Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 19
"Playing Field"

Today is another fine day, with the colourful and refreshing spring weather I adore so much. It's time to check another task off my list.

I will be having my meeting with the old Team Seven, now formally known as Team Kakashi. An interesting group to be sure, now with a new member added to look after my dear friend. Though he seems in good spirits, the demonstration from Jiraiya has reinforced how serious his position is. Akatsuki is adding pressure in new and dangerous ways.

"..."

I stop at the memorial stone to look at it for a bit. That name jumps out at me, as it always has since that day.

Obito Uchiha.

With his life thrown into despair after seeing his most precious person die...he made a choice to go down the path of destruction. But it could be that the Obito before and after that tragedy were two different people. Could the old Obito, the one who was Kakashi's friend and saviour and inspiration...could he be saved, perhaps? Is he still in there somewhere, buried beneath too many layers of darkness to count? Is there a chance that he could turn from his ways, that he could one day find redemption after much in the way of hard work?

Is there a chance that he could throw away his identity as Madara Uchiha, and become himself again?

I wonder about these things, and have done so for a while now. But I also realize the reality of the situation.

Obito is powerful, and he is a menace. He has to be put down.

I don't know if I can bring him back to the light, and it doesn't matter. That is not my greatest concern. It never will be. The only thing I promise to do is move forward, in order to stop his plans and that of his puppeteer, the real Madara Uchiha. Mercy and forgiveness can come later if there is time and space for them. Right now, my only concern is crushing his plans and crushing him. He won't stop. He will never stop until he gets what he wants. Maybe there is a good person stuck inside. Maybe there is hope that he will reject the twisted ideology that he's adopted as a means of dealing with his pain. But it is as Neji said to me long ago: the hourglass has been cracked open, and the sand poured at my feet. I will not stall myself to allow him time to repent.

"Your second death will not lead to peace on its own, Obito. But it will help pave the way."

I turn away from the stone and continue my walk. There are familiar colours in the distance...Kakashi, and two others. That doesn't make sense, though...

I poke my tongue out to get a better picture. No, that's definitely them. Hina and Shino are here. Whatever for?

"Good morning to you, my lovelies."

"Good morning, Lili." Hina and I exchange our usual greeting, a hug followed by two kisses.

"Morning, Boss."

"Good morning, Colonel Kobayashi. Nice day today, isn't it?" Kakashi says. He's absorbing his adult literature, as usual.

"Indeed it is, Major Hatake. Might I ask why my teammates are present this morning? I don't mind having them near, but I would like to avoid any confusion when it comes to this upcoming exercise."

"This was the result of a request made by the other members of Team Kakashi. We intend to go over it as soon as they arrive."

"Mysterious, aren't we. Alright. It shouldn't be too much of a hassle on my end. Hina, Shino. Is this alright with you?"

"If you have no issue with it, then I don't either," Hina says.

"I feel the same, Boss."

"Good. Then we'll wait for the other children to arrive."

It's about a minute or two before four more people start to arrive. They land just ahead of us. Naruto gives me a wave as he approaches.

"Yo! Looks like the gang's all here!"

Yamato gives me a respectful nod before standing next to Kakashi on the side. And finally, the last two members. I haven't had a chance to observe them yet.

Sasuke looks about the same as the last time, but taller. Same hair, same eyes, same bothersome expression. His outfit is black all over; a sweater that has a zipper and a high collar, paired with long dark pants. At his back, threaded through the blue belt on his waist, is a sword that has a black hilt and scabbard. The Uchiha crest is on the left side of his chest, and his forehead protector is attached to his hip.

Sakura has her long pink hair tied into a thick ponytail, with her headband in the usual place so that her bangs frame her face instead of covering them. The empty space that occupied her green eyes before has been filled with calm and determination. She will never be the same as she was before, but Tsunade has done well to give her some semblance of stability again. The red look persists with this version, with a jacket that has sleeves going down towards her thumbs and some sort of red top underneath that. A pink skirt with one side opening and, like Ino, black shorts underneath. Another new addition is the boots that go up to her knees and have low heels on them.

