Sakura gritted her teeth and tried to settle her nerves … she needed to stay sharp, she needed to get the timing right … Jay and Sasuke didn't have time to get the timing down, they were stuck reacting … it was on her to predict … to spot an opening …
They were being cornered, the Ice ninja was unbelievably fast and the attacks were relentless … it was a hail of ice needles coming from all directions … Sakura was glad for Kakashi's training, as bad as dying under the dream like genjutsu was … it made sure she didn't die for real now that it mattered …
Sakura took what felt like ages before she had a count … She got the timing down between the jumps and the constant barrage of ice shards … the plan was already made, they would escape, they would escape and survive …
[Sakura] - … Sasuke now ! Jay ! … -
Sakura threw the henge of shurikens and ninja wire with Sasuke, the illusions and the real shurikens making a net that would buy time for them to run …
In that mix, Sakura saw Jay also throwing a scroll up in the air before shouting the obvious …
[Jay] - GRAB ME, FOX I NEED A BOOST -
***
Sakura never quite understood what it meant for Jay to be a jinchuriki … When Jay told her and Sasuke of his status, he spoke like one would talk about the weather, with his same unbothered and nonchalant way that made Sakura think she was being stupid for making a big deal about something irrelevant …
The weight of what Jay told her didn't really sink in until she saw that caustic red aura …
When Jay picked her and Sasuke up, Sakura's heart was hammering in her chest …
She was elated that the plan worked, that they escaped, the relief was such that made her heart flutter …
… Sakura didn't know what to feel now that it was over …
That mantle of boiling red chakra almost burned to the touch, it was almost a physical thing with an overwhelming weight to it … a feeling of dread and destruction …
And the noises … Sakura could swear she felt Jay's bones snapping with that burst of speed and the added weight of her and Sasuke … only for the red chakra to snap it back into place with the same violence … breaking and healing with each step taken ….
In the little time Sakura was in contact with that chakra, she felt her skin boiling, she could only imagine what it was like for Jay … Sakura was almost sure she could see his skin ripping before being immediately glued back into place …
Jay told them he was the Nine Tails jinchuriki … and yet, this was the first time Sakura felt like she actually understood what that meant … the power that Jay held within …
[Jay] - Make sure the bridge is safe, I'll help Kakashi … -
Jay said to an exhausted Sasuke and a wide eyed Sakura before leaving them there to rest and take care of anything that might come and steal their hard earned victory …
***
Sasuke looked at the retreating form of Jay, a small pang of jealousy in his heart … Here was Sasuke, the Uchiha heir hailed as a prodigy, suffering from chakra exhaustion after barely a few minutes countering an enemy jutsu …
How much further Sasuke had to go ? … Jay was running ahead despite Sasuke doing his best to keep up, despite Jay using part of his time to do research, to create his own Fuinjutsu script …
Sasuke could really sympathize with Sakura now … it wasn't fair … just now Sasuke saw what being a jinchuriki really meant … that caustic, overwhelming power seeping out of him that Jay had never used before …
A power that Sasuke wasn't sure he could compare to …
Seeing his teammate walking away to help their Jounin sensei against an enemy while they were already exhausted was a punch to Sasuke's gut … it hurt his pride something fierce and made him question the very notion of what meant to be a prodigy, to be considered special …
And Sasuke found out that he really wanted to be special …
*** *** ***
Jay had a smile on his face, his scrolls worked wonderfully and the best part, if he played this situation right, he would make a foothold already in a place primed for a takeover …
Looking at Zabuza and the ice ninja he had cradled in his arms …
… Jay threw his hook …
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[Jay] - Hello again Zabuza … I can see that your companion is out of commission … and you know how your first fight against Kakashi and us went … so how about we cut a deal ? -
Jay could see the Monster of a ninja in front of him considering … the small look at the companion in his arms told Jay what he needed to know …
[Jay] - I heard Kakashi saying that you are involved in some sort of rebellion in the mist, correct ? That's why you need Gatoh's funds and most importantly, his cooperation … you're after his smuggling operations right ? A reliable supply line to feed some hungry rebels right ? … -
Jay could see Zabuza's eyes narrowing, the chakra in the air spiked and the killing intent became thick … Kakashi positioned himself a bit closer to Jay …
Jay could feel the sparks coming out of Kakashi as he primed himself to move at a moment's notice, the Sharingan blazing red as Kakashi fed more chakra to the hungry eye …
Zabuza saw the change and grunted …
[Zabuza] - And what could a gaki barely out of diapers like you even offer ? -
The demon of the mist asked with blunt sarcasm.
