Practically speaking, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were a really good team.
Of Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, all three were covered. Dynamic wise, Sasuke would be the one-strike 'assassin', Naruto would be the tank, and Sakura would provide the middle ground for covering and filling in the gaps, refining the movements of the other two if needed. Their skills blended into each other easily, but not so much so that they would be weaker when missing one.
But emotionally speaking, it was different.
Sasuke was nervous and uncertain- an emotion that set alarms in his head, and made his mind restless and irritated. Sakura's mind was in turmoil, clashing against her usual indifferent yet efficient processes. Naruto was in some 'uncharacteristic' phase of spite and frigidness where, in the stark contrast between his 'Safe Zone' and this Village, the ugliest parts of his mind reared like a threatened snake, a bristling animal.
They try though?
Although it was a stifling silence that not one of them enjoyed, Naruto often broke it by offering a suggestion, and they'd comply, if only to keep their matters tentatively passive. Eventually, the other two gave their own input. A question about Naruto's Bunshin whereabouts, a statement about which teams to target...
"You've been anxious." Sakura blurted out after Naruto abruptly stopped them and handed them prepared seals with various uses. "Ever since that woman appeared."
Naruto resisted to snark about how there were many women there as he knew which one she was talking about. "Are you not? She literally picked up the kunai using her tongue. Her tongue. That is the grossest of gross-ttebayo."
Sasuke glanced at the boy doubtfully, knowing that that by itself, at least, wouldn't cause such a prolonged reaction of discomfort. "The proctor was startled by a Genin."
"Oh," Sakura wondered in surprise. "No wonder that set me off; Anko-san is a Tokubetsu Jonin, so how on earth did she get snuck up on by a Genin?"
Naruto nodded in agreement before he chose his next words carefully- "It's understandable that it slipped your mind; the death contract and bloodlust thrown around was pretty distracting."
"You mean to say that you're surprised I'm not pissing my pants." Sakura frowned, quietly muttering- "I'm- You don't- You don't know me. And I don't... know you."
"...Yeah." Naruto then paused, glancing around and latching onto an escape to this conversation that was veering on too 'not-professional'. "Be right back."
As soon as he flickered out of the clearing, two foreign Genin leapt towards the remaining two, looking like they instantly regretted the decision when they heard their teammate's cut off scream and a dull thwack. Before they could even land besides Sasuke and Sakura, a flurry of shuriken pinned them onto the tree, and their eyes glazed over a second later as a Genjutsu was cast.
Naruto flickered besides them with an unconscious form dragged behind him. "...Soooo," He stared down at the enemy team, then at the scrolls they had- Luck was on their side because it was the one they needed. "Um. We're basically done?"
"Hn." Sasuke agreed.
"Sweet, let's sprint back to the tower, and get it over with." Naruto had indeed felt anxious ever since he sensed that malicious chakra of that Kusagakure woman. If she even was that. He hardly wanted to stick around. He sealed both of the scrolls, and leapt into the trees without further ado. He quickly realised that while Sasuke could keep up with him in terms of speed, Sakura could not.
"I'm slowing us down." Sakura pointed out with a wince. "You two go ahead."
"That's a stupid idea." Naruto instantly refuted.
She scowled. "You think I can't handle myself?!" They all paused before Sakura returned to the unspoken rule of speaking neutrally. "It would be a waste of time. I can't Shunshin either."
"Could you Henge into an object?" Naruto asked, glancing back before nearly hitting into a tree.
"As in the physical transformation..." Sakura furrowed her brows. "I suppose... yes... I... could. It would just take a lot of my chakra; I don't have much of physical energy."
"If we get to the tower, you'll have more time to recover. Just do it." Never mind that Naruto's clones could actually just carry her. He felt mildly guilty for letting his personal thoughts get in his way, but it would make everything even more awkward.
Two facts abated those thoughts: one was that, using Sage Mode, he could give her chakra anyway, and the second one was that he knew they were being chased, and by someone powerful. Speed was priority.
Naruto thinned his lips nervously; the clones he'd sent out had dispelled in an instant just moments ago- barely able to engage, or even gather information before they 'died'. He felt a gnawing discomfort at withholding the information, but not only did he not know whether their enemy could overhear, he also didn't know, and couldn't predict what to expect from them.
Could Naruto still 'trust'?
