ground and Sakura screamed.
Kakashi jumped down behind her and knocked her unconscious. He looked at his handy work as it slowly faded away and a thought crossed his mind. Maybe he went a little too far? He thought about it. Naww, he had done just enough.
With a happy smile on his face he left Sakura where she lay and went to search for one of the boys. He found Sasuke in a tree and had been seriously tempted to sneak up behind him and wait to see how long it took the boy to notice he was there. He had, instead, walked into the small open area behind the boy and allowed himself to be ambushed.
The Uchiha was good, Kakashi had to give him that. His taijutsu was spot on and he even threw out a mid C-rank ninjutsu which surprised the hell out of him. Most Genin knew only E-ranks and the clan jutsu that some of them might have known were only D or very low C-rank. The reason for this was simple, most Genin didn't yet have enough chakra for the more demanding stuff. So, color him impressed when the Uchiha shot a fireball at him.
He had played around with the boy for a little and even let him touch one of the bells that the Genin were after. If he had peged the boy right then if he was asked to work together with someone he would tell them that he had almost gotten a bell and didn't need their help.
Genin. So predictable. So easily manipulated.
He left the black-haired boy buried up to his neck in the ground and went after the last of his Genin hopefuls. He found the trail easily enough but stopped in his search when it split off into three different directions. He knew that Naruto had the ability to use the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu but he hadn't expected the kid to be smart enough to use them to help hide his trail. He cursed the useless Academy report and busied himself with studying the trails.
It was a simple thing to figure out which one was the right path based on where the boy had jumped and where the landing pattern matched the direction of flight. The other two were all wrong as he would have had to jump and turn in the air if he wanted to land the way the snapped twigs, folded leaves, and small cracks of bark told him the boy landed.
His ears strained when he heard what sounded like metal on metal and he immediately knew what Naruto had done. Sure, he had made these three paths but each one undoubtedly ran around in a circle back to this origin. It was an ambush and a very well thought out one at that. Why, if Kakashi had been any typical Genin he might have fallen for it but the boy, while impressive, had much to learn.
He threw a kunai into the leaves of a branch above him and far to his right. There was a popping sound and white smoke drifted out from between the green leaves. Suddenly his senses started to scream at him and he spun around in time to see kunai and shuriken flying at him. He would have been fine if it was only a few but the amount that was flying at him blocked out sight of the trees beyond them.
His mind raced and he concluded that they had to be products of both the Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and the Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. The jutsus were difficult to learn and were incredibly chakra intensive but with how easily he heard Naruto created clones it didn't surprise him in the least that the boy knew these two jutsu and could spam them as he wished.
Kakashi shot off a pulse of chakra and watched as the weapons popped when they were hit by the invisible force. His eyes narrowed, however, when three didn't disappear and he casually snatched each one out of the air. Naruto had planned on him dispelling the jutsu created weapons and sent a few real ones in the wave in an attempt to catch him off guard.
Kakashi sent the weapons back the way they came and said, "That was good ninjutsu, Naruto, but how about we move on to taijutsu." He twisted and brought a roundhouse kick to bear against the Naruto that had tried to sneak up behind him. To his mild shock, the boy rose his left arm and blocked the heavy kick with his forearm. This had to be the real one as the kick had been so hard that he heard bone crack in the raised arm.
Kakashi thought about ending the fight there. He hadn't meant to kick that hard but reflexes trained to react to people sneaking up on him had taken control. True, it wasn't his full strength as that would have smashed the blonde Genin off the tree and into the ground but he had put a little more oomph into it that he had wanted.
His thoughts of ending it were stopped, however, when Naruto's right hand shot out and almost connected with his belly. Kakashi caught it easily and wrapped it around to the blonde's back and pulled up on it. Just as he was about to say something witty he was forced to release Naruto when one of the boy's clones attacked him from above. He jabbed it in the stomach, causing it to pop, and blocked another attack from the real Naruto.
They were locked in a taijutsu match that impressed Kakashi more than he cared to admit to anyone. Naruto's taijutsu wasn't the Academy style he had been expecting but another style that was far more ferrous and efficient. When Naruto moved in on the offensive his strikes and kicks were fast and calculated. Each one was made with the intention of creating an opening and, when Kakashi deliberately allowed some to form, the blonde was quick to attack it.
On the defensive, his style was completely different. He knocked aside Kakashi's attacks the second they got close to him with an efficiency that made Kakashi think that there was a shell around the blonde that protected him. Kakashi had even broken from the fight and ambushed the blonde but, to his utter amazement, the blonde had reach behind his back and caught the attack. He swung around with the back of his other fist and Kakashi caught it in his free hand.
"Very good," Kakashi praised Naruto. The two were locked and he could feel the blonde Genin trying to overpower him.
Kakashi, not to be outdone, relaxed the grip he had on his abilities and threw the boy off the tree and into the clearing they had started this test in. He blocked the few kunai that Naruto hurled at him in his flight and the silver-haired Jonin followed.
