Promotion

New chapter is here, not much else to say.

Like always, this chapter was made available a week ahead on my Discord server. Feel free to join.

This is the link, just remove the space and replace the 1 with i: d1scord .gg /2XN2rzuFpM

"So how are you holding up, Sasuke?" Kabuto asked kindly, running his chakra coated index and middle fingers along the scar on my face to continue thinning it out.

We were in one of the hospital rooms that wasn't in use, as was the usual for the impromptu classroom set up for me to learn Iryo-ninjutsu.

This was supposed to be the time where I'd train in Iryo-ninjutsu with him, but I couldn't really do it since my arm was still in a cast and I knew learning Ninjutsu with half seals at the moment was a waste of time. The good news was that the cast comes off in a few days, but the tenketsu in my hand was still on the mend, so no Jutsu.

So that left an opening where I focused on more esoteric techniques that he'd let me copy with my Sharingan, mainly blood cleansing through the skin and other types of toxin flushing, and he'd also help hurry along the healing of some minor injuries.

"Thoroughly miserable at feeling like an invalid." I replied, deciding to continue being honest. "I'm just thankful I'm left handed." I gestured with my right arm.

I was actually ambidextrous, but I didn't need to be vocal about that detail.

"Grh." I hissed, feeling a nerve in my face seize up when Kabuto's chakra brushed across it.

"Sorry." He said, his eyes staring at mine while he massaged the scar to break up the scar tissue. "Cosmetic repairs aren't exactly the most necessary techniques they teach medics."

"Probably makes me look more fierce anyway." I shrugged, not minding it much. Actually, that's a lie. It bothered me more than I wanted people to know, but I could live with it.

The nightmares though can die in a shit filled ditch. I've got the most diverse cast of nightmare fuel in my head and it makes for some spicy nostalgia.

Kabuto finished up and backed away from me, before he cut the chakra feed to the technique and let it dissipate.

"Since you've already copied all the theoreticals and I patched up your face, is there anything else you're wanting to study that I can help with?"

The offer was polite, at least it sounded polite.

"Chakra draining?" I said questioningly, wanting to at least view it with my Sharingan.

Kabuto's face twisted into a faint scowl at me bringing it up again, but he nodded his head in acceptance.

"You're really insistent on that, but okay. Keep your Sharingan trained on my hands." He instructed, staring at my eyes in preparation while his hands clasped in front of his sternum.

Nodding my head, I closed my eyes and sunk into that slight void of thought where I instinctively opened something deep and primordial that was centered within my eyes.

Then, I opened them and saw everything in that beautiful, crystal sharp focus that I enjoyed. Every detail of Kabuto's gray button up shirt, the complete lack of dirt under his nails, and the slight nick in the rim of his glasses on the left metal ring.

My right eye had finally stopped itching, and I was looking at everything I possibly could again, and I was loving it.

It also was a bit weird to have my right eye see things better now since I had all three tomoe in it while my left had only one, but it was easy enough to adjust to the unintentional evolving of it from killing someone.

"Watch." Kabuto instructed, going through a few slow and deliberate hand seals, and activated what I assumed was the chakra draining technique.

Instead of chakra radiating out in a particular hue and thickness like the Mystical Palms Jutsu or any assortment of others, my Sharingan showed that it was inverted, a sort of hollow channel being formed that flowed into Kabuto's arm and branched out into colourless dots on the areas in the palm and fingers where the tenketsu were.

Also interesting was that I could see a wisp of my chakra that slowly leaks out like normal was absorbed into the technique, being quickly smothered by Kabuto's before vanishing.

"It probably looks strange with your eyes." Kabuto hummed to himself, drawing my attention away from his hand for a moment as he canceled the technique. "You now know how it looks and how it's supposed to be done."

"It's definitely strange to look at, and even harder to explain to someone who isn't an Uchiha." I admitted, still keeping my Sharingan active. "Like explaining red and green to someone colorblind."

Kabuto looked a little curious, but didn't ask for more clarification.

"Do you wish to actually see how the draining of chakra looks?" He asked, glancing down at my arm. "I can drain some of yours so you can get a visual, but it definitely feels extremely uncomfortable."

I just gave him a deadpan look, accented by the crimson death gaze exclusive to my clan. "And having someone run fingers across the eye I almost lost isn't? Trust me, I think I can handle it."

Kabuto just shrugged, going through the same two seals to activate the technique, his fingers splayed out as he stared directly at me.

"Sit on the table right there." He gestured with his off hand towards a spot not covered by notes and other papers he left out for me to copy to speed things along.

I complied with the request and hopped up onto my new perch, staring eye level to him now expectantly.

"Don't say I didn't forewarn you." With that, the older teen pressed his fingers against my left arm and I jerked so violently that I almost fell off the table.

A painful chill seeped all throughout my arm and the tendrils of it got to my shoulder, and a glacially cold pulling sensation followed right after. The sight of my own chakra being pulled from me was also extremely unpleasant, and I watched as a second part of the draining technique was done by Kabuto where he vented my chakra out of one of his tenketsu in his wrist, mixed with a small amount of his own in a multicolored 'mist'.

Just as soon as it occured, the chill vanished, leaving a pins and needles sensation that I tried to massage away with my knees by rubbing my arm between them.

"You weren't lying." I said as I groaned, not liking the feeling at all. "I hated that."

