33The sun had risen in the east as it always did, the clock had ticked forward like it always did, and Hatake Kakashi was late like he always was.
"So this is his house," said Kakashi, peering around the living room with calculated disinterest, like he wasn't nearly three hours late for a meeting with the child whose house he was in. "It looks pretty normal to me, Lord Hokage."
His companion, the Third Hokage of the Leaf Village, simply shook his head and led the way forward. They stepped over the books and kunai littered around the room and came face to face with a door that had seen better days.
"His room," offered the Hokage.
Kakashi moved forward, some of the laxness vanishing from his frame. He took in the light colour of the wood, in sharp contrast to the dark finish of the rest of the apartment, with sprigs and herbs jammed into the hinges, and scuff marks on the frame that indicated that it had been slammed shut more than a few times. Most of all, his interest was taken by the large spiralling mural that was painted on to the wood.
"What is it?" he murmured, looking at the dark reddish colour of it. His nose twitched at the sharp tang of tree sap.
"Wood from a lightning struck oak, one of the Shodai's own trees. A demand for his tenth birthday, one I indulged."
That wasn't what he had asked, and the Hokage knew it. Nevertheless, he felt a touch of curiosity. "Oak? For strength?"
"Strength, stability, endurance," answered the Hokage. "But more than that, oaks symbolize doorways to new places, to other…realms. Shut an oak door and you close those doorways shut."
"And the…seal? Is it a seal?"
"I don't know," said the Hokage simply. "Neither do my experts. There's no trace of chakra, and it doesn't respond to any. For all I know, it could be a child's scared scribbles."
"And is it?" asked Kakashi.
The Hokage did not answer, instead opening the door for him. The old man stepped inside, but Kakashi paused at the threshold.
Kakashi's father had been of the Hatake Clan, his mother an Inuzuka. He'd been blessed with enhanced olfactory senses through her line, but more than that, he had inherited the special sixth sense that the animalistic Inuzuka possessed. It was the ability that had made him a gifted tracker even before he'd lost his left eye, a pricking in his thumbs that taught him to avoid traps and ambushes, to feel the enemy coming even before they arrived.
Every instinct in Kakashi's body was telling him not to step into the room in front of him. The elite jonin wrestled with the animal part of his hindbrain that was telling him to leave, immediately, to turn away and never return to this place.
"Kakashi?"
The rational portion of his brain beat the other into submission. Kakashi squared his shoulder and sauntered into the room. The jonin stopped short at the sight around him. The bed had been replaced by a lone futon pushed against the very corner of the room. Dreamcatchers made of threads and feathers hung from the ceiling, along with -
Kakashi reached out to one hanging above his head and rattled it. An unpleasant clicking, rattling sound echoed around the room. "Bones."
"And skulls," said the Hokage, pointing. "Protections, apparently."
"And the…cairns?" Kakashi hunched down to examine the smooth rocks, stacked on top of one another. "Are they cairns?"
"Guides," answered the older man, tracing a path with his hand that twisted around the bedspread and out the open window. He took in the lattice of vines and twigs that had replaced the window panes, and the tags that hung from them.
Kakashi lifted his headband and took a look with Obito's eye. The world came into sharp focus, colours blooming and pictures becoming sharper. He traced over more spirals and strange slashes carved into the wood, on the walls and floors, committing them permanently to his memory, trying to figure out a pattern.
Something shifted in the corner of his vision. Kakashi jerked to his side, a kunai in hand, and found nothing but thin air.
He blinked.
"Kakashi?"
He shut his eyes and let the Sharingan replay the moment in his mind. He stood in the middle of the room, looking at the strange symbols when…
Nothing. Nothing, which was impossible, because the Sharingan didn't do tricks of light or false alarms. He quietly pulled the headband down again and told himself that the ridiculous atmosphere of the room was getting to him.
"Thought I heard something," he said, keeping his voice deliberately casual.
The Hokage nodded grimly. "I've had it happen to me more than once, here."
"Oh? Have you had someone look at the pipes?"