He landed in the clearing to see four Naruto's waiting for him but before anything else could happen the alarm went off signalling the end of the test. Kakashi shot the clock an unseen glare. He had begun to enjoy the fight with Naruto as the boy was far more skilled than he would have ever guessed.
Three of the Narutos disappeared in a cloud of white smoke and he saw Naruto grip his left arm. "How does it feel?" he asked. He felt slightly bad about what he had done but was impressed that the boy had sucked up the pain and continued the fight.
Naruto looked at him, a fire in his eyes that told Kakashi he had enjoyed the fight as well, and said, "Hurts but should be good as new in about an hour or two. I know I didn't get a bell but how did I do?"
Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and eye-smiled, "You did very well. Better than I thought you would at least."
The blonde accepted the compliment and the two walked over to the three training poles that stood at the south end of the training field. Kakashi tied the pinkette to the middle pole and said, "You fail."
He savored the look on the three Genin's faces. Sakura seemed aghast, Sasuke sent him a glare that could kill, and Naruto...Naruto seemed slightly sad but still had a small smile on his face. "Something on your mind, Naruto?"
The blonde broke into a sheepish smile and said, "Oh, um. Yeah, I'm sad that we failed but I'm happy that you said I did well. You made the rules perfectly clear and none of us have a bell so you are well within your right to fail us. Do I like it? No, but it isn't like I should be surprised or anything."
Kakashi nodded. Damn blonde was far more mature than the report said as well. He made a note to burn the useless document and said, "Well, I'm feeling extra nice today so I'll give you all one last chance." He took out two bento's from his pouch and handed them to the two boys. "You may eat before we start again but under no circumstances are you to allow Sakura to eat even a bite. If she does get a bite you will all fail."
He walked off and stopped when he was hidden behind a large bush.
"This isn't fair," he heard Sakura yell. "Why am I the one tied up and the dead last isn't?"
"I'm not sure," Naruto said, "but we need to think of a way to get one of those bells."
"As I told you before," Sasuke said this time, "I touched one. I don't need your help."
"But Genin are supposed to help each other, especially their own teammates," Naruto said.
"Yeah, Naruto-baka," Sakura said. "We don't need your help. What would you, the dead last of the Academy, be able to do to help us?"
In an answer to Sakura's question a grumbling sound came from the Genin and Kakashi heard Naruto say, "The least I can do is feed you."
"You can't!" she said loudly. "We'll fail if you do, baka."
"Sasuke," Naruto said, "watch out for Hatake-san and give me a signal if you see him." Kakashi got the feeling that the Uchiha gave the blonde a questioning look because Naruto continued, "Think about it. If Kakashi has to deal with another Genin he may tire and that will give you the chance to get one of the bells. If Sakura gets food she will be more active than if she doesn't."
"Hn," Kakashi heard the Uchiha grunt.
He had to give it to Naruto, the boy was good at manipulation. He had managed to get Sasuke to be his lookout and even created a team plan for the next attempt without either of the two noticing. And, going off of what Sasuke said, Naruto had apparently tried to get at least Sasuke to work with him but Kakashi's own clever manipulation had made the Uchiha arrogant and refused the help. It would seem that Naruto had figured out the point of the test.
There was a short silence and then there was the sound of ropes being cut and he heard Sakura say soon after, "Oh Kami, that tastes good."
The Jonin smirked, dropped a smoke bomb, and when it exploded he rushed toward the Genin. He glared at them and released a tiny amount of killing intent. "You," he said darkly and the face of horror Sakura made almost made him start laughing then and there. "Pass," he finished with a happy eye-smile.
"Eh?" Sakura said, confused.
"You pass," he repeated.
"But you said that I couldn't eat anything," the pinkette said.
Kakashi nodded. "So I did but if I told you to, say, kill Naruto, would you?"
She glanced, fear in her eyes at the blonde and then back to him. "N-no."
"A shinobi who fails their duties is trash but a shinobi who fails their friends and comrades is worse than trash," Kakashi said. "Alone, none of you had a chance to get a bell, but working together you may have had a chance."
"This was about teamwork?" Sakura asked.
Kakashi nodded. Sasuke had a grim look on his face but Naruto had a knowing smile. "That is all for today. We'll meet here at eight every day, do some training and then do a mission. Dismissed." Kakashi watched the Genin walk away and shook his head when Sakura attempted to get Sasuke to go get something to eat with her. "Naruto," he said and the blonde turned to him, "hold up for a second."
"What did you need, Kakashi-sensei?" the blonde asked.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow and said, "It's Kakashi-sensei now? What happened to Hatake-san?"
"You hadn't confirmed that you would be training us until this moment so you weren't my sensei until now. Is it a problem? I can call you something else if you like?"
