Again, over five thousand words… My original goal was between three to four thousand words per chapter but that didn't happen, and my author notes just expand on that. Okay, well hope you enjoy the chapter~

Sasuke performed the hand signs for the Chidori once again. His aim was to increase the durability and strength, but the more he used the ninjutsu, the weaker it became. He hated the thought of only being able to complete two Chidori within the daily time limit. Kakashi could create at least four before running out of chakra. He knew that he could force a third but that was dangerous enough and he didn't feel like getting himself into that mess again. Not only would that exhaust his chakra immensely, but it could ultimately drain his life force along with it. He had to question his training method multiple times. As far as he was concerned, he was progressing too slowly.

The Uchiha looked to the ground as he let out a breath. The heat was starting to get to him after being out here for a few hours. That fire jutsu he learned the other day with his sensei was practically mastered now which is why he decided to work on the Chidori. It was times like these where he remembered how often he trained alone, even as a child.

Growing up, Itachi had always been stronger than he was, but when he was younger that wasn't a huge deal. He expected it. Itachi was five years older after all. However, now the age gap shouldn't matter and to him it didn't. What he really needed was a sure way to get stronger, faster. He collided his radiating Chidori into the bolder that he often used while practicing, producing a larger crater than the previous one.

Thinking back to his past, he knew that his goal was to be as strong as Itachi, but being hauled around in his brother's shadow proved only to be a hindrance. Itachi was the hypothetical wall that he needed to climb over. But more than that, all Sasuke ever wanted was recognition. For others to see him as Sasuke Uchiha not Itachi's younger brother. Even his own family members would size him up to the standards that only his elder genius brother could achieve. It was like they expected Sasuke to be the perfect mirror image. That's not what the young Uchiha wanted at all… He may have looked up to his brother but that was in a sense of pride and adoration.

Back then he would have given anything to have his own father's acknowledgement. That was something that he only received once before the massacre. Being the youngest Uchiha put so much weight on his shoulder, so much pressure. The expectations were overwhelming at times. He never believed that he could ever reach the bar that was placed just out of his reach at such a young age. Itachi saw this and even explained that being strong and dealing with the expectations of others was a burden that caused someone to become arrogant and withdrawn, even if the goal that a person sought was part of their dream. Now Sasuke understood the simple prospect. Even those lines that needed to be crossed wouldn't fade and he still had to bring himself closer just to appease himself and others that were no longer around to notice.

The one and only time his father recognized his own strength was after the long days that Sasuke spent teaching himself the fire jutsu. He finally said, 'As expected of my child.' That made him overjoyed in the past but now it left room to question the reason. What made his father compelled to finally show a little interest in his younger son? Was it only because his father was losing faith in Itachi? Did that mean he was only going to be some replacement? His brother was becoming cold and aloof towards the family. Even though Itachi still seemed the same to Sasuke, at least before he saw that last distant, brooding look in Itachi's downcast eyes. It was a guarded guise wrapped into his solitary stare that morning before the nightmare. When Itachi apologized for being too busy to teach Sasuke the shuriken jutsu that day… he seemed solemn and burdened in his reply, almost like he regretted something…

He tossed the thoughts from his head. It didn't matter. Not now. The past was swallowed by the existing days. The only reason he needed the past was to drive him forward. All those memories would forever burn in his mind, but be kept their ashes buried as deep as possible. They could never resurface again. Then they too would just be another sign of weakness. A flaw in his so-called controlled life concealed within vengeance.

Sasuke took a deep breath. He needed to keep trying. By forming the hand signs again he pressed his chakra to flow once more. At the same time he tried to force back the will of the curse mark from wanting to spread. He needed to be able to complete a third Chidori without taking power. A Chidori erupted in his hand and clasped around his tense fingers. It still proved difficult to stop the jutsu from faltering.

He was just frustrated that he couldn't keep it at a steady point. His curse mark started to burn. If he kept pushing his chakra, the seal would eventually spread and he should have more control. He slammed his left hand into the surface of the rock once more. The impact produced a larger break than the last.

After dropping the Chidori, Sasuke felt drained. He moved his hand up to his curse mark as it started to sting even more. He was able to create a semi third Chidori without its help. The Uchiha fell to his knees knowing that he probably exhausted most of his chakra, if not all. This didn't prove anything. He stood up a little wobbly as his back up went limp from fatigue and fell against the bolder.

