Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Sin Eater ❯ Chapter 8

Sin Eater : Team Gai

 

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In a somewhat isolated training area, Sin and Sasuke were alone, staring at each other. The wind blew, dancing slightly with their hair and the grass surrounding them. It was just a few minutes after Kakashi had given them their Exam Forms, and Sasuke had asked Sin to meet him to this location a few moments later.

 

“Thanks for meeting me...” Sasuke muttered neutrally.

 

“If you're confessing your love to me, let me just leave, and save us both the trouble...”

 

The raven-haired genin's eyes narrowed threateningly.

 

“No, actually. I wanted to ask you something...” Sasuke paused. “Where... do you get your strength? Is it from the sins you eat?”

 

Sin looked at the young Uchiha, smiling slightly. “You've been busy, thinking this up.”

 

“Teach me to eat sins,” Sasuke declared.

 

Sin shook his head. “Sorry, Sasuke-san... I can't.”

 

“Why not?” the boy demanded.

 

“I'm the only one who can eat sins,” Sin explained, shrugging. “No one in the Order have my abilities... its something unique to me.”

 

Sasuke mentally cursed. Sin could have been lying, but the answer came so clear and naturally that he felt that the blonde didn't really lie. Plus, Sin was pretty open when it came to things about him, oddly an attitude that was refreshing considering Sasuke lived in a village of ninjas where everyone kept their secrets.

 

“However... I can give you the sins I have eaten,” Sin suddenly declared, making Sasuke blink and look at him with surprise. “I'm pretty sure they will give you the power you want... but please note I'm not recommending it. It's far too dangerous for you to use sins as a means of powering up.”

 

“I can handle it,” Sasuke muttered.

 

“I doubt it, but if you insist...” Sin approached Sasuke, who looked slightly apprehensive, but stood his ground. “I need you to keep still Sasuke-san... it will hurt if you make any unnecessary movements.”

 

“Just hurry...” Sasuke muttered, shivering slightly as he felt Sin's hands touched his back. They were unnaturally cold even with his shirt on.

 

For a moment, there was nothing, and then, the cold dreaded seemed to seep inside Sasuke. His whole body felt rigid… there was a sort of unexplained yet powerful energy coming from within him, but at the same time… pain.

 

Suddenly, visions came in, crimson, bleak, and then he would hear voices of the dying, screams of a woman being raped, children burning to death. He could smell blood, burnt flesh, the disgusting sex… but the worst part of it was his body spasm. As if he could feel the pain of the victims converge at him immediately, tearing his body and mind apart.

 

He could only scream, and moved away from Sin.

 

Once he broke contact with Sin's hand, the visions, smell and pain started to fade. Sasuke involuntarily shivered… he thought he had gotten it worse when his brother had mind-raped him, showing him how he had repeatedly killed the whole Uchiha Clan, but what Sin just did was possibly worst. Even when all the things he had experienced had begun to disappear, there was a small part of his head remembering it on vivid detail.

 

“I did warn you,” Sin's voice cut through the fog of the Uchiha's mind.

 

“What the hell was that!?”

 

“Sin isn't exactly a safe form of energy…” Sin replied quietly. “What you felt are the effects of wielding power.”

 

“Bullshit!” Sasuke growled. “You don't look like you're suffering!”

 

“Considering I have been holding sins of countless of people for more than the better part of eight years…” Sin smiled slightly, “I think I have adopted well.”

 

Sasuke seemed to pause, looking at the blonde boy. “So, you're saying I can get used to the sensations?”

 

“If you're lucky,” Sin replied easily, “and I do mean very lucky.”

 

“If I'm not?”

 

“You'll die the most exquisitely painful death, your soul and body ripped apart,” Sin paused, and looked at Sasuke. “I like you, Sasuke-san… and I have no real intent of watching you suffer. I'd rather have you forget about the whole thing… sins aren't a power that is right for you.”

 

“I'm an avenger. I have to avenge my family!” the raven-haired boy glared at the blonde. “Are you like the others, telling me that vengeance isn't the right path for me to take and what not?”

 

“Of course not,” Sin smiled a bit. “It's good to have goals. However, Sasuke-san… if you look too far ahead in the future, you will lose sight of the present. Right now… it shouldn't be your brother that you should be looking towards to.”

 

“And what should I be looking towards to?” Sasuke demanded.

