Displaced

All our times have come.
Here, but now they're gone.
Seasons don't fear the reaper,
Nor do the wind, the sun, or the rain—

We can be like they are.

Disclaimer. I own very little. Certainly not Naruto canon. But this little slice of madness is my own.

Warning. Crude language. Ninja-world violence and gore, possibly with vivid descriptions thereof. (Muses only know what else; I'll amend this after I finish.) THIS IS A SEQUEL. If you haven't read Transposed, you will be very, very confused. And if you haven't read the Transposed 'verse interludes (Chasing Shadows, Fellowship, Tempestuous)... well, you might be a little confused?

A prelude. The languid, eerie notes linger in the air.

It's spring, it's spring— the future is always just beyond that blue horizon!

Hn— how long do you think, until it happens? Until this false peace shakes apart? Until my world starts falling apart again? Even then, even if the worst happens...

Am I ready?

"The Rookie Twelve."I muse out loud, glancing at my classmates as they lounge around the sizeable clearing at the center of this particular training ground, clustered in small groups of three or four. Such as we are; though none of us are particularly green anymore.

Well, green in that sense anyway, I think idly, glancing in the direction of one Rock Lee. Youth-obsessed as Maito Gai, and looking more like the older taijutsu specialist by the year, Lee continues to wear a rather unsettling amount of green spandex... much to the chagrin of just about everyone.

Lee is chatting enthusiastically with, or rather at, Chouji; they just finished a light a spar— by Lee's definition. The latter is busy demolishing a giant platter of dango and only replies to what looks like every fifth comment. Chouji has shot up in height, almost as much as Shino and I, although he's far more obviously muscled than either of us. Still, while he might be built like a small mountain, Chouji remains as kindhearted and mild-mannered as ever, unless someone threatens his teammates. Or his food. Then the massive bo staff comes out.

Beside Chouji is a harassed-looking Shikamaru, a little taller and maybe an ounce more motivated—Kurenai-sensei is almost as terrifying a taskmistress as Anko when riled— but not truly different than he was three years ago when we received our chuunin vests. The two friends haven't had as much opportunity to spend time together since we started rising through the ranks. Hell, since we made genin, really. It became worse after Shikamaru's innate gifts for tactics were recognized by our superiors. He's on the fast-track to Jounin, or at the very least Special Jounin with a focus on tactics, and utterly wretched as a result. The current political climate isn't helping.

"Ehh. Not so rookie anymore, right?" Tenten replies to my comment with a grin, but doesn't glance up. Her focus is almost wholly on the well-used sharpening stone she's dragging over the edge of her kunai. Her last kunai. That is— she's finished sharpening a small pile already and packed them away in a deceptively small-looking holster. "They obviously need to come up with a better name." The kunai joins its fellows, and Tenten leans back with a contented smile, basking in the sunlight.

She's fought her way to special jounin due to her skills as a weapon mistress— storage fuuinjutsu and her ability to turn just about anything into a terrifying weapon made her a shoo-in for promotion to that rank. More recently, she's been focusing on adding elemental jutsu to her repertoire. Seeing some of the things she calls weapons on fire is enough to make any sane man quail.

"Hn." As long as we don't end up known as 'the lost generation'... or something equally trite or morose sounding. Though— if there is a lost generation, it's Kakashi-sensei's. I shrug, calmly munching on a dango, a half-filled stick in my hand. Chouji has his own platter; the rest of us are sharing.

"Ha! Forget we can't all speak Uchiha again, Sasuke?" Kiba, sitting to my right, pushes his way into the conversation while grabbing for a stick of dango. Akamaru, now the size of a small pony, lets out a quiet woof of agreement from beside him. The giant hound is gnawing on a femur, left over from some large herbivorous beast.

"Sorry, Ten-chan," I grumble theatrically, "It seems I have to repeat myself in order to translate for the less... observant. You know— the lowest common denominator." I clear my throat, turn to face Kiba, and deadpan, "I hope the universal 'they' don't come up with anything too asinine." Tenten snorts, but doesn't reply otherwise, closing her eyes, and relaxing on the blanket she's reposing on— a nap-to-be in the sun.

And although Kiba bristles, he doesn't rise to the bait. He's grown a thicker skin, and matured a little. His general skills are solidly chuunin, and his ability as a tracker are beginning to rival his older sister's. But not his mother's. Not yet. "Nah, it'll be badass. You know, 'cause we're badass." The scruffy chuunin replies, reaching over and patting Akamaru's side, his canine partner wagging his tail in reaction.

