Chapter Two - Forge of Shadows
"Some teams are born. Some are broken. Some are forged."
Summary: A more rational Danzo takes on Team 7 to inherit his own Will of Fire. The world changes accordingly.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters within, and too many will likely make a mockery of them. To those easily offended, or disturbed. Turn back. To those with an open mind and eyes that can look past differences, welcome and enjoy.
The pre-dawn air hung heavy in Team 7's shared apartment, carrying the metallic tang of an approaching storm. Dawn's first tentative rays struggled to penetrate the thick wooden shutters, casting long shadows across the sparse furnishings that marked this space as a temporary waypoint between childhood and the harsh realities of shinobi life. Sakura's shinobi texts lay stacked with military precision on a corner desk, while Sasuke's traditional tea set occupied a place of honor near the window. Naruto's houseplants, scattered throughout the room like silent guardians, seemed to lean away from the imposing figure who commanded the center of their living space.
Shimura Danzo stood motionless, his presence filling the room with an almost tangible pressure. His single visible eye surveyed the three genin before him, each wrapped in their own cocoon of anticipation and unease. The bandages that obscured much of his face caught the dim light, transforming ordinary shadows into something more deliberate, more meaningful.
"Your presence here," Danzo began, his voice carrying the weight of decades of shadow warfare, "marks a departure from tradition." His cane tapped once against the wooden floor, the sound sharp as a kunai strike. "Team 7 will not follow the conventional path of new genin squads."
Naruto shifted restlessly, his bright orange jacket a defiant splash of color in the muted room. "No D-rank missions then? But how else will we-"
"Silence your thoughts, Uzumaki," Danzo commanded, his perception unnervingly accurate. "Your internal dialogue betrays itself on your face. A shinobi must master both inner and outer stillness."
Sakura's fingers tightened imperceptibly on her knees where she knelt, her analytical mind already racing ahead. "Danzo-sensei, you mentioned we're departing from tradition. Does this relate to why we're sharing living quarters instead of staying with our families?"
A ghost of approval flickered across Danzo's face. "Indeed. You three are being molded into Konoha's first dedicated first-response reconnaissance and combat unit in a generation." His cane traced a line across the floor, separating the team from their past lives. "The last such team was the Sannin, and before them, the Third Hokage's own squad during the Second Great War."
Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed, interest warring with skepticism. "The Sannin are legendary. What makes you think you can help us reach that level?"
"Because failure is not an option." Danzo's words cut through the air like a blade. "The village faces threats that would turn your nightmares pale. As you've experienced in the genjutsu trials, your current paths lead only to destruction."
The memory of those visions sent a collective shudder through the team. Naruto's hand unconsciously moved to his stomach, while Sakura's complexion paled several shades. Even Sasuke's carefully maintained composure cracked slightly.
"Your training begins now," Danzo continued, producing three scrolls from within his robes. "Each contains your individualized regimen. Uzumaki, your shadow clones will accelerate your academic recovery. Haruno, your physical conditioning takes priority. Uchiha, you will begin with chakra manipulation exercises that even your brother found challenging."
The mention of Itachi caused Sasuke's chakra to spike briefly, a flash of killing intent that Danzo acknowledged with a measured nod. "Channel that hatred into growth, but do not let it consume you. Your team needs your strength, not your vengeance."
Sakura raised her hand, an ingrained Academy habit that drew a slight frown from Danzo. "Sensei, you mentioned first-response reconnaissance. Does that mean we'll be deployed before standard teams?"
"Precisely. When intelligence suggests imminent threats, you will be my eyes, my sword, and my shield in the field." Danzo's gaze swept over them again. "The village needs shadows that can strike without hesitation, yet retain their humanity. That is what I will forge you into."
Naruto's usual exuberance bubbled up despite the oppressive atmosphere. "So we'll be like super-elite ninja? That's awesome! I mean... uh... that's an honor, Danzo-sensei." He wilted slightly under Danzo's stern gaze.
"Your enthusiasm, properly channeled, will serve the team well, Uzumaki. But first, you must all understand the weight of this responsibility." Danzo moved to the window, pushing open the shutters to reveal Konoha awakening below. "The Will of Fire burns brightest in the darkest places. That is what Lord Tobirama taught me, and what I will teach you."
