Chapter 47
Chapter 47 Team 7’s Preliminaries
Wind ruffled Izuna’s hair as he overlooked the convoy heading back to the Uchiha fortress. There were too many to heal or transport quickly. Storage scrolls couldn’t seal a living person so there was nothing faster then carriages or horses and the Uchiha clan never left anyone behind, hence the slow procession leaving Sora-ku. Izuna ran a hand through his sweat slicked hair and dropped down from the tree he’d been standing in, landing silently on the grass below.
Unlike most Uchiha, Izuna preferred stealth and speed over battle prowess, subtlety instead of brute force. His footsteps were near silent as he made his way to a river flowing near the road and began refilling canteens for the wounded. Seals placed on the bamboo containers, courtesy of Sakura, would ensure the water was free of contaminants and Izuna worked quickly, unaware of the dark form with golden eyes that merged with his shadow.
Straightening up, the boy dusted off his pants and looked at his reflection in the water. He was young, two years Madara and Sakura’s junior but he was strong. He could keep up with both of them in combat when pushed. ‘Why can’t it be me at Madara’s side?’ The thought felt wrong, twisted and Izuna shook his head. ‘I am at my brother’s side, Sakura is his right hand and I’m his left.’ Izuna let out a shaky breath as a storm of negative emotions washed over him.
Sharingan spun to life, blood dripped down the boy’s cheeks as mangekyo blossomed in his eyes. Something was wrong, a darkness was clinging to his chakra and the feelings of bitterness and distrust that he had long felt for the pink haired kitsune flared. ‘She’s trustworthy, adopted by chakra and shared bloodshed. She’s Uchiha.’ Izuna’s fingers dug into the dirt and he let out a hiss of rage. His chakra surged as he focused on the lessons his father had taught him. Jealousy and bitterness were just another manifestation of the clan’s curse and he would not lose to them. Izuna would never burden his older brother or sister like that.
The darkness clinging to him struggled, images of Sakura and Madara holding hands flashed through Izuna’s mind. He saw the way they looked at each other, unaware the other returned their feelings. He knew he would never be the most important person in Madara’s heart, or Sakura’s for that matter and while that hurt, their happiness was more important.
Suddenly an image of Madara standing as clan head in formal robes was forced to the forefront of Izuna’s mind. His brother looked regal as a young adult with long wild hair, tired eyes and a powerful build. Beside him, in a beautiful shiromoku stood Sakura, her emerald eyes set in a commanding glare and her chakra hidden completely though the sense of power around her was undeniable. Her long pink hair was more tamed then Madara’s but still tended to clump into long silky spikes. Together, the two were the very image of power, a husband and wife that almost had a right to conquer and lead.
More important then any appearance though, Izuna knew they’d be happy together. He could feel the love between them and while once that would have sent him into a rage, now his heart ached with joy. His chakra, normally suppressed and hidden, blossomed outwards, a joyous fire that banished the thing in his shadow. Izuna let out a long breath, unaware of the danger stalking him and made his way back to the convoy. His brother was still asleep, which meant Sakura was hours away from returning and until then it would be up to him to look after their clan.
***
An endless blue expanse smudged occasionally with gray was the first thing Madara saw as his eyes opened. At the edges of his vision, beautiful pale pink seemed to glow, the gloomy sky making Sakura’s arrival a vivid display of light and color as the two returned to the world of the living. Every inch of Madara’s body hurt and his exhaustion ran bone deep but he still pushed himself upright, his chain mail silent thanks to a seal Sakura had stitched into his yoroi hitatare.
“Ani,” Izuna’s chakra danced through Madara’s mind as his brother’s voice reached his ears and Izuna landed on the edge of their carriage without a sound, a small burst of chakra stabilizing the vehicle as he shifted into a sitting position on the edge. “All casualties have been documented,” Izuna handed Sakura the scroll, knowing the rosette would immediately begin demanding it so she could start healing. “The dead were counted an hour ago and we’re six hours out from our main fortress.”
“How bad?” Madara asked, his voice rough from dehydration and katon use. Sakura’s hand flicked out, the emerald light in her palm hidden when her skin pressed against his and her minty chakra soothed away the discomfort. Izuna handed Madara a canteen and the older brother quickly drained it, shooting both Sakura and Izuna grateful looks.
“We lost a third of the army. By numbers the Senju suffered more losses but by ratio, about the same.” Izuna explained and Madara ran a hand through his hair and let out a tired sigh. This was nothing short of a disaster and if things didn’t turn around quickly, the other clans would pounce on them. They’d become the Chinoike of Hi if they couldn’t turn this around, except nobody would be coming to save them.
