Ten years later, she updates... (cont)
Two Steps Back
(see previous posts for disclaimer, summary, etc.)
Chapter Three (cont)
-----
“Hey, hey, Kenshin-sensei!” Naruto shouted, and Sasuke could hear him bounding down the stairs at an insane pace. “Guess what, guess what?”
“What?” Sasuke asked blandly, unable to force interest into his voice. Sandaime had insisted on picking every detail out of him, going as far as to cancel all of his other appointments without any explanation. Sasuke was exhausted - having to justify the actions that he couldn't justify, even to himself, talking until his throat felt raw. He had to explain the Uchiha Massacre, explain why he thought they should be... left to die, and that had made him feel sick.
“Orochimaru was strong enough, even without the Sharingan. He only needs it for three years to gather the jutsus he wants. I don't want to see how it could get worse.”
and
“It's a mental flaw in us. Kabuto discovered it when he made me come in for physicals. Sharingan's almost like a photographic memory, and using it to much overloads the brain. Why do you think there so many Uchihas who die young, on missions? They go insane, get reckless, forget their own consciences - the brain can only really take nine years of intensive use of the Sharingan; slightly more if it's used sparingly, but.... can you imagine Orochimaru becoming more twisted?”
and
“Mangekyou Sharingan is filthy. There should have been no records written about it - it should have been left to die.”
“...got accepted at the Academy!” Naruto babbled, his arm still hanging loosely in the sling as he waved the other around enthusiastically.
“Well done,” Sasuke said, ruffling the boy's hair as if in a dream. “Just.... promise me something?”
“'kay, Kenshin-sensei!” Naruto said cheerfully, and Sasuke could imagine his eyes squinting away happily. Nostalgia rose in him for a second, before Sasuke beat it down.
“Avoid the Uchiha boy,” he said. “I have a bad feeling about him.”
“Huh?” Naruto asked. “'kay, sure. Whatever. Can you take me to the park? I'm meeting Ino-chan there, and there's this weird white-eyed boy who we're gonna take out, 'cause he was mean to Ryuu, even though Ryuu sorta deserved it because he was being a brat. Again.”
Sasuke's tiredness abruptly increased, combining with a sudden headache. “You want me to take you to the park so you can beat a boy up,” he deadpanned.
“Yeah!” Naruto said cheerfully. “He's a real bastard though.”
“Language,” Sasuke sighed, rubbing at his forehead. “And you're injured.”
“That's why me an' Ino-chan are gonna do it,” Naruto said, a tone of indisputable logic in his voice. “I'm not stupid.”
“Nice to see a little thing like 'honour' doesn't bother you either. A true shinobi,” Sasuke said dryly. “You're normally fine walking by yourself.”
“Yeah, well,” Naruto said, hesitating slightly. “Ino-chan's dad's gonna be there, and he's kinda weird. He keeps on staring at me. It's kinda creepy.”
Sasuke paused for a moment, thinking. Naruto was right; Inoichi did seem to have a tendency to follow Naruto around for some odd reason. There was no killing intent about him, so it probably didn't mean he planning anything harmful, but still...
“Fine,” he sighed. “No beating anybody up though.”
“Sensei,” Naruto whined in a token protest, before running off, his bare feet padding against the floor as he went in search of his shoes. There was a bang somewhere above them - Shizuka practising a jutsu, no doubt, and from the swearing drifting down the stairs it hadn't gone as it should have. He didn't bother to reprimand her for her language. Naruto probably knew worse, and he wasn't her guardian.
“Oi, Kenshin-sensei!” her voice bellowed down the stairs. “What's the second hand sign thingy in Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu?”
“Tiger,” Sasuke shouted back before freezing. She isn't trying to practise fire jutsus inside, is she? he thought incredulously. Not his business, though. Not his business.
-----
Sasuke lay his head back against a tree trunk, hearing Naruto shouting happily a couple of metres away, before yelping as he and Ino began to scuffle. Those two were worse than he and Naru- old Naruto had been, but at least there was no underlying animosity, no need to kill the one closest to you. The two of them were too similar, too brash for that kind of deception; you'd almost think they were related.
It was strange how peaceful everything was. Sakura had resigned her place as Ino's best friend with good cheer and had become fast friends with both Ayame and Daisuke. Naruto and Ino were both hellions and should be put up against a tree and fireballed to death, but they were always good for raising enthusiasm in the group - they managed to drag everyone into their feuds, anyway, and that was nearly the same thing. Shikamaru tried to sleep through everything, but Tenten had discovered senbon needles and was busy motivating him in place of Ino (Shikamaru's mother seemed absolutely enamoured with the girl; Sasuke suspected she was already planning the wedding), while Chouji occasionally empathised with him, but was rapidly gaining confidence as a big brother figure to Ryuu - and, incidentally, keeping Ryuu from the numerous accidents he was prone to. Everyone, strangely, seemed to fit in a way they hadn't before; Sasuke could easily imagine them in teams whereas before-
“I regret the day you were put on my team, Uchiha.”
