Lost in the Whirlwind (Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter 20

Sasuke was officially eight years old.

Eight years old. A still happy- although less talkative- Sasuke.

I was happy too. Oh no, not because it was Sasuke's birthday. But because his clan was not massacred.

According to the timeline, Uchiha massacre was supposed to be when Sasuke's age was a mere seven. Trust me, I lived everyday dreading that moment. The past year, I had invited Sasuke to my house and apartment on numerous occasions for a sleepover, just in case tragedy decided to visit. The boy, bless his soul, agreed to them without complaints. Naruto did complain, although deep down, he was glad for his other best friend's company. Sometimes, we invited Shikamaru, Chouji and Hinata.

Almost every night, I asked myself a myriad of questions. Had I done enough to prevent it? Was my existence here really worth it?

After eight antagonizing years, my questions were answered. I was able to save a clan. A happy part of me wanted me to go for a well-deserved break away from everyone. Away from loud people, away from village gossips and away from... everything.

Another part of me, however, whispered that just because the massacre didn't happen now didn't mean it wouldn't happen later.

I decided to listen to the happy part of me. I slid out of my bed energetically- as energetic as a lazy person like me could- and got changed into a plain black long-sleeved shirt and shorts.

Looking into the mirror and ignoring a snoring Naruto in the background, multiple cuts on my legs caught my attention. I was glad that there were fewer scars than I thought there would be.

The past months, Yamada-sensei was determined to make me perfect the art of weapons. Apparently, that included running away from hundreds of kunai that chased the back of my head. Not that I was complaining (who was I kidding? I complained for hours to a sleepy Naruto the moment I got back from training), the sessions worked wonders.

Handling a kunai felt almost natural despite its heavy weight and I managed to hit bullseye 80% of the time. There was still room for improvement, but I was happy with my progress. Yamada-sensei, on the other hand, was displeased, so he took his frustration out of me. Four hours of running. Again.

A few weeks back, he started introducing me to various types of weapons. Katana, tanto, senbon and most interestingly, chakra blades.

Chakra blades require a special connection between them and the user. Slightly more expensive ones are able to utilize the user's chakra nature and fighting styles. The blades come in different forms, some people prefer to hold them like knives, while some like to use them brass knuckles.

I could imagine myself as more of a long range fighter; rather observing and planning before attack, besides, human contact wasn't just my thing. That would mean that chakra blades weren't suitable for me.

On the other hand, who knows when I would need to engage an enemy in close range? Something about chakra blades draws me in. They were graceful, their sharpness was undeniable and holding chakra blades felt... cool.

Yamada-sensei promised to teach me more about chakra blades than just the basics if I managed to finish my chakra control exercises without fail.

Naruto also improved tremendously. Hanako proved to be a very patient teacher who was able to handle the bouncing ball of energy. His aim got better, and his overall strength skyrocketed.

"I'm up!" Screamed Naruto from behind as he shot up from his sleeping position, sweating bullets. "Don't take my ramen away!"

I looked at him through a mirror and a brief silence stretched across the room.