The rain had passed, leaving the air clean and the sky clear. For Sasuke, it felt like a weight had been lifted, and his strength had returned with the sun.
They were in Training Ground 44.
"So, Sasuke," Naruto said, nudging him with an elbow, "any requirements for the new teammate?"
Sasuke, appearing utterly calm, replied tersely, "Just as long as they don't hold us back."
Nearby, Kakashi leaned against a tree, lazily flipping through his copy of 'Icha Icha Paradise' while stealing glances toward the edge of the forest. 'I wonder who will Danzo send?' he thought.
It wasn't long before a figure in an Root uniform Tori appeared, escorting a ninja who wore the blank, white mask of Root shinobi Shin.
Tori, nodded once to Kakashi. After Kakashi acknowledged him, Tori flickered in a swirl of leaves, the whole exchange happening without a single word. His gaze had only paused for a moment on Naruto, then lingered for half a second on Sasuke before he disappeared. Leaving the new Team 7 member behind.
Once he was sure Tori was gone, Kakashi let out a quiet sigh of relief. Ever since the incident with Tenzo, his relationship with Danzo had been strained at best. Fortunately Kakashi was still under Hiruzen's protection and is Elite Jonin, otherwise Danzo would've already tried to abduct him into Root.
"You can introduce yourself," he said to the newcomer.
The Root ninja reached up and slowly removed her mask.
The moment the face underneath was revealed, even Sasuke found himself staring. 'What beautiful eyes.'
She had shoulder-length black hair and delicate features. The most striking feature, however, was a pair of vivid red eyes.
"Root ninja, codename Shin," Karin said, her voice clear. "You can also call me Karin." She then bowed cheerfully to the four of them, a bright smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you all. I hope we get along."
Unlike the cold, detached demeanor of every other Root member he had ever met, Karin was full of energy. Her smile, paired with those ruby-red eyes, was surprisingly genuine. More than that, it held a faint, almost startling resemblance to the Fourth Hokage.
Even Kakashi was stunned for a moment, this was a first time he had seen Root shinobi acting 'normal', 'Is she sent for seduction?'
Then, in a blind spot where the others couldn't see, Karin stuck her tongue out at Naruto.
The new member of Team 7 was indeed Karin, or more accurately, Karin Uzumaki. Her hair was dyed with a special concoction that couldn't be washed out by normal means, a necessary precaution. The vibrant red of the Uzumaki clan was too distinctive to leave uncovered.
Root was no longer the organization it once was. In the past, Danzo's word had been law, but now his faction was just one of two. The other answered to Naruto. Of course, if Naruto nodded, Danzo's word still carried weight, but the balance of power had shifted. Danzo had no idea that not only had Karin infiltrated his ranks, but others had as well. Tori, for instance, an operative he would never think to suspect. The very organization he had built from the ground up had been compromised from within, and he remained completely oblivious.
It was almost pathetic. Naruto would've felt some sympathy if this had happened to anyone else except Danzo.
In just half a day, Karin integrated herself into Team 7 with remarkable skill and a disarming friendliness. Even Sasuke, who was notoriously difficult, and Sakura, who was often left on the sidelines, seemed to quietly accept her presence. Under her influence, the tense, fractured atmosphere of the team began to ease, the rifts starting to mend.
'Seduction is easy to counter atleast, Sasuke hasn't experienced true culture yet and isn't interested in fairer sex. While Naruto already has Hinata, the plan is bound to fail. Though, it would be quite entertaining atleast.' Kakashi mused, watching her from his perch on a tree branch. He had expected a Root ninja to make things worse and had been bracing for the worst. The reality was the complete opposite, things were actually going smoothly.
Kakashi knew the disposition of Root ninja better than anyone. 'Though her act is surprisingly good, if I hadn't known she is from Root, I wouldn't have even suspected her.' he assessed. 'Thankfully I do now, in future I just need to warn Naruto and Sasuke, with their maturity they would be able to handle it. Smart plan though, using seduction to control last Uchiha and Jinchuriki. Both are high value targets, if even one works it would have massive returns. Exactly like something Danzo would do.'
"Karin, or Shin or whatever your name is," Sasuke said coolly, his hands in his pockets as he approached where she was laughing with Sakura. "Fight me. I need to see your strength. If you're weak, you can leave."
'There he goes again,' Naruto thought, shaking his head slightly.
What Sasuke truly meant was, 'Let me see if you're worthy of standing with us.' And by "us," he certainly didn't mean Sakura.
After holding his own in a fight with Kakashi, Sasuke's confidence had soared. He felt untouchable. Naruto's lecture had only convinced him to be cautious against Jonin, anyone below that, he was sure he could defeat. As for ninja his own age, he was convinced no one besides Naruto could match him now. It had been a long time since he'd sparred with Lee or Neji, and he felt he had far surpassed them.
His arrogance was showing.
Usually, a few good beatings were enough to bring him back to earth. The day he awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan, he had challenged Naruto and gotten thrashed for three days straight. The lesson in their difference in power had settled him down for a while.
This time, he had once again chosen the wrong opponent.
Sasuke had been trained by Naruto, but so had Karin. She also trained regularly with Satori and had sparred with other members of the Uchiha clan. She might not have the Sharingan, but her chakra reserves were several times larger than Sasuke's.
"Alright," Karin said, with a radiant smile .
Naruto offered a silent prayer for Sasuke.
Seeing that smile, Sasuke felt a flicker of unease. Why did she look so much like Naruto did right before he was about to trick him? 'It must be a coincidence,' he told himself, dismissing the thought.
While they both had codenames from Naruto, Sasuke and Karin had never formally met. He didn't know her, but she knew him. As the son of Fugaku and Mikoto, he was a frequent topic of conversation. Fugaku had even told her more than once that if she ever fought Sasuke, she shouldn't hold back. He wanted his son to learn that there was always someone stronger out there, claiming it was crucial for his growth. Fugaku knew exactly how strong Karin was, he was practically setting his son up to be humbled.
The match began: Sasuke versus Karin.
Sasuke, who had never concerned himself with gentlemanly conduct, charged the moment the fight started. He was so confident in his strength that he didn't even bother activating his Sharingan, holding just a single kunai.
'Hmph, is she frozen in fear?' he thought, seeing Karin remain perfectly still. A smirk touched his lips. 'So I've already surpassed my peers by this much?'
His gaze drifted unconsciously toward Naruto. 'Nii-san,' he thought, the honorific catching in his throat for a moment. 'Just watch. I'll be strong enough to help you soon.'
He closed the distance to Karin in an instant, a flicker of disdain in his eyes. 'I expected better from Root? I thought they were like Anbu, I was expecting too much.'
Meanwhile, Naruto was thinking, 'Of all the things to challenge her with, why taijutsu?'
*Thump... Thump... Thump...*
Suddenly, a violent impact slammed in Sasuke's abdomen, once, twice, thrice. The intense pain forced the air from his lungs, making him double over. Through his blurred vision, a fist grew steadily larger.
At that moment, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi all watched as Sasuke was launched into the air, tumbling backward through the clearing.
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