#because he wanted to help tazuna properly

[team7-headquarter]

HE WAS SO MAD

[discoabc]

Extra: Not Again

A/N: Long story short, my lil bro got mugged today (he’s alright!! But understandably not feeling great :( ) so I really didn’t have the time or energy to finish an entire chapter. BUT I found a plan for a requested Wave arc extra from Sasuke’s POV and since it is the beautiful boy’s bday today I thought it would be a good substitute. It is set during ch. 17 and whilst is a little messy since my thoughts were kinda elsewhere today I think it came out alright :) . . .

Sasuke noticed me as I ran in a wide circle around the dome, eyes meeting mine with a question then alarm when he noticed what I was doing. Haku saw me a split second later although, by the time he'd gone through the same reasoning as my Uchiha teammate, I was already running back to Tazuna. "You-"

"Naruto, get ready!" Sasuke yelled, the blonde twisting around in confusion.

"What do you mean get ready-"

The explosion was deafening.

They’d been trained during the Academy to deal with drops from large heights. On ground you were to fall to the side upon landing. On water, feet first, leaning backward slightly. But, most importantly, to always, always cushion the fall with as much chakra as possible.

Sasuke had less than a second to remember that all before he hit the water’s surface.

Pain ricocheted through his legs as the icy cold swallowed him whole. The sudden sensation pried his mouth open in shock and the water snuck inside, forcing itself down his throat. Sasuke choked, arms flailing in panic that was unlike him, struggling against the invisible hands yanking downwards on his clothing. He scrunched his eyes up tight, kicking and thrashing and clawing at the water until finally he broke the surface, his wheezing gasp for air inaudible through his ringing ears.

Sasuke’s body shivered involuntarily as he coughed up mouthfuls of seawater. With each splutter the high pitched noise rippling through his skull lessened until he could finally hear the crashing of the waves and the sound of someone else thrashing violently in the water beside him.

Naruto.

His eyes snapped open and the relief of the initially blurred sight of his orange teammate momentarily numbed the stabbing cold in his skin. “You bastard, how the hell was I meant to get ready for that?” The moment ended quickly.

“Oh, shut up, idiot!” Sasuke hid another cough behind a yell, reaching forwards with both hands to haul himself out of the water. It bowed beneath him as he struggled to his feet, knees slipping underwater briefly, and once up he staggered a little. The fall and subsequent near drowning had sapped almost embarrassingly at his strength and it was only Naruto’s own struggle to get to his feet that hid Sasuke’s near tumble.

Breathing hard and fists clenching by his sides, Sasuke craned his neck backwards, squinting at the large hole blown into the bridge above. “Sakura-chan could’ve warned us a bit more first!” Naruto’s complaint was followed by a yelp went he lost control of the chakra on his right foot and suddenly plummeted downwards again. Sasuke ignored him, mind racing.

She blew the bridge up to get us away from that guy…

His teammate’s solution to the problem that had kept Naruto and him trapped in that dome of mirrors was annoyingly obvious. A pulse of anger shot through the Uchiha and he bit down hard on his lip, the taste of salt exploding in his mouth. They couldn’t destroy the ice mirrors so of course their only other option was to destroy the bridge. Plain and simple. The irritation that he hadn’t been the one to figure it out when he should’ve done made his wet skin itch, the urge to shiver in the cold only worsening it.

(Because there were self-imposed standards he’d put on himself as a child and he had to live up to them no matter what, not even if he was distracted by someone trying to kill him, not even if he was too busy saving his teammate’s life-)

A scream tore through the air.

“Sakura!”

Sasuke hadn’t even realized he’d yelled alongside Naruto until he was already scrambling for the bridge, adrenaline dragging back the dredges of strength he had thought he’d left scattered in the water. “She’s alone up there!” Naruto shrieked, pointing out the obvious in a way that so did not help.

(He was seeing her lifeless body bobbing in the water and one body pulled out the memories of others and oh god, he didn’t want to see someone die again, not again.)

