DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tenzou took a deep, shaky breath and tried to remind himself that he was talented and capable. One does not get accepted into ANBU unless they deserve it; there are definitely MORE than enough rigorous tests to prove ones worth.
He sighed and rubbed his aching back at the memory of the entrance exams. He would be feeling THAT one until sweet, blessed retirement.
If he lived that long.
Tenzou snapped to attention as the door to the Hokage's office finally cracked open. He blew out a steady breath and stood from his chair.
Hiruzen shuffled out to meet him with his usual friendly smile, tilting his oversized Hokage hat in greeting.
"Welcome, Tenzou-san." He suddenly chuckled to himself. "I hope you enjoyed the sound of your name, because it's the last time you're going to be hearing it in public for quite a while."
Tenzou bowed crisply. "Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen laughed again. "Well, I see you're more than ready! Excellent, your captain will appreciate that. I will warn you now that he has very little patience..." The Hokage seemed to trail off as he thought of something.
"Then again, he seems to have TOO much patience. Huh! Well, you'll see what I mean soon enough."
Tenzou blinked in mild confusion as the Hokage ushered him through the hallway and down to the ANBU ward. He had been thinking about what his team would be like for the last two days; ever since he got the formal acceptance. He assumed, if he REALLY needed to, he could switch teams, but for the most part whoever he met today would be his unofficial family for the unforeseeable future.
He had his fingers VERY firmly crossed. If he was honest with himself, he was looking forward to this part most of all. Tenzou had always...well, he had never really felt like he belonged anywhere. He hoped he would belong here.
Entering the ANBU wing was like stepping into another world. Every single person who walked by was in uniform; some were sporting their masks, and some were not.
Some were completely covered in blood, others were not...
That guy in the corner had a serious nervous twitch going on...
Was that a cat? Oh, wait. Nope. Shinobi.
Allllrighty...
He felt a pressure on his lower back and spun in the direction he was nudged in. He found himself standing in front of an unassuming brown door. He looked to Sarutobi expectantly.
The Hokage was smiling at him fondly. Tenzou found himself blushing and looking down.
"Well, here we are. This will be your new home, if you choose it. Depending on their circumstances, some ANBU opt to live here while others like to reside within the village. It seems to depend on what kind of connections they have to the outside world."
Tenzou tried not to let any emotions show on his face.
Well. Guess he would be staying here, then...
Hiruzen, in all his Hokage wisdom, seemed to guess what Tenzou was thinking (or, he probably knew exactly what his life was like).
"You'll like it here, I'm sure." He added with warmth, before casually swinging the door open and striding inside.
"YOU WILL NOT IGNORE ME, RIVAL! SHOW ME YOUR FACE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!"
"Oi, Gai...seriously. I'm trying to nap."
"SILENCE! This is between me and –HOKAGE-SAMA!"
All three people in the room snapped to attention and bowed crisply.
Hirzuen laughed.
Tenzou stared, slack jawed.
These guys were ANBU...?
First of all, the guy who was bellowing like a howler monkey had to be the most ridiculous looking shinobi Tenzou had ever seen. He was wearing a revealingly tight one piece GREEN spandex suit, ORANGE (why?) leg warmers...and the daintiest little red scarf tied unashamedly around his neck.
Tenzou prayed he was hiding a hickie or something.
The guy who was trying to nap looked perfectly normal, except for the fact that he also appeared to be completely undisciplined. He had a 'couldn't care less' expression even when facing the Hokage, and was chewing a senbon absentmindedly...even when he had been sleeping on his cot. That was just a horrible midnight choking incident waiting to happen. Imagine coming back from a bloody battle only to succumb to an oversized toothpick...
There was one person he could barely see, though. He seemed to be sitting lazily on a desk in the back corner. He hadn't come to greet the Hokage, which Tenzou thought was ridiculously rude.
Not to mention the fact that he was unashamedly boring holes into Tenzou's head with the laziest eyes he had ever seen.
Tenzou resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably. He would NOT show fear, and he certainly wouldn not show weakness. First impressions were everything.
"Everyone! Good afternoon, and please, give a warm welcome to your new team mate; Yamato Tenzou."
Tenzou bowed fluidly.
The strange green clad shinobi bowed back, open and friendly. The Senbon just inclined his head with a grin, and the man in the back made absolutely no movements.
It was a sad day in Tenzou's life when he could tell straight away that the craziest person in the room was his best shot at having a friend.
Urge to sigh; resisted.
"Kakashi, please step forward."
Tenzou trained his eyes on the stone cold figure walking towards him. Please...please don't let this be his captain. Please. PLEASE.
"Tenzou, this is Hatake Kakashi. He will be your captain, your mentor and hopefully your friend." Hiruzen added with a broad smile to Kakashi.
FUCK.
But...Hiruzen seemed to really like him. So, maybe he wasn't all that bad. This was ANBU after all; everyone was a little quirky.
Tenzou decided to give him a chance despite his coldness and offered him his hand gracefully.
"It is an honour to meet you, Kakashi-sempai."
To Tenzou's utter relief, Kakashi gently received his hand and shook back. If he left him hanging like an idiot he didn't know if he'd be able to resist Urge Number Three; book it the fuck out of there.
Hiruzen seemed thoroughly satisfied and clapped both shinobi on the back.
