Chapter 10- The Calm Before The Storm

"It does not matter how slowly you go

as long as you do not stop."

-Confucius

This Chapter's Theme Song:

Des Rocs – Used to the Darkness

"Oh my, what is this? Has sloth finally arrived?"

"What you are can't simply be washed away!"

"I don't know who you are… But it seems I made a mistake… You aren't sloth… No… YOU'RE WRATH!"

"Are you all bark and no bite?"

Kamen's eyes flashed open in a panic, his hand reaching for his kunai pouch only to find that it wasn't at his hip. The dark-haired time traveller winced as he sat up and scanned his surroundings. He was lying in what was left of the curry of life shop. He had been set up behind the counter next to the gas cooker, which would have been a peculiar choice had it not been the least damaged area of the shop. Next to him, placed in a neat line, was his kunai pouch and armour.

As the war veteran's thoughts organised themselves and memories of where he was and what had happened came flooding back, he noticed three people standing a short distance from him. One was Grandma Sancho who was stirring a pot of curry diligently while the other was Karashi, who was running back and forth from a crooked cupboard to the curry pot, arms full of ingredients. He only just managed to spot a third person who was stood on a stool next to Grandma Sancho, a certain purple haired child. A bittersweet smile graced Kamen's lips, Ranmaru would find his place here, just as he had in his time… Nothing had truly changed…

As Kamen struggled to get to his feet, his muscles still feeling the strain from being overworked, wincing from the pain as he caught sight of the other people in the room. Shale, Lisandra and her two remaining samurai who had stripped their top armour and helms, revealing their black under shirts, were knelt next to the corpse of the third samurai, a pure white sheet covering the body. One of the samurai, the one with two swords, was a long brown-haired woman, who's light blue eyes were riddled with red markings, obviously bloodshot from crying. Kamen's solemn eyes gazed at the female samurai with both pity and respect, though the shinobi world had its fair share of inequalities, kunoichi were rarely looked down upon as physical strength was only one of the many tools that could be used by kunoichi and shinobi alike, however for samurai this was a very different story. Outstanding strength and sword skills were the only tools they had to measure up to their opponents, meaning that women were often left lagging behind, that is unless they had exceptional sword skills. This alone said a lot about the woman kneeling in the rubble of the curry of life shop.

The ex-blond shinobi stumbled around the counter and out into what used to be the dining area. It seemed as though team seven and Lee had set about cleaning the place up, made evident by a line of Naruto's shadow clones who were busy forming a chain that was gradually emptying the shop of broken planks and similar rubble. Sakura and Lee were busy patching up some of the holes that had been made in the building's structure and though the craftsmanship was dubious it was at the very least sturdy. Sasuke and the real Naruto were uncharacteristically sweeping up the dust and splinters that littered the floor. At least it would have been uncharacteristic if Kamen didn't know both children better than they knew themselves. They had both lived alone for long enough that housework was the most familiar to them out of the given tasks, Sasuke more so than Naruto seeing as not only did he actually look after his own flat outside of the Uchiha compound, he also cleaned every single house inside the Uchiha compound, every other month. Kamen had been quite shocked about that little titbit, sure Sasuke had only revealed this after having gotten drunk one solemn evening, but he still had never expected the dark-haired brooder to ever tell him about such a thing.

Kamen passed by the mourning quartet and gave a small bow as well as a 'Sorry for your loss' before reaching his objective, Guy and Kakashi who were sat at one of the still intact tables that they had shuffled over to a discreet corner of the dining area. They had noticed his approach ever since he had stood up but only acknowledged him as he hovered above them. The pair had most likely been talking about their plan of action for what to do next, which was made obvious by the map lying on the table between them.

Kamen felt more than a bit awkward as he stood above the pair, unsure what they would think after yesterday's fiasco, not just because of what he had done, but rather because of his inaction in the beginning. His worries were unfounded however as Kakashi raised one of his hands and mumbled a 'sup' through his mask, swiftly followed by Guy shooting to his feet and grabbing his hand to shake it up and down vigorously, "KAMEN-KUN! I HAVE PROMOTED YOU FROM TEMPORARY RIVAL TO MY SECOND ETERNAL RIVAL! The score currently stands at 0-20 for you but worry not! I shall have plenty of occasions to challenge you as I and Lee accompany you to…"

Guy paused mid-rant for a moment as he looked over at a despairing Kakashi, who simply said, "Ren'ai Fuun…"

Guy turned swiftly back to Kamen with a brilliant smile and animate eyebrows, his words seeming to come out faster than his lips were speaking them, "Right, Ren'ai Fuun! My primary eternal rival has told me everything! Therefore, I have decided to accompany you and team seven to your ULTIMATE GOAL! The young Lee overheard us and also insisted on joining us! So I Hope you don't mind either of us coming along FREE OF CHARGE!"

Kamen was slightly knocked off kilter by the peculiar man, he would never get used to Guy's personality, not that he didn't appreciate the spandex clad man's 'vigour' and 'youthfulness', it was just that he would never be able to appreciate it in the way he had as a child, "Ah, I guess if Kakashi's okay with it then I don't mind, I mean he's in charge of this whole operation…"

"Perfect! Then take a seat!" Despite Guy's vigour he was being overly cautious of how he approached Kamen.

Kamen let out a slight sigh as he positioned himself comfortably on the floor, ironically the large gash wound that went horizontally across his stomach wasn't what pained him the most… No, it was his whole body that hurt most. The way Kamen used his chakra hadn't changed, the jutsu he used hadn't changed and neither had the way he fought, what had changed was the lack of tailed beast inside his seal. Kamen's fighting style was volatile and unpredictable, even if he had calmed down during his nine years of war. Even if he had channelled and refined the brutality and volatility of his style, it hadn't changed at its core. The core of his fighting style and jutsu were based on the same idea as the rasenshuriken… Risk and reward, something which was rather self-destructive. However, when he had the nine tails nurturing and protecting him, the risk was diminished to such a point that it was worth it, as was the actual danger to his health. Kamen was certain that without the furry fox he would have destroyed his chakra network long before having mastered the Rasenshuriken. Now however, even such a short fight with Raiga had put him completely out of commission, it was pitiful.