"It's been a while, Lilith."

"It has been, Sakura. Are you well?" I ask.

"I am, yes. Being able to train with Lady Tsunade has helped with a lot of things...things that go beyond the medical profession. Your previous encouragement has been a lot of help in itself."

"I'm happy to hear that."

"I believe that we were getting to why everyone was here," Kakashi says. "Ah, actually...there's two more people coming."

"Hm." I know these signatures, too. Hina has her Byakugan turn on silently.

"Mm. So sensei is here..."

Asuma lands next to Kakashi and lets down Kurenai.

"Good. All of the members of both teams have arrived. So, the proposal. The junior members of Team Kakashi would like this to be a three on three match, instead of the simple field test where Lili here would be participating in a light sparring session with our team."

"We agreed to it as a team," Sasuke says. "It would be a better use of everyone's time, and a truer test of our abilities."

"Are there any objections to this?" Kakashi asks.

"I have one," Hina says. She tents her hands and goes into thought...I know that she's trying her best to make sure that the next set of words is placed as delicately as possible. "How to put this..."

"Listen, if you're trying to be considerate...we don't need your pity here," Sasuke says. "We're not babies. I think we can handle whatever it is you have to say, Hinata."

Her expression changes. "I see. Then if you would allow me an unshackled opinion on this matter..."

"Like I said, go ahead."

"Oh, boy." Asuma shakes his head and Kurenai grimaces.

"It is quite arrogant of you to think, even for a moment, that your team as it is could stand a chance against ours."

"Hinata, you-"

"Allow me to finish, Miss Haruno. I was allowed the opportunity to express myself freely, after all." She gestures towards Team Seven. "Your experience is nothing compared to ours, and you very well know that. Between the time missed due to injury, general dysfunction, and the many months spent apart on your own journeys, your work as a three person unit should be, to put it simply, average. I am certain that you can execute clever enough combat manoeuvres and find new advantages in the heat of battle. But that will not be enough against an elite, coordinated unit such as ours. You are not on our level, and you should know that before anything resembling a fight takes place."

"Is that what you think? That you're better than us? Maybe I was wrong to think you were different, since you spout off the same arrogance as the rest of the Hyuuga now," Sasuke shoots back.

"It has nothing to do with my heritage, and everything to do with how well we fit together as a team. We have supported each other like family in every way that counts, and have built ourselves up as a unit that knows each other inside and out. You have not had the same opportunity to build up such knowledge or competence."

"Even the best teams can lose a game once in a while, you know!" Naruto counters. "I get what you're saying, but you can't decide a fight before the first punch has been thrown, you know."

"Oh? So that's what you're relying on. I can see how you came to your consensus, then."

"What is it you're trying to say?" Sakura asks.

"What I am saying, plainly, is that anyone who has to rely on the mistakes of their opponent is already in a bad situation. When given the opportunity to walk away, they should. Tenacity is one thing, and recklessness is another thing entirely. In the shinobi world, where life and death are divided by thin lines, we cannot prepare for conflict with the thought in our heads that the enemy might make a mistake and provide us an opening. If you prepare with that mindset, you have already lost." She lets out a frustrated breath. "You have your pride, but letting it rule you to this degree is irresponsible, especially if you meant for this to be a combat simulation. I expected that you had more to present us than merely thinking you could beat the odds. It's very disappointing, and I honestly did expect better of you all."

"Yeesh." Naruto rubs at his head. "That bad, huh."

"Yes. That bad."

"So you're running away, then. You think that we're beneath you," Sasuke says. "Is that what a shinobi is supposed to be doing? All I hear is you making up excuses because there's a chance you might lose to us and get embarrassed."

