1,169A/N: Well… that hiatus wasn't planned. Sorry about that, work has unfortunately been incredibly stressful for a while and I barely found the time and energy to write, and then I needed some wind-up to get into the flow again. But I'm back now!
I'm also really sorry for the long silence. Should something like this happen again (hopefully, it won't), I'll make sure to post some updates every now and then so you know what's going on.
27 days until the third trial
I stood in silence as I watched Kakuzu count the money had laid out in front of him. While that made the ordeal last longer than necessary, I didn't voice complaints or anything of the like. It was because I understood that this was not a show of mistrust. He didn't count the money 'to make sure'. After all, I could tell that there was a certain level of respect between us.
No, the reason he thoroughly counted the money almost ritualistically was much simpler: it was his way of showing his appreciation for the sanctity of the trade. He, of course, didn't explicitly voice that, but I was good enough a judge of character to understand his intention. As such, I simply leaned against a tree with my arms crossed while he went through each stack of grey banknotes.
And it was, if I were to use informal terms, a crapload of money, at least for a private account. Sure, after eight years of active service I had amassed a decent sum, but paying this much out of my own pocket still hurt quite a bit. And unlike my last dealing with Kakuzu, this one wouldn't get compensated by the Hokage.
That was not to say I had nothing to gain out of this purchase. Obviously. I wasn't someone who would willingly strike a bad deal. I had already expected Kakuzu to ask for an outrageous amount of money and had deemed it worth it. After everything I had learned about a shinobi's way of thinking, the true gamble had been whether or not he would've been willing to strike that deal at all. Thankfully, he had accepted. We had then met in the early morning outside the Leaf Village, quite a bit away in fact. The Hokage had expressed his desire not to associate with the Akatsuki too much, at least publicly, so inviting him directly into the village could've sent the wrong message.
Seemingly done with counting, Kakuzu put the money back into its bag and stored it somewhere under his cloak, then turned to me with a confirming nod. I pushed myself away from the tree and went over to him while he produced a scroll from his sleeve.
"This should contain everything you need," he declared as he handed it to me. "Keep in mind that this was a one-time deal."
"Of course," I responded as I quickly confirmed the scroll's contents. "I am well aware how unusual this request of mine was. All the more grateful I am that you were willing to put up with it, not to mention come all the way here on such short notice."
He simply shrugged.
"The Land of Waves isn't far and I needed to go in the general direction anyway. Although, this is not the type of request I would usually answer to."
Didn't stop you from presenting the bill… figuratively, at least. Wait a minute, why was he still in the Land of Waves, that matter should've been resolved months ago. Unless the bridge is complete by now, then he probably went there to collect the way tax they collected from the merchants. Yeah, that has to be it.
"Then I am glad you did this one time. A pleasure to do business with you."
"Likewise."
He didn't stick around after, not surprising considering he was the kind of person to operate on the 'time is money' philosophy. He had other stuff to do and so had I, so I made my way back to the village, armed with the knowledge that could hopefully prevent a death.
On paper, my focused training in the last months had prepared the trio for everything they could realistically expect to face in the Chūnin exams. And with that as a solid basis, the month of preparation was meant to be used to develop strategies for the individual opponents. Unfortunately, life didn't happen on paper. As if Orochimaru going after Sasuke hadn't already been enough.
Speaking of Sasuke though, I really had to commend him. He had applied my lessons flawlessly, allowing him to learn some crucial details about Gaara's sand manipulation abilities. We obviously needed to treat everything we heard from this - singular - source of information with a grain of salt, and I was also sure that even that blabbermouth hadn't bragged about everything. But it gave us a better understanding of his technique, and I now knew enough to know that the Sand kid could throw a massive wrench in my plans. In essence, the trio just needed to do two things in the third trial: make a good figure during the fights, and survive. Winning wasn't necessary as long as the other two requirements were fulfilled. And so, rather than focusing on battle tactics, I now needed to ensure that none of them died. New plans needed to be made, plans for which I had little time considering the first of the four weeks was almost over.
