The forest flickered. Sparks rose through the sky.
"In other words, a total wash." Shikin bowed her head. "I do believe this is the first time I've failed a mission." She glanced around at the others.
Naruto scowled, his face dark and angry. He looked away.
"I think it was entirely due to your independent actions." Shikin looked at Naruto and Sasuke.
"You be quiet!" Kōju shouted, her face stern. "Even if it was their fault—"
Sasuke raised her hand.
Kōju's eyes widened.
"While I appreciate your support, there's the possibility she's correct." Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Individually, it's entirely possible we might have made a difference. On the other hand, this mission was essentially doomed from the beginning."
Shikin blinked.
"The Tsuchikage sent a bunch of genin and chūnin to do the work of a full team of jōnin. Pakura and Nōtō were out of this early on from the Tailed Beast Bomb. In the worst-case scenario, we might have lost their lives. To begin with, this mission was an unusual one, no matter what standards you put on it."
Kōju pressed her fingers against Nōtō's chest, focusing her energy into healing.
"We were understaffed and undermanned. There wasn't the faintest chance of accomplishing what we set out to do, from the moment that happened. So don't you dare try to pin the failure on us. We couldn't have made a difference, and you know it. If we really wanted to recapture Deikōgi, we would have needed to travel night and day from the very first minute. You chose to allow us to rest, right?"
Naruto slammed his fist into the ground.
Sasuke's eyes widened.
"Despite all that, we should have done it!" Naruto wept, his face stern. "We could have done it." He drew in a shaking breath. "If I'd really tried, we should have succeeded!"
"At any rate, that aside, the mission is failed. I'll report back to the Tsuchikage about everything that went on." Yukime swallowed tightly. "He's not going to be happy." She drew in a deep breath, forcing a smile. "He can't blame me, though." Turning, she walked into the deeper forest.
Slowly, the group dispersed into the darkness of the flames. At last, only Naruto, Sasuke, Nōtō, and Kōju remained.
Kōju sighed. Trembling, she stated, "You didn't have to be so mean about what you said."
Sasuke sighed. "I knew you'd get what I was saying, even without having to say it. Isn't that our bond?" She looked at Naruto. "Let's promise."
Naruto frowned.
"Between us three, let's promise to succeed at every mission we take. As we are the same united Team Seven. Let's do it."
The three placed their hands together.
Two Weeks Later
The greenhouse glistened. The glass shone overhead, rays of sunlight penetrating the canopy of glass.
"It has been a long time since then, hasn't it?" Naruto tipped the water pitcher into the base of the tree.
"Eh? What's that?" Sasuke questioned, pointing at the tree.
"Ah. It belonged to Hiruzen-san, so of course I'm in possession of it." Naruto smiled. "It's the last thing that old man grew, so of course I'm taking good care of it."
Hm. Didn't know Naruto-kun was so conscientious. Sasuke folded her hands across her chest. Her red eyes narrowed. Well, I suppose it makes sense, given that it's the old man's tree.
The door to the room opened.
"Ah. Kōju-san." Naruto smiled. "Hey, what's going on?"
Kōju's eyes narrowed. "Follow me." She gestured with two fingers.
Naruto blinked. "Eh?" His head tilted to one side. Kōju-san doesn't usually act like this. What's up?
"You can understand the words I just said to you, can't you?" Kōju's eyes narrowed. "I told you to follow me."
Naruto frowned. "What's this?"
"You really have bad hearing. No wonder they chided you in the Academy for not listening. The words I've just spoken to you. You understand what they mean, don't you?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"Then you shouldn't have any hesitance in following me." Kōju turned around. She walked out of the room.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. She stared at Kōju quietly.
"What's going on?" Naruto muttered, rubbing his temples.
"Sometimes kids get angry and make stupid mistakes. I'm not totally certain yet, but under the circumstances, you probably ought to follow her." Sasuke scowled. "As of right now, that is between you two—"
"That's wrong."
Naruto's eyes widened.
Sasuke's hand fell to one side. "Eh?" She frowned.
"This regards both of you. Let's go out to the forest. I know a little clearing near here where we can practice."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. He rose to his feet, following the pair.
Sasuke followed silently.
The trees shuddered. The leaves fell through the sky.
Kōju's eyes narrowed. She reached sideways, touching the hilt of her sword. "But you shouldn't talk so arrogantly. You talk arrogantly and deny me… you just… neither of you listen to me. Even when it's something important that concerns your own lives, neither of you will listen." Her eyes glistened. A tear trembled at the edge of the eye.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"It is because of this that I have been forced to this extreme."
The sword slid out of the sheath.
"I'm not just some kid! I recognize how important life is… how valuable it is! It's a lonely world we live in… So I know how it is. And you guys risk your lives meaninglessly!"