"Well! That settles that, then. Oh! One more thing." The Hokage reached into his sleeves and pulled out a scroll. He handed it to Tenzou with a bright smile. "This is all your new 'information', including your code name. Tenzou is reserved for your ANBU squad only; even other ANBU will call you by your codename. Understood?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen laughed warmly. "I honestly ask you questions just to hear you answer me like that."
Tenzou blushed brilliantly.
To his relief, he saw Kakashi's eyes warm slightly. It was REALLY slight, but it was there.
Hiruzen gave him one last friendly pat and then existed swiftly. When the door clicked shut, Tenzou resisted New Urge Number Three; Whimper.
He stood stock still, arms at his sides, face a mask of calmness. His eyes revealed nothing.
Inside he was screaming.
His captain was going to be a huge dick. He knew it. He could sense it. He could practically SMELL the attitude emanating from him like waves of assholeness.
They stood there, Kakashi and Tenzou, staring each other down with their respective masks firmly in place. Tenzou had the feeling Kakashi was thoroughly deconstructing him. He supposed he shouldn't really blame him. He was a new, unknown entity into their tight knit little group. He had to prove his worth.
He just wished the silver haired...wait. What the hell was in his eye?
Tenzou's mask broke and he raised an eyebrow as he gazed into his captain's right eye. Holy crap,that was a sharingan. Why the hell did he only have one? Didn't those things come in pairs?
"See something you like?" Kakashi asked smoothly.
Tenzou snapped back to attention. "I was just noticing your sharingan, Sempai."
Kakashi actually smirked, his cool facade dropping slightly with Tenzou's. "Yes. I have a sharingan."
Tenzou shifted slightly. He had no idea where to go with the conversation. His captain was not helping.
"Why do you have only one?" He asked boldly, annoyed with the lack of response from someone who insisted on standing in front of him and staring at him. If Kakashi wasn't going to give him any rope, he'd take it off of him.
Kakashi leaned in slightly. Tenzou noted with interest that he smelled really...fresh. Like a cool breeze.
"Because I stole it off of a dead Uchiha." He growled, his eyes hard as rock.
Smelled like a cool breeze...because he had an ICE COLD SOUL.
Tenzou was thoroughly unimpressed, but he chose to keep his cool demeanour. He couldn't tell if his captain was lying or not, but what he definitely COULD tell was that he was giving Tenzou a hard time for nothing.
Whatever. He had survived this long with no friends; he could keep going for as long as he liked.
"Seems to fit with your personality thus far, Sempai." Tenzou replied curtly.
Genma burst out laughing and Gai coughed into his hand.
Kakashi did not react.
"What is your code name?"
Tenzou blinked down at the scroll in his hand. He tapped the jutsu seal casually and it popped open. Keeping his eyes on his merciless sempai, Tenzou unrolled the scroll until it was revealed completely. Only then did he glance down.
He gasped openly. His eyes warmed so quickly he had to fight, hard, for them not to tear.
The others in the room were obviously intrigued as they stepped forward to peek over Kakashi's shoulder.
"Code name?" The copy-nin asked again.
Tenzou glanced up from the scroll, too surprised and touched to hide his emotions.
"Shodai."
Genma whistled, long and low. "Geeze, rockstar! Can't wait to see what you're made of."
Tenzou had no idea what Sarutobi was getting at giving him that codename, but he felt dirty using it. He was nothing like the First Hokage...he wasn't even naturally talented. He was...artificial.
Gai stepped forward from behind Kakashi and extended his hand. He smiled, wide and friendly, at the mokuton user.
"My name is MAITO GAI! It is a pleasure to meet you, Tenzou. I'm certain we shall all get along swimmingly!"
Well, Tenzou had never welcomed a smile so much in his life. He was already starting to feel like a heel for judging the strange ninja so harshly. Obviously, he was a bigger man than his captain.
The almond eyed shinobi clasped hands with Gai, smiling back at him, hoping that it wasn't strained. "Thank you for your kindness, Gai. I am honoured to meet you as well."
"Ah, geeze!" Gemna joined Gai and extended his hand. "Gai always outshines everyone on the social front. The name is Genma. Can't wait to see you in battle, bud. Anyone escorted around by the Hokage has got to be a big deal."
Tenzou shook the outstretched hand firmly, but could not keep the confusion from his face.
"He doesn't do that with everyone?"
Gai and Genma grinned.
"Nope. You're the first one I've seen. Usually they just hand you your scroll and send you off with a "good luck, try not to die."" Genma responded, clearly amused.
Tenzou blinked. He looked down at his code name on the scroll again. He suddenly felt nervous; now everyone would have pretty grand expectations of him. If he didn't meet them, would he receive the same cold treatment from his teammates as his captain?
Speaking of the captain, Tenzou felt a strong gaze on his skin. He flicked his eyes up, and as he thought, Kakashi was watching him intently. His cold demeanour had dropped and was replaced by the lazy, slack stance he had witnessed when he'd first seen him. Tenzou just...had absolutely NO idea what to expect from, or how to act around his captain.
The silver haired shinobi spoke up un-expectantly.
"We already have a mission." His gaze bore into Tenzou's again. The younger ninja met his eyes and held them. If it was one thing Tenzou was good at, it was keeping his cool. He would not show fear.