As much as he'd changed, Naruto logically knew that everyone else had as well. It was... weird to think that Sasuke also had; he had always been... just there. The same. He fluctuated in emotions, some days with a darker edge to his demeanour than usual, but now he was cooler, calmer. He was something that Naruto had to face to understand again, and did he have the guts to do that? Naruto had never really worked alongside with Sasuke like this, and he would usually jump at this chance without care for possible backlashes because he'd have an 'innate' trust for him, but he wasn't sure now; he didn't think betting on it was the best idea.
(Not to mention the urge to jump in front of them overrode many of his other instincts.)
He could've expected to rely on Sakura's level-headedness, but she was at odds with him as well, and might go out of her way to ignore his warning. She might think of it as a taunt. (Everything Naruto said was a taunt to her, an insult, something that pushes against her, so it's only given that she would retaliate no matter how stupid and immature and-) Naruto didn't get what Sakura wanted, and if he couldn't understand someone, he couldn't work with them.
("Don't ever try to forget that rat's name, Naruto. Never forget those who wronged you." "I could never forget anyway." ) Mizuki's appeared before him, cruel smirk flashing in his vision as he closed his eyes for a moment too long. He still remembers those words- "I'm saying I lied to you, Kyuubi boy-"
He shuts his mouth, and belatedly realised that of all his travels, he hadn't really once trusted someone. Not the way he used to.
Not anymore.
He knows he should be glad for the revelation- now he was a 'true shinobi'... or whatever his younger self would've awed with a comically serious tone- but he could only feel melancholy. He didn't feel right anymore, having these doubts. Of all his life was unstable, his blatant stubbornness had been one of the things that stayed the same, kept him sane.
He still had it though- his stubbornness- but only once he was willing to commit to something.
(He could hold his grip like a vice, but now he was less eager to even reach to grab on.)
Naruto stilled on a branch and Sasuke stumbled on the next step, glancing back with a furrowed brow. "Sasuke," He said, voice precariously tight.
The Uchiha swallowed and frowned, "What?"
"Can you keep up?"
"Nintai," He hears in his mind. Chakra flashed throughout his entire body, focusing on his legs. "Is tree walking, but put into use. You focus too much chakra in a place on your body- What does it do?"
"Explode outwards."
"No, it just explodes. Internally and externally. With Nintai, you only need the external force. This means you need to direct the flow of it automatically. On top of that, you'll need to layer your chakra over your muscles and skin and bones and whatnot to act as a deflection. Instead of half the power going internally and half externally, apart from the chakra for protection, everything is going BOOM outside."
"That... sounds hard."
"That," She mimicked his tone. "Is just the basics of it. You're going to learn how to maintain it. Keep that 'explosion' trapped within your body until you want it to burst."
Sasuke smirked and Naruto knew he had his answer.
In a loud CRACK the branch he'd paused on exploded into bits of splintered woods, and he adjusted to the sudden air pressure, deftly avoiding the trees. His presence was now like a beacon in the dark, but then again, he was the least vulnerable when people were targeting him.
He passed Sasuke in a matter of milliseconds, barely catching his wide-eyed surprise before he had to dodge another trunk.
Then, to Naruto's mild surprise (not much, though, because he always knew, had that expectation because Sasuke was his rival ), Sasuke's presence crackled like lightning and he flickered to his side not moments later.
He felt an excited grin stretch over his face. Tsunade had told him that his regular speed was that of a seasoned Chuunin. His speed with chakra techniques were on par with some Jonin. His speed with Sage could contend against Elite Jonin.
And Sasuke was keeping up.
Between himself and Sasuke, they were both desirable people in terms of power. Him being an Uzumaki Jinchuuriki, and Sasuke being of the Uchiha Clan with his Dojutsu.
However, his mother was apparently a 'well-guarded' secret, and stealing a Jinchuuriki meant war. Not to mention... "What did he even want? Your teammate, I mean."
They managed a few kilometres before Naruto felt a shift in the atmosphere and he instantly leapt to Sasuke, moulding his chakra into a wider and less offensive form before he pushed the boy away, sending him flying from the gentle blow.
Chakra barrelled towards him, carving trunks and tearing branches, and Naruto lifted both arms towards it as if attempting to block the invisible force. Fuuton met with his calls and he threw the wind right back, pushing with all his might, causing a little resistance, before it all dissipated.
