Two and a half weeks had passed since the mind invasion incident.
The early spring air carried a pleasant warmth as members of Team 7 and Team 11 gathered at Training Ground 7, the freshly cut grass still wet with morning dew.
Kakashi leaned against a tree, nose buried in his ever-present orange book, while Yua sat cross-legged on a nearby stump, sharpening a kunai.
Their genin teams formed a rough circle in the clearing, the mood a mixture of curiosity and mild awkwardness.
"So you guys really fought Zabuza Momochi?" Hayate asked, eyes wide with excitement. "The Demon of the Hidden Mist?"
Naruto grinned broadly, adjusting his forehead protector with pride. "Believe it! He was super strong, but not strong enough to beat us!"
"Us?" Sasuke interjected with a raised eyebrow. "As I recall, you were trapped in his water prison while Kakashi did most of the fighting."
"Hey! I helped free Kakashi-sensei with my shadow clone trick!" Naruto protested. "And I totally held my own against Haku!"
Sakura sighed, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. "Both of you contributed," she said diplomatically. "Though I wish I could have done more than just guard Tazuna-san."
Indra observed the Team 7 dynamic with interest.
Their mission to the Land of Waves had clearly changed them - there was a new cohesion between them that hadn't existed before.
Even Sasuke seemed marginally more tolerant of Naruto's boasting.
"Tell us the whole story," Sayaka requested politely, sitting with perfect posture beside Indra. Her eyes occasionally drifted toward him when she thought no one was watching, leaning closer to him while trying to maintain it is as natural as possible.
Sasuke noticed these glances and frowned slightly, his gaze shifting between Sayaka and his clansman with subtle concern.
"Well," Naruto began enthusiastically, "it all started as a simple C-rank escort mission..."
For the next twenty minutes, Team 7 recounted their adventure in the Land of Waves - how their simple escort mission had escalated when they encountered the Demon Brothers,
How Kakashi had been temporarily defeated by Zabuza, and how they'd ultimately triumphed in the final battle on the bridge.
"And then this guy Haku jumped in front of my attack to save Zabuza!" Naruto's voice grew somber. "He died protecting someone precious to him. And Zabuza... he realized too late how much Haku meant to him."
"They died together on the bridge," Sakura added quietly. "We buried them overlooking the bridge."
A moment of silence fell over the group as they absorbed the gravity of Team 7's experience.
Sasuke's eyes were fixed on Indra, his expression unusually open with worry. "And you?" he finally asked. "I heard your C-rank mission also went wrong."
Indra nodded, his face carefully neutral. "Not quite as dramatically as yours, but we had our share of excitement."
"Four A-rank missing-nin," Yua supplied from her perch - deciding not to let Indra continue bullshitting - not looking up from her kunai. "Targeting your cousin, specifically."
Sasuke's head snapped up, his eyes widening. "What? Why?"
Sasuke didn't know this. He wasn't told about the true incident as first intended.
For, the Hokage - Hiruzen - had been swift to act after learning of Sayaka's situation.
With Sasuke away on his mission to Wave, he had used his authority to bypass the usual clan approval process for the engagement between Indra and Sayaka when the clan leader is not present.
The old man had recognized the urgency - at any moment, House Tsukihana might demand Sayaka's return, creating the perfect opportunity for another "accident" on the road home.
"They were after my Sharingan," Indra explained, sticking for now to the cover story they'd established. "Apparently, a newly awakened dōjutsu is quite valuable on the black market."
Sasuke's expression darkened, his hands clenching into fists. "Who sent them? Do we know?"
"Some black market broker, most likely," Yua answered smoothly. "The surviving missing-nin wasn't forthcoming with information before he died."
Naruto and Sakura exchanged surprised glances at Sasuke's uncharacteristic display of emotion. It was rare to see him so openly concerned about someone else.
"I'm fine, Sasuke," Indra assured him. "Yua-sensei handled three of them, and the fourth was killed by an ANBU who happened to be in the area."
