Serve your country, protect her bosom with your might. Stand tall and firm with a blade in your hand, and be ready to kill her enemies. Stay in the shadows, and let no light fall down upon you.
~The Anbu code.
xxx-xxx-xxx
"Come on Kakashi."
The silver haired Jounin frowned. A deep, long scowl appearing on his face, even if none could see it from beneath his mask. He sat atop his rooftop building, behind him was the cloaked form of one of his closest friends.
"No…I can't do it. Not them, not those two, and definitely not her. I refuse this team. "
"Kakashi, you can't be that bull headed."
Kakashi snorted. Then laughed at the thought. He could be that bull-headed, he'd been that bull headed for years. Nay all his life. People, for whatever reason, though he assumed it was vanity, just seemed to ignore something so obvious.
"I can, I am, and I will."
"Hokage-sama would appreciate it."
"Sabutori-sama," he smirked at Owl's sudden discomfort.
"Can go fuck himself." He thought, then laughed at his own joke. "Sabutori-sama would understand. This team is bound to fail. Politics aside this team," he tossed the folder back at owl. "Wouldn't be able to work at all. All of them mentally unstable in some way. All of them have an unhealthy obsession or the other. All of them, at least one of the other. Slapping them on a team, and training them with the basic genin training isn't going to change that. The girl needs sever physical conditioning, look at those scores. Barely passing in any of the physical sections. She can't run long distance, she can't throw, and her chakra levels are just, barely, barely above civilian levels."
He vented, angrily. "Then there's her obsession with the Uchiha? How am I supposed to train her if she spends every waking second she's in his presence focusing on him? I can't. And she's likely the sanest of them all. The Uchiha, when the hell was the last time he even got a psyche evaluation? He seems depressive, and have obviously unhealthy obsession issues. He's probably sociopathic. "
His hair swayed in the wind. His eyes watched Owl raptly, and he slowly flexed muscles unused for days.
"And Naruto, I don't know if the teachers just didn't teach him anything. If he was too stubborn, or stupid- no...it wans't that Naruto's far from stupid- or short sighted to learn. Or if it was some horrible combination of the two, but that kids more or less an idiot right now. A chakra tank, but an idiot all the same. Though…he does show brilliance. His infatuation with sakura though….it's just as unhealthy as her obsession with Sasuke…in short, the teams a cluster fuck. I doubt the Hokage would give me permission to do what I'd have to, in order to fix them."
The winds rustled, and faint amounts of smoke wisped past Kakashi's nose. He turned his head to face the new arrival. Standing for a moment to bow in respect before reseating himself.
"Sabutori-sama."
"Kakashi, it would seem that you're worried about the quality of your proposed team?" His voice was soft, and concerned, yet stern. A voice Kakashi had become used to over the years.
"You could say that."
The kage laughed. "Then what do you suggest I do? There are rules in place Kakashi. Rules to keep the balance, and ensure no sensei abuses their power."
"Then make an exception."
"What do you want exactly Kakashi?"
"Naruto needs to have the basics re-drilled into him. Sasuke needs immediate psychological attention. And Sakura, Sakura needs to be reconditioned. They couldn't make a team without it. And Naruto again...what happens when his memories come back? What happens then Hokage-sama. He's not emotionally stable as it is, and when those come back, fresh and raw as that day…he won't handle it well...he'll need to have psychological counseling and reconditioning. Its best if he starts to be trained to handle sudden trauma and stress."
The old man sighed, and rubbed his hands slowly on his chin, stopping every few instances to twist the stray hairs in his beard.
"Why not psychological for all three of them. Individually at first, then once they've made solid progress group therapy? Give them anbu conditioning and physical training, they all show talent. Spectacular talent. Sakuras mental capabilities and chakra control are nothing to scoff at. Sasuke shows natural talent, he could go places...and Naruto. Well...he's Naruto." The old man muttered to himself as he spoke.
