Closely Knit

Kakashi had always prided himself on his lack of emotional connection to other human beings. He had no ties, no real ties at least. His friendship towards Gai was perhaps the only relationship that Kakashi could write off as a connection, and even that one was strained and weak. Kakashi had lost his own family long ago and his only living teammate was Rin, whom had given up the shinobi life to become a mother and housewife.

Kakashi saw her from time to time around the village, but they mostly kept their distance. Kakashi knew his face was just a painful reminder for her. A reminder of the tragic loss that both of them had experienced. While Kakashi had buried himself further into his shinobi training, Rin dropped out of the program shortly after and married a construction worker, proceeding to then pop out three kids.

Kakashi was happy for his former friend. She seemed relatively content with her new life and Kakashi knew that Rin had always wanted to be a mother. Now she was and he was so relieved that she had found peace.

Kakashi hadn't been so lucky. He chose to remain in the shinobi life, fully knowing what that meant. Kakashi worked on teams after that but he always made sure to keep his distance, never becoming friends or bonding with them. He always put up a cold wall and made sure to keep the probing humans at bay. It was better this way, easier for all involved.

And Kakashi assumed it would always be this way. Always alone, always a solitary creature. And he had accepted that a long time ago. But when he became an instructor, a team leader, Kakashi had worried. He knew he could not simply put up a cold front anymore; he couldn't simply do his job and go home. These were children. Yes, children. Children that were being entrusted to him to mold and care for. Kakashi wasn't sure if he was ready for such a task. But the third Hokage had been stern with his decision in making Kakashi an instructor, so he could not argue.

When Kakashi had met the team he was assigned, they weren't much. They really were just children. Naïve, simple, young, creatures that had no idea of the sort of world that they were stepping into.

Sakura, the girl, was the most naïve of them all. Pink haired and green eyed, she was as sweet as candy. She had a giggle that reminded Kakashi of bells chiming in the spring air, and an image of Rin was painted in his mind. Yes, she reminded him so much of Rin. A simple girl, with simple goals and a crazy crush on a certain boy. She was the mirror image of his former teammate and it made him quake internally.

Then there was the Uchiha boy. Oh yes, he was the most interesting of the three. His eyes were sharp and deadly, full of anger and hate. This boy reminded Kakashi of himself at that age. Such a ball of venom that anyone who tried to get close would surely be poisoned. Yes, this boy was as rough as they came.

Lastly, there was the yellowed haired, loud mouth. Oh, Kakashi knew exactly who this boy was. Everyone who hadn't been living under a rock for the past thirteen years knew who this boy was. Naruto Uzumaki. The trouble maker that always had Iruka complaining in the staff room, albeit with an affectionate undertone. Kakashi had heard all the stories that his much younger co-worker had to share on this child. While Kakashi had found himself smiling and amused at most of boy's antics, he knew such mischief would not get him far in the shinobi world and would likely get the boy killed. The boy had barely graduated from the academy according to his academic records. Kakashi had his work cut out with that one.

This was certainly going to interesting.

XXXX

Kakashi found working with the three genin to not be as torturous as he'd originally thought. They actually provided a source of amusement and joy in his ordinarily dull life. Especially the small rivalry that had formed between his two male charges.

"You asshole! I was doing just fine without you!" Naruto shrieked angrily.

Sasuke rolled his eyes in exasperation, twirling his kunai at the end of his index finger. "You nearly cracked your head open. But you're right, next time I'll just let your ass fall. Then I won't have to listen to your screeching."

Kakashi watched with a small grin, though no one would have known, from the far side of the training field. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened, as he'd been very intently studying his "novel", but it really didn't matter at that point. The two had already hit their boiling points.

Naruto had a fist full of Sasuke's shirt, and pulled the boy to him. "You want to repeat that?!"

"Naruto!" Sakura cried at the sudden violence from the blonde. "Let go of him!"

Kakashi had to admit he was mildly surprised by Naruto's violent action. The blonde was usually a very peaceful child and his "fights" with Sasuke had been little more than playful banter before now. Kakashi had never had to intervene before but now he saw he had no choice.

