Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, immediately fussed over Kakashi as soon as we arrived, preparing a futon for him to rest on.
"Will you be able to fight, Shinobi-san?" she asked.
"I will in about a week," Kakashi calmly replied.
"Well, you took down your strongest foe yet, so we should be safe for that long," Tazuna commented.
"That's great, but I still can't get my mind off that masked kid," said Sakura.
"That mask is worn only by the most elite and secret of Kirigakure's ninja," Kakashi explained. "Their unit is also called the 'Undertaker Squad', and their job is to track down rogue shinobi, execute them, and destroy the bodies so they don't fall into enemy hands. Ninja corpses can contain a wealth of information about the village from which they hailed – herbs and medicines, secret jutsu, kekei genkai and the like. Corpse disposal is an essential job, and Kiri perhaps take more pride in it than any other village."
"So Zabuza's body's going to be dismembered and destroyed? That's so creepy!"
"No, it won't be." Everyone turned to look at me. "Something's bothered me the whole way from the battlefield to here. Why didn't that hunter-nin destroy the body right there? A fire jutsu or a couple paper bombs, there would be nothing left. But moving the body leaves an opening for someone to interfere. So why do it, unless…" Kakashi finished my thought.
"He wasn't killing Zabuza, he was saving his life!"
"Right," I nodded.
"But Sensei checked his throat! He was dead!" Sakura pointed out.
"He used senbon needles to make the 'kill'," Kakashi said slowly, thinking things through. "Those needles can be deadly if they hit the right spot, but their primary purpose is medicinal. For someone with the right skill and training in human anatomy – say, for example, a hunter-nin – it would be trivial to place a person in a false death state. In other words, it could be the case that the kid was trying to make it look like he killed Zabuza, while actually rescuing him."
"Aren't you all being a little paranoid?" Tazuna asked. "You're probably overthinking things!"
"Paranoia will save your life in the field. Besides, even if we are wrong, there could very well be more shinobi in Gato's employ." Kakashi sat up. "Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, I'm accelerating your training."
"Training!?" Sakura was incredulous. "Sensei, we can't train enough to fight someone who almost beat you in a week!"
"Sakura, when I was trapped, it was the three of you that saved me. You've all grown so much." He smiled. "Especially you, Naruto! You've grown the most!"
"You're all gonna die." A little boy was the one who spoke. Inari, the kid who lost his stepfather to Gato. I watched the argument with Naruto that ensued until the kid went up to his room.
"Please forgive him…" Tazuna asked sadly.
"You're not just going to be climbing trees. You're going to be climbing trees… With no hands." Sakura was confused, Naruto was excited, and I was kind of dreading this part. "Watch and learn." Kakashi casually crutch-walked up the tree until he was standing upside down on a branch. "And that's it. Focus your chakra in the soles of your feet and use it to stick to the trunk. Once you've mastered using your chakra, things like this will be second nature to you."
"But Kakashi-sensei, how will climbing trees make us any stronger?" Sakura queried.
"I was just getting to that. The goal of this exercise is to master control of your chakra – to use exactly as much as is necessary to achieve your goal, and no more than that. That level of fine control is critical, and it's also the hardest thing for a shinobi to learn. Climbing trees like this requires extremely fine and delicate control, so in theory, if you can master this, then no jutsu should be beyond you. Also, this will build up your stamina and ability to multitask with your chakra. In battle, you'll need to be able to do this while also using jutsu. You won't always be able to find solid ground to stand on while you cast your jutsu, after all. The skills you learn from climbing trees will probably save your life later. But that's enough talk, time to get to work." He threw each of us a kunai. "Use those knives to mark the highest point you reach on each attempt. Your goal is to mark a higher spot each time. I don't expect you to get it right first time, but a running start will probably help."
"No sweat, I could do this before breakfast, dattebayo!" Naruto boasted.
"Less talking, more climbing. Choose your trees and up you go!" While the others prepared their chakra, I activated my Sharingan and looked up at Kakashi. "That won't work, Sasuke," he admonished. "The amount and concentration of chakra needed is dependant on your mass, your angle of attack, and the surface you're climbing. It's different for everyone and every wall. There are many things you can copy with the Sharingan, but perfect control is not one of them." I deactivated my dojutsu with a sigh.
"Shoulda figured, I guess."
"Ha! Hey Sasuke, looks like you can't just copy everything you want, huh?"
"Hey Naruto, wanna make a bet?" I asked with a grin. "If I make it to the top first, then when we get back to the village, you have to walk around in your Sexy Jutsu form for an entire day."
