The Fickle Wind
World #01
There was only one real flaw in Naruto's strategy of leaving Severed clones all over the world.
And it had nothing to do with the jutsu itself.
Rather, it was the fact that they were his clones.
All of them did the job, of course, but a few smart-asses had decided that they were good enough to make Severed clones of their own.
A few even decided to take it one step higher — being a smart-ass, that is —, and complete the loop. Attaching a simple set of tags of their own creation to their Severed clones, they would notice whenever they got dispelled… without having to deal with the leeches on their chakra system.
This was the case of the clone that had been posted in Ōtano.
So. The original wanted to go and live a life of happiness, adventure and discovery…? While he was to remain here and… watch over people he didn't care about?
He was Naruto - or had been, rather. He would have done the job himself. Even though he didn't particularly enjoy the cold city.
He could even have ignored the fact that his creator had left with his wives, leaving him… entirely isolated. Most of them had been fine with it.
Could have.
But well… He had met a fiery redhead again — well it was somewhat pink, really — and she had reminded him of his first love. Not Ino, of course, but playing music.
So feeling as fickle as the whistling wind that this far up north, made the humid air feel freezing… The clone who — feeling as whimsical as the wind, had renamed himself Hotaru — left his duties to his own Shadow.
The Shadow Clone's Shadow Clone's Shadow was weaker than he was… and Hotaru was already much weaker than the original had been at the time he had left, but well…
He didn't need power.
This particular man had one dream, and one only.
To become the world's greatest musician.
"Are you sure you can leave…?" Tayuya asked him, not for the first time.
Hotaru laughed. "Who's going to stop me…?"
The fact that she didn't say 'the real you' earned her some points. There was no real him, because he was his own man, now. Flesh and blood — technically chakra construct.
Just Hotaru.
"Fair enough." She shrugged. "Well, let's hit the road, then — you're probably shit out of practice, but I'm sure we can find a cheap gig or two on the way."
"Sure thing, Tayuya."
"Did you work on your drumming?"
"Never even tried it." Hotaru admitted, shrugging.
"Goddamn it." She cursed. "Well, you know how to keep a beat…?"
"Of course." He chuckled.
"Keep one while we walk, fuckh—… Hotaru." She amended herself, looking at him nervously.
Hotaru barely held a sigh back. Everyone acted like this around him.
Well… seeing him kill the worst of Ōtano's people in a very public display had likely made many people a bit wary, he couldn't really blame them for that. It was going to be his Shadow's job now, and that guy would have to be a bit conservative with using his powers. Well, he'd relay his findings to Hotaru anyway — which was a boon, because as a self-proclaimed musician, he would take any creative insights he could get, really.
The cold was biting, this far north, and it wouldn't do, if he was to practice with his instrument(s) whenever they sat down.
Hotaru thought about it. Could he even do something permanent about it…?
He snorted. Of course he could.
Hotaru channeled flows of Fire around them, and bound them to the natural world. Flames flickered lazily around them, keeping them warm. Tayuya looked at the flames in wonder.
"Well, shit. Ninjas have come a long way in the last two years or so, haven't they…?" She wondered.
"I guess you can say that." He laughed. "So… care to repeat the plan?"
"Can't you fucking listen—" She cut herself off. "Uh, yeah. Sure, I mean."
"Sorry, I was a bit distracted the first time." He shrugged.
"Oh, yeah?" She said, somewhat smartly. "By what — there's fuck all to do back there."
He just smiled and looked at her.
"…whatever." She muttered, looking away. "Nigiso is not too far away… We should be able to find somewhere to play music there. I assume you're pretty much broke."
Hotaru shrugged. "Money's not something I really kept track of."
Could he even use the Creation of All things…?
"Goddamn it." She cursed.
"Don't worry, I'm used to slumming it up — and can make us some money, too."
"Oh, yeah…? Well I got enough left for some knee-pads if you're feeling like selling your body." She retorted, before she could catch herself and curse.
Hotaru laughed and she relaxed a bit.
"I meant it, there are plenty of things I can craft and sell for money — don't worry too much about it."
"I'm not about to depend on you." She shot back.
"Well, that's fine too — cause right now I don't have any money at all." He laughed.
"...Fuck."
"It's okay — my purse is light and it flaps in the breeze, sure… but I do have one thing." Hotaru said, looking at her very seriously.
"…What is it?"
"Heart." He whispered the word dramatically.
She snorted. "Motherfucker— Sorry."
Naruto sighed. He stopped walking.
"Can I ask you something, Tayuya?" He asked, staring into her eyes.
