❈—09:: Back On Track

My little speech about trust and the earning of it appeals to Naruto (and Sakura) just like I'd known it would.

I suppose in a way I'm still manipulating them, especially considering that I'm asking for them to put their trust in me without trusting them in return with the truth.

The whole truth.

However, I know that isn't an option. Neither of them are ready to hear what I know.

Not yet, at least, and maybe not ever.

Fortunate, in a way, since I'm most certainly not ready, or even particularly willing, to tell anyone yet.

With Naruto more willing to accept my leadership now, if only to find reasons to refuse it later on, I finally move on to why I asked them here today; team training.

While the three of us have some experience working together from our time in The Academy, it isn't much, and it was always with the understanding that it would be a temporary thing.

It's not temporary anymore.

We're Team Seven now, and until such a time as we choose to disband the team (at which point the number will be recycled to a new trio of Academy graduates), we will predominantly be working together.

At the bare minimum, this means that we're stuck with each other for the next two years, since that is the amount of time that Kakashi will serve as our jōnin sensei.

Among ninja, maybe especially for young ones such as us, two years could very well be a lifetime, so, for all intents and purposes, Team Seven might as well be a permanent arrangement; after all, there's a reason why most teams don't officially disband until a member dies.

And also a reason why few teams continue after the loss of one of their number.

"As I was about to say before—" 'Naruto interrupted' does not need to be added, "—we need to learn to work together properly," I say. "And to do that, we all need to know what the others can do; so we'll each share all of our skills and abilities.

"Everything, from our strengths and weaknesses to things we would like to learn, even things we don't have an interest in; don't hold anything back. I'll start…"

I tell them my abilities, starting with my sharingan, though even Naruto already knows most of what that can do.

This is the problem with having one of the most renown bloodlines in the continent; everyone already knows it, and most people have spent years studying it exhaustively and coming up with a thousand different potential countermeasures for it.

And unfortunately for users of the sharingan, namely me, the simplest and most effective countermeasure to my clan's dojutsu, is closing your eyes.

To a civilian, this might seem dangerous, or even reckless, but considering that virtually every ninja worth anything is trained to function fully well while blind, it's a countermeasure that has seen a lot of successful use when facing Uchiha.

It's gotten so bad that many Uchiha barely bothered to even train the genjutsu aspect of their sharingan all that much, since, thanks to our very recognizable features, most enemy ninja simply cover their eyes as soon as they spot one of us.

After my sharingan, I discuss my elemental affinities; lightning and fire, then I tell them about the jutsu I know and about my taijutsu and fledgling skill with the sword.

Both my teammates already know much of this, but I go over it all regardless, simply for the sake of telling them the things they don't know and refreshing in their minds the things that they do.

Sakura goes next when I finish.

She talks with some pride about her chakra control, and the ease with which she can learn chakra-related techniques because of it, although her excitement wanes when she discusses her abysmal reserves and the negative effect it has on her overall stamina.

Naruto gives her some encouragement, mentioning how even with her low reserves she still kicked his butt up on The Academy rooftop, and despite herself, the girl smiles, seeming touched by the gesture.

Sakura goes on to talk about other things; her elemental affinities of earth and water, her beginner level medical-jutsu training, and even her utter lack of interest and skill in virtually all weapons besides kunai.

When she's done, Naruto starts, launching into it with the same ardour he does most things.

Which, of course, is arguably too much, seeing as he quickly diverges into recounting his past spars with different opponents from The Academy as a sort of 'visual aid' to show us how awesome (his words) he is.

When I'm beginning to consider cutting in, Naruto mentions the chakra explosion technique he'd used against Sakura during their fight and the girl does it for me.

"What was that clone jutsu you used?" Sakura asks. "I've never seen clones like that before; it was like fighting three of you."

"Oh, uh…" Naruto scratches his head awkwardly.

"What?" Sakura asks at the boy's sudden reticence. "Is it some kind of secret technique, or something?"

"Kinda," Naruto says.

"Oh," Sakura intones, then: "I'm guessing the Hokage taught it to you."

Sakura's guess makes sense.

It's no secret that Naruto is close with the Hokage, the number of times the boy goes to the man's office alone is a big enough clue for anyone who bothers to look. Then there's the fact that the Hokage's only grandchild, Konohamaru, calls Naruto 'big bro' and also the number of times that the three have been seen together out in the village…

Wait, Naruto is close with The Third Hokage… and I'm only now realizing that this could potentially be a problem for me, considering the role that Hiruzen Sarutobi might have played in the murder of my clan.

I scowl.

This could be a problem, and that I didn't realize it until now is simply unacceptable, on my part.

I need to do better than this. I need to… need to what, though? Plan ahead?

How do I do that when I'm working with unreliable information? Any of what I know could easily be wrong, there's no planning ahead with that.

Ideally, my first step would be to verify my information, but doing that might make people I need to hide from aware that I know something.

So, in the end, I'm back to needing power, power and useful people who would be willing to stand at my back.

You know, there was a time not at all long ago when I obsessed over getting stronger. A time when I practically wished for it with every breath. A time when I probably would have done anything for it.

Funny then that now that my need for it has increased, I seem to have become more levelheaded about acquiring it.

Have I really become more levelheaded though? Or am I simply overwhelmed by all the revelations that Caleb's memories brought into my life?

While I think my thoughts, Naruto and Sakura's conversation has continued.

Apparently, Sakura's guess is right and it was The Hokage who taught Naruto the Shadow Clone Jutsu...

Well, either that or Naruto is lying, and he did steal it like in the story. Which I doubt. Since I find it highly unlikely that even someone as annoyingly resourceful as Naruto can get into (not to mention out of) The Leaf's secure vaults.

Naruto has also decided that, since we're teammates now, The Hokage surely won't mind if he shares the technique with us, and so launches into an explanation.

"It's called the Shadow Clone Jutsu," he says, "and it splits your chakra when you use it."