"We'll be able to see what he's really made of soon enough." Kakashi finished, turning on his heel carelessly and gliding back to his previous perch.
Tenzou resisted Urge Number Four; flipping Kakashi off.
Gai and Genma seemed beyond amused. Gai stepped forward, boldly moving into Tenzou's space. The mokuton user kept his muscles lax, although his first instinct was to tense.
"Don't let him get to you." Gai whispered with a grin. "I think he likes you, actually. You stand up to him really well."
Tenzou resisted Urge Number Five; ask why the captain of an elite group of ninja felt the need to act like a meagre school yard bully. If he wanted to see how brave Tenzou was, he could witness his skills on the battlefield. There was no need to size him up like a rampant, hormonal teenager.
Although Tenzou supposed they weren't THAT much older than teenagers, really. At least he wasn't; he was only 20, but 20 as a ninja was a whole different story then a 20 year old civilian.
Instead, Tenzou recognized Gai's reassurance for what it was; he was just trying to be kind. Once again, he hoped his smile wasn't strained. "Thank you, Gai. I am certain we will all get along...eventually."
Genma snickered.
Gai sighed. "Yes. Eventually."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tenzou spent the rest of his day going through all the motions one must accomplish on their first day of ANBU. He collected his gear, his mask (it was very cat like, with many colourful markings on it) and signed the massive pile of paper work that basically threatened his continued existence if he ever gave away the identity of his fellow ANBU comrades, or any info pertaining to missions. Then there was one single, sad form about health insurance. The rest was basically threats.
When he had finished filling out his paper work, he opened the door to the records office and found Gai and Genma waiting for him.
Genma grinned his usual shit-eating grin, his senbon bobbing between his lips. "Hey there, Superstar. We decided to accompany you on the final stage of the Great Newbie Journey."
Tenzou looked between the two shinobi in confusion. "Oh? What is that?"
Tenzou was tossed, unceremoniously, into the unwelcoming tattoo chair. It looked like a torture device straight out of interrogations. It also needed to be cleaned badly; he could see little blood stains on the armrests.
If he didn't know what he was in for, he'd be slightly terrified.
Genma and Gai were standing a comfortable distance away, arms folded across their chests. Gai looked passive but Genma looked absolutely thrilled.
Tenzou suspected he was a bit of a sadist.
"You're officially ANBU after you get marked up, bud. If you have any hesitations, speak them now or forever hold your peace."
Gai shook his head. "This isn't the mob; you can leave whenever you want."
Genma sighed and elbowed his companion. "GEEZE, spoil all my fun, will yah?"
Gai shot him a look and Genma deflated slightly. "I think our new friend has had enough prodding for one day, don't you think?"
Genma seemed to agree with Gai, because he made no more comments during the duration of the 'marking' process. Tenzou just grit his teeth and watched as the swirling, elegant design appeared on his shoulder, never to leave him until his soul left the earth.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
By the time Tenzou got back to their little humble abode, he was mentally exhausted. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and wake up in a new day. He had been feeling pretty horrible about his ANBU experience until Gai had gone out of his way to help him. He had decided, by this point, that the only thing standing in his way of thoroughly enjoying his new life was his pissy captain.
Once again, if it wasn't for Gai, he would be feeling pretty dreadful about that, too. However, Gai had told Tenzou that he'd known Kakashi since he was 11 years old. He said he was odd as hell, cold to strangers and righteously arrogant, but he had a heart of gold and cared deeply for his companions. Tenzou just had to get past his initial defences (which Gai admitted were plentiful) and everything would be smooth sailing from there.
"Just the fact that you and I are getting along will show Kakashi that you wish to be a part of our little family." He had explained with a grin. "Trust me, everything will be fine."
Tenzou had believed him. Until...right now.
"Tenzou."
The almond eyed shinobi had been putting away his clothes when he heard his name. The voice was deep and smooth as silk, yet hard as rock. He stood swiftly and turned his head to glance in the direction of the voice's owner.
Kakashi was standing over his bed, his leg up on the bed frame. He was looking at Tenzou the way a predator sizes up their prey; trying to decide if it was worth it or not. Could they play with their food before the kill, or did they have to treat their target with the same respect and wariness as their own kind?
"Yes, Sempai?"
Tenzou didn't care; he would show no fear.
"Our mission begins tomorrow at 9 o'clock in the morning. The debriefing is tonight at 10."
Oh!
Mission stats!
Tenzou automatically stood straighter and relaxed his defences. He'd thought Kakashi was going to pick a useless fight with him with the way he'd been watching him.
"Yes, Sempai." Tenzou answered with the same crispness and attention as he had answered Sarutobi. He almost clicked his heels together before he realized how ridiculous and over the top that would have been. "Is there anything you would like me to do before the briefing, Sempai?"
Tenzou realized, much too late, that the time to drop his defences around Kakashi had most certainly not come yet.
The sharingan wielder was standing INCHES from him in less time than it took Tenzou to blink. He was overwhelmingly proud of himself for not jumping back or making a startled sound; all he did was blink rapidly as his eyes adjusted.
"So helpful, Tenzou." Kakashi purred, in the most cutting and cold way any person, or animal, could purr. "I'm thirsty...why don't you go get me a glass of water?"