His hand moved to touch the bandages covering his eye. "Your training will break you down and rebuild you. You will face your weaknesses, your fears, and emerge stronger. The village's future may well rest on your shoulders."
The morning light finally broke through the clouds, casting long shadows across the room. Danzo's figure seemed to absorb the darkness, while his students sat illuminated in the dawn's glow – a physical manifestation of their position between light and shadow.
"Your schedule begins now. Breakfast in ten minutes, followed by physical conditioning. Tardiness will not be tolerated." Danzo moved toward the door, his cane marking a steady rhythm. "Remember this moment. It marks the end of your childhood and the beginning of your true path as shinobi of the Leaf."
As their new sensei departed, the three genin exchanged glances weighted with understanding. The genjutsu visions had shown them their worst possible futures. Now, under Danzo's guidance, they would forge a different path – one that balanced on the knife's edge between darkness and light.
Sasuke rose first, moving to prepare breakfast with mechanical precision. Sakura began reviewing her scroll, her analytical mind already breaking down the training regimen into manageable segments. Naruto stared at his own scroll, the weight of responsibility settling over him like a physical presence.
"We're really doing this," he thought, watching his teammates adapt to their new reality. "We're going to become something different... something more."
The morning sun continued its ascent, marking the beginning of Team 7's transformation under the guidance of the Shinobi no Yami, the shadow who would forge them into Konoha's greatest defenders – or break them in the attempt.
The trek to Danzo's underground facility twisted through Konoha's lesser-known passages, each turn taking them deeper beneath the village's surface. The air grew progressively cooler, carrying the scent of stone and steel, while the walls transitioned from rough-hewn rock to polished obsidian that seemed to absorb what little light reached these depths.
Naruto's footsteps echoed against the stone, his usual boundless energy contained within a framework of nervous anticipation. "Everything feels different down here," he thought, noting how even the air seemed to carry more weight. "Like the whole village is pressing down on us."
The passage opened into a vast chamber that defied the confines of its underground location. Training areas stretched out in every direction, each section dedicated to different aspects of shinobi combat. The ceiling disappeared into darkness, while the walls bore strange seals that pulsed with a faint, rhythmic glow.
"Welcome," Danzo's voice resonated through the space, "to the forge where ANBU are shaped." He gestured with his cane toward three masked figures who materialized from the shadows, each carrying distinctive bundles. "Your standard equipment."
The ANBU moved with liquid grace, presenting their packages with ceremonial precision. Sasuke received his first, unwrapping a training sword that caught the dim light with deadly promise. The blade's edge was dulled for practice, but its weight and balance spoke of lethal potential.
Sakura's package revealed a pair of knuckle dusters, their metal surface etched with intricate chakra-conducting patterns. "Many will underestimate you," Danzo observed as she slipped them on, testing their fit. "They will see your size, your gender, and think you vulnerable. You will make them pay for that mistake."
When the third ANBU approached Naruto, the bundle was noticeably smaller. Inside lay only the standard ANBU training uniform, no additional weapons. Naruto's face fell, disappointment warring with confusion.
"Sensei, what about-"
"Show me your henge, Uzumaki." Danzo's command cut through Naruto's protest.
Confused but compliant, Naruto formed the hand seal. "Henge no Jutsu!" A perfect copy of Sasuke stood in his place, down to the subtle variations in the training sword's wear patterns.
"Now transform only your hand into a hand holding a kunai."
The request drew startled looks from both Sasuke and Sakura, but Naruto complied. His right hand shimmered and transformed to hold a perfectly formed kunai, complete with wrapped handle and sharp edge.
"As I suspected." Danzo tapped his cane against the floor, the sound echoing through the chamber. "Your chakra density allows for true physical transformation, not mere illusion. The standard henge is a genjutsu, yet you perform actual transmutation. This is why you need no additional weapons – you are capable of becoming them."
Sakura's eyes widened with understanding. "That's why he can make shadow clones too, isn't it? Even though it's a kenjutsu, his chakra naturally wants to take physical form!"
"Correct." Danzo's approval was subtle but present. "Naruto will be responsible for maintaining your weapon supplies in the field. His clones can transform into any equipment you might need, adapting to situations as they develop."