The Hokage threw him a look. "You need to take this a little more seriously, Jonin Hatake."
Kakashi tilted his head. "My apologies, Hokage-sama. It's just a little hard to believe. I'm still not sure I can believe it. All I see is a scared, superstitious child with an imagination a little too fertile for his own good."
"Imagination, you say?" The Hokage knelt on the floor, looking a little ridiculous in his pristine robes and hat. The old man prised open a floorboard under him and pulled out a worn sketchbook, which he handed to Kakashi.
"An artist?" Kakashi took them dutifully and sorted through the paper. Most of the first ones were nonsensical drawings, made with a child's shaky hand. He caught the same shaky spirals and attempts to draw concentric circles, along with basic attempts at kanji and strange patterns. Tall buildings the likes of which he'd never seen under strange skies with the stars placed incorrectly, schematics and diagrams of humans with grotesque features and melting faces. The pages showed a steady improvement in both clarity and talent as he progressed. By the middle of the book, he was looking at artwork of a quality that would make grown men jealous. A triangle with a blinking eye inside, strange sketchings of shadow stick figures etched over and over onto the paper, an underwater city, bubbles of glass under the ocean, an incomprehensible mess of strangely floating tentacles and a hundred eyes of different shapes and sizes that seemed to be looking out of the pages and into his soul.
Kakashi stopped at a strange scene, drawn with harsh strokes of red and black. A dark sky and an endless desert under it, a sea of dunes devoid of any life, person or animal. It was the moon, however, that drew his attention. Pieces of it lay scattered amongst the stars, the same ones that hung above the Konoha sky. The debris was crimson, the colour of his own left eye, and if he looked closely, he could make out faint lines and dots on the surface.
The codebreaker inside him put the puzzle back together; in his mind's eye, he saw a giant red moon above the bare sands. Within it he saw circles within circles, and dark commas spinning through the curvature of the lines.
Kakashi closed the book with a sharp snap. Obito's eye throbbed.
"-kashi? Kakashi?" The Hokage stepped into his personal space, his beady eyes looking with concern up into Naruto's own. He sighed when their eyes met. "I've been calling out to you for a while now. Any longer and I'd have to call in the ANBU guards."
Kakashi blinked at the book in his hands, and then at the clock hanging on the wall. For the first time, a thin trickle of fire crept down his spine. He wondered what he had just stepped into, what he'd offered when he'd finally put an end to thirteen years of avoidance and procrastination and put in a request for his teacher's son as a genin student.
"Hokage-sama." His throat felt as dry as the desert he'd just seen. He swallowed slowly and tried again. "What happened to sensei's son?"
The Hokage took his time answering. He carefully took the sketchbook from Kakashi's hand and tucked it back in its place. Kakashi looked at the shrunken frame of the man and wondered how many times he'd been to this strange place, if he'd felt the same thread of wrongness woven into the very atoms of this room.
"I was there when Minato sealed the Nine-Tailed fox," the Sandaime finally said. "It was destruction incarnate, chakra beyond comprehension. No child could have survived being a jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, inherited vitality or not. Minato performed the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. I believe he planned to seal half the Kyubi himself to take into the Death God's belly, and the other half into Naruto."
"What happened?" whispered Kakashi.
"Kushina. Leaf shinobi or not, she was always an Uzumaki first. Strange, and different, in a way even her loudness couldn't mask. It was her who'd taught Minato the basics of sealing, who'd helped him grow into the terror that he was on the battlefield." The Hokage looked at the wall, drawing Kakashi's attention to nine wavy lines etched into the floor at his feet. "Minato's original plan was to seal the Yin Chakra within himself, and the Yang within Naruto. Kushina, Uzumaki that she was, told him to seal the Spiritual Energy within their newborn infant instead."
The Hokage laughed softly, a dry, sad sound. "For all of his strengths, Kushina held a sway over the Yondaime that no one else did. He listened to every word she said without complaint. And so he did here, with nary a question. He died with the Kyubi's physical energy inside his corpse, and left Naruto with all the spiritual energy of a Tailed Beast."
