The rest of the mission was uneventful. They took Mr. Toshima to Otaka Town, spent the night at an inn and walked back to the Leaf Village. Mission successful.

Kane hadn't spoken a word since the bandit attack, not even to Naruko when she tried to get him to open up about why he froze up.

The truth was he didn't know. He wasn't scared, not until the bandit nearly chopped his head off at least. He just... Froze. When he saw the blood from the bandits detached appendage, he just... Lost focus. He couldn't move his body. All he could do was stare at the blood on the ground, and he didn't know why it affected him so much.

It was frustrating.


Kane hadn't stopped thinking about it. The mission was 3 days ago; back to training and D-Ranks for Team 7 in the meantime, and Kane hadn't once stopped thinking about how he froze up.

He also knew he blew it. His one chance to prove to everyone, especially himself, that he was worthy to stand beside the giants that were Naruko and Sasuke, and he mucked it up.

And he couldn't even figure out why.

Kane was uncomfortable. He was always so uncomfortable while he, Naruko and Sasuke waited on Kakashi-sensei to arrive. Ever since the completion of their first C-Ranked mission nearly a week ago, Kane was uncomfortable and he didn't know why.

He felt heavy; like someone placed a backpack full of rocks across his shoulders, only the weight was distributed evenly across his entire body. The strangest thing was it wasn't because of Naruko or Sasuke, it was only while they waited on the bridge. As soon as Kakashi arrived and they made their way into the training grounds, the weight just disappeared.

What was going on with him?!


As the four entered the training grounds, Naruko suddenly burst into a frustrated yell. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! NO WAITING, WE'RE DOING THIS RIGHT NOW, BASTARD!"

As the rest of Team 7 stared at Naruko in shock, Sasuke piped up "What's your issue, idiot?"

"MY ISSUE IS YOU, BASTARD!" As she charged him, Kakashi grabbed her from behind and kept her in place. "LET ME AT 'EM!" She screeched in anger.

"Naruko-chan, what, exactly, is the issue?" Kakashi asked calmly.

"Today's the day I finally surpass the bastard!"

Oh.

Now Kane understood.

Two days ago, during their daily sparrings, Naruko bested Sasuke in two of the three spars; this put their total record at a tie. Yesterday was mission day so no sparring had taken place.

Kakashi eye smiled "Alright, since you're so insistent, Naruko-chan, the two of you can spar right here and now."

"YES!" Naruko screamed as Sasuke smirked.

"But let's make it interesting, shall we?"

Every set of eyes snapped to Kakashi's lone one.

"If Naruko wins this will be the first lead change since Sasuke took the lead after Naruko won the first spar, correct?" Naruko and Sasuke nodded at this. "So, let's make this a fight to remember. Only one spar today. The two of you fight as if it's a fight to the death; don't worry, I'll step in when I feel it necessary. The winner of this fight gets to choose where we all go out to eat today, too. We haven't gone out as a team in quite a while, so we can kill two birds with one stone."

Naruko's eyes almost fell out her head with how wide they were. Kane was no different. A full out fight to the death?! They'd never done that! Even Sasuke looked shocked.

"The winner will be determined by submission, knockout or my intervention. If I intervene, the fight is over. No whining, no crying, just accept it. Understood?"

The two of them nodded.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Good! Let's get going then."


The two stood twenty yards apart, glaring at each other, each one sizing the other up.

Kane audibly gulped. This was intense.

He'd never seen Naruko look so serious before.

Kakashi stood in the center, between the two genin, but not intruding on their line of sight between one another.

The wind was howling, blowing Naruko's twin pigtails wildly. Sasuke's gaze was the most intense look Kane had seen in his entire life; bar none. Twin double tomoe sharingan eyes stared Naruko down.

She stared right back.

Kane knew, then and there, that these were true ninja.

"Ready?" Kakashi asked, his right arm up in the air in a chopping formation.

Two nods.

Kane knew, then and there, that his teammates would be spoken about for generations to come. They would make history some day.

And where would he be?

Kakashi's hand came down.

"Begin!"

And then he leapt away, as immediately Sasuke rushed Naruko. Naruko threw up her signiature cross symbol before shouting "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" and then there were ten of her.

Sasuke engaged them in taijutsu, one versus nine, and disposed of them so quickly, so fluidly, that Kane wasn't even sure he knew how Sasuke did it.

"Come on, idiot. Didn't you hear Kakashi? This fight is to the death. Quit holding back!" Sasuke chided.

Naruko responded with a smirk "If you insist."

She clapped her hands together as if in prayer, and started screaming. The amount of chakra she released was enormous. Kane could physically see the blue essence flowing around her body!

"MULTI-SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

And then there were a hundred of her.

Sasuke smirked. "That's more like it!"

As Kane watched Sasuke weave in and out, avoiding and dodging every punch and kick the army of Narukos threw his way, Kane couldn't help but feel small.

very, very small.

He wouldn't have even beaten the ten Naruko's; hell, he couldn't even handle just one.

As Sasuke defeated his forty second clone, he suddenly did several hand signs too quick for Kane to see.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" as Sasuke spat out the biggest fireball Kane has ever seen, completely massacring the remainder of Naruko's clones bar 4 of them and Naruko herself.