His heart thundered in his ears, feet slamming into the side of the bridge only for the wet soles of his sandals to make him slip. Just in time, he smacked his hands into the concrete to stop him from falling and it cut into his palms, drawing blood. Damn it! The wince was swallowed by a loud intake of air and Sasuke pulled his legs back up, forcing more chakra down to his feet in order for them to properly stick. Unwanted panic made the ascension even more difficult, only worsened by the sound of voices and cries of pain that got louder the higher they got.

“Please make it in time,” Naruto choked out beside him, fingers scraped and bloodied from the climb.

Please make it in time, please make it in time, please make it in time.

Sasuke reached the top of the bridge a fraction of a second before Naruto, grabbing the side with his hand and swinging himself over. The entire scene was a mess (there was another boy that was horrifyingly green, senbon and shuriken thrown across the ground, shards of a shattered mask scattered in amongst rubble) but his eyes found Sakura first (battered, bloodied, breathing). Her, then the ice mirror forming behind her.

And Sasuke didn’t even think, didn’t even scream out a warning like Naruto did, he just moved.

Shuriken flew from his hand in a perfect arc, a throw worthy of the awe of the Academy instructors, but it meant nothing. Because Sasuke knew they weren’t moving fast enough and the senbon would reach Sakura first.

However, the warning did. “Sakura-chan, watch out!”

Sakura snapped her body around in a way that Sasuke later remembered as acutely reminiscent of how she moved during the bell test. But there were no emotions of shock or the angry, bitter self-loathing of someone showcasing their potentially superior skills when he heard the familiar crack of the bone. Instead, the only emotion rising inside him was relief that his annoying, snarky mess of a teammate was alive.

(Not again, he heard himself whisper in a voice younger than his own, never again.)

[kuriquinn]

Still

Disclaimer & Masterpost 

Summary: Kakashi can’t help the whimsical smile on his face as he watches his former students, interacting with one another as if no time has passed. This peace won’t last long, he knows. But for right now, in this tiny medical tent, they can all pretend for a little longer that everything is going to work out perfectly. [NarutoWeek2017 – Day 1 - Prompt: “Team 7”]

While the rest of the world is busy combing the battlefields for the wounded and burying their dead, the original members of Team 7 are forcibly put on bedrest. None of them are very happy about it, but no one is really in the right condition to fight it.

And Tsunade Senju is not a woman to be argued with.

“That’s all we need now, is for the saviours of the Shinobi World to drop dead from exhaustion,” she remarks imperiously, stepping back into a command role with ease. “You’re all going to sit tight and recover your mental and physical faculties before you even think of dealing with other matters – yes, Sakura, that means you too!”

And she stalks out of the tent leaving her apprentice silently fuming.

“Thanks, Sasuke,” Naruto sneers, albeit without true malice. “This is all your fault for trying to look cool! And making Sakura have to carry your unconscious ass back here, too! Looks like things haven’t changed since we were kids!”

A hand slaps the back of his head, and he winces. “Owww…Sakura, I’m injured! You can’t go hitting people in the head that are already hurt!”

“Then don’t pretend like you’re any better than Sasuke,” Sakura chides. “I had to carry you both back here because you hyperventilated yourself into unconsciousness!”

Sasuke smirks. “Loser.”

“Honestly, I told you two to take it easy, that was not taking it easy,” she goes on, hands on her hips. “I know you had to dispel the Infinite Tsukuyomi, but wouldn’t it have made more sense to eat a few ration pills to get your strength up beforehand? Honestly, the two of you are so short-sighted sometimes, I don’t even know how you’ve managed to survive so long. And another thing…”

Kakashi can’t help the whimsical smile on his face as he watches his former students, interacting with one another as if no time has passed.

This peace won’t last long, he knows.