"Hmph." Hina brushes her hair back gently. "Sometimes, the best option truly is to walk away from provocation. Not every slight should be acted upon. With all of that said..."

She looks to me.

"Whether or not we turn away is the decision of our team leader."

I can see in her eyes that she wants to teach these brats a lesson. Shino gives me a nod, and Kurenai provides a thumbs up, to Asuma's amusement.

Good. We can show them what they've signed up for.

"Since you're begging for it at this point, we might as well oblige you. We've gathered everyone here, after all. A three on three match between Team Kakashi and Team Kobayashi," I say. "Are there any special conditions you want to apply, Kakashi?"

"Hmm." He turns a page. "I was thinking about the bells, but...no, that wouldn't work with you around. Capturing or disabling your opponent will work well enough for now. Try not to do anything too lethal, but don't hold yourselves back too much either. Sound fair?"

"It doesn't sound fair for them, no."

"That happens in life. It's like Hinata said...you can't run around expecting your opponent to make mistakes all the time. Well, there's one more thing I might want to ask. Perhaps evening the field a bit more is possible..."

"We said that if we were doing this, you weren't going to interfere," Sasuke says.

"Still with that, eh. That's fine, it just saves me a bunch of aches and pains."

"Pity. With Kakashi on your side, it would have been an actual challenge for us," I reply. "Fine. Get ready to drink down this medicine, little ones."

"Sorry about this in advance," Naruto says as his team gets into position. He's on my left, with Sakura on my right and Sasuke in the middle.

"It's nothing we'll take personally. Or that you should," Hina replies.

"Alright. Ramen later?"

"I would love that. But I'll probably be elsewhere by the time you wake up, so let's take a rain check this time."

"Enough talking," Sasuke says. "Get ready."

"Seems that your mouth hasn't improved over the past few years. Those two were too soft on you, as expected," I say.

"You're not going to have much else to say with your face in the dirt."

I yawn. "Mm-hm. Hina, Shino. Silver Vine, seven by four. Affirm."

"Silver Vine, affirm. Four plus," Hina says.

"Silver Vine, affirm. Seven plus. Requesting sweep in," Shino says.

"Affirm. Six six plus," I reply. "Hold and stand by on the mark."

"Affirm."

Hina moves to my right, Shino to my left. She prepares by getting into her stance and activating her Byakugan, while he has his insects swirl around him in a thin cloud. Asuma and Kurenai move back, along with Kakashi. Yamato makes handseals and creates a wooden clone before retreating.

"I'll do my best to look out for you all. Begin whenever you're ready," the clone says.

Sasuke puts his right hand on his sword, but otherwise does not move. Sakura sinks into her stance, and so does Naruto. I remain upright, arms folded across my chest.

"Let's go! Naruto, Sakura!"

"Yes!" they yell back in unison. Their hands whip forward, sending several shuriken out towards us. Sasuke shoots forward behind the initial attack, and is heading right for me. Quick to engage, eh. I figured.

Silver Vine is our offensive read option, and is perfect for figuring out an opponent's first move. It worked out here as well.

"Here it is."

I unfold my arms and jump easily over the incoming attack, while Hina and Shino dodge. Shino then moves to our agreed position, directly behind my initial one. Hina starts towards Naruto, crossing behind me. Sasuke jumps to meet me in the air, drawing his sword.

"Oh my. Are we getting this aggressive already?"

He flows lightning chakra through his blade and slashes at me. Do I need to yet? Mm...no. It's not a critical situation in the slightest. I casually stop his attack, flowing lightning chakra through my hand and grabbing the blade.

"Excitable, aren't we."

"What-?"

I release my grip, twirl, and kick him in the chest to create the necessary separation. Sasuke hits the ground and slides backwards as Naruto makes a dozen clones while meeting Hina. She charges forward boldly, inducing him to cross the field from left to right.

"Maybe..."