Sasuke studied his teammate with newfound interest. "Hn. Versatile."
"But Sensei," Naruto's brow furrowed in concentration, "I always thought henge was just... you know, regular jutsu stuff. Everyone does it."
"They attempt it," Danzo corrected. "Most achieve only illusion. Your... unique circumstances provide advantages few can comprehend." His gaze lingered meaningfully on Naruto's stomach. "You will learn to utilize this gift to its fullest potential."
The three ANBU disappeared as silently as they had arrived, leaving Team 7 alone with their mentor in the vast training space. The seals on the walls pulsed more intensely, casting shifting shadows that seemed to dance with purpose.
"Now," Danzo's voice took on an edge that sent chills down their spines, "we begin your assessment. Show me what the Academy has given me to work with." His cane struck the ground once more, and the chamber's atmosphere shifted palpably. "Attack me. All of you. Hold nothing back."
The three genin exchanged glances, a silent communication passing between them. In that moment, despite their brief time as a team, something clicked into place – a shared understanding that their survival would depend on working as one.
"This is it," Naruto thought as he shifted into a ready stance, feeling Sasuke and Sakura doing the same on either side of him. "This is where we start becoming whatever it is he sees in us."
The underground chamber seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the clash that would mark the true beginning of Team 7's transformation.
The underground chamber's seals pulsed with an otherworldly rhythm as Team 7 faced their new sensei. The recent memory of individual genjutsu trials left invisible scars on their psyches, pushing them toward action even as their bodies screamed caution.
Naruto moved first, predictably – yet with a hesitation that betrayed his usual brashness. The horror of watching Sakura and Sasuke fall in his genjutsu vision still burned fresh in his mind. A dozen shadow clones burst into existence, spreading out in a pattern that showed more thought than his typical rush attacks.
"Attempting strategy, Uzumaki?" Danzo's voice cut through the tension. "Yet your clones telegraph every move with their eyes. Pathetic." His cane moved in a blur, dispelling three clones before they could even register the movement. "If this is your best, perhaps I should have left you to Hatake's mediocrity."
Sasuke seized the opening, his hands flashing through seals with practiced precision. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!" The flames roared toward Danzo, while Sasuke himself darted to the left, training sword drawn.
"Better timing, worse execution." Danzo didn't even move as the fireball passed harmlessly through his afterimage. "Your brother would have coordinated with his teammates by now, Uchiha. Or do you still believe you can accomplish everything alone?"
Sakura analyzed the exchange, her mind racing through scenarios. "He's baiting us, trying to..." Her thoughts scattered as Danzo appeared before her, his single visible eye boring into her soul.
"Analysis without action is worthless, Haruno. Your intelligence serves no purpose if you freeze in combat." His cane tapped her forehead protector. "The enemy won't wait for you to finish thinking."
Naruto's remaining clones converged, attempting to form a protective circle around Sakura. "Leave her alone!" Their coordinated attack dissolved into chaos as Danzo seemed to flow between them like smoke, each strike of his cane finding vital points with surgical precision.
"Emotional response clouding judgment," Danzo commented dryly. "Just like in your vision, Uzumaki. How long until your weakness gets your teammates killed this time?"
The words struck deeper than any physical blow. Naruto faltered, the image of Sakura's broken body from the genjutsu overlapping with reality. His momentary hesitation cost him as Danzo's cane found his solar plexus, driving the air from his lungs.
Sasuke attempted to capitalize on Danzo's apparent focus on Naruto, his training sword whistling through the air in a precise arc. "Your footwork betrays your intent, Uchiha," Danzo chided, deflecting the blade with his cane while simultaneously sweeping Sasuke's legs. "Just as your brother said it would."
The mention of Itachi shattered Sasuke's composure. His next attacks became wild, driven by emotion rather than technique. "Yes, show me the rage that blinds you," Danzo taunted. "The same rage that will lead you down the path to betrayal I showed you."
Sakura finally moved, her new knuckle dusters glinting as she attempted to flank their sensei. Her strike was technically perfect – and completely ineffective as Danzo shifted slightly, letting her momentum carry her past him.
"Three genin, supposedly the best of their class," Danzo's voice dripped with disdain. "One trapped by his emotions, one paralyzed by analysis, and one crippled by fear of failure. This is what the Academy produces? This is what I'm expected to forge into a response team?"
