15 Rebirth of the Uchiha Chapter 15

Iruka pulled himself to a halt as they approached the beach, the last lights of day fading rapidly. "Alright team, set up camp here and we'll set out bright and early tomorrow." he called to the genin's relief, especially Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto, on the other hand, was only somewhat winded, with even that disappearing after a few minutes. Sakura and Sasuke crawled into their sleeping bags gratefully. Naruto approached his sensei hesitantly.

"Iruka-sensei? Do you think you can show me how you did that fighting blind thing?" Iruka put down the remainder of his ration bar before responding. "Why do you ask? Are you having any problems with your vision? Anything we need to get checked?"

"No, no, it's not that, it's... you know what happened to Sasuke's clan, right? How his brother turned traitor and everything?" Naruto pressed on, visibly struggling to find the right words for what he wanted to say. "Sasuke says his goal is to kill Itachi, so's he can keep the kids and his family safe. But... Itachi's a complete monster and I don't want Sasuke to have to do that alone. Especially seeing as Itachi's so much stronger than us. I need to find some way to be able to fight someone who can just look at you and basically kick your ass. I figure if I don't look into his eyes, he won't be able to hypnotise me or whatever... it's stupid, I know..."

"I wouldn't say that. Reckless, yes, but stupid? What's so stupid about supporting your friend?" Iruka smiled. "As for the fighting blind... that's a technique I don't know if I can teach you. It was a technique from my father's clan, a 'hiden jutsu'. It's normally difficult to learn for someone outside of the clan, even more so if your chakra doesn't conform..." Naruto glared down, placing a hand over the seal on his stomach.

"However..." continued the teacher, ruffling his student's hair. "I know you'll come up with something. You're Uzumaki Naruto, after all." he continued, directing Naruto towards his own sleeping bag. "I'm looking forward to the day I can say that my student went on to become Hokage." he whispered, watching the small campfire they'd prepared flicker in the darkness.

'The shadow of the fire will illuminate the village, right, Sandaime-sama?'

SCENE BREAK

Kisame wandered around the streets of Amegakure, unconcerned with the crowds rushing to avoid him. A lone, surprisingly brave shinobi approached, visibly shaking. "H-Hoshigaki K-Kisame, s-stand down before w-we are forced t-to use v-vio-violence." he stuttered, gripping the handle of his sword tightly. Kisame grinned, hungrily.

"But it's been such a long time since I've had a chance to let loose..." he lamented, slowly heaving Samehada over his shoulder. "What's everyone's problem with violence, anyway? I always thought it was kinda fun, myself." he continued, lowering it to point at the terrified shinobi, as the bandages unravelled to reveal the sword's gaping mouth, fangs at the ready.

"That's enough, Kisame." came a soft voice, as Konan floated down beside the former Kiri-nin. "Pain warned you not to wander around the village, did he not?" The sharkman shrugged in response. "Itachi was always the one to follow the rules, but let's be honest, they're mostly guidelines, am I right?"

"Do not test our leaders patience any further. Where is Itachi?" she asked, raising the two of them into the air on a platform of paper, the gathered shinobi staring after them. "A-amazing... Tenshi-sama... she doesn't even flinch when faced with someone like that." "Tenshi-sama is so calm and dignified-"

"What do you mean he's getting surgery?"

SCENE BREAK

Deba sighed deeply as he walked up to the Iwa border, target in sight. 'This is not going to end well for us. Still, if it gets me closer to Sasori, it's worth it in the end.' he considered, before stepping out into view.

"Deidara, of Iwagakure's explosio- FUCK!" he began, before a pair of white clay birds flew towards him, detonating a couple of feet away. Deba rolled away, landing in a crouched position. As the next barrage began, he threw out a hand, near-invisible chakra threads snapping into place around the explosives and diverting them away. "So much for diplomacy..."

The blond Iwa-nin grinned widely, the mouths in his palms twitching as he prepared his next barrage. "So, the old man hired someone from outside the village? Doesn't matter. I'm not going back to be gawked at like a freak! I'm an artist!" he cried loudly, calling forth a dragon shaped from the clay. "C2! Art is a blast!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Deba groaned, charging his opponent as he ducked under the dragon's clumsy lunges, clutching a trench knife in his left hand. "I didn't come here looking for a fight, Deidara-san! If you want to talk this out, that'd be great!"

"What's the matter, old timer?" chuckled the Iwa native as the dragon fired an explosive orb of clay, knocking his opponent out of melee range. Deba's eye twitched irritably. "I'm not old you little bastard! I'm not even forty yet!" he snarled, opening his cloak to reveal dozens of sheathed kunai. Deidara blinked, confused, as Deba held out his arms, fingers splayed.

"Show some respect! Hyaku Yaiba no Mai!" he grunted, threading the kunai rings with chakra threads, raising them to hover ominously above him. "Hashiri!" he smirked, directing the kunai at high speed towards the dragon, piercing it over a dozen times. With its limbs severed, it collapsed to the ground and detonated, sending both shinobi sprawling, and completely destroying the road they had been on.

"Hyaku Yaibi no Mai: Ne Kakusan!" Deba called, using the kunai to anchor his sliding, before propelling himself forwards, threads clearly visible at his fingers. "And now... I think you need a timeout! Fuuton:Shibariito!" he smirked, binding the younger nuke-nin with white threads. "Don't struggle. I can cut you to pieces with this technique. Now, as I was trying to say, I have an offer for you. My colleagues and I could use someone with your specific talents. What do you say?"

