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Chapter Text

Through the eyes of a demon

Ps. Haku is a she in this. (No not because of a pairing, I just think Haku being a whole dude is just cursed. If you’re re reading this, it has been changed.)

(Chapter 1)

"Sasuke!"

The black haired boy's senbon riddled body was slowly falling to the ground. The shirtless boy behind him stood, shocked at his actions. Shocked at how much of a coward he had been, but he wasn't only shocked at himself, he was shocked that his friend had jumped in between them to save him. He simply stood there shaking, while his friend risked his life to protect him.

Naruto ran up and caught Sasuke in his arms before he could fully fall over.

"That man…" The black haired boy shifted to look up at his friend, he had two X shaped scratches under both of his eyes, and one larger one on his left cheek. Opening his eyes, he spoke again.

"Until I killed… my brother… I absolutely refused to die…". Naruto froze, his brother was the one that he wanted to kill? Naruto wanted to stop his friend from talking, to tell him to preserve his energy, but he felt he needed to hear what he had to say. "That's what I decided, but…" Sasuke attempted to reach up and grab his friend's shoulder as his vocal cords cried out and shook with emotion as he continued to speak. "If you found your death here, it would be a waste of mine.…" The black haired boy went rigid right as he touched his friend's shoulder and fell to his side, limp.

The blond haired shinobi froze, eyes widened slowly, seeing his friend's eyes close as he breathed his last breath. "Even though I hated you… no, I only convinced myself that I hated you." an image of the masked shinobi that had murdered his friend passed through his mind. "This wont stand…"

Haku came out of his ice mirrors and walked towards Naruto. "Is this the first time one of your comrades has died? This is what it means to be a Shinobi. Your friend died protecting you."

Thump. The boy's heartbeat echoed through his mind as all of his feelings and thoughts transformed into one, single emotion, Rage . a deep, guttural growling sound coming deep within the boy's throat.

From every point on the surface of his body, Naruto began leaking a demonic red and black chakra; it leaked into the air like a heavy, oppressive cloud above his head in the form of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox itself,, the symbol of terror and destruction to all those who had seen it– the bane of the Hidden Leaf, It's eyes; a deep red, with a black slitted pupil, much like the boy below it, just before it destabilized and lost form The chakra howled and twisted, his fingernails morphed into long claws, easily over an inch, each claw, and that too hurt like hell.

Haku found herself completely off balance, struggling to not fly into her ice mirrors. "This chakra is foul! I can feel the malice, it’s visible….I–It's…unlike anything I've ever seen!" The ice user thought, in part surprise, part fear, keeping her distance, as much distance as she could keep inside this ice dome, and soon it would be a liability to even herself.

"You’re gonna die for that…" The boy spoke, in a scratchy, low voice, slowly standing up, muscles aching, but at the same time, they felt as if they were being invigorated, his energy rising. The mass of reddish orange above the feral boy morphed unnaturally, the fog changing into into nine long tails that moved like otherworldly tentacles, before it abruptly and violently latched onto the blonde boy's face at breakneck speeds. Naruto's red eyes widened and he clenched his head in pain, his mouth opened in a silent scream,

" What is happening to this child!?" Quite frankly the girl was terrified. How could she not be? She was standing in front of the boy who was about to become the most horrifying monster the world had ever seen.

"aH–aaaAAAHHHHHHGHHHH! The boy let out a bloodcurdling, inhuman scream of pure torture. His fangs became longer and sharper to the point of drawing blood from his lip. One of the chakra tails attached to his face crawled its way into the boy's eye sockets by puncturing it. The tail of chakra let out a dark, red liquid that quickly filled the entire volume of the eyeballs, including the sclera; the only part of the eye left that was still the same, was the dark, black pupil in the middle of the eye. Seven black concentric circles formed around said part of the eye, which was about half as small as it was before.

The nine tails of chakra squirmed like it was a living thing– and now, a parasite, forcing it’s volume inside the feeble eye sockets, it was pure torture on his end, the most painful thing he could have imagined feeling, but his eyes… they radiated power. 

Naruto went silent, and just… layed there for a moment, Haku stood still, not daring to move, and just then… his limbs twitched, and he unnaturally rose from the ground like a lifeless puppet, standing on two feet. Naruto's expression was no longer angry, but the void of emotion. it appeared as if all of his anger converted to pure, visual prowess.

An ethereal object wrapped itself around the boy; a white kimono with deep, red lining, and a soft scarf and robe of the same color red; the kimono reached down all the way to the boy's ankles. A soft rope of red cloth was fastened to the boy's waist, keeping the piece of clothing together, a black robe draped over his shoulders. 

The black headband on the boy's forehead came undone and fell to the ground, allowing his hair to fall loosely. Thin locks of hair framed Naruto's narrow face from the separation in the middle of his hair, stopping just below his mouth. The back end of the boy's hair was brought off into a spiky ponytail behind his head, the wispy locks of hair at the front of his face remained and continued to frame his face.

Everything was completely silent, and Haku shakily prepared to attack. Haku couldnt sense anything was wrong, but it just… didnt feel right, you learn to trust these senses when you live as a shinobi, but it’s for her master so she cant back down. Is this… a bloodline?! It seems that demonic chakra was absorbed into his eyes, this… could be very bad… Shinobi that have just awakened their bloodline are always very dangerous. I must tread very carefully.

Haku appeared in all of her mirrors at once; she flashed through hand signs, " Ice release: Demonic ice needles" needles of ice flew from all directions, heading for Naruto, it was an attempt to get the problem out of the way immediately, she could no longer afford to only aim for non-vital spots, it was live or die, and he had to live.

The needles flew at ridiculous speeds, completely invisible, packing the velocity and force behind them to cut through even experienced jonin level shinobi– it had worked for her countless times, they never failed her, but right as they got a few inches away from Naruto, In an instant, all of the ice needles were stopped by an invisible force field of some sort, floating helplessly in the air, vibrating with the influence of something like a magnetic force.

Haku’s eyes widened in shock, they were just… hovering there in space, like there was an invisible barrier, it didnt make sense, you cant just make a barrier like that without elemental chakra, it’s not that dense, it’s for techniques. That’s what she thought, that’s what everyone thinks, but it doesnt apply here.

And then it happened, the very air itself shook and warmed, and with a forceful shockwave that broke the sound barrier, the chakra infused ice needles flew through the air like bullets, many times faster than they were thrown, hitting the ice mirrors so forcefully they cleanly pierced through, melting quickly after from the heat generated by the raw speed of the projectiles; hundreds of tiny holes now lined the dome of ice. The foundation shattered, and a crushing force of chakra exploded from both of Naruto's hands, completely destroying the ice mirrors and everything around them.

A large explosion of dust and debris extending high into the sky shook the entire bridge, even making Sakura and the bridge builder on the other side tremble as the boy's intense, blistering chakra scorched the bridge, turning the area around him to nothing but ash and embers. A crater about 6 meters wide, and a meter deep was created under Naruto's feet; trailing all the way to both sides of a bridge, a large divot of destroyed and burnt pavement was created by the blast of chakra that came from the boy's hands, sharp fragments of the blackened pavement stuck out of the ground in an uneven fashion. Naruto jumped out of the crater, landing with grace and absolute silence.

(With Kakashi, a few moments earlier)

"Lightning Blade!" Kakashi dashed towards' Zabuza at an invisible speed, his dogs biting at his enemy ruthlessly, holding him by his limbs while he struggled to get away, as Kakashi neared striking distance, he brought back his hand, and stabbed down straight through the heart, he coughed up blood through his face wrappings as he fell to the ground. Cursing through his teeth, he couldnt even speak his last words.

The demon of the hidden mist, former member of the 7 Swordsmen of the Mist, was finally finished; there was however, no time to celebrate, because the threat isnt over, he needed to take action. Kakashi's dismissed his ninja dogs, sending them back to the summoning realm in a puff of white chakra smoke when the ground shook violently and a loud explosion rung through everyones ears, a large dust cloud blasting past them, it was so loud that it almost blew out their eardrums, like a volcano’s eruption.

It felt as if the ground beneath Kakashi's feet moved, the sound wasn't an explosion; it was a deafening, physics-breaking eruption of displaced air that tore through the mist and slammed into them. He braced himself, his mind already analyzing. 'Not ninjutsu. A purely kinetic event... but the scale...'

"Sensei! Naruto—Sasuke!" Sakura screamed, staggering as the pressure wave hit her.

Kakashi’s Sharingan was already out, a shockwave like that couldnt remain a mystery, it wouldnt be becoming of such a force. He saw the pulverized earth, the atomized ice, and the residual chakra hanging in the air. It wasn't just the chaotic red of the Kyuubi, it was a deep, orderly, terrifying purple. His gaze snapped to Naruto, standing untouched in the center of it all. He zoomed in, past the strange new robes, to his student's face.

To his eyes.

Kakashi’s blood ran cold. 'Seven concentric circles...' A half-forgotten story from Jiraiya, once dismissed as a drunken legend, crashed into his mind with the force of the shockwave he’d just weathered. 

“Sensei, that’s where Naruto and Sasuke are fighting!” she says with a large amount of visible worry, but she knew better than to go over there, she stuck close to Kakashi’s side, moving as he moved.

(With Naruto)

The hunter nin channeled chakra in her hands and flung a volley of senbon at Naruto, to which he swiftly flipped backward over the barrage of needles, putting his left hand back, the senbon behind the boy stopped in the middle of the air and he quickly whipped the same hand forward, sending the sharp tools back at the girl. Haku; not expecting this, couldn't react quickly enough to move out of the way of all of the senbon, the girl's right arm was peppered with almost a dozen senbon. She grunted in pain, but kept moving, pulling a kunai out of her hollister, she dashed at Naruto with the kunai at nearly invisible speeds.

Naruto bent his entire body backwards, completely avoiding the girl's attack. Right as she flew over him, Naruto whipped his right arm out towards Haku, using the girl's long hair to his advantage, he grabbed it and slammed her against the floor, the girl's body bounced up as she coughed up blood from her mouth, but the blonde wasn't done. Ducking low to the ground, Naruto used his his right arm to push himself up off of the ground, flipping his body in midair, the boy hit the masked nin with a reverse roundhouse kick in a blur of speed right as she reached the height of the bounce, sending her flying into one of the slabs of charred concrete protruding out of the ground, shattering it.

Naruto materialized a sharp, black rod into his hand, and whipped it at the girl's arm, using the momentum of his flip to send the weapon flying at invisible speeds. It connected.

Haku grunted in pain, and fell to the ground, the rod in her arm sent foreign, invading chakra throughout her body that threw her all of her chakra points into a haywire state, she could use part of her bodies chakra, but not the other, and altogether it was shaky, but she had to go on.

The wounded girl slowly, being careful of her wounds, got up as the strange eyed boy stared at her eerily, those eyes reminding her more of a machine than a kid, so profoundly expressionless, it was starting to get irritating. Haku’s eyes widened as she perceived the signs of an attack, adrenaline rushed through her, and with a blur of speed, she dashed from her spot, right in time to see over fifteen of those black rods pierce the ground where she was standing, she had to persevere, at least survive if she cant win. 

"What's going on?! I was completely superior to you in every way not even two minutes ago!" she screamed with frustration, forming 5 ice mirrors above Naruto, jumping up to one, she dashed from mirror to mirror until she was right behind him, and she struck, dropkicking him from above, her didnt even look at her, just ducked down, step to the side, and stab a manifested black rod into her leg, and other arm.

Haku screamed out in pain and fell to her knees hot tears blurring her vision behind the mask Naruto dashed towards Haku at Jounin level speeds, but before he could get to her, She pulled out the rod in her right leg, and winced. Haku started to get up, but Naruto wouldn't allow that. "I think I'm done with you… it's pointless to play with you when you’re broken….." Naruto said, in an emotionless voice.

Naruto extended his hand, like he did in the ice mirrors, but he didn't push Haku away like before. His eyes glowed a dark red once again and he pulled his hand back slightly, pulling the girl with the same invisible force he had used to counter Haku's needles, Naruto grabbed the girl by the throat, strangling her, Naruto's arm started to glow blue, it looked like chakra was being pulled into his arm. Yes, Naruto was absorbing the chakra of Haku. She was about to die from chakra exhaustion, but Naruto stopped short when he heard laughter.

"Zabuza, the demon of the hidden mist, and his subordinate were defeated by a mere brat, and a one eyed freak? He doesn't look very demonic now… more along the lines of dead and pathetic" It was Gato, the shipping magnet. And about three hundred men from his gang, armed with all sorts of weapons; samurai swords, pitchforks, knives, and other weapons, there were even some shinobi that had on gear similar to ANBU black ops. it had become night in the time that team 7 had been on the bridge, the moon in the very middle of the sky.

Naruto released his grip around Haku's neck, and she fell to the ground. Haku coughed up blood as she fell over, and nursed her wounded right leg. Naruto looked down at Haku, and he brought one hand up, and motioned it down. "What is he doing….?"

She was cut short by a black root materializing out of thin air, and stabbing Haku in the stomach, she grunted in pain. The spike seemed to be attaching itself to her. "Demonic Wood Style: Cutting Technique" The boy spoke the name of his jutsu evenly before putting his hands in a ram seal to channel his chakra.

Naruto put his hands in a ram seal, and channeled chakra. Over twenty spikes slightly larger than the first exploded from various spots on her body, one even coming from her mouth, blood sprayed from all directions of her body. She didn't even have time to make a noise.

" You bore me…."

The blonde slid the white kimono off of his shoulders. Cracking his muscular neck loudly and indifferently, spitting on her bleeding body. The tears sliding down the girl's face only intensified; even the feel of the slight impact of the saliva reaching her body was enough to make her want to end her own life. Haku was brutalized, but she was still alive. She opened her mouth open in a silent scream, lying in a pool of her own blood.

Sakura slapped a hand over her mouth, as tears poured from her eyes, she took a step back from Naruto. Sakura’s hands shook violently with terror and disgust, even though she knew the sick bastard deserved everything he got, she had never seen such…. brutality. Let let alone from her own teammate, someone who is always smiling, and laughing. Someone who could brighten up anyone's day. Gato and his gang members stiffened in terror. They were starting to think coming here wasn't such a good idea.

Naruto slowly looked up from Haku's bleeding form, and at the thugs. Naruto gave them a stare that had so much malicious intent, so much pure…. hatred, it was palpable; like staring at the devil himself.

The boy's eyes flashed red before he teleported, yes teleported in the middle of the gang. The ones closest to him stumbled to get away, no one was within 15 feet of his immediate premises..”Where do you maggots think you’re going?" the boy spoke, calmly closing his eyes. His eyes were kept closed for a tense ten seconds, before his eyelids slowly opened, revealing eyes that glistened with bloodlust and insanity.

" Die."

A crackling sound could be heard before giant, dark roots made of a black and red substance busted out of the ground at immense speeds, impaling; exploding, and slithering their way into the bodies of the fools who dared to cross him, the fools who dared to interrupt his killings, ripping them apart from the inside. All those grabbed by these vines would meet this fate. Blood sprayed from the bodies of the victims.

Their screams were wet with blood, a gurgling sound coming from some of the men's throats as the life was ripped from them. There was sod much blood it created a red mist that gave off the illusion that the moon was a glowing, dark red. It was as if the sky reflected the malice of the boy's emotions. And every soul left on the bridge was able to see the growing smile of insanity on the boy's face.

The boy looked to Gato and smiled unnervingly; the boy slowly approached the small man, not caring that he was shin deep in blood. The man slowly backed up, eyes wide with terror, this boy, no, monster had killed all of his men, and from the looks of it, he would be joining them soon.

"W–WAIT! I'll do anything! M–money, Women! You name it, Y–you can have it! I really don't need it!" The boy heard the man's pathetic plea for mercy, but did not stop or even slow down his stride. His thirst for death was immeasurable, and he was thirsty. The look on the man's face became more and more desperate, the closer the boy came.

"Aw….come on here! Don't tell me all that i–isn't even a little appealing to you! I don't wanna die! I'll give you a–anything, ANYTHI– MHHHHPHH !" The man was cut off by a clawed hand forcing its way down his throat, wriggling uncomfortably. He was crying, and his screams were muffled by the bloody arm down his throat, some of his teeth broke off in his mouth. The boy didn't care, in fact, his lips parted slightly in an amused smile; fangs glowing menacingly.

He pushed his arm even farther down, and ripped past those offensive organs called intestines , twisting his hand backwards, he grabbed the pulsing, bloody organ called the heart . "Well, there is one thing that you could give me that will satisfy me…." the

he ripped his arm back out, back the way it came, blood spraying from the man's throat, the boy grabbed the man's head with his clawed hands before he could fall down, and violently ripped his jaw off, tongue flopped out into the open air as he let the man go.