“We need to counter attack immediately. Sakura can heal our wounded and then we’ll have to hit somewhere so important the Senju will bring all their forces.” Madara knew it would be a gamble but if they could chose the time and place, perhaps they could win. He looked over at Izuna and Sakura, the two silent for several long seconds as they considered his words.
“What about the Imperial capital?” Izuna suggested and Madara stared at his younger brother in obvious shock. The Daimyo was nothing more then an ornament, effectively powerless in the current hierarchy of Hi no Kuni, except he controlled the largest, most well defended city in Hi. If he lost the capital, he’d be just another man, perhaps even lesser than that for all he’d have lost.
“Are you joking?” Madara asked, his tone friendly but full of disbelief. Before Izuna could answer, Sakura waved her hand, cutting the younger brother off.
“It’s a good idea, I was going to suggest it.” Sakura stated, her voice firm and eyes sharp. Madara knew she was a genius, more academically minded then he’d ever manage. Where he excelled in the physical aspects of being a shinobi, she was unrivaled in her intelligence, her mind easily a match for any Nara’s. “With a month to plan and years fighting Butsuma I think I can cook something up.” Sakura’s grin was shark like and her eyes glittered with blood lust.
“But can we actually take the capital?” Madara asked, knowing that any assault on the daimyo would backfire unless it was successful. Even if they crushed the Senju, the man would throw all his wealth against them if they didn’t kill him outright. It would be an immense gamble. Instead of answering, Sakura reached into her armor and withdrew a small blank scroll and unfurled it in front of her.
“The capital is protected by imported Uzumaki fuinjutsu and chakra absorbing stone from Tsuchi no Kuni.” Sakura explained, her brush moving in precise, almost mechanical motions over the scroll. Madara leaned over it, inspecting her work even if he didn’t fully understand it. “That’s a weakness, you can short out the wards into the stone, if you do it right both will lose most of their effectiveness.”
“Like diverting raiton jutsu with metal.” Madara realized and earned a nod from the rosette. The Daimyo had paid for the most expensive defenses available, chakra stone that couldn’t be climbed and Uzumaki fuinjutsu that created physical barriers strong enough to withstand any conventional assault. “But how are we going to get the seals in place?”
“By fighting like ninja. I’ll lead a team to sneak into the city disguised as civilians, place the seals and activate them ahead of the main force’s attack. We won’t fight the Senju in the city though, when they gather to react, we’ll hit them.” Sakura’s plan was simple but there was still a lot that could go wrong. Still, Madara knew that they could make this work. The Uchiha clan currently had four summoning contracts, Sakura’s fuinjutsu and several mangekyo wielders. If any clan had a hope of taking the Imperial Capital, it was them.
“Are we going to hold the capital?” Madara asked and Sakura’s eyes became contemplative. It would be a gamble to leave the city open, especially once it had been sacked. On the other hand, holding it would stretch their forces thin. The rosette considered the question before she shrugged.
“We can make that decision once the battles are concluded.” Sakura stated then paused, cocking her head to the side. “Though, if we held it, we could claim the title of Shogun.” Madara had heard the term before, though it was one relatively unique to the Isles.
The idea of a shogun, a ruler who was both a warrior and a noble wasn’t anything special, in fact the leader of every shinobi clan fell into that category however a shogun didn’t rule a small domain but rather an entire country. Mizu had several shoguns throughout their long history, leaders who had united the Isles and launched invasions of the mainland. They had even conquered the southernmost peninsula that had once belonged to Hi, integrating it into Mizu no Kuni and creating a rich melting pot of mainland and Isles culture. Sakura’s pink hair originated from the region in the form of the now extinguished Hagoromo clan.
“You would be the one to claim that title. I’ll have enough on my plate managing the Uchiha.” Madara pointed out, earning a startled look from Sakura and a nod of agreement from Izuna. The rosette’s pink eyebrows rose on her forehead and Madara grinned at her confusion. “What? You’d be better at it then I would be anyways. Now, go on read the casualty report and start healing. I know you’re itching to get to work.” Madara watched as Sakura swallowed nervously, giving him a small nod before unfurling the scroll, reading it with her sharingan then dashing off to help the wounded.
“The council is going to start considering things they’ve ignored until now.” Izuna’s voice caught Madara by surprise and he looked over at his brother with obvious curiosity. Izuna shifted nervously, unsure how to brooch the subject but decided that being blunt was probably for the best. “Marriage for example? You have an heir in me but eventually…”
“Oh,” Madara felt like he’d just been punched in the gut. The wind left his lungs and his shoulders slumped as he realized that he was now truly the clan head. He had Sakura and Izuna but that was cold comfort in the face of what he now had to grapple with. The entire clan’s future was resting on his shoulders. His children would carry on the burdens of leadership and his decisions shaped the lives and futures of his people. “I’m screwed.”