Deidara sagged, flinching at the cuts he'd received from his bindings. "Do I have a choice?"

SCENE BREAK

"Hey, Asuma-sensei," greeted Shikamaru, as he sat beside the man's bed. "Ino and Chouji are keeping an eye on the bridge, so I'm back here for the next few hours. I guess that's pretty obvious, huh?" he laughed hollowly, as the man beside him remained unconscious. "I heard Tsunami-san managed to get some fluids into you earlier... so that's good." he muttered lamely, rubbing his forehead anxiously.

"This is big, sensei. For the first time in my life, I have no idea what to do. What the hell are we doing? We don't know anything aabout what Gatou could be planning, or who he has working for him. I'm so, so scared, and Ino and Chouji are depending on me, but I just... can't do anything." he gasped, ignoring the burning in his eyes.

"...za..." Shikamaru snapped to attention as he heard the whisper. "S-sensei? Tsunami-san, please come quick! He's waking up!" he called, pausing as a hand grabbed his wrist feebly. "What is it, sensei?" he asked, kneeling down next to the uncomfortably pale Asuma.

"He's... not... he's not dead."

SCENE BREAK

"Rise and shine, kids!" Iruka piped up cheerily, as his students grimaced at the sight of the dawning sun. "I hope you're ready, because we'll be running for a few hours. Now, pack up and I'll put your stuff in storage." Naruto paused.

"Wait, you mean all this time, you could have put our stuff into a scroll, and you still made us carry it all around with us?" he asked, incredulous. Sasuke was simply glaring while Sakura seemed ready to break something. "Well..." chuckled their sensei. "It was an effective method to train your endurance and speed..." he grinned, as sharingan eyes stared angrily at him. 'Sheesh, if looks could kill...'

"So, you all ready?" he smiled, unrolling a sealing scroll attached to his belt as the four of them sullenly dropped their packs beside him. "Now, when the seal is drawn correctly, you just apply the right amount of chakra, and..." PFOOF! The packs vanished in a burst of smoke.

"Sweet." Naruto said approvingly. "What happens if it's not drawn correctly?" Iruka continued his 'teacher mode' as he placed the scroll in a watertight cylinder to protect it. "That's a good question, with a not very satisfying answer. Fuinjutsu is seen as the most complex of the shinobi arts for a reason. One small mistake in the sealing process and literally anything can happen. Of course, the most likely outcomes are nothing whatsoever, or a large explosion. For that matter, most kinds of explosive tags originated as failed attempts at other seals."

"Awesome..." Naruto whispered, eyes wide. Sasuke immediately grabbed him and turned him around. "I know what you want to say, and NO. You are not permitted, in any way, shape or form, to experiment with sealing within five miles of the compound."

"I wasn't going to ask that!" "..." "Okay, fine, I was totally going to ask that and I hate you for shutting down all my ideas! Let's just get going!" pouted the Uzumaki. The first few minutes of their journey were spent in a relative silence, aside from Iruka offering his kunoichi student a couple of extra soldier pills, 'just in case'.

"...Sasuke?" "What is it, Uzumaki?" "...You're mad at me, aren't you?"

"I'm not mad, I'm just frustrated." "...I'm sorry I said I hated you." "I know. I'm sorry for making you feel bad."

"This is why people think you two are in a relationship, you know." observed Sakura, completely deadpan. SPLA-DOOSH!

The two male genin tripped on... the water, apparently, and skimmed across the waves a couple of times before managing to right themselves. "THEY THINK WHAT?!" they yelled in unison. "Oh my Log- how can they- WHAT?!" Sasuke stammered, as Naruto pulled some very perplexed fish out of his pockets.

"I know, right, it's like dating your brother or something." commented Naruto, removing his now sopping jacket and trying to wring it out. "I mean, we could both do worse." he continued amiably, as Sasuke grew increasingly flustered.

"No! We are not talking about this!" he declared, trying to wave away the conversation. Naruto frowned. "What, you think you're too good for me or something?" "That is not what I'm saying and you know that- why is this a conversation we're having? No more of this!" "No, no, you think you're better than me!"

Naruto was somehow maintaining a pout and crossed arms while moving at speed. "And don't think I haven't seen those looks you give me, undressing me with your eyes." "If you were a woman it the time, it doesn't make it gay!" "Keep telling yourself that, honey." "WE DO NOT HAVE PET NAMES!"

"I am hurt, Sasu-chan!" "FUCK YOU!" "I bet you'd love that, wouldn't you?" "I'll kill you, Uzumaki. Don't think I won't." Naruto gave a shit-eating grin. "Kinky, aren't you?" "That's it!" Sasuke snarled as he chased the cackling Uzumaki across the water.

Sakura sighed and moved slightly faster to catch up with her sensei. "I'll say again, this is why people think they're gay." Iruka just laughed.

SCENE BREAK

"Helloooo, Nami no Kuni!" cheered a slightly bruised and very damp Naruto. The rest of Team Seven looked on in concern. "He's been saying that every five minutes since we got here. How hard did you hit him, Sasuke?" Sakura scolded, as the Uchiha stared grimly at his teammate/occasional best friend.

"Not. Hard. Enough." he hissed. Naruto turned back, giving them all a big smile. "That's what she said!" THUD. "Well, that's helpful. If he's still unconscious by dinner, wake him up." Iruka sighed. He was not paid nearly enough for this.