My internal appraisal of Kabuto's threat level increased by a fraction more, and the unwanted visual of him doing that while gripping my head danced in my mind and I nearly shivered at the thought.

"It's definitely not comfortable being on the receiving end of that." Kabuto said sympathetically, ending the technique and flexing his fingers a few times. "And I would advise that you not train this on your own. Miss Uzumaki can't help for reasons we've talked about before, and doing it on a clone would likely pop it instantly and not be helpful."

That last part actually made me curious about the feedback sensation I'd get if I did that. Maybe I could try that later.

A brief commotion from outside of the room made Kabuto and me both turn to the door, but nobody entered.

I frowned in thought as I looked at Kabuto. "Hear what they said?"

"Something about chicken…" He said, looking confused for a moment, before his brow twitched and he looked at the clock on the wall behind my head. "Oh, it's lunchtime. That's why. We're done for today in that case."

Unfortunate as it was, he was right. Lunch was when we stopped, and it looked like I would have to find something else to eat up my time while Naruko was having fun kicking Lee's ass.

Thinking of that made me rate Lee once again internally. For someone who was by definition disabled by Shinobi standards, the fact that he could contend with Naruko in any manner was extremely impressive. The old memories in my head hardly paid attention to the Will to Power, preferring to adhere to a different worldview. But Lee was the human will made manifest, just as Gai was to an even more extreme degree, and I believed in the spirit of the human will 100%.

Helping him flourish would be good just because that fire should be as bright as possible.

Keeping those thoughts to myself, I smiled at Kabuto and got off the table.

"I guess I'll see you afterwhile." I said, preparing to bid my farewell and leave. But before I could actually exit the room, Kabuto cleared his throat.

"If you want, I can get lunch for us both. My treat." He offered, folding his arms across his chest as looked at me in anticipation for a response.

Did he have an ulterior motive? Probably. Was it in my long-term best interest to decline? Maybe.

But I was hungry and mentally stained to be a penny-pinching dick when it came to some things, and free food was a good incentive for me to be a comfortable type of selfish.

"You know what, sure." I shrugged, walking over to the unused swivel chair I put my coat on and slowly got my arms through it, before looking at the bespectacled teen. "Nothing that requires two functional hands, I'm rather disarmed right now."

Kabuto just laughed. "That really was a terrible joke."

"And you have terrible vision." I smirked, walking towards the door and opening it. "We both got balanced by fate."

I honestly couldn't even remember if Kabuto had bad vision or not, I just needed to respond.

With that, the two of us left the hospital to search for someplace to eat and probably talk about random crap that might or might not get me turned into a skin suit for a certain rogue Sannin.

Maybe I could recommend steak…

Yeah, steak is worth the risk.

Expensive? Yes, but I'm going to abuse this turncoat's charity for all it was worth, and getting a free meal from the steakhouse is actually a productive, definitely not petty, abuse.

(LINE BREAK)

"Sasuke," Naruko asked from the couch, mulling over a sheet of paper, "Can you help me with this?" She waved the sheet roughly for emphasis, and I caught a glimpse of it and the image got burned in my memory from my Sharingan being active.

Math assignment, specifically to do with percentages and division.

"Yeah, I can." I said, ignoring my own 'studies' that amounted to me bouncing between picking at the itching part of my forearm under my cast and forcing my chakra to flow through the tenketsu of my left arm and chest to stretch my chakra network some more while looking at Naruko groan and mumble under her breath, while the food meant for us in the kitchen was still simmering.

Was I aware that Naruko staying at my home for the last two weeks almost every night was a breach of the cardinal rule about me getting too invested? Yes, I was, but I didn't care anymore. I made the executive decision to change my entire outlook about her the rest of the way after I killed the bastard that attacked her. And I really didn't like the idea of her at the new apartment she'd been moved to, even if it was closer to my house.

And someone needed to protect her. The warning of Kakashi being the only trustworthy ANBU echoed in my head as I looked down at the math problem and proceeded to help Naruko.

She listened patiently, even if she occasionally fidgeted in her chair. It took me maybe 15 or 20 minutes of careful explanation, but I was able to get her to understand and solve some of the problems on her own.

I started to zone out a bit while standing behind her, and I reactivated my Sharingan out of boredom and looked at the back of her head while she noisily wrote down the simple equations over and over again for repetition.

I didn't say a word, just burning every detail of her hair into my mind and the way she'd twitch her wrist when writing a dash for the kanji meaning 6. The latter was familiar from a letter I read that my mom had in a box with Uzumaki Kushina's name on them, but I didn't want to abruptly blurt out that the way Naruko's mom wrote the number six was similar to how she herself did.

Coincidentally, Naruko chose to voice her own thoughts at that moment and twisted around to look up at me.

"Does your cast come off tomorrow?" She asked, ceasing her scribbles and looking at the plain white wrap that had been hardened to stabilize my arm. "I can't remember."

I nodded and flexed my fingers slightly at her. "Yeah, in the morning. Feel free to tag along if you want though, I'd like the company and we can get ramen."

"But…" Naruko frowned, her brow furrowing cutely. "I'll miss the academy tomorrow."

"Pfff." I scoffed, waving my good hand dismissively. "You'll learn more watching them cut this off," I gestured with my casted arm, "than at the academy."

Naruko's eyes widened impossibly large, a gasp escaping her. "Why would they cut your arm off?!"