- before, there had always been a slight grating between the threes, not really clicking completely. Oh, they'd grown on each other, but it was never quite perfect, never quite as it should have been.
“Whatever white-eyes,” Ino's voice snapped from his right.
“Does it make you feel good, being a bully?” Naruto said, his tone a mixture of self-righteousness and bewilderment. “Ryuu didn't do nothing to you.”
Note to self, Sasuke sighed mentally. Correct Naruto's grammar. He had a feeling that was going to be an uphill struggle, especially with Shizuka around.
“The weak are destined-” a voice said, and it was with faint amusement that Sasuke recognised it as a childish Hyuuga Neji, already deep in the embrace of fate and gnawing bitterness.
- “I am not afraid to die, Uchiha. I have fought my destiny, and I will do so again willingly.”
“You're stupid,” Naruto said decisively.
“Really stupid,” Ino added.
“And you're weak!” Neji snapped back, seemingly offended - but whether it was from the unimaginative insults or the idea that someone was calling him stupid wasn't something that Sasuke could decipher.
“Whatever, stupid,” Ino said breezily. “We have better things to do.”
“You're running from the truth,” Neji said, trying to sound dignified. “Because you're scared. And weak. Only weak people would break their arms.” That was clearly directed at Naruto, and Sasuke could feel the annoyance bristling off the boy, twitches of chakra flickering around him, reinforcing his body almost subconsciously, as all ninjas did-
“Naruto,” Sasuke said, not even bothering to raise his voice. “What did I tell you earlier?”
There was a pause, and then a soft, “Sorry sensei,” accompanied by the scuffing of a foot on the ground. “It's just-”
“Excuses,” Sasuke said, “Are for incompetents. Now stop drawing on your chakra and go... make friends or something. I'm sure you and Ino-chan are perfectly capable of finding some kind of trouble to get into.” He paused. “And take the Hyuuga brat with you. You're all disturbing my thoughts.”
“I don't-” Neji began and Sasuke sighed almost imperceptibly. He cocked his head to one side, and heard Naruto obligingly grabbing hold of Neji's arms and shouting at Ino to 'help him with the bastard'. If Sasuke had still had his eyes, he would have rolled them at the sounds of Hyuuga Neji being muscled away by Ino and Naruto, a distinctly undignified yelp escaping his mouth. As it was, he leant back again, feeling the press of bark against his back and tried to return to losing himself in his thoughts.
So, they all seemed to fit-
“Arrekusu-san,” Inoichi said from a few metres away, and Sasuke nearly swore. Was he not allowed to think anymore? Did people have to intrude in his solitude? He almost wanted to stab someone.
“Yamanaka-san,” Sasuke replied blandly. Is there a reason you’re bothering me? hung unsaid in the air, but Inoichi masterfully ignored it, obviously too used to Sasuke’s brusque ways already.
“I was over in Sand a few days ago,” he said, and Sasuke felt a moment of chill. This wasn’t some sort of revelation of ‘I know that the ancestral line you say you’re from doesn’t really exist, now meet your doom, liar’ was it?
-Wait, no. Only the Hokage and Shisui knew his cover story of ‘my grandfather was from Sand’, so he was just being paranoid.
“…Yes?” he finally said, when Inoichi didn’t seem likely to continue.
“Ah,” Inoichi said, and he seemed uncomfortable. “Well, I saw this kid - must have been about Ino’s age - and he was using sand as a weapon. I’ve not heard of any jutsus like that before, and as you were a wandering nin, I thought you might know-“
So, some kind of small talk to try and get the foreigner to open up - probably mixed with a genuine curiosity over the jutsu. Sasuke almost smirked; this kind of psychology he understood.
“There aren’t any,” he said bluntly, and could feel Inoichi’s twitch.
“I know what I saw-“ Inoichi began indignantly, and Sasuke raised his hand.
“I’m assuming you’re talking about Subaku no Gaara. I’ve heard rumours, but from what I can tell, the boy’s ability to control sand is closer to a bloodline than a jutsu.” He paused, and sensing a genuine interest, continued. “Some say,” and he emphasised the word say, as if to show his own doubt in the rumour, “that the boy has a demon inside him - and that’s what gives him his ability. As far as I know, though, there are no jutsus that an average shinobi could use that have sand as a base element.”
“Huh,” Inoichi said thoughtfully. “Sand’s got their own jinchuuriku then.”