Naruto stumbled forward from the sudden collapse of pressure. That attack... It could have blown an entire five hundred metres of trees away.
There were two types of shinobi who would dare such flamboyance on an entering move: idiots, or extremely strong enemies who could afford it.
It had taken far too much of Naruto's chakra for that to be cancelled out, and that wind had most likely been an off-hand move. He gnawed on the corner of his lip, feeling nervous sweat bead on his nape.
He should run, but...
"Oh, Orochimaru? Well, he wanted to learn aaall the Jutsu in the world. I remember Fugaku was always wary around him because Orochimaru had shown a creepy amount of interest in his son, Itachi. The Sharingan, you know, was what Orochimaru always envied."
But what if he was targeting Sasuke?
Meanwhile, Sasuke could only react to dodge the branches in his path. ...The path that he was thrown towards. After a second of shock, he quickly used ninja wire to slow down and halt himself. He'd been tossed pretty far away...
That being said, how did Naruto even become so strong? With his Sharingan activated, he could sense the strange chakra flow within Naruto's body. What he did reminded Sasuke of his failed attempts at tree walking. That, but refined.
Even without elemental manipulation, it challenged his own Jutsu, Lightning Step, which was a chakra-taxing, energy-draining and complex technique that he spend a full week pouring over to make work.
Lightning Step was a glorified version of Shunshin. All his on-hand, or 'active' chakra would be converted to lightning- but 'passive' or 'dormant' lightning if that even made sense- and with every 'flash' he wanted to make, like a lightning bolt, it would crack and his speed and reflexes would bring out the most his body could offer.
'It was good,' He'd always think with a hint of self-pride, 'Because this was a type of technique that couldn't really be 'stolen'.'
It was just a basic Jutsu, and the effectiveness depended on the user's chakra reserves, control, and physical condition. Sasuke could use it because he could control his lightning easily, and his eyesight would never be dampened because he had the Sharingan. It was chakra-costing, but he had large reserves as a pureblood Uchiha, and even while chakra-costing, it wasn't as bad as Chidori as it wasn't so offensive.
Unlike that gust of wind... It was the combination of control, speed, and power. It looked chaotic, but there'd been hundreds of miniature wind scythes within it.
He headed back without a second thought.
That wasn't a Genin level attack; it wasn't even Chuunin! Sasuke honestly doubted whether or not Kakashi could pull that move. To use such a bold yet intricate move first thing, their opponent was someone they shouldn't face. And Naruto was still there.
More importantly... this presence.
He neared the two in less than a few seconds, and it didn't look like he'd missed anything. There was a woman leaning casually against the tree, as if waiting for him to catch up. Naruto's hands were hovering over his pouches like he didn't know whether to attack or retreat.
This presence.
It flared, like in greeting, as Sasuke appeared, and it felt like a tangible hand around his throat.
Promising death- not only that, but torture and suffering and agony. Killing intent, dripping with malice and an unhinged curiosity tinged with sadism, like a cat staring down at mice.
Neither of them even had to say anything as they bolted.
"One thing you have to take in count of, Sasuke," Kakashi stared down at him. "Is that the Chuunin exam is... an exam."
He scoffed.
"Now don't scoff at your poor teacher!" He tutted, waggling his finger. "I know- cuz I'd never been able to beat- er, train it out of you- that you're a fight-happy kid that's always raring to go at everyone 'worth the fight'. You can't do that in the exam. You can't do that when you're on a mission. In some ways, kid, you really are just a child."
Sasuke stared at him in undisguised disdain. "What." He did acknowledge those words underneath his face of pure disgust though; Kakashi garnered enough respect for that.
"If something's off, you don't fight. You run. If someone taunts you, don't give in. If someone pries for information, don't flaunt."
"I don't-"
"Yes, you do." The Jonin deadpanned. "...And most importantly..." His voice turned hard and serious-
"You never ever show your Dojutsu."
"What?!" Sasuke hissed. "That's-"
"'Insane'." Kakashi mimicked. "'Absurd. Ridiculous! It's offensive to your very prestigious Clan and you would betray your family honour by hiding the pride of...' blah blah. Am I right?"
Sasuke didn't manage to summon a reply.