Jay smiled wider, he was holding the line …
[Jay] - How about a storage scroll ? -
Zabuza looked confused, Kakashi blinked slightly, thinking about what could Jay be talking about …
[Zabuza] - What could a storage scroll possibly do for a rebellion gaki ? -
[Jay] - A normal storage scroll … not much, but I'm offering you one of mine, you had the opportunity to experience them just now … thought I didn't make them for the battlefield you see … the bombs inadvertently destroyed the scroll … I actually made them to be just like summoning scrolls … but for objects … -
Kakashi's mouth hung open and Zabuza's eyes lit up as the implications settled …
A twin way reusable storage scroll … the holy grail of any supply line that led many on a wild goose chase trying to ‘fix’ the problem with the classic storage scrolls and the gaki is saying he did it ? …
[Zabuza] - … and I'm to believe a gaki like you solved what a bunch of Fuinjutsu masters before you couldn't ? -
[Jay] - I wouldn't call them masters per se … besides, I am an Uzumaki after all … -
Jay smiled widened as Zabuza recognized the surname of a rather famous fallen clan …
[Zabuza] - … Konoha wouldn't take this step … -
… Sinker …
[Jay] - That's quite open for debate, did I tell you I'm also responsible for a little chunk of Konoha's budget ? Being an assistant to the Hokage in training has it’s perks … Besides, Kakashi here is quite high up the chain of command, what is a little … clandestine deal for ninja villages after all ? … -
Zabuza looked at him, really looked at him … and finally relented …
[Zabuza] - … Fine, let's talk shop … -
*** *** ***
The mist around the shore and bridge slowly disappeared …
The overwhelming cold went with it …
Guards and workers slowly filled back in, unsteady hands picking up tools and anxiously going back to work …
For many, this was the first time seeing what amounted to gods wearing human skins fighting … and it was terrifying …
Numbers meant nothing as the simple entrance to the battle literally changed the weather to something most couldn't survive without proper preparation …
But as is with life … work had gone back to normal …
***
Far from that central point, the soldier felt relieved when the tides of battle changed …
Over the next few days there was a big change in the flow of the war …
Mercenaries under Gatoh's payroll saw the writing on the walls and bailed …
The nightmare of the battlefield, the mist that preceded a slaughter was now working in Wave Country favor … it wouldn't take long before Gatoh's operations were completely purged from the island …
***
In a few more weeks, the bridge was completed … The deals they had with the Fire Nobility meant they would have protection from now on … many thought they were swapping one owner for another … but there was a hopefulness in the air …
Especially since a contingent of Konoha ninja’s made a shop in the village, basically swiping the fire nobility's plans from under them … Rumors said that the fire nobility that struck a deal with the Hizao Family for the ‘defence agreement’ in the Wave Country had a lot of clandestine deals going on behind the scenes, that deal didn’t stay quiet for very long and a lot of the fire nobility was in a tizzy because of it … that’s why Konoha, as a neutral entity for the Fire country took post as the ‘Defenders’ to honor the contract struck with the Wave … all the while Gatoh’s enterprise had to pay a steep penalties for it’s less than legal practices … basically a slap on the wrist for his shipping company was one of the biggest around the elemental nations …
Behind all that, there was a small shop occupied by talking dogs that quickly gained a lot of recognition and quite a few rumors surrounding it … the shop was called ‘Department of grid integration and transportation’ but everyone just called it Dog-it …
You paid a fee for the maintenance of a scroll and all of your supply line woes would be gone … no frizz, no fuzz … Write the fuinjutsu characters corresponding to the supplies you want and over the next hour, it would all magically appear as if stored in the scroll all this time …
The service was simple, efficient, fast … and tremendously expensive … something only the VIP could buy in … and for those looking to cause trouble, any keen eye would tell them who was the summoner of those dogs … the implied threat of Konoha’s killer hound was enough to make most stop and think twice, especially since there was a contingent of Konoha ninja’s hounding around in wave 24/7 …
***
Over the fire continent, things took a turn …
With everything that happened in Wave country and the involvement of the fire nobility in it, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the reinstated Third Hokage thought that it was proper to remind the fire nobility and the grand daimyo … why Konoha should not be messed with …
While Konoha wouldn’t turn it’s blade towards the country where they were established in … it didn’t mean they couldn’t make a show of power and an implied threat …
*** *** ***
[Kakashi] - Alright my cute little gennins, as you should be well aware, that mess in Wave it’s still rearing it’s ugly head, this means that we will be doing a show of power … an international show of power at that … so this will be your homework from now on … -
Kakashi took out a scroll and tossed it to Jay, who opened it for Sasuke and Sakura to keep tabs.