"How are you feeling Kamen? None of us are very good at first aid but Sakura and I did our best…" Kamen nodded appreciatively to Kakashi, struggling not to wince as a thread from his bandages caught on one of the steel stitches and tugged it slightly, "You did the best you could with what was on hand, I couldn't ask for more…"

The Dark-haired time traveller had dabbled in medical ninjutsu, but he found himself to simply be incompatible with the art, which had surprised him just as much as it had everyone else. Seeing how he took to Fuinjutsu like a duck to water, everyone had assumed that it would be the same for medical ninjutsu as they required similar skills; extremely good chakra control, concentration and precision… And yet save the most basic medical Ninjutsu, Kamen just couldn't handle the art. Tsunade had hypothesised that it had to do with chakra wavelengths, a part of a theory she had developed with the help of Naruto and what remained of Konoha's research and development team. Either way it meant that he was happy with any sort of medical treatment at this point, seeing as he could have just been left with his belly split open. Kamen's thoughts were interrupted as he noticed that both Guy and Kakashi were staring at him expectantly, "Is there something you want to ask me?" "Yeah… About yesterday's fight… Uhm-" "WHAT WAS THAT AMAZING JUTSU YOU USED?"

Kamen sweat dropped at the contrast between Kakashi's polite hesitance and Guy's oblivious enthusiasm, "You mean my Secret sword technique?" "Yes! That Black blade! What was it?" "Maa, Guy you should settle down, if you're not careful you'll end up knocking over the table… Though I am curious as well… I didn't even get to see the hand signs you used through all that fog…"

Kamen scratched at his temple pensively, he wasn't sure whether he should answer the question as he would certain it would simply lead to more questions, however he couldn't see another option, if he didn't explain it or dodged the question it would eventually lead to more suspicion and scrutiny, "Uh… Well it's called Hitodama… It's a pretty simple jutsu, you both know the principle behind the vacuum blade jutsu, correct?" One nod from Kakashi, a head shake from Guy and another sweat drop from Kamen, "Okay… So the basic idea of the vacuum blade jutsu is to infuse an already existing weapon with wind nature chakra, but if you're somewhat talented with shape transformation you can actually modify the jutsu slightly in order to create a weapon from nothing."

Kakashi nodded slightly in understanding, "So it's the same principle behind the difference between an earth wall and an earth spike jutsu… But surely in order to maintain the form of a sword you would have to use some Nature transformation as well, Ne? otherwise wouldn't it just be a blunt sword?"

Kamen shook his head which drew the intrigue of the white-haired shinobi, "You could do that, but the effort and concentration it takes to maintain a sharp edge using wind infused chakra would make it unusable in combat…"

"So then how…" Kakashi hesitated for a second running the information back and forth in his mind, the copy-nin's experience with hundreds of different jutsu allowing him to slowly but surely figure out the trick to the jutsu, which Kamen let him do, "Ah… I see, so that's how you did it… Rather than have a pre-existing inner container for the wind infused chakra that would ordinarily be needed for the vacuum blade you use shape transformation to create an outer-container made of chakra and when you strike you release the blade edge of the shape transformation for a split second, releasing the wind infused chakra that's trapped on the inside, like a miniature and condensed wind cutter jutsu it shoots out and slices your target… You turned one of the least versatile techniques that you could find into an extremely versatile one that can be useable in any number of situations… That's... Impressive to say the least…"

Kamen chuckled slightly at the praise while scratching at the back of his neck, he felt slightly guilty as the idea for the jutsu was heavily based on one of Garaa's jutsu, but he couldn't exactly admit that. Guy, surprisingly, seemed to understand most of what was being said, even if jutsu wasn't his specialty, he was still a Jonin, which was why he pushed the matter, "So why did it turn black and red?"

The dark-haired man swallowed slightly, this was where the hard part came, "Well, what I've described was just my own twist on the vacuum blade, Hitodama is the same principle, except it employs lava release-" "You have a Kekkei Genkai?!" "Uh… Well not exactly… Before I get onto that I'll finish the explanation for Hitodama otherwise we'll be here longer than it takes the kids to finish fixing this place up… So… Using the same principle as the shape transformation employed in my vacuum blade, I replaced the wind infused chakra with earth and fire infused chakra, creating a magma like core to the blade, releasing the hottest part of it with each attack… It's not as precise as the vacuum blade, and it's a lot more dangerous for the wielder if they're not careful but it's much more effective as it can cut through armour or multiple targets if necessary, it also requires less concentration as it doesn't instantly fall apart if you release the shape transformation for longer than necessary."

Both Guy and Kakashi sat in silence for a couple of seconds processing everything that had been said. The understanding of jutsu and chakra that would be needed to come up with the idea, let alone the actual skill needed to execute it left both the jonin in slight awe, a strange feeling that they rarely felt saved when face to face with a Kage. Kakashi was the first to recover as he straightened himself out and leaned into the table slightly, resting his chin on his clasped fingers, "And so… What's this about you 'not exactly' having a Kekkei Genkai'?"

