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You never really miss walking, until you don't have it anymore.
One of the best things about not being in the hospital is the freedom I had access to again. That was why I was currently walking by myself a few blocks, to where I knew the training grounds were. My apartment was strategically placed, as I was an academy student at the time I received it. It was very close to the Academy, and the training grounds.
I was left alone in my apartment for the day with strict orders not to do the very thing that I was doing. But I was searching for someone specific today, and I was determined to talk to him.
Guy still had yet to come and visit me. Even if Kakashi hadn't told me why, I would have known why. I had spent hours a day with the over-the-top jonin. Guy blamed himself for the state that I was in. He also blamed himself for Lee's death. He was ashamed.
It went without being said that his logic is flawed. He wasn't even there when everything went down. It was not his fault, in the slightest. If anything, it was the fault of the Hokage for placing Sasuke on our team. The second that happened, the events of that mission were bound to happen.
I still didn't know what happened to Idate. Had I failed Ibiki as well?
Still, I would hunt Guy until I could find him. There was a possibility he wasn't in the village at the moment. A jonin of his caliber was always in demand. He had his choice of missions everytime he stepped into the mission office. A privilege of his power.
I searched the training grounds for hours, unable to find my sensei.
The Memorial Stone was probably a small thing at one time.
Now it rose nearly 15 feet into the air. It looked like a fairly new construction and I couldn't help but think there might have been different Memorial Stones throughout the years. The bottom of it was a black stone rectangle that served as the base. Then there was an upside down kunai carved to look like a giant had grabbed it and stabbed it into the base. The handle and ring were pointed towards the sky.
It wasn't hard to find Lee's name but a part of me suspected that it was the last name on the stone. I was wrong. It had been two years since his death, and more loyal Leaf Shinobi had fallen in the line of duty since then. It was a shame just how many there were. I refused to count so that I wouldn't know the number.
"I hate this stone." Once upon a time, Kakashi would have scared me by sneaking up on me. I was so lost in my thoughts, and so out of touch with my chakra sensing, that I didn't even react.
I turned to see him standing next to me. His only visible eye leapt over the Memorial Stone, taking in names of old comrades, friends, and for all I knew there was a lover there as well.
"Why?" I asked. Even when I asked the question, I came up with a thousand reasons for him to hate the stone. But I still wanted to hear what he had to say about it.
"7 names, 7 people I failed." Kakashi responded, nearly immediately.
"Hm." I hummed, accepting the answer but I didn't comment on it. I was not in the mood to play the therapist today. I was here to play the patient for myself. Lee's face had been haunting me for the past few hours. It's all I could think about while searching for Guy.
"This is a cruel world." I told him. I didn't say anymore, but I had so much more to say. I had come from a world of relative peace. To compare that world to my current one… it was depressing at best.
"It's the only one we've got." Kakashi answered as his hand reached out and grabbed me by my shoulder. "Now come on, Guy isn't ready yet and Sakura would be worried about you."
I allowed him to lead me away. The entire time, my mind was working overtime thinking on how to change this world, and save it at the same time.
For the first time since I had woken up after my coma, I unfurled my sealing scroll.
I had found it useless to open until I had access to more of my chakra. I could not form the fuinjutsu lines with my chakra control, so I didn't see the point. However, I could still draw the lines I needed, even if I was out of practice with a brush.
It was about time I sat down and did some proper planning.
For the life of me, I didn't understand why I hadn't been planning for every single scenario I would find myself in. After all, my memories showed me my immediate future. I knew the enemies I would face and I knew their fighting style at the very least. Not only that, but I had the tools to prepare for them with my fuinjutsu.
My mind provided me with a question.
'Why is Batman so successful, despite not having any superpowers?'
The answer was simple. He was a genius that prepared for every scenario. He literally had contingency plans to kill the very heroes he was fighting beside should they ever present a threat to the world. That was a different type of paranoia.
Who is the most powerful being in the DC universe? Batman with prep time.