It took a moment for me to work through the extreme confusion that washed over me at her overreaction, but the moment I did, I started laughing.

I really shouldn't have laughed, but that was a hilarious and adorable reaction, so I laughed. And it wasn't like the laugh of a kid, I swear I sounded like one of those hyenas from the Lion King as I completely lost it.

My response of clarification was lost as I laughed at her misunderstanding, and I buried my face in my hand to look away from her so I didn't laugh harder.

Naruko of course didn't find it even remotely as funny as I did and pushed the chair away and stood up, pulling my hand away from my face.

"That's not funny." She said hotly, her face flushed pink from frustration. "Are they doing anything to your arm or not?!"

"No." I managed to squeak out, trying to reel my mirth back in. I succeeded after a few seconds of forceful effort, and managed to make eye contact with her without breaking out into a fit of giggles. "They're cutting the cast off, not my arm, you silly goose."

Now Naruko's face turned a deeper shade of red as she realized how she thought at first that they were going to cut my arm off to get the cast removed.

"I'm not stupid, -ttebayo." She said defensively, which threatened to make me snicker at how apprehensive she looked.

I wonder why she said that unprompted.

"I know that." I promised while putting all effort into turning my manic giggling into a quiet smirk, before I tilted my head to look over her shoulder and at her math sheet. "You got all the problems correct by the way."

In a way that looked eerily similar to a dog perking up when hearing the word 'food', Naruko's eyes brightened and she seemed to forget that she was embarrassed just a moment ago. But I wouldn't complain about that. The hyperactive blonde turned around and looked down at her work, giggling giddily at succeeding and visibly shaking.

Kami, it's like living with a Chihuahua. I couldn't help but draw that comparison when the girl would go from normal to crackhead levels of movement in an instant.

"You want to get something to eat now?" I asked out of the blue, not even thinking for a moment on whether to ask or not.

Naruko turned back to face me and blinked for a moment. All the excitement was gone now and she was back to normal, at least normal for her.

"Ramen?" She asked hopefully, already shifting her balance from one leg to the other.

Don't get me wrong, Ichiraku's was a great ramen stand, but I could taste the saltiness and excess fat in it because of the harsh contrast in what I fixed myself, like eggs and whatever steak I could get, and the admittedly middling ingredients of the ramen; and I felt lethargic after just eating a second bowl, while Naruko would rip through half a dozen like Jaws would rip through the scantily clad flesh of a Spring Breaker on a sunny Florida afternoon.

"Yeah." I shrugged in agreement. "That's fine for me, but you need to put a clean shirt on and comb your hair, we're going outside and you look like you live out in the woods." I added that as I looked at her up and down, noting her unkempt look from lack of caring.

"Hey!"

"You literally have a leaf in your hair, Naruko. Just hurry up or I'll eat all the miso ramen before you get outside." I finished that 'threat' off by walking over to the table, grabbed my wallet packed full of cash, then grabbed my jacket off the chair and walked out the door to wait outside for her.

I didn't turn around to look, but I could hear Naruko frantically race down the hallway to the guest room where she was staying, probably to brush her hair and look presentable.

"I wonder if she'll realize there isn't a leaf." I snickered to myself as I exited the house and closed my eyes for a moment, relishing the feeling of the sun on my face and the cold breeze that lazily swept across the street.

I was truly happy at the moment, even if it were surprising to any outsider that almost losing an eye and being scarred was the catalyst.

My realization just days ago that I was truly free did more for my mental state than probably anything short of befriending Naruko. Everything was brighter, sharper; more colorful when I realized that, even with the nightmares I still had regularly, I was never going to kill Naruko to evolve my eyes. Itachi didn't take my freedom from me like he would have, and it made the heartache at knowing he tortured me out of selfishness worth it. Knowing why he did it, and that I wouldn't play his game, made me free.

I heard my door close and I turned quickly, looking at the source of the noise that couldn't be anyone but Naruko.

Naruko had a clean black t-shirt on, with an orange jacket over it, and the same pair of dark gray pants she was wearing before, and her hair looked vigorously combed and was tied back off-center from her head, her bangs still hanging down freely.

I decided to not comment that I thought she looked better with her hair down, at least until she grew it out a couple more inches past her shoulders.

"Ready?" I asked casually, completely at ease.

"Yep." She bobbed her head happily, practically skipping towards me and grabbing my good arm and dragging me forward.

I barely didn't yelp in surprise and managed to not stumble as Naruko raced towards Ichiraku's with me in tow, the sound of her laugh being the thing I focused on as I joined in.

(LINE BREAK)

Another day, and another round of training in wintertime that necessitated a thick coat and insulated pants. Fortunately for me at least, there wasn't any cold breeze that could strip any built up body heat from me.

Unfortunately though, I had to share it with arguably the worst company imaginable.

"Are you certain that you can continue training this early?" Kakashi asked me for the third time, albeit reworded. "I can visibly see the size difference in your arms from the atrophy."

The silver haired ANBU was finally back from whatever hellscape mission he was on and we were back to business as usual, save for the tiny detail that my arm looked like I ripped a lion's heart out through its mouth without wrapping it in protection a la the Lionheart. So, I got 23 individual scars from the tips of my fingers up to my elbow and my wrist would click every now and then when I did exercises with it.

Nothing major, in other words.

"Yes, for the third time, I'm fine." I said tersely, leveling him with a flat look that I hoped resembled my father's. "If we're going to be asking useless questions, I may as well ask you about why you look disheveled, at least more so than usual."

