Chapter 44

The next day, Sakura came to the training grounds again. It was difficult to miss that mop of pink hair in the corner of my vision. Again, I just ignored her and continued my martial arts forms. I was glad that I hadn't become too rusty. My speed at performing the katas was almost acceptable, just slightly diminished from my long convalescence. Hopefully, when I managed to perfect the sequence of moves, I'd be able to instantly utilize the maneuvers in an actual fight. And as in all things, there were always more and more complex katas to ingrain into my muscle memory.

"Do you do this every day?" Sakura asked, sitting in the shade of a tree as she watched.

Without stopping my movements, I retorted, "You don't?"

"Are you really going to kill me if I lose that jar?"

I kicked the air fiercely. "Probably." After a few more kicks, I came to the end of the sequence. I took a moment to dismantle my chakra and lock it away before restarting the same exact sequence of punches, spinning kicks, and blocks. The plan was to slowly add weights to my chakraless state and see if I couldn't draw on pure physical energy to empower my taijutsu. So far, it seemed to be working slightly but the results were as disappointing, a cheap imitation of the real thing.

"Why don't you want your eyeballs back? Don't you need one?"

"A transplanted Sharingan is always active...and a major investment of one's chakra output. They're dead useful but...I'd have to change the way I fight...to revolve around conserving chakra to pay for the Sharingan," I informed the girl as I tested my physical abilities, moving as quickly and precisely as possible. I was already breathing hard and feeling my limbs burning. "Besides, it'd feel like cheating...and I'd never be able to beat the Uchiha at their own game. The only way I'm going to win...is if I change the rules."

"I've spent this whole life trying to beat the three dojutsu. Everything I've done is to counter the Sharingan and the Rinnegan. If I were to use Kabuto's gift, it'd be like admitting defeat. Not to mention that it'd probably kill me if I ever found out how to neutralize chakra."

I slipped on the lightest weights, already anticipating how difficult the kata would be with even a few kilos on each wrist and ankle. I added, "Besides, they're so tacky. I'd rather die."

Sakura continued to annoy me with her questions, "Why do you want me to keep them? Aren't they valuable?"

I quit the kata, unable to concentrate on my moves properly. "If you didn't want them, you shouldn't have taken them from my house in the first place, idiot! Now you get to take care of my precious eyes for me. Or else."

"...What are you going to use them for?" Sakura had the gall to ask me.

"Like I said, they might come in useful someday. Why? Are you interested in having a Sharingan of your own? Do you want a bit of Sasuke-kun's bloodline for yourself?"

The girl merely blushed and averted her gaze. In the back of my mind, I thought Naruto would probably find the girl's shyness adorable. Personally, I had yet to find one redeeming quality in the girl. "Seriously. Watching me practice like a gawking civilian."

I walked over to her and continued walking up the tree she was sitting next to. "If you're going to hang around the training ground, you're going to train. Watching you sit there is sapping all of my motivation. Walk up this tree like I'm doing. You want to focus a steady stream of chakra into your feet to stick to the tree. You can ask me more questions when you can walk to the top of the tree." "Maybe that will shut her up for a while."

She looked at me as I stood perpendicular to the tree. "Why..."

"No questions! Just do it," I commanded with an angry frown. Then I walked back down and continued my katas in newfound peace as the girl had obediently started pressing her foot to the tree trunk.

Hours later, I left the pink haired nuisance at the training ground and went to get something to eat. I don't think she noticed me leaving, which suited me just fine. By the time I left, Sakura had gotten a five or six steps up the tree, which was better than either Naruto or I had been on our first day.

I stopped into my favorite tea house, ducking under the doorway curtains. I found a seat and waited for a server to come by.

"Hello, Haru. How are you today? It's been a while." the familiar woman greeted me.

"I'm fine, Misa-san. I'd like some barley tea today. And some dango! Mitarashi dango!"

"Not green tea?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, barley tea," I answered

"You got it. I'll be right back."

I had missed this place while I was stuck in the hospital. Eventually Misa came back with a plate of glazed snacks and a porcelain tea mug. She cheerfully said, "Here you go." She left the receipt and left me to my tea.

I sipped at the hot liquid, tasting the mellow flavor of the roasted barley grain. I had only discovered this recently but the taste of barley tea reminded me of home. It reminded me that there was something I had forgotten, filling me with a sweet nostalgia that I knew had to harken back to something in the old world I had left. It was a bit melancholic but in a comforting way. And it was really tasty and refreshing. The dango was excellent too.

That evening, I stood outside the Uchiha compound. Most of the people who wandered in and out of the gates had the Uchiha fan on their back. A man with a stern look on his face noticed how lost I looked and asked me if I needed help. He was wearing a vest and had a military police symbol on his arm.

"I'm looking for a classmate of mine, Uchiha Sasuke? Do you know where I could find him?"

The man seemed to contemplate me for a while before calling over to another ninja. "Yashiro, can you bring Sasuke here?" Yashiro nodded and flickered away. The first ninja told me, "It'll only be a little while."

"Oh, it's you," the dour boy said.

"It's good to see you too, Sasuke. Come take a walk with me," I suggested.

"Why should I?" Sasuke asked.

"I have something you might be interested in." I pulled up my hood and walked away from the trickle of people entering and exiting the Uchiha compound. As I had guessed, Sasuke was intrigued enough to follow.

As we walked I asked a question I already knew the answer to, "Do you want revenge against Danzo, Sasuke?"

I could feel a tinge of killing intent wafting at me as Sasuke simply said, "I will have it, with or without you."

When I was confident no one would notice, I handed the kid a scroll, which he accepted. "Tell me when you finish learning it. Remember not to work yourself to the point of exhaustion. That technique is more dangerous to yourself than it seems. I would not make more than two clones at any time." I had already written all of my warnings in the margins of the scroll itself but it needed to be said clearly else he wouldn't listen.

"What is this?" he asked. I turned and stopped him before he opened it in the street.

"A kinjutsu. Pretty tame as far as kinjutsu go but its real value lies in its utility. It'll let you learn more dangerous techniques safely and faster than you could otherwise. I hope you understand that this is our little secret." I put a finger to my lips to emphasize my point but the gesture was probably lost in the shadow of my hood.

"Why are you giving this to me? I'm not going to give you anything in return, you know," Sasuke said suspiciously as he pocketed the scroll.

"Hahaha. People have been asking me why I do things a lot lately," I said as I thought about a particular annoying pink-haired girl. "I only ever do things because it amuses me. Because I feel like it. For now, our goals are aligned, so I will help you kill the bastard who took my eye. I can't wait to see what you do with that technique, Sasuke. Hahahaha."

"Because we're still far, far too weak for what's to come. I can only hope we'll be ready in time."