Of course, that is an exaggeration but it could be applicable to my situation. I knew what was coming. I knew the strengths and weaknesses of the Akatsuki. I knew how each Kage could fight. I knew such intricate details about the sharingan that only Obito and Madara knew at this point in the timeline.
I know who Pain really is, and how to defeat him.
Sure I don't have the ridiculous power of the ninetails, but I had the knowledge of my enemies before they even appeared. I could prepare for them and then counter them with the power of fuinjutsu. I could overwhelm them before they could ever adapt.
The real question is, why haven't I been already?
I knew that answer as well. I was, and still am, fascinated with this world and the adventure it could bring me. I was confident in my abilities without having to do so much extra work. I wanted to train and face my enemies on even playing fields. I knew the folly of that line of thinking now.
Lee's dead face flashed across my vision once more, as it had been since I woke up from my coma.
More people that I cared about would die, if I didn't start to prepare for the coming conflicts.
My thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar set of fuinjutsu lines at the corner of my sealing scroll. Immediately, I knew that I hadn't been the one to apply the seal. My practiced eyes knew a storage seal when I saw it. It was actually pretty standard, and I could tell that there was no trap hidden amongst the seal.
Who put that there?
My hand went to the storage scroll, and I sent the appropriate amount of chakra to open the seal. In hindsight, it was an extraordinarily stupid thing to do. The only person that would have placed a seal on my scroll would be Kabuto or Orochimaru. With my alive body it would have been easy to crack my fuinjutsu and key themselves to the scroll. Tsunade and Hiruzen both respected my privacy too much. Sakura hadn't been keyed into this just yet.
While I knew that it wasn't a trap inside the fuinjutsu, it could have been full of exploding seals rigged to blow as soon as they left the storage scroll. I only realized this fact once it was already too late. Luckily for me, it wasn't exploding seals that fell onto the table in front of me.
A letter, and three scrolls appeared on top of the foreign seal. In flowing calligraphy on the front of the letter, a simple word could be seen.
'Enjoy'
The door to my apartment opened.
"Naruto! I got all the groceries you asked for." Sakura's voice called out as she walked into the kitchen and sat the bags in her hands on the counter. I watched her do it with a racing mind at what I had just found in my sealing scroll.
"Thank you! I'll start dinner in a little bit." I called out as I reached forward and grabbed the letter in front of me. I wasted no time in opening it and pulling out the piece of paper inside of it.
"What's that?" Sakura asked as she began to put the groceries in the cabinets and refrigerator.
"A letter from Kabuto, I think." I answered truthfully as I unfolded the piece of paper and went to read it.
"What?" Sakura appeared next to me on the couch, and was reaching for the sheet of paper in my hands. I pulled my hands away, keeping the letter out of her reach. Her leg brushed against mine. It felt so warm, and despite my best efforts, I couldn't stop my awareness of how close she was.
"Quit, I'll read it out loud." I told her as my left hand grabbed her wrist. I knew that she allowed me to stop her, as I didn't have the strength required to stop an elderly civilian from taking the letter from me, let alone a highly trained and strong shinobi.
"Did you check it for…"
"Yes, now will you let me read it?" I interrupted her, knowing what she was going to ask. Of course, I lied to her, but she was annoying me. Her eyes narrowed at me. She knew I didn't check it for traps, I had just opened it. Still, she didn't reach for the letter or respond so I took that as a signal to continue.
'Dear Naruto,
I hope this finds you well. You may think that a contradiction due to what I have done to you, but you shouldn't feel too badly about that. Think of your condition as a test for Tsunade. If you're reading this, then she still deserves her title. That is not what I am writing to you for, however.
You see, once it became obvious that your body would reject Kimimaro's soul, I decided that you would be more useful to us alive than dead. I figured this out, once I began to peruse through your fuinjutsu. It is impressive to say the least, Lord Orochimaru agrees with me on that front.
And luckily for us, you are just what we need. You see, the scrolls accompanying this piece of paper detail the inner workings of Lord Orochimaru's immortality jutsu. I admit that if he knew I had given them to you, he would no doubt kill me. But this can be our little secret.
