Naruto: The Uchiha Chronicles Re-Version:
So sorry for this everyone. It seems that this chapter was the one that got delayed when I had my AO3 stories on review and I forgot to put it up when it did. Sorry for all the updates that are going to go into your emails.
The Fifth Hokage:
Chapter 56: Flight to Fight
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Sasuki judged the distance carefully, eyeing her target. A broken piece of concrete with a crude target painted on it. She stood on the roof of one of the academy buildings, the same one they'd had their first team meeting on. Had it really only been half a year? It felt like seven.
Shaking her head of such distracting thoughts, she clutched the kunai in her hand tightly, her lightning chakra channeled through it and formed a sparking shroud. She whipped her hand forward, unleashing the knife. The kunai soared through the air. Midway to the target, the lightning fizzled out and the kunai bounced harmlessly off the target and fell to the ground with a harmless tink. Sasuki grit her teeth. She was trying to get her lightning chakra to stay in a weapon, so she'd have long range options. So far there had been little luck. The lightning chakra simply wouldn't stay in the kunai.
Why couldn't she get this down? After having her lack of viable long-range options exposed, she didn't want to be at someone's mercy because she had to get close ever again. She scowled at the sight of a destroyed roof across from her.
The destruction in the streets brought back grim memories of bloodstained streets. A sign hanging haphazardly from the front of a convenience store. Standing alone amidst an empty district as tears poured down her face, cursing the one who had made it empty. A hot bur burned her stomach, she couldn't breathe.
"Dammit all."
Falling to her back on the concrete roof, Sasuki looked up at the sky. A crumbling arch loomed above her, probably where the chunk of stone had come from. Clouds floated across a blue canvas like drifting balls of gossamer. For the first time in forever she felt truly weak. And she despised it. Hadn't she sworn that would never be the case?
The screech of a hawk overhead drew her from her musings. The hawk danced in the sky, flying around in a particular pattern. Sasuki sat up in interest. This had to be a messenger hawk. She thought back to her lessons on understanding their meanings. Eventually, it came to her. 'Meet … Kakashi … at Dango Shop.'
"What does he want?" She muttered moodily. Still, it would be a good chance to ask about the lightning chakra flow.
Sasuki got to her feet and walked to the roof's edge. She threw herself over the edge, letting her feet catch on the wall as she dashed to the street. No use making Kakashi wait.
She wove her way through the crowded streets of the village. She had no particular desire for eating at the shop Kakashi wanted to meet up. They were known for their dumplings, something she wasn't overly fond of. But she needed advice from Kakashi, so she'd go.
A wooden cart laden with lumber trundled past, no doubt headed for one of the many construction projects. She continued on. That had become a common sight recently. Just like the rooftop earlier, the sight of damaged buildings and hastily cleaned bloodstains took her right back to the horror of that day, just as it had on the roof. The only thing staying her anxiety was the numerous cheerful people she passed on the streets.
After passing through a few districts, she finally turned onto the street the Dango Shop lay on. The shop was a quaint little two-story building, with a semi-open seating area. Kakashi stood at the corner, chatting to Kurenai and Asuma as he waited for her.
Oddly, he seemed to break off his conversation as she approached.
"What did you want Kakashi? I don't like sweets, and I have to meet Naruto soon."
"I just wanted to check in on your training. Long range options, right?"
Sasuki nodded. "For once, you've got good timing. I can't seem to get the chakra to stay in weapons."
"I see." Kakashi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Something seemed … off about the man. His eye would subtly dart over her shoulder, but when she checked, Sasuki saw nothing. "The problem is the shape manipulation; you haven't quite mastered it. Unless you want to use hand signs, chakra conductive metal, and keeping the weapon connected to you with lightning are your best otions. At least until you master shape manipulation and maintaining it at distance."
"I guess I'll try that." Sasuki said, already thinking of how she'd do that. Keeping the lightning connected seemed easy enough, it would be like the Lightning Beast Running Jutsu. Besides, she had her training with Naruto. He was a master at that sort of thing.
"Sorry, but I have to take care of some things. See you around." Kakashi said abruptly. The man didn't even offer a casual wave as he blurred away.
