"Blah" denotes speech.

Blah! denotes sound.

'Blah' denotes thoughts.

'BLAH' denotes Demon talking.

Note: Rereading the previous chapter, I think I made Naruto be apathetic to his first kill. Its not intentional and I hope to resolve it in this chapter. Added note: This is the last of the Filler Arc, so it MAY be crappy.

Their mission complete, Team 7 journeyed back to Konoha. It was a success, though none of them came back completely unchanged. Sasuke looked the same as always, his face still fixated into a permanent scowl, though there was a touch of marring distraction if one knew where to look for it. Out of the three, Sakura seemed to be the worst one off, her hands hugging herself constantly as if to fight off a chill that no one else felt; her mind struggling to throw off the after-effects of the genjutsu that was placed on her. At the behest of the looks that Kakashi was throwing her, she said that she was fine, though with the way that her body keeps shaking and shuddering, none of the others had believed her. It takes a near fall to convince her to hitch a ride on the back of a black and featureless Kage-bunshin, courtesy of Kakashi.

The days spent on the road passed relatively quickly and soon Naruto found himself in front of Ichikaru's, just in time for the Dinner special, dusk already settling on the village. Having been dismissed by Kakashi, he found himself unwilling to go home just yet, despite being dead beat tired.

He could still see the blood on his hands every other moment or so, even though he had rubbed his hands raw just days before. The phantom stain just refused to go away, like the horrible feeling that had begun to swell in his bosom. His mind troubled, he was about to enter the ramen stand before a shout stopped him in his tracks.

"Ah! Naruto!" Iruka popped his head out from the corner of the street, hands apparently busy with a grocery bag, "How's the mission?"

Then, he noticed Naruto's hands, throbbing and so very red. "W-What happened? These look like-"

Naruto just stared blankly. "I couldn't get the blood off." Iruka looked incredulous for a second before it was immediately wiped away when he saw the very red but unbloodied hands, "But Naruto...there isn't anything on your hands."

"Yes, there is," He assured the man, his voice hinting frustration, "I can see it now."

Iruka stayed silent before he tentatively opened his mouth once more. "Naruto...did you do something that you didn't wish you did?"

"I," The boy looked away, frowning at something that only he could see, "...think I did. I don't know."

Naruto had an odd way of saying things sometimes, but the meaning had been clear.

He had killed for the first time, that much Iruka could gleam from him. There was only so much that he could teach and never would prepare his students for that one irrevocable moment in their life as a shinobi.

Iruka could sympathize; he too felt that gut wrenching twist on his first time, and that was when he decided that the role of a teacher would be suited for him. Seeing the light go out in a person's eyes was horrible. Knowing it was you who was responsible for it was worse. But to do it on an almost regular basis...

That was soul rending. He had seen friends ending up in the isolate special wards below the hospital. And it wasn't pleasant. He chided himself, for one shouldn't dwell on such thoughts. He turned his attention onto Naruto, who was looking down on the ground, apparently finding it very interesting.

"Does that make me a monster, Iruka-sensei?" he said, though it might as well have been a whisper with its softness.

"N-no!" The teacher tried to reassure the boy, "Of course not!"

'Liar.', he thought, but didn't say it out.

Finding himself robbed of his desire to eat, he bid Iruka a good night and walked away, leaving him in the same stumped manner he had week before.

( I I I )

He dreamt a dream of obsidian black, and like many others he had dreamt before, he was alone in the vast emptiness. He had read of how dreams were filled with vibrant colors and some semblance of familiarity of the real world, no matter how strange and bizarre they may be.

But for as long as he could remember, not once did he have such a dream and the world of dreams tended to be monotone in its vivacity with the darkness always encroaching but never fully embracing him.

He waited until a ball of red flame burst out, adding to the blackness a shade of color that wasn't there before.

'YOU'RE TROUBLED.' He could hear the annoyance in the demon's voice.

'I killed someone. How can I not be?'