His sensitive hearing could hear her heartbeat pick up.
"…Sure, you can ask." She said.
Hotaru mulled over his next words, and he could see getting a bit nervous.
"Can you call me fucktard again…? Or shithead… Whatever insult you prefer." He frowned. "I kinda miss it."
She choked on her breath.
"I— What…?" Tayuya blinked.
"I don't really want you to feel so skittish around me."
"…"
"Just ignore my godly powers." He nodded encouragingly.
"…Sure, then. Fucktard."
"Thank you, Tayuya." The fucktard in question smiled happily. "I really missed being treated like… well. Normally."
Tayuya wisely didn't say anything about why it had happened in the first place.
They hit the road.
World #323 - The Cruise
Orochimaru… a father?
The notion was so ridiculous that Jiraiya wanted to laugh. Or cry, perhaps.
Well… he could not pretend that he himself was the best father/uncle/teacher/whatever he was to Naruto.
But still… Orochimaru?
And… Kushina, too…?
Jiraiya was getting too old for this shit, really.
A beautiful woman sat next to Jiraiya.
She kinda reminded him of Tsunade — mostly the huge rack. She had nothing of her sheer magnetism, though. He ignored her and continued with his reading.
The woman cleared her throat. Jiraiya didn't notice. Why had he never bothered with cozy fantasy books before…? These were great.
The woman stretched languidly. A few heads turned. Jiraiya didn't notice.
Her patience spent, the poor woman was forced to go for broke.
"Here alone?" She purred; her voice was warm and inviting, a steady thing that was spoken from the chest.
"Yes."
"Mind some company?"
Jiraiya just gave a non-committal answer.
She took it as an assent and sat close to him. "What are you reading?"
"A book." He said pleasantly.
"I… see." She said slowly. "Is it good?"
"Sure."
"Isn't it… sort of boring to read on a cruise…?" She asked with a voice that, had he been a different man still… would have made him want to fuck her until she lost that damn sexy voice of hers.
"I'm a boring man." He said instead.
Where was Gama…? He could take her off his hands.
Ah, no. He wasn't doing so well either.
She laughed, a bit too shrilly to his ears. Tsunade wouldn't do that. Her laugh ran much deeper, in lower tones that showed the world what she thought of the necessity for kunoichi to act feminine.
"You don't look like one to me." She said. "You are the only man here who didn't even look at me."
How petulant.
"Oh?" Jiraiya muttered. "Is there something particular about you?" He asked, absentmindedly.
"…Why don't you take a look for yourself?"
"Once I'm done with this book, perhaps." He said, noncommittally.
She stared.
"Look, I don't know who you are... but I don't like being ignored." She growled.
"Yes, I understand that." He took a look at her and smiled politely. "I'm Jiraiya, it's nice to meet you."
She smiled.
Finally. Perhaps he was like every other man after all, she thought. How… boring.
"I am Yukiko."
"How nice."
He went back to his book.
Something broke within her.
"…Alright." She said at last. "You're good at this. Better than me, really."
"At what…?" He frowned.
"I said you won." She growled. "Let's get out of here and… talk?"
Jiraiya didn't need to be an expert at the hidden language of seduction to know what she meant exactly — he was one, though.
"…Sorry, I'm not interested in that right now. Or fucking, really, if that's what you're talking about."
"…I'm sorry…?"
"I know it's a cruise and all… I think I'm done with hedonism and all that. Really, I'm looking for other things."
"Such as…?" She asked, not minding his crudeness, trying to figure how she could unravel his mystery.
He made for an impressive figure, and Yukiko wondered what sort of man he was now. What sort of man he had been before, and what his life story was. His heavy stature indicated that he must have been working using his body, in one way or another. His easy confidence betrayed the fact that he must have seen it all already.
Jiraiya smiled, full of life and charm.
"A good book on a nice evening, perhaps with a glass of rice wine here and there."
"Ah." She nodded at last.
Here was a man who was beyond the pale allures of the flesh. She had been foolish to think that she could seduce one such as him. What did she have to offer him, really…? Nothing he hadn't seen, she was sure. "…Do you mind if I sit here, then?"
He shrugged. "You can."
"And… do you mind if we talk some, too? Not… Not necessarily now, but let's say when you're done with this chapter or—"
"As long as we both go to our own rooms after that, it should be fine." Jiraiya said absentmindedly.
"Okay." She sat, waiting patiently. There was much she could learn from this man, she was certain of it.
Some people stared at the giant of a man and the pretty woman sitting next to him, seemingly looking for his approval.
Jiraiya went back to his book.
Gama ordered more sake for himself.