Appearing, as if by magic, behind him, Kakashi gripped the back of Naruto's jump suit and yanked him backwards, away from the raven haired boy. Naruto instantly released Sasuke and instead balled his fist and made an attempt to strike at his sensei.

Kakashi was so shocked by this that he had almost allowed the little brat to get away with it. Almost.

Kakashi grabbed that fist with his free hand and twisted it behind the blonde's back, holding it there. "Naruto." He spoke firmly. "Stop this at once."

It took a few seconds, but finally the boy seemed to have calmed down and was only panting. Kakashi released the boy's arm and turned to this other charges, who had been staring with wide eyes at Naruto, both equally as shocked by the behavior.

"Training is over for the day." Kakashi announced. "We'll meet back here tomorrow at noon."

Sasuke looked as if he were about to protest but Sakura grabbed his hand, causing him to meet her eyes. The two seemed to share silent conversation before leaving together. This now left Kakashi and his little burden.

Kakashi let the fabric of Naruto's jacket slip from his fingers, watching as the boy not so gracefully plopped on his butt. Kakashi waited but the boy did not move. Finding this behavior even stranger, Kakashi decided to move him.

The sensei reached down and gently turned the boy to face him. "Naruto." Kakashi called his attention. "Naruto, look at me."

Naruto was still for a moment before tilting his head upward to meet his sensei's eye. Kakashi noticed wetness in those electrifying blue eyes and it immediately alarmed him. Was this boy crying?!

"Naruto, what's the matter? This behavior isn't like you." Kakashi questioned, trying to stay away from the topic of those wet eyes.

Naruto pushed his lower lip out in a pout and remained silent.

Kakashi let out a long sigh before sitting down across from the blonde. "You've never attacked Sasuke before." Kakashi recalled. "I'm concerned. The occasional disagreement among teammates is fine and normal, but when they turn violent people can get hurt." He explained. "When you're on a mission, a squad must be in tune with one another. They must always have each other's backs and be able to help each other, despite earlier quarrels. A squad must be able to work together."

"I know." Naruto spat. "He just annoys me."

"Sasuke." Kakashi guessed. "Why?"

Naruto sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "He's such a show off! I mean, I know I'm not that good and stuff, but he doesn't have to always rub it in!"

Ah, Kakashi saw what the problem was now. "Naruto." He said soothingly, reaching forward he pulled the boy to his chest. "Sasuke may be talented in certain aspects of being a shinobi, but you are just as talented."

Naruto sighed in relief at the gentle arms around him. "Yeah, right."

"No no, I swear. Would I lie about something like this?" Kakashi could tell his young charge was contemplating the odds and he chuckled. "I wouldn't, trust me. Do you want me to tell you some of the things that you're good at?"

Naruto was quiet for a second before nodding his head against the jounin's chest. "Well, let's start out with the obvious. Your shadow clones. Naruto, that is a highly advanced technique. Have you ever seen Sasuke whip out any shadow clones?" Naruto shook his head. "Neither have I. And what about your perseverance and determination to become Hokage?"

"Sasuke has determination too." Naruto grumbled sourly.

"Oh, sure he does." Kakashi admitted. "But not like you. Your determination is completely different. Yours is fueled by your desire to better yourself and others. You want to help people, not just yourself."

"Are you saying Sasuke's determination is selfish?" Naruto asked innocently.

Kakashi had to pause and think about that for a moment. Was it selfish? To seek revenge? Perhaps in some people's eyes, but not his. Because he understood. "No, not necessarily. But yours has a far more gentle nature to it. And that is something to be admired, Naruto. It is something that I admire about you."

Naruto looked up at his mentor and his blue eyes sparkled. "Really Sensei?! You admire me?"

Kakashi chuckled. "I admire your determination, Naruto." He clarified.

Naruto pouted again but as he hid a smile beneath. "Thank you, Sensei." He whispered against the man's chest.

Kakashi sighed and rubbed the boy's back. "Anytime, little one. But next time you need reassurance, don't attack Sasuke. I'm afraid he might beat your face should you grab him like that again."

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, probably."

XXXX

Another aspect of having these children around that Kakashi enjoyed was never having to dine alone. Whenever the team met for training, Kakashi always made sure to treat them to a meal afterwards or before. It was the least he could do for all the hard work they put in, and Kakashi had plenty of money to spare. He didn't have any kids of his own and he so rarely spent his money on anything luxurious. He was happy to spend it on these children.

