Chapter 24: The Uchiha Compound
"Sakura," Naruto began in a serious tone, setting his hands on his squad mate's shoulders, "never get Lee drunk. For the safety of the village."
She raised one pink eyebrow at him. She was clad in a white hospital jacket identical to the one Sasuke wore, holding a steaming Styrofoam cup of coffee in one hand and a clipboard in the other. Sasuke himself sat on a sofa in the break room, going over one of his patient's records. He'd finally graduated to the fifth rank of medics in training, thus allowing him to move up to apprentice under a medic and take care of patients on his own. The chakra control that came from training in medical jutsu had benefited his other training- he was more skilled with lightning jutsu than Naruto. Although his bedside manner was at times still a bit lacking…
Sakura rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee, slipping past him to find a chair. "Okay, Naruto. I won't get Lee drunk."
"Thank you," the blond replied gravely.
"I heard Iruka was looking for you," Sasuke commented in a bored tone, but a smirk was apparent in his eyes. Naruto glared at the back of his head.
The Academy teacher had been lurking in the village waiting for Naruto to show himself so he could smother him. Naruto didn't know who'd let it slip he got struck with actual lightning, but he was going to strangle whoever had.
He leapt over the back of the sofa and settled on the cushions. "When's your 'special meeting'?" Sakura asked, eyeing him over her glasses. She didn't actually need them, but they were designed by Naruto to reduce the strain on the eyes when reading in dim light or reading small print. Sasuke wore them as well. When the light glinted off them correctly, the tiny, tiny seals on the side were visible.
"I told oji-chan I would let him in the compound at noon." The clock read ten o'clock. "I was going to bring Madara somewhere else, but I don't think I could convince him." He yawned and stretched over the side of the couch. "How's training with baa-chan?"
"She's a very strict taskmaster, but I'm up to the challenge," Sakura replied. "Sometimes I'm even afraid I might die, but it makes me mentally stronger." A cheery smile lit up her face.
Sasuke and Naruto sweatdropped. "How's training with TenTen, Sasuke?"
"I admit I didn't expect her to be quite so competent," Sasuke said with a guilty wince. Nearly all the genin he worked with were subpar compared to himself and his comrades. "But she's very skilled, in the shinobi arts and at teaching. I'm already hitting still targets dead center."
"That's to be expected, what with the standards for graduating nowadays," Sakura said thoughtfully, swirling the cinnamon stick in her cup. "Although anyone on Gai's team would have to be competent." All three of them chuckled.
"Ero-sennin's been helping me with Kurama's chakra. I can really relax and let go with him around," Naruto admitted with a shrug. "I've managed to transform my hand into a claw without getting too tired."
"That's much better than last time. I swear." Sakura shook her head.
"He knows a lot of ninjutsu, too. He isn't so great at genjutsu."
"Just like you, then." Sakura flashed him a thumbs-up.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Any progress on the Plot?" he asked Sasuke.
The Uchiha huffed. "No," he replied. "We can't do anything to him based on the word of ghosts."
"True. If we don't have hard proof he won't go to prison."
"What about Orochimaru?" Sasuke questioned. A frown settled on his lips as his eyes clouded over. Sakura and Naruto shot each other a look, wincing.
"Sensei hasn't found anything about him either. Slippery snake, that one is." Naruto waved to a ghost passing by the window. "Try not to worry too much."
"You're not the one with someone after your body," Sasuke mumbled. "The compound is so secluded…"
"I'll have sensei over to help me update the security seals," Naruto said, trying to comfort him. Sasuke nodded, stoic, and set his clipboard on the coffee table.
A shape eased down in front of the window. "Yo," Kakashi said with a lazy wave, crouched upside down on the windowsill. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Haven't seen you in a while, Naruto. Heard you got struck by lightning. Oh." His eye curved cheerfully. "Iruka-sensei is looking for you!"
"I know," replied Naruto, scowling.
Kakashi flipped inside and ran a hand through his hair. "Ahh, it's been a while since we had a pow wow. Mind if your old teacher sits in?"
"Sit down, sensei. Technically only hospital staff are allowed in here but Naruto's already breaking that rule."
They could see him grin behind the mask as he sat down on the chair beside Sakura. "My cute little genin look so grown up," he said, wiping away a fake tear.
Sakura punched him in the shoulder. "Ow, Sakura-chan! That hurt your dear old sensei."
"I could have used chakra," Sakura replied in amusement. Sasuke and Naruto snickered at him.