Sakura obviously was the number one priority as she would face Gaara first. But that didn't mean I could ignore the other two. Unfortunately, time was likely too short to allow me to spread my attention to all of them. It seemed as if I had finally reached the point where I couldn't do everything on my own anymore. So far, I had been hesitant to delegate their training because Team 7 was my means of showing off to the Hokage. Their success was supposed to be my achievement and mine alone. But success and failure weren't a simple quid pro quo calculation, especially not in a situation like this. Death and humiliating defeat were the two things I could not allow to happen under any circumstance. And, well, a good leader would be using all the options available, I guess. Long story short, I needed help.
The first option that came to mind was to cash in my final favor with the moth queen, she seemed to get rather impatient about it anyway considering how often she was reminding me of it lately. But said favor could prove vital in an emergency, a type of final backup plan I shouldn't throw away lightly.
Alternatively, I could ask somebody else to teach them during this time. I wasn't planning on just dumping the two boys on somebody else, obviously, that would look terrible for me. But if I could at least outsource certain aspects of the training, I could use the limited time I had more efficiently. The question was who I should ask. The people whose skills were sufficient and who were close enough to me to ask them were limited.
Asuma and Kurenai had their own students to worry about. Shikaku had no reason to train someone to defeat his son. Everyone who worked as a proctor was also out since they had to be impartial. I also couldn't just ask any Jōnin, I needed someone whose expertise was compatible with what I had in mind for my students. For Naruto… as absurd as it sounded on paper, maybe Jiraiya would be willing to help. After all, he had already offered to train him after the exam, so why not start a bit earlier? Sure, he was busy with the curse mark, but maybe he could find some time in between?
When it came to Sasuke, my first thought was on certain Anbu members. But they had better things to do, and I wasn't close to most of them either.
Kakashi Hatake would also be an option. He was the only other living Shinobi in the village with a Sharingan, so his fighting style was likely compatible with Sasuke's. Unfortunately, I had also experienced his lack of discipline, and he was incredibly difficult to get a hold of. We were on speaking terms and had gone on a couple of high-ranking missions together, but I never felt like we truly saw eye to eye. Sometimes I wondered whether he was unprofessional enough to be miffed that I broke two of his records, as if I'd care about something like that. I also hadn't seen him once since the preliminaries, even though the village was still on high alert. Had the Hokage sent him somewhere?
As I quietly walked through the streets, lost in my thoughts, an idea suddenly popped into my mind. I didn't know if he was willing to hear me out, but it was worth a shot, so I turned around and picked up the pace. It didn't take long until buildings were rushing past me and soon, I left the road and changed to roof jumps. Below me, the village was beginning its day as the streets began to fill. Finally, I reached my destination.
I stopped, took a quick breath, and knocked. Seconds passed without an answer until finally, I felt the resident's chakra approach the door. It opened, crimson eyes fixating on me. A few more moments of silence passed.
"Tanya," a rough, surprised voice greeted me. It was a voice I had used to hear frequently years ago, but we had barely spoken since… well, ever since the disaster that had been the Kisara mission.
I responded to the greeting by putting my hands together and bowing slightly.
"If you are willing to hear me out… I would like to ask you to lend me your assistance, Shinku-sensei."
26 days until the third trial
'Closed'. That was what the sign on the door of the Yamanaka's flower shop said, despite it being business hours. Asuma sighed and walked around the building to the back door. With one final draw, he finished his cigarette and flicked a bud away. Deciding against pulling out a new one, he knocked. It took a few moments, but eventually, a woman with brown hair tied into a messy bun opened. Judging by the deep, dark rings under her eyes she hadn't slept well lately.
"Asuma!" she recognized him with surprise, seemingly embarrassed by her appearance.
"Morning, Shi. How's Ino doing?"
Shi Yamanaka closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Not well. The Doctors said her contusion is no longer life-threatening and she was finally allowed to leave the hospital but… honestly, I don't know what to do. Just what happened to her? My husband and I didn't see the fight, but you did, right? Can you tell me?"
Asuma scratched the back of his head. The honest answer would've been 'not much' considering how quickly the fight had been over, but he couldn't exactly say that.
