Just the glimpses he had of something out in the water, moving where there shouldn't be movement. A whirlpool briefly forming over here. A sudden splash over there. The feeling that something was watching, waiting, calculating with an alien intelligence.
At least he had a name for the bridge once it was done. This could be the Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Because whatever else you could say about that thing - it was definitely troubling.
Kakashi had sent a messenger bird, there was a summoning scroll for that. Blood-specific and requiring a set of specific hand-seals. It had returned that morning, carrying a message from the Hokage. When decoded it read simply that terms were accepted, conditional to behavior of the other party.
Any hint of betrayal being indication that immediate termination of the other party was to be done.
Which brought Kakashi and Zabuza to watch two of the genin sparring.
"He was the dead last of Konoha's Ninja Academy?" asked Zabuza after Sasuke had taunted Naruto at the start of the match.
"Yeah," said Kakashi as Naruto moved a lot faster than one would expect and slammed a fist into Sasuke's block that moved the Uchiha back nearly a meter.
"From that genin's comments - not one of your students. Must have a decent trainer then," said Zabuza as Sasuke tried to counter-attack and Naruto seemed to casually block or deflect every attack.
"She's called 'Death Orchid' in the bingo books," said Kakashi, gauging Zabuza's reaction.
Zabuza DID react, startling slightly. "She's alive?"
"Yeah," said Kakashi.
"Poor kid," said Zabuza. "Still. That explains so much right there."
Naruto had trained and trained hard under Death Orchid. His taijutsu had been scrapped and rebuilt from the ground up. His shadow clone technique had been exploited to the point where information overload had begun, then backed up two paces to where Orchid thought he could handle it.
Fuuinjutsu. Ninjutsu. Taijutsu. Breaking genjutsu since he'd never really be competent at genjutsu. He'd been battered with Killing Intent until he was used to operating under those conditions. Detecting traps and ambushes, as well as being able to prepare both.
Death Orchid was one of those teachers who felt that the student was a reflection and statement of themselves. She was therefore going to push him to his full potential as hard as she could. It helped that Naruto had a "never give up" attitude because she could easily have broken someone without that.
Fighting Sasuke Uchiha was frustrating because Naruto had come to the conclusion that Sasuke was holding back. Going deliberately slow and weak. Even when Sasuke did an axe-kick that should have been a power move, Naruto felt as if Sasuke was holding back to Academy levels.
Then a punch got through Sasuke's block and the Last Uchiha was launched backwards into a tree.
"Damn it. Why couldn't he fight me for real?" complained Naruto as Sakura checked her crush.
"His jaw is broken," stated Sakura.
"Oh," said Naruto, checking pockets. Finally he pulled a green vial out. "Try this."
"What is it?" asked Sakura as she took the vial and looked it over.
"He-," began Naruto. After a pause he went on. "Classified. Experimental. Works though."
"I'm NOT giving Sasuke-kun something experimental," stated Sakura, shoving the vial back. "Bonehead."
"Okay, Kiba. Your turn," said Kakashi. "Oh, and Naruto? Try not to break anything of your opponents in a friendly spar."
"Well, he shouldn't have held back like that then," grumbled Naruto as he put the little vial away.
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(Posted Thu, 14 May 2015 20:05)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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