"I heard Jiraiya-sama got an apartment, finally," Kakashi said as he propped his cheek on one hand. Sasuke and Sakura turned arched eyebrows on Naruto, who just returned it with a bland expression.
"What? So what if ero-sennin got an apartment?" He looked away. Part of him was ecstatic the man had put a stake in something semi-permanent in the village, even though he lived the life of a wanderer. "And where do you even hear these things, sensei?"
"Jounin gossip more than you think," Kakashi chuckled.
"Jounin Grapevine: Exposé," Sakura said with a serious tone, bursting into a giggling fit a moment later.
"Ah, and you'll never guess who I heard was being considered for tokubetsu jounin." Kakashi gave them an exaggerated wink.
They instantly straightened, eyes widening slightly. "Which one of us?" Sakura asked, excited.
He beamed at them. "That would ruin the surprise."
They faceplanted. "Why even tell us if you're just going to keep it a secret?" Naruto whined.
Snickering, Kakashi got up to get a coffee. Most would have assumed they were much too young for tokubetsu, or special, jounin, or not powerful enough; however, most forgot that a special jounin was called a special rank for a reason. Tokubetsu jounin were not necessarily as powerful as a full jounin; instead, they were highly specialized in one area- like Ibiki was in torture- with their overall skill hanging somewhere in between chuunin and jounin, although some were as powerful as jounin themselves. He'd come in to consult with Tsunade personally on her choice.
But, of course, who would want to ruin the surprise?
"Will you be able to make it to dinner tomorrow night, sensei?" Sasuke asked, marking something on his paper. Kakashi sat on the arm of his chair and assumed a lazy air.
"I don't have anything else going on."
"Good! Gai-sensei and his team are coming over," Sakura chirped, making Kakashi go 'Eh?'
"Er, his whole team…?"
"Yep, Karin and everyone."
"That sounds…crowded."
"You're coming," Sasuke scowled. He was not dealing with Gai for a whole night without a Kakashi-buffer.
"Already agreed," Naruto snickered.
"Too late, sensei." Sakura cast him a sweet smile.
He mimed a hurt expression. "All of you teaming up on your dear, poor old sensei."
"Shino's coming too," Naruto added. "Although…Kiba was with him when I asked, and I couldn't just invite Shino…" Sasuke rubbed his forehead. "And I couldn't leave out Hinata and invite all but one member of Team Eight."
Sakura bit her lip to restrain a laugh at Sasuke's hassled expression. "It'll be a full house," she added, taking another gulp of coffee.
"Too bad the Suna Siblings aren't in town. I'd invite them."
"You'd invite Gaara, and his brother and sister by extension," Sasuke corrected. Naruto grinned sheepishly, but unapologetically. "But there would be no point because you would invite Gaara and his siblings by extension to stay at our house for a big international BFF sleepover."
"Are you jealous, Sasuke-kun?"
"Not in your dreams, loser."
"Ooh," Kakashi interrupted, gaze directed towards the window with a cheerful eye-smile. "I think I hear Iruka-sensei coming!"
"What?" The chuunin dove through the window, for once totally ignoring the rules in lieu of descending on Naruto like an angry mother hawk. "Doggy, give me some warning next time!"
"Why the hell have you been avoiding me?" Iruka thundered, making a civilian nurse passing by the door give them a scowl. She shook her head and muttered 'ninjas' under her breath, going on her way.
"Uh…" Naruto stared up at him with a blank look in his eyes. "I haven't been avoiding you…just selectively choosing where I spend my time."
Sakura facepalmed.
Pulling aside his collar, Iruka examined the bite mark on his shoulder with a frown. "Is it really permanent?"
"Unfortunately. Kekkei genkai sucks."
Sasuke groaned loudly, covering his face with his clipboard.
"But on the bright side, if Sasuke or Sakura ever get whomped on a mission, at least I can heal them too now!"
"Is it dangerous to use?"
"Well…even for Uzumaki it can really drain the chakra…Karin doesn't use it more than once a day. But I should be fine if I don't go over twice."
"Be careful," Iruka stressed, leaning closer and narrowing his eyes. Naruto laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head, a nervous tic.
"Of course, nii-san! I'm sure I won't even need to use it anyway."
"Half an hour until eleven," Sasuke said dryly.
Naruto cringed. "Are you sure he's safe to be around?" Iruka asked worriedly. They all knew who he meant.
"It's okay, sensei, really. Ghosts can't hurt me anyway, and Izuna's with him most of the time besides. If I can make friends with Kurama, I can make friends with 'Dara," Naruto said, flashing them a thumbs-up and a grin.