The three genin regrouped, their breathing heavy and uneven. Sweat dripped from Naruto's brow, while Sasuke's hands shook almost imperceptibly on his sword's hilt. Sakura's analytical mind raced, trying to find a solution that kept slipping away.
"Perhaps the visions I showed you were optimistic," Danzo continued, his cane tapping a steady rhythm against the stone floor. "At least in those futures, you managed to survive long enough to fail spectacularly. At this rate, you won't last your first real mission."
The chamber's seals pulsed brighter, casting harsh shadows across their faces as Team 7 struggled to find their footing – both literally and metaphorically. The weight of their potential futures pressed down on them, as tangible as the earth above their heads.
"Again," Danzo commanded, his voice promising only more pain and humiliation. "Show me if there's anything worth salvaging beneath your pathetic facades."
The apartment door clicked shut behind them with a finality that seemed to mark the boundary between their public facade and private collapse. Shadows stretched across the worn wooden floors, matching the dark bruises blooming on exposed skin. The air hung heavy with the scent of sweat, copper, and defeat.
Naruto stumbled first, his usually boundless energy finally deserting him as he slumped against the wall. His orange jacket was torn in several places, revealing patches of skin that were already healing – too quickly to be natural. "That... that was something else," he managed, forcing a weak grin that didn't reach his eyes.
Sasuke made it to the kitchen area through sheer stubborn pride, his movements mechanical as he filled the kettle. His new training sword clattered against the counter as his hands shook. "Your clones were sloppy," he muttered, but the words lacked their usual bite.
"Oh yeah?" Naruto shot back, wincing as he shifted position. "At least I didn't completely lose it when he mentioned..." He caught himself, noting how Sasuke's shoulders had tensed. "Never mind."
Sakura hadn't moved from her position by the door, her knuckle dusters still clutched in white-knuckled hands. Her breathing came in short, controlled bursts that barely masked their trembling nature.
"Sakura-chan?" Naruto's voice softened with concern. "You okay?"
The question shattered something in her. A harsh laugh escaped her throat, brittle as breaking glass. "Okay? None of us are okay, Naruto." Her knuckle dusters hit the floor with a metallic clang. "Did you see how easily he... and we couldn't even..." Her voice cracked. "In my genjutsu, I saw... I saw what happens to kunoichi who fail their missions. What enemy shinobi do to..." She couldn't continue, her arms wrapping around herself as if trying to hold something together that threatened to fall apart.
The kettle's whistle pierced the silence that followed, making them all jump. Sasuke moved with deliberate focus, preparing three cups of tea. His hands still shook, but the familiar ritual seemed to ground him.
"Here." He placed a cup near Sakura, then one by Naruto, before settling against the wall with his own. "My mother..." he paused, something vulnerable flickering across his features. "She always said tea helps after training."
Naruto looked at his cup, then at his teammates. "They're both so messed up," he thought. "But then, so am I." The memory of his own genjutsu vision – of losing control, of the Kyuubi's chakra consuming everything he cared about – pressed against his consciousness.
"Your plants need water," Sasuke commented suddenly, nodding toward the collection of somewhat wilted houseplants scattered around the apartment.
"Oh... yeah." Naruto pushed himself up, grateful for the distraction. "They're not used to being moved, I guess." He began tending to them, the simple act of caring for something helping to settle his nerves. "They've been with me a long time. When no one else was..."
"Is that why there are so many?" Sakura asked, finally moving to pick up her tea. Her voice was steadier now, though her eyes remained haunted. "Because you were lonely?"
Naruto's hands stilled on a leaf. "Yeah. Pretty pathetic, huh?"
"No." Sasuke's response surprised them both. "Understanding the need for connection isn't weakness. Even if it's with plants." His words carried the weight of someone who had rejected such connections for too long.
Sakura sank down between them, her tea cupped in both hands like a lifeline. "We're going to have to be better than this," she whispered. "What I saw in that genjutsu... I can't let that happen. I won't be that helpless again."
"We won't let it happen," Naruto declared, his voice finding some of its usual strength. "Any of it. Not your thing, not Sasuke's thing with... you know, and not my thing with the..." he gestured vaguely at his stomach.
