Chapter 5: That girl
Good morning people,
[-] The big climax of this chapter was quite long, with more than three thousand words, so I broke the chapter 2.
[-] I'm trying to write 'Sai' as someone with so much good energy and genuine happiness that you can't help but hate the guy.
COMMENTS:
[-]Christian(Fanfiction):
Good luck again with the launch of your book, I really like the story and I nailed the training of saruhiko in Guy's style, I hope to continue reading, greetings
[-]Renan:
Thanks for the compliment, and I plan to write many chapters of this story.
(#)Now… let's go to the story!(#)
"Saru!" Naruto shouts, calling for his brother. "Where's the kunai sharpening kit?"
Heading outside his house, Naruto spots Saruhiko sitting on the ground in the yard, focused on a peculiar task. He approaches, curiosity written all over his face.
"Yoh, Ero-Saru! What are you doing there?" Naruto asks, tilting his head to try and get a better look.
Saruhiko, with a roll of metal wire, is wrapping two of his fingers with a coin in between them. As soon as the black-haired Uzumaki notices his brother's presence, he stands up and looks at him for a moment, a mischievous smile forming on his lips.
"I'm preparing some special coins for a new Jutso."
"Eeeeeeeeh…" Naruto grumbled, looking at the pile of coins. "What's so special about them?"
"They are coins made from an alloy of silver and copper."
Naruto frowned, trying to understand.
"Are they special because they are expensive?"
Saruhiko laughs, a low and conspiratorial sound.
"I don't know." The reincarnated quickly responded. "The old man only gave me this because we graduated, but if we want the rest of the training, we need to pass the 'secret test' with our Jounin."
"Naruhodo," Naruto mumbles, still not understanding. "Tomorrow I have to meet my Jounin at training field three. What about you?"
The reincarnated breathes a sigh of relief at the news.
'The chance of team seven being the same has increased a little,' Saruhiko thinks in silence. 'Sasuke needs to be on the same team as Naruto for his talk-no-jutsu to have any effect in the future.'
Unlike the original canon, students will meet directly with their new masters at the training camps. Saruhiko's relief is due to the fact that training ground three was where Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had their fight against Kakashi to retrieve the bells.
"I have to go to training camp thirteen."
"What?" Questions Naruto in surprise. "Isn't that next to Shinobi no Mori?"
Naruto's comment makes Saruhiko stop tinkering wiht the copper wire. His eyes narrow as a flashback plays in his mind, the memory of the Chūnin Shiken arc and the dangers that lurk in that dark, dense forest coming back to the surface. He remembers stories of missing ninjas, wild beasts, and deadly traps. The forest is a place of trials, where only the strongest and most cunning survive.
"Big chance of shit hitting the fan," says Saruhiko, his voice serious, contrasting with his usual playful tone.
Naruto notices the change in Saruhiko's behavior, but before he can question it, the reincarnated man is already on his feet, putting away his copper wire and silver coins.
"Ok, I'm done here," Saruhiko says, patting Naruto on the shoulder. "Thanks for the warning, bro. Now I need to get ready."
Naruto watches as Saruhiko heads to a small closet in the corner of the yard. From inside, he removes items essential for forest survival: ropes, knives, sleeping bags, torches, lighters, canteens, antidotes to common poisons, ration bars, and even some storage scrolls.
"Why take all this? We're just going to meet our Jounin," questions Naruto, his eyes widening when he sees the number of items.
"Better safe than sorry," Saruhiko responds, while meticulously organizing each item on the scroll. "With the forest next door, there's a chance my Jounin could ask to spend a night there or something like that."
"Wow… you're a lot more careful than you seem, aren't you, Ero-Saru," says Naruto in a mocking tone. "Doesn't even look like my brainless brother."
"Go fuck yourself, you asshole who dresses like a prisoner," Saruhiko grumbled in response. "Shouldn't you be studying that seal book I gave you yesterday?"
Puffing out his chest proudly, Naruto points to the other side of the yard, where twenty clones are reading the same book at the same time.
"Wow!" Saruhiko exclaims in surprise. "But if it's all the same book, why do you need so many clones?"
"If you read the same book twenty times, you learn better than if you read it just once."
The reincarnated man opens his mouth to refute the blonde but is unable to find any flaws in his argument.