Sasuke didn't look entirely convinced, but he nodded stiffly.
Kakashi finally lowered his book, his visible eye curving in what appeared to be a smile. "Well, it seems both our teams have had their baptism by fire. Surviving your first brush with death is an important milestone for any shinobi."
"Is that why you arranged this meeting, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. "So we could share experiences?"
"Partly," Kakashi admitted. "But also because the Chunin Exams are approaching, and it never hurts to know your potential allies... or opponents."
Yua nodded in agreement, finally looking up from her sharpening. "The exams can be brutal. Having a sense of each other's capabilities could prove valuable."
"Then let's spar!" Naruto suggested eagerly, jumping to his feet. "I want to see what you guys can do!"
"For once, the idiot has a good idea," Sasuke said with a smirk.
Indra exchanged a glance with his teammates. Hayate looked excited at the prospect, while Sayaka maintained her usual composed expression, though her eyes briefly met Indra's with silent communication.
Both jōnin instructors had privately discussed their teams' situations.
Yua had explained Sayaka's predicament to Kakashi, and they'd agreed that their teams should work together discreetly during the Chunin Exams.
This meeting was the first step in building the necessary bonds of friendship and trust.
"I think that's an excellent suggestion," Yua said, sliding off her perch. "Let's pair up for some friendly matches."
"Indra versus Naruto," Kakashi proposed. "Sasuke versus Chinen. And Sayaka versus Sakura."
The genin moved to different areas of the training ground to give each other space. Indra and Naruto took position in the central clearing, facing each other.
"Don't hold back, Indra!" Naruto called, forming his signature hand seal. "I've gotten way stronger since the Academy!"
"I wouldn't dream of it," Indra replied with a small smile.
"Begin!" Kakashi announced.
Immediately, Naruto created a dozen shadow clones that charged toward Indra from all directions. Indra's eyes narrowed as he assessed the attack pattern.
Rather than activating his Sharingan immediately, he relied on his natural reflexes and training.
Ducking under the first clone's punch, he swept its legs out from under it, causing it to disperse in a puff of smoke.
Two more clones attacked simultaneously from either side, but Indra leaped upward, causing them to collide with each other.
"You'll have to do better than that," Indra called, landing gracefully.
"I'm just getting started!" Naruto replied as more clones surrounded Indra.
This time, they attacked in a more coordinated fashion, some hanging back while others engaged directly. Indra found himself genuinely impressed by Naruto's tactical improvement since the Academy days.
Pulling out several kunai, Indra launched them with pinpoint accuracy, dispersing three clones in rapid succession. As another wave approached, he formed hand seals with practiced efficiency.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive sphere of flame erupted from Indra's mouth, engulfing five more clones and forcing the rest to scatter. The heat from the technique was intense enough that Kakashi raised an eyebrow in appreciation.
'That's far more powerful than a typical genin's fire technique,' Kakashi noted to himself. 'His chakra reserves must be exceptional like Sasuke, though not to the level of Naruto of course.'
Naruto gritted his teeth and created even more clones - at least thirty this time - that surrounded Indra completely.
"Let's see you handle this!" Naruto shouted as they all charged at once.
Indra finally activated his Sharingan, the three tomoe in each eye spinning as he tracked the movements of every clone.
With enhanced perception, he moved with fluid precision, each strike connecting with lethally.
Kunai flew from his hands in seemingly random directions, only to ricochet off trees and rocks to strike clones from unexpected angles.
"Whoa," Hayate muttered from where he watched. "That's some next-level stuff."
"Are you really going to allow yourself to be distracted when against me?" Sasuke asked as he appeared behind Hayate and gave him a powerful kick to the side, causing him to fly.
Within minutes, Indra had reduced Naruto's clone army to just five, plus the original. Sweat beaded on his forehead from the exertion, but his movements remained controlled and efficient.
"You've definitely improved, Naruto," Indra acknowledged. "But you're still too predictable."
"Oh yeah?" Naruto grinned. "Predict this!"
The remaining clones threw smoke bombs, obscuring the entire area. When the smoke cleared, dozens of Narutos charged from all directions, each wielding a kunai.
Indra's Sharingan allowed him to detect the subtle differences that identified the real Naruto among the copies.
Focusing his attention there, he launched a precisely aimed kunai that passed through several clones before stopping just short of the real Naruto's throat.
The clones disappeared in puffs of smoke, leaving a wide-eyed Naruto frozen in place.
"I give up," Naruto admitted with a sheepish grin as Indra lowered his hand.
"Good match," Indra said, deactivating his Sharingan and offering a hand, which Naruto shook enthusiastically.
"Man, those eyes of yours are something else!" Naruto exclaimed. "No wonder Sasuke's always acting so superior!"
Nearby, Sasuke had just finished his match with Hayate, which had ended even more decisively in the Uchiha's favor.
Despite Hayate's creative use of terrain and ninja tools, he simply couldn't match Sasuke's speed and power.
"You're not bad," Sasuke told Hayate with grudging respect. "Your tool manipulation is better than most genin."
Hayate accepted the compliment with a nod, though his expression showed disappointment at his loss.
On the far side of the training ground, Sayaka and Sakura's match had also concluded, with Sayaka emerging as the clear victor.
Sakura sat on the ground, looking slightly dazed as Sayaka offered her a hand up.
"Your chakra control is excellent," Sayaka commented politely. "With more combat training, you could be formidable."
"Thanks," Sakura replied, accepting the hand. "Your technique is so refined. Where did you learn to move like that?"
Sayaka's expression flickered briefly before settling back into its usual composure. "I had... to be strict upon myself growing up."
The teams regrouped in the center of the training ground. Kakashi and Yua exchanged knowing glances - the matches had confirmed what they already suspected about the relative strengths of their students.
"Well done, all of you," Kakashi said. "Now, how about we break for lunch? I believe Yua brought provisions."
"Indeed," Yua confirmed, producing several bento boxes from a storage scroll. "Eating together builds camaraderie."
As the genin settled in a circle with their food, conversation flowed more naturally.
Naruto began to story tell everyone with embellished tales of his heroics in Wave, while Sakura occasionally corrected his more outlandish claims.
Sasuke remained mostly quiet, but his eyes frequently drifted to Indra and Sayaka, studying their interactions with growing concern.
'Something's off about their relationship,' Sasuke thought. 'She watches him constantly, like she's... a fangirl.' The last thought brought a shiver down his spine, as he himself discreetly glanced at Sakura.
'Is this Uchiha curse inescapable?' he thought to himself.
Indra, meanwhile, was contemplating the upcoming Chunin Exams with mixed emotions.
He mostly thought about the second part of the Exam. Particularly what awaited Sasuke in the Forest of Death.
Orochimaru would mark Sasuke with the Curse Mark. As much as Indra wanted to prevent this, he knew he couldn't interfere without revealing his Rinnegan to one of the Legendary Sannin - and the crazy one of them at that - a risk he couldn't afford to take this early.
Especially since he himself doesn't know whether he is completely off the hook or not simply for being an Uchiha too.
Though, he of course won't let Sasuke become Orochimaru's meat puppet.
Once he was powerful enough, that he could overpower Orochimaru's chakra, he plans to use the Human Path to extract Orochimaru's soul fragment from Sasuke and absorb some of the Sannin's vast knowledge in the process.
But for now, he had to let events unfold as they had in the original timeline.
The thought of allowing his clansman - someone he had genuinely grown to care for - to suffer filled Indra with quiet rage.
Living with Sasuke these past weeks had changed something in him.
Despite his initial plans to simply use the Uchiha name and resources, he'd found himself forming a real bond with the last "true" Uchiha.
Sasuke, for his part, had taken on an almost older brother role toward Indra - though self-decided only by Sasuke himself, since their age difference is minimal in body, and mentally, Indra is far older.