'IT WAS ONE MEASLY HUMAN LIFE, BOY.'

'But I thought all life was sacred.'

'I remembered that you saved my life once, when I was naught a child.'

He still remembers that day, and how utterly terrified he had been. That feeling never returned since, and he was grateful.

'THAT WAS DIFFERENT, KIT, I WAS LOOKING OUT FOR MYSELF. NOTHING MORE. END OF DISCUSSION.'

He blinked.

'I don't want to kill anymore.'

'DO YOU CHERISH THE FREEDOM YOU HAVE NOW?' The question was imposing.

'Yes, of course!' Naruto was confused at what the Kyuubi was hinting at. It often spoke in riddles that he wished he could understand.

'THEN, WOULD YOU PREFER TO ROT IN THAT CELL?'

'What?'

'IT IS SIMPLE; YOU'RE A SHINOBI. A TOOL TO KILL IF NEED BE. THE SPILLING OF BLOOD CAN BE AVOIDED, BUT HESISTATING WILL DO YOU NO GOOD EITHER. HOW MUCH YOU SPILL DEPENDS ON YOU, IN THE END.'

'I don't have to like it...'

'YOU SHOULDN'T, THOUGH I DID PREFER IF YOU DID.'

He didn't answer; he didn't need to.

'THINK ABOUT IT, AND MAKE YOUR CHOICE.'

With that, the great demon left him alone in the void, his consciousness slowly slipping away as he fell into a deep sleep.

( I I I )

Out of the three, he acknowledged that Naruto was the least likely to show up after the mission. Sasuke just grunted when asked about his welfare while he ascertained that the little genjutsu surprise didn't mentally damage Sakura, who was as of now, very fidgety; very suspicious behavior for a girl who he expected to ogle at the effeminate Uchiha at every possible moment.

Still, knowing about it and experiencing it was entirely two different things all together.

"Excuse me?"

"I would not be attending training today. My apologies." Naruto did a little bow in front of Kakashi. He didn't buy it.

"Hey, just wait a-" he said, bringing his gloved hand to grab the boy.

But before any of them could react, Naruto exploded into a plume of smoke.

"Figures, using a Kage-bunshin as his messenger..." Kakashi muttered under his breath, before he brightened up, "Oh well, I will check up on him later."

He turned to regard his two students, mentally noting that Sakura was still very fidgety, though it was coupled with discreet glances and jerky motions. From all accounts and experience, her body language practically screamed her desire to ask him something. Whatever it was however, was purely speculation up to this point, not that he had a foggiest clue as to what it was. He made a note to talk to the girl once the session was over.

But for now...

Even though he was short of one student, he wasn't about to let the rest cut any slack. Their recent mission showed how ill prepared they were for anything more than D-rank mission parameters, although technically they had fared exceedingly well for a team who had only recently been clocking in a dozen or so D-ranks. Hell, he even felt a small burst of pride in his chest as his team, his team, had been able to complete a B-rank just after two and a half weeks of training.

The thought was very gratifying, to say the least.

Incidentally, he now knew how Gai felt when his team did something that was to be proud of. The thought lasted for a brief moment before Kakashi realized he had just understood Gai of all people, and promptly felt the goose bumps rippling over his arms.

Best to forget that ever happened.

Smiling, he summoned up three clones of himself and proceeded to 'educate' his students in the ways of taijutsu.

( I I I )

They saw a malevolent glint passed through Kakashi's single eye, making both of them shudder for the briefest span of a moment. True to this, the training session was frankly one of the most tiring and rigorous of all she had gone through. Sasuke was actually panting by the end of it, though she wasn't any much better off herself. She was grateful that in her state of physical exhaustion, she conveniently forgot about what she had wanted to ask from her sensei.