Iruka briefly pondered on the phenomenon of Naruto cowing the 'great Kyuubi no Yoko' into such a creature that it wandered around drunk running into walls. "All right," he conceded, relaxing and letting go of Naruto's shoulders. "I just worry about you, you know."
"I know, sensei. I'm fine, really."
"Ah, Iruka-sensei, you're like a mother hen," Kakashi smiled from his chair, now perched on the arm with his book in hand. Iruka turned and started twitching when he noticed his feet on the white material and the erotic fiction in his grasp.
"Kakashi-san," he said calmly. "How have you been?"
"Fine, just having a pow wow with my adorable little students."
"My break is over," Sasuke said, ignoring them as he stood and headed for the door. "See you later, Iruka-sensei."
"Goodbye, Sasuke-kun."
Depression marks surrounded Kakashi as he hunched over, a streak of tears leaking out of his visible eye. "I don't get a goodbye?"
"Later, Iruka-sensei!" Sakura chirped, just to make the man faceplant into the floor. She jogged after Sasuke and disappeared into the hall.
"My cute genin don't like me as much," the jounin murmured into the floor.
"Anyway, don't overuse it, got it?" Iruka said, jabbing Naruto in the shoulder and totally ignoring Kakashi.
"Okay, sensei!"
The chuunin leapt out the window with Naruto on his heels, each going opposite directions while Kakashi floundered in the break room.
"My cute little students don't love meeeee~"
Naruto returned to the Uchiha compound at a snail's pace, waiting until it was noon exactly until he arrived at the gate. He was tempted to arrive late and say he was on the road of life, but he thought he might as well get the whole thing over with. Hashirama and Tobirama stood outside while a few Uchiha occasionally passed by and glared at them from within the confines of the compound.
"I can't believe they made them live all the way out here," Hashirama was complaining. "I told you that you shouldn't have-"
"It was near the police quarters. I gave them something to use their skillsets for. There was no denying they could have presented a danger either, and in the end-"
Naruto got twitchy about certain opinions about the Uchiha. He'd grown up around them; considered the clan family. He decided to go the oblivious route to show them a different perspective. "It's all right, oji-chan," he said with an easy grin. They both paused and turned to look at him, and he took out the keys for the door-sized cut out of the large gates. "It makes sense to live out here! It's much better than being in the center of the village- it just makes people feel uneasy," he said with a cheery air about him.
"What?" Hashirama's forehead crinkled. Tobirama just looked surprised.
"Well, I guess in certain aspects I'm more dangerous than the Uchiha could ever be. For all people know the seal could break and the Kyuubi could go tramping through any day." They both froze, staring at him. "But it's better to just let people have their peace of mind, even if it means they don't want you around. After you died everyone kind of shunned the Uchiha, but it taught me better. Even if they tried to rebel," Naruto glanced up at the sky, rubbing his ear, and inwardly snickered at the deer-in-headlights expressions they wore. "And even if at one time I might have helped them because of how I felt about the village…most of them wouldn't do it again. Seeing them be so forgiving really helped me deal with how the village treated me." He put on a closed-eye grin, swinging the keys around on one finger.
"I…" Hashirama began, at a loss.
"They get how it feels to have everyone think you're dangerous, or a monster, or cursed, just because of something about you that you can't change. Sure, a lot of them are pretty annoying and arrogant, but it was much better living out here than in the village." Naruto blundered on, pretending not to notice the dismay settling across their expressions. "Least I'm alive. Lot of people thought I'd be better off dead like them, too. It's a shame the village didn't try very hard to reconcile and just thought killing them all was the solution. But I guess Konoha never was that great at letting go of its hatred." With the expression of someone talking about the weather, he turned the key in the lock.
"Nothing to worry about, though. I could've had it worse." He didn't feel bad at all about manipulating them. "People tried to assassinate Gaara like every day. I just got a few beatings and a little starvation. The Uchiha kids I met were actually pretty nice to me. People threw rocks at us sometimes. We started up a game of how we could get the rocks to fall into certain patterns. One gave me an umbrella to keep the rain off when I was going through dumpsters, too. Some of them even showed me places I could sleep, like the awnings at the hot springs." Naruto made his grin even brighter and drilled the last nail in the coffin. "Too bad they had to live all the way out here, though. Would've been nice to have a few houses in the village I could sleep over at sometimes."
He motioned at the door, eye-smiling in such a way he didn't have to look at Hashirama's flabbergasted expression and the look of startled guilt Tobirama wore. "Our house is the one with the willow tree!"