If Kamen told the whole truth, which was that he had unlocked the ability to use every chakra nature when he was inhabited by all nine tailed beasts, he would be sent off to a mental institution, probably prior to having been tortured into revealing everything he knew about... Well everything, and even if he likely had the power to avoid such an ending, he still would rather not turn his friends into enemies unless absolutely necessary, "My father came up with a theory about chakra, one that most people laughed off as being complete nonsense, they even accused him of being a quack… But years later I found some of his notes and tried to apply his theory… He called it the 'chakra radiation' theory…" In truth it was a theory that Tsunade and Naruto had come up with while working together, they didn't really have much else to do with their free time except theorise, and Naruto enjoyed his exchanges with the old woman, it reminded him of those he had with Jiraiya. And sure, Sakura and Sasuke had joined in every now and again but they could never quite keep up with his ideas like she could. This did mean that the theory contained some advanced ideas, ones that the current Konoha was a long way from even having an incline of, so he had to simplify the explanation a little, "The theory works on the idea that yin and yang, which make up chakra are simply two different types of wave which travel on separate wavelengths, like radio waves and that shinobi act as a transmitter for these 'chakra waves' which combines them into the chakra we know and which can manipulate the resulting energy at will. The resulting combination of the separate waves depends largely on one's physical energy and spiritual energy. This would account for why some people are better at Fuinjutsu than medical ninjutsu or genjutsu, it would also account for elemental affinities. Elemental affinities could exist due to the nature of the separate yin and yang waves, certain people are attuned to specific wavelengths more than others, those wavelengths corresponding to natural elements. This means that in theory, with enough knowledge of chakra and its functioning along with a corresponding level of control of one's chakra, one could alter their wavelength at will and therefore be able to wield any element as though they had an affinity for it."

A complete silence settled over the table as both Guy and Kakashi struggled to digest what Kamen was saying, the theory sounded completely logical, but the implications were completely unbelievable. If it could be applied in a practical manner and taught, to not only chakra nature related Kekkei Genkai but also things such as Doujutsu, it could completely shatter certain beliefs and might even bring the sharingan back from the brink of extinction. Before Guy and Kakashi had time to register fully the weight of what Kamen was suggesting, team seven and Lee arrived in front of their table, "Ah Kamen! You're up! I didn't notice! Ne, can you teach me that cool jutsu you used?!"

The little blonde boy seemed to have completely forgotten their little exchange in favour of holding his second sensei's shoulders while hopping up and down like a hyperactive frog. Said sensei span around and plopped a hand down on top of the blonde's head, "Maybe when you've gotten to practise a little more with jutsu mh?"

Sakura walked up behind Naruto and smacked him lightly on the back of the head, "Naruto-baka! Be careful, Kamen-sensei is injured!"

Kamen chuckled slightly at the pink haired girl's puffed out cheeks, something which he came to regret as her miffed lime green eyes locked with his sapphire blue ones, "And you Kamen-sensei! You shouldn't even be up, let alone walking about! You're lucky Raiga's attack didn't pierce any internal organs!"

Kamen lazily brought his other hand to ruffle the pink haired Kunoichi's hair, "Ah come on Sakura, can't you see I'm fine, I'm used to much worse than this!"

Kamen meant the phrase to be reassuring, in his timeline it usually had been reassuring considering that he had almost died more times than he could care to count, however for the two young genin before him and the other two who were listening in, it made the situation worse. It was likely that the memories from their fight with Zabuza were still fresh in their mind, yet despite this none of them chose to comment.

All those present seemed to notice that the usual shadow that hung above Kamen was slightly less intense than usual, so they didn't want to press the issue… Well at least those that knew Kamen well, "KAMEN-SAN! You truly must be a warrior of youth to have gotten used to such life-threatening injuries!"

A sudden silence invaded the room, everyone thinking that the young spandex wearing Lee may have just stepped on a landmine as he came bounding up to the dark haired veteran, but instead said man moved his hand from Naruto's head to Lee's and ruffled his bowl cut, "Well I might not exactly be a warrior of youth, but I've seen my fair share of battle."

Before the conversation could go down the wrong track, Kakashi decided to speak up, "Right then, now that everyone seems ready, we'll talk about the plan of action… I wanted to go back on our tracks, give Guy and Lee a send-off at Otafuku Gai and loop back around to the much safer route that I had originally planned… Unfortunately-" "I opposed the idea! Seeing how my second eternal rival is wounded and the samurai have lost one of their own, I suggested that we go straight towards Rain Eye Fun!" "Ren'ai Fuun" "That!" "Yes, well anyway, I'm unfortunately inclined to agree with Guy, if we travel as the crow flies we could get to our objective within three days, that is without taking into account any hostiles or geographical challenges we may come across… But either way it'll be better than taking a week to get there by taking the slightly safer route... Is everything clear? … Good then everyone, get ready to leave."

As everyone dispersed to gather their sleeping bags and other such clutter, Kamen hobbled over towards team seven's client, her caregiver and her two remaining guards. None raised their heads to greet him despite surely noticing his presence. The dark-haired shinobi struggled to get down on his knees as he brought his hands together in a haphazard and strained prayer to the deceased, "His name was Masato, if I'm not mistaken? If you would like any assistance in transporting him, I-"

The female samurai looked up towards Kamen with eyes full of grief and anger as a bitter reply forced its way through her teeth, "You bastard! Don't you dare say his name! You were too busy cowering while he gave his life to-"

"Sasaki. That's enough." With Shale's quiet but firm words, the samurai known as Sasaki clasped her lips shut instantly, it was almost as though the protector was the child and the protected the adult, "Thank you for the offer Kamen-san… However, we carry our own where I'm from."

Kamen nodded solemnly but pressed onwards, "Of course I wouldn't want to disrespect your traditions… However, three days, most of which will be in the desert sun, will take their toll… Which is why I wanted to suggest you use this…" Kamen retrieved a scroll from under his shin guard. During the war he had rarely used or even carried the kind of scroll he was offering to Shale. There was no need for such things… But as he was preparing for this mission a dark part of him insisted he create and bring along the sealing scroll he held clasped in his hands, "It will seal his body and preserve it so that he may receive a fitting burial…"

Shale stared at the scroll for a few seconds, her blank eyes seeming to hesitate for a few seconds before she finally parted her lips to talk, "We wouldn't know how to use it… Would you kindly do the honours? Sasaki, will you take it upon yourself to carry him home?"

