Naruto sat down by his tree, breathing heavily, slowly, regularly. The bark of the tree was heavily maimed, not from kunai but from rapid changes in temperature. The damage was not uniform, however, and faded closer to the ground. Each time he got a bit higher before ice chakra seeped into the jutsu.
Naruto sniffed the air. “I smell ramen.”
“Naruto!”
Naruto looked over at Kakashi, who was approaching through the forest. “Yes, Kakashi-sensei?”
“Lunch!” Kakashi said, holding up a couple steaming bowls.
Naruto grinned. “Thanks!”
Sakura poked at her soup. “Ramen. Why ramen?”
Kakashi shrugged. “It keeps well and isn't heavy to carry. We have plenty of water to cook with, and this is the best stuff we have.”
Sasuke snorted and ate from his own bowl. It was food. It would make him stronger. It tasted like cavewater and the broken dreams of his soul.
Sakura oogled Sasuke's angst for a a moment before looking back to Kakashi. “Er, Kakashi-sensei? How are you eating with your mask on?”
“I am a ninja,” Kakashi answered.
Naruto held his bowl to his lips and slurped the last of the broth. “Aaah, that was good. I feel reenergized dattebayo!” He jumped to his feet and pointed at the highest tree he could find. “To the top, without leaving a mark! Dattebayo!”
Sakura and Kakashi watched Naruto run off. Sasuke deliberately ignored him.
“What's with Naruto?” Sakura asked, uncertain.
“He inhaled the broth,” Kakashi said.
Sakura threw her ramen away like it was infested with snakes bugs and other horrible things. “What did you put in the ramen!?”
Kakashi caught the bowl before it could spill. “Ramen. Water.”
“Naruto's eaten a lot of ramen,” Sakura objected.
“A lot,” Sasuke agreed.
“And he's never acted like that before.” Sakura paused mid-rant. “Well there was that one time.”
“That was his forty-third bowl,” Sasuke pointed out. “This was just one.”
“Naruto is a Dragon Slayer of ice,” Kakashi replied. “His body has been altered to survive on ice, and ice chakra.”
Sakura eyed her ramen. “This isn't the chilled stuff, Kakashi-sensei.”
“You're supposed to be the smart one,” Kakashi said, turning to his...empty hand. He felt great regret at leaving his book with Asuma.
Sakura rolled that over in her head. “Ice. Ice chakra. A kekkei genkai. A kekkei genkai mixing water and wind. Water and wind.” Her jaw fell slowly. “Naruto slurped his noodles.”
“So what?” Sasuke asked. It wasn't like that was rude or anything with hot noodle soups.
“So that means he was taking in the air and broth at the same time,” Sakura groaned. “Water and wind.”
“Are you telling me that the Dobe Slayer can actually survive on just ramen now?” Sasuke asked, accurately conveying the impression that he was on the verge of a migraine.
“And that he can replenish his chakra faster than popping soldier pills,” Kakashi added to the analysis. “More safely, too.”
“I think I understand why this jutsu is forbidden,” Sasuke said.
Hours later, Sakura was flat on her back. Not content with setting her to exercise, Kakashi had decided that the afternoon would consist of advanced kunai training. Meaning she would throw kunai at targets, and he would throw kunai at her.
Which is why his foot dug into her shoulder. “I did not say you could stop.”
“Unh,” Sakura mumbled.
“Or maybe I should just let you out of your misery.”
“Un!” Sakura agreed. Something move and she forced her eyes to focus. “Eep.”
Then she rolled to the side while a kunai fell into her hair. She somehow got on her feet and into the forest.
“Good,” Kakashi praised dully. “But try a substitution next time.” He threw a kunai.
“Aaah!”
“We'll work on calm under fire later,” he amended. Kakashi gave idle chase to Sakura, herding her around the other genin.
He nodded at Sasuke's grove – the trees in a small clearing all bore hashmarks, with few marks below their high branches. The Last Uchiha was crouched on one such branch, breathing and glaring at his cratered footprint on a different tree.
Naruto's collection was no less impressive, looking as if an early winter had frosted his strand of trees. Naruto had climbed many more trees than Sasuke, but only because he wore out their trunks faster with his icy chakra. However, at present Naruto was also high up in a tree, one unmarred by ice.
Yes, Team Seven was making progress. But only time would tell if it was enough.
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(Posted Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:12)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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