Crossroads (A Naruto Fanfiction)

Prospects

*So there are a few things I realized about my fanfic thanks to a comment. For details please search for one my replies in the chapter "Love Only Truly". And I know Gai is spelled Guy, but I prefer to write Gai.
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I almost gaped at who I saw standing next to Kakashi. The silver haired teen himself was nonchalant as he gestured to the green spandex shinobi. "This is Might Gai." He said plainly. "He's going to help with training today."

"Yosh!" I flinched at the sudden exclamation. "I will help my rival's charge to become a better fighter today! If I fail I will hand walk from the front gates to the top of the Hokage mountain twenty times!!" Gai posed dramatically as he shouted. I never thought such a personality was possible in real life, but here it was: Might Gai in his true form.

The man himself didn't look too odd in real life minus the green spandex. Honestly, he looked like some blue ray version of Bruce Lee in his younger years.

[Thank you.] I signed, unsure of how to act in face of such a person.

"No need for thanks young Satsuki-kun. It is my duty to help guide the future generation!" Gai said surprisingly serious.

Kakashi moved to my side and patted my shoulder. He was doing that more, these small affectionate gestures here and there ever since I spoke to him on the day of his birthday. "You're able to control your power well, but you're nowhere near good enough to participate in real battle. Gai will act as an enemy who is threatening to close in. Point is to hone your reflexes and build experience for close combat."

"I'll fulfill my role to the best of my abilities!" Gai added.

My heart sped up in trepidation. Kakashi has been training me to learn how to utilize my body to the best of its ability for taijutsu. I showed a rather less than mediocre talent in hand to hand combat, but with my daily training, I'd say I was pretty competent when I displayed my forms. My training with Yoi itself was all about how my body composition affected each element and how I could control them. That was the easy part. Hardest was actually trying to put it to use.

Kakashi squeezed my shoulder one final time before walking to the space between me and Gai. The green beast of Konoha now had a serious disposition and I was left doing my best to ignore the cold sweat dripping down my spine.

"Begin." Kakashi said, and in the next instant, I was flat on my back and staring up at the clear blue sky in confusion. I heard Kakashi sigh. "I thought you'd be smart enough to go a little bit easier, Gai." He said.

"I thought I was holding back enough for him to react. I apologize young Satsuki! I shall make up for this by doing a thousand and ten pull ups!" Gai said.

I ignored the embarrassment and found myself unable to react in the next dozens of tries afterwards. I was covered in dirt and there were small scratches up and down my limbs. I wasn't actually hit or bruised at all which showed Gai was being careful with me, but displayed enough hostility to intimidate me. It was an eye opener to just how far behind I was to everyone in the shinobi profession. Hell, I could bet Sasuke would fair better than me right now.

It was two hours till Kakashi gave me a break and I sat on the back patio and delved into my mind scape. "That was humiliating." I huffed once the abyss surrounded me.

Yoi seated themselves across from me and I did the same. "Have you forgotten what I've taught you?" They said.

"What do you mean?"

"You are so focused on seeing that you fail to realize you are blinding yourself."

Yoi's words clicked with me almost immediately and I left my mind scape hurriedly. I scrambled to remove my sandals, and in all my enlightened glory I got ready for the nth round. With Gai standing at the ready once more, still as serious as when we first began, I closed my eyes as I glimpsed Kakashi ready to bring down his arm. "Begin." He said and I felt it, that instantaneous vibration of movement all around me. Time seemed to stand still in those milliseconds and I could feel ants crawling, worms digging in the soil, and Gai placing the tip of his heel down. His movement was a small beacon that could have been missed, almost like it was a trick of the eye, but I knew Gai was stood there and I knew he was going to come forward. I could almost picture his entire body from that one little step. I reacted. I didn't know if it did anything. I felt nothing at all. However, I wasn't thrown to the ground.

I opened my eyes and saw Gai looking down at his misplaced foot in confusion and wonder. I then realized I had shifted the grain beneath his sole to drag his stepping foot off to the side. He remained in an odd half split position before jerking upright with a face splitting grin. "Magnificent! As expected of my eternal rivals protege!"

I blinked in my own amazement as Kakashi praised me. "Did Yoi give you some advice?" He asked, though he must have already known the moment I disconnected to enter my mind scape.

[Yeah. I was a bit embarrassed to forget I could do sensing.]

Kakashi hummed and Gai was silent as we spoke. "It's a good skill, no doubt, but you shouldn't rely on it. Without physical strength you need to use everything else to your advantage, your eyes included. As an Uchiha, they are your greatest weapons besides your powers." Kakashi was right, but even so, my eyes couldn't see Gai moving and that man was holding back. "That's why, for now, let your eyes get accustomed to Gai. It sounds impossible, but you'll see." I was half sure that last part was a pun.

I agreed because Kakashi was a prodigal shinobi taught by the Hokage himself. I'd be a fool to not listen. After another two hours, I still couldn't catch sight of Gai when he moved to attack, and from the amount of times my back met the ground, I knew there would be a bruise later tonight.

Itachi wouldn't be home today for the purpose of preparing for the Jounin exam. When he told me so, I stupidly asked him if they were letting him skip the Chuunin part of everything, only for him to reveal he'd already been Chuunin since a year after he graduated the academy. I merely stared at him dazed for a while and wondered how I had even missed such an event. "I'm sorry. I wasn't keeping it from you. I honestly believed you knew." He said and his unfounded guilt spurred me on to comfort him that it was my fault for not realizing.

I went to Mother afterwards to understand just why though. "You're always busy Satsuki." Mother crouched down to my level and smiled softly as she spoke, "You're either studying, writing, or training. We've been slowly including you into the clan affairs as well. So don't blame yourself for not caring enough, ok? You can't always notice everything on your own and we're at fault for not telling you either."

Mother hugged me and I took in the comfort. I still felt down for not knowing for so long. If someone had asked me what rank he was and I answered wrong, it would feel as if I was never close to him. I knew it sounded so insignificant, but to me, those small details mattered most. Like how in a few days Sasuke would turn five years of age.

He grew so fast that I couldn't comprehend that the chubby roll of a baby was now a boy that ran around like he owned the entire property. And, with faint sadness, I connected how those birthday celebrations for me and Itachi had stopped once the war ended. I was fond of those celebration, even if it was only to boost morale during war time. I loved how everyone was brought together for that single day and how loved I felt. Sasuke never had that kind of celebration and I was hoping we could do so this year.

Mother seemed happy to agree and their was no word of objection from Father. Itachi said he'd try to keep the day clear, but as it was, there was no guarantee. I couldn't wait to invite Kakashi, Rin, Obito, and Naruto. Would Naruto have other friends he'd like to bring over?

I wanted to make this a surprise. I asked Mother if Sasuke would be allowed to sleep over at Naruto's the night before so we could decorate. She contacted Minato, and all too happily he agreed. It was obvious he would accept without even having to ask.

I was too excited. I couldn't wait to see the smile on Sasuke's face.