Alrighty, to get started I just wanted to say I'm so sorry I haven't updated this story in so long and I will work on that I promise.
Important: I've done some editing, last chapter had several scenes that will be important to understand this chapter!
With all the information that has been released since I last updated everything has become very AU. This story is cannonish only to the end of the Chuunin exams, after that I'll incorporate what we know as we go if it gets incorporated at all.
Iruka, in my story, is more a father figure as he was introduced to the kids as Anko's boyfriend rather than their sensei
Also, the Genin Teams are as follows
Team 10 under Asuma: Shikamaru, Choji, Ino
Team 8 under Kurenai: Sakura, Kiba, Shino
Team 9 under Gai: Neji, Tenten, Lee
Team 11 under Inoichi: Hinata, Temari, Gaara
And of course our beloved Team 7 under Kakashi: Yugito, Sasuke, Naruto. Team Seven is still called as such because the team that Kakashi originally failed was going to be Team Seven, but Yugito, Sasuke, and Naruto showed up and got shoved into that slot instead of being assigned a new number.
Also, the main Pairing is NaruYuHina, NarutoxYugito, NarutoxHinata, YugitoxHinata. I'm open to suggestions for any other pairings (gay, straight, or otherwise) and will do my best to insert them without having them detract from the story.
That being said, welcome back to I'm Sorry
Disclaimer: I own nothing
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At that particular moment the door opened and another team walked in.
"Team Inoichi here to report a successful mission." A blonde man with long spiky hair stated as he walked in followed by three very familiar people.
"Heya Gaara, Temari-chan, Hinata-chan." Sasuke greeted them warmly, Naruto and Yugito shifting slightly behind him, the greeting they'd received when they'd first gotten home fresh in their minds.
Flashback
Naruto opened the door to his clan compound slowly, peering into the penetrating darkness timidly, "Anko? Iruka? Mikoto-kaasan?" He called hesitantly.
Two snakes shot out of the darkness and wrapped themselves around Naruto, dragging him into the darkness. Sasuke, his mask down around his throat, looked over at Yugito, only to watch in horror as a whip wrapped itself around her and drug her in after her teammate.
"Sasuke-chan." A dangerously sweet voice called from the darkness, "Come in, and close the door behind you."
Sasuke considered his options for a moment before sighing and walking into the darkness, closing the door with a resounding 'Snick'.
The lights turned on, revealing Naruto and Yugito gagged and tied to two chairs, the makeshift family they had left behind gathered around them and glaring at Sasuke.
"A note?" Anko asked dangerously, "You three left us a note? 'Hey everyone, we're going to be gone for a few years training, we'll send updates, love you! -Naruto, Yugito, Sasuke'."
Naruto muffled something through his gag, but was ignored.
Sasuke gulped and searched for a suitable excuse, eyes roaming the assembled group as he did so.
Anko and Iruka had changed very little since they had left. Anko was wearing a tube top under her mesh, and Iruka was wearing a Jounin jacket rather than a Chuunin jacket. His mother was wearing typical Jounin gear and her headband, rather than the plain kimono she had worn when he was a young boy. He glanced at Gaara and Temari, who seemed the most passive but he could see the dangerous glint in their eyes that signified their anger and knew he'd receive no sympathy from them. Unknown to him they were wearing clothes identical to what they'd worn in the first timeline. Next to them Neji seemed somewhat amused by the whole spectacle, arms folded over a light grey jacket. Sasuke looked hopefully at Hinata, memories of a sweet timid girl laughing as Anko chased Naruto around the house with a kunai surfacing, but the girl before him was quite different.
Hinata was wearing a black tank top that clung to her body, her matching pants were baggy and covered in pockets, her blue black hair was cut short and she had a stern look on her face as she watched him, the whip that had grabbed Yugito was curled under one arm.
"It...it was Naruto's idea?" He answer cautiously.
His mother's stern glare and Naruto's muffled protest were his only reply.
"We were afraid you would stop us. This was very important to us and it has helped us become better shinobi as a result." Sasuke sighed.
"Sasuke," His mother slowly approached him and, much to his surprise, wrapped him in a very tight hug, "I'd just lost my husband, and my oldest son, then my youngest son up and disappears with his two friends, whom I also felt were my children! How do you think you made me feel? I didn't even get to watch you grow up!"