"Well let me ask you, Sasuke," Kakashi continued in a cruel, but not uncaring way. " What Clan?"
He gritted his teeth, fingers fisting in his lap. It was always this same truth that haunted him: the Clan existed within him, but only within him.
"The Hyuuga can do as Hyuuga like- Clans can do as Clans like, but you-"
In this real, disgusting world, the Uchiha Clan were nothing but rows of gravestones.
"You're alone in this, Sasuke."
The Jonin had the decency to soften his voice, but it somehow made the Uchiha boy feel worse.
"You've seen my eye- Do you know how many people want that? Covet the Three Great Dojutsu? You're young and vulnerable- You're strong, but not at all."
"I'm strong for a Genin." He said tentatively, not afraid, but afraid to say anything more lest Kakashi take it as another opportunity to humble him.
"You're strong for a Chuunin." Kakashi added, making Sasuke fall silent again. "But so what? You've got to be doubly safe. You have to admit, Sasuke, that that mon on your shirt is doing no one any good. It makes you a target, it's your burden, it's your cage."
He wondered when Kakashi had become another person- the second, the third considering Haku (yet another invisible wound, throbbing in his chest)- that understood him. Even if it was somewhat.
(But he's seen Kakashi- Kakashi had let him watch him- standing in front of the memorial stone for longer than Sasuke's patience could bear.)
"...I know." And the admission hurts worse than a twisted knife in his stomach.
"So trust me on this." Kakashi reached into his flak jacket and pulled out two mirroring seals.
"...This is for you!" Then his serious expression turned into his casual and pretentious one. The cringeworthy one. Sasuke's swirling ruminations abated slightly at that as the urge to punch his face dulled his other emotions.
"And it's a very important present, seeing as how I had to weasel it out of Konoha's only Fuuinjutsu master."
"How quick in fleeing..." The woman called as she followed them at a seemingly leisurely pace. "This will be more fun than I expected."
And then she appeared right in front of them, both arms outstretched. Naruto dodged in time with a well-placed jab to her joint, but Sasuke was within her grasp, fingers wrapped around his throat.
"S-So fast." He stammered without thinking. The only person who rivalled that speed was... Tsunade?! This person was-
"Snake."
"Ooh, quick one, are we?" The woman crooned before she obligingly dropped Sasuke when he broke her elbow in a snap.
"Quick and vicious." She smirked before with another crack, she righted her arm. "I'll have to retaliate now... Let's fight-"
Her finger dug into her face, one of them pulling downwards from her eyelid.
"With our lives on the line."
Killing intent crashed over the two of them, making Naruto shudder, limbs turning numb, mouth drying, vision tunnelling- He glanced to his side and saw Sasuke in a similar predicament, frozen in horror-
As their eyes met, Naruto snapped out of his trance and released a wave of raw chakra in defence, noticing how the Uchiha beside him untensed slightly at the barrier. He reached over, arm shaking, and gripped onto his forearm.
'Focus.'
Naruto knew he could withstand this: he had the embodiment of hatred and malice in his stomach, and Tsunade casually released killing intent on a day-to-day basis. He had resistance. He could move.
But Sasuke looked haunted. His eyes were distant and murky like he wasn't there, and Naruto didn't want to know whether or not he was visiting his past.
Chakra flashed on his hand, and he knew- somewhere in the back of his mind that he shouldn't- but a deep, blue enveloped his palm, seeping into Sasuke's. It was like twisting his chakra, the physical-spiritual energy ratio, the moulding of a shape, like fitting a jigsaw puzzle-
And their chakras touch.
"Foolish little brother-" Naruto hears an unfamiliar voice, thundering loud despite how it was a hushed whisper, intimate in a frigid way.
Intent, malicious intent, raised goosebumps over his limbs but he didn't know whether it was from the night's harsh cold or from that voice, that wrong demeanour, the man who was not his brother-
He smells iron and tastes bile in his mouth. And those eyes, cold and narrowed, glowing with the Sharingan's piercing red. There was a lift to his voice, the rasp that sounded familiar-
'Uchiha Itachi,' Naruto thinks in shame and horror and guilt.
Because he could feel this agonising emotion, even if it was for a drawn out millisecond-
-The jolt of chakra was enough to jerk Sasuke back into action. They moved quickly across the branches, both of them calculating how far the tower was even with shaky limbs, and burning remorse.