"Just don't forget that you have to practice writing the stamps too," adds Saruhiko.
"No problem," Naruto replies, smiling.
"And do it outside the house, so when it explodes, you don't break anything important," the reincarnated concluded, carrying his storage scrolls into the house.
"What do you mean by blowing up?" Naruto asks as Saruhiko closes the door. "AND WHERE THE KUNAI SHARPENING KIT?"
A window opens, and a small blue case is thrown, hitting Naruto in the head.
"If you wasn't for my brother…" Naruto mutters, frustrated, as he takes the kit.
N:IS
After waking up early and having a hearty breakfast, Naruto and Saruhiko each left for their destination with the objective of meeting their team and new sensei.
Saruhiko is the first to arrive at training camp thirteen. Taking advantage of the silence and solitude, the boy with a monkey's tail sits on a rock, facing the fence that surrounds Shinobi no Mori.
Time passes, and the morning sun begins to warm the air, but the forest remains dark and mysterious. He watches the fence, his eyes taking in every detail, every knot in the wood, every leaf that has fallen on it.
"Where's that Jounin and the rest of my team?" Saruhiko murmurs to himself, his voice low, almost a whisper. "Will it be Asuma, Kurenai, Guy, or Kakashi?"
Saruhiko continues to observe the forest, his mind wandering between the possible leaders of his team. Each name brings with it a different expectation, a unique leadership style. His thoughts are interrupted by a distant scream, a voice that approaches quickly.
"Sorry! Sorry I'm late!"
The voice becomes clearer as it gets closer. Saruhiko turns towards the sound and sees Toshinori Yagi, the Sai from the original canon, running towards him, waving with one hand while the other holds a backpack that swings awkwardly on his back.
"Hey, Saruhiko-san! I'm really sorry I'm late. I had problems leaving home," Sai says, panting, upon reaching Saruhiko. His pale face is flushed with exertion, but his friendly smile remains firm. "My mother hugged me before leaving and didn't want to let go."
"Hmmm," the reincarnated muttered, still shocked at how different Sai had become due to his interference.
Saruhiko watches Yagi with a critical eye, but the pale boy doesn't seem to notice. He adjusts his backpack on his back and approaches, with a smile still firmly on his face.
"Saruhiko-san, do you know who our Jounin will be?" Toshinori asks, voice full of enthusiasm. "Whoever it is, I'm sure we'll impress that person. With someone as strong as you on the team, there's no way we can fail! I hope our third member is as good as you; after all, I'm probably the weakest in the group."
The enthusiastic young man continued talking. Even though Saruhiko didn't interact with him, after a few minutes that seemed like hours to Saruhiko, he questions Yagi with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you always like this?"
"Like this?" questions the smiling ninja, tilting his head, confused.
"So... happy."
Yagi laughs, a light, carefree sound.
"Ah, Saruhiko-san, life is too short not to enjoy every moment," the pale boy concluded with a wide smile.
"I bet you're the kind of people who say 'good morning' excitedly on a Monday morning."
"I really am!" Yagi exclaims in surprise. "How do you know?"
In response, the reincarnated just sighs tiredly.
'I hope the Jounin and the final member are less annoying than this smiling ass,' Saruhiko thinks in silence, feeling tired.
A few minutes pass with Yagi talking and Saruhiko trying to ignore him, until the wind blowing starts to gain strength, whistling through the tree branches. Dry leaves dance in the air, spinning in chaotic spirals. Saruhiko feels a shiver run down his spine. He stands up, his hand already pulling a kunai from his bandoleer. His eyes scan the forest, alert, ready for any threat.
Toshinori, on the other hand, seems disoriented. His smile disappears, replaced by an expression of confusion. He looks around, as if searching for something lost, his black eyes reflecting the rustle of the leaves.
"Saruhiko-san, what's going on?" asks the pale ninja, his voice almost muffled by the sound of the wind.
A stronger gust makes the tree branches crack. Suddenly, two shadows fall from the sky, landing with a thud a few meters away.
The first figure is a girl the same size as them, dressed completely in black, with white bandages covering most of her body and bright red eyes behind a pair of thick glasses with black frames.
'This girl reminds me of someone…' Saruhiko thinks in silence.
Although he didn't recognize the first figure, he knows who the second one is from the start.
