Konoha 1 week later

Team 7 had arrived back from their time in Wave relatively unscathed. Kakashi had decided that they should stay in Wave for a few more days after Gato had been taken care of to watch over the bridge's completion. As well as that he had to hash out the finer details of the mission contract with Tazuna. An A-rank mission on top of assassinating what was essentially the richest man in the region didn't come cheap after all.

"Ne, Sensei, what did you say to Tazuna that made him agree to all of your terms so quickly?" asked Naruto

"Well, young padawan I used my years of being the best ninja in Konoha to good use and sweet talked him into seeing things from my point of view. I may or may not have slightly threatened him, slightly."

"What did you actually say to the poor man?" quipped Sakura

"I just let him know that if he didn't pay up I would come alone, at night, and I know where he lives."

"OI."

"Sensei!"

Sasuke chuckled. Time stopped. As a unit the rest of Team 7 all turned to look at Sasuke, each showing their own look of horror. Sasuke turned beet red.

"Uhhh. I mean hn."

"Oh thank Kami-sama."

"For a second there I thought I heard Sasuke chuckle."

Kakashi subtly activated his sharingan and checked for signs of a henge. 'No that's still Sasuke, who here laughed then?'

"Show yourself intruder, or I'll hunt you myself."

A startled "eep" came from the treeline. Out of said treeline fell the Hyuuga heiress.

"Ano, I'm sorry Kakashi-sensei. I was just practising my uhh, uhm, my information gathering! Yup, that's what I was doing. I was definitely not being a creep. No way nuh uh. Hinata Hyuuga is not a creep."

"Right, well listen not-a-creep-san. Naruto here needs help with his information gathering, so can you do me a favour and teach him a few things?"

'Naruto and I alone? Gathering information? On each other?!'

It was too much for the young heiress and she promptly proceeded to turn red and faint on the spot.

Sasuke chuckled again.

" Who are you and what have you done to Sasuke? Tell me now and I might let you see the end of the day."

Kakashi's killing intent sky rocketed. He was not going to lose a team mate. Not again and especially not so soon.

"Oi Sensei stop it, you're going to give him a heart attack!"

Naruto was right both Sasuke and Sakura had turned incredibly pale. Sweat was dropping off of them, they looked positively terrified.

"Why aren't you affected by this Gaki?"

"Oh ya know, the whole village hates me, socially stunted, and oh I don't know the massive ball of hatred and malice stuck in my gut?"

'right, stupid question.'

Kakashi let up on his intent. Sasuke and Sakura stood up on shaky legs. Terrified of their Sensei's wrath.

Sakura gathered her courage and spoke up." Sensei, what.. What was that?"

Now Kakashi could have kept up his persona of not caring and proceeded to leave his poor kids scarred without any explanation for his reaction, but they'd grown on him. They'd made him proud to be their Sensei, more importantly however he had become close to them in the short time they had together. Maybe, just maybe he could give his trust to these three. They certainly deserved it.

"I thought I had lost one of you guys." Kakashi said very quietly, almost not trusting himself to say the words.

"Oh." Sakura whispered.

The three genin were shocked. They knew Kakashi cared, and but not to this extent. That the thought of losing one of them would send him into such a rage. It was quite touching actually.

"GROUP THERAPY HUG" Shouted the blonde menace.

Team 7 piled on Kakashi and hugged the sadness out of him. Even Sasuke joined in, but he looked away, even when sappy he had to be cool.

"Alright, alright. Therapy session over, there are gonna be a lot of questions asked if the Hyuuga heiress is found passed out on the street and we don't debrief after being gone from the village for 2 weeks."

"Hai Sensei."

Naruto summoned a shadow clone and had him bring Hinata to the hospital. Team 7 proceeded on to the Hokage tower to let their village leader know how their eventful mission had gone down.

All this time the gate guards had been watching in abject horror and shock.

"Meizu did you just see what I saw?"

"S-raaaaaaaank" Meizu hissed.

"Right, of course, easier not to know."