"Oh, oh! Let's get ramen!" Naruto suggested brightly for the fifth time that week.

Sakura stuck her tongue out in disgust. "We had ramen last night, Naruto! And do you have any idea how fattening that stuff is?!"

Naruto scoffed at that and waved his hand, dismissing the notion. "I don't care how fattening it is. It's delicious!"

"And that's exactly why he won't make it past a genin. He'll be too fat to be a shinobi." Sasuke teased.

Naruto gave the other boy a sharp glare. "Ramen doesn't make people fat! Not working it off afterwards makes you fat!" Naruto pinched his flat stomach as proof. "See?! I've eaten ramen my entire life and I don't have ounce of fat!"

Kakashi chuckled at the blonde and patted his head. "Now Naruto, we had ramen last night. Why don't we let Sakura choose where we will be dining tonight? Sasuke chose the night before and I the night before that." Kakashi explained his reasoning to the hyper blonde.

"Oh, yeah. Where do you want to eat Sakura?" Naruto asked politely.

Sasuke nodded approvingly to the girl.

Sakura's eyes widened like a frightened deer and her cheeks turned pink. "Um…well, there's this little sushi shop that I like…"

"It's decided then!" Kakashi clapped his hands. "We will be having sushi tonight!"

Naruto cheered, just happy that they'd finally decided so he could fill his grumbling belly. Sasuke gave a grunt of approval and shoved his hands back into his pockets.

Together, the four headed over the designated shop. The squad ate their fill of the flavorful rolls, but Kakashi noticed an odd silence from Sakura. Usually the girl was very animated during their meals, talking up a storm and engaging in conversation with both Sasuke and Naruto. But tonight, she seemed rather withdrawn and quiet. The sensei was considering confronting her on it but unsure of what exactly to say. So he let it slide and decided perhaps she was just feeling a bit under the weather. If this persisted, he would bring it up at a later time.

XXXX

The next day during training, Sakura appeared to be back to normal. She scolded Naruto for recklessly throwing his kunai in her direction and she followed Sasuke around like a lost puppy, offering advice where she could and taking it when it was given.

For the first two hours, everything went by smoothly and Kakashi sat off to the side, simply watching and enjoying the learning process that the children were going through. However, shortly after lunch, things took a turn for the dramatic.

Kakashi had sent the kids off to practice their chakra control in the forest. He figured that they would be alright for a few minutes while he gathered up his things to follow. He should have known better.

A loud scream echoed from the inside of the forest and Kakashi instantly dropped everything and ran inside. That was a definite female shriek. Sakura.

Kakashi was met halfway by his squad. Sasuke had Sakura cradled in his arms with Naruto right beside him, staring worriedly down at the girl.

"What happened?" Kakashi demanded as Sasuke transferred the girl into his arms.

Sasuke explained. "The branch she was on broke. I guess it was rotted because the second she landed, it snapped. I tried to catch her but I wasn't fast enough." Sasuke added with a bitter tone.

Kakashi kneeled down and sat the girl in soft grass below. "Sakura? What did you land on?"

Sakura's cheeks were painted a deep pink, clearly embarrassed by her tumble. "M-my ankle." She stuttered, a definite quiver in her voice.

"Alright. Let's have a look." Kakashi soothed gently. He could already tell that her ankle was at the very least sprained. It was swollen twice its size and was beginning to turn a light purple.

The sensei slowly slipped off her shoe, doing his best to avoid jolting the tender area. The girl let out a tiny whimper and Kakashi smiled at her reassuringly. "Just let me have a look at it and then you can get home to rest." The girl nodded and Kakashi continued.

He lifted the foot into his lap and examined it visually first. Definitely sprained. Maybe broken. Kakashi gently pressed against the swollen appendage and sighed. It was broken.

"Welp," Kakashi started. "you're probably not going to like this." Sakura stared at him, waiting. "Looks like you've got yourself a broken ankle here."

Sakura's green eyes widened and she teared up. "B-broken?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yup. You're going to have to be off that for at least a few weeks."

"But what about training?" Sakura cried out.