Among the things he had learned from Jiraiya — aside from some very niche uses of sealing, mostly through his own research, because Jiraiya only taught fundamentals and believed in finding your own way…
He had learned how to handle his alcohol.
It dulled his senses, certainly… but Gama with dulled senses was still probably the strongest man in the world—
Ah, no. That was not true anymore.
Goddamn it. Who was he, even…? It had been so easy, once. At least he had Jiraiya. That man understood him better than he did himself — and the opposite was equally true.
Which meant that he knew that Jiraiya was done with fucking around… at least for a while. Problem was… Gama himself didn't know where to go from there.
There were plenty of cute women around, so maybe that was a good place to start…?
(Not Karin, though, it seemed as though this would go nowhere — and both she and her husband were more than able to turn him to ash, which only sounded hot when it was a bit less literal.)
…
Speaking of women.
Gama stiffened — not like this.
Hebi had entered the bar, he felt her unique… serpentine presence, as well as the coil of natural energy that only seemed to radiate from Perfect Sages. Gods… she really was his counterpart, then…?
…Why was she coming toward him?
Gama breathed in. Out. He was grateful for…- something.
In. Out. Being alive. Yeah, being alive was nice.
In. Out. Yeah. Lucky to be here.
In. Out.
The anger receded.
"Move over, frogboy." She said, by way of saying hi. That just did it.
"Fuck off, you… you snake." He grunted back.
She raised a threatening eyebrow.
"I would suggest you keep your tone level. I have a snake pointed at your amphibian testicles." She hissed, low and dangerous.
"Oh yeah…?" He looked down. …Well, she wasn't lying — gods, its fangs were way too close. "I've had a toad pointed at your tits ever since you stepped in the room."
She snorted. "I'm sure. Little froggy boys aren't known for their talent at deception."
"If you could see it, it wouldn't be much of a protection." He retorted.
"You're obviously bluffing, toady."
"Toady…? I guess you're learning." Gama shot back. "Look in the corner of the room, that's where the toad is. Do something stupid, and your beauti— your chest gets stabbed by the best rusty sword Mount Myoboku has to offer."
"Lies."
"Can you be so sure of it?" Gama lifted an eyebrow. His eyes shone with what he would call the determination only the self-righteous could muster. "Are you ready to risk it…?"
She stared into his eyes, and she saw no fear there. He was entirely confident.
"…Impressive." She nodded once, in something that looked like approval. "So there's more to you than meets the eye."
"We are our master's disciples, aren't we…?" He shot back.
"Perhaps we are." There was tentative respect there. "So… Are you willing to give me some room…?"
"Gods… you're so stuffy." Gama grunted.
He wasn't sure why he did so… but he let her move next to him.
Hebi sat down. "I didn't even feel your toad."
"Gamabayashi is a master of deception." Gama said. "I wouldn't feel him, and I know what to look for."
"Ah." She said with grudging respect. "Perhaps I have underestimated the Toads — my father always looked down on them, but maybe… Well, they were Namikaze Minato's summons. I should have known better." She nodded.
Gama nodded back. "It's okay. We're ninja. What doesn't kill us makes us more paranoid."
Hebi huffed a short laugh.
…
Truth be told, there had been no trap.
Gama had come here to drink, not for ninja shit.
But Gama knew that nobody was about to do the world the major disservice that sinking fangs into his genital parts would have been. Not even a snake-faced hellbitch, born out of the out-of-wedlock cucking of his dead father.
And Gama was a master of lying, because when he lied, he lied to himself first — so thoroughly that he became convinced of the false truth.
Hebi ordered sake.
"You… drink?" Gama asked.
"I am not my father. And I do enjoy a drink here and there." She lifted an eyebrow. "We all have our vices, don't we…?"
"I don't, frankly." Gama shrugged.
"Oh, so the way you look like a dog in heat must be a facade, then."
"…What else could it be?"
"Your adoptive father's influence?"
"Ridiculous." Gama rolled his eyes. "Jiraiya is a man among men, and so am I. We're not slaves to our instincts."
"So you were not roaming over me with your eyes?"
Gama almost choked on his drink, but played it off — not that well.
"It's called information gathering - figuring the enemy out. Perhaps you should try it, too." He shot back. Then he turned the tables on her, with the ease of someone who had to defend his more controversial activities more than once in the past. "Unless that's what you came here for." He said, with sharp eyes.
"Information gathering…?" She lifted an exquisite eyebrow. "What use would I have for it?"
"Reporting to snake-dad?"
She snorted. "No. I came here to apologize."
Gama blinked.
"Apologize…?"