"Kaachan..." Sasuke mumbled helplessly, looking at the surrounding nins and his tied up friends guiltily.
"It really was important Mikoto-kaasan." Yugito said quietly from the ceiling, the tied clone disappearing with a scattering of shadows, "We wouldn't have left unless we really felt the need to."
"And we took time to write you very long letters letting you know we were okay." Sasuke added, lightly returning his mothers hug.
Mikoto sighed and led Sasuke off to talk.
"Yugito-chan." Hinata called up to the ceiling, "Before you left you promised to play a game with me." The whip wrapped around the blind kunoichi, who gulped loudly, and Hinata's voice took on a very Anko-like tone, "And now we're going to play."
Hinata drug Yugito off, leaving the still bound Naruto to Anko and Iruka, who frowned at the blonde boy.
Naruto cursed his friends and in his mind Kira laughed uproariously.
Flashback End
"Hello Sasuke, Naruto, Yugito." Temari smiled at them.
"Hokage-sama, my team has successfully completed all the missions assigned to them up to this point and I think I would like them to attempt a C-rank." The blonde man said formally.
"I'm sorry Inoichi-san, but I just assigned our last C-Rank to Kakashi-kun and his team...unless Kakashi would like to make this a joint mission?" The Sandaime turned a questioning eye on Kakashi.
Kakashi looked at his three students, then Inoichi and his three students, "Actually Hokage-sama I think that would be a great idea, it will teach my team to work with comrades in the field and would provide welcome backup incase of unwanted occurrences."
The Hokage nodded and looked at Inoichi, "Do you have any objections Inoichi-san?"
"Not at all Hokage-sama."
"Very Well." Sarutobi nodded and glanced at the bridge builder, "Do you have any objections Tazuna-san?
"None at all Hokage-sama." Tazuna bowed his head.
"What, no snarky remarks about Team Inoichi?" Yugito grumbled.
"They look like ninja, brat." Tazuna smirked at her.
"Meet at the front gates in two hours?" Kakashi asked Inoichi cheerfully, holding back his enraged Genin.
"Two hours and no later Kakashi." Inoichi told him with an indulgent smile before turning to his genin, "Two hours kids, pack essentials only. Hinata, Anko has signed off on your whip as a viable weapon, so you may bring it. Temari, Asuma has signed off on your fans as viable weapons, so you may bring them. Dismissed."
Temari, Gaara, and Hinata saluted Inoichi smartly before leaping out to window behind the Hokage.
Kakashi's nose wrinkled visibly from under his mask and he glanced at his team. "Why aren't you guys that respectful to me?" He asked plaintively.
"We dress kinda like you, and they say that mimicry is the ultimate complement, or something like that." Naruto offered.
"You dressed like that before you ever met me." Kakashi protested.
"Take it or leave it." Sasuke shrugged and turned to the door, "Come on Dobe, Hime, or we won't make it to the gate in time."
"We have two hours." Yugito pointed out.
"Two hours to pack, and them say good-bye to Kaasan, Anko, and Iruka." Sasuke corrected.
Yugito and Naruto paled and the three of them sprinted from the room, Sasuke maintaining his composure unlike his two terrified teammates.
Tazuna mumbled something under his breathe before retreating from the office with a bow to the Hokage and a hesitant glance at the two Jounin, leaving Sarutobi alone with Kakashi and Inoichi.
Inoichi leveled a Look at Kakashi who smiled at him, the action given away by his eye.
"Kakashi...what kind of game are you playing? Those three don't act like shinobi at all! They act like chidren playing a game!"
Kakashi's smile vanished and he became serious, "Inoichi, those three are some of the most serious genin I've ever seen." He held up a hand to ward off Inoichi's protests, "Yes, they may appear to act silly, unlike you're little soldiers, but they aren't just what you see."
Inoichi stared at Kakashi for a moment before sighing and offered a, "Look underneath the underneath, eh Hatake?"
Kakashi eye-smiled at him, "Always Yamanaka."
Sarutobi cleared his throat pointedly, "Gentlemen, you do have a mission in two hours. Perhaps you should be gathering supplies and making arrangements for anything that might be needing looked after?"
"Of course Hokage-sama." Both Jounin bowed, recognizing the dismissal for what it was and disappearing in a shunshin.
...
Eight genin stood at the main gates, six ready for their mission and two getting some last minute training details from their part-time sensei.
