The first time Kakashi gets really concerned, he's watching Team 7 from the bushes. Most mornings he spent at the memorial stone, but today were was a family there, clearly saying goodbye, and he wasn't going to interrupt that. He still had an hour until it was time for him to arrive though, and decided that seeing how well Team 7 was bonding would be a good idea.

So he's sitting in a tree, it's just past 8 in the morning, and he feels a sinking feeling in his rib cage. Because it's not just Team 7 that in the clearing that they have chosen as there own (only a three minute run from the bridge where they actually meet). There's Asano there as well.

This is a problem for a few reasons. The first of which is Sakura.

Kakashi never wanted a Team. He knows he'd be bad at it. He doesn't know how to teach. He never really need to be taught the way Rin or Obito did. As Tenzo has told him many, many times, he has no idea how explain who he does other than 'do it'. For another, everything Kakashi touches dies, or at least, suffers. (Gai and Tenzo being the only survivors thus far.)

He never wanted a team, but when he meets Team 7, he can almost understand why they were put together. Sasuke is obsessed with power, Naruto with recognition, and Sakura with... Asano. Which is why this is a problem. Without a significant amount of time away from Asano, it seems unlikely that Sakura will be able to grow, and view Sasuke and Naruto as people who are important to her. Even interviewing her parents it was obvious who took priority in Sakura's life, in a very unhealthy way.

The second problem is that they are bonding. But they're all bonding with Asano, as far as Kakashi can tell. If Asano was part of the team, that would be fine. It's common for there to be a 'heart' of the team who everyone likes best or connects to first. She's not part of the team though. If Konoha was more flexible with their teams like Kiri was then Kakashi would go to the Hokage's office that very second and ask for her to be transferred. (Her own weakness could be used to drive Naruto to work harder to protect her and Sakura to work with Naruto to keep her from harm...)

Konoha isn't like Kiri, and Konoha is very dedicated to their 'three genin, one jounin' team layouts.

Kakashi doesn't see the third problem clearly at that point, but it's only two and half weeks later when he gets smacked in the face with it.

"Get off of me, loser!"

The voice sounds like Sakura. Kakashi moves as fast as he can, if someone has attacked them- It's just Sakura and Naruto. Sasuke is watching them. Asano isn't there (though she's almost aways gone by the time he arrives anyway). Kakashi can already tell that the day is not going to be a good one.

"Good morning, my adorable genin!" Kakashi says, purposefully ignoring the dark clouds over head, and Sakura's targeted glare. It's pretty menacing for a baby genin actually.

"Sensei! You're late!" Naruto shouts, jumping up from where he had been cowering away from Sakura on the ground.

"There was this old man who need help with his furniture..." Kakashi trails off. Now he has the glares of all three of his genin, which is an improvement. There's nothing for bonding like a shared enemy after all. "I already picked up a mission for today," which is to say, Gai cornered him yesterday and gave it to him 'in the spirit of competition'. "We have been given the vital job of cleaning out the gutters in time for winter, and remember: if you do a bad job you'll have to do it again in January."

By the look on their faces (or at least, Sakura and Naruto's faces) they're going to make sure to do a good job.


"Give us a better job Old Man Something exciting! Not this little kid stuff!" Naruto shouts at the Hokage. Kakashi feels the hope of another easy day wither and die inside of him. He had expected this of course, Minato, even as Jounin, had had a hard time withstanding boring mission for too long. Naruto had significantly less self restraint and experience than Minato.

Based on the shock on the chunin by the Hokage's side, they either don't know about Naruto's family or they don't know that fact. (Not that he's surprised. Most people don't know what he knows.)

"Naruto! You are in front of The Hokage! Restrain yourself!" Oh. Perhaps that chunin knows Naruto. "You're new genin with no experience! Just like everyone else you start with simple mission that match your skill level!"

"These are chores! Not missions!"

This must be Iruka Umino. Naruto's academy sensei. One of the Hokage's aides. "Ex-"prankster. Based on the look on Sakura and Sasuke's faces, this is pretty common for their interactions.

"-I'm not a little kid anymore! These are baby missions! Give-"

This is getting really annoying really quickly.

"-dare you!-" Really. Really. Annoying. "Dead last!" Kakashi can't exactly make the chunin stop now can he.

"Ouch! Sensei!" Naruto clutches his head, looking up at Kakashi with exaggerated teary eyes. Kakashi has no regrets.

"Stop being a pest, Naruto." Sakura hisses and Kakashi lets his hidden eyebrow raise. Sakura's never liked Naruto, but she was usually willing to be at least decent to him. Not that he disagreed. Icha Icha was just waiting for him but the Hokage said that if Kakashi brought it out into his office again... well. (Anko was not a threat given lightly.)

"Kakashi," the Hokage said, "do you think Team Kakashi is ready for a C-rank." Oh Sage. Everyone knew that the first C-rank mission always went wrong. It was so prevalent that the Hokage purposefully gave dodgy missions as the first C-rank. The mission was going to go wrong no matter what he did, might as well give some chunin an easy one and let the jounin be prepared for the likely problems.