"Maa, testy." He replied, visibly rolling his right eye. "And here I am, the best with kids out of the ANBU, and I've got an ungrateful student as thanks."

"Neko…"

"Hmmm?"

"Neko is the best with kids." I stated seriously, absentmindedly flexing my fingers on my right hand against my palm to feel the sensation after getting the cast removed just a week ago. "She's an older sister or young aunt figure, while you're the layabout bachelor best friend that dad uses to mentor the uptight son."

Kakashi went totally silent, just gazing at me while standing still.

"That almost sounds like an insult. That was an insult, wasn't it?"

"An insult against Neko for having her mentioned in the same sentence as you, perhaps." I deadpanned, waiting for Kakashi to be finished with delaying teaching me like he often did. Either he did it to annoy me, or to gauge how well I spoke with people when it wasn't a fun subject.

Annoying either way.

"Well, if you insist that you can handle training again, we'll see what you can do. I refuse to let you do any type of taijutsu though, your arm is too weak to handle strikes that are held back even."

I furrowed my brow in annoyance at that comment, because it was factual. I hated how shriveled my arm looked, and I was already nursing issues of acclimating to how my wrist clicked when moving it and the scars.

"This can be a brief session, just so you can ease into things and you can focus on more passive things." Kakashi offered in a helpful manner after I didn't respond at first. "You said you wanted to try and develop a sensory method, Katon based, right?"

That… was right. Learning even rudimentary chakra draining made it a much easier thing to accomplish, and I had managed to figure out, with Kabuto's help and my own practice, how to press my chakra against a target and pull. It was like the principle of chakra sticking, but very different and required a more deft touch.

I nodded at his question, looking up at him from our height difference.

"Then sit down on the ground and do that breathing exercise Neko taught you." Kakashi instructed, pulling up his sleeve on his left arm. "We're going to do this step by step, so get started."

I didn't say anything as I complied, crossing my legs as I lowered myself to the ground and steadied my breathing, shutting my eyes and activating my Sharingan.

It never got brought up, but having my dojutsu active with my eyes closed let me see an extremely faint outline of my own chakra that thrummed with my heartbeat and breathing. So I could actually see how under control my passive chakra flow in my tenketsu was, and all I needed to do was follow Neko's instructions to see how much it would steady out.

After a few minutes of the exercise, I slowly raised my right hand up and gave Kakashi a thumbs up to show I was ready, opening my eyes and staring at him.

Kakashi paused for a moment, his head tilting an inch to the side.

"Did you just…" He stopped what he was saying, and I heard a faint exhale like he suppressed a laugh. "Of course you figured out that trick by shutting your eyes. Always the prodigies."

That's right, his Sharingan doesn't shut off. He can see his own chakra too.

I didn't let the wave of pleasure I felt at the compliment show, my mind was still detached partially as I focused on keeping my chakra within my purview as it kept a steady flow through my body. It'd be necessary until I got better at wrapping my chakra around another's to wrench at it, so I needed to pay attention.

"You're going to pull at my chakra now." Kakashi instructed, stretching out his arm for me to grab. "Get a proper feel for it so you know what to sense for."

I did as he said and made the proper hand seals, fighting the urge to shiver at the sensation of chakra being molded in my right arm just a day after the doctors had cleared me to use my right arm with limitations. Getting over it quickly, I managed the most rudimentary step of the chakra technique and pressed my left hand on Kakashi's forearm.

A cold and wet sensation snaked across my hand as I managed to press my own chakra onto Kakashi's and pull. What followed was a faint silvery glow that was Kakashi's chakra bleeding into my own and replacing the initial cold sensation with a staticy crackle that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

I quickly let go, pulling back my arm and flexing my fingers repeatedly to try and stop my hand from tingling, but it didn't exactly help.

"I think I have a good feel for it." I said, looking at Kakashi speculatively as I awaited the next step in training. "What next?"

"Now," Kakashi took a step away from me, raising up his other arm and forming a half cross seal with his fingers and spawning a shadow clone, "You can train further with this clone while I get myself something to eat."

I didn't register at first that Kakashi was technically ditching me. My mind was on something that was out of place I just witnessed that was contrary to what I knew as an objective fact.

Kakashi wasn't supposed to be able to use half seals and he just did that casually. Just another annoyance to make my already suspicious nature a little more vocal.

"No, I won't teach you right now." He said, misreading why I was frowning while staring at his hand. "Listen to the clone and I'll be back with something for you to eat too, you're skin and bones right now." With that, the masked student of the Yondaime flickered away in a swirl of leaves.

"If you weren't training me and weren't a Shinobi worthy of respect," I glared up at the clone, feeling legitimately insulted at being called skin and bones, "I'd be more insulting than deemed respectful."

The clone just rolled its visible eye.

"You look adorable when you have a little tantrum like you are right now." It said, a visible smile shifting the mask minutely. "Like a puppy barking at a tree."

I felt my face flush in irritation and I started to say something, but stopped when that infernal chakra construct's smile grew. Stupid Kakashi messing with me all the time.

"Just tell me what to do, old man." I mumbled irritably, wincing when I noticed how much the pitch in my voice raised from being flustered. I felt awkward now, and my chakra was almost certainly not under control now.