 

“The Chuunin Exams…” the blonde simply replied. “Test your mettle and skills. If any are lacking, train even harder. I promise you, as long as you strive forward, training and fighting as hard as you can, your brother will not stand a chance against you. If you look too far, trying to catch up to your brother, you'll fall before you can even reach him.”

 

Sasuke looked at Sin, his face honest and open, neutral to even his own little outbursts. He felt ashamed… he had raised his voice during their conversation, his stubbornness reigning as he felt one of his options of getting stronger faded from his eyes… yet Sin himself was just calm, letting Sasuke's temper blow around him, replying and giving some advice that even the young Uchiha felt hard-pressed to counter.

 

“Hn…” Sasuke muttered, and turned his back on the blonde. Maybe Sin was right… maybe Sasuke was too much of a hurry. His brother would fall by his hand. He was sure of it. “I'll see you tomorrow…”

 

Sin watched with a slight smile as he felt he got through to the boy. Whether he would take the advice to heart is something for the future, but for now, the pressing matters were now resolved. The wind shifted, and a figure behind Sin made itself known. Sin didn't worry… he knew who it was.

 

“I take it went well,” the Undertaker stated neutrally.

 

“Yes… would be a shame if Konoha loses their last Uchiha because of his power-hungry ways,” the blonde replied.

 

“Still, I haven't expected you to tell him the truth about sins…”

 

“Considering I haven't lied until now, I don't see the problem of keeping him informed. I do like the boy. I felt it would be wise to tell him the fact that giving sins to him would ultimately destroy him,” the blonde looked at his teacher. “I am glad he decided not to take this route.”

 

“Would you have continued to feed sins to him if he asked? Would you have let him destroy himself?”

 

“Of course,” Sin smiled. “He'd deserve what awaited him if he insisted on it.”

 

“Hmph… some friend you are,” the Undertaker said, a teasing tone coming out.

 

“Heh… I don't like him that much, you know.”

 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

 

The next morning came. Team Seven, or at least two of its members, Sasuke and Sakura waited outside the academy, waiting for their third member to arrive.

 

Sasuke looked somewhat in a better mood, Sakura noticed. He still looked unemotional, but this time, he had an aura of contemplation around him, as if he was in deep thought. Sakura thought he looked cute, in an odd way. Yeah, sure, his cold devil-may-care and I-am-an-avenger-so-don't-bother-me aura was what got the boy into the dreams of most girls in his class, but seeing him like this made Sakura's heart flutter, though she did her best not to show it.

 

She wondered what Sasuke was thinking about.

 

What the raven-haired youth was wondering about was why Sakura hadn't pestered him on a date, or tried to invade his personal space. Whatever it was, he wanted it to continue… a morning without Sakura going at him was a morning that he would most definitely enjoy, putting him in a better mood.

 

“Yappo!” Sin greeted cheerily, appearing finally and walking towards his team.

 

“Hn,” Sasuke greeted, short on words though he did acknowledge Sin's presence.

 

“Morning Sin,” Sakura greeted as well.

 

“I'm not late am I?” the blonde asked.

 

“Hmph, as long as you aren't as late as Kakashi… it's fine,” Sasuke replied. “Lets go.”

 

“Yes, captain!” Sin saluted mockingly, making Sakura giggle while Sasuke growled softly as he led the group inside the academy.

 

It was a modest building, large enough to hold hundreds of students of different levels. It was near the Hokage Tower, something Sin noticed as a very risky move. The Hokage Tower held most of the ANBU, and with the Academy nearby, they could easily prevent any threat that would come in contact with the students… but at the same time, the Academy was a bit too near towards the Tower that if anyone attacked the area, the Academy would have been affected too.

 

Sakura noticed Sin studying the Academy grounds, and began to tidbits about the building as if she was giving him a tour.

 

“This is where it all started,” the pink-haired kunoichi said. “First floor is for the Beginners, second floor is for the Advanced and Graduating Classes… though there are three floors in total.”

 

“Yes, I see,” Sin nodded. “Did you enjoy your years in the academy, Sakura-san?”

 

“Um… it was okay… I guess,” Sakura looked down, remembering her early years. Being a first generation kunoichi of her family she was a butt of many jokes, especially concerning her rather large forehead. She would have hated the program if it wasn't for Ino, her former best friend, a heir of a ninja clan who, with her help, stopped the bullies from ever hurting her again.

 

For one year, the blonde and pink-haired kunoichi were stuck together like glue… then came their rivalry in ninja arts and love, their target, Sasuke. Sakura had a blank look on her face, something Sin read easily.