Naruto double-checked that Sakura- as a pink rock- was still in his pouch before he raised one hand for the Kage Bunshin seal. In this panic, he could scarcely trust no-hand seals, and he was surprised that he could even transfer his pure chakra in this state in the first place.
A dozen of his clones appeared in a plume of smoke, and in greater panic, he latched onto Sasuke's anything to make sure neither of them disappeared within it. Six were instantly killed and Naruto shuddered in horror- He didn't even know how they died.
The clones created more and Naruto drew up his chakra to create a hundred, shooting loud and messy Ninjutsu, one after the other. Wind whipped at their hair, invisible blades carving up their surroundings. The woman continued, and his breath halted in his throat.
Distance. That one word ran in his mind. Create distance. Distance. Distance.
Otherwise he'll be murdered, beaten easily. He could never stand a chance against Tsunade anyway. Punches were one thing, but stab wounds would take too long to heal.
"Hm? I thought I'd told you already: Orochimaru's the one that can use swords. Not me. I mean, I'm good at everything, but-"
He missed his step, and Sasuke grabbed onto his shoulder.
His chakra levels were not as high as he'd liked. They weren't nearly as high enough to fight off this-
"Naruto, you-" Sasuke swore and glanced at him anxiously. Then his other hand reached over and... slapped him over his head. "Focus, unless you want to die."
It made Naruto chuckle a strained and strangled chuckle. He felt pathetic for being so nervous as to hinder them both. Another hundred Bunshin burst towards the enemy, even as they all individually felt the same hesitance and fear as Naruto himself did. He made a snapping motion at Sasuke and he instantly understood, ducking his head as he braced for the huge explosion.
Bunshin Daibakuha.
He sensed Sasuke let out a longer exhale than usual and he tossed him a look- "Don't let your guard down," Naruto smiled. "Unless you want to die."
It felt like that damned woman was on his heels, and though Naruto had a pretty good suspicion, he didn't know what exactly she wanted. Once he ensured that Sasuke was close, Naruto fumbled for a flare, latching onto the first red one and letting it shoot up into the air.
He heard a scoff of annoyance before pain erupted into his abdomen, and he hissed in pain, the shout of "Naruto!" muffled for a moment.
He sent a damned flare. Now, he could only hope that ninjas knew how to do their job.
Sword still in his gut, he summoned chakra in his hand, building as much as he could- until his fist sparked blue. "But be careful when using Nintai, Naruto, because if your control slips, and your body isn't defended..."
Then many things happened at once. He slammed it forward in a prediction of where the woman's head was. Halfway through the motion, she twisted the blade inside of him, causing his chakra to yank back into the area to try and defend it. Air snapped at the sudden movement, rustling leaves. And then his arm exploded in pain-
"Half the gathered chakra will destroy your own body."
-Blood erupted from his capillaries, turning it an ugly shade of reds and purples. He grunted out in pain, wincing.
Naruto blinked away the bleariness in his eyes, taking a sharp inhale when he saw that the woman had just stretched her neck out of the way. Gross gross gross- Even so, there was a scrape down the side of her head, hair sliced from the shockwave of his attack.
He felt his mind race after that: dominant hand was gone unless he'd be willing to risk severe damage, he couldn't move much from the stab wound, Nintai was limited because his chakra was clustered around his injuries, he couldn't heal because the woman could kill him before he even started, opening Gates or Tenketsu wouldn't work with his damaged body, Sage M-
"Naruto," Sasuke said sharply before he, gaze not leaving the woman, gestured to the sky. Then Naruto realised that the flare was... not there.
Genjutsu. Area of effect Genjutsu. He pulsed their chakra at once, but it didn't even budge. Alarmed, Naruto stared at Sasuke, knowing that he had the Sharingan. Even so, he shook his head once, eyes wide. Naruto's lips pressed into a thin line; luckily, that explosion was too big to not catch suspicion. It should be a good enough 'flare'.
The blade was removed abruptly, causing him to flinch at the wet slick of his blood. "Don't even bother trying." The woman said with a bemused curl to her lips before she caught Sasuke's hurled weapons between her fingers.
He snarled, chakra fluctuating before the weapons exploded.
"Where?" Sasuke demanded, spinning to face him.