"Well, she took a pretty bad hit, but I doubt the physical injury is the problem. Sorry, but can I come in? The doorstep isn't the best place to talk."
"Oh, right, I'm sorry. I guess you want to see her, right?"
He nodded. Shi sighed before letting him in and leading him to her daughter's bedroom. Closed curtains created a gloomy atmosphere that felt like the antithesis of everything Ino embodied. The girl herself sat on her bed with her legs close to her chest and arms resting on her knees. The incredibly long hair she was so proud of wasn't in a ponytail anymore and spilled down onto the mattress. She didn't look up when he entered or seemed to react to his presence in any way. She just blankly stared at the ground, her signature sky-blue eyes dull and lifeless.
"Good morning," he said in his first attempt to get an answer out of her, but to no avail. "It's a bit stuffy in here. Mind if I open the window?"
No answer once again, so he went and did it anyway. Sunlight shone into his student's face as he pulled the curtains away, eliciting a short twitch of her right eye. Not much, but now he at least knew she was still alive.
"By the way, we're going to Yakiniku-Q tomorrow. We decided to wait with it until you're out of the hospital. Even Choji, can you believe that?"
His joke couldn't get a response out of her either. He sighed internally.
This isn't working.
Changing his approach, he went to the middle of the room, sitting down in her field of view.
When it came to his team, he had always put more emphasis on their mental development rather than the physical. He wanted to prepare them for the world, wanted them to learn the lessons he himself had learned too late, leading to his falling out with his father many years ago. He wanted the kids to see him not just as a teacher but as someone they could depend on and turn to with their worries. It was for that reason that he often played Shōgi with Shikamaru, why he listened to Ino's monologues, and why he engaged with Choji's gentleness rather than telling him to get rid of it. Raw power was something that could come later.
It was for that reason that he always preferred a more of a hands-off approach when it came to training itself. He made sure to keep an overview of their abilities but believed it to be best if he allowed them to set their own priorities. Each of the three had a strong personality in their own right, even if they manifested differently. That meant that letting them realize mistakes on their own would be far more effective than him simply telling them, so rather than giving lectures, he preferred to allow them to make said mistakes in a controlled environment.
Underestimating your opponent was certainly one of the biggest mistakes a shinobi could make. Unfortunately, Ino had committed it at a moment when he couldn't be there for her, and the resulting reality check had hit her deep. And the worst part was how difficult it was for him to fault her for it as the result had blind-sighted him just as much as her.
For a while, he matched her silence. The matter clearly affected Ino deeply so he needed to tackle this with patience. Minutes passed. Maybe more, he wasn't sure. The only clock in the room was the alarm clock on the nightstand, and that was facing the bed. But eventually, Ino opened her mouth.
"Sensei."
"Yes?" he responded, doing his best to sound calm.
"What have I been doing?"
He raised an eyebrow at the question that came seemingly out of nowhere. What was she referring to? The last few days? Her fight? In general? He took a few seconds but also didn't want to wait too long with his answer.
"Well, a lot of things I'd say. You've been training, went on missions, worked at the flower shop, spent time with your team, thought about… private matters. And, of course, you've been following the path of becoming a great ninja."
"... was I?"
Oh boy, this might take a while.
The room turned quiet again. Asuma didn't press on with the conversation and instead. Before Hayate had called the match, it had seemed like Ino and Sakura had exchanged a few words, unfortunately too quietly for him to understand. Could the cause of Ino's current mental state lie there? After all, it couldn't just come from the fact that Ino had lost. While her demeanor and all her boasting might make it hard to believe, the girl actually always had a good grasp of her limits. Losing a fight might make her angry, or disappointed, but it wouldn't be enough to utterly crush her like that. Even if one were to factor in how devastating her defeat had been. So it had to come from her previous relationship with Sakura.
Whenever he had listened to Ino, after her gushing over Sasuke and boasting, the topic of Sakura was an easy third place. Through Ino's eyes, he had always seen the civilian-born girl as someone trying to catch up to the Yamanaka heiress, aiming to be at eye level with her. The idea of Sakura surpassing her didn't seem to cross her mind. But the apparent reality of the matter told a different story.
Sakura hadn't just surpassed Ino; she completely outclassed her.