Tobirama was silent all the way to Sasuke's home, eyes darting to and fro and glancing at each of the ghosts that passed them by. Some shot the Senju glares, while some just waved and others ignored them.
"Um," Hashirama said, glancing at a woman huddled under a tree who was weeping into her hands. "Is she-"
"It's fine, just ignore her," Naruto said, waving one hand. Several of the Uchiha looked depressed as they lounged about, while the two Senju glanced at them uncomfortably, feeling like intruders who had just stepped into another dimension. "They've been that way for a long time."
"Boo!" A child burst from a wall, chasing a smaller Uchiha. "I'm the government! I'm gonna get your eyes!" he said, holding his hands like claws while the other giggled. It had become a morbid game between many of them.
"T-The government?" Hashirama stammered, horrified.
"Ah…that's…let's just say that certain government officials stole quite a few Sharingan from quite a few eye sockets, but of course, they weren't punished," Naruto shrugged with a smile.
"Did Hiruzen not do something?"
Naruto gave him a blank stare. "He couldn't. There was enough prejudice and suspicion against them hanging around already…but he didn't have any evidence." He shrugged.
"-Not today, Senju!" Izuna roared from somewhere nearby
"You bastard!" Toka's voice returned.
"Are they fighting again?" Tobirama asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Eh, they do that all the time." Izuna came flying through the front door of Sasuke and Naruto's house, disappearing through Karin's front wall. Toka followed him looking ready to erupt from sheer rage, face twisted in an angry snarl. She was so distracted she didn't even notice Naruto and her clansmen. "YO! MADARA!"
His sudden scream made everyone around him wince. "What, gaki?" came from within the house.
"You have visitors!"
"What are you on about-" Madara paused as soon as he slid through the door, face going blank. "What are they doing here?"
"Madara!" Naruto wondered at the stunned look on Hashirama's face; he knew they'd be coming to see Madara, so why was he surprised to see him?
"…Hashirama."
"Madara," Tobirama greeted coolly, eyes going narrow.
"Naruto," Naruto said cheerfully.
"I reiterate: what are you doing here?" Madara asked as he crossed his arms. Naruto had seen the same expression on his face when they were in battle; closed off and composed.
"What do you think I'm doing here?" Hashirama asked, face morphing into something between a pout and a scowl. "I came to talk to you."
"We've spoken. Good. Are there any other topics of conversation you wanted to bring up?"
"Don't be like that! You know what I want to talk about-"
"Are you sure you won't get depressed halfway through?"
"You – you're the one who can't stand anyone standing behind you!"
"Ironic considering that's from where you stabbed me to death."
"You didn't even die!"
"Oho, the boy told you about that? Another failure of yours, then."
"D-don't gloat over me failing to kill you…"
"And here we are, your lack of spine more apparent than ever."
"-Oh! Well what about that time you-"
"That was completely-!"
Tobirama and Naruto watched them go back and forth. Never seen him lose his composure like that, Naruto thought, amused.
While the two argued, Naruto jumped when something cold touched his shoulder. He looked up at Tobirama curiously. "Is there an Uchiha Kagami here?" the man asked quietly.
Naruto grinned. "Sure! Follow me!"
Naruto whistled to himself, pulling a bucket of water up from the well set in the deepest recesses of the compound. The area was mostly silent, secluded from the sounds of the village, populated by dense trees and housing only a few of the clan homes that were smaller than most. One had been renovated into a tool shed, while the other had bushes grown up in the front and vines grown across the door.
Uchiha Kagami sat beneath an apple tree, one Senju Tobirama sitting cross-legged across from him. Naruto was surprised there was actually an Uchiha Tobirama seemed to like. There weren't any other ghosts around; just the two catching up after decades of being dead.
He watched a sad smile overtake Kagami's face. "- he stole… my grandson's eye," he heard, unintentionally straining his ears to catch part of the conversation. "Shisui…loyal. He killed himself – protect the village."
Naruto channeled chakra to his ears. "What was the climate in the village?"
"People were suspicious of the clan…they thought we were behind the Kyuubi's attack. I know for a fact no loyal Uchiha shinobi was behind it at the time; I spent many years lurking about trying to figure out if any of them could have controlled the Kyuubi. The Council ordered all the Uchiha to protect the civilians during the Kyuubi's barrage, explicitly ordering them not to engage the beast itself. My clansmen took this as a sign of distrust. It wouldn't have been so bad, but the police headquarters and Uchiha housing was severely damaged. Instead of rebuilding, they relocated the Uchiha here. An easily spied upon location. The civilians and other shinobi picked up on the government's distrust and began avoiding Uchiha. Many pro-Senju supporters in particular were quite…vocal in their dislike."