“Ani, you have Sakura.” Izuna pointed out lightly and was treated to a brief look of utter befuddlement before Madara’s face became as red as his sharingan. Madara sucked in a deep breath, his eyes wide and he looked at Izuna with a mix of terror and something undefinable.
“You don’t think she’s, I mean we’re like siblings, I doubt she’d…” Madara sputtered, tripping over his own words in his panic. It was terribly cute to Izuna’s eyes and he shook his head, grinning and giving a lazy shrug.
“I don’t have your answer Aniue but if you don’t ask someone else will. Sakura might be a tennyo or youkai but that’s not going to stop people for long. There is a reason why so many legends discuss marrying them.” Izuna teased, leaving Madara flabbergasted as he slid into the cart and stifled a yawn. He’d woken up after Madara and Sakura had finally passed out and now that the two were awake, Izuna could finally rest. “Just something I’ve been thinking about. Now go and do clan head things, I’m going to sleep.”
“Go do clan head things?!” Madara asked as Izuna’s eyes slid closed, his chakra leveling out almost immediately. Madara rolled his eyes, wondering where Izuna got off sending him into a blind panic and then just abandoning him to it. With an indignant huff, Madara left the cart and quickly found his way to Ryuko who was currently leading the army. He needed to focus on something, on anything, before the thought of another boy noticing Sakura consumed him. ‘Dammit Izuna!’
***
Naruto glanced over at the rest of Team 7 and felt excitement bubbling up within him. Today was the final day of the second exam and his team had been given a bye because of Orochimaru’s interference. The entire incident was covered up and the official records would show they had found both scrolls. In fact besides the Hokage, only a few ANBU, Anko and Sakura knew the truth.
Satsuki walked alongside Naruto as they made their way out onto the tiled floor of a wide room. At one end was a statue holding the ram seal and at the other were doors leading into the towers infirmary. The floor was a bland green while the walls were a mix of wood and terracotta like so many buildings throughout Konohagakure.
The other contestants had already gathered, making it look like Team 7 were the last to arrive, though Naruto didn’t mind. All of the rookies had made it, along with two more teams from Konoha, one of which was Kabuto’s while the other had been a year ahead of them in the academy. A single team from Suna had passed the second exam, along with a team from Oto. All in all, it was a Konoha dominated spread.
“Alright, listen up maggots!” Anko was suddenly there, just ahead of the contestants, her chakra presence pressing down on everyone present. Naruto had gotten to know her as a somewhat quirky and wild older sister to Satsuki so seeing this side of her after getting to know her in private was jarring. “Too many of you made it through the second exam, which means we get to have a preliminary! Congratulations! You’ll each fight a match and whoever wins moves on to the next stage.”
Anko ordered and then stepped back as Hiruzen moved forward. Naruto ignored the Sandaime’s lecture. It was boring and had to do with honor and nations and stuff that didn’t really matter. Behind him, Naruto finally noticed the jounin sensei, many of whom he had pranked in the past. Kakashi stood at the very edge though Sakura wasn’t currently present which rubbed Naruto wrong.
“Everyone to the balconies!” The sickly proctor who had been introduced as Gekko Hayate called out and Naruto walked alongside Satsuki as they made their way up the stairs with the other Konoha teams. The balconies formed a U shape around the room, allowing those not fighting to walk to either side without dropping down to the arena floor and upon reaching the top of the stairs, Naruto was greeted with the sight of his first friend’s shark toothed grin.
“Hey Naru-chan, Satsuki-chan,” Sakura smiled happily, her emerald eyes crinkling as she stood before them. She was dressed for war with her dark crimson armor over a dark gray yoroi and matching hakama covered her legs. Rings of lacquered kusari covered any gaps in her armor while her wakizashi hung at her waist alongside a tachi and her scythe was resting across her back. All in all, Sakura looked ready for war.
“Tora-chan! I was wondering where you were. Not on guard duty today?” Naruto asked, walking over to the rosette as the rest of the Konoha contingent filed past. Every team, including their sensei were eyeing the rosette but if Sakura noticed she showed no signs of it.
“Nope,” Sakura popped the p playfully and grinned. “I’m on the clock but fortunately I was assigned to guard the matches. Imagine that?” Sakura’s eyes flashed with mischief and Naruto knew she’d somehow pranked someone through her unmasked presence here. “Either of you nervous?”