Hokage Tower

"Oh Kakashi-kun, Team 7, welcome back to the village. Now please explain to me why a routine C-rank escort mission to Wave took you almost two weeks." Hiruzen asked with a non-smile.

'uh oh.'

"Well you see Hokage-sama the thing is..."

"About that."

"Hey would you look at the time I've got to go."

"Team 7, explain. Now." Sarutobi's town didn't leave room for argument. He wanted an explanation. Immediately.

Kakashi debriefed and told him everything. With the Hokage interjecting at key points.

"You let your genin play jankenpon over who got to solo a B-rank threat?"

"They were only chunin."

"Ah okay carry on."

"Zabuza Momochi? As in one of the seven swordsmen Zabuza Momochi?"

"Yeah, would you like his sword? I sealed it away after I took his life."

"Ooh I can make fun of Kiri with this when they finish killing each other off in their silly bloodline feud."

"My cute little genin even managed to take on his apprentice. She even had the Ice Release bloodline."

"Excellent work Team 7."

They positively beamed. They took turns telling the fight from their point of view. When Sakura was telling her version of the story Sarutobi grew more and more horrified. This was Tsunade all over again.

"Kakashi, you're making monsters out of them."

"I did as you asked sir. The best way to survive in this world is to be the strongest is it not?"

"Yeah okay, I get that, but really? Tsunade 2.0? My heart can't take another one of those. On top of the side project? How do you think they would fare in the chunin exams if it were held today?"

"Only team 9 would pose a risk. Give me the two months for training and they'll be unstoppable."

"I can't give you another two months off. People are starting to notice your absence, with Gai also training his team our neighbours are getting braver."

"How about we compromise and I start making my presence known again. I would request that I can bring my team with me. Nothing above A rank of course."

"Can you guarantee their safety?"

"Hokage-sama, respectfully, no one else could. They're close to being able to run B-ranks by themselves. What better way to bring out their potential than to forge them in fire and blood."

"Kakashi no matter how good they are, they are not you."

"They may not be me, but their potential far outstrips mine."

"Truly?"

"Frighteningly so."

"Fine, I'll relent and let you bring your team with you, but you know what this means for them don't you. You'll be putting a target on their backs for every major village."

"Then it seems I'll have to remind the world why I'm so feared internationally. Which one of the 4 is next Hokage-sama?"

"To go so far for your students. You have given them your trust haven't you?"

"Hai."

"Okay Kakashi, come back later on and I'll have decided on your target. Team 7, train hard, dark times are coming your way. Dismissed."

Outside the tower

"Alright Gaki's I'm giving you two days off for rest and recuperation. Meet up with your friends and enjoy these two days as much as you can, what comes after will not be enjoyable."

"Hai Sensei." the three chorused back.

Kakashi took off in a seemingly random direction leaving his three charges by themselves.

The blonde of the trio was the first to speak up. "So Teme, Banshee-chan, what are your plans? Want to get some food before we part ways?"

"I was going to meet up with Ino and see how she's getting on. I'm sure her team has improved in the time we have been gone."

"Food sounds good dobe. I might even challenge one of our useless class members to a fight. Just to truly show them the gap in skill level."

"We get it Sasuke you're gonna be an emo and sulk for two days."

"Oi!"

"Enough of this standing around, let's make our way to Ichiraku Ramen!"

"Really? Ramen? Again?" Sakura complained

"I'll go for Tomato ramen this time, mix it up a little bit."

"Of course I'd love to get ramen!" Unsurprisingly Sakura U-turned on her previous decision. She may have become less intense with her fangirling due to the death and despair recently in her life, it had not however fully gone away.

The three went on to Ichirakus, ready to finally talk about their mission and to pester Sasuke about the details of the assassination mission.

2 days later

Sasuke walked into training ground 7 on his own. He was always on his own as he was the emo overlord. Emoness has no room for friends.

As he was contemplating the greater aspects of being alone and by himself he felt the hairs on his neck stand up. Fog rolled in. Was that maniacal laughter?

"Ooooooooooh it is me the ghost of Itachi Uchiha. I have come to kill more clan members Ooooooooooooh."

'Itachi isn't dead. Who is this fraud?'

"Come on over here, no, come on over here. You're not Itachi, you're a fake and a fraud!"

The 'ghost' stopped and everything become very silent. Too silent. Incredibly silently silent. So incredibly silent that silence was silent...

PAIN

Something impacted the back of Sasuke's head and he was sent rolling. He got up to defend himself but immediately got a foot across the face. Sasuke tried to stand one more time but got put into the dirt by another vicious strike to the top of his head.

Sasuke blurry eyed got ready for the next hit but nothing came. "Who goes there?!"

Nothing responded, there was a faint whistling sound.

*Shing*

A cut was made just across Sasuke's cheek by a passing kunai and all of a sudden he was on the defense again. A veritable hail of kunai came raining down at him and Sasuke did everything he could to avoid them but nicks and cuts appeared all across his body.

When the kunai finished he looked around to see where the enemy would attack from next but found nothing. Adrenaline pumping and stress through the roof Sasuke thought he may actually die here.

A rustle of grass. A spark of light.

*Screeeeeeech*

Sasuke turned around to face the noise and came face to face with a ball of electric death coming at break neck speeds.

'This is where it ends. Sakura, Naruto. Kill him for me. For what it was worth, it was fun.'

As death approached him Sasuke noticed it slowing down. He had just enough time and speed to dodge it.

All of a sudden everything stopped. The fog dissipated. Noise came back and I front of him stood Kakashi and a purple haired woman.

"Congratulations Sasuke. This is your reward for completing the assassination mission like a true ninja."

"Reward? Reward?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN REWARD? I DAMN NEAR DIED YOU LUNATIC."

"Sasuke." It was but a whisper but it was heard. He may have been angry but stupid Uchiha Sasuke was not.

"Look at yourself in the puddle beside you. Do you notice something different?"

Mulishly Sasuke trodded towards the nearest puddle only to see two spinning red orbs staring back at him.

'????'

"Sensei..."

"You've earned it Sasuke, remember, it is another tool in your arsenal. Not a crutch. Go, show your teammates your legacy. Explain to them what this means."

"Hai Sensei. Thank you." Sasuke uttered unnaturally softly.

All this time he hadn't known if he was a true Uchiha as his father had wanted him to be. Itachi and Shisui had both unlocked their Sharingan years before him. Day by day it looked like he was on of the few uchiha who wouldn't be able to unlock their bloodline.

Often seen as castaways and failures the ninja of the Uchiha clan who never unlocked their sharingan were shunned and put to the side. Their genes not to mix with proper Uchiha blood. This was evidence of his heritage as a son of the clan head.

Finally he could start catching up to Itachi. 'Nii-san. Watch out, I'm coming, my team and I will take you down.'

With Kakashi

"Damn Kakashi you really made him think he was going to die." muttered the resident snake summoner.

"Anko-san you and I both know the best way for an uchiha to develop their sharingan is under fear of death or incredibly high stress."

"True enough Kakashi. Now where is your blonde haired brat? I have a bone to pick with him!"

"If I tell you where he is you cannot corrupt him. If you try and do untold things to him your body will not be found. Understood?"

"Hai, hai." Anko said nonchalantly. 'Damn, Kakashi can be scary with people he cares about.'

Kakashi and Anko left the training ground happy with their job done. One more scared than before.

AN

There ya go fuckers. Chapter 9 finito. Gonna be one or two more chapters before chuunin exams. The rest of team 7 will be getting significant power boosts before the exams. Some I will show you beforehand other during said exams.

For all you cunts crying about how long these chapters take to write fuck you. I got college and work and other shit. Suck my balls.

Join the bloody damn Discord Server. Invite code is StPc5V.

Anyway. Review, Like, Favourite. Wipe your ass. SEE YA NEXT TIIIIIIMEEE