There’s the matter of rebuilding the world following the war, a task he knows he’s going to get saddled with (Tsunade has made it pretty plain to him she has no intention of taking back the mantle of Hokage after this is all over). If that’s the case, it means he has to invest in getting Naruto rehabilitated and ready to take over as soon as humanly possible, which is a whole other headache. Then there’s sorting out all the trouble Sasuke’s been causing (he has no idea how he’s going to talk the kid out of that metaphorical nest of vipers), and being there for Sakura when the post-traumatic stress finally hits (Naruto and Sasuke have been dealing with this in one form or another their entire lives; Kakashi’s not sure how his lone female student will cope).

But for right now, in this tiny medical tent, they can all pretend for a little longer that everything is going to work out perfectly.

Several cots have been squeezed into the small structure, along with trays of bandages and other equipment set aside for their use. Yamato has been brought here as well, and lies utterly still, while IV lines stream medicine and nutritional fluids into his weakened body.

If anyone deserves some rest and relaxation after all this, it’s Tenzou…

Kakashi lies supine, his limbs heavy like lead and every thought making his head spin; he’s a little dizzy, as well, not used to seeing out of two eyes after so many years forced to rely only on his right. Naruto is a ball of barely contained energy, cross-legged on his cot and bouncing up and down nervously; he’s still running on adrenaline. And Sasuke…is twitchy for an altogether different reason.

Despite being in the company of those he considers precious for the first time in years, he looks utterly vulnerable.  As if he can’t quite figure out how he came to be here or what his next move is meant to be. For someone whose entire life is a series of steps taken to reach a new goal, Kakashi imagines he’s feeling a little lost right now.  

Sakura paces back and forth, practically chomping at the bit in her concern for the people outside their tent. Every now and then she sits down beside Naruto or Sasuke and rechecks their arms, muttering about their idiocy and all the medical procedures they’re going to have to go through once they return to Konoha. Neither boy complains, though, taking her mile-a-minute fretting with heretofore unseen patience.

So much for Tsunade ordering her to rest…

Every now and again, Sakura will suddenly go utterly still and gaze over at Sasuke. Her expression blooms into an expression of such utter joy and love that Kakashi feels as if he is intruding simply by observing it. But before he can look away, it is replaced with something cold and hollow, like she’s remembering something horrible, and then she’s once more a whirling dynamo of fretting and rambling.

She might not notice the way Sasuke’s eyes follow her when she moves around, but Kakashi does. There’s no discernable intent behind it, no sudden epiphany or understanding, but Kakashi gets the sense that the foundation for something are being laid in this moment.

He hopes to one day see it come to fruition.

No one talks about the bevvy of guards surrounding the tent, the express purpose of their presence being to ensure that Sasuke Uchiha doesn’t go anywhere.

Not that he has any intention of doing so; he surrendered himself to the closest authority the minute the Infinite Tsukuyomi was dispelled, and intends to accept any punishment that he is due.

(That the closest authority was acting Hokage Kakashi Hatake is only coincidence and proximity; Sasuke didn’t really get a chance to move much farther from him before passing out due to the combined effects of chakra depletion and blood-loss.)

When Sai arrives, carrying an armful of clothing and rations, he is practically ambushed by Sakura and Naruto (“Naruto, what the hell are you doing! Get back to bed, you’re not supposed to be standing!” “But Sakura, he brought ramen! It’s crappy military ramen, but still!” “I don’t care! Sit down before I make you sit down!” “Huh. It seems being a war hero hasn’t made your bedside manner any better, Ugly – ow!”). Kakashi is also curious about the state of affairs, but he can bide his time while Naruto relieves Sai of his burden (ramen first, of course!) and Sakura envelops him in a tight hug.

“I’m glad you’re alright,” she tells him warmly. “Everything happened so fast before, we lost track of you.”

“It’s thanks to you guys that I am,” Sai replies evenly, and then looks over her shoulder to see Sasuke observing the entire interchange silently. There’s a subtle down-turn of Sai’s lips, and he slowly pulls away from Sakura.

Approaching the missing-nin with the same wary air of someone facing off against a lion, Sai wanders over to stand before the surviving Uchiha. Naruto and Sakura immediately go still, as if anticipating the need to protect someone – but unsure who should merit that.