He waved his hand. "No no, Kakashi-sensei is fine. There was something I wanted to ask you though. Yesterday you said that you liked to train with a man you called, Yuri-sensei. Would you mind introducing us? As your Jonin-sensei, it would be helpful to know what he has taught you."
"I don't see a problem in that," Naruto said. "We meet at training ground thirty-eight and he should be there now."
Kakashi walked alongside the blonde and asked, "How do you know that?"
Naruto smirked. "Because I sent about forty clones there earlier today to train with Yuri-sensei. That's not a problem right? Yuri-sensei said it wouldn't be but if you didn't like it he also said you could talk to him about it."
Honestly, the silver-haired Jonin couldn't have cared less. Who was he to punish a Genin who was doing his all to get stronger. "I don't mind, Naruto, but I am surprised to hear that you know about the training trick that the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu provides."
"Oh, I didn't. Yuri-sensei showed it to me."
"Did he," Kakashi muttered. The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was a dangerous jutsu and only those with an incredible amount of chakra could use it effectively. Naruto's reason for his ridiculously high amount of chakra was obvious but who was this Yuri that he had the chakra to use the jutsu?
Naruto explained what all he had learned from the man called Yuri and Kakashi was flabbergasted. The man had Naruto learning two very impressive taijutsus from the way Naruto described them, was actively working on Naruto's chakra control, was conditioning his ability to sense and respond to an ambush, and he was also teaching Naruto everything the boy had missed in the Academy and more. Most shinobi started learning about chakra and jutsu theory when they were Chunin as it was essential knowledge for when a shinobi started to create their own jutsu.
On top of all of that he had also taught Naruto two jutsu. It was simple to tell that the man was focusing on the basics but with the foundation that Kakashi could see in Naruto he knew that the man was preparing him for something great. Naruto also told him about the gravity seal and, while it wasn't unheard of, it was very rare since it required a shinobi with expert knowledge of fuuinjutsu. The only two in Konoha that Kakashi was aware of was Jiraiya and the Hokage.
Kakashi's curiosity burned inside him and when he and Naruto entered the training ground that the blonde had said the man was in he immediately started to look around. He found the object of his curiosity on the north side of the grounds. The man was a hair taller than Kakashi and had on black combat boots, black pants, and a slimmer than usually dark green flack jacket over a long sleeved crimson shirt. The man had black-hair that spiked slightly and when he looked at Kakashi he saw that the man had dark blue eyes.
"Uzumaki-san," the man said in a lower tenor, "are you done with your team meeting?"
"Hai!" Naruto called. The blonde pointed at Kakashi and said, "This is Kakashi-sensei. Kakashi-sensei, Yuri-sensei."
The black-haired man bowed slightly and said, "Nice to meet you..."
"Kakashi is fine," the Jonin said.
"Kakashi," Yuri said. "You may call me Yuri. I assume you have questions if you came here with Uzumaki-san."
"Hai," Kakashi said and he watched Naruto run off and start going through some physical exercises. "Naruto has told me what you've been teaching him and I must say that I'm impressed to say the least."
"That's not a question but I thank you," Yuri said. "Uzumaki-san is a hard-worker and an attentive pupil."
Kakashi looked at the man and asked, "How long have you been a Jonin?"
Yuri tilted his head as he thought and answered, "About ten years now, I would say. I was sixteen when I became Jonin and I've been away on several long term missions since then."
"I was wondering why I hadn't seen you before," he said. "I would have heard of another fuuinjutsu expert being in the village."
"My skills are modest at best," the black-haired man replied. "I dabble in it from time to time but nothing too serious. Tell me, why are you interested in learning about me?"
"There aren't many Jonin who would just train a Genin to pass the time," Kakashi said, "and based off how much Naruto has improved in such a short amount of time I would say that you have had some experience in training Genin before."
"Little to none, I'm afraid," Yuri replied. "I have entertained the idea but it just isn't for me. As for why I've taken an interest in training Uzumaki-san," he paused. "Let's just say that it was a passing curiosity that has developed into a fondness."
"What do you plan on teaching Naruto?"
"Not sure really. I've focused on his foundation and have provided him with a set of taijutsu styles that I felt fit his fighting style and unique abilities. I had planned on eventually moving to chakra and elemental manipulation exercises but that is a long ways off or at least until the boy gets better chakra control. To attempt teaching manipulation now would be stupid at best and dangerous at worst."
Kakashi glanced at the man and said, "Chakra theory, jutsu theory, chakra manipulation, and elemental manipulation. If I'm not mistaken is sounds like you're preparing Naruto to start creating his own jutsu."
Yuri nodded. "That is part of it but I have found that understanding how and why something works the way it does helps one learn it in practice."
"Makes sense," the silver-haired Jonin agreed. He turned and said, "That answers that." He began to leave when a thought hit him. "Would you want to come to our training session tomorrow?"
Yuri raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why would you want me to do that?"