I land lightly and switch my focus to Sakura, who is now trailing Naruto. Her chakra is shifting...flowing towards her hands and concentrating itself. A physical attack. Is she planning on using Naruto's clones as cover while she moves in?

"Fire Release: Fire Ball Jutsu!"

Sasuke breathes out a sphere of flames, and as usual it's a rather large thing headed for me. Dodging is one easy option, clearing it from the field is another.

"Go for it, Sakura!"

"Right!"

She's switched her attention to me. I'll hold my ground for now, then.

"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet."

I snap my fingers and two sharks appear in front of me, shooting forward and wiping out the fireball. Sakura accelerates through the veil of steam and pulls back her fist. Wait a moment. If I have things right, then...

"Shannaro!"

I accelerate back towards her and lock up her right arm before it can hit anything.

"!"

"So you've got a hold of that jutsu too. Tsunade certainly struck gold with you, Sakura." I flow chakra into my right palm and place it against her chest. "We can talk again in a bit. Type Four: Aegis."

The pulse sends her flying backwards, and she slams through one of Naruto's clones at high speed before hitting the ground. I glance over to Hina's side and see that she's easily dispatched the rest of Naruto's clones, then she steps into an Air Palm and sends the original flying. Sasuke shoots the gap and tears across the open field towards Shino. It's probably not a fire technique, but something unpleasant with Chidori.

Either way, he's taken the bait that we've laid out.

"Hina, call it."

"Slant in."

"Roger roger."

We turn in time with each other and start on our way back, then accelerate and take a slanted route towards Sasuke. He moves and is aware of us, jumping clear over Shino before spinning and coming back. The familiar sound of Chidori reaches my ears as lightning chakra surrounds his left hand.

"Shino, switch," I call out.

"Got it."

"Hina, position."

"Taking up top. Shino, we'll move."

"Moving."

Our backs touch briefly before we move in opposite directions; Shino and Hina towards Naruto and Sakura, and myself towards Sasuke as he charges. It would be good to seal away Chidori, but I have a hunch that he's come up with something troublesome.

"I'll take you out first...no sense in wasting this opportunity," he mutters.

I burst forward and Sasuke raises his hand, his Sharingan active. Hoping that I move in close enough so that he can read my movements. Or...

"No. You've got something else."

"Chidori..."

The thrust is too far out.

"Sharp Spear!"

It's quick. The technique is transformed into a spear shape and extends towards me. I quickly shift myself to the right and continue on with a body flicker, reaching him instantly and kicking him in the side. He attempts to use the extended blade to swipe at me, and I duck under it as he flies off and rolls through the dirt.

What an interesting technique. He's used shape transformation to make a close range attack into a mid range one, possibly sacrificing a small bit of power for increased protection and utility. Sasuke might be an insufferable brat, but there's no denying his talent. I don't know the maximum range of this new attack, but it's at least three metres from my estimation. Hina has recorded it by now, so it won't take us by surprise again.

The sound of the earth exploding catches my attention. I turn my head to see that my teammates have gotten well clear of Sakura's latest attack. She's finally let off one of those chakra-boosted punches, and it's as devastating as I thought it would be. Can't get hit by one of those. It's a good thing she's not that quick.

"Hey! Don't hold back against these jerks!" Sasuke yells. "They can survive a night in the hospital!"

"Man...well, that's the green light for us. Sakura, grab me a few seconds," Naruto says as the smoke starts to clear on his side.

"Right." One of the upturned pieces of earth shoots past Hina as she steps to the side, then another misses Shino.

"Let's go for it!" Naruto and two copies jump through the veil of dust and run forward, a Rasengan in what looks to be the real one's hand. Sakura follows soon after, and Sasuke starts to close in on us from the other side.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower!"

Sasuke fires two volleys of fireballs, which fly past me and towards Hina and Shino as they engage Naruto and Sakura. He accelerates and draws his sword again, flowing chakra through it. I weave past his strikes, doing my best to keep an eye on the unfolding situation. Right now, those two should be fine. Best to focus on what's in front of me here.