“There are rumours,” Sasuke began, and Inoichi let out a huff that was close to laughter.
“Give me some credit Kenshin-“ Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in address, but said nothing, “I may not know a lot about you, but you’re not the type of person to say anything, rumour or not, unless you had some belief in it. And as far as I can tell, your ‘slight belief’ in something is someone else’s hard proof. Therefore, Sand has a jinchuuriku, and probably one they’re training to be a weapon if I know anything about that village.”
Sasuke’s mouth twitched slightly, involuntarily. “And therefore-?” he prompted, interested to see where Inoichi would go with this.
“And therefore we need to start worrying about training our own generation, because…” Inoichi was probably frowning from the tone in his voice. “Because Sand is going to be looking for our clients, and with a jinchuuriku that they’re training instead of-“ there was a pause, and Sasuke mentally inserted ‘instead of ignoring, as we do to ours’ “Well, they’re going to be a very real threat in another eight years or so.”
Inoichi, Sasuke decided, was probably in Intelligence.
“So…” Inoichi said, trailing off, and Sasuke tilted his head towards him. The man was clearly uneasy, but Sasuke made no move to elevate his discomfort, more amused than anything. “Ah. Ino says she enjoys your lessons. Have you taught before?”
“Rarely,” Sasuke said, not bothering to elaborate. He didn’t want to make any mistakes in his cover story, and the easiest way to do that was to avoid talking about himself.
“Okay,” Inoichi said. “What were you involved in?”
“Combat specialist,” Sasuke said after a moment’s thought. “Ninjutsu in particular.”
“Right, so,” Inoichi began, and then swore. “What the hell is that Hyuuga doing?”
Sasuke half-twisted, listening intently and from a distance he could hear the sound of a blow hitting flesh and a cry that-
Naruto. Sasuke was on his feet before he realised it, but it wasn’t like the wild rush when he’d heard Naruto scream, falling from the tree, but instead a controlled stride towards the cry. He could hear raised voices - Neji seemed to be protesting over something loudly, and then running footsteps that only just warned him of Naruto approaching before the boy hit him like a bullet. Sasuke caught him without flinching, feeling a small hand clenching onto his arm, and turned to where firmer footsteps could be heard.
“You,” an unfamiliar voice said, cold and contemptuous. “What are you doing what that?”
Sasuke was tired. He was fed-up. His headache that had nearly disappeared with the mildly interesting talk with Inoichi was suddenly reminding him that he didn’t like Hyuugas - and Naruto was half-trembling in his arms, clearly expecting to be hit again and unused to someone holding him. It was with these things in mind that he placed Naruto down and straightened, turning his head to where the man has spoken from.
There was silence, and Sasuke almost smiled grimly when he heard the man shifting. Good. Off-balance and uncomfortable. Now, continue-
“Is it a habit for you to go around hitting children, Hyuuga-san?” he half-purred, and there were almost imperceptible twitches of chakra flickering around him. Apparently he was unnerving some people.
“That- that thing-“ the man began, blustering - and that was odd. Sasuke didn’t think he’d ever heard a Hyuuga bluster before.
“That boy,” he corrected, in the same almost languid tone, the dangerous undercurrent seeming a side-effect.
“What?” the Hyuuga said, sounding confused. Sasuke tilted his head to one side.
“That boy, not that thing,” he said. “Please try to use the right form of address.” He paused, and then let his voice drop slightly. “And mind me well, Hyuuga. Touch my charge again and you will have me to contend with.”
“Kenshin,” Inoichi said uneasily. “I don’t think threats are necessary. I’m sure Hyuuga-san didn’t mean-“
There was a shift and a rustle of clothing - the Hyuuga was moving, Sasuke guessed. Naruto edged closer to him, and Sasuke could feel the heat emanating from the small body as Naruto finally clutched onto his leg. “Why should I feel threatened by a blind man?” the Hyuuga sneered, trying to regain some composure, and there was easy laughter from behind them both.
“That’s a good question,” Uchiha Shisui said cheerfully. “Why don’t we find out? I think Training Area 23 is free.”
“Uchiha-san-“ Inoichi said, his voice placating, and Sasuke felt outrage stiffening his shoulders. He was not weak, and Inoichi did not need to make these kinds of decisions for him. His entire life he had been focused around strength, and to have people dismiss him because he was blind; because of a decision he had made himself - that did not sit well. The repentance that had made him remove his last eye was easily overwhelmed by his pride, even as his mind flashed through potential fighting situations. He might not be up to Itachi’s standard, but he was still a match for some over-arrogant Hyuuga - he just needed to even the fighting field somehow…
“I am willing, Hyuuga-san,” Sasuke said, inclining his head slightly and feeling a mocking smirk tug at the edges of his mouth. “Unless, of course, you are afraid of this blind man?”