As the morning passed he kept trying to get through to her, but her responses were sparse. In the end, he decided to give her a break and try again tomorrow. However, just as he exited the Yamanaka estate, he ran into someone he certainly hadn't expected to meet here.
"Tanya?"
"Hello, Asuma. I take it you were also visiting Ino?"
"I was, yeah. Wait, 'also'?" Why would Tanya want to visit her? How did she even know Ino was home again, she had only left the hospital yesterday.
"Indeed. Not long ago we had a rather fruitful conversation and, together with wishing her a speedy recovery, this seemed like a good opportunity to resume our talk."
Asuma sighed and pulled out his pack of cigarettes.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think that's a good idea right now," he mumbled as he lit one and took a draw. "She's… actually, do you have some time?"
"Not really, but if you need someone to speak your thoughts to, I can spare a minute."
He nodded and leaned against the wall. As he told Tanya about the 'talk' with his student, the golden-haired girl went through several expressions, ending in a frown. He didn't tell her about his personal thoughts though, just the state Ino currently found herself in
"And that's it. You wouldn't happen to have an idea how to approach this best?"
"Not really, I'm afraid, although… someone she can relate to on a personal level might have better chances to get through to her. Maybe, hm... ah, do you remember Anko? She was the proctor of the second trial."
"Ah, her. Yes, I know her, though I don't think we spoke much. She's a Tokubetsu from T&I, right?"
"Yes, and I happen to be acquainted with her. Her personality is surprisingly similar to Ino's in some ways, so maybe she'll open up more with her. She technically still owes me a favor from a bet she lost, you can cash it in on my behalf."
"That's… thanks, Tanya. Maybe this is a good approach."
25 days until the third trial
Once again, Sasuke was sitting on the floor, getting ink scribbled on his skin. In a way, it was interesting how quickly Jiraiya would drop his carefree act the moment he started working with his seals. Maybe that was a sign of a true master.
Seals had never sparked much of an interest in Sasuke. Bomb tags were strong, storage scrolls were handy, and beyond that point, he had never cared. It wasn't like he looked down on the art, he simply didn't find much use in things that didn't directly translate into fighting power. And now, his life quite literally depended on seals.
Jiraiya didn't really speak with Sasuke when he worked on the curse mark, but he often mumbled to himself. Sasuke didn't know half the words he used in those instances, but it was enough to allow him to understand just how vast and versatile the art was. It was enough to spark some interest in him.
"... too bad she isn't here," Sasuke heard the San-nin behind him while he scribbled.
"Who?"
"Hm? Oh, nothing, just talking to myself. See, I just had a thought. Considering how thoroughly your shoulder is separated from the rest of your chakra network, I thought maybe it could be possible to remove the curse mark surgically instead of what we're doing here. But even if it is indeed possible, there's only one Medical-nin who could pull off an operation like that, and she's not here."
"Where is she then?"
"Probably either in some backwater gambling den or on the run from debt collectors."
What?
"Anyway, let's wrap things up for today. I think I know how I can get to the mark without triggering it. Then I can think about our next step. Basically, I'm gonna take a page from the Fourth's book and use a Hakke…"
The San-nin went into another barrage of jargon that Sasuke didn't understand. The Uchiha meanwhile stood up and put on his shirt, not caring about the ink smudges. He then turned around, Sharingan active.
"... but modify it to an odd-numbered- hm? What, did I say something that made you angry?" Jiraiya asked with a grin.
"No. But whenever we're done, you suddenly disappear the moment I look away. I can't have that today because I want to ask you a question."
"Sheesh, someone is committed. Hehe, alright, alright, ask away."
"It's about Naruto. Your offer to train him still stands, right?"
"Hasn't changed the last few days, why?"
"Well, why…"
… him and not me? If it was the old him, that would've definitely been the only thought he would've had. One of the legendary San-nin offered his guidance, but not to him. Not to the avenger of his clan, the one who had a true use for his wisdom; no, to the academy's greatest loser who only got his headband through dubious means. Sasuke mentally shook his head. They were a team. Tanya had not just trained them as individuals, she had made sure their abilities complemented each other. In other words, Naruto's strength was his strength.