"Yet...they wouldn't make a good team?"
"Not as they are."
"I could do that…I could make it happen. But...Kakashi, this is no joke. I'd want results. I'd be calling in a lot of favors to make this happen, and if this doesn't pay off…"
xxx-Naruto-xxx
He'd been lied too.
The evening breeze of Konoha blew past him, tussling his blond hair, and making it fly in the wind. Sky blue eyes watched the city below their owner with trepidation. Naruto scowled, white teeth baring in anger and frustration as he watched the people walk below. For a second he cast his eyes to the falling evening sun. He felt depression fall upon him, a deep, dark feeling of anger and sadness, dropping on him like the weight of the world.
He'd been lied too…
He sobbed, a deep uncontrollable shaking of his chest, and salty wet tears dripped down from his face. He frowned. His face morphed into a visage of sorrow, and for an instant he allowed a deep croak of sorrow to escape his lips. He smashed his hand against the hard packed earth next to him.
The one person he had trusted…
He wanted to scream. To shout. To howl in anguish, and frustration, and anger, and injustice and the sheer cruelty of his fellow human beings. He wanted too…but he didn't. Instead he sobbed to himself, feeling the betrayal, and loneliness, and pain roll through him like waves in a sea. Ebbing only for a few instance only to come back more horrible, more terrible, far, far, far worse than before.
"Are you just going to sit here, all depressed, wallowing in your own sorrow? Little fox…I thought you were stronger than that." He turned to the voice, wiping his eyes hurriedly and in shame.
He looked up, and his breath caught in his throat. It was him…
Jackal.
Jackal, good, strong, always there Jackal. Jackal who had disappeared when he'd been but a boy. Jackal who'd stood there and held him when he couldn't sleep. Jackal who had thought him to cook, and read, and live on his own. Jackal…who had one day disappeared, and when he'd asked the old man…that day had been sad.
And yet…here was Jackal. Representing another betrayal…and yet…
More tears fell from his face.
He didn't know what to feel anymore. Jackal took off his mask, revealing a pale face and one brown eye. Silver hair frayed in the wind.
"I'm your teacher little fox," his hands reached out, smaller than he last remembered, and ruffled his hair playfully. "But then again…you're not so little are you, Naruto. Though you're not so big either."
"J..jackal."
He smiled a warm smile down at him. "It's Kakashi…go grab some of your stuff kid, all the things you need, your clothes…your equipment. Your moving in with me, your entire team is…"
"Team?"
"You were made a ninja a few days ago, and the Hokage made some…special provisions for a special team. I'm leading it…and you're a part of it. Now go. I'll pick you up in a couple hours." Suddenly his voice took on an aloof turn. He put a smile on his face, patted him on his head, and moved on.
He was gone. Just like that. But still…he'd been lied too. He frowned, as the feeling of elation, and joy, faded away. As the confused mess of emotions finally settled and he returned to the status quo.
The old man had lied to him….he couldn't trust him anymore.
xxx-Sasuke-xxx
He smashed the bottle against the wall in a mad rage. The soy sauce spilt onto the wall, splashed onto the floor, and slowly started to stain all it had come into contact with. His pale skin was a deep, hot, red due to his anger. His breathing was heavy…
"God dammit!"
He needed to throw something, anything.
He picked up a bowl, and threw that too. And like the countless other things he'd thrown that night it smashed against the wall.
"God fucking dammit!" He'd never felt so angry…so…hateful. " After everything, I've done, after how hard I've tried. After practicing day in and day out, again, and again, and again…"
"Nothing to show for it. So far away...I'm so far away! God damnit!"
He smashed his hand on his kitchen counter and held back a scream of madness fueled anger. Of frustration. He felt…betrayed. A deep awful feeling he hadn't felt since his brother had killed his family. He hadn't been given a team…
"Such an impetuous child." The voice seemed aloof and uncaring.