"And if I get up there first?"
"For one night, I'll buy you as much ramen from Ichiraku's as you want," I offered. That got him motivated.
"Hell yeah! Free ramen, here I come, dattebayo!" We both immediately focused our chakra and, after a mutual glance, ran at our respective trees. Naruto got a few steps up, then immediately fell right on his back, having used too little chakra. I, on the other hand, got about the same number of steps up, then rocketed off the tree thanks to outputting too much chakra.
"This is easier than I thought!" We both looked up to see Sakura sitting on a branch, kunai impaled in the tree beside her.
"Well, looks like we know who's got the best chakra control here, our young lady."
I miss when people would call me that.
"Incredible Sakura, you go!"
"Well, understanding the use of chakra and controlling it effectively is quite an achievement," Kakashi stated with an eye-smile. "So far, I'd say that, despite Naruto's boasts and ambitions, Sakura is the closest to overtaking the Hokage. And the last hope of the Uchiha clan doesn't seem too impressive either." Naruto and I shared a glance.
"You know what, Naruto? I think we should show Kakashi-sensei how wrong he is."
"Yeah, I'm the one who's gonna be Hokage!"
Neither Naruto nor I managed to reach the top of the trees that day, even after we both asked Sakura for advice, although we were both steadily improving. That night, when everyone else was asleep, I snuck out through the window of the room I was sharing with Naruto and lay down on the grass outside, looking up at the sky above. There was little light pollution here, so the stars were beautiful.
"Ryo for your thoughts?" Kakashi crutch-walked over and sat down beside me. I probably should have figured I wouldn't be able to sneak past him, even if he was in poor condition.
"I've been thinking about today. About the battle with Zabuza."
"You performed exceptionally well, Sasuke. No one could have expected three genin to face down a man like Momochi Zabuza and survive. And that plan of yours was brilliant."
"It wasn't all me. I never would have thought to use the Transformation Jutsu like that. To Transform into a weapon and have your teammate throw you at the enemy…" I stopped, realising something I couldn't believe I'd missed all this time. The Transformation Jutsu isn't an illusion. I had assumed that the Henge was a form of genjutsu that made you appear to become something else, and so I'd dismissed it. After all, if I needed a simple illusion like that, the Sharingan would work fine. I'd always forgotten about how Naruto used it in the Land of Waves arc because it never came up again, but obviously it couldn't be a simple illusion if it could be used like that. I facepalmed, groaning at my own stupidity. "I'm such a moron!" I could have been using it this whole damn time!
"Sasuke?"
"I just realised I've been completely ignoring one of the most useful jutsu in existence!" was my excuse. "Why the hell doesn't anyone use the damn thing? It's got insane potential!"
"Well, there is a reason we teach it at the academy," Kakashi pointed out. "It's good to see you develop an appreciation for the academy three. You could all stand to benefit from proper mastery of them."
"I think the Clone Jutsu might be a bit obsolete for Naruto and I," I said with a grin. "Actually, on the subject of clones, I've been meaning to ask you: how exactly are Shadow Clones and Water Clones different? During the battle, you said Zabuza's water clone would dissipate if it got too far from him, is that it?"
"An excellent question." He looked happy that I asked. "Water Clones are actually quite different from Shadow Clones. When you make Shadow Clones, your chakra is split evenly among them. From then on, the Clones can go off and do their own thing until either they are dispelled – by themselves or the creator – or take a solid hit. They also have, or seem to have, free will, but since they're exact copies of you, that will will always align with your own. Also, the Clone's memories and experiences transfer back to the creator when they dissipate. If the clone is dispelled voluntarily, then any remaining chakra it had will be returned as well."
"So they're good for missions that need plausible deniability," I surmised. "Things like espionage or assassination, where leaving behind a corpse would be too much of a risk."
"Right. Naruto is actually quite a rarity in how much he relies on them in fights. Water Clones are similar in most respects, but the differences are significant enough that they're used completely differently, being more designed for combat than for stealth missions. They require only a small initial chakra investment, but draw a constant supply of chakra from their creator. This makes them less risky to use in direct combat – the loss of a Shadow Clone that hasn't done much yet is a waste of at least half your chakra, but the loss of a Water Clone in the same timeframe is only a minor setback. Since the Clone draws chakra as it is used, it will only be a severe drain if it starts throwing around lots of chakra-intense jutsu. However, the need to 'feed' on the creator's chakra to keep going means that there needs to be a 'link' of sorts between creator and Clone. That link only works over a limited distance, about a hundred metres, which is why they dissipate if they are led beyond that distance. Finally, a Shadow Clone is a pure chakra construct, so you can make them anywhere at any time. Water clones are formed by animating water, so you need a source of water to use them. The greatest masters of Water Release, like the Nidaime Hokage, can create water out of chakra, but for most of us we have to use water that already exists." I nodded in understanding. That explained why the ANBU watching Hiruzen vs. Orochimaru were so impressed by Edo Tobirama's Water Wall.