Orochimaru's daughter? He almost snorted in derision. But when he saw her face, he could see the traces of red in her hair, and the fact that she wasn't chalk white, just kinda pale.
Gama let out a long sigh.
"We had a rough introduction." Hebi continued.
"You can say that again." He muttered.
"Do not try my patience, frog-boy."
"Whatever."
They stood in silence for a little while.
"Alright, apology accepted." He ended up saying. "I wasn't at my best there, either."
"You may say it once more." She muttered.
"Do not break my balls, snake."
"Snake is not an insult." She rolled her eyes.
"Not for you." He shot back. "Considering what Orochimaru did—" He cut himself off.
She gave him a long look.
"He really did nothing that warrants this sort of reaction." She said.
Besides cucking his father. Gama forced the thought away.
"Not even in Iwa…?" Gama tried, a bit blindly. Some things must have stayed the same.
She winced. "That was the Second War."
"I'm sure the... mutated spawn of the people who survived him don't mind the extra limbs." Gama said.
"..."
"Whatever."
"…You really are not from here, then…?"
Gama blinked. "What?"
"Gods, you are a terrible liar." She shook her head. "This confirms it, then."
"This confirms it, my cock. It confirms nothing, you are obviously trying to trick me into revealing some info you actually haven't guessed at all." Gama rolled his eyes. Hebi gave him a flat look. "A cock's like a penis, but bigger—"
"I know damn well what a penis is, you buffoon!" Hebi hissed.
"Oh? How come…?" Gama lifted an eyebrow. "Can you extend… retract yours, snake-girl?"
Something like amusement shone in Hebi's eyes, but was masked quickly.
"Don't you know, frog-boy…? Snakes eat cocks."
Gama choked on his drink.
"Oh, sorry." She apologized, very falsely. "I meant chickens."
"You…" Gama blinked. "Have a sense of humor?"
"I don't." She deadpanned. "Orochimaru's daughter, remember?"
A tentative smile began to spread upon Gama's lips.
"…I guess we can get along… sis—"
"Don't." She hissed.
Looking for our Demon Cat - He's About THIS Tall... - Not Tora.
World #07
"Matatabi!" Ino called, for what felt like the thousandth time.
How hard was it supposed to be to feel a chakra creature…?
Apparently, pretty hard. When Naruto had created the Beasts' new bodies, he did the job well. They could hide, if they chose to. And Matatabi had chosen to.
Just like Hanabi had chosen not to contribute. Better things to do with my time, she had said. Hopefully, it was nothing too bad.
"Matatabi!" Yugito called, as well. Since she was very pregnant, she was taking this search very casually. And so did Ino as well… but still.
"Not here either." Ino shook her head.
She slowly walked back to Yugito. They were looking for the damn cat, sure… But walking through Konoha with someone she cared about was not a waste of an afternoon.
A little girl with dark hair and very blue eyes was staring at them.
"What are you doing?" She tilted her head cutely. From the whiskers, it was pretty clear who she was.
"…We're looking for our cat." Ino answered.
"It's about this tall." Yugito lifted her hand.
"You said it was called Matatabi, right?" The child frowned. "Like Kurama's friend?"
"Yes, exactly." Yugito nodded gently.
"Can I help — I can see through walls and stuff."
"I mean… if you want to." Yugito smiled.
"Can I pet it once we find it?"
"Sure thing, Himawari."
Himawari didn't question why the stranger knew her name — many people did cause her father's face was on the mountain.
Besides, she could feel when people were mean, and they weren't, so…
Uzumaki Boruto's New Sensei(s)
"Consider the moon, Boruto." Naruto — well, a Severed clone of Naruto — began.
Konohamaru was apparently out of the ninja game for some time, so a few people took over Boruto's training.
Naruto would meet with the clone - at some point - and recover his memories manually.
"Uncle, no please!" Boruto begged. "I know this tone, you're just trying to confuse me with a rapid-fire rhetorical barrage until I lose sight of what you're saying and what you truly mean by it."
Naruto nodded proudly. "You've come a long way, Boruto."
Next to him, Sasuke snorted derisively. "…And you call this training?... Talking, really?"
'No wonder he doesn't appreciate having to actually use his mouth to do something that isn't grunting.' Naruto thought.
"Ah." Naruto blinked in surprise. "Sasuke! You were here, too? All along?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth.
"Don't antagonize him, Naruto." Toru chided. "He's a nice man, deep down." He nodded solemnly. Fucking Itachi.
"The last time I had to go look for something interesting buried so deep, I was diving in Uzushiogakure." Naruto muttered.
Sasuke frowned.