"I'm new to this whole training thing and it would be nice to hear what you have to say about what my Genin need to work on."
The black-haired man frowned and said, "It's pretty standard stuff, Kakashi-san. Work on their physical abilities like strength, speed, reflexes, and the such, their mental abilities like tactics creation, environmental awareness, and killing intent tolerance, their chakra control, and, most of all, their friendships. If you can get them all to at least be civil with each other than the team dynamics will progress smoothly."
Kakashi nodded. He hadn't thought of several of the things that the man had mentioned or had taken them for granted. How many other Jonin thought of teaching Genin killing intent tolerance? He had never heard of it and it only solidified his thoughts that the man had taught a Genin squad sometime in the past. But then, why had he said he hadn't?
Interested in Yuri's thoughts on training Genin, he went back to the man's side, watched Naruto torture himself with physical exercises, and continued talking to the man. He felt himself relax for the first time in what seemed like an eternity and he had no idea why. The way Yuri talked to him made him feel like he had known the man for a long time and that they were old friends.
He found the feeling strange but also comforting. He had pushed most of his friends away after he lost his team and had poured himself into his ANBU work with a passion so that he could forget the pain of their passing. His curiosity of the man increased even more as he felt the fires of friendship start to form for the first time in years.
He must have spent at least two hours talking to Yuri. It had started with training tips for Genin and had eventually ended with them talking about what it meant to be a shinobi. Kakashi was happy to find out that Yuri held similar beliefs to Kakashi's own and he was interested when Yuri mentioned that he also felt that Genin should be taught to question orders that they disagreed with. He explained that having the leader of the squad, the Jonin-sensei, or even the Hokage explain an order could prevent any tension or mishaps that might otherwise happen. It would also get it out in the open if someone didn't like what was happening.
Kakashi glanced at the sun and said, "It's about time I head to Hokage-sama and tell him of my teams passing."
"It was nice to meet you, Kakashi-san," Yuri said. "I'll see you tomorrow at around eight."
"You might want to come at noon," the silver-haired Jonin commented and Yuri laughed as he nodded his head.
-A Testament of Things that Never Will-
Hiruzen looked over the Jonin that filled his office. He had selected each of them to become Jonin-sensei but he could already tell from some of their faces that there were some that didn't pass their teams. He searched but didn't see Kakashi amongst them and decided to no waste everyone elses time. He had told the Jonin that the meeting was three hours ago but it had actually only started five minutes ago. He had hoped the deception would get the man to the meeting on time but it seemed that the man was being extra late this time.
He sighed and just as he was about to start the meeting the door opened. Kakashi walked in, Icha Icha in hand, and looked up at everyone in the room. "Am I late?"
"Right on time," Hiruzen said with a happy grin on his face. "Let's begin this meeting. Starting from team one and going in order, tell me if your team passed or not.
Hiruzen wasn't taken aback when the first six teams were failed. It was common practice to place the teams that were most likely to fail at lower numbers than ones that had the highest chance of succeeding.
Kakashi looked up from his book long enough to say, "Team seven. Passed."
That got several of the Jonin staring at him but the chronically late man didn't appear to notice. The next two teams, eight and ten, passed as well and Hiruzen frowned slightly when Asuma, his son, didn't even look at him when he said his team passed. There was some bad blood between him and Asume but that didn't mean that the man had to act like a child. They had a disagreement years ago and they hadn't been able to talk to each other since.
"Very good," he said and ignored the ache in his heart. "If there are no more questions, dismissed."
-A Testament of Things that Never Will-
Yuri arrived at training ground seven at seven in the morning. Kakashi had been kind enough to let him know that he wouldn't be arriving until noon but that didn't mean that Yuri had to let the Genin waste time waiting for them.
He looked around the training field, memories filling his mind. It was exactly the same as he remembered it. The same three poles, the trees, and the sound of the river, it was all the same.
Yuri took a deep breath and let it out. He had come an hour early because he knew that Naruto would be getting to the field at about that time. He had informed Naruto of what was going on and the boy seemed happy at the chance of introducing him to his teammates. Of course, introductions weren't really needed but Naruto didn't know that. He knew Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno better than they probably knew themselves and he prepared himself for when he saw them. He had stalled when he had first seen Tenten, the memory of her death coming to mind, and he couldn't let it happen again.
He had managed to not pause when he first saw Kakashi but it had been only just so. Kakashi had been one of his best friends in his timeline and the loss of the man had been a pain that Yuri had never really recovered from. This Kakashi wasn't his Kakashi but it was nice to get the chance to befriend the man he had come to respect once again even if it wasn't his Kakashi. The silver-haired Jonin was a good man and Yuri was happy with getting to know this new Kakashi.
