CHAPTER FOUR

Team Seven wasn't improving as fast as they'd like. Kakashi insisted they arrive at the bridge at seven every morning. He never showed until after nine o'clock unless there was an early morning mission. The one time they had skipped showing up early in order to study some more they were met with an irate Kakashi at nine o'clock. It happened to be one of the rare days they had an early mission that they were late for it by half an hour even by Kakashi's standards.

They hadn't cared about the lecture Kakashi had given them and ignored the threats of being sent back to the Academy. He hadn't any room to talk about being late. Still, they didn't want to be known for tardiness like their teacher and decided it was safer to meet on time. It hindered their training more than they would like, but there was nothing they could do about it. They didn't want their instructor to see what they were studying.

'That's about all he is: an instructor. He doesn't teach us really. We've only had six missions in the last four weeks and all were along the lines of picking up trash or babysitting children. Can you even consider going shopping for an old lady a ninja mission?' Team Seven had tried their best to practice even while on stupid missions, but all their efforts seemed stopped by Kakashi.

When babysitting, Sakura and Sasuke had tried to juggle a handful of kunai to entertain the two young children were watching. They knew they were skilled enough not to harm anyone but had Naruto place a few kage bushin transformed as toys in front of the kids just in case. The bushins could transform and protect the children if needed. Yet, Kakashi had confiscated their weapons after only a few tosses.

When they tried balancing the paper grocery bags on the palm of their hands to increase their balance and arm muscles, Kakashi had told them to quit fooling around. When attempting to use chakra like a blade to trim hedges (as they had discovered to be possible after reading a scroll on various forms of chakra manipulation), they were told they couldn't handle a jutsu like that yet and to do the job like everyone else. Nothing they said or explained to the Jounin made any difference. There was no practicing new skills while on missions.

That would have been tolerable, but when they weren't doing a mission, Kakashi had them spar against each other until three or four in the afternoon before letting them go. He never gave them any advice, nor did he really watch them as they practiced. He read his book in a nearby tree and let them do as they pleased as long as they were sparring. Sasuke used the time to help his teammates improve, but as they were already practicing for the two hours they waited for Kakashi, the sparring lessons seemed rather repetitive.

Sasuke had to admit that their taijutsu wouldn't have increase as much as it had if it hadn't been for the daylong practices, but if Kakashi had been coaching them they would have progressed more. As it was they were struggling to make as much improvement as they were. Sasuke's taijutsu only developed when Sakura found another taijutsu scroll in the library and he could decipher it correctly. It was a long and tedious process and there was a high percentage of misreading a move. Scrolls were a poor substitution for a living instructor.

All in all, Team Seven had decided their teacher was a flake and paid attention to him only when necessary. Sakura went to Ino to get tips on training but the blonde just scoffed said to get another instructor if they didn't like the one they had. So on a rare day off had gone to find Team Eight's Jounin teacher, Asuma, and ask for advice.

The Jounin seemed surprised when they asked him, but after explaining what Kakashi did every day he just nodded and remarked that it was just like Kakashi. But he let them know that they couldn't get extra instruction from another sensei without their main instructor's permission. They had given up hope until Asuma agreed to give them a few pointers if they didn't mention the fact to anyone. That was how they learned how to climb trees without their hands to perfect chakra control and that there were certain jutsu scrolls Genin were allowed access to at the Hokage tower.

It only increased their ire at Kakashi when Asuma gave them the basics on what being a Genin meant and what their privileges and responsibilities were. It was ridiculous that Kakashi had never informed them of the jutsu library, or such things as: 'in the event of an invasion Genin were to help evacuate the village and protect the non-ninja citizens'. Sure an invasion was rather far-fetched, and according to Asuma most Genin didn't train seriously until a few years after they were promoted. But these tidbits of information and others Asuma gave them were certainly useful and could be vital if anything had happened.

Still, they kept their agreement with Asuma and never let on to Kakashi that they were doing extra training outside of what he kept them at. After their daylong taijutsu practice they studied various techniques, which Naruto loved, and learned as much as they could about surrounding nations and famous ninjas and their clans, which Sakura insisted was important.

Sasuke and Sakura could now hold up their 'normal appearance' henge without strain. The first week of training with Kakashi the two had to actually stay in their normal clothes in case they failed, and Sakura had been ecstatic when she figured out a way to partially henge in order to just disguise her hair. It took Sasuke nine days before he was back in his 'new and improved' outfit, and Sakura was able to keep up after two weeks.

Thanks to the tree-climbing exercise from Asuma, Naruto's control with jutsus was at the same level as Sasuke had when they first formed Team Seven. They practiced sticking to trees while sparring at least an hour every night after resting sufficiently from their regular day practice. It left each of the three exhausted, but a good night's rest helped them get through the next day. And everyday seemed to be getting easier and easier.

"Naruto! Stop picking on Tora-chan!" Sasuke held back a sigh as his thoughts were brought back to the present. During their most recent mission, they had actually practiced a useful ninja skill, but it hadn't been Kakashi's idea.

The Lady Fire's cat had run away once more and it was Team Seven's turn to get it back. It seemed this happened fairly often and the Hokage had given specific orders to use electronic communication devises and a standard surround and capture formation to find the cat, Tora-chan. He claimed it was good practice to used advanced skills during a simple mission. Sasuke wondered why Kakashi could listen to the Hokage but ignore his own team when they used almost the same words.

"I'm not picking on the damn cat! I'm only defending myself from the stupid fur-ball!" Unfortunately now that they had the cat, it was giving Sasuke flashbacks of Hogwarts third year and his two friends fights over Crookshanks. It seemed Sakura was still a cat lover while Naruto was still adamant about the evils of all felines.