"Do you think a Water Clone could be made using the mist from the Hidden Mist Jutsu?" Kakashi blinked, apparently not having considered this.
"I'm not sure, but I don't see why not."
"Would you let me copy it? I've got some ideas on how to surprise Zabuza next time we meet."
"Gladly. I look forward to seeing what you do with it."
Kakashi got up to leave, promising that he'd show me the Water Clone Jutsu as soon as he was well enough. I would go to bed too, soon, but first there was something I had to test. Once I was sure Kakashi wasn't looking, I stood up and gathered my chakra.
"Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Jutsu)." It felt weird, having my body instantly shift, even if the changes were very slight. Well, the visible changes were, anyway. All I had done was change into a female version of Sasuke which, considering the fact that this body was barely beginning puberty, involved mostly internal changes. "Oh, that is so much better," I said to myself. "Hmm, maybe the voice is a little too close to Sakura. I'll have to work on that." I brushed a lock of dark blue hair from my eye. If I were planning to fight in this form, I would keep the hair short for practical reasons, even if I much preferred it long. Not that I'd be fighting like this anytime soon, since the Henge required a constant flow of chakra to maintain. No, if I wanted to do that, I'd need to try and get Tsunade to teach me whatever variation on the technique kept her looking young and adapt it for my own purposes. Still, even if I had to revert to my male form for combat and training, being able to use this one for my everyday life would be a vast improvement to my life here. The persistent pangs of dysphoria I'd been dealing with since arriving in this world had been such a constant feeling I had almost forgotten what it was like to actually feel happy. Now I just need a way to explain this to the team, I thought.
Higher! I felt myself being pushed away from the tree again, and quickly marked the spot with my knife before backflipping away from it. Heh. Almost two weeks in this world and I still surprise myself by doing shit like that.
"I made it above you this time!" Naruto called out as he also came to a landing. I looked up at his tree.
"That's not even a centimetre higher, it barely counts."
"Higher is higher, Sasuke!"
"Yeah, whatever." I made another go of it. I'm close to getting it right, I can feel it!
Thankfully, Naruto didn't try to extend our little competition into an eating contest like had happened in canon. Eating until I puked didn't sound appealing, especially in someone else's home. The contest between us was more of a friendly rivalry than the bitter one seen in the series, which I hoped was a positive sign that I wouldn't need to almost die just to befriend my teammate. I was still entirely willing to be porcupined if necessary, since it was a good opportunity to make Naruto aware of Kurama's chakra, but I'd rather see if I could find a way to beat Haku without relying on that. Preferably by beating him before he could activate his mirror jutsu.
"Um, why is this picture torn?" Everyone's attention turned to Sakura, who was standing by a photo on the wall. "Inari-chan was looking at this the whole time we were eating. Someone's face is completely gone, is that deliberate?" Our hosts turned quiet.
"...It was a picture of Inari's father," Tsunami said quietly.
"Once upon a time, our entire village considered him a here," Tazuna added. And so, Tazuna told us the story of Kaiza. How he'd shown up and helped the village, become a surrogate father to Inari, and subsequently led a revolt against Gato. A revolt that had been put down, leading to Kaiza's arms being removed followed by a public execution. At the end, Naruto got up to leave, promptly falling flat on his face, leading to an admonishment from Kakashi.
"Naruto, don't even think about training any more today. If you try to work your chakra any more without getting some rest, it could very well kill you."
"I'm going to prove to him that he's wrong," Naruto proclaimed.
"Prove what?" Sakura asked. "To who?"
"I'm going to prove to Inari that there are still heroes in this world!"
That night, I knocked on the door to the room Sakura occupied by herself. I needed to talk to her, and it was long past time we had this particular conversation.
"Sasuke-kun? What is it?" She looked like she was about to go to bed.
"Do you have a minute? We need to talk about something."
"Okay, sure." She gestured for me to follow her inside. Luckily, it seemed she was too tired to fangirl over me. If she were fully awake, she'd likely be screaming in joy at getting a private conversation in her room.
