Hey.
Happy New Year Everyone (know it's kind of past that but I still think it should be said)
This won't be a traditional chapter, but it will still be progressive towards the story. It's gonna be more individual based, covering points certain characters have done over the time skip.
Please note that if not much change has been given to the characters, then they may not be mentioned, people also can be mentioned with little to no growth simply because of the influence of another character. Ie- team 8 in relation to Hinata. There is also no real timeframe to these events, one could be months apart from the other
Another thing, to all comic artists, please refrain from asking me about making a comic. I don't have any money. (T-T)
As stated in my bio, there are other reasons to why, but that is the main one; I'm broke. No payment plans or loans can be made because I have no idea where I'd get the money to begin with.
I'd love to see my work come to life, and I'm happy that you took interest enough to try and reach out to me, but…yeah.
Without further ado, unto the chapter.
Ino Yamanaka, training ground 44.
The girl looked around, trying to sense exactly where her sensei was. Unfortunately, the environment gave no notion of her whereabouts, as this was a second home to the woman that took her as a student.
A kunai flew towards her from her right, one she quickly deflected with a flick of her own. Another hail rained down as she jumped from her spot. Weaving through seals, she released a sharp blade of water that cut through the foliage, revealing the master that she was searching for.
Anko Mitarashi coughed up blood as she looked on in horror at her student. The jutsu the girl released left a huge gash in her torso that gushed even more blood than she spat up.
"Ino…why?"
A shuriken was the answer to her question as it embedded itself into her forehead. The body went slack as Ino let out a huff, being annoyed with the whole situation.
"Will you cut the bullshit already Anko-sensei? I'm not a genin anymore."
The corpse grew a grin as it begun to melt. A mocking laughter rang out in the trees as the real Anko finally emerged in a burst of smoke and leaves. She was wiping a tear from her eyes much to the Yamanaka's chagrin.
"Ah, I remember the first time I did that, the look you had was priceless!" The laughter became a mad cackle as a tick mark grew on Ino's face.
"I'm not a kid anymore you bimbo!"
The mood instantly changed as a kunai was placed at Ino's neck. Anko now stood behind the girl as a sadistic smirk spread across her face.
"That's not the was to talk to your superior Ino-Chan." The blade inched closer to Ino's neck as the girl showed her own smile.
"Maybe if my teacher took me more seriously, I wouldn't have to provoke her with words that truthfully describe her."
She brought her head back to smash it into her sensei's nose, only to hit air as Anko brought the kunai forward. Dodging to the right, Ino brought out a senbon as she flicked it to her sensei's face. The weapon was simply deflected but it did give Ino the space she needed to get away.
"Are you finally gonna fight me?" Ino asked, settling into a stance as Anko gained a serious edge to her features.
"I know you're a chunin now brat, but don't come crying if you do get hurt." Bringing her hand forward, snakes emerged from her trench coat that rushed towards Ino.
"Senei' Jashu (Hidden Snake Hands)!"
Sasuke Uchiha, Training Ground Seven.
"Chidori!"
"Lightning Blade!"
The sound of a thousand birds could be heard from beyond the walls of the training ground as two jutsu clashed. Two men looked towards each other as their arms pushed forward, each trying to overpower the other.
Sasuke grit his teeth, in front of him was his sensei; Kakashi Hatake. The man had a serious expression compared to his normally laid-back demeanor. Letting out a grunt, Sasuke pushed forwards, slowly overpowering his adversary's technique.
The copy ninja's eyes widened as he found himself being pushed back by what should have been the inferior technique, but true to his eyes Chidori was the victor as it bypassed his lightning and struck him in the chest. Bursting out into a crackle as the jutsu expanded, engulfing the man.
"Well done, Sasuke." Another Kakashi stood a few feet away as he watched the result of the jutsu clash. In his hands was a limited-edition copy of "Make Out Tactics; Fire and Wind", personally signed by lord Jiraiya himself. His student, on the other hand was panting, clearly winded from the brief yet powerful struggle for dominance.
"Though I wonder, why try so hard with the weaker variation?" It wasn't something Sasuke outright stated, and Kakashi barely asked questions about the boy's life anymore. Their relationship was a withdrawn one, due to both of their actions. Kakashi blamed both himself and the boy for Naruto's defection and couldn't bring himself to try and rebuild a connection that was previously unwanted by the Uchiha. Even after telling him about his past, Sasuke still decided to try and leave Konoha, so Kakashi did what he did best, the bare minimum. If Sasuke wanted training, then he would be given it, but he no longer tried to sympathize with the boy.