They returned Tora-chan to the Lady Fire without any more difficulties than Naruto gaining a few more lumps on his head thanks to Sakura. As Sasuke watched the cat being squeezed to death by a 'hug', he realized why so many teams were sent out to look for the cat.

As usual they went to the Hokage to find out when their next mission would be. Sometimes they would receive nothing and have to wait for Kakashi to report their next mission, while other times they would find out what their next mission was only to discover it was a few days to a week away. Today seemed to be one of the later.

"Team Seven. Your next mission will be babysitting—" The Hokage never got to finish his sentence. Sasuke watched in quiet amusement as Naruto decided to speak up about their low point of view on their mission assignments.

"Hell no! Give us another old man Hokage! We have to deal with this bastard's tardiness every damn day only to be told to go on a stupid mission or have to spar against each other all day long because out teacher happens to be too lazy to actually teach. If it weren't for Sasuke helping Sakura and I out we wouldn't have learned a damn thing, and Sasuke only learns when he finds a new scroll and spends hours picking the instructions apart. Even then we don't know if he gets it right!

"We're not the same little brats you pat on the head and give a cookie to for being good! I'm not the same prankster you knew! Give us a mission worthy of our time!" Naruto plopped down onto the floor and crossed his arms over his chest, a blatant sign that he wasn't moving until the Hokage gave them a different mission. It was rather difficult not to laugh at the various expressions around the room. Several Chuunins were glaring at the blonde and Sasuke controlled his mirth by making sure each Chuunin felt his own glare in return. None seemed to be able to look him in the eye for more than a few seconds.

Iruka, who was sitting next to the Hokage, looked like he was going to have a heart attack. Kakashi was scratching his head in embarrassment. But the Third was only giving Naruto an intense look, as if trying to find out if the blonde was lying or not. The old man looked at Sakura and Sasuke as well, and Sasuke tried to convey with his eyes that their team was ready for whatever the Hokage gave them.

Iruka started in on a lecture of the different levels for ninja missions and why Genin were given the low ranked missions, but Sasuke didn't pay any attention. The trio all ready knew this information. Instead he watched the silent communication between the Hokage and Naruto. Sasuke had gotten to know the old man better since Naruto had moved in with him. After a week Naruto had gotten around to informing the Hokage about his new living arrangement. Sasuke had been visited by the Third on several occasions before the old man had been assured that the two boys were actually friends.

"Okay Naruto. I'll give you one C-rank mission." Iruka's explanation was cut short as the Hokage made his announcement. All the adults save Kakashi looked at the Hokage in surprise or shock. Kakashi just looked resigned.

"Thanks old man! What is it?" Naruto was still loud, but Sakura and Sasuke had been able to calm the blonde down a bit in the last month. When the Hokage called for someone to come in, the trio looked at the door the clients were admitted from, only to see a rather large drunk man leaning against the doorframe.

"Huh? They all look like brats to me - especially the super shrimp with the silly-looking face. Are you really a ninja? Eh?" Their first impression of their client was not the best. Naruto looked ready to jump the man until Sasuke placed a calming hand on his shoulder. The blonde took a few deep breaths and gave a small smile of thanks.

"Don't you know that good things come in small packages? I thought our elders were suppose to remind us about things like that, not the other way around." Sakura's indignant response brought a large grin to Naruto's face and Sasuke mentally thanked his female teammate.

"Now, now. We need to be polite to our client." Kakashi's lazy comment was met with three glares. Their teacher chuckled weakly until the three children had turned back to the client.

"I am the super expert bridge builder Tazuna! I expect you to give super protection as I travel to my home country and build my bridge!" Sasuke had to restrain a snort at their client's demeanor. It was clear from the flushed cheeks and large sake jug the man held that Tazuna was at least slightly drunk.

Kakashi gave the trio instructions to pack and meet at the east gate in an hour. Then their Jounin teacher disappeared before they could gain more detail. 'Typical,' Sasuke thought as he turned to their drunken client. With his usual neutral tone he quizzed the bridge-builder on where they were going, how long it would take, what weather conditions could be expected and what kind of opposition they could expect. Sakura and Naruto stayed silent through the interrogation.

The only thing Tazuna had not explained in enough detail to satisfy Sasuke was about what kind of opponents Team Seven may have to face. The bridge-builder had given a rather vague answer about bandits and dodged further questions with the excuse he needed to get ready as well. The Hokage and Iruka were the only ones still paying attention to the trio as they made their plans.

A quick huddle later and it was agreed that for a three day journey they would need tents, especially with the dew and mist that was common for Wave Country. They would take two, as one of the three would have to be on watch at all times. Naruto and Sasuke would haul them to save Sakura some weight, but all three would carry the necessary food supplies, and make sure they had enough for Tazuna and Kakashi. Neither adult seemed trustworthy enough to have sufficient supplies and would probably complain if the children's supplies were better.

They needed efficient traps that would take the least amount of tools to actually carry. Naruto was given charge of that. Sakura would gather any current information about the area they were entering to insure Tazuna's information was accurate, and to see if there were any threats they could detect on their own.

Sasuke would gather the actual food supplies before the three met up at the Uchiha compound in forty minutes. They would distribute the packs and Sakura could inform them on the need for additional supplies then. Sasuke made sure Sakura knew to dress and pack in grays and muted blacks before the trio split up.