His mind turned to Sasuke and Sakura and he felt that it would be easier to ignore his memories of them than it was with Kakashi. Sakura had died early in the war and Sasuke...well Yuri had killed the man with his own two hands but this Sasuke was only a child while the one he knew had been a grown man. He focus on his memories of the two and after a period of time he was confident that he wouldn't hesitate when he saw them.
"Morning, Yuri-sensei!" he heard Naruto's now familiar morning greeting.
He turned to look at the boy and said, "Good morning, Uzumaki-san."
"What are we working on today?"
"For now," Yuri said, "We will be meditating until your other teammates arrive. I'm afraid I won't be able to give you my full attention today as I will be focusing on the other two Genin that I am unfamiliar with. Will that be a problem?"
"Nope," Naruto said cheerfully.
The old Naruto would have pouted and whined about such a thing happening and Yuri was happy to see that the boy had matured so much since he first met him.
Yuri smiled. "Oh, and before you ask. I will not be using kage bunshin to help train today. My reason for this is because I want each of the other Genin to feel like they have my full attention when I am evaluating their skills. Also, I will not be placing a gravity seal on them. I will be recommending weights but I will not be mentioning the seal nor do I want you mentioning it."
"Why?" Naruto asked. "Wouldn't the seal help them better than weights? I mean, you told me that yourself."
Yuri smiled. "I remember, Uzumaki-san. I won't be placing the seal on them because not only is it too time consuming but I also don't want it to get around that I'm a practitioner of fuuinjutsu. The only reason I was able to put your seal on you as fast as I did was because you and I have very similar chakra, chakra quantity, chakra quality, and chakra fluctuations among other things. I only had to do a few very minor changes to the seal and that still took me an about an hour to put on you.
"With these other two, whose chakra may be vastly different than mine, the amount of time it could take to adjust the seal could range from an entire twenty-four hours to a week of work and fine-tuning. I also don't want people coming to me and asking me to put one on them. I am not a charity and I don't feel like handing out gravity seals to everyone that asks for them. I know that my reasons are somewhat selfish but they are what they are."
Naruto nodded. "I can see why you feel the way you do," he said. "Alright, I won't mention it to them."
Yuri thanked Naruto as he sat down in the grass. There was still dew on it and he glided a hand across a portion next to him. It was cool on his skin and the grass that brushed against him tickled slightly. Naruto sat down as well and soon the two had slowed their breathing and focused on finding their center.
The biggest reason that Yuri had Naruto learning how to meditate was so that, when the day came, he could more easily communicate with Kurama, the Kyubi. He hadn't told the blonde that and he figured he never really could since he was a shinobi who had never held the beast in this timeline. It was a shame, as he and Kurama had formed a friendship of sorts. Well, as close to a friendship that a force of nature absent of any morals could with a human.
Eventually Yuri heard a feminine voice come from the bridge that lead to the training ground. The bridge was quite a ways off but he figured that the voice belonged to the Sakura of this timeline and if she was coming so too was Sasuke. He waited, listened, and after seven minutes the two Genin saw them.
"Who is that guy and what is Naruto-baka doing?" Sakura asked.
Yuri stood and turned on the two Genin. He didn't hesitate, much to his pleasure, and said, "Welcome. You two must be Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno?"
"Who are you?" the pink-haired girl asked.
"My name is Yuri Karasu," he answered. "Kakashi asked me to help with your training for the day and while he won't be getting here till noon I decided to come early to get a head start on things. This isn't a problem I hope, Haruno-san, Uchiha-san?"
Sakura blushed lightly, she had always been a bit of a sucker for older men, and stammered, "N-no problem."
Sasuke studied him for a second but nodded as his way of acceptance.
"Wait," the pinkette said suddenly as if she had just noticed something, "what were you and Naruto-baka doing before we got here?"
Yuri frowned and set disapproving eyes on the girl. "Haruno-san, while you are around me you will not insult Naruto in such a way. To insult someone is feeble, simple-minded, and unbecoming of a kunoichi. Uzumaki-san is your teammate and the least you can do is show him some respect."
Sakura's face paled at being scolded but she was quick to replied, "O-okay."
Yuri softened his expression and leaned down slightly so that he wasn't as imposing. "I apologize," he said. "I may have come off a bit harsh there but not showing the proper respect to another can get a person into many misunderstandings and unnecessary trouble. I hope you can forgive me for snapping at you but I do stand by my words."
Sakura blushed, nodded, swallowed, and said, "No it's alright."
"Thank you," he said and stood up. "As for what we were doing, we were meditating."
"Really?" the girl asked. "Naruto-b-" she shot a look at Yuri and went on when he didn't say anything, "can sit down for more than five seconds?"
Naruto smiled and laughed. "I thought you might say that, Sakura, but it's actually kind of calming when you get used to doing it. Maybe I can show you how some time?"
Sakura relaxed and said, "Sure. Hold on, you called me Sakura?"
"Over the past month I have been reevaluating my life," Naruto said.
"Reevaluating? Big word," the pinkette said and grinned.