The clone stopped being an annoying ass and gave me the next step of my training, which was to close my eyes and try to sense his passively radiating chakra out of his arm with my chakra drain technique through my fingers.

"Shut your eyes and tell me when you feel it, I'll slightly flare my chakra if you don't sense it at first."

With that, I shut my eyes and did the same well practiced set of hand seals to mold my chakra into a proper drain technique as I did moments before. After finishing the fourth seal, my hand glowed a deep, wine dark blue and I tried to feel for that elusive and familiar chakra signature that was Hatake Kakashi's.

5 seconds. 10 seconds. 15. I couldn't feel anything at all.

Just as I was about to openly scowl at it not working, I felt a flicker of chakra and my eyes opened as I suddenly got excited at succeeding. But what I saw instantly took the wind out of my sails. The clone was flaring out its chakra somewhat, which was why I felt it.

"Good that you sensed that." The clone reassured me, failing to do so as I slumped my shoulders and frowned. "And don't do that, being impatient about not achieving this. You'll have this figured out by the time you're 12 no doubt."

Not good enough. Honestly, I needed to be S-rank like Itachi by the time I was 13, and my best estimate was that I'd hit B-rank by then. Iryo-ninjutsu and these more esoteric techniques were all well and good, but it still wasn't enough for me.

"More than prime."

Those three words pulled me from my thoughts abruptly, and I blinked as I looked up at the speaker.

"Huh?"

"Your chakra exercises have paid off." The clone said matter of factly, tapping the left side of its face with an index finger, specifically the Sharingan implant. "You're not even 11 and your reserves are larger than the actual Kakashi's when he first became an ANBU, but your progress in getting accustomed to the extra density and volume you have to work with makes the efficiency seem stagnant, am I right?"

Now that I heard that out loud, yeah, it was exactly that. I'd suspected that, but dismissed it about a week before Naruko was attacked. Actually hearing it be stated by the previous generations prodigy made me feel relieved, and a small weight got taken off my shoulders.

"Specifically the last year." I added, wondering if Kakashi knew the reason.

"Natural Chakra growth increases as you mature. You'll see less control gains for the next several months before it balances out, it usually happens when you're around 12 or 13 though." Was the explanation I got.

Hmmm, maybe it has something to do with puberty? But I haven't noticed any physical changes yet.

"Ready to start again?" I asked, no longer scowling faintly.

The clone just nodded, a genuine, almost imperceptible, smile gracing its masked features.

(LINE BREAK)

Kakashi was almost back to the training ground after nearly two hours of walking around the village, paid a visit to the memorial, and intentionally delayed his arrival by a host of other timely means. It was par for the course, really, and the perpetually late Jonin was finally within sight of the village outskirts where his adorable little protege was being walked through some instructions by his clone, when a, not pestilence, but an affordable sufferance came barrelling down the street and was shouting his name.

Kakashi groaned softly as Gai blurred by his left shoulder, coming to a stop in front of him.

In the span of about half a second, Kakashi considered not even going through the effort of stopping his stride. Gai was sturdy enough, he could stop his forward momentum and hold him up while he continued to clutch a new copy of Icha Icha for Sasuke and some takeout ramen for himself…

Or was it the other way around? Whatever, paper was edible, and Sasuke looked emaciated enough to eat it. Hell, he'd definitely eat a book if it promised more knowledge… weird little gaki.

Deciding that potentially staggering and Gai not catching him was a risk too great, Kakashi reengaged his brain to force his legs to stop moving, and he slowly shifted his gaze from the ground in front of his feet to Gai's fiery expression.

"Gai." Kakashi said in greeting, not bothering with his usual preference of acting like he didn't hear him. As amusing as it was, Gai actually looked a little upset about something. "Do you need something?"

"Yes, Kakashi!" Gai nodded quickly, his hands clenching and unclenching as his arms were tightly crossed over his chest in a clear sign of agitation. "You know of my youthful endeavors to help stoke the fires of young Naruko's youth, but I am afraid I must seek your help. It is important!"

Like a shock to his system, that last part had Kakashi suddenly alert, any thought of spacing out and doing hardly anything today being completely forgotten when it pertained to his Sensei's little girl.

"What's the matter?"

"Naruko spoke of Sasuke possibly being pushed a year ahead, and she has been sparring to a frightful degree the last week. She is desperate, and she is nearly demanding that I even help her with maths. Maths, Kakashi! Pah!" The one subject Kakashi remembered Gai could hardly stand as an academy student, and that was what Naruko needed.

Gai was excellent at teaching Naruko advanced taijutsu, but it looked like an opportunity to test out his 'teaching style' to Naruko and Sasuke was hopefully in reach.

"Would you be able to help me help Naruko?" Gai nearly begged, looking at him hopefully.

That was what Gai wanted his help with? Teaching Naruko had always been something he had wanted to do ever since that dreadful night over ten years ago, but teaching her maths of all things was rather underwhelming for a first subject.

It only took Kakashi a moment to formulate a reply though. "Yes, but can you talk about this more with me this evening at my apartment? I'm helping Sasuke with something at the moment and I have some ramen for him that's getting cold." He lifted up the watertight container that was thankfully still steaming for emphasis, but much less than if it were freshly made.

Gai's already pronounced brows arched upwards as he understood.

"Thank you, Kakashi." He said gratefully, looking ready to almost embrace him. "I will leave you to train Sasuke!"

With that, Gai practically blurred away and out of sight, not even using a Shunshin.