Kamen nodded firmly and went about his business with slight difficulty due to his wound, while Sasaki nodded shakily to her princess. Kamen was finished rather quickly with the help of the second samurai. The body was lain on the scroll which Kamen then activate with a minute amount of chakra and in that split second the body seamlessly disappeared. Kamen rose to his feet, the scroll in hand, swiftly followed by Lisandra, Shale and her samurai. The dark-haired shinobi bowed slightly as he handed the female samurai the scroll with both hands. Sasaki took the sealing scroll with trembling yet determined hands. She proceeded to tie the scroll firmly to her belt, ensuring it would not come undone unless she wanted it to.

Though neither the samurai nor Shale would openly thank the dark-haired veteran, Lisandra's subtle nod of gratitude was enough to pay him back for his actions.

Kakashi walked over to the quintet and threw an awkward glance at Kamen, it seemed as though Kakashi had heard about Kamen's little episode from Naruto and knew exactly what the strange tension in the air was about. Despite this Kakashi did a good job of concealing his feelings as he addressed his client with a reassuringly calm tone, "Are you ready to depart, Shale-sama?"

The small blonde child nodded firmly, it seemed as though her resolve to return home was only reinforced by everything that had happened. Just as everyone was preparing to leave a voice came from the kitchen as Grandma Sancho peered out into the dining area, "Oh my, are all of you leaving already? You must have a taste of the new curry of life recipe before you go!"

Almost everyone save for Naruto, Lee, Guy and Kamen were repulsed at the idea of eating another serving of the stuff, especially since it now looked even worse than it had before, something which was incomprehensible to most of those present. The curry looked almost like bubbling magma and seemed as though it might melt through the pot it had been cooked in any second. Despite this Kamen chuckled slightly and calmly stated, "I guess that'll be four servings to go then… If you would be so kind Grandma Sancho!"

Thus, with swiftness only garnered from a lot of experience, Grandma Sancho set about filling up four metal thermoses, almost to the brim. Each was then handed out to the four people whom the old woman knew wanted her curry, "There you go young'uns. Now don't go forgetting to come visit again some time! Karashi's going to announce to the village that Raiga and his gang have been dealt with and soon enough this place will be booming with customers again!"

As the group left, there were many farewells and long waves, until the curry of life shop fell out of sight and the group of nine set out for their long-awaited destination.

There wasn't much excitement to be had as the group made their way towards Ren'ai Fuun. There wasn't even the odd bandit to slow down their trip and the geographical layout of their route was fortuitously easy to traverse despite not being a commonly used one. By the end of the first day they had already reached the land of river's border with the land of wind. Unfortunately, it was on their second day of traveling that Sakura realised something was amiss…

The group, having gone far enough for the day, had found an outcropping of rocks to camp in, with the hopes of sheltering from the bitter cold of the land of wind's desert night. Naruto had started setting up his traps under Kakashi's watchful eye, Sasuke had already managed to set up one of the tents with great difficulty and Sakura was just about to set out and see if she could find anything that would burn for the fire. However just as Sakura was about to set off, she spotted something moving out of the corner of her eye.

Up and Down, up and down, at an irregular rhythm. Sakura's lime green eyes focused in on the distraction only to notice that it was a person's shoulders that had been in the corner of her eye. Turning fully to take in what was going on, she was faced with Kamen's usually stiff back, slumped forwards as he sat on a foldable stool that was halfway sunk into the sand. The young genin could just about make out the hand that Kamen was resting his head in. Something wasn't right. Kamen, even with a stomach that had been split open, was like an immovable rock. His movements were always purposeful, even Naruto, who wasn't very observant, noted this peculiar characteristic in a conversation they had had in the days prior, "Ne, don't you think Kamen is kinda like a frog?" "What do you mean Dobe? He hasn't sprouted warts and started to eat flies as far as I can tell?" "Naw, I mean he can be just sitting there, not moving an inch, and then outta nowhere, BAM! He'll do something like look at you or something!" ... "What?" "I think I understand what he means Sasuke-kun… He means that Kamen-sensei never seems to move without reason and when he's not moving, he almost disappears into the background…" "Yeah, yeah! Like a frog!"

This was why, seeing such a symbol of immobility, making such visible and noisy movements shocked her enough to check on him. She slowly walked up behind him, and whereas he would normally notice anyone's approach instantly, he didn't even notice her when she moved around his side to stare at his face. Kamen's skin was bone white and reflective, coated in a thin layer of sweat. His chest rose and fell unevenly as though each breath came with great struggle. Sure enough Kamen had grown paler since they had departed the curry of life shop, but it had never been as bad as it was now. Sakura approached hesitantly, as though she were walking towards a lion with its maw wide open and gently place a hand on her secondary sensei's shoulder, "Kamen-sensei? Are you alright?"

Rather than a response from the dark-haired veteran, said man tumbled from his seat, smacking against the sandy ground and kicking up some of the softer grains into the air. Thanks to his prone position on the ground Sakura could now see just how bad of a state Kamen was in, his breathing was even more ragged than before, his eyes were half lidded as though he were looking through a thick fog and worst of all, the pink haired genin could just about make out a dark splotch of liquid pooling though the dark haired man's shirt, "SENSEI!"