My reply is a low, muted chuckle. I'll admit it; my voice dropping from a boyish tenor to a sinister-sounding baritone has made me more than a little self-satisfied. The voice does make me sound like a cliché villain, especially whenever I laugh; I use this fact unabashedly when crafting sound-based genjutsu.

"Sa~su~ke-kuuun! Stop hogging the dango." Rolling my eyes, I push the half-filled platter in the direction of Sakura's approaching from. "Have at it, menace. Take some for Ino-chan and Hinata-chan, too." She started doing that recently. Calling me 'Sasuke-kun' again, that is. It's not as entirely unwelcome as it was a few years ago. She's blossomed into a self-assured young woman and a decent kunoichi, pun entirely intended. And she pouts rather cutely when I tease her. Or when I show her up, on the rare occasions we practice genjutsu together. That she's managed to mix genjutsu with low-rank ninjutsu, creating some kind of unholy combination more difficult to escape than standard genjutsu only proves she's earned the right to be called a proper, first-class kunoichi. We'll never be best friends, but we are friends, of a sort.

She refills a plate with half a dozen sticks of dango and retreats back to where she, Ino, and Hinata are gossiping. Alright, I don't know they're gossiping, but I do not want to know what they're discussing, since Hinata's face is starting to resemble a well-ripened tomato. Probably Naruto. Probably boys in general.

Hinata is growing— given all connotations of the word. Nearly two years ago, she persuaded Tsunade to take her on as a student. More accurately, we convinced her to ask, and Tsunade practically salivated at the chance to teach a Hyuuga interested in iryojutsu. Having access to the accuracy of the Hyuuga's all-seeing eyes when performing surgery? Why wouldn't she be overjoyed, especially considering Hinata is a very enthusiastic student, so long as she receives positive feedback... And the Hyuuga heiress enjoys helping people, loves being a healer. Although Hinata is learning Tsunade's signature technique as well— the older kunoichi insisted— she rarely applies it in combat. At least, not while sparring. The combination of agility, flexibility, and the pinpoint accuracy required for the Hyuuga Clan's taijutsu combined with Tsunade-sama's strength techniques make her a formidable opponent nevertheless.

Ino-chan, dear sister of my heart, now rivals Anko's reputation for sadism, as we always knew she would. Except her specialty is psychological torture and not physical. Figures, considering she's spent as much time being tutored by Ibiki as Anko. Wait. Does that make her the unholy Yamanaka love child of Ibiki and Anko? A mental shudder at the implications. My favorite Yamanaka can peel apart a veteran shinobi's mind— make him question his sanity, even his true loyalties... I fear for her future children. They'll never get away with any mischief.

Shino, while he has changed little in terms of temperament— still reserved and relatively formal, unless around close friends and family—is now nearly as tall as Kakashi-sensei, losing to him by two, three inches at best. So far I remain, much to my disgruntlement, slightly shorter than both.

And Hyuuga Neji? Neji spent almost a year and a half in and out of the hospital, first undergoing increasingly more experimental surgeries and later struggling through physical therapy. Once he was finally cleared to train, he very nearly rivaled Lee in his level of motivation. He worked his hardest not only to regain his skills, but also reconnect with his peers. I'll admit; I was very surprised at the latter. Still. Although his encounter with Gaara nearly robbed him of both life and career, it led him to grow into a better man instead of a bitter one. Rumor has it that Gai wept tears of joy upon seeing the surly teen's 'youthful ness' finally restored. Wouldn't be surprised if it's true.

Neji finally made it to chuunin rank during the last exam, four months ago. He's the last of the so-called rookies to achieve that rank, but hasn't let that particular wound fester. He's... mellowed, I suppose would be the best word. And from what I can observe, he and Hinata have managed to repair their relationship, against all odds. He remains a little standoffish to everyone outside the original Team Nine, but Lee managed to convince him to attend to this impromptu picnic.

As the afternoon wears on, and our dango supplies run low, the scattered groups drift together, conversation flowing freely among us.

A loud, contented sigh. "It's so nice to have a day off!" Ino stretches her arms up towards the sky, then settles to sit beside me, on my left— apparently she and Sakura are finally done tormenting Hinata. "Even better, we have the day off at the same time! It's nice for all of us to get together like this, right?"

"Almost everyone..." Hinata murmurs quietly. While the stuttering habit is long gone thanks to the support of her genin teammates and sensei, she's remains a reserved, quiet young woman.