Kakashi just stood there for a moment, not even paying attention to the civilians walking by or the slight chill of a breeze wafting by. Gai always seemed to just appear from nowhere with a topic that made it impossible for him to do just… nothing. It was infuriating, but it's not like he had any choice. If Naruko was being a nervous wreck, then Sasuke would be taking it to heart and be his typical childish self when it came to not asking for help and doing it himself.

Exhaling in resignation that he'd need to actually act like the adult in the situation, Kakashi walked the rest of the way to the training ground and whistled for his clone to pop when he got within earshot.

The clone complied without hesitation and disrupted its internal structure, popping in a puff of smoke. Kakashi felt the flood of remaining chakra return to him steadily, and the conversation with Sasuke flitted through his thoughts and he blinked, stifling the faint twitch of his face at the influx.

The raven haired boy that was his current student shifted his gaze from the rapidly dissipating smoke to where he was, and Kakashi couldn't help but be reminded of the kid's older brother in how he had that hint of calculation behind those glittering eyes of his. Something, call it a healthy intuition, told Kakashi, as he softly walked across the chilly grass to where Sasuke was sat down on the ground in a meditative position, that voicing that out loud wouldn't be appreciated.

"Pork, fish, or beef?" He asked, eying the ramen box with that iconic steely gaze his clan was so very fond of doing.

"I… honestly don't know." Kakashi said, inspecting the box's exterior before popping it open, causing the last vestiges of steam to leave it. "I just told, hmm, Teuchi? to make it the way the brat prefers."

He really shouldn't have, but he simply couldn't pass it up. Sasuke's reactions at being treated like any other child was like a balm for the soul, almost as much as when Gai got worked up over being casually zoned out.

And Sasuke didn't disappoint.

The Uchiha's normally pale complexion completely skipped flushing pink and went almost straight to a rosy scarlet, his entire face twitching in aggravation.

"You, no, you didn't say that!" He accused, glaring up at him. "And I'm not the brat, Naruko i-... if that ramen is made the way Naruko likes it-"

"Miso with extra pork?" Kakashi asked casually, lying through his teeth about what it was. He knew exactly what kind Sasuke preferred, because he asked the old man at the ramen stand. It wasn't his fault if Sasuke took his word at face value.

A growl of frustration was all Sasuke replied with.

Sitting up and stomping towards him, Sasuke grabbed the box and sat back down, muttering under his breath the entire time before he tore the chopsticks stuck to the side of the box and looked inside the box.

…

"This isn't miso." Sasuke said flatly, still keeping his eyes trained on the box. Then, he actually activated his Sharingan and looked at the box from different angles, before licking the back of his hand and spitting. He then blinked hard, deactivating his dojutsu and began eating.

Kakashi knew exactly why he did that. He didn't know whether he should be impressed that Sasuke knew such a little trick to determine if a taste Genjutsu was in place, or insulted that the Uchiha thought him petty enough to fool him like that.

He'd fool him in other ways than that if he wanted to.

"So, looking through my clone's memories," Kakashi said, sitting down as well so he could be closer to eye level with Sasuke while he ate, "You have a decent grasp on the foundation of sensing foreign chakra, which is always the most time consuming."

Sasuke just grunted his understanding, his mouth currently full of noodles. And yet, he just kept eating instead of taking a short break to talk.

The kid must have been hungry, because there wasn't any of that sense of decorum he always noticed when on guard duty for him and Naruko. He acted more like her right now, and it was a little jarring.

Kakashi just shrugged though and went on to explain a few more basic concepts that he would be teaching Sasuke to streamline it and improve the efficiency, along with what he himself knew about draining an opponent's chakra. It paid to have served with ANBU before that utilized that technique and witnessed it in combat with his Sharingan.

"There's also something else we need to talk about." He said after finishing the next week's session. His tone had Sasuke pausing mid bite, his student's eyes narrowed in thought. "But finish eating first."

Sasuke still stared for a moment. But after a moment, he shrugged and went back to finishing his ramen, being completely done after a minute or two.

Setting the empty box down once he actually finished, Sasuke went to talk, but ended up burping as he opened his mouth.

"Sorry." He said quickly, his face flushing pink ever so slightly.

Kakashi ignored it, finding it a little amusing that the barely flappable Uchiha got embarrassed.

"It's fine, but now that you're done, we can talk about something I wanted to ask in person." He said seriously, wanting Sasuke to pay attention.

At the change in tone, Sasuke sat up completely straight and stared at him unwaveringly. Again, far too similar to Itachi's gaze that it was mildly unsettling. And it was something Kakashi was not going to share.

"Have you put more thought into accepting being pushed a year ahead?" He asked Sasuke, paying attention to any expression that might give the young prodigy's thoughts away.

Sure enough, a frown creased his brow and he pressed his fingers on his left hand against his forehead as he looked down, a disgruntled sigh escaping him.

"I know with absolute certainty that I can actually pass the graduation test and become a genin tomorrow, if only this could channel my chakra properly by morning." He lifted up his still healing right arm for emphasis, before setting it back down to rest on his thigh. "But I don't know about Naruko passing the written test, so… I just, I don't know." And just like that, the surety Sasuke had been displaying melted away like snow before a fire, replaced with uncertainty.