Whether Sakura had meant to call Kakashi or express her worry for Kamen, not even she knew, but it served for both purposes as she dove to her knees, her hands hovering over Kamen's body, unsure of what to do. Kakashi arrived at the scene swiftly followed by Naruto, Sasuke and Shale, the samurai barely giving the fuss a second glance. Kakashi frowned as he gazed down at his newfound friend's state, his mind racing as to what was going on, "Boys, get him in the tent! Sakura go get the first aid kit!"

The orders were barked out without the usual confidence that Kakashi held in his tone, it had been replaced with a deep worry, something which didn't go unnoticed by his students. A hundred and one thoughts rushed through Kakashi's mind as Sasuke and Naruto lugged the wounded soldier to the tent. It wasn't long before they were laying the dark-haired man onto a dark green camp bed that sunk slightly into the ground when he was placed upon it, despite the tarp that served as a floor, "Get his shirt off!"

Kakashi's order was once again swiftly followed as Sasuke and Naruto fiddled with their patient's arm guards. Sakura came bursting into the tent, emergency first aid kit in hand, just as Kamen's shirt was removed, "Shit."

Kakashi's cognisant utterance was not without reason. His eye had laid itself upon Kamen's wound that had not long ago seemed perfectly fine. Instead of the clean bandages that he had been hoping for, he was greeted by a blood and pus covered rags that brought him a marginal degree of disgust, "Alright, you two can leave now, Sakura and I will take it from here…"

Both Sasuke and Naruto hesitated for a second before looking at each other and nodding, they wouldn't be of any help here, neither of them had taken the first aid course proposed by the academy, something which they cursed themselves for. The course hadn't been obligatory and didn't align with either of their interests, after all why would you need to know how to heal someone if your objective was to become strong?

As the pair walked out, they were greeted by Lisandra and Shale who apprehensively questioned about Kamen's health only to receive uncertain answers.

Sakura hesitantly removed the bandages that were wrapped around her secondary sensei's stomach, the sickening squelchy sound that invaded the silent tent putting her off slightly. As the veil was finally removed Kakashi and Sakura could finally see the wound in its full glory. The stiches had been done too tight and were almost tearing away at the tender flesh underneath, that and the cut hadn't healed in the slightest, instead it had festered.

Sakura looked up at her sensei for wisdom and was greeted with a worried scowl, "Damn it!"

Sakura was slightly taken aback by her sensei's outburst, although she had little to no clue as to what it was about, "Kakashi-sensei?"

A deep sigh came from the white haired Jonin's masked face, "The wound's infected and I don't know what to do… I don't even know if he'll make it to Ren'ai Fuun like this."

Suddenly the tent flap opened up and in came Lisandra, her dishevelled appearance likely due to the fact that she wasn't used to travelling, one wouldn't be at her age. But despite her state, the elderly woman stood straight as she approached the pair of shinobi before her, "Did I hear right? Has the young man's wound become infected? If that is the case, then I may be of assistance."

Kamen couldn't quite make out the voices around him, but at the very least he knew he had been moved to a tent and that someone was trying to treat him. All of his sense were dull, his vision was blurry, he felt like his limbs were made of lead and his head was splitting apart with a headache. A face suddenly appeared in his vision as a finger was placed under his eye to force it open, the process was then repeated on his other. Some part of his mind recognised the person as Lisandra but most of it was too busy thinking about how awful he felt.

Lisandra straightened herself up, her examination of the patient over. The aged woman reflected on just exactly what she was going to do before she suddenly spoke up, "Indeed, the wound's infected but it's slightly worse than that… It's necrotic… First of all we'll need to sedate him, his current state is already unpleasant enough as it is and seeing as we'll need to remove the stitching and cut away the necrotic flesh I think it's best to have him unconscious for that. Girl, go fetch some water and sugar if you can find it!"

Sakura nodded unquestioningly before darting out of the tent, leaving her first aid kit behind which Lisandra swiftly picked up and began rummaging around in, "If you don't mind me asking Lisandra-san, how is it that you know so much about medicine?" "Mh? I'm her Highness' caregiver, I must know everything there is to know about medicine in case her life is ever under threat. The samurai may protect her to the best of their abilities, but as you saw, the best of their abilities sometimes isn't enough."

Kakashi nodded numbly as he saw the old woman retrieve a syringe, a pair of scissors and a pair of steel tweezers. She then, with experienced ease, went about sitting Kamen up, just enough so that he wouldn't choke on his own tongue, yet not so much as to distort the wound. Once that was done the woman pressed lightly on the syringe's plunger, until she was satisfied that there were no air bubbles in the needle. As soon as she jabbed the needle into Kamen's arm, Sakura came bursting back into the tent with a steel gourd and a packet of sugar that Kakashi usually kept for his morning coffee, "Good, mix the sugar into the water then dampen a cloth with it, tilt his head to the side and drip the water into his mouth as slowly as you can… I'd rather not have to make him drink anything while he's unconscious, but he's lost a lot of blood."

Sakura followed the orders as quickly as she could. While she was doing that Lisandra forced open one of Kamen's eyes that had now completely closed. Satisfied that he was now unconscious she went about removing the stitches that Sakura had sown into her secondary sensei. First, Lisandra slipped the medical scissors under the wire, ensuring it was between the two blades of her tool and then she cut it as cleanly as she could. She then outstretched her arm towards Kakashi, scissors in hand, who so far had just been standing there arms crossed, "Soak these in some of the alcohol from the first aid kit then put it back where it belongs."

Kakashi obediently did as he was told but that didn't mean he took his eyes off of Lisandra's movements. At this point Sakura started to drip her sugary water mix into Kamen's mouth as she was instructed, staying out of Lisandra's way as best she could. Lisandra gently grasped the tweezers in her hand, pinched the wire that was stitched into Kamen's skin and gently begun to tug it out, "Is he going to be alright? Will he be able to travel?"