"You will still attend." Kakashi reassured. "But you won't be doing any physical training. I'll have you focus on chakra control and meditation."

Sakura's face twisted as if the mere suggestion was too horrifying to comprehend. "But…can't we get a healer to fix it up?"

"Of course. But the healers can only do so much, Sakura. Too much interference with the natural healing process could wind up doing more harm than good." Kakashi explained patiently to the pink haired child.

"So…." Naruto butted in. "She'll be alright?"

Kakashi smiled at the boy. "She'll be fine."

Kakashi gathered Sakura up into his arms and proceeded back to the village hospital where a proper healer could take a look. Kakashi sat in the waiting room with the boys and took to reading his novel. After an hour, Kakashi turned to his male charges.

"It's getting late. Perhaps you should head home. I can wait here and make sure Sakura gets home alright." Kakashi offered, noticing the very audible grumble from the blonde's stomach.

Naruto shook his head and adamantly refused. "No, I'll wait. We're a team and we have to stick together, especially if one of our teammates is injured."

Sasuke nodded in agreement and leaned back in the uncomfortable plastic chair.

"I'll treat you all to dinner after this is done." Kakashi said with a proud smile beneath his mask. "Poor Sakura has certainly earned it."

Just then, a petit nurse appeared at the door with a clipboard in hand. "I need the guardian of Sakura Haruno please." She announced.

Kakashi along with the two boys stood immediately and approached the woman.

"I'm her sensei." Kakashi explained at the bewildered expression he received. "I'm the one who brought her in."

"Oh, right. Well, she definitely has a broken ankle. She'll have to stay off of it for at least two weeks. No physical training for three weeks and even then it's advised that she take it easy. We don't want to strain it." The nurse explained.

Kakashi nodded. "Right. Thank you. May we take her home now?"

The nurse nodded and motioned for the group to follower her beyond the door to a back room. The small group found the pink haired teammate, with a bandaged foot, sitting on a bed with a set of crutches leaning against the wall. She was staring intently at her foot before noticing the added company.

"Oh!" She said in shock. "You guys didn't have to wait. I could have gotten home on my own."

Kakashi shook his head at the humble child. "Nonsense. What sort of sensei, or human being, would I be if I left my injured student to fare for herself."

Sakura blushed but gave a tiny grin as she was handed the crutches by the nurse. "Now, you remember what I said." The nurse ordered sternly. "I know how you shinobi are. So damn dedicated to your training that you just wind up harming yourselves."

Sakura chuckled but nodded. "I promise, I'll stay off it."

The four exited the hospital in a relatively joyful mood. Despite the long day, none of them were really prepared to return home, especially Sasuke and Naruto whom had no one to return home to, so Kakashi brought up his earlier promise.

"Let's grab something to eat before you youngsters go home." Kakashi said. "It's been a long day and I'm starving."

Both Naruto and Sasuke visibly brightened at the mention of food, albeit Naruto was a bit more vocal in his joy. The only one who didn't seem quite as pleased was the limping Sakura.

"O-oh, um, I should probably get home. My mother will want to know what happened to me and…" She trailed off.

Kakashi smiled at the girl. "I've already sent word to your mother on the accident. She isn't expecting you home for another hour or so."

Not accepting any further argument, Kakashi led his little ones to the closest eatery. A small, family owned steak house that Kakashi had seen Asuma's team frequenting often. The team was seated at a booth in the corner and was served a free plateful of beef kabobs.

"We always give a complimentary dish to our shinobi." The waitress said with a smile. "It's the least we can do for all the hard work you guys put in."

"You're too kind." Kakashi offered as he helped himself to a kabob.

The waitress giggled and pulled out a small notepad. "What can I get you all?"

"Oh oh! I want the steak and potatoes!" Naruto said with sparkling blue eyes, mouth practically watering at the prospect of devouring the juicy slab of meat.

"I'll have the beef tenderloin with beans." Sasuke droned smoothly.

Kakashi glanced over the menu and gave the young woman a dazzling smile, though only the thin outline was visible through the face mask. "I'll have another order of these delicious beef kabobs with a side of potatoes and baked beans please."

The waitress blushed madly and scribbled down the order before meeting Sakura's eyes. "And you sweetie?"