The hairs on Kakashi's forearm stood on end. "A Bijuu's spiritual energy, unbalanced by the physical?"
The Hokage nodded. "Famed Uzumaki vitality or not, no child could attempt to balance that amount of energy. Chakra is more than just the fuel for our mind and body, it is the very essence of our being, tied intimately into our soul. Naruto has more spiritual energy than every person in the village tied together, twice over. It comes out in strange ways," he indicated the place they were standing in. "Contrary to my original fears, he is not sociopathic, or cruel, or even apathetic. In fact, he's polite, immensely talented in the ninja arts, quiet and withdrawn. But he sees things, speaks in a way that no child ever should, knows things he shouldn't. He's just a boy, but he's deeply, deeply troubled."
"Are you sure he isn't -"
"He isn't the Fox, Kakashi. The seal holds."
"Then what is he?"
"I don't know, my boy. And I'm afraid that if we don't find out, it could have graver consequences than our human minds could ever comprehend."
Today was supposed to be a good day for Yamanaka Ino. For one, she'd enjoyed the stunned look on Shikamaru's face when he'd actually been wrong about something. For another, she'd been treated to Sakura's cries of despair when the teams had been announced. But most of all, she'd been put in a team with the love of her life, a sure sign from the universe that she was truly destined to become the matriarch of the soon to be resurgent Uchiha Clan.
It was a good day that was ruined by the third member of her team.
Uzumaki Naruto was easily the most unpopular kid in their class, despite being one of the best ninjas, second only to her beloved Sasuke. He was the best at tests, his aim was impeccable, his taijutsu minimalistic but lightning fast and effective. He should have had his own host of fans - one that Ino would never be a part of, of course - but he was the unspoken pariah of their classroom. Even Iruka-sensei, who was a teddy bear of a human being, was wary around him.
That was because Naruto was undeniably strange. Despite his blond hair and blue eyes, he had an unapproachable air of darkness around him, so different from Sasuke's own magnetic pull. He was too thin, small and bundled under a strange mishmash of clothes that seemed to be made of dully coloured, faded handkerchiefs stitched into a dress, with weird symbols drawn on top in dark colours. Strange tattoos marked the exposed parts of his face and limbs; Mizuki-sensei had once yelled at him for a week straight and made him wash it off, but Naruto had reappeared just the same every day until The teacher had given up. And so he remained the way he was, dark and quiet and always, always strange . The Uchiha pulled you in with his tragic air. Naruto's weirdness made it so that there was always an empty circle around the back of the classroom where he sat.
Sitting right next to the door, she chanced a secret glance at her other two teammates. Sasuke was seated next to the other wall, quietly staring out of the window, the sunlight casting beautiful shadows on to his face.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the third member of their team sitting at the very back of the classroom. She turned her head ever so slightly, and saw him mouthing quiet words to himself, tracing shapes on the wood before him with one finger.
Naruto looked up, his blue eyes meeting her own. There was no spark, no flash of acknowledgement, just empty tunnels that seemed to bore into her own. Ino turned back sharply to face the front of the classroom, her cheeks burning at being caught staring. Sakura would've never let her live it down had she been around.
Thankfully, the door to the classroom opened and their jonin-sensei finally appeared, sparing her from stewing in her own awkwardness.
"You're late," she mumbled, her heart not in it. The tall man's eyes flitted over her and Sasuke, before shifting to the back of the room.
"So I am," he said breezily. "A black cat crossed my path while I was on my way here, so I had to take the long way around. Hmm, my first impression of you all? Boring. Meet me on the roof in three minutes and let's find out if you can change that."
The jonin vanished in a puff of smoke, and she grit her teeth at the terrible deflection and trudged up the stairs angrily with Sasuke in tow, too bothered by her short interaction with Naruto and her tardy teacher to keep a pretty face for the Uchiha's sake. Naruto followed them quietly, always keeping a distance and tapping the walls as they climbed.
