Authors Notes: Yes readers, I am finally back in action. One of the reasons I've been gone for so long was because I got busy in Second Life. A very interesting virtual chat place, if I say so myself. I hope all the rp there helped me improve my writing, but I guess you reviewers will be the judge of that, huh? The other reason was because I just got a massive writer's block, and it's just now starting to crumble away. Anyway, I won't leave a long author note on this chapter like the last ones. Enjoy the story.

Battousai's Apprentice: Chapter 13

The next morning, Team 7 was in the middle of a forest, which was not far from Tazuna's house. After Kakashi's declaration of Zabuza being alive yesterday, he eventually came to the conclusion that it was best to prepare his team for the upcoming battle they would have with him and his accomplice.

Well, Sasuke and Sakura were the ones that needed to be prepared the most.

And yes, later on yesterday, Kakashi had sent a messenger hawk to Konoha to request a squad of ANBU to pick up the surviving and tied up Chuunin missing-nin that Team 7 had fought, something that Naruto took note of.

"Ok, before I began your training, I want to talk to you three about chakra, which is what ninjas use," Kakashi said. "Naruto, the Hokage had informed me that you have some ninja skills and that you learned them from ninjas who fought with you during Japan's civil war. Do you know what chakra is?"

Naruto nodded his head. Today, he was dressed in his usual samurai outfit, which like always consisted of black hakama pants, a full-length and black kimono, and a blood red haori over the kimono itself. The outfit he wore during the fight with Zabuza was still wet, and he needed to wash and dry it. Fortunately, he knew about sealing scrolls, and carried one with him that contained everything he needed for this mission, including spare clothes. The previous outfit he wore was sealed up in another scroll. He still had his sugegasa hat. But it wasn't even wet, because he had dropped it before he carried out his plan against Zabuza. And he had just picked it up as he started to leave the area with the client and the rest of Team 7.

Kakashi eye-smiled at Naruto and spoke to him in a mocking tone. "Well, if you really do know what chakra is, then go ahead and explain it."

Naruto shrugged. "Chakra is the energy a ninja uses to perform a jutsu."

Kakashi nodded his head. "And what else can you tell me about chakra?"

Naruto took out a pack of cigarettes, pulling one of them out of the little box they were in. After he lit it up, he took a drag out of it before putting the little box away and answering Kakashi's question. "Chakra is actually made up of two parts. The first part is body energy. It is in each and every one of your cells."

Kakashi nodded his head again and motioned for Naruto to continue.

"The second part is spiritual energy," Naruto said. "It is gained through training and experience. These two parts are combined to create chakra."

Kakashi sighed in frustration. He was hoping Naruto would be incorrect so he could, as he believed, knock Naruto down a peg or two while mocking him. "That's… correct Naruto. Although, I did not expect for you to be exactly right," he said. "A ninja is able to use a jutsu by bringing out and releasing chakra. This is performed by using his or her hands to make a seal."

"Why do we need to be lectured about chakra?" Sasuke asked. "We already know how to use a jutsu."

"Wrong," Kakashi said. "None of you are using chakra properly."

There was a short pause of silence following Kakashi's statement before he continued. "Look, like Naruto explained awhile ago, releasing chakra means to bring out physical and spiritual energy and mix them within your body," he said. "None of you are using chakra to its full potential."

Kakashi walked over to a tree and turned around to face his team. "Based on the jutsu you use, the type and amount of chakra that's released will be different," he said. "Even if you release a large amount of chakra, the jutsu will be weakened or not work at all if you don't have proper control over your chakra."

"I see," Sasuke said. "Without the proper control over my chakra, I would be wasting energy, which would keep me from fighting as long."

Kakashi eye-smiled at the Uchiha. "Very good Sasuke," he said. "Yes, such weaknesses would appear."