Naruto and Sasuke were still discussing traps and food supplies as they made their way out of the mission headquarters. Sasuke was pleased to note the dumbstruck look on Iruka's face and the proud smile the Hokage gave him as they left. It seemed the Hokage was happy with his decision to give them a C-rank mission. And maybe Iruka would stop lecturing them, or more specifically – Naruto – every time they met.

-Scene Break-

Sakura was worried about the information she had gathered about their current mission. It seemed fine on the surface but there were much darker themes attached to the information. The local newspapers of Wave Country reminded her of the Daily Prophet where the only truth printed was what Fudge wanted, and that wasn't much. There were many reports about the Gatou shipping company and how well it was doing, but there was little else to report about the economy of the small country.

She didn't like how the crime levels and number of bandit attacks seemed to come and go at odd intervals. They weren't timed to weather or holidays and there were no trade fairs to speak of that would warrant a temporary bandit increase. The best she could stipulate was the corollaries to announcements of another Gatou success and the sudden drops in banditry. That would mean that this Gatou had something to do with the situation.

'If that's true then this will be a harder mission than a simple escort,' Sakura thought to herself. She made a quick turn on the street for her house and stopped as she spotted Ino talking to her mother. 'Oh no. This isn't a good time.' Sakura only had twenty-five minutes to get her clothes, go over to the Uchiha estates, have everything packed and arrive at the east gates with her teammates.

Before she could consider turning around and sneaking through the back, her mother caught sight of her and called out. Ino spotter her in quick time and her pleasant face faded into an irritated one. 'I guess not spending as much time with her since becoming Genin has her a bit upset.'

Sakura decided to face the music and hopefully Ino would understand the timetable she was under. She dashed up to the front door and quickly told her mother that she had another mission that would require her to travel to Wave Country. She would be gone for up to two months. Ignoring Ino's shocked look, she made sure her mother understood and then dragged Ino up to her bedroom so they could talk while she grabbed her things.

"Sakura! What is this? We get to be Genin, we become official rivals for a single day, go back to being friends and then you practically ignore me for almost three months! And now you're going to Wave Country for up to two? What's going on?" Ino was yelling by that time she finished and Sakura took a moment from packing to look Ino in the eye. She could see real hurt there and that made the younger girl very sorry. She decided the boys would forgive her if she let Ino know a few things – under an oath of secrecy of course.

"Ino… If I tell you a few things, will you promise not to tell anyone – not even your teammates? At least until I talk to mine about it, okay?" Ino looked at her strangely before giving her a nod. "Okay… first of all let me drop my henge." Ino looked at her in confusion before the blonde's face changed into shock when she saw Sakura's true appearance.

The younger girl was still dressed in a muted forest green, but sleeveless rather than the long-sleeved shirt she had started with. Her brown pants had changed into a pair of dark grey shorts.

Her hair was still a dark strawberry-blonde color but she had cut it short at Sasuke and Naruto's suggestion. As a ninja, having long hair was just asking for it to be used against you. Besides, in this life Sakura had only grown her hair out since Sasuke supposedly liked it long. According to her teammate, he actually didn't care one way or another. Hair was hair to him.

Her muscles were slightly more built, and her skin had started to tan. She was still Sakura but compared to the 'regular' her it was probably a bit of a difference. It took a moment to take in the change, but Sakura could tell the moment Ino had rational thought back. Before her friend could launch into another tirade, Sakura started to explain.

"I realized that the only reason I was becoming a ninja was to become closer to Sasuke. Remember that dream I had before the Genin Orientation. It was rather… disturbing and made me realize that if I wanted to be a ninja, I better do it because I want to be. I decided that I did and then made the choice to be a good ninja. Sasuke and Naruto have been helping me getting into shape and learning taijutsu.

"All three of us have changed a bit since we started, but we keep a henge on to keep people from noticing. It also helps increase our chakra supply. I could only hold henge for a few hours before becoming completely exhausted when we started. Now I can do it all day without breaking a sweat. I can even maintain the jutsu in my sleep if needed.

"The henge also lets others think we have bright colored clothing on, but when it comes time to hide we can drop the henge and blend better into our surroundings. It also helps that whoever is looking for us is looking for someone with bright clothes and light hair." Sakura smiled at Ino and waited for the questions.

"What did you do to your beautiful hair!?" Sakura forced the smile to stay on her face at the unexpected first question. 'Does that mean it doesn't look nice right now? I know it's different but, geeze.'

"I cut it for one. As a ninja, long hair can be used against you. Just one grab and it can mess up your rhythm or balance in a fight. It can also be used like a chokehold. I really didn't like the thought of ripping my own hair out if someone had a hold on it, just to be able to get away. They could still do it now I guess, but they'd have to be closer to grab it.

"As for the color, Sasuke has this dye that darkens your natural hair color. You knew I highlighted my hair to get that light pink shade. But by doing so I was painting a target on my head screaming, 'I'm over here – hit me!' As well as darkening it, the dye dulls your hair to keep the sun from reflecting off of it. It's the same concept that makes us darken our blades to keep them from shining to betray your position." Ino seemed flabbergasted from Sakura's explanation and Sakura return to her packing as her friend thought of another question.

"So you dyed your hair because Sasuke-kun told you? I thought you were over him?" Ino sounded a bit betrayed and Sakura quickly spoke to reassure her.

"No. Sasuke suggested it and Naruto and I debated it with him and his argument won us over. I was kind of sad when I first saw it, but I've grown to like it. I think it makes me look a little older." She gave her friend a small smile over her shoulder before changing her shirt to a short-sleeve light gray one. "I've never told you a deliberate lie Ino. When I said I don't like Sasuke like that, I meant it. He seems more like an older brother than anything else now."