Sasuke on the other hand was silent for another reason. He was still the loner that he had always been, just a bit more careful of those around him. The six-month interrogation that he received still left him with some scars and if one looked ever so carefully, they would witness a slight flinch every time he brushed past someone unwillingly or how he appeared to be tensed even in a group of allies.
"There's more I can do with the Chidori, that's all." His hands crackled again as the jutsu came to life, this time extending a few feet away from him, it then collapsed and sparked outwards from his body into a stream of electricity spanning about six feet in radius.
"Right." Like it or not Kakashi couldn't help but recognize the boy's talent for ninjutsu. His manipulation of lightning was both beautiful and precise, following Sasuke's demands as if it were just a tamed pet, especially with that jutsu.
"Thank you, for the training." Without another word Sasuke placed a cat like mask upon his face and disappeared in a flash, the only thing proving he was there being a small puff of smoke that quickly vanished along with him.
"…Don't mention it."
On the outskirts of the village the boy reappeared. A flash of crimson swept the area as Sasuke opened the gates to his clan compound. Just like usual the ANBU were there, watching him more for formality rather than seeing him as a potential flight risk.
After getting back on his feet from the six months with T , every movement he took was shadowed. He wasn't even left alone when with Kakashi sensei, who could probably contain him in an instant if he were to ever try and leave. Now with his recent explosive ascension in the ranks the guard kept on him was minimal, yet still noticeable.
A sigh escaped him as he walked into a very recognizable house. His hand brushed by two flowers as a soft smile crossed his face.
"Hello Mother, Father."
Their bodies were long gone, yet the two growing plants gave him a reminder of what he was still here for; what he was fighting for. After the torture, his mind became clearer than it had ever been. Being forced to recall every bit of necessary information that could come to his mind by a madman was eye opening, and things his hatred drove him to shut out returned with nothing to block them.
He remembered everything. The stench of blood that heightened his fear with every new body he saw, the trepidation and hope that he felt as he made his way towards the clan head's compound; his father's compound, the belief that if he found his brother then he would stop this…save those who were still living, only for everything to come crashing down as he stared into the mangekyou that cast him down the path of avenging what he had lost.
But those eyes didn't show him everything, thoughts he once stomped out in order to focus on training now reentered his mind, and they held questions that just couldn't be written off.
Firstly, Itachi was human. As much as he wanted to believe that his once brother was nothing more than Yami incarnate for what he had done, even a child should have known that one man could not have destroyed a clan as powerful as the Uchiha, even if he was one himself. The very fact that no one was there to aid them during that night seemed to be just too coincidental. He wasn't pointing fingers but the fact that an entire clan got wiped out inside the strongest village, yet no one came to their aid was just too suspicious to ignore. Meaning that someone knew about the massacre before it begun and gave Itachi the necessary leeway in order to accomplish said goal.
If there were accomplices then the second point came to view, why did the Uchiha fall so easily? After the nine tails incident a great majority of the clan awakened their dojutsu, either from the loss or the backlash received as they got pushed to the outskirts of the village. Power of that kind wouldn't just simply be done in. Therefore, the personnel assisting Itachi had to be strong; overwhelmingly so, which resulted in him scratching Konoha off the list of assailants.
Itachi had to have outside help. He didn't know from who or where but no one in the Leaf at the time was strong enough to absolutely decimate one of the strongest clans, the closest two being Kakashi or Jaraiya, both being too noticeable even with their more subtle modus operandi.
And the last point he had, the most naïve yet still a point, nonetheless, were the tears Itachi shed on the night of his parents' death.
It was stupid, a senseless thought by a boy trying to find reason behind the actions of a man he once would choose over the world, but every denial returned him to that position. Why leave him alive? Why order your brother to kill you after all you put him through? Why would a murderer shed tears for the very people he slaughtered?
Play- [Naruto-Kikyou [Flute cookies cover] speed 0.9x
Sitting by the flowers, the boy pulled out a flute and began to play a soft melody. The sound gave off a somber tune that carried on over the silent compound, showing the boy just how alone he was. However, Sasuke took solace in this loneliness, for the first time in a long while he had the time to think, to grow and be the boy that once was, and the man he wanted to be. Make no mistake, he would still face Itachi when the time came, and get his answers with it, but vengeance was not the immediate presence that filled his every thought.
His family was gone, and as much as he needed to avenge them, uselessly throwing his life away while doing so would benefit no one. He was the last of his clan, the only chance it had to ever become…something again. He clearly wasn't in the mood to settle yet, but those ideas did come every now and then. If he had continued down his prior path, what would become of him after his brother? He shuddered to think of what he would become, so steeped in darkness that he wouldn't be able to see what he was fighting for anymore.