On the roof, their teacher made a vague attempt at introductions for the team. She spoke about her love for flowers and dislike for friends who betrayed other friends, and Sasuke stated his goal to murder a certain man. It was quite thrilling.
As one, they turned to Naruto, Ino carefully doing her best to look unconcerned at his eerie demeanor.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto." His voice was quiet and hoarse, like he was using it after ages. "I like…" The blond paused, and his own gaze flickered down. "I guess I like flowers, and music. I used to like ramen, but I don't anymore. I dislike," he paused again, "many things. My hobbies include painting, and reading about some things." He stopped and looked up at their teacher.
"And your dreams?" prompted the man.
Naruto flinched. "My dreams…" The corner of his lips curled into a bitter, ugly smile. "They're best left alone."
Nobody had any answer to that. Something in the way he said it made Ino shiver, even though it was a bright, summer day. She ruthlessly squashed down the tiny part of her that wished that she'd been chosen to carry on the Ino-Shika-Cho combination after all.
Uncertainty gave way to rage as her sensei explained the special test they'd have to pass, lest they return to the Academy. He gave them instructions to skip breakfast and meet at 6 and dismissed them, when Naruto spoke.
"Sensei," he said, just when the jonin was about to vanish again. His voice was quiet, but Ino felt her muscles tense, and even Sasuke turned around to look at the blond. "You did the right thing."
"Hm?"
"Black cats. You shouldn't follow them if they cross your path."
Ino opened her mouth to tell him that the older man was just making a stupid excuse, but Sasuke beat her to the punch.
"Why?" asked the Uchiha. Even their teacher looked curious.
"Sometimes you get…lost." Sasuke twitched in irritation.
"I'll keep that in mind," answered the jonin solemnly, before he disappeared.
Ino couldn't get the words out of her head the rest of her way back home. That night, she checked outside her window for any strays before she slid her curtains firmly shut.
Sasuke was officially in hell. Only last week, things had been looking up. He'd graduated as the Rookie of the Year, eager to progress in his career so that he could gain the strength to avenge his family. Then he'd been put on a team with a fangirl who was any good only when she closed her mouth enough to focus, and the class freak . This had only been compounded by the slothful, tardy jonin-sensei who'd been assigned to them, someone who read that stuff in plain sight.
Never mind that the slothful, tardy, porn-indulgent jonin was currently beating him into the ground. Yamanaka had been dispatched with zero effort on Kakashi's part, and Uzumaki wasn't even bothering, sitting quietly by the stakes and digging in the dirt with his kunai.
Sasuke felt a strong fist catch him in the chin. He was sent flying into one of the large trees dotting the training area, landing heavily on the ground. Stars burst into existence before his eyes and all the breath whooshed out of his chest in one, rapid rush.
"Not even going to try, Naruto?" he heard Kakashi taunt lightly. "I suppose surrender is a type of combat strategy. Still, I expected more of you. There's still time, you can make an effort."
"I shouldn't," said Naruto.
"Shouldn't? Why not?"
"You said to come at you with intent to kill, sensei. It wouldn't be fair if I did."
"Oh?" Sasuke sneered at the condescension in Kakashi's voice, and then winced when his jae throbbed in agony. "You think you have something up your sleeve that can beat a jonin of Konoha? Let's see it, then. I'm sure I can handle it."
"Maybe, but it wouldn't be fair to them . Uchiha and Yamanaka-san."
"They're weak little ninja, to be sure, but you should put a little faith in your friends, Naruto. Come on, how about I order you to give it a shot?"
Sasuke nursed his jaw as he sat up, glaring at the farce in front of him. Uncaring to let it go on, he charged from the side while the double-act kept up their banter. He spun low along the ground, intent on knocking the jonin off-balance, even as he made the hand seals for his clan's Great Fireball.
The next thing he knew, he was kneeling on the grass, the weight of Kakashi's body over his shoulder and the cold prick of a kunai on his neck. Kakashi grabbed his hair roughly and pulled him up roughly to come face to face with the stricken countenance of his teammate.