The almond eyed shinobi glanced over Kakashi's shoulder.
He had half a glass of water sitting, forgotten, on his nightstand.
Tenzou couldn't help his expression. His eyes narrowed and outrange swirled in their depths. God DAMNIT, he was a freakin ELITE shinobi, and this was supposed to be a professional organization. How the hell was he being BULLIED right now?
He lifted his chin in defiance as he answered. "I fail to see what that has to do with preparing for the mission, Sempai."
Kakashi grinned ferociously. Tenzou had no idea how he could tell that, seeing as he was wearing a mask that covered his entire mouth, but somehow Kakashi made it obvious.
"I can hardly talk if I have a dry mouth, little Kouhai."
LITTLE. Tenzou easily had 20 pounds of mass and muscle on Kakashi. That was one of his only natural gifts; he was built really well. Broad shoulders, thick muscle weaving and dipping all over his body. No one had ever looked at Tenzou and assumed that he was weak: Kakashi seemed to be the only exception.
Kakashi was obviously muscular, fit and lithe like a cat. But he was slender and compact; he had little extra bulk. Tenzou was certain that if they were not shinobi, he could pound Kakashi's arrogant ass into the dirt. They even stood practically at eye level; Kakashi only had a couple of inches on Tenzou.
"You seem to be speaking quite easily now, Sempai." Tenzou grit out his title, in a way that was supposed to remind Kakashi of how he SHOULD be acting.
Kakashi didn't seem to care.
"Are you disobeying my orders already, Kouhai? I don't care how many dotted lines you signed, I will throw your ass out of this team so fast you won't even remember being here."
Tenzou's anger was boiling over into rage. This was utterly unacceptable. He was fiercely independent and he didn't need this shithead, and he didn't need ANBU.
"If this is what I can expect from the CAPTAIN of my team, then go ahead and throw me out." He growled, leaning forward so far his and Kakashi's foreheads were millimetres away from touching. "I absolutely will not be harassed and I will NOT be bullied."
Tenzou was so enraged he was panting. His fists were clenched tightly, held firmly at his sides. His eyes bore daggers into Kakashi's, who returned his gaze with cool detachment –but stone cold will.
"Are you asking to leave, Tenzou?"
"NO, God DAMNIT!" The fact that Kakashi was so calm and he was so obviously out of control just made him more angry. "I am telling you that I would rather be thrown out then kiss your fucking ass."
Kakashi stared cooly at Tenzou while the younger shinobi seethed.
Kakashi had to admit that Tenzou looked rather frightening when he was angry. That would do well on the battlefield.
But he wasn't done with him yet.
"I don't remember asking you to do that, Kouhai. All I asked for was water."
Tenzou had no idea how to respond to that. Kakashi did not simply 'ask' him for water, he was treating him like his bitch. But the mokuton user was starting to get confused. If Kakashi was being serious in the utter bullshit way he was acting, then Tenzou should have been ejected from the team by now. But, Kakashi didn't seem like he had any intention of doing that.
It seemed like all he wanted to do was fuck with Tenzou's head.
"If all you wanted was water, you could have reached behind you and gotten it." Tenzou hissed.
"Yes...but I want you to get it for me."
Urge to kill rising...
Tenzou threw his arms up. "What the hell is going on, Sempai? What do you want from me?"
Kakashi replied, very calmly. "I told you what I want from you, Tenzou. I want you to get me water."
Tenzou snapped. He actually snapped.
Fine. FINE! That's what he wants? He wants to push me around? Does that make him feel big and powerful? Whatever. I'll do it and get this power tripping basket case off my ass. I cannot believe this.
Tenzou shoved Kakashi away; the sharingan wielder let himself be pushed.
The almond eyed, furious shinobi stalked right past him and out of the room. He kept going until he reached the small cafeteria. Procuring a tall glass, he poured water into it so furiously half of it splashed out.
He stalked back to the room with his glass. He walked right past Kakashi, slammed it onto the nightstand next to his bed (right next to his current glass of water, friggen asshole), turned on his heel and walked right back out.
It was with all of his self control that he didn't scream with rage and punch Kakashi in the face when the captain called out after him in a deceivingly cheerful voice.
"Thank you!"
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tenzou paced the entire complex for the next two hours before the mission debrief. If he stayed in that room with Kakashi, he would have attacked him for sure. And then he'd be thrown into jail, and the fucking bushy haired nut job was NOT worth that.
Instead, he got very well acquainted with the other rooms. He even struck up conversation with a couple of random ANBU's.
Tenzou had to admit, he was proud of himself. He had barely held a friend in his 20 years of life, and yet he found it fairly easy to strike up conversation with people. Maybe that was bad...maybe he was naive. But, if it meant he could finally have a little company, he didn't really mind. He found he really liked Gai, and even Genma wasn't a bad guy. He just seemed like the kind of person who liked to joke around, and so he thought everything was funny; even things that were most definitely NOT amusing.
Tenzou glanced at the clock on the wall. He sighed. He sighed deep and long. He had to go to the mission debrief. He prayed, to whoever would listen, that Kakashi would keep his bullshit to himself when in front of the rest of his team. When they were alone, he could handle him. But he didn't want to be humiliated in front of Genma and Gai.