"What was that…?"
"I said it's time you decide to take our advice on how to use your eye." Naruto smiled politely. "What if aliens come?"
"…The Ōtsutsuki, you mean?"
"Aliens." Naruto nodded. "You won't be prepared at all — and what if one of them is strong enough to take your eye…?"
"It won't happen." Sasuke simply said.
"Whatever, you're decently strong, anyway — and a grown man." Naruto let go.
"Sasuke won't lose his eye." Toru rolled his eyes. "He's like this world's second strongest person. I'm not here, after all."
Sasuke stared at Toru coolly. Toru stared back at him.
"Yeah…" Toru nodded, scanning him up and down. "He's like… a solid 39 points, I'd say."
"39…?" Naruto mused.
"Well, yeah." Toru said.
"…What are you guys talking about?" Boruto asked, frowning. Sasuke didn't quite follow either.
"Intelligence lacking?" Naruto asked. Sasuke's hand tightened around his sword, but he also knew that Naruto — his, in a platonic way — would not appreciate it.
"No, but his stamina is all over the place." Toru muttered. "Very inconsistent."
"Ah. That's why the 39?"
"Yes." Toru nodded.
Naruto said nothing. When he had asked, he had meant to ask why Sasuke was so high on the scale.
"…So are we training or what…?" Boruto frowned.
"Patience is a virtue, too." Naruto said.
"Okay, Uncle." Boruto nodded. "But are we training?"
Naruto sighed. Little shit.
"It's all wrong." Sasuke said, interrupting Toru. "Here, Boruto, let me—"
"That's proper Uchiha form." Toru frowned.
"No, it's not." Sasuke retorted, shaking his head.
"And how would you even know…?" Toru let the question hang. "I don't mean to be rude, but I think I had more contact with actual Uchiha than you did."
Sasuke said nothing. …And perhaps it was true. Most of his style, he had picked up over the years.
But then again, considering he was one of two true-blooded Uchiha, whatever he decided was the official clan style, really.
"Sure, sure." Naruto smiled, and it was a cruel sight. "Have you ever done hill sprints, Boruto? They're great fun."
"I haven't." Boruto nodded.
Boruto moaned in pain, from somewhere on the ground.
"That's not too bad." Toru nodded. "You're kinda fast, Boruto."
"Thanks." He wheezed.
"We were faster, back then." Naruto said, arms folded.
"…This is a very unefficient way to train." Sasuke said.
Naruto frowned. "Don't you have a daughter to raise or something? Shoo, shoo."
"Sarada is my daughter." Sasuke said with a proud smile. "She knows how to train herself, just like I did. Boruto needs the help more — he's Naruto's son."
"Hey!" Boruto shouted back.
"I'm sure he meant it as a compliment." Toru nodded.
"Did he…?" Boruto frowned. He didn't really trust the older Uchiha man, dad's friend or not. Not just because Uncle had told him to be careful around Uchiha.
("Around Uchiha… never relax — I would know better than most. Hell, I was one - or ten. Ah. Besides Sarada, because you have a soul bond or something now. Toru's okay, too. Don't talk about sad movies with him, though.")
"So, how did you train, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, not shooting Toru a mocking look about the idea of Sasuke training himself, because his friend would say it was rude.
"I practiced the jutsu I knew and did shuriken drills—"
"No, I mean, how did Kakashi train you — Not Orochimaru, I'm not that curious." Naruto laughed.
Sasuke tightened his fist. "He trusted us and let us find our way."
Naruto and Toru shared a look.
"Okay, but what did he do for actual training?" Toru asked.
Sasuke stared. "...Well, one time, for the Chūnin exams, he took me away for a month to teach me the Chidori."
"Why didn't you just Sharingan-copy it away...?" Naruto muttered.
Sasuke ignored him.
"Oh, so you became a Chūnin, then?" Toru nodded. "Yeah, same here."
Sasuke looked away.
Naruto picked up on it. "Did other-me not reach the finals…? And your third teammate — Sakura, right?"
"Naruto was in the finals."
"Oh." Toru nodded. "Kakashi left a clone with him, then. He did the same with us, sometimes."
"A clone?" Sasuke tilted his head.
"Well… to train the future Hokage." Toru answered, shrugging.
"No, he didn't."
"…Why?"
"I don't know, Gaara would have killed me, probably. But then again... Neji would have been equally dangerous to Naruto - I think she tried to kill her cousin just before. So Kakashi asked a friend to step in, as a favor." Sasuke shrugged.
"Ah, Jiraiya, then?" Naruto asked. "That's not too bad, the man's probably a good teacher."