Sasuki narrowed her eyes, disgruntled. He'd been the one to ask her to visit, and he had to leave all of a sudden? It irked her. Still, he had been acting odd. Unbidden, a shiver of unease went down her spine, as if someone were walking over her grave.
Before she had a chance to dwell overly long on the uneasy feeling, a small green dragon darted out of the sky with a leather tube strapped to its back.
"Sasuki, right?" The dragon asked, its voice was unmistakably male, with a shockingly deep timbre for being the size of her arm.
"Yeah. Are you one of Naruto's summons?"
The dragon bobbed its head. "Name's Goko, boss wanted me to give you this message." He said, proffering his back to her so she could reach the tube. Sasuki reached forward to unsnap the clasp. After peeling back the top, and pulling a rolled-up note from inside, she unfurled the message and began to read.
Sasuki,
Pervy Sage invited me on a last-minute mission.
We're headed for Shukuba town, sorry, but I'll be
missing our spar.
- Naruto
She scowled, balling up the message and tossing it away. "Dumbass, of course he has to cancel." Sasuki seethed. It was just her luck that Naruto would be called away on a mission right when she needed his help with training.
"So, can I go?" Goko asked nervously.
"Yes."
Goko was quick to take the opportunity to run. The small summon disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Sasuki to stew in her thoughts. If Naruto and Kakashi weren't going to help her with training, she'd just have to do it herself. Setting her jaw, she walked with a determined stride as she made for their usual training ground.
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Lightning crackled in the palm of Sasuki's hand, shrouding the kunai she held. Her eyes fixated on the boulder that was her target. With a fluid whip, she threw the knife. It zipped through the air, a pencil-thin rope of lightning connecting the kunai to her hand.
The kunai pierced the boulder easily, continuing through to embed itself into the ground alongside half a dozen others.
Sasuki nodded with satisfaction. That was significant progress from this morning. But a kunai could only do so much in a battle.
She needed something with more speed and power. Something with real force behind it. Her gaze drifted over to one of the trees, where six arrows were embedded into the trunk of a beech tree in a tight group. She'd had to blow off some steam after Naruto bailed on training.
A bow was an unconventional weapon for a shinobi. There were ranged jutsu that could do the job just as well as an arrow. Still, in the right hands they could be fast and deadly. Enhanced with chakra, there probably wasn't anything that could stop a lightning-enhanced arrow. 'And with the sharingan, I can predict where people will be.' Her current bow was wood, so were the arrows. Not exactly ideal for channeling lightning. The gears in her head turned furiously, as she became wrapped up in this new idea.
Kakashi had mentioned chakra conductive metal. Perhaps he'd know the best place to go to get weapons of the stuff made.
Sasuki sighed and began to pick up her weapons. Once they were all safely stored in her wristband, she left the training ground for Kakashi's apartment.
As she walked, people would pause to call to her as usual. The calls went ignored; Also, as usual. Though what was most unusual, they made her feel conflicted. Usually, they brought only annoyance and resentment. Where were those people when others had whispered about her being the spoiled daughter of the Uchiha? It was only after her clan was killed that they began treating her with respect and pity, like she was a precious object to be protected. If that wasn't bad enough, the way they ostracized Naruto made her furious. And yet, ever since the invasion, she'd noticed a shift.
As tales of Naruto's heroics spread, many of the civilians who had whispered behind his back now greeted him with warmth and reverence, the very same who'd scorned him for wanting to be a shinobi. Part of her felt sick at their hypocrisy. Another, one that could see how happy it made Naruto to be acknowledged, felt an uneasy gratitude.
She shook her head, recognizing Kakashi's building ahead. The building stood tall, a large rectangle stuffed between a single-story market and a much taller cylindrical building. Not particularly new, but also not old, it held mostly single-room apartments with a communal bathroom. The building was a popular place for certain shinobi. For a shinobi without a family–who often took missions that had them away from home weeks at a time–a simple room was ideal. Much easier to maintain, and cheap.
Sasuki entered the building and began walking up the wooden stairs to the third floor. She'd only been to her sensei's apartment once, but she remembered the way well. On the third floor she exited the stairwell, entering into a hall with staggered doors on either side. She made a beeline for the door marked with a '6'.