"... not now? The remaining time until the third trial is short, and our sensei always told us to use all resources available to us. He would definitely appreciate your help."
"Hm, you think so?"
"No doubt. And… maybe you could even tell him about his father."
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head.
"Ehh, I'd rather not. Not that I don't want to, but there's a lot of classified info there. Truth be told, I probably shouldn't have even told you I knew him. Hm, maybe I can let some minor details slip. If I can get the seal done by tonight, hm... tell you what, if he comes to the hot springs tomorrow we can see what comes from it."
Sasuke's narrowed. Classified? Why? Because of the fox, maybe. He had dismissed it last time, but perhaps he should look into that after all. Not now, but when he had time, after the exam or so. There had to be some records he could search through.
"I will tell him," Sasuke stated with a nod. He deactivated his Sharingan and bowed to thank him. When he raised his head again, Jiraiya had disappeared without a trace. Sasuke sighed, even though he had grown used to it over the last week. He collected his stuff and left. Tanya-sensei already waited for him on the street.
"And?"
"He's making progress," Sasuke reported. "He seems to have some ideas, but I understand too little about the topic to know details."
"Well, that has to be enough for now. Did you manage to talk to him?"
"Yes, I said what you told me to."
Pretty much all of Sasuke's talking points had actually come from Tanya, he had merely been a conduit to reach out to the elusive man. Except for the bit about Naruto's father. That part hadn't come from Tanya, in fact, he had never shared that information with her. Or anyone else, for that matter.
"He'll do it."
"Perfect. I also found someone to help me with your training. I'll explain my ideas to you later in detail, just follow his instructions for now. Go to training field two, he should be waiting for you."
He was indeed. Behind the fence, Sasuke met the gaze of a pair of crimson eyes that somehow felt familiar. The man they belonged to was already on the older side, clearly having experienced a lot.
If he was completely honest, Sasuke still wasn't sure what to make of this. Sure, Tanya-sensei clearly trusted his abilities, otherwise he wouldn't be here, and it wasn't like he doubted her, but still.
"You are Sasuke," he said in a rough voice as he stepped through the gate. It wasn't a question, and Sasuke didn't answer. If the man was bothered by it, he didn't show. Instead, he tossed a bamboo sword to him.
"My student said you may have an aptitude for Kenjutsu. So, for your first lesson, take this."
Sasuke caught the training weapon and narrowed his eyes. It was true. Kenjutsu, the art of the sword. Close to the end of the two months of training, they had tackled the topic briefly. There wasn't enough time left to add something new to the packed training plan, but Tanya-sensei had told him that this was something they might come back to in the future. Was this it then- wait.
'My student'. That was what he had called the golden-haired girl. And there was no way this guy was a retired academy teacher, which left only one option: this was Tanya's Jōnin-sensei. The man who had made her into the Pixie of the Hidden Leaf.
Sasuke gripped the handle of the training sword tightly, his determination flaring.
24 days until the third trial
"Before we start", I said, eyes fixed on Sakura, "tell me, how does the information Sasuke managed to get change how you tackle the fight against Gaara?"
The pinkette had spent the last few days finalizing her strategy against Temari. I had offered guidance but really, most of it had come from her. She had accounted for the three biggest advantages the Wind Kunoichi had over her - bigger range, higher power output, and the ability to rapid-fire her wind blasts thanks to that fan - and had come up with a decent way to work around all of them. It wasn't the most complex strategy, but it was solid and I had little to complain about. Now, with it out of the way, focus could be put on the trickier fight.
For that, I met up with Sakura again while the boys were off with their respective teachers. My plan to get closer to Ino had, unfortunately, not been successful. Was she really that vain? A one-sided defeat like this should've shown her where she was lacking, motivating her to work on herself, and preferably making her remember my offer. Instead, it had apparently sent her into some form of depression. How? Or was this another teenager issue? Either way, I had neither the time nor the nerves to deal with that right. She would pull herself together again sooner or later, and then I would try again. Well, at least I managed to appear concerned and helpful. I had no idea whether what I had said to Asuma truly held merit, but as often when it came to appearance, it was the thought that counted. Maybe this was already enough for Inoichi to seek to contact me himself. Either way, for now, I had something else to focus on.