Ino didn't ask any more questions until Sakura finished packing. When the green-eyed girl looked at older friend she was surprised to see Ino getting teary-eyed. She panicked for a moment before Ino jumped forward and gave her a hug. Completely confused now, Sakura could only return it and wait for an explanation.

"You're hair does make you look older, Sakura. But it's not just your hair. You've grown. I wondered if I was always going to have to be looking out for you, but I'm glad your learning to take care of yourself… and that you have a big brother that can watch out for you too. I'm just sorry you don't need me anymore." Sakura blinked for a moment as she took in Ino's declaration. A big smile crept up on her as she tightened her friend's hug.

"I'll always need you Ino. But you're right – I can look out for myself now. And I don't just have one big brother; I've got two. Naruto can be annoying sometimes, but his heart is in the right place, and he's almost as good as Sasuke when fighting… He just needs to learn to think a bit more before acting.

"But you were my first friend, and I'm sorry I've been ignoring you this past month. You've always been there for me and you've helped me so much. When I get back I promise we'll hang out some more. Sasuke and Naruto aren't the best people to talk to about fashion and boys. And while I don't like Sasuke like that anymore… I do need to find someone else." The two girls stepped back from one another and grinned. Sakura was sorry she had to end their reconciliation so soon.

"I really do have to go Ino. Kakashi only gave us an hour warning and it's almost up. But, while I'm gone… maybe you can look out for a few prospect boyfriends for me – deal?"

Ino laughed and gave the younger girl another quick hug. "Deal Forehead-girl. Just make sure you get back here in one piece or none of the boys will want anything to do with you!" Sakura gave Ino a squawk of protest and soon the two were bickering once more as the younger girl grabbed her pack. She quickly henged into her 'normal' form and the two friends made their way to the Uchiha estates.

-Scene Break-

Naruto was really looking forward to the escort mission, even if old man Tazuna was a right asshole. It would be his first time outside of Konoha's walls and he couldn't wait to set up the traps he had planned out. Any bandits after their client would have a major surprise.

Sakura had arrived a little late, but luckily the three packed quicker than expected. Sasuke had opted for ration bars and a low amount of food supply rather than carrying a lot of extra bulk they could do without. Even then they still need to pack three meals a day for Tazuna as non-ninjas usually disliked ration bars and as a client they couldn't upset him too much. Naruto would also need more than one meal a day in addition to the bars, as he seemed to have a higher metabolism. Sasuke planned to forage for some of their food. He had a rough idea of what was available and had counted on Sakura's information gather skills to smooth out the rest of the details.

'You can always count on Sakura. If it's written down she can find it,' Naruto thought to himself. Sure enough Sakura had a list of general plant and wildlife memorized as well as the predicted weather patterns. They started on their way to the east gate in plenty of time and Sakura used the trip to inform the boys of the political and economical information she had gathered. Or rather – not gathered.

Naruto didn't understand most of it but he got the gist of it. The Wave Country didn't have a lord like the Fire Country did. Instead it was a loose rule by a council made up of the heads of each village. The country was made up of a dozen or so fisherman villages and a few farming communities farther inland. There wasn't enough produced to feed everyone and but they sold fish to other countries in order to buy more farm food.

At least, that was how it was suppose to go. Naruto completely understood the fact the newspapers were printing lies. He seen enough of the Daily Prophet and 'Harry Potter reporting' that it didn't need to be explained to him. Sakura voiced her suspicions that Gatou, owner of the Gatou shipping company was behind most, if not all of the cover up. When Naruto wondered out loud what it had to do with their mission Sakura tried to explain it to him in simple terms.

Gatou used ships to move what the fishermen caught to other countries. He also transported people across the large river separating Wave country from Fire Country. No one else used ships and that made Gatou really rich. If Sakura was right, 'bandits' quickly killed anyone that tried to go against Gatou. She didn't need to explain that Gatou probably hired the so-called bandits.

"It still doesn't explain why we need to know about him. We're just taking old man Tazuna and watching him while he builds his bridge." Naruto was still confused. Gatou sounded like bad news and he wanted to do something about him, but couldn't figure out why Sakura was so concerned. Maybe it was like the SPEW thing and she just wanted to help out.

"Because. Tazuna is making a bridge. With a bridge people don't need ships." Sasuke still preferred to speak as little as possible unless necessary. He opened up a bit more when the three were inside the Uchiha estates, but whenever they ventured outside he seemed to put up an indifferent shield. He was still friendlier than before they became Genin, but Naruto's prediction of another sixth year was proving to be true. It would take a long while to get Sasuke to open up in public.

Then the meaning behind the Uchiha's short words sunk in. "Oh! Shit. That means we might be fighting bandits all the time, won't we?"

Sakura shook her head a little. "I doubt he'd send bandits more than once or twice. Once he finds out that Tazuna hired ninjas Gatou will hire one of his own, or several depending on how much of a threat he sees us as and how much he's willing to spend."

Naruto grimaced at that thought. If it was another Genin team he figured they could win, but if it was against another Jounin… Well, hopefully Kakashi wouldn't be a total irresponsible bastard on this mission. "So we'll need to keep our eyes pealed and our senses on high, right."

Sasuke nodded. "Right. If Gatou has a good information source he might already know Tazuna hired ninjas. That means we might not get a band of bandits first but go right to the hard stuff. Naruto and I can probably sense a Chuunin or below. Sakura, are you still having trouble when extending your senses for an extended amount of time?" The female member of Team Seven gave an embarrassed yes. "Then we'll keep you in reserve for when a fight breaks out. You can pinpoint anyone in hiding for us."