He saw Tobirama's brow furrow. "If a Hokage feels the need to spy upon components likely to express dissatisfaction and rebel, such an action is much too obvious. When I gave the police force to the Uchiha, I was attempting to give them something that could be easily monitored but would work with their skillset."
"That was a wise action, Tobirama-sama. The Uchiha were satisfied playing the role of the protectors of the village. Shisui and Itachi inherited the Will of Fire in lieu of the Curse of Hatred and did everything they could to protect the village. But six years of distrust and tension made the clan feel as if they'd been backed into a corner…but I don't condone their plans. It would have been civil war."
Tobirama sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead. "And Danzo is convinced his actions were justified because of my reign's influence?"
"Not yours completely, no, but that's part of it. He's gone completely off the rails in his attempts to help the village…he alienated the Uchiha, stole Sharingan from innocent shinobi- inducted young children into that corrupt organization of his, abducted Konoha citizens. He even attempted to assassinate the Sandaime Hokage at one point."
Tobirama's eyes went wide. "That stripling tried to kill Hiruzen?"
Kagami nodded. "Sandaime-sama, in his old age, found himself growing tired. The title of Hokage was stricken with difficulties at the time. He passed it on to the Yondaime, but…he didn't find the support he needed afterwards from his Council."
Naruto dunked his head into his bucket, gulping down water. Man, these guys all sure do like to talk a lot… he thought.
Kagami sweatdropped at him. "The boy," Tobirama said, staring over his shoulder. "He found more solidarity with your clan than mine, Kagami." His eyes narrowed, a small amount of confusion apparent. "Even after they attempted a coup."
Kagami's lips twitched into a smile. "That almost sounded like a compliment, Tobirama-sama. I never thought I'd see the day," he teased lightly, glancing up at the apples overhead.
"And what of Madara? He loved his brother more than anything else, and it made his hatred grow just as much. When he left the village, his heart had turned evil."
"You're right," Kagami shrugged. "But I think Izuna and Naruto have started changing even him for the better."
Tobirama cast him a skeptical look. "Like you said, he loved his brother more than anything else. If anyone, Izuna could bring him back. Besides." He shot Naruto a look. His head was still underwater in the bucket, stray bubbles rising to the top. "…he…he has a talent for reaching others…how long has he been like that?"
Naruto ripped his head up, spraying water everywhere. "Dammit, Kurama, that's cheating!" he yelled to thin air. "I can stay under longer than you, 'ttebayo! No, that doesn't mean you win!"
His expression twisted angrily. "Oh yeah? Bet I can balance more tantō on my nose than you." He promptly took off for the house.
"…you better go stop him," Kagami sweatdropped.
Tobirama sighed as he got up. "Just like Hashirama," he muttered, "but worse."
Naruto burst into the house and looked around wildly for his tantō, finding it on the couch. He ran past one of the sitting rooms, vaguely noting Hashirama and Madara sat inside semi-peacefully, and tripped over the rug lining the hall.
Splat! went his face into the floor.
"Stupid rug," he groaned.
Hashirama leaned into the hall, staring down at him in confusion. "Naruto-kun? What are you-"
"Absolutely, do not, under any circumstances attempt to balance seven tantō on your face," Tobirama yelled as he flew in, a dramatic flaming aura surrounding his form.
"You're a buzz kill!" Naruto yelled, voice muffled by the floor.
"And you're half braindead-"
"I'm either all the way braindead or I'm not braindead at all, old man."
"Old man? Disrespectful little youngling-"
"Tobirama, what on earth-"
"Really?" Madara asked flatly, staring down at Naruto from ahead of him in the hall after floating through the wall.
Naruto pointed at him. "Don't tell me you never tried anything stupid when you were alive." Madara rolled his eyes. "Have you even done anything but argue?"
"No, because he's-" Hashirama began.
"No, because Hashirama is an idiot," Madara intoned. Hashirama started to sulk, retreating to a corner made by the hall table. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes at Tobirama, who just glared back at him.
"You guys argue so much. You all need to g-"
"If you say 'get high on whatever Madara was taking'," Madara said, eyes narrowing further into slits as he leaned down threateningly, "so help me kami-"
"As soon as you show me proof you weren't getting high on something, then-" Naruto was interrupted when a raven flapped in from the open sliding doors in the room Madara had been in. It landed on his nose, making him cross his eyes to blink at it before taking the small piece of paper wrapped around its leg. He skimmed the message before shrugging, tossing the paper into midair and incinerating it with a small blast of fire from his lips. Karin had sent him a message saying she wouldn't be back until late, as she had a mission, and she'd run into Sakura; her and Sasuke had late shifts at the hospital. "I know! Why don't we go to the basement? It'll be a great bonding activity-"
"No," Madara said dully.