'Sasuke-kun is so smart…' Sakura thought with a sad smile. 'And he figured something out before that stupid demon did.' She gave a hard glare towards Naruto, but quickly got pissed when she realized Naruto was just staring off into space while smoking a cigarette. He seemed to not care what Sasuke said.

Before Sakura could think anything more about Naruto, she suddenly remembered the situation at hand. "So, what should we do?" she asked Kakashi.

"You three are going to learn how to control it…through intense training," Kakashi answered.

"How?" Sakura asked. She wanted to get strong enough to avenge her family by killing Naruto. She wouldn't mind getting back at him either for beating her up that one day.

"Tree climbing," Kakashi said as if that was the simplest answer in the world.

There was a long silence before it was broken by an annoyed Sasuke. "But…we already know how to climb trees."

Kakashi nodded his head. "Yes, but can you do it without your hands?"

Everyone, except Naruto, was surprised by Kakashi's answer.

Before anyone could say anything, Kakashi turned towards a tree behind him, performed a Ram hand seal, and then simply walked up it without using his hands. Finally, after a bit of walking, he hung high up from a large branch sticking out of the tree.

Sasuke and Sakura were shocked by Kakashi's ability, but Naruto didn't seem amazed by it at all. In fact, he was still staring off into space.

"Do you get it now?" Kakashi asked. "You have to gather chakra in the bottom of your feet and climb up a tree." He gave his team an eye smile. "All of you will be able to do this once you're efficient at using chakra."

Sakura glared at Naruto, but spoke quietly to Kakashi. "And how is learning to climb a tree supposed to make us stronger?" she asked. "I don't want to be weak anymore."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He wasn't expecting that kind of talk to come from Sakura of all people.

Kakashi was also surprised by Sakura's attitude. He was just waiting for her to start screeching loudly and began complaining. But now, she seemed real determined about getting stronger. He then noticed the intense glare she was sending to Naruto and quickly came to a conclusion about her behavior.

'So, she wants to get stronger to kill the demon brat and avenge her family,' Kakashi thought. 'Perhaps it was best that she learned the truth about him after all. If she wasn't such a weak fangirl before, then I would try to take her off the path of revenge right now. However, it seems the most efficient motivation she can use to get stronger. I'll guide her away from her revenge when she's a strong kunoichi. Hopefully, she will still continue to train hard even after that.'

Kakashi's eye then narrowed when another thought occurred to him. 'She'll never stand a chance against the monster no matter how hard she trains, unlike Sasuke. I just need to make sure she never tries to kill Naruto. I can't allow a councilwoman's daughter to be killed, even if she wasn't on my watch. But then again, I doubt that demon would even fight back given the consequences…'

"Sensei?"

Kakashi looked down towards at Sakura. "Oh, right. Sorry, I got lost in thought." He crossed his arms as he still hung from a tree branch. "Anyway, this training will make you stronger by helping you learn how to control your chakra," he said. "This is because you all will be trying to bring the proper amount of chakra to the proper area. Even a skilled ninja can have difficulty with this."

Kakashi paused in his speech as he took notice of Sakura looking nervous for a split second by his last statement, before that nervousness was overcome by a strong resolve. She glared at Naruto and clenched her teeth in determination.

'Maybe she won't be such a fangirl anymore,' Kakashi thought, before he continued his explanation. "The amount of chakra to be used for climbing a tree is small, but it needs to be exact. And…the bottom of the foot is known as the most difficult place to gather chakra."

By now, both Sakura and Sasuke looked very determined.

"So theoretically, if you're able to learn this control, then you should be able to master any jutsu," Kakashi said. "But you need to develop enough stamina to control chakra right. Controlling your chakra can be quiet difficult based on the jutsu you use."

Sakura started to head to a tree to train like Kakashi explained.

Kakashi chuckled. "Hold on, Sakura," he said. "I'm almost finished explaining about this training. You'll get your chance very soon."

Sakura glared at Kakashi. "Hurry up."