The elderly woman hesitated for long enough that Kakashi thought he wasn't going to get an answer and that she was just going to continue removing the stitches. However, to his mild surprise the answer came without an ounce of uncertainty, "Kamen-san certainly has a sturdy constitution to have lasted this long even. So, I don't doubt that as soon as I'm done, he'll be fit to travel, as long as he doesn't over do it."

Lisandra pulled the last stitch from its place before passing the tweezers and the wire over to Kakashi, "Pass me the scalpel and be prepared to hand me back the tweezers."

Kakashi nodded obediently, swiftly doing as he was told. As soon as he placed the scalpel into Lisandra's hands, he wanted to look away. Sure, he was a hardened Jonin and had seen his fair share of grotesque wounds on the battlefield, but in a clinical situation and on someone he considered a friend it was a lot harder to look at. Lisandra gently drove the tip of the blade into the putrid flesh, softly drawing it around the wound as though she were painting a picture, "First pass me something I can put the necrotic flesh in, then find me a needle and thread. Wire should only be used if you don't have anything else on hand."

The white-haired scarecrow was beginning to feel like a goffer, but he knew full well he was doing so in order to help his suffering friend. Friend. Kakashi had begun to think of Kamen as a friend almost as if it were habit and yet he hadn't known the man for that long… It was strange how quickly it had happened, he couldn't help but keep noticing it because he wasn't the kind who made friends easily, "Tweezers."

The copy nin's thoughts were disturbed as he felt the weight of the plastic bag he was holding suddenly increase, he looked down and almost gagged at the sight of the putrid flesh Lisandra had cut away from the wound. The smell that reached his sensitive nose was almost enough to send him over the edge, but he held himself together in the end.

The elderly medic passed Kakashi the scalpel and tweezers in exchange for the needle and thread. As soon as the exchange was done Lisandra set about stitching Kamen back together, the speed at which she accomplished the feat was in and of itself proof of how experienced the old woman was. It was no wonder 'Ozymandias the king of all kings' had assigned her as Shale's caregiver, "Pass me some of that antibiotic cream, along with one of the pack of dressings and one of the bandages."

Sakura almost cursed herself under her breath… In the heat of the moment she had forgotten to apply not only the antibiotic cream but also the dressing... Was it her fault the wound got infected? Kamen must have been in a lot of discomfort ever since they had left the curry of life shop, why hadn't he said anything? Perhaps he hadn't wanted to make her feel bad? Either way she felt terrible now. As if sensing his students thoughts, Kakashi parted his lips to question Lisandra, "Why didn't you help us while we were at the curry of life shop?"

The elderly woman almost seemed offended at the question, "I was much too busy looking after her highness and her samurai, you surely don't expect me to treat people that I haven't been ordered to by her highness for no reason?"

Kakashi felt slightly frustrated at the answer but didn't feel like insisting over something that had already happened, it wouldn't do anyone any good. Instead he settled for observing Lisandra as she carefully applied the ointment, the dressing and then wrapped the wound in a fresh bandage, "The dressing will have to be changed everyday until the wound heals properly, the bandage doesn't have to be changed as long as it stays clean, as soon as it is dirtied, change it, make sure you don't let any sand get into the wound or it'll get infected again… Oh and make sure he drinks plenty and eats plenty when he wakes up… Young lady, for now what you've done should suffice."

And with that Shale's caregiver left without a moment's notice, surely impatient to be by her highness' side. The white-haired veteran let slip a long sigh of relief as he passed his single eye over Kamen's fully prone figure. Sakura bowed slightly towards her sensei before exiting the tent to reassure her two teammates that Kamen was going to be fine. Kakashi soon followed behind and was rather glad to see that even Sasuke was worried about their secondary sensei, it was a pleasant sight, "Mou, I hope you would all show as much worry for me if I ever end up wounded in battle! But that's isn't really important right now, instead let's talk about rotation schedule. Because Kamen is in such a state, there's not only going to have to be a night guard but also a Kamen guard to make sure nothing happens to him!"

The sadistic cheeriness in Kakashi's voice elicited a groan from his students, which only fed the barely concealed smile that was beneath his mask.

In the end the rotation was decided rather quickly, with Naruto taking the first 'Kamen watch' and Sasuke taking the first perimeter watch.

It wasn't long before Kamen woke up, his blurry vision coming into focus slightly as he took in his surroundings. Sat on one of the shinobi's foldable stools right next to Kamen's bed was one Sasuke Uchiha, his arms crossed, and his weary eyes half lidded. The dark-haired time traveller noticed Sasuke's tired eyes glance towards him and then go back to looking at the tent's wall, something he probably did at regular intervals. The last loyal Uchiha seemed to then freeze as though he wasn't certain of what he had just seen before he shot to his feet, eyes wide and rapidly turning back to Kamen's prone figure, "You're awake."

Kamen chuckled slightly at the response that his awakening had triggered in the young genin. The child was stood above the young man's prone figure, his hands hovering as though he wanted to do something to help but had no idea as to what he could do, "Don't worry Sasuke, I'm fine… I feel much better…"

Sasuke's black eyes seemed to move of their own volition, unable to stay locked with Kamen's sapphire blue, "Hn… You're lucky Lisandra-san was around… None of us knew what to do about your wound."

A sharp breath escaped from the ex-blonde's lips as he attempted to shimmy himself up onto his pillow so as to not be completely lying down. Before he even realised it, a firm grip was placed in the centre of his back, lifting him up slightly. Sasuke couldn't look Kamen in the eyes as he helped him, everything about looking after someone was not in the Uchiha's nature. As soon as the young genin's patient was comfortable, he shuffled back to his seat and plopped down on it, "I suppose I'll have to thank her when I get the chance then…"

There was a momentary silence between the pair, not an awkward one, but rather a silence of relief as though they had just defeated a great foe. Neither Kamen nor Sasuke dared disturb the comfortable silence that had settled between them and yet the war veteran decided it was best he did, "What do you want to do with your life Sasuke?"