Is he-

"Hold on." Kakashi held up his right hand in a pausing gesture, trying to make sense of what he just heard. "I have been teaching you Jutsu and sparred with you for almost a year now. You are the most focused kid I've ever met, wants to be just as strong or stronger than your brother, and everything points progressing faster if you graduate early. But, you don't want to leave Naruko behind?"

…

"Correct."

The brief silence before Sasuke replied with the one word response told Kakashi everything he would ever need to know about Uchiha Sasuke for the rest of his life, and about his concept of loyalty.

That realization, that Naruko commanded such loyalty, was one that brought a wave of relief to Kakashi. Whatever happened, Naruko would have an extremely competent and capable friend that would never leave her.

"Then I think you will be happy to hear that Gai requested my help in teaching Naruko a few things about the theoreticals and, what did he say, dreaded maths."

Sasuke just raised his brow at the last part, but he also looked very amused by it. If this kid wore a mask, he'd probably be like a miniature him.

"I think I would do better at that than you, to be honest." Sasuke replied bluntly. "Naruko is an acquired taste when it comes to knowing how to teach her something that will stick, and I don't think you can develop that familiarity in the next couple weeks."

Was this how I sounded at his age? If he did, Kakashi 100% understood why some people, even some adults, found him off-putting then. He felt like he was talking to an adult and not a kid he had just flustered a minute or two ago.

"Either way, if you want Naruko to graduate with you, just ask me for any advice or help and I will. I graduated early too, so I can relate."

"You were half my age." Sasuke reminded him.

"Ah, that's right." How could he forget that he had been considered a possible successor in talent as the Sandaime? But they demanded too much and saw raw power where there wasn't. But Kakashi was fine with that; he was still the second most dangerous Shinobi in the village at the moment.

"I actually have some questions about what it would entail if Naruko and I do get pushed a year ahead." Sasuke said, slightly adjusting the conversation. "Specifically about the elective classes."

Kakashi could hazard a guess what Sasuke was concerned/curious about.

"Is it about being pushed a year ahead in them?"

"Uh," Sasuke blinked, pausing before speaking again at what Kakashi knew was a correct thought. "Yes. I wanted to know whether that would cause issues, because I don't think Naruko and I can do well if we got tossed in the second year of electives. And, well, Naruko has friends in our year."

"And not you?" Kakashi inquired, noting the lack of mentioning whether he had friends.

"Acquaintances that I get along with and look out for," He remarked neutrally. "But friend is a special term."

Noted.

"Students that were pushed ahead weren't pushed ahead in electives." Kakashi went back to Sasuke's initial question, putting any concern to rest. "It still means you will only have one year of elective education instead of two, but that doesn't matter too much because the electives were only ever to lighten the burden on Jonin instructors that were selected to teach prospective prodigies in specific fields."

"Like me learning Genjutsu earlier and making it easier on you." Sasuke commented, being almost casual about alluding to the fact that he knew Kakashi was going to be his Sensei. "Oh like it's that difficult to figure out. I knew you were the frontrunner for being my Jonin Sensei the day I realized you had a Sharingan."

Kakashi debated saying anything, but there really wasn't a point. It wasn't difficult, like Sasuke said, to figure it out.

"But that's all I really wanted to know, whether the electives would complicate things." Sasuke sighed, before breaking eye contact and fiddling with the chopsticks and drawing a symbol in the dirt Kakashi didn't recognize. "And Naruko will be happy that we still get to see most of our classmates, and some new ones in the year ahead. But anyway, is there anything else you think I should know?"

Kakashi went on to give a few basic details he thought Sasuke should know, but nothing particularly major. After the brief conversation, the normal allotment of time for their little meetup was used up and Kakashi bid Sasuke farewell for the time being, and Shunshined back to his apartment.

(LINE BREAK)

The bell above the door to one of the rooms adjacent to the Hokage tower chimed as I pushed the door open with my shoulder, shifting slightly to squeeze through as Naruko continued to desperately hold onto me all the way from my house to our destination.

"Naruko, you're crushing my fingers." I said steadily once again, doing what I could to suppress my wince as the deceptively strong, pint-sized girl clung to my good arm as I handed in the official request for Naruko and I to be moved ahead a year.

In front of us was the desk that, judging by the small placard at the front with the correct name and the title of administrator on it, was exactly what I was looking for. So, I walked straight up to the desk and raised my free hand with the papers to her.

The lady administrator, a middle aged woman with graying orange hair, looked at Naruko sympathetically as she gently took the small stack of documents from me and began reading through them.

Naruko still didn't let go of my hand, and I internally started to freak out because her hand was sweating and it was making me slowly lose my mind because I hated the sensation to an irrational level, because she of course didn't wash her hands after handling some butter this morning and it was like an eel was trying to crush my one good hand.

Fat chance in hell I'd ever say that to Naruko though, she might throw a ramen bowl at my head. And I didn't mind her holding my hand normally though, just right now.

"It says that you will be testing out in two weeks' time." The lady said, humming to herself as she pulled out a big rubber stamp and pressed it into an ink fold, before stamping both our papers for approval.

When neither of us moved, the lady tilted her head and stopped humming.

"Oh, you can leave now." She clarified, gesturing for the door. "Mr Umino came by here this morning and said you needn't worry about waiting for the copied transcripts. He'll come by and give them to you when you pass your test."