Kakashi smirked under his mask. He was a little amused now at Sakura's new behavior. "Even when a ninja is in battle and moving frequently, he will most likely be gathering his chakra," he explained. "Controlling chakra in such situations can be even more difficult."

Kakashi took out three kunais and threw them at the Genin. Each one stuck into the ground in front of a member of Team 7.

"So, from this tree climbing, you need to gain enough stamina for this proper control," Kakashi said. "Use the kunais to mark how high you make it up the tree. Then, you three will use that mark as a goal and attempt to surpass it."

Sasuke and Sakura bent down and pulled the kunai in front of them from the ground.

"Don't expect to walk up a tree on your first try," Kakashi warned. "In fact, get a little momentum and then try running up the tree. Understand?"

Sakura and Sasuke nodded their heads before they performed a Ram hand seal and gathered chakra in their feet. After that, they each chose a tree and tried to run up it.

Sasuke was only able to manage a few steps up the tree before he was blasted off. Though, he was able to use his kunai to make a mark a few inches above the spot where he was launched from.

'If I use too much chakra, then that's what happens,' Sasuke thought. 'So, I bet the opposite is that if I use too little, then I'll just slip off.'

However, Sakura had no trouble at all with the tree climbing exercise. In fact, she was able to make it to the very top of the tree and was currently standing on a large branch.

If Sakura was the same girl she was before she knew about Naruto's condition, then she would right now be showing off her accomplishment and trying to get Sasuke to notice her.

However, Sakura was too focused on getting revenge and becoming stronger. So instead, she just quietly observed Sasuke's attempts at Kakashi's exercise.

'This exercise was too easy for me,' Sakura thought. 'Sasuke-kun is much stronger than me right now, so he should have reached a higher spot than I did.' She looked at the tree she walked on. 'Something is wrong.'

"Well, it seems Sakura is the best at controlling chakra," Kakashi said. "Her control and stamina are very efficient."

Sasuke clenched his fist and glared at Sakura for a moment, before he turned his glare towards the ground in frustration.

Sakura though was too busy contemplating Kakashi's tree climbing exercise to notice Sasuke's glare.

"I suppose the Uchiha clan isn't really worth very much after all," Kakashi lied.

In reality, Kakashi was practically an Uchiha lover. He was just trying to motivate his favorite student. Though, he did hurt inside from having to say such 'blasphemous' words.

"You are not telling the whole truth."

Sasuke stopped trying to run up a tree and paid attention to the possible argument between Naruto and Kakashi. He was curious.

Kakashi looked at Naruto. "What do you mean?"

Naruto took a drag out of his cigarette and then exhaled; smoke escaping from his lips and briefly covering his face as he spoke. "You are holding Sakura back by trying so desperately to boost her ego and motivate Sasuke."

Kakashi narrowed his eye at Naruto, but the blond samurai just ignored it and continued. "She's not as strong as you're trying to make her out to be," he said. "You are not telling the whole truth."

Sakura caught onto what Naruto meant, so she swallowed hard and prepared to say something she was very reluctant about.

"He's right."

Kakashi and Sasuke were shocked. They did not expect Sakura to react that way.

Naruto just narrowed his eyes in thought. 'So, she must be really determined after all if she would actually agree with me.'

"What?" Kakashi asked with surprise.

Sakura sighed. "Sensei, it doesn't make any sense that I would be better than Sasuke when he's obviously stronger than me," she said. "I know that right now, I'm weak. There has to be a logical explanation for why I have an easier time with this exercise than he does." She then leveled a glare towards Kakashi. "You know why, but you're not telling me for whatever reason. I need to know sensei, so I can work on any weaknesses that I have and get stronger."

Sakura finally looked away from Kakashi. "Please…don't keep things like that from me," she pleaded. "As your student, I demand to know why."

'Damn, I wanted to keep Sasuke motivated by getting him to believe for a short time that someone as weak as Sakura is stronger than him,' Kakashi thought. 'Well, there goes that plan. Damn you demon brat!'