Sakura seemed a bit distraught at the question. She frantically eyed the menu before gulping. "I'll just have a glass of water please."

The waitress was bewildered. "Are you sure honey?"

Kakashi eyed the girl skeptically. "Sakura, you haven't eaten anything since lunch. You should have at least a little something."

Sakura shook her head and placed the menu back in its holder. "I'm really fine, Kakashi-sensei." She insisted. "I'm not hungry."

"Sakura! How can you not be hungry after all that's happened today?!" Naruto cried in complete confusion. "I'm starving!"

"Because not everyone has a bottomless pit for a stomach like you do." Sasuke offered as a rebuke. But he turned to Sakura, who sat beside him. "But you really should eat something. It won't do you any good if you don't keep your strength up."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Sasuke's right. Why not have some kabobs?"

Sakura's twitched nervously in her seat but finally offered a reluctant nod. "Alright."

It didn't take long for the orders to be placed about the table in front of the proper customers. Naruto began digging in immediately while Kakashi and Sasuke chose to eat at a mildly slower pace. Sakura, however, took to simply picking at her meat and staring at the plate sullenly.

"Is something wrong with the food?" Kakashi asked after everyone else had finished their meals.

Sakura shook her head. "No, just not that hungry."

Kakashi reached across the table and pressed his palm to the young girl's forehead. "Hm, no fever."

Sakura backed away from the hand and sighed. "I'm just not hungry, that's all. I'm fine."

Sasuke eyed the girl for a long moment before saying "Is it because of what happened today? You know that branch didn't break 'cause of your weight, right?"

Sakura's entire face went from pink to bright red in an instant. She made a tiny gasp and hid her face in her hands.

Naruto couldn't help but gape at his teammate. Even he knew that you never mentioned a woman's weight around her.

Kakashi sighed at Sasuke's tactless comment, even if he was only trying to make the young girl feel better. It was a very well-known fact that mentioning a female's weight, looks, or body type was taboo for men. It would likely result in them losing a very important part of their anatomy.

"What I believe Sasuke meant to say, was that the branch was already rotted. It wasn't you fault that it snapped." Kakashi tried to smooth over the humiliation that his young charge now clearly felt.

When it was obvious that the girl wasn't going to uncurl herself from the corner of the booth, Kakashi decided to take charge of the situation. "Naruto, Saskue, would you mind waiting outside? We'll join you in a moment."

The two boys didn't hesitate to speed out of the restaurant, both knowing how volatile women, especially Sakura, could be.

Once the boys were safely out of the way, Kakashi smiled softly at the girl. "Sakura, you are not fat." He said blatantly. "You are not anywhere near being overweight, I promise. You are perfect for your height and body type. You all had to have physical examinations before graduating from the Academy. You are perfectly healthy in all aspects."

Sakura stared down at her untouched food before mumbling. "I'm not as skinny as Ino."

Kakashi studied his student before contemplating how to continue. "I don't usually divulge such personal information about people to my students but I'll let you in on a little secret, ok?" Kakashi leaned in across the table and whispered, "Asuma-sensei actually is working with Ino so that she'll put on more weight."

Sakura's eyes widened and her head snapped up in surprise. "Really?!"

"Oh yes. Apparently Miss Ino is actually underweight and it is having an impact on her overall health and shinobi eligibility." When Kakashi saw his student thinking hard on the new information, he added. "Now, you can't tell anyone that you know about this. This is very personal information and I don't think Asuma would appreciate knowing that I released such delicate information about one of his pupils."

Sakura nodded vigorously. "Of course I won't. Even if I don't like Ino, I would never talk about serious things like that."

Kakashi nodded approvingly and patted the girl's hand. "Now that we have that settled. What do you say we order a fresh plate of kabobs for you. I'm sure you must be starving."

Sakura smiled and Kakashi put in the order.

"Oh, but wait!" Sakura interrupted as the waitress bounced away with the order. "What about Naruto and Sasuke? Aren't they waiting outside?"

Kakashi chuckled. "We'll consider this a team building exercise." Kakashi fondly eyed his two male pupils through the window. He could see the two were trying not to kill each other.

Sakura laughed and Kakashi gave her hair a soft ruffle.