As the end of his melody approached, he wondered about another who walked the path he was meant to. After becoming an ANBU, a lot of information was uncovered, some pertaining to the blonde Uzumaki he once called a teammate. Finding out about his Jinchuriki status was a wake-up call even he was unprepared for, and with it everything begun to click with the boy's treatment within the village.
[Song end]
Placing his flute back into the seal on his right arm, the boy got up from his seated position. Sasuke closed the door to his home with a click as he went to bed for the night, his last thoughts being on the two people he knew he would eventually come into conflict with.
Kurenai Yuhi- Training ground 8
The jonin grunted, barely even three months and the child within her was as rowdy as the man she had grown to love. By now she was just about to relieve herself from active duty, she just had to make sure that her team was as prepared as they could be when she could no longer be there to guide them. They were, in a way her first children after all.
Kiba was still as rambunctious as ever, always carrying a grin and cocky attitude that could annoy even the most stoic of characters, and with aging became a lot more territorial around the things he cared for; like all the other Inuzuka before him. But he was also caring, and strong enough to back up most of the nonsense he spouted. Kurenai was sure it wouldn't be long before the boy became a jonin himself.
Speaking of jonin, Shino had recently accessed the rank on his own. He was still a stoic individual but could hold conversation for as long as needed without any form of prompting required. The boy was now taller than her and the rest of the group and was a fine look if only he would remove those bulky clothes of his. His skills were even stronger, gaining a grasp on more of his clan's dangerous yet fascinating techniques and with the acceptance of his kikaichu by his allies could be a deciding factor with his assistance in many battles.
A frown crossed Kurenai's face as she thought about the last member of her squad. Hinata was, different. Out of all the rookies of her class she had changed the most, and not for the better.
The flower that once was grew with thorns, piercing about anyone that got close enough for her to do damage. Not even the sensei was spared when she tried to console the Hyuuga princess when the girl took her own sister's life. Instead of the broken girl she expected to find, Kurenai was met with someone that held no remorse for their actions, simply referring to her sister as weak, someone that couldn't deal with her eventual role as a branch member and so chose death as her easy way out.
Horrified, she gave her ward space, only to realize later that it was the worst thing she could have ever done. Just like with Yakumo, Kurenai clammed up and distanced herself from a person that looked to her for strength, resulting in said person to stew in their hatred and loss on their own. The person that came out on the other side was almost unrecognizable, referring to the woman only as sensei, and her other peers with even less courtesy.
No one expected the turn of events, but the elders of her clan loved to new head to be. She was a Hyuuga thoroughly, headstrong and cold, almost ruthless in her ironically named gentle fist, yet still showing the regality and grace that she once had as she modified the technique to her own strengths. Even Neji, prodigy that he was, was pushed to the edge when faced against her fearsome taijutsu, and the boy was a jonin in his own right.
Speaking of, Hinata stared Kiba down as he glared back, between them was a downed Akamaru as it whined in pain. There was no apparent bruising, but she knew searching for those with the style of fighting just used would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Gentle Fist mainly targeted what was internal, from chakra points to vital organs, nothing was safe from the hands and eyes of a trained Hyuuga.
"What the hell Hinata! This is a spar not a fucking deathmatch, what did you do?" Kiba shouted as he rushed towards his companion, checking him over for apparent injuries.
"Your dog is fine Inuzuka, trust me when I say if I wanted it dead, it would've been dead."
The glare returned full force as he stared into the cold, uncaring eyes that she held. "Repeat that sentence, I dare you."
The tone was low yet still carried all the ferocity and intent the boy could muster, yet the sentence only caused a smile to appear on Hinata's lips.
"You know, for the best tracking clan within the village, you mutts are really hard of hearing." The smile turned into a full-on grin as Kiba pounced to cover the distance between them.
"That's enough." Kurenai said as she body flickered between the two. Even as she put out her palms, she realized that if both were to attack each other there wasn't much that she could do to stop them without facing injury herself. Watching the two back down let her release a sigh but it looked like this was too much for Kiba to just stand aside.
"Bullshit! You've been picking up for her even when she's a bitch to the rest of us! If you don't do something about it, then I'm gonna knock some sense into her." She could really tell that Kiba was frustrated by Hinata's change in character but still tried his best to accommodate and sustain the team dynamic they once had.
"Kiba-." The sensei tried to coax her student only for Hinata to hand her a letter. Perplexed, she opened it only for her eyes to widen at the text located on the top of the sheet of paper. "You're quitting the team?"