[Kakashi] - This is the information we have on the oncoming Fire nation exhibition … prominent kids from dojos, mercenary schools, Heirs of unaffiliated clans and ninja families, warrior apprentices and sons of different nobility … -
The scroll had an enormous list rattling off everything Kakashi was covering in more detail …
[Kakashi] - The oncoming exhibition will be a bit showroom for talent all around, so much so that a few foreign ninja Villages actually took the courtesy invitation and are sending some envoys, they are wild cards as we will only know who is coming when they arrive here … -
Kakashi gave a small pause, observing his gennins …
[Kakashi] - The objective is to crush all competition and show off Konoha’s might … You will study your opponents, you will plan on how to beat them and then you will beat them, Konoha is pulling all the stops to pull this off, equipment, supplies, information … Do your due diligence and there are some big rewards at the end of it … a chunin promotion at the bare minimum … but there are also risks … as with any live combat competition ‘accidents’ can happen and ‘accidents’ can be quite lethal, if any of you prefer to stand this one down, it won't be a problem, incomplete teams will be matched together for completion so there is no pressure … any interest ? -
Jay, Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other and smiled.
[Sasuke] - I want to see how we stack up against everyone else after all that training … -
[Sakura] - Promotion and recognition Kakashi-sensei, you should know me by now … -
[Jay] - I’m a sucker for the majority when it benefits me, I say team Kakashi takes the top spot … -
[Kakashi] - Alright then, for the next week, no rank D missions for you guys, we will be focusing on training and countering everything you might encounter … starting with the Nobility heirs and their bloodlines skills … -
***
All over Konoha, a similar situation was happening for all jounins responsible for a gennin team … the oncoming competition was being taken very seriously …
Chunin exams and the start of the series fucked up power creep ... as you can imagine, I'm not doing that ... I'm also making everyone WAAAAAAAAAAAY more competent with that whole 'Academy' arc at the beginning ... Genins with jounins are the CREAM OF THE CROP ... so Shikamaru ain't a lazy bum, Chouji ain't just a kind rotund kid, Ino isn't just Sakura but worse and Kiba ain't just a brash idiot kid ...
While I didn't actually touch over any of the rest of the cast Save for Rock Lee ... there is a bit of a reason for this ... Cannon Rock Lee is too fucking strong to make any sense in the story as just a rando fodder to be glossed over ... Ankle weights that makes craters when dropped, speed that is literally unheard of up till that point, surprising what we see JOUNIN doing (Kakashi and Zabuza fight) … and this is before he goes super saiyan with the Gates and basically shatters any notion we had of ‘Naruto’ ninjas being somewhat less super powered than any Xianxia cultivator going nuclear …
So there are some compromises to be made if I want to keep things like Lee a possibility inside this fiction … and I did that by giving him a bit of screen time and showing Maito Guy under a different light with the recognition as the monster he is …
And another compromise to be made is to have everyone else actually be as competent as they should BE … no fucking jobber to be had, if the story puts a character there that is said to be ‘Elite’ he will be show as a fucking elite …
As always, like and comment because engagement makes everything more fun.
And yeah, the political subplot is also way more important and visible, Konoha isn't making a show of force and then leaving it's show pieces hanging ...