He whirled at the voice, kunia drawn. He found an anbu sitting there, still dressed in the black, long sleeved garb. His hood pulled back, and his silver hair glowing a yellow in the dim glow of his living room. He noted the jackal mask on his side. He was eating some of his tomatoes.
The only sweet ones he could find in the entire marked. He was eating his tomatoes.
"Who are you?"
"Your new teacher." He took another bite of his tomatoes. Sasuke watched in anger, not quite as angry as before, but still his rage seethed beneath the surface like a monster before a raging storm. "That little outburst of yours? You'll need to stop that. Or ill beat it out of you."
"You're eating my tomatoes."
"I am."
"Can you stop that?"
"No." He stopped to take a bite. "I'm eating. Can't you see that?" He said it like it was an obvious thing. "You're impetuous and a rude host. Of all the students I could get...you're quite terrible." He stood up and stretched, walked casually to sasuke's fridge and pulled out another sweet tomato and a bottle of water.
Sasuke watched in anger as the anbu ate more of his food. He barely kept it in check, such was his rage.
"Look," he took another bite of his, meaning sasuke's tomato. "I'll be back in three hours, rude little boy. Pack your clothing, you'll be moving in with me and the rest of your teammates for specialized training. I hope by the time I've returned, that you've gotten over this little hissy fit of yours."
He took yet another bite of his tomato. "…"
"And learn some manners. I won't have any student of mine walking around, i'll-coiffed and worse yet ill-mannered. What would the other teachers think of me? Why they'd think I'm lazy and uncaring. I am, but I don't want them to think that."
He patted Sasuke on the head, chuckled, finished the last of his tomato and disappeared in a puff of rich white smoke. Sasuke huffed, his anger gone at the sudden revelation of an elite teacher, and the strange aloofness of the man. He looked around, walked to his fridge and opened it up.
All his tomatoes were gone.
xxx-Sakura-xxxx
She walked into her home, a look of sad depression on her face. Her pink hair hung limply on her forehead. Her eyes were a deep red from tears shed hours before, but her face was still carried the markings of great sadness. She looked defeated…and felt even more so.
"Mom I'm home…" Her voice carried the sad, dejected tone of defeat and depression. Of lost dreams.
"Oh my Sakura! Just in time dear. Your new sensei is here, and look what he brought. Sweet tomatoes!"
She turned to the sweet toned voice of her mother. A new sensei? She hadn't gotten a new sensei. She and Sasuke-kun had went to class for assignment only to be sent home. The two outcasts of the class not getting teams.
"Hello."
She turned to the voice. He was handsome, she noted, and dressed in anbu garb. Long black cloak, and a white jackal mask on his hip. His silver hair contrasted what he wore with ease.
"HI…" She stammered the word out awkwardly.
"I'm Kakashi, your new sensei."
He turned to her mother, a strange eye-smile on his face. "It was a pleasure meeting you."
"The same Kakashi-san. I'll have her get ready. It's an honor for the hokage-sama to consider Sakura so talented. It's an even greater honor to have someone so esteemed as you teaching her."
He smiled at her mother, waved, and disappeared in a puff of smoke, and a whirlwind of leaves.
"Kaa-san, what's going on?" Her mother moved from the den to the kitchen. Picking up the cups of tea that had been on the table. "Sakura, I heard you didn't get a team today."
She nodded and put her head down in defeat. "That's because Hokage-sama saw how talented you were! He's put you on a specialized team. Kakashi-sans going to be your teacher. You'll be living with him and a few of your teammates for a few months."
"Kaa-san…are you okay with this?"
"Of course. Kakashi-sans a reputable man. Well respected and even a student of the yondaime. You'll be fine, now go get ready."
"Okay, Kaa-san."
xxx-Sakura-xxx
Sakura stood awkwardly before the cabin logged in the back of Konoha's woods. Kakashi came out, a small wide smile on his face.