"Fine," Kakashi said with reluctance. "You have better chakra control because you have so little chakra within you. Since Sasuke has more chakra than you do though, he will have a harder time with this exercise."

Sasuke now felt a lot less frustrated than he did before. In fact, he had a little smirk on his face. 'As I should have known,' he thought. 'An Uchiha will always be superior.'

"Ok," Sakura said, before she looked down at the ground and went deep in thought. After a few seconds, she looked up at Kakashi again. "Kakashi-sensei, if this exercise can increase someone's chakra control, then can it also increase someone's chakra reserves?"

Kakashi nodded his head. "Yes," he answered. "By constantly running up and down the tree, you will be draining your chakra reserves. If you want, just keep running up and down a tree until you're too tired to do it anymore. Don't overdo it though, or you could pass out from chakra exhaustion. When your chakra reserves are replenished, they should increase by a certain amount."

"Thank you Kakashi-sensei," Sakuara said as she nodded her head in the affirmative, before she did as Kakashi explained by running back down and up the tree repeatedly.

Kakashi walked down his tree. When he finally reached the ground, he addressed his strongest Genin. "Naruto, why aren't you doing this exercise like your teammates are doing?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I already know how to do tree walking."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "Oh, is that so?" he asked. "The Hokage told me you had notified him about being able to do this exercise. But, you never had shown any proof to him or me that you can. I'm skeptical of it. So, if you can do it like you say, then you certainly won't have any trouble proving it to me right now."

Naruto stared at Kakashi for a few seconds, before tossing his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out. Slowly, he headed towards a tree and simply walked up it until he reached the very top like Sakura did.

Naruto now stood on a large branch sticking out of the tree.

Sakura and Sasuke seethed. Sakura was mad because Naruto was able to do the exercise as easily as she could, but in the past she would have been angrier about Naruto being able to do better than Sasuke. The Uchiha was angered because he had thought that he would finally have the chance to do something better than Naruto could, only to find out that the blond had already surpassed him. He just felt so frustrated that Naruto was at his age, but was so much stronger.

Both Sakura and Sasuke did not expect Naruto to be able perform tree walking since he was mainly trained as a Japanese samurai, not a ninja.

Kakashi was just surprised. He was honest when he basically told Naruto that he didn't believe him about being able to tree walk. He didn't think the blond would actually be able to train and fight as a fully fledged Japanese samurai, while at the same time learn enough about the way shinobi fight to the point where he knows how stick to trees and other surfaces using chakra.

"There is your proof," Naruto said calmy.

Kakashi was silent for a few more seconds as he stared at Naruto in disbelief, before he narrowed his eye at him. "You're dismissed from this exercise," he said with a tone of annoyance in his voice. "However, I think it's time we have a talk…privately."

Naruto showed no sign of reaction to Kakashi's statement. He just simply walked down his tree. When Naruto reached the ground, he walked towards Kakashi until he was standing a little ways in front of him.

Kakashi looked towards Sasuke and Sakura, who were observing their interaction. "Sasuke, continue this exercise until you have it mastered. And Sakura, like Naruto, you're also dismissed from this exercise. But you're free to use this exercise to increase your chakra reserves if you wish."

Sakura didn't protest or question Kakashi. She just nodded her head before she continued to repeatedly run up and down a tree. The Uchiha also went back to the tree climbing exercise.

Kakashi began walking away from the current training area used by his Genins. "Follow me, Naruto."

And so Naruto followed Kakashi. The two walked a short distance away from Sakura and Sasuke until they reached a spot where no listening ears would hear their conversation. Turning around swiftly, Kakashi faced his student. "Naruto…" he began. "Who was it exactly that taught you ninja techniques?"