"It'll be fun-"
"No."
"-spend some time together-"
"No."
"Let's go!" Naruto cheered, punching the air as he skipped down the hall. He paused when no one followed him, just standing awkwardly in place and staring. "Come on!"
"Uh…well, all right!" With a sunny grin that matched the blond's, Hashirama flew after him, and they disappeared around the corner.
Tobirama made a disgruntled noise, while Madara glared at where they'd been. The shot each other suspicious glances before following after the two, making sure to keep a good distance from each other.
Naruto jumped down from the back porch, jogging into the trees behind his home and stopping at what looked to be the entrance to a root cellar. There were bushes on either side of the wooden entrance, and vines hanging across the entrance from the trees. He pulled out his keys and undid the lock on the doors, taking off various sealing tags before throwing them open and peering down into the black abyss that greeted him before stepping aside and gesturing with a grin. "The basement."
"This…doesn't look like a basement," Hashirama sweatdropped. More like the entrance to an underground base, he thought.
Naruto leapt onto the side and glanced down. "Nah, it's fine. Just a bunch of tunnels."
"Is that where Izuna constantly goes?" Madara scowled as he floated over, referring to the fact that whenever they fell into a childish argument as siblings were wont to do, Izuna would just duck into the ground and resurface several hours later with an immaturely triumphant air about him.
"Yeah," Naruto shrugged. "Got lost in here once. Took me four days to get out."
"Why didn't you just use the Hiraishin?" Tobirama asked, raising an eyebrow at the doors.
"Oh, I was seven," Naruto replied flippantly, making dark lines fall over Hashirama's face.
"D…did you have any food down there…?"
"Nope," Naruto said. "Now let's go!" He threw himself into the hole with reckless abandon, ignoring the cry of alarm it elicited from Hashirama. "Dammit!" his voice called from below. "I forgot there were stairs!"
"Why exactly are we down here again?" Tobirama muttered sourly, shooting Madara a dirty look. He certainly wasn't happy about being forced to spend any prolonged amount of time with the man.
Naruto waved his torch. "Because it's fun, and you need to chill."
Hashirama tilted his head. "Chill?"
"Yeah, chill. Like, cool off. Calm down. Stop arguing like five year olds."
The man sulked as he followed him with Tobirama behind; Madara hovered several paces behind them all, ignoring them.
The halls were so dark Naruto couldn't see his own hand if it weren't for his flashlight and the slight glow emanating from the three ghosts. He sometimes entered the tunnels the Uchiha clan had built as a place to plan their coup (although he was going to keep that tidbit from Tobirama for the moment) to see if he could find his way out again; they were like a maze.
"Are we looking for anything in particular…?" Hashirama began with a laugh.
"I'm pretty sure there's a second entrance because there's an air current. The damn thing's eluded me for two years…"
He ignored the awkward atmosphere behind him, whistling a cheery tune as he went along.
"Hey, Mom, mind if I invite Naruto over to dinner Saturday?"
"I don't care," Tsume replied, before she registered the name he'd mentioned and her curiosity overcame her. "Did you say Naruto? You've never had him over before."
Kiba shrugged. "He's a cool guy. Did you know he has a ninken? He can even talk, too!"
Tsume's eyes rose to meet her hairline. She lowered the newspaper in her hands, staring at him from across the table. "A ninken, you say?" The last she'd heard, the Uzumaki kid didn't work with a ninja dog.
"Yeah. Although, I'm not sure if a fox counts as a dog…"
Hana jumped, nearly dropping the ladle in her hand into the pot of chili she had on the stove. "Did- did you say fox?" she asked, startled.
"Yeah. It's this cute little orange one," Kiba said, blinking in confusion at their surprised expressions. "Why? Is that really unusual?"
"No," Tsume replied carefully, "they're just not used very much. They're more fickle and hard to control."
"Oh. Well Naruto works with his fine, although I can see what you mean by fickle. Kurama's pretty snooty. Speaking of, you sure some Inuzuka didn't have a secret lovechild or something?" Kiba asked with a teasing grin. He hadn't meant the question seriously, but it made Tsume frown.
"How do you mean?"
"Well, he's just got some pretty animal-like characteristics," he replied, folding his arms behind his head.
"What kind of characteristics?"