What the Hokage was really asking was 'are Team Kakashi likely to die when this mission doubtlessly go FUBAR'. Kakashi half suspected that the missions went wrong to test the genin to see if they read had what it took to be shinobi, that was not too much time was wasted on those who couldn't stand the immense pressure.

Common enemies were a great way to build teamwork, Kakashi knew that well from being a 14 year old in ANBU. That was almost helpful to him as it gave him permission to lightly torture them until they got their act together and started acting like a team. Acting like team instead of say, a bunch of academy kids, still fighting for the top ranking. That said. They needed to build a working relationship with him too.

Damn Hokage. If he said no then they'd never let it go. And oh he would if he thought they were doomed. But Team 7 was on the verge. Personally he would have waited for at least another month before giving them a C-rank. At this point a C-rank would make or break the team.

"They're a bit young, but it might be useful." Might as well give it a shot.

Given the look on Umino's face, Kakashi's opinion was not shared. Luckily the chunin was smart enough not to start shouting about it in front of the genin.

"Very well, let's see, a starter mission," the Hokage rolled open the yellow 'C-rank' scroll and it down carefully. "There's a spring near Iron Country. A younger, less threatening team is probably a good idea." The Hokage looked up and straight into Kakashi's eye, as if to make sure that his less than subtle hint that samurai might get involved could be lost on him. As if.

"Naruto, you have to make sure you know the protocol for Iron before you leave!" Umino said, "I know you failed the international part of the exam so make sure you study it!" Kakashi could barely resist facepalming. If his adorable genin weren't present then he wouldn't make the effort but it wouldn't do to pick on Naruto too badly.

"You won't leave for a week since the civilians that you'll be escorting on their pilgrimage want to tour Konoha first." The Hokage said, and Kakashi knew it was time to leave.


"A C-rank mission!" Oh my Sage. Kakashi had known that chunin was going to be trouble. "Naruto didn't even pass his graduation exams and you want him to go on a C-rank mission after a month!"

"Look," Kakashi said, turning away from his lovely book and up to an angry chunin who really had no business getting involved. "I get that you're biased when it comes to Naruto, but he's not your student anymore. He's mine. It's my choice which missions he goes on."

The chunin looks at him, flushed and frusterated, and not listening. Fine. If he wasn't going to listen to reason then Kakashi would make him.

"If I decided that Naruto needed to take an A-rank then he damn well would, even if that mission was tomorrow." That sure got his attention. "But you know what Umino? My reputation is well earned-" all of his reputations actually. His reputation for getting his teammates killed. His reputation for being deadly. His ANBU reputation for finishing every damn mission. "-I shouldn't be teacher, but it's too late that change that now-"

"Kakashi! Oh I'm so glad you've met Iruka." Genma's tighter than friendly hand lands on his shoulder and Kakashi resists swearing. Barely. "Kotetsu and Izumo are back from their supply run as of this morning. I was thinking we should all meet up. A nice lunch between all of us? I think Gai's probably free for training if you don't want to though, huh Kakashi?"

Never has Kakashi met such a menacing man in such a pleasant package. Too bad he and Raido were doing the dance now, Kakashi missed him.

"I'm afraid I have to make sure my genin are ready for their first C-rank tomorrow actually," Kakashi said, because let it not be said he didn't know how to twist the kunai.

"I'm actually on break right now, I have to get back to the Hokage's office in just a few minutes."

"That's too bad," Genma's grip loosens and for someone reason Kakashi can feel the hairs on his neck raise. "We'll have to meet up another time. It's so important to have strong social networks. I know! How about you bring your genin with you next time! It's always a good idea to make sure they know some other shinobi."

Kakashi would tell Genma to fuck right off (in different words probably), but he knows that this isn't just to make Kakashi miserable. It's also a way to meet Minato's son. Something that Genma probably wants a thousand times more than Kakashi. Why couldn't Genma have been Naruto's jounin sensei? (Sure he's only a tokujo jounin, but everyone knows that's by choice, not by skill level.)

"We'll see," Kakashi says before leaving as soon as possible (aka: misappropriating jutsu to escape - that ceramic vase sitting on a nearby window had been ugly anyway).


"It's so cool! We're going to leave Konoha!" Naruto shouts, ignoring (and contributing) to the wide range of shinobi junk flying around the room. Oh shoot those scrolls are valuable- too late.

"It is pretty cool," Sakura adds with obvious reluctance that makes Kakashi want to both smile and grimace. This mission could go so badly wrong.

"Hn."

"Now I need you all to make sure you don't have any books in your bags, there is a high restriction on what's allowed out of Konoha and into Iron and we don't want there to be mess over it."

"We know sensei," Sakura says rolling her eyes. Kakashi sends a pointed look to Naruto who. "Anyone who would bring a book in the first place knows," Sakura corrects.

"Sakura," Kakashi looks straight at her, "All books. That includes notebooks." If Sakura was found with a dodgy book on human biology and experimentation. Well. It wouldn't be pretty. And if the look on Sakura's face is anything to judge by, she had been planning on taking it. Genin were so stupid sometimes.