Team seven returned to the cave as the sky darkened. Sasuke and Naruto were both tired, their chakra hovering just above complete wipeout. But they had some strength left in them, because they were pretty much carrying Sakura, their arms linked around her shoulders, and she couldn't even put one foot in front of the other fast enough to walk.
Team Ten, in contrast, had only worked up a light sweat to match their injuries. Shikamaru's face, so often a disinterested expression, was struggling between surprise and contemplation. Choji was shocked so hard he stopped eating.
Ino screamed. “Sakura!? What happened to you!?” She ran over to her one-time friend and shoved Naruto out of the way, taking Sakura's weight herself. She didn't even notice that she touched Sasuke as she did.
Sakura raised her head to give Ino a dull, exhausted look. “...pig,” she mumbled. Her head sagged again.
“You need rest and food,” Ino declared. “Naruto?” She looked around, finally spotting Naruto. “Naruto! What are you doing lying down at a time like this!?”
A vein popped on Naruto's head. “You shoved me, dattebayo!”
“We don't have time for your games. Go get some wood for the fire!”
“Wha-?”
“GO!” Ino raged.
“Hai hai,” Naruto grumbled, crawling his way to his feet. He stopped when a hand rested on his shoulder. He turned to look at Shikamaru, before the genius genin pushed him gently back to the floor.
“Stay here,” Shikamaru said, walking out of the cave. “If you collapsed now, that would be troublesome.”
Naruto blinked after him. “Shikamaru...”
Choji stoked what little fire they had and got into their provisions. “This calls for my secret weapon! Akimichi Curry with Flame-Kissed Death Peppers! Urk.” This last was to a kunai that was thrown at his feet with just enough force to chip the stone cave floor before spinning off into the darkness. He traced the path of the throw back to Sakura.
Sakura was still slumped against Ino, but her other hand was dangling limp near her kunai pouch. She stared at Choji with dead, lifeless eyes and tried to remember how to speak words.
Ino saved her the trouble. “I think that was a vote 'no.' Your kunai skills are much better, Sakura.”
“Uhn,” was the only thing Sakura managed to say.
Asuma chuckled softly at Kakashi. “Pushed them that hard, did you?”
“Had to,” Kakashi said. “We were being watched.”
“Oh?”
“Probably that chunin faux-hunter you ran into.”
“Mm. So the attack will be soon.”
“Tomorrow we'll need to make our stand,” Kakashi agreed.
“You'll need to hold the line, Kakashi. Our genin...”
“Yeah,” Kakashi agreed. “I know.”
Sasuke ate his meal with mechanical efficiency. Its flavor was unrecognizable. Its color was not worth noticing. His chakra was perhaps a third of his usual reserve. Impressive. But impractical. The fat genin had taken nearly an hour to prepare it.
“What do you call this?” Sakura asked. She sounded half-asleep at best, but that was an amazing improvement from a short while ago.
“Herbal porridge with Akimichi Blend number seven,” Choji said.
“Mmm. 's not bad,” Sakura mumbled.
“It might be better chilled,” Naruto wondered.
“I'd say you've had enough cold, Naruto,” Shikamaru said. “I saw what you did to those trees.”
“What did he do?” Ino asked.
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. “He covered them in ice. Some still haven't thawed.”
“Ice?” Ino asked. “But...but it's not even close to winter!”
Naruto sighed and fed chakra through his palms. The steaming bowl chilled instantly, condensation appearing on it in moments. “It's a kekkei genkai. Cool, huh?”
Ino gawked at Naruto. “You have a kekkei genkai!?”
Shikamaru was too busy thinking even to declare it troublesome. “How much control do you have over the ice?”
“Tons!” Naruto bragged.
“What about just wind and water?”
“Hah?” Naruto asked.
Shikamaru sighed. “As I thought. Plenty of talent, not a lot of skill. Well, at least you're not dead last anymore. Looked like you climbed more trees than Sasuke.”
Sasuke's bowl shattered on the cave floor where he dropped it. The Last Uchiha was still for a moment, then got up and calmly left the cave without saying a word.
“I think he's angry,” Choji said, looking at Sasuke's back.
“How can you tell?” Naruto grumbled.
“Troublesome,” Shikamaru agreed.
Ino opened her mouth to defend Sasuke's awesomeness when she blushed red and steam shot out her ears. “I touched him!” she shrieked in glee. Then she fainted, a dumb smile on her face.
“That was over an hour ago!” Naruto objected.
“Troublesome,” Shikamaru and Choji said in perfect sync.
Sasuke snarled as he passed tree after tree with ice still clinging to it. Naruto. He grit his teeth. There had to be at least one tree taller than anything the bastard had climbed! He felt his muscles clench and he shivered slightly with the tension.
What was the point in getting stronger if a talentless fool like that could surpass him so easily!?
His head snapped back and he howled his rage to the uncaring sky. “What have I been doing all this time!?”
“You tell me,” a soft voice replied.
Sauske spun around. “Who is there!?”
A lady sat in a small clearing, bathed in moonlight. A pile of herbs was at her side. “I did not mean to startle you,” she said calmly.
Sasuke took her form in. Relaxed, kinda mannish but pretty enough. Not a threat. Uninteresting. “It takes more than that to startle a ninja.”
“Of course,” she replied, not a hint of sarcasm showing. “But clearly something is troubling you. What do you push so hard for?”
Sasuke blinked, then turned his back on the girl. “My future,” he said simply. He did not look back as he vanished into the trees.
Haku let the serene expression fall to a neutral, emotionless one before he put his mask back on. “Your future ends at dawn,” he whispered before he, too, vanished.
Zabuza would want him ready for the attack.
(Posted Sat, 14 Jan 2012 07:10)
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