"Uh…" Kiba stared at her, wondering why she was taking it so seriously. "Well, his eyes got pupils like ours, and they even turned red for a little while. Plus he got claws and fangs and his whiskers even got thicker. Looked a lot like a fox himself, actually," he said thoughtfully, tilting his head. Across from him, Tsume stiffened, and Hana turned to her chili with a contemplating frown. "Tried the Gatsuga with me when Akamaru got hurt. He's a natural."
"You don't say." Tsume turned back to her newspaper. That doesn't necessarily mean the Kyuubi's breaking out or influencing him, she thought. There's no need to jump to conclusions.
"Somethin' weird happened today, though. Saw him in the village with the red-eye thing going on, and Akamaru tells me 'it's not actually Naruto' of all things. Sniffer must have been overwhelmed from all that barbecue we had."
Hana dropped her ladle.
Tsume stared blankly at her newspaper.
"So I can invite him on Saturday, right?"
A large steel ball crashed into a box made of cheap plywood, crushing it to pieces. It made a slight indent in the ground that was a few inches thick.
"That could really do a number on an enemy's ribcage," Sasuke said thoughtfully, looping the chain over one palm as he gathered it up again.
"You bet. And bandits? It'll knock them down like bowling pins," TenTen agreed. She stood in the middle of an empty training ground littered with kunai and shuriken, as well as the occasional grouping of senbon. One of her scrolls was laid out across the ground with its weapons laying atop their individual seals; a scythe sat on one end and a staff on the other with various swords and daggers in between.
She hadn't interacted with Sasuke much, and hadn't known what to expect when Sakura asked her to train him how to use a bow. The only thing she'd known was that Academy girls had seemingly gone crazy over his "cool" demeanor, and that Sakura had evidently lost a friend over it.
The boy didn't come off as arrogant, though, or even cold. He was simply composed in much the same way Neji was; that was familiar to TenTen, so it was easy to work with him.
When she'd ended their first session, he stayed for two hours afterwards practicing his aim. The first thing she'd noticed about him were the bandages around his fingers when she'd shaken his hand. The next day they'd been gone, but she knew why when she spotted him healing his cuts and callouses from the amount of time he spent practicing with his weapons.
He had the makings of a weapons master. His work ethic was ruthless and determined- he even refrained from using his Sharingan, saying he wanted to be able to hit a target based on his own skill and not use his dojutsu as a crutch.
He was also a helluva sparring partner. TenTen only got such a workout with her own team or Sakura's.
"That's probably enough for today," she said, eyes twinkling in amusement when he nodded. They both knew he probably wouldn't leave until he had to go to the hospital for his late shift.
"Thank you for your time," he said, expression stoic. TenTen had a feeling this boy walked through life treating everything like business deals; seeing what he could get and what he had to give for it, but strangely, also keeping a balance of giving people genuine gratitude. At one point, Team Gai had visited the Academy to give a lecture to genin-hopefuls; the hopefuls themselves had disappointed TenTen enormously, especially the kunoichi.
"Happy to help out someone with a drive like yours," she said with a mock salute. "I'm always impressed by Squad Seven. Even the other genin teams that passed aren't as ahead as you guys."
"I'm…grateful that the Academy can turn out students who don't know the horrors of bloodshed," Sasuke said, choosing his words carefully. He thought for a moment, thinking back to the numerous classmates he'd been surrounded with for years, and all the times he'd gritted his teeth in frustration at how lax they were. "But we are still shinobi. At times I was irritated with how…"
"Weak they were?" TenTen began packing up her weapons, not mincing words.
He blinked. How blunt. He could appreciate that. "Yes."
She shrugged with a lopsided grin. "I told the sensei there they should step it up. Still have fangirls, though. I'm told you had quite a few." She winked, inwardly snickering when a very slight blush painted his cheeks.
"That was just embarrassing," he huffed. "Congregating around me like a pack of hyenas when they barely even knew me. I'm glad Sakura doesn't have to act like that anymore."
"I imagine that would be like having your sibling pretend to have a crush on you."
"Pretty much."
"She told me a friend of hers is pretty dogged in her affections for you."
"It's irritating," he muttered. "Not only that, it distracts her from her training. If she gets killed in the field one day, or one of her teammates do, I don't want to be responsible."
"It'd be her own fault, anyway." TenTen glanced at the afternoon sky with a thoughtful look in her eyes. "You have a fun time staying for another hour and a half," she teased, making a small smirk grace his lips with its presence.
He turned and headed back to retrieve his kunai from their targets, sending her a two-fingered wave. Chuckling, TenTen started back towards her father's shop to take her own shift.