Sakura closed her eyes and thought for a moment before she answered.
"Well, my best idea to overcome the sand defense was Genjustu. But if it's true that the sand protects him automatically, then it's pointless. Do you think it's true, Tanya-sensei?"
I shrugged.
"I never heard of this kind of automatic defense, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. Maybe he just has very good spatial awareness, can therefore block without looking, and used it to build a reputation of being untouchable. But better be safe than sorry, so assume it's true."
"Yes, Tanya-sensei. Well, the other option would be to get either past or through the sand, and we already discussed the problems with that. I'm not fast enough, and even if the Mahōha can pierce it, I would need to instantly kill him with it or I'll be too close to avoid the sand, which will likely be my death sentence if he's really that eager to kill."
The thought made the girl shudder, not too badly, but still notable. It seemed like she still hadn't fully come to terms with her mortality. After all, a soldier needed to respect and avoid death, but also accept its possibility.
"Hm… I could also… stay at a distance and stall for time? Constantly moving the sand around has to cost a lot of chakra, right? Then again, I don't know his range. Or his chakra reserves, for that matter, I never got close enough to sense them."
She sighed.
"Okay, so if the automatic protection aspect of his jutsu turns out to be false, Genjutsu should be effective. If it's true… honestly, I don't think I have anything in my repertoire to deal with him. Tanya-sensei, do you know a Ninjutsu that could get around his sand somehow?"
"Yes, but none that you could learn in this short timespan. And most of them cost a lot of chakra," I explained, causing Sakura to sigh.
"So no way in that regard either, huh?"
"No, not yet at least."
Sakura blinked. She had gotten better at reading between the lines, but it still took a moment until the hinted meaning in my last sentence surfaced.
"Wait, are… are you serious?!"
"Am I ever not?"
"But… are three and a half weeks really enough to create a new Ninjutsu?" Sakura asked flabbergasted "Isn't the creation of an original Ninjutsu supposed to be a big deal? How can you be so casual about it?"
"No, it obviously isn't enough. But that's not what I meant. We - or, you, to be exact - will simply take an already existing technique, tweak it a bit, and then transfer the concept over to an Earth Release because learning a new element is really not something you should attempt in a month. It's still going to be a close call though, so let's not waste any more time and get going!"
"Is… is this really fine? For me to be hogging all of your attention?"
"It's good that you worry about your team, but right now, you need to first and foremost worry about yourself," I countered. "But don't worry, they're in competent hands. Shinku-sensei was the one who taught me when I was still a Genin, so I know I can trust his abilities. And since Jiraiya agreed to help, Naruto is in even better hands. That man taught the Fourth Hokage, after all. Lord Third also said he had a gentle nature. Add to that Naruto's fascination with heroes, and it's clear as day to me that the two will get along perfectly."
"Stop with your attitude already!"
"I'm not having an 'attitude', I don't get why my sensei ditched and left me with some old pervert!"
"Hmph! Okay, first of all: I'm not just some pervert, I am a SUPER pervert! Secondly, the great and amazing Jiraiya himself offers to train you personally, and you can't even appreciate it? I have mastered techniques that little girly can't even dream of!"
"Oi, don't talk down on Tanya-sensei! Sure, she's nuts, but she knows more about ninjutsu than anyone!"
"Oh please, she's just barely out of her diapers, just like you!"
"Bullshit! Besides, I bet Tanya-sensei was BORN toilet-trained! And her moth summons are the coolest thing ever!"
"Moths? My toads eat any stupid moth for breakfast!"
20 days until the third trial
Sparks flew as two metal blades collided. Sasuke angled his weapon to prevent a bind, let his opponent's blade glide off, and ducked forward. He then attempted a vertical sweep, but with a quick flick of his wrist, Shinku brought his sword around quickly and managed to catch his attack in time.
After some basic instructions, his teacher had quickly put away the bamboo swords, switching to blunt training swords instead. They were lighter than Sasuke had expected, and after a couple of days, it seemed like had indeed a knack for this weapon. But that alone wouldn't be enough, as the Genin from Grass had already demonstrated.