"Sakura should probably stay closest to Tazuna as we travel. She's gotten a lot better but would do better as backup or defense. I should probably be the first one to go in a fight with my heightened healing. If they surprise us with something lethal I'm the most likely one to survive. And Sasuke's always been the best fighter on the go. It'll give him a chance to see what we're up against before making any plans."

Sasuke gave only a slight nod in response. They were closing in on the gate and the trio didn't see Kakashi or the client anywhere. They leaned against the wall and waited in silence, Naruto fidgeting now and again.

He really hated waiting quietly, but Sasuke and Sakura had made it clear they would take drastic measures if he babbled at them like he did the first week. He shivered in remembrance. As scary as Sasuke's Snape-glare was, Sakura was worse when she was caught up in a rage. Besides, knowing there were two people that would be there for him whenever he needed them helped him keep the loneliness at by. He didn't feel the need to fill the silence lately, even if the urge was still there. But when the two absent from their party showed fifteen-minutes later Naruto was more than ready to leave.

-Scene Break-

Only a few hours out Sasuke spotted a large puddle in the middle of the road that emitted a chakra source. He exchanged glances with Naruto who confirmed his suspicions. With a quiet signal to Sakura the three watched careful for any signs of attack. Since Kakashi was ignoring it, they didn't go on the offense right away. While Kanton jutsus were the most commonly known in Fire Country, it didn't mean that a border guard couldn't be hiding with Suiton jutsu.

But just in case their teacher was being stupid again they didn't drop their guard. Sure enough - it was an attack. The two ninja quickly dispatched Kakashi, and even though Sasuke had noticed the kawamari he didn't count on their teacher to do much. They attacked Naruto next, but the blonde used kage bushin and was fighting their enemies three on one. Sasuke used an opening to toss a few kunai and trapped the two ninja's connecting chain to a nearby tree.

Naruto was able to knock one out in the split second that maneuver gave them. The second, however, released his chain and charged Tazuna. Sasuke intercepted him, but before he could fight Kakashi dashed in and knocked the ninja out with a single blow. Sasuke snorted to himself before looking to Sakura for confirmation that all enemies were accounted for. The girl may have trouble maintaining her senses on high, but when she did she could pick up more than the two boys. She nodded and the Uchiha-heir relaxed his fighting stance and settled for glaring at his Jounin instructor.

Their lazy teacher scratched the back of his head and told the two boys that they had done well before tying the two unconscious ninjas up to a nearby tree. They learned from Kakashi that these two were the infamous Demon Brothers and were known missing-nins of Chuunin level from Hidden Mist Village.

The Jounin apologized for not fighting sooner but he explained that he wanted to make sure their target was Tazuna before taking them out. Team Seven rolled their eyes - they hadn't expected their teacher to be helpful anyways.

Sasuke considered the attack a good thing, as the questions Tazuna had been avoiding were answered after the Demon Brother's attempt. It seemed Sakura was correct about the Gatou Company and that there was indeed a price on Tazuna's head. When Kakashi had suggested turning back as this was a much higher rank mission than C-class, the entire team had given him an irrevocable 'no'.

There were no other attacks that day and at dusk Kakashi gave the order to make camp. When their teacher had suggested a spot right next to the road Naruto had told him off for being an idiot. Anyone could spot them there. Sasuke had agreed and sent Sakura and Naruto out to scout for a campsite while he kept an eye on Tazuna.

When his blonde teammate had come back with a good position Sasuke gave a popinjay whistle to let Sakura know to return. Kakashi stayed silent as he read his book but the Uchiha heir had noticed the teacher giving them sidelong glances as Team Seven set up camp. Naruto set up the traps while Sasuke foraged for food. Tazuna had wanted a fire but Sakura talked him out of it by reciting various incidents of how the smoke and light of a fire had killed ninja teams in the past. She gave rather gruesome details.

Tazuna was the first to fall asleep and Kakashi told them they should head to bed as well. "Hn," Sasuke agreed. "Naruto, you take first watch. You still haven't learned to be alert right after waking up. I'll take second and Sakura will take third." Sasuke received nods from each of his teammates but their Jounin instructor stopped them from carrying out their plan.

"I don't think that's necessary. You three go to sleep and I'll keep watch. Don't worry about it." The trio glared at him.

"Kakashi. We are ninja – low ranked ones but still ninja. If you want to keep watch and loose that much sleep, please do. But we need to learn to do so as well." Sakura's voice sounded strained as she tried to be polite. Sasuke decided it was better she had spoken since the two boys wouldn't have been quite as nice.

"Ah. But I'm your teacher and I think you don't need to keep watch just yet. Go to bed guys."

"No." Their teacher seemed surprised at Sasuke's outright defiance.

"That was an order Sasuke." Before the dark-haired teen could respond, Naruto beat him to the punch.

"We don't care! You give stupid orders. How many times do we have to tell you? We're ninja. If we were at war right now we'd probably be dead ninja. If Sakura weren't so damn good at research we'd be stupid ninja. If Sasuke didn't have extra training as a kid we'd be weak ninja. How the hell are we suppose to be good ninja with an idiot for a teacher!?" Sasuke decided to cut Naruto off before his comments would do more harm than good.

"We don't care if you're lazy, irresponsible, a pervert or all three. We don't care if we have to train ourselves. We've been doing it all our lives in one way or another. We don't care if we can't trust what you say as you've never given us a reason to. We can over come that by working with each other. But not being able to trust a comrade while in the safety of the village is one thing. Not being able to trust you while in enemy territory is another.