The blonde smirked and said sarcastically, "Ha ha. As I was saying, I have been doing some thinking and I realized just how much I was doing just for the attention it brought me. A part of being a shinobi is to not bring attention to one's self unless it is necessary. After I got over that I found that, while I like you as a friend, I don't feel like I could ever go past that."
"Wow, Naruto. That was surprisingly well thought out."
Naruto grinned.
Yuri clapped his hands loudly to get all the Genin's attention and asked, "Are there any questions before we begin?"
Sasuke took a step forward and said, "You're the Yuri-sensei that Naruto mentioned earlier, aren't you?"
"I am," he confirmed. "That is why today's training will be more focused on you and Haruno-san. I have already discussed this with Uzumaki-san and he understands why this is."
The raven-haired boy nodded and stayed silent.
Yuri looked around and when it was clear that none of the other two Genin had questions he said, "Okay, I'll start with Haruno-san."
"Me?" Sakura asked and pointed to herself.
"Hai, please come over here." He walked a short ways into the training field and when Sakura got close he said, "I would like to have a quick spar, if you don't mind. I think that about three minutes of attacking and an equal time defending should answer any questions that I have."
"O-okay," she said and entered the Academy style starting position.
Yuri smirked and said lightly, "Have no fear, Haruno-san, I will not hurt you. You attack first and I will let you know when to go on the defensive. When you're ready."
Sakura hesitated before charging him. Yuri had never been that impressed with the Academy style taijutsu and his dislike for it was only reinforced with Sakura's weak taijutsu display. His Sakura had the strength of a giant and the temper to go with it but after seeing this Sakura interact with Naruto he knew that she wasn't his Sakura and it became easier for him to be around her.
He caught a kick and said, "Defensive."
He attacked and it became apparent to him that the girl's stamina was pathetically low as she started to slow and he had to stop his attacks just before he hit her and he would call out, "Hit," when he did it. Doing this apparently made the pinkette angry and she started to get some of her spunk back. He decided to test something and changed the word hit to names and insults. This only made the girl angrier and she screamed her frustration. She moved from defensive and attacked him.
He let her take control of the battle and soon it changed to her beating her fists against his chest as tears streamed down her face. He crouched and looked her in the eyes. "I'm so sorry, Haruno-san, but I had to test your mental tenacity. What would happen if you were fighting an enemy shinobi and they started to call you names, made fun of you, or mocked you about killing a friend of yours?"
Sakura wiped at her tears and sniffed. "I-I..."
"Here is your first lesson," Yuri said. "Words are just that, words. They can't hurt you unless you allow them to. During a fight you must keep your head in the game and as such you must get a tighter control of your emotions and an understanding that your opponent will do anything to get an advantage over you. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings and if you wish to stop I would respect that."
The pinkette wiped on last tear from her face, cleared her throat, and said, "No, lets keep going."
Yuri smiled. "Good, I'm very proud of you, Haruno-san." The girl sent a beaming smile at him and her eyes light up a little. He continued, "From the spar there are a few things that I noticed that are in need of improvement. You stamina is, I apologize, pathetic, your strength it mediocre at best, and your speed could use some work. The good thing about these problems is that they can be fixed at the same time. Go to a store called, The Flying Dragon, and ask them for some training weights. Using these will increase your strength, stamina, and speed."
"I also saw that you are incredibly skinny." She blushed and he said seriously, "I have heard that girls your age sometimes go on diets and if you are on one you need to stop it immediately."
"What, why?" she asked.
"Because all you're doing is hurting yourself," he answered. "Kunoichi and shinobi burn a ton of calories while they train, do missions, and for the maintenance of chakra. By limiting your body's intake of food you are starving yourself and that is hurting you in all physical areas, is no doubt disrupting your sleep which is vital for anyone, and is affecting you mentally by making you irritable, impatient, and more susceptible to emotional manipulation."
She looked at him with a mix of shock and confusion on her face. "I didn't know any of that."
"That's fine, Haruno-san. I know that you want to stay skinny and good-looking but trust me when I tell you that your training will burn any extra calories that you intake. Now, I want you to promise me that you will stop this silly diet."
"I promise, Yuri-sensei," she said, a fire of determination in her eyes.
"Good. I saw that you use the Academy style but I think there is another that is more suited for you. It is called Tsuyoi Hachisu and is comprised of strong, heavy attacks that I think matches your personality and strengths the best. Ask Kakashi if he knows it or if he knows anyone who does. You will benefit greatly from this taijutsu so do put the effort into finding someone who can teach it and also work hard at it when you do."
She nodded and he plucked a blade of grass from the field. "Here," he said and handed the piece of grass to the pinkette. "Put that to your forehead and hold it there with your chakra. Do you know how to do that?"
She put it on her forehead and moved her hand away. The grass stuck and she said, "Like that?"