"Yeah, that's right." Kiba perks up, leaning forward to snag another stick of dango. "Hey, Sasuke... You probably know. When's Naruto going to return?"

Within the year is my best estimate. "Hopefully before we descend into all-out war with Oto and whatever allies that lot has managed to scrounge up."

Ino smacks the back of my head with a scowl and quietly admonishes me for 'ruining the mood'.

I am entirely unapologetic.

"So... within the month, at this rate," deadpans Shino, ignoring Ino's actions. He's starting to rival even my level of pessimism. Well— his clan is among the best informed of the situation.

"Hn." I acknowledge his words with a tilt of my head. "Probably within the year. Jiraiya can't afford to drag him around the elemental countries for much longer." Naruto would be too much of an asset in wartime, as cold as that makes me sound. So long as Jiraiya abstains from fiddling with his seal… Again. I resist the urge to touch my neck and confirm the last hints of scarring were truly gone; they were.

Orochimaru and Otogakure— beasts, clawing at the borders of our homeland... And Akatsuki is somewhere out there— dogs baying in eagerness, preparing for the hunt. Danzou, possibly-very-likely playing at evil mastermind in the bowels of the village... And the Kami only know what else, waiting for the opportunity to screw over my comrades, my friends, my family.

Still, I wonder how long this uneasy peace will last.

Heh. How many shinobi have thought that thought in the past hundred years, I wonder?

Naruto-kun. Come home safe, yeah?

I feel no undue surprise when the invitation comes, one Friday afternoon. I've been waiting eagerly and at the same time dreading its arrival.

There is, however, a significant amount of irritation. I've just returned from an assassination mission from a town on the farthest border of Hi no Kuni and, frankly, considering the targets forced us to follow their trail through a total of five villages and two countries— all I want to do is eat excessively greasy takeaway, shower, and collapse into my bed for a solid nine hours of sleep, though not necessarily in that order. I haven't even made it inside my front door! The hawk bearing the missive receives a rather scathing glare as I retrieve the scroll it's delivered, as a result.

"Message received." The bird screeches as it departs... And just like that, the mild throbbing that had been present for the past three hours due to lack of sleep, evolves into a full-blown headache. Stupid bird, I grumble internally and petulantly slam the door behind me. Because, damn it, I can allow myself to be childish once in a while. As long as none of my friends or adorably eager former students are here to see it, anyway.

Dark green piping along the edge of the scroll—the message is important, but not something that requires immediate attention. Thus, I proceed to toss it aside and ignore it in the interest of maintaining my sanity. An hour and a half later, scrubbed clean and stuffed stupidly full of sinfully good food, my curiosity returns.

Retrieving the scroll, I relax on the couch and proceed to unroll it. I find a carefully inked seal at its center. "Hnn," I hum softly. A sealing scroll? Touching the center of the design, I release a small pulse of chakra to open it.

A blank white mask, the number four painted on the forehead, clatters into my lap. Nimble hands catch the letter that follows after it: a formal invitation. Well, less an invitation and more a demand, considering some of the wording. Present yourself, dressed in standard chuunin attire and wearing the mask you have received at—. To think that recruitment into that sort of group is handled in such a mundane way... Lips curling into a wry smirk, "Someone has an interesting sense of humor." A second glance at the mask proves even if the origin of the 'joke' is long gone, someone in charge still has a sense of humor.

And suddenly, despite my fatigue and lingering headache, today isn't so bad.

My smirk gradually shifts into a genuine smile, until I'm grinning like a loon. "You know, on second thought, I think I want dessert." I want to celebrate. True, I won't actually be able to tell anyone... especially if I make it through the month from hell— hazing combined with a training regime to make the fiercest ninja weep— that the message seems to indicate is required for acceptance into the ranks of ANBU. But even then, this is something I've been training for nearly a decade.

"Yes." Nodding sagely, I intone, "I definitely want cake."

Naruto-kun, by the time you become Hokage, your shadow will be waiting.

There are a total of twenty recruits. Judging by build alone, most of us seem to be young adults, and over three-quarters are male. The rest are either obviously female or blatantly, probably intentionally, androgynous. I fall into the last category due to my leaner build and long hair, currently pulled into a messy bun. The masks include a seal that disguises our voices, and we were all strongly advised to make use of it, so it's hard to make a guess on gender using that as a hint.