In fact it just made him feel worse. Every time that the raven found himself being self-compared to Naruto, the blond was stronger. It was annoyance to no end. It wasn't complete jealousy, but that little bit of resentment resulted in contempt. Even though Naruto had Jiraiya training him, Sasuke knew that it was only due to the Akatsuki's interest in his teammate. The very idea of Naruto being the groups target just made the Uchiha wonder what reasons that organization had in trying to capture that idiot. They were after Naruto for some purpose, but he never cared to ask because it wasn't his business anyway.

The sun beat down as he leaned his head back. The air was still. No clouds took the sky, leaving the intensity to the open space. Sasuke looked upwards. He wasn't too fond of the idea, but he was just allowing his time limit that Orochimaru was so gracious enough to give him, to slip away. Trivial concern lay hidden in his eyes. It was obvious that Orochimaru was hell-bent on getting the Sharingan, but he wondered the extent he would go. The Uchiha was starting to believe that he needed the Sannin's help… even more so now than before.

Kakashi's words found their way into his head again. 'Forget about revenge.' His sensei hoped that Sasuke would listen so he didn't feel the constant inconvenience of having to push himself so hard for that single act. That was where Kakashi just didn't understand that vengeance was his life, a feat that could not be overturned so frivolously. He found question if Kakashi knew the want of revenge himself. He'd probably never know.

Sasuke swiftly turned around and punched the rock out of aggravation, managing to cause a minor crack. He let his hand fall freely to his side as his forehead lay rest against the warm surface. After taking a deep breath he was able to calm down a little. A trickle of sweat ran down the side of his face. He moved his foot back in the grass. His eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth. A measured breath was released as he permitted the curse to spread over his skin.

Kakashi left his apartment that morning around six thirty to meet up with Jiraiya who wanted to talk. He had gotten up hours earlier to visit Rin and Obito's graves only to remain there longer than intended. He always got lost in his mistakes, letting the reality around him dissolve. After that he did return to his small apartment before heading out again. When he left, he realized that it was oddly warm for the morning. Normally there would still be a slight chill clinging to the air.

The Jounin met up with Jiraiya near the Hokage's building. From there they started walking.

"So what's this about?" Kakashi inquired as he read.

A sigh was let out with a small shake of the head. "The Akatsuki," the Sannin replied in the same grim tone he always attached to this topic.

"Find out anything new?" His book was put away. It wasn't often that he and Jiraiya spoke, but concern always circled around the same subject.

"Well, it has been confirmed that they are going to lay low for the next three years. That is both a decent and grave indication. I'm not completely sure what they are up to but I know it has something to do with the jinchuuriki. It does, however give me plenty of time to focus on Naruto's training." He placed his index finger below his chin. "I just can't seem to get a step ahead of them."

Kakashi shrugged. "I suppose that's good news for the most part. Naruto does need to be strong enough to face them, but three years might not be enough. Then again, he is full of surprises."

"Well, considering who his parents are, I would hope so," he said, glancing over at the rock formation that created the Hokage Monuments. His thought shifted to the problem that occurred a few days ago, at least what he knew about it. "So, did you patch up the team yet? Naruto seemed fine to me, but I know him a little better than that. He's having a hard time of it."

"Nothing from what I know," he exhaled. "Sasuke's avoiding both Naruto and Sakura, while those two haven't spoken in a few days. I didn't think that this would have such drastic affects, but then again it could have turned out worse. I just need to stop it before it gets to that point." He was obviously worried and having a difficult time figuring out what to do here. He was being thrown missions left and right and at the same time trying to stop Sasuke's destructive behavior. When he and Obito fought, Minato simply talked them down and forced them to make up on the spot, but they never almost killed each other in a fight. If that would have happened, he wondered what his sensei would have done or said, because Kakashi already knew that he was not dealing with this the correct way. The main problem was Sasuke. He couldn't do much of anything if his student refused to speak.

"Why not just take them on a team mission? That way they'll have no choice but to cooperate with each other. When my team argued, the old man did the same thing. I hated when he did that, but it worked for the most part. Except well, Orochimaru and I simply never saw eye to eye on anything and nothing stopped Tsunade from whaling on me after I tried to smooth talk her a little. It ended with a disagreement and a black eye most of the time. I say, if you don't intervene the situation could turn ugly." He crossed his arms as those days flooded back. "Sarutobi sensei wanted us to be a team and we were for a long time, but you know how that turned out."

Kakashi glimpsed at the movement of the loose leaf fliers for Ichiraku attached to the wooded fence that they passed. He figured that Naruto would be somewhere around there. He wasn't sure about either Sasuke or Sakura's locations. The fear of his team breaking apart always loitered around his every action, making him watchful about his next move. Apprehension sunk in when he remembered the moment he felt both the Chidori and Rasengan chakra about to clash. All three of them were putting themselves in danger of losing their life at that moment… He wanted to trust his students, but something inside of him knew that right now, he had to watch over them more carefully. "That's true. I know, and I have given the idea of a team mission some thought before. I guess it's worth a shot."