XXXX

Kakashi led his three youngsters out to a small lake located at the heart of Konoha. Kakashi enjoyed this sparkling puddle of water, as it reminded him of his childhood. He loved to come out and simply watch the splashing tides of the water, and stick his toes in the chilly liquid. And he was feeling nostalgic today, so with nothing else to do and no training session scheduled, he'd sent a messenger hawk to his charges and asked them to meet him at the lake for a day of relaxation.

"So, what exactly is the point of coming here?" Naruto asked dully.

Kakashi patted the blonde's head. "For relaxation, Naruto. Honestly, even ninjas have to take a break once in a while."

Sakura peered out over the shimmering surface and smiled brightly. "It's beautiful! I remember coming here when I was really little. My parents and I would go swimming!"

Sasuke remained quiet as he stared at the blue water. He did not seem nearly as impressed as his teammate.

"Well, I don't mind relaxing, I guess." Naruto sighed as a breeze blew through his rebellious spikes. "I'm still sore from yesterday."

Kakashi chuckled and set down the small basket that he had been carrying along. He had stopped at the convenient store to pick up some things that would be appropriate for a lakeside picnic.

"Kakashi-sensei, are we just going to do nothing?" Sasuke asked blatantly. "Is there going to be any training involved?"

Kakashi smiled at his fiery pupil and patted him on the head. "Yes, actually. We are practicing the fine art of relaxation. So sit down and get to work."

Sasuke didn't seem to find "relaxing" as an appropriate use of his time. He gave a huff and plopped down on the checkered blanket that Kakashi laid out.

Sakura kicked off her shoes and dipped her toes in the sparkling water and Naruto soon joined her at the edge. Sasuke choose to sulk and watch his teammates enjoy the cool water.

"Why not go have a little fun, Sasuke." Kakashi suggested to the youth. "We will resume regular training tomorrow."

"I can't afford to lose precious time for such childish nonsense." The boy snapped back. "I need to train to get stronger!"

Kakashi observed the young whelp for a moment before saying. "Overtraining is sometimes the downfall of even the most skilled ninja." He explained promptly. "If you exhaust yourself, what good is all that training if you're too tired and weak to put it to use, hm?"

Sasuke's black eyes narrowed at his mentor but he remained silent, and instead stomped off to join Sakura and Naruto at the lake's edge. Kakashi suspected it was more because he had angered the boy and less because Sasuke had suddenly discovered hidden festive spirit.

Kakashi watched the children out of the corner of his eye as he set out the meal that he had packed. He hadn't gone too over the top but he had made sure to pick up plenty for everyone to have seconds. After all, they were still growing adolescents.

"Hey, Sakura! Watch this!" Naruto cried out exuberantly as he flicked a stone across the surface.

Sakura watched in awe as the stone tapped the water a grand total of five times before sinking into the depths below. "Wow! That's actually pretty cool."

Naruto gave a dorky smile, proud that he'd finally been able to impress the source of his ever growing affections. "You should give it a try!" He offered a smooth stone to the girl. "Go on, Sakura. I bet yours can go even farther."

Sakura blushed at the encouragement and without further thought, whipped the stone as hard as she could over the lake. Much to her dismay, it only met the surface twice before sinking. However, it had indeed traveled father than Naruto's.

"Good job, Sakura!" Naruto cheered.

Sasuke watched from behind the two. He curled his lip at the loud voice of his blonde teammate and butt in scathingly. "That was pathetic. You can't even properly skip stones, either of you. Why don't you just stop embarrassing yourselves."

Sakura reeled back as if she'd just been delivered a harsh blow and Naruto's eyes burned with fury.

"Hey, asshole! You don't have to be mean to Sakura!" Naruto snarled. He didn't care that Sasuke insulted him but when he took shots at Sakura, that was unacceptable.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "It's not my fault if she's too oversensitive."

Sakura's jade eyes suddenly became very shiny as she turned and scurried away.

Naruto reached out to stop her but his attempt was halted as Sasuke proceeded to shove him, hard, straight into the lake.

At the loud splash that resounded, Kakashi turned his attention back to the three students. Only there appeared to only be one standing there now. Immediately suspicious, Kakashi approached Sasuke, ready to question him on the whereabouts of the other two, when suddenly a very wet blonde burst through the surface of the water and sputtered in complete horror.