One thing you will notice, after significant studying, about the jutsu is that it is faulty and not complete. You see, Orochimaru is forced to change hosts every 3 years. This is far too common for it to be considered perfect. Our experiments show that a host body should be considered operational for up to 30 years. And I know just why we are having such poor results.
I am the world's foremost expert in DNA and gene splicing. I can say that with confidence. Lord Orochimaru knows more about the inner workings of chakra than anyone I have ever met. He even fancies himself a fuinjutsu master, but I know it is incorrect.
I have perfected the medical aspect of his jutsu. He has perfected a way to transfer his chakra and soul. But you will soon discover that the fuinjutsu is lacking on holding him onto the host.
That is where you come in. I will get straight to the point now.
You perfect the fuinjutsu for Orochimaru, and I will give you Sasuke Uchiha.
I look forward to talking to you. The details on how will be discovered once you crack the scrolls I have given you.
Good luck'
I let the letter fall out of my hands. I had been reading out loud, so that Sakura could hear what Kabuto had to say. Even though his name was never on the paper, I knew that was who wrote it. Sakura snatched the paper out of thin air, and her own eyes scanned the page, as if she didn't believe that I had read it correctly.
Immediately, I knew that I would not do as Kabuto asked. He was working on flawed information. I did want to see Sasuke pay for what he did. It's his fault that Lee is dead and he would pay for that.
But I didn't need Kabuto for that. Soon, Sasuke would 'kill' Orochimaru and start searching for Itachi on his own. Our paths would cross naturally, with no need of help from Kabuto.
But the letter did give me answers that Tsunade and Sakura couldn't. There was a reason my bones had been tampered with so much. They hadn't been trying to replicate the Dead Bone Pulse of the Kaguya clan. They had been trying to give Kimimaro a new body.
My body.
"Who is Kimimaro?" Sakura asked. To her, that must have been the most interesting part of the letter. I admit, it did provide much needed answers.
"He is one of Orochimaru's head ninja's. He is a member of the Kaguya clan, and when we fought, he was abnormally sick. Some incurable disease that was going to kill him soon. They tried to give him a new body…" I answered for her. Kimimaro had never actually told me that knowledge when we fought, but I didn't care at this point. Sakura would never know that I wasn't supposed to be aware of Kimimaro's condition.
"That is vile." Sakura hissed, as her face contorted into disgust.
For some reason, that didn't seem to bother me that much. After everything I had been through, the fact that I survived someone trying to take over my body sounded like a good thing, instead of a bad one. They had failed, and I remained myself. Sure, it had led to my current condition, but I had already come to terms with that.
"What are you going to do?" Sakura asked. Her frown was still attached to her pretty face.
Does she expect me to accept?
"Not what they want, that's for sure." I answered truthfully. I had absolutely no intention of helping those maniacs get what they wanted, especially when I got nothing out of the deal. "I'll probably hand this over to the Hokage, honestly."
"What about Sasuke?" Sakura asked, her own motivations being shown in that moment. "He killed Lee!"
I never knew that she wanted revenge for our dead teammate. It wasn't a thought that had crossed my mind as a motivation for her. I especially didn't think that she would have wanted to go after Sasuke. That was the man she would marry in the future, if the anime was to be believed.
"Sasuke told me before he left, that he has no intentions of staying with Orochimaru. He will grow strong, and leave to hunt Itachi down. He wants revenge for his family." I replied.
Once again, I told a lie about how I knew such information. This Sasuke and I weren't as close as the anime versions of us. Sure, I considered him a friend but I always knew he would try to leave. He never confided any plans for his future to me. Then again, I have never asked. But I did know that Orochimaru would grow weak soon, and Sasuke would kill him for it.
"But…"
"Do you think Kabuto will uphold his end of the bargain?" I interrupted Sakura before she could continue her line of thought.
Her jaw clenched and I could tell that she knew I was right. Even still, her mind was working to find a workaround. It was fascinating to watch the mind try to find a reason to continue her need for revenge. It was also worrying, when it was someone so close to you. It was very easy to be consumed by the need for revenge. Especially in this world.