"This works out well for me too," Jiraiya agreed in relief.

"Why's that?"

"Yesterday Naruto bugged me for hours nonstop about training. Jeez, you mention training for a split second with the kid and he's on your case constantly. Now that you're taking him on a mission, he can't complain to me about anything," the Sannin added with a laugh. Then he returned to a more solemn manner. "Besides that, there is also a rumor that two members of the Akatsuki are roaming around the outskirts of the Land of Fire, the same two, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. I don't know their intentions so I need to go and see what I can find out."

"That's probably a good idea." He couldn't let that news travel anywhere near Naruto or Sasuke. That could be disastrous… It was really the last thing they needed right now.

Jiraiya looked up at the clear sky, the sun taking center stage. He knew what needed to be done in order to protect Naruto and sometimes walking away from him was what he had to do... Still, there was no harm in paying him a visit before his departure. "Well, better get going."

"Same here," Kakashi agreed. They parted ways. He didn't want to seem worried, but at this rate he knew he couldn't afford to act laidback when something so important lay in his hands, not again. The mistake was made once, at the cost of a life. He couldn't allow his worry to be trapped within the very air he breathed. His eye shut for a moment as to collect his thoughts.

Sakura had woken up early that morning as well with her own course of action to take. She was in her small room, placing her headband in her hair to hold back her bangs as her eyes looked upon her reflection. Early sunlight hit the glass, brightening her green eyes as her hands fell to her side. Taking a good look at herself, a frown formed on her lips. She was tired of being a burden to the team. It wasn't right for her to be without a resolve like… well Naruto. He had a determination like no one she has ever met… and compared to him she was… nothing. Her hand tightened.

The kunoichi headed straight to the Hokage's office requesting to speak with Lady Tsunade. After hesitantly knocking on the door, she waited for a reply.

"Come in," Tsunade's voice called out beyond the doors. The girl entered, walking a little nervously into the office. "Oh, Sakura what brings you here so early in the morning?"

Sakura swallowed away her fear of such a request. It was now or never and she knew this had to be done, for her and the team. "I came here to ask you if you'd make me your apprentice, Lady Tsunade," she said, bowing her head politely. Her words spilled out rapidly, feeling heavy after they were released.

The Hokage leaned back into her chair, resting one of her arms below her chest, and kept the other elevated. Her fingers just barely grazing her upper lip as she raised an eyebrow at the girl's directness. "My apprentice?"

"Yes, my lady. I know that it's a lot of work and dedication, but I am willing to do anything necessary."

Tsunade smirked. "You think you have what it takes to become a medical ninja? It's comprised of rigorous training and studying to even attempt the practice. From there it just gets more difficult."

"Yes, I know, but I'm prepared." Her head moved up slightly to meet the woman's eyes. "I need to be some use to my team, to the village. I know that I can handle this training. I'm dedicated to it."

"Well," she paused for a moment. She had heard positive remarks about Sakura from the other Jounin, Kakashi in particular. The girl had one of the best control over her chakra out of the rookie nine, had concrete memory, and was a quick learner. She also had a reason to want this training. Tsunade could tell that she had willpower which couldn't be ignored. She was reminded of herself at that age. "Alright, I'll teach you."

"Thank you so much, Lady Tsunade," Sakura replied gratefully, nodding her head.

"Alight, but we'll have to start your training tomorrow. I have too much work to do today. You can talk to Shizune though if you want to get started by reading some basic medical books at her recommendation, which I suggest."

"Of course."

Tsunade held a warm smile. "Come by tomorrow at seven A.M. We'll start then. I'll have to get into detail when it comes to what your training schedule is going to be like."

Sakura bowed again "I'll be here." She then exited the room. That went better than she expected. Now she would no longer be the girl on the sidelines; she could train to help her team and many others. She already detested the thought of being stuck steps behind Sasuke and Naruto. They were so far ahead that she couldn't reach out to them. She needed to do this to get strong and be on equal terms with them. Now she'd be able to put her life on the line and be able to protect them when they needed her. This would be her goal and her resolve.

About an hour after her talk with Sakura, Tsunade heard another light knock on her office door. With all of these interruptions it was going to be difficult to get any work done. A stack of papers already took most of her desk space.

"Come in," she called out, her voice ringing with some tiredness as she dropped her pen.