"That's why we won't stand down tonight. We don't trust you to keep watch. You might protect Tazuna – it's your job. But you've never given any indication you care what happens to us. If you did you'd have been preparing us for tough missions like this. We'll count on ourselves and hope we don't run into any enemy Jounins. They're the only enemy we know for certain that we can't handle alone. And we can't count on you to be there to back us up." Sasuke kept his voice neutral and even.

Kakashi seemed rather shocked by what they said but when he was about to respond Sakura added her two bits in. "Don't even try to rationalize your behavior to us. We don't want to hear it. We won't believe it. We've had enough lame excuses and empty reassurances. Think about what we said and show us that we can trust you if you want our opinion to change."

The trio had left their instructor alone and went about their watch schedule. Since that night Kakashi hadn't spoken much to them save the small amount of orders he had to give. They were all reasonable and none of Team Seven gave any indication to Tazuna that there had been a rift between teacher and students.

Nothing else occurred until the last day of traveling. The five had crossed the river in a small fishing boat only twenty minutes ago. They had nearly a half hour left to walk. Naruto was annoying 'old man Tazuna' as had been his habit since the Demon Brother incident. It seemed the blonde had taken offense to Tazuna hiding information from them, even though Sakura had found it out before they left Konoha.

Currently, Naruto was boasting about how good he could aim his kunai and proceeded to demonstrate when Tazuna made a show of disbelieve. Sasuke shook his head when they heard the death cry of a rabbit. Naruto had proven his point, but such a noise was sure to attract unwanted attention. Still, at least they'd been in a house where they could cook tonight. The Uchiha heir had missed fresh meat. Jerky didn't taste nearly as good after three days.

Being the closest, he had started over to collect his teammates kill, but stopped when he caught sight of it. 'A white snowshoe rabbit when they should be brown this time of year...' Sasuke hadn't even finished the thought before he was calling out to Sakura, "Head count!" It was a command that an enemy would have to take a moment to understand but was quick to use. Yet, Sakura didn't have time to obey as Kakashi shouted his own command.

"Down!" To their credit, Team Seven didn't even hesitate. Naruto pulled Tazuna down with him and they hit the ground just in time to feel something heavy and sharp cut across the air above them. It was a sword, a zanbatou, and it had slammed into a tree with enough force to cut almost halfway through it.

"North-North-East, one! South-south-west, one! Jounin!" That was Sakura's delayed head count, but it let Sasuke quickly locate their opponents. One looked like he had been the one that threw the sword: a tall muscular man with no eyebrows and bandages wrapped around his lower face, similar to Kakashi's mask. He tried to find the second Sakura had sensed, but saw nothing in the area.

Naruto threw a handful of shuriken to flush out the second enemy but nothing stirred. Sakura shook her head when they turned to her, indicating that whoever had been there was now hidden enough to escape her senses.

Sasuke gave a quiet hand signal to tell her to continue searching and she nodded in acknowledgement. Tazuna had risen to his feet and she moved closer to his side, a kunai held loosely in one hand while the other hovered over her thigh utility-pack to maximize her options of defense.

The tall man had taken the opportunity to retrieve his sword. It flew into his hand, seemingly by itself. Sasuke hadn't felt any stirring of magical energy but the only way he could have figured to do that was to use a wand-less spell. He wondered how ninjas could summon objects using chakra instead of magic and made a mental note to research it when they returned to Konoha.

When Kakashi moved forward to confront the tall man, the boys moved into loose flanking positions around their client. They waited to see what their teacher would do before acting. It came as no surprise when Kakashi called out to their opponent by name. If the Jounin had known who the Demon Brothers were, he probably knew who the two Chuunins would likely work with. Sasuke just wished their teacher had shared that information with his team.

When Kakashi raised his forehead protector to use his sharingan, Sasuke felt his heartbeat increase. He would finally be able to see his bloodline in action. It was too much to hope that Kakashi would help him activate his own, but he welcomed the chance to actually witness what the sharingan could do in combat. All he had ever done was read about it and catch a few glimpses of his brother training with it.

Zabuza had thickened the fog surrounding the team and Sasuke and Naruto started to move in closer to Tazuna even as Kakashi gave them the order to protect their client. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the needless order and tried to pay attention to his surroundings.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Naruto signal that he had semi-transformed. The trio had discovered that Naruto could stay in a partial animagus transformed state without any harm. The benefits were heightened sense of smell, hearing and sight. It even seemed to give the blonde a boost at sensing opponent's chakra. And by using a henge all the time the physical aspects were well hidden.

Sasuke started to watch the blonde more than his surroundings. Chances were Naruto would catch sight of Zabuza before the Uchiha could. An immense feeling of oppression and terror distracted him for a moment. It reminded him of how if felt to face down a Death Eater or Voldemort himself for the first time.

They had learned from Dumbledore that wizards could expand their magical aura around themselves and project feelings of hate and fear. While courage was helpful to combat the effects, the best way to dispel the feeling was to surround yourself with your own magic aura. Experienced Aurors did so twenty-four/seven to avoid loosing the split second it took to dispel an enemy's energy. The side benefit of the Auror radiating a sense of authority and power helped when dealing with civilians.

The trio had quickly learned to do so as well. It was how Sasuke had first discovered his slight skill in wand-less magic; a skill the trio had never told anyone about. According to Sakura no one had ever been able to wield magic without a wand. It had been his trump card against Voldemort.