"The Kyuubi," Sasuke stated plainly, causing both his teammates to stare at him. "What? It's obvious if you know what to look for. The whiskers, the healing, the massive chakra reserves."
Naruto tensed, waiting for the rejection, the fear, but Sasuke simply sipped his tea. "Your chakra control is still terrible though."
A startled laugh escaped Naruto, followed by a wince as it aggravated his bruised ribs. "Yeah, well, your attitude still sucks."
"Both of you need to work on your teamwork," Sakura added, a ghost of a smile touching her lips. "Though I guess I do too. I kept overthinking everything instead of acting."
They sat in companionable silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts while drawing comfort from the others' presence. The apartment's shadows seemed less threatening now, the space beginning to feel less like a assigned quarters and more like something approaching home.
"We should eat," Sasuke finally said, pushing himself up. "I'll make something."
"I'll help," Sakura offered, her voice stronger. "I know some nutritional guidelines that might help with recovery."
Naruto finished watering his plants, watching his teammates move around the kitchen with growing coordination. "Maybe this is what Danzo-sensei meant," he thought. "About being broken down to be rebuilt. Maybe we need to break together to grow together."
The night settled around them, their shared space becoming a sanctuary where they could be vulnerable, where they could begin to heal – not just from today's wounds, but from all the ones they'd carried alone for far too long.
As the evening deepened, their small kitchen became an unexpected battlefield of its own – one where past traumas and ingrained habits clashed with newfound necessities. Sakura stood before the open refrigerator, her analytical mind catalyzing as she surveyed its meticulously stocked contents.
"This isn't random," she murmured, fingers trailing over labeled containers and precisely portioned ingredients. "There's a pattern here. Look – protein-rich foods, complex carbohydrates, specific vegetables..." Her eyes widened with realization. "It's a calculated nutritional matrix."
Sasuke moved with practiced grace through the kitchen space, retrieving cookware with the same precision he'd shown with his training sword earlier. His movements carried echoes of childhood memories – afternoons spent in the Uchiha compound's kitchen, watching his mother's hands dance through domestic jutsu with the same dedication others gave to combat techniques.
"The portions," he noted, examining the ingredients Sakura had begun setting out. "They're measured precisely for three, but..."
"But Naruto needs more," Sakura completed his thought, her mind racing through calculations. "Your chakra reserves are enormous, Naruto. You must burn through calories at an incredible rate. These portions... they're probably calibrated for standard genin metabolism, but you're far from standard."
Naruto hovered at the kitchen's edge, fingers fidgeting with the hem of his torn jacket. The organized chaos of domestic life unfolding before him felt more daunting than Danzo's training regime. "They look so... natural," he thought, watching Sasuke efficiently prep vegetables while Sakura recalculated portions. "Like they know exactly what they're doing."
"Naruto, wash these," Sasuke commanded, sliding a bowl of vegetables toward him. The direct instruction was a lifeline in Naruto's sea of uncertainty.
"I... yeah, okay." His hands trembled slightly as he approached the sink. "Don't mess this up, don't mess this up." Years of eating instant ramen alone hadn't prepared him for this intimate dance of shared meal preparation.
Sakura watched him from the corner of her eye, noting the uncharacteristic hesitation in his movements. "Naruto, have you ever cooked with others before?"
The question hung in the air, heavy with implications. Naruto's shoulders tensed, his scrubbing of a carrot becoming perhaps more vigorous than necessary. "Not really," he admitted quietly. "Never really had anyone to cook with, you know?"
Sasuke's knife stilled momentarily on the cutting board, memories of his own family's meals flickering through his mind. "My mother," he started, then paused, as if weighing whether to continue. "She always said cooking was like kata. It requires discipline, precision, and practice." His knife resumed its steady rhythm. "Watch how I cut these. You'll need to learn."
The simple instruction, delivered without judgment, seemed to ease some of Naruto's tension. Sakura, meanwhile, had commandeered a notepad and was rapidly filling it with calculations.
"If we adjust the proportions here... and account for your accelerated healing factor..." she muttered, brush strokes quick and precise. "We'll need to increase your protein intake significantly, Naruto. Probably carbohydrates too. Sasuke, can you show me where Danzo-sensei stored the rice? We should make extra."