Until yesterday, Sakura never fully appreciated the thought that while in Konoha, your safety was at least ensured. Genjutsu, it seemed was way more personal than the simple and yet effective Katon technique. The irony was that while a Katon technique could melt the flesh off your bones, and kill you in the process, Genjutsu made certain that you can feel the same amount of agony while being consciously aware that your were still alive and there was more yet to come. It was capable of making liquid fear sink into your very being and rendered almost every moment awake into excruciating agony. A thousand times more efficient than ninjutsu due to the fact that while the will of a shinobi could resist the pain of the body, very few were unaffected by the discreet ravages that Genjutsu leaves.

Once was enough, and she never, never wanted to experience it again.

And if the only way to avoid being a plaything for such frivolous, she would gladly learn the art, even though she had reason enough to detest it. But somehow, despite all her conviction, she lacked the courage to ask for the training.

She lingered on a bit after he had dismissed them, conflicted as to whether to run away or pluck up her courage and ask. The former seemed very appealing right now. But before she could act on the impulse, a voice stopped her.

"Sakura."

The girl in question stiffened in response.

"Don't you have something to say?"

At this, Sakura widened her eyes. How did he know!

Seeing the shocked expression on her face, he explained. "You were fidgety all this while, its quite hard not to notice that you had something on your mind."

"Eh..." She was hesitant, but she fought it down, driving it back to the pit of her stomach, "I want to learn genjutsu."

"Oh?" Kakashi propped a palm under his chin, in a manner which screamed boredom and light amusement. She had a feeling that he did this when he wanted to be serious. "Please...tell me why."

Sakura was silent for a while before finally speaking.

"I hate being...weak," She declared softly, struggling to allow herself this moment of truthfulness to last, "When I was caught in that genjutsu, it made me feel things. Things that made me wish that I was strong not to go through it." She gave herself a depreciating laugh. "It changed me in a way I suppose, because I now cannot bear to look at myself in the mirror," She grimaced slightly before continuing. "I never want to feel that again . I-"

Kakashi cut her off with a gentle wave.

"Well, I was going to teach you the basics sooner or later," He sighed, bringing his hands to his side, "But since you've the motivation...I guess now would be a good time as any." At his words, Sakura perked up, the gloom in her eyes almost vanishing, almost. Kakashi wordlessly performed a few hand-seals and almost immediately, a bowl of steaming hot ramen appeared over the tree stump nearby.

Sakura nearly jumped in surprise, and was now eyeing the recent apparition of noodle soup with great apprehension. There was a snap and the bowl disappeared from her sight just as fast as it had appeared. She blinked.

What the hell just happened?

She turned towards Kakashi who was looking the same as he always had; bored.

"That was Seishin Kouchi (Mind Craft)," he said in that monotone of his that made him notorious throughout the social circles of the village,"One of the three basic illusionary techniques that are the foundation of all Genjutsu. It is relatively simple to use, and as you have seen before, tricks people into seeing what isn't there in the first place. Think of anything, and I do mean anything, and people will think that they see it. The hand-seals are Bird, Boar, Dog, Sheep and Bird. Hold it as long as possible."

She nodded, before performing the hand-seals herself, albeit at a slower rate than what her teacher had demonstrated before.

Focusing her mind, she tried to conjure up an image of a fan. Her illusion did not immediately materialize like Kakashi's but the object began flickering into existence, which was a success in her eyes. Straining herself, she pumped and directed more chakra into her surroundings and the projection, striving to achieve a balance between the two. Too little into her projection, and the illusion would crumble but too much would only serve to distort the image.

It remained solid, looking real enough for anyone caught in her illusion to notice. It was slow at first, but gradually, she felt her body grow uncomfortably tense and feverish. She preserved on though, maintaining the illusion.

By the end of it, she was panting heavily, beads of sweat starting to glisten on her forehead. Having reached her limit, she released the illusion as she fell down on the soft grass, the illusionary fan crumbling into wispy strands of bright blue chakra that faded into the wind.

"As I expected." She flinched at Kakashi's unconcerned tone; after all, it was her skills that he was dismissing even though he had that right as her teacher.