"No shirking you two." Yugito was finishing in her instructions, "I'll be able to tell when I get back if you haven't been following your training schedules."
"Hai Sensei." Ino and Sakura chanted, bowing their heads.
Yugito smiled proudly, the motion visible because her mask was currently around her neck, "I'm proud of you two, you've made a huge amount of progress in the time that I've been putting you through hell. When I get back, I do expect you to have mastered Water Walking, and we'll get to work on Kunai Balancing when I get back."
Sakura and Ino nodded and then departed, presumably to return to training.
Her 'students' gone, Yugito leaned against a wall and pulled out her braille Icha Icha and began running her fingers across the pages.
Nearby Naruto and Temari were talking quietly, the latter occasionally reaching down to stroke two hand fans that were sheathed in two special made holsters in her belt. Gaara and Hinata were also engaged in conversation with Sasuke occasionally interjecting.
"Minions!" Crowed a familiar voice and the genin turned as one to see Kakashi and Inoichi escorting Tazuna to them.
"They aren't your minions Kakashi." Inoichi said with a small amount of embarrassment.
"No, your Genin aren't my minions," Kakashi corrected, "Naru-chan, Yugi-chan, and Sasu-chan are most definitely minions."
Team Inoichi were giving him a strange look and Temari glanced at their counterparts, "This...feels like a conversation he's had before..." She remarked.
"Oh it is." Yugito assured her, carefully closing her Icha Icha and tucking it in a pouch.
"Kakashi-sensei petitioned the Hokage to have our team name changed to 'Team Kakashi and Minions.'" Naruto added.
"Hokage-sama said no, right?" Temari asked, frowning.
"Not yet." Sasuke grumbled, "He's letting it hang in limbo as counter blackmail."
"You have blackmail on Hokage-sama?" Inoichi asked, scandalized.
"Nothing damaging." Yugito assured him, "Just enough that he likes to keep the threat of us being called something ridiculous hanging in the balance to discourage us from attempting to use it."
"Ahem." Tazuna cleared his throat, causing the gathered ninja to remember he was there.
"Right." Kakashi nodded, suddenly all business, "Diamond formation around the client, Inoichi and I will take rear. Inoichi has briefed me on your specific forte's, so I've assigned you your spot as such. Hinata, Naruto, you are to take point. Hinata is a long range combat nin with a bloodline that let's her see 360 degrees and can channel chakra through her whip, Naruto. Naruto is a short ranged nin with a rare chakra type that he incorporates in his jutsu and he has a rare bloodline meant for information gathering."
Naruto and Hinata nodded to each other and moved around Tazuna into a point position.
"Temari and Sasuke, you take the right point. Temari is a Mid-to-Long range fighter specializing in wind techniques and her primary weapons are her fan, which she can use her chakra to hone to a cutting edge and enforce to be nearly unbreakable. Sasuke is a Mid-to-Short range fighter, his primary weapon is a katana that he enhances with his unique chakra type, he has the Sharingan Bloodline active."
Temari sized Sasuke up and he cocked an eyebrow at her before they took their spots to the right of Tazuna.
"Gaara and Yugito, you will take left point. Yugito is not allowed to engage in combat unless a fatality is necessary for reasons too lengthy to get into right now, she has training as a med-nin as well. Gaara is a defensive nin with an 'unbreakable' shield. Gaara, I'd ask that you restrain Yugito from combat if at all possible unless myself or Inoichi indicate otherwise."
Gaara nodded and took left point without comment, Inoichi and Tazuna were looking at Yugito in confusion, but Temari, Hinata, and Gaara had been briefed on Team Seven's skills because they lived together. In reality the breakdown of skills had been for Tazuna's benefit so he understood why he was safest in the center.
Without another word the ragtag band of Genin, Jounin, and one civilian made their way out of Konoha's gates and into the surrounding forest.
Before too long idle chatter broke out among the group.
"Yugito," Hinata called, not looking back at the girl because of her active bloodline, "What did you say to Neji the other day? He's been rather preoccupied with fate lately."
"I just gave him a breakdown of the nine bijuu the other day." Yugito replied, kicking a rock down the path.
"The nine bijuu?" Tazuna asked curiously.
"The nine bijuu are the demons the the first Hokage subdued and then distributed to the ninja villages of the elemental nations as a sign of good will." Inoichi reported calmly, eyes casually scanning the treetops as they walked.
"Kinda true," Yugito nodded, diverting from the path for half of a second to retrieve the rock she had been kicking, "The bijuu are in reality Gods with animal forms. Because most animals already have patron gods, most people assumed that the bijuu were demons."
"So what are they Gods of, if not the animals whose forms they take?" Inoichi asked curiously.
"Well, I don't know all of the bijuu by name, or what they are in control of, I've pretty familiar with three of them." Yugito remarked cheerily, "First, in order of least tails to most the Nibi no Nekomata, the two tailed hell cat, or Jashin God of Fate. Then there's Gobi no Ookami, the five tailed wolf, or Hitoshi God of Magma. Finally there's Akira, Goddess of Luck, better known at the Kyuubi no Kitsune."
"Goddess of Luck, huh? Doesn't seem that lucky if your Yondaime killed her." Tazuna remarked, taking a sip of his sake.
"Luck can be good or bad." Naruto called over his shoulder, "Which is important to remember."
"How did this lead to Neji's latest obsession with fate?" Hinata directed the topic back to her original question.
"He was asking how there can be a God of fate and what that specifically entails." Yugito shrugged, knowing Hinata would see it with her Byakugan, "I told him that, while most of our lives are left up to chance, there are major events in our lives which will never change."
"Isn't there a cult devoted to that Jashin fellow?" Tazuna interupted.
"They aren't as much a cult as a small following," Yugito rebuked, "but yes, there are a few worshipers of Jashin who could, in a roundabout vague way, be considered a cult. They are called Jashinists, and they believe that anyone who engages in a fight with them is destined to die, most specifically dying at the hands of the Jashinist who has been offended."
"Is there any truth to this belief?" Temari asked, peering over Tazuna at Yugito, who smirked forward.
"Supposedly any true Jashinist is immortal, so I'd say there's truth to it."
"Immortal?" Gaara asked curiously, "That seems like a large prize for true belief and the death of your opponents."
"To be a true Jashinist you must give up something of great value to you. Something a part of you that you can never get back." Sasuke said solemnly.
"Like what?" Temari scoffed.
"Like your humanity, your ability to reproduce, or your eyesight." Yugito told her blankly.
This statement evoked silence, broken only by the sound of a splash as Yugito tossed her rock into a puddle on the road.
"Hey Inoichi-sensei," Gaara drew his sensei's attention casually, ignoring the tense feeling in the air caused by Yugito's revelation, "When was the last time it rained?"
"It's been a few weeks." Inoichi started to say, but was interrupted by two chains springing out of the puddle and wrapping around himself and Kakashi. Before any of the Genin could do anything the chains tightened and tore the two jounin into pieces.
Two figures rose from the puddle Yugito had dropped her rock into and drew their chains back, preparing for another attack.
"Idiots!" Yelled Naruto, surprising Hinata, Temari, and Gaara by walking forward and bonking the two attacking nins heads together, "Did Zabuza-sensei teach you nothing? Did you not notice we were walking with them?"
"Aw, Naru-chan." Moaned the nin on the right, "What if you were a prisoner? We might have been trying to save you!"
"Meizu, why would we be prisoners if we were all wearing the same headband?" Sasuke sighed.
"It was Gozu's idea?" The now identified Meizu offered.
"Yeah, right idiot." Gozu smacked his brother in the back of the head.
"Ahem." Yugito cleared her throat delicately and pointed in the general direction of the trees, "Why don't our esteemed Jounin rejoin us before they have heart attacks over our casual approach to two missing nin?"
Inoichi and Kakashi jumped out from the trees, the latter looking appropriatly shocked and horrified at the blasé attitude of Kakashi's team, while the former had his nose buried in Icha Icha.
"Genin, how do you know these criminals?" Inoichi demanded.
"Mah, Inoichi, why don't you let me interrogate my team?" Kakashi chirped. He eye smiled at the bemused genin and missing nin, "Minions, why don't you introduce us to your friends?"
"Kakashi-sensei, these are Meizu and Gozu, the Demon Brothers of Kirigakure.." Yugito said respectfully, "We trained alongside them during our trip."
"Meizu, Gozu, these are Kakashi-sensei, Inoichi-sensei, Hinata-chan, Temari-chan, and Gaara. Kakashi-sensei is our official Konoha sensei and the others are our temporary teammates." Naruto filled in.
"Meizu-san, Gozu-san, may I ask why you are here?" Kakashi inquired respectfully.
"Kakashi! What are you doing? These are missing nin! Enemy missing nin!" Inoichi hissed.
"Inoichi, I have learned one thing from my students," Kakashi told his fellow jounin stoically, "The only things that are certain are the Laws of Physics, and depending on how much sugar my genin have consumed, even the Laws of Physics are not that certain."
Ignoring the aside Kakashi and Inoichi had done, Cozu stepped forward to answer Kakashi's original question.
"We were hired by Gato to kill the bridge builder, but seeing as the brats are here," He nodded to Team 7, "I've got the feeling that the boss isn't going to keep to that anymore."
"Tazuna-san, would you care to explain why a wealthy shipping magnate is sending missing nin after you?" Kakashi enquired pleasantly.
With a dramatic sigh Tazuna explained the situation in Wave, how Gato was destroying the people by cutting off all shipping routes, and raising taxes to unbearable prices.
Kakashi sighed and cast his eyes to the heavens
"Kakashi, I can't in good faith keep my team on this mission." Inoichi told the cyclops quietly.
Kakashi nodded, "That is... understandable Inoichi... I'm going to ask my team, and pending their decision we will return with you, or ask that you have the Hokage send reinforcements."
Inoichi nodded and with a handsign gathered Hinata, Gaara, and Temari back a bit.
"Yugito, Sasuke, Naruto," Kakashi addressed his students, "I feel like this mission is within your...scope of abilities, particularly if your friends," He nodded at Meizu and Gozu, "And their boss are willing to help us, but I leave the final decision about whether or not we continue up to you."
"I want to go on, sensei." Sasuke answered without hesitation.
"Me too." Yugito nodded.
Naruto smiled vaguely, memories of a past life flashing before his eyes, "Looks like we're carving on ahead."
Kakashi nodded and looked at the Demon Brothers.
"We've got to report back to the boss," Meizu said, "But once he learns the brats are here, he'll show up."
Kakashi nodded and looked back Inoichi, "We'll go on, tell the Hokage we might be working in tandem with some other nin."
"Will do Kakashi." Inoichi nodded.
As Team 11 started back toward Konoha, Termari looked at her teacher with a frown.
"Inoichi-sensei, if Team 7 is going on, why are we headed back?"
"Temari-chan, how many D-ranks do we do a week?" Inoichi asked without looking at her.
"One a week, for the past three months." Temari reported.
"And how many hours a day do we train?"
"Four. Three hours individual and one hour as a team."Temari replied, not quite understanding where this line of questioning was leading.
"Hinata-chan, when do your housemates on Team 7 leave in the morning?" Inoichi turned to his other female student.
"O-five-hundred hours." Hinata told his without a pause.
"Gaara-kun, when do your housemates on Team 7 return at night?"
"Eighteen-Hundred hours." Gaara replied.
"Team 7 does individual training from the moment they leave the house until noon. Then Kakashi shows up, they do a D-rank, and the rest of the time is spent in team training. Every. Day." Inoichi pointedly told Temari, "Only Kakashi and Hokage-sama himself know how strong those kids are."
Gaara frowned and glanced over his shoulder at the shrinking figures of his friends wondering just how strong they all were.
And more importantly, what were they so worried about that they felt that had to be that strong.
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Alright! And that's the end of this chapter!
Towards the end I realized I was setting this story up to be a Super!Naruto Super!Sasuke Super!Yugito.
Well, to be honest with you, I kind of meant to.
This isn't to say that they'll be able to defeat Orochimaru without any issue, or even any of the Akatsuki member.
In the Databook the Akatsuki members are scored in power from 31.5 to 35. I see Naruto, Yugito, and Sasuke as being about 28 at this moment in time. Kakashi is, I believe, 33 or 34.
In other news, this chapter was very hard to write, halfway through the chapter I realized I still wasn't 100% sure how I wanted to portray Hinata, Gaara, and Temari, and having to deal with that through the whole Wave Arc just wouldn't work for me, so I decided to have Inoichi do the responsible thing and get his team back to Konoha.
I know I said I'd have Neji in this chapter, and didnt, but I'll try to work him in next chapter, I swear!
Thank you for all your support, Please Review and let me know what you think.