“I have read that first impressions tend to irrevocably influence future relationships,” Sai begins quietly. “Yet since knowing Naruto and Sakura, I have learned different. I would…not be averse to seeing if my first impressions of you were wrong. At some point in the future, of course.”

The tiniest frown appears in Sasuke’s forehead at this, not quite sure how to respond.

Sai holds out a spare Allied Shinobi Force uniform and flak-jacket. “This should be in your size, Coward.”

Naruto makes a choking noise, and Sakura’s cheeks turn an angry red; Kakashi wonders if he’s going to have to intervene in yet another teen-angst-fueled altercation.

A moment later, however, something unspoken appears to pass between the two, because Sasuke nods once and replies, “These will be sufficient.”

And the tense atmosphere dissipates.

At least he didn’t call him “traitor”, I guess…

Sakura wastes no time dragging Sai away to lecture him about tact, before switching gears, demanding updates on the world beyond their little tent. She wants to know the status of the wounded, the current supply situation, whether they have to worry about clean drinking water, are any outbreaks of sickness being properly quarantined, and have transports back to the various villages been organized –

“Ino said if I told you anything while you were supposed to be resting that she’d hurt me, and honestly, she scares me more than you do,” Sai replies dutifully, causing Sakura to erupt into a furious, anti-Ino rant.

Meanwhile, Naruto has brought back two of the tiny ramen rations to where Sasuke is sitting, and as he waits for the tiny field kettle to boil, chats idly about how he can’t wait to return home for Ichiraku ramen.

He regales his friend with stories about the new menu, changes in flavour, the new premises – which leads to a long, drawn-out explanation of how the village was destroyed in Pein’s attack. Sasuke listens gravely, no doubt thinking of his own recent goals, and for a wonder Naruto notices, because he quickly changes the subject to happier topics – reuniting with Tazuna and Inabi, how he and Sakura defeated Kakashi’s bell test (“Really?” Sasuke says, staring over Kakashi like he doesn’t know if he should be judgemental or amused about the entire thing.) and how even after everything, Condor the Ninja ostrich is still alive and kicking.

(Sasuke looks comically disgruntled at this news.)

The warm reminisces are interspersed with good-natured teasing. It feels a little bit forced, but everyone appreciates it all the same.

Naruto grumbles. “Real asshole move, Sasuke, taking the hand I use to hold my chopsticks…”

“Tch. It’s your own fault for not becoming ambidextrous,” Sasuke retorts, and then utterly invalidates his argument by slopping his own ration down his front.

“Come on, Sai,” Sakura sighs out loud, “let’s help them before someone ends up with chopsticks up their nose…”

“Is such a thing an actual medical concern?” Sai wonders, although he dutifully follows Sakura and proceeds to help Naruto; it isn’t even a question that Sakura will see to Sasuke.

Kakashi chuckles and pulls himself into a sitting position, reaching for the pile of clean clothing. Bathing is a long way off, but he wants to get rid of the sticky, itching sensation of dried blood against his skin.

He thinks nothing of stripping off his blood-stained, torn clothing right there. Battlefield conditions leave little room for modesty, and besides – they’re all men here, and Sakura is a medic that’s changed his bedpans and seen him in various states of undress over the years thanks to his propensity for landing himself in the hospital.

They’re a far cry from the easily embarrassed youngers he was responsible so long ago –

“Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura says suddenly, while he is in the process of tossing aside his ruined flak jacket, “you should really take off that mask. There’s got to be a lot of blood and other toxins on it that have dried. You don’t want to be breathing that in while you’re recovering.”

Her words are delivered in the usual matter-of-fact manner of a physician, and yet there’s something entirely too innocent about it.

Dimly, Kakashi notices that Naruto and Sasuke have gone utterly and completely still, though their gazes have abruptly zeroed in on his face.

A long-forgotten memory hits him then, bringing with it a tidal wave of nostalgia, and Kakashi can’t help smirk.