Tall and imposing, she takes a step forward. The morning sun reflects off her purple hair, tied in an upward bun. A fringe covers part of her face, revealing eyes of the same color, intense and penetrating.
She wears a ninja outfit that highlights her curves, a sleeveless top that leaves her defined arms on display. Tight shorts go down to the middle of her thighs, and tall boots cover her legs up to her knees. A cape with the insignia of Konoha hangs from her shoulders, swaying gently in the remaining wind.
Anko's imposing figure moves with feline grace, each step exuding confidence and power. Her snake necklace glistens in the sun, adding a touch of mystery to her already striking presence. She stops a few meters away from Saruhiko and Toshinori, her purple eyes fixed on the two young ninjas.
"Pay close attention, brats, because I'm not going to repeat myself." Anko says, her voice charged with an energy that makes the air around her feel electrified. "I'm Mitarashi Anko, your new sensei. And this mummy here," she points to the smaller figure next to her, "is your new teammate."
At the same time, Saruhiko falls to his knees with open arms, looking at the sky.
"THANK YOU, KISHIMOTO-SENSEI!" Saruhiko shouted excitedly. "THANKS!"
Everyone stares at Saruhiko, shocked and embarrassed by his outburst. Yagi, with wide eyes, doesn't seem to know whether to laugh or hide from it. The smaller figure, still shrouded in mystery, tilts its head, curious, but without revealing much. Anko reacts by letting out a mocking laugh, shaking her head.
"Don't worry, geniuses are usually crazy," she admits, her voice filled with a mixture of amusement and resignation. "But let's get to the point. You two," she points to Saruhiko and Toshinori, "already know each other. And you," she turns to the smaller figure, "are theirs senior who was transferred to this team. I'm not going to do the work of learning your names before you pass my test."
"Which is what exactly?" Yagi asks cruiosly.
With a sadistic smile, Anko points in the direction of the forest.
"Spend a night at Shinobi no Mori."
A chill runs down young Yagi's spine; just the thought of spending the night in the dangerous forest makes his stomach turn.
Saruhiko, on the other hand, shouts victoriously.
"Ha! Knew it."
Everyone stares at the young boy still on his knees.
"Best day ever!"
N:IS
In the early evening, the dense forest where the moonlight barely touched the ground, a giant panther with a muscular body heavier than a horse moved with silent grace, its huge paws touching the soft ground without making a sound. Its eyes, golden and piercing, shone in the darkness as it peered through the shadows of the tall trees.
The beast watched patiently, each movement calculated, as it approached a small camp where three children slept around a glowing fire. The panther, almost invisible in the shadows, advanced carefully, its muscular body undulating like a living shadow between the tree trunks, tension growing as it approached its prey.
Finally close enough to smell its prey, which was camouflaged by the ashes of the fire, she jumps, attacking the nearest child.
But something falls from the top of the trees toward the large predator.
"Sledgehammer-no-jutsu!" Saruhiko shouts, hitting the animal's head with the sledgehammer.
The animal yelped upon receiving the impact, losing consciousness shortly afterward.
"That's the most powerful jutsu of all," said Saruhiko, raising the sledgehammer high.
Then, the young man turns to his red-eyed teammate, who fell from the top of the trees with him.
"Not only did my plan work, but now we have fresh meat for dinner."
The enigmatic figure crosses its arms and glares at Saruhiko irritably.
"I never doubted that you were capable of winning; I questioned the need to let the creature get so close to the camp."
Saruhiko shrugs and crouches down, slitting the animal's throat with a kunai, ensuring it is dead as he prepares to drain its blood.
"And did I really need to serve as bait?" Yagi complained, getting up from the sleeping bag that was almost devoured.
"Look… I could have even used a kage-bushin," explains Saruhiko, cutting the dead animal. "But I don't have as much chakra as Naruto."
Yagi nods in satisfaction, while Saruhiko laughs softly so his pale teammate doesn't hear.
"How many clones can you make before you run out of chakra?" asks their red-eyed colleague.
"More than 50," Saruhiko responds to his colleague, who crosses her arms and shakes her head in disapproval. "I didn't lie; Naruto can make more clones than he can count… that is, at least a hundred."
On the other side of Konoha territory, Naruto sneezes while tied to a post.