"Hello, Sakura. Glad you could make it. Why don't you go inside, your room will be the fourth room to the left? Put your things down and head to the backyard. Your teammates will be outside in the backyard."
She smiled at him. And rushed to room he'd prescribed for her. When she entered, what she found was Spartan. A bed, a mirror, a dresser, and a shelf on the wall. The room was painted a stark eggshell white, and the dim light of the evening sun filtered through the one window. It was bare, and she let out a dejected sigh of defeat.
"This room…its so…"
"You like it?" She jumped in surprise as a voice appeared beside her. It was her sensei, and he had that same eye smile she'd seen earlier that day.
"Um…"
"Don't worry! It'll grow on you. Soon you'll come to call this place home! Why don't you head outside? Your teammates are already waiting on you." She turned around to put her stuff down, and when she turned, he was gone.
She looked out the window to the green training field below. The training stumps below looked worn, used for years and battered, the grass was over grown, the tree were covered with the slash marks of years of training, and the small lake was a dirty brown.
She shuffled out of her room and down to the training ground.
On one stump was a head of familiar blond hair. She frowned. Naruto, of all people to be slumped with…Naruto. She turned to the other form she'd only seen in her peripheral vision. She gasped. In the late evening sun, the sunlight casting sharp shadows on his face. His features made him look so handsome, so wonderful. She held back a squeal of excitement.
"So we're all here!"
She jumped in surprise.
"Hello sensei!"
"Hmm…"
"Hi…" She turned to face the defeated, dejected voice…it was Naruto. She frowned. That…that was weird.
"Let's all introduce ourselves hmm…Little fox. You start."
Naruto sighed. "I'm Naruto…" he sighed again. This was weird. She'd never seen Naruto of all people sad. "I like ramen, and pulling pranks. That's about it…"
"And you Pinkie?"
"I'm Sakura, I like," she squealed as she cast a look at Sasuke. "My dreams are…" Another glance. "I dislike Ino and Naruto." She heard a loud sigh come from the boy, and say a slight look of disapproval cross Kakashi's face before it returned to its seemingly natural aloof state.
"Finally you, short, pale, broody, and rude."
"My name is Sasuke. I like nothing. My hobbies are training, and practicing. My dream is to kill a certain man."
"Well! Now that the unimportant people have spoken it's my turn. My name is Kakashi. You'll refer to me as Kakashi- sensei, or just plain sensei. My likes are none of your business. My hobbies are none of your business. What is your business is what I say. What I tell you to do, you will do it." She felt an overbearing force push down on her. Like the fist of god pressing down on her chest. An unbearable, incomprehensible weight, she wanted to run. To hide.
"Starting tomorrow you'll start training. Each of you have been chosen for a very specific reason. Sakura, you have excellent memory recall and problem analysis capabilities, as well as excellent chakra control. Naruto, you're a chakra tank, you have an excellent stealth and trap making skills, and sasuke you're a well rounded, highly skilled ninja. I'll train you. Enhance your strengths, and round out your weaknesses." He stopped for a moment, to let his words settle in.
"I want you all, everyone one of you to listen. Your teammates now. You may, or may not have prescribed notions about one another. Forget them." The weight fell back on her shoulder again. He was going to kill them. Then it was gone.
"Now," he smiled. "Lets go get some dinner and get to know each other better."
xxx-Authors Note-xxx
This story is special. Its meant to teach me character development, story progression and world building. I use all my stories to teach me different things about writing, and then I apply them. For instance "Other worlds is about world building. Its a story meant for me to create weird, strange worlds and shake things up a bit." "Waves of time is about character building." And "Drive...drive was about learning to write descriptions. I forced myself to do it, and I could write descriptions a hell of a lot better." This story is about something else. Character relationships. How characters interact and behave with one another. I notice my characters, and a lot of fanfic characters exist in this single person void. They interact with other characters sure, but the relationships that exist between two human people don't seem to be there. This story is my attempt to learn how to do that. I hope you like it. Read and review.