Ah. So that’s what this is…

“You’re right,” he says, solemnly, surreptitiously sneaking a nearby surgical mask into his hand. “I definitely don’t want to breathe anymore toxins in, especially in my weakened state.”

He reaches for the bottom of his shirt to pull it and his mask over his head, and in a move that even Sasuke’s Sharingan couldn’t track, he fits it over his face.

“Much better,” he declares to his staring former genin squad.

The so-called Neo Sannin all slouch forward, exhaling in united frustration.

“Still?” Sasuke asks.

“Still,” Naruto and Sakura chorus.

Sai just looks confused.

We’re going to be alright, Kakashi realises.

終わり

Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated!

クリ

Next Chapter

[arachcobra]

Naruto Episode 10 Review

Climbing up trees is a vital skill, you know.

Review of Naruto Episode 10: The Forest of Chakra

ArachCobra

So Kakashi wake up at Tazuna's place, still fully dressed. I guess everyone just assumed that the nice blanket they put over him would counter any ill effect of his completely soaked clothes.

Then, gathering the crew around him, he starts expositing on what the hunter-nin are, with some dramatic scenes illustrating his points.

And then, we cut to the mysterious masked lad and Zabuza. And egads, Zabuza is alive. And gadzooks, Mask Man is his ally. And is named Haku. They have some dialogue, but its rather stilted and feels more like they're saying stuff to inform the audience rather than to actually speak like people.

So we cut back to Kakashi, who I guess just sat in silence thinking while everyone waited awkwardly for him to continue, while Zabuzaq and Haku did their thing. He realizes that Haku must be Zabuza's ally. Some of his reasons work just fine, but he also argues that Haku's weapon of choice, needles, isn't very deadly. Now, you can probably argue that in untrained hands, a large needs is less likely to do lethal damage than if you were hosing someone down full auto with a machine-gun. But given the skill Haku demonstrated in his short appearance, there can be no doubt that he can do some serious damage with those needles. So that argument doesn't really hold water. And then Inari shows up to be a bit of a moodkiller.

Anyway, Kakashi wants his group to train in the woods. Despite living in a ninja village ,the three are astonished to be asked to climb trees without using their hands. We get some more exposition on chakra thanks to Sakura and when it comes to the actual procedure, Sakura beats both the boys easily. It's actually nice to see Sakura being utilized here considering that she's just kinda been present for the last couple of episodes.

Of course, Kakashi then uses this fact to goad both Naruto and Sasuke, outright saying that it's kinda sad that a Hokage wannabe and the last Uchiha can't do better than Sakura. And she of course gets angry because she believes Kakashi just made Sasuke angry at her.

Surely this framework of constant comparisons and one-upping is the perfect environment to nurture a healthy sense of teamwork.

So they train, slowly making progress and Naruto asks Sakura for help, which Kakashi thinks demonstrates he's started to understand teamwork.

Not really. If this was teamwork, he'd ask Sakura to teach him and Sasuke. As it is, he just wants to be better than Sasuke. Which is kind of a bad precedent for the team, that one member wants to rpevent another from advancing, just so they themselves can be seen as better.

All in all, this episode is okay, but with some conceptual problems here and there that could stand to be ironed out, mostly how the show tries to emphasize teamwork while showing a complete lack of it. This causes the narrative to trip over itself.

Givenea

So, a lot of faffing about in this episode, Kakashi realizes that Zabuza is alive, the team start learning to walk up trees and Zabuza swears vengeance on Kakashi. Training seem much too basic for the threat they’re facing; they should properly just leave Tazuna’s lying ass and go home. Maybe find another way the help the Land of Waves. This may seem harsh, but at this point it is really a question of letting him die or going on a suicide mission. Had they turned around right after facing the demon brothers, they could have gotten proper backup or a more qualified team send out instead. Too late now, I guess.

Fluttersniper13

Pointless wake up scene, stupid facial animations, trees, trees, more treess, some insulting of Sakura and trees, trees and more trees. Lots of trees in this one.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13125294/7/Naruto-Rewrite-1-Road-to-Ninja