"What?" Kiba's fire quenched as he looked to the pale-eyed female. Trying to find reasoning behind her actions.
"Indeed, the clan has decided that I have learnt all I can under your tutelage, therefore I am no longer required to be in your care."
"So what? You're just gonna leave like this, what about sensei and Shino, about me?"
"What about you?" Hinata asked, crushing the boy's spirit. By now Kiba's subtle feelings for Hinata had all but dispersed, leaving the reality of what she had become open for even his headstrong mind to see.
"I would say that it has been fun sensei, but you already know what I want to say don't you?"
And with that she left, Akamaru still whining on the grass as team eight became a member short.
Shikamaru Nara, Nara Clan Compound
The lights flicked on as Shikamaru blinked to adjust his eyes. The room he stared at held only a bed and a table, scarce barely gave the place justice as even he hadn't kept his own room like this.
On the bed was a lump that was covered within the sheets; however he knew the person underneath, and he knew she was awake.
"Temari, c'mon I think its time you got up." The lump barely moved but it was noticeable enough to the chunin.
Walking over, Shikamaru pulled on the sheets to reveal a disheveled Temari, her…everything was a mess as she stared at the person in front of her. The lids under her eyes were almost pitch black since the week they found her in the devastation that was once her home village.
He remembered looking at the deluge of sand thinking that they simply missed the area, until Temari herself had used wind style to show a bit of the carnage underneath. Suffice to say he hadn't eaten much since then, and he only witnessed the aftermath.
Whatever she and her brother went through, he wasn't going to ask questions. To witness your entire village being destroyed and you being one of its only two survivors; especially when you swore to be its first and final line of defense, must have been a burden he couldn't even begin to understand regardless of his vast knowledge.
Even though he understood all of that, Temari had not left this room in days. The food from before still on the table, barely touched aside from a small dish of roasted chestnuts that he personally carried in.
He might not have known her as much as her immediate family, but he had been an emissary between the two villages and spent almost a year with her, diplomatic or otherwise. The relationship between them was situational at best, but when he saw her in that state, he did anything to accommodate the two siblings within the compound until they could get on their feet.
Temari didn't say a word, just rising from the bed as she stumbled towards the corridor. A bit of weakness overcame her as she fell to the ground, unable to help herself up. Shikamaru was instantly by her side and brought her back up to her knees, picking her up completely as he headed towards the bath.
A few minutes later, the girl was resting on a stool while the Nara got the water ready. A sponge was in his hand as he carefully wiped away the dirt that had accumulated. Her hair was next as he ran a comb through, detangling the mess it had become.
"Why?" The words were quietly spoken yet sincere all the same. Tears streaking down her face went unnoticed as she tried to keep her voice level, but Shikamaru heard them all the same. The subtle shudders he could feel regardless of the cold water touching her skin would be apparent to any shinobi, much less someone that took the time to know her.
"Why what?" He knew that sounded stupid, but anything that allowed the girl to open up, even if that meant her lashing out, would be a step in the right direction for healing.
"Why are you helping me!" Her hands balled into fists as she turned towards the Nara, tears more evident due to the redness of her eyes. There was a fury in her eyes, though he can tell that they weren't aimed at him, instead the pain in them spread as pity overcame him for a moment.
No. Pity wasn't what she needed, she was a Kage in her own right, and Shikamaru would be damned if he let the woman feel any weaker than she appeared right now. His gaze grew stern as he looked into her fierce eyes.
"Look at me! I'm a failure! I couldn't stop my brother, I couldn't save my village, and now I'm sitting here getting bathed by you like I'm some-" She got up, picked the stool she previously sat on and flung it across the room. The item splintered as it met the wall, leaving scraps of wood on the floor as she let out a scream of rage, cutting off her previous statement. The scream slowly became wails as her face fell into her hands, her feet giving out as she collapsed to the floor.
"Why, why didn't he just kill me? Why am I so weak? Just what the hell is wrong with me?"
Crouching to her level, Shikamaru placed his arms on her shoulders. His voice was calm as he stated.
"That's something you have to find out on your own."
She gave him a look of confusion and doubt through her sobs. Temari expected encouragement, support, maybe even chiding, but never would she have guessed the smartest person she knew to be uncertain of her next course of action.
A small smile appeared on his face. "What, you expected me to have all the answers?" He chuckled, feeling a bit on spot as his mirth died down.
"Temari, whatever your brother did, nothing I do will help fix you unless you decide to help yourself. There's no way to sugar-coat it, your village is gone, but as long as you're alive a piece of them will stay with you, and you can't waste that wallowing in your own sorrows. You think you're weak? Then get stronger, be better than you were when it happened, then pass that will on to someone else to carry along with you. I'm not saying it's going to get better immediately, but it's better to try and find something than stay in this state forever, right?"