"We'll get him Sakura." I told her as I reached over and grabbed her hand spontaneously. "But we'll do it the right way, without committing treason and giving a psychopath a perfected immortality."
I stood up, leaving the scrolls on the table in front of her and moved towards the kitchen. If she had brought the groceries I asked for, it was time for me to start cooking and meal prepping again. Best to get it out of the way, so that I can focus on other things. Before I reached the kitchen though, I looked back to see her staring at the scrolls.
"Come on." I called out to her. She looked at me, as if I had interrupted her thoughts. "You need to learn how to cook."
"Why?" She asked as she stood up. "I have you."
My heart skipped, and I tried not to let my cheeks and ears redden. I failed immediately, and turned my face away from her before continuing to the kitchen. The next words just slipped out. I didn't mean to be so depressing and ruin the mood.
"I may not always be here."
The Hokage Tower hadn't changed a bit. The only difference I could see was the new genin milling around it, completing D-ranks and ferrying paperwork to Shizune at the assistance desk.
"You're looking great, Naruto." Shizune told me, interrupting my thoughts. I had been here for a few minutes, waiting on an audience with Tsunade.
"Thank you, I've been making myself sick with how much I'm eating. It's starting to taste like chalk." I told her truthfully. I had actually just got done eating my third meal of the day at lunch. I was not hungry when I ate the meal before that. I would not be hungry in a few hours when I would eat again. I dreaded it, but I knew it was necessary.
"Good. You'll be back into fighting shape in no time." She said as she went back to the paper on her desk.
At the same time, the door to the Hokage's office opened. I did not expect the man that walked out of there. He was extremely old. He looked older than the Sandaime, with bandages covering most of his right side. His right arm was held up in a sling. Even that didn't hide the scars on his face and left side. I recognized him immediately.
Danzo Shimura.
He walked past me and never looked at me. There was no greeting between us. There was no eye contact. There was nothing, and yet I could feel a tension in the air as he passed. I schooled my features, but what little muscle I had on my frame was tense.
I had all but forgotten about the man, despite Root's interference in my mission two years ago. How was he not dead already, or a missing nin?
"You may go in, Naruto." Shizune told me.
I realized I had just been sitting there, staring at the ground since Danzo walked past. I shook my head and filed the information of the man in the back of my mind before standing up. I didn't even need to use my arms or that much effort anymore. I couldn't be happier with my fast recovery.
"Thank you." I told Tsunade's apprentice as I passed her and walked into the office.
I had Kabuto's letter, and the scrolls that he had given me in my hands. I knew how jumpy these ANBU were and I had no way of defending myself from them now. I didn't need them attacking me once I reached for the scrolls.
I wasn't expecting the same ANBU that always loved to attack me, to be waiting for me once I stepped into the room. The purple haired ANBU had her hand out offering it to me so that she might help me the rest of the way into the room. I smiled at her and the nice gesture.
"Thank you, but I can make it." I told her with a smile.
For once, I wasn't upset at the almost pitying gesture. It seemed to mean more, coming from her. The one that had traditionally been against me in this office. To see her offer her assistance to me made me think that I had earned her respect possibly. That meant a lot to me, and put a smile on my face.
She nodded, and disappeared from my view. I assumed she took her place in the rafters once more.
"What do you want, brat?" Tsunade asked as I crossed the rest of the distance to her desk. She was writing something down on a scroll in front of her. Hiruzen stood behind her in his normal position, staring out the window and looking over the village. He looked thoughtful. Maybe his former teammate Danzo left him a lot to think about.
I laid the note and scrolls down carefully on her desk before answering. "Kabuto left me something in my storage scroll." I answered, getting straight to the point.
That got her attention.
She pushed the scroll underneath her to the side, and her eyes quickly found what I brought. She opened the envelope without hesitation. Hiruzen was over her shoulder, staring at the envelope with interest, before I could blink. I waited patiently for them to read it, and reread it, and reread it.
Neither of them reacted outwardly. Hiruzen was the first to step away and return to his position. He lit his pipe and inhaled a deep breath. That was when he smiled, showing the first bit of emotion. I couldn't imagine why he was happy, however.
