Hey guys, sorry for the two week wait. I had school work to catch up on. However, I made up for it by extending the chapter. Also while I was gone, WE REACHED 2K VIEWS!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!!! Okay, enjoy!
[Recap] Forging on, the scout regiment continued on in the directing of where the steam had been seen rising earlier. Unbeknownst to them, those 'titans' were the disguised doppelgangers of a blonde shinobi. ═══ "Hey guys. What would you do if I told you we were making progress?"
Team 7 had decided they first needed to eat. This was the course of action until further notice – decided by Sakura. It had become common knowledge that without energy, goals became harder to accomplish. This had especially been drilled into their minds from the harsh genin test they had taken years ago. Damn Kakashi. At least some insight had come with the torture.
Travelling in a v formation in order to reduce resistance, they searched for their meal with Sakura leading, Naruto flanking her left and Sasuke doing the same with her right. What made travelling difficult however, were their depleted chakra levels. They all had a limit – even Naruto, despite his vast chakra levels, grew tired. Suspiciously, little to no chakra had been restored. The reason was unknown, but Naruto had a few theories in mind; none were developed however. None of them were in the best shape, but they were holding up surprisingly well, considering they had just come from a battle field, save for Sasuke who looked like he was about to collapse. Nevertheless, not wanting to delay their plans any longer, Sasuke put on his usual resilient demeanor which could be seen through by his comrades. He was surprisingly considerate for a rogue ninja.
Naruto and Sakura shared a brief look of concern amongst each other, which didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke, yet no words were exchanged. After all the time spent with and away from Sasuke they wanted him to be able to depend on them. As if the indifference wasn't bad enough, the situation was also extremely tense and awkward. They hadn't had a moment to discuss any of Sasuke's previous actions. It totally wasn't as if he suddenly showed up three years after abandoning the village, agreed to help in the war, and announced he wanted to be Hokage or anything... While he spouted hateful words, he did also save Naruto and Sakura numerous times so they were unsure where exactly he stood. Contemplating whether to address the issue or not, the sound of twigs snapping were heard up ahead.
Sakura acknowledged the incoming threat by notifying the two of the titan. Now that they knew how to deal with them, a swift cut with a chakra induced kunai or shuriken to the nape would do the trick. Their solution to the considerable height difference was travelling on branches slightly taller than the titans. With this strategy, they were able to keep their presences to a minimum, managing to only draw attention when overhead a titan. It was also what they were used to as shinobi. Though the large spaces between the branches made it slightly difficult to leap, they found themselves adjusting as time went on. Without dispensing any extensive amounts of chakra the titan was taken out by Sasuke's kusanagi. Using momentum from the titan's falling corpse, he regained his balance on another branch, and forged on, this time leading the formation. Naruto and Sakura watched as all traces of blood evaporated into steam.
Along the way, team 7 encountered multiple other titans, but was able to cut them down easily. This continued in similar events, as they took turns disposing of the titans, until the trio was used to the repetitions. After multiple repetitions, they became accustomed to the occasional surprise of titans; though it still agitated them a little. Hence, Naruto took the opportunity to break the tense atmosphere by catching up on taunting Sasuke.
"Hey Sasuke~" he taunted. "That one kinda looks like you. Don't you think?" he continued while pointing to an upcoming 7 meter. Even amidst the irksome situation, Naruto found a way to continue being the lovable knucklehead ninja everyone loved and adored; except Sasuke at the moment as he visibly fumed. 'Looks like over the years, Naruto had chipped away at that cold exterior,' Sakura thought as she listened on amused. "Tch, dobe [Transl. dobe: dead last]" Sasuke muttered his curses before smirking. "Actually dobe, I think it was more like you. Considering it was so weak" he countered. This time it was Naruto who fumed while glaring at the now smirking Uchiha. He muttered a 'stupid teme [Transl. teme: bastard]' under his breath before halting. His teammates halted shortly after him, wondering why he had stopped.
"A deer. Up ahead," he voiced. Sasuke and Sakura couldn't see it as it was further ahead and out of sight – even Naruto couldn't. However, while battling their first titan, he had come to realize that while living organisms in this dimension didn't have chakra, they still had a presence. In fact, he had recognized this distinct 'presence' as the same titans had - just to a smaller degree. His theory was that these organisms had this steam as a replacement for chakra. It made him question whether or not all living organisms inherited these instead of chakra. He would have to discuss this with his teammates in the near future. However, for now, he decided they had spent enough time was wasted.
"I'll catch it. Sakura you search for additional edible vegetation and Sasuke you start a fire," Naruto ordered before setting off in the direction of the deer. Sakura had no quarrel with the order and immediately set off to complete the task. Sasuke, however, grit his teeth. Not only was he still unhappy about having to follow the orders of former teammates, but he once again showed signs of collapsing. He grit his teeth for a moment longer before settling to also complete his task, much to his annoyance. If anything, after they finish eating he could start calling the shots.
...