He had turned their Sasuke into a pretty strong guy, after all.
"Yeah, I think so." Sasuke nodded. "He learned how to summon frogs from him."
"Who did Hokage fight in the exams?" Toru asked.
"Hinata's older sister." Sasuke said.
"…Who?"
"Neji, I just told you." Sasuke nodded. "Tall girl with hard eyes, she was branch house, I think."
"Damn, Neji was a girl, here…?" Toru frowned. "This is so weird."
"I don't know, I never asked." Sasuke said. "She had very long hair, at least."
Naruto looked at him. The Hokage had definitely called Neji a man. Was Indra's insanity affecting Sasuke too…? He had thought things were different, here. He would have to check him. Probably forcefully.
"So Naruto won using his frog summons, right?" Naruto asked.
"Toads." Boruto corrected.
"No, he punched Neji really hard in the chin, according to Sakura." Sasuke nodded.
"…What about the toads?" Toru frowned.
"I guess he forgot he had them. He used to be pretty dumb - well, more so." Sasuke said.
"HEY!" Boruto shouted.
"So Neji didn't win the exams?" Naruto asked.
"No."
"Who did?"
"Nobody did. Gaara fell asleep; Suna and Oto attacked."
"Who's Oto?" Toru frowned.
"Orochimaru's village."
"The one you left Konoha for? ...After they attacked your precious clan's ancestral home...?"
"…It's not exactly how this went. But yes."
Naruto shrugged. He was in no position to throw stones.
"That's classic Gaara." Toru shook his head.
"Gaara is a complicated man." Sasuke agreed. He had prevented him from killing the Raikage, which made him someone to grunt at — rudely, not as a sign of respect as he did when he saw an equal, like Naruto for example — whenever he saw him.
"Uncle Gaara is cool." Boruto piped in.
(Cooler than "uncle" Sasuke. He thought.)
Sasuke ignored the last sentence. "Speed training is useful, Boruto, because I can teach you my most unique technique—"
"The brainwashing technique?" Naruto frowned. "He's a bit young for that—"
"I don't have a brainwashing technique." Sasuke frowned. Toru nodded — that was more Shisui's domain.
"Then what?"
Sasuke smiled proudly.
Lightning crackled, dancing in his hand.
This was his masterpiece, his ultimate jutsu. His magnum opus.
His Chidori, and with it, legend said he had blown his hand to pieces against Naruto's Rasengan.
Boruto beamed. That was cool. Maybe the man was cool too, after all.
"…It's not even your technique." Naruto said.
"It is."
"That's Kakashi's."
"Kakashi uses the Raikiri. I use the Chidori." Sasuke shook his head. "They are different things entirely."
Toru frowned. "But Boruto doesn't even have a Sharingan. It's pretty… risky — at best."
Sasuke thought about it. "Well, he can use the long-range version, then. I created it too."
"He might as well use something else." Naruto folded his arms. "Why not swords?"
Boruto looked at him hesitantly. The Chidori was cool, but swords were pretty cool, too. He would definitely look badass with one — or two.
Sasuke pursed his lips. "Well, I am a master swordsman." He said. "For all his faults, Orochimaru trained me in the art—"
"Same here." Naruto nodded. "And Sarutobi, too — when I was a kid. You probably have more experience overall — not counting past lives because I'm generous — since you're kinda… well… old."
"Old man Sasuke." Boruto grinned.
Sasuke frowned. "I'm your dad's age."
"Yeah!"
"…Let's start with another jutsu, then." Sasuke said. "Swords are something anyone can learn, apparently. Let me show you the jutsu that made your dad so well-known—"
"Releasing the Nine-Tails and letting it rampage…?" Naruto frowned.
"—the Rasengan."
Chakra whirred to life, until an orb of spinning, blue chakra raged in Sasuke's hand.
"This is a strong jutsu, really." He said. "Almost as strong as my Chidori."
"Except you don't have to get tunnel vision." Toru nodded.
"…And you apparently can add Wind chakra to it to make it even stronger — almost as strong as my Black Chidori."
"You can use Black Lightning?" Naruto frowned. "Did Darui teach you? I thought it was a Kumo special, like my stolen Lightning Cloak."
Sasuke ignored him.
"Why only Wind chakra?" Toru frowned. "You can put at least two elements in it. Our Sasuke did so."
Sasuke ignored him too.
He never had bothered with that, to be honest. He had his Black Chidori. But he was sure it would be easy enough to create a Black Rasengan, anyway.