Naruto faced his so-called sensei with a sense of calm that was both on the inside and out. He wasn't surprised that Kakashi asked him such a question. In fact, the only thing that surprised Naruto was that he wasn't asked sooner by the man, even though the Hokage before asked him the same thing. He briefly pondered the reason why it took Kakashi so long to ask him this, before clearing his thoughts and answering the question. "I was lucky enough to come across certain ninjas who were willing to teach me, as well as show me scrolls," he answered. "As you should know, different sides had the assistance of ninja. It was rare that they would show samurai anything, but whenever I did get the chance, I took it."

"And I'm sure most of the ninja that shared such knowledge were nukenin." Kakashi's eye was narrowed and his voice was cold and harsh. He was being dead serious. "That Kage bunshin technique you used in D-rank missions…that's a jutsu only taught to Leaf ninja. And not just any Leaf ninjas…but those that reach Jounin rank. So…I know you learned it from a high level nukenin." At the end of his sentence, Kakashi growled and a little bit of killing intent leaked out.

If Naruto was nervous, he didn't show it. And it frustrated the Jounin to no end. The demon child just continued to stare at him. Acting as calm as if they were talking about the weather!

After a long pause, Kakashi got down to the question he wanted to ask the most. "Who taught you that technique Naruto?"

The blond samurai was already prepared for that question, ever since his so-called team's first D-rank mission. Again, he was surprised he wasn't asked sooner. The one who taught that technique to him, Itachi, had long ago told him the truth regarding the Uchiha Clan Massacre, about how Danzo and the rest of Konoha's elders had ordered him to kill off his whole clan due to the threat of the Uchiha starting a village-wide revolt. Naruto also knew the reason Itachi abandoned the village was because he left Sasuke alive, not only leaving a witness to identify the murderer, but defying orders as well...

The elders never intended for the identity of the culprit to be known, and the same went for the true reason of the Uchiha clan's demise. So, trying to improvise, the advisors succeeded in having the population of Konoha believe that Itachi basically went insane, thus the clan murderer was eventually marked as a nukenin. However, the fact that the elders were trying to cover up the truth of the Uchiha Clan Massacre wasn't the only reason they got Itachi marked as a nukenin. The other reasons were that Itachi had disobeyed their orders and left the village with very sensitive knowledge. Knowledge that could ruin them, since the rest of Konoha's people, especially the rest of the council, would turn on them in a heartbeat for daring to lay a hand on the 'great' Uchiha clan, despite the fact that they were traitors.

Indeed, Itachi had shared much of what he knows with Naruto, including the real reason he left his weak little brother alive, as well as why he protected him by not only asking the Sandaime Hokage to look out for Sasuke, but also threatening Danzo and the other elders that he would go public with everything he knew if even one finger was laid on him.

And Itachi didn't do any of that out of the goodness of his heart.

So, Naruto knew that he couldn't reveal to Kakashi his association with one of the worst traitors in Konoha's history. Especially someone that Konoha's elders desperately want dead. Oh sure, he could say that he was taught ninja techniques from a regular Leaf nukenin. That's a whole different story. But if Naruto told the truth, then not only would he obviously face a lot of problems, but he would be betraying one of his best friends.

Itachi didn't want it known to anyone that he was in Japan during the country's civil war, not just because of the risk of hunter-nins getting a lead on him, but also because of the risk of the organization he's in, Akatsuki, being discovered, along with their activities in Japan itself. And yes, Itachi had even informed Naruto about the purpose of the organization…

Itachi and Naruto were very close. Their friendship was not only strong, but rare as well. Neither of them kept secrets from the other.

Eventually, Naruto and Itachi agreed that they would have to fight each other later in the future after the end of Japan's civil war, not just because of Akatsuki's goals, but to test…their capacity.

Both of them knew it wouldn't just be any fight, but a fight to the death.

After all, Naruto and Itachi were not just best friends...

They were rivals.