Her features turned bitter, angry at herself and at her sensei for being so apathetic.

Kakashi wasn't even in the least fazed, and it hit her hard how far she was from his level. "You realize that even with all the chakra exercises you've done, your reserves are just enough for one basic technique." The way he said it was not insulting, but it was however, the painful truth, no matter how much she wanted to deny it.

"Why? I thought that out of everything, Genjutsu needed the least chakra to use." She was annoyed at this point, seeing that her sensei overlooked such a basic fact.

"True," he nodded, "But that is only the case when the user has a finely honed control of chakra, or else I'm afraid that Genjutsu can use as much chakra as Ninjutsu if one isn't careful."

Sakura stayed silent at that.

"I must admit though, not many people can perform what you've done today," Kakashi said, and she felt a flare of pride in her chest. "You've potential," he added somewhat lazily, "though that doesn't mean that you can have it easy because of it. And to be honest, learning ninjutsu is going to be more beneficial in the long run. It is up to you in the end though-"

"I want to learn Genjutsu," She curtly cut in, before she hastily added in, "...please."

She couldn't see him smile, but she was sure he did. "Well, just let me finish," He cleared his throat. "Genjutsu is a subtle art, its secrets lying beneath its many hidden nuances waiting to be discovered."

"True, it does not suffer from the physical limitations that plague Ninjutsu and Taijutsu but that is both its strength and failing. Skilled masters can weave spells that can enthrall and kill at a whim. That is the power of illusions. But it requires your full and undivided attention, and even then, its benefits are not seen immediately. I will not lie to you, Sakura; many a shinobi had taken Genjutsu only to drop out half-way through. That is the difficulty of the art. I will not blame you if you choose to reconsider."

Sakura remained silent; she knew beforehand all of those facts, and she didn't let them deter her.

"So I will ask you once more," he said slowly, "Is that your choice?"

"Genjutsu." She said once more, allowing a tinge of annoyance creep into her voice.

"Are you prepared to follow what I say, no matter how absurd and ridiculous they are?" His tone was grim and serious, and Sakura had no doubt that he wasn't joking.

"Yes." She replied in a heartbeat, barely feeling the gravity of her choice.

"Good!" He smiled and tension eased away, "We will begin your training tomorrow." She slumped in almost palpable relief at his words, the fire and drive that fueled her minutes before dissolved once her task was completed.

"Sakura?"

"Yes?" She tensed, hands clenching the fabric of semi-skirt nervously.

"Give Naruto a chance. He was the one to help you out, you know."

She faltered for a second, feeling guilty. Although she was terrified of the boy, she couldn't help but feel ashamed at the way she treated him, even though he did nothing to earn her scorn.

"...I will try."

( I I I )

When Kakashi found Naruto idling in his flat of scrolls and books, he was prepared for anything. Anything. People he worked with for years snapped under the pressure of killing; he barely knew Naruto for a month, who for all intents and purposes, could be a mini-Orochimaru in the making, with the power of the Kyuubi to boot. The child was backed by the Sandaime himself, but what guarantee did his word have if this child snapped?

"You didn't come to training today," he began conversationally. Naruto turned his head ponderously. His eyes were blank before a spark of recognition flashed through them.

"Sensei." Naruto greeted, getting up. "Do you want some tea?"

"No," he said, shaking his head, "My visit will be short."

An uncomfortable silence reigned between the two, before Naruto spoke.

"Must shinobi always kill?"

"It depends, sometimes it becomes necessary."

The boy was silent for a moment. "Always then."

"I'm not saying that you need to kill everybody. Only when its necessary."

"What about the people before?" Naruto asked. Kakashi knew he was referring to the dead bodies he found on the forest, bleeding and so very dead.

"They could've ran; but they didn't and they've paid for it."

"I see."

"Naruto, you've to remember we are tools, a weapon for our clients to wield. We cannot afford to have emotions or else we will go insane."