There is a recruit I recognize immediately, despite the identical attire and blank masks. The one labeled Eleven is unmistakably an Aburame— and I recognize the chakra signature. How could I not? I have no doubt he recognizes me as well; Shino's allies know the flavor of my chakra, and he's the sort to tag everyone in a room as soon as he enters, if not before. I have my suspicions about one or two others, but I'd have to see them fight to be certain... and that might not be happening any time soon.

The recruits are organized into five groups of four, according to their number designation.

Three figures in white cloaks step to the center of the room— three commanders. Behind them, a handful of ANBU in the more typical black cloaks linger in the shadows, watching. Scrutinizing. Their gazes are heavy with disapproval.

The tallest one— that mask, is that an Inu? — speaks first. "Welcome, Candidates, to your personal hell."

Kuma— the figure on the right, their body language relaxed, continues the speech, "Hah! So, due to the current, hmm, tensions with Otogakure and Kumogakure, the amount of time we have to weed out the less useful of you lot is understandably limited. And the number of candidates is relatively large. So that means we're going to be extra dedicated to making certain only the useful ones survive."

"You have all signed the necessary paperwork, so we shall proceed with your... instructions." The figure on the left, Tora, states coldly.

There is a synchronized flare of killing intent from the ANBU present in the room, directed against the blank-masked, numbered candidates. The twenty of us tense as one. The pressure is immense; I can feel a droplet of cold sweat trickling down the back of my neck.

Intense, a corner of my mind analyzes, as the rest of me focuses on the potential danger; I do my best to ignore the pressure. Much more focused than what Gaara and Shukaku were capable of... but not the same level of malevolence as the Kyuubi. I frown at thought of the Bijuu, but manage to keep my body language relatively impassive, hand drifting towards my blade. A tantou, instead of the chokuto gifted to me by Itachi. Someone behind me buckles, falling to his or her knees, another candidate, far to my left, outright faints.

"...Not bad. It seems some of you, at least, have potential," murmurs Tora. Several of the candidates are ushered out of the room, quickly and quietly. Then, the commander on the right resumes talking. "Now, on to the fun part."

Contrary to popular belief, there aren't actually very many ANBU in the village at a given time. Or at all. They've simply mastered the art of being everywhere. Altogether, the ANBU contains approximately sixty to a hundred ninja, encompassing all specialties.

Is the one that escorted me home from the hospital that first time among them still? How many of these men and women watched me scream in the night as a child?

The turnover for those on active duty is remarkably high. Ignore the rumored high risk of death— ANBU mortality rates are actually only a little above that for chuunin, despite the challenging missions and occasional near-suicidal odds. Still, few people stay for longer than a five-year stint. Because ANBU do stressful work, dirty work. Because joining ANBU means donning a mask and setting aside your morals for the village. At least, until you remove the mask.

Despite all that, no one truly retires from ANBU, not without a crippling, career-ending injury. ANBU is a lifelong commitment— thus, the infamous tattoos. They're seals, not just marks binding ANBU to service. So, while there are sixty to a hundred active ANBU, about half of the jounin and a sixth of the special jounin are so-called 'former' ANBU.

Interestingly, there are actually only three types of ANBU— three ANBU Divisions—unless you count Danzou's minions.

Division Ro handles security outside of the village. They are what we think of as ANBU in the most typical sense— infiltration, espionage, sabotage, assassination— responsible for a wide variety of disavowed missions on foreign soil.

Division Sham— laugh it up, someone clearly didn't think this through— are Konoha's answer to Kiri's Hunter-nin. People with exceptional capabilities in tracking and combat specialists; they are rarely sent out in teams greater than four people. There were rumors the whole division was mobilized to hunt Itachi-nii, but I have my doubts. Some of their duties overlap with Division Ro. For example, they are also often called for assassination missions. But predominantly, they are tasked with hunting down traitors.

Division Bo is responsible for internal security and actually include the barrier team. They also include the few fuuinjutsu specialists in Konoha. Since the destruction of the Konoha Military Police Force, this division has swelled in size. Somebody had to compensate for the loss. Division Bo includes the ANBU most likely to interact with civilians, and regularly serve as guards for the Hokage. The most mentally stable and least likely to drop cover or 'disappear' a civilian acting hostile.

Within the divisions, there are a wide variety of fluid teams— much like in the standard ninja forces, teams are usually tailored to a given mission. Despite the strictly enforced anonymity of ANBU to the outside world, within the ANBU everyone knows everyone, both by face and name. Trust, after all, is key for teamwork, and high-ranked shinobi cultivate a healthy paranoia.