Minutes later, Naruto returned to the previous spot with the now deceased deer. Simultaneously, Sakura had returned with edible berries that were collected with her knowledge of vegetation. However, instead of returning to the heat of a fire, all that was found was a panting Uchiha on all fours beside a pile of sticks. When asked why the young man was so out of breath they received their answer. Sasuke had attempted to use the prized Uchiha clan jutsu, fire style: fireball jutsu, but due to his extremely low levels of chakra, collapsed. Naruto and Sakura once again shared a concerned look; this one went unnoticed by Sasuke.
Despite the countless times they had reassured him that he could depend on them, he still ignored reassurance and pushed himself to the limit. They hated how distant he was, so without any further thought Naruto shared majority of his leftover chakra with Sasuke. It was no big deal as each bijuu contributed a fixed amount to their favorite mortal, save for Kurama who was still regaining his chakra. Sasuke's breathing slowed until it was completely under control and stood up, suddenly feeling energized. He recognized the foreign feeling as Naruto's chakra as it was bubbly and warm. While he was somewhat grateful to Naruto, he hated the thought of being looked down upon or being indebted to him. He was slightly warming up to his former teammates, however as of right now, his pride was still bigger than ever. Therefore, he dusted himself off and turned to the pile of sticks, showing no indication of voicing his thanks. Despite being disappointed, Naruto decided not to dwell on it and instead assumed the task of skinning the deer. Sakura followed shortly after, setting down the berries to aid Naruto with his task while Sasuke exploited his newfound energy to perform the jutsu and make the fire. They would win him over eventually. That was a promise.
With their diligence, they finished the preparation on their meal. "Oh man," Naruto hollered. "This looks delicious! You know what they say. The product of hard work always tastes the best!" "Yeah, I don't think that's right Naruto," Sakura sassed. "But I'm sure it'll taste good," she affirmed. Sasuke just watched, expression blank, before tearing off a leg of the cooked dear and waited for the other two to do the same. Naruto and Sakura followed leaving the deer with only one hind leg. "Itadakimasu," [Transl. Itadakimasu: I humbly receive. In Japan, they say this before they eat].
...
"Gochisou-sama deshita" [Transl. Gochisou-sama deshita: thank you for the meal. In Japan, they say this after a meal to express gratitude]. Team 7 said. "Well that was disappointing" Sakura muttered while dusting of her hands. For all the hard work they did, the food they consumed was satisfactory. Not to mention, it did little to nothing for their depleted chakra levels. "Yeah. All that work for nothing," Naruto frowned, getting up to stretch his cramped limbs. He was already angry enough they couldn't make ramen. However, he couldn't complain that much, as anything was better than Sakura's food pills. Sasuke neither voiced his agreement nor denial, but made an effort to nod his head. Team 7 sat in a circle-like shape around the now dying campfire. It was plain obvious that their chakra levels were barely recovering. This would surely effect their ability to get things done. Figuring this was something they needed to discuss, Sakura addressed the issue.
"Hey guys" Sakura called out. Sasuke and Naruto turned towards her, waiting for her to continue. "Why do you think our chakra reserves aren't recovering?" Neither of them had a clear answer for her, though Naruto still had his theories. Team 7 sat in silence as his mind worked fast, searching for an appropriate answer, but finding none as of that moment. If he was going to voice his theories, they at least needed to be well developed and thought over. Pondering for a few moments Naruto cleared his throat. All eyes turned to Naruto as they waited expectantly for his answer only to gaze upon the blond who had a goofy smile on his face. "Pass."
An irk mark appeared on Sakura's face as she locked eyes with Naruto. He gulped while Sasuke snickered, thus both of them received bruises on they cheeks. "Tch, idiots" she muttered as the two rubbed their throbbing cheeks. She was not having it. Assuming Naruto had his reasons for not disclosing any information, she left it alone. Instead she pursued another issue.
"Then, what should we do next?" Silence once again overtook the area as the young men thought hard about what their next course of action would be. As much as Sasuke wanted to call the shots, he had to admit, he had nothing. "I'll get back to you," he deadpanned. Sakura turned to Naruto awaiting his answer. Of course, he too had not reached a conclusion. "Yeah... I got nothing," he responded, rubbing the back of his neck.
Sakura's eye twitched as she let out an exasperated sigh. She couldn't help but feel they weren't taking their circumstances seriously. She couldn't really blame them though, they had barely any time to adjust, and their minds were exhausted. "This is ridiculous. We've literally been stuck here a day. A whole day. There's no telling what's happening back in the Elemental Nations. We might even be too late." She was right. Sitting around has never, nor would ever solve anything. Naruto muttered something in agreement while Sasuke just 'hned'. "We haven't even made any sufficient progress," Sakura ended her rant, sitting on a nearby rock.
As if someone heard them, something washed over Naruto. The memories of his clones had returned to him. Sasuke and Sakura watched as he entered a trance like state, awaiting what he say. Naruto reviewed the memories before visibly brightening. "Hey guys. What would you do if I told you we were making progress?" . His teammates furrowed their brows, signaling for him to continue. "Turns out civilization came to us," he finally announced.
1191 Words
Hey guys!! Sorry again for the wait.
In this chapter, I kind of focused on the relationships between Sasuke and his teammates. He's going to have character development, but right now he's still disrespectful. Next chapter, their definitely going to meet the scouting regiment.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR 2K READS!!!! Until next time!