"It's because lives have meaning that they're worth risking."
Kōju's eyes narrowed. "Both of you don't listen at all."
Sasuke's eyebrows rose. "Until I defeat my brother, my life can have no value."
Kōju smiled. "I felt that if I could defeat Naruto-san, I could prove to you both that my understanding of the world is as strong as yours." The sword glowed. "Flash Technique!"
Naruto spun around, his eyes wide. The sword slashed over Naruto's head. I forgot how strong she usually is!
Yeah. In terms of skill, Kōju-san definitely has the edge. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. But if this fight drags out, Naruto wins, without a doubt.
I can't afford to offer him openings. Kōju landed on the ground.
Shadow Clone Technique!
A wave of energy surrounded the ground.
Shadow clones filled the space of the forest.
I can't stay still, even if I would like to. If I do, he'll overwhelm me with shadow clones. Kōju vanished rapidly.
Naruto's eyes widened. Huh?! What the hell—
The sword slashed forward.
"Shadow clones are only a waste of chakra when you're going up against someone at my level." Kōju's eyes narrowed. Her hand lowered. "To move at the speed of lightning—to cross the distance—that is presently above your power. Come on. You must realize that there are many people stronger than me in this world! You shouldn't be so rash—"
"Whirlwind Bullet!"
A whirling ball of wind blasted forward.
Kōju's eyes widened. Her hand slashed downward.
The wind grew fiercer.
"Huh?!" Naruto's eyes widened.
A feature of this sword I knew that he didn't. Kōju jumped backward, settling in the branches.
How strong is she, seriously? A drop of sweat ran down Sasuke's face.
Naruto ducked downward.
The winds blasted into the body.
What the hell is this supposed to be? The sword lowered. Kōju gritted her teeth. Blood trailed from her side. Just admit defeat already. If you do that, then you will have acknowledged me. You'll recognize me as an equal. Please just do that, so we can end this stupid thing.
Naruto gritted his teeth. The energy gathered around the body. "Shadow Clone Technique!" Energy whirled around the body. "Whirling Bullet!"
The clones rushed forward, the bullets slamming into the body.
Kōju gasped in pain.
"Naruto-kun, that's enough!" Sasuke shouted, her eyes wide. "You can't kill her just because she challenged you!"
Kōju gritted her teeth. She stumbled backward.
Blood trailed down from the bruises on the body.
Naruto panted heavily. He stared at Kōju without words. Wouldn't you prefer me to go all out?
"I see." Kōju drew in a shaking breath.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. He reached upward, touching his chest.
"You really don't think of anyone else as being equal to yourself. Whether they're your friend, or your comrade, or number one. From the beginning the only person you've acknowledged as your equal is Uchiha Sasuke. I'm like a pet to you two, aren't I?"
Sasuke's eyes widened.
"A pet. Some kind of mascot, rather foolish. Without doubt foolish." Kōju laughed quietly. Her eyes filled with tears.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"I was a fool. To think I could come so far myself, I was a fool. I was too foolish. I overestimated myself." Kōju turned away. Her hand reached downward. "I'm sorry."
Naruto frowned tightly.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto.
Kōju didn't stop walking. She glanced over her shoulder several times to ensure she wasn't being followed. Her eyes grew weary.
Kabuto leans in close, his scalpel slashing toward Kōju's neck.
Kōju ducks backward.
Kabuto places a piece of paper into Kōju's pocket. "Write on this, and you will reach our leader. If you change your mind, use this," he whispers.
Kōju reached downward. She drew out the piece of paper. Picking up a pen, she began to write on the page, her calligraphy immaculate and simplistic.
Flight
The trees bobbed. Four figures jumped through the treeline, bouncing from branch to branch.
"Heh. At any rate, that bitch contacted us, didn't she?"
The trees shivered.
"We'll take her quickly. We're lucky they're out—"
"Shut up, you stinking fatass." The red-haired woman leapt downward. "I should be enough to deal with any patrols, got it?!"
"Yes."
The moon rose in the sky.
Kōju walked forward along the path. Her green eyes flickered upward. "I see," she remarked clearly, her face calm. She bowed her head. "Good morning."
The trees flickered.
"Heh. She's got some good senses." Grinning, the red-headed woman landed on the ground. "Tayuya of Sound. North Gate."
"Jirōbō of Sound, South Gate." A large-bodied boy emerged from the canopy of trees.
"Kidōmaru of Sound, East Gate." A smiling man emerged from the treetops.
"Sakon of Sound, West Gate." A scowling, long-haired boy bowed deeply.
"Well. You gonna come along quietly, or am I going to have to beat you until you stop moving?" Tayuya questioned, still grinning broadly.
"I would much prefer to avoid pain, and since you're already here, I'm coming along whether forcibly or not. For that reason, I would like to make a request of you." Kōju bowed her head. "Please escort me politely."