The tent, which was already rather bitter due to the freezing nights of the desert, dropped a few degrees at the question. Kamen knew it was a strange time to ask the question, but that was precisely why he had asked it, it served to take Sasuke off guard. Then again Kamen was also taking the opportunity to ask him because it was rare a chance to get the young Uchiha on his own. The silence lasted for a long time, Kamen almost started to doubt that the young genin had even heard his question, that was until the answer came, "In truth? I don't know, Kamen-san… I used to… I used to be certain that I would dedicate my entire life to getting revenge for my clan and as soon as that was done, I would rebuild it from the ground up… And yet, ever since joining team seven and meeting you I've wavered… Pathetic… My brother was right… I'm weak and pathetic…"

Sasuke's face in that instant reminded Kamen of the very face he had seen on the uchiha's older self, not long after he had finally succeeded in killing his brother… Turmoil of the highest degree, inner conflict that refused to settle… The Uchiha's dark eyes were shadowed as they gazed pointlessly at the floor, sometimes following the trail of sand as it gently travelled across the tarp flooring. A deep sigh escaped from Kamen's lips, drawing Sasuke's attention towards him, "I knew someone just like you once… The third shinobi war left many dead and many more thirsting for vengeance… This someone… He was my best friend… More than that he was like a brother to me… He lost his entire family to a single enemy shinobi in the early years of the war… So, what did he do? He dedicated his entire life, his whole being, to becoming an avenging spirit of death… He didn't care about anything or anyone except the vengeance that he thirsted for…"

The painful memories of Sasuke Uchiha came flooding back to Kamen. He hated those days, when his greatest friend hadn't even seemed human, the days when they went toe to toe and neither came out on top. From the hospital roof and valley of the end to the battlefield… Relief had been what Kamen had first felt when Sasuke had joined the allied shinobi nations in their fight against Madara… Later however, Kamen realised just how much Itachi's death at his own hands had scarred the last loyal Uchiha… The Sasuke of the here and now gazed at Kamen's eyes, seeing that he was lost in his memories he was hesitant to disturb him, but he did so either way, "What happened to him?"

A twinge of pain tugged at Kamen's heart, one that dance across his soul like a finger playing the harp, "He died… Just like we all will someday… He got his revenge, hollow as it was… After he had killed the one he hated so much he became just as hollow as his revenge, what is an avenging wraith once its vengeance has been dealt? A ghost, doomed to wander the earth aimlessly until it fades away. I think the worst thing about the whole mess was that he ended up going against everything he stood for… He didn't just betray his friends, he also betrayed himself and lost everything in the process…"

True enough, Sasuke ended up fighting alongside him again, but he was never the same as he had been. His motivations were never obvious, but Kamen had always assumed he did what he did as some sort of atonement… Not that they talked enough about it for him to ever be sure, "I couldn't do that… Not ever… To betray ones own beliefs in the pursuit of vengeance and hatred… I hate my brother and I will kill him for the sake of my clan… But I don't think I could ever go that far…"

Kamen chuckled slightly despite the pain it caused him, both physical and mental. The time traveller haphazardly plopped a hand down on top of the young Uchiha's head. The irony of what Sasuke was saying didn't go over the war veteran's head and yet he truly believed those words which the child was saying to him. Perhaps it was because he hadn't yet been poisoned by Orochimaru's influence, or perhaps it had something to do with Kamen's arrival… Either way Kamen realised that the child before him was that very same one that would dive in front of certain death in order to protect his friends and allies, just as he had done on the Great Naruto Bridge…

The young Uchiha usually avoided physical contact like the plague, and yet the warmth of the large, calloused hand that rested atop his head reminded him of his father and his brother, as they had been before his whole world had been turned on its head… Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, the fatigue of the day catching up to him all at once, the calming movement of Kamen ruffing his hair setting his soul at ease.

The heart-warming moment between the pair was suddenly interrupted as the tent flap was pushed open and a mess of bright pink hair came poking in, "Ah… Sasuke-kun, Kamen-sensei… It's time we switch…"

Kamen gently removed his hand from Sasuke's head as he smiled underneath his mask, letting the dark haired genin stand and swiftly leave the tent, slightly embarrassed at having been caught in such a position by his teammate.

Sakura looked out towards where her teammate had just dashed off with curious eyes but chose to ignore the last loyal Uchiha's peculiar behaviour, instead awkwardly turning towards Kamen. Suddenly the pink haired genin descended into a deep bow, one that was far beyond the usual inclination used for a greeting or as a form of respect, "I'm so sorry Kamen-sensei! I didn't tend to your wound properly, which meant it got infected! If it wasn't for Lisandra-san… I… I don't know what would have happened!"

A humorous thought ran through Kamen's head, 'Perhaps I should get wounded more often', of course the idea was swiftly dismissed, "Mou, calm down Sakura… You did the best you could with the knowledge and experience you had. I would be a fool to ask anymore than that. I'm alive and well, which mean you did a good enough job, okay?"