The boy leaned over and tore out his throat with his fangs, and spit it off to the side. He was still holding the heart in his hand. He looked at it, and crushed it, blood exploded from the heart. The boy threw it on the ground with a sickening splat.

" Your life…"

The blonde boy's shoulders shook lightly with what seemed to be… laughter?

Small chuckles so quiet you could only just barely hear them if you paid close attention, slowly escalated into loud, maniacal, ear splitting laughter that tore through the cold night air, reaching miles out from the bridge. The boy threw his head back as he continued to laugh, both of his eyes bloodshot and dilated with insanity , it was a truly terrifying sight to see; a fifteen year old teen boy laughing maniacally after slaughtering hundreds of people mercilessly.

But it was very obvious that this was not the laugh of a regular 14 year old boy, no this was the laugh of a broken child who was clinging very dearly to his last bit of sanity. Sanity that was ripped from his grasp by people even more monstrous than him. Monsters who had insisted that a small child was the reincarnation of the demon inside him. Demons who hurt, tortured, and ignored this child, treating him like the disease of the earth.

That child had finally lost the last bit of sanity that he had…..

None of them had ever seen something like that, not even Kakashi, not since that day.

As Naruto stopped laughing, his shoulders dropped down to their original positions, and his eyes dimmed down back to the regular blood red. The boy walked away from the mound of death, and slowly walked up to Haku. She tried to crawl away but to no avail. Naruto bent down and put his hand on top of her head, "Human path" Naruto said softly, the crazed smile slowly fading from his face; replacing itself with a cold dead look. Naruto proceeded to pull an icy blue ethereal figure out of the girl's body, he felt nothing, numb to feeling. He sat down on the girl's body as the blue figure snaked its way into the boy's body, the influx of memories that came rushing into his brain that weren't his didn't affect him at all, at that moment only one thought ran through his mind,

" Why?"

After sitting there for a few minutes; the bridge was eerily silent, the boy stood up slowly. Nobody had dared to move even an inch, too shocked and terrified. Naruto slowly walked forward towards Sakura, Kakashi, and the bridge builder, with a wide eyed stare, not one of surprise, but stoic indifference and lack of emotion.

They all stiffened in anticipation as he was an arms length away. The terrified little girl was sure he was going to kill her. "P–Please don't…. I promise I wont get in your way…." she whimpered out. "I don't wanna die…" she clenched her teary eyes closed, waiting for the pain to come. To her surprise, it never came, she opened her eyes hesitantly to see him walking right past her as if she wasn't there in the first place.

Still staring ahead, eyes not moving even a tiny amount, he kept walking. This whole time Kakashi and Sakura had one thought on their minds; what could drive Naruto to do something like this?

They would soon figure out, as they looked to see what he was walking towards; shock , that's all that registered at the moment. Naruto was walking towards a person…. on the floor…. it was Sasuke, It was Sasuke Uchiha's lifeless body.

Step…. Step…. Step…. The voices in my head wont stop whispering. I can't blame them, after all, it's my fault.

Step…. Step…. Step…. The voices in my head are getting louder.

Step…. Step…. Step…. I'm a failure. The voices….They are screaming now…..

Step…. Step…. Step…. I can't hear anything but the voices now….. It's so loud….. It hurts so much…..

Step…. Step…. Step…. Tears run down my face, yet I can't feel them…. Why is that?

Step…. Step…. Splash!

the boy barely registers the wet feeling on his feet. He looks down and sees his best friend….dead. Crouching down to pick the boy up; he stumbles, and falls to his knees. He picks the boy up, uncaring that he fell. Tears ran down the boy's right eye, blood on the left.

" I am in hell…."

Naruto pulled a kunai out from his holster and held it to his neck, now Kakashi was really panicking. "Shit…at this rate I'm not gonna make it in time!" The man thought in despair, quickly running out of hope that he was going to be able to stop him, and save his sensei's son, seeing the blade inching closer and closer to his neck. He thought it was all over when….

The blade was just about to enter his neck, but instead of the rush of thick, viscous, crimson liquid, and the influx of pain he had expected, he felt small arms wrap around him; a wet, warm sensation on his back, and something that sounded vaguely like crying. The voices were gone now, pushed away by the warm sensation. He slowly moved the deadly blade away from his neck cautiously to look at what was on his back. What he saw….shocked him.

It was Sakura, his lifelong crush who was clinging to him for dear life, eyes wide open. Her small arms were wrapped around his now bare chest, as his cloak had been ripped off by one of the roots that he summoned from the ground, unable to fully control his powers yet. the girl's face was buried into his upper shoulder. The girl's breathing was extremely erratic and quick, but light and soft, yet at same time like she had run a marathon. It was very clear that the girl was shaken.

"Sak–ura…..?"

"NARUTO!! What are you doing!? You idiot ….." the girl poured her heart out as she clutched him tighter as she closed her eyes tightly, tears falling. Her lips closed tightly as her breathing became panicked and labored, a pathetic whimper coming from her throat.

Naruto was so shocked he was snapped out of his daze and fell backwards into the dark pool of blood. Sakura fell with him in unison, blood splashing up from the ground, the red, almost black liquid splattered over Sakura's relatively clean figure, the world seemed to be moving in slow motion. She didn't care about either of those things, all she cared about at that moment was the startled boy in front of her, why was he trying to kill himself?!

The pink haired girl quickly latched onto the boy in question once again, this time nestling herself into the boy's chest; awkwardly wrapping her arms around him. Naruto hesitantly wrapped his much larger arms around her petite frame, he looked down at her with his two Rinnegan eyes.

The girl breathed in and out slowly, seemingly relaxing somewhat before taking his hand into hers, she lifted her body up, and cupped his cheek in her hand. He tensed, instinctively recoiling from her hand.

"It's not your fault….."

His eyes crinkled as he teared up. “Sakura, you cant be serious…" it wasnt even really a question, just disbelief, because she was here, comforting him, even though he just… had an… episode, tantrum, killing spree, whatever, and she’s here, prioritizing his miserable life and dirtying her clothes with blood. 

The boy almost dropped the kunai in his hand, but gripped it tighter as an offending thought creeped its way into his head. When has she ever cared? She’s probably pretending… you cant have a team with one person, I’m not expendable… At that thought, the boy's expression quickly morphed from one of hope, to resignation. He couldn't bear the thought anymore, looking away from Sakura with a dejected look.

That's right, there's no way a girl like her could ever care about a guy like you, what did you think? That she was suddenly gonna start caring about you the second you're about to kill yourself? Get real, nobody could ever care about someone like you, let alone Sakura. You make me sick. Get on with it and slit your fucking throat already. The voice in the back of his head taunted. Naruto's face fell even further.

When Sakura saw the drastic change of emotions on Naruto's face she almost whined in frustration. "Naruto, snap out of it…" Sakura thought for a moment, and she almost gasped at the realization, the girl frowned. She looked back down at Naruto worriedly before speaking. "I promise I'm not lying to you, Naruto….I really do care about you a lot, I’ve learned to care, while you’ve been on this team, just… let’s go back to Konoha…" He wasn't believing any of it.t, but do you think I want you to die?! Dont waste your life like this, I need you, as a teammate, we can put this in the past …." she finished emotion

"I know you probably have a hard time trusting people with the way you… grew up, I never paid attention to that, but… I'm… I'm… begging you to trust that I want to help you… I know you can be an idiot, but you’re this team’s idiot, and I want you HERE.”

She tried as hard as she could not to cry as she looked into his eyes, clenching her eyes shut as hard as she could, to no avail. Sakura's whole body shook as she collapsed back onto him, she held onto him for dear life as she cried loudly into his chest.

" You idiot!"

She tried so hard to keep her composure, but no matter how hard she tried, nothing mattered anymore, this day had gone beyond, taken everything out of her, the dam of emotions had finally been broken. 

"Please don't cry…."

Sakura's eyes widened at the feeling of warm hands brushing the tears off of her face. She looked down slowly to see Naruto reaching out to caress her face with a shaky arm, it felt good. "It doesn't look right when a girl as beautiful as you cries so loudly… not over an idiot like me."

Chapter Text

Naruto - age 15 (age raised by 3 years so I can be at least a little bit more comfortable if I write a lemon).

Height - 5 '10 (Around me and my friends height at that age, not because I want Naruto to be tall for no reason, but because imagining someone Naruto’s age being as short as he is is just weird, this is more convenient for me to imagine. I'll go out on a limb and say Naruto is a year older than the rest of the rookie nine, since he failed multiple times, and a school year is only nine months.

Looks - I’ll let you imagine however you want Naruto to look, the only thing that is definite is his Rinnegan. I personally see him as a cold ass fanart that I saw a few years back. If you wanna know what im talking about, just look at the thumbnail for this story, the one with Naruto in the Akatsuki cloak with his arm around Sasuke’s shoulder. Just in this story in particular, it's that, just with longer hair that goes over his eyes in the front, and the headband is either under his hair, so it can't hold it up; tied to his arm, or clothing somewhere. And yes, I will eventually change his clothing, idk why so many people hate it when people change Naruto’s clothing, they say it makes Naruto “OC” I know a few people will probably get salty af when I say this, but that's literally the entire point of fanfiction, changing things to how we writers like them. There's a reason it’s called fan fiction.net and not carboncopy fiction.net, smh…

And Sakura jokingly hitting Naruto is NOT abuse! The only times Sakura was really out of line was the fake confession, when she called Naruto an orphan loser, and discrediting Naruto for everything he did before shippuden. (And oh I don't know , the fact that she completely ignored him for someone who has tried to commit first degree murder on her on multiple occasions…)

The only type of bashing I may do in this story is maybe council bashing I guess. And mayybee a little civilian bashing. And to be fair, this is my first story, so please cut me some slack if I cut a few corners. but I don't know if you can even call it bashing if it's reasonable, so nvm.

Oh! I don't really know if I'm gonna use Japanese suffixes yet, but if I do it will probably just be Kun, Chan, and Sensei, possibly Sama or Taichou/Taicho, Sempai/Senpai. I definitely will NOT use San, Dono, Kouhai, or any of the sibling ones, I think. I also might use a few japanese jutsu names, although definitely not many, like I MIGHT use Shinra Tensei, Chibaku Tensei, and Banshou Ten’in. Probably not though. All will be decided with time, I guess…

ANDD FINALLY my last point, I WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT BE CHANGING THE PAIRING!

Also, I will be responding to most questions (If it doesn't spoil anything), constructive criticism, and compliments in the comments at the start of each chapter! I will also be asking some questions. For example: 

Q - (Question)/Bankai777: Will Naruto meet the Raikage? A - (Answer)/ —most likely yes, he will meet the Raikage, I don't know exactly how or when they will meet, nor do I know if it will be on good terms or bad terms, but I plan on having them meet sometime in the future, the most likely reasons being I might put him in the chunin exams, or because of killer bee, or a training trip/mission.

R - (Response)/YEAH! I really tried to make the concept of Naruto getting the Rinnegan from Sasuke's death original. I'm really glad to hear you like it, your comment made my day. I'm sorry that you and everyone else has had to wait so long for a 2nd chapter, I just need to connect the two parts of the chapter with enough words to meet the criteria. I'm a perfectionist, so I stress over the little things. and with the support and positive feedback, I REALLY don't wanna release a lackluster chapter, and I wanna be original. On top of that, there's school and all that other stuff. Anyways, thanks for the comment, and tell me what you think about my next chapter when it comes out in a comment!

Through The Eyes Of A Demon

Chapter 2

The feeling of warm hands brushing the tears from her face was a gentle shock. Sakura looked down slowly. Naruto was reaching for her, his arm trembling from the effort, his strange new eyes holding a profound, bone-deep weariness.

“Don’t cry,” he said, his voice a low, gravelly rasp. It held no smoothness, no affection. It was just tired.

Sakura’s body trembled, a reaction to the cold, the fear, and the boy in front of her. She reached up, her own shaky hand grasping his. “Okay… I won’t,” she whispered, her gaze flicking to the kunai he had dropped in the blood-soaked grass. “But you have to stop… You can’t do that.”

Naruto’s gaze followed hers. He frowned, a deep line forming between his brows, but there was no energy behind it. “Yeah,” he mumbled, his hand falling from her face. “Not going anywhere.” He seemed to slump, his other arm finding her waist more for support than for a hug. He pulled her slightly closer, his head resting against her shoulder with a heavy sigh, his face buried in her hair. It was unnatural, He was lethargic, a puppet with its strings cut, the manic energy of his rampage completely gone, it was almost as if he really was controlled by a force.

She could feel the erratic, shallow rhythm of his breathing. This was not the triumphant hero or the weeping boy from before. This was someone who was simply… empty. The realization sent a fresh wave of guilt through her. This was, in part, her fault. His pain, his loneliness… she had been a part of it.

“I’m s-so, so sorry, Naruto,” she whispered into his chest, the words spilling out before she could stop them. “For… for everything. For how I treated you. I’ll never… I promise…”

He didn’t respond. She could feel him breathing, could feel the warmth of his body, but he offered no comfort, no absolution. He just existed, letting her apology hang in the cold, metallic-smelling air. After a long moment, he spoke, his voice muffled by her shoulder.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said.

The words were so quiet, so dismissive, they were somehow worse than if he had yelled at her. “What? N-no, it does matter, Naruto, I was awful to you, I—”

“Sakura,” he cut her off, his voice still flat and tired. He pulled his head back to look at her, his purple eyes looking not at her, but through her. “It’s not about you right now.”

The rejection was absolute, yet it held no malice. It was the simple, devastating truth. The horrors of the last hour—Sasuke’s death, the massacre, his own suicide attempt—were so monumental that her past treatment of him was a triviality, a footnote he no longer had the energy to care about.

She felt a fresh wave of worry, he let the Kunai go, but her words werent getting to him.. The apology she felt she owed him was meaningless. Naruto was drifting away into a place of shock and trauma where she couldn’t follow, couldnt reach. Acting on a desperate, frantic impulse, she did the only other thing she could think of to make him see her, to create a real, physical connection that couldn't be ignored.

Her hands, still trembling, came up to cup his face. She pulled him forward, her movements clumsy and urgent. It was not a slow, romantic lean. It was a messy, desperate collision. His lips were cold, and tasted faintly of blood and salt from her own tears. For a split second, his lethargy was broken by a jolt of pure surprise. His strange, powerful eyes widened, focusing on her for the first time.

The kiss was nothing like she’d ever imagined. There was no bliss, it was just desperate, confusing, and incredibly sad. It was an attempt to use a simple human act to ground them both in a moment that was anything but.

They broke away, both breathing heavily, their faces inches apart in the cold night air. There were no blushes, no shy smiles. There was only a shared, stunned silence, a question hanging between them that neither knew how to answer.

It was too much. The emotional whiplash of the day—from terror, to grief, to guilt, to this desperate, confusing intimacy—finally overloaded Sakura’s system. A look of profound fatigue washed over her features, her eyes rolling back slightly as she went limp, collapsing forward against his chest.

Naruto’s arms instinctively tightened around her, catching her before she could fall. He looked down at her unconscious form, then over at Sasuke’s still body nearby. He was exhausted, drained to his very soul, but he understood. The world didn’t stop. The problems didn’t go away. He was the only one left standing. With a deep, weary sigh that seemed to carry the weight of all the dead around them, he simply accepted it. He had to keep going.

His gaze lifted, finding the shadowed figure of his sensei watching from a distance. He didn't have to say a word. His tired, purple eyes simply asked the question for him: Now what?

Kakashi frowned a bit as he looked to the spot next to his blonde and pink haired students, it was his other student, his black haired student, lying there, lifelessly . And unlike his pink haired student, he was sadly not just unconscious.

Naruto followed the path of his gray haired sensei's vision, and he was soon frowning as well. "S —Sasuke is rreally…" The boy looked back to his sensei; the man nodded "Yeah…" Naruto looked at Sasuke once more and narrowed his eyes, "No, I can do something about this…" the boy spoke, a look of cold determination on his face. "Theres a voice, I can hear it inside… I can do something…" Naruto got up shakily, still feeling exhausted from the earlier fight.

His eyes were slowly changing color from a gentle purple, to a deep, dark shade of purple, it was as if the boy's eye was an endless space of dark energy. Naruto finally steadied himself; looking down at Sasuke with a determined look on his face.

"Naruto… what you’ve done today has shocked all of us, that’s true, but there’s no Jutsu we know that actually brings back the dead… Sasuke is… gone, that’s how it is, we can't go back, the deceased can't come back to life, sadly…" Naruto looked back at his sensei, unfazed by his words, he shook his head, sure of his own ability, he didnt know why he knew, or why he believed the words in his ear, it was just instinctual, it felt right.