To Tenzou's utter astonishment, that was exactly what Kakashi did. He was so civil, so professional and to the point, that the mokuton user was starting to wonder if their fight had all been in his head.
When the debrief was over, Gai leaped over to Tenzou, landing before him in a graceful swan like pose with a massive grin on his face.
"HELLO MY STRANGELY ATTRACTIVE FRIEND! I haven't seen you all afternoon!"
Strangely...attractive...Okay. The key to Gai was just to go with what he said.
Tenzou fought down an embarrassed blush at the thought of the reason WHY he hadn't been seen. "Ah. Yes...I was taking a look around the compound."
Translation: I was avoiding Kakashi.
"A most EXCELLENT idea!" Gai exclaimed, and Tenzou found it was the most beautiful over exaggerated statement he had ever heard. He would take a thousand yelling Gai's over one Kakashi any day.
"Why do you not come with us on our quest for food? A most delightful restaurant is open until the early morning, and we can grab ourselves a late night dinner!"
Tenzou smiled lightly. That actually sounded amazing.
"I'm in. Thank you."
Gai beamed. He turned to Kakashi.
Tenzou's heart dropped.
"RIVAL! What say you?"
PLEASEDONTCOMEPLEASEPLEASEFORTHELOVEOFGOD.
Tenzou tried to keep his face as utterly passive as possible despite the storm going on inside of his soul.
Kakashi just blinked lazily. "I already ate, Gai."
Inner Tenzou kissed the ground. He had no idea if Kakashi was doing that to give him more time to cool down or not, but he didn't care. He was so relieved.
"Bah!" Gai exclaimed, turning back to Tenzou. "IT MATTERS NOT! THE EXOTIC LOOKING SOCIALLY AWKWARD NEW ADDITION TO OUR TEAM IS ALL THE COMPANY I NEED!"
Tenzou blinked. Exotic...?
HEY! Socially awkward?
He had barely any time to fume or be confused as Gai grabbed him by the wrist and literally dragged him out of the meeting room. Genma followed lightly with a smirk, but cast a questioning glance at Kakashi who waved him off with a yawn.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The dinner with his two teammates went better then he would have imagined. Gai was utterly insane but hilarious and intelligent, and Genma complimented Gai's extraordinary personality with his slick wit and charm. He would hate to be on the receiving end of any kind of prank from those two; however he doubted Gai would ever do anything of the sort. He seemed like a really honourable, righteous person and Tenzou was thoroughly relieved. At least he could trust his teammates not to corner him when he was alone and try and bully him without cause.
It seemed that his teammates were also incredibly perceptive, as Genma spoke up when their plates had been cleared with a more serious expression then he usually donned.
"So, Rockstar. Anything...interesting happen this afternoon?"
Tenzou blinked. Genma didn't seem like the kind of person to beat around the bush.
"Ah. Well...nothing to be concerned about."
Gai and Genma exchanged glances.
"We noticed a bit of tension between you and Kakashi during the mission debrief." Gai offered, giving Tenzou a steady look.
The 'exotic' looking shinobi sighed. He would have to fess up...and he hated that he was actually embarrassed about it. He had a right to explode on his captain, he was being an asshole. But he didn't know if his teammates would agree with him. Gai had known Kakashi since he was 11...obviously he would side with his friend.
"Well. We just had a bit of a disagreement." Was all he said, as casually as possible.
Gai sighed. "Please, Tenzou. Tell us what happened. We are beginning to get concerned with the way Kakashi has been acting. I suppose it has been a while since we've had anyone new on our team, so we can't tell if this is normal behaviour for him or not. Ibiki was with us for quite a while before he was promoted."
Tenzou was pleasantly surprised at Gai's concern. He felt a little more confident in revealing things to him.
"Well...it started off normal. He told me about the mission. Then I made the mistake of asking him if there was anything I could do to prepare. He got in my space and told me I could fetch him a glass of water if I was so willing to be helpful."
Tenzou turned red and rubbed the back of his neck. It didn't seem like such a big deal when he said it out loud, but the way Kakashi had asked him...
"Please. Continue." Gai prodded, looking serious.
"I...didn't appreciate his tone." He coughed. "I asked him what getting him water had to do with the mission, and he said nothing, he just wanted me to get it for him."
Tenzou felt ridiculous. He felt like he was, as the children said, 'ratting' Kakashi out for nothing. He was a grown man; he could handle his affairs himself.
"I assume things escalated from there?" Gai asked, sparing Tenzou the rest of the story as he obviously did not seem willing to tell it.
"Yes. Exactly. However, I got fed up and just ended up...well, storming out and getting it for him." Suddenly Tenzou felt anger boil in his stomach. He looked up at his comrades, his eyes narrowed. "If he wants to treat me like an errand boy, then that's what I'll give him. I am not going to argue with him forever."
Gai sighed and Genma ran a hand through his hair.
"Tenzou. Kakashi...well, he has his 'things' he looks for in a teammate. He is very protective of his friends, and very particular about whom he lets into his life. I apologize for how hard he is being on you, but I want to assure you that these are meant as tests and he is not a cruel person."
Tenzou regarded Gai steadily. These two had a lot of faith in their captain...and even Sarutobi seemed to like him. It appeared to Tenzou that Kakashi, logically, could not ACTUALLY be an asshole. But...then why?