Yuri nodded. "Interesting. You have extraordinary chakra control. This comes about by the low amount of chakra and the natural talent you possess. Given time, I suggest that you inquire about becoming a medic-nin as expert chakra control it needed and the amount of chakra isn't as big a concern than other positions that shinobi and kunoichi fill."
"So, as a summary, Harun-san," he said. "Get training weights from The Flying Dragon, get off your diet, ask Kakashi about learning the Tsuyoi Hachisu, and in the future ask about becoming a medic-nin. This is my advice to you."
She nodded and the two started back to the other Genin. She looked up at him and asked, "Do you think I have what it takes to be a good kunoichi?"
"No."
Her face plummeted.
"I think you have what it takes to be a great kunoichi," he said and when she looked up at him, shock on her face, he winked.
Sakura smiled happily and bounded over to the other Genin.
"What did you two talk about, Sakura?" Naruto asked.
The pinkette put a finger to her lips and said, "It's a secret."
"What? No fair," Naruto laughed
Yuri smiled as he watched the two talk. It did his heart good seeing the two getting along so well but his thoughts turned a bit sour when he remembered that he had to deal with Sasuke. The boy would be difficult because he was at a sensitive stage in his life.
He looked at the Uchiha and said, "You next." As they walked into the field he told him that they would be doing the exact same thing that he had just done with Sakura. They got into positions and Yuri said, "You may begin."
Sasuke was a completely different animal than the pinkette had been but Yuri was ready for him and the Uchiha Interceptor style. He was fast, flexible, and was far too rigid in his movements.
He grabbed the Uchiha's foot when the boy attempted a kick and said, "You're too tense. Relax."
The boy charged forward in his attacks and Yuri got the impression that Sasuke didn't hear him. "You need to relax," he called again.
"I am relaxed," the Genin said back a little more sternly than Yuri would have liked.
The Jonin frowned but let the issue drop. It would seem that the Uchiha would need to learn how to meditate. He had forgotten how stubborn and resistant to help Sasuke could be when he was younger but it was all coming back to him now. It was that resistance to admit that having others around him might make him stronger that lead him to leaving the village in the first place. Yuri considered what he could do to help convince the boy that he was stronger with friends, with a team, but he hadn't known the man that long in his timeline. Sure, there was the short time that they were Genin together but about a year out of his twenty-six wasn't anything to brag about.
Yuri thought about what he knew of the Uchiha clan. They had the Sharingan which was vastly over rated and only unlocked by having an intense emotional response to something; fear was a good way of doing it. Then, there were the other stages to the cursed eyes but Yuri would prevent the boy from unlocking those if he could as madness came shortly after.
He mentally growled and pushed the thoughts out of mind. He would talk to Kakashi about what they could do for the child, as for now all he could do was critique the boy in his flaws and help him fix said flaws any way he could.
"Defensive," Yuri called.
The Interceptor style of the Uchiha was a unique style in the sense that there weren't many other taijutsu styles out there that were based solely on predicting the opponents movements. The style required that the practitioner be observant and it used the micromovments of the opponent to predict what they would do. The Sharingan fit well with the style because it heightened the user's awareness and the user got the feeling that the world was slowing down around them. Or, at least that was how his Kakashi had described it. In combination with the Uchiha dojutsu, the Interceptor style was something to be respected but Naruto had been fighting against it for so long that he had learned all the tricks to beat it.
Sasuke was skilled, Yuri had to give the boy that, but he was arrogant in his skills and wasn't as good as he thought he was. He was too tense which caused his taijutsu to become clumsy and less flowing, he was impatient causing him to act to quickly and rashly, and his over-confidence could be seen in they way he held himself.
"That's enough," Yuri said.
The Uchiha came out of his stance, folded his arms, and waited for the Jonin's judgment. There was a slight smirk on his face and Yuri frowned.
"You're good," Yuri said and the smirk the boy had got a bit bigger, "for a fresh Genin I expect little from." The smirked vanished. "Your too rigid in your movements and you need to relax."
"I am-" Sasuke started to say.
Yuri cut him off. "No, you're not. The Uchiha interceptor style is supposed to be flowing, quick, and efficient but you use it like a civilian swings around a club. You're clumsy, slow to react, and jumpy when you shouldn't be." The boy glared and Yuri said sternly, "You also have an attitude that will get you into trouble one of these days. I've sparred against some Uchiha before the incident," Sasuke's face darkened, "and their taijutsu was less rigid than yours. You need to relax and meditation will help with that."
Sasuke nodded and turned to walk away.
"I'm not done," Yuri said sternly and the boy stopped. "Your arrogant and that causes you to be over-confident of your skills. You're good but if you were to spar with Uzumaki-san you would lose."
That got the child's attention as he spun around quickly. His face was full of anger and shock.
"You need to cut the attitude and stop pushing others away. You don't want to feel the pain of loss again, I understand that," Yuri said. He would have said more but the reaction his words got from Sasuke stopped him.