At least, the two outsiders didn't talk down on this technique—
"Look, Boruto." Toru grinned. Ten miniature Rasengan spun above his fingers. He wiggled them, in a show of blue light. "Jazz hands!"
Boruto clapped in delight.
Sasuke let out a long suffering sigh.
'And I learned plenty of things today!' Boruto sent.
'More so than with Konohamaru-sensei?' Mitsuki asked back.
'I don't know — it's different, more of a free-form thing, I think. We're touching on many topics at the same time — it's probably so that I can learn to adapt to the real world, because it's not anything like a classroom… or something!'
'Lucky you.' Sarada did the equivalent of muttering through thought.
'Your dad is strange, by the way.'
'Mine?' Mitsuki asked. 'I guess he can be—'
'Not yours.' Boruto laughed.
'I know.' Sarada sent back, rolling her eyes. 'Why do you think I left?'
'…Actually, where are you?' Boruto asked.
'Secret mission.' Sarada grinned.
Get in the Robot, Sarada!
"The first thing to do when running away is to cover your tracks, Sarada." Sakura nodded.
"Yes." Sarada nodded. "Never tell anyone where you are exactly. I just told mom I found a teacher, and that I had to leave the village."
"Did she buy it?"
Sarada shrugged.
Sakura laughed. "Just like me!"
Sarada smiled slightly. The Hokage trusted this woman's entourage, so it would be fine, anyway.
"Now… It's not hard to run away, really." Sakura nodded. "I did it, and I was very young, then. Your father apparently did. My husband did. Really, anyone can do it — besides your mother, apparently."
"Mom had no reason to run away." Sarada frowned. If only she would stop with that.
"I'm sure."
"The hard part is actually being a runaway." Sakura continued. "I figured out only after I knew the basics already, luckily."
"How?"
"Well, me… I met a vagrant — he was retired, mostly — ninja, who told me everything I needed to know about how to train on my own." Sakura nodded. She looked at Sarada pointedly. "Just like you. And then I was able to become an S-ranked ninja. All alone." Mostly, she finished under her breath.
"Okay. I trust you." Sarada nodded. "You're the vagrant here."
"Yes."
"Then…?"
"Then you have to meet a bunch of lovable misfits who will force you to accept them, in spite of the fact that you may or may not have a few… itty bitty, tiny issues with staying in one place because of your past."
"What do you do after that?"
"You pretend you don't want to come with them — playing hard to get is important here, you really have to sell it. They probably won't realize you're feeling a bit lonely sometimes, so when you finally do... Make it sound like you're coming out of the kindness of your heart."
Sarada stared.
"And… then…?"
"Then you need to make sure that the most powerful man or woman you can find around — or just one with potential — falls in love with you, because there's no way he can resist your rogue charm. You can play hard to get if you want, but be careful if he knows some other women. Now… if he's very very powerful, he might already have a few… leeches attached to him, so you're going to have to suck it up — not the leeches, I mean the penchant for polygamy. It's not so bad, you can get a few husbands and wives out of it, depending on the circumstances."
"Poly—what?" Sarada frowned.
"Oh you sweet summer child." Sakura laughed mockingly. "Don't worry, you will either find out… or you won't."
"…Are you insulting me?"
"No. I wouldn't do that." Sakura shook her head. "You're too much like me."
"Okay, good." Sarada nodded. "I'm good with shuriken." She added, helpfully.
"I'm sure. It's a very Uchiha thing. That and emotional outbursts." Sakura nodded. "Okay… Next step… What you have to do is get your hands on the most powerful eye around."
"An… eye? A metaphorical one?"
"No." Sakura shook her head. "Then… Put that one in yourself — you have two decent ones already, but I've seen a few people who just put them in their arms or forehead because they have a full set already — If you're anything like me, you definitely have some room up there—" She laughed.
"Eyes don't go in arms or foreheads." Sarada deadpanned.
"Ask your dad about a woman named Kaguya."
"…I'm not talking to my dad, I'm running away, remember?"
"Ah, yes. My bad."
"It's okay, I don't like him too much." Sarada shrugged helplessly. "And then?"
"Then you're going to want to build your legend." Sakura grinned. "Instill fear in the hearts of your enemies, make a name for yourself, steal the man - or woman, that's up to you - of your dreams away from jealous blon—"
"Mom said you were sharing your husband — whatever that means."
"I'm sharing my marriage, not his heart." Sakura rolled her eyes. "We all know who he loves most."
"Okay."
Sakura nodded, pleased.
"…And then?" Sarada asked.
"And then what...?" Sakura frowned. "You won. Enjoy the rest of your life, with more power at your fingertips than you could ever have dreamed of, back when you were a sad little victim of fate with a huge chip on your shoulder—"
"You don't have to put it like this." Sarada muttered quietly.