“Not a chance, this is going to be easy dattebayo.” Naruto answered immediately while Satsuki smirked and nodded. Naruto stole a quick glance at his Uchiha teammate and felt his motivation skyrocket. Satsuki had always been the top of their class. She commanded attention, easily drawing the entire room into her orbit and that had only grown with her self discovery. Naruto couldn’t help but envy that ability, he was always the outcast while Satsuki was forever the center, the two polar opposites and yet Satsuki’s eyes unfailingly found his both in the academy and now as onyx met stormy blue.
“Our matches will be quick.” Satsuki stated confidently and smirked at Naruto. “Unless you’re going to flail around and embarrass the team, Usuratonkachi?” Satsuki’s voice was annoyingly fond and Naruto could see Sakura’s influence in the way Satsuki’s eyes arced and the how her lips stretched up to show off her teeth. Naruto had never known family, at least not before Team 7 but now he found himself slowly being pulled into the orbit of the Uchiha remnant. He was starting to notice their individual quirks, which mannerisms they shared and who they originated from and he loved it.
“Yeah, yeah, just don’t freeze up if you end up facing a fan girl Teme-chan.” Naruto quipped back, his grin wide and cheerful as they turned their attention to the board which began rolling through names. Uchiha Sasuke burned brightly on the screen and Naruto heard Satsuki’s hiss of annoyance, something she’d picked up from Anko, before she dropped down to the arena floor. Across from her, her opponent, Akado Yoroi took his position. The man was in his twenties with black sunglasses and a purple uniform.
“Begin!” Hayate called out, his voice ragged as he wheezed and brought his hand down. Immediately, Satsuki activated her sharingan and blurred forward. The cursed seal on her shoulder had been sealed before it could activate, giving her full use of her reserves and her sharingan combined with the years of learning under Anko made the match incredibly one sided. In less then a minute the fight was over courtesy of a lightning quick barrage of punches that forced Yoroi off balance before a spinning heel kick took him off his feet and left him an unconscious heap on the ground. “Winner Uchiha Sasuke!”
“Whatever,” Satsuki growled and used a shunshin to return to her place on the balcony. Naruto grinned happily before noting the other teams were converging on his as the next match was announced. Even the jounin sensei were visibly interested in Sakura, which confused Naruto since she’d been a shinobi for years. On the other hand, she was ANBU so perhaps she wasn’t well known. Straining his ears and letting some chakra trickle in to them, Naruto listened in on the conversation between the jounin.
***
It had been two years since Kurenai had last seen Haruno Sakura and the girl was no less unsettling. She was kitted out like a soldier of the warring clans period with a gunbai that bore no small resemblance to Madara’s signature weapon and a matching scythe. If that was somehow a statement that could be ignored, her dark crimson armor silenced any doubts about who she had styled herself after.
Even more unsettling than the rosette’s clothes, worse than her inhuman teeth and pale, foreign features that spoke of Chigiri heritage, more disturbing than even the look in her eyes that spoke of barely contained blood lust, was her chakra. Kurenai had chakra control just below the 90th percentile, she had honed her control from being merely average into a razor sharp edge and with that increase in control came an increase in sensory abilities.
Only natural born sensory nin or those gifted with truly absurd chakra control were more sensitive to chakra and Kurenai had expanded on this ability. Evocative genjutsu drew reactions from the target and Kurenai had found out how to use that trick to read the chakra of other shinobi. It was why she’d been promoted to jounin so young, what allowed her to excel in seduction, bodyguard and infiltration missions without ever entering ANBU.
That sense that Kurenai had carefully trained went haywire around the young rosette. The girl’s chakra felt wrong, inhuman and burned at Kurenai’s senses. It made her skin itch when she stood near the girl and forcibly dredged up memories of the worst night in Konohagakure’s history. Worse than even the physical sensations and the similarities to the Kyuubi’s chakra, the rosette’s emotions were unreadable.
Sakura’s emotions weren’t hidden or masked. She wasn’t a void like a few of the ANBU Kurenai had run into around the village. They were just beyond Kurenai’s ability to process, as if the young rosette operated so fundamentally differently from a baseline human that Kurenai couldn’t make heads or tails of her.
“So you’re Haruno Sakura,” Asuma’s gruff voice broke the tense silence that had begun to stretch between the jounin sensei. The rosette’s head bobbed in a nod, her emerald eyes meeting Kurenai’s, her lips twitching briefly, showing a phantom smile before she met Asuma’s gaze. Instincts long honed over years of service screamed danger but Kurenai crushed them down and kept her face carefully blank.
