The Fox Brothers

Ch.10 The Forest of Chakra

The group was able to safely arrive to Tazuna's home where his daughter and grandson also lived. They put Kakashi in a bed for him to rest as Hanzo sat by him in a chair, while Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were getting cleaned up. After a few hours of rest, Kakashi woke up.

"It seems I've overused my Sharingan." Kakashi said exhausted.

"Seems that way. You alright, Kakashi?" Hanzo asked.

"Not really... it will be hard just to move for about a week..." Kakashi tries to sit up but Hanzo stops him by putting a hand on his shoulder and gently pushing back into bed.

"Then it would be better if you didn't move for a while, old friend."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

After a moment, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, Tazuna and his daughter came into the room.

"Hey, Kakashi-Sensei is awake!" Naruto yelled happily. Sakura went over and stood next to Hanzo as she looked at Kakashi.

"Its good to see you awake, Sensei. But I cant help but think if your Sharingan will do this to you then it might not be worth it." Sakura says.

"Regardless, he did help take down a real powerful Ninja! We probably dont need to worry for a while." Tazuna said.

"But, what about that woman in the mask, the Tracker Ninja?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, she was an Anbu black ops from the Hidden Misk village. It's a mask that the Elite Ninja Tracking Units wear." Kakashi explained.

"Elite?" Naruto asked.

"That's right. Their duty is to erase all traces that a Ninja ever lived. The body of the Ninja reveals a variety of things, Ninjutsu secrets and Chakra characteristics which permeates the Ninja of their village, the composition of secret medicines used on a Ninja's body. For instance, if Kakashi were to die, every secret about his Sharingan would be investigated thoroughly, and in the worst case, there's a danger that his entire Jutsu could be stolen." Hanzo explained.

"That's right. In other words, Tracker Ninja are specialists that prevent village secrets from leaking out by killing Rogue Ninja who've run away from their village, and completely eliminating their bodies."

"But, Ninja Trackers take care of the bodies of people they've killed, immediately and on the spot." Hanzo said folding his arms. Sakura looks to her Sensei confused.

"Why do you bring that up, Uzumaki-Sensei?" Sakura asked.

"What did that woman with the mask do with Zabuza?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, she took his body away." Naruto said.

"That's right. If she needed proof she'd killed Zabuza, he could simply have taken the head. And the question is, the weapon the Tracker Ninja used to kill Zabuza." Kakashi said.

"They were Senbon needles." Sasuke said.

"That's right Sasuke. And I think it's safe to say that Zabuza... is still alive." Hanzo said grimly. Shock and horror washed over everyone.

"What the hell do you mean!?" Naruto shouted.

"But Kakashi-Sensei, you made sure that he was dead! You checked his pulse!" Sakura yelled.

"Its true, I did make sure. But, he was probably just in a state of near-death. The Senbon that Tracker Ninja used has a very low ability to kill unless it hits a vital spot. It's something that was originally used for medical treatments such as acupuncture therapy."

"Ninja trackers know all about the structure of the human body, putting people into a state of apparent near-death is probably simple for them. First, she went to the trouble of taking Zabuza's corpse which was probably heavier than she is. Second, she used a Senbon, a weapon with a low ability to kill. She wasnt trying to kill Zabuza, she was trying to save him." Hanzo deduced.

"What do we do if he comes back? It took both of you to beat him. What if Uzumaki-Sensei cant beat him on his own, and I doubt we will be able to fool him a second time." Sakura said, fear in her voice.

"Simple. You'll continue to train." Kakashi said.

"What!? No amount of last minute training will make us as strong as Zabuza!" Sakura shouted.

"Sakura, who was it that saved us from Zabuza? You've all grown so much." Hanzo pats Sakura on the head as she blushes and smiles at her Sensei's words.

"Th-Thank you, Uzumaki-Sensei." Sakura stutters with a blush.

"You got that right! Things will be getting a lot more interesting from here!" Naruto declared. From behind the group, Tazuna's grandson, Inari, appears. Inari talks down to the group saying they will all die if they oppose Gato. Naruto and Sasuke dont take too kindly to his words and yell back at Inari, but Inari just glares at them says they'll die in they try. Later, Naruto and Sasuke are marching up the stairs to Inari's room to tell him off, but stio when they hear him crying. The boys look through his bedroom door and see Inari sitting on front of an open window crying over a photograph of his father. The sight makes Naruto's and Sasuke's anger fade and replaces it with sympathy. The boys leave, giving Inari some privacy.

Later that day, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke were in the forest with Hanzo, getting ready to train.

"Alright everyone, While Kakashi is resting I'll be training you." Hanzo said.

"What will the training be?" Sasuke asked.

"You're training will consist of all of you focusing on using you're chakra efficiently. To achieve this, you will need to be able to control your chakra flow through your body. So, your training will be walking up trees."

"Walking up trees?" Naruto questioned.

"That's right. By focusing your chakra into the bottom of your feet, you will be able to climb without using your hands. Focusing chakra into your feet is incredibly difficult, but if you are able to do it, you can master any Jutsu. In theory, that is." Hanzo pulls out three Kunai and hands one to each of the kids. "Use these kunai to track your progress up the tree. You'll need a running start, and be careful."

The kids put their hands together and focus their chakra into their feet. They take off running towards their own trees and begin to run up them. Sasuke and Naruto put to much chakra in their feet and end up getting pushed away from the trees, but Sakura doesn't put enough and falls off.

Throughout the rest of the day, Sakura, Sasuke, and Sakura continue to try and get up the tree. Naruto and Sasuke make good progress getting higher and higher, but Sakura is barely able to keep up with them. They take a quick break to catch their breath, and Sakura takes this time to go over to Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto. Can you give me some tips on how to get further up?" Sakura asked a little embarrassed.

"Sure, whatever you need." Naruto said. From off to the side, Hanzo is leaning against a tree smiling at his little brothers and student.

'She's getting stronger... just how strong, I wonder? Sakura... you're potential is just as vast as Naruto and Sasuke's... I look forward to watching you surpass me... all of you...' Hanzo continued to smile as he watched his little brothers and student work ever harder, knowing that one day, they will become incredible Ninja.