"Liwer." Naruto croaked in response to his narrow-eyed assessment. "Tha'-asshole found de best place ta stab me. God dan' g-it."
"You have a healing factor." He said, almost accusingly because that wound did not appear to be healing, before adding- "The brain or the heart would be better though. Instant kill. I thought you were the one who trained with a medical ninja, not me."
"Her goal was ta inflig pain. Suh' o' a bitch." He pursed his lips angrily. "That felt like a stab in ma heart." Before Sasuke could reply again, Naruto coughed, spitting a glob of blood in the vague direction of the woman's burnt corpse. "Er... Twas a clone."
Never mind. Not a corpse then.
He activated his Sharingan. Naruto was right.
Shit.
He jumped away just in time to see the woman swipe at him. Sasuke dodged, and the bark behind him splintered from the brush. Sasuke let his instincts take over as the woman engaged him in a Taijutsu bout, arms shooting as fast as Kakashi's, blows stronger than Kakashi's. Yet, strong as she was, he still knew that it wasn't her best.
Her face was still blankly amused, too carefree. It irked him.
He knew now that her target was him then, or his eyes. She didn't seem to care about Naruto anymore since he couldn't move optimally enough to pose a threat.
Well, the woman was wrong.
Naruto appeared in a flurry of wind, fighting stance flipped as he hooked his left, sending her body crashing into the tree bark, neck twisting abnormally. A clean kill.
"Not dead." Naruto told him, blood dribbling down his chin, even as the woman's head flopped over, about three-quarters way beheaded.
"What do you mean 'not'-" Sasuke let out a yell as a snake suddenly slithered towards him at an impossibly fast speed. He spat out a fireball like it was his knee-jerk reaction and watched with vindictive glee as it burnt alive. He frowned when it disappeared in a plume of smoke.
For Naruto, this was case closed.
This woman was Orochimaru.
Now all Naruto could feel was 'oh my fucking no'. He knew just how large the gap was between Sannin and Genin- Well, Sannin and anyone else, really.
"Shit." Naruto's mind began to race again, but this time, it wasn't for productive reasons...
'Gah! I'm so confused! What do I call her-he now? He? She? Why did he-she disguise as a girl, I mean, sure it's effective and I do it sometimes, but is he-she like, wanting to be female or something- who knows, I mean people can express their suppressed thoughts in a variety of ways. Everything's a mess, and I don't even know how to mentally call him-her, especially since 'Orochimaru' is such a mouthful, I mean I can't call Orochimaru 'Orochimaru' every single time I refer to Orochimaru, but do I call Orochimaru a 'he' or a 'her' or a 'they' would be better, but that would imply there's plural and plural Orochimaru's would make me freak out even MORE-"
"Naruto." Sasuke hissed. "Shut. Up."
He wasn't talking though?!
"Okay!" He yelped as he then realised that Sasuke was setting up an elaborate wire trap while Orochimaru crawled slowly out of another snake mouth. Sasuke moved forward to throw a variety of weapons with attached wire towards the man.
'Has he no fear?!' Naruto thought with wild excitement and awe, even as he then breathed out, letting Nature Energy creep into his body. With Sage Mode, he had a chance.
(But Nature Energy kept slipping from his grasp. To have Sage Mode meant to be at perfect balance.)
Panic seized his throat, and he could only see Tsunade's equal in front of him.
Tsunade's teammate.
Sasuke was all sorts of glad that Kakashi was his teacher.
(He used to take walks or train after nightmares. One night, Kakashi intercepted him.)
The woman's- Well, Orochimaru's killing intent had been cruel, targeting a specific memory- "Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me-"
It had cut off near instantly as chakra, like fire that didn't hurt, spread around him, casting off the chill of That Night. Naruto's palm, clammy and gross but warm, had radiated a strange energy that made him feel alive again.
He felt emotions, heard thoughts, and sensed the 'I'm sorry' echoing within his presence. Confusion, anger, fear. Hesitance, caution, exhaustion. Not-Naruto-like, his mind would determine. But as Sakura had said- This Naruto was different.
But he felt Naruto's chakra- burning and blinding and he then realised that Naruto hadn't become cold and grey. His chakra was like a bonfire, like a torch in the dark- It filled his reserves, and healed his small bruises.
Sasuke could move.