“And you’re Sarutobi Asuma, former member of the twelve guardian ninja and jounin-sensei of the current generation of Ino-Shika-Cho, a tradition that predates the village.” Sakura chirped, sounding childlike and her expression open and innocent. It was all a lie though, this was no child but a predator, another Itachi just waiting to blow. The girl’s eyes left Asuma as she mentioned his team, sweeping over Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji. “That’s a lot of expectations to live up to.”
“It is,” Asuma agreed, somehow stumped by the girl’s behavior. Kurenai knew he hadn’t read past her false innocence. Sakura was good, but Kurenai was a seduction and infiltration specialist, she lived and breathed deception and could see straight through the facade to what lay underneath. “Frustrated to be on a genin team? You were only on one for less then a year right?”
“Being a jounin-sensei is a lot of work but Naruto and Satsuki make it easy. Kakashi-senpai can be trouble but he doesn’t interrupt group training sessions so there’s that.” Sakura’s words were cheerful and delivered in a teasing tone but Kurenai could feel the barb aimed at the man. Most would dismiss what was said as a joke but Kurenai knew that for all her good humor, Haruno Sakura was not kidding around. She was the jounin-sensei of Team 7 and Hatake Kakashi had been neglecting his duties.
“Maa, kouhai you’ve been doing so well though.” Kakashi drawled, apparently unbothered but not unaware of the insult leveled his way. Emerald eyes rolled in annoyance before they refocused on the matches below. Kurenai hoped that would be the end of it, the less interactions Sakura had with her team the better and while Asuma likely would never believe her about the danger that was Haruno Sakura, she hoped he’d humor her and just accept the natural end to the conversation.
***
‘Gods, clan heirs have it easy.’ Inner mused, fully aware of the irony behind her words. Outer sent a silent burst of agreed consideration back as they watched the fights. The three rookie teams all had immense advantages over the other genin in the exam. They were clan heirs, with full access to their clan’s jutsu and training from the moment they could walk. Of course that was all on top of being born and bred for their fighting styles with stronger bodies and larger chakra reserves then any civilian child could hope to have without intense training.
‘They’re impressively unimpressive. It’s frustrating to see how much stronger they are then most genin corp members but almost insulting how little effort they’ve actually put into their techniques.’ Outer replied, thinking over how hard she had to work just to keep up with Madara and Izuna. They had more chakra then she did and while she was physically stronger, that was only because she’d taken the matter into her own hands and kicked nature to the curb. Even then though, that option was only available because Hiruzen had shared it with her.
‘It wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t hinder the growth of the clan-less. Family is important but a city is more then one family or even a group of families.’ Inner added before the feeling of eyes on her shoulder pulled her attention away form the matches below her and over to the Konoha genin still staring at her. The current generation of Ino-shika-cho were all looking at her with open curiosity, though the Nara was trying to play disinterested. The Hyuga, Aburame and the Inuzuka were less interested but still shooting her the occasional glance.
“Yes?” Sakura put on a smile, doing her best to hide her contempt for the sensei who had put entered untested children into a death tournament. None of the fresh graduates save Team 7 were even remotely ready for promotion. The Nara and Yamanaka didn’t even have visibly muscle definition.
“You’re from Kirigakure.” The Nara said and Sakura intentionally widened her smile to show off her fangs. The boy flinched, no killing intent needed and Sakura let her eyes sparkle with mischief.
“Am I?” Sakura asked and the boy paled, his sensei silently shifting his hands from crossed over his chest to his hips, right near his weapon pouches. Kurenai bristled, still uneasy in her presence though Sakura knew the woman would never underestimate her again, not after their shared jounin exams. “Because my headband has a leaf on it, funny that.” The Nara swallowed as Sakura let her eyes arc into crescents like Kakashi and then turned her attention back to the matches.
“They bothering you?” Satsuki asked, finally saving Sakura from the awkwardness. Apparently her adorable little sister and fox brother decided it would be more fun to watch and wait rather then immediately save her.
“Yes,” Sakura answered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Satsuki just flashed a smirk, her lips pulling back to reveal a nasty glimpse of teeth before she leaned her head on Sakura’s armored shoulder. The effect was instant as a strangled sound, accompanied by a wave of furious jealousy erupted from the Yamanaka heiress. Sakura couldn’t help herself and gently ran a hand through Satsuki’s inky black hair before turning and smirking at the Yamanaka who let out a howl of rage.
“You! You bitch, get your paws off Sasuke-kun!” Ino shouted and Sakura let out an amused laugh. She had really needed a distraction after everything that had happened and messing with Konoha’s genin teams was certainly a balm to her weary heart.