“No! I can! I will, I NEED, he died so I could live, and I say screw that noise!” 

Kakashi's eyes widened, but he didnt say anything, and in this moment, he knew it couldnt hurt to put trust in his student this one time, even if it was against the insurmountable odds of death itself– because he had seen. He had seen those eyes, the eyes he heard of from Jiraiya, the eyes said to bring a great peace or chaos to the world.

"Get ready to catch me when I fall, sensei..." Naruto took no further heeding to his sensei, he instead put all of his focus on the boy in front of him. The boy clapped his hands together; whitish purple chakra exploded from the boy in all directions, much like when the Kyuubi's chakra exploded from the boy.

The concentric circles from Naruto's eye all started to ripple in a hypnotic, illusional pattern, much like a puddle with a rock dropped into it.

Naruto unclasped his hands from their positions; the boy did a set of two hand seals, ram, and then snake. The circles in the boy's eyes returned to the positions they were originally in as he finished the final hand sign.

"Rinne… Rebirth!" The words came from his mouth as naturally as a baby coo’s he didnt know what he was saying, but it was necessary, he didnt know why, but it was.

Numurous green, glowing ropes of chakra burst from the ground in a mist of warmth, wrapping themselves around and enveloping the Uchiha boy. The strange energy didnt just sit around his skin, it seeped inside .

Faint sizzling could be heard as the wounds under Sasuke's clothes closed themselves up, water leaked out of Sasuke’s wounds as a result of the frozen liquid from the ice needles that froze themselves to the boy were melted by the warm, life essence surrounding him.

The color in the dark haired shinobi's face returned, as well as a warmth that was not there before, not the green energy, but the rushing blood running through his body as his heart was reinvigorated and pumping like it once was. Sasuke's chest vibrated before he coughed up the blood that leaked into his lungs after one of them had been punctured by a needle.

The boy's eyes opened gradually as all of his wounds were finally healed, and he was in stable condition. Sasuke’s vision slowly got less blurry, and more and more focused as his eyes adjusted to the light of the rising sun. W —what's going on…? I remember that masked shinobi with the ice…and I remember jumping in front of Naruto…but I shouldn't even be… Sasuke gained a confused look on his face. "I'm… alive?"

"Yeah, you are." The dark haired boy heard a voice to his left, he turned his head to look at what it came from, he was once again surprised, "Naruto?" Naruto had a small smile on his face and he looked completely out of it. Looking a little further,  Sasuke also saw his sensei behind him looking completely dumbfounded . It really was a funny site; well, it WOULD be for anybody other than the humorless Uchiha.

Kakashi, the normally stoic, calm, composed man; eyes so wide they were practically popping out of their sockets. Sasuke also noticed his other teammate, Sakura, on the floor, unconscious. Now he was even more confused.

Naruto sighed. "Yeah… she’s knocked clean out. I don't have much time to explain, I'm gonna pass out any second now… welcome back… dickhead."

And with that, his arms went limp at his sides before he collapsed forwards; not before Kakashi snapped out of his daze to stop the boy from colliding with the hard ground, hefting the boy up on his shoulder, the gray haired man looked from his female student to the black haired one.

"I know you've just been well… revived? I think… there is something I will explain to you on the walk back to Tsunami's house –but do you think you have enough strength to carry Tazuna? I currently only have the chakra left to create just one shadow clone, and I will have to carry Sakura, I don't have enough in me to carry Tazuna as well."

Sasuke nodded quickly with no hesitation, quickly picking himself up from the ground. "Yeah, I can carry him. Surprisingly enough, I feel just fine, almost as if I wasn't injured in the first place, just a little understandably disoriented. I should have zero problem at all with carrying him."

Kakashi nodded, and created a shadow clone. "Go pick up Sakura, then we leave this bridge, we'll clean up the mess in the morning."

Sasuke tilted his head to the side in confusion, "Mess? What are you talking about, Kakashi?" a bead of sweat rolled down the man's face, "Uh… not good. The man internally finished. Kakashi steeled himself before continuing. Looking behind himself, he stuck his thumb out over his shoulder in a pointing fashion. " That is what I mean by mess."

Sasuke looked behind his sensei, expecting to see some form of damage or crater in the bridge, –which he did see, but that was not the shocking part, it was what was behind the damage that shocked him, a sight possibly even more… vile than the bloody streets of the Uchiha massacre 6 years ago.

Mutilated bodies as far as the eye could see, strung up by their own insides, some of them were in half, some of them were missing limbs; eyes gouged out, large, rough spikes of… something , twisting and turning in all directions, blood red flowers bloomed from the black tree roots. Sasuke even saw a man with what looked like his own small intestine hanging out from his fucking mouth and tied around his neck like a noose… –how that was possible? He had zero idea.

But Sasuke didn't have good eyesight for nothing, and there was one thing that was blatantly obvious to the dark haired shinobi, this was not a fight, it was a horrendous slaughter, a massacre. He could see the despair planted onto the faces of the ones that were lucky enough to be even recognizable.

Sasuke put a hand over his mouth, struggling to keep the bile rising from his stomach inside, he was barely able to swallow it down; taking his hand away from his mouth. The large amount of death in the sight before him hit way too close to home for the traumatized child, the nauseous boy tripped over his own feet, falling on his behind.

"Who could have done something like this…?" the boy turned to the gray haired man behind him, looking for answers. The man frowned with sadness and regret, but not regret for the sight before him. Kakashi turned his head to the side to look at the unconscious blonde genin on his back.

Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. " Naruto did that?" Kakashi nodded. "But that's not possible , he isnt capable of that, and… how am I alive?” Kakashi let out a sigh. "I wish that that was the case, but unfortunately, it is what happened." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the man, "How, then? Explain." He snapped out angrily. The man sighed, before explaining everything; the effect that the dark haired boy's death had on Naruto, and the visual prowess that the boy now possessed, the destruction he had seen him reap with it.

Sasuke was really thrown off. Right before the light faded from his eyes, he actually had thought about the possibilities that came from his death, he knew Naruto would be angry, furious even. Sasuke had never expected this .

Naruto had a dojutsu now, and an extremely powerful one at that. Sasuke felt a little threatened at the thought of it, but at the same time, there was a strange feeling in his gut that he couldn't quite pin down what it was, no he knew what it was, it was inspiration.

Another thing that forces him to get stronger.

If I can become even stronger than Naruto even with this new power, then I can prove that I am on the path to achieving the ultimate retribution. And I'll do it my way, on my terms, and I will never stoop to your level of killing my friends for power, elder brother Itachi…

Sasuke smirked, the boy was also proud of his friend, he was proud that Naruto was able to defeat the girl he didn't even come close to beating at her best, with so little effort it was laughable, and then proceeded to dispatch multiple hundred thugs without even breaking a sweat, but regardless of that, it stung, stung his pride, he was happy to be alive, but also… not.

Even if his power stemmed from the immense hatred he felt in that moment, power was power. Shinobi used everything in their arsenals to kill their enemies, they had no qualms about using their own hatred to push their power to new heights.

The perfect shinobi is a shinobi who uses everything they have to be a deadly weapon of destruction; the negative emotion that bubbles to the surface when death shows its face is but another way of channeling that power.

Sasuke was so angry that Naruto had shown him up, but glad that he had finally done something useful, it was a feeling that the dark haired boy didn't quite understand.

Maybe it was because of the Uchiha blood running through his veins that he hated seeing someone stronger than him, even if it was his friend. Even if the circumstances were so gruesome and bloody, it was all about power in the end.

He didn't feel necessarily bad for the thugs that his best friend had killed. Sasuke wasn't one to show petty sympathy to people he didn't even know. Nothing felt real at the moment, his ego had taken a big hit, and he shouldnt be here, his hands didnt feel real, It seemed he wasn't yet connected back to reality from actually dying, it made sense though, that he would be a little on edge after experiencing something like that.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder, Kakashi seemed to snap him out of his train of thought. The dark haired boy raised an eyebrow, what now? "There is something that I need to make clear here. This is not your fault, Sasuke. It's not Naruto's fault, nor is it Sakura's fault… I am at fault for everything that has happened here today."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "If I had been more responsible with you all, and actually trained you three to the best of my abilities like a sensei should, instead of coming up with excuses for being lazy all of the time, and wallowing in my own grief, none of this would have happened. I've taught all of you simple tree walking, and basic teamwork; completely useless to a team with a disconnect as bad as ours."

The gray haired shinobi sighed in defeat, it seemed that he was just full of awful mistakes, the man had failed his important people yet again, he had made a promise. A promise he had made to himself after Obito had given his life to keep him alive, a promise that he would never again let one of his important people be killed.

Kakashi had broken that promise long ago, and the tragedies didn't slow either, after Rin had died, all of his friends were killed off one by one, right before his eyes, the ones he loved most had been killed in battle, he had even been forced to stick his hand through his friends chest. The man had made new friends, but the hole in his heart was never able to be mended.

I have made a lot of mistakes in this life, haven't I? Obito, Rin, Sensei… but I think that with my new team, I might be able to keep your dreams alive through Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke.

Yes, I won't let these ones die, they cant die, I can feel that team 7 is special, they are the ones who will change the shinobi world… especially you, Naruto Uzumaki. I have a feeling that in the near future you are going to shake this cursed shinobi world to its very core…

Kakashi clenched his fist as he looked to the sky with a look of pure determination, the man turned his head slightly to look at Sasuke, "I am going to step up to my job as sensei… and mold you three into shinobi of the likes this world has never seen."

"And if for some reason I am unable to train you all, I will be the beam of support that will always stick by all of your sides no matter what happens, even if it means letting go of my past, that's my promise."

The dark haired boy smiled, but it wasn't the routine smug smirk of pride and arrogance the boy usually plastered upon his face, Kakashi could see fulfillment and genuine happiness reflecting from a place of excitement with getting stronger, a rare sight. Kakashi's lips curled upward slightly in a faint smile of his own, a small chuckle coming from his lips.

The smiles on the gray haired man and his student's faces faded as they prepared to walk back to the town to give them the good news.

Kakashi reached his hand up to his head, and grabbed hold of the cloth from the forehead protector on the left side of his face; pulling it down over the fully matured Sharingan.

Kakashi turned his head over to the army of dead thugs, he walked over to the bloody mass of gore, going straight past everything in the way, quickly maneuvering his way around the large trees and extending roots in the way.

Stopping about half a meter away from the ring leader’s corpse, Kakashi decapitated the man in one clean stroke with his kunai.

Grabbing the severed, jawless head by the hair, he pulled out a small scroll from a small, blue pouch strapped to the side of his right leg with the corresponding hand. Kakashi cleared out a small space on the ground, pushing away some small debris with his foot.

In one swift movement, the man unraveled the scroll in his hand, revealing a simple looking sealing array in the middle of the paper in dull, black ink.

Kakashi leaned over; laying the scroll flat on the ground, he placed the head right on the center of the paper; Putting his right hand in the air, the man quickly formed his fingers into a one handed version of the ram hand sign. Molding the correct amount of chakra into his hand, Kakashi spoke, "Seal!"

In a puff of white smoke, the unraveled scroll on the ground returned to its original state, the only difference being the small black markings on the edges of the paper had expanded across the entire scroll, the ink now looked similar to chains or rope keeping an item from falling out of a container.

The gray haired man grabbed the scroll on the ground, carefully slipping it back into the blue pouch on his leg, Kakashi stood up slowly to avoid the blood rushing to his head, and/or the swift movement causing him to fall unconscious from the extreme exhaustion the man felt due to overuse of the Sharingan eye and Raikiri.

Kakashi started walking over to the other side of the bridge, maneuvering past the dark branches once again, he reached the end of the bridge, where Sasuke and his own clone were both waiting for him with the bridge builder and Sakura. Tazuna's larger form over his shoulder and Sakura's smaller form on his back while he held her legs up with his hands, leaning over to hang her arms around his neck so she wouldn't fall.

The gray haired man walked up to his unconscious blonde student and hoisted him up on his back, the same way as Sasuke. He turned to face Sasuke, "It looks like everything that had to be done here, has been done, I see no reason to stay here now, we'll come back to the bridge tomorrow morning to clean up the mess. For now we have to get Naruto, Sakura, and Tazuna rested back at Tsunami's. And by the looks of things, Naruto will probably be out for a few days, minimum."

Sasuke had expected that already, after everything he had heard from his sensei, it was obvious that his blonde teammate wasn't just gonna pop right back up like nothing happened at all, one doesn't just bring back the dead with no repercussions, after all. Godly powers or not.

The Uchiha boy glanced at his sensei, before looking back towards the other end of the bridge. "If we wait until tomorrow to clean this up, it will only cause us more trouble. At the moment, Sakura and the bridge builder aren't all that injured."

Sasuke looked from Tazuna, to the unconscious pink haired girl, before continuing. "Sakura only has a couple scratches on her, but for the most part is completely fine. And the bridge builder isn't even wounded at all, but you and Naruto are a different case, you will have to rest. If we leave the mess here, with the amount of blood and corpses even with just one day, the smell of decomposition will be too strong to ignore. Flies will come and lay their eggs, and I don't even wanna imagine cleaning that up…"

Kakashi's face turned comically green at the thought of having to clean up that mess. The man quickly shook his head back and forth. "Yeah, no. Definitely not a good idea now that I think of it. Feeling replenished enough to burn that with a fire jutsu?"

Sasuke nodded, turned to the pile of corpses; running through multiple hand signs in quick succession, the Uchiha arched his index finger around to touch his thumb, and spat out a fireball large enough to almost reach the width of either side of the bridge. "Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!" shouted Sasuke.

The large ball of fire sped its way to the other side of the bridge; reaching the mound, the fireball quickly engulfed the entirety of the bloodied pile of bodies; the sound of burning flesh and wood could be heard by both of the shinobi on the other side of the bridge.

The strong stench of death dispersed as the blackened and dirtied smoke particles that rose from the crackling bonfire were carried away with the wind. The moisture that lingered in the air had already slowly started to die down the fire that surrounded the end of the bridge.

Sasuke and Kakashi both felt singular tiny droplets of water hit their heads respectively. Rain. Within seconds, the two shinobi felt and saw more and more droplets of water rain down from the sky, until before they knew it they were soaked in water, the fire had died down significantly. Kakashi looked up to the sky letting the drops of water hit his face, seeing the blanket of clouds that appeared to be a light shade of purple covered the early morning sky.

Sasuke looked to the right of the bridge. The shining sun could be seen just above the horizon, and above the silhouette of a large forest scape in the distance that curved around to the east, all the way back to the leaf village; a spread of a magical yellow and deep, royal purple in between the ocean and the clouds in the sky.

Soft waves could be heard as the water from the seemingly endless sea brushed against the sandy shore; a red and white lighthouse stood on top of a small ocean island about a mile east of the bridge.

Beautiful. That was the only way to describe it, it was a somber, subdued, melancholy scene. Sasuke and Kakashi, for once in their lives felt completely at peace, bathing in the moment of the present, their minds not clouded by the demons of the past. Sasuke and Kakashi looked to the left; seeing the last of it being put out by the rain descending from the sky, a sizzling sound was heard from the ashes of the dying flame.

It was almost symbolic in a way. The rain fell upon the small fishing hamlet, washing away the sins and misery of the horrible past, allowing the citizens of the town to start anew; a life where the people could be free. A life without the restraining shackles of an evil, cowardly tyrant who cares only for himself.

A new age of freedom; the people could eat and drink whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted; they could walk through the streets with their loved ones without having to live with the constant fear that they could be separated from each other forever at any given time. An era where the townspeople themselves made decisions through fair debate and friendly competition.

An era of happiness.

Sasuke picked up the bridge builder once more. Student and teacher looked at each other, one synchronized thought running through both of their heads,

It's finally over.

The pair smiled, before turning around and walking back into the town.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEAASEEEEEEEE REVIEWWWWW! If you DON'T… prepare to hear a ring on your doorbell at exactly 3:33 am followed by the sight of 3 hooded men with rocket launchers pointed directly at you, followed by a tank at your ring camera. (Jk… or am I?)

Chapter Text

Through the Eyes of a Demon Chapter 3

Naruto - age 15 (age raised by 3 years so I can be at least a little bit more comfortable if I write a lemon).

Height - 5 '10 (177 cm) because Naruto being like 5ft tall (155 cm) is just weird. Sasuke is the same height as Naruto, Sakura is 5'2 (158 cm), and Kakashi is 6ft (182 cm).

Looks - I’ll let you imagine however you want Naruto to look, the only thing that is definite is his Rinnegan. I personally see him as a cold ass fanart that I saw a few years back. If you wanna know what im talking about, just look at the thumbnail for this story, the one with Naruto in the Akatsuki cloak with his arm around Sasuke’s shoulder. Just in this story in particular, it's that, just with longer hair that goes over his eyes in the front, and the headband is either under his hair, so it can't hold it up; tied to his arm, or clothing somewhere. 