"I'm talking about myself."
"Ah." She regained some of her countenance. "Okay, then."
"Yeah, if you have some hobbies, I guess you can do that again, once you're done with conquering the world and stuff—"
"You said nothing about that." Sarada frowned. "Besides, I don't want to—"
"Don't you want to be Hokage?" Sakura asked.
"Yes." Sarada beamed. "How do you know?"
"Instinct!" Sakura grinned back. "Well… conquering the world is pretty much like becoming the Hokage of… the world. I guess."
"Are you sure?" Sarada asked dubiously.
"Of course!" Sakura smiled. "Look. I can have Naruto name me Hokage tomorrow, if I want. Itachi's been bitching a lot, so he would bench him, I'm sure…"
"Who's Itachi?"
"He's your dead uncle — the one who apparently killed your clan some years ago."
Sarada looked horrified.
"What?!" She shrieked.
"Don't worry." Sakura laughed easily. "That's only here. Ours is more boring, really. He only cheats at games and no one seems to notice but me — game recognizes game, Sarada."
"Not that!" Sarada said shrilly. "He killed—"
"…You didn't know?" Sakura frowned. "It's in every book. Clan-Killer Itachi, Itachi of the Genocide, Murderchild, Deadclan Wonderboy, Bloodstained Uchiha, "Konoha's Latest Prodigy SNAPS!", Rivers of Blood Itachi… Plenty of names and articles. The guy's like a bogeyman in the Land of Fire. Hell, even Toru's scared of him, and all jokes aside, he's pretty ballsy — not unlike me."
"But… My dad said that his brother was the greatest man he had ever known." Sarada muttered.
It had been one of the only things he had told her of any value. She had thought it a beautiful thing, back then.
Sakura snorted. "Well, that tells you everything you need to know about your dad, doesn't it?"
"…You don't have the Sharingan, do you?" Sakura asked.
Sarada jumped.
"How do you know…?"
"Well, you're half Haruno — which makes you a damn decent liar, it's in our blood. But you're also half-Uchiha — it's not your fault — which means that if you had it, it would be on all the damn time, to remind your non-Uchiha teammates that they don't have a bloodline. Until they finally crack under pressure and decide they have to get one for themselves."
Silence.
"…Is that why you got the eye?" Sarada asked.
"Of course not, little one. It was out of necessity, I'm not quite this petty. I didn't care about stupid Toru's eyes — he was very childish when I was twelve; no wonder, he was a bit younger."
"Okay…?"
"Well, I'll help you activate it—"
"You can?!"
"Well, Ino can do it, so it's probably not that hard, really." Sakura waved it off.
Sarada frowned, but said nothing.
"So." Sakura finished. "We're on the run now, Sarada. Where do we go first? You decide." She said magnanimously, just like Kiyoshi had done for her, so long ago.
…Then again, wandering about in a civil-war torn land had not been her best choice.
It did have the upside of really speeding along her education on the state of the world, but boy… The nightmares had lasted for a long while. She had killed her first few people then, too.
Figuring out how to use her ghost hand to choke an unsuspecting criminal had been a long, hard day. But Kiyoshi's praise had made it worth it. Overall.
She shook her head. Now was no time to indulge in nostalgic memories.
"My auntie Tsunade is somewhere out there." Sarada said. "Mom says she drinks too much and she's worried. We could pay her a visit, right?"
Sakura frowned. Auntie Tsunade…? Like the legendary Sannin…?
Nah, there was no way. If she was Other-Sakura's sister, she would have to be somewhat young — not a woman in her seventies.
"Of course, Sarada." Sakura grinned. "I can't wait to meet her — I never had a sister myself."
Sarada thought she was talking about herself, and she felt her heart stir.
A sister…?
Sure, this Sakura was a strange one, but considering what she had just heard about her father's older brother… as well as the very high regard he held him in…
Maybe it was just the way it was supposed to be.
Sarada would accept the unofficial adoption.
"Yeah… Me neither." She said, happily.
Pale blue chakra rose around Sakura in what looked like watery wisps.
It rose and rose; endlessly.
When Sakura looked at Sarada again, she was wreathed in a gigantic chakra construct, one that looked like a four-armed Tengu.
"Wha… what is this?" Sarada asked shrilly.
"It's your new vantage point... since we don't know where Tsunade is! Hop right in!" Sakura shouted, from high up. "It has WINGS!"
Sarada simply stared.
"Well?! Let's find your auntie, then!" Sakura grinned.
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