The main point is that Naruto had already planned out how he would answer this question when, not if, it would come up. The plan was simple…

"His name was Taiyoukaen Kassei," Naruto answered, looking straight into Kakashi's eye, calm as ever.

Naruto would just give the name of a Jounin Leaf nukenin that he met in the past. The man's only crime was leaving his village. Since then, he was a mercenary. But from what the blond found out, the man died later on in Japan's civil war.

For a moment, Kakashi just stared back at Naruto, his one visible eye narrowed into a slit and searching the blond's eyes and facial expression for any deception. He found none. But, that's understandable considering that Naruto knows how to keep any hint of a lie from showing. He did, after all, learn from the best.

The Leaf Jounin finally seemed to relax, but still stared at him intensely. "Yes…I've heard of him," he spoke quietly. "The man is dead now, according to what information I gathered."

"That is correct," Naruto responded. "He taught me that jutsu before his death."

Kakashi nodded his head. "I figured as much." His eye then narrowed upon the blond again, conveying suspicion. "I won't ask how he came to eventually teach you anything. No, what I'm more interested in is how you came to know Zabuza, who is an A-Class nukenin from Kiri and one of the members of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Someone, who lead a coup in Kiri and tried to assassinate the Yondaime Mizukage."

Once more, Naruto remained calm in the face of one of Kakashi's questions. His eyes retaining the same sad look he always wore and his expression unchanging in the slightest. "It should be obvious how I came to know him," Naruto answered, his soft voice never wavering, pissing Kakashi off a little since he saw that the 'demon' was 'daring' to talk back to him. "I met him during the era of the Bakumatsu no Doran. We fought on the same side, of course."

Kakashi crossed his arms, inhaling deeply for a moment before exhaling slowly. "And what do you know of his skills and abilities, Naruto?" he asked. "The information you can give me would greatly help for the next time our team confronts him again. And there will be another battle. There's no doubt about that."

Naruto shrugged and just answered truthfully. "All I know is just from what you and everyone else on Team 7 seen in the last battle against him," he answered. "He specializes in kenjutsu and the jutsus he relies on are water based. I have never seem him perform any other types of elemental jutsus."

Kakashi sighed in frustration and placed his hands against his hips. "Well, is there any other water jutsus he knows besides the ones he used in the last battle?"

Naruto slightly shook his head, once more giving an honest answer. "No. The only water jutsu that was new to me was the one that he used to trap you in some sort of water sphere."

"Ok," Kakashi answered, looking up at the sky and rubbing the bridge of his nose. He was once more feeling frustration. "One more question, Naruto."

"Yes?"

The Jounin lowered his head and leveled his gaze upon the samurai. "Who was the girl that Zabuza was talking about?"

Naruto was quiet for at least half a minute, the only noise around them being the sound of birds and other wildlife around the forest. To Naruto's credit though, his eyes and expression continued to remain the same. Finally, he decided he would only be partially truthful with his answer. "Someone I'm close to, who feels close to Zabuza."

Now it was Kakashi's turn to take stay quiet for a moment, his intense stare trying to drill a hole into Naruto's head. "Is this girl an accomplice of his, Naruto?" he asked. "Is she in this land?"

Naruto responded instantly. "No," he lied.

"Another person you've met in Japan?" Kakashi asked, his eyebrow raised.

Naruto just gave a nod.

Kakashi rubbed his chin, continuing to stare at Naruto in another moment of silence, a look of superiority about him. All of a sudden, his voice got quieter, but there was a hint of harshness in it, as he asked his next question. "Is what Zabuza said true, Naruto?" he asked. "Will you hesitate to kill him, or even cause permanent harm, because of this girl?"