Last time on Through the Eyes of a Demon.

  “Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!”  shouted Sasuke.

The large ball of fire sped its way to the other side of the bridge; reaching the mound, the fireball quickly engulfed the entirety of the bloodied pile of bodies; the sound of burning flesh and wood could be heard by both of the shinobi on the other side of the bridge. 

The strong stench of death dispersed as the blackened and dirtied smoke particles that rose from the crackling bonfire were carried away with the wind. The moisture that lingered in the air had already slowly started to die down the fire that surrounded the end of the bridge.

Sasuke and Kakashi both felt singular tiny droplets of water hit their heads respectively. Rain. Within seconds, the two shinobi felt and saw more and more droplets of water rain down from the sky, until before they knew it they were soaked in water, the fire had died down significantly. Kakashi looked up to the sky letting the drops of water hit his face, seeing the blanket of clouds that appeared to be a light shade of purple covered the early morning sky. 

Sasuke looked to the right of the bridge. The shining sun could be seen just above the horizon, and above the silhouette of a large forest scape in the distance that curved around to the east, all the way back to the leaf village;  a spread of a magical yellow and deep, royal purple in between the ocean and the clouds in the sky. 

Soft waves could be heard as the water from the seemingly endless sea brushed against the sandy shore; a red and white lighthouse stood on top of a small ocean island about a mile east of the bridge.

Beautiful. That was the only way to describe it, it was a somber, subdued, melancholy scene. Sasuke and Kakashi, for once in their lives felt completely at peace, bathing in the moment of the present, their minds not clouded by the demons of the past. Sasuke and Kakashi looked to the left; seeing the last of it being put out by the rain descending from the sky, a singe sound was heard.

It was almost symbolic in a way. The rain fell upon the small fishing hamlet, washing away the sins and misery of the horrible past, allowing the citizens of the town to start anew; a life where the people could be free. A life without the restraining shackles of an evil tyrant who cares only for himself. 

A new age of freedom; the people could eat and drink whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted; they could walk through the streets with their loved ones without having to live with the constant fear that they could be separated from each other forever at any given time. An era where the townspeople themselves made decisions through fair debate and friendly competition.

An era of happiness.

Sasuke picked up the bridge builder once more. Student and teacher looked at each other, one synchronized thought running through both of their heads, 

It's finally over.

The pair smiled, before turning around and walking back into the town . 

A strange looking humanoid creature that was half black and half snowy white, and what looked to be part giant venus flytrap emerged from the ground behind the bridge with a troubled look on its face, “I never would have imagined there could be two beings in the world that possessed the Rinnegan, I am sure lord Pein will not be pleased to hear of this…” The two sides spoke in alternation, both fully understanding how much of a problem something like this could pose if left unchecked.

The Rinnegan had terrifying power, but the Rinnegan used by a Jinchuuriki would surely be even more dangerous. The strange creature shrank back into the ground to inform the Akatsuki of the unlikely development.

Meanwhile

Kakashi, his clone, and Sasuke, walked through the town with Naruto, Sakura, and Tazuna on their shoulders. At this hour, the sunlight was just starting to peek over the buildings, and the light from the flame of the gas lanterns placed along the dirt road was no longer needed to illuminate the town. The Uchiha boy’s stomach growled in hunger as the scent of something very delicious wafted into his nose. It came from a small roadside restaurant with a name funnily similar to one in the leaf.

“Ichibaku’s Udon”

“Are you hungry?” Kakashi asked, amused.

Sasuke scoffed in slight embarrassment at the question. “No, I’m not.” He said, unconvincingly.

“You don't have to lie, you know, I mean you did literally die , at least before Naruto resurrected you like he was the second coming of the sage or something . I'm not surprised you want some food. We should stop and eat before we continue. It's not healthy to eat on an empty stomach, you know.”

Sasuke sighed, giving in. “Yeah, I guess we can stop and eat. But quickly , Kakashi. I don't wanna be in this place for any longer than I have to. I'm already sick of this damn country. I wanna go back to the leaf already…”

Kakashi waved his hand in dismissal. “Yeah, yeah, you’re the one with the grumbling stomach, Sasuke. You can't fool me…” The man said, amused.

“Shut up, Kakashi.”

Kakashi laughed, “Whatever you say, Sasuke Akamichi…”

Sasuke groaned in extreme annoyance, he just could never win with this man. “Lets just eat already, dammit! And that isnt my name, Kakashi!”

“Alright! Alright! I’ll stop. Let's just go in and eat already, geez… no need to yell.”

Sasuke's face contorted with comical rage as he reached his breaking point, “I LITERALLY JUST SAID THAT!”

Caawing and the sound of wings flapping could be heard as a murder of crows flew away, startled by the boy’s nuclear outburst.

———

Kakashi patted his stomach with satisfaction as he and Sasuke walked out of the restaurant and back onto the dirt road. Kakashi spoke, “I bet you’re glad we ate, huh?” 

“Yeah…” Sasuke responded. There was a guy outside the restaurant selling umbrellas for cheap, so Kakashi bought two so they wouldn't be wet when they got back to the house. The rest of the walk to Tsunami’s house was spent in a comfortable silence. The only things to be heard were the sound of the birds chirping, the soft waves of the ocean, the thousands of droplets of rain hitting the earth, and the nylon fabric of the umbrella respectively, and the crunch of sandals meeting with the dirt and gravel road. 

Kakashi knocked on the door to Tsunami’s home as he and Sasuke reached the house. The man had used a quick water jutsu to get most of the grime off of all of the team members and then dried them with a wind jutsu before they went into the small restaurant to eat. Kakashi figured the least he could do was clean up a bit before they went into someone else's house.

The handle on the door turned softly before it opened, Tsunami stood in the doorway, she opened her mouth to greet the group, but her words caught in her throat at the sight of the team. They all seemed like they had been through a great deal. The masked ninja that was leading the group seemed to be very worn out, his breathing and movements were noticeably labored.

The only one that seemed pretty much okay in the group was the black haired boy in the back who she noticed had an unmoving gray haired old man slumped over his shoulder. Worry and disbelief entered the woman’s features as she looked over to the man, had he been successfully killed? Her eyes glistened with tears at the thought. 

“Father!” She shouted out, about to rush forward to check on the man, but a hand from Kakashi stopped her from going further. 

“Tazuna is alright, he just passed out due to stress, a lot has happened and it's been a very long day. I apologize for worrying you, miss Tsunami...”

The woman loosened her posture and a look of extreme relief was shown on her face. The woman breathed a deep breath. Tsunami wiped the tears from her eyes before speaking. “Come inside, I'm sure you all need to rest after whatever just happened, I won't ask.” 

Kakashi sent the woman a grateful smile behind his mask before nodding, and walking inside the house with his clone and Sasuke. They both closed their umbrellas and set them down by the coat hanger to the left of the door.

Tsunami stopped walking and turned around once the dark haired boy closed and locked the door behind himself.  “I can take my father from here, I’ll put him in the room we have down here, you guys can go upstairs and use the two rooms up there.” Kakashi nodded, “Thank you for letting us use the rooms. I tried to clean the team off as well as I could, but I could only do so much. Are you sure you don't mind us getting in the beds?” Kakashi said with a chuckle

Tsunami waved her hands in front of her face frantically and replied, “No, no, no, it's alright! you guys saved our country! You fought bravely and risked your lives out there to free us from that monster Gato, and you protected my father. It would be cruel and ungrateful of me to deny you a bed over some dirt. I'll have some clean clothing ready for you guys when you wake up.”

“Well… if you say so!” The silver haired man said with a laugh.

Kakashi and Sasuke walked up the stairs to the left of the door after helping Tsunami get Tazuna into the room she mentioned, the stairs lead them to a hallway with a window on the left side that showed a view of the forested backyard. The early morning sun illuminated the hallway. There were two doors that lead to different bedrooms on the right side of the corridor, as well as a bathroom at the end of the hallway. 

Kakashi and his clone went into the room closest to the bathroom to put Naruto and Sakura down, while Sasuke went into the other room and laid down. Kakashi and his clone stopped next to two beds on the left side of the room and very gently laid Naruto and Sakura down, so as to not irritate any injuries they might have received on the bridge. Kakashi walked out of the room and closed the door quietly. Walking into the other room, he laid down on the other bed in the room and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile

A cloaked man with orange hair could be seen standing on the finger of a large stone statue of a demonic looking creature. The man had eyes almost identical to the ones Naruto possessed, the only difference being that the orange haired man’s eyes were a light purple, almost silver in color. Pein . He narrowed his eyes dangerously at the black and white creature, causing a bead of sweat to roll down its face.

“That is not possible, Zetsu. The last person to possess the Rinnegan was the sage of six paths, and he was said to have lived over a thousand years ago. Only one chosen by the gods can possess such a power, a lowly Jinchuriki could not possibly have the same eyes as me. I advise you to watch what you say.” The cloaked man spoke in a threatening tone.

 It was a preposterous claim that he never thought he would hear come out of his subordinates mouth. The man believed he was put on the earth with a purpose; bring justice to the shinobi world and end the cycle of hatred with the Rinnegan being his vessel to do so. He could not believe someone else could have it.

The creature now known as Zetsu shifted nervously. “I understand that it is hard to believe, but I assure you that boy definitely had the Rinnegan. He even used some of the same powers you use . The Jinchuriki showed an impressive degree of control over multiple of the paths… ” Zetsu paused for a moment, before continuing, “He was even able to revive his teammate with Rinne Rebirth…”

Pein’s eyes widened slightly. If he really did use Rinne Rebirth, how could he have survived? He had always believed it to be impossible to use that technique without giving your life in exchange.

Zetsu spoke, guessing what the man was thinking, “ If I were to guess, it’s because of the Kyuubi. Jinchuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox have always been known to have extraordinary healing abilities, pair that with the immense life force from his Uzumaki blood and it makes perfect sense that he would survive. This boy could be a major problem down the line if he masters his abilities ”

Pein’s ringed eyes glowed menacingly through the darkness of the underground hideout, illuminating the space behind him, revealing five hovering figures with the same, glowing eyes as him. The cloaked man spoke. “He has the Rinnegan, so what? No matter how strong he may become, it will not make a difference, because a man cannot kill a god…” The man spoke arrogantly. “Zetsu, inform the rest of the Akatsuki of this development. You may leave.”

Three days later: Wave Country

Sakura awoke to the morning song of mother nature. The sound of birds chirping invaded her ears as she groaned into consciousness, the pinkette sighed, sitting up in the bed. The warm sunlight from the window to her left shone onto her pale skin, a pleasantly cool breeze from the half open window brushed across her body. 

The girl looked over to her left side and saw her golden haired teammate, sleeping peacefully in the bed neighboring her own. A serene look covered his face, his chest rose and fell at a slow pace. She smiled and subconsciously and brought her fingers to her lips for a brief moment before letting her arm fall to her side again, her smile fading. Sakura turned her head to her front and let her mind wander to the events of the day of the bridge. 

I cant believe Sasuke is dead… it almost doesn't feel real, I never in my wildest dreams imagined something this horrible would happen on our first actual mission… If only I was stronger, I could have stopped this. But it's too late for that now… I was too busy being a weak fool obsessed with useless things like romance, looks, and popularity, and now he’s dead… This is my fault… Naruto risked his life trying to help Sasuke, and I was too busy trembling in fear to help… and I told Naruto he was the weak link in the team, when he was the one who saved us in the end. I should be ashamed of myself…

Sakura hugged her knees to her chest and cried. She was angry. Angry at the cruelness of the world, angry at the two rogue shinobi who threatened her team, angry at Sasuke for getting killed, and most of all, angry at herself for not being strong enough to protect her friends. “Sasuke…” The girl cried softly into her legs. Sasuke is dead and he's never coming back… because I was too weak!.... The girls crying eventually slowed down into a shaky breathing.

But at least…

Sakura released her knees from her chest as she got up from her bed slowly. 

But at least…

Sakura looked at the sleeping blonde boy and gently sat by his side, careful as to not wake him. She put her smooth, small hand on his whiskered cheek and leaned over him. Her long pink hair brushed against the boy’s skin. Glistening tears dropped from the girl's bright, sparkling green eyes, onto the boy’s face, in what felt like slow motion. She parted her soft, pink lips and spoke softly, “But at least I was able to save you Naruto.”

Chapter Text

Through the Eyes of a Demon - Chapter 4

(Reviews are helpful, drop one if you feel like it. Its been… well, lets not get into specifics, I’ve been gone and I’m back.)

Three days after the incident on the bridge: Wave Country

“Sasuke no!” Sakura watched as razor sharp needles of ice shredded through the Uchiha boy’s flesh with the utmost ease. Blood splattered all over the girl's face and tainted her dress, causing the pink haired girl's eyes to go completely wide. Running up to him, she placed her hands over the holes in Sasuke’s throat in an effort to stop him from bleeding out. “No, no NO! Stop bleeding! Stop bleeding please!!!” the desperate girl spoke, eyes burning with flowing tears as she began to get lightheaded.

Her efforts ultimately proved futile as sasuke wheezed something out to sakura. “Why… didn't you save me Sakura!? W… Why are you so….”. Blood sprayed from the genin’s throat and he collapsed, pushing all of the other needles on his body deep into his vital organs.  Sasuke died instantly upon a needle piercing his brain. 

A guttural scream tore through the naive genin’s throat, images of her crush cascaded through Sakura’s mind. The girl’s eyes blurred with tears as she held her head in her hands, her body shaking with sobs as she looked up. The last thing the young kunoichi saw before passing out was red, hypnotic eyes with illusional concentric circles that pierced through her heart, walking slowly towards the girl, who was now backing away from the mysterious silhouette. 

Sakura scratched at her face and let out a high pitched scream as the pain in her heart became unbearing. 

The traumatized girl quickly woke up in her bed with a cold sweat covering her body and a speedily beating heart after her short nap. The girl looked to her side worriedly, “I hope I didn't stir his sleep… Naruto…?” She finished audibly, checking for the presence of his consciousness, Sakura looked at him for a second, but he didnt move, continuing to breathe steadily.

Shook with the adrenaline of her awakening, trying her hardest not to let her feelings out into the open air, “I cant cry… it doesn't…” the girl reached her hand to her face, grabbing it and focusing on pushing the tears back. “it doesn't fix anything… it’s just. …” . Sakura was struggling with the fact that Sasuke was one of the major aspects of her attention, and it was just… gone, her dreams had been terrorizing her all of the previous night. 

Sakura composed herself and walked to the door. She knew that she had to talk to Kakashi about how the mission was done eventually, and the girl more than anything, felt a need and obligation to train. She opened the door and walked down the stairs into the living room past the kitchen and out the back door, leading to a small dirt trail she decided to walk along. Sakura slowly tretched along the path, admiring the beautiful nature along the way.

The pink haired genin soon came to a clearing surrounded by trees with multiple training posts and kunai targets. Sakura strangely heard the telltale sound of metal clashes from training further inside. The “That's odd… I know Kakashi sensei is back at the house, I heard him on my way out, and Naruto is in the bed…” Her mind was racing in a way it had never raced before. She swore she just felt something wrong going on here. 

Sakura peered through trees in an attempt to discover who it was she was hearing up ahead. “Show yourself, mystery man! This is a private residence and you aren't allowed to be here!” she heard a brief moan of irritation.  Sakura looked, but saw nothing but an empty training ground with ninja tools stuck all throughout the area. The girl clenched her fists in frustration in her lack of ability to catch the trespasser.

“Sakura” , a quiet, mysterious voice spoke quietly as she felt a hand touch her shoulder.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

She screeched loudly and quickly turned to face the voice, slapping the hand off of her shoulder with a vengeance. The young girl’s heart actually froze in shock as she stared directly into the eyes of her supposedly dead crush. “S-Sasuke…?” Sakura managed to squeak out in surprise. 

“Who the hell are you and why do you look like Sasuke?! He died yesterday!” The dark haired boy quickly refuted her theory, saying “Right after you passed out on the bridge, Naruto revived me with some super draining jutsu and I'm not dead anymore. That's the reason why he’s been asleep for so long. That jutsu took a toll on him and he needs to recover.”

Sakura wasn’t believing any of that bullshit. This is just what she wanted and this would be the perfect trap from someone who may have been watching team 7’s battle on the bridge the previous day. “Looks like maybe Naruto didn't get all of Gato’s minions after all. A transformation… Well she wouldn't be having any of that. No one desecrates the image of Sasuke and gets away with it. Sakura’s face twisted with rage and she cocked up a devastating punch and hit the unexpecting fake dead in the face with it, sending him hurdling back.