Ino charged out of the forest in desperation, her hands forming the typical seal for her Mind Transfer technique. She froze like a fawn in a trap as Kakashi jerked his head at her, and even from his position on the ground, Sasuke felt his hands tremble from the chakra pressure Kakashi was exerting on her.
"One kunai," said the jonin, his voice like ice. "With one move, I can slash Sasuke's neck and send it through Yamanaka's throat before she blinks. Make your move, Naruto."
Sasuke grit his teeth as Uzumaki climbed to his feet and hung his head like a chastised child.
"I shouldn't, sensei. Please, I don't think I can control it." His voice grew smaller until he was almost whispering.
"Three -" Kakashi began to count backwards. Ino's body was frozen, but her eyes were rolling around like she was having a fit.
"Two -" Naruto shook his head desperately, squeezing his eyes shut. The strange markings on his body seemed to twist and shift under the suddenly pale sunlight.
"One -"
"You won't!" Naruto burst out, his voice cracking. It was the loudest they'd ever him be. "You promised her you'd never hurt a teammate again."
Kakashi's grip on his neck loosened immediately. Sasuke slumped to the side and Ino collapsed to her knees, retching and choking.
"Her?" the jonin asked, suddenly on edge. "Who are you talking about?"
Naruto's eyes flickered between Sasuke and Ino, before they seemed to focus on the world around him. "Her blood is still on your hands. She cries sadly every night, the shattered pieces of her heart in her hands."
Ino whimpered in fear. Sasuke followed her gaze and saw Kakashi's lone eye wide and shaking, his face almost as white as his hair. It was a look that took Sasuke back to a time before that happened, when that man would come back from missions and sit dazedly on the floor of their kitchen with Sasuke's mothers hands around him.
"Naruto," said Sasuke, suddenly seized with the same terror. "Stop talking. Stop talking now."
The blond's eyes flickered to him, and then behind him.
"You promised over her grave that you wouldn't ever hurt a Leaf shinobi again, unwillingly or not."
"Naruto, shut up!" screamed Ino. "Stop, shut up, shut up!"
Kakashi was trembling, his breaths coming so loud and fast that Sasuke could hear it from his seat in the grass. Sasuke lunged like a viper and seized the bells, but felt no triumph. The jonin didn't even react.
"She wants to tell you that she's sorry but you refuse to listen."
Kakashi made an awful sound, half moan, half scream of fury. "You don't know what you're talking about. Brats like you should listen to your betters and shut up."
"You made me say it," said Naruto, pulling nervously at the threads of his patchwork dress. "She just wants you to let her go. She's hurting more now because you won't let her be at peace."
Sasuke blinked, and then suddenly Kakashi was in front of him, his hands around Naruto's neck, lifting the small boy clean off the ground. Ino shouted in fear as the boy turned blue but did not struggle.
ANBU appeared around the training ground before either of them could react. One of them chopped Kakashi on the neck, and he collapsed like a sack of bricks. Naruto fell to the ground and gasped deeply, his hands going up to the dark bruises already blooming around his throat.
The Hokage himself walked out from the treeline. Sasuke collapsed to his knees in relief rather than make any attempt to kneel before the man. The Sandaime walked over to Naruto and knelt next to him, his hands moving over the blond's wound.
"Foolish man," muttered the Hokage. "Squad, take them both to the hospital. Are the both of you alright?" he asked, turning to Sasuke and Ino. They managed small nods, still shaking from the circumstances.
"Good," said the Hokage. "By my order, Team 7 passes. Report to the Tower tomorrow at 10 a.m. for further details. Dismissed."
Sasuke fell onto his back and didn't move for a long time after that. A little voice in his mind wondered if even that was worth being on this team.
Author's notes: I wrote this when I hit a block with The Art of Deception. I was nervous about the reception for chapter 4, but the lack of outright hatred gave me the courage to post this, which is acres outside my comfort zone and a complete experiment in one of my favourite genres. Please let me know what you think!
Updates will be sporadic, as mentioned.