The optimism she showed helped Naruko more than it did me. I was sure of myself. Hell, I could probably test out and qualify as a chunin on skill alone. But Naruko, yeah, she was a bundle of nerves even after Kakashi talked with both of us a couple days after my last session with him and I told her this morning, once again, that I would tutor her myself for the next two weeks. That comment by the lady visibly made Naruko relax some, and I gave my unintentional helper as genuine a smile as I could give.

"Thank you, ma'am." I nodded my head respectfully. "And I hope you have a wonderful day."

"Yeah, thank you." Naruko added, albeit a little awkwardly so she didn't sound dismissive. Kind of funny, since she felt compassion and empathy more deeply than I did.

The lady smiled sweetly and wished us a pleasant day, before I led Naruko out of the tower and walked with her through the hallway, out the door to the left of a waiting room that had a couple of civilians and Shinobi by their state of dress and demeanor inside, and exited through a door that led to a winding set of steps down to the village.

"Um," Naruko said nervously, looking down at the steps, before looking at me with familiar blue eyes, "Where are we going now?"

As strong and self-reliant as she tried to be, I don't think she would ever get over asking me to lead, whether she realized it or not. It was no surprise that it didn't faze me.

"Some takeout, then we're going to your favorite spot in all of Konohagakure." I said, my eyes going from hers to the Hokage monument that loomed over us like the Kages of old were looking down upon us, casting the village they were sworn to protect in their immeasurable shadows and presence.

Naruko smiled brightly, her teeth practically sparkling as she hugged me tighter.

"Best. Friend. Ever."

(LINE BREAK)

"You know you shouldn't be nervous, you know that right?" I said, looking at the blonde from my spot three feet opposite of her.

We were currently having what was definitely not a picnic on top of Namikaze Minato's head, and Naruko was tapping her hand against the stone like she could carve a crevice in the unyielding rock, but to no avail.

"Easy for you to say, Sasuke." She said, looking downcast as the sun set, bathing her in a soft, orange glow that made her hair almost resemble the crackling flames of a soothing campfire, while her eyes stood out even more against the contrast of her skin. "You're super smart, and you kil- beat that masked guy. You can get pushed ahead no problem, and… and, I won't!" She exclaimed, chucking her empty bento box down to the village below. "And I won't get to see my best friend!"

Why did it hurt me to hear that?

"Naruko." I said slowly, pressing my left hand against the stone underneath me to push myself up partly, so I could scoot over to her until I was about a foot away from her. "You realize I'm going to refuse getting pushed ahead a year if I can't teach you the rest of the book stuff, right?"

Did I actually not spell that out explicitly? Yeah, I didn't. But I had assumed she'd know that and didn't bring it up, yet her short tantrum there said otherwise.

Had I told myself 2 years ago that I would refuse being pushed a year ahead so Naruko wouldn't feel left out and lonely, I would have given a resounding 'fuck off' to that scarred, older version of myself that sounded like a bleeding heart sap and acted less compelled to manipulate said blonde Uzumaki.

But as it was, I just didn't have the spiritual will or moral bankruptcy now to manipulate her for selfish gain. Somehow I figured out the secret to not being a cunt like my brother in the last two years.

God, even using that word in my head makes me feel like mom's about to slap me, but there's no better word to describe Itachi.

Before I could reassert my mind back into the real world properly, I saw a blur of gold and orange, and I was suddenly grasped firmly by Naruko as she buried her face into my shirt and I flinched at the abrupt contact.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Naruko practically squealed, shaking so much that I was almost concerned she was having a fit.

"Okay. Okay, let me go." I managed to wriggle free and get some breathing room, which Naruko seemed to not care about at all. "Have some faith that I'm a proper friend, will ya?" At my tone shifting to a more playful kind, Naruko smiled wider and looked straight into my eyes. I could practically read her thoughts from how her eyes sparkled in the light of the setting sun.

" Best friend." She said with absolute certainty, abruptly leaning onto my shoulder and shifting to look down at the village below that was completely bathed in the waning sunlight. After that, she remained totally silent and focused on that alone.

It was a little baffling that she was this comfortable around me. I knew I used to be this at ease around my parents and Itachi, and it was a cold and depressing thought why Naruko was this close to me. Because, I was only the second person that openly spent time with her and listened to her.

I just let my mind wander as the two of us remained on the top of the mountain, not saying a word as I burned in the view with my Sharingan. These days will grow fewer in number and I was going to make the most of it while I can.

"I think I understand why you like orange now." I eventually whispered in her ear, and I could feel her breathing pause.

She didn't need to say anything, but she didn't need to. A moment like this didn't need any words, and I was at peace this evening.

It wasn't until the sun completely set that we got off the mountain and I went back home with her in tow. Breaking the self-imposed rule about too much emotional entanglement didn't even register in my mind as I told her she can sleep in the guest room again, and that night was one of the most reinvigorating nights of sleep I'd had since 2 years ago.

(End chapter)

So, it looks like Sasuke and Naruko are being encouraged to try and be pushed a year ahead. Where that goes is for me, the glorious and all-knowing author, to know.

Poor Gai, being asked for help when it pertains to mathematics! The horror!

I know this chapter didn't exactly shoot things forward by a few months or anything like that, but it's a necessary foundation for the arc that transitions into the final year at the academy before team selection begins. So we've got a few more chapters before graduation, and then it's onwards to the canon timeline.

As always, I hope everybody reading has a wonderful day. The world is too beautiful to not enjoy. Take care!

Raging.