And then-
"I get it." Kakashi stood across from him, eyeing his bloodied knuckles. "You feel restless and jittery. Like you're useless and too weak. Don't look at me accusingly- You really think I'm here to stop you? You really think, after all this time, I would suddenly preach good mental practices? I can teach you how to turn that into productivity."
Sasuke could fight.
"You've ever heard of battle calm?" He asked. "Someone brings up your Clan, or your brother, or makes you think of the Massacre, and you snap like a rubber band and start spitting fireballs like a Fury."
He bared his teeth in a graceless snarl. "He's not my brother-"
He could think with clarity, move with fluidity, and think without emotions. He triggered the seal behind both his ears that cast a high-level Genjutsu over his eyes as his Sharingan activated.
"Whenever something or someone makes you think of Uchiha Itachi, don't erupt, don't explode, don't rage." Kakashi's hand crackled with electricity. "Be cold, and strike like lightning."
(He'd had a hard time adjusting to the feeling of a seal for his- his- eyes, but Kakashi had asked- near pleaded, judging by his usual 'requesting' tone, and Sasuke had complied.)
"You know, Kakashi." Sasuke had once said, sometimes after the vague story of 'Uchiha Obito', many chunks missing as he struggled to maintain his façade. "You're a damn hypocrite."
Kakashi's eyes had crinkled in a smile as he replied- "At least you know."
Because everything of Kakashi's reputation was putting a target on his back. 'Friend-killer', 'Kakashi of the Sharingan'. It was like he wanted the distaste cast his way. (Sasuke had felt indignant.)
(...On his behalf.)
He didn't understand why Naruto was freaking out, but perhaps it was due to his complete idolisation of Tsunade. Orochimaru was similarly a Sannin, and in some ways, Sasuke got how one's mentors could feel like gods.
He always faced Kakashi with the mindset of 'I'll try, but I'll lose', and no matter how many traps he set, or how many attacks he fired that- in his mind- could beat anyone, he'd never had the genuine thought of beating Kakashi.
He was wondering why Naruto hadn't snarked about the 'useless, wasteful opening attack that did nothing but waste their chakra' or how 'inefficient toying with their opponent was after firing a flare'.
(Sasuke wondered how he was able to predict this new version of Naruto already.)
It was because Naruto had a suspicion, and that had dulled his fighting abilities. He watched as Orochimaru raised an impressed brow, unfazed as Sasuke sent Raiton down the ninja wire, shocking him enough so that a burnt flesh smell started to waft around him. He quickly glanced at Naruto who was still in his position.
Four... five... How much longer did he need?
"Naruto!" He called out and the blonde's eyes snapped open, a frustrated look coming over his face. "Do you trust me?"
"...What?" Naruto squinted at him for what felt like ages before he quietly replied, "I- I guess. Yeah."
"Trust me." Naruto had said in the Land of Waves, and Sasuke hadn't even realised he'd followed it- taken it as comfort until he asked that then.
"Then do your thing and don't worry about this freak. I could handle him by myself at this point." He smirked, but he knew, and Naruto knew, that Sasuke was bluffing.
"What, are you scared, Usuratonkachi?"
Orochimaru was still suffering the effects of the attack, and Sasuke knew that he should capitalise it, but somehow... it felt like getting Naruto off his arse was better time spent.
Naruto grinned shakily. "Not on your life, bastard."
All lies, this conversation. Lies and bluffs and blowing hot air.
Yet his words had never felt more right, more true.
And with that, Sasuke turned back to the Sannin, not letting any discomfort show as his skin began to peel, head twitching with a buzz every few moments. "It's honestly disappointing that you hadn't awakened your Dojutsu..."
Sasuke felt a flash of defensive anger, but he quelled it, focusing on the grim satisfaction as he realised- 'So the Genjutsu works even on Sannin.'
"But to be able to fight so efficiently even without the Sharingan... It must be something of your Clan that puts you on another level. Although you have not your Sharingan, just as I thought..."
A golden eye met his and Sasuke felt a chill run down his spine.
"I want you..."
"You would understand. Sharingan, and all. People will only ever want you for your eyes-"
"Fucking-" Naruto appeared next to Orochimaru, leg blurring in a kick. "Creep! "
There was a loud crack as Orochimaru's head snapped... off. Sasuke felt himself still; he could only catch Naruto's movements because of his advanced Sharingan. The colour of his chakra was different- It was something else- added?