"What are these things?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Genma shifted in his seat. "Well. First of all, that little stunt he pulled on you today? I recognize that. He does that to people ALL the time. He wants to see if you have a mind of your own, Tenzou. I'd say you passed." He added with a wide grin. "A lot of people just do whatever Kakashi says because...well, he's Kakashi. They also think that brainlessly following orders is the way to go. Maybe with some people, but not with Kakashi."
Tenzou felt SOME of his anger leave him. He understood that...he just wished Kakashi had gone about it another way.
"So...I am going to be tested like this for how long?" He asked, trying REALLY hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice.
With the way Gai and Genma winced, he concluded that he was not successful.
"Ah...well, until he has checked off everything in his little mental list of whatever he looks for in a subordinate. Or...a teammate, really. Kakashi will pull the 'superior' card on you a lot, but trust us buddy, he doesn't give a crap about that stuff."
Tenzou glanced down at the table as he let everything his comrades said sink in. It made sense...it was just weird for him to make excuses for someone who, in his opinion, was taking things too far.
They finished their dinner in comfortable silence then headed back to the base.
Genma usually didn't stay at headquarters, but since they had an early mission, he decided to sleep in his underused cot. The three men entered the room and made a b-line for the bathroom. There were two bathrooms, so it was an easy task getting washed up. Tenzou slipped into a pair of boxers and pulled off his face plate. As he exited the bathroom into the dark common bedroom, he ran a hand through his flattened locks, shaking them free. There was a mirror above the desk directly next to his bed, and he couldn't help but glance into it as he passed. He saw his newly inked shoulder and looked at it. He felt a little warm inside...he finally belonged somewhere.
Then he chanced a glance up into his own eyes. He supposed it was his eyes that Gai thought looked exotic; he had people asking about them all the time. Maybe Orochimaru implanted them into him from some poor sucker from another country.
He looked away harshly. He hated that he still thought of himself as freakish; it seemed like such a petty thing. He was who he was, and he was thankful for his mokuton.
He glanced to the side suddenly.
Kakashi was sitting up in bed, watching him.
Tenzou didn't know if it was his overactive imagination, but he could have sworn his captains eyes had been on his chest before they were dragged up to his face. He felt a slight tremor escape through his spine. He wondered if Kakashi was thinking of the best spot to stab Tenzou with a kunai.
He chided himself; he had to stop thinking of Kakashi as a bad guy. It wouldn't help the dynamic in the team, and they had to trust each other tomorrow on the mission. Tenzou took a deep, DEEP breath and decided to take the higher road.
He smiled lightly at Kakashi's serious, piercing eyes.
Kakashi stared back.
Tenzou rolled his eyes and pulled back the covers on his bed, slipping in without another glance at his completely insane sempai and turned to face the wall.
Whatever.
Dick.
"NINJA BAAALLLLL!"
Something, in a slightly oblong ball shape, came flying over his bed in a wide arc.
Tenzou yelped indignantly as he found himself with a lap full of Genma. He stared at him in shock as the shinobi laughed heartily at him.
"Sorry, Rockstar! I couldn't help it! I get giddy after I shower."
Tenzou stared. He would have expected that from Gai, but not from Genma.
"Uh..." Tenzou wracked his brain for a witty response. However, he came up pathetically short. He had never had another man launch himself into his bed before.
Genma just laughed even harder. "Man, you're awesome. I'm gonna call you McGawky."
Tenzou blushed furiously as Genma hopped off of his bed. He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that Kakashi was watching them with a curious look.
Genma patted Tenzou on the shoulder. "Goodnight, McGawky. Rest well; tomorrow's mission should be interesting."
With that, Genma skipped over to his own bed and dove inside. He paused to wave at Kakashi pleasantly before slipping under his sheets.
Kakashi looked at Tenzou again. The poor, startled loner had absolutely no idea what to say or do. So he just grinned and shrugged.
Kakashi eyed him one last time before laying back, into the darkness of his corner bed.
Tenzou had a feeling Genma did that on purpose so Kakashi could see. He supposed that was the senbon bearing shinobi's way of showing their captain that he accepted Tenzou.
With a smile, the mokuton user sank under his sheets. He supposed he really was very lucky. Gai and Genma had been very kind to him; if he had them, he was sure he'd be alright.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
That morning, they all woke up at the same time thanks to an internal alarm clock built into the walls SOMEWHERE Tenzou vowed he would find. He had to destroy that thing. No one should be woken up like that.
The four shinobi dressed and prepared themselves quickly and efficiently. Tenzou tried to ignore the fact that Kakashi watched him practically every step of the way. He thought this was normal; especially when he was putting his pack together. Kakashi probably wanted to see what tools he brought with him and how well he packed them.
He didn't really see the point of watching him DRESS, though...that was a little awkward for the mokuton user. He felt Kakashi's eyes on his muscled shoulder blades like needles pricking circular patterns all over his skin.
He could have SWORN they landed on his ass at some point and stayed there for far, far too long.
After seemingly no time at all, the team was assembled. Tenzou almost laughed out loud when he saw that Gai wore his little neck scarf to missions as well. He knew there was a long, wicked red scarf that was standard issue...but he was pretty sure that thing was meant for women.
