The Ripples of Time

Bell Test 2.0!! AKA: Torturing the Children

This time, thankfully, Aki didn't arrive at the test with all sorts of stuff stuck on his person (paint... glitter... feathers... chalk dust...[Ahem, thanks Kashi]). And his kits weren't children anymore. 

Sasuke still wasn't back from training, but he'd get a different test when he got back. In the meantime, Aki had a request for Tsunade. A request that made him give a sad, yet amused, smile at what was coming.

This time, when Aki arrived at the test, his kits whirled around with confused, aggravated, and- dare he think it- angry expressions. "Aki-nii! What's up with this guy," Naruto exclaimed, pointing to a smiling Sai.

Ignoring the blond, Aki let a smile overtake his features as he approached. "Ah, Sai, right? I'm Aki, one of the jonin instructors of Team 7," he introduced. "These are Sakura Haruno and Naruto. They're two of the rest of Team 7 and will be working with you until the return of our other student." 

A blank smile brought fresh memories to Aki's mind (of inappropriate references, of anger, of fierce protectiveness, of the scent of ink and blood- so much blood- filling his nose as ink-black hair and snow-white skin was stained with red), the painter's words fading to the ringing in Aki's ears.

Sai never had the chance to grow up, after all. Because as skilled as he was... he was close to Danzo. Close to the traitor, close to the enemy. He was a very early death. And he never really physically changed from when Aki first met the teen.

The same teen now standing before him again. (It didn't help that the flashbacks were coming more often. Sometimes he'd be sitting on Hokage Monument, and in the next second, he's staring at a wasteland, a seal dug from the ground directly behind him waiting for blood and chakra.)

Aki shook his head, hand coming to grip his forehead. "Are you okay, Aki-nii," a concerned voice questioned, tan hands coming in front of his face. Aki, in a moment of instinct, jerked his head back, eyes unseeing before blinking back to reality. 

"Yeah," the red-head nodded, a false smile stretching his face. "I'm fine. Just... lost on the road of life."  He took a deep breath, subtly shaking the panic out of his limbs and putting a serious expression on his face. "This is a two-part test—one to see how much you've grown. The other, to see how well you work with strangers. Any questions?"

"Where's Kakashi-sensei," Sakura asked, pulling on her glove. "I have the urge to take his... reading material."

Aki smirked- an action more teeth than emotion. "On his way. The test is supposed to start around the same time as last time, but... Well, he's not the only teacher here. The goal is the same as last time- get the bells off us. Both of us will have one- the third is hidden somewhere in the training grounds," Aki explained, letting a bell jingle as it danced from his fingers. He attached it to his obi, smirk staying in place. "Your time limit is... hmm, let's say noon tomorrow. Those who don't get a bell don't get lunch." Aki's smirk, if possible, got sharper, like he was a cat who just trapped the canary.

His words caused smirks in his students and a confused smile from Sai. A confused smile- meaning the boy still had some emotions. Good- he could work with some. 

"Got it," Naruto snickered, his own smile matching Aki's tooth for tooth. The red-head looked between the three teens, pride and nostalgia on his face. He took a deep breath, his stance relaxing deceptively. Those who'd fought him knew that stance- the posture he held when he wasn't quite sure of victory, but confident in his ability to find it. 

At that moment, Aki could sense Kakashi within a decent enough range. With a shit-eating grin, he spoke.

"Start."