 

“That many memories, eh?” the blonde boy asked pleasantly.

 

“I… I guess…” Sakura conceded. “Anyways, what room were we all supposed to meet?”

 

“Three-Oh-One.”

 

“Oh… like that room that people are crowding on eh?” Sin pointed out.

 

It was true. Sasuke, Sakura and Sin have arrived at a long hall, with various of ninja teams of different countries cropping around a room that had the number `301' posted on the top of its frame. Near the door, two genins, a female wearing Chinese style clothing with her hair done in buns and a male with a rather comical bowl cut, weird eyes and even weirder green full-body outfit were on their buttocks, scuffled a bit.

 

They both had the Hidden Leaf insignia.

 

“Hey, why won't you let us in?” the female asked towards one of the older ninja in front of them.

 

“Hmph… I'm doing you a favor,” the older ninja declared. “Weaklings like you shouldn't consider entering the exam. You'd die.”

 

“At least let us try our mettle!” the green-wearing genin said as he stood up, only to be punched.

 

“Why bother?” the ninja's partner, the one who punched the genin sneered. “You're obviously too weak.”

 

Sin smiled as he saw Sasuke suddenly enter the fray along with him and Sakura. It's always nice to enter the festivities, plus it felt good to not be on the spotlight for once. Sasuke was good at getting the attention he wants.

 

“They may be too weak, but we're going to pass through,” the raven-haired genin declared coldly. “Plus, get rid of that genjutsu..”

 

Some of the genins around them gasped slightly. Were they held up by something as cheap as a genjutsu?

 

“Heh… so you've seen through it?”

 

“Hn. Who'd actually believe room 301 would be on the second floor?” Sasuke smirked. It was the very same smirk he'd practice everyday, the ones that drove his fangirls wild (not that he wants to… really… maybe…). He then pointed towards Sakura with his thumb, “Sakura and Sin here caught on to it easily. Right?”

 

“Of course,” the pink-haired kunoichi readily replied, blushing slightly as she was commended by her crush. Moreover, some of the boys were staring at her, especially the weird genin who was wearing a green spandex.

 

“Affirmative, oh fearless leader,” Sin replied as well, making Sasuke inwardly cringe. He didn't know if the blonde was being serious.

 

“Well, as impressive as that is, let's see of you're actually strong enough to pass through us,” the older ninja declared, and suddenly attacked. Sasuke though wasn't caught off guard, and put an attack on his own.

 

It was over in a flash. Both attacks met in the middle, only to be stopped by the green-wearing genin, surprising both the older ninja and Sasuke.

 

“Oi, what are you doing?” the kunoichi in the Chinese Dress demanded, looking at the boy.

 

Another genin appeared, his white eyes indicating that he was from the Hyuuga clan, looked at the genin wearing green and shook his head. “Wasn't it your idea to not draw attention to ourselves?”

 

“Sorry…” the genin replied. Sakura and Sasuke noticed then that his injuries and the girl's injuries vanished, though the boy seemed to be blushing slightly.

 

“Oh no…” the kunoichi sighed.

 

Without a word, the green-fitted boy suddenly walked past the raven-haired Uchiha and looked at Sakura who just stared at the boy intently. The boy just gave her a thumbs up, and smiled, his pearly-whites, sparkling incredibly, as he stated in a steady voice, “I'm Rock Lee! Go out with me, I'll protect you `till I die!”

 

“… no…” Sakura muttered. “You're… lame.”

 

Sin snorted as the boy, Lee sighed, rejected. It wasn't as the blonde had a mean streak, but the way the genin was rejected was something that should be written for the future generations to know.

 

Meanwhile, the Hyuuga approached Sasuke, his eyes challenging.

 

“Hey, you,” he asked. “What's your name?”

 

Sasuke didn't know how to react. He had been surprised at first, the green-fitted boy stopping two attacks without flinching, only to be shot down by Sakura after his own silly declaration of love, and now a Hyuuga genin was asking for his name.

 

He played it cool.

 

“When you want to learn someone's name, you have to give yours first.”

 

“You're a rookie right?” the Hyuuga continued to ask. “How old are you?”

 

“I don't have to answer to you…” Sasuke responded.

 

“Heh… sorry Hyuuga-san, looks like you too were rejected,” Sin suddenly declared, making everyone look at him as he approached Sasuke and the Hyuuga genin. “If you have to know… we're Team Rejection.”

 

“Huh?” both Sasuke and Hyuuga whispered.