The dark-haired shinobi's words seemed to put the pink haired genin slightly at ease, but as she fumbled her way towards her seat, it was clear what he had already said would not be enough to fully reassure the poor girl that she had done nothing wrong. She was at a rather difficult time in her life. In his time, Sakura had truly started to define herself as something more than just team seven's tag along during the chunin exams. More than that she had hardened her resolve at the time. But until the chunin exams came to pass she would still be the uncertain child she had always been. The young Kunoichi stared at the ground just as Sasuke had minutes before, except this time, Kamen could clearly see the tears that were brimming in the corner of her eyes. Kamen reached forwards, his hand hovering over Sakura's head, before moving slightly to rest upon the young child's shoulder, there had already been enough head pats and hair ruffles of late, "Look at me Sakura. Do you think so little of me as to believe that I would hate you because you made a mistake? Has anything I've ever done or said suggested that I might? If so then I'm wholeheartedly sorry, because I could never be angry at any of my precious students." 'Kami, I sound like Kakashi…'

At last Kamen's words seemed to get through to the girl as tears came flowing out of her eyes and she lunged at her sensei's neck, wrapping her arms around it as she cried her eyes out. All the war veteran could do was comfort the child by rubbing his arm that wasn't pinned by her body, up and down her spine in a soothing manner. Kamen let the hysterical child release all her pent-up emotions as he tried his best to sooth her. This was what she was, what Naruto and Sasuke were… Children. Not soldiers, not genin, not shinobi or kunoichi. A part of Kamen cursed the world he lived in, that such tender beings had to live as they did.

It wasn't long before the young girl seemed to calm down and went back to her seat, a slight blush to her cheeks and a red tinge to the corner of her eyes. Kamen simply gave the embarrassed child a tender smile under his mask, one that Sakura was certain would have been heart-warming to see, "Ne, sensei… Why do you wear a mask?"

A slight sigh escaped from Kamen's lips, not one of annoyance but one of sadness, "Why does anyone wear a mask? Because I'm ashamed of what's underneath…"

The pink haired child nodded slightly despite not really understanding what her secondary sensei meant, "Is that why Kakashi-sensei wears one as well?"

The dark-haired veteran hesitated for a second, unsure of how to answer before he finally came up with an appropriate response, "I can't be sure but… I think so, yes… Maybe he didn't start wearing it because of that, but… Overtime I think that's what it became for him."

Sakura looked down at the floor, dragging her hand over her eyes in an attempt to wipe away what was left of her tears. A pensive look took over her face as she looked back up into her sensei's sapphire eyes, "Then… Why are you ashamed of your face sensei?"

Kamen froze as he registered the question… Why was he ashamed of his face? He knew full well why, just as he knew full well, the other him… Naruto… It wasn't just a name, not to Kamen, it was a promise. A promise to stand tall and fight for what was right no matter what… A promise to break the cycle of hatred… A promise to never give up, just like the Naruto in Jiraya's book, 'The Tale Of The Utterly Gutsy Shinobi'. That had been where his name came from… And yet Kamen broke that promise. He betrayed his very name. He had given into hatred and then he had given up. That was why he was ashamed… Ashamed of his name, Ashamed of his face… Ashamed of the fact that he was alive when so many others weren't… But he couldn't exactly say that to Sakura, now could he, "I did many things during the war… All of which I regret… I can't really say much more than that…"

A nod of acknowledgement was all that Kamen received from his pink haired student before a comfortable silence settle over the tent. The silence lasted for a long time until it was disturbed by slightly heavy but rhythmic breaths. Sakura looked over at her sensei's face and saw that he had slipped into a comfortable slumber and although she had no way of knowing, it was the kind of peaceful slumber he had only ever attained in her presence, one devoid of nightmares, of bloodshed and torment.

Here is Naruto and Tsunade's "chakra radiation theory", non-simplified and in full for those that are interested:

"The theory works on the idea that yin and yang, which make up chakra are simply two different types of moving subatomic particles, or radiations which travel on separate wavelengths and that shinobi act as, in rare cases, a receiver and in most cases a transmitter for these 'chakra waves' which combines them into the chakra that we know and which can manipulate the resulting energy at will. The resulting combination of the separate radiations depends largely on one's DNA and mental characteristics. This would explain why chakra development and training for young shinobi only truly starts when they have reached a certain age at which point, they already have predefined characteristics that will influence their later lives. This would also account for the seemingly random biases that people can have for different kinds of ninjutsu, it would also account for elemental affinities. Elemental affinities could exist due to the nature of the separate yin and yang radiations, certain people are attuned to specific wavelengths more than others, those wavelengths corresponding to natural elements. This means that in theory, with enough knowledge of chakra and its functioning along with a corresponding level of control of one's chakra, one could alter their wavelength at will and therefore be able to wield any element as though they had an affinity for it."

Fun fact of the day: I based Kamen's "Secret Sword art: Hitodama" on Japanese folklore. Hitodama in Japanese literally means "human soul" and are represented in Japanese folklore as small balls of fire that float around in the middle of the night, which are supposedly souls of the dead that have separated from their bodies. I found it rather poetic as the idea is that the tip of Kamen's sword when using the jutsu appears as just a small red dot floating around from enemy to enemy as he parts their bodies from their souls.

Anyways, review answer time!

SteadFastWhiplash: Ah good question, though I might not have made it obvious, in this fanfiction there is no Kaguya Otsutsuki, or rather there isn't in Naruto's time. I found the Idea of the Bunny Goddess being the final villain a little half-hearted and took away the credit that was due for Madara as a villain, seeing as he was in the end just another puppet. It also now feels like Kaguya was added as the final villain just to give an excuse to create Boruto, but that's just my opinion. Either way it means that without Kaguya there was no deus ex machina intervention needed from Hagoromo Otsutsuki and neither Sasuke nor Naruto received a part of his chakra, hence no Six paths sage mode for Naruto and no all-powerful rinnegan for Sasuke.

Lilgarcia999999: Six nines, right? Can't help but think those two numbers were associated on purpose, then again maybe I've got a perverted mind. Anyways, glad you love what I'm churning out! Not so glad about the whole ripping out your heart thing, I ain't no Kano! But either way hope you enjoyed this chapter too and continue to do so!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, it was a little bit more focused on the characters than usual but I felt it was the right time to fit this in, anyways good luck with your lives and don't forget to ask any questions you have with a review! Or you know if you just want to say whatever you want!