"I'll make this quick so you can get some sleep," I told her. "You need to stop hitting Naruto."
"What? But he's such an idiot!" I took a deep breath.
"Sakura do you even realise why you do it?"
"Because he's an idiot."
"You do it because you know he won't hit you back. You know he likes you. You know that he has no one who cares about him enough to stop you. And you know that gives you a level of power over him." I laid it all out, and she didn't argue. "That makes you an abuser, Sakura. No different from a drunk who beats his wife because he knows she can't leave him. You get one chance to stop. If I see you hit him again outside of a sparring session, I'll take my concerns to the Hokage and request that you be dropped from the team." She said nothing as I left.
On the morning of the sixth day since we arrived here, I was heading out to train when I heard voices.
This is where Naruto meets Haku! I realised. I didn't want to interrupt, and I knew Haku wouldn't kill Naruto here, so I hung back until I heard Haku's footsteps, at which point I had an idea. This could be really stupid, but if it works… I quickly made a Shadow Clone and left it in the path, then used Shunshin to get into a nearby tree.
Clone Sasuke gave Haku a smile as he passed, then when he was a few steps away…
"You know Gato's going to betray you, right?" He stopped.
"You must have me confused with someone else. I don't-"
"Don't bullshit me," the clone interrupted. "You're that fake hunter-nin from the other day. You're working with Momochi Zabuza, currently employed by Gato to prevent the completion of the bridge here. Am I right?" Haku quickly whirled around and tossed a senbon, which the clone deflected with a knife. "Peace. I'm not looking for a fight." They dropped their kunai in a show of good faith, and Haku stood down, though he was still on-guard.
"How did you figure all that out?"
"I pay attention. What's relevant to you right now is that I'd bet the entirety of Konoha's treasury that Gato intends to let us fight it out on the bridge, then show up with his own thugs and kill off the weakened survivors." Haku blinked, seeming to consider this.
"Let's say you're right," he replied slowly. "What do you suggest we do about it?"
"I'm glad you asked…"
"Hey, you've been out all night again. You sure you can keep this up?" Naruto got up and nodded, a look of renewed determination on his face.
"I can keep going as long as I need to to beat you!"
It was late afternoon on that day when we finally did it. Both of us reached the top at the exact same time. We looked at each other from our perches atop the trees.
"So who wins the bet?"
It was decided over dinner that we would compromise: I would pay for no more than five bowls of Ichiraku ramen for Naruto, but he had to eat it all under the effects of his Sexy Jutsu. When Tsunami enquired as to the nature of this technique, Kakashi wisely grabbed Naruto's wrist under the table before he could demonstrate it.
"Just an inside joke between my intrepid students," was his explanation.
The next morning, I headed down to the bridge with Sakura and Kakashi while Naruto rested. The poor fool had been overworking himself all week, and I was sure he would have died if not for Kurama, Uzumaki stamina or not.
"Okay Sasuke," Kakashi told me when we arrived. "Before we begin, I believe I made a promise. I may not be quite healed yet, but I'm well enough to show you what you wanted." Sakura looked on in confusion as I activated my Sharingan eagerly. "Walk with me down to the ocean." We walked straight down the side of one of the bridge supports. "Now, watch closely. Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu." Kakashi made a tiger seal, and a perfect copy of him arose from the ocean. "Did you get that?"
"Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!" I grinned as my own Clone formed beside his.
"Good work. Now let's get back topside. You can train with those clones after dinner."
Haku clung to the wall just outside Gato's office, wreathed in shadow, listening in to the businessman's current conversation. After that meeting with the Konoha ninja, he'd brought up the possibility of betrayal with Zabuza, who had agreed that Gato seemed like the type who might be stupid enough to try it. So Zabuza had made a Water Clone and disguised it as Haku to keep up appearances while the real Haku spied on their employer.
He was glad to have done it.
"My men are concerned about having to fight those ninja," a voice spoke inside the office. "Even injured, Zabuza and the kid could still pose a serious threat."
"Bah, they'll have one foot in the grave by the time we get there. Look, tell 'em I'll double the pay of whoever takes their heads," Gato replied nonchalantly. "Triple it, even. It's still cheaper than paying those ninja. As long as the bridge builder's dead and I don't have to pay that so-called 'demon' a damn ryo." Haku's eyes narrowed beneath his mask.
So you were right then, Konoha shinobi. I believe Zabuza-sama will be happy to go along with your plan.