Curse These Old Bones - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Naruto looked at his teammates—Sakura and Haku.

Sakura… well, she wasn’t strong. Not yet, anyway. But she was smart, really smart. And she never gave up, even when it looked like she should. That had to count for something. As for Haku... Naruto didn’t know what to make of them. Polite and quiet, yeah, but there was something about Haku that felt different. Something sharper, deeper, like an edge that hadn’t been unsheathed yet. And strong. He just knew it—like the air around Haku carried a promise that they were better than him, maybe even Sasuke.

Before he could dwell on it, Sensei K’s voice cut through his thoughts. “You’re not getting that bell,” she said, her tone as casual as if she were talking about the weather. “Not a chance. So, go ahead and try, kiddos.” She leaned forward, her eyes locked onto them, and the weight of her presence crashed over them like a wave. “I’ll show you what impossible looks like.”

Naruto didn’t need to be told twice. His hands flew together, and he shouted, “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!” The field erupted in a cloud of smoke, and when it cleared, thirty identical Narutos were spread out across the clearing, grinning from ear to ear.

Haku’s breath hitched, their composure cracking for a split second.

But Sensei K just laughed. “Alright,” she said, rolling her shoulders, “let’s go.”

The clones charged, a shouting mass of orange and blue streaking toward her. Naruto did not stay back, also running — but he was watching intently, his real body blending into the group to mask his presence. But she didn’t flinch. Sensei K moved with terrifying speed, her movements so fluid they barely seemed like effort. The first clone reached her, throwing a punch, but her hand was faster. She caught its wrist, twisting it behind its back and sending the clone flying into two others. They all vanished in puffs of smoke.

Naruto watched, stunned and exhilarated. “Whoa!” he yelled, his voice a mix of amazement and excitement.

She was fast. A whirlwind of kicks and punches, her strikes precise and devastating. Every time a clone reached her, she dismantled it with a brutal efficiency that made his heart race. One clone tried to grab her from behind, but she ducked low, sweeping its legs out before spinning and driving an elbow into its back. Another puff of smoke. And another. And another.

His grin only grew wider. “Alright! Let’s see if you can handle this!” Naruto sprinted toward her himself this time, weaving through the clones. He leapt, aiming a flying kick directly at her side.

She didn’t dodge. Instead, she pivoted on one heel, her hand snapping out to grab his ankle mid-air. Before he could even process what was happening, she spun, using his momentum to hurl him into the ground with a bone-jarring impact. Pain exploded in his back, and he let out a grunt as his vision spun.

"Fuck, ouch!"

She crouched over him for a moment, her eyes glinting. “Language, Naruto-kun,” she said, her voice as light as if she were scolding a child for spilling tea.

“Sorry, Sensei,” he muttered, pushing himself up with a wince. His grin never faltered, though. “That was awesome!”

Behind him, he heard Haku’s calm voice cutting through the chaos. “Let’s assist our teammate, Haruno-san. We’ll need to work together for this.”

Sakura barely had time to react before Haku moved.

They weren’t flashy about it. One moment, Haku was standing still; the next, they vanished. Naruto’s jaw dropped as Haku reappeared in front of Sensei K, their movements faster than anything he could follow.

Fast. Faster than him. Faster than Sasuke. Hell, faster than Neji had been. 

“Not bad,” Sensei K murmured, her tone shifting slightly—there was a spark of interest now, maybe even respect. Haku didn’t respond. Their hands moved in a blur, sending a volley of thin needles toward her. Sensei K dodged easily, ducking and weaving, but Haku was already closing the distance. Their taijutsu was precise, their strikes compact and lethal, every punch and kick aimed for vital points. For a moment, Naruto thought they might actually have her. But Sensei K parried with her bare hands, deflecting strikes that would have floored Naruto. Her grin widened as she countered, driving a knee toward Haku’s stomach.

Haku caught it with an arm that looked far too slender to block that kind of power. They retaliated instantly, ice forming around their hand as they swung it like a blade. The icy edge slashed through the air, forcing Sensei K to leap back.

“Interesting,” she said, cracking her knuckles. “You’ve got some fire after all.”

Haku wasn’t finished. They flipped backward, landing gracefully as frost spread along the ground around their feet. With a single, fluid motion, they slammed their hands together, summoning a wall of jagged ice spikes that erupted toward Sensei K. The shards glinted in the light as they hurtled forward.

Sensei K sidestepped and punched through the wall as though it were paper. “Better,” she admitted, “but not good enough.”

Haku’s expression didn’t change, though Naruto swore he saw a flicker of frustration in their eyes. They launched themselves back into the fray, striking faster, harder, their attacks a seamless combination of taijutsu and ninjutsu. Frost coated their fists as they threw punches, and Sensei K’s movements slowed just slightly as the icy air began to cling to her limbs.

Meanwhile, Sakura was fumbling with her kunai. She threw one, then another, her aim precise but ultimately ineffective. Every blade was swatted aside as if it were no more than a nuisance. Sakura’s face twisted in frustration. “I need to do more,” she muttered under her breath, forming the signs for a genjutsu. The moment it activated, Sensei K’s head snapped toward her.

“Nice try,” Sensei K said, her voice almost playful, before dispelling the illusion with a simple pulse of chakra.

Naruto scrambled to his feet, adrenaline pounding through him. “Alright, you guys!” he yelled. 

“Time to turn it up!” He grinned, biting his thumb. “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!”

This time, a hundred clones burst into the clearing, their collective war cry shaking the air as they charged. Haku moved to stand beside him, their hands already weaving new seals. “We’ll pin her down,” they said, their tone steady and unshaken.

Naruto grinned. “Yeah, let’s do it!”

The air grew colder as Haku raised their hand, a dozen mirrors of ice materializing around Sensei K. They formed a dome, trapping her inside as Haku stepped into one of the mirrors, their reflection multiplying in every surface. Needles flew from every angle, striking with precision and speed.

“We’ve got her now!”

For the first time, Sensei K stilled. Her head tilted slightly, her eyes scanning the mirrors. “Oh?” she said. “Not bad at all.”

And then the chains came.

They didn’t erupt in an instant or explode in a flash; they unfurled—serpentine and deliberate, as though alive with ancient will. From her sleeves, threads of golden light began to spill, weaving into reality like the birth of something divine and terrible. The glow grew, coalescing into shimmering links of metal that pulsed with raw energy. These weren’t just chains—they were extensions of her, imbued with a force so overwhelming that the very air seemed to tremble.

With a low, resonant hum, the chains surged forward. The first struck the nearest ice mirror, and the sound was deafening—a thunderous crack that split the air as the mirror shattered into a thousand glittering shards. Another chain swept through the remnants like a scythe, scattering the fragments into a whirlwind of frost. The remaining mirrors fell in rapid succession, each obliterated in a flash of golden fury.

Haku barely had time to react. Needles shot toward the chains, but they dissolved before making contact, swallowed by the radiance. One chain lashed out and wrapped around Haku’s slender frame, lifting them effortlessly off the ground. Their calm expression faltered, their eyes wide with disbelief as the chain slammed them into the dirt, pinning them like a butterfly to a board.

Naruto’s shout of defiance cut through the chaos, but it was short-lived. Another chain whipped toward him, coiling around his torso with an unrelenting grip. He had barely enough time to gasp before he was yanked upward, his body hurtling through the air before crashing into a tree with a bone-rattling thud.

“F-fuck, that hurts!” he groaned, his head lolling as he tried to push himself upright.

“Language, again” Sensei K said, her voice light, almost teasing, as if she hadn’t just unleashed a force that could level mountains.

“Sorry, Sensei,” Naruto muttered, his trademark grin somehow still intact despite the ache radiating through his body.

The dust settled, and the battlefield fell silent. The ice mirrors were gone, reduced to a sparkling mist that hung in the air like the remnants of a dream. Haku lay motionless, pinned beneath the unyielding weight of the chains, their expression caught between awe and frustration. Sakura knelt nearby, clutching a kunai with trembling hands, her face pale and stunned. Naruto, sprawled in the dirt, looked battered but oddly content, as though this was exactly the kind of challenge he had always dreamed of facing.

Sensei K straightened, brushing imaginary dust from her hands as the chains receded, fading back into her sleeves as if they had never existed. Her posture was as composed as ever, her dark eyes gleaming with an amused light.

“Nice effort,” she said, her tone maddeningly casual. “But like I said: impossible.”

— — — — 

Zabuza Momochi crouched in the shadows, Kubikiribōchō resting against his shoulder as he watched the scene below with an expression carefully set to indifference. Haku sat cross-legged on a picnic blanket, calmly munching on a bento, her delicate hands carefully unwrapping each bite as though savoring it. Across from her, the pink-haired kunoichi—Sakura, Zabuza vaguely recalled—was shouting at the Kyubi Jinchuriki. Good — it meant Haku had not joined a random team that would be sent of to die in a not-so-important mission. The brat was scrambling toward her plate, his loud laughter ringing through the clearing, while pinkie swatted at him with chopsticks.

"So, it was a prank, sensei? We all pass?", asked Naruto, still munching on a ball of rice. 

And there, at the center of it all, sat the red-haired woman. Kushina Uzumaki. Alive, impossibly, undeniably alive. Her voice boomed with laughter, the kind that rattled through the air and seemed to pull everyone into her orbit. Zabuza’s sharp eyes flicked back to Haku. She was smiling—genuinely smiling—her eyes crinkling as she watched the chaos unfold.

It was… peaceful. Zabuza’s lips twitched, an unspoken thought tugging at the edge of his mind. He wouldn’t let it form fully. He wouldn’t let himself name it. Let her smile. Just this once.

“You done playing Mother Hen up there?” came a drawling voice from behind him. Anko Mitarashi, her tone dripping with teasing malice. “Or you just soaking it all in? Bet it warms your cold, dead heart to see her making friends.”

“Tch,” Zabuza muttered, his jaw tightening. “Yeah, I’m done. Let’s go.”

Anko stepped closer, leaning just enough to invade his space. “She looks so cute, doesn’t she?” she said, her smirk widening. “Maybe you should knit her a sweater next.”

Zabuza’s glare could have cut through steel, but Anko only chuckled. He straightened, turning on his heel as the massive sword shifted on his back. “I said let’s go,” he growled.

He walked away without another glance at the clearing, but his pace was just a fraction slower than usual. Behind him, Anko’s laughter followed, but Zabuza ignored it. The sound of Haku’s soft laughter stayed with him instead.

— — — — 

Sasuke hadn’t slept.

His body lay still through the night, but his mind refused to rest. The ceiling above him might as well have been a canvas, painted over and over with the same thoughts that haunted him: A family member. Alive.

It wasn’t just a distant relative, either. This wasn’t someone he could dismiss as irrelevant to his goals. No, Dove—ANBU captain, a shadow moving through the world like smoke—was here, in Konoha. Alive, powerful, and connected to him by blood. That truth had lodged itself deep in Sasuke’s chest, a pressure he couldn’t ignore.

And yet, the questions burned just as fiercely. If Dove was so strong, so unrelenting in his duties, then why hadn’t he gone after Itachi? The thought had clawed at Sasuke all night, his jaw tight and his fists clenched at his sides. Was he weak? The word left a bitter taste in Sasuke’s mouth. A coward? No. Sasuke rejected that idea as quickly as it formed. ANBU captains didn’t rise through fear or hesitation. His father’s voice echoed in his mind, distant but firm: ANBU captains are machines of war, cold and relentless.

