It took him less than five minutes to find an exposed wooden beam had a fuuinjutsu inscribed on the underside.
Having to scootch around to get a better look, he studied it before finally nodding.
"Something there?" asked Sakura, curious as they watched their sensei.
"This was a house built by someone affiliated with the Uzumaki clan," said Kakashi thoughtfully. "There's a fuuinjutsu there to repel small insects and pests."
"'Uzumaki'?" asked Naruto, eyes wide.
Kakashi nodded as he drew a kunai and made a small cut on one finger. "Summoning jutsu!"
Pa-damf!
"Yo! Kakashi. Been awhile."
"A talking dog?" asked Sakura.
"So this is the genin team?" asked the dog. "You should summon us to be guards at night or something."
"Well, maybe," said Kakashi. "Need you to sniff around. See what you can find."
"Mold. Old blood. Pain," said the dog after a couple of sniffs. "People were tortured here. Long ago though."
"'Uzumaki'?" asked Naruto.
Sakura and Sasuke both glanced at Naruto, hearing pain in that voice. Something Naruto normally didn't show.
"Yes, the Uzumaki clan, whose symbol was a spiral in red. A very prominent clan of Uzushiogakure - our chief ally and supporter until they were destroyed." Kakashi shook his head. "As far as I know, you're the last one."
"Uh oh," said the dog, fur bristling.
"What just happened?" asked Sakura, gripping a kunai. "It's as if-"
Sasuke was silent, looking around him, having drawn a kunai himself.
"As if the world went silent and was listening," said Kakashi.
"Was it because you said I was the last Uzumaki?" asked Naruto.
"Well, that answers that question," said Sakura. "Whatever it is, it just doubled."
"Quiet," ordered Kakashi, going to a crouch.
The feeling of a presence grew, Kakashi felt it was akin to Killing Intent but without the hostility. It was more like pure Intent instead.
The dog glanced up. "I've got a scent."
"Pakkun, what is it?" asked Kakashi.
"Metal," said Pakkun. "Metal, blood, and... ink."
"Point it out, Naruto, follow him."
"Kakashi-sensei?" asked a weirded-out Naruto.
"This was a farmhouse made by Uzushiogakure refugees, probably Uzumaki. They were raided and killed, but they left something," said Kakashi. "We need to find out what."
Pakkun led the way past two trees, then to a third tree which had a crack in it.
Naruto glanced in. "There's something there. Maybe I can... OUCH!"
"What happened?" asked Kakashi, who'd been following cautiously behind and watching for any sort of trap.
"Something cut me," said Naruto, wiping blood off.
CRACK! went the tree, the crack widening until an object could drop loose.
Naruto, predictably, jumped back.
The wrapped bundle remained where it was.
"So, that's what it was," said Kakashi.
"What is it?" asked Sakura as Kakashi carefully unwrapped the object.
"It's a book," said Kakashi.
"Uhm, kind of obvious, Kakashi-sensei," protested Sakura.
"This was a house of Uzumaki refugees, they were watching over this, killed and tortured for it, and died protecting it," said Kakashi, who very carefully did NOT touch the book and merely held it by the old oilskin wrap. Then he flipped it at one of his genin. "Catch."
"WHAT?!" squeaked Naruto as he reflexively caught it.
"It's your people's legacy," said Kakashi. "That's what they died protecting so that it could get to the last of their line."
"Oh," said Naruto, changing from panic to something entirely different. "The last of my clan."
"Well, open it!" demanded Sakura, breaking the mood. Deliberately as it was unnerving to see Naruto being pensive.
Naruto bit a lip but opened it.
Sakura looked over his shoulder after a moment. "It's blank."
"What are you talking about Sakura?" asked Naruto, his gaze ripped away from the book to stare at her. "What's blank?"
"The book," said Sakura. "Honestly, Naruto. What did you THINK I was talking about?"
"Why are you saying it's blank?" asked Naruto, seeming to be honestly puzzled.
"Because it doesn't have any writing in it," said Sakura.
"You see writing in it," said Sasuke, not questioning.
"Well, yes," admitted Naruto.
"What?" asked Sakura.
Sasuke nodded. "The Uchiha district has something like that. Writing keyed to only be readable to an Uchiha."
"Ah," said Kakashi. "Is the book what I think it is?"
"It seems to be about making seals," said Naruto.
"Oh," said Sakura, dismissively. "I already know all about that."
"Oh?" asked Kakashi.
"Storage seals and explosive tags," explained Sakura.
"Animation arrays, wormholes, summonings," said Naruto, looking over the Introduction section, "time/space manipulation, gravity manipulation, subspace pockets..."
SNATCH!
"HEY!" protested Naruto.
"It's blank," insisted Sakura, peering close at the page.
"If it's awesome, it should be Sasuke's!" seconded Inner Sakura.
Letters began to form on the page.
"CHA!" indicated Inner Sakura. "We'll show Sasuke how to unlock this and he'll know we're the girl for him!"
[Thief]
BOOM!
The book hit the packed floor of the house.
Sakura landed a bit outside the house.
"She graduated top kunochi of our Academy class," noted Sasuke out loud. He looked towards Naruto. "You wonder why I reject all of the girls from that class?"
Naruto sulked but recovered the book while Kakashi checked vitals.
"Owie," said Sakura.
"Where am I? What just happened?"
[Thief]
"Oh hell. I'm disembodied and looking down at myself. Am I dead?"
[Inner Sakura - guilty of attempted theft]
[Sentence to be carried out immediately]
"Uh-oh," said Inner Sakura.
"Remind me not to do that again," groaned Sakura, rubbing her head.
"Hnn," indicated Sasuke.
"How many fingers am I holding up, Sakura?" asked Kakashi, holding up one finger.
"One?" asked Sakura, fighting off an impulse to say "twelve" for some unknown reason.
"She seems okay," said Kakashi after a few moments.
"Other than a headache?" asked Sakura.
"Hmmm," said Naruto as he tried to concentrate on a set of diagrams in the book.
It wasn't until morning when:
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(Posted Thu, 28 Nov 2013 04:18)
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