"H-how dare you, asshole!" He shouted.

Kakashi quickly reached in and pulled his student out from the water and set him on his feet. "Naruto, are you alright?" He asked, checking over the boy for any injuries.

Naruto shook out his blonde spikes and Kakashi's face was instantly soaked. "I'm fine, but that asshole is about to lose his damned hands!"

Kakashi grabbed the blonde as he leapt at the raven, fully aware that he was about to try and rip the other's face clean off. As a mentor, that could not be allowed. "Naruto, you go dry yourself off. I brought a spare towel in the basket just for instances like this one."

Naruto's eyes widened in complete shock and he protested loudly. "You aren't honestly going to let him off?! He was mean to Sakura and then he shoved him in the water!"

Kakashi grabbed Naruto firmly by the shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You don't need to worry. I will deal with Sasuke. Now go do as I said."

Naruto definitely wanted to continue arguing, worrying that the sensei would go easy on the prodigy, but he knew that tone of voice, so he instead obeyed and made his way back to the picnic sight.

With Naruto out of the way, Kakashi grabbed Sasuke by the arm and dragged him over to a shaded tree where he then proceeded to, none-too-gently, sit the boy down at the base of the trunk. He gave the boy a hard look before deciding to question his motives.

"May I ask why you pushed Naruto into the lake and sent Sakura running off in tears?" Kakashi asked calmly. He wasn't one for being a firm authority figure but sometimes it was necessary. Especially when his charges started hurting one another.

Sasuke pursed his lips and looked away, refusing to answer.

At the lack of response, Kakashi reached down and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look Kakashi dead in the eye. "Maybe I wasn't making myself clear before when I said before that teammates don't hurt each other? Physically or otherwise."

Sasuke glared back with a fire deep in his eyes. Kakashi had to admit he was mildly surprised by the conviction behind that feisty appearance. Though he really shouldn't have been, given the boy's usual temperament.

"Fine." Kakashi relented, releasing the boy's chin. "Until you are ready to be an active member of this team and apologize for your wrong doings, you are hereby suspended from training, group missions or any other sort of squad activity."

There was the reaction Kakashi had been hoping for. He watched closely as the raven's eyes widened and those pale cheeks turned a furious red.

"You can't do that!" He yelled angrily.

Kakashi kneeled down in front of the boy and raised an index finger in the air as if pointing to something obvious. "Actually, I can. It is a squad leader's duty to maintain discipline among his or her pupils and if that means suspending a rowdy one until they get their act together, then it is perfectly within our rights to do so."

"Y-you…I'm going to complain to the Hokage!"

Kakashi chuckled and ruffled the snarly child's hair. "You do that and let me know how it goes."

And with that, the sensei left the insolent child under the tree and returned to his other two students who were in need of reassuring.

XXXX

Naruto nursed a sore ego as he wiped his face off with the towel that he'd found in the basket. He totally would not have fallen in if he hadn't been preoccupied with chasing after Sakura. Not that he was blaming her of course. He should have been more alert.

"Goodness, what happened to you?"

Naruto peered up and found Sakura standing over him with a bewildered expression. "O-oh! Sakura, are you alright?!" The blonde jumped up and flung the towel over his shoulder, trying to give the appearance of nonchalance.

"I'm fine." Sakura said softly, though there was a tiny waver in her voice. "But what happened? You're soaking wet."

Naruto glanced down at his sad appearance and gave a small chuckle. "Well, I may have taken a little tumble into the lake after you left."

Sakura studied the boy with hard eyes before sighing. "Sasuke pushed you in, didn't he?"

Naruto gave a sigh as well as he plopped back down on the blanket. "Yeah. He's in a mood today. But don't you listen to anything he said, Sakura. He had no right to talk to you like that."

Sakura was silent before giving a grateful smile. "Thank you, Naruto."

"Alright, how about we sit down at eat." Kakashi announced as he rejoined his two pupils.

Naruto raised his eyebrow at the apparent absence of their other team member. "Where's the asshole?"

Kakashi gave the boy a light whap on his hand. "Language. And he's been suspended from squad activities until further notice."