Following up, she quickly reached into her shinobi pouch, pulling out one kunai with her right hand, and five shuriken with her left. Sakura dashed forward off her stronger leg and slashed at Sasuke, who had already recovered and rose to his feet. The weapons of the two shinobi clashed into a struggle, creating a small explosion of sparks coming from the metal. 

Sasuke pushed the girl’s kunai back with his own, but was soon shocked when he felt his arm actually being pushed back slightly.

“Is she actually pushing me back right now?!” Sasuke increased the strength of his push and easily sent her kunai flying out of her hand. Sakura “Damn you, bastard! How dare you disrespect him like this!?”

Sasuke grabbed Sakura’s right hand and pulled her towards him before sweeping the girl’s legs out from under her and viciously kicking her through the air.  “Dammit Sakura, it's Sasuke!” The Uchiha said with frustration Sakura quickly regained her balance, turning her flight into a flip, she grabbed a branch sticking out of a tree and spun around it, using the throw as leverage, Sakura quickly dashed from tree to tree with her perfect chakra control. The pink haired ninja circled around behind Sasuke and threw the three shuriken in her hand with moderate precision.

The Haruno girl smirked as all three shuriken hit the Sasuke doppelganger straight on the neck, causing a large  spray of… smoke?!?! Her eyes widened as she simultaneously saw a kunai ridden log in the place of the target drop to the ground along with the unmistakable feeling of the sharp edge of a kunai pressed against her neck.

Sakura’s eyes dulled in defeat, she had accepted that whatever it was the Sasuke clone wanted to do, she wasn't going to be able to stop him. “Sakura, quit playing around. We don't have time to sit around freaking out over nothing. Since you are acting stupid, like I'm a fake or something like that, we’ll just have to head back to the house and have Kakashi confirm it.”

The girl turned her head to look at him slightly, and her eyes widened with surprise when she saw the Sharingan staring back at her. Sakura figured there should be no one around the area that would actually know that Sasuke was an Uchiha. The only people that knew that information was her team. It had to be Sasuke, unless they were being watched. 

She let her guard down as she realized he was really telling the truth about being revived after all. The pinkettes eyes softened and she let a small smile work its way onto her face.

“Sasuke… I guess you’re actually back…” The dark haired genin nodded affirmatively and replied to her after looking at her in wonder. Sasuke had no idea the frankly annoying female was capable of such strength. Nothing spectacular, but she was strong for someone who was usually dedicated to being a fangirl. Sasuke spoke. “So can I safely remove this kunai from your neck, or am I gonna have to restrain you with ninja wire…?”  he said, dramatically spinning his tomoe, wanting to show off a bit after unlocking it (His ego is bruised… sigh)

Sakura blushed, “I just… I cant believe you’re actually back…” Her eyes filled up with tears, but she closes her eyes, thinking back to her nightmare, and then the night of the bridge, she saw his body, she saw him dead, unbreathing, lifeless, and now… he’s here, no holes, no injuries, nothing. 

Sakura’s lips shook with feeling  and she took a step forward, and then another one, and another one, Sasuke steps back, and she reaches forward, pulling him into a tight emotionally charged embrace, slamming her eyes shut again, tears rushing down her face. Sasuke just… stands there awkwardly, not knowing what to do, he doesnt really want to engage, but he can see she’s feeling some type of way, and saying something might cause a problem.

Sasuke’s face scrunches in discomfort and he shakes his head, pushing her away from him and stepping back. “Come on, Sakura, let’s get back to the house, we’re wasting time.” He says nonchalantly, walking away from the training ground toward’s the house. 

Sakura frowns, and wipes her tears, watching as he walks away, narrowing her eyes. “Hey, dont just walk away! You antisocial jerk! Arent you gonna restrain me with the ninja wire?” Sakura taunts, facing Sasuke’s back. He turns around, looking annoyed and questioning.

“What the hell are you talking about, Sakura? Hurry up, I said I would use them on you if you kept fighting with me, the fight is over , come on.”

Sakura crosses her arms, frowning. “Well, what if I wanted you to restrain me with Ninja wire?” She asks, an indignant expression.

Sasuke snaps back. “I dont care what you want, it isnt necessary, now hurry up!”

Sakura huffs, stomping in her dark haired teammates directions. “Well if you’re saying I need to be attacking you to be restrained with the ninja wire, then maybe I should give you some incentive!” She exclaims, suddenly running toward him, she jumps on him with all her strength in a feral tackle. “I’LL HAVE YOU!”

Tsunami’s house, 10 minutes later.

Sasuke walked back to tsunami’s house with an irritated look on his face, eye twitching in annoyance as he looked down to his right hand and sees a mass of pink hair and a squirming mass tied up in his ninja wires, Sakura screams profanities as she is dragged along the dirt road, glaring right into Sasuke’s red swirling eyes. “Damn you for dying! How DARE you push me off of you…” Her eyes twitch with irritation, not able to take the thought of being rejected again, finally breaking from all the pressure of all her struggles this turbulent week. “I'M THE PRETTIEST GIRL AROUND YOU ASSHOLE!!!” Sakura vigorously thrashed in her bindings, biting at the wires and screaming angrily.

Inner Sakura chuckles darkly as she eyes him with a stick in her hand. Sasuke gulps as she looks directly into his eyes with a look of malice, burning with emotion as she clenches her fist. “WHY’D YOU DIE ?! I'm gonna get out of here…. And when I do…. It's over for you SASUKE– MMPPHH !!!” She says with a playful smirk, secretly elated at his apparent resurrection, but Sasuke slaps a piece of duct tape over her mouth and sighs in relief as her threats turn to intelligible mumbo jumbo, humming a happy tune as he walks down the trail while sakura calms down and just glares. At him without even blinking ONCE… She grips her stick tightly and narrows her eyes as they pierce with dangerous intent.

Sasuke continues dragging her along as Sakura begins to tire, her mostly all salad diet catching up to her as she gasses out and breathes heavily, not screaming anymore as they quietly go along on the path. Sakura’s eyes glaze over as she calms down and stops acting out, thinking deeply to herself. “Besides all the yelling… I guess I should be grateful he’s even alive at all… I wonder what’s wrong with me…” soon coming into the shade as they enter the backyard of the bridge builder's house through the back trail.

“Well we’re here…”  Sasuke says as he reaches the house and they catch a glimpse of Kakashi’s silver hair up against a tree. “Look, it's Sensei.” Sasuke walks over to Kakashi and waves his hand but sees who he thought was Kakashi was just a straw dummy with a wig.

Sasuke and Sakura hear a small chuckle from behind them as they both turn and see their sensei, the copy nin, feet dangling off a tree branch as he reads a book from the makeout paradise book and giggles to himself pervily before snapping the book closed and looking over to them. “Hello my cute little genin! How was the reunion?” He laughed with a one eye smile as he saw the state of Sakura in the ninja wire. “Sakura, were you causing trouble…?”

Sakura licks at the tape and spits it out, an unremorseful, defiant expression plastered over her visage. “Hmph… whatever! I don’t have to explain anything SENSEI!” She says, glaring at him for no reason. Kakashi sighs, but jumps off the tree, striding up to her and grabbing a kunai out of his pouch, putting it to the wire and slicing through it as Sakura falls on her butt and struggles to detangle herself before Sasuke finishes cutting her loose. “Oooh! Oww… you don't have to be so harsh guys! What a crude way to treat a girl… I am the ONLY reason you and that whisker face idiot are alive right now! Way to show gratitude to your savior…” the pink haired genin grumbles out, getting up and patting the dirt off of her red dress.

Kakashi claps his hands together, looking towards the two genin patiently, silver hair over his eye with an eyepatch under the spiky gray color, masking his right eye in place of the Konoha headband; the insignia instead resting on the table inside. Sakura makes a “Hmm?” sound, looking in his direction and Sasuke merely turns his head, already aware of the brewing storm right as a mass of dark, murky clouds from the front direction of the house slowly waft over the home, and small, lukewarm droplets of water begin to land once again, along with the earth shaking rumble of lightning from the direction of the coast.

Sasuke begins to walk into the house with Kakashi as the rain begins to fall a bit harder, the air coldening and fogging up slightly. Sakura shivers and scurries into the house, not wanting to get caught in the rain as she sits down at the table, shaking the water droplets out of her hair and sighing as her shoulders hit the tabletop, knowing she’ll be stuck in the house for a while with this rainy weather. 

Sasuke goes to his and Kakashi’s room to read up on a scroll of an improvement to fire style jutsu, deciding not to stay around and wait with his team. Sakura frowns as he leaves abruptly, looking longingly and vulnerably at his back as he walks away, a downcast expression as the number in the room dwindles to two. The pink haired girl looks quietly at her dark haired teammate studying a scroll until she hears the sound of a key unlocking a doorknob.

Kakashi and Sakura both look over to the front area with their shoes and the welcome mat and see Tsunami, a dark haired, tan woman opens the front door with a frantic look on her face, dripping with water as she quickly tosses a few bags filled with various food items; vegetables, meat, rice bags, and other items in the kitchen and runs over to the bathroom, toweling her hair off and patting off before wiping the liquid off of her forehead. 

“Whooh… it is very wet out there, good thing you guys didn't get caught outside…” She says softly, in a low tone, walking into the kitchen and looking at the team members currently in the room. “I ran to go get some groceries with a bit of the town bounty money that piece of shit had on his head, but I got caught in the rain on the way back…” she pants, taking some of the food items and putting them in their spots in the fridge, also leaving some on the counter. “There wasn't supposed to be any rain this week but I guess nature is unpredictable!”

Sakura mumbles something from the table with her head down like, “Right, right… of course, we’re stuck inside.” in a quiet tone. Kakashi nods, sighing. “Yep, that's how it is my cute little genin… nothin we can do about it!~” Sakura scowls as Kakashi ruffles her hair, moving her hands up to straighten it again. “I'm tired of everyone messing with my hair today!” Sakura says, slapping his hand away. The eyepatched man moves his gloved hand back, waving them both dismissively with a smile. “Sorry, sorry…” he says, chuckling at her foul temper.

Tsunami claps, getting the attention of the two. “Well Since we are stuck inside… I will make us all a delicious dinner while we wait for the storm to pass.” The daughter of the bridge builder says, nodding her head affirmatively with a smile. The mood of the team members slightly brightens at the thought of food, the idea making the situation more comfortable. Tsunami looks down at one of the bags at her feet, picking up a few flat square boxes and packaged styrofoam cups and setting them down on the counter while leaning over on her shoulders, much similar to Sakura’s current posing; pursing her lips and nonchalantly speaking. “Orrrr….. We could pop these pre-packaged pizza’s in the oven and boil up some cup ramen…?” she grins, setting her chin up on her two hands.

Sakura rolls her eyes at the thought of eating ramen for dinner, even if it doesn't sound bad, and turns to Tsunami. “As much as ramen and pizza does sound alright, I think I would rather have a home cooked meal. I can help with the preparation if you want? And plus, It’s not like the ramen and pizza will go to waste…” She says in amusement, glancing towards the stairs.

Tsunami smiles in appreciation at the young girl’s offer, nodding her head and grabbing out everything she needed for the dish, preparing to make a simple rice, meat, dairy, and vegetable based meal as she lays out a cutting board, a knife, and the ingredients. She pushes the cutting board towards Sakura as she steps up to the counter. “Here, we can make something simple. You can cut the vegetables and make an omelet and I will run the rice cooker and make the meat.” Sakura grabs the knife and begins cutting, and thinly slicing and chopping ingredients, albeit a little clumsy, as Sakura had always struggled with kitchen related things. Sakura piles them together before setting the knife down. She then grabs a bowl, cracking in the dozen eggs and seasoning them before whisking them and slowly cooking the large portion of eggs beside tsunami, who is cooking sliced chicken in the pan next to her in a darkly colored sauce.

The pink haired girl tends to the eggs in the pan, keeping the edges from sticking to the pan with the spatula, and flipping it inwards until it's done. Sakura finishes before Tsunami, letting the giant omelet rest on a plate situated on the counter, who in turn, after letting it cook for a while, puts the meat down on a plate and sighs. “Now to wait for the rice to be done…” Tsunami says, seeing the fifteen minutes remaining on the timer of the rice cooker.

Sakura blushes as she looks up, her brain suddenly picking up the sensory information of her sensei, the Copy Ninja, loudly cheering her on as she cooks the simple meal alongside the dark haired woman, nodding approvingly at her work as a mock tear falls from his un-patched eye, grabbing sasuke by the shoulder and forcing him to watch her cook for ‘team building’ as his scowls go ignored. “Put me down Kakashi!” he rudely admonishes the man, not using the moniker of sensei with the man at all.

 Kakashi smiles at Sakura and sniffs inward, making an exaggerated sense of how good the food smelled. “I'm so proud of you Sakura! cooking for the team and providing us with sustenance to move forward in our ninja mission. A TRUE woman in the making… whichever man will be lucky to have you…” He teases, finishing in a serious tone as his pink haired student turns red at the praise.

“Whatever! Stupid sensei… put Sasuke back! You…” She stutters. “...you’re bothering him!!!” The pinkette yells out, turning red from all of the attention on her as she slams her eyes shut. Tsunami giggles, smiling at the girl. “Oh pish posh… I think your sensei is wonderful… and quite the looker too~” She says, looking at the man much closer to her age with a sultry smile. “Did you hear that? I said you’re attractive mister Kakashi…” Kakashi blushes under his mask, but his facial expression remains the same. “Oh? Well I appreciate the compliment miss, I could say the same thing about you.” Kakashi remarks, causing Sakura to eye roll at the thought of their lazy sensei spitting game.

Sasuke smirks as he hears this exchange, brushing Kakashi’s hand off of his shoulder as he shrugs. “I don't know… Kakashi is the biggest bum I know, I don't think you would want to involve yourself with a lazy hobo like him.” He says in Tsunami's direction. Sakura giggles at the insults, ready to add to Sasuke’s words, grinning slyly at the dark haired woman. “Yeah, I agree with Sasuke here… I don't think I would mess with lazy sensei… he’s pretty sleazy and even pervy!” she says cheekily while rubbing shoulders with the older woman, laughing her ass off on the inside at the look of annoyance under the silver haired shinobi’s mask.

He shakes his hands at his sides while chuckling nervously as Tsunami leans in, one eyebrow raising as she stares at him intensely, as if trying to find this so-called ‘perviness’ on his face. “Pervy huh…?”

Kakashi shakes his head frantically, hiding his Makeout Paradise copy in his bag on the floor with his left hand discreetly. “No of course not, my students are simply jealous of my wide range of refined skills I have in my arsenal as a shinobi! I assure you that it is purely envious drabble Tsunami!” He says, tripping over his words for a second and sweat dripping from his forehead at the pressure put on by the three. 

Tsunami suddenly backs away, smiling widely and nodding her head in rapid succession, as if confirming something. She stops her head and crosses her arms as Sasuke and Sakura lean in, eager to see their sensei's rejection, almost sure of the outcome. Tsunami’s mouth flattens in a line, looking dead at the eyepatched man. “I like my men pervy.” She nods again. “The perviest of pervs… yes I do!” Sasuke sighs at this, going back to his room to wait for food at his failure, closing his door. Sakura falls straight on her face and Kakashi gives an “I told you so” look to Sakura, as if he knew it would go this way. 

The conversation is interrupted by the rice cooker going off, beeping repeatedly with a little jingle. Tsunami goes over and fluffs the rice up before mixing it in with the meat and vegetables while Sakura cuts the omelet into evenly rationed slices, placing five slices in each bowl along with utensils. Kakashi brings Sasuke out of the room and beckons him to the table as Sakura places the bowls in front of each chair. Tsunami calls for Inari to come eat, making a smaller bowl for her son as he walks downstairs, smiling sadly as he sits next to his mother.

Kakashi gestures toward Sakura and Tsunami before they begin eating, smiling lightly. “Everyone thank these two for preparing the food tonight, as we would be eating store bought ramen and pizza without them.” He says in a light manner. Tsunami smiles, “Yes! Thank you for helping me, Sakura…” She warmly thanks the teen. Sakura blushes as everyone says thank you, sitting down quickly and hiding her face by eating with her head low. They all eat in relative silence, not having all that much to talk about, and not even being able to talk about all that much with two civilians at the table.

Sakura peeks glances in Sasuke’s direction, watching him eat closely. The green eyed girl’s mind wanders as she plays with her utensils, getting nervous. “I can't believe I'm actually feeding Sasuke’s mouth right now… he is consuming my food!!!” She blushes, gushing and taking a shaky breath with her head low and taking another bite of her food. Sasuke sees her looking at him and sighs, knowing it was inevitable with her obsessive nature, for her to want to see what he thought about her cooking.

“The food is fine Sakura, now stop staring at me please.” Sasuke bluntly asks, calling her out as he takes another bite, chewing quietly.. Sakura recoils at his irritated tone, shrinking down in shame and taking smaller bites as she stays quiet and looks away. “O… Okay Sasuke… I won't look at you while you eat… ” she says sadly, glancing over to him. “I just wanted to-” Her words get caught in her throat and she shakes her head in defeat. “Nevermind…”

Kakashi sighs, thinking while eating his food, all of the angst reminding him far too much of his team when he was a genin, with the relationship between him, Obito, and Rin, and how it progressed as they honed their shinobi skills as the months went on. “How did I get the team with so much drama? It just had to be me didn't it…? My worst fears have come true! Teaching a team of genin just like my old one…”

The table has an awkward, but somewhat comfortable silence as they eat. The fact that the group's almost impossible chances of surviving mostly unharmed were actually beaten gave them all something to be happy about, not able to fully sulk for any reason, as they made it out alive.

 Sakura takes another small bite of her food, mind wandering to different places as she fidgets with her fingers. “It’s so quiet here… it feels weird. I feel like it’s usually louder right? I can hear everyone chewing…” the pink haired girl says shyly, taking another small bite of her food. The little boy next to Tsunami, Inari sighs, pushing his bowl away from his body as he finishes eating what he can, looking downcast as stares off into nothing, huffing in displeasure. 

Inari looks at her like what she said was the stupidest thing to say ever, speaking up. “It’s just that your group is so~ boring without Naruto, obviously.” He remarks casually, as if it was an irrefutable fact; rubbing his chin in a thinking manner. “I mean without him you’re just… an emo kid, a pink girl… and a gray-haired pirate with a mask...” They all drop their forks and look at Inari and his crude labeling, all of their calm facades dropped in an instant as they are put into shock by their unique nicknames. Sakura stands up, putting her fingertips on the tabletop and glaring at inari. “A pink girl?! Is that what people think of me when they see me? Seriously?!”

Sasuke glares into nothing, staring at the wall as he replays Inari’s words in his head, breathing out a little bit forcefully. “An emo kid…? Is that what people think of me when they see me? Hn… I don't care. ”

Kakashi laughs lightly at the nickname given to him. “I don’t mind pirates…”

The sound of a door opening on the opposite end of the floor they were on in a sluggish fashion was heard by team seven, before the bridge builder, Tazuna, walked through the door looking hungover and groggy. The man walked forward, and past the table, going behind the countertop and leaning up against it. “Morning, I guess I shouldnt have been drinking when we had planned for this mission.”

Sasuke shakes his head and brushes the comment aside, looking at Inari. “Boring? More peaceful, Sakura just had to say something dumb, you don't really know Naruto like we do, little kid. It doesn't matter how much power he gains, in time, with training, I’ll always be above him.” Sasuke says. 

Kakashi chimes in, an optimistic eye smile. “Well, some friendly rivalry can never hurt anyone, these types of dynamics provide the environment to breed faster growing in strength, don't think Naruto will be able to pass for using all of his abilities from the very start, as the first signs of Kekkei Genkai emerging, the senses and battle reflexes are sharpened, and it acts as a sort of autopilot! I’m sure you understand this, as you’ve experienced it, haven't you Sasuke?”

Before Sasuke can reply, Sakura scoffs and rolls her eyes, speaking to the group. “Oh please, Sasuke and Naruto squabbling all day is needlessly annoying, and this rivalry business is all so pointless, we need to focus on the missions! How are we supposed to defeat enemy shinobi if you dummies are busy fighting over who gets to fight…” 

Sasuke’s face turns foul. “Rivalry? Me and Naruto? There was never any comparison.” Kakashi pats Sasuke on the head patronizingly. “Now, now, we need to focus on finishing this beautiful meal before it goes cold.” Kakashi says with a smile. As they eat, soon their plates become clear, and they find themselves with empty hands. 

Kakashi claps his hands together, his voice raising to bring the team to attention. “Sasuke, Sakura, since we have to wait for Naruto to be awake for us to depart on our ways back to Konoha, we must train in the time we have in that timeframe. You both remember the fundamentals of the tree walking exercise, correct?” The gray haired man asks calmly. 

Sasuke and Sakura both nod, looking to Kakashi in confusion. Sakura speaks up. “Yes, what about it sensei, I performed it flawlessly.” She adds in unnecessarily. Kakashi raises his finger. “Well, that’s a good thing, because you are not done, there is more to learn. Come this way. Kakashi turns a beckoning hand to the two, heading in the direction of the door.

Sakura’s face drops in annoyance. “But it’s RAINING like hell out there sensei, we cant go out now!” Sasuke doesn't say anything, he merely crosses his arms with an expression of mild discontent and heads to follow Kakashi. “But… but… fine!” Sakura scoffs, flipping her hair defiantly and standing up to follow in suit. Once they reach outside, they’re surprised to see the dark rain clouds above part ways and begin to dissipate. “But how…” Sakura mumbles.

“You learn to know these things.” Kakashi comments, continuing his walk, heading around the house and to the back, where a large pond resides. Sakura’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why are we heading to the backyard, Sensei, shouldn't we be going to the training grounds?

Kakashi shakes his head, pointing to the pond. “No, this will do just fine, we’ve got all we need here, it’s best if we don’t wander off.” He explains plainly without any direct telling of what the training is. Sasuke takes a step closer to the pond. “It’s the water.” He states quietly, seemingly readying himself, he takes a step forward, and then another step. 

Sakura raises an eyebrow. “Are you going swimming, Sasuke?” He doesn't say anything or try to reply, simply taking further steps forward before he steps toward the pond, and when his leg is supposed to go through, it doesn't, his foot shakily balancing on the water, and then the other one as he goes further in, his sandal teetering on the edge of the water’s surface tension and he falls in.

Kakashi gestures to Sasuke’s drenched form, dragging himself out of the water. “Water walking. If you use just the right amount of chakra while walking on the surface of the water, you will float, in a way, however, as you could see, it is far more difficult to maintain than simply walking against a vertical wall, or even hanging from the ceiling.” He pauses for a moment to let the information sink in.

Sasuke shakes himself off as well as he can, heading out to the water once more, trying to balance on it, sometimes he does worse, sometimes he gets it better, he speaks shakily as he teeters in small footsteps on the pond's surface. “I saw this being done when I was younger, my dad and… my brother in a sparring match in the lake next to the Uchiha compound.”

Sakura steps toward the water tentatively and sends a steady stream of her chakra with the control she estimates she needs to not fall into the water, and taking a few steps, her feet safely above the water, she grows more comfortable with this water walking exercise. 

Sasuke falls into the water again after the 6th step, getting progressively, even though slowly more steady with each attempt, but as he looks at Sakura, he lets out a sigh of frustration, Sakura sees this and frowns. “Hey, you’ll get it, I’m just really good at this because I have less chakra to control, it must be harder for you, can I tell you how I’ve been doing it?.” She asks softly, Sasuke scoffs. “I don't need your pity, Sakura, and I can manage on my own, focus on your own training.”

Sakura looks brought down by this, and she falls in the water, quickly swimming her way out. “Dammit, I’m such an idiot!” She chastises herself. Kakashi raises a hand, suddenly making himself known, he sits in the middle of the pond in a lazy grouch, one hand holding an open Makeout Paradise franchise book. “You sell yourself short Sakura, you have a knack for precise chakra control, it’s not just your small reserves, you have a talent for it, I’m sure you could be an amazing medic nin, or learn complex genjutsu.

Sakura waves it off, even though on the inside, she’s taken aback by the older, much more experienced man makes his positive observation “Medical Ninjutsu? Me? Maybe, I don't know, sensei.” She doubts, and Kakashi shrugs, replying. “Just food for thought.”

Hours pass by, and so does the progression of the water walking training. Sakura gets used to standing on the lake or even running for long periods of time, and Sasuke manages to walk all the way to the other end of the pond, go back, and then do a loop around it without falling down. Sasuke feels somewhat accomplished, but as he walks off of the lake and sits down next to a nearby tree, his perception blurs as he looks down at his hands in an unfocused lens.

“I was really… dead…” Sasuke’s hands tremble as he puts his hand to his heart, and it beats, but he feels it… shouldn't. He feels the cold sting of the ice needles, the warm, blood stickying his skin and seeping into his clothes, each movement tugging at his micro hairs. There had been needles in every organ of his body other than his brain, and that felt so real, so jarring, but this… this didn't. 

Death is the end for everyone, but not for him? Why? Why can't I just be happy I’m alive and well, I can still kill itachi, I can still train, I… his train of thought derailed and he shakes his head, the sound of chirping birds and crickets in the underbrush turn into an unrelenting buzz in his ears, a white noise and cacophony as more and more time goes by, his teammates already having gone inside as he sits there, staring at those damn unfeeling hands, his Sharingan unconsciously activating, red swirls scrutinizing every detail down to the very fingerprint on his fingers.

Sakura looks back as he feels a firm hand on his shoulder to see his sensei, Kakashi, standing there with a calm but strong look in his eye. He won't ask if something is wrong, because he already knows, but he has to do what he can. “Come on, let’s go inside, it’s starting to get dark.”

The air in Tsunami’s house was thick with unspoken angst. Sasuke, dripping water onto the wooden floor, didn’t head for a towel. He just stopped in the living room, his gaze lost somewhere on the floorboards, as if he was trying to count the grains in the wood. His trembling hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.

Sakura, who had come inside a few minutes earlier, sat at the kitchen table, running a dry towel through her own damp pink hair. She watched him, then glanced at Kakashi. Their sensei didn’t say anything; he just leaned against the doorframe, his one visible eye conveying a weariness that had little to do with their training. The usual lazy slouch was there, but it seemed heavier now.

The silence stretched. It was broken only by the drip… drip… drip of water from Sasuke’s shorts onto the floor, each drop landing with a sound that felt too loud.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something—maybe to scold him for dripping on the floor, the way she might have before. But the words died in her throat. The look on his face wasn't the usual arrogance or frustration. It was hollow. She looked away, feeling like an intruder.

Hours passed like this.

Kakashi eventually grabbed his book from the table, but he didn’t seem to be reading it, not really. He settled into a chair in the corner, a silent guardian in the growing shadows. Sakura abandoned her towel and helped Tsunami quietly put away some dishes. It was a normal, everyday task that felt strange and out of place.

Sasuke finally moved, but only to slump into a chair by the window that looked out over the water. He just sat there, a silhouette against the fading light.

Sasuke sat in the chair, Kakashi helped tsunami pick up the dishes on the plate from dinner’s aftermath, containing any sort of leftovers or anything that could be saved, and even after all the dishes and silverware were all put away, he still continued to compulsively clean, beyond Tsunami’s efforts. 

Sakura head’s upstairs with a frown, the faint glow of twilight dissipating with each soft step, she walks down the hallway and turns the door handle to the room she was given quietly, with attention to not have the striker touch anything.

Walking into the room, she found herself staring at Naruto in worry, it’s been 3 whole days, and he still hasn't woken up yet like Kakashi said he probably would, then again, raising someone from the dead has to be tiring. With a huff of frustration with the angst that seems to radiate outward from nearly everyone in the group, including herself. 

“I hate this stupid mission…we should have never gotten roped up in this mess…” She complains, jumping into bed and pulling the covers over her head, slamming her eyes shut, with difficulty, she soon drifts off to an unstable sleep, swapping from good and pleasant dreams to horrible nightmares, reliving the events of three days ago, but at least it’s better than her sleep last night.

(Naruto’s room, 3 in the morning.)

Dreamless aching thirst and hunger– the only thing he felt, parched lips and exceedingly dry mouth, a searing migraine and stiff body cramps all over. Naruto’s eyes slowly drift open and memories of a previous day come. Blood, so much blood, a tidal wave of chakra, the feeling of cold, hard rage, and a feminine hold hugging him from behind, a kiss.

Naruto groans and his eyes open, a small flood of dim light entering his over tuned senses– a nightlight, sitting plugged into a wall outlet in between his own bed and… Sakura’s. The pink haired girl’s breathing resonated quietly throughout the room as the only sound, her body turned in the other direction, facing the door. 

 The window outside showed a remarkable lack of natural moonlight with the appearance of this new moon. He looked back to Sakura Staring for a long moment before looking away to the glass of water on his bedside. It looked so good… perfect, but just out of reach, his stiff arm reaching out to grab the glass, but it stops just short. 

God… damnit!!! I have pretty long arms, why can't I… reach it…? He questions himself internally, a deep sigh leaving his lips as he leans back against the bed frame, just staring at the water. Why would they put it so far? Why are you complaining–

Suddenly, out of a stroke of… god knows what, the glass of water moves , yes, it actually moves toward him as if there was a string connected to his head when he turned the other way– either that, or there’s a ghost in the room… But no, that’s stupid, why would there be a ghost or a string, ghosts don’t exist, and who in their right mind would think to put a string there? 

Naruto shakes his head, smiling. At least the water is closer, I won’t question it. Naruto thinks, closing his eyes and clasping his hands together in a praying motion, grin still on his face. “Thanks, God, you’re the homie...” He prays quietly, thanking whatever deity out there decided it was important for him to drink this obvious holy water. Naruto reaches his hand out to grab the water, when suddenly, the table begins to vibrate, the water in the cup ripples and shakes, and it explodes, splinters of glass spraying out in all directions and imbedding themselves in the walls, water splashed all over the bedside table. 

Naruto looks with wide, bulging eyes as his drink spontaneously commits suicide, he groans with exasperation, cursing under his breath. “Fuck, I almost had it. God I take it back, screw you…” He mutters to himself in disdain, gritting his teeth together in annoyance before he freezes, mind suddenly taking him back to the night of the bridge, only a single moment resonating in his mind.

A memory of a moment that should have been completely and utterly dire– hopeless, but it wasn't, because of one extraordinary shinobi phenomenon. The ice needles from that rogue hunter nin, completely surrounding him from all sides, just as they were about to pierce him from every angle, they stopped in their place, floating in the air, vibrating as if something is holding them there, when he raised both his hands and spoke words he himself did not know. Shinra Tensei. 

Naruto shakes himself out of the trance with a look of further understanding, but also a resignation and tiredness that does not belie a boy with something more precious than a thousand diamonds in his eye sockets– a power he did not ask for, and in his mind, does not deserve either. Naruto’s eyes flick over from his bedside table to Sakura’s sleeping form, holding his breath, as if that would help with the prospect of her staying asleep. 

Despite the mini glass-liquid explosion, Sakura stayed fast asleep. Naruto finds himself breathing out a sigh of relief, but the resignation still remains, laced with a little curiosity. He looks at his hands, squinting at them as if it would show him something beyond his mortal skin, when he starts to look around the room, for the first time, noticing the fact that he can see the outlines of the room, Sakura’s chakra flowing throughout strange circular points in a line, as well as trails on the ground where remnants of her chakra brushed off. 

Looking back at his own hands, he can see his chakra, but not just his chakra, but how it flows through his body, he can see the different, deep red color in his stomach right behind the seal, he can see the different concentrations of how much chakra flows in each area.

In the quiet, he sat and observed, letting the multitude of foreign sensations—voices, feelings, physical traces—pass by him with indifference. But his senses began to rein themselves in, focusing on a single point: Sakura. He could see the soft, light-pink fractal shapes of her chakra tremble and morph, seeping from her sleeping form like a faint mist. He reached out, stretching his arm as far as it could go, and his fingers brushed against the lingering remnants.

The touch plunged him into her mind.

Memories—or maybe nightmares—rushed through him in a flashing, unstable scene. He saw the bridge, thick with mist. He saw Sasuke's body, peppered with needles, and felt Sakura’s despair as she cried over him. He even witnessed her deepest fear play out: a vision of Sasuke blaming her, crying out that she was too weak to save him. But Naruto knew the truth, and the knowledge was a cold weight in his gut. It was his fault. Sasuke had died for him, and was only alive now by a whim of the power that had been forced upon him.

The nightmarish image of Sasuke’s corpse dissipated like smoke, but the ethereal fog only spun faster, a hurricane of motion converging into a new scene. This time, he was seeing through Sakura’s eyes, feeling with her heart, and experiencing her… terror.

It was a terror born from the viscera of a hundred men. Blood rained from a red-tinged sky as black roots fed the carnage indiscriminately. And through it all, a sickening, ear-splitting, maniacal laugh echoed, belonging to a monster that didn't have a care in the world. What could she do? he felt her think, It’s too much. I never signed up for this.

‘Why is this happening to me?’ Her thoughts became his. The knot in her throat grew tighter as that red-eyed, bloodstained figure with long fangs walked slowly toward her. ‘This is the end, I’m going to die here… this isn't a game, it never was. I should have listened to my mother…’ He felt her clench her eyes shut, awaiting a pain that never came, only the phantom feeling of him walking right past her.

Naruto tore himself out of the ethereal haze. His gaze snapped to Sakura’s prone form, her body trembling in the grip of the dream he had just witnessed. A fresh, sharp wave of guilt washed over him, and his hand clenched into a fist.

“Enough,” he muttered.

He flung the bedsheets aside and vaulted out of bed, a sudden strength born of pure self-loathing surging through him. He could see his own chakra flaring through its pathways, agitated and restless.

‘It’s absolutely sickening,’ he told himself, shame and disgust a poison in his veins. ‘I have to get out of this fucking house.’ he growls out, shaking his head and opening the door. As he walked down the hallway, the full wall window on his side was particularly dark, but to him, it was no less visible than broad daylight– there simply isn't any sun. He could see the fireflies light up like a cloud of blue, the skittering of squirrels running up trees, and a trail that leads to the house garbage can, a raccoon feasts on whatever happens to end up in nature's gift basket.

Feeling a tingling sensation in his lower area, he finds himself drawn to the call of nature, heading down the stairs and quietly opening the door to the bathroom, making sure not to wake anyone. Naruto lifts the toilet seat, does his business, and just before he’s about to leave, he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror and abruptly drops what he was doing and leans into the mirror.

Naruto’s eyes, seven concentric circles ripple outward like a neverending puddle or optical illusion, a deep and otherworldly silverish purple. He leaned in further, doing a double take, blinking a few times, he reached up to his face and spread one of his eyes open with two fingers. “What the fuck…” He asks incredulously to no one in particular. “Did someone paint my eyeball while I was asleep? That’s the only explanation!”

Naruto exclaims, running the faucet and gathering some water in his hands to splash on his face, pumping some soap from the dispenser and lathering it around his eyes. Naruto splashes his face a second time, checking again in the same way, eye spread with two fingers. Nothing changed. “Oh, please don't tell me this is a tattoo…. Oh god…I’M GONNA THROW UP… not really, I have an empty stomach, that would be bad.”

As he says this, he catches a whiff of something with his hyper alert nose, his optical plight suddenly forgotten as he doesnt bother to close the bathroom door behind him. “Food…” He mumbles, heading to the fridge where he finds various tupperware containers with yesterday’s supposed dinner.

It doesnt even matter that its cold, he just grabs what he can say and puts it on the table, eating slowly, as much as his stomach can handle. “I’m sure they already ate dinner while I was asleep.” he says to himself, taking a bite of rice, seasoned beef, and lettuce with his chopsticks. It’s almost surreal, eating food after being out for over three days, regardless of what it is. ‘ I’m surprised I can even eat at all, but this is so simple, it’s perfect.’ Naruto muses in his mind, going for another bite.

When Naruto is finished, he rinses his plate in the sink, puts the tupperware away and pours himself a cup of water in the sink, tap water be damned, it feels heavenly, much more so than just eating, he chugs the water down like he’s doing it competitively, letting out a relieved exhale as the water permeates throughout his self, re-vializing his fatigued body, quenching his dry mouth’s thirst. 

Being fed and hydrated is one thing, but his attention is drawn back to the matter of his eyes as he once again catches a glimpse of them, this time in the shiny metal sink’s reflective bottom. Naruto frowns, mood once again ruined. He shakes his head and walks off, heading for the backdoor, for some reason, he just feels it… calling to him– like Sakura, the voices, senses, emotions, they grow stronger as he heads that way, and like he said earlier, this house, at least for the moment, is off limits. 

Naruto walks down and opens the backdoor situated in the living room by the window, he closes it behind him and walks carefully not to disturb his previous injuries, feet becoming slightly wet with the water built up on the grass from the recent rain, the trees are producing droplets, and it’s ever eerie out here, nice but eerie, he can see… everything. 

Each little animal glowing a soft blue, their chakra running through their pathways, the trees and the earth around him was a deep yellowish orange, he could feel little points of vibrations in different directions of all the possible enemies, he felt as if he were somehow attached to the air around him, he could feel it like an invisible chakra, a magnetic field, you could sense it.

It was breathtaking, Naruto stood there in awe, scanning the area around him and all of the new sights, mouth slightly ajar. As he walks further down, and with a parting of some leaves, the black, dark pond that he could see through like there the sun in the sky comes into the view, it was all so overwhelming, and besides that, he could feel… himself, and a different, heavier chakra all the way in the direction of the bridge again, it was almost… suffocating. 

Naruto grew further stressed as he stepped toward the lake, and the bright signatures of the life in the pond glowed like fireflies, every little thing down to the smallest creatures in there, he could see the fish as well, all the frogs, the bugs, the snakes in the grass, the algae, which took up the yellowish orange color of the nature chakra just like the plant life, everything glowed.

Kneeling down and crossing his legs under him, Naruto just sat there and looked around in even further awe then before, scooching forward, a little closer to the edge of the lake, and looked down, and despite the glow of the lake, he could still see himself in the water, his face like a thin plastic wall, frustration rushes in as he sees his eyes once again come into view.

‘It makes me look so… soulless, there’s no shine in my eye, I cant even tell my own facial expression…” Naruto pulls away, standing up abruptly and shaking his head. “No! I wont accept this, there must be something I can control here, just one thing…” Naruto takes a step toward the lake, and another, and another, and places his foot above the water. 

The boy’s foot sunk in half way, not quite floating, but somehow keeping himself from sinking completely, one step, and he falls right down, into the water. The lake is so cold, Naruto scrambles to get back to the dry land, quickly standing himself up and trying to shake his wet pants off as if it would get rid of the water “Shoot… I kind of did it… no, not really…”

Naruto tries a few more times, failing each time, only getting maybe half a footsep each time, sometimes falling in completely, but he’s interrupted when he felt the warmth of something creeping up around him and then spotting another one of those breathing kalaeidescopal fractal energy paths, it comes up out of the water.

Feeling himself be whisked away again, he’s transported to a place where its like here, in fact, it is here, but the sun is out, and it’s not him there, well it is, standing there in the background as a foggy cloud like figure interchangeably with seeing directly out of his teammates eyes, as his team trains for the water walking exercise. Sasuke is struggling, but doing better than him, he has his sharingan on, watching Kakashi Sensei’s feet, but he’s struggling to fully copy his technique. Sasuke silently struggles onward, up until Sakura tries to give him some advice, which he rejects.

Naruto feels his frustration as Sasuke tries to reproduce the results his sensei and Sakura were having, but the chakra on the bottom of the feet is just a blob of chakra, it tells nothing. As the cloud of fractal patterns swirls around me once again, I’m seamlessly transported to Sakura’s eyes, effortlessly standing on top of the water with no issue, trying to give Sasuke advice, when she looks over to Kakashi, and there , right on the bottom of his feet, he sits there crouched down reading a book looking like he’s ready to go to sleep, perfect control. 

"No! This is useless! I can't see the chakra! I don't want to see what she saw, I need to see it for myself!"

This acts as a command in his mind, and as he said, Sakura’s perspective is dissipated and he’s inside his own perspective, floating just beyond where Sakura and Sasuke are, getting a good look at Kakashi, his technique is flawless, he uses no wasted chakra, and its completely steady the whole time, even when he’s not paying attention, the flow– which he can see, he can look at his own feet, put that exact amount of chakra to his best ability, keep it at that spot, and… walk on water.

Naruto nods, and speaks. 

“Take me out.”

As commanded, Naruto is sent out of this remnant, back standing right where he was before when he tried water walking the first time, he looks at his feet, pushes out close to the right pressure of flow he observed on the bottom of kakashi’s feet, thin and no gaps, dense.

He took a steadying breath, the image of Kakashi's flawless chakra control still vivid in his mind's eye– or his eye’s mind. He remembered the spiky, uncontrolled feeling of his own failure and focused on creating its opposite—a calm, thin, and dense layer of energy on the soles of his feet, just like the blueprint he'd witnessed.

Naruto takes a step forward, and another one, almost slips, catches himself, he closes his eyes, and… he’s standing. Naruto stands on the lake, taking a tentative step forward, he keeps going and going and going until hes in the middle of the lake, right where Kakashi was.

Turning around, he slowly, and carefully walks back, nearly falling in multiple times, then hopping out onto the ground past the pond. “Its late… I should probably go back inside and rest.

“How are you feeling, Naruto?” He hearts a voice say from the side, jumping damn near out of his skin, he yelps, turning to the corner of his vision, and there, right in front of a tall oak tree, Kakashi, his sensei, walked out from behind the tree silently. Naruto speaks, “What the hell, Kakashi Sensei, you scared the crap outta me!”

Kakashi raises his hands placatingly. “Oh, I was in plain sight, you just didn't see me, but anyway that doesn't matter, how did you do that just now? You had no one to tell you how to perform it, and in the middle of the night, there is no way for you to be tipped off either, do you have a secret, Naruto?” He asks calmly.

“Enough about the water walking technique, sensei, something has happened to my eyes! They went purple and have weird patterns in them and the white part is completely clouded out, I look like a freak, no one is ever gonna wanna look near me, Sakura’s the only one in my room that could have done anything and I’m seeing everything differently.” Naruto pleads to his sensei, widening his eye with a finger by pulling down his eyelid.

Kakashi shakes his head, he knows this isn't an ideal time to reveal the rinnegan to Naruto so soon, it’s a perfect time in the morning when everyone is up and mostly ready to go, it’s hard to process things when nobody is around. That aside, learning the water walking like that, from kakashi’s eyes, it appeared almost effortless at first. “We can talk about that later, Naruto, what’s more important, how did you do that just now? You should be impressed with yourself, it took me longer to learn the exercise when I was younger, there has to be something you did, can you tell me?

Naruto sighs, resigning himself, he didn't like it, he didn't figure out how to walk the water on his own, only partially, he had to copy a more efficient technique, not his own. “Well… I’ve been seeing things a lot differently recently, everything that lives… glows, and I can see the chakra in these animals, nature, chakra in general, I think, I have night vision… it just doesn't make sense, did someone do something to my eye? But… to answer your question…” Naruto pauses for a moment, going quiet.

“There were these clouds, these warm clouds, they have these fractal shards like glass or mirrors that surround you, I was drawn to the lake because these fractal shapes seem to be memories or moments, I can see something that happened before my time just from an imprint left on the area, if I’m not mistaken… and I read your chakra, it’s flow, I could see it, I could feel the amount, and I could see the density, I switched around from Sasuke to Sakura, and then eventually I found myself in a neutral perspective, seeing with this strange vision, and that’s when I replicated it– or tried, at least.” Naruto managed to explain to Kakashi, and it all– even to Kakashi himself, seemed out of place, so alien, the ability to look back at a remnant in time, not just observing the tracks someone left behind, actually seeing what happened. 

Kakashi’s head lit up with questions as he filtered through the information mentally in a neat manner, it’s the eyes, and its… an enhanced Sharingan capability, the ability to see chakra– and importantly, its flow throughout the entity. Naruto continues, stepping closer towards the house, pointing his finger, gesturing around the house in a circular manner. “I can see the barrier you left up, I think, its like a dome around the house, and I can see through the structure of the seals on those tags…”

The gray haired man sighed, speaking quietly, but firmly, placing a hand on his student’s shoulder. “Listen, it sounds like a lot is going on right now, and now, at night, right after waking up, is not the time to process all this new sensory information, you should get some rest, and we’ll handle the matter of your vision in the morning, if you’re awake, and then maybe we can get headed back on our ways to Konoha, we first need to recoup” He relayed, confidence and a little caution in his voice.

Naruto looks back once more, peering into the reflection of the water, and then he sighs, just like Kakashi, and turns around to walk back into the house. Naruto’s senses, which have been overwhelmed since the moment he stepped outside, get a well deserved break upon returning inside. With a wave, he turns away from Kakashi, heading back up the stairs, and as you get past the hallway, entering your’s and Sakura’s room, you step in, and her remnants are gone, only the calm pinkish chakra that permeates through her body as she sleeps. 

All Naruto’s paranoid, still fatigued mind can think as he crawls back into bed, ignoring the water spill on the bedside table and the glass as he gets comfortable under the blankets. His mind continuously loops back around to the same point– Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, she’s the only on in the room, she thinks crap like this is funny, and she MUST have drawn or tattooed his eyes, and the strange liquid is mutating him into squid dna from the ink. 

For quite a while, Naruto’s mind goes from point to point, crashing around with the worst case scenarios until it eventually calms down and gives him a reprieve for the rest he needs.

(The next morning.)

The fact that he was seeing daylight for the first time after over 72 hours of nonstop delirious dreams did no good in raising his mood, he immediately walks downstairs, sees his team sitting there. He’s shirtless, still wearing his green christmas like, out of season pajama bottoms, messy hair, and– well, his Rinnegan and it’s unknowing owner. 

Tsunami sits on one side of the table nearest to Naruto, and Sakura sits on the other side, Sasuke is sitting next to tsunami and Kakashi sits on the very end of the table, his back facing a pair of sliding doors that goes to the deck. Sasuke quietly eats his riceballs with a detached proficiency, his persistent, feeling of dissociation influencing his general mood significantly, eyes downcast, but controlled, Sasuke grips his chopsticks firmly.

Sakura picks at her food, not feeling very hungry, slightly lethargic, but also happy that Sasuke is back, and Naruto seems to be fine, still sleeping, even if she was a little confused when she woke up to glass shards stuck into all of the walls and floor, water spilled everywhere right in the spot she placed a glass of water out for him. 

Kakashi has already finished his food, having done it so quickly that no one managed to catch a glimpse of what is behind that mask, and he quietly reads his makeout paradise book .

Naruto walks in, and Sakura noticeably stiffens and withdraws when she sees him come in, her quiet reverence and slight uncertainty, happy that he’s awake and well as she sees him again, and then again, he saved them, no matter how gruesome, she tries to go back to quietly eating her food.

Sasuke… Sasuke’s attention immediately snaps onto Naruto, putting his own rice ball down, his eyes immediately lock on to his eyes, purple, ripple like rings, just like the night of the bridge, the only key difference being, they are no longer red, but purple. 

Sasuke clenches his fists so hard his palms turn whiter, Sasuke glared. ‘It’s permanent! It’s a permanent ocular jutsu! ‘This is… outrageous, but… those are the eyes that brought me back, that slaughtered a hundred men… it doesnt make any sense, where did it come from?’ he thought to himself, mind swirling with his own pride as well as a hesitant respect for the strength, but how is it the same Naruto as the one he sees now?

Naruto was tired, he was messy, he just woke up, but anyone at the table could see he had a purpose to his stride, a sharpness to it, walking directly up to the table and pressing his hands down on the surface, glaring a hole into Sakura’s face, he interpreted her staring as re-admiring her handiwork, and it ticked him off.

“I KNOW what you did, Sakura-chan!” he exclaims, snorting air through his nose. Sakura is completely confused, the veracity and seriousness of the claim momentarily snaps her out of her withdrawal, she crosses her arms, staring back at him. “What the hell are you talking about, Naruto, are you alright? You look stiff…”

Naruto groans in irritation. “Don’t play dumb with me! My eyes, I know what you did to my eyes. What, did you use a permanent marker, or did you tattoo them?!” He leaned over the table, getting right in her face, his voice a furious whisper. “I knew it had to be you! I fell asleep, a normal guy! And when I woke up—BAM! My eyes are RUINED! What did you even use?! Is this because I said your forehead was a little big that one time?! Or is it because I ate the leftovers in the fridge last night? This is going too far, even for you!”

She just stared at him, completely baffled, what was he saying? “Ruined your eyes? Naruto, what are you talking about? Did you get your stupid shampoo in them again?” She asks with a quirk of her head and an annoyed expression.

Naruto grits his teeth, shaking his head. “No, oh my god, just LOOK!” he leans in closer, spreading his eyes open with his fingers. Sakura squints her eyes, totally lost, until she really takes a double take, theres black ripples going all throughout the entire eye like the surface of a body of water when you throw something heavy onto it, cosmic colors all in shades of blue and mostly purple dance and flow within the eye,

Suddenly Sakura freezes, a tick mark appearing on her forehead as a realization comes to mind. “Naruto… are you seriously accusing me of TATTOOING YOUR EYE?!” She let her question sit there for a moment before she snapped.

“ARE YOU THE BIGGEST IDIOT TO EVER EXIST ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH?! NO I DIDN’T TATTOO YOUR EYE, WHAT DO YOU THINK I WOULD DO? USE A SEWING NEEDLE AND A SACK OF SQUID INK?! YOU WOULD HAVE WOKEN UP SCREAMING !!!” She shouts, unable to take the ridiculousness of the accusation.

“SHANNARO!!!” She yells, her fist shooting out and nailing him right in the face, he flies back and lands in some clutter in the corner. 

Kakashi just sits in his chair, an eye smile, not even looking up from his book, sipping tea in the other hand that does not hold his book. “Now now, Sakura, this sounds interesting, you should hear him out.” Kakashi says in a manner of further dramatization. A voice cut through the chaos, cold and hard as ice.

“Sit down.”

It was Sasuke. He hadn’t moved, but his entire posture had changed, stiff and tense, posturing aggressive, his sharingan active, eyes fixed on Naruto with a piercing intensity, analyzing those eyes, The air in the room grew heavy.

Naruto scrambled to his feet, rubbing his jaw. The humiliation and the genuine confusion of his situation boiled over into raw, defensive anger. He rounded on Sasuke, his fists clenched. “Who the fuck do you think you are, ordering me around? How about you MAKE ME, Uchiha…”

The name hung in the air, an accidental spark thrown on a pile of kindling. Sasuke’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. Uchiha. The name of his clan, the name of their legendary eyes, thrown at him like a challenge by the dead-last who now possessed something… else. Something that had dragged him back from the abyss. The memory of the bridge—the crushing force, the absolute power—flashed behind his eyes. 

‘Naruto has some ancient, deity-like power, and he’s sitting here talking about Sakura tattooing his eyes, completely seriously, oblivious of his own power! Unforgivable!’ Sasuke thinks furiously to himself.

Kakashi finally lowered his cup, his voice calm but firm, a clear attempt to de-escalate. “Naruto, that’s enough. Sit 

down. We need to talk about this.”

But Naruto wasn't listening. He saw it as being ganged up on, his genuine panic being dismissed and controlled. He felt cornered, unheard, and the dam of his frustration finally broke.

“NO!” he screamed, slamming his fists down on the table with all his might. The wood groaned under the impact. “My goddamn eyes look like someone copy-pasted a fucking optical illusion behind my sockets! Sakura was the only one in my room! I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this because I'm genuinely confused, but everyone keeps looking at me like I'm FUCKING CRAZY!!!”

As his shout reached its peak, something happened, the air grew thicker, the silverware on the table rattled violently, then, with a faint, metallic hum, the forks and spoons began to lift, hovering an inch above the wood, trembling in the air around him, vibrating with a continuous, magnetic intensity, a frustrated noise similar to a growl came from his throat as he holds his face, eyes glowing, 

Naruto’s own eyes widened as he saw it, the impossible sight only adding another layer of terror to his confusion. The raw, untamed power bubbling inside him had just leaked out. It was too much. The shame from the dream, the fear of his reflection, the anger at being misunderstood—it all crested into a single, overwhelming wave.

“FUCK!” he screamed, the sound a raw, choked sob. He turned and bolted from the room, slamming the front door behind him, leaving a profound and heavy silence in his wake.

For a long moment, no one moved. The only sound was the soft clink… clank… of the levitating silverware falling back onto the table.

Silence.

Sakura was the first person to break the silence, a pale face, her earlier anger and explosiveness forgotten in the fact of this new development. “Uhm… sensei, what was that…?” His eyes, the forks…” She spoke quietly, still unsure about what she had just seen– felt, the vibrations in the air, the pressure, like gravity itself lost headway. 

Tsunami covered Inari’s eyes, having him look away as she gets up from her spot, sweating and shaking, she excuses herself, heading to her room with her son.

Kakashi sat leaned inward in his chair, his book long forgotten at his side, and his cup of tea shattered by the vibrations, warm liquid spilled all over his vest, he sighed a weary sound. He thought his words through carefully. “There’s a lot to it, Sakura.. I don't know the full capacity of what he can do, but I have… somewhat of an Idea of what it could be. It’s a visual Jutsu, and it grants control over a multitude of abilities that we are currently unaware of, that is all we know for sure.” The trained grey haired shinobi spoke with a caution about what he reveals so early about what he believes with almost 100% certainty that they are working with the Rinnegan itself.

Sasuke didn't say one single word. He hadn’t moved. His dark eyes were fixed on the gently trembling spoons on the table. The challenge still echoed in his head. Make me, Uchiha. He’d meant it as a stupid, childish taunt, born of confusion. But Sasuke couldn’t hear it that way. He heard it as a clash of royalties.

His Sharingan, the pride of his clan, the key to his revenge against Itachi, felt… insignificant in that moment. That power Naruto had just displayed, leaking it by accident in a fit of temper, was the same power that had effortlessly crushed a jonin-level threat. It was the power that had reached into the void and pulled his soul back into his body.

Pride, it radiated through his body like a fever, reaching every crevice of his body and very mind, it was bitter, acidic, and it was uncontrollable. His pride mixed with a sense of hesitant awe, as well as indignation. Naruto had something ancient, a godly relic to be used as a weapon of mass destruction, and it was the idiot dead last who failed the graduation exam three separate times over. 

The class clown, the one who had fought like a sloppy street brawler for the better part of his time in the team had something like that, when he was stuck with his sharingan, how could he compete with that? In the back of his head, subconsciously, he knew it wasn't fair to think that way, the boy’s life was sabotaged from an early age, even the teachers had it out for him, but that didn't stop the rage– no, it was so stupid, so unfair, he has this reality warping Dojutsu, and thinks its a prank?

Sasuke gritted his teeth and looked down, hair falling over his face, covering his eyes. Sasuke looked at those eyes, so full of envy, struggling and failing to realize the fact that to a normal person, or even a normal shinobi– an above average shinobi, Sasuke’s sharingan is an instant win button, and he’s lucky– privileged, really, but the feelings of jealousy override any recollection of composure he had. Sasuke did not even KNOW when he first activated his Sharingan against Itachi, it had to be told to him by his own brother, and he forgot the memory completely, only coming back to him a few days ago on the bridge when he re discovered his sharingan,

Sakura gulped, looking caught in the mix, she took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and looked at Sasuke, trying to reach her arm out to place on his shoulder, but she thought better of it, assuming correctly that he would have any of it. “Hey, don't be upset with him, he just doesn't know, I’m sure he’s been having problems with a foggy memory after exerting himself so much… on the… bridge… He’s confused, give him time, he’ll learn to control this, put it to use.” She proposes quietly, a small smile, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Sasuke paid her no mind– Naruto learning how to control it wasn't just the goal, it was– for Sasuke, the entire dilemma in itself.

Kakashi stands up abruptly, heading for the door. “Come on, let’s go, we have to find Naruto, and when we do, we will not be angry, we will not be accusing, we simply need to find him. His eyes make him stand out, and as much as I feel he’s careful, we cant go taking any risks, this is of utmost importance, treat this as an S rank security risk, understood?” He laid out the base plan, looking back to his students, patiently waiting for an affirmative.

Sasuke sighed, standing up hesitantly, posture still tense, while Sakura headed more quickly to aid Kakashi. ‘He seemed so upset… his accusations were… outlandish, but he’s confused, we cant let him down because we didnt communicate clearly with him, we have to find him.

And with that, they left, Kakashi and Sakura heading out closely together while Sasuke lagged behind. To Kakashi, it’s obvious where he would have went– he ate there, the Udon shop, Ichibaku’s Udon. He’s hungry, just woke up, walked past breakfast, and ran– it made sense. 

Kakashi pauses as he heads out to the trail leading to the shop, looking over to the side, his one visible eye narrowing as he catches something that neither Sasuke or Sakura caught. "Wait," Kakashi says, going from the tone of confident deduction to a sharp analysis. "Hold on. He didn't go out the front. Footprints. The grass is still damp. He went into the backyard. Nevermind the udon shop, let's go."

Kakashi stepped around thet house, following the footsteps, Sakura and Sasuke shortly  behind, creeping around the back, heading the lush path on the way to the pond, Kakashi is firm in his movements, a hand trailing behind him to barrier his students from going beyond him, a way of keeping control in his environment.

Sakura followed by, seemingly calm, but there was a nagging feeling in her stomach along with a guilt– this just didnt feel right, Naruto seemed so serious, and the forks, levitating, what really was this?

Sasuke trailed behind a little further, still stunned and reluctant to put himself in the presence of that idiot, it got to him in the worst way, the entire situation, the sickening, acidic feeling of his own pride reacting to the idiot of his entire life get a power that he himself should have, while at the same time, you know you owe your entire life to that same person.

As Kakashi pushes interlapping branches aside to make way to the pond, it’s slightly cold, wet from the other day’s rain, the trail is slick, and there is mud all around, even as it gets a bit clearer near the pond. On the black, reflective pond, Naruto sits near the other side, one leg up near his face, and the other layed down to the side, he’s facing a rotten log, floating on the surface of the duckweed ridden pond, near him, he has his hand extended to it passively, a look of exertion on his face.

Naruto gathers chakra near his hands like he does when he needs to throw a punch, but there is no one to punch, and he instead pushes it out in the direction of his hand, and it redirects itself, no longer slowly floating toward him, it flows over to the shore end of the pond at a moderate pace, the water making a little mini wave as it traveled along with the wood, crashing there uselessly, shattering and breaking down into pieces, the rotted old wood no longer able to take the stress, his eyes widen.

Now it wasnt some show of force, it was just a little push, it proved to him that it wasnt just a random event, it was an ability he had control over– or at least could learn control over, but it was all so overwhelming, all he could see, each and every emotional change in the surrounding people’s chakra, he could feel the annoyance and worry in Sakura, Kakashi’s quick and efficient reaction to the conflict, and Sasuke, indignant and disbelieving deep blue chakra.

Kakashi continues walking, hand still trailing behind him, onto the lake, walking forward with a grace that doesnt belie the thousands of times he’s had to put it into practice. “Naruto, how did you do that just now?” He asks, pointing back to the log floated and crashed along the edge of the pond. Naruto shrugs almost imperceptively. “I just gathered chakra to my hand and up my arm like when you do the final handsign for a jutsu, and then I directed it out of my hand….”

Sasuke pushed past Sakura and Kakashi, after seeing Naruto so casually use this technique he doesnt even know what to do with, the power he thinks is a prank, coming from nowhere and completely disrupting the flow of the team. “What the hell is this, Naruto? You throw a fit, cause a scene and scare everyone half to death with some magic trick, and now you’re coming out here to practice like nothing happened? WHERE did those eyes originate from, and WHY do you have them, things like this dont just materialize out of nowhere.”

Naruto shakes his head, brushing his words off. “I don’t know where I got them, Sasuke,” he said, his voice flat. “But I know one thing. They’re mine now. And I have to figure them out.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Sasuke snapped, taking a step into the shallows. “Powers like that don’t just ‘happen’! You’re hiding something. You always have been. The dead-last, the loser… it was all an act, wasn’t it?”

“An act?” Naruto let out a short, harsh laugh that held no humor. “Yeah, that’s it. I acted like a loser for years, got held back in the Academy, let everyone treat me like dirt, all for this. Great plan.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm. He began walking across the water toward the bank, his eyes locked on Sasuke. 

“I dont know everything that’s going on, but I remember ones thing… you were dead, and I revived you, and that’s what happened whether you like it or not, so get off my back, because you could, and would be dead if I wasnt right here. I’m trying to figure out what’s going on, and your ego is getting in the way, I’m not about to butt heads with you.”

Kakashi steps in the way over them both, physically separating them from eachother. “Cut it out, right now, we didnt come here to fight, we came here so I could explain what’s going on here, what has gone on here. It’s been a relentless few days, and a lot has happened. Naruto, the bridge, how much do you remember?” He asked firmly, no room for anything less than the peak of his memory.

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows, looking contemplative. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gather what remained, trying to put the remnant ability to use. “I remember… I remember seeing Sasuke get hit by needles, and then I just… I remember being angry, but excited, and I remember fighting… blood, screams… I used something draining on Sasuke to revive him, and then I fell unconscious.”

Kakashi pauses, taking a breath, before turning around, he waves his hand in a motion towards him as he walks off the surface of the pond and back to the land near Sakura, and sit’s down. “Sit down, all of you, right here, in a circle.” The man ordered, and they follow in turn, Naruto quickly sits, fully at attention, desperate to find out anything new to do with his eyes. 

Kakashi’s gaze sharpened. “Just what do you remember? Specifically about your eyes, this time?” Naruto shook his head, a resigned expression on his face before speaking. “I know it wasnt Sakura, and I’m sorry for accusing you of that.” Naruto turns to Sakura, bowing his head briefly before turning back to Kakashi. “All I know about my eyes is that they make me see things differently, things I could never see before. Now that I think about it, I remember seeing things like this on the bridge, but it’s foggy.”

Sasuke stepped in, his sharingan on passively, looking into those rippling orbs, scanning them for strange chakra, he could see how the purple eyes linked back to his optic nerve, a tangle of wire like signatures intertwined with his nervous system. “So what can you see then, dobe?” He demanded, trying to calm himself with deep breath.

Naruto paused, looking back at Sasuke, his brow furrowed slightly. "I... I can see chakra, I think, and it's like... night vision, And it's like my vision is... wider, like not quite behind me, but slightly wider,. I can see the direction chakra flows, and these strange little containers, eight of them. The barrier Kakashi put up around the house... I can see that too. And there's this different, orange-yellow chakra in the trees, the grass... I can even see tracks, every movement, it all sticks with me. And... I can see the veins in people, some of their organs, their heart beating..." His voice trailed off, a hint of unease in his tone.

It was interesting information, but none of it meant anything to Kakashi other than the fact that it sounded like an enhanced version of the Sharingan’s vision, what he really was banking on was the physical appearance. The only thing he had to connect it to what Jiraiya had told him was how it looked , not what it did. “Naruto, stop talking for a moment, look at me, be still, keep your eyes open wide… now keep them like that.”

For a moment, Kakashi sat there, leaning in closer to Naruto’s face in order to examine a bit closer, his eyes narrowed and he shook his head grimly. “Seven concentric circles, it’s just as Jiraiya-Sama described… I know what’s going on, but I dont have the information I need to be able to fully elaborate. What I can tell you is this– you have a Dojutsu, a visual jutsu, it grant’s an affinity over all 5 chakra elements. The rest…? we will have to get back to the village to get the information on, there is a person we may be able to find there that can help us.”

Sasuke’s eyes hardened and his fists clenched. ‘All five chakra elements? It’s… unheard of, unnatural…’  He mused in silent frustration, taking a resigned breath in. Sakura, on the other hand, had something she worried about, her eyes wide with surprise, she spoke. “Kakashi Sensei, did you happen to say Jiraiya? Like Jiraiya the Toad Sage, Legendary Sannin?” She asked, Sakura had heard of his name in the academy in a lesson from Iruka. What did he have to do with Naruto, or rather, those eyes of his?

Kakashi looked over to his pink haired student, and nodded firmly. “Yes, I did say Jiraiya-Sama’s name, it’s because… he trained someone with these eyes before, it was the only appearance of this long lost, ancient Dojutsu up until 3 days ago, it’s called… the Rinnegan, and it’s as ancient as Ninjutsu itself, if not older. We can train this, control it, not suppress it, but add it to your arsenal. You need training.”

Naruto’s brow furrows as he takes it all in, and the first thing he thinks of is his outburst, he frowns, turning to his pink headed teammate. “Uh, I’m sorry for accusing you of tattooing my eyes, Sakura.” He apologizes out of nowhere, it was a move that surprised Sakura, meant nothing to Sasuke, and partially amused Kakashi, despite the tense atmosphere the past few minutes have caused. 

Sakura sighs, her shoulders sagging, almost comically. “Yeah, thanks…” She says, almost sarcastically. “But is that seriously what you’re worrying about right now?” She asks, pointing to his eyes, her posture back to it’s straight position. 

Naruto shrugs. “I dont know, saying sorry is always the right thing to do, dont blame me for being a good person!” He says, almost arrogantly– not really. “But yeah… I am… interested in this ability, I mean, as I sit here, alot of the…. The events of the bridge have been coming back to me. I dont want something like that to happen again, they had to be taken down, but it could have gone differently.” He says, taking a deep breath, looking at his reflection in Kakashi’s headband, slightly distorted, but still a clean view of his eyes.

Naruto turns to Sasuke, addressing him with a serious face. “And yeah, you’re right, with a power like this, I should be stronger, I have no business being weak when I’ve been gifted with something that is supposedly so ancient, but I need time. I need time to train, and I need time to polish my own abilities, beyond just what this… Rinn-e-gan gives me. 

Sasuke merely grunts, his temperament cooling down for a moment. “Hn.”

That being said, Kakashi stands from the circle and heads over to the back entrance of the house, parting the branches and walking through once again, Naruto and Sakura remain at Kakashi’s side, and Sasuke falls back, lost in his own train of thought.