I wonder which division Itachi-nii was a member of. Or Sensei— odds are he's back among their ranks now. Students in a formal apprenticeship actually have a large amount of unsupervised time to pursue their own interests, so long as they're not tied to a particular division. And if they're not in a division that gives work 'in house' so to speak, like T&I or the medic corps— well, they need to take missions to afford basic necessities. Certainly, Kakashi-sensei has more free time than when he was teaching a team of rookie genin.

He watches his two adorable little students. Not so little anymore, he thinks with more than a little fondness. And they are his kouhai now, strictly speaking. The pair ghosts into the possibly-abandoned structure, swift and silent. Possibly-abandoned, because nothing in life is certain besides the finality of death. Things are even less certain when you are ANBU, and working from bare scraps of information.

While he would prefer to take point, this mission is the four rookies' responsibility, their trial by fire. Probably not literally. Hopefully. Neko is observing the other two; they're using an alternate entrance. It is possible, even, that they are entering a different bunker altogether.

Hmm... I'm still surprised Godaime-sama allowed me to recruit either of them for my division, considering I was their Jounin sensei. Kakashi suspects that the only reason he'd been permitted to stake a claim on both Sasuke and Shino, assuming they thrived in the brutal and rather dehumanizing training that is required, which they had, was that there was a severe dearth people with any significant skill as a medic and disposition as well as skillset needed to join ANBU. And only Division Ro was currently down a fully-certified medic. Shino, on the other hand... well, their division could always use more information specialists, though he really was better suited for Sham. So was I when I was first recruited, to be honest.

He forces himself to relax, one muscle group at a time, as he waits for ten minutes to pass. Kakashi trusts his students—his soldiers— and knows full well this is within their capabilities. But waiting is always difficult, and his men are exploring a serpent's den. Taking into account the fact that Orochimaru has targeted Sasuke specifically not once, but twice... A third attempt might be successful. This could be a trap. Admittedly, any mission they take could be a trap.

He focuses— he is Inu and not Kakashi right now. The two he is monitoring are Four and Eleven, soon-to-be ANBU, not Sasuke and Shino, the cute little brats that were once his first and hopefully only genin students.

Ten minutes pass quickly, and Inu is a shadowy blur; he reaches the entrance the rookies had entered through faster than most people blink.

Here it is: the first chapter of the long-promised sequel! (In the name of all things holy and unholy, why did I decide to write this before finishing the interludes?! Curse you, NaNoWiMo. I had such horrible burnout on this 'verse afterwards.) As mentioned above, if you do not read Transposed first you will absolutely be very, very confused. To minimize confusion, I suggest the following reading order for Transposed 'verse: Transposed, Fellowship, Tempestuous, Chasing Shadows, Displaced. Tempestuous is an "optional" Temari/Sasuke goodie, and a currently unfinished two-shot. Hopefully that will change soon.

...Yes, I named the three ANBU Divisions after Ro-Sham-Bo (Rock-Paper-Scissors). I'll admit, I was a little tempted to call them Jan-Ken-Pon. Nobody ever accused me of being sensible or having a normal sense of humor.

Will I show some ANBU training/weeding out the weak montage? Probably not, because I tend to skim over that sort of thing when I read. I suppose if someone really wants it, I might incorporate some flashbacks.

Per reviewer request, a condensed summary of Transposed 'verse:

Weeks after the massacre of the Uchiha, the consciousness of a medical student in her late twenties wakes in the body of Uchiha Sasuke. While she has knowledge, whatever happened left her with almost no personal memories, and spotty recollections of Naruto canon. His/her memories of being Sasuke return over the next few days through dreams and nightmares. Sasuke obsessively researches the truth behind the murder of his clan in his family records, reaching the conclusion that the Uchiha were indeed planning treason due to their increased isolation within the village, among other things. Thus, he deduces Itachi was (probably) following orders.

He eventually decides that, whoever she was before, he is Sasuke now. Returning to the academy, he befriends Aburame Shino, using their shared interests— the boys collaborate to develop a variety of insect-based genjutsu. He also (grudgingly and with much protesting) begins to tutor Naruto, eventually coming to see him as an annoying little brother. He generally avoids the girls in his class— fangirls are disturbing— but is polite and genial to most everyone, if a little aloof.

The "rookie twelve" genin team and sensei match-ups are listed below. (Although by the end of their first year as genin, the kids were well adapted to working with each other and had some rudimentary ideas of their compatriots' skillsets.)

Team Seven: Uchiha Sasuke, Yamanaka Ino, Aburame Shino, led by Hatake Kakashi.