If Dove hadn’t pursued Itachi, there had to be a reason. The Hokage. Yes, that made sense. ANBU followed the orders of the Hokage without question. Maybe the old man had held Dove back, deciding Itachi was too strong to face. Maybe sending Dove after him would have been a death sentence. Yes, Sasuke thought, tightening his grip on the bedsheets. That had to be it.

The faint light of dawn began creeping into his room, but it wasn’t the morning sun that snapped him from his spiraling thoughts. It was the unmistakable, grating sound of Naruto yelling from the kitchen.

“WHERE ARE THE PANCAKES?! I’M GONNA BE LATE FOR MY TEST, DATTEBAYO!”

Sasuke groaned, running a hand through his hair as he swung his legs off the bed. His body ached from tension, his muscles stiff from lying so still. Idiot, he thought. He reached for his shirt, pulling it on lazily as he headed for the door—and froze.

Dove was there.

He stood motionless in the center of Sasuke’s room, the dove-shaped mask catching the faint morning light, its hollow eyes staring straight at him. Sasuke’s heart jumped, but he forced himself to remain still, meeting the gaze of the masked figure with all the composure he could muster.

He swallowed the instinct to flinch. This was it. The beginning of everything. The test, he thought, straightening his spine. This wasn’t going to be easy. ANBU weren’t babysitters. If Dove had been assigned to mentor him, it wasn’t out of charity. He was here to determine whether Sasuke was worth the effort. And if Sasuke failed, there would be no second chances.

Without a word, Dove reached into his pouch and tossed a small bag to Sasuke. It landed with a soft thud on the edge of the bed. Sasuke glanced down, narrowing his eyes at the neat wrapping. He opened it, revealing carefully packed onigiri. Food. For later.

“Eat when you need it,” Dove said, his voice low and emotionless. His tone gave nothing away, no sign of the man behind the mask.

Sasuke nodded, tucking the bag under his arm. His mouth opened, but before he could ask what came next, Dove turned. “Follow me,” he said simply.

And then he was gone.

Not walked out. Not moved quickly. Just gone. A blur of motion so fast Sasuke barely caught it before the room was empty. His heart raced, adrenaline spiking through him. He grabbed his shoes and bolted after him, barely pausing to secure his laces as he sprinted out the door.

The streets of Konoha were quiet, the morning still heavy with the hush of waking life. Sasuke’s eyes scanned the rooftops, his instincts sharp. There—a flicker of movement. Dove was ahead, moving with an ease that defied logic. He wasn’t just fast; he was untouchable, his body flowing over the terrain like a shadow chasing the sun.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, his muscles burning as he pushed himself harder. Dove’s pace wasn’t just fast—it was inhuman. Faster than Gai’s sprints during training, faster than anything Sasuke had ever seen. But he wouldn’t stop. His breath came in sharp bursts, his feet slamming against the ground as he surged forward.

The gap between them didn’t close, but it didn’t widen, either. Sasuke poured every ounce of strength into the chase, his lungs screaming for air. He wasn’t about to fail—not now, not in front of him. His pride wouldn’t allow it.

Dove’s voice drifted back, seemingly coming from just behind his ear — calm and steady despite his speed. 

“Faster.”

The word was a knife, cutting into Sasuke’s resolve. His jaw clenched. He hated how easy it sounded, how it felt like Dove wasn’t even trying. But he didn’t let it break him. He leaned forward, his body straining, his mind repeating one thought over and over.

I will prove myself. I will show him what an Uch…What I can do.

He stumbled once, catching his footing just in time to keep from falling. The brief falter burned in his chest like acid, but he didn’t let it slow him. He pushed harder, his determination blazing through the exhaustion. The onigiri bag thudded softly against his side, a strange reminder of the human beneath the mask he chased.

The rooftops blurred around him, the wind stinging his eyes as he ran. Dove remained ahead, untouchable but not unreachable. And for Sasuke, that was enough.