Anyway. He wasn't going to judge Gai; that man was making his life right now.
They set to the trees at once. Tenzou loved how the ANBU made their way through Konoha like ghosts; no one could see them, no one could have any idea where they were going. They skipped over rooftops like they were weightless. Right now, he REALLY felt like he was with elite shinobi. He felt great.
Kakashi was WICKED fast. He moved with utter silence and deadly grace. Tenzou was impressed already and his captain hadn't really done anything yet. He could see, just from the way he moved, that he was the best out of the four of them. That made him feel a little better about Kakashi, at least.
After an hour of running through the forest, Kakashi put his fist up. They all came to a silent stop. Tenzou adjusted his mask absently; it didn't fit so well with his faceplate underneath.
"Shodai."
Oh...he guessed he was up. He leaped to the branch Kakashi stood on, crouching gracefully by his side.
"Yes, Sempai?"
"You will go ahead of us. I want you to scout; make sure we're alone."
Well, Tenzou could definitely do that. He wondered, briefly, what Kakashi knew of his skills.
"Yes, Sempai!" he answered, before melting into the tree branch he was crouching on. Before he disappeared, he heard (with satisfaction) Genma utter "Wow, what the hell!"
Like liquid, he appeared inside of a tree a hundred meters ahead of them. He looked around; he tried to listen to the living wood that dominated the forest. He could sense no one. He melted back into the tree, and appeared even further ahead. Still, it looked alright...but he wouldn't be satisfied until he had some kind of reassurance. He produced two handfuls of his scouting seeds and littered the ground with them. He did this three more times, in various places, before he felt reassured that if anyone followed them or came after them, he would know.
A moment later, he peeled himself out of the trunk of the tree Kakashi was still standing on.
"Report." Was Kakashi's curt greeting.
"We're alone, at least for the next three hundred metres."
Kakashi nodded, his mask making him even more expressionless than usual. "Very good. Back into position, please."
Tenzou did as he was told, but definitely did not miss that Kakashi was actually polite to him.
He felt someone's hand on his shoulder and turned to see Gai watching him.
"That was very impressive...I see why you are called Shodai."
Tenzou hung his head. He still felt shitty about his codename.
They continued their travel for another hour until Tenzou yelped and held up his hand. It was noticed instantly and everyone stopped. He leaped over to Kakashi, standing close enough to him that he could whisper as quietly as possible.
"Sempai...someone is following us."
Tenzou could feel Kakashi's eyes narrow. "Where?"
"At least two minutes behind us."
Kakashi didn't ask how he knew; those kinds of questions wasted time.
"Can you take him?"
Tenzou nodded once. "Yes, Sempai."
"Then go."
Tenzou jumped back and disappeared, once again, into the tree.
Gai leaped up the branches between them to meet Kakashi. He gave him the hand gesture that meant 'report'.
Kakashi flashed the gesture for 'spy'.
Gai looked back to where he assumed Tenzou went. He hoped he'd be alright.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tenzou let the body down slowly, just in case there was any one else around within earshot. The amazing thing about him fighting in forests was that he hand endless weapons around him. He could snatch someone out of the trees and take care of them quickly and soundlessly.
He could also dispose of bodies.
The tree pulled the fresh corpse into its vast diameter, closing it off from the world forever. Tenzou always felt bad doing that, because the tree was a goner with a human sized body in the heart of it. But...what are yah gonna do.
Suddenly, his heart seized. Three more people had stepped on his seeds...this time, ahead of his team. Holy shit...what was going on?
He jumped back into the nearest host and prayed the shinobi heading to ambush his friends weren't as fast as he thought they were.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he picked up a scent. It smelled like people...it smelled like blood. Definitely ninja. They had to move, and they had to move now. But Tenzou was still gone.
Kakashi had to make a decision. So far, Tenzou had proven himself to be incredibly intelligent and very talented. Kakashi had no doubts that he would figure things out if they left.
But...the thought of leaving someone from his team behind always made his blood run cold.
He pressed his hand to the tree beside him and ran his clawed fingers down it. He hoped that would be enough.
He turned to his other teammates. "We need to go."
He could see the tension rise in their shoulders, but they didn't argue. They trusted Kakashi.
They left.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tenzou appeared a few minutes after the others had gone. He was actually relieved to see that no one was there; part of him was scared to find a battle. Or a body...an ANBU body.
But...now he had another problem. Where the hell was his team? He felt something rigid directly under his hand and moved it. It looked like a claw mark...but with five fingers. He glanced at his own hand; all their gloves were clawed, like a cat's.
This had been the tree Kakashi was on. It must have been him.
He squared his shoulders in determination. Well, he'd find them. If they were in the forest, he'd find them through the trees.
Except...he had stopped paying attention to the proximity of his scouting seeds.
Shiiiiiiit.
The first enemy appeared directly to the right of him. He wondered, briefly, if they also had a way of scouting as their knowledge of his ware bouts was very accurate.
"MOKUTON!"
Two beams emerged out of the tree and smashed the unsuspecting ninja directly in the face. His head was crushed between the beams and the nearest tree and he slid to the ground, lifeless.
An enemy appeared before him with far too little time for him to form his wood release. He whipped around, one arm positioned behind his back, the other swinging his ANBU sword in a wide arc.