"Morning, Lady Tsunade." Kakashi entered.

"I'm glad you're here. I have a few missions piling up that you could do for me." She was reaching for a piece of paper.

"Actually, that's why I came here. I was hoping that I could get a team mission."

"Team mission? For what purpose?"

"I'm having a little difficulty getting my squad to work together after the whole ordeal at the hospital a few days ago. I told you about that, right? They won't do anything on their own so I have to get involved." He said the last part with a hint of remorse, knowing what was at stake.

Tsunade had an understanding expression on her face, having been through this before on her own team. "Hm, alright I'll see what I have." She skimmed through her mission requests trying to find one that would best suit Team Seven and only one worked. "Well, it's a B rank mission, delivering an important document to a village on the border between Fire and Tea. If you run into any enemy ninja than the mission becomes an A rank. Under normal circumstances this mission would be left to a few Chuunin, but I'm sure that your squad can handle it. The town is located on the map in the file." The female Sannin handed over the folder. "By the way, what's exactly going on with them? I know that Naruto and Sasuke fought but I thought Naruto would at least try to solve the problem."

"Normally Naruto would, but since it concerns Sasuke, it's a different story," he explained. "It's nothing that I can't handle but I just need a reason to force them to work out their differences. I can't say that it'll work. Things could go wrong but it's the only thing I got."

"Well, good luck with it. I'm sure everything will work out in the end."

"Yeah." It was really all he had and if this didn't work then he was left with no options.

Her voice rung out a little louder as he turned to leave. "Before you go, I'd just like you to know that Sakura had taken it upon herself to come and ask me if she could be my apprentice."

Hearing that came somewhat of a surprise to him. "Really?"

"Yes and I allowed it. I think she has what it takes to become a talented medical ninja."

"Hm, she's a bright girl. She made the right choice." Just like Rin, she was going to become a medical ninja too. The team resemblance was uncanny. It also allowed Sakura to use her talents in a way that is helpful to others which is what she deemed important.

"I told her that we could start training tomorrow," Tsunade continued. "But for the sake of the team, you can tell her that we can start when she returns."

"No problem."

"Since I'm training Sakura and Jiraiya's handling Naruto, that leaves you with one student now. I guess that works out for the best in the end."

"After they pull back together as a team anyway."

"Those three have a lot of potential on a team and on their own. I never had a doubt in my mind about any of their abilities; they might even become greater than us Sannin," she stated with somewhat of a solemn nature when the memory of fighting Hanzou reentered her mind. They were claimed the Legendary Sannin because they were the last three standing…

He recalled the tale of the title's formation as well. "Yeah, I guess we'll see what happens when we get back. But potential could be seen as a negative aspect when one can't live up to it." Kakashi exited with uneasiness strung to his sentence.

All of the sudden he was down to one student. Naruto needed Jiraiya's help to fend off the Akatsuki. There was no one better to train him than Jiraiya to help keep the Nine Tails in control. Kakashi was proud of Sakura to take matters into her own hands and ask to become Lady Tsunade's apprentice. She was finally willing to make herself stronger. He knew that she had the capability and the drive. Training Sasuke to use his Sharingan at its full potential could only be left to him. He also had to steer the Uchiha away from his dark path that he seemingly rediscovered as his safe passage.

Maybe he went a little too far telling the kid to give up on his revenge completely. It was Sasuke after all and he already devoured most of his life in the attempt to take vengeance. His student was not one to give up easily. He was determined and stubborn. Most of all, he didn't want to drive Sasuke to seek power from someone else, namely Orochimaru. Kakashi knew that he needed to act before it came to that point if it hadn't already gone that far, which he already suspected that it had.

The moment he knew that Orochimaru was even a threat, he started training harder too. He may be the legendary Copy Ninja, but he was nothing in comparison to someone so strong and feared just by name.

Sakura was walking down the streets of Konoha speaking to Lee, who still walked with a crutch to support himself. She found that it was peaceful and quiet. It served as a nice change compared to her previous days encircled by stress and worry.

Her hands remained loosely behind her back as she leaned forward. "So your surgery is in a few hours, huh?"

"Yes, but I do not have a single worry. Not since Lady Tsunade has increased my chances," Lee said, tightly grasping his energetic tendency. "She is an amazing medical ninja." He was a little nervous about the surgery, but knew that after everything that occurred during the finals of the Chuunin Exams, he had to be stronger.

"Yeah, we're lucky to have her. She helped so many people already." Sakura paused for a moment, moving a strand of hair from her eyes. "How long do you have to wait to start training again after the procedure?"

