Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Twelve Years ❯ Chapter 3: Two Days ( Chapter 3 )

 

Chapter 3: Two Days

 

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The pink-haired girl Kakashi had called Sakura knocked on the door then pushed it open, stepping inside. Tsunade was in the exact same place she had been in a day ago: behind her desk sorting through papers. However, now there was a fevered and hurried movement to her hands. She did not look up as we entered.

 

We stood in the doorway for several strained moments, waiting for Tsunade to acknowledge us. Finally Sakura cleared her throat. "Tsunade-sama?"

 

The Hokage looked up and smiled at the girl. "Sakura," she said in greeting. He eyes traveled to the silver-haired Jounin beside me. "Kakashi." Her tone was now strictly professional. "Come here, we need to talk." She gave a businesslike nod to me as Kakashi and I approached. "Hello, Keika, I assume our faithful copy-nin is taking good care of you."

 

I gave a smile and sat in a chair next to Kakashi across the desk from Tsunade.

 

"Scouts are reporting," she said, turning her eyes back to the Jounin beside me, "that a small force from Sound is approaching Konoha. It generally would not pose much of a threat, but we have very few available ninjas. I need to send you out, even though you are still in the end-stages of recovering from your fight with Itachi."

 

I turned my questioning eyes to Kakashi at Tsunade's words, but no one ventured to explain what she meant.

 

The Hokage continued speaking. "You'll have Gai and Shikamaru to accompany you under your command." At his nod of understanding, she looked to me. "I know that you are still realizing your old abilities, but I would like to send you out as well. Do your best to train hard and push yourself to your former level." I gave a nod of acceptance. "Kakashi, I'll let you be the judge if she is ready. I will send you out in two days' time with more specific details as to the Sound nins' location and movements."

 

Kakashi's eye widened at the short amount of time, but he gave a non-dissenting nod. "Well, sensei, I guess we gotta get back to work," he said, looking at me.

 

We stood and bowed to Tsunade then turned to leave.

 

"Kakashi-sensei," said a voice by the wall. It was Sakura; I had nearly forgotten she was there. "Good luck," she said, smiling to him.

 

He smiled back, gave his friendly one-handed wave, then walked out the door, followed closely by me.

 

We returned to the field where we had earlier been practicing. "No limits on jutsus this time," Kakashi said. "This is full-out training."

 

I nodded my understanding and immediately darted into the cover of the trees, climbing high up in their branches, inconspicuously laying traps as I moved. I focused my awareness and sensed Kakashi about fifty meters south of me and approaching quickly.

 

I whipped out a shuriken, knowing concealment was no longer an option and threw it expertly where I knew he was. I heard a log of wood drop to the ground - Replication no Jutsu! I thought - just as I sensed his presence directly behind me. I ducked as his foot came swinging around in a sharp kick.

 

My body dropped gracefully to the ground and I threw a kunai up at him with precision, his frame jerking to the side to dodge it. His motion, however, triggered one of my traps and a dozen kunai came shooting out of the trees at him. I jumped back to avoid those that missed and saw him perform a second Replication Technique to escape the snare.

 

Before I had time to wonder where he was now, a huge fireball came whooshing through the trees directly towards me, setting to a blaze everything in its path. "Ice-Shield no Jutsu!" I shouted, concentrating my chakra, performing the hand seal and creating a thick wall of ice to stop the flames. It was a jutsu I had learned in my brief ventures in the Water Country.

 

I took off through the trees again, using the ice shield to buy time. I was suddenly brought up short by a kunai zipping past my face. My eyes darted to the left where I saw Kakashi through the branches, hurling another kunai directly at me. I jumped back to dodge it and then realized my mistake. His knife pushed me back against a tree in which he had already embedded a kunai with an explosive tag.

 

I pushed away from the tree with my arms to gain momentum, but it was not enough. I felt the air compress around me and then the temperature seemingly double as the explosion blasted my back.

 

I performed a hurried Replication Technique, but Kakashi was waiting for me as soon as I switched, a punch coming straight for my head. My hand whipped out a kunai from my pouch and brought it to Kakashi's side. I expected him to move out of the way and was stunned when the blade dug into his flesh.

 

However, a second later, I felt the cold steel of a kunai at my back and saw a puff of smoke in front of me, indicating the Kakashi I had seriously hurt had only been a Bunshin.

 

I quickly brought up my hands to form another seal for a powerfully overwhelming Genjutsu. Kakashi wavered long enough for me to hide myself again, setting traps, creating bunshins, and formulating plans, until I heard his strangled, "Dispel!"

 

I smirked as he came straight forward, directly into the optimal path for the traps I had laid, but then he did something that gave me pause. His left hand came up to push the Konoha forehead protector up, revealing the starkly arresting red Sharingan.