"Wind Style: Air Bullet!" Naruko announced as she shot several bursts of air at Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked with twisted satisfaction.

"Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" He announced as he shot a much smaller fireball at the air bullets.

Kane's jaw hit the floor as the air bullets caused the small fireball to turn into a huge one, essentially fanning the flames. It was almost as big as the last one!

"Uh oh..." Naruko said as one of her remaining clones grabbed her and threw her across the training grounds. All four of the remaining clones were caught in the fireball, dispersing with a 'poof'.

As Naruko rolled along the ground, she tried her best to halt her momentum. As soon as she got her bearings, Sasuke was on her. She was unable to block the kick to the face he sent her, but grabbed his fist with her hand when he proceeded to throw a punch. He threw a left hook, and she grabbed that one too.

Naruko smirked up at him as she held both his arms in a deadlock.

"Checkmate, Bastard!"

"What?" Sasuke asked in confusion. Checkmate? He was winning!

Then he felt it.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder to see two clones he had never noticed before charging at him; a Rasengan in hand.

Kakashi chose that moment to intervene; kicking and dispersing the two clones before they could reach the genin in combat.

"Well, I'd say that's game." Kakashi said with an eye smile.

Sasuke whirled around to face Naruko as she let go of his hands with a joyful laugh.

"When did you-?!"

"When I did the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu! I had two of them hide in the forest nearby and wait!" She spoke with pride.

"The winner is Naruko." Kakashi said with an eye smile.

Kane had the depressing thought that he would never catch up to them.


Naruko was pleased. Very pleased. She had finally taken the lead from the bastard and now she got to choose where the team went out for dinner!

Kane was not pleased. He had a little bit of spending money; that C-Ranked pay came in recently, and it paid surprisingly well. Despite this, he knew wherever they went he was not going to be allowed in.

They left earlier than usual; Kakashi ended training just in time for lunch today, since Naruko and Sasuke had their big spar. As the four of them walked throughout the village, Kane couldn't help but notice the looks being thrown Sasuke's way, but in particular the looks being thrown Naruko's way.

They were the complete opposite of the ones he was getting.

"Look, it's Lord Hokage's daughter!"

"She'll be Hokage someday, for sure."

"I heard she won Rookie Of The Year, and got paired up with Sasuke Uchiha to boot!"

"Gross, look at the little demon following them."

"What was Lord Hokage thinking?! Putting that monster on the same team as the villages princess!"

The words stung. Moreso than usual if he were being honest. He learned a long time ago how to tune the words of the villagers out, it was nearly second nature at this point.

Learning the reason for their hatred opened up old wounds, though.

Thankfully, the only person who seemed to notice the looks thrown his way was Kakashi-sensei, who ruffled his hair in response. When he glanced up at him, Kakashi-sensei gave him an eye smile and kept walking.

It made it more bearable.

Just a little.

As they arrived at a barbeque shop near the Hokage Tower, Sasuke sighed in exasperation. "Is barbeque the only thing you eat, idiot?"

"Shutup bastard! I like barbeque, so what?!" She growled back. "If you don't like it, maybe next time you won't lose." She smirked at him in glee.

Sasuke growled in response.

Oh. So this was the barbeque restaurant they came to the first time they ate as a team; the time he didn't come. He's been to this restaurant before.

He's been thrown out before is more accurate.

Dread filled his chest at the thought. What would he tell them if he got booted out of the restaurant?!

As the four entered the building, they made their way to the bar closest to the chef. Naruko wanted to watch them cook the food in front of her.

As the chef fawned over his two teammates, Kane noticed the glares he received as well.

He supposed he wouldn't kick him out in the presence of the Hokage's daughter, son of the Chief Of Police, and fabled White Fang.

He relaxed slightly. Maybe this wouldn't be so terrible after all.

As Naruko continued to chat away towards the three of them, occasionally poking fun at Sasuke for her victory and his loss, The food was served in front of them. Kane noticed the others, even Kakashi-sensei, got significantly more food than him. In fact he was pretty sure he was served less than what most people received.

After some time passed filled with Naruko stuffing her face and Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke eating calmly, Naruko suddenly gave Kane a curious look. "Are you not going to eat, Kane?"

He hadn't taken a single bite out of his food.

"Ah, I'm not very hungry."

"Oh." Naruko looked downtrodden, but immediately perked up right after "Well, thanks for coming even though you weren't hungry!"

Kane simply nodded as Sasuke gave him a suspicious glare.

Ah, so he had seen it too.

Kane was starving if he were being honest with himself. He only told himself he wasn't hungry because he wasn't going to give the chef the satisfaction of watching him eat it.

He had spit in his food, after all.


As Kane sat in his apartment that night eating his last cup of instant-ramen, he felt slightly woozy. He glanced outside the only window in his apartment to check the weather and saw the sky was grey and clouds were rolling in. It would rain soon.

Very soon, apparently, as the second the thought crossed his mind there was a flash of lightning and he could see the storm begin.

Kane suddenly felt very, very ill.

He sprinted into the bathroom and threw up the ramen he just finished eating.


End of Chapter 9.