There was a hiss of outrage, and Sasuke nearly smiled.
“Lead the way, Uchiha,” the Hyuuga growled, and Sasuke could imagine Shisui's triumphant grin. What did the man have to gain from this, though?
-----
Flaring his chakra out faintly, Sasuke nodded to himself as he got a vague idea of where everything was. It wasn't the most reliable way of scanning his surroundings, but it was the best he could do. Luckily, his opponent didn't seem to know how to smother his own chakra, so Sasuke would at least have an idea of where he was.
“No permanent damage or killing, people - remember that this is just a spar,” Shisui said in an inappropriately cheerful voice, and Sauke shook his head almost imperceptibly.
“Get on with it,” the Hyuuga snarled, and there was a sigh from where Inoichi stood, Ino, Naruto and Neji by his side and watching with a nervous sort of anticipation - although Neji seemed to have already decided how the match was going to go, and that was not in Sasuke's favour.
Well, they'd see.
“Ready? Okay, begin!”
Sasuke leapt backwards, his hands flashing in seals - even out the playing field, that's what he needed to do, and Byakugan didn't see through genjutsu-
-He slid away from the illusion-body he had made, feeling the dank slickness of invisibility covering him, but silently, move silently, and where was the Hyuuga coming from-?
Crack
Behind! he thought in blurring speed, then twisting the thought- no, illusion, doesn't know where I am- but that meant that he'd be attacking there so-
He had a kunai in his hands and thrown before he knew what was happening, but there was a clash as the Hyuuga knocked it out of the air - his own kunai? Presumably - returning the throw from the swish-flick that thrummed the air, but Sasuke had already moved- and goddamnit why was there a tree root there?- barely turning the fall into a graceful flip but if the Hyuuga had any combat sense he would have heard-
Tree, tree, why was the a bloody tree- stick to the bark maybe this could come in use-
“I can see you, you idiot!” came the gloating tone, and Sasuke barely thought moron-
-Before he was on the other side of the clearing, the faintly acrid scent of teleportation jutsu barely there and he was moving to reform the genjutsu- but no, the Hyuuga would no how to recognise that, but he was already on Horse, so-
-to the side, he could hear the movement- end with a Tiger and- The rush of warm - hot - burn that always accompanied the slices of flame, feeling like his skin could almost peel from his face at the heat-
-There's a yelp from the spectators, but it's too low to be a child's, too low to be Naruto's, so Sasuke dismisses it from his mind and instead focuses on the thwump of the Hyuuga switching with a log at the last second, hearing the wood burst into fast flame and altering his position because he can hear the fast movements of someone fighting with the jyuuken-
-and sway backwards, feeling the displacement of air as the hands passed so close, so close, but not close enough- bring a foot around in a sweep, and he wasn't expecting that- A chuunin, Sasuke thought dimly, the Hyuuga could not be above chuunin level with skills like this -his opponent trying to roll with the movement, but slam the foot down there and-
Sasuke left his foot resting on the Hyuuga's windpipe, breathing harder than he would have expected to. “Give?” he asked calmly, trying not to let the adrenalin show in shaking voice or body. That had been- been the strangest thing ever, to fight completely without his eyes, and not a sensation he found himself enjoying. He had won though, and-
He increased the pressure on the man's throat. “Generally, questions require a response,” he said, and the threat was unmistakable.
There was a pause, and Sasuke could almost hear the Hyuuga's pride being forced down. “You win,” the man said stiffly. “You have my word I will not interfere with your- charge.” There was unmistakable disdain on the last word, but Sasuke ignored it, feeling faintly generous and stepping away.
“God,” he heard Inoichi muttering as if in deep shock. “God.”
“Maybe,” Shisui murmured, walking in close to prevent anyone from overhearing, “You are an Uchiha.” There was a note of satisfaction in his voice, and Sasuke barely managed not to twitch at the irritation that flared at the man.
“Maybe,” he acknowledged, his lips hardly moving. “Or maybe it was just a freak accident. How do you think your bloodline developed anyway?”
There was a hesitation from Shisui, and Sasuke turned away, feeling tiredness hit in as the adrenalin faded away. “Naruto?” he said, raising his voice slightly.
“'m here,” an awed voice said of to one side. “That was awesome, sensei.” There was a twist of pride rearing its head in Sasuke at Naruto's unthinking words, for some reason he couldn't quite decipher, and he rested a hand on the boy's spiky head.
“Let's go home,” he said. “If you're lucky I might teach you one of those jutsus.”
...Was Naruto bouncing?