Temari wiped her eyes, looking back at him with a mix of trepidation and hope. "What If I don't know how?"
A small blush appeared on his face as he looked away from her gaze. "Well…putting on some clothes would be a nice start."
She stared blankly at him, not knowing what to say, before a smile came unto her face as she let out a soft giggle
"Yeah. I think I'd like that."
Underground, Nara clan compound.
Blood dripped from a chair as the person within it grunted in pain. Mirrors were hung all around him giving a view of his gaping chest cavity, all the organs bare for his eyes.
It hurt, every breath he took felt like his lungs would collapse, his screams had died out long before while his chest was being dissected, but he kept pushing on through the agony he had put himself under.
Why would any sane person do this? How could someone even conceptualize the thought of going through such pain? Well, Kankuro didn't think himself much of a sane person these days.
This was nothing compared to the loss of his home, his life, all to that monster that he called a brother. Someone so unstoppable even the entirety of Suna couldn't hold up to his might. That 'thing' kept him and the entire village living in fear for almost 15 years, well no more, he was done being afraid. He was gonna find that bastard and make him pay for every single life he took, butcher him like the monster he was. But how can one kill a monster like Gaara? The answer to that question was incredibly obvious.
Become a monster yourself.
Lee, Sasuke, Naruto. All of them held power far beyond him, enough to not only harm Gaara, but completely overpower him. Each were monsters in their own right, but they had years to hone their abilities and garner such strength. Kankuro didn't have years.
Instead, he turned to the only thing that he could, the only thing he was good at, puppets. But he had failed in that regard as well. Sasori himself had said so. He was only a copycat of the puppeteer master, never having truly made a puppet for himself.
Well things were going to change, and he had the perfect blueprint to begin his ascension.
In a corner of the room lay the body of Sasori. The self-puppet had been torn apart and reassembled so many times over the week that Kankuro now knew every compartment that thing could open. Its design was beautiful, even the horror that was a man mutilating one's own body to further their art couldn't prevent a person from seeing that, and Kankuro planned to create himself anew using this man as his foundation.
Before him stood another puppet, one he built with his own two hands. The body was clunky and frail, but it was never meant for fighting in the first place. Instead, it's rather dainty hands were the ones performing the open-heart surgery as he controlled it through the incredible pain.
The method was simple, by sealing his core- into a container, then subsequently transferring his mind into it, he could theoretically live forever as a sentient cylinder. Place that cylinder into a human puppet and he could control it just like his previous body. In his case he would start out with Sasori, simply because the body was already there to make use of, but once he was transferred then the process on his own body would begin.
As the majority of his cardiovascular veins and arteries were being cut, the problem finally arose that he had been contemplating this entire time, his own mortality. Summoning every shred of chakra he had, Kankuro made the puppet place the heart into the container. His hands ran through the signs necessary.
"Shinten Kugutsu Juin no Jutsu (Mind Puppet Switch Cursed Seal Technique)"
Consciousness fading, Kankuro watched as the seal began to activate. This was it, whether he succeeded would be apparent in just a moment. Slowly his arms fell as his last breath was exhaled, his senses dulled as his body grew cold. Yet there was no fear as he felt his life slip away, because either in death or rebirth, he would never feel this way again.
..
That's it.
Sorry for the long wait. I really have no excuse this time.
On the other hand, how do you like this chapter? I felt like giving Temari a good motivational speech would be too much, and Shikamaru isn't one to just lie to her face so he told her what needed to be said.
Another point I'd like to make is that there is no truly evil character that I have written yet. Every single person has their reasons to do what they did, and I hope I'm conveying that through my writing as well as I think that I'm doing. However, in case some of you do not see it that way, I'll give a brief discussion from both sides of the coin leading up to Suna's destruction; between Gaara and the Sand of course.
Gaara, hearing of Naruto's defection wanted to go after him, whether he planned to stay with him or extend an offer for him to stay in Suna isn't relevant. On the flip side Gaara planned to leave with the nation's strongest asset, especially after losing a war and a Kage after Konoha took most of their clientele. Since Gaara wouldn't cooperate, confinement was the only option since they couldn't risk sealing him and losing a battle ready Jinchuriki. Temari also tried to keep her brother from getting killed by the extraction of Shukaku. Rightfully angered Gaara laid waste to the village, which now results in him becoming a missing nin and wanted for said destruction.
That's all I have for now, if you have any other questions please leave a review. Follow and favorite and I'll see you next time.