The domesticity of the moment struck them all differently – for Sasuke, it was a bittersweet echo of lost family traditions he found himself unexpectedly willing to share; for Sakura, it was a chance to apply her intelligence to protecting her teammates in a different way; and for Naruto, it was a first tentative step into a world he'd only observed from the outside.
"Like this?" Naruto asked, mimicking Sasuke's knife technique with endearing awkwardness.
"Hn. Angle the blade more. Like you're throwing a kunai, but slower." Sasuke's instruction carried the same focused intensity he brought to training, but tempered with an unexpected patience.
Steam began to rise from various pots, carrying the promise of something more than just sustenance. In this moment, their shared apartment felt less like an assigned quarters and more like the beginning of something none of them had dared hope for – a place where broken pieces might start fitting together in new ways.
"Is this what family feels like?" Naruto wondered, carefully slicing vegetables under Sasuke's watchful eye while Sakura continued muttering about caloric intake and chakra consumption rates. The thought both warmed and terrified him, like holding something precious with hands unused to handling delicate things.
The kitchen's warmth enveloped them as they settled around the low table, their first meal together carrying the weight of something more significant than simple sustenance. Steam rose from carefully arranged dishes – Sasuke's precise culinary discipline evident in every presentation, while Sakura's calculated portions spoke of protection through precision.
Before anyone could reach for their chopsticks, Sasuke straightened his posture, his movements taking on a ritual solemnity that commanded attention. His hands came together in a gesture both familiar and foreign to his teammates – not a jutsu seal, but something older, more fundamental.
"Itadakimasu," he began, but the traditional phrase was merely a prelude. His voice dropped lower, taking on a cadence that echoed with generations of Uchiha tradition. "I honor those who came before, whose flames burn eternal in the sacred fire. Mother, Father, I share this meal with new companions beneath your watchful gaze."
The small shrine he'd erected in the corner seemed to draw the room's shadows toward it, the incense holder carrying faint wisps of smoke that danced like wayward spirits. Each word of his prayer carried the weight of loss and the determination to preserve something precious.
Naruto sat perfectly still, an unusual state for the typically restless genin. His chest ached with an emotion he couldn't quite name – something between longing and reverence. The ritual stirred something deep within him, an ancestral memory perhaps, of clan traditions and family bonds he'd never known. His fingers twitched, unconsciously mimicking Sasuke's ceremonial gestures, wanting to belong to something larger than himself.
Sakura watched her teammates with growing understanding. In Sasuke's careful preservation of his clan's traditions, she saw not just grief but a desperate grasp at identity. In Naruto's uncharacteristic stillness, she recognized the hunger for connection that his boisterous personality usually masked. Their pain radiated like physical wounds, and something fierce awakened in her heart.
"They're both so broken," she thought, her hands clenching beneath the table. "But they're still reaching out, still trying to build something from the ashes of their losses." The analytical part of her mind that had earlier calculated nutritional needs now cataloged emotional vulnerabilities, points where she could shore up their defenses not just in combat, but in life.
As Sasuke concluded his blessing, the atmosphere shifted subtly. The ritual's formality gave way to something more intimate – three wounded souls sharing not just a meal, but a moment of genuine connection.
"The rice," Sasuke said softly, breaking the silence as he passed the bowl to Naruto first – a deliberate inclusion that didn't go unnoticed. "It's prepared the way my mother taught me."
Naruto accepted the bowl with uncharacteristic care, his usual brashness tempered by the moment's gravity. "Thank you," he whispered, the words carrying more weight than a simple acknowledgment of food.
Sakura felt her protective instincts crystallize into resolution. These boys, her teammates, had been failed by so many – but she wouldn't fail them. Whether it meant throwing herself between them and physical danger, or simply ensuring they ate properly and remembered to care for themselves, she would be their shield.
The meal unfolded in comfortable silence, punctuated by small gestures that spoke volumes – Sasuke's subtle corrections to Naruto's chopstick technique, Sakura's quiet insistence on second helpings, Naruto's grateful glances at being included in this makeshift family ritual.
Outside their windows, Konoha's lights began to twinkle in the gathering dusk. Within their apartment, three genin who had started the day as reluctant teammates found themselves ending it as something more – not quite family, not yet, but perhaps the beginning of one.