Tayuya's eyes narrowed. This kid; she may not be strong, but she's sure damn smart.
"Shouldn't we rough her up a little? If she runs, they'll have one of our hideouts."
"Don't be a moron, fatass. The minute she walks out with us, she doesn't have a home to go back to. She's burning those fucking bridges."
Kōju's eyes narrowed.
"Kid, since you contacted us, you haven't got a choice. If you've got any regrets, fucking shove them under a log and bury them somewhere down deep where you don't feel them again; you should've thought about that before you called Kabuto."
Kōju sighed. "I know. I am aware that I no longer have a choice in this matter."
"Good." Tayuya glanced over her shoulder. "Okay, get your shit together. Let's move." She glanced over her shoulder. "Make sure we don't get followed. Fatass, you're on immediate protection detail. The rest of you are scouting. I'll handle any combat."
That's Tayuya for you. Despite how insulting she is, she gets together combat plans quickly. Kidōmaru smirked. She's really a major boss character.
"Something funny, dork?" Tayuya questioned, glancing over her shoulder.
Kidōmaru coughed. "No, ma'am."
"Good. Move out!"
The forms vanished rapidly into the sky.
A white flash of light crossed the ground.
Flight
The silver altar glistened in the corner of the spartan room. A simple bed rested against the corner of the wall.
Nōtō bowed his head.
Incense smoke rose through the incense darkened the room.
"She's gone, hasn't she?" Nōtō paused. He sighed after a moment. "Well, I have that feeling. Even knowing what it would cost her, she abandoned her village and friends for acknowledgement."
The sky darkened.
"I can't help matters, given my injury. Farewell. I hope we meet again sometime before the afterlife." Nōtō reached upward, touching the hole in his chest. Slowly, the wound had begun to heal.
The air glimmered.
Smoke rose through the hole in the roof.
A/N: As promised. A lot to go through. The first and most important thing to say: THANK YOU, HASHIWASHI! Even if you don't end up reading this. I'd like to respond to Hashiwashi's response to the story, which did actually address specifics neatly, and in point of fact is the type of long, detailed review I would like to see more of. Here's what I received from Google Translate, as Hashiwashi suggested:
It may be a joke, or you do it on purpose. Whatever, but you need some writing classes. Or see again all the animes you wrote. Because not even know how their powers are written. And I invite you, when I publish my story, tell me all the errors you saw. Sure, you'd have to learn Spanish, unless you already know. Not a review., No. Take all the 'negative' comments and use them to improve. And then of course I am a hypocrite, and really hurt me if someone wrote a comment showing me all my mistakes. But people are just based on the bad. Keep writing and you worth dick comments including mine;)
PS: I wrote it in Spanish because I have no time. Use google translator. Even that would not do much...
From this, I think I get the general gist of the review. However, you're dead on in that I can't speak or read Spanish. Therefore, I may not be able to respond accurately to the points you have raised; however, I'll do my best to. This review makes me happy. I'd have liked to thank you last week, but you disabled PMs for some reason. The reason for this is quite simple: you care. Evidently, you did not like the story. BUT, you care about the original series, and you are trying to help me improve with somewhat specific details. With that said, I believe that I addressed the particular issue you're referring to. Yes, I'm aware that the Uchiha's canonical power is the Sharingan; no, I don't want to go with that in the story for reasons expressed in Chapter 14. As writers, we invariably do improve through criticism. That much is certainly true. Nonetheless, I must emphatically thank you for the artistic integrity and obvious amount of passion you have in the field. Thank you for being brutally honest.
In relation to this review, there's one point I'd like to raise that's very important to me. I can guarantee you, without hesitation, that most of this story will not follow canon or be canon-compliant. That's just a fact, and I'm sorry if someone feels differently. However, the vision I have is different from canon.
Sasuke and Naruto's selfishness: At this point in the story, neither Sasuke nor Naruto is as good at empathy as they should be. Thus, previously, they've treated Kōju dismissively. In this case, that's the largest example of that.
The Tree: Further details on the tree will appear later.
Kōju's Decision: I expect this decision to be one of the most controversial in the series. A lot of factors went into Kōju's eventual decision: her feelings of abandonment, disrespect, and constant weakness in comparison to Naruto and Sasuke. The largest issue, however, is that she's still only ten or eleven years old, so she'll tend to make some stupid mistakes as a direct result of her being young. At this point, there are some hints that she regrets it, but as she puts it, it's too late.
Tayuya's Intelligence:This is relative to the eventual role I expect Tayuya to play in the series, but as should be apparent from this section, Tayuya's intelligence is higher than it was in the original series. I'm currently debating whether to censor Tayuya's dialogue or bump up the rating. Let me know whether I should do both, one, or neither.