'This must be the same technique but using chakra instead,' Sasuke thought. He wasn't sure how to surround himself with chakra like he did with magic. As he was currently surrounded by a small amount of chakra due to his henge, he decided to pour more chakra into the jutsu to try and block the killing intent he felt. It worked well. He hoped Sakura and Naruto had as little trouble dealing with it as he did.

Movement from Naruto warned Sasuke a split second before the enemy attacked. The blonde had knocked Sakura and Tazuna down once more and Sasuke followed his teammate's example. He was still falling to the ground when Zabuza appeared in the small space between Sasuke and Tazuna. The large zanbatou was leveled with what would have been Tazuna's mid-section. Silently thanking his teammate's senses he threw a kunai at Zabuza's back.

The man dodged it but before the enemy could make another offensive strike Kakashi was behind him. Sasuke watched as first Zabuza turned out to be a Mizu-bushin and then Kakashi as well. After the first two it didn't surprise him that the second Zabuza was also a Mizu-bushin. The trio reformed their defensive positions around the bridge builder as the two Jounin fought.

"Any sign of the second Jounin?" Sasuke quietly asked Sakura while the Genin were being ignored. Sakura shook her head slightly, never taking her eyes off the surrounding woods. Sasuke nodded to Naruto and the three could hear slight 'puffs' of air as the shuriken Naruto had thrown earlier transformed into Naruto-bushins.

With the second problem being taken care of as much as they could, Sasuke turned his full attention back to the two Jounin – just in time to see Kakashi get captured. The famous 'Copy-cat Ninja' looked surprised and then turned horrified eyes towards Sasuke. The dark-haired boy decided that Kakashi really hadn't meant to be captured, but it didn't help them now. Zabuza created a Mizu-bushin with a one-handed seal that surprised the Uchiha heir, but shoving the fact to the back of his mind Sasuke tried to analyze the situation.

"Naruto?"

"No good. Whoever's hiding has picked off three clones using senbon. The other two are still looking but can't see anything. Either it's an ally of Zabuza's or just a nosy ninja that wants to watch the fight. I'm guessing number one. Our luck doesn't work out well enough to be number two."

"Any ideas Sakura?"

"Wand-less shield around Tazuna while we try to break the prison jutsu to free Kakashi. Even if we defeat this guy we have to worry about the unknown Jounin. Best to have our Jounin available."

"I have an idea," Naruto piped up, loud enough for the enemy to hear.

"Wearing forehead protectors and acting like real ninjas… But you know what? A real ninja is someone who has survived numerous brushes with death. Basically, once you're good enough to be listed in my handbook then you can start calling yourself a ninja. Guys like you-" Kakashi didn't allow Zabuza to finish his lecture.

"Sasuke! Take Tazuna and run away! You have no chance against him! As long as he's keeping me trapped in this water prison, he can't move! The Mizu-bushin shouldn't be able to go very far from his real body. Just run away now!" The dark-haired boy snorted at the order. Even if they could escape the Mizu-bushin, there was still another Jounin to worry about. He watched Naruto dig into his pack and take out a shadow shuriken. Sasuke smiled in understanding.

"So everything you've told us really was a lie? We knew you were a lazy bastard Kakashi, but we didn't think you were a total idiot. What was all that crap about ninjas disobeying the rules were trash, but abandoning a teammate made you worse than trash? Bloody hell, but you're a messed up Jounin!" Naruto's comment was a bit more colorful than Sasuke liked, but it echoed his own thoughts.

Before either Jounin could comment, Sasuke grabbed the shadow shuriken from his teammate and dashed forward slightly before throwing. The Mizu-bushin laughed as the shuriken passed him by without it even having to dodge. Even when the shuriken's true target was revealed to be the real Zabuza, the Devil of the Mist only laughed harder as he caught the weapon.

His laughter was cut off as another shuriken flew out of the shadow of the first. But after Zabuza's initial surprise the missing-nin only jumped over the shuriken as it made a low pass. The Devil started to smirk at the Genins when a soft puff was heard behind him. Sasuke watched in amusement as the second shuriken transformed into a Naruto-bushin that threw a kunai at their opponent's head. The Jounin had a split second to turn, see the attack and dodge out of the way.

Of course, this was a Jounin and Zabuza was able to accomplish it with only a slight scratch on his cheek for his troubles. The self-proclaimed devil spun around, a mad glint in his eye. He went to throw the shadow shuriken he still had at the Naruto-bushin only to have the blonde disappear in a cloud of smoke. When the enemy spun around to face the trio again, he was met with the angry face of Kakashi.

"I'll tell you now that I don't fall for the same jutsu twice. What will you do?" The two opponents stared at one another before Zabuza made the first move and threw the shadow shuriken at their instructor. The fight was renewed.

Sasuke kept one eye on the two Jounin, noting the imitation ability the sharingan seemed to have. Nothing he had read indicated this ability, but not everything was written down. The second eye was on his teammates. He had raised the wand-less shield as Sakura had suggested, but it was made for curses and hexes more than physical projectiles. It would block an initial attack, but wouldn't be very useful for more than that unless he put a lot more energy into it.

"My last two bushins have been destroyed. They never caught a glimpse of the attacker. Do you sense anything Sakura?"

"Nothing. The amount of chakra Kakashi and Zabuza are gathering isn't helping." She paused as if she was going to add something more before her eyes widened. "Jump!" There was no hesitation. Naruto and Sasuke each grab one of Tazuna's arms and jumped into a nearby tree branch large enough to support them. Sakura was standing on another branch nearby.