"I do not like it." The boy said.

"You must, or at least, try." he urged, voice turning forceful. If Naruto was angry, he didn't show it.

"..."

"Think of it as protecting your precious people," The man said at last, "If you do not do it, they will die. It is a simple choice. You're a sword and a shield. Remember that every time."

He was silent for a bit before he spoke once more. "I will keep that in mind. Thank you."

Satisfied with his answer, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the boy to his own devices.

( I I I )

The next day came and Kakashi found himself with all of his students present. He was pleased to see that Naruto took him advice.

"Seeing that all of you've learned enough of the basics, I thought that it might be good to try something different today."

Biting into his thumb, he spread it across a scroll he had opened the second before. Two scrolls appeared in his hands with a small amount of smoke. Rolling in the summoning scroll and tucking it back into his vest pockets in one hand, he tossed the two at the boys who caught them gracefully.

"These are the last jutsu I'm going to give you as Genin. Master them by this week. After that, you will have to develop your own techniques after this. Of course, I will be able to help you if you need it." It was for formalities sake as he knew that Sasuke would rather die than openly ask for help. Naruto, on the other hand...well, nothing needed to be said about him.

"Go to the other training fields, one preferably far away from here." he made a little shooing motion with his hands, and Sasuke looked sour at being dismissed so...degradingly. "I will see you guys later."

When they both sprinted away, Kakashi turned towards the girl who was very confused.

"Why send them away?" She could help but ask her eccentric teacher.

"They would just get in the way," he replied with nonchalance, "Besides, there's no need for me to supervise them yet anyways. Leaves me more time to focus on you."

"Wha-"

"Now," he smiled innocently, before unveiling a whole stack of books under the guise of a tree trunk, the genjutsu glittering prettily as it was dispelled. "The first rule of Genjutsu is to never get caught in another's illusion." The irony was not lost on the girl, seeing that she broke that rule, though the circumstances of that were unfair towards her. Sakura reckoned that it was another one of her teacher's strange quirks to not so subtlely remind people of their own level of proficency while being arrogantly assured of his. However, he was still her teacher and she let the barb slide. No point in wasting time being annoyed at a person who has no sense of thoughtfulness, she supposed.

"But...," he waggled at a finger at her, "If you do get caught, never fear! That's what the Kai technique is for. Of course, there's another way, though I doubt you want to bite your lip every time you happen to get stuck in Genjutsu." He formed up his fingers into a simple array, left hand over the right, with the index finger pointing up.

Very suspicious that her teacher had already placed an illusion on her, she quickly copied the array, hands positioned exactly as Kakashi's .

Nothing happened.

"You're quick to act; commendable though your objective is that." He pointed to the respectable stack of books. It didn't take her long to find out why.

She blinked when one of the books shimmered, its edges sparking angrily before calmly settling. Kakashi's crinkled eye of amusement did not do anything to help still her stomach.

"I placed Genjutsu on those. And it is up to you to disarm them." His tone was insidiously cheerful, and it was at that point she wondered whether her sensei was a sadist. After a moment of consideration, she came to the conclusion that he was.

Something told her that she was in for a ride...

( I I I )

Trying to find Naruto after training had been a surprisingly difficult task. By the time the session ended, she felt so woozy that she could barely even walk. Kakashi's damnable illusions kept making her vision blurry. Though she managed to learn how to counter and disarm illusions by the end of it, she wanted to strangle Kakashi for the massive migraine he had given her.

She finally came upon him practicing a Katon technique of sorts, embers of light hovering around him in a protective manner before rushing to explode on the bark of a nearby tree. He seemed to be fully emerged in concentration, the aura of menace and terror was barely discernible to her now, though she knew that it was lurking around.