"She did not give a specific time, but I know that I must get enough rest. I want to get back to my original training routine as soon as possible." He raised his fist. "I cannot wait to be able to once again run five hundred laps around Konoha with Guy sensei."

"Don't you think that's a little much after just getting out of the hospital?"

"What do you mean?" he asked with a quizzical look.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't push yourself so hard. I would hate to see you end up in the hospital again."

"Thank you for the concern, Sakura I appreciate it very much, but I must train hard for my nindo, my ninja way." He smiled. It made him happy that someone he cared so much for was his friend. Even though he was in this condition, he knew that she wasn't speaking to him out of mere pity or gratitude for him saving her. He used to have the most difficult time finding people besides his sensei that acknowledged him.

"I know what you mean," she replied, allowing a smile to form. The girl looked ahead, noticing someone.

"Hey, Lee." Neji approached the two. "Guy sensei wanted me to let you know that he is waiting for you. He needed to talk to you over at the Academy."

His eyes lit up. "Of course, he probably has more inspirational words."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it," Neji replied sarcastically, shaking his head as he walked away. Sometimes he just didn't understand where his teammate got all that energy. Even bound by crutches, he was still enthusiastic.

"Well, I will see you later, Sakura." He gave a small wave. It was all he could manage, as he headed over to the Academy.

"Yeah, good luck. I'll come by when I can." Back when she first met Lee she couldn't ever imagine even willingly talking to him. She thought he was a freak. Now she was glad that they were friends and felt bad about her previous actions towards him. Actually all twelve of the rookies were getting along better after the Chuunin Exams, well most of them anyway. All twelve of them worked well together and had a chance to compete with each other.

"Hey, Sakura," a lazy voice said behind her.

The kunoichi spun around. "Good morning, Kakashi sensei."

"We have a mission today."

"A mission?" That was very sudden. "Doing what?"

"It's a B rank delivering a scroll. It should be simple enough."

"Oh, alright," she said with a small amount of concern revealed in the turn of her head.

"Don't worry about the other two. Also Lady Tsunade told me that you asked to train under her tutelage. She wanted me to tell you that you two can start your training once we get back."

She was slightly relieved at that. She would have been a little nervous upon telling him herself. "You got us a mission to get the team back together, right?" Maybe that is what they needed after all. It worked out okay the last time with the Land of Tea mission, until the aftermath.

"Catching on quickly as usual," Kakashi responded knowingly. "By the way I'm proud of your decision about training under the Hokage."

"Thanks…" She paused, considering a question. "But do you think this whole mission thing will work? I don't want to sound pessimistic, but still…"

"I can only hope, but again, don't worry about it," Kakashi looked up for a moment, deciding that he should locate Naruto next. "Well, I have to find the others. The mission should only take a few days at the least. So you should pack accordingly and I'll meet the three of you by the front gate. Bye." He disappeared.

A mission would be a good thing. It held possibility to form teamwork once again if they weren't too far from it now. They have been able to come together under many circumstances, but she wondered if there was a breaking point. Although she was looking forward to training with Lady Tsunade she could wait a few days. Same goes for visiting Lee in the hospital after his surgery.

When she reached her house, she headed up the stairs quickly. "Mom, I'm going on a mission," she called down.

Her mother walked over to the staircase. "Alright. How long?"

"A few days," her voice echoed from her room as she opened her closet.

"Just be careful."

She was now at the stairs. "Don't worry, I will. See you when I get back." She left the house. The kunoichi always had her supplies at the ready whenever a mission came up. That way she'd be prepared in a second's time.

Sakura got outside feeling the wind rush against her, blowing her hair in all directions. She once never dared to cut her hair, believing that Sasuke liked it that way. Now she moved on from her childish thoughts barricading her small crush, allowing her to see Sasuke for who he truly was and herself for her who she needed to be outside of her old focus.

Sakura started walking as the sun beat down onto the pavement. She made her way to the gate to wait for the rest of the team.

The chapter had a lot of Sakura in it, but that evens it out with next week's chapter I suppose. So a mission for the team… I can finally get them all back together soon. And I got Jiraiya in there too, love writing him :) I actually just love Jiraiya in general, and Minato, and so many others that the list would just go on and on. Neji made a brief appearance too, along with Lee. Anyway, next chapter will have more dialogue than this one. Especially Sasuke's part in the beginning, that was kind of long. He's getting pretty mad there, but that'll provide another Sasuke and Kakashi moment for the next chapter (can never have too much of that). Can't give away much for next week, just going along with my outline… R&R~