I start to think of...that man. The Sharingan is in his possession, too. So that means I need to find a good way to defeat it and its movements. I need to force his hand. To beat the Sharingan and its prediction, I can't give too much away. Sasuke is constantly looking for an opening, reading my movements and getting a little bit closer with each missed strike. Going faster...no, I want to try something else. Something that doesn't rely entirely on my speed, so that I'll become even more dangerous when I add it in.

I relax and instead of worrying about the next position, I sway to my left past Sasuke's thrust with Chidori. His red eyes scan me in slow motion, looking for the next move before he either counters or strikes. I let myself drift, without loading a new move or technique. I realize that he can't see anything coming and is starting to set himself up, his body turning and right arm starting to move. That's the opening, isn't it?

I snap forward with a punch from my left hand, sudden enough that it's lacking some power.

But it's what I wanted.

"So that worked, then."

Sasuke's eyes widen, confusion painting his features more than any pain as he stumbles backwards. I follow by punching him in the chest again and firing Aegis, sending him tumbling end over end before slamming against a tree.

"I see now. If I work on that...I really can beat the Sharingan, and everything else."

"There's no way...you can't be that far ahead." Sasuke jumps to his feet, wiping dirt from his face and brandishing his sword. "None of this makes sense."

"You should have listened to Hina earlier. Everyone gets lucky, but it's no substitute for being good. So do you give up now, or are we actually going to have to hurt you children?"

"Shut your mouth. We haven't even started to go all out. You think dodging a few attacks means you have the better of us?"

"I do, actually. I suppose that answers my question...we'll put an end to this now. Shino, give us the field."

"Field activating."

"A night in the hospital, was that what you said earlier?" I ask Sasuke. "That sounds like a reasonable amount of time to reflect on your actions." I take a few hops backwards until I'm near Hina and Shino again. Shino slams his hands into the earth and there's a slight rumbling before insects emerge from beneath the battlefield. They encircle the area and start to close in on our opponents.

"Hina, he's all yours."

"Thank you, Lili." She switches places with me, and moves towards Sasuke. I focus in on Naruto and Sakura.

"It's quite insulting that you thought you could match up with us by willing your way to victory. Here's some advice for the next time you consider it. Don't," I say to them sternly.

"You know better, Lili...you shouldn't underestimate us!" Naruto yells back.

I feel a bit of shaking before the air fills with the loud pops of a few dozen clones from all around me. They were disguised as rock thrown up from Sakura's last attack. They're all lunging, ready to restrain me and leave me at the mercy of my opponents.

I ignore every single one of them, and aim directly to my left. One and one half seconds have already passed.

"Mobius."

The beam of chakra rips through the available gap, and all of the clones pop simultaneously as Naruto yells in pain. Sakura approaches slowly in my sight from the right side, and I step forward while gathering chakra in my right hand.

"Valkyrie Bullet."

From a standstill, I shoot forward and unload my lightning charged fist into her chest. She hangs on it for a moment before shooting backwards, into and through the dirt before stopping. To my satisfaction, she fails to move afterwards. Sasuke is face first on the ground with insects all over his body, Hina running a hand through her hair as she stands over him.

"Augh! Hey!"

"Don't complain so loudly...I'm keeping them away from your shoulder. Besides, there's no way that I could drain enough of your chakra to properly incapacitate you," Shino says.

"Grr..." Naruto is on one knee, clutching his bleeding shoulder while a steel-like swarm of insects covers the rest of his body, save for the head. Hina sighs and chops him on the neck from behind, hitting a pressure point and knocking him out temporarily. Shino withdraws all of his insects from the battlefield soon after.

"I guess...that's it?"

Yamato's wood clone merges back into the original, who looks out at the carnage with amazement. Kakashi is the opposite, seeming entirely unsurprised. Kurenai shakes her head while Asuma lets out a low whistle.