The raven-haired Genin's face twisted with hate and anger. His eyes burned as they attempted to glare a hole through Yuri. "What do you understand of my loss? My pain?" he spat in a low voice.
Yuri glanced at the other two Genin but they were too far away to hear what was being said. "Do you think that you're the only one who has suffered loss, Uchiha-san?" Yuri barked. He release a touch of killing intent and Sasuke's eyes widened. "I have had to burn the bodies of my closest friends and I have no family to speak of as I was left an orphan since birth. You're more self-centered than I thought if you think that you are the only one in this world who has suffered a great loss. So your clan was killed by your brother? Suck it up and move on because to dwell on it is the act of a child."
"How can I move on? He's still out there and I have to kill him," Sasuke growled.
"Is that your life's goal? To kill the man who slaughtered you family," the Jonin asked. "Is that the reason you grow stronger?"
The Genin nodded. "Everything I do, I do to kill him."
"What a sad life you live then," Yuri said. "Tell me, what will you do after you kill him? You will have pushed everyone away from you in your fools errand and when the man you have dedicated your entire life to killing lies dead at your feet the only thing that you have lived for will be gone as well. Your life will become meaningless and you will have none to turn to. Is that what you want because if it is than your brother has already killed you too."
Sasuke let out a scream and charge Yuri. He pulled a kunai from his pouch but before he could do anything more Yuri caught his wrist and threw him to the ground.
He put a knee on the boy's throat and said, "If you throw everything away to kill this one man then you are only playing into his hands. He will control your life and play you like a puppet. You will chase him to the ends of the earth, do anything to get the power to destroy him, and even if you kill him he will have beaten you. No friends, no family, and no place to call home your brother will have taken not just your family from you but also your very life. The longer you continue this foolish quest the longer he controls you."
"What am I supposed to do then? Forget that he killed everyone I loved?" Sasuke barked and bared his teeth. He struggled to get out from under Yuri.
"Of course not," Yuri said. "You live your life, you make friends, you create a family, and, when the day comes that you cross paths with the man, you kick his ass so thoroughly that he begs for the release of death. You take back your life from him and find new people to love and protect. I get it, you feel like if you start to love others you will be replacing your family but there is nothing in the world that can replace them. The pain of their deaths will always be in your heart but so too will the memories of their smiles. If you continue with this ambition of yours all you do is tarnish the life they gave you and the love they had for you. Tell me, would your family want you to throw everything away to avenge them?"
Sasuke stopped his struggles and a few tears slipped from his eyes.
"The hardest thing we will ever do in life," Yuri said softly as he release the boy, "is learn how to let go of the past so that it doesn't control our future. Your family won't hate you if you start to love others nor will they hate you if you live for yourself and not for them. That's the beauty of families, they love you no matter what. Make them proud, Uchiha-san, and stand on your own two feet. You've been using your hate for your brother as a crutch for their loss to long and it is time to put their memories to rest."
Sasuke covered his face with his hands and a strangled sob escaped his mouth. Yuri sat down next to him so that the other Genin couldn't see him and he said loud enough for the boy to hear, "It will be difficult at first but it gets easier as time goes on. Start slow, Uchiha-san. Befriend your teammates and when you have done that you can move on from there. And who knows, when the day comes that you do fight your brother you may find that you don't fight alone."
The boy cried behind him for sometime and Yuri knew it was a catharsis that was desperately needed. Eventually Sasuke quieted and he rose from his place on the grass. Yuri looked at him and saw him wipe away at the last of the tears that had spilled. The boy nodded and they started back to the others.
"Thanks, Yuri-sensei. No one has ever said things like that to me. They always told me that things would be alright but never said the things you did," Sasuke muttered.
He smiled and said, "No problem, Uchiha-san. I was just telling you how I saw things and how I've dealt with the pain of loss. You are not alone in this world and if you ever need to talk just find me or talk to a friend. Now, for your training, I suggest asking Kakashi about a chakra control exercise and going with Haruno-san to get training weights. The hardest thing for you will be your attitude but," he glanced at the boy and gave him a soft smile, "I think you might be in the process of changing that already."
The Uchiha nodded, a faint smile on his face.
"Sasuke-kun," Sakura called, "how did your spar go?"
"Well, Sakura," the boy said instead of grunting. "It went well."
Yuri smiled and said, "Very well actually. Now, I've given you each my thoughts and advise, the rest is up to you. I've suggested to both of you that you should learn how to meditate and it just so happens that Uzumaki-san knows enough to start teaching you. Think of it as a team bonding thing." He looked at each of them in turn and said, "There will be times that you all grow sick of each other or even hate each other but be quick to let pride and anger go. You all will be trusting each other with your lives and the closer you are to each other the better you will work together."
-A Testament of Things that Never Will-
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-Unbiased Abyss