Sakura knew that she should be grateful; knew in her gut that she should be. But for the life of her, her words of gratitude died whenever she saw him before. Fear was something that she associated with her mother, when she had first told her that she was becoming a shinobi; and it was also the first time her mother stopped yelling at her, which was a hundred times worst when she did. The life of a Geisha was not for her, she had said then. And neither was the life of a shinobi, now that she thought about it.

Gathering her courage, she walked towards Naruto, who was now sitting under a tree, eyes closed and hands folded. After all, she promised Kakashi-sensei that she would try, right?

"Haruno-san," His voice pierced through the silence. "Do you have any business with me?"

At his question, Sakura fidgeted nervously. "Uhm...I just wanted to say thank you for saving me."

He blinked, something that she didn't expect him to do. "It was nothing." With that, he turned away, his eyes concentrating on his hands as they shifted from one seal to another.

She felt anger at his apparent disinterest. Was her life so meaningless to him? It was a simmering anger, one that had accumulated from a few days, one that was directed at him for causing her so much fear and terror without her actually knowing why. It reached the critical at that moment.

"Will you stop being so damn calm about it!" She shouted, "I'm sick of you having that damn unmovable mask that you call a face!" There was a brief spark from his aura at her words but she held on.

His next words took the anger out from her, though there was still a good deal left simmering, "I do not understand what you're saying."

"What?"

"Your anger, I do not understand it," he said quietly, "Nor do I understand why you're so upset with me."

"I said-"

"You misunderstand me," he said once more, "I cannot understand what you feel. Only through your actions do I know."

The air around him rumbled with a low growl and she trembled. There was an uncomfortable pause.

"You fear me." It wasn't a question. And Sakura felt very cold as his words hit their mark. "Why?"

Composing herself, "There is something about you that is...disconcerting. I do not know whether it is you or something else, but I know there is something wrong with you. I can feel it in my skin."

"People fear what they cannot understand. I'm no exception." he said, "And if you wish to understand me to get rid of your fear...I'm not adverse to the offer, if that is your wish." Sakura seemed shocked at his words, her eyes disbelieving.

"Yes?"

It wasn't until his voice shaken her from her thoughts that she realized that he was still waiting for her reply.

"Well," She mumbled awkwardly, feeling very stupid on her part, "If you put it that way...I guess I will accept."

He smiled brightly, perhaps for the first time she had ever known him, and the tension dissipated, the unsettling pressure along with it. Sakura realized that maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all.

( I I I )

A week passed quickly, and Sakura, Kakashi noted with great sadness, was improving greatly in terms of her illusion training, so much that his traps were ineffective. Still, it was fun while it lasted. She still hasn't managed to make him use one of his more advanced techniques, but that was fine; most Genjutsu users took a year or more to be able to form anything substantial.

Naruto, it seemed, was helping his pupil. It wasn't much but he suspected that she would not have made this much progress if not for the boy.

They were all progressing to some point, all of his charges displaying some semblance of teamwork during his training sessions. He doubted that anyone else except him (with the other possible exception being Gai) would feel a small prick of satisfaction if their students started spitting giant balls of fire at him simultaneously.

Still, they were fitting in quite nicely into the cog that was called teamwork. Quite confident that his team was ready, he appealed for another C-rank; this time he made sure that he, and by extension, his team, wouldn't get screwed over like the last time.

So when they gotten another C-rank in the form of escorting a bridge building drunk from Fire to Wave, he wasn't really surprised.

( I I I )

A/N: Unbeta-ed, possible errors grammar or otherwise. Had a bout of depression while writing this, so the delay was inevitable. Other factors may include procrastination, Fate/Stay Night and a general sense of annoyance at this chapter. A lot of the conversations in this chapter were meant to be more detailed but due to time constraints, I am forced to leave it as it is. The only thing that I was satisfied with was the genjutsu training Sakura received. Hopefully, I will find the time to edit and improve on this. Many thanks once again to everybody who reviewed before, the support is much appreciated. If you spot any errors, please do not hesitate to mention them and I will be quick to correct them. Once again, thank you.