SHIIIING
The sound of metal scraping metal filled the air. Whoever this was, he was fairly skilled. He felt the other shinobi go in for a kick, but he ducked out of the way, whipped his sword out from under the other ninjas and leaped backwards, far enough away for him to slap his hands together and concentrate.
As the shinobi went for another strike, a hand of wood spiralled out of the tree canopy and smashed into the attacking ninja. It fell down, at break neck speed, until it had pinned his enemy's body to the ground. He heard the reassuring 'crunch' and 'splatter' of the other shinobi's body crumpling to nothing, and whirled around to face his last opponent.
He had appeared right as his last comrade had died. Tenzou could tell he was infuriated; he could use this against him.
Unsheathing his sword, the Konoha ninja ran at his enemy. Just as he suspected, the enraged shinobi attacked him dead on as well. Tenzou merely stopped abruptly in his tracks, dropped his sword, formed his hand signs and then watched as wood beams spiralled around the other mans legs and tripped him up effortlessly. He figured he shouldn't kill this one; information was probably needed.
He continued to wrap wood around him until he was certain the enemy nin wasn't going anywhere ever. His opponent cursed and seethed and struggled.
Tenzou picked up his sword calmly, placed it back into its scabbard and walked towards his trapped prey with the ease of a victor.
He whipped around as he suddenly heard someone leap from the trees.
Landing behind him, smooth as silk, was his squad leader.
Tenzou couldn't believe the large smile that split over his features at the sight of his captain; he was glad as hell that Kakashi couldn't see it. A friendly (kind of...) face after a battle was exactly what he wanted.
"Sempai! Would you like to question him?" He asked easily, assuming that was the reason his leader had approached him; especially without the rest of the team.
Kakashi moved towards Tenzou with such detached, cold ease that the mokuton user found himself wondering if HE was the one who was in danger and not his captive.
"Kouhai –your sword, please." Kakashi asked, his voice empty. He gently raised his hand, the palm open and waiting.
Tenzou resisted Urge Number 50; gulp loudly.
With what he hoped was careless grace, Tenzou unsheathed his sword for the third time and laid it into his captains waiting hand. Kakashi hesitated just a moment to drill a searing hot gaze into Tenzou's surprised eyes. Resist Urge Number 51; step back in minor panic. He stood stock still, not wanting to back down from Kakashi. Ever.
His sempai wordlessly walked past him to his furious captive. The enemy nin opened his mouth to spit something scathing, but with what looked like no effort at all, Kakashi swung the sword in a sharp arc and sliced the captives head clean off his shoulders.
Tenzou gawked behind his mask.
Oh. Okay...
Kakashi made his way back to his Kouhai and Tenzou could not believe how much energy it took him to resist Urge Number 52; RUN THE FUCK AWAY.
"Shodai..." His captain purred –really purred this time.
Tenzou couldn't resist swallowing hard. "Ah...yes, Sempa-Umm..."
Kakashi was leaning flush against Tenzou's chest. The mokuton user had absolutely no idea what to do and was completely frozen in place.
He felt something against his side near his hip and glanced down. Kakashi was wiping the blood off of his sword with the bottom of Tenzou's chest pad.
Oh. Okay...
Tenzou, through sheer willpower and stubbornness, glanced back up at his sempai. Kakashi hadn't looked away from him for a moment.
"Shodai. We do not have time for interrogations."
Right. But...there was time...for this...
"Yes, Sempai." Was all he managed, and he was damn proud of even that.
Kakashi stepped back and presented Tenzou with his freshly cleaned sword. The almond eyed shinobi took it, matching Kakashi's steady gaze. Was this some kind of test...? What was he supposed to do?
"Join your peers." Was all his captain said before leaping up into the trees.
Tenzou took a moment to try and figure out what the hell Kakashi was doing and why he constantly changed how he treated him. He decided attempting to understand the sharingan wielder was futile and melted back into the trunk behind him with a loud sigh.
When he appeared before his team, he was greeted with cheers and pats on the back. He was, once again, thankful for his mask because the praise was not something he was used to and he ate it up like warm miso soup.
"DAMN! Honestly, you ARE a rockstar. Like...what the hell was HALF of that stuff? You just took out those shinobi like they were flimsy little genin. Welcome to the team, bud!"
"Really, your wood release is quite impressive! You are also very fast and have excellent taijutsu skills. YOU WILL BE AN ASSET TO OUR SQUAD FOR CERTAIN! SMOOTH LIKE THE WIND AND FIERCE AS A WILD BOAR!"
Tenzou had no idea what to say to his friends, but he appreciated the praise. He just bowed his head and said 'thank you' to everything before Kakashi interrupted them.
"Team, we still have a mission. We are creating quite a bit of noise. Despite having the man power to handle it, another ambush is against our mission prerogative."
Tenzou assumed that was the closest he was going to get to praise from Kakashi and nodded in agreement. Gai and Genma quieted down sheepishly and waited for further commands.
"Continue on our new route. Follow behind us, Shodai."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
WELL! I hope you guys liked that. I've always wanted to write a fic with Kakashi and Tenzou :D When I write like...how Kakashi will kind of, pick at Tenzou I remember the things he did with team 7. Testing to see how they follow orders and WHICH orders they follow was one of them.