"You learn quickly," Shinku commented. "Though your Sharingan certainly makes it easier for you to memorize the movements. But don't get too reliant on it, true mastery is not something that can be copied. Now, be ready."
This time, Shinku was the attacker, closing the gap between them in an instant. Despite his age, Tanya's former sensei was FAST. Sasuke managed to lean back to avoid an upward strike, then followed the trail of the sword with his own to get behind his defenses but again, Shinku redirected his blade with a simple flick of his wrist an blocked. Then, he was back on the attack.
With his Sharingan still active, Sasuke could see chakra flow down Shiku's arm and into his hand. Was he reinforcing his limb? If so, the next strike would hit hard. Sasuke opted to meet the attack with his weapon angled again, letting it slide past him. However, the expected strength wasn't there. On the contrary, Shiku seemed to have used less strength than before.
Suddenly, a numbness spread in Sasukes arm. He suddenly couldn't react in time anymore, and with little power left in his fingers, the next strike disarmed him.
"What…"
He looked at his teacher's weapon again. Then, he saw it.
"Lightning? Did you direct lightning chakra into your blade?"
"Correct. It is a simple trick at its basis, but subtlety can be as deadly as large power. Not everything needs to look impressive, creating a second of opportunity can do a lot. Lightning is the easiest element since metal conducts electricity. However, there are certain metals that can also conduct chakra itself, allowing the user to create all sorts of effects."
Thinking back, Sasuke remembered the time when Tanya had used that strange shovel of hers to plow an entire field in one swing. This meant the shovel was probably made from this kind of metal. But how would that help in the fight- wait. In the fight with Zabuza, hadn't she cleaved through the gigantic blade with her shovel?
"Can this also be used to make your weapon sharper?"
"Yes, wind, and to a lesser extent, lightning, can achieve such an effect. In fact, a friend of my daughter fights with that exact technique."
Sasuke smirked.
"I see. I was wondering what Tanya-sensei was getting at."
At his words, Shinku's eyes narrowed.
"You hold your sensei in high regard, don't you?"
"I acknowledge both her skill and all she does for us. Why do you ask? She was your student, don't you know her a lot better than I do?"
"Know her, hm."
He sheathed his weapon and sat down under one of the trees.
"Yes, I once thought that I did."
"Thought? What do you mean?"
"... let's take a break, shall we?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow but sat down next to him. A few moments of quiet followed before Shinku spoke again.
"I've been a sensei a couple of times. More often than most. Then, after my daughter was born, I returned to active duty. You see, traditionally, taking Genin teams is mostly done by younger Jōnin who haven't started families yet. A while later, the Third Great Shinobi World War broke out. Countless ninja died, many of them younger than you are now. And shortly after we had achieved peace again, the Ninetails' attack happened. Back then, many young Chūnin wanted to fight the beast, far too eager to throw their lives away. I managed to turn them away before I joined the fight. I got injured badly. Still can't move my leg like I used to."
Sasuke's eyes widened. If he was still suffering from a leg injury, just how fast had he been during his prime?
"I sometimes think I was meant to die that night. And yet, I survived, although just barely. It was then that I decided to once again guide the next generation and pass down the will of fire to them. Three years after my recovery, a team passed my test. Among them was a certain golden-haired girl, barely older than a toddler."
His gaze fell a bit.
"She was talented and smart, yet mature and disciplined. She often butted heads with one of her teammates but overall, she was a great student. Many eyes were upon her, at the latest after her performance in her Chūnin-exam. The team was dissolved afterward, but the kids had given me hope for the future. However, on the first mission she was in charge of… things went horribly wrong. I was there when she gave her report in the Hokage's office, but I barely recognized her. Had the mission, the decisions she had to make changed her? Or was this her true self? I didn't know. Since then, we haven't spoken a word. Until last week when she knocked on my door."
A/N: Seems like Ino's mother is another of these characters who never got an official name. Feel free to tell me if I missed it. I'll do my best to get back to bi-weekly uploads!