“Hmmm, no.” Sakura drawled, chuckling happily as she motioned for Naruto to join in. “Satsuki-chan is ours, not your Yamanaka.” Sakura purred happily, struggling to hold back a fresh wave of laughter as Satsuki and Naruto both joined in on the act. Before Ino could react, her name was called out and her teeth clattered as her jaw snapped shut.
“Yamanaka Ino vs Sai!” The board ahead of them declared and Ino’s head snapped to it as her name was called out. The girl tried to immolate the electronic display under the sheer force of her glare but when that failed she turned back to Sakura and pointed angrily.
“You just wait! I’m going to kick this guy’s ass and then you’ll see!” Ino shouted, jumping down to the arena floor. Sai jumped down as well and the looked at the blond with an utterly blank expression.
“Begin!” The proctor called out and Ino flicked a wave of shuriken towards Sai. The boy blinked and then dodged before raising his hand.
“Forfeit!” Sai called out and then simply walked out of the room without another word. Across from him, Ino stood frozen in place. The Yamanaka’s brain was almost audible as it processed what had just happened and when things finally clicked into place, she let out a furious scream.
“Dammit! Stop messing with me! You, pinky, just you wait I’m going to kick your ass! You and all of team seven!” Ino challenged and Satsuki straightened up, her eyes flashing with mirth as her lips quirked up at the corners. Ino’s eyes were naturally drawn to the Uchiha, her whole focus falling upon her crush.
“You do realize that includes me?” Satsuki asked in an almost innocent tone, though the effect was ruined by her smirk. Ino blinked, processing that before her hands balled into fists and she gave a nod.
“I’m not going to lose.” Ino promised, not backing down even for her crush. The blond quickly rushed up the stairs and came to a stop a few feet away from Satsuki, eyes darting over her before she nodded. “And seeing as they’re calling you Satsuki-chan, you’re a girl.” It was a statement, though Satsuki still dipped her head in confirmation. “Well, you’re still my type so if I win, can I have a date?”
“…One date, if you make chunin.” Satsuki offered, feeling somewhat generous towards the girl. She had no intentions of dating Ino, but no matter how many times she told the blond she wasn’t interested or ignored her it didn’t work.
“Hey now, Teme-chan you’re going to make me jealous dating other people.” Naruto teased and Satsuki grinned, turning her eyes to Naruto who froze in place. Sakura watched the two of them, their chakras both surprisingly nervous as Satsuki smiled at the blond.
“If you make chunin, I’ll go on a date with you Usuratonkachi-kun.” Satsuki teased, laughing as Naruto’s cheeks pinked briefly before he let out a forced laugh and did his best to act unaffected. Satsuki’s body language was similarly stilted and Sakura buried her head in her hands, shaking with the force of her suppressed laughter. Her team was just the best.
***
“Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, please come down to the arena.” The proctor’s voice was just barely loud enough to reach the balcony and Naruto felt a burst of excitement upon seeing his name. Before he could vault over the railing, a small but impossibly strong hand gripped his shoulder.
“Win but don’t show off.” Sakura whispered, her eyebrows wiggling in anticipation of a prank. Naruto blinked before flashing her a foxy grin and a thumbs up. Sakura’s fingers released his shoulder and Naruto jumped down to the arena. Across from him, Kiba looked like he’d just won the lottery.
“Well, here I was worried about having a tough preliminary match but instead I’m up against the dead last.” Kiba taunted and Naruto laughed and scratched the back of his head, easily slipping back into the act of class clown. Naruto glanced up towards Satsuki who cocked an eyebrow in question, then shifted his gaze to Sakura who was wearing a small but confident smirk.
“Man I’m sorry about this Kiba but sensei says I’ve got to win this and she gets really mad if I let her down ‘ttebayo.” Naruto did his best to sound put out and cracked a grin at Kiba’s flabbergasted expression. The Inuzuka scoffed and shook his head as his ninken, Akamaru, jumped down from his coat onto the tiled floor.
“Well I’ll admit Pinky is dressed for war but she’s our age. You can’t expect me to believe she’s actually your jounin-sensei.” Kiba’s words were answered by a casual shrug as Naruto’s hands slid into his pockets. It was about as unprepared as one could get given the situation and Kiba took immediate advantage of that fact. A pair of kunai were in his hands and in the blink of an eye they were launched at Naruto. The blond quickly dodged to the side, pulling his hands from his pockets while shouting.
“Hey I wasn’t ready yet!” Naruto squawked as Kiba charged forward, Akamaru running alongside him. Naruto watched them run and almost let out a grunt of confusion. They were slow, incredibly slow in fact. Sakura had been training him and Satsuki hard, drilling into them the importance of speed. Sure strength was nice and flashy jutsu were always the coolest thing you could learn but speed, reaction time and tactics more often than not carried the fight. Everything else was extra, though Sakura had used a bunch of rather fancy words to say that when she’d been explaining it to them.