"I'm surprised you brought this to me." Tsunade commented as she set it to the side and then brought her beautiful hazel eyes to mine. The way her hands folded in front of her caused my mind to picture her in a rather provocative pose staring up at me. My heart rate increased before I could push the image of her away.
"Why is that?" I asked, trying to get a hold on myself.
Fucking hormones!
"It would have been a simple thing to accept his offer. I can confidently say you could have hid this from us successfully." She told me, leaning back in her chair. This of course caused her bosom to be pushed out and show off her impressive cleavage. My hormones did not calm down then.
My eyes dropped, and I physically closed my eyes in embarrassment. I knew that she would have noticed my taking a look. All I could do was picture her in another provocative pose.
Get it together, Naruto!
When I looked back at Tsunade's eyes, they were dancing with amusement. Her mouth was twisted in a grin. I swallowed my embarrassment and continued the conversation as best as I could.
"I will not aid a madman with perfecting his disgusting jutsu." I retorted, rather adamantly. I now knew why Hiruzen was smiling.
They must have thought I would leap at the opportunity to get back at Sasuke. Did they doubt my loyalty to the village?
"Not even at the chance to find Sasuke?" The Sandaime asked as he turned away from the village and looked at me.
"Our paths will cross again, of that I am certain." I answered truthfully. I couldn't just come out and say what I knew could I. I would just have to hide it under blind confidence.
Tsunade looked back at Hiruzen for a moment. They had an unspoken conversation right then. It actually took a moment for her to turn back around and address me.
"Thank you for bringing this to us. Keep getting your strength up, and you'll be the first person we notify if Sasuke is spotted." Tsunade told me before she reached over to the scrolls on the desk and handed them backwards towards Hiruzen. He stuffed them into his robes casually.
I expected a longer conversation, but Tsunade was already working on the paper she had before I entered the office. I gave them a small bow, and turned around.
The entire walk home, I tried and failed to move my chakra around my body.
I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. The sun was peeking its head and bringing a new day to Konoha. I could hear Sakura shuffling around in the bathroom and I turned that direction. She was in the process of shutting the door, but I caught a glimpse of the mirror before it did.
She had yet to get dressed and was only in a bra and panties.
My morning wood turned into a raging hard on at that moment, and the image was burned into my mind. Sakura had nothing less than the body of a goddess, and I had gotten close to seeing all of it. My teenage mind wouldn't let that escape it.
I could feel her embarrassment in the bathroom, from the way her chakra pulsed. She knew that I had seen her.
Wait… the way her chakra pulsed…
I reached out to my chakra, in the way I used to. It obeyed ever so slightly and I could feel the chakra moving around my body, refreshing me in the way it used to. It was uncontrolled and sluggish, but it was a night and day difference compared to the day before.
Sakura's chakra continued to flutter in the faintest manner and I could sense it without even trying.
A giddy excitement swelled in my chest.
I have access to my chakra!
"Sakura!" I called out, as my hand reached down to the sheets and I placed my palm against it. I summoned my chakra and used it in the way I had a thousand times before to stick to a surface.
When I raised my hand, the sheets of the bed followed it.
The bathroom door opened, and this time she was dressed in her normal red dress and leggings. She took one look at what I was doing, confused before it hit her.
"Your chakra!?" She asked as she moved out of the bathroom and into my bedroom. "That's awesome!" She said as she practically leapt on to the bed and suffocated me with a hug.
"I can sense you!" I said as my palm went to her back. It was weird, because it felt slightly different than normal. My sensing ability seemed more… sensitive.
"That's great!" She mumbled into my chest.
My arms closed in around her, elated by the news that my chakra was usable now. My mind couldn't forget the facts of the morning however, and how great it was. From seeing Sakura half naked, to finding out my chakra was close to being back, and now with the body of a woman smothering me.
I couldn't resist teasing Sakura, causing her to blush.
"Best morning ever!"
A/N: Boom!
Happier chapter, yay!
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