The eyes of the blond samurai narrowed, returning Kakashi's stare with the same intensity. "No," he lied again. "I'm not even sure if she's alive anymore. And even if she is, it's not like I'll even ever see her again anyways, so what does it matter? She's not even in this land or anywhere in the Elemental Countries. She was in Japan the last time I saw her." But she actually was very much in this land. And the truth was that he didn't even know what to do if he ever faced Zabuza in battle again, especially with Haku there. He was still trying to figure that out. He could injure him like last time, but what about after that? If he didn't kill Zabuza, then Kakashi would, and he couldn't let that happen. So, he would end up being in the same predicament that he was in the last battle against Zabuza.

And what if he had to fight Haku? There was a possibility of that happening as well. And it was even a more horrible predicament to be in. If he didn't kill her, she could be captured by the Leaf nins and be brought back to Konoha to be used as breeding stock because of her bloodline. After all, unlike Zabuza, she wasn't classified in the ninja world as a nukenin. That filthy and insignificant little Uchiha might even get his hands on her because of his clan status in the village. Naruto didn't know what to do…

Naruto's heart clenched at all these thoughts.

Kakashi closed his eye for a second, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration once more. He wasn't sure if Naruto was telling the truth or not. Of all the enemies they had to face on this mission, it had to be someone who had a past with Konoha's jinchuriki. Naruto did seem pretty convincing though when he answered his questions. Suddenly, Kakashi remembered something else from the conversation between Naruto and Zabuza, and mentally cursed himself for not remembering it sooner…

The blond samurai had asked the nukenin how…some girl was. And the way Zabuza was talking about this girl…it sounded as if he kept in regular contact with her. The nukenin had even talked about how this girl could be with Naruto if the blond joined him. And Naruto himself had said that if he was to travel with Zabuza and this girl, then they would be put in danger. So, did the demon ask Zabuza about Haku because the nukenin stayed with her a little longer after the blond left Japan? Did Zabuza act as if he kept in regular contact with this girl because he had a way to communicate with her? Or maybe he was just referring to the last time he saw her? Maybe Zabuza was planning to travel to Japan to meet up with this girl if Naruto was willing to join him, and then perhaps all three of them would head back to the Elemental Countries?

Kakashi shook his head to clear away the jumbled up thoughts, his arms crossed tight as he looked down at the ground in concentration. 'All of that is possible. So, I'm sure the demon brat is telling the truth. Japanese samurai are at least supposed to be honorable enough to tell the truth most of the time.' He lifted his head and narrowed his one eye in thought as he looked upon the samurai's unchanging face. 'And besides, even if he's lying about the girl, I'm sure in the end he would not only kill Zabuza, but her as well…just to keep that pitiful country of his safe. The leash Konoha has on him is too tight for him to betray it, much less his superiors.' Kakashi sneered in disgust behind his mask. 'How pathetic...to have that much love for an inferior country that is now only a shadow of its former self, just like the monsters that live in it.'

In the near future, Kakashi's arrogance would be his undoing.

Quickly, Kakashi wiped the sneer off his face, on the chance that Naruto could notice it even if he was wearing a mask. His stare and expression finally returning back to its usual calm and neutral facade. "Very well, Naruto. We'll see someday if you're telling the truth or not, won't we?" When all he got in response was the same calm and sad stare that Naruto always gave, Kakashi just turned around, pulling his porn book from his pouch, and walking back towards where the Uchiha and Haruno were still training. "You're free to do as you wish today. Just try to stay out of trouble."

And so, Naruto kept watching the form of his so-called sensei until he finally disappeared into the distance. Slowly, his right hand stopped twitching, which was something important that Kakashi didn't notice. His hand always did that…right before he used it to unsheathe his sword.

Naruto was so sure that Kakashi would have questioned him more about the conversation between him and Zabuza. Either Kakashi was arrogant enough to believe that Naruto would kill Zabuza and anyone allied with him, despite of the chance that he was lying about Haku, because of the threat Konoha poses to Japan, or the Leaf Jounin was planning something.

'I'll keep a more careful eye on him just in case,' Naruto thought, still staring off into the direction that Kakashi disappeared at. 'Yes Kakashi, indeed we will see someday.'