‘Well if I don’t want to show off.’ Naruto thought cocking his fist back and telegraphing his attack. Kiba grinned, hands open and fingers sharpened into claws with chakra. The Inuzuka’s foot slid to a stop just ahead of Naruto, his clawed hands coming straight for Naruto’s face but the blond was prepared and he immediately aborted his punch, leaning backwards while flicking a pain ball full of itching powder straight into Kiba’s face.
“What the hell?!” Kiba’s voice cracked as he shouted, his eyes suddenly watering and his face instantly turning bright red as the skin became irritated and itchy. He’d breathed in some of the powder as well, ruining his sense of smell and he frantically rubbed at his face, leaving him wide open. Naruto grinned and in the spirit of cheap shots and playground fights, nailed Kiba in the crotch. The Inuzuka let out a strangled scream as more then half the room flinched in sympathy.
“Uh, I think I win?” Naruto asked, pulling out a kunai and gesturing at Kiba. The other boy was wide open and though he was recovering quickly Naruto’s meaning was obvious. For several seconds, if the blond had wanted to, he could have easily turned Kiba into a pincushion. The proctor let out a long, drawn out sigh, visibly disappointed over the last few matches and nodded.
“Uzumaki Naruto wins.” Hayate called out, sounding almost as put out as he had over Ino’s match. Naruto ignored the string of curses and bloodshot glare Kiba was sending him in favor of running back up to his team, grin firmly in place.
“So?” Naruto asked playfully, nudging Sakura’s shoulder with his own. The rosette’s grin was utter mischief and she cackled happily.
“That’s my deshi!” Sakura laughed, ruffling Naruto’s hair playfully. She’d taught both Naruto and Satsuki to fight dirty, using any and all advantages they could find. Naruto’s natural penchant for pranking had meshed perfectly with the rosette’s philosophy and his arsenal of traps, tricks and assorted bombs and capsules all found new uses during their daily sparring sessions.
“My eternal rival, it appears your kouhai is utterly ruthless. Such tactics are most unyouthful.” Might Gai’s cheerful tone did not at all match his words and Sakura turned to see the eccentric taijutsu master standing next to Kakashi. The man’s right hand was on his chin, pointer finger extended and thumb framing his jawline while his eyes were closed in an expression exaggerated seriousness.
“Hmm, good job teaching them Sakura-kouhai.” Kakashi’s eye arced into a smile while he obviously ignored Gai. Gai’s face crashed, his seriousness shattered as he began to cry, his fist clenched dramatically in front of him.
“Curse you and your hip attitude Kakashi!” Gai shouted, before his face became more serious. The man was one of the strongest in the village and while his personality and attitude disqualified him for service in ANBU he was no less deadly then his self proclaimed eternal rival. He was less likely to kill his opponents, but that was a choice. “So you’re my friend’s infamous kouhai.”
“I’m infamous?” Sakura asked, blinking and making her eyes look wide and innocent. Kakashi huffed out a laugh and ruffled her pink hair, making it more wild then it already was while Gai gave a good-natured chuckle.
“Indeed! You’re the youngest jounin in Konoha’s history, beating Kakashi’s record by two years.” Gai informed her cheerfully and Sakura flashed a shark toothed grin at Kakashi. “In fact, you beat all his records by a few months. Hence infamous.” Gai nodded along with his own explanation and favored Sakura a wide smile. “I’ve been asking him to introduce me to his most youthful apprentice for some time now.”
“Well I’m glad we could finally meet.” Sakura answered politely and Naruto marveled at how easily she seemed to ignore the strangeness of the man across from her. Might Gai did not look powerful, nor did he have a crushing chakra presence or impressive weapons. In fact, to Naruto’s eyes, the man looked ridiculous, though the orange leg warmers were a nice touch.
“Indeed and it is good to meet the rest of the current Team Seven as well! You have three generations of dai-nana-han on one team! Truly a triple threat!” Gai’s words caused both Kakashi and Sakura to shudder. The curse of Team 7 was well known in Konoha, with every generation suffering hardships and trials that set them apart from their peers.
“Hyuga Neji VS Hyuga Hinata!” The call out drew Naruto’s attention, his attention drifting away from the conversation between jounin. Naruto glanced at Hinata who shot him a nervous look, her mouth opening before her face paled and she ran for the stairs.
“Sakura-sensei?” Naruto could feel the girl’s chakra shift beneath her skin. It was suddenly alive and gathering as if she was preparing for a fight. “What’s wrong?”