 

“The pink-haired beauty has rejected many advances on her,” Sin pointed at Sakura who looked slightly taken aback as the blonde pointed towards Sasuke. “This guy rejected said girl on her advances to him. I myself rejected his own advancements…”

 

Sasuke looked flustered and mad. What the hell was Sin going on about?

 

“And now… he rejected your own advances… sorry, Hyuuga, but we're pretty much unattainable,” Sin continued, ignoring Sakura's, the Hyuuga's and Sasuke's embarrassed expressions while the other genins around them seemed to snicker.

 

“You…” the Hyuuga looked he was about ready to explode when Sin poured more gasoline in the fire.

 

“I'm sorry, Hyuuga-san… you're cute, but you're not my type,” Sin suddenly declared. “Its not you. I love someone else.”

 

Someone around them dared to laugh aloud, making the Hyuuga stare at the direction of the laugh. It died immediately. Before the white-eyed boy could exclaim his outrage at the blonde boy, he noticed that he, the raven-haired Uchiha and their kunoichi teammate disappeared.

 

He only growled, and glared at the girl in the Chinese dress as she giggled uncontrollably.

 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

 

“Well that went pretty well,” Sin smirked slightly, walking ahead of Sasuke and Sakura, who both looked steamed.

 

“Team Rejection?” Sasuke growled.

 

“I don't get shot down! Sasuke-kun's just… shy!” Sakura half-shouted.

 

“I wasn't asking you out yesterday damnit!” Sasuke growled even louder. “And that Hyuuga wasn't asking me out!”

 

Sin looked back at them, and smiled widely. “Oh calm down. I'm just messing with their heads. If a person is distracted, they easily lose their way. It is a ploy! Make it easier for us to get through the exam.”

 

“You didn't have to embarrass us along with it,” Sakura complained.

 

“Or at least be fair about it,” Sasuke said. “Say something embarrassing about yourself.”

 

“Oh… right, right!” Sin nodded. “I'll tell everyone my most embarrassing secret next… like me being a ten-incher.”

 

Sakura blushed and along with Sasuke, looked at each other… that was supposed to be embarrassing?

 

“Hey, you! With the dark hair!” a voice exclaimed from above. Team Seven looked at the source of the voice, and spotted Lee looking down at them. He jumped from the rafters, landing cleanly in front of them.

 

“I'm Rock Lee.”

 

“I'm a ten-incher,” Sin suddenly declared, making the three genin almost fall flat on their faces.

 

“Uh… yes… thanks,” Lee commented. The blonde seemed idiotic so he ignored him and just stared back at Sasuke. “As you have said earlier, when you want to learn someone's name, offer yours first, right, Uchiha-san?” Lee asked, going into a ready stance.

 

Sasuke looked at the boy, and he too went to a ready stance. “So you know.”

 

“Yup… he knows about my embarrassing secret of being a…”

 

Sakura covered Sin's mouth with her hand, twitching slightly. “That's enough! It's not even close to embarrassing!”

 

“Really? I'm two inches off a foot…” Sin replied, moving his head away from her grip.

 

Rock Lee just chose to ignore the blonde even further. “I have come to test myself against a genius of a ninja clan.”

 

“You're a fool,” Sasuke replied.

 

A few moments later, Sasuke and Lee would face off. The young genius Uchiha would then get his butt kicked.

 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

 

Sasuke thought the fight would have been over in five minutes, but the boy just outmaneuvered him, hitting him cleanly. His speed and strength wasn't what Sasuke had expected out of a genin. Thinking he was using some sort of ninjutsu or genjutsu, he used his Sharingan, only for him to be even more badly beaten.

 

It was then when the boy, Lee, explained one of the most glaring weakness of the Sharingan. Faced against pure taijutsu, which Lee used, Sasuke's body wasn't fast enough to react against his attacks.

 

He thought he was going to suffer more, having been peculiarly suspended in the air, open to all attack when a turtle had come in, and saved his sorry hide. He just fell on the ground safely, curious to see what was going on.

 

An adult copy of Lee… with the same bowl-cut hair and same green tight fitting spandex came to view. He wore a jounin vest, and his eyebrows were, if possible, were even bigger. Sakura looked like she didn't know whether she was watching a tragedy or a comedy, and Sasuke seemed to have finally fried his brain, especially when the adult copy of Lee just hit the boy squarely in the cheeks so strongly he flew a few feet.

 

“LEE, YOU FOOL!”