Saruhiko quickly finishes separating the panther meat. Using an empty storage scroll, he stores the meat he was not going to use, and using a kage-bushin, he carries the remains he was not interested in away from their camp.
While his clone discarded the carcass, Saruhiko began cooking soup in a large cauldron using the panther's meat and some spices he brought.
"You really are incredible Saruhiko-san, so well-prepared," Yagi comments, surprised by all the equipment the reincarnated man was using. "You brought a lot of things."
"When I found out that our meeting point was next to this forest, I decided to get ready to camp," Saruhiko responds, smiling proudly. "Camp supplies, food, water, medicine, tools, ropes, and other things are stored in these scrolls."
Finishing speaking, Saruhiko opens his robe, showing several scrolls hidden inside.
"The monkey is smarter than his mouth makes him seem," the team's only kunoichi comments in a sarcastic tone.
A vein pops out on Saruhiko's forehead. With his blood boiling, he takes some pills from his pocket without anyone noticing.
'At least now I won't feel bad doing this,' Saruhiko thinks, adding the pills to the soup he was stirring.
"Changing the subject," the black-haired Uzumaki says, drawing the attention of his colleagues. "I'm grateful you warned us about the panther; your sensor abilities are incredible, miss Mummy, but…"
The girl with red eyes frowns angrily but approaches the boy, curious to what the reincarnated man was going to talk about. As soon as she stood next to the cauldron, Saruhiko shouted,
"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!?" Saruhiko shouted, his voice echoing throughout the forest.
The bandaged figure's eyes widened, clearly bothered by Saruhiko's scream.
"What's wrong with you, aho-saru!" the girl complains, punching Saruhiko in the head, who doesn't even show a reaction. "Do you want to attract all the predators in the forest?"
After the interaction, she straightens her glasses and introduces herself, assuming a formal posture.
"My name is Karin," his colleague responds, looking at him again with her red eyes.
"Just Karin?" Yagi repeats, intrigued. "No last name?"
The girl nods with a melancholy look.
"Yes, just Karin…"
Saruhiko frowns, curious.
"And why all this mystery?" The young man asks, removing the ladle from the soup and pointing at the girl. "Are you bandaged because of some jutsu? Do you have a black dragon tattoo on some part of your body?"
Karin sighs, a sound full of tiredness and pain.
"My body…" She starts but stops for a second, as if looking for the right way to say it. "My last mission with my old team was a catastrophe. I was lucky to survive…"
A tense silence fell between the young people, the only noise being the sound of the fire that Saruhiko used to heat the soup. Yagi, always the most sensitive of the group, approaches, smiling welcomingly.
"We are a new team. You don't need to tell us now if you don't feel comfortable, Karin-san."
Despite Yagi's sensitivity and compassion, Karin looks away in distress and frustration, as if she were ashamed of what she is feeling.
"If we go through Anko-sensei's provation…" Karin begins, hesitating for a second. "I promise to tell you… someday."
Yagi smiles, feeling satisfied, while Saruhiko blinks his eyes, not knowing what to say. The best approach that comes to mind is the idea of changing the subject.
"Well, Karin, it's nice to meet you," says the boy with a monkey's tail, approaching the kunoichi with his hand outstretched. "I am Uzumaki Saruhiko, the next Shinobi no Kami."
The girl stared at him for a second, surprised by both the gesture and her teammate's statement, but she ended up shaking his hand.
"And thanks for the help with the panther," Saruhiko says, returning to the soup. "Without you and your sensor skills, we might have been in trouble."
Karin nods, a slight smile on her lips that her colleagues aren't able to see.
"You're welcome. I'm happy to help."
The night wears on, and the camp warms with the fire and steaming soup. Saruhiko, Yagi, and Karin settle in, sharing stories and laughter, the previous tension slowly dissipating.
(#)End of chapter!(#)
Good evening people,
[-] Saruhiko likes to play the smart guy who knows it all, but he still hasn't figured out the identity of the girl on his team.
[-] The first time I read a fic where Naruto trained seals was in the story, Game of Shadows of Adrian King1(Excellent story), I don't know if he was the first person to have this idea, but it inspired me to make this Naruto with seal training better than the original.
[-] Saruhiko's team has Sai, Karin and Anko as sensei. What do you think of the team? I know Anko is a cliche in Naruto fic, but I couldn't help but put her in the position.