Curiously, the door was already cracked open about an inch. She heard voices coming from inside, though they quickly fell silent as if sensing her approach.
She stepped forward and pushed the door open. Inside was a spartan room. Kakashi lay unconscious under the covers of his bed, while the other jonin-sensei stood about with awkward airs. Asuma had been caught midway between bringing a cigarette to his lips, while Kurenai stood to the side, and Gai sat in a chair.
The odd sight gave her pause.
"Why's Kakashi out cold? So many jonin, and Kakashi unconscious … just what is going on here?"
"Uh, not much really." Guy lied poorly.
Sasuki was prepared to tear into him, but the door was suddenly thrown wide open as a fourth jonin burst into the room, he had a spiky haircut and wore a pair of dark sunglasses.
"Is it true, Itachi's returned, and he's looking for Naruto?"
The breath was stolen from her lips. Even as Kurenai cursed the man for being an idiot, her world fell away. Itachi, here in the Leaf. Looking for Naruto. That … monster was looking for Naruto. He was here to do it again; she'd never been so certain of anything in her life. She stood locked in place. Itachi wanted to take everything she loved–she couldn't allow it.
She turned and ran, ignoring the shouts of the jonin as she bowled past the newcomer. Chakra fueled her flight. She was on the street and dashing like a blur.
We're headed to Shukuba Town.
She had to get there first. If Itachi got to Naruto first … she couldn't survive that. Not again. The memories from when her brother showed her everything that he'd done still haunted her nightmares. He'd only left her with one person to care for, and now he wanted to take even that.
The Hidden Leaf fell away, accompanied by the protests of the guards as she blew past them and onto the open road. Dust flew from her heels, forming a cloud.
Her feet pounded against the ground, just as her heart pounded in her chest. She pushed herself even harder–belatedly, she deactivated her ankle and wrist weights mid-stride–using every ounce of speed she gained while training with Kakashi.
The countryside melted away. She was barely aware, as she turned onto the Kinpaku Highway. She was a tiger, her muscles coiled, then sprung loose, as she pounded down the dirt roads. Her vision narrowed, fixed ahead as her lungs pumped smoothly and she entered a trance-like state. 'Find Naruto. Find Naruto.' The message rang through her mind like an echo, over and over.
Rural farms gave way to a paved road, and soon she was dashing through crowded streets. Sasuki skidded to a stop, her eyes casting about wildly as she searched for Naruto. The streets were a torrent of sensation, sights, scents, sounds, all melding into an intoxicating combination of color and confusion. Times like this, she wished she was as good of a sensor as him. It took her a moment to think about looking at hotels.
Once the realization came, she began to run through the streets, her sharp eyes looking for any signs for hotels. Twice she stopped, rushing into the hotels to ask for information. Neither had seen Naruto or Jiraiya. With no success at the first two hotels, she began to lose hope. After turning onto a street named Fun Fun Avenue, Sasuki tore into the third hotel's lobby desperately. The receptionist looked at her oddly, as she stood before her panting and sweating.
"Is there big old man here, with a boy around my age with a blond ponytail?"
"Yes, but–"
"Which floor are they on!" Sasuki interrupted impatiently.
The receptionist seemed stunned. Perhaps that was why she stuttered out an answer. "The second …"
Sasuki took off, pounding up the stairs. Her heart was stuck in her throat. Every second it felt like she was going at a crawl, like she was already late. Her foot crested the last step, she entered a hallway that intersected with a second in a t-shape. With nobody in sight, she rushed around the corner.
Her body froze instinctually. Twenty yards away, two men were covered in black cloaks with red clouds, straw hats with white streamers pulled down over their faces. One of them–a hulking brute with blue skin–had a bulky sword strapped to his back. But it was the second that caught her attention. He was taller, his face more lined. But it was him.
All consuming rage seized her. "Itachi, I won't let you take him! Prepare to die!"
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Well, what do you think? Sasuki is finally coming face to face with her brother, how will it go? You'll have to wait for the next chapter.
Again, so sorry for this not being here.
Until Next Time,
RinneTaicho, Signing Off!