Team Eight: Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, Akimichi Chouji, led by Sarutobi Asuma.

Team Ten:Inuzuka Kiba,Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru, led by Yuuhi Kurenai.

Team Nine remained the same as canon.

The oft-maligned Wave Mission is completed by a team consisting of Hatake Kakashi, Aburame Shino, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto is the one "killed" by Haku on the bridge; Sasuke awakens the mangekyou as result. Disturbed that his first kill is slowly burning someone to death (literally), and genuinely terrified of going blind, he resolves to use the abilities it might grant as little as possible.

By the time the Chuunin Exams roll around, Team 7 is a well-oiled machine. Before the first exam, Sasuke encounters Temari, and they (surprisingly) hit it off.

Sasuke cannot think of a rational way to avoid participating in the Chuunin Exams without spilling his secrets and (possibly) waking up dead in a ditch. Maybe Orochimaru isn't crazy enough to infiltrate Konoha to try and steal him away anyway? Wishful thinking.

Shit hits the fan, Orochimaru manages to mark Sasuke with a Curse Seal despite Team 7's attempts to finish the exam as quick as possible. A lucky break leads to the seal never fully taking hold and instead being burned away.

The preliminary exams are nothing like his memories of a maybe-future, but at this point Sasuke isn't very surprised. Sasuke gives Hinata an emotional and physical beatdown during the preliminaries but apologizes afterwards. Neji is decimated by Gaara, resulting in possibly career-ending injuries. Sasuke is matched against Temari for the finals, and steamrolls her, even breaking her giant fan. After defeating her, tempted into using his knowledge of a potential future, he surreptitiously tries to warn her about Orochimaru.

The invasion is as chaotic as expected. Naruto and Sasuke end up facing (and eventually defeating) Gaara, leaving all three on the edge of chakra exhaustion. Sasuke and Temari have a brief confrontation before backup finally arrives. Ultimately, they choose to let the sand siblings flee. The Sandaime Hokage survives his fight with Orochimaru, but is hospitalized due to his injuries. Ororchimaru escapes relatively unharmed.

Chuunin promotions are handed out: Sasuke, Shino, Naruto and Shikamaru are promoted to chuunin rank.

Naruto and Jiraiya leave to find Tsunade, in order to convince her to heal the Sandaime. Kakashi et al. confront Akatsuki off screen, landing Kakashi in a sharingan-induced coma. Sasuke (with Shino and Ino following him) encounters Itachi and Kisame before they leave the village, and decides to confront Itachi. Itachi absolutely flattens our protagonist, but using Tsukuyomi lands them in a shared illusion, as Sasuke uses the same technique. Cue emotional dialogue, where Sasuke (relieved and horrified and a strange amalgamation of other feelings) finally learns that yes, his suspicions and suppositions were correct: Itachi was acting under orders. Eventually, he shares this information with Shino and Ino.

Naruto returns, and between his, Jiraiya's, and the Sandaime's efforts Tsunade is convinced to stay in Konoha and take up the role of head medic. Sasuke is not overly fond of Tsunade, but they form a decent working relationship, and she goads him into getting fully certified as a combat medic.

Jiraiya and Naruto leave for the expected training trip. Tsunade is (eventually) convinced to take the job of Godaime. Danzou approaches Sasuke, offering him an apprenticeship, but is politely rebuffed. Team 7 is formally dissolved, as all three will be pursuing specialized training in different fields.

At this point in the story... Sasuke has chosen to specialize in assassination, under the mentorship of Hatake Kakashi. His focus includes medical jutsu and lightning ninjutsu. He is a fully certified battlefield medic (much to his disgruntlement) and uses his knowledge of medicine to adapt medical jutsu for use as weapons in the field (e.g. using blood clots to kill a mark without arousing suspicion). He is a contracted summoner with the Salamanders—his partner is Kuroi, a rather bubbly young summons who is still growing (literally and figuratively) into her role as heiress. His relationship with Itachi is strained, but recovering; the two have corresponded discreetly, even exchanging birthday gifts. He is finds with Temari, but is not taking steps to pursue a relationship (despite Ino's teasing), although there is attraction on both sides.

Okay, a little bonus for those that made it to the bottom of the author note. The posting schedule for Displaced is tentatively set for one chapter a month, to be released on the 15th. This is until I run out of pre-written chapters... After that, I'm going to have to wing it. I am going to be mind-killing busy in real life starting April, but have set a side plenty of writing time for the next month and a half.

*Lyrics quoted at the top of the chapter are from "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult.