I was fine with laying on the bed and minding my own business, and by that, I mean I was casually conversing with myself out loud at that point when I suddenly felt a disturbance in a certain someone's chakra. My eyes widened before I quickly teleported myself to Sakura's side.

"Re-"

"I felt it. His chakra..." I interrupted as I gripped the railing, my eyes looking down at Lee-senpai in horror.

The boy was unconscious on the ground, his left arm and leg bleeding badly. In front of him was Gai-sensei, who had dispelled the sand that was surely about to attack him.

I quickly jumped down to Lee-senpai's side and looked at his injuries worriedly. "This is... His bones, his muscles... He used both, didn't he? I didn't want to bet on it, but..." I felt tears well up in my eyes as I saw his pained expression. Those tears of sorrow turned into rage, a rage similar to that I had when Orochimaru had tried touching my scar.

The main difference was that that rage was something that I supported completely.

I grit my teeth as my chakra overflowed from my body, my tears flowing into the air from the pressure of it. I turned my gaze over to Gaara, who had been clenching his cracking sand mask.

He made eye-contact with me, and those sea-foam green eyes of his widened even more.

I stood up with my fists clenched. "You..."

"Ren-"

I ignored Gai-sensei as I walked towards the person who had just became my number one enemy. "I see mercy is something that doesn't exist in your vocabulary. Sunagakure-born or not, everyone knows boundaries. Since you failed to stop before reaching that boundary..." I stood in front of him and glared down at him, my fury reaching its peak. "You will get the pleasure of facing the true power of..." I allowed my chakra to take a certain shape that I had seen a few weeks earlier. "The Demon Hidden in the Leaves."

The ginger jolted in shock before bloodlust filled his eyes once again.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I threatened as I reached back and grabbed the hand heading towards the back of my neck. I stared down at Gaara with wrath before giving a small sigh. I reigned in my anger and released the hand. I took a step back and gave a closed-eye smile towards the boy I'd try to kill in the future.

"You know, I intended on flunking out because I had better things to do with my time. Now though..." I reached my hand out and placed it on top of his head. I ruffled his hair as I said, "I'm going to spend every single second until we fight training to pay you back ten-fold for what you did to my precious senpai." I gave a chuckle as I moved my hand away. I opened my eyes as malice-infected my smile. "I'm going to my best to gain the strength to kill you and that monster inside of you."

His eyes widened as he grit his teeth. Both hands clutched his head as painful memories seemed to come to the surface of his mind.

I felt satisfied with his reaction, so I turned heel. I passed by Kakashi-sensei, who was looking down at me worriedly. "I expect you to find me a suitable teacher. I won't accept anything less than ANBU-level skills."

Kakashi-sensei opened his mouth to reply, but I had already departed.

I walked through the hospital, ignoring how many had stared at me. I made it to the nurse's station and slammed my hand down on the desk, gaining both of the women's attention. "Haruno Ren, Room 201. I demand to be released right this minute."

The one woman immediately got riled up. "You're the boy that's under critical care! You're not being released! Get back to your room now!"

I stared her down and emphasized every word darkly, "I demand to be released right fucking now."

She flinched away from me with a scared expression.

That's when an ANBU member put their hand on my shoulder. "Return to your room. You're not allowed to leave."

"You're going to lose that hand," I threatened as I glared over my shoulder fiercely. "And don't you dare doubt me on that."

"Hokage-sama ordered it," they said, not removing their hand.

"You think I honestly give a damn about the old man right now?" I growled as I grabbed their forearm. I pulled it out of my shoulder as I looked straight into the eyes hidden away behind the mask. "I'm willing to bet he's going to die in a month anyway, so fuck off." I shoved the arm away with all of my strength before looking back towards the woman. "I'm checking out. Give me the forms I have to sign right now."

"I-I can't..." She said nervously while shaking under my glare.

Kakashi-sensei appeared next to me in a puff of smoke. "I have orders from Hokage-sama to take him. Let him sign out."

"But Hokage-sama-"

My sensei looked over at the ANBU with a rather serious expression. "He's going to Inoichi."

The person immediately backed off before disappearing in their own puff of smoke.

"Yamanaka Inoichi-san, huh?" I questioned as I signed my release forms.

Kakashi-sensei didn't reply as I handed my forms back. He instead put his hand on my shoulder and teleported me to the training grounds that he tested my team and I in.

"This isn't Inoichi-san's office," I pointed out as I watched the man walk over to the stone.

"Ren, shut up," he demanded, making me shut my mouth in surprise. He gave a frustrated sigh as he stood before the memorial. "Do you see this stone?"

"Yeah," I answered as I crossed my arms.

"No, you don't," he said before looking back at me with a furrowed brow. "Ren... Look at this stone."

I looked down at the stone silently. My eyes gazed over it before looking back at Kakashi-sensei. I realized he wasn't happy with me, so I turned my eyes towards it once again. I gave a deep sigh as I began to observe the memorial carefully. As my eyes read off each name one by one, I finally understood the man's point. "I'm sorry."

"That's better," he approved as he looked back to the stone.

I rubbed my arm nervously as I stood next to him. "I'm in big trouble, huh?"

"Yes, you are," The jônin replied, making me cringe slightly.

"I suppose you want to know about my anger now?" I inferred.

"Yes, but I still have something else to do. Wait here until I get back." And so, he left me all by my lonesome.

The seal...

Yeah, I agreed before pulling out the small seal that I had made with my own blood during a certain break in time I had. I put it on my forehead, sealing away Maso and Sado for the time being. I gave a deep sigh as I sat before the memorial. I watched it carefully, allowing my mind to be consumed by nothing but the stone and the names on it.

"Ren!"

I blinked a few times before realizing how much time had passed. I straightened out before raising up a hand. "Yes, Sakura? Ino-chan"

"Ninpō: Shintenshin no Jutsu!" Ino-chan yelled out.

Ino looked around the black abyss in confusion. "What is this?"

"Is this really what you have to put up with all the time?"

"You get used to it."

"Who is that?" Ino muttered before walking towards where she thought the voices were coming from. She squinted her blue eyes before jolting at the sigh of a light in the distance. She quickly ran towards it, eager to see if Ren's mind worked like Sakura's.

"Yeah, but it's lonely."

"That's kinda the point."

Ino slowed down as her eyes widened. She stood several meters away from two people chained up.

The one on her left had his entire body wrapped up in chains that extended out into the darkness, several seals hanging from those chains. He looked like Ren, however the expression on his face was quite twisted. He looked down towards the other person with a grin. "I bet you expected sunshine and rainbows."

The second Ren looked up at the first with disapproved. He sat down in the darkness with his legs hugged to his chest. He was clothes-less, causing Ino to blush a bit before forcing herself to look at his face. A single chain was tied around his right ankle that lazily seemed to trail into the darkness behind him. "I didn't expect that, but..." He trailed off before giving a deep sigh. "I'm scared... What if he really does end up dying and disappearing?"

The first Ren rolled his eyes before spotting Ino, who had walked a bit closer to get a better view of the two in front of her. He grinned widely as his eyes narrowed in on the blonde's worried expression. "Well, well, well..."

The second Ren's brow furrowed before he followed the other's gaze. He blinked a few times in surprise upon seeing Ino. "Uh... Is that normal?"

"Not at all," the first answered before giving a dark chuckle. "Hey, little bitch. Whatcha doing here?"

"Sado!" The second yelled scoldingly.

The other white-haired boy rolled his eyes before scowling. "Can't I threaten to kill someone in peace? I mean, for fuck's sake-"

Several chains came out of the darkness and finished wrapping up Sado's body, hiding him from the girl's sight.

"Geez... This seal is much harsher..." The remaining Ren muttered before looking towards Ino. "Um... Hi."

"What's going on?" Ino asked as she took a step back.

"Sado is being punished," he answered with a shrug.

"But... That was Ren..." She said, unable to wrap her head around what she had just seen.

The amber-eyed boy shook his head. "No, it's Ren's sadism, Sado for short. I'm Ren's masochism, Maso for short. You're Ino, right? What are you doing here?"

"I don't understand..." The girl said slowly while hesitantly approaching Maso.

Ren released a loud hum as he threw his head back. "Aw, man. How can I explain this so it'd make sense...? How about...? Ah! I got it!" He turned his head down and smiled at the blonde. "Okay! Let's think about it this way! Sakura has an Inner Sakura, right? Well, Ren has three parts of his personality! One is Sado-" He pointed at the one that looked like him before pointing at himself. "-One is Maso, and the other is... uh..." He trailed off as he looked away, his finger bending a bit as his confidence left him. "That's the hardest to explain... Um... So... He's basically the Ren that you know, only he's, like, the determination to hold up his dream. Does that make any sense?"

"N-no..." Ino answered warily.

Maso gave a deep sigh as he rubbed his forehead. "Okay... Let me try again..." He looked up at Ino and gave a serious expression. "Sakura has two minds. One is her normal self that you've gotten to know, and the other is her Inner Sakura. You understand that much, right?"

Ino nodded hesitantly.

"Well the two of us together make up Inner Ren," Maso explained as he motioned between himself and Sado, who was still trapped inside of his chains. He kept his thumb pointed towards Sado and said, "He's the more sadistic, dark, and sarcastic part." Maso pointed his thumb towards himself. "I'm the more masochistic, laid-back, and protective side." He dropped his hand down before looking up. "And the Ren in control right now is basically what's left."

"So... Were you always three parts?" Ino asked hesitantly.

Maso blinked a few times in surprise before looking over at his companion. "Yo! Did you hear the question?!"

Sado gave a muffled sigh through the chains. The chains suddenly began retreating so that his head could be visible once again. "I'll explain it once, and only once. Get it, bitch?"

Ino gained an irked expression at the name, but pushed it aside to get the knowledge she desired.

"When Ren was just a little kid, even before he had met you, he had both an Inner Ren and an Outer Ren. Dipstick here-" Sado tilted his head towards Maso. "-and I made up certain parts of Inner Ren, okay? Ren's anger, protective nature, and smarts made up his Inner Ren. Outer Ren was made up of his joy and innocents."

Ino looked down as she muttered, "I see-"

"No, you don't," Sado objected with a dull expression. "Outer Ren is barely alive at this point in time, and Inner Ren is going to crumble right along with him."

The blonde flinched in surprise. "What?"

His white eyebrows furrowed as his amber eyes held the utmost seriousness. "The new seal he's made... It has significantly harsher effects than I originally accounted for. In sealing away his Inner Ren, he has also cut off the connection. One cannot survive without the other. It's like comparing the human brain and the heart. We're the brain, and he's the heart."

"So then he just needs to take off the seal, right?" Ino asked as she got ready to leave.

"It's not that simple," Sado replied, causing the blue-eyed girl to pause. "The damn fool thinks sealing away his less desirable parts will earn the love and support of the one person that means everything to him. He's just going to do it again if you can't convince him to stop."

"But how do I do that?" Ino questioned.

Sado gave a shrug even though he did know the answer.

"So back to what he was saying about Inner Ren - along the way, we split in half. His protectiveness over Sakura and the rage from seeing her injured is what allowed him to break away, making him a sadist. I, meanwhile, had ended up mixing with Outer Ren, gaining joy from being hurt which also meant that I was being hurt in Sakura's place. Outer Ren lost his innocents and is really an empty shell that's a bit too moldable for his own good. He crumbles under the littlest thing and often decided to take things to heart when they don't really mean anything in context." Maso gave an annoyed sigh before looking away. "I mean, he decided to seal me of all things away just because Sakura took something completely out of context and flipped it onto its head. Outer Ren's is out of his flipping mind right now."

Sado released a scoff. "Oh my gods. Just say fucking. Flipping is so childish, it disgusts me."

"Flip, flip, flip-a-dip," Maso replied sarcastically while glaring at his companion.

"I'm gonna strangle you in your damn sleep!" Sado spat out, only for the chains to return to cover him again.

"Loser," the other Ren replied with a smirk. He then cleared his throat and continued on. "Okay, so back to my rant..." He looked back up towards where Ino had previously been, only to deadpan at the empty space. "Oh... Well she doesn't have to be a jerk about it. You could have said you had to go or make up a good lie. I mean, rude much?"

I groaned as I sat up, my head throbbing. I messaged my temples before feeling my seal still on my forehead. I'm gonna be in big trouble.

"So does he have an Inner Ren, too?" Sakura asked, ignoring how I was right there with a pretty bad headache.

Ino-chan didn't reply and instead stomped over over. "Haruno Ren!"

I looked over my shoulder at the blonde, only to get a foot in my face. I released a noise of pain as I slumped against the monument. "What was that for?"

She slapped my face harshly. "How dare you?!"

"W-whoa! What did he do?!" Sakura asked nervously as she ran over. She paused after she too was slapped across the face. After taking a few seconds to recognize she was slapped by her love rival, she immediately grew angered. "What was that for, Ino?!"

Ino-chan pointed down at me and glared, her blue eyes nearly piercing holes through my head. "First off, take that damn seal off!"

"No way!" I objected as I stood up.

She smacked my face again before forcibly taking it off. She then turned pointed her finger towards Sakura and yelled, "Tell her why you're making yourself seals!"

"Eh? She already knows," I said, waving her off while making a plan to get my seal back.

"Tell her the real reason," the Yamanaka growled.

I stared down at her with narrowed eyes as Sakura looked between us in confusion. "Which one...?"

"Both," she answered.

I gave a deep sigh before pinching the bridge of my nose. Coulda sworn I said I'd take that one to the grave with me.

"Now, Ren!" Ino-chan demanded.

"Fine!" I snapped before looking over at Sakura sadly. "I'm really sorry about this. I never actually wanted to inconvenience you with this knowledge. Um..." I rubbed the back of my neck while considering just leaving.

"Ren... What aren't you telling me?" My little sister asked as she took a few steps forwards.

"Do you remember, several years ago...?" I gave a deep sigh as I closed my eyes. "Uh, our fifth birthday... What I did was wrong. I scared you, hurt you, and mentally scarred you. Because of the way you seemed around me, I sealed away the things I felt were going to scare you off. What was left became what you knew to be me until the bridge incident. Kakashi-sensei had forgotten about me several times already, and then he said, "You're you." You agreed, so I asked what not me was. That's how I came to seal away the me that you had gotten to know. You didn't like either, so I..."

"Are you serious?" Sakura asked softly.

I opened my eyes and looked down at her in confusion. My confusion turned to worry upon seeing her state.

Her head was tilted down, a shadow covering her green eyes as her pink hair hung in her face. She was shaking as she bit her lower lip, her hands clenched into fists as the sat on her chest.

"This is why I didn't want you to know," I grumbled as I shoved my hands into my pockets. "It's nothing for you to get sad-"

"Sad?!" Sakura barked at me as she lifted her head. Her rage barely registered in my mind before she slammed her fist across my face, sending me crashing into the memorial. "I'm furious!"

I blinked a few times as my brow furrow. "What?"

She grabbed me by the front of my hospital shirt and pulled me to my feet. My twin shook me as her anger seemed to reach its peak. "Do you think this is funny?! When the hell did I ask you to seal yourself away?!"

"Hah?! When did you not?! I mean, you're scared of Sado, and just recently, you said you didn't like Maso either!" I yelled back as I pushed her hands away.

Sakura delivered another solid punch to my face. "Idiot! Even if I'm scared, even if I'm sad, even if I'm angry... I never once wanted you to change!"

"But you-"

"Shut up!" She demanded before releasing a sniff. Tears came from her jade eyes as she glared down at me. "Just... shut up..."

I did as she commanded and stared at her silently. I sat criss-cross style and placed my hands on my knees.

My sister took a moment to compose herself before taking in a deep, yet shaky, breath. "Ren... I love you, but sometimes you're so stupid it makes me want to beat you to the ground."

"I'm sorry," I apologized as I hung my head.

"I never asked you out right to change, right?" She questioned.

I shook my head.

"You love me even though I'm weird sometimes... Why would you think I'm not capable of doing the same?" My twin asked as she looked down at me sadly.

I felt my eyes widen at that. As I looked into her eyes, I finally realized the big error that I had made. I felt my eyes burn before I stood up. "I never meant-"

She shook her head before wiping her eyes once again. "N-no... I know that you always try to read between the lines when it comes to other people. I should have realized earlier that I-"

"No," I interrupted, making her look at me in confusion. I pulled her into a hug as I closed my eyes. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, especially not concerning my own twin sister. I should have just asked."

"Neither of you are free from blame," Ino-chan said, reminding me that she was still here. She watched us with her hands on her hips, her sass knowing no bounds as she stared at us. Even though a stern expression sat on her face, her eyes held happiness.

"What are you still doing here, Ino-buta-chan?" Sakura asked rudely as she glared at her rival over my shoulder.

"Helping you two idiots out," she sassed back.

My sister immediately grew irked, but calmed down after hearing me chuckle. "Ren?"

"It's nothing," I muttered as I took a step back. I wiped my eyes before smiling at her. "I won't seal myself up anymore, okay?"

The pinkenette gave a nod of approval. "Good! And I won't ignore any weird signals you give off!"

I gave my own nod. "Great! Now, go visit Duckass or whatever."

Sakura punched my head. "I told you to stop calling Sasuke-kun that!"

Ino-chan immediately followed up with her own punch. "You better not call Sasuke-kun names when I'm around!"

I huffed as I laid on the ground. "He's not so great. He's just some egotistical loser with a haircut in the shape of a duck's ass."

They simultaneously brought their dominant foot down on my stomach. "Shut up!" And with that, they walked off while angrily discussing how much of an asshole I was.

I snickered as I rolled towards the stone. I then sat up and once again allowed my mind to be enveloped by the stone.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to still be here."

I rolled my eyes. "Even I can follow directions, Kakashi-sensei."

"Sometimes, I wonder about that," he replied, making me snort. I looked back at him before realizing that there was a brunette standing next to him. "Who's the weirdo?"

The eyed man looked over my sensei with a slightly annoyed expression. "Kakashi-senpai, please tell me that this is a joke."

"...Wait a second..." I demanded as I looked the new man over.

"Stop checking him out," Kakashi-sensei demanded as he karate chopped my head.

"No! It's that wood-loving ANBU I told you about!" I exclaimed as I pointed at the brunette. "His voice, pattern of speech, and body language are the same!"

Kakashi-sensei rolled his eye. "Yeah, sure."

I narrowed my eyes at the black-eyed brunette who shifted awkwardly under my gaze. "I'm onto you..."

"O-okay..." He replied nervously before quickly scooting over to my sensei. "He's kinda creepy."

"He's one of the best," Kakashi-sensei replied, his words having two meanings to them.

Ah, I'm one of the best at being creepy, huh? I asked myself as I looked back at the stone. "Alright, so what is the wood-loving ANBU doing here?"

The brunette sighed before his black eyes pierced through the back of my skull. "Did it ever cross your mind that ANBU members wear a mask for a reason?"

"Of course, I know it's to keep your identity hidden, but who the hell is going to come out here just to find out who you are?" I asked bluntly.

"He does have a point," Kakashi-sensei said with a small shrug.

"S-senpai!" The man objected as he looked up at Kakashi-sensei.

"Anyways, this is Tenzō," Kakashi-sensei said as he motioned to the doll-eyed man. "Tenzō, this is Ren. I think the two of you may be able to work on Ren's lotus jutsus to improve it and make it stronger."

"Kakashi-sensei, my jutsu kills people given enough time. How much stronger could it get?" I asked as I looked back at him with a blank expression.

"I'd like to see how you primarily use it," Tenzō-san stated as he got into a teaching mode.

I gave a small shrug before kneeling down and drawing a kunai. I carved a lotus into the ground before performing the necessary handsigns in order for the black flower to bloom. I then brought my finished project over to the man with slight boredom.

Tenzō-san looked my flower over before giving himself a small nod. "Now I want to see how fast you can make one of these."

I thought of my poor senpai's state and watched as black lotuses bloomed around me at a rapid pace. "Like that?"

"What do you do in order for you to create these?" Tenzō-san asked as he began to survey the newest lotuses I created.

"I get super depressed and/or angry," I answered.

"Hm... How did you originally make this jutsu?" He questioned as he began to gather up my flowers.

"Well... I just got so angry that I stabbed a tree quite a few times and attempted to set said tree on fire with the Uchiha-famous fireball jutsu. Instead, a lotus bloomed from the tree," I explained, keeping out a few key details about my trials and failures with actually setting the tree on fire before hand.

"Is that so...?" He questioned before looking me in the eye. "I want you to watch what I do carefully and try to replicate it. I know it'll probably fail, but since you and I can both use living plants, I figured something similar may occur."

I gave a nod before standing back. I watched as he held his palms up.

"In my right hand, I have earth chakra. In my left hand, I have water chakra. When I put them together..." Tenzō-san did so, making the sign of the snake, the same handsign I typically finished off with when using my technique. "I can create wood and other various plants. I can make these plants sprout from any surface, including my own body since my chakra is literally being turned into a source of life. I believe you are doing the same thing through much more complicated means. If I am right, then you may be able to use your lotuses like I can use my mokuton."

I gave a nod before watching his hands touch the ground.

Wood sprouted from the ground and slowly formed itself into a lotus-looking thing.

I gave a hum before scratching my cheek. "Well... As cool as that explanation and demonstration was, I don't know what chakra nature I am."

"Eh?" The brunette questioned before looking over at Kakashi-sensei with an accusing expression. "You said that he knew everything he'd need to."

The silver-haired man gave a small shrug before holding up his index finger. He disappear in a puff of smoke, leaving behind an awkward silence between us.

"So... How'd Kakashi-sensei convince you to teach me?" I asked as causally, but still awkwardly, as possible.

The black-eyed man gave a deep sigh. "I owe him a few favors."

"So did you two work together in the ANBU? Was Kakashi-sensei cool, or was he just as laid-back as he is now?" I questioned eagerly.

"Kakashi-senpai has always been pretty cool," Tenzō-san replied as he sat down, the barrier between us broken. "He was that taichō of our team, actually. He and I worked together once before I joined the ANBU and then his squad. We were actually quite the team."

I noticed how happy he looked and gained an impish grin. "So are you crushing on Kakashi-sensei?"

The man deadpanned as he stared at me. "No."

My grin grew wider. "I think you're lying~!"

The brunette grew irked before making the sign of the snake.

I yelped as wood suddenly came from the ground and wrapped around me. "Bro! It was a joke!" I lied before internally smacking my face. "Wait, why am I worried?" I teleported back to the stone and watched as the man's eyes practically exploded out of his skull.

"Th-that... You didn't just shunshin..." He pointed out shakily.

I gave a casual shrug. "Yeah. I can use the hiraishin jutsu."

Tenzō-san stared at me blankly for a second before muttering, "So you can use such a high-level jutsu, but you don't know what your chakra natures are?"

"Hey! I never officially got tested, but I do know that I'm good with earth and water!" I objected.

"If you know you're good with them, why hasn't Kakashi-senpai tested you with chakra kannōshis?!" The doll-eyed man exclaimed as he threw his arms into the air.

"Because I needed to test you," I replied with my hands on my hips.

He gained a questioning expression.

I chuckled as I looked him dead in the eyes. "ANBU-ranked or not, if you're a failure at teaching, I won't except you. I'm not going to let just anybody teach me, and I know Kakashi-sensei has some pretty weird tastes. Therefore, I set up a way to get us alone and test you."

"Yeah, but what would have happened if I had gotten the chakra kannōshis?" The wood-loving ANBU member asked with a raised brow.

I gave a shrug. "Then I would have interrogated Kakashi-sensei about you." My smirk returned. "Though, from what I can already tell, you're so caught up in your admiration for your precious senpai, you'd practically do anything he asked of you if he said the right words."

Tenzō-san narrowed his eyes at me before suddenly making his handsign once again.

A pole of wood quickly sprouted from the ground and slammed into my gut, causing me to fly into the air.

I face-planted into the ground and groaned in pleasure from the pain coursing through my body.

That's when Kakashi-sensei returned with three chakra kannōshis. He saw me laying on the ground with Tenzō-san's wood nearby before giving a sigh. "Ren... I brought him here to teach you, not for you to annoy him."

I lifted my head up with a large grin. "Well if that's all it takes to annoy him, I'm gonna be hit with his wood all day."

The man stared at me silently for a moment before asking, "Was that a sexual innuendo?"

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Nevermind!" He exclaimed before holding one of the papers out between his index and middle finger. "See this paper?"

"I would certainly hope so," I replied with a brow raised up high.

The man rolled his visible eye before the paper suddenly crinkled up.

I immediately got to my feet, ready for the explanation he was about to give.

"This is a chakra kannōshi. It tests a person's chakra nature affinity. See how mine wrinkled? It means my chakra affinity is lighting," the sharingan-wielder explained, making me hum in acknowledgement. "Should the paper have split in half, my chakra nature would have been wind. Should it have burnt and turned to ash, I would have the chakra nature of fire. Had it dampened, my chakra nature would be water. And if it had crumbled, my chakra nature would have been earth."

I gave a nod before reaching my hand out, only for him to pull the papers away. I quickly gave him an annoyed look.

"I want Sado to try one, and for Maso to try the other," Kakashi-sensei said, making me raise a brow.

"We're literally the same person," I sassed before relenting. "But if it helps me out, I'll do it." I took in a deep breath before holding my hand out. "Okay, first up is Maso."

Kakashi-sensei nodded in approval before handing over the paper.

As I focused my chakra to the paper in my right hand, the thing crumbled into dirt and fell to the ground.

"Okay. Now Sado," the silverenette ordered.

I changed mindsets before taking the paper with my left hand. I focused my chakra to it and watched as it dampened down.

"Good," he praised with a nod. "Now, the two of you need to get along together and somehow combine with each other.

I held up my finger before sitting down. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath through my nose. Then, I allowed myself to retreat into my mind.

Yo, we have to combine, I said to Maso, who was poking at where he was just recently hit by Tenzō's wood.

Aw, man... He muttered as he stood up. He then paused and asked, Don't we have to get really pissed in order to do it?

I gave an unamused look. Just get over here.

He trotted over and looked at me expectantly.

I slammed my fist into his stomach and said, Great. Now think about combining.

Maso gave a groan of pleasure before holding his thumb up.

I quickly slammed my knee into his face with a grin before closing my eyes.

My eyes opened before I stood up. "Okay, I think I got it."

"Before we go any further, do you know the circular diagram of the chakra natures?" Kakashi-sensei questioned, making me nod.

"Fire is strong against wind but weak against water. Wind is strong against lightning but weak against fire. Lightning is strong against earth but weak against wind. Earth is strong against water, but weak against lightning. Water is strong against fire, but weak against earth," I rattled off as I recalled the diagram.

"Correct. Since your two chakra natures are right next to each other, you may troubles combining them," the jônin explained.

I looked down at my hands while muttering, "Right. Though, to be honest, I'm better at my water than my earth."

"No problems," Tenzō-san butted in as he took Kakashi-sensei's place. "Now, remember what I said. Earth chakra to your right hand, and water in your left."

I gave a simple nod while I focused earth chakra to my right hand while my left hand held water chakra. I then pressed my hands together in the sign of the snake before putting my hands to the ground. I admit to screaming like a little bitch when a lotus half of my height sprouted out of the ground.

"Well then..." Kakashi-sensei had nothing more to say as he stared at my lotus with a wide eye.

"That... went better than I expected..." Tenzō-san admitted as he stared at my lotus in shock. He then shook his head and looked at my terrified face. "Could you try making it into wood instead of a lotus? Just in case."

I gave a small shrug before combining my chakra the same way I had before, only with a little bit less chakra. I then put my hands to the ground, only for another lotus to pop up. I deadpanned at the flower before thinking, Great. That's the extent of my abilities. I won't be rebuilding houses any time soon.

"Try mixing the chakra in a different way," Tenzō-san suggested.

I gave a nod before making my right hand hold the water and my left hand hold the earth. I pressed my hands together before placing them to the ground. I closed my eyes and thought, My chakra turns into life. My chakra will birth trees that will be mighty and strong. Or just wood. That would be totally acceptable too.

"My gods..."

I opened my eyes and nearly screamed again. I managed to hold back the scream, but not the spit that flew from my mouth as I stared at the baby tree that sprouted up and out of the ground. "D-did I...?"

"Hm... It seems that I was right," Tenzō-san muttered before looking at me seriously. "Have you ever had any surgeries before?"

"Uh, yeah. I think I had three of them," I answered.

"List them off," the brunette ordered with a serious expression.

I gave a hum before holding up my index finger. I looked towards the sky while trying to recall the details of all three. "Okay, so the first would be when I was four. I broke my right femur and needed that fixed up. Um, the next happened when I was seven. After getting an arrow through my knee, I was slammed into the ground with an impressive force and nearly had my back broken. I don't think they had to fix up my back, but they did need to go through surgery to fix my kneecap after making the arrow situation worse."

"He's the kid from the Hospital Newt Incident," Kakashi-sensei whispered to Tenzō-san, who deadpanned epically.

"Uh, and the last time was when I was ten," I continued on as if not hearing Kakashi-sensei's comment. "I ended up cutting my left ring finger off and needed it surgically attached. Oh!"

The two looked at me expectantly.

"Yeah, I just got another surgery within the last few days. I totally got my chest fucked up in the Forest of Death." I gave a laugh as I held my hands behind my head. "You wouldn't believe how sharp my kunais are."

"That happened with your own kunai?" Kakashi-sensei repeated as he pointed to where my wound was hidden away under my bandages and shirt.

"Yep!" I chirped.

"When exactly did you develop your jutsu?" Tenzō-san interrupted.

"Six," I replied.

He gave a small hum as he held his chin. "Did they transfer any cells over to you during the first surgery?"

"No, they just put in a plate and a few screws before sewing everything up," I told the doll-eyed man.

"I see... Have you ever heard of a man named Danzō?" He pressed.

I felt my eyes narrow despite myself. "You mean one of the members of the Council of Elders? Who hasn't heard of him?"

"Have you ever met him personally?" Tenzō-san asked instead.

"Not that I know of," I answered honestly.

He looked back at Kakashi-sensei before giving a small nod. He turned his gaze back to me, and his black eyes stared deeply into mine. "Ren, I believe you hold some of the genes that Senju Hashirama held, making you able to use the Senju kekkei genkai of mokuton."

"Do you hold those genes too?" I asked as I pointed at the man curiously.

"Yes, but that's not really the point here," he said, his eyes conveying to me that he was lying to my face.

I held up my finger, making him shut up. "Did Danzō surgically give you the ability to use mokuton?"

"No," he answered quickly.

"But it was surgically given to you, wasn't it?" I pressed, my eyes narrowing slightly.

He stared back at me, silent for quite a long time. He eventually tilted his head back towards Kakashi-sensei and asked, "Should I...?"

"I trust him," the silver-haired man replied seriously, his arms crossed as he looked down at me.

"What I'm about to tell you is something you can't tell anyone else. It's classified information, do you understand?" Tenzō-san asked as a shadow crossed his face. He was clearly trying to make himself seem more intimidating.

"Mkay," I replied as I motioned for him to move on.

Kakashi-sensei chuckled before muttering, "I told you he's one of the best."

Tenzō-san briefly glared over his shoulder at Kakashi-sensei before turning back towards me. "Cells from Senju Hashirama himself were implanted into me by Orochimaru-"

"That bitch!" I cursed, making Tenzō-san look at me with complete and utter confusion.

"P-pardon me?" He asked nervously, sweat visibly running down his face.

"That motherfucker is trying to ruin my sister's love life!" I exclaimed, making him deadpan. I pointed at him and glared fiercely. "Oi. Don't give me that look. My sister is the most important thing to me, and I will not hesitate to kick your ass if it'll make her happy."

He held his hands up in mock self-defense. "Okay, I hear you. She's important to you."

"Damn straight," I said before sitting criss-cross, my arms crossing themselves in the process. "Okay, continue on."

He gave a small sigh before beginning again. "Orochimaru implanted cells from Senju Hashirama, along with fifty-nine other children. I was the only one to survive, and I was rescued somewhere along the way and brought to Konoha where I became a member of the Root under Danzō's control. The Root-"

"-carried out missions that Danzō believed would benefit Konoha. Because of its core views as "the unseen ones who support the great tree of Konoha from the depths of the earth," some of those missions were less than respectable, such as eliminating individuals that were considered potential threats simply for expressing their detestation for Konoha, despite not actually having done anything against the village. The organisation's top priority was its secrecy, and most of its missions were carried out in the dark - autonomous of Konoha's authority. Root was officially disbanded after the Uchiha Clan Downfall due to Danzō spearheading the tragedy," I reported, much to the shock of the other two.

"Y-you know about it?" Tenzō-san asked with wide eyes.

"Of course, I do," I replied with a roll of my eyes. "I also know they never actually disbanded. Those Root fuckers are more suspicious than actual criminals!" I threw my arms into the air. "I mean, how self-conscious could someone be while buying some fucking fish at the market?!"

"K-keep it down," Tenzō-san urged as he looked around worriedly.

"Hah! That prick organization can't kill me, even in my sleep," I boasted, making the two men raise their eyebrows. I paused before muttering, "Uh, I mean, look at that butterfly..."

Kakashi-sensei slapped my head. "And just what did you do this time?!"

"Hey! You can't hit me until I actually tell you!" I objected angrily.

"You have three seconds," he said threateningly.

I pursed my lips as I looked to the side. "So I may have made a few seals around the house-"

Kakashi-sensei delivered another slap to my head.

"Ow! Bitch! What the hell?!" I yelled as I held my head. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"If you feel the need to do that, you obviously did something bad!" He argued.

"Hey! It was just a precaution in case some shit went down in the village!" I objected, lying right to his face. "And why the hell do you keep hitting me! That's child abuse!"

Instead of hitting me, he kicked my face.

"Hah! This pain only makes me stronger-" I cut my words off so I could release a very high-pitch scream. I flopped over to the side, twitching slightly as I cupped my most precious body part.

"You feeling stronger?" Kakashi-sensei asked, his hands on his hips.

"No," I admitted, my voice still far too high to be natural.

"Good. How does payback feel?" He questioned.

"Like bitch," I muttered weakly.

"Um... Kakashi-senpai... Why are you beating up your student?" Tenzō-san asked, clearly not understanding the relationship that Kakashi-sensei and I had.

"In a month, you'll be doing the same thing," Kakashi-sensei replied.

I perked up a bit. "Hey, will he really be teaching me?"

"What am I?" Kakashi-sensei grumbled as he pointed at himself.

"Meh," I replied with a shrug, earning a glare. I grinned at him and said, "Just kidding. No one could replace the asshole that you are."

He delivered a swift kick to my jaw, sending me to the ground once again.

"Weakling!" I announced as I got back up.

"Shut up, Ren," he muttered with a small sigh.

"Only if you beat me to a bloody pulp later," I said with a grin, my hands pointing fingers guns at him.

Tenzō-san slowly raised his hand. "Um..."

"Oh, haha," I grinned as I rubbed the back of my neck. "You're probably really confused. You see, I'm this hardcore masochist, as well as a sarcastic asshole. I have sadistic tendencies as well, so..."

"He's perfect shinobi material," Kakashi-sensei praised as he patted the top of my head.

I beamed happily at the praise and held my hands behind my back. "I'm Haruno Ren. It's a pleasure to be working with you, Tenzō-sensei!"

"J-just call me Tenzō-taichou," Tenzō-sensei said as he sweatdropped, a twitching smile on his face.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it," Kakashi-sensei said, giving a closed-eye smile. And with that, he shunshined away, probably to read his "romantic comedy" in peace.

"You don't actually want me to constantly hit you, do you?" Tenzō-sensei mumbled as he looked at me pleadingly.

"No, nothing that'd make you uncomfortable. Though if you do see me doing something stupid, verbal abuse will set me on the right track." I gave him a thumbs up and watched him give a deep sigh.

"The things he twists me into..." Tenzō-sensei muttered under his breath before shaping up. "Alright! I want to see the biggest tree you can make!"

"Yes sir!" I replied before taking a deep breath. I closed my eyes, focused my chakra, and made the biggest tree I could. When I opened my eyes, I pouted at the tree that wasn't even up to my knees. "Uh... Any tips?"

Tenzō-sensei chuckled. "Your not combining the two chakras to their full capacity."

"And how do I do that?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

He gave a small hum. "Well, everything came naturally to me. But if I had to give any pointers, I suppose it'd be to become one with the tree."

I raised my eyebrow. "And how the flying fuck am I supposed to accomplish that?"

"No foul language, or you're on your own," he threatened with narrowed eyes.

"Okay," I agreed with slight annoyance.

He gave a nod of approval before suggesting, "Meditate for a little while in the forest alone. You should be able to understand how a tree feels if you wait long enough."

I gave a dramatic sigh before nodding. "Okay, I'll become a tree."

"Good," he said despite the fact his eye was twitching from my sigh. "I'll see your progress in a week."

"A week?! Where will you be for the entire week?!" I exclaimed as he stood up. I quickly scrambled after him, only for him to shunshin away. I stared silently at where he stood before yelling angrily, "Son of a bitch!"

That didn't get him to return, obviously.

With a deep sigh, I travelled out a bit further into the forest before sitting down next to a few trees. I closed my eyes and began to steady my breathing.

The clouds moved slowly across the blue, inching their way towards wherever their desired destination was. Perhaps where they were going wasn't the location desired, but they went nevertheless as the wind pushed them along.

Maybe the trees had to deal with the same thing, but they always have to deal with the fear of losing their leaves, the things that protect them and the animals that use their branches as shelter. They have to fear the storms too, and they can't move themselves. They're rooted to the earth, but they stand tall nonetheless. They refuse to back down from challenges and help the earth, even after death.

I closed my eyes and just allowed my other senses to work overtime. I heard the soft breeze rustling the leaves as well as the chirping of birds. I could hear insects that moved around, working hard during the sunlight hours. I couldn't really taste the freshness of the air, but my nose could definitely smell it.

Feeling... That was the sense that truly allowed me to picture the world around me. The grass felt nice and soft against my skin, yet pricked me at the same time. The cool earth beneath that grass was firm, but allowed for some leeway as my fingers pressed into its surface. I could feel the warmth from the few rays of sun that managed to slip past the trees' leaves. I could even feel a slight chill when the breeze danced over my skin.

Releasing a deep breath, I began to think about my observations from a different standpoint.

What does everything have in common? Everything in nature is connected somehow. Everything is all, everything is one. One is a part of all, all is one, in and of itself... These trees have roots that connect them to the earth, and similarly, the animals are connected to the land they live in. Roots, whether physical or spiritual, connect everything, even me... I am the tree. I... am the tree...

Chakra is a powerful thing that can be manipulated many ways. Unconsciously, chakra is something that can be wielded as an unbeatable weapon. As a weapon, it can be used to cause death. However, it could also be used as a life-curing medical devise. So long as your mind can manipulate your chakra, your body should be able to carry that will out. The physical and mental strength combined into one whilst the energy of the world around tainted that chakra.

My eyes slowly opened as I released a deep breath. I sat up as I tried mixing my chakra while it was in the main part of my body. I made the handsign Tenzō-sensei did before placing my hands on the ground. I watched as a small bud slowly rose from the ground.

The small, green bud grew taller and taller as time seemed to pass by in slow motion. The green soon changed to brown as the wood became stronger and stronger, growing larger and larger. The tree grew rapidly in front of my very eyes, though it wasn't a tree that was matched the others around it. It was a different type, a fact made evident just by the bark alone.

I gave a small hum as I allowed it to grow as tall as the other trees. Once I released the technique, the tree stopped growing and remained in the sea of others unlike its own. I decided that I needed to do more research on trees before promptly faceplanting into my tree. I had evidently used up too much chakra since my control was very lackluster at that time.

Though, I must say, I slept peacefully under the shade of my tree.