“The Hyuga family are slavers.” Sakura’s voice was soft and if Naruto didn’t know her so well, he might have mistaken it for gentle, her wrath carefully kept from her voice if not her words. “The worst kind of slavers, kin slavers.” Sakura flashed Naruto a privacy seal that she’d palmed without him noticing. Satsuki’s hands tightened on the railings and Naruto knew he was missing something.
“Could you explain?” Naruto asked and Sakura let out a sigh as the fight began. The two were clearly uneven, with Neji loudly demanding Hinata forfeit. The girl hesitated, looking towards Naruto before finding her resolve and bringing her hands up, palms facing her cousin.
“The Hyuga are divided into a main house and a branch house. When a main branch family has two or more sons, the one born second is branded with a slavery seal and pushed into the branch house.” The tile at Sakura’s feet cracked and the rosette let out a small sigh as the fight began. Neji was far superior to Hinata in skill, it should be over quickly but the Hyuga prodigy was drawing things out. “Those born to someone in the branch house are also enslaved. The only escape is death.”
“They do that to their own family?” Naruto couldn’t hide his disbelief and he could see Satsuki’s sharingan spinning dangerously fast in her eyes. Three tomoe per eye whirling as she watched the fight, the steel under her fingers crumpling as she gripped it. “Why?”
“Power and greed. They’ll call it tradition, a way to keep the family strong, to protect their bloodline. Meaningless platitudes. The family is twisted, their insular nature shielding them from wider scorn. And the people of this village dared look down upon the Uchiha.” Sakura’s killing intent was utterly absent, though Naruto could see the murder in her eyes. The Massacre was, well, calling it a sore spot would be the understatement of the century for Sakura and Satsuki both. “At least the Senju never turned on their own.”
“Oh, so they’re bad then? But Hinata is, is she a branch member? She’s losing.” Naruto pointed out and Sakura let out a sigh and shook her head. Below them, the purple haired girl was doing her best but Neji was toying with her. Their levels were far too different for them to be compared.
“Hinata is the main clan, Neji is in the branch family and her cousin. His father was born after Hinata’s father, so he was enslaved and Neji as his son, is Hinata’s personal slave. This is his one chance to avenge his life. He’d be a fool not to kill her, he’s going to be punished as it is.” Sakura replied and Naruto felt his stomach drop while his blood ran cold. He knew shinobi killed and the thought that one day he’d kill someone still terrified him but they were all shinobi of Konoha. This was wrong, all of it and while Naruto wanted to argue, to say that Hinata didn’t deserve death, he couldn’t find the right words.
“This whole situation is awful ‘ttebayo.” Naruto muttered and Sakura hummed her agreement. The rosette had her suspicions about the Hyuga and the clan was politically aligned with the Shimura and Sarutobi, which only increased her distaste.
The fight below them continued to escalate and Naruto watched as Hinata’s tenketsu were sealed. The girl still refused to back down and Neji began to draw the battle out, taking the girl apart piece by piece. The other Konoha genin were all but shouting now, demanding the match end as Hinata stumbled about, her body starting to shut down. Naruto could see the decision coming, the proctor about to call the match when Hinata’s eyes hardened and she charged forward. Neji effortlessly brushed aside her strike, his outstretched hand landed against her chest and a small burst of air leaving the girl’s back as blood spilled from her lips.
Neji immediately shifted, his off hand coming up for a follow up strike and his eyes focused.
“Enough! The match is over-” The proctor called out but Neji didn’t stop. A burst of chakra filled the air as every official Konoha jounin-sensei in the room appeared around him, restraining him before he could finish the job.
“She probably doesn’t deserve to die. Still, what does it say about Konoha that every jounin-sensei moved to defend her and yet none of their clans politically oppose the Hyuga’s slaving ways?” Sakura asked and Naruto couldn’t hide his frown as he watched Hinata collapse. Medics carried the girl from the arena and while he couldn’t see Hinata deserving death, he could understand Neji’s desire to kill her.
“When I become Hokage, this stops.” Naruto declared quietly and met Sakura’s emerald eyes. They were wide with surprise before a proud smile blossomed on her face.
“I know, you would be an excellent Hokage Naruto-kun.” Sakura replied and Naruto felt his cheeks turn pink under the praise. Looking back down at Neji who scoffed at the jounin surrounding him, he met the boy’s eyes. Neji gave him a disapproving scowl which Naruto left unanswered. They were different, but Neji and Naruto both were burdened by circumstances beyond their control. Naruto didn’t have to like Neji, in fact he vehemently disliked the fate obsessed boy who had just tried to beat a twelve year old girl to death, but he could understand him.