 

I winced, then shook my head to assure myself. Just remember, he can't read my mind, no matter how much it seems like he can, I thought, recalling the few brief sparring sessions I'd had with various Uchiha clan members.

 

I had no time for anything else, for Kakashi was upon me, seemingly gliding through the traps without triggering them as if he were a ghost. I sent two of the bunshins I had earlier created to come Kakashi from either side, giving me time to escape. Though the Jounin could tell they were merely clones, the kunai coming for him were sharp enough, so he had no choice but to fight them first.

 

A short moment later, he was before me again, pulling out two large shuriken. I shook my head, determined to not see those weapons fly. "Body Freeze no Jutsu," I said, using the ANBU skill to render Kakashi immobile. I whipped out a smaller shuriken and shouted, "Shadow Shuriken!" as I threw it. Hundreds of new shurikens materialized with the jutsu and shot straight for the copy ninja.

 

I saw Kakashi's face contort in concentration, then he yelled, "Windmill Double Blade!" as he somehow broke the body freeze and hurled the two massive shuriken towards me, blasting the hundreds of smaller ones out of the way. I jumped up to dodge the shuriken, then gasped in shock as they zipped around back towards me again. They're on chakra-controlled strings! I realized and performed an almost painful twist of my body to avoid them. Though the blades did not so much as graze me, the strings bound my body tightly, leaving me completely immobile.

 

Kakashi seemingly materialized directly in front of me. I expected to find a victorious smirk on his face, but instead, there was only fierce approval in both his eyes. "Good," he nodded. "Very good."

 

"How- how did you perform that move?" I asked as he began freeing me from the chakra-binding strings.

 

"It requires the use of a Sharingan," he answered, putting the shuriken away. He turned his mismatched eyes to look at me. "Well, let's take about a ten minute breather then get back to it."

 

I nodded and all but slumped against the tree trunk from which the branch I was standing grew. I had not realized while sparring how drained I was, but it likely had something to do with the fact that I had not been alive - or at least mobile - in twelve years, and certainly not fighting anyone as advanced, quick, and powerful as Kakashi.

 

The Jounin sat in front of me, pulling his forehead protector back down into place to cover the Sharingan. "Well, I can already tell you'll be fine to go on the mission with us, especially if you can last that long against me, even as out of practice as you are."

 

"Tsunade said you were just recovering, though," I said, frowning at him. "From a fight with Itachi, she said. Uchiha Itachi?" The boy had only been about four years old the last I remembered.

 

Kakashi sighed and nodded. "Yes. You will find no Uchiha in this village."

 

I gasped in surprise. "No Uchiha? What happened?" I demanded.

 

"Three or four years ago Uchiha Itachi went on a rampage of sorts," Kakashi said in a low and quiet voice. "He killed every member of the clan, including his parents. The only exception was his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke."

 

I stared in horror and shock. "He… killed…" I could not even comprehend such an act. "But why? What happened? Where is his brother now?"

 

"It's a long story, and I don't understand or know it all, myself," the silver-haired man shook his head somberly. "His brother, Sasuke… he was one of my students." His voice lowered in volume and I found myself leaning forward to hear his words more clearly. "He is very talented, certainly a genius among the Uchiha Clan, just as Itachi. However, he is driven to seek revenge against his elder brother." I nodded in understanding.

 

Kakashi's visible eye clouded in pain. "In fact, he is so driven that he has left this village to gain enough power to conquer Itachi."

 

Suddenly, the information clicked into place and I let out a long breath of air. "He is with Orochimaru," I said in horrible understanding.

 

"Yes," Kakashi nodded, the pain-filled look still in his eye. After a long, tense moment, he cocked his head to the side and gave a bright smile, as if trying to erase the dull mood. "Well, we're burning daylight. You got me to talk more than ten minutes so you could rest, didn't you?" he said with what I assumed was a wink as he stood.

 

I felt the tension in the air dissipate immediately at his infectious smile. "I am a sly one," I told him with a smile of my own, standing up.

 

"Let's see just how sly," he grinned and raced forward, a kunai already in each hand.

 

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I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying not to groan at the pain in my limbs. It was thirty-three hours later and I was completely exhausted from two days of intense training and sparring with the renowned copy-ninja. Though his presence and company was one I was beginning to enjoy very much, I wanted nothing but to strangle him at the moment for making me so sore the night before an important mission.

 

Oh well, it could be worse. . . I thought with a smirk, remembering several times in the past when I had embarked upon training or missions after quite a late night.

 

But still, he didn't have to go that far. . . ". . . Kakashi," I growled, ending the thought aloud, punctuating it with the tossing of a pillow against the wall. I heard his startled snore in the next room and smiled in satisfaction. My eyes closed and I was asleep in seconds.