Sasuke's instincts blared red as he dove to the side, avoiding another snake leaping towards him. To his utter disgust, Orochimaru appeared inside of the snake's mouth, covered in its saliva... again. He had an off-putting smile on his face, and a gleam in his eye that made Sasuke wary.
"Tsunade's brawn had certainly passed on." He chuckled, flickering towards Naruto and driving his fist into his abdomen, visible chakra flaring over it. Sasuke could only watch, unable to react in time. That speed... Orochimaru took a casual step away from him as the boy then collapsed onto his hands and knees, swaying from that single strike.
"Hmmm... Tenketsu manipulation, I bet for the Gates too, Nintai isn't too shabby... Sage Mode as well." Orochimaru crouched down. "Naruto, you have all these techniques, and even Iryo Ninjutsu to battle the backlashes."
The Sannin stared, bemused, down at Naruto. Sasuke still could not move, all too aware of how easy it was for Orochimaru to kill Naruto.
"But you have something that could combat that easily as well as strengthen you even further. You've been ignoring your finest card..." He hummed. "And I so despise people who don't delve into these matters. What are you avoiding it for? Come on, use its chakra."
Naruto let out a weak wheeze, voice strained. "I won't ever use that power."
"Hoh?" Orochimaru's face twisted into a sneer. "You're another one of those? Ignoring power because it touches your soul- 'It hurt the Village, so I won't use it'?"
Sasuke's eyes darted between the two, not knowing what to say. Naruto's chakra was slowly slipping away, like it was... being drained? But it didn't appear to go to Orochimaru, so-
"No, you're wrong." Naruto lifted his head and grinned with bloodied teeth. "That's actually the least of my problems. If it's a weapon I can use, I'll use it."
Then the grin transitioned into a baring of teeth. "Thing is: that isn't a weapon. I will not use that power because it does not belong to me. It does not belong to anyone but themselves."
After a few beats of silence, Orochimaru laughed, the sound curdling Sasuke's blood. The genuine amusement, the hint of satisfaction, but that edge of dark glee-
"What if... you don't have a choice, Naruto?" He said, voice mild before silver flashed and a kunai was driven hilt deep into his chest.
Sasuke's throat seized, eyes wide as he watched the boy slowly sink back into the ground, eyes glazing over. All because he was just standing there- All because Sasuke hadn't moved to help- All because Sasuke was- Sasuke was still too weak and powerless.
What was... that? What just happened? Naruto was... still alive... right?
He didn't want another precious one die before his eyes.
His eyes throbbed in tandem with his heart.
"Oh, what a pity." The man tilted his head to the side, the motion smooth and filled with a grace that he felt as though he could never achieve in a thousand years.
And Sasuke told himself, hollowly, passionately, that he was definitely going to murder the man one day.
"How I do want to play around some more, but I have to leave now. Let me leave you a little going away present-" His neck then elongated and shot towards him at a blinding speed.
Sasuke could move then, but it was still too late.
Sakura hoped, wished so intensely, that that terrifying woman- man- Orochimaru- the Sannin wouldn't notice her, but he paused before leaving, and she swore she could feel his eyes on her.
"I suppose it's up to you now, little girl."
She almost blacked out from terror.
A long minute after the Sannin disappeared, Sakura flickered out to land on a branch, Henge dispelling. Even within the muted, distant haze of being an inanimate object, she had still sensed fear like she never had.
Sakura didn't remember to hold her hair back as she retched onto the tree bark, the sound of her vomit hitting the forest ground muffled behind the ringing of her ears.
She could really only hear one thing: 'I'm sorry I left you two out of this, but I guess... it's up to you now-'
That sudden rush of chakra, radiant, brilliant in the ways Sakura's wasn't, and would never be.
'I'm counting on you, Sakura.'
And Sakura swore, with such intensity that tears burned at her eyes, that she would not let Naruto down.
She would not let either of her teammates down.
''That jerk...'' He muttered, ''He pierced a major artery. Near my heart! Now what am I going to do...''
Naruto's feet sloshed in the dirty water. This was the 'black void' he'd skirted around every time he meditated. He walked slowly, letting his feet drag as he followed the tunnels. Eerie. Dark. Lonely. Caged.
''Hi... Kyuubi.''