The thuds of kunai raining down on a log followed her footsteps. Yep, she thought, he could be a great weapons master someday.
Sakura lifted a glowing hand from a civilian man's arm, smiling politely. "You should be fine now. Check in at the desk before you leave."
"Thank you, nurse-san," the man replied, giving his arm an incredulous look as he stretched it. He shuffled off the hospital bed he'd been waiting on with a broken arm and left through the door, while Sakura began removing the bedsheets from the mattress. Non-life-threatening instances from the emergency room were sent to rooms to wait for a doctor, medic, or medic in training, and she had to make sure they were sterilized after each visit.
As soon as she'd smoothed the new bedspread, her pager went off from her belt. Snatching up her clipboard, Sakura slipped into the hall, smoothly integrating herself into the flow of traffic as nurses and medics hustled about.
As soon as she'd reached the front desk, she waved down a familiar face. "Sango, what do you need?"
"Ah, Sakura!" The nurse who usually worked desk duty beamed at her. The mole under her eye made her even cuter, in Sakura's opinion. "Guess who's been watching you on duty most of the night?"
Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Shizune-san!" Sango exclaimed.
"Why has she been watching?" Sakura asked, perplexed.
"For evaluation, of course!"
Sakura's eyes lit up. "I'm being evaluated already?" Evaluation took a medic in training and graduated them to a full medic, able to go on missions to fulfill the role, and removed the 'student' part of their title. Doctors and nurses were usually civilians, while medics in training often worked as a nurse, and doctors specialized in surgeries that medical jutsu couldn't perform- like organ replacement. Full medics received training in surgery, as well as looked after their own patients in the role of a doctor rather than a supplementary medic or nurse. Civilian doctors most often looked after civilian patients, while shinobi medic nin usually handled the shinobi, more accustomed to wounds received in battle. Moreover, full medics could take medics in training under their wing, handling their enrollment at the hospital.
"It's such an achievement to even be considered at your age," Sango gushed. She rifled through her papers and pulled out a form, pointing to various lines as she spoke. "Tsunade-sama herself is going to do the evaluation! Make sure to come in an nine tomorrow."
Sakura took the form, feeling a little bit numb. "T-thank you," she breathed, folding it up to put in her jacket pocket and leaving the desk with a wide grin on her face.
Evaluation!
She picked up the pace with a renewed energy in her gait. She couldn't wait to tell Lee.
Uzumaki Databook
[Uzumaki Naruto, 87th Clan Head]
[Book 2: Spirits and the Supernatural]
[Section 2: Removing Spirits, Subsection 1: Exorcisms]
Exorcisms appear to be effective against poltergeists, but not ghosts. Ghosts are mostly harmless, and an exorcism by nature is crafted to dispell an entity meaning to do you harm. Ghosts are also rarely what people think they are; most poltergeists that have had experiences with the physical realm have been mistaken for "ghosts", therefore most exorcisms are made to combat poltergeists, not ghosts as they actually are.
Exorcisms, however, can be effective against a ghost meaning to do you harm, even if it has not yet transitioned into a full-blown poltergeist yet.
There are many rituals and many differing opinions on exorcisms. An exorcist has a dangerous job, as the best way to expel a poltergeist is to gather information on it to include something related to it in the ritual...and we know how directing your attention to a specific poltergeist for a long time ends up.
An exorcism works on one basic principle, varying methods aside: to dispel the negative, or "evil" energy from a place, and to banish ill intent. Many components work like the methods of fuinjutsu- an array is made, with spaces for different incense or herbs. Lavender, for instance, is often used to calm a spirit; peppermint is used in some places to bolster protection for those involved.
I've found the most effective method is to create a spiral array with something related to the specific spirit in the center. This can be an item such as a piece of clothing or a photo. I prefer to use oregano; it has a stronger effect.
Below you'll find a diagram of a basic exorcism circle. The Ninja Art: Spirit Expulsion works under the premise of using your chakra as a more spiritual force, rather than a plainly physical one. Most shinobi only think of the ways it can help them in the physical realm, rather than a force inside their body they can use to protect themselves from something not in the physical plane.
Be warned that a strong poltergeist can break your ritual and will most likely become enraged because of your attempts to expel it to the next realm. It will turn to violence as an outlet for this. I can't stress how important it is to not be indecisive or waver in your resolve; make your spirit strong to counteract the creature. In one instance, Neji and I encountered a poltergeist in the Land of Tea, it having taken up residence in a hotel, and I- This has been removed from my memory.
I really need to stop writing down my experiences with the damn things. It draws them towards me.