Sakura's mouth gaped open at that. "Y-you suspended Sasuke?" She gasped as if it were a ridiculous notion that the boy should face disciplinary measures.

Kakashi nodded and popped open the gallon of lemonade, pouring out equal amounts into three cups. "That's what happens when you act like a brat on my squad."

Naruto gave a smile of approval and began gulping down his share of beverage. Sakura still seemed a tad shaken by the information but she sprawled out across the blanket and joined in the sweet drink.

Kakashi laid out on his back and watched as a few clouds floated overhead. It truly was the perfect day to just relax and enjoy his little ones. It was perfect for a nap as well…

Kakashi felt himself slowly drifting off as a soft breeze blew through his hair. He sensed his young charges settling down as well and starting to doze, which only furthered encouraged him to join them. And so he did.

XXXX

After a sufficient amount of time, Sasuke finished his pouting and glanced back where he saw his sensei and team members stretched out across the blanket and enjoying the day. In retrospect, he supposed he really had been a brat, and rude. He hadn't really meant to snap at Sakura and he supposed that pushing Naruto into the lake was uncalled for. He would apologize. It was what a true shinobi would do. A true ninja always admitted when they were wrong and took responsibility for their actions.

Sasuke took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for the bruised pride that would come along with such an act.

Sasuke took the walk over very slowly, stopping to study a ladybug crawling on a blade of grass or particularity interesting rock specimen. Finally, he did manage to drag himself over to the group. However, when he got close enough to really take a look…they were all asleep!

Kakashi lay stretched out in a crescent shape while both Naruto and Sakura nuzzled up to him like a pair of pups. While Sasuke's initial reaction was annoyance that they had all just drifted off without him, he soon found himself joining them.

He squeezed in between his two team members and nudged his head up against Kakashi's firm belly. The actions caused said mentor to grunt and open his one eye.

"Ah, look who decided to rejoin the group." He said affectionately, pulling his fingers through the smooth hair. "Can I help you, little raven?"

Sasuke sighed at the soft fingers which carded through his locks. It'd been so long since someone had done that for him. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior, sensei." Sasuke grumbled. "It was very immature and un-ninja like."

Kakashi nodded and gave the boy's pale cheek a pat of reassurance. "I'm glad to hear it." The mentor glanced down at the other two students that were curled up around him. "You can apologize to these two once they wake up."

"I didn't mean to push him in the water, Sensei." Sasuke explained lamely. "I didn't mean to make Sakura cry either."

Kakashi continued pulling his fingers through the hair and watched as those black eyes began to flutter lazily. "I know you didn't. It's hard coming back to a place with such intense memories though."

Sasuke peered up at his mentor with a questioning gaze. "How do you know?"

Kakashi chuckled. "I'd spoken to Fugaku on many occasions. He told me about how Itatchi would bring you here to practice the fire justsu." Kakashi's voice softened. "I know it must be hard for you to return with such memories."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes completely this time. "All wounds heal with time."

"Not all, my young one. Some wounds can never heal, no matter how much time is given. But…" Kakashi gave a pregnant pause as he pulled Naruto and Sakura closer to him. "Sometimes they can be soothed and numbed by those who surround us. Those who care about us and support us no matter what."

Sasuke was silent and for a moment Kakashi thought he'd fallen asleep. But he spoke once more. "Do you think they'll forgive me? I was pretty awful to Sakura."

Kakashi chuckled fondly. "I haven't a doubt in my mind that they will welcome you back with open arms once you give them a sincere apology."

Sasuke gave a smile and nodded before finally dropping off with the other two.

Kakashi sighed contently and closed his eye as well, rejoining his pupils in the world of dreams.

Hello everyone. Now this is a much different sort of story than anything I've ever done before but I think it turned out quite nicely.

I am actually considering continuing it or perhaps making another one-shot that has to do with Asuma and his team of misfits ;) or perhaps Gai's?

I'm not sure but please give me some feedback and let me know your thoughts on this? Would you like to see more of these guys or maybe one on Gai/Asuma's teams?

P.S. I know the canon dictates that Rin is dead but I actually didn't know that when I started writing and I just really didn't want to go back and change it. So in this fic, Rin is alive but no longer a shinobi.

Icy loves reviews and feedback so let me know! :)