Indra himself had been thinking about the hows and why, someone like Sasuke obsessed with revenge and hating his older brother, would try to act like one, and reasoned that it was perhaps because Indra had been raised outside the clan,
or maybe due to the secret that Indra was Madara's grandson - a fact that made Sasuke fiercely protective of him because it constantly put him at risk, if found out.
Whatever the reason though, Indra couldn't deny that he himself has grown to care for the kid in return.
You could only live so long with someone who clearly viewed you as the last important thing in their world without developing some attachment.
"Indra?" Naruto's voice broke through his thoughts. "You okay? You're staring at your food like it insulted you."
Indra blinked, forcing a small smile. "Just thinking about the exams. They're only a few weeks away."
"We're gonna crush it!" Naruto declared confidently. "Believe it!"
"Don't get overconfident, idiot," Sasuke muttered. "The exams will draw talented genin from all the major villages."
"Which is why it might be smart to look out for each other," Yua suggested casually. "Allies can make all the difference in survival situations."
Kakashi nodded in agreement. "The second phase, especially, tends to be... challenging. Though each time of course, it is different."
The subtle direction from their senseis wasn't lost on the genin. Even Naruto seemed to understand the implication.
"Well, I wouldn't mind helping you guys out if you got in trouble," Naruto offered, grinning at Team 11. "You know, if you needed it."
"Likewise," Indra replied with a knowing look at Yua. "It's always good to have friends in difficult situations."
After lunch, they resumed training with more structured exercises. Kakashi and Yua had them practice coordination drills that required members of both teams to work together.
By late afternoon, the initial awkwardness had largely dissipated, replaced by them knowing each other quite better than before.
As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the training ground, the teams prepared to depart.
"Same time next week?" Kakashi suggested to Yua. "It would be beneficial for them to continue working together."
"Agreed," Yua replied. "My team will be here. But keep in mind that I do expect that you aren't late three days from now at training ground 11 or I will personally drag you by the ear from that gravestone." She warned, already familiar with Kakashi's antics.
They had discussed after all when Kakashi would begin training Indra in jutsus.
Kakashi himself slowly nodded.
The genin said their goodbyes, with Naruto enthusiastically declaring that next time he would definitely beat Indra.
Sakura offered a friendly wave to Sayaka, while Hayate and Sasuke exchanged nods of acknowledgment.
As everyone dispersed, Indra and Sasuke headed toward the Uchiha compound together. They walked in comfortable silence for several blocks, the setting sun painting Konoha's buildings in shades of gold and amber.
Finally, Sasuke broke the silence. "Are you... comfortable with your team?"
Indra glanced at him, surprised by the question. "What do you mean?"
Sasuke hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the subject matter. After a moment, he continued, "I notice things, despite what many think. I see how the girls look at me with their... obsessive fascination."
He glanced sideways at Indra. "Sayaka seems to be like Sakura, but more... extreme."
Indra realized what Sasuke was getting at.
Throughout the day, Sasuke had clearly noticed Sayaka's reverent gazes and attentive behavior toward Indra, despite her attempts to be subtle about it.
It was touching, in a way, that Sasuke was concerned enough to bring it up.
Understanding this, Indra's expression softened slightly. He crossed his arms behind his head as they continued walking.
"I'm fine," he assured Sasuke. "She isn't as bad as you think. Just a bit... focused. Which isn't really something I dislike."
Sasuke studied him silently for any signs of deception. Finding none, he nodded. "So long as you're sure."
And so the two continued walking home.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
I decided to do the Team chapter first, next one will be the Chunin Exam beginning.
I was quite surprised when most of you wanted the team chapter rather than immediate action - I was honestly a bit delighted, since rarely do I see people want more worldbuilding and slice of life.
Though of course, this isn't any offense to the ones who wanted the Chunin Exam to begin, since I do plan in probably a couple of hours from now uploading it to make it up for them.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)