Reborn!

11: An Unusual Encounter

"And there you have it. A living, breathing rabbit born from the DNA sample of another. I can train it by programming it with memories if you want. If you wish for it to be capable of human speech, I can also arrange for that. I just have to make some adjustments to the larynx. If you choose not to keep it, we can also set it free," Naruto said with a flourish, picking up the unconscious rabbit by its ears.

Sakura blinked before asking almost shyly, "Is it possible for us to find ourselves some personal summoning contracts? I mean... Sasuke had somehow got himself hawk summons on top of his snake contract from Orochimaru. I kinda want one for myself."

"How does that have any relation to the rabbit?" Naruto asked, looking rather amused.

"It doesn't," Sakura admitted.

"Just attempt Kuchiyose no Jutsu," Naruto suggested.

"And just hope to be reverse-summon yourself to the summoning realm?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"Why not?" Naruto asked dully.

Sakura blinked, thinking over it for a few seconds before muttering, "Actually, that's a wonderful idea."

"Exactly," Naruto sighed.

"Don't mind if I try it. If it doesn't work out, I'll send you a Hiraishin pulse. You know, I'll channel chakra into the marker as an SOS signal," Sakura said excitedly, beginning to walk out.

"After you finish the cloning," Naruto interrupted.

Sakura pouted, muttering, "Spoilsport."

Sasuke suddenly popped his head into the lab, speaking in realisation, "That method of yours, where you insert a fleeing soul into a DNA clone, isn't it fundamentally a perfected version of the immortality jutsu that Orochimaru seeks? By right, you can make it such that you do not need a proxy to insert the soul into a body."

"Yes. The Pedo-Hebi-Teme was where I got the idea from, anyway. I should put those seals on the two of you too," Naruto explained dully, the final sentence more to himself.

"Pedo-Hebi-Teme? That's... creative..." Sakura commented.

"Suits him perfectly, though. Don't you agree, 'Suke?" Naruto spoke, turning to the said boy with a cheeky grin.

Sasuke shuddered as a memory of one of his interactions with the creepy Orochimaru flashed through his mind. His trauma from his encounters with the Snake Sannin as a teenager was not anywhere close to subsiding. He nodded but cringed at the thought of having to get so close to the wayward member of the Sannin again. He disliked the idea of doing it again, but he knew that this was his part of the plan and thus necessary. It was not like he would force his friends to have to re-plan everything from scratch due to his selfishness and inability to sacrifice his dignity for the better.

"Umm... You okay, 'Suke?" Sakura asked hesitantly, poking Sasuke in the shoulder with an index finger.

Sasuke shook away his thoughts and smiled weakly at his friend, saying not-very-reassuringly, "Absolutely. I'm perfectly fine."

Sakura nodded slowly though she remained unconvinced, choosing not to force a reply as she could tell that Sasuke did not want to talk about whatever he was bothered by. She knew better than to push him. Doing such a thing was more likely to result in Sasuke closing himself off than it is to obtain any satisfactory results.

Naruto, however, decided to take a different approach, having guessed what Sasuke had been thinking of with little difficulty.

"You do not have to do it if you don't want to, you know? Everything can be adjusted," Naruto remarked casually, looking completely calm even as Sasuke flinched backwards in surprise.