"Damn. Talk about a dismantling."

"You know, I thought those kids had softened you up some," Kurenai says. "But you're still a complete hard-ass as an instructor."

"Ah, but you forget. I'm not their instructor anymore," Kakashi replies while taking out his book again. "I'm their commander in full. And if I want to give them a life lesson, then I think I'm well within my rights. Sometimes shinobi get too big for their boots and make wrong assumptions. Better that it happened here than out on a mission, no?"

"When you put it in a way that makes you sound responsible instead of vindictive, I can agree with it."

"And there we have it. The system works." He looks up from his book for a moment, towards me. "By the way, that was an interesting move you pulled off earlier, Lili. Something that I couldn't read properly with the Sharingan."

"It's something I'm preparing for that friend of ours."

"I see. Well, if you have time later, we can talk a bit about that."

"Of course. Just let me know when."

He nods and goes back to his book.

"Ugh..."

Sakura stirs first, and lifts herself from the dirt slowly.

"Oh, looks like punching bag number one is awake," Kakashi quips, eyes still on his book. "Sakura, take a bit to clear most of the ringing from your head, then come over and check on Naruto."

"The shoulder wound is healing as expected," Hina says.

"Good. You can leave Sasuke where he is, I'll take care of the rest along with Yamato here. You all are free to go. Thanks for spending time with us, as obnoxious as it might have been."

I nod. "You're quite welcome, Kakashi. I think we've all gleaned something from this little experience."

"Really. Glad to hear it, then. Maybe we'll do this again sometime. In the...distant future, I would say. Nothing before then."

"Wifey and I are gonna be at Yakiniku Q," Asuma says. "Want us to save a few spots?"

"Shino, Hina? Celebration meal?" I ask.

"I'm in, Boss."

"That sounds nice."

"Good. You four go ahead, I'll catch up. Oh, and I'm buying, remember."

"Got it," Asuma says before picking Kurenai up.

"Thought I told you not to call me that in public. It's weird," she complains.

"Ah, you'll get over it. What, did you want me to call you Mommy instead?"

"Not outside of our bedroom."

"Oi..."

The four of them take off, leaving me alone with Kakashi and Yamato.

"So. What did you think?" Kakashi asks me.

"They're coming along well, considering the circumstances. More practice, and more team discipline for Sasuke is needed. Sakura and Naruto work very well together, but he's still getting over all of the things from his past, and that pushes against the team dynamic in negative ways. On an individual level, they're all quite good, Sasuke especially." I put a finger to my lips. "They're more than good enough for missions together, as Naruto and Sasuke seem to be quite good at figuring things out in the moment and handling split opponents. But of course, emotions were running high today. That could be a problem in the future, and considering who we're talking about, not easily fixed."

"Hm. I was thinking along the same lines," he replies.

"You really think they can pull it together?" Yamato asks me.

"I do. It's not strictly rational, but...I think they love each other too much for it not to happen. Their overall structure might be different from what we're used to, of course."

"What do you think their ceiling is?"

"Eventually, they will surpass their masters and past counterparts. I don't want to speculate beyond that, but they're well on their way to becoming some of the greatest shinobi in history. Everyone has to start somewhere, you know. The Sannin gained their legend from being crushed by Hanzo of the Salamander. Perhaps there's some symbolism at work here, hmhm."

"A little much, isn't it?"

"You wouldn't be saying that if you've seen the stuff she's pulled off in the past," Kakashi says. "A statement like that is modest, far as she's concerned."

"Maybe you're right. I didn't expect this fight to be so one sided in the first place..."

"Well. I am off to enjoy a lovely meal with my comrades. Take care, and send the rest of Team Kakashi my regards once they come to," I say with a flip of my hair.

"Will do."

"Yeah...see you later, senpai."

I give them a wave before taking off.