 

“G-Gai-sensei…” Lee whimpered, clutching his cheeks, his eyes crying.

 

“Using a Forbidden Technique on a fellow Leaf…!” the adult, Gai, also seemed to be crying.

 

“I'm sorry, Gai-sensei!”

 

“It's okay Lee! It's all part of Youth!”

 

“Gai-sensei!”

 

“Lee!”

 

And they both hugged.

 

“Wow… guess you're gonna have to just reject his advances too…” Sin said pleasantly as he watched Sasuke rub his cheek once more. There wasn't much bruising, but it was his ego that took more damage.

 

“Sin…” Sakura began to mumble threateningly. No matter how powerful the blonde was, no one made snide remarks against Sasuke when she was around.

 

Sasuke ignored them, seething somewhat. He lost against these morons?

 

“Lee… Youth and Mistakes come together, but you still must be punished!” Gai declared, letting go of his student. “It will take place after Chuunin exams!”

 

“Yes, sensei!” Lee replied, still crying.

 

“Five hundred laps around Konoha!” Gai declared.

 

“Yosh! If I can't do it, I'll do the round with my hands!”

 

Noticing the gawks of two of Kakashi's students, Gai looked at them with a slight smile. Using slight chakra, he suddenly moved up behind them, only to notice the blonde seemingly follow his movements with his eyes.

 

So… this is the third genin in Kakashi's team… Gai thought. He was impressed. The boy was somehow hiding himself from plain view, putting a weak front so that he would be overlooked, but the experienced jounin knew otherwise. Lee should watch out for this one.

 

Sakura and Sasuke blinked, not knowing where the jounin disappeared to, and were taken aback when they felt him behind them.

 

“So you are the adorable students of my rival, Kakashi!” Gai declared. He smiled at them, and like Lee, his teeth glistened with the light.

 

“You… you know our sensei?” Sakura asked, stepping away from the weird jounin.

 

“Of course!” Gai gave them a thumbs-up. “We're even referred as Eternal Rivals! Our record of our battles is fifty wins, forty-nine losses on my favor.” Gai grinned again. “I'm stronger than Kakashi.”

 

“Gai-sensei is incredible!” Lee declared.

 

Sasuke was in turmoil. He half believed the words that Gai spoke, and he shivered slightly. He then looked at Lee, who was now covering his arms with the bandage he had loosened been loosened earlier in the fight, and noticed his arms were callused.

 

“You kids should get to the classroom,” Gai then stole a look towards Lee. “Good luck Lee.”

 

The jounin disappeared, leaving the four genins. Lee finally tied the bandage around his fist, and looked towards Sasuke.

 

“Let us finish this in the exams, Sasuke-kun,” Lee declared. “Though… its not only me you should watch out for. My teammate, Hyuuga Neji, is much stronger than me. I want to defeat him… and you are also someone I want to defeat. Be prepared for the exams!”

 

Giving them one last salute, Lee jumped up, and disappeared leaving Team Seven alone.

 

“Well… Sasuke-san… that was your worst match-up,” Sin declared rather seriously.

 

“Sin!”

 

“Though I'm glad that this Lee appeared before you,” Sin continued, ignoring Sakura's protests. “What I have told you yesterday was no lie. I know you noticed his hands. The boy most probably trained harder than you ever did.”

 

“Che…” Sasuke growled, though he was smiling. Gone was the bitterness of loss, only for excitement to replace it. The Chuunin Exams were important, but it was already the first day, and he was beginning to feel the same way he had felt when Zabuza and his apprentice appeared before them in the bridge.

 

Anticipation.

 

“This Exam is getting more fun…” Sasuke muttered seriously. “Let's go… Sin, Sakura.”

 

Sakura nodded, happy that her crush was cheered up, while Sin had his silly smile in his face once more. Team Seven began once more on their trek to Room 301, where they were surprised to meet Kakashi, looking at them.

 

“Seems everyone's present. Good,” he nodded. “Go in. You don't want to be late now…”

 

Sakura and Sasuke nodded, and were the first to enter the room. Sin looked at Kakashi, and the jounin looked back at him.

 

“Sin, please take care of them,” the jounin requested.

 

“They'll be safe. On my life,” was the blonde's only reply before he too entered the room.

 

To Be Continued…

 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

 

Author's Notes:

 

Well, that's that. Some people may be happy to know I have been looking over my old stories, and decided to update them. I don't know about the Project Series though, but EVA: Heart of a Warrior was something I wished to update. Anyways, later!