Sakura's warning was just in time. They watched the huge wave of chakra powered water slam into Zabuza and flood the surrounding area. In hindsight Team Seven wouldn't have been harmed if they had stayed in the previous position, but they would have been very wet.

As they watched Zabuza slam into a tree several meters away, Sasuke asked Naruto to check out the situation. With a quick hand seal Naruto had another kage bushin to command, this one with the slight fox-like characteristics and camouflaged clothes Naruto would have displayed if he hadn't currently been under henge. Naruto had the bushin henge as well before sending it over towards Kakashi.

The Naruto-bushin had barely started off when Sakura gasped. "Second Jounin. In the tree – 10 o'clock."

Kakashi was currently crouched on the branch above Zabuza and Sasuke didn't know if the Jounin had sensed their second opponent. Straining from the distance and lack of recent use, the Uchiha heir placed the strongest wand-less barrier he could around their teacher. Sweat poured down his brow as he held the semi-transparent shield together.

The blue shimmer of the shield must have caught Kakashi's attention for he cocked his head to his right in study. Then he must have caught sight of the second Jounin for he turned fully to face the second figure just in time to have two senbon thrown his way. Time seemed to crawl as Sasuke watched two senbons fly towards their teacher's position. As they pierced the neck of Zabuza Sasuke gave a mental sigh of relief but did not drop the barrier.

He growled under his breath as Kakashi jumped down from his position to check Zabuza's pulse and forcefully pulled the barrier after his thoughtless teacher. Naruto relayed their instructor's comment that Zabuza was dead along with the now identified hunter-nin's response.

Sasuke still felt that something was off in the situation and kept the barrier between the hunter-nin and Kakashi. He hoped something would happen soon as his vision started to tunnel in on his teacher. If he didn't drop the barrier in the next few minutes he'd pass out from exhaustion.

Luckily the hunter-nin chose that time to pick up Zabuza and disappear. Sakura made the comment that she felt him move off to the south before loosing him and Sasuke let himself release the barrier.

He realized he was kneeling on the tree branch and Naruto had draped Sasuke's arm around his neck to steady the dark-haired teen. The Uchiha didn't have the energy to protest. Naruto's bushin came back and took the real Naruto's spot as Sasuke's crutch and the dark-haired boy grunted in thanks before glaring at his friend when the bushin picked him up and started jumping towards their instructor.

It wasn't a long trip and when they arrived Sasuke glared at his teacher and dared the man to say anything. Wisely Kakashi didn't mention the bushin that was setting him down. When the boy tried to step away on his own, his knees collapsed under him and only a quick save by the Naruto-bushin kept him from falling flat on his face. Kakashi looked at him in concern but didn't make a move towards him.

Naruto had made a second clone and the two landed with Tazuna between them. Sakura was right behind scanning the Southern tree line for any threats. "You three did an excellent job, but our mission isn't over yet. We have to get Tazuna-san back to his home." The cheerful tone of voice grated on Sasuke's nerves but before he could complain Kakashi started off in the direction that had been traveling before this all began.

The Jounin teacher didn't take more than two steps before he collapsed. Thinking the worse Sasuke leapt forward to catch his teacher, forgetting about his own exhaustion. He was able to break the larger man's fall, but it left him trapped beneath his teacher. Naruto, or one of his clones, helped him out from under the Jounin and Sakura checked on their teacher.

"It wasn't an attack, at least that I could see. I think he collapsed from exhaustion, like you're going to if you don't stop jumping about." She was in mother-hen mode and could rival Madame Pomfrey if not obeyed immediately. Sasuke sighed aloud and shook his head.

"I'll behave. We should move out now just in case. I still feel like I'm missing something but I can't think straight." The dark-haired teen didn't get to continue before Sakura interrupted.

"Don't think. That barrier not only tasked your power reserve but you mental facilities as well. You need to rest you mind as well as you body to regain you strength."

"I can't-" His protest was cut off by his other teammate.

"Don't worry Sasuke. We've got it covered for now. Even when I couldn't see that hunter-nin I could still smell him. I just couldn't figure out where he was. His scent is gone and I'll make sure to keep a look out for it. My kage bushin is going to carry you the rest of the way whether you like it or not, so I suggest you shut up before we have to knock you out." Naruto had a huge fox-grin on his face, but Sasuke knew he was completely serious.

He nodded in compliance before being picked up by the same kage-bushin that had carried him down from the tree… at least he thought it was. Naruto conjured up a third bushin and had him help the second bushin with the unconscious Jounin instructor. Tazuna hadn't said a word during the whole fight and Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at the man when he caught his gaze.

"Are you all right Tazuna-san?" Sakura and Naruto had been discussing strategies, but fell silent at Sasuke's quiet question. Tazuna seemed taken aback before regaining composure.

He gave a loud cough and loudly proclaimed, "Why of course I am! You brats did a super good job of protecting the super great bridge builder of Wave Country." He lowered his voice a little before continuing. "Next time, just do a quicker job of it. I'm not paying you to slouch off!" Sasuke would have killed the man if he had any energy until he noticed the old man winking at him before turning to an irate Naruto.

Tazuna and the blonde started arguing back and forth about respecting elders and being nice to the 'damn ninja that save your worthless ass.' Sakura just shook her head before smacking Naruto upside the head. A quick heated discussion between teammates later and Naruto was back to arguing with the bridge builder as the team started on the way again. Sasuke tried to stay alert and watch for danger despite his teammates threats, but ended up drifting off to the sound of playful banter between an old man and a young Genin accompanied by Sakura's soft laughter.