A/N: I am really really sorry about the delay. However here's a double chapter special to make up for it!

Again, thank you Azaleatown for beta-ing this chapter.

Chapter 3

"This is our first mission?" Obito asked incredulously, "Are you joking, sensei?"

As usual, Minato smiled and with his seemingly eternal patience, replied, "Of course not Obito! A ninja must do their part for the community. After all, civilians live in Konoha too. This is a very serious mission."

"You're only saying that because someday you want a poor team of genin to be washing your face up here," Kakashi muttered dryly.

"But cleaning the Hokage monument!" Obito exclaimed as they stood on the scaffolding that was attached to the side of the mountain, with buckets of soapy water and sponges, "This is going to take us hours!"

"Ah, but that's where teamwork comes in," Minato grinned, "The more efficiently you work together, the quicker it will be done. Also…" He climbed up onto the scaffolding railing.

Rin smiled as Obito gaped at their sensei. It seemed that though Kakashi and Obito weren't keen on each other, they usually united against Minato-sensei.

She watched the jonin stand on the railing. Though sensei was perhaps a little strange he was extremely nice. Then, suddenly Rin's eyes widened as Minato leaped off the railing

"Ah, sensei!" Obito shouted next to her and he ran to the side.

"Idiot," Kakashi muttered and Rin bit her lip. Sensei was a jonin so he was obviously fine… Right? Minato's laughter suddenly rang out breaking her thoughts.

"Up here Obito!" He called. The students craned their necks upwards to see Minato sitting on the Third's nose.

Minato waved at his students while both Rin and Obito gaped at him. The jonin stood and began to walk down the Third's face until he neatly hopped back onto the scaffolding.

"I'm going to teach you some chakra exercises while we complete this mission," he told them, "Kakashi, you need to increase your chakra stamina, so I want you to teach Obito and Rin."

Kakashi gave Minato a rather disgruntled look, and then he sighed, "Okay." He agreed reluctantly. Minato grinned and thrust his hand forwards in front of his students.

"Mission start!" He said enthusiastically. They stared at his hand in silence.

"So uncool," Obito muttered, and for once, Kakashi agreed with him. Rin giggled at Minato's downcast face.

Kakashi then turned to Obito and Rin, ignoring their sensei.

"It's easy once you get the hang of it," he told Obito and Rin. "All you do if focus the chakra to your feet, and walk. It's best to take it at a run up on your first attempt."

I'll have to give it my best, Rin thought. Obito will obviously be better at this me… He is an Uchiha after all and they're renowned for their illusionary techniques… And I want to impress Kakashi…

Rin stared up at the Hokage monument that suddenly seemed impossibly high. She glanced at Obito who had clapped his hands together and closed his eyes. "Let's go!" Obito yelled and Rin watched as he charged towards the rock. The momentum propelled him forwards and his feet made contact with the rock. One step… two… three!

Then just as Rin thought he was there, his foot slipped and the chakra faded.

"Ah!" Obito cried as he fell back and onto the platform, rubbing his head furiously as he sat up.

"Keep going," Minato urged, his voice full of encouragement.

"Three steps…" Kakashi muttered, "To be expected, I guess…"

"I'll show you!" Obito said and he jumped up.

Obito's determination inspired Rin and she closed her eyes.

Focus the chakra to my feet…

Rin's eyes flew open and she ran towards the rock. She heard Obito give her a cheer as she sprinted onto the Third's chin.

I can do this! Rin thought, then suddenly, the memory of Obito falling filled her mind. Doubt caused her concentration to slip and her chakra faded.

Panic seized Rin and she let out a small scream as her feet lost contact with the rock and she began fall through the air.

Then… Rin blinked. She was suddenly in the arms of Minato-sensei. Gently he placed her on the ground with a smile. "You should have more confidence in yourself Rin," he told her. "Someone like you should be even better than Kakashi and Obito at this exercise."

Rin's shoulders sagged. She had failed. Even worse she had panicked. A bitter taste filled Rin's mouth.

Suddenly she felt a hand touch her shoulder and she looked up to see an impossibly bright smile. "Don't worry Rin," Obito grinned. "You'll get it next time. I know you will."

"It took me three days to master it," Kakashi offered slowly and Rin smiled.

"T-thank you," She whispered and she felt glad that she was part of Team 7.

"Three days?" Obito said to Kakashi. "I'm going to beat that!"

"Yeah right," Kakashi snorted.

"H-hey… Why don't we j-just work together?" Rin said and the two boys fell silent. She could almost feel Minato's smile radiating from behind her.

"You're right Rin," Obito said. "Good luck! And I'll race you to the top!"

Rin smiled back and a small part of her wished that she had spoken to Obito during their time at the academy. There was something about him that filled her with hope. Maybe it was the confidence he oozed or that bright smile of his. Like Rin, Obito too had been without any friends at the academy. She had never been one of the students who had laughed at Obito and tormented him for being a talentless Uchiha. Rin had always wished she had had the courage to stand up to them. Sometimes she loathed herself for how pathetic she could be.

Rin watched as Obito glared at the wall and he charged at the rock once more. This time he made five steps until the rock suddenly cracked beneath Obito's foot and he jumped down.

"Hehe… Sorry sensei," he grinned as he rubbed his hair sheepishly.

"That's why the exercise should be done on trees," Kakashi muttered. Minato laughed awkwardly as Kakashi's disapproving tone had reminded him of a certain someone.

Confidence, she told herself firmly and Rin closed her eyes as she held her hands together.

With renewed determination Rin flew at the monument. With her arms flying behind her she sprinted up the Third's chin, across the lips. Suddenly the stone cracked beneath her. Fighting to remain calm Rin skidded back and nimbly made her way down.

"See what a little confidence can do?" Minato said with his eyes twinkling as she made it back to the scaffolding.

"Ah sensei!" Obito cried suddenly and he pointed upwards. "Rin defaced the Hokage's face!"

"S-sorry sensei…" Rin said as she began to wonder whether it was a crime to vandalise the Hokage monument. What horrible punishments would they have in store for her? Would sensei be furious? Worries began to spin round and round inside Rin's mind.

Suddenly the sound of Obito's laughter cut through her fretting. Rin stared at him open mouthed and it soon dawned on her that Obito had been teasing her.

A small giggle bubbled out of her mouth and Rin held a hand over her mouth as more laughter started to escape. She looked at Kakashi who appeared slightly bemused by the whole thing. He shrugged and began to walk up the Third's face.

I wish I could make him laugh, Rin thought as she giggled with Obito.

Minato shrugged and said, "don't worry Rin."

"Right," Obito said after several minutes once they've recovered from their laughter.

Rin nodded, "good luck Obito."

This time… This time she was going to make it to the top. The first time had been too little chakra. The second too much. She needed to find the right balance.

Rin allowed her body to relax and once again she formed the chakra concentration pose. Her breathing became calm and her heartbeat slowed to a slow steady rhythm. Thoughts escaped her mind and all Rin concentrated on was the sun warming her skin and the breeze gently ruffling her hair.

With a deep breath Rin opened her eyes. A new internal peace had settled over her. She bunched her muscles together and ran up the rock, still thinking out the texture in the stone and the weather.

Up and up she ran, across the lip and up the bridge of the nose.

So close… The thought punctured her calm and her foot slipped.

Suddenly a hand fastened around hers and someone yanked her up to the top of the Hokage's head.

Rin blushed furiously. "K-Kakashi-kun," she stammered.

"You were almost there," Kakashi shrugged and he returned to constructing the pulley system he had been working on to hoist up buckets of water.

Rin felt slightly faint at the thought that Kakashi had actually touched her.

Attempting to clear her head, she turned around and gasped. Before her lay Konoha is all of its glory. A smile broke out across her face and she waved to Obito and sensei on the scaffolding below.

"Amazing Rin!" she heard Obito. "Rin mastered it in three tries! It took you three days Kakashi!"

Rin laughed awkwardly as she glanced at Kakashi. Kakashi seemed to have decided that answering Obito's taunt wasn't worth his time. He returned to fastening the ropes.

For a moment Rin found herself staring at his soft looking silver hair then she seized up the courage to say, "um… T-Thank you…"

Kakashi looked up at her with an expressionless look and nodded.

A slight feeling of disappointment filled Rin but she pushed away. One day… One day she will make Kakashi acknowledge her… For now however, she had to go and help Obito and sensei below.

There was a time when Kushina had thought Hatake Sakumo was immortal. There was something about her sensei that had oozed a sense of wonder within Kushina. Not just because of his skills in battle. After all, Orochimaru was an incredibly skilled fighter, but he would be the last person Kushina would admire.

No, Kushina had idolised Sakumo-sensei for a completely different reason. He was one of the first people to accept Kushina for who she was. She wasn't just some strange foreigner to him, or a monster for that matter. She was Uzumaki Kushina, a Konoha ninja who was proud of her Whirlpool roots. Though she had always found it difficult to be accepted by her other teammates, Sakumo had been there for her. He was the one who treated her to ramen and helped her master new techniques. Whenever Kushina had got mad with Minato, Sakumo was the one she went to.

Kushina had been present at her sensei's wedding, and she had babysat Kakashi. She had been practically part of the Hatake family.

Which is why it had broken Kushina's heart to see Kakashi so tormented. Ever since his father had died, Minato and Kushina had watched as Kakashi had slowly isolated himself from the world. Sometimes, even they found it difficult to get the boy to trust them.

In true, spectacular Konoha style, the sun had began to set, staining the sky a deep orangey red. Though, Kushina had always felt they were nothing compared to the sunsets back in Whirlpool. Back on the island, the sky would turn into a mirage of colours. With oranges, reds, with a hint of gold around the setting sun. Purples had streaked across the sky and the soft ebb of eventide had washed in from above in a faded indigo. Shadows used to lengthen and dance, and the world used to be cast in a strange alien glow.

Even now, Kushina felt a sharp pang of sadness as she thought of her old home.

She walked across the grass towards the KIA memorial until she was only metres behind the person sitting in front of it.

"I thought you'd be here," she said softly to the young boy. Kakashi tore his gaze away from the memorial and stood to face her.

"When did you get back from your mission?" He asked.

"This afternoon," she told him shrugging, "Just a standard A-rank." Kushina couldn't help but give him a sneaky grin, "Why? Worried, were we?" Kakashi scowled.

"No. You're a jonin after all. You should be able to look after yourself."

She rumpled his hair, making it stand on end even more. Kakashi really needed to invest in a comb. Though, Kushina felt honoured that Kakashi let her mess up his hair.

"So," Kushina said. "How's the new team? Minato told me you've spent three days doing D-ranks."

Kakashi's eyes darkened slightly and Kushina grinned. She could understand perfectly how Kakashi felt. During her genin days, she had constantly complained to her sensei about how boring D-ranks were.

"Hey Kakashi," Kushina said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I heard that there's a cute girl on your team. Anything you want to tell me?"

Kakashi gave her a wholly disapproving look, "There's nothing to tell."

"Don't be shy," Kushina laughed, knowing all too well how many fan girls Kakashi had managed to accumulate, even though he'd only been in academy for a year, "Minato told me everything."

"Since when was Minato-sensei an expert in relationships?" Kakashi snorted.

Kushina looked at him thoughtfully, and she winced as she remembered that whenever she blushed around Minato he had always asked her if she had a fever.

"You should just tell him you like him," Kakashi told her bluntly.

Kushina grew bright red and replied indignantly, "I do not like him that way… Anyway, I would never want a boyfriend who's even more girly than me."

Though both of them knew it was a lie. From the day Minato had rescued Kushina when they were fifteen, she had been hopelessly in love with him. The problem was Minato was far too much of a gentleman to make a move, and Kushina was too much of a coward to tell him her secret. She was terrified that if Minato found out, he'd never want to speak to her again.

She sighed, "Sometimes for a genius, Minato can be incredibly slow… Maybe that's why sensei thought he was an idiot."

"Dad also thought he was a womanizer and a pervert," Kakashi added.

Kushina watched as Kakashi's eyes dilated. It had been the first time he had mentioned his father so casually in conversation. Gently, she touched his shoulder and Kushina felt Kakashi relax.

"Come on," She said with a sad smile, "I'll treat you to some ramen."

They decided to take the shortcut across the third training grounds when Kakashi stopped. Kushina frowned. In the distance they could hear the sound of someone yelling.

"Sounds like someone's doing some late training," she observed.

Kakashi stared into the thicket where the noise was coming from and he said, "I'll meet you at Ichiraku's." And with that, he headed off into the wood.

Intrigued, Kushina stared after him. Then an idea flicked in her head. Grinning, she clapped her hands together into a seal and whispered, "Shadow clone technique."

Kushina's clone followed Kakashi into the wood until she spotted him a couple of meters away, hiding behind a tree. Peering around, Kushina saw who Kakashi was staring at.

A boy, around Kakashi's age, with a pair of distinctive goggles stood panting in a clearing. Behind him was a heavily scarred tree. The boy glared at the tree then raced up it. There's a moments silence until there's the sound a wood splintering and the boy came tumbling back to the earth.

"Damn it," the boy panted, "Must… beat… Kakashi… just five more… hours to go…"

Kushina's eyes widened. This boy must be Kakashi's other teammate Minato had mentioned… Uchiha Obito, that was it. She had already heard about him from Mikoto.

Obito raced up the tree once more, and yet again he came tumbling down. Again and again, Kushina and Kakashi watched Obito try to master the tree climbing exercise. Kushina's eyes then switched onto Kakashi whose eyes were glued on Obito with a strange fascination. Kushina knew why. Although Minato had told her both boys were complete opposites, it seemed that Kakashi and Obito shared the same tunnel vision when it came to training.

Then something happened which amazed her. Kakashi stepped out from the tree and called out to him.

"You need to find the right balance."

Obito turned and gave Kakashi a decidedly suspicious look.

"Just let your mind go blank," Kushina heard Kakashi advise, "That's what I do… if you do that, you should be able to find it."

Obito gave Kakashi a confused look, but shrugged. He clapped his hand together and closed his eyes. Kushina watched with baited breath.

Then Obito's eyes flew open. Kunai in hand, he sprinted up the tree. Both Kakashi and Kushina have their necks craned upwards until they hear Obito's ecstatic cheer.

"Wow! Kakashi! You've got to see the view up here!"

Do it Kakashi, Kushina thought as Kakashi took one step forward.

For minutes Kakashi stared upwards, then with an unfathomable look that was the spitting image of his father's, Kakashi turned away from the tree and slipped into the night.

Kushina's clone dispelled and back at Ichiraku's, the real Kushina jerked. She sighed and stared at her bowl of ramen in disappointment